Issue 21

The Region’s Premium Publication Early Autumn 2017 Issue 21 | £4.50

As I see it

Jessica Seaton, founder of Toast

Shark encounters

Jaw-dropping photography

Frugi founders

The organic children’s clothing company

Recipes

Of time and place

Harris Bugg

Landscape design fit for a princess

Autumn/Winter

Trends Guide

Win a designer chair and ottoman

Back Page Prize Draw

CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY

MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

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MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

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SUPERB COUNTRY RESIDENCE WITH DETACHED OUTBUILDINGS AND GLORIOUS VIEWS

NR TREGONY, THE ROSELAND, CORNWALL

Portholland beach - 2; Caerhays beach - 3; Tregony - 4; Portloe - 4.5; St Austell (mainline rail) - 8; Truro - 12; St Mawes - 12.5; Cornwall Airport (Newquay) - 19 (distances are approximate and in miles).

Centrally positioned within 8.5 acres of gardens, grounds and paddocks, affording great privacy and with the benefit of no public rights of way, Polsue Farm is located in an idyllic rural setting, yet is within easy reach of Truro, St Mawes and the Roseland Peninsula, with the sea at Portholland just two miles distant. An energy-efficient modern country residence with potential for further accommodation, subject to all relevant consents. 3,911 sq ft plus outbuildings.

Guide £1,750,000 Freehold 4

MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

Savills Cornwall Ben Davies bmdavies@savills.com

01872 243200

INDIVIDUAL PROPERTY OF ARCHITECTURAL EXCELLENCE AND CONTEMPORARY FLAIR

DARACOMBE PARK, DEVON

Beautifully presented ◆ Eco friendly ◆ Two story reception hall ◆ Cloakroom ◆ Large open-plan living area Kitchen ◆ Ground floor bedroom suite ◆ Guest suite ◆ Two Further bedrooms ◆ Bathroom ◆ Two roof balconies Double garage ◆ Approx 1/2 acre in gated development

Savills Exeter Edward Tallack edward.tallack@savills.com

01392 455 741

Guide Price £1,100,000

MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

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Exeter 24 Southernhay West, Exeter EX1 1PR 01392 241686 | exeter@struttandparker.com

Devon | Chilton

Guide Price ÂŁ2,500,000

A unique refurbished house with outbuildings, stables, paddocks and further development potential, set in 84.4 acres with stunning countryside views 7-11 Bedrooms | 12 Reception rooms | 8-12 Bathrooms | Control room | Utility room | Formal gardens | Staff accommodation | Outbuildings | Stables | Paddocks | EPC: TBC In all about 84.4 acres | Approximately 4862 Sq Ft Exeter Richard Speedy | 01392 241686

/struttandparker 6 MANOR | Early Autumn 2017@struttandparker

Exeter Oliver Custance Baker | 01392 241686

struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including Prime Central London

Exeter 24 Southernhay West, Exeter EX1 1PR 01392 241686 | exeter@struttandparker.com

North Devon | Appledore

Offers Over ÂŁ550,000

A period family house in the heart of Appledore, in a Conservation Area with panoramic views of the estuary 4 Bedrooms | 4 Reception rooms | 1 Bathroom | Utility room | Gardens | Garage | Panoramic estuary views | Garage and parking available by separate negotiation | EPC: E Approximately 1932 Sq Ft Exeter Richard Speedy | 01392 241686

/struttandparker

@struttandparker

Exeter Joshua Mattinson | 01392 241686

struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including Prime Central London

MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

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Traditionally hand cast in Cornwall

10% o

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cornishbeds.co.uk Tel 01726 825182

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MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

London showroom The Old Dairy, 66a Paddenswick Road, London W6 0UB Devon showroom Odhams Wharf, Topsham, Exeter EX3 0PD Cornwall showroom 24, The Roundhouse, Harbour Road, Par, Cornwall PL24 2BB

Contents

Early Autumn 2017

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32

Regulars 15 TOWN MOUSE, COUNTRY MOUSE Correspondence from across the divide

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42

AS I SEE IT...

Entrepreneur and co-founder of Toast, Jessica Seaton

Style & Beauty 16 TRENDS

Features 32 CUT FROM A DIFFERENT CLOTH Organic children’s clothing brand Frugi

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PLUMP IT UP Hints on how to hydrate your skin

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MY FEEL-GOOD REGIME Writer Hayley Spurway

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THE STYLE SHOOT Photographed by Remy Whiting

IN STORE FOR EXETER We talk to Princesshay’s Centre Director Wayne Pearce on the future of retail in the city

What we’ll be wearing this season, take it as red and check list

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SHAPING THE FUTURE Maker of wooden surfboards, James Otter

Photostory 42 AT THE SHARP END

Shark encounters with photographer Charles Hood

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94 Culture 60 SPLICE OF LIFE

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Taxidermist Janec van Veen

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PHOTO PRIMITIVE Artists William Arnold and Oliver Raymond-Barker

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SOUTH WEST MUST SEES...

What’s on around the region

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WORTH MAKING THE TRIP FOR...

Cultural highlights from the metropolis and beyond

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WORTH STAYING IN FOR...

Quality time on your sofa

Food 94 THE WHOLE SHEBANG Eco-chef and author Tom Hunt on sustainability and food waste

98

GROWING AN UNDERSTANDING Teaching children where food comes from

104

FROM LAND AND WATER Recipes from Jessica Seaton’s Gather Cook Feast

108

BITES Food news from across the peninsula

115

THE TABLE PROWLER ...dines out at Old School Bar & Kitchen near Truro and The Baobab Café, Crediton

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118 Space 118 THE GREEN TEAM Award-winning garden designers Harris Bugg Group

122

Q&A Josh Harvey of Barton Solutions

126

SHOPPING FOR SPACE Outside inside

Early Autumn 2017

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126 MANOR school 138 SCHOOL NEWS IN BRIEF Trinity School’s ‘Science Buskers’; Exeter School alumnus inspires schoolchildren with Summer Film School at Exeter Phoenix; King’s pupils sleep out for homeless charity; A* grade success for Shebbear

130 140

BOOSTING CONFIDENCE Professor Ruth Merttens with advice on how to keep teenagers engaged with education

Property 149 THE BULLETIN What does the future of buying look like?

134 Escape 130 FINN THE SUMMERTIME A summer break in Finland

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GOING THE WHOLE HOG The Pig at Combe one year on

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PROPERTY OF NOTE

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SNAPSHOT COMPARATIVE

Clay Point, Flushing, Cornwall

A selection of properties in the South West and London with interesting features

Back Page 162 PRIZE DRAW Win a designer chair and ottoman by HAY worth a combined £1,065

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is brought to you by PUBLISHING EDITOR

Imogen Clements imogen@manormagazine.co.uk

COMMISSIONING EDITOR

Jane Fitzgerald jane@manormagazine.co.uk

FEATURES EDITOR

Fiona McGowan features@manormagazine.co.uk

ARTS EDITOR

Belinda Dillon belinda@manormagazine.co.uk

FOOD EDITOR

Anna Turns anna@manormagazine.co.uk

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

Amy Tidy amy@manormagazine.co.uk

Phoebe Tancock phoebe@manormagazine.co.uk

CONTRIBUTORS

Professor Ruth Merttens COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

Claire Wares claire@manormagazine.co.uk

DESIGN

GOLDSMITHS,

Eleanor Cashman, Guy Cracknell

H I G H S T R E E T, P R I N C E S S H AY, EXETER, EX4 3LH

THE COVER Plasma 2 blue x black top, Issey Miyake, £1,030; Plasma 2 blue x black pants, Issey Miyake, £1,015; Sock ankle boots, Zara, £49.99 Photographer: Remy Whiting; Stylist: Mimi Stott; Model: Morven M; Hair and make-up: Maddie Austin © MANOR Publishing Ltd, 2017.

MANOR Magazine is published by Manor Publishing Ltd. Registered office: MANOR Publishing Ltd, 12 Mannamead Road, Plymouth, Devon PL4 7AA. Registered in England No. 09264104 info@manormagazine.co.uk. Printed by Wyndeham Roche Ltd.

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MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

Hello and welcome to The Style Issue of MANOR. For those of you not familiar, MANOR is an independent magazine launched by a handful of individuals who thought that the premium magazine world was too London-centric. We set about creating a title whose quality would be on a par with any international glossy, but whose focus would be ostensibly not London, but instead the South West.

Twenty-one issues later (gulp), we were proved right – that even in this digital-crazy world, there’s an appetite for fantastic journalism and stunning photography presented within a quality print environment. And, judging by the thousands of responses we’ve had about MANOR, South West readers are thrilled to have a premium magazine whose coverage is very much about them, their surroundings and their lifestyles.

I make this point because, as with all new ventures, it hasn’t been easy. Goals, specifically new-business-related really are, we’ve found, only achieved through immense hard work and a steadfast belief in what you’re doing.

The South West has a disproportionate number of entrepreneurs across a wide range of sectors, perhaps because the region offers more room for creativity to breathe and grow, without the pressures of corporate enterprise bearing down on them from every direction.

MANOR fills its pages with features on creative and enterprising individuals because they are always highly inspirational to read about. This particular issue is no exception, with entrepreneurs ranging from Jessica Seaton who, with husband Jamie, set up the immensely successful womenswear and homewares company Toast, to Lucy Jewson who, again with her husband, Kurt, launched the organic clothing company Frugi in 2003, which today turns over in the region of £10m. We also feature Otter Surfboards, the Barton brothers – who set up the automation company Barton Solutions – and the landscape design duo Harris Bugg, both Chelsea Flower Show Gold winners, whose work takes them all over the world.

Individuals at the top of their game across varied sectors, but for whom none of it has come easy – Lucy reveals the intense journey that she and Kurt have been on to build Frugi to where it is today, and that only now, following a particularly worrying time health-wise for them, has she resolved to step back and take a day off a week.

When we chatted with Jessica Seaton, she quoted some wise words from David Bowie, possibly pop music’s biggest-ever innovator: “If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right place. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you’re capable of. Go a bit out of your depth, and when your feet aren’t quite touching the bottom, you’re in the right place to do something really exciting.”

Immensely stressful it may be, but where would we be without innovators and entrepreneurs willing to get a little out of their depth in fashion, manufacturing, music and design? As the award-winning underwater photographer Charles Hood reveals, when photographing sharks, you must first assess the risk (the shark’s level of aggression), then get yourself in the right position (under the water), then apply all your expertise (getting exactly the right level of exposure) to get that perfect shot. It requires tenacity, skill and courage, but when it all comes together, it’s immensely satisfying.

We hope you enjoy The Style Issue of MANOR, and join us in celebrating the spirit and resilience of entrepreneurs – and the far better world that exists because of them.

Imogen Clements FOUNDER & PUBLISHING EDITOR @ManorMagazine

@manormagazine

Sign up to the MANOR newsletter to receive special offers and see what’s coming up at manormagazine.co.uk/newsletter

The views of the writers in MANOR Magazine are not necessarily those shared by the publisher. Unsolicited manuscripts, artwork or transparencies are accepted on the understanding that the publishers incur no liability for their storage or return. The contents of MANOR Magazine are fully protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without permission.

By submitting material to MANOR Magazine, MANOR Magazine Ltd is automatically granted the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use, reproduce, edit, distribute and display such material (in whole or part) and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media, or technology now known or later developed for the full term of any rights that may exist in such content. The contributor acknowledges that material submitted may

be published in any publication or website produced or published by MANOR Publishing Ltd. The contributor agrees not to submit material where they do not own the copyright and where they have not obtained all necessary licenses and/or approvals from the rightful owner.

With respect to any photographs submitted, the contributor confirms that all necessary model and property releases have been obtained from any clearly identifiable person appearing in any image, together with any other relevant consents required.

Prices and details of services and products are genuinely believed to be correct at the time of going to press, but may change. Although every effort is made to maintain accuracy we regret we are unable to honour any incorrect prices or other details that may be printed.

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I NSP I R E D I N T E R IOR S “ Lympstone Manor is the realisation of my dream, where every detail has been exceptionally crafted. Devon Stone has played a key part in this with their technical knowledge, design and installation craftsmanship. �

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Personal, comprehensive interior design and natural stone suppliers for individual and corporate clients.

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Visit our new showroom: Darts Business Park, Topsham, Exeter, Devon, EX3 0QH Telephone: 01392 879767

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MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

TOWN MOUSE, COUNTRY MOUSE Sweetness...

Darling...

Well, I’m astonished to hear that no one walks any more. Apparently, a good chunk of us haven’t taken a ten-minute stroll in the last year! These people clearly haven’t travelled on the London Underground – it takes 15 minutes at a trot to get from the Bakerloo line to the Central line, and then there are the escalators... If punctuality’s not your strong point, then the Tube can be a very good workout. It’s also a space to recuperate, contemplate, even meditate, such is the rule of silence. I frequently get lost in thought.

Indeed, as I was travelling on the Underground the other day, it occurred to me how weird it is that human beings are hairless. No fur. Imagine any of those other mammals we’re so familiar with in just their skin – dogs, cats, horses, cows, even mice… quite disturbing, isn’t it? It’s a wonder homo sapiens didn’t succumb at the first breath of a harsh winter. It was with this thought that I contemplated, as I sat, all those sitting opposite me – imagining them in just their skin – and thought how wonderful clothes are. How much more fun it is that we don’t have fur, and can switch and swap our attire on a whim. Clothes convey much in the way of personality, and they cover a multitude of horrors, don’t you think, sweetie? We’d lose a lot of standing without our clothes, and are considerably more attractive for them, and I think I speak for everyone.

With that, I’ve weighed up all the winter trends and feel, with the emphasis on suits, metallics, a smattering of shoulderpads in some quarters and flyaway fluted skirts, there is an 80s theme to this coming season. As you know, I like nothing more than channelling my inner Alexis from Dynasty, sweetie, so that suits me. How’s tricks in the sticks?

You know, in this world of ever-rising automation, we may never need to move from our armchairs again – except to apply the VR headset and tune into our personal trainer in a bid to stave off the spread. As a country dweller without a dog, even now there’s little need to walk anywhere. All shopping can be done online; we all drive down here, as buses (alas, we have no Tube) are never there when you need them; and hills and distance betwixt ‘A’ and ‘B’ make cycling far too strenuous and time consuming. I get all my exercise when we go on holiday, sweetness: in sunshine, sea and serpentine queues. The airport serpentine has to be one of the most appalling and humiliating tortures man has come up with to inflict on man, don’t you think? I can see it now, as those airport planners were considering the expected tailbacks at Passport Control: “Just serpentine the queue,” one young planner will have exclaimed, pleased with himself, “It’ll save on floor space and keep queues moving, thereby fooling the masses into thinking they’re getting somewhere.”

I groan inside, and audibly, every time I hit the serpentine, as I know it’ll mean that once-civilized adults and their offspring are reduced to mute cattle being herded back and forth one another repeatedly, until they go insane. Thank heavens, then, that there’s always someone who loses it, can stand it no more and slips under the belt. All hell breaks loose, of course, as everyone is on the cusp of doing the same, but has clenched their teeth… remembering that peculiar British grit we possess, and our international queuing prowess. One day, the wonders of virtual reality will apply to holidays on the Continent, too, such that we can enjoy all the pleasures of sun, sea and sightseeing without the horror of the serpentine queue, or the rather shocking exchange rate.

WHAT’S HOT IN THE SMOKE?

WHAT’S COOL IN THE COUNTRY?

A new production of the Olivier-winning musical Five Guys Named Mo written and directed by Clarke Peters.

The stage set and sounds are guaranteed to transport you direct to a 1940s New Orleans jazz club. Showing at The Marble Arch Theatre until 25 November.

The Flat in Exeter serves vegetarian and vegan Italian fare to much acclaim - freshly made pizzas and pasta dishes cooked up in a vibe that’s more New York than West Country. Worth checking out.

Picture Fitzrovia in Great Portland Street (there’s another in Marylebone) serves modern European fare that is as beautiful as it is tasty. The £45 six-course tasting menu is particularly popular and you can BYO wine on Mondays.

‘Jeremy Le Grice - A New Survey’ is a major retrospective exhibition of this well known and distinctive Cornish painter, who died in 2012. Showing at the Tremenheere Gallery, in partnership with the artist’s family, it will include early works as well as many previously unknown from family and private collections. From 30 September – 12 November.

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What we’ll be wearing this season The Style Issue brings to you a selection of catwalk trends that will be making their way to the high street this autumn/winter. There’s an eclectic mix of fabrics, prints and colours to ensure your wardrobe is good to go for the change of season. Compiled by Amy Tidy.

POWER SUITING

Pillar box red, crimson or scarlet, red is the colour of the season. You will be seeing pops of this primary colour everywhere.

MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

Mulberry AW17

Altuzarra AW17

FLUTED FEELING

Christopher Kane AW17

Stella McCartney AW17

Erdem AW17

The perfect staple for the transition from summer to autumn, fluted dresses are an easy all in one and are available in an array of prints and colours.

SEE SHEER Less is more in most cases and this trend is no different. Sheer fabrics, cuts and colours flaunt intricacy, elegance and attention to detail.

Antonio Marras AW17

RED ALERT

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Cedric Charlier AW17 Altuzarra AW17

Jasper Conran AW17

Jasper Conran AW17

Emilia Wickstead AW17

Altuzarra AW17

Stella McCartney AW17

Jasper Conran AW17

Dior AW17

Mary Katrantzou AW17

A contemporary choice for the modern-day woman to look both professional and chic in the office.

Christopher Kane AW17

Stella McCartney AW17

Emilia Wickstead AW17

Roksanda AW17

trends

Christopher Kane AW17

BLUE MOON An unorthodox alternative to rich, autumnal hues, this forget-me-not shade will certainly not be forgotten.

Acne AW17

Dior AW17

This space-age inspired trend combines shimmers of gold, silver and bronze with celestial-inspired fabrics and prints.

Roksanda AW17

GALACTIC GLITZ

THE LOOK OF LEATHER

Jasper Conran AW17

Mary Katrantzou AW17

Stella McCartney AW17

Soft, buttery leathers create a sophisticated look.

Incorporating neutral colour palettes from camel and beige to grey and black.

CHECK IN

Acne AW17 XX AW17 Akris

Akris AW17

Dior AW17

Mary Katrantzou AW17

A timeless print, wear a classic or a slightly more unconventional check to be on trend this season.

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Take it as red

Earrings, Topshop, £14.50

Jasper Conran AW17

Red is the colour and there was no holding back on runways for this coming season. In keeping, the high streets are awash with crimsons, pillar box reds and scarlets. Go as red as you dare.

Compiled by Amy Tidy.

Shirt, Studio by Preen, Debenhams, £45

Dress, Wallis, £50 Top, Topshop, £32

Bag, Zara, £25.99

Jeans, Zara, £25.99

Dress, Marks and Spencer, £39.50

Boots, Zara, £25.99

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MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

Trainers, Marks and Spencer, £19.50

Marks and Spencer AW17

trends Earrings, Accessorize, £15

Blazer, Next, £48

Jumper, J by Jasper Conran, Debenhams, £25

Earrings, Topshop, £14 Jumper, Marks and Spencer, £35 Coat, Hobbs, £299 Trousers, Next, £38

Bag, Topshop £28

Lola dress Hobbs, £269 Top, Zara, £25.99

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Check list

Mary Katrantzou AW17

Checks have never really been away, but this autumn they are truly prominent. Check as a print is both easy to wear and to accessorize. Whether you opt for lights, darks, or brighter monochrome, combine with a cream roll neck or blouse to convey a touch of classic elegance. Compiled by Amy Tidy.

Earrings, Accessorize, £15

Coat, Hobbs, £329

Jacket, Oasis, £65 Top, Topshop, £70

Coat, Topshop, £89

Top, Topshop, £42 Bracelet, Hobbs, £25

Shoes, Zara, £49

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MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

Skirt, Next, £24

Bag, Zara, £15.99

Skirt, J by Jasper Conran, Debenhams, £45

Dior AW17

trends

Earrings, Marks and Spencer, £17.50

Top, Zara, £29.99

Trousers, River Island, £45

Dress, Zara, £79.99

Trousers, Topshop, £49

Bag, Marks and Spencer, £39.50

Boots, Dune, £115

Skirt, Studio by Preen, Debenhams £55

Top, Hobbs, £89 Shoes, Hobbs, £159

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Wild Wine Club, Port Eliot On 17 August, Sommelier Debbie Warner hosted her latest Wild Wine Club event at The Port Eliot Estate. Guests were greeted at the house with Tarquin’s Cornish Pastis, then wandered the grounds of the estate, along the river to end up in the beautiful gardens of the Orangery. Here they enjoyed a first course of canapés and a glass of the biodynamically produced St Cosme Little James Basket Viognier Sauvignon Blanc 2015. The crowd then moved inside to a candle-lit table, and onto wines of the Garrigue. Chef Stephen Boot prepared five courses in the outdoor kitchen, to match the wines selected by Debbie, who shared her knowledge on each wine and its producers. Pairings included Chateau Maris’s La Touge, paired with leg of Cornish lamb and ratatouille topped with succulent and smoky grilled courgettes from a Cornish market garden, One Field Farm. Guests came from across Cornwall and beyond. To find out more about the Wild Wine Club and sign up to the next event – location to be confirmed – go to wildwineclub.co.uk. Photos by Beth Druce and Lewis Harrison-Pinder.

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MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

confidential

CELEBRATE WITH US

Christmas Day Lunch

New Year’s Black Tie

Experience Bovey Castle this Christmas.

Enjoy a glass of Champagne, a four-course Christmas Day meal, coffee and mince pies.

See in the New Year at Bovey Castle with Champagne reception accompanied by a traditional piper, followed by a five-course gala dinner in Smith’s Brasserie, dancing to a live band and fireworks over the estate at midnight.

£125.00 per person with reduced rates for children

£135.00 per person with reduced rates for children.

IN SMITH’S BRASSERIE

T: 01647 445098

E: events@boveycastle.com

/boveycastlehotel

GALA DINNER AND DANCE

W: www.boveycastle.com | North Bovey, Devon, TQ13 8RE

@boveycastle

@BoveyCastle

PROUD TO BE PART OF THE EDEN HOTEL COLLECTION MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

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beauty

Plump it up From holidays to festival fun, all that sun can leave your skin in need of some TLC. Make-up artist Elouise Abbott picks her hydration heroes to eliminate dryness and banish those fine lines.

B

egin your daily skincare routine with Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm for a nourished, renewed and clean complexion.

Anti-ageing algae and Optimega oils work in harmony with other magical ingredients to improve and stimulate the skin’s collagen – the protein that’s responsible for elasticity, strength and cell renewal. Simply put: more collagen equals fewer wrinkles.

Treat your skin to a drop of The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 before applying your moisturiser. Suitable and recommended for all skin types, hyaluronic acid can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water, so improves dehydration by attracting water to your skin cells. By using a hyaluronic treatment first, your hydrator will be more effective.

It can be tempting to not use a moisturiser on very oily or acne-prone skin for fear of making the condition worse, but oily skin can be sensitive and often dehydrated. The key is finding a lighter hydrator that doesn’t contain oil. Origins Zero Oil Oil-Free Moisture Lotion zaps bacteria and uses salicylic acid to exfoliate, reducing pores and keeping skin matt, hydrated and clear.

Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré is a hydration staple in a make-up artist’s bag because it’s suitable for most skin types and has fabulous multipurpose properties as a moisturiser, primer and mask.

When skin is very dry and in need of something a little extra, I reach for my trusted jar of Philosophy When Hope is Not Enough Facial Replenishing Balm, guaranteed to give the skin a radiant boost of hydration with its expert blend of omega oils.

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MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream is a cruelty-free balm made from all natural ingredients such as olive oil and royal jelly. With its wonderful ingredients and healing properties, it’s perfect for chapped skin and specific areas in need of a little extra help.

Let Liz Earle Smoothing Line Serum work while you sleep. Apply this treatment before moisturising at night to plump and firm skin around the mouth, eyes and forehead, using naturally active ingredients such as echinacea and grapeseed oil.

A weekly mask to give your skin a boost is always recommended. I’m a huge fan of the Dr Jart+ Hydration Lover Rubber Mask, a fun, soothing treatment that instantly reduces fine lines and brightens the skin.

If you have particular concerns for the eye area and want to reduce fine lines, soothe and cool, then you are in need of a good eye mask. Try Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Recovery Eye Mask for an instantly cooling, hydrating treatment. Fine lines are plumped, eyes are refreshed and instantly more radiant and youthful.

Clinique Superbalm Lip Treatment is exactly what it says on the tube – hydrating, soothing and super.

To book your style refresh, complete hair makeover or gorgeous new colour call 01392 256999

2 Bampfylde Lane, Princesshay, Exeter, Devon EX1 1GQ Email: exeter@sakshair.co.uk | www.saks.co.uk/exeter

MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

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My feel-good regime PHOTO: MIKE SEARLE

Hayley Spurway – writer, mum of three and ocean addict – lives in Trevarrian in North Cornwall. She came to Cornwall almost 20 years ago to do a journalism degree at Falmouth University, and after a couple of years in London working for Wanderlust travel magazine, she returned to Cornwall to work as a freelance writer on books, magazines and websites.

My passions are the ocean, the beach, writing and photography. They’re all interlinked. The sea and the

As a family, we’re always out exploring Cornwall and finding new spots to camp in our van. I love the Lizard

coast are where I go to swim, run and surf, and also where I draw inspiration for my writing and photography. I go a bit crazy if I don’t at least clap eyes on the ocean every day.

Peninsula because it feels so remote and peaceful. You can stand at the southerly point of the UK in the shadow of the lighthouse, kayak from cove to cove, snorkel with seals and find a secluded beach – even in the middle of summer. Another favourite area is the wildlife-rich coastline from St Ives to Sennen, where it’s so easy to imagine the legendary mermaid of Zennor diving beneath the clear, cobalt seas. I also love atmospheric castle ruins where you can conjure up Cornwall’s history and witness amazing views – Restormel Castle, near Lostwithiel, and the wave-lashed Tintagel (steeped in legends of King Arthur) are two of the best.

When I need space to think, I paddle out on my surfboard or head out on the Coast Path to find a secluded nook on the cliffs. In the sea, my stress dissipates because I’m

thinking only about the waves… being immersed in the ocean environment puts my worries in perspective. Even after a short walk or run along the cliffs, I return feeling cleansed and uplifted.

I love to cook but I’m not the sort of person who follows recipes. I love zingy, Asian-style flavours and have a huge

stash of herbs and spices that I throw into dishes, using the organic veg and locally caught fish that I get delivered.

In summer, it’s all about barbecues; in winter, it’s all about hearty Cornish steak and ale pies or spicy curries.

Butternut squash daal is one of my staple winter dishes.

Writing and photography have always been my outlet.

I can’t help but try and get emotions and experiences down in words and images. It’s just a habit and something that keeps me sane.

I do have some indulgences… Food: chocolate brownies.

Drink: rum. Activity: any child-free time in the ocean.

I don’t eat out that much, because I’ve always got a good supply of ingredients at home. My favourite place

when I do go out is Scott & Babs Wood Fired Food in Mawgan Porth (scottandbabs.com). It’s a rustic, bohemian venue where mouth-watering feasts – from slow-roasted Cornish meats to finger-licking seafood – are cooked over the fire and in smoker barrels.

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I love all the festivals that are on around Cornwall in the summer, because I can socialise and have a great time with the kids, too. The best one we’ve been to this year

was definitely The Great Estate – there was camel-racing by day and silent discos by night, and we had an absolute ball. In winter, I usually hunt out the smaller, more niche

bars, such as Tom Thumb, a speakeasy-cum-cocktail bar in Newquay.

The best book I’ve read recently is Richard Flanagan’s

The Narrow Road to the Deep North, which was 2014’s Man Booker winner. It’s just so utterly tragic and at times torturous to read, yet so beautiful as it’s hung on a compelling love story. It also opens our eyes to the worst atrocities of WWII – the story of Burma’s Railway of Death.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of my favourite places in the world, because we don’t know how long it will be here,

The biggest challenge for me is time. Like lots of

freelancers, I work odd hours between school and nursery runs (and the occasional surf!), and some days don’t hit my computer until 8pm. Emails are a saviour, but I struggle with face-to-face meetings and networking. I travelled around Cornwall interviewing chefs and researching the Saltwater Kitchen Cookbook with a six-month-old baby and a three-year-old toddler in tow. It’s hard to be taken seriously when you turn up to meeting with three kids and a dog.

I wish I had more time for surfing. I’ve been doing it for

nearly 20 years and I’m still not very good at it!

and it shows just how fragile and incredible our planet is – and how important it is that we don’t destroy it. I’ve promised to take my children there in case it doesn’t exist when they’re old enough to travel without me.

LANGUISHING IN MY BAG I keep it basic – Benefit’s Dew the Hoola and bronzer to retain a smooth, bronze glow, a wisp of Benefit eyeshadow and mascara. I’m never without a lick of Nivea’s Pearly Shine lip balm. I’ve always got some sort of Argan Oil hair treatment as my hair is constantly dried out by the saltwater, sunshine and chlorine. Temple Spa’s Life Defence moisturiser – it’s SPF25 and daily protection from the elements. I don’t wear perfume that often, but when I do I wear Calvin Klein’s Euphoria.

Relax in our modern calming surroundings in our practice in the heart of Exeter. You can expect only the highest standards of care from our experienced skilled team.

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PHOTO: LIZ SEABROOK

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As I see it...

Jessica Seaton is an entrepreneur and co-founder of Toast, the British fashion and lifestyle brand.

Founded in 1997, Toast is the second company Jessica has set up with her husband, Jamie. The company started as a simple mail order-only poster catalogue and has grown to 12 branded shops nationwide (along with concessions in selected John Lewis stores) and a considerable online business. Jessica has more recently become a food writer, publishing her first book, Gather Cook Feast, in April of this year.

I grew up in an atmosphere of all things being possible. Whatever

I showed an interest in, my mother would go out of her way to support. I was fascinated with the moon landings so I got a telescope from Exchange & Mart and she would loyally and patiently take me to the Leicester Astronomical Society every month. She must have been bored to tears.

At 55, my mother opened a dress shop. She’d spent her life

coming up with ideas that never came to fruition, so this was a brave thing to do. She ran it for 15 years and it enabled my parents to have a civilised retirement.

I always thought that creating businesses was an interesting and satisfying thing to do. As a child, I decided we’d have a pets’

holiday home, put a sign on the gate, and somebody actually turned up with a cat, which my mum then had to look after.

Later, as a teenager in a small market town where not much happened, I would borrow money from my dad and hire buses to take everybody to go and see concerts in Leicester.

When I met Jamie at university, I knew there was a lifetime’s worth of stuff there; that I was never going to get bored. You

need to have shared enthusiasms, for your partner to appreciate what it is you love, but we are quite different. What he’s skilled at is my weak area, and what I can do is his weak area, so we sort of compensate for each other.

A visit to a university careers advisor turned out to be pivotal.

We’d tried one or two things, gone for a few interviews but nothing was engaging us. We thought seeing a careers advisor would be a waste of time, but we did it because we thought we should. As it happened, he was a Buddhist so didn’t really advise us at all. He just dug down and found out what was inside and supported us in doing that. “What do you want to do?” he asked. “I want to live in the country,” I replied, and he said, “Well, do that.” So we did.

recruit in Swansea, which made things hard. Four years ago, we moved the business to London and now have somebody running it for us who has put a whole management team in place and is doing a fantastic job.

I find it hard stepping back. After 18 years being so immersed in

the business, I went through a grieving process. I’m a doer and I’ve had to learn to delegate. We’re still involved but it’s more high-level branding elements that we do now.

The name Toast wasn’t rational. We’d decided to make pyjamas,

which was Jamie’s idea. We wanted to sell something that was good quality but not out of people’s reach, and both tried to think of a name. There were a few that didn’t stick, then Toast popped into my head. We tried it on people and they rationalised it: pyjamas, breakfast, toast. It hadn’t occurred to me, to be honest – I’d just thought it was a nice word.

I always thought that if there were ever another business I’d do, it would be food-related. We would walk in the hills and ask each

other what we should do next. We’d talk about a book and Jamie would say, “It can be about all the places we’ve been to for Toast,” and I’d say, “Yes! And then we can do all the food for those places,” so that was always in my mind.

The book needed to be about landscape and food. I remembered

a time when we were travelling in Rajasthan to a beautiful city called Jaisalmer, where we stayed in a tower. We walked down a little street to the restaurant of a friend of a friend, run by a man called Manoj. We were sitting there in this really simple upstairs room, on cushions on the floor, and one of the dishes was a curry made of desert plants. It was perfect – sitting in that place, hearing the city, feeling the breeze off the desert and eating this very humble dish that was totally of those people and of that place.

We’re no longer connected to the beating heart of our existence.

Jamie’s very clear-sighted and analytical; I’m good at the bigger picture. We’re both creative but he will zoom in and see

what’s wrong with a garment, whereas I’ll look at the whole collection and say what’s missing.

The business has never been solely driven by profit, but more the love for a good thing. There was a dress a few years back that

was printed with a khari print. It was similar to organza, with this metallic print and incredibly beautiful, but in the course of having the sample developed, we discovered that it couldn’t be cleaned. After some thought, Jamie felt we should run it anyway and tell customers, “You can’t clean this at all – neither wash nor dry clean – but we put it in the collection because we love it.”

We sold every single one.

If there’s one thing that I wished we’d done, it would be to take action sooner on some things. We’d lost two key designers who

went off to have families and we found it really difficult to

The getting and consuming of food is all merely a process now.

Everyone’s so busy, but through the busy-ness we’ve become more and more impoverished, and food is part of that. I can see the constraints and commercial drivers of the food industry but a lot of food production prioritises things that are not in the ultimate interest of the end consumer. Taste is often way down the list.

Jamie and I have worked together so much, I didn’t know where I started or finished. This book has been great for me because

I know now what I’m capable of doing on my own, and that’s very satisfying.

Your life and what you do with it turns on such small decisions.

It’s a combination of who you are, what you’re presented with and how you deal with it that determine where you end up.

Gather Cook Feast is published by Penguin, £26. See page 104 for some recipes to try.

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A big-bottomed baby and a passion for the environment led Lucy Jewson to turn her back on her high-salary corporate job in 2003 to create Frugi, the organic children’s clothing brand.

She reveals to Fiona McGowan the ups and downs along the way.

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ithout the extraordinary advocates for positive change in our ways of living, the world would be a pretty hopeless place. And advocates for change have just as much impact in the world of business – some would say more – as do NGOs, politics or social policy-making.

Lucy Jewson and her husband Kurt have carved out a business in children’s clothing, what might seem to many a saturated sector. What they’re doing, though, is genuinely groundbreaking.

It all started with a frustrated new mum and a bigbottomed baby in a little cottage in Constantine in 32

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West Cornwall. Lucy had spent many years working as a medical rep for pharma giant SmithKline Beecham – travelling around the country working in mental health. With a background in science (she did a marine biology degree and spent some time working with a tech company tracking plastic pollution in the oceans), pharmaceuticals appealed to her scientific side.

However, there was another “lefty hippie” side, as she puts it, that was unsatisfied with the good salary and comfortable lifestyle.

Kurt, also a marine biologist, was operations manager at a marquee company (“it mainly involved managing the building teams, and looking after

feature stressed-out brides and their mums”). When she got pregnant, Lucy negotiated an unprecedented full year of maternity pay with her big pharma company, and it was her decision to use washable nappies that changed the course of her life (and perhaps even the course of organic clothing in this country).

Washable nappies are chunkier than disposables, Lucy explains, and she happened to have a very big baby.

She searched high and low for babygrows and clothes that would fit over her son’s Tellytubby proportions.

Using the dial-up internet connection (it was 2003), she assumed that there must be companies in the States that were making baby clothes that would fit over washable nappies. “Cloth diapering is huge in the US,” says Lucy, “and even in the UK, 15% of the population uses them,” but there was no-one making bigger-cut varieties.

“That was my lightbulb moment,” say Lucy, sitting in an office on the first floor of a warren-like office complex on a Helston industrial estate. “I left my son unpoppered, blowing in the breeze on a cold October night, and thought – that’s the idea. We try to find clothes that are cut to fit over cloth nappies.” As soon as she discovered that she couldn’t even buy them to sell in this country, her next thought was: “Right, we’ll have to get into manufacturing clothing.” As you do, on a cold October night in the middle of nowhere with a comfortable salaried job beckoning to you on the other side of 12 months’ maternity leave…

Fast forward to today. Lucy and Kurt run Frugi, a children’s clothing company that has been described as ‘an organic Boden’. It’s sold in John Lewis, at the Eden Project in Cornwall, and in boutiques all over the country, as well as online by the likes of Zalando, and in increasing numbers from Frugi’s own online shop.

It’s gone international: Frugi is big in Germany, where organic clothing is a norm on the high street, and in the department store David Jones in Australia, among others.

Frugi is expecting a turnover of £10m by the end of this financial year; it employs 75 staff and has just expanded into another unit over the road in Helston, where Lucy is overseeing the launch of a clothing shop. They are now supplied by five factories in India, and four others around the world. Frugi’s growth has been breathtaking since its inception in 2003, when Kurt and Lucy mortgaged their cottage, sold off as many possessions as they could, raised £30,000 and convinced HSBC to match their funding. In those early days, with a new baby on her knee and husband working full-time, Lucy used her professional skills and go-getter personality to start the ball rolling. She found a manufacturer in Gujarat in India – one of only a handful who worked in organic textiles. She asked a cartoonist friend to design some patterns for the prints, and bought a load of babygrows to try to guesstimate the necessary expansion points for the tailors. They named the company Cut for Cloth (ie cut for cloth

Kurt and Lucy

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Lucy and Kurt wanted to bring bright colours to the organic clothing market, and make clothes that children want to wear.

nappies), and launched less than a year after her lightbulb moment.

The brand grew as fast as her toddler. Another baby arrived on the scene – Lucy and Kurt’s second boy was born two years later – and they moved the business from their cottage to a converted barn on a nearby farm.

The new baby was brought into the office and shunted between Lucy, Kurt and their friend and first employee Sy (who is still with the business today).

Lucy Jewson is clearly in possession of some outstanding determination, which is strongly linked to an ethical drive – a desire to change the world for the better. From growing up by the sea at Mullion on the Lizard Peninsula, to reading Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard, the legendary founder of Patagonia clothing, Lucy’s inspiration is born of a deep respect for the environment, but she is a sharp-minded realist, too.

She knew that her clothing line had to be gorgeous, not just right-on: “Because people buy out of vanity,” she says, “not out of ethics. No matter how ethical people are, they’re never going to buy something just because of its ethical credentials.” She and Kurt wanted to bring bright colours to the organic clothing market, and make clothes that children want to wear. Now, inspired by Patagonia, Frugi has also expanded into outerwear made from recycled plastic bottles.

Making a success of an organic clothing company is not the only positive change that Lucy, Kurt and their team are making. After reading Chouinard’s book, Lucy was inspired to join his 1% for the Planet charity, where 1% of profits go to chosen environmental causes, and she recently set up the in-house initiative Little Clothes Big Change, in order to donate more to children’s charities.

In the last year, Frugi donated £80,000, including to Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Pump Aid, The Conservation Society, Anna’s Hope (for children and young people with brain tumours), The Sick Children’s Trust, and to an orphanage in Mumbai.

Lucy reckons that much of the success of the business comes from her willingness to take advice, and she’s the ultimate networker, her sales background clearly helping her to connect with people who can offer counsel. She’s also never been afraid to admit her ignorance: from the very beginning, when she phoned the supplier in India and told him she had no idea about manufacturing 34

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Clothing is manufactured in Gujurat, India, at one of only a handful of factories working with organic textiles

feature textiles (“he took pity on me and agreed to make our babygrows”), to asking for help from big businessmen such as Sir John Banham, Boden’s CEO Julian Granville, and Eden’s Tim Smit. She’s hobnobbed with Richard Branson, Innocent Drinks’ Richard Reed, and now has Ian Scott, a bigwig from Marks & Spencer and Mulberry, on her board of directors.

Life, of course, has its way of throwing curveballs.

Nearly two years ago, Kurt Jewson was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer, with a very poor prognosis for survival. What followed was 18 months of hell, with Kurt undergoing chemo and radiotherapy, and several weeks of being literally “at death’s door” after contracting septicaemia. It changed Lucy’s outlook on everything. Since 2003, her life had been more than full-on. “It’s tricky,” she says, reflecting on the last 13 years, “because you do have to give everything your all.

I started the business thinking I’d have that work-life balance. But, actually, if you’re really going to go for something and do it properly, it isn’t a work-life balance at all.”

She sits back in her chair and takes a deep breath.

Eight or nine months ago, she tells me, she was literally just about holding it together. But recently, they were told that Kurt was in remission and he was taken off hormone therapy. Her relief is palpable. The episode has had a huge impact on the way she lives her life.

“When something like this happens to you, it changes your attitude to life totally. It brings everything into Technicolor. It sounds like such a cliché, but I realise that I’ve made an awful lot of sacrifices to get this business to where it is. It has forced me to take more time,” she adds, “to take more stock of what I want out of life. I’m taking an extra day off a week to spend with the kids and with Kurt. To live a little bit more.”

Outside of their microcosm in Cornwall, Lucy has her eyes set on the rest of the world, and not just in the expansion of Frugi. As an environmentalist, she worries about the state of the polar ice caps, the prediction that in 10 years’ time there’ll be more plastics than fish in our oceans, and the fact that “we’ve just become these consumerist hoovers” – and, of course, the prevalence of super-cheap clothing with its inherent sweatshop evils within the supply chain. She’s fearful that Brexit will destroy businesses that trade with European countries (not least Frugi, whose exports to Germany would collapse if there was an import tariff ), and is looking at targeting the Asian market to remove dependency on European sales. From an ethical perspective, she’s going to keep on keeping on. “We’re making more of a difference today than we were 13 years ago, when we started,” she says. “We can just do what we’re doing and tell our story as much as we can, recruiting people along the way.” welovefrugi.com

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Conceptual image of Exeter’s new retail/leisure park

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As regeneration continues apace in Exeter, with building to commence next year on a new multimillion pound retail/leisure centre, Imogen Clements talks to Wayne Pearce, Centre Director of Princesshay, Exeter’s central shopping district, about the future of retail.

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top and ponder a moment how we did things 20 or 30 years ago and the mind starts to boggle.

Whether checking the weather, catching up on news, communicating with one another or shopping, the internet has encroached on pretty much every aspect of our lives.

The speed of change it’s unleashed on certain sectors seems to be forever accelerating, such that it’s almost impossible to predict how things will be just ten years from now. This, indeed, is one of the first questions I put to Wayne Pearce, Centre Director of Princesshay, Exeter’s leading retail centre, on meeting him at Princesshay’s offices. He’s cautious: “When I arrived just ten years ago, I certainly didn’t expect to see as many coffee shops as we do now, but in another ten years’ time I fully expect there could be an even greater proportion of space taken up by coffee shops and eateries. We certainly have no end of enquiries from the restaurant trade.”

Wayne joined Princesshay just after it opened in September 2007. This year the shopping centre celebrates ten years as the premier retail and leisure centre in the South West; costing £200m, it represents the single biggest investment in regeneration in Exeter’s history.

The developer, Land Securities, in partnership with Exeter City Council, set about delivering a city centre scheme that would significantly benefit Exeter economically from a commercial perspective. Ten years later, it has exceeded all expectations.

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It goes without saying that the internet has changed how we shop, but people still crave the experience.

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PHOTO: MATT AUSTIN

Exeter, it should be noted, was already an innovator when it came to shopping. The precinct on which Princesshay was built was one of the first shopping precincts in the UK, developed in the early 1950s. Princesshay in 2007 was created by three architects - Chapman Taylor, Panter Hudspith and WilkinsonEyre - and their brief was to complement the existing site, making the new development harmonious. “The analogy that people make,” explains Wayne, “is that a poorly designed shopping centre is like a spaceship descending on your village. Using three different architects led to a certain amount of creative tension but a better result from each, one that provided variety but harmony, and importantly didn’t overly jar with existing shoppers’ experiences.”

Wayne continues: “If you walk around Princesshay you’ll see render, glass, wood and zinc, diverse elements that work together but will age differently, giving the centre a sense of timelessness. There is no obvious beginning or end to Princesshay, such that visitors don’t necessarily know they’re in it, and key spaces have been deliberately opened up to ensure clear visibility of landmarks such as Exeter’s Cathedral.”

The development won the BCSC Supreme Gold and Gold Award immediately following its launch in 2007, and the following year, Retail Week’s Shopping Location of the Year 2008 and the ICSC’s Best Medium Sized Shopping Centre in Europe. It has been praised for the architects’ use of materials and diverse styles to create a modern centre that complemented the city’s history and reputation as a heritage destination.

Princesshay comprises 530,000 sq ft of shops, cafés, restaurants, residential apartments and public spaces, with almost three-quarters of the area devoted to retail.

You may be thinking, “It’s a shopping centre.

So what?” But this is a shopping centre that has had a profound impact on the South West’s economy.

“Suddenly, retailers that hadn’t been west of Bristol started to consider Exeter as an option,” Wayne reveals.

Also, consider the value of ‘on-foot shopping’ centres such as Princesshay in this age of online proliferation.

Will there ever come a time when on-foot shopping doesn’t exist? Not if Princesshay’s statistics are anything to go by. The complex attracts nearly 300,000 visitors a week, 16m a year. Each spends, on average, 83 minutes there perusing the 76 shops, stopping for a bite or coffee in one of the 14 restaurants or cafés, spending around £70 in the shops and, £15 on food and drink.

“It goes without saying that the internet has changed

Princesshay as it is today

how we shop, but people still crave the experience,” points out Wayne. “They may do a good proportion online but are still keen to feel and try a product before they buy it – particularly in relation to fashion, beauty or electrical items. The internet, for many, serves as research. It’s a time-saver, making the trip into town more efficient, less stressful and more sociable.”

The rise in coffee shops underlines the social aspect.

Shopping online means shopping in isolation. Shopping with friends and family allows for more consultation, more instant gratification and, fundamentally, more fun.

Bricks and mortar also benefit from the growth in ‘click and collect’. It’s all very well shopping online, but home delivery is no good if you’re at work. Plus, of course, once upon a time, if a shop didn’t stock your size you’d miss out. Now the assistant simply goes online and orders your size to be sent to you the following day.

“That’s one thing that we have seen in a short period of time,” continues Wayne. “A lot of a retailer’s site is now devoted to display; very little to holding stock. Because of the speed and ease of delivery, there simply isn’t the need.”

The onus is very much on display. Wayne cites Fat Face, which has just recently expanded into the unit next door to increase its sales floor space, making Exeter its biggest store in the UK. Fat Face, Joules, Crew Clothing... Exeter has attracted a lot of retailers that are leisure oriented because of the city’s proximity to sea and moor, although that is

feature

The proposed pedestrianisation of Paris Street in Exeter

changing. More beauty stores on the high street seems a nationwide trend, probably for the customer’s need to test the product before buying and for that expert advice, but Exeter has seen more and more people of working age relocating to the city in recent years – indeed, the city is the fourth fastest-growing job location in the UK and with that, the retail offering is broadening.

As is Princesshay. As the complex celebrates its tenth birthday, it is investing another £73m, along with £39.3m from Exeter City Council, into extending east.

The site of the city’s bus station is being redeveloped into a retail/leisure complex that will add an additional 180,000 sq ft to the site.

Work is expected to commence in spring 2018, to be completed within two years, and will result in an unbroken flow from the existing Princesshay across a pedestrianised Paris Street to the new area, the topography of which will give rise to an amphitheatre, a large sport and leisure complex, and a multi-screen cinema, as well as seven new retail units and 21 bars and restaurants.

Princesshay is not all about glitzy commerce – the centre is very aware of its role within the community.

It prides itself on recycling 86% of waste, diverting the remainder from landfill to, for example, refuse-derived fuel. On the centre’s roof, there is also a bee garden with hives housing 300,000 bees. This year, the hot weather in June has resulted in the Princesshay bees producing a bumper batch of honey. Around 400lbs of

honey, four times more than in previous years, will be sold exclusively at Chandos Deli in Princesshay in aid of Children’s Hospice South West.

Much consideration is also given to other noncommercial aspects that enhance the shopping experience, such as art installations. “We want to encourage people to look up,” reveals Hannah Overton, Princesshay’s Marketing Manage. “People have a tendency to look at the pavement or shop fronts.

Looking up can be a revelation and further enhance the experience.” As well as the nine pieces of public art dotted around the complex, for the centre’s tenth birthday celebrations Princesshay has commissioned artist Naomi Hart to design a sculpture of recycled plastic bottles that have come from Princesshay stores and restaurants. The sculpture sees the bottles transformed into thousands of swifts linked by copper wire to create the illusion of birds in flight, and is a representation of how a constructed environment can nourish nature.

Home shopping may be convenient, but we still like to get out. Princesshay is determined to ensure that when we do, we make a day of it, providing everything: art, leisure, culture, entertainment, dining and, of course, shopping, to stimulate all the senses. princesshay.co.uk

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Cornwall-based wildlife photographer Charles Hood captures images of sharks from around the globe as well as, surprisingly, closer to home.

“Photographing sharks in their natural habitat,” he says, “is a mixture of trepidation and calculated risk. Once the chosen elasmobranch’s behaviour is confirmed to be non-aggressive, then it’s a matter of being in the right place within their three dimensional environment. This takes tremendous diving ability. With the right shark and in the perfect position, you then have to work out the correct exposure using the camera’s controls within an underwater housing. When all the elements come together, and a good image results, there is a tremendous feeling of achievement.”

“Divers filming an Oceanic whitetip shark in the Bahamas.”

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“The majestic sight of a basking shark’s dorsal fin breaking the surface at Porthcurno, Cornwall.”

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“A three-metre long mako shark in the southern Red Sea, Egypt.”

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“My favourite shark is the blue shark. Its irridescent and vibrant blue colouration is something one can only fully appreciate when you see it in person. But the main reason is that I can swim with them less than 10 miles from where I live in Southwest Cornwall. These ones were photographed off the coast near Penzance.�

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“Playful lemon shark at the surface, Tiger Beach in the Bahamas.”

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Close shave “The scariest moment came photographing great white sharks in the Pacific coast off Mexico. I was in a cage tethered to the stern of our support vessel when a fivemetre female tried to get in, but ended up trapped between two of the cage’s bars. As she thrashed around I was shaken all over the place and one of the ropes holding the cage to the boat parted. She eventually freed herself and I was fine but a little dazed. They now use chains to attach the cage! The great white pictured right is heavily scarred from mating. She is six metres long and pregnant.”

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“This hammerhead is four metres long and was photographed at a secret location in the northern Bahamas.

The species is endangered.�

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“This was the largest basking shark I have seen, at over nine metres. It was swimming at Penberth, Cornwall.�

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CHARLES HOOD Born in 1960, Charles started taking wildlife photographs at the age of eight. After winning the best junior award at his local school with an image of a swan, he’s never looked back. At the age of 16, he began taking photographs underwater while living in the Middle East. His equipment then consisted of a Kodak Instamatic in homemade plastic housing.

Since then, Charles has won numerous awards for his work in the UK and worldwide. These include the most first prizes in any one year at the British Society of Underwater Photographers. He has won Underwater Photographer of the Year, has twice been specially commended at the Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year and five times in the British Wildlife Photographer of the Year. He has racked up over 200 front covers and is one of two underwater photographers to have had a cover on TIME Magazine.

Today, Charles is a marine wildlife skipper with his own boat in Penzance, Cornwall, and specialises in shark trips. He also advises on all aspects of marine photography and video work to both professional and amateur photographers and film and TV production teams. charleshood.com

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PHOTO: COURTESY OF OTTER SURFBOARDS

James Otter

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By teaching people to hand-craft surfboards from wood, James Otter is helping them to reconnect with nature – and themselves. Words by Fiona McGowan.

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e’ve all seen the pictures: sepia-tinted images of powerful men in swimming shorts standing next to gigantic surf boards, great planks of wood towering above their heads. These men were the early gods of surfing, hitting giant rollers with 15-foot boards, constructed of redwood drilled with hundreds of holes and finished with thin layers of varnished wood. By the mid-1930s, people began to tinker with the design, shaving the tail to make a more manoeuvrable shape, and introducing super-light balsa wood to coat the tough redwood core. Ten years later, the first fibreglass board was made, with a plastic-based interior. By the 1950s, commercial boards were made from foam with a coating of fibreglass and polyester resins, and surfing has never looked back.

Until now. In a small workshop perched within sight of one of north-west Cornwall’s surf breaks, James Otter is creating wooden boards that are reminiscent, and indeed redolent, of those early versions. Granted, they’re shorter – by quite a lot – and they’re shaped exactly like the modern boards of today, complete with elegantly curved fins and swish tails. They’re made from cedar, poplar and small amounts of hardwood. Like anything created from wood, the distinctive character of each strip, each chunk of offcut shaped into a fin or a design element, gives each board an essence, almost a personality. People buy them as decorative items to hang on a wall or in a gallery, as much as to surf on.

Originally from Buckinghamshire (“about as far from the sea as you can get”), James Otter grew up making things. One grandfather was a carpenter, the other a farmer, and he was drawn to work with them in their respective skills. By the time he was at secondary school, James spent as much time as he could in the Design Technology and Art departments, working on his favourite material – wood. In his early teens, on holidays to Cornwall, he found his other passion: surfing. It influenced his sensitivity to the ocean environment, and his choice of university. Studying Design and Making at Plymouth, and heading towards a career in furniture-

making, he hit upon the idea of wooden surf boards.

“I was fed up with how foam boards don’t have much of a lifetime,” he says. “I thought I might be able to do something longer-lasting.”

Care for the environment is one of James’s deepest drivers. Once he’d made his first board – using a latticelike wooden internal framework instead of foam – he replicated the concept in a piece of furniture for his degree, and ended up winning two awards. “I enjoyed the furniture-making,” says James, “but making the surf board was a whole other level of enjoyment.

Knowing what you were going to be doing with it when it was finished was really inspiring. At that point, I decided that I had to keep doing it.” With the money from the awards, he invested in some machinery, asked a friend in Cornwall to house it in a barn on his farm, and set to work building boards. Sourcing sustainable wood with good provenance was paramount. “It’s not just a case of using wood in general,” James yells over the grinding sound of machinery in the workshop. “It’s a case of choosing the people that are working with the wood and growing the wood and harvesting it in a sustainable way.” He found a forester managing a woodland on the Wiltshire-Somerset border who was so passionate about nurturing the trees that the timber was almost a by-product for him.

Almost everyone who works with wood feels some kind of kinship with the material. “From my point of view, using wood is about a connection back to the earth,” James explains, more quietly this time, in a lull between the screech of sawing machines. Working with wood requires an understanding of how it behaves; you need to pay attention all the time – choosing just the right tool for each part of the timber. Pattern and the aesthetics are clearly major selling points for Otter Surf boards, but James sees them as a by-product.

What he really cares about is creating a board that has longevity, is harvested from sustainable sources, and doesn’t contribute to the pollution of our planet. Even the resins that are used to seal the boards are ‘bio-resins’, chosen for their non-toxic impact.

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feature

PHOTO: COURTESY OF OTTER SURFBOARDS

I don’t think I could put up with being just one man in a shed making things. I don’t think that would do it for me. Because I do love that human interaction.

James began making bespoke boards in 2010, with his products gracing a few local galleries and appearing at craft shows, but by chance his display model carved its way in a different direction. A surf board enthusiast saw the board in an exhibition and asked James to teach him how to make one. James was apprehensive at first, wondering if this man might be making a play for setting up a rival business, but he trusted his gut, and brought him into the workshop. It was a transformative experience. Having never had any experience of teaching in the past (“although I did used to do ‘football coaching’ for my friends at school”), he discovered a talent that genuinely moved him. “By giving a part of yourself away, you get so much more back. Taking someone through the process. Emotionally, it was like me making my first board again. Seeing the confidence and excitement that it gave him was really enjoyable.”

By the winter of 2011, James set up his first workshop. He pledged to charge people the same amount for the course as for a bespoke board, and took on three clients for five days of intensive making. Since then, 25 people a year have come on the courses, from a variety of backgrounds, cultures and ability. There are people turning up who’ve never put up a shelf before, he says, and walk away with a surf board that is good enough to hang in a gallery. The cost of the course could be seen as prohibitive (£1,750 per person), but it’s not just the moneyed types who sign up. Some clients save up for a long time, or are lucky recipients of a special birthday present. “It’s the diversity that we get every year, that’s why I keep doing it,” says James. “I don’t think I could put up with being just one man in a shed making things.

I don’t think that would do it for me. Because I do love that human interaction.”

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As far as James is aware his is the only company running courses on making wooden surf boards. “A few of the guys in Australia do run courses. They’re more aimed at selling kits that people can make in their garages,” he says. “We’ve steered away from that to maintain the level of quality in our products. Everything that goes out of the workshop goes under my name at some point.”

Human interaction is key in the workshop. Based on the environmentally friendly (and downright friendly) Mount Pleasant Eco Park, Otter Surf boards shares a huge rammed-earth building with a number of other small businesses. Throughout the year, Eco Park is alive with world music, cultural food festivals, wild camping and, in the summer, is home to Cornwall’s mini-Womad – Tropical Pressure Festival. The vibe couldn’t be more fitting, and it all ties in with the surprisingly emotional connection that most of the clients discover – not just with the wood, but with themselves. James’s wife, Liz, has recently become a partner in the team, after working for years as a special needs teacher. Her specific training is in art therapy, and having spent time chatting with the workshop clients on the beach and over lunch, she realised that her empathy and understanding could have a big impact on the business. She tells me about emails she receives saying that the courses have genuinely changed people’s lives, sometimes in small ways, like deciding to take more time out from work, and sometimes in more fundamental ways, like realising that they need to reconnect with their children.

With four full-time employees (including Liz), the business fits perfectly into the workshop and nascent office (it was still being built when I visited – sitting barefoot on planks on the floor with the scream of power saws in the background seemed perfectly apt). But is there room for expansion? James and his team make about five bespoke boards a year, and with 25 clients annually, they’re pretty much at capacity. James quotes one of his heroes, Yvon Chouinard: “there are two ways of growing – you can grow strong or you can grow fat.

And you’ve got to work out how to prevent getting fat.”

He and Liz are contemplating giving their clients more of an immersive experience in the future – and they’re not talking about dunking them in the surf at nearby St Agnes. They would like to be involved in providing accommodation and home-cooked food, so that the workshop becomes more like a retreat (my words, not theirs). Their passion is to ensure that the people who come to them learn not just about working with wood, but about the environment around them – whether it’s taking part in beach cleans or eating locally sourced food… While they’re keen to distance themselves from the ‘self-help’ element of a retreat, there is no doubt that there is so much more to making a surf board out of wood than just a big old carve-up. ottersurfboards.co.uk

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Culture Janec van Veen | William Arnold and Oliver Raymond-Baker South West must sees | Worth making the trip for | Staying in

Afternoon Flight by Dawn Stacey. Showing as part of ‘Discovered Landscapes’, a joint show of paintings with Ellen Watson, 16-30 September at White Space Art, 72 Fore Street, Totnes TQ9 5RU. whitespaceart.com

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Combining taxidermy, sculpture and a keen sense of narrative, Janec van Veen creates modern ‘chimera’ that turn death into an artform. Words by Belinda Dillon.

Liobam (Ovis leo)

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culture

G

one are the days when the word ‘taxidermy’ conjured images of moth-eaten hunting trophies and mangy ‘nature-realism’ tableaux.

As a contemporary art form, it’s very much in vogue, commanding prestigious gallery space and column inches. Of course, it’s since become a staple – much like upholstery – of the traditional craft course roster, offering office-bound professionals the chance to reconnect with the physical in order to overcome modern ennui: over the course of a weekend, you too can learn how to strip a squirrel back to its bare bones and build it up anew using wire, wood wool, and liberal amounts of meths. Its popularity makes it seem as if anyone can pick it up, like crochet, but you only have to do a Google image search and marvel at the plethora of cock-eyed rats and misshapen foxes to get an inkling of just how difficult it is to master. And my heart goes out to those poor animals, so mocked in death.

For Teignmouth-based artist Janec van Veen, an ‘honouring of the beast’ is a fundamental aspect of his work, which fuses taxidermy, sculpture and narrative virtuosity to create modern ‘chimera’ – fantastical creatures that embody dystopian visions while articulating concerns about humankind’s seemingly limitless hubris. And although his work sits outside the realm of pieces produced by the more traditional taxidermists I’ve met, he shares with them a deep connection to the natural world, coupled with an intense curiosity about how it all works.

“It stems from an obsession and love of nature when I was a child,” says Janec. “I always made things, built shrines out of skulls, dead animals and feathers, created little landscapes and creatures living in holes, a bit like the Moomins… I was very influenced by Tove Jansson.

I honestly think this is a natural extension of what I was interested in as a child. It’s interesting, how it all bubbles away, and comes to the surface. The whole thing has gone full circle for me.”

We’re sitting in the sunny kitchen of the house Janec shares with his mother, who is also an artist. Everywhere I look there’s something to catch my attention, whether a painting, a piece of vintage quirkery or a skilfully arranged collection of objects (the loo alone could have occupied me for hours – a mini shrine to Frida Kahlo, it also features assorted gatherings of miniature nuns).

An abundance of Mexican Day of the Dead imagery and paraphernalia also makes it clear that death is not something to be feared here, but celebrated, embraced.

“People tend to wag their fingers at taxidermists, but that’s just down to belief systems,” says Janec. “I think when we die we become objects. I don’t think it’s disrespectful – it’s like finding a shell on the beach. I don’t consider myself a morbid person – I actually think I’m trying to transcend death. I start with something bloody and grotesque and transform it into something exquisitely beautiful. That’s like life. Life is bittersweet.

The sculptures reflect that.”

Flight of Fancy (Rattus Ulysses)

Bling Bling (Ornithoptera resplendens)

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After graduating from Goldsmiths with a First in Fine Art, Janec experimented with different mediums, including painting, performance art and film-making.

“It took me another ten years to figure out what I really wanted to do. Some people are lucky and fall into it instantly, which must be like winning the lottery, but not in my case. Then, about five years ago, I started dabbling with taxidermy, and it felt like it was the perfect medium for me.”

What sparked this epiphany was reading Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, about a post-apocalyptic world in which genetically modified animals run amok in a landscape bereft of humans, the last few survivors having to fight for ground space with the abominations they’ve manufactured. It’s hellish and hilarious, and we’re not so far from it – the science, certainly, which is part of Atwood’s genius.

“I remember reading that book and being thrilled and fascinated with these strange spliced creatures from the future, and I literally wanted to translate them into sculpture. The first thing I made was a ‘snat’ – a rat with a snake coming out of the tail. It was very basic, just the two melded together, but that was the original piece that got it all started for me.”

Learning the techniques from books and YouTube, Janec experimented with the form, using small mammals acquired from pet and zoo supplies – “You can order them all online, they’re just another form of meat product that would be fed to snakes” – as well as roadkill and pre-existing taxidermy specimens to create his sculptures (since he’s become increasingly well known for this type of work, people now also send him their dead pets through the post). Although his earlier work – including aesthetic pieces in which butterflies are encased in Champagne coupes – comments on the relationship between humankind and nature, it’s the taxidermy pieces that articulate this most eloquently.

Flight of Fancy (Rattus Ulysses), for instance, is a reflection on the nature of desire: two rats, both with their own wings (the adult’s is a shimmering Menelaus blue morpho, which itself means ‘changed’ or ‘modified’), are surrounded by butterflies. “The adult is like a balloon seller,” says Janec, “and there’s this little rat reaching out as if to say, ‘I want this pretty thing, I want everything.’ To me it says something about humans, because you don’t see rats desiring things in the same way, not sociopathically wrecking the environment like we do.”

Similarly, Bling Bling (Ornithoptera resplendens) – a “contemporary vanitas, a memento mori warning us about the vanities of life” – depicts an elaborately augmented stoat with the head of a laughing thrush, boasting feathers and a shell; around her neck she wears a golden scarab beetle, and her ring contains a 200m-year-old fossil. Her wings are a species of butterfly

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known as Wallace’s Golden Birdwing, which is critically endangered in the wild. “She epitomises decadence and opulence,” says Janec. “She has it all and doesn’t care how much it costs…”

In all the pieces, colours repeat and shapes echo, creating visual rhythms that draw the eye and allow for the attention to detail and narrative intention to gradually reveal itself; the Latin names add a satisfying further layer of meaning. But it’s the most recent sculptures, particularly Light Bearer (Athene prometheus) and Stargazer (Capra aries), that demonstrate the extent of Janec’s technical skill. The latter – an amalgamation of 12 different animals, including three species of goat, crow, fox and pheasant – is particularly astonishing in its complexity, and exquisitely beautiful. From the tortoiseshell to the fur to the horns and beak, the different elements roll seamlessly into each other, and there’s a captivating rhythm to the colours, the textures and the way certain feathers fall.

“It was such a wonderful, serendipitous moment when I realised it was going to work,” says Janec. “I was pulling apart a pheasant wing and a feather flew up in the air and fell on the floor and caught my eye, and I knew it was the one that would make the sculpture work. It’s the perfect transition between the shell and the wings. It makes it really magical for me… I imagine this creature as an extraterrestrial. I wanted to create this sense of curiosity, the slightly cocked head as if he’s staring up into the heavens, thinking what else might be out there, wondering, ‘Is there anything as curious as me?’”

In terms of technical skill, the way the goat’s face becomes the ibis’s beak is faultless, and looks completely natural, as if this creature has evolved. “That’s what I was hoping for,” says Janec. “That if a child came in, they’d think it was a real creature.”

And yet, for the viewer, there is also an element of cognitive dissonance that comes from knowing that all these characteristics simply wouldn’t go together.

In terms of evolutionary advantage, or being equipped to survive, then these creatures don’t make sense. But at the rate at which we’re shifting the parameters – it’s estimated, for example, that by 2050 there’ll be more plastic in the ocean than fish – it might soon transpire that a shell and feathers is just what survival requires…

Constantly turning these topics over in his mind is part of the process, of course. Janec’s inspiration comes from all around him; a true artist, he’s constantly looking, observing, absorbing, and seeing the potential for use in his work – a shell on the beach, for instance, that presents a colour or shape that resonates with something he’s thinking about. In his first floor studio, walls and cupboard doors are pinned with photos and sketches; all around are jars of beetle wings, piles of bones, feathers and talons. “Colours, forms, objects: it all percolates through. For some pieces, I know instantly

culture

I want the work to challenge people, but also to entertain. I can’t stand boring art.

Bioterror (Phasianus atlas)

what they’ll become, others can take years. I just have to surround myself with lots of objects and know they’re there, study them, and suddenly something speaks to me, and it can come from any direction. Because I also meld taxidermy that pre-exists, that gives me more scope, and is often the starting point. I’ll find an exotic bird and realise that it matches something that’s in my freezer, and the idea will start to grow.” He picks up a roe deer horn (sold online as dog chews) and turns it over in his hands.

“I’m thinking of making a unicorn piece…”

One thing he avoids, however, is following the work of other artists in his field, such as Polly Morgan. “I love her work, but I tend not to look at art too much, because it influences me so deeply that I get side-tracked.” And when the work demands such close attention, such minute frames of focus – manipulating delicate antennae, installing LEDs into a single dandelion clock – it’s no surprise that he needs to protect that mental space.

“I usually work on about three pieces at the same time, but very intensely. Things are drying, fixing, so I can step away and work on something else, which also stops me getting too obsessive about one piece. I only make four or five a year because they’re very intensive – each one takes a lot of time to conceptualise and build, and for me to know that it’s worthwhile. I want the work to challenge people, but also to entertain. I can’t stand boring art.”

Like all challenging and interesting art, Janec’s work is satisfyingly multi-layered. His chimera are as much a reflection on the human condition as they are fantastical designs for new creatures or visitors from elsewhere or pieces intended to shock or horrify.

They also raise questions about humankind’s attitude towards other animals, the tendency for arrogance and thoughtlessness. And, of course, the very creation of these pieces – made from existing taxidermy, items that can be freely bought and traded on the internet as just another aspect of commerce – says much about how we quantify the worth of other species. We are all the result of random mutation – that’s the essence of evolution. “Statistically it’s crazy, but here we are, conscious beings,” says Janec. “We think we’re special, but we’re not. We’re all just objects in the end.” janecvanveen.com Janec will be exhibiting his work as part of ‘Dead on Arrival: the curious world of human and animal craft’, 23 September – 5 November at Devon Guild of Craftsmen, Bovey Tracey, crafts. org.uk. His work can also be seen at the Red Propeller Gallery in Kingsbridge throughout the year.

Janec van Veen

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PHOTO: COURTESY WILLIAM ARNOLD

Cardamine Hirsutum Hairy Bittercress, William Arnold, 2017

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Two 21st-century artists reworking early photographic practices in response to their immediate environment talk about their work.

W

illiam Arnold and Oliver RaymondBarker have a lot of common ground: both work in the medium of cameraless photography, their subject matter is the landscape – mainly on their home turf of Cornwall. They also deliver workshops together, collaborate on projects, and both are creating work that is getting noticed. It was after seeing an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum that the two artists (independently) determined the directions their work would take.

WA: I was experimenting with different historical and photographic processes when I saw the exhibition, and it was the work of Susan Derges and Garry Fabian Miller that sparked my interest in the potential ways cameraless processes could be used to represent landscapes and

PHOTO: COURTESY WILLIAM ARNOLD

INFLUENCES ORB: It’s work that pushes the boundaries of the photographic medium that draws me in. The ‘Shadow Catchers’ exhibition at the V&A in 2011 was one of the first large exhibitions of camera-less photography, and I saw it at a time when my own practice was being rekindled. It made me realise I wanted to focus on developing a visual syntax beyond traditional forms of lens and print-based media.

William Arnold at work in his darkroom

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It’s the sheer simplicity of the camera-less process that is exciting.

WILLIAM ARNOLD

their histories in a direct, visceral way. Susan Derges, for instance, took her photographic materials out to be submerged in the River Taw, creating a haptic record of the river’s flow. The immediate environment figures strongly in both artists’ work.

PHOTO: COURTESY WILLIAM ARNOLD

ORB: Most of my learning about alternative photographic processes has been through trial and error.

When talking about my work or running workshops, I explain that what I do is not complicated, even though there may be many layers in the process. I actually endeavour to strip away complexity. In this respect, Roger Ackling’s sculptural work has been of particular inspiration; he spent 35 years working solely with sunlight, focusing it through a hand-held magnifying glass to draw onto pieces of discarded wood and card.

Alliaria Petiolata Jack By The Hedge, William Arnold, 2016

WA: It is the sheer simplicity of the camera-less process that is exciting, and it was the direct delineation of form on light-sensitive paper through the action of light that captivated photographic pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot and resulted in the peerless folia of biological recordings undertaken by Anna Atkins in the mid 1800s.

PROCESS ORB: When I was a student in Birmingham, much of my photography took place in abandoned factories and derelict houses. I found I could truly attend to the quality of light, texture and form in these spaces, as there were no distractions. I still work in remote locations but the emphasis is on exploring the natural surroundings as opposed to the built environment.

PHOTO: COURTESY WILLIAM ARNOLD

WA: I work most often in a series of photographs, taking a playful approach to the documentary form while applying some of its rigours to make works that have some grounding in the scientific method of knowledge building, yet are produced largely by an emotionally driven catalyst.

I am also intrigued by the role played by the photographic surface (literally and metaphorically) in recording, interrogating and representing these histories.

Foxglove Digitalis, William Arnold, 2015

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ORB: The use of light is one of the purest forms of alchemy: it transforms everything that it comes into contact with, not only in material terms but cerebrally.

The embodiment of action is integral to my practice. Whether building a camera, developing a print

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PHOTO: COURTESY OLIVER RAYMOND-BARKER

Forest Obscura III, silver gelatin print, Oliver Raymond-Barker, 2016

PHOTO: COURTESY OLIVER RAYMOND-BARKER

PHOTO: COURTESY OLIVER RAYMOND-BARKER

Oliver Raymond-Barker in South Korea, 2016

Forest obscura, South Korea

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The use of light is one of the purest forms of alchemy: it transforms everything that it comes into contact with, not only in material terms but cerebrally.

OLIVER RAYMOND-BARKER

PHOTO: COURTESY OLIVER RAYMOND-BARKER

Forest Obscura IV, silver gelatin print, Oliver Raymond-Barker, 2016

or binding a book, these manual processes become embedded in the artwork. That’s not to say I eschew new technologies. I like to use the right tool for the job, and this can sometimes mean a marriage of analogue and digital.

LANDSCAPE PROJECTS ORB: The Forest Obscura project involved the making of an actual camera, albeit a very primitive one. It was three metres high and placed in the forest above the Geumgang River in South Korea. This allowed visitors to interact with the forest in a new way, and at the same time giving then an insight into the origins of photography. Being inside the camera gave a focused, occasionally abstracted view of the trees, canopy and sky above, an image that was constantly in flux. I worked inside the camera to make large, black-and-white negatives of the projected view. Back in the UK, I made these into positive prints.

I’m now building a portable Backpack Obscura. Its lightweight design will allow me to work in challenging environments, such as canoeing into tidal creeks, walking in remote mountain regions or towing the camera while swimming to coastal coves. As well as being my means of image making, the camera will also be my shelter. I’m searching for a direct process that merges my physical perceptions with the materiality of the landscape.

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WA: I live and work in west Cornwall, and it’s the layers of history that comprise the making of ‘the land’ that concern me as well as the role played by the photographic surface (literally and metaphorically) in recording, interrogating and representing these histories.

In ‘Suburban Herbarium’ – an ‘edgelands’ homage to Victorian botany – camera-less photography became a significant avenue of exploration. Bounded not by an ecologist’s quadrant, but by the length of a regular lunch-break walk around the western outskirts of Truro, this body of work features more than 100 species of flora and revels in the astonishing biodiversity of the Cornish hedgerow, building site and cul-de-sac garden.

The hand-printed images forsake the megapixel for the direct exposure of light through the plant itself onto a traditional gelatin-silver paper, which reveals an exquisite level of detail, including the delicate conformations of the roots, leaves and fruits. The plant is effectively a living lantern slide.

Through taking walks, collecting and photographing botanical specimens, I have sought to understand a disregarded landscape as a form of contemporary wilderness. It’s a project about discovering the sublime and the overlooked. oliverraymondbarker.co.uk williamarnold.net

culture South West must sees...

Urban canvas

Visualisation of Chips, Edwin Burdis and Tom Woolner

Now in its third year, Plymouth Art Weekender once again makes a case for its must-see status in the region’s visual arts calendar, showcasing a diverse range of events and exhibitions throughout the city by local, national and international artists.

There’ll also be two new commissions to see: Edwin Burdis and Tom Woolner present a performance piece that takes a playful look at the Plymouth’s naval history – local singers will move through the city, stopping for performances at planned locations; and The Park Bench Reader is an ephemeral artwork created by Bram Thomas Arnold, in which a novel is read aloud, over a given period of time – the bench as stage, arena, site of public interaction… you just have to track it down.

23-24 September at various venues across Plymouth. See plymouthartweekender.com for full programme.

Books by the sea

PHOTO: JAMIE DREW

The past and how we perceive it seems to be a theme at this year’s Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival, which sees festival president, Dame Hilary Mantel, chatting informally with writer Meg Sanders about her aims, methods and plans, including the challenge of bringing home her Thomas Cromwell trilogy, which – eager fans will be delighted to learn – she aims to finish in the next year. Writing the past is also the topic for a conversation between historical novelists Sarah Perry (The Essex Serpent) and Tim Pears (The Horseman). There are also various workshops, including how to write a memoir, calligraphy, as well as a free session courtesy of Arvon Foundation for young people aged 12 to 18 who want to explore how to create stories.

Sarah Perry

13-17 September at various venues in Budleigh Salterton. See budlitfest.org.uk for full programme details and tickets.

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culture

Strokeable art

Tim Gee

It’s all about texture at ‘Touchy Feely’, which brings together the textiles of Carol Hocking – who combines traditional skills with modern technology – and ceramics by Tim Gee, who is known for his subtle use of colour on porcelain. For this show, Carol’s pieces explore layering and patchwork, using older materials reused or recycled to create new work.

Moving into new making territory, Tim’s containers are thrown on the wheel, each box enclosing a space filled with surprises. Although both artists approach texture from different directions and using different media, each feels that for work to be appreciated it needs to be handled, so don’t be shy – for once, you’re expected to touch the art!

17 September – 23 October at 45 Southside Gallery, 45 Southside Street, Barbican, Plymouth PL1 2LD. 45southside.co.uk

Last chance to catch…

Until 16 September at Newlyn Art Gallery, New Road, Newlyn TR18 5PZ. newlynartgallery.co.uk

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PHOTO: STEVE TANNER

‘Craftschool’ is an exhibition and workshop space that explores the art of making, the connection to materials, the sharing of skills and the repair and recycling of objects to extend their functionality. Artists exhibiting in the upper gallery – including Louis-Jack Horton-Stephens, whose film, Gill & Gill, is a study of a female boulderer and a master letter cutter and their mutual relationship with stone – share the space with a practical workshop for one-hour ‘taster’ classes in the mornings led by regional makers (free with admission). In the lower gallery, there is a display of work by makers based in Cornwall working in wood, metal and fabric, with an emphasis on purity of materials and function, alongside black and white portraits of the makers in their workplace.

All brushed up

12 September – 15 October in the Walkway Galley, Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street EX4 3LE. exeterphoenix.org.uk

PHOTO: J.D. ‘OKHAI OJEIKERECOURTESY GALERIE MAGNIN-A, PARIS.

In 1968, acclaimed Nigerian photographer J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere began documenting hairstyles. The project became all-consuming, and over the next 40 years he would produce more than 1,000 images of these ‘sculptures for a day’, offering a unique insight into Nigerian culture. The styles range from being purely decorative to symbols with precise meanings; some designs are for special occasions, while others are worn casually. Many are reflective of social status – royalty, for instance, might wear unique styles passed down through generations. A Hayward touring exhibition, ‘JD ‘Okhai Ojeikere: Hairstyles and Headresses’ brings 50 photos to the Phoenix Walkway Gallery in advance of WOW Women of the World Festival (14-15 October). Taking place at RAMM, the Phoenix and the Library, WOW will present talks, panel discussions, and workshops, plus a marketplace in Rougemont Gardens. WOW tickets (on sale at exeterphoenix.org. uk) are £8.50/£11 for a day pass, and £14.50/£6.50 for the whole weekend. Email wowexeter@ southbankcentre.co.uk if you’d like to get involved.

J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere, Abebe, 1975. Gelatin silver print

Interested in creative study?

Explore BAs, MAs and more in a range of subjects across art, design and digital media — from Fashion to Ceramics & Glass.

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Ceramic: Chloe Burke, BA (Hons) Contemporary Crafts Photo: Grace Clarke, Foundation Degree in Commercial Photography MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

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Access all areas Because the county is huge, and stuffed to the gills with creative types, there are two open studio festivals happening this autumn. Devon Open Studios (9-24 September) always presents a cornucopia of opportunities to swing your beaks around the workshops and making spaces of local artists. This year, a bumper crop of 250 makers will be opening their doors to the public and exhibiting their work in more than 160 locations across Devon. There are also plenty of workshops, many of them free.

Visit devonartistnetwork.co.uk for a downloadable guide.

More Snakes than Ladders by Grizel Luttman-Johnson, exhibiting at White Moose in Barnstaple.

Let’s get lost

In North Devon, Art Trek Open Studios (15 September – 1 October) sees 37 venues – ranging from The Sculpture School in Bondleigh and Broomhill Art Hotel in Muddiford, as well as artists’ homes – throw open the doors for exhibitions, workshops and demonstrations.

Head along to White Moose gallery in Barnstaple to visit a recreation of Grizel Luttman-Johnson’s studio, where she’ll be exhibiting drawings, prints and handmade books, and hosting a journal-making workshop on 23 September (1.30-4.30pm, £25pp, booking essential).

See arttrek.co.uk for a full programme.

Lande Hekt from Muncie Girls

A three-day festival mingling music, art, film and technology, Lost Weekend aims to demonstrate that Exeter is home to world-leading science and ideas, as well as a wealth of creative talent. There’ll be gigs, talks, workshops and artworks (many free) taking place in the streets, the library, the parks, the bars and shops, as well as the more traditional venues such as the Phoenix and the Cavern. For music fans, there are sets from British Sea Power and Public Service Broadcasting; the Guildhall will be hosting an outdoor reggae stage, there’ll be acoustic sets in the RAMM, and DIY punk at the Cavern (including local band Muncie Girls, pictured, who are on an impressively upward trajectory). TEDxExeter will be hosting a ‘Salon’ event, at which speakers will explore how technology meets the real world. There’ll be ‘playable’ art, including Choral Cuisine by Sabrina Shirazi and Wilf Petherbridge, which challenges 50 diners to collectively compose a symphony while sitting down to a communal meal. Technology workshops include how to use 2D design software for kids 8-12, design your own website, and a free-form hackathon.

6-8 October at various venues across Exeter. For full programme and ticket information, visit lostweekend.co.uk

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culture Worth making the trip for...

Fair do

5-8 October in Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NR. See frieze.com for tickets and further information.

PHOTO: STEPHEN WHITE. COURTESY OF STEPHEN WHITE/FRIEZE

Frieze London features more than 160 of the world’s leading galleries, offering the opportunity to view and buy art from over 1,000 artists. The annual non-profit programme includes Frieze Projects and the Frieze Artist Award, presenting new, site-specific works by contemporary artists; Frieze Film, which will show new film commissions; Frieze Music, the fair’s off-site music programme; and Frieze Talks, a series of panel discussions, conversations and keynote lectures. New for 2017, independent curator and scholar Alison Gingeras presents ‘Sex Work: Feminist Art & Radical Politics’. The section will be dedicated to women artists working at the extreme edges of feminist practice since the 1960s, including Betty Tompkins, Penny Slinger and Marilyn Minter. Take a stroll outside to enjoy Frieze Sculpture (free, open now until 8 October), Frieze’s first-ever summer display in the English Gardens of Regent’s Park, bringing together 25 new and significant works by leading 20th-century and contemporary artists from around the world.

Miquel Barceló, Gran Elefandret (2008), Acquavella Galleries.

Frieze Sculpture 2017

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Print shop

PHOTO: MARC BRENNER

Fleet Street, 1969, and The Sun is on the rise. A young and rebellious Rupert Murdoch launches the red top’s first editor’s quest: to give the people what they want, no matter the cost… Following a sell-out season at the Almeida, Ink, written by James Graham (This House) and directed by Rupert Goold (King Charles III) transfers to the West End. With a cast featuring Bertie Carvel (Doctor Foster, Matilda) and Richard Coyle (The Associate, The Lover) this ruthless, swaggering play charts the rise of two outsiders intent on punishing the Establishment who rejected them, and reveals how they dragged Fleet Street into the gutter in the process. Carvel, in particular, is astonishing as Murdoch, sleazing his way around the multi-level set like menace personified.

Until 6 January at Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4BG. £10-£95. almeida.co.uk

PHOTO: COURTESY MUSEUM BOIJMANS VAN BEUNINGEN, ROTTERDAM. © THE ESTATE OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT. LICENSED BY ARTESTAR, NEW YORK. PHOTO: STUDIO TROMP, ROTTERDAM

Jean-Michel Basquiat, Untitled, 1982.

From the streets A pioneering prodigy of the downtown New York art scene, Jean-Michel Basquiat came to the media’s attention in 1978 when he teamed up with his classmate Al Diaz to graffiti enigmatic statements across the city under the collective pseudonym SAMO©, before swiftly becoming one of the most celebrated artists of his generation. Drawing from international museums and private collections, ‘Basquiat: Boom for Real’ brings together a selection of more than 100 works, many never before seen in the UK. A famously self-taught artist, Basquiat sampled from a wide range of source material, from anatomical drawings to bebop jazz. This is the first exhibition to focus on the artist’s relationship to music, text, film and television, offering new research that will enable some of his most acclaimed paintings and drawings to be considered in new ways.

21 September – 28 January at Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS. £16 (£12, £10). barbican.org.uk

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culture

PHOTO: COURTESY OF SKARSTEDT

Willem de Kooning, Untitled XXIX, 1986. Oil on canvas 77 x 88 in (195.6 x 223.5 cm).

The late show After Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning was the most celebrated of the Abstract Expressionists who made up the New York School. ‘Willem de Kooning: Late Paintings’ comprises works created in the 1980s, during the last decade of de Kooning’s 60-year career, and represents the first opportunity to see this body of work in the UK since the solo exhibition at the Tate Gallery in 1994, which included paintings from 1938 to 1986. Characterised by their luminosity and the fluidity of their arcing lines, the bright translucent colours of the 1980s works mark a radical departure from the heavy painterliness of earlier periods. Demonstrating de Kooning’s capacity for renewal, this final chapter in his long career was one of his most productive.

3 October – 25 November at Skarstedt, 8 Bennet Street, London SW1A 1RP. skarstedt.com

Goldfrapp As with all musical chameleons, you never know which version of Goldfrapp you’re going to get, such is their penchant for reinvention. It’s fitting, then, that new album Silver Eye, their seventh, explores the theme of transformation while also heralding a return to what might be seen as classic Goldfrapp synthpop. Singer Alison (Will Gregory, the other half of the duo, stays firmly in the wings) has described herself as a ‘not a public person’ and yet, on stage, she is the epitome of the commanding frontwoman, letting her soaring vocals do all the talking.

9 November at Bristol O2 Academy, 1 Frogmore St, Bristol BS1 5NA. 10 November at Brixton O2 Academy, 211 Stockwell Rd, Brixton, London SW9 9SL. See goldfrapp.com for full tour details and tickets.

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culture Worth staying in for...

It’s close to midnight… …and something evil is still lurking in the dark in Hawkins, Indiana. Stranger Things is back, and it’s now 1984, a year on from the events that saw Will Byers trapped in the nightmarish dimension of the Upside Down. Will may well be home, trying to return to normal, hanging out with friends Mike, Dustin and Lucas, playing video games, but it seems that whatever grabbed him in the first place isn’t quite ready to let him – or the town – get away so easily… With plenty of pop culture references – Ghostbusters, Thriller – to keep nostalgia fans happy, the second season promises to be darker, scarier and even more compelling than the first. Can Will break the ties that bind him to his hellish experience? Will Nancy finally throw over that jerk Steve in favour of Jonathan? And was Eleven really finished off by the giant monster?

Tune in to find out…

Season 2 of Stranger Things premieres on Netflix on 27 October.

Page-turners It’s Man Booker time again, and this year’s longlist comprises literary pleasures that will keep you happily ensconced in your favourite chair throughout autumn. The 13 up for the £50,000 prize include US heavyweights Paul Auster (with 4 3 2 1) and George Saunders (Lincoln in the Bardo), Irish writers Sebastian Barry (for Days Without End) and Mike McCormack (whose single-sentence novel Solar Bones also nabbed the Goldsmiths prize last year), and Pakistani novelists Mohsin Hamid (for Exit West) and Kamila Shamsie (Home Fire). Arundhati Roy – nominated here for her second novel, The Ministry of Utmost Happiness – is the only author on the list with a previous Booker under her belt – her debut, The God of Small Things, scooped the prize in 1997. Ali Smith (Autumn), Zadie Smith (Swing Time), Barry and Hamid have all been previously shortlisted, and Jon McGregor (here for Reservoir 13) has been longlisted three times. For the two debut novelists listed, American Emily Fridlund (for History of Wolves) and the UK’s Fiona Mozley (with Elmet), a win would be a game-changer: last year’s winner, Paul Beatty’s The Sellout, saw sales increase by 658% in the week following the announcement. Now, I’m not usually a gambler, but my money this year is on Colson Whitehead’s astonishing The Underground Railroad – and not just because it’s already won the Pulitzer and the National Book Award in the US. A harrowing, powerful masterpiece, the novel tells the story of Cora, a slave on the run from a brutal Georgia cotton plantation, who finds her way to the Underground Railroad – but rather than the metaphorical network of safe houses by which slaves made their way to freedom, here it is an actual train that transports escapees to potential new lines within the US. You can see if I’m right when the shortlist of six is announced on 13 September, with the winner named at a black-tie dinner on 17 October. In the meantime, get reading.

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The Style Issue Shoot In this special issue’s Style Shoot, we chose a studio setting and a vibrant backdrop to set off the electric pleats of Issey Miyake alongside a plethora of high street bright and rich hues. As the season changes, clouds start to mass and sunshine fades, it makes sense to counter any gloom with flashes of colour.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY REMY WHITING STYLED BY MIMI STOTT

Aurora oval yellow x navy jacket, Issey Miyake, £1,175; Plasma 1 yellow x navy skirt, Issey Miyake, £930; Navy thin strap vest, Next, £4.50

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Plum top, Zara, £25.99; Satin pleated skirt, Whistles, £139; Long fringe earrings, Zara, £9.99

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Plasma 2 blue x black top, Issey Miyake, £1,030; Plasma 2 blue x black pants, Issey Miyake, £1,015; Sock ankle boots, Zara, £49.99

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Navy thin strap vest, Next, £4.50; Skew navy x black skirt, Issey Miyake, £1,015; Fringe earrings with beads, Zara, £12.99; Satin ankle boots, Zara, £49.99

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Skew navy x black skirt, Issey Miyake, £1,015; Plasma 2 navy x black top, Issey Miyake, £1,030

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Fringe earrings, Zara, £9.99; Green fringe midi dress, Zara, £59.99

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Aurora oval yellow x navy jacket, Issey Miyake, £1,175; Plasma 1 yellow x navy skirt, Issey Miyake, £930, Navy thin strap vest, Next, £4.50

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Fringe earrings, Zara, £12.99; Blue frill top, Zara, £7.99; Knit midi skirt, Zara, £49.99; Red ankle boots, Zara, £49.99; Orange thin strap vest, Next, £4.50

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Photographer: Remy Whiting Stylist: Mimi Stott Model: Morven M from Premier Hair and make-up: Maddie Austin Special thanks to Exeter Phoenix where the shoot took place

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MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

Food

Root-to-fruit eating with Tom Hunt | Real farm-to-fork school trips Recipes from Jessica Seaton’s book Gather Cook Feast Bites, the latest news and events from across the region | Food pioneer | The Table Prowler

PHOTO: NICK HOOK

Join Rod & Ben’s for a farm tour and seasonal feast at Bickham Barn near Exeter – see page 109 bickhambarn.co.uk

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MANOR’s food editor Anna Turns asks Tom Hunt how we can do more to put sustainability on the menu, and why root-to-fruit eating is his holistic solution to food waste.

T

he phrase root-to-fruit eating was coined by eco-chef Tom Hunt in response to the global food-waste scandal. “It’s my solution to help make real food grown ethically and in harmony with nature more accessible and affordable to everyone,” Tom explains. He realises that food shopping at most supermarkets can be expensive, and in the long term wasteful, stating that 30% of the produce we buy gets thrown away. “It might seem backwards to some people but if you can make a real commitment to eating seasonally, from greengrocers, markets, butchers and independent health food shops,

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then following a root-to-fruit diet of real, complete consumption can be cost neutral and sometimes even cheaper than your regular supermarket shop.” And by reducing our food bill, Tom explains that we can create the budget to buy better-quality and higherwelfare ingredients.

Diversity is key to making root-to-fruit so much healthier: tuning in to what’s in season and trying new fruits and vegetables results in a more complex and nutritious diet of micronutrients, plus eating parts of ingredients that you wouldn’t normally otherwise consume has added bonuses, too. “The skin of veg or

food

If elements of one dish regularly get thrown away, chefs will adapt accordingly, and there aren’t any unnecessary garnishes; all the food on the plate is there to eat. stalks of kale, for example, are actually really fibrous and prebiotic,” says Tom, “so don’t peel anything, because the highest concentration of nutrients tends to be in and under the skin. A lot of ingredients, especially alliums and other foods like Jerusalem artichokes, are very beneficial to your gut health.” It’s a whole food diet, taken very literally – Tom chooses whole grains, brown sugars and seasonal veg, and cooks everything from scratch. Sounds complicated and time-consuming?

Tom insists it should, in fact, be incredibly simple.

Unsurprisingly, the term root-to-fruit stems from Tom’s love for Fergus Henderson’s pioneering nose-totail philosophy. “I’ve been hugely inspired by Fergus’s ethos, and that’s something I’ve practised seriously since working at River Cottage from 2004 to 2006. I realised the reason we’re wasting so much food is because we don’t have any real connection to food anymore; we don’t value it as we used to when it was perhaps more scarce or we had to work harder for it.” In today’s convenience culture, food has become a throwaway item and Tom wants to counteract this. “Root-to-fruit eating has grown into a deeper philosophy about eating whole foods from the whole farm, so it’s about supporting the farmers’ diversity of crops, eating them in their entirety, and it starts in the kitchen.” His concept has evolved into a way of trying to reconnect us with our food and with nature, and that lies in the ability to eat for pleasure: “Really enjoy your food consciously, have a thirst for knowledge and an interest in where your food has come from. For me, it symbolises a holistic approach to food, in the truest sense, linking our health with the environment.”

The food and drink industry is rife with waste at all stages of the supply chain, and in restaurants it can be particularly difficult to avoid. But at Poco, the tapas restaurant Tom co-founded in Bristol, waiting staff advise guests so they don’t massively over-order, and if diners don’t finish their meal, they can take home a doggy box. Every day, bin bags are weighed and food waste is recorded. If elements of one dish regularly get thrown away, chefs will adapt accordingly, and there aren’t any unnecessary garnishes; all the food on the

plate is there to eat. As well as reducing food waste, the Poco team are careful about only buying recyclable packaging and buying in bulk, and are 95% waste free.

Tapas lends itself to root-to-fruit eating, too: “If done properly, sharing plates can be a great way to reduce food waste, and variety comes from following the seasons.”

Tom’s ethos works on a bigger scale, too. Forgotten Feast is a social enterprise promoting sustainable food. Tom creates banquets with food waste, working closely with charitable organisations including Slow Food, FareShare and Action Against Hunger. “We’ve fed thousands of people with food classified as waste; tonnes of food gets saved through just one of our events – it’s phenomenal, and the money we put back into food-waste charities saves thousands more meals being wasted,” says Tom, who is currently planning a food-waste banquet in South Africa to raise money for local food banks.

Tom’s busy schedule is just further proof that seasonal root-to-fruit eating can be quick, easy and achievable: “I don’t have much spare time but I do grow a few veg from seed in no-dig beds, and when you grow your own, you don’t waste it.” Shopping isn’t a prolonged affair, either: “I build trips to the markets into my routine and spend an hour buying enough produce for one week, and once every few months I buy dried goods and spices from a food cooperative. With a well-stocked larder and fresh veg ready to go, I’m not forced to randomly shop for extras.” Tom suggests ditching the recipe books on weekdays, saving them for special occasions, and cooking simple food that takes just minutes to prepare: “Don’t be overly ambitious, invest in the best ingredients and use them in their entirety – they will taste delicious.”

Eat at Poco: 45 Jamaica Street, Stokes Croft, Bristol BS2 8JP. pocotapasbar.com Find out more about Forgotten Feast: tomsfeast.com Hear Tom talk about his philosophy and watch him cook at Dartmouth Food Festival on 21 October: dartmouthfoodfestival.com

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Autumn slaw with greens, beetroot, blackberries, seeds and sprouts Serves four This is a vibrant salad to eat in autumn, full of so many raw nutrients. Play around with different ingredients as the seasons change: as winter hits, substitute the blackberries for dried fruits, and grate in whatever raw root veg you have, from kohlrabi to celeriac. To sprout your own mung beans, cover them with plenty of water and leave to soak overnight. Next day, drain them and leave in a covered bowl or sealed jam jar. Rinse and drain twice a day. After two days they’ll have started to sprout and be edible. After three days they’ll have goodsized sprouts. Put them in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 quantity raw carrots, grated with seeds (see below)

• 50g sprouted mung beans • 1 small beetroot (about 150g) • 3 beet tops or kale leaves, • • • • • •

shredded 2 tbsp sunflower seeds 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds Juice of ½ lemon Small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped 150g blackberries Glug of extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

Put the carrots into a large shallow dish. Grate the beetroot and add it to the dish, but do not mix the salad until you are ready to eat, so the colours stay separate. Add all the remaining ingredients and season to taste.

Toss to coat with the oil, then serve.

The salad will keep for three days in a sealed container in the fridge, but is best eaten straight away, as are the raw carrots. (See below)

Raw carrots grated with seeds Serves two to three as a side salad.

This salad is super-fast to make and delicious for lunch; I especially like to eat it with falafels and hummus. No need to peel the carrots, just give them a good scrub. Substitute the sesame seeds with any other seeds, if you prefer.

INGREDIENTS

• • • • •

200g carrots Extra virgin olive oil Squeeze of lemon juice Salt and pepper 1 tbsp sesame seeds

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METHOD

Grate the carrots coarsely, then dress with a splash of extra virgin oil, a little lemon juice and salt and pepper. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan until they brown slightly.

Mix and serve.

food Boiled carrots with caraway Serves two as a side dish.

Try serving carrots like this for a refreshing take on a simple staple.

The caraway brings out the sweetness of the carrots.

INGREDIENTS

• • • •

200g carrots Pinch or two of caraway seeds 3-4 sprigs of parsley Extra virgin olive oil

METHOD

Wash the carrots and halve lengthways from top to tail, quartering any that are really large. Put into a pan with a good pinch of salt, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for about five minutes until they are still firm to the bite, but have lost their crunch. Meanwhile, toast the caraway seeds in a dry pan until they brown slightly. Drain the carrots (reserve the liquid if you need to make a stock or soup) and dress with the caraway, chopped parsley and extra virgin oil. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Raw fennel salad Serves three to four as a side salad.

Fennel is so scrumptious raw: fresh, crisp and full of flavour, crunchy like celery, but with an added sweetness. Use it for dunking in dips, or serve it with roasted or grilled fish or as part of a vegetable meze.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large fennel bulb (about 350g) • Juice of ¼ lemon METHOD

Trim the root from the fennel bulb and remove any frondy tops, reserving them. Slice the bulb in half from top to tail, then cut each half into thin slices as you would an onion. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice, sprinkling on the reserved fronds to add sparkle.

Cook natural with Tom’s simple recipes: feast with your eyes and eat the rainbow. The simplest way to ensure a varied and nutritious diet is by eating as many different-coloured vegetables as you can. Colourful vegetables contain different vitamins, minerals and various antioxidants that help build a balanced and healthy diet.

The Natural Cook by Tom Hunt. Photography by Laura Edwards. (Quadrille, £20).

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Horrified at the scale of supermarket ‘farm-to-fork’ trips, Anna Turns discovers some more authentic ways to teach our children where our food really comes from.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF DARTINGTON DAIRY

Farmer Jon Perkin enjoys showing families and school groups around the cow milking parlour at Dartington Dairy’s Parsonage Farm

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food

W

PHOTO: COURTESY OF DARTINGTON DAIRY

Little ones love tasting Dartington Dairy’s delicious goat ice cream as part of the farm visit experience

PHOTO: COURTESY OF DARTINGTON DAIRY

hen one of the UK’s leading supermarkets launched a wholesomesounding Eat Happy Project in 2014, it invested £15m in these curriculumlinked visits in the first year alone.

The first initiative was named ‘farm-to-fork’ trails... deceptive, perhaps, as schoolchildren are sent to visit and explore the supermarket aisles, rather than get their wellies mucky while watching cows being milked.

Lucky to live amongst such beautiful countryside, full to the brim with organic growers, artisan producers, farmers and fishermen, surely our children should be visiting the front line and seeing food as its caught or harvested or handmade. And you’ve only got to dig a little beneath the surface to find an inspiring range of potential days out that will engage, enthuse and make an impression on curious youngsters.

With this in mind, I visited Dartington Dairy’s goat herd, based on the Dartington Estate in south Devon.

Here, families can enjoy a hands-on experience milking the cheeky goats and then taste delicious ice cream made by owners Jon and Lynne Perkin. “Children visit us from local schools such as Steiner in Dartington and KEVICS in Totnes, we have students on placement here from Bicton College, and challenged children come to us via Lifeworks and they just love helping to muck out the goats,” says Jon. My daughter loved meeting the goats as they clambered on the tractor tyres and tree trunks, and she came up with lots of good ‘why’ questions as they nibbled our hands and t-shirts. We watched and listened to the clusters going onto Sharpham’s Jersey cows as they were milked in the parlour. Jon has been farming for over 25 years and farms his herd of 190 goats to organic standards and produces high-yield, high-quality raw milk for artisan cheesemakers, pasteurised milk, curd and, of course, ice cream, which takes three to five days to produce from goat to tub. We ate the freshest, most natural strawberry ice cream I’ve ever tasted – creamy, textured and not ‘goaty’ in the slightest. And food miles were zero. Tasting food where it’s produced is quite a powerful thing for a five-year-old to experience, and that’s how it should be.

“We teach kids how food gets from the field to their plate, they make their own smoothies using our recycled bike that powers a blender, which is great fun and they get to drink it at the end,” says Ben White, general manager at Coombe Farm Organic in Crewkerne, Somerset.

“Children are often blown away by what they see here because our farm is different to most conventional farms.”

This innovative Soil Association farm, originally a dairy business, now also produces its own beef and lamb, plus it is totally off-grid, running off solar energy.

The farm opens its gates to schoolchildren of all ages from the Crewkerne, Ilminster and Chard area, encouraging them to get hands-on tasting seasonal foods, milking the model cow by hand or walking to

Adults and children all learn something as they chat to Jon

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Tasting food where it’s produced is quite a powerful thing for a five-year-old to experience, and that’s how it should be.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF DARTINGTON DAIRY

PHOTO: COURTESY OF DARTINGTON DAIRY

Get hands-on at Dartington Dairy’s milking experience

Coombe’s fields and observing organic farming in full swing. “They love orienteering, too, and getting unlost on the farm using a map and compass, and all the time we’re showing them the wildlife that shares this ecosystem.” Ben firmly believes that teaching beyond the classroom should be embraced a lot more, and these trips are all fully funded by the farm’s owners, the AH Warren Trust: “Children are enriched when they visit places and understand how things work – it’s one thing being told something, another being shown something and yet another speaking direct to the farmer. Education is something we will never deviate from.”

Coombe Farm has always offered educational trips to local primary schoolchildren and has showed 500 around the farm over the last two years. “Here, we don’t have a great big pool of people ready to work in the farming industry and we want to show more young people just how fascinating agriculture can be – one day, perhaps in 20 years’ time, someone might remember their school trip, knock on our door and be keen to carry on the work we are so passionate about doing. Our farm isn’t just a means to an end – we want people to live it and breathe it and love it like we do.”

Of course, many teachers might say they don’t have the time or resources to take the whole class to a real farm, but there are other innovative ways, such as ‘lamb 102

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cam’, which brings the lambing season on a sheep farm into the classroom. This initiative is just one of many run by The Country Trust, a charity that has enabled disadvantaged children to really connect with the farmers producing the food they eat for the past 40 years. The Trust provides day trips for 25,000 primary school pupils every year to 300 working farms nationwide and also year-long education programmes exploring growing, cooking and even selling of food and produce.

The Country Trust has recently helped a Manchester school to transform its food education to all year groups with a Food Discovery programme that has become so embedded in the curriculum it is also helping children thrive with literacy, maths, science and design technology. The charity trained teachers to deliver the programme (therefore saving the school money and making it viable and cost-effective in the long-term), so now pupils prepare meals with food they’ve grown, host a playground farmers’ market and create their own special harvest festival. The older children even help teachers order the ingredients they need for cookery classes online and learn about budgeting. Because this new way of working has proved so successful, the charity plans to roll this out to other schools.

Children do perform better and remember more when lessons are taken beyond the confines of a

classroom’s four walls to become inherently more interactive; the success and rapid rise of forest schools is a case in point. Even a simple trailer ride or pick-your-own session can make a big impact; these experiences can spark children’s imaginations and connect them to the land their food comes from. Surely the magic happens when children learn from a tangible experience, out in the fresh air with mud on their boots?

VISIT A FARM South Penquite Farm, Bodmin, Cornwall southpenquite.co.uk Trevaskis Farm, Hayle, Cornwall trevaskisfarm.co.uk Dartington Dairy, near Totnes, Devon dartingtondairy.com Kenniford Farm, Exeter kennifordfarm.co.uk PHOTO: COURTESY OF RIVERFORD ORGANICS

Riverford Organics, Buckfastleigh, Devon riverford.co.uk Coombe Farm Organic, Crewkerne, Somerset coombefarm.com Magdalen Farm, Maudlin, Chard, Somerset magdalenfarm.org.uk

PTAs can sign up to Riverford’s Veg Fund to raise funds for the school, and local veg teams can also go into the schools (free of charge) to teach children about veg and run craft activities such as ‘Eat a Rainbow’.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF DARTINGTON DAIRY

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Earthy flavours Following on from Toast founder Jessica Seaton’s As I See It, we felt it only fair to give you a taste, quite literally, of some of the recipes from her book, Gather Cook Feast. Here we present a starter, main course and pudding. Hearty, wholesome and very much of the land, these recipes are rich in colour and bursting with flavour.

Photos by Jonathan Lovekin.

Laver and oatmeal pancakes with asparagus and poached egg Makes six small cakes The seaweed Porphyra umbilicalis has a better-known relation, Porphyra yezoensis, which when dried and toasted is wrapped around sushi and goes by the name of nori. The umbilicalis cousin has been prepared in the West Country and Wales for centuries, where it is harvested from the sea, boiled and sold as laverbread. The increase in popularity of Japanese food and our consequent familiarization with the taste of seaweed has now created scope for a wider enjoyment of native seaweeds. You can buy laverbread in tins from specialist stores or, if you are in South Wales, the wonderful Swansea or Carmarthen markets have stalls specializing in cockles and laverbread rolled in oats. The classic approach is to roll laverbread in oatmeal and cook it with Welsh bacon in the same pan. Here’s my version of this.

INGREDIENTS

• • • • • • • • •

20g butter 1 banana shallot, peeled and very finely chopped 4 rashers of fine-cut, smoked, dry-cured bacon, finely chopped A small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped 200g laverbread 100g porridge oats Black pepper 2–3 stems of asparagus per person, tough ends removed 1 egg per person

METHOD

Take half the butter and melt it in a non-stick pan. Add the shallots and soften, turning constantly for 2–3 minutes.

Add the chopped bacon and continue to stir until the bacon releases its fat and the shallots and bacon become a little crispy. Finally, toss in the parsley and stir around until the leaves relax and become darkly green and soft. This will only take a minute or so.

Mix the laverbread, oats and the shallot/bacon/parsley mixture together and form them with your fingers into six or so loose cakes. There is no need to season them with salt, as the sea has already done the job, but add a turn or two of black pepper.

Use the same pan to fry up your laver cakes. Melt the rest of the butter and when it’s good and warm, brown the cakes on each side for 3 minutes or so. They should be toasty on each side. Keep the cakes warm while you cook the asparagus and the eggs.

Fill a wide saucepan with a couple of inches of salted water and bring to the boil. Put in the asparagus spears and, a few seconds later, find a space of clear water to slip in the eggs for poaching. Cook gently for 2–3 minutes, then delicately remove from the water using a slotted spoon. Make sure you have wiggled the spoon enough to drain off all the water, then arrange the eggs and asparagus over the laver cakes.

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Salt marsh lamb chops with sherried capers and sea greens Serves four The marshes of the Lleyn and Gower peninsulas near where I live are used to graze flocks of sheep in the early spring to summer months.

Meat grazed on this sea-sprayed and herb-rich pasture is sweeter than normal, with a slight salt-savoury tang. The perfect accompaniment to this lamb is sea beet, which is common around the shingly coasts of England and Wales and easy to identify, with a deep and more intense flavour similar to all its garden descendants. If you are far from the coast, fake it by using sea beet’s closest cultivated descendants, beetroot tops or chard, together with samphire for an extra iodine kick. If you live near the coast where alexanders grow, you could also pair these chops with this delicious foraged ingredient. This is a quick and excellent supper or lunch dish and is really good eaten with a deep pile of pillowy, buttery mashed potatoes.

INGREDIENTS

• • • • • • • • • •

4 large salt marsh lamb chops (around 550g) Sea salt and black pepper Some chopped fresh thyme leaves 2 tbsp olive oil 300g beet tops, chard or foraged sea beet, washed and chopped 50g samphire, washed (if not using sea beet) 40g butter 2 good tbsp capers, drained of brine, chopped 2 anchovy fillets, chopped 150ml Oloroso or similar rich sherry

TO SERVE

A good quantity of buttery mashed potatoes METHOD

Allow the chops to come to room temperature by seasoning them with sea salt, black pepper and some chopped fresh thyme and leaving them in a dish for an hour to absorb the flavours.

Make the mash the way you like it and keep it warm.

Pour the olive oil into a good heavy frying pan – it should cover the base of the pan with a thin layer. Heat the pan over a medium heat until the oil is starting to shiver a little.

Lay the chops in the pan and brown for 2–3 minutes on each side, then turn on to the fatty edge and brown for 2–3 minutes. Test the chops with your finger at this point – they should be quite soft still, which means they will still be very pink inside. Put a lid on the pan and continue to cook for a couple more minutes on each side, until golden. Test with your finger again, a slight firmness indicates they are cooked a little more but still pink.

Remove the chops to rest, covered.

The beet leaves and samphire (if using) should still be damp from washing, so they can steam in their own moisture. Throw them into a dry, hot pan, clap the lid on and steam, turning occasionally, until tender. Finish with a knob of butter.

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food Hedgerow pudding Serves four to five My favourite version of summer pudding is made with blackberries in the autumn, but then it can’t be called summer. This is my version with mixed wild soft fruits and nuts, which I am renaming in honour of the humble hedgerow.

Blackberrying is the sort of foraging everyone knows and loves. Raspberries, damsons and plums can be found in the wild too, if you are lucky. The damsons add a wonderful extra sharpness to the fruit but can be hard to find.

In need, replace with a good sharp plum. For a full foraged hedgerow experience, wet and pale hazelnuts or Kent cobnuts can be a delicious, delicate choice, or use regular shop-bought hazelnuts for a more toasty taste.

Slightly stale bread is helpful to hold the pudding together and avoid gumminess, but you can leave out a few slices to dry out in advance of making this, or keep a sliced loaf in the freezer. Make the day before, or at least 6 hours before you plan to eat it.

INGREDIENTS

• • • • • • •

400g blackberries 200g raspberries 100g damsons or plums 75g hazelnuts or cobnuts (pre-shelled weight), shelled, toasted, skinned, chopped 150g sugar 8 slices of slightly stale white bread, crusts removed Single cream, to serve

METHOD

Prepare the fruit. If the blackberries or raspberries are foraged ones, pick over them carefully and remove any overripe or sharp prickly ones and any stowaway bugs.

Remove the stones from the damsons by cutting the flesh away from the stone.

Put the fruit, nuts and sugar into a heavy lidded pan and cook over a low heat, until the fruit has given off its liquid and the sugar has dissolved. Turn the heat up a touch and cook for a further 3–5 minutes, until the damsons are tender. Taste the mixture and add a little sugar if needed (keep it fruity).

Line a 750ml basin with clingfilm, with enough hanging over the edges to fold over the top and twist together. Then line the basin all the way around with the white bread, keeping one slice for the top.

Strain the fruit mixture, retaining the juice. Pour a little of the juice all around the inside of the bread slices in the basin, to make the bread as purple as possible with the juice. Don’t worry if there are some white bits left on the outside, you will have some leftover juice to deal with those later. Then put all the strained solids into the hollow. Pop the last slice of bread over the top and fold in all the other bits of bread. Pull up the edges of clingfilm and twist them tightly together. Find a saucer small enough to fit inside the basin, then put a heavy object on top of the saucer and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to eat, open out the clingfilm, put a plate on top and invert to turn out, gently pulling the pudding out using the edges of the clingfilm.

Pour a little of the remaining juice over the pudding to cover any random white areas and serve the rest with each portion.

Serve with single cream.

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Bites

Sip a shrub Neil Haydock, head chef at Zacry’s at Watergate Bay Hotel near Newquay, has created a series of non-alcoholic shrub cocktails in conjunction with Aspall. Shrubs are vinegar-based cordials and syrups made by using apple cider vinegar as the base, infused with any number of fruits, spices and herbs. “The resulting drink behaves like an alcoholic drink on the tongue, mixing sour and sweet to create a cocktail that is best sipped,” explains Neil.

The Doctor LAVENDER SYRUP

• • •

1 tbsp dried lavender 100g caster sugar 100ml water

BLUEBERRY SHRUB

• • •

300g blueberries 100g caster sugar 200ml Aspall Cyder Vinegar

COCKTAIL

• • • •

25ml lavender syrup 35ml blueberry shrub 35ml Brockmans gin 50ml Fever Tree Mediterranean tonic

METHOD For the blueberry shrub

Place the blueberries and caster sugar into a bowl and crush slightly. Cover and leave in the fridge for four days.

Add the vinegar, mix, and strain into a bottle.

For the lavender syrup

Add the dried lavender, sugar and water to a saucepan and bring to the boil. Continue to boil slowly for a couple of minutes. Let the syrup cool thoroughly.

For the cocktail

Add the lavender syrup, blueberry shrub and gin to a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain into a glass and top with tonic.

Wild Artichokes Chef Jane Baxter presents more seasonal communal dining feasts at her Kingsbridge restaurant. Enjoy Italian flavours and antipasti starters followed by more sharing platters.

29 and 30 September, 7pm. £35 for three courses. wildartichokes.co.uk

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Rustic restaurant Roddy of Rod & Ben’s is hosting a series of pop-up restaurant nights at Bickham Barn near Exeter as a celebration of organic, seasonal produce in a 200-year-old threshing barn. The Big Fish Dish on 16 September welcomes Roddy’s fisherman friend Danny Phillips to create a seafood feast (£45.50).

On 14 October, Roddy’s Rustic Restaurant presents its first harvest supper celebration, and what’s grown on the farm will be served in the barn (£35 includes a drink from the bar).

PHOTO: NICK HOOK

Arrival from 6.30pm, followed by farm tour and three-course dinner. £35.

Bickham Farm, Kenn, Exeter, Devon EX6 7XL. bickhambarn.co.uk

B R EA K FA ST

•

L UN CH

•

DINNER

To book call reservations on: 01637 861000 Option 1, or book online at: www.fifteencornwall.co.uk ON THE BEACH, WATERGATE B AY, TR8 4AA, CORNWALL • 01637 861000 • WWW.FIFTEENCORNWALL.CO.UK

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How Now Dairy Oliver is also investing in eco-conscious packaging: “Our milk will be packaged in recyclable plastic pouches and the customer is given a two-litre milk jug with their first delivery. We chose the pouches as they are 70% less packaging than normal plastic milk cartons and we want to minimise our carbon footprint – we feel our bags are the most environmentally efficient way of packaging for a microdairy without resources to heat and wash glass bottles.”

How Now Dairy currently delivers whole and semi-skimmed milk (1 litre, RRP £1.50, approx. 1 pint, RRP £0.85) to Modbury, Yealmpton, Ivybridge and South Brent. hownowdairy.co.uk

PHOTO: NEIL WHITE

Farmer Oliver Lee is selling and delivering pasteurised milk from a grass-fed herd of 24 pedigree Ayrshire cows he’s grazing on 40 acres of his grandparents’ land.

“Our milk is produced alongside nature, where the farm grows with the cows,” says Oliver, 24, who founded the company. “I want people to share in my pride and love of the land, my cows and their milk. Every single drop of this creamy milk is produced, processed and delivered twicedaily from the How Now Dairy HQ at Ugborough.”

Oliver adds: “The organic milk market is growing, as is the value of milk delivery, so it’s the perfect time to launch. We’re all very excited to see our years of hard work become a reality, and as we grow over the next four years, we hope to supply the majority of the South Hams from a 60-cow herd.”

With great ambitions for the future, Oliver is keen to grow How Now Dairy through expansion to multiple sites and farms, or as he calls them, ‘milk bubbles’. Through controlling distribution, How Now Dairy is also reducing its transport footprint – milk is only transported off-site at the end of processing, when it is delivered direct to the consumer. Oliver is confident that when the farm expands to 60 cows, he will produce ‘zero carbon’ milk, due to the farming methods he uses absorbing carbon dioxide into the soil and surrounding trees and hedges.

OllyLolly Healthy frozen fruit treats produced

by Plymouth-based OllyLolly will become part of the children’s menu at Mitch Tonks’s Rockfish chain.

Founders Mel and Ollie Mackie first devised their own natural popsicles in 2015, as an ideal alternative to sugary treats: “All our lollies are handmade, using only fresh fruit, a splash of water and a sprinkling of unrefined natural cane sugar, so they taste delicious,” says Mel. In keeping with OllyLolly’s no artificial flavouring and sustainability ethos, she explains that, “our flavours are all dairy, lactose and gluten free, and our wrappers, which are designed and printed in Devon, are ocean safe and compostable.” OllyLolly is a family-run company based at Royal William Yard. Bespoke flavours can be made to order. ollylolly.co.uk

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Falmouth Oyster Festival Dale McIntosh, head chef at Gylly Beach Café in Falmouth, launches the 21st Falmouth Oyster Festival at 11am on 12 October, cooking up a feast in the demo kitchen using Falmouth-dredged oysters and the day’s catch.

Dale, who was previously a quarter finalist on MasterChef: The Professionals, will be cooking for some discerning food critics at the festival: two children from each of Falmouth’s five primary schools will sit at the Chef ’s Table and critique his culinary skills. These Food Ambassadors have learnt how to cook a fish-based dish first hand, visiting the kitchens of local chefs providing demos at the festival and then teaching the meal to their class and parents.

The initiative, now in its 10th year, has contributed to a growing awareness of great local produce and the importance of healthy eating in schools.

Falmouth Oyster Festival runs from 12-15 October. falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk

Keeping it local Schooners, at Trevaunance Cove in St Agnes, has reopened under new, but familiar, ownership. Chef Adam Vasey, along with business partners Sam White and Sean Lascelles, has taken on the beachside café, which previously belonged to his family in the 1990s. Adam explains: “I was inspired to become a chef after spending summers watching my mum prepping lobsters and crab for guests at Schooners. I grew up here and have lots of happy memories, so it feels right that it’s back in the family!” And, once again, fresh fish and shellfish hauled up the beach each day form the backbone of the menu.

Schooners, The Quay, Trevaunance Cove, St Agnes TR5 0RU. Call 01872 553149 to book.

Try a slice of leftover pie on Food Waste Friday On 8 September, join in with Food Waste Friday, part of Zero Waste Week’s campaign to encourage more folk to reduce how much is thrown away in domestic kitchens - approximately a quarter of all food and drink we buy is thrown out. Anna Pitt, author of Leftover Pie: 101 ways to reduce your food waste, has collated recipes from chefs, bloggers and food waste campaigners, plus she delves into the history of food waste, why it occurs and what we can do about it. Here, she shares her simple recipe for candied citrus peel and explains: “The hardest thing about making your own candied peel is to save enough peel to make it worthwhile spending the 10 minutes it takes to prepare. I never think it is worth it for just a couple of peels, so I have experimented with the best way to keep the peel. I now keep it in the freezer until I have a bagful.”

INGREDIENTS

• Any quantity of citrus peel, such as oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines (diced) • Sugar METHOD

In a saucepan, cover the peel with water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, drain and toss out onto a baking tray, then sprinkle with just enough sugar to coat the peel. Bake in the oven on the lowest setting (around 80ºC/175ºF/gas 1) for about 30 minutes. Cool, then store in an airtight jar.

Leftover Pie is available now on Amazon as a Kindle book ,£6.99.

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Bee green Totnesian Yolanda Drewell has created an eco-friendly alternative to plastic food wrap. The new Buzzcloth is made in Devon from organic beeswax and cloth, and makes the ideal cover for your cheese, fruit, veg, bread or packed lunch, keeping items fresh while allowing them to breathe. “It can be rinsed in cold water and lasts up to a year, and at the end of its life, it can be cut into strips and used as firelighters or thrown onto the compost heap,” explains Yolanda, who has designed Buzzcloth to seal around food with the warmth of your hands. buzzcloth.com

Snack time Midfields Granola, based in Moretonhampstead, has recently added a child-friendly granola snack to its range of eight granolas and cookies. The new granola cookie lollies on a stick are made with a low-calorie fruit extract, without any refined sugars or preservatives.

Sharon Davies, owner of Midfields Granola, sells them at festivals and shows around the county, or as a twin pack without the stick in delis and farm shops such as Ben’s Farm Shop at Staverton, Totnes. midfieldsgranola.co.uk

Save the date ASHBURTON FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL

TASTE OF THE TEIGN

This foodie town comes alive with events and stalls lining the streets.

Includes Smokeinteignhead, a new BBQ competition, plus Tea on the Teign, Fry Up Friday, farmers’ markets, street food and a food fair.

9 September. 10am-5pm. Free. ashburtonfoodfestival.co.uk

ROCKFISH CRAB FESTIVAL DAY

25 September – 1 October. tasteoftheteign.org.uk

During Seafood Week in Plymouth, Mitch Tonks hosts live music and a special crab menu for the day, plus the first Rockfish Gin will be distilled.

17 September. 12noon-6pm. Sutton Harbour, outside Rockfish.

Book online: therockfish.co.uk

GREAT CORNISH FOOD FESTIVAL

22-24 September. 9am-5.30pm. Lemon Quay, Truro. Free. greatcornishfood.co.uk/festival/

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PHOTO: SEAN GEE

Chef Nathan Outlaw opens the festival at 10am on 22 September on the main theatre stage. The festival celebrates the best in Cornish food and drink plus demos, street food, tastings and shopping.

BBC Radio Cornwall’s Cooking Challenge at the Great Cornish Food Fest

food

Food Pioneer Matteo Lamaro FOUNDER AND CHEF, THE CURATOR CAFÉ AND WOODROAST I was brought up by the sea in Ancona, Le Marche.

I can’t be without good-quality extra virgin oil. I use it in

My passion for cooking came from my parents, with influences especially from south Italy. My Italian heritage has had a big influence on my food philosophy.

I grew up watching my parents and my family cook what was in season and local in Le Marche, but with lots of recipes from my grandparents, who were from the south of Italy. Being by the sea, we had lots of fish and seafood as well as pasta and vegetables. I have always enjoyed cooking for people, and now I think back to those dinners we had and I try to recreate them with what I find around me in Devon.

every dish at home and in The Kitchen. That and goodquality sea salt – often people are scared of using salt but the pasta water needs to be well seasoned, plus rocket always adds a peppery crunch to so many dishes.

We moved to Devon for the lifestyle. I was working as a

We love working with small producers and suppliers such

youth worker in London and decided to leave the capital and come down to the South West six years ago. I started off selling my brother’s bakery products and friends’ wood-roasted coffee at street markets and food fairs in and around the South Hams.

as Annie’s Fruit & Veg shop just around the corner. The lamb from John at Wave Hill Farm in Loddiswell is really special as it’s grass-fed and from small flocks. We’ve been marinating it with fennel and slow cooking it in a sousvide for 24 hours and then finishing it off on the BBQ – it’s so tender and full of flavour. Riverford organic milk complements our coffee and we can tell when the cows have moved to different fields as this affects the consistency of the milk, so it keeps our Baristas on their toes! We also still love connecting with independent, artisan producers at local food fairs such as the Dartington Food Fair at Christmas-time – it’s always a great way to meet, see, sample and taste the county’s finest produce.

A year later, I had a chance meeting with fashion photographer Nick Clements, and in May 2012 we opened The Curator Café in Totnes. Our restaurant is

now in its fifth year, and we have a small kitchen team, focusing on using local British ingredients in Italian cooking to create fresh, new plates.

At the moment, my favourite Devon foodie find is ‘Spaccasassi’ or rock samphire. It reminds me of eating

it as a side to local seafood dishes around Monte Conero.

The ingredient can be found at our local beaches in the South Hams.

In the kitchen, we often say ‘less is more’. From just a few

ingredients, prepared well, can come amazing dishes.

Choose a few good ingredients and combine them carefully. Even for simple pasta dishes, season the water well and then combine in the pan with the sauce and a little pasta water – the art of ‘mantecare’.

The regionality of dishes and seasonality is still so strong in Italy. Producers often do one thing really well, like

olive oil, cheeses, nuts, and lots of vegetables, and then regions become specialised in that. In Ancona, there are the mussels from Porto Novo and the seafood, which I do miss. The wild peppery greens that my father still collects from the fields are amazing.

I see similarities between Devon and Le Marche, with the coast and the hills. The seafood in Devon is amazing, and

the high-quality vegetables like kale and salads are so full of flavour and are really special. There are lots of modern, small producers who really care about what they do, their environment and their animals.

We launched Flour & Rice as an extension of The Curator Kitchen so we could make our fresh pasta and all our cakes and breads. It’s now growing to become a full artisan

Italian bakery. The ‘Rice’ part of Flour & Rice is Yoshimi Taguchi, a Japanese chef who worked with us for two years in The Curator Kitchen, and we’ve helped to start her own Japanese canteen, which is just amazing.

Our food is simple, peasant food, focusing on the ingredients and assembling with care. It’s not about fusion

or making Italian food British; it’s about focusing on and celebrating the local ingredients using traditional Italian recipes. We want our food and the environment to be inclusive, that’s why we are an osteria, a modern one but our principles of being able to eat what’s fresh and what we’ve made well remain true.

The Curator Café and Kitchen, 2 The Plains, Totnes, Devon TQ9 5DR. italianfoodheroes.com

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Signature dish Richard Massey, head chef at The Old Quay House in Fowey, describes his cooking style as modern British, combining local and seasonal ingredients to give a taste of what Cornwall has to offer. He began his career in the kitchen at the age of 16, and has worked in the restaurant industry for almost a decade. He moved to Cornwall from Scotland in 2016, where he was head chef at Ullinish Country Lodge on the Isle of Skye for three years.

Richard is passionate about cooking great, seasonal and fresh seafood, and this recipe shows off the star of the show, hake: “The saltiness of the chorizo in this dish balances with the creaminess of the butternut squash. When cooked, hake becomes a rather meaty fish,” explains Richard. “This is perfect to bring together the other strong flavour. The flavour of the hake itself is rather subtle, which allows the other flavours to shine. Finally, we have the earthiness of the sage coming through at the end. A key component that rounds off a great dish.” theoldquayhouse.com

Oven-roasted hake with chorizo, butternut squash and sage Serves four INGREDIENTS

• • • • • • •

4 x 200g pieces of hake 1 large butternut squash 200g chorizo 50ml double cream 150ml water 20g fresh sage leaves roughly chopped Juice of 1 lemon

METHOD

Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4. Top and tail the butternut squash, and cut in half across the middle. Using the narrower top section of the squash, chop into 1cm cubes and set aside on an oiled baking tray. Remove and discard the seeds from the bottom half of the squash. Roughly chop the squash and place into a saucepan.

Add the water to the pan and place on a high heat, cooking for six minutes.

Then add the cream and cook for a further four minutes. Using a blender, blend the squash and cream until smooth and add seasoning. Set aside until ready to serve.

Cut the chorizo into 1cm cubes and place on the baking tray with the squash.

Roast in the oven for eight minutes.

Take the tray out of the oven and place the fish on top of the squash and chorizo.

Season and place back in the oven for a further seven minutes until cooked.

Take the tray out and squeeze the lemon over and add the chopped sage.

Place the purée onto the serving plates, and top with the fish, chorizo and squash.

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The Table Prowler Old School Bar and Kitchen, Mount Hawke, Truro The only thing that’s old-school about this gastropub is the building in which it resides. A lovely traditional stone village school building, it has a great chapel-like window giving light into the galleried bar area. Its décor is modern, but not ostentatious, and the bar itself, with its high shelves of alcohol and huge array of beers, is almost a religious experience.

While you can eat in the bar area – the mezzanine is right up in the high, church-like ceiling – the main dining area is less inspiring. Low ceilings and a hotch-potch of second-hand furniture make for a rather gloomy and old-fashioned vibe.

Outside, a number of large shaded tables and outsized patio chairs sit in a courtyard that overlooks a relatively quiet road and the modern-day primary school opposite. It’s bound to be popular as a coffee stop-off for local parents, and no doubt also draws visitors from Truro, being just five minutes’ drive from the Chiverton roundabout on the A30. Visitors to the area around Porthtowan, St Agnes and Portreath are also likely to drop in.

While the lunchtime menu is classic gastro pub fare – Scotch egg, beef burger, prawn or chicken salad – the combination of excellent presentation, generous portions and imaginative chef-ing mean that this place satisfies the taste buds as well as the tums. Our Scotch egg starter was a semi-

hard-boiled egg nestled in tender sausage meat in a thin layer of crunchy crumb coating. Served with a small salad garnish and delicious homemade red onion marmalade, it got top marks from both of us. My main was pan-roasted salmon. A nice chunk of salmon fillet, with crisply fried skin, cooked to just the right pink juiciness and served on a roasted aubergine base. The new potatoes were crushed rather than mashed, and a large pool of creamy mustard and chive sauce along with a chard salad completed the dish with some interesting tastes. My stepdad had a massive bowl of mussels in an unusual curry sauce. Apparently, it’s a thing in France – I’ve never encountered it before, but can attest that it was delicious.

Service was great – the co-owners, David and Jenny Clilverd, are jovial, enthusiastic and very much part of the welcoming character of the place. They were happy to chat and have a joke, while at the same time maintaining a professional service. It wasn’t particularly busy on a midweek lunchtime, and the food arrived promptly, considering the care taken with the cooking and presentation. osbk.co.uk Food 8 | Service 9 | Ambience 8 | Location 7

The Baobab Café, Crediton The Baobab Café is not what you’d expect. Set in Crediton’s pretty Georgian market square, it serves exotic Middle Eastern cuisine, has a family-friendly, relaxed vibe, and a chef/ proprietor who knows how to welcome you. Eran Hovav opened his restaurant with his wife Laura Jones a year ago.

They arrived from London (Laura was brought up in Devon), and Eran had already had an illustrious career cooking for heads of state, having trained at one of the top catering companies in Israel. The couple arrived keen to settle and bring up their children in Devon.

What’s phenomenal about Baobab is the supreme freshness of everything: the freshly baked pittas are like fluffy pillows; the hummus, presented in a simple terracotta pot with a twirl of olive oil, has a creamy richness to it that’s like nothing you’d get from supermarket varieties.

And then there are the salads: the set lunch, which we had, invariably comprises two highly inventive and beautiful salads and a meat dish. In our case, we ate Iraqi roasted chicken with roasted golden zucchini with millet ragout served with green split peas, roasted Aztec broccoli and chunky tabbouleh.

The salads were visually impressive – lush, green and fresh, crowned with an array of bright edible flowers. The Iraqi chicken was roasted with a mouth-tingling array of flavours, clearly produced by someone with an extensive knowledge of spices and how to combine them.

Indeed, the food that emerges from Eran’s kitchen is a revelation, on a par with anything we’ve tasted from that

more famous Middle Eastern culinary expert so lauded by the Notting Hill set – Ottolenghi. But this is Crediton, well off the tourist track. And Baobab is a find that, once discovered, is frequented by the locals and those less local, time and again. Not just for the quality of the cuisine, but also for the atmosphere; there’s a true sense of community at the café.

Mums with children are welcome – there’s a play area for the kids – workers come in their lunch hour and The Crediton Coffee Company, next door, seats any overflow diners, with The Baobab Café selling their coffee. In fact, we left persuaded

by Eran to have a ‘mud coffee’ with cardamom. This, too, was unbelievable – a shot of coffee with an incredible fragrance, so much better than those almond-infused lattes peddled by Costa/Starbucks, and so much more sophisticated.

Crediton may not be high on your list of places to go, but The Baobab Café will make any trip there worthwhile – delicious, fresh and healthy fare made with artistic and culinary skill that you very rarely experience, wrapped up with a chef ’s enthusiasm for his food and the people who love it. What’s more, that enthusiasm hasn’t waned a jot in the year that The Baobab Café has been open. And I’m told, by one who knows, neither has the quality. It’s also incredibly good value. With a set lunch at around £7.95, and hummus and pita at just £4, this just could be the best meal you can have for £12, anywhere.

Food 10 | Service 9 | Ambience 8 | Location 8

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The Audi A1. The premium supermini car package.

Sporty looks, smart interior and efficient engines plus £900 towards your finance deposit when you purchase with Audi Solutions*.

Representative example*, Audi A1 Sport 1.4 TFSI 125 PS 6 Speed inc. metallic paint: Duration of agreement Recommended ROTR Customer deposit Centre Deposit Contribution Amount of credit

48 months £18,180.00 £2,940.65 £900.00 £14,339.35

Amount of credit 47 Monthly Payments of Optional final payment Option to purchase fee (payable with optional final payment) Total amount payable

£14,339.35 £199.00 £7,493.60 £10.00

Rate of interest (fixed) Representative APR

5.84% 5.9%

Annual Mileage Up To

10,000 miles

Excess mileage (inc VAT)

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Explore the Audi A1 for yourself today at Exeter Audi.

Exeter Audi 1 Matford Way, Matford, Exeter EX2 8FN 01392 825425 www.marshall.co.uk/audi Official fuel consumption figures for the A1 3-door range, in mpg (l/100km) from: Urban 42.8 (6.6) – 64.2 (4.4), Extra Urban 64.2 (4.4) – 88.3 (3.2), Combined 55.4 (5.1) – 76.3 (3.7). CO2 emissions 120 – 99g/km.

Official fuel consumption figures for the A1 Sportback range, in mpg (l/100km) from: Urban 42.1 (6.7) – 64.2 (4.4), Extra Urban 64.2 (4.4) – 88.3 (3.2), Combined 54.3 (5.2) – 76.3 (3.7). CO2 emissions 123 – 99g/km.

Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures are obtained under standardised test conditions (Directive 93/116/EEC) using a representative model.

This allows direct comparison between different models from different manufacturers, but may not represent the actual fuel consumption achieved in ‘real world’ driving conditions.

Terms & Conditions : *At the end of the agreement there are three options: i) pay the optional final payment and own the vehicle; ii) return the vehicle: subject to excess mileage and fair wear and tear, charges may apply; or iii) replace: part exchange the vehicle. With Solutions Personal Contract Plan. 18s+. Subject to availability and status. T&Cs apply. Offer available when ordered by 01/10/2017. Indemnities may be required. Offers are not available in conjunction with any other offer and may be varied or withdrawn at any time. Accurate at time of publication [July 2017]. Freepost Audi Financial Services.

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Space Award-winning garden design team Harris Bugg Q&A | Shopping for space

PHOTO: MARIANNE MAJERUS

Harris Bugg’s gold-winning garden at Chelsea, 2017 harrisbugg.com

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Harris Bugg Studio, a new partnership between landscape designers Hugo Bugg and Charlotte Harris, is leading the duo to create ever more challenging garden vistas. Words by Fiona McGowan.

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ordan, lying immediately to the west of Israel, is a fascinating nation. An ancient kingdom, it’s one of only two Arab states to have made peace with its neighbour – after 46 years of war. On its eastern border is Syria, across which many hundreds of refugees have flooded from the devastation in their country. King Abdullah II is Head of State and Commander in Chief, with the power to appoint – and sack – governments. Like Israel, the country has few natural resources, its power in the region being purely strategic in terms of its pivotal location. Although Islamic radicals threaten to destabilise the nation, it is a very safe country. It is rich in ancient history and the seat of much Arab learning in the Golden Age, attracting thousands of visitors to its monuments every year.

It might seem incongruous to be talking about this Middle Eastern nation with a reputation for aridity while sitting in a big warehouse office in East London, but I’m

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with Hugo Bugg, an Exeter-based landscape architect, and his new business partner, Charlotte Harris, talking about their ongoing four-year project to create the Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan. They wouldn’t have seemed the obvious choice for a huge social project like this, but the moment they both start talking about the garden, it’s clear why these two designers have wowed the organisation’s founder, Princess Basma bint Ali. It hasn’t been a straightforward process. “The Royal Garden of Jordan is 400 acres,” says Hugo. “It’s massive and everything is grown pretty much from seed. It’s all native – funding is limited, so we had to go through periods of stop and start with fundraising.” Unlike other Middle Eastern nations, Jordan is not oil-rich, and the gardens have not been gifted by the royal family.

The idea of a national botanic garden is to preserve and showcase the diverse flora of an entire country – a challenge in itself when only 1% of the natural woodland

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Conceptual images of the Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan

remains after deforestation during the Ottoman era, and uncontrolled grazing over the centuries. Both Hugo and Charlotte have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the region, chiming in with each other like a particularly cohesive married couple to explain the range and depth of this project.

The Princess, they say, is as passionate about the Islamic cultural heritage of her country as she is about the plants of the garden. Huge terraces will be built into a hillside on the edge of a wide swathe of a river in between the capital Amman and the city of Jerash to the north. It has to represent not only the five distinct habitats (the north of the country is a fertile Mediterranean environment, while the south is pretty much a desert, while in some wetter parts, the climate is almost tropical), but also the rich history of the country.

Charlotte explains: “It’s very crispy in summer, but in spring – February…” Hugo chips in, “…it’s lush and green,” and Charlotte continues, seamlessly, “…very lush, full of wild flowers, tulips, wild irises. Very beautiful.”

The Princess, they say, is all about intellectual rigour, and they both read up on the symbiosis of geometry, astronomy and design: “Hugo looked at the sacred Islamic sciences and the Islamic Golden Age,” explains Charlotte, “so there’s a layer of conceptual interpretation where the layout of the space is along certain sacred geometries, aligned to astrology. You may not see it on the ground, but you navigate through it.”

It has been an exceptional project and an amazing counterpoint to the other gardens the duo have been working on over the years. Both had been running their own businesses, but their collaboration started four years ago, when Hugo began to pull together a team for the Jordan Botanic Garden. Since then, Hugo says, they’ve worked on projects that range from a “tiny five by five-metre waterside garden in Newton Ferrers, South Devon, right up to…” Charlotte finishes, “…London gardens of all sizes and country gardens; and cliffside gardens in Cornwall. We’ve got a 220-acre estate that we’re master-planning in the Highlands. We’re hoping to get a couple of projects in Ibiza.”

It’s genuinely rare to see two individuals segueing so easily in conversation, and, they tell me, they also have complementary skills. Both grew up gardening: Charlotte, a self-confessed tomboy, spent her childhood climbing trees and planting with her green-fingered mother and grandmother; Hugo’s parents took on a three-acre garden in Devon that was just wilderness and brambles, and many of his early memories are of clearing the land with his dad, hoeing and making bonfires.

Their backgrounds, however, are also varied. Charlotte studied History at university “because I couldn’t think what else to do. And I loved it.” After graduating, she joined an ad agency. “It was exciting and it was a great life, and it was brilliant project-management training,” she says.

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Gardens are about being lost, and not having everything revealed at once. You do that in the design, in the construction, but the magical reveal is in the planting.

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Hugo Bugg and Charlotte Harris

Gold winning garden at Chelsea in 2014...

PHOTO: MARIANNE MAJERUS

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PHOTO: ALLAN POLLOK-MORRIS

you unafraid to pitch for work. On a marketing side, that’s helped a lot.” It was only when her parents both died when she was in her late 20s that she “had a wobble” and realised that it wasn’t the life she wanted. Quitting the ad agency, she enrolled in landscape design at Merrist Wood College, and then did a construction course “with a load of 16-yearold boys,” to learn how it’s done. “I think being a woman on site, I had that sense that I don’t want to be one of those people who walks in, flounces around and puts a plant in. I wanted to make really robust gardens.”

Soon, Charlotte had the good luck to train under renowned garden architect Tom Stuart-Smith – “his planting is sublime” – and it was partly this experience that drew Hugo to work with Charlotte.

Her particular skills are her in-depth plant knowledge, project management, pitching for new business, as well as a laser-like analytical mind: “she will always find things I’ve missed,” admits Hugo. “I’m a faultfinder,” she says in return, grinning. Hugo, in turn, has complementary skills. He followed a more traditional path into garden design, studying it at Falmouth University, and spending his holidays getting work experience with landscape gardeners. However, his vision is anything but traditional: he was the youngestever winner of a Gold Award at Chelsea Flower Show, thanks to his determination to break the mould. His family background is in the arts, and it shows in his imagination, particularly with the use of materials. He invented a new kind of concrete for his 2014 Chelsea Garden, in an effort to recreate a dried-out, cracked earth. He used wide pyramids covered with stretched goatskin, bedouin-style, in his Jordan-inspired garden from 2016, and makes use of unexpected material such as copper, sliced-up boulders and burned wood.

Chelsea, they both agree, is a shopfront. Having both won Golds, they’re no strangers to the full-on nature of the show. “Chelsea’s a really exposing place – it’s the greatest flower show on earth,” says Charlotte. “You have 170,000 visitors and it’s on TV.” With this kind of pressure, it would be easy to go for something safe, but they both saw it as an opportunity to showcase fresh thinking, fresh design. Their Chelsea gardens all have water as a central theme – but not just in a decorative sense. Like many young creatives, protecting

...and winning gold again in 2017

space the environment is a central tenet of their work.

Conceptually, the cracked-earth concrete was supposed to remind us that two-thirds of the world doesn’t have enough water, and this year’s Chelsea entry was focused on the storage and reuse of water, especially preserving it after storms. They’re especially keen to use plants that are of the local vernacular – those that require the least human intervention, especially in drier regions such as the Mediterranean and the Middle East. While most plants will need irrigation for the first couple of years, their aim is always to create self-sustaining gardens.

Charlotte and Hugo are self-confessed workaholics, thanks to their passion and engagement with the entire process of garden design. No matter where they’re working or for whom, they are engaged intensely on the project from the first drawings through the construction and the planting to the final snagging and maintenance over the first few years. Hugo explains: “A good designer understands how you will build this thing, and a bad one just gives you some plans, thinking it will look nice – but often it doesn’t even work.” As for Charlotte, her construction course was key to her ability to get her hands dirty on a job. She says that building the ‘skeleton’ is as vital as the plants and decorative elements of the garden. Joining forces to form their merger company, Harris Bugg Studio, has given them the chance to have

a bit of a break – knowing that the other can take over with equal dedication means they can actually switch off when they go on holiday, and travel to overseas projects and pitches without worrying about a crisis back home.

With six full-time employees – mostly based in Exeter, although Charlotte maintains her Bethnal Green studio – the company is still small and agile. They are currently at various stages on a total of ten projects, from a roof garden in London to various acreages in the West Country and around the UK. Not to mention the gargantuan task of the Royal Botanic Garden of Jordan.

One minute, they might be planning a medicinal garden with a basis in ancient Arab scientific discovery, the next, they might be scrambling about on a cliff in Cornwall.

With two such dedicated, talented and passionate individuals, Harris Bugg Studio looks set to grow with the speed of a bamboo forest. But they don’t want to grow so big that they lose touch with the physical and emotional side of garden creation, as Charlotte explains: “Gardens are there to transport you somewhere. They’re about being lost, and not having everything revealed at once. You do that in the design, in the construction, but the magical reveal is in the planting.” harrisbugg.com

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Q&A Josh Harvey is a director of Barton Solutions, which designs, supplies and installs home-automation systems. No longer restricted to the super rich, there is an ever greater demand for some degree of automation in the home. Josh explains what a fully automated home offers, and what the future holds. Photos by Deborah Schenck.

How would you describe what you do?

More often than not, when I tell people what we do I’m greeted with blank expressions or people politely nodding and saying: “Hmm, that sounds interesting.”

What we do goes by many names: smart home technology specialists, custom installers or just simply “the AV guys”.

Essentially we design, install and maintain the technology within people’s homes. This can cover anything from the simple installation of audio-visual equipment such as smart TVs and multi-room audio solutions, through to bespoke home cinema design and installation, video door entry and surveillance systems. We also install whole home-lighting systems and window treatments such as blind motorisation, all of which can be controlled from one convenient control point, such as an in-wall touch panel, handheld smart device or remote control.

Media Room with concealed 7.2.4 Dolby Atmos surround sound

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Is automation a recent development, or have you been doing this for some time?

My brother Joe Harvey started the company in 2008 after working for a similar company whose owner decided to close down and relocate. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time. Even though the country had just entered recession, there were still customers who wanted technology installed into the fabric of their homes. I came on board as the other director after obtaining a first-class honours degree in business. Fast forward to 2017 and we are a team of nine and growing. The continued growth is due to contracts coming in from London and across the UK, as well as the South West, and much of that is down to the team. Everyone here is passionate about technology but more importantly, we all see the value in giving first class customer service. You are only as good as your last job and this is something we fully believe in.

space To give us an idea of the nature of the kind of work you take on, what are you currently working on?

Lutron Lighting and Blind keypad and touch panel for convenient whole house control

Operating from the South Hams, we serve residential and commercial customers across the whole of the UK and occasionally abroad. In fact, we’ve just got back from a site visit in San Francisco.

Since Joe launched the business, our market has gone through rapid and significant change. The advent of touch screen, smart-enabled devices and the everincreasing presence and acceptance of technology within our lives has widened our customer base.

Smart home technology is now not just for the elite but is being readily adopted by the wider population and we’re seeing that in our day-to-day work.

As an example, we’ve recently completed a one-day job for a customer in Devon who wanted a strong and robust wifi signal throughout the whole property as his current router “just wasn’t cutting it”.

Alongside this, we’re currently working with other specifiers and trades on a large, new-build project in Salcombe that, once completed, will have taken two and a half years from concept and design through to the customers moving in. I am also currently working up the designs for a property developer based in Notting Hill who’s turning a townhouse in to three luxury apartments.

We’ve also just completed a project that was right on Tower Bridge in London. The customer, who had purchased the newly developed penthouse with a home-automation system already installed, was unhappy with it. We were bought in to refine and upgrade the system functionality that catered for the client’s requirements and busy life. We were able to design a new system, remove the existing hardware and fit the new equipment in a very short space of time without causing any damage to the finished property. In this job, there are very rarely any two days the same.

As the speed of technology ever quickens, what are the latest developments in the marketplace?

Family room with recessed wall mounted TV and soundbar neatly mounted above the fireplace

One of the most recent and exciting innovations is voice control. With the likes of Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Siri, customers are now able to interact with their homes. We’ve all been there walking through the door into a dark house, arms full. Now you can tell your house to offer a helping hand. A simple voice command – such as “Alexa, turn on Welcome” – lights up the hallway and kitchen, fires up your favourite TuneIn radio station, while the door locks itself behind you. Everything we do is about adding convenience and functionality to our customers’ lives, and voice control is really pushing these boundaries. This ability to control the home with your voice has meant that recently we have designed a system for a visually impaired client.

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Can you show us exactly how you deliver to a typical brief so that we can see what the rational, aesthetic and ergonomic benefits are of what you do?

A lot of our work comes from architects, property developers, M&E (Mechanical & Electrical) consultants and designers. On a large whole-house project, we therefore tend to be involved from the outset.

All projects start with a consultation meeting with the clients or end users. In this meeting, we discuss how the clients envisage using the property. We try to understand who will be using the house and what their wants and needs may be. This is sometimes difficult, as a lot of our customers are unsure of the possibilities out there and it’s our job to show and explain how we can incorporate the technology they want in a discreet yet functional way. A project completed earlier this year in Cornwall offers a nice example of how we work: The task

The clients wanted a whole-home audio-visual solution for their holiday home perched right on the edge of a Cornish beach. The clients, a large family who use the holiday home sporadically, wanted to incorporate the latest technology in every room of the property, providing them with a ‘connected home’ that was comfortable and easy to use, yet sophisticated and stylish.

The challenge

As this property was right on the beach and incorporated a lot of glass, we had to design a system that managed climate as well as ambient and artificial light. The property is only used a handful of times a year, and it was therefore important that every time the clients came to use it, everything worked as expected. With this in mind, it was essential that the property was secure and monitored.

The solution We specified a full lighting-control system that worked harmoniously with window treatments (provided by JAM Interiors), and climate control giving automated comfort during the clients’ stay. We were able to regulate the temperature and set blinds and curtain positions based on levels of sunlight and the time of day.

As this property was used as a holiday home, it was important for us to include remote management of the technology so that we could quickly and easily ensure all systems were in good working order prior to the client’s arrival. The system is capable of 24-hour monitoring and reporting and includes an element of ‘self-healing’, meaning constant interactions are taking place to ensure hardware is responsive and performing as it should. The automation system also enhanced the security of the property by simulating occupancy and alerting the clients when something unexpected happened.

One important consideration was to ensure the temperature of the client’s wine cellar and extensive collection was monitored and the clients alerted when a change of state had occurred.

It was an extremely satisfying project. Its successful completion led to us designing and installing systems in two further London residences that this client owned.

The world of automation seems to have infinite potential.

How will things have developed in 20 years’ time?

In 20 years, I can imagine nano-chip technology and home-automation systems working alongside one another, whereby the end user will have a radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag inserted under their skin, enabling their home to know what room they’re in and allowing them to interact directly with a multitude of systems via speech, movement, mood and behaviour. bartonsolutions.co.uk

Lutron controlled lighting and motorised shades, recalling scenes at the touch of a button

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Outside inside Create an invigorating and fresh ambience within your home by bringing the outside in. Nature-inspired interiors are back in. From house plants and leafy prints to artwork incorporating pressed foliage, this botanical trend balances tranquillity with positive energy. Compiled by Amy Tidy.

Lampshade, Debenhams, £140

House of Fraser

Print, Marks and Spencer, £25 Lamp, Next, £50

Areca palm, Sweetpea & Willow, £200

Biba cushion, House of Fraser, £35 Gray & Willow lamp House of Fraser, £75

Newgate clock, Amara, £25

Cushion, Oliver Bonas,£28

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Vintage cocktail chair, The Old Cinema, £850

space Kew botanical prints, Sweetpea & Willow, £95

Ivorie Bloomingville hanging flower pot, Out There Interiors, £50

Mirror, Marks and Spencer, £169 Bloomingville cushion, Amara, £33 Vase, Marks and Spencer, £25

House of Fraser

Broste Copenhagen vase, Amara, £22

Velvet cushion, Charlotte Jade, £75 Velvet cushion, Charlotte Jade, £75

Midhurst Small Sofa, Sofas & Stuff £974

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For one wanting to discover Spain without the plane

Enjoy an autumn cruise & stay break in Santander from just £163pp This autumn experience a different, authentic Spain, away from the crowds and with a better way of getting there.

Cruising overnight from Portsmouth or Plymouth to Santander or Bilbao, you’ll enjoy fine dining, elegant bars, entertainment and a great choice of comfortable cabins. You’ll arrive relaxed, refreshed and ready to enjoy Cantabria's elegant waterfront capital.

Autumn cruise & stay breaks in Santander start from just £163 per person.

Find out more at brittanyferries.com/manor or call 0330 159 6805 128 Santander MANOR sailings | Early Autumn Based on Plymouth as a foot 2017 passenger, two nights on board with en suite 2 berth inside cabin and 2 nights B&B in a choice of 3 and 4 star hotels.

See website for Portsmouth departures and longer stays.

Escape Finland in summer | The Pig at Combe

A traditional laavu – lean-to shelter – in Hossa, Finland. See page 128

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There’s so much more to Finland than snow and ice hotels, as a summer trip to Europe’s most accessible wilderness will demonstrate. Belinda Dillon takes a walk on the wild side.

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n a small, camouflaged hide on the edge of a pine forest 3km from the Russian border, we wait, nibbling our sandwiches quietly. It’s early evening, around five-thirty, but to be honest it could be midday, so disorienting is the time-slip of the seemingly endless days of the Finnish summer. We’re here with Jani from Martinselkonen Eråkeskus wildlife centre, who’ve been running bear safaris since 1995, and he assures us we’ll see at least one tonight.

So far, the only thing we’ve seen are crows, conversing across the pine-tops. But then there’s a rustling in the tree line, and suddenly, mere feet away, there she is – a European brown bear. She stays for about 15 minutes, casually munching on the salmon bones that Jani buries in the brush in front of the hide, then ambles away. After another hour or so, more appear, emerging from the trees two and three at a time, including a huge male, clearly the alpha judging by how quickly the other fellows make their excuses and leave. He struts and preens in front of the females, anointing every tree in the vicinity. Jani tells us that a mature male like this can weigh around 300 kilos, eating everything from reindeer, moose and small mammals down to leaves and berries, which are vital for the hibernation process. Luckily, they’re not keen on 130

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humans, but knowing there are at least seven of them wandering around in the trees adds a certain frisson to the kilometre walk back to the car …

It’s the perfect way to start my Finnish adventure – a week of outdoor activities that begins in and around Hossa (above), a National Park newly inaugurated in celebration of 100 years of independence from Russia. Located in the Suomussalmi region in the northeastern part of the country, Hossa’s 110 sq km of pristine forest, lakes and waterways have been a popular hiking destination for centuries. Now, following a €2.5m investment, there’s a new visitor centre, updated accommodation, and many of the existing trails have been formally waymarked, with some routes newly accessible to wheelchair users and pushchairs. But don’t be fooled into thinking that this wilderness has been tamed; you’re still more likely to run into a reindeer than you are other people.

As Hossa is also a mecca for mountain bikers, we head out on ‘fat’ bikes along tortuously twisty trails, the super-wide wheels making short work of the narrow routes between the pines, knotty with roots and rocks.

This is a 10km easy route, marked yellow, but it’s still a challenge, and I never quite get up enough of a head of steam to confidently throw myself up the inclines and

escape

PHOTO: BELINDA DILLON

Hotel Hossan Lomakeskus cabins

into the turns. But no matter, for even a tumble off the bike onto the mossy ground is just an excuse to sit and admire the view out over one of the park’s many lakes – still partially frozen due to the late arrival of summer this year – surrounded by the first shoots of lingonberries, blueberries and cloudberries, the only sounds the plaintive calls of black-throated divers across the water.

The myriad lakes and waterways are one of Hossa’s special draws, with routes suitable for all abilities – rent a canoe or kayak, or book an excursion with guide Janne from Hikes ‘n’ Trails, who knows these waters intimately. With the main canyon lake, Julma Ölkky, still frozen, we enjoy instead the tranquil beauty of Lake Hossa from our two-person Indian canoes. In the days before Nokia, Finland’s wealth rested on this network of rivers and lakes, which formed the main trade routes for tar and timber between Russia and Finland, but as we serenely glide through crystal clear water underneath a belting blue sky, it’s hard to imagine this being a thriving centre of commerce.

Commerce of a more modern flavour is coming back to Hossa, however, with the arrival of a new generation of young entrepreneurs making the most of people’s desire to get back to nature. Lazydog SUP, for instance,

Stand-up paddleboarding with Lazydog SUP

offers stand-up paddleboarding sessions on the blissfully calm Lake Hossanjärvi – ideal for beginners and the more adventurous alike. For nature guide Saija, who runs forest yoga sessions under the name Jooga Taival, it represents a home-coming (she was born not far from Hossa) and the fulfilment of a dream to live a simpler, more connected life. She leads us through the forest, pointing out the tangles of naava (horsehair lichen), an indication that the air here is really pure (the cleanest air in the world has been measured in Lapland, not so far north of here). When we reach a clearing beside Lake Somerjärvi, we each pick a tree to stand beside and Saija takes us through some gentle yoga; breathing deeply, I pull in pine-scented lungfuls – brought out by the sun, the tree’s oils are proven to calm you down. I certainly feel relaxed, although a little unsteady trying to pull off a pose while wearing hiking boots… Saija then walks us out onto a pontoon so we can admire the Vårikallio Cliffs – 3,500-year-old rock paintings made with blood and red ochre that rise out of the water. Thought to relate to hunting or shamanism, they’re a reminder of this landscape’s rich human heritage.

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Don’t be fooled into thinking that this wilderness has been tamed; you’re still more likely to run into a reindeer than you are other people. sense of self. Fallen trees are salvaged to build their beloved mokki (summer cabins), which every family owns or at least has access to, and which presents the perfect opportunity to get back to basics, drawing water, building fires, everything taking just as long as it takes.

The concept of ‘everyman’s right’ means that its legal to forage for berries and mushrooms, and to wild camp.

Hossa has a number of wilderness huts and cooking shelters that are free to use, but you don’t have to go native if you don’t want to. We stayed in a chic cabin run

by Hotel Hossan Lomakeskus, with full-height windows presenting an uninterrupted view over a lake, and a communal sauna and hot tub. I’d recommend packing an eye mask if you visit in summer, as the ‘midnight sun’ can make for a restless night when there are no blackout curtains (I asked one of our guides about it the next morning and she looked at me as if I were mad. “Why would we want to shut out the sun when we don’t see it for so much of the year?”).

After an activity-packed week, and our lungs filled to bursting with fresh air, we leave Hossa behind and head north, to the ski resort of Ruko-Kusaamo, just 30km south of the Arctic Circle. The season is over, but the town is still covered in snow, although the slopes are bare of skiers and the lifts are stowed away; it’s eerie and beautiful, like a town suddenly abandoned with no warning. This area has splendid skiing, easy slopes ideal for learners, but it also has a long tradition of summer visitors. Since the 1840s, artists, writers and musicians have been coming here with their families to immerse themselves in nature, to enjoy the abundant wildlife, and to recharge, restore and return home to Helsinki, inspired once more, and ready to be creative.

We’re ready for some recharging, too, and it’s close by, at Pyhäpiilo Sauna and Spa, on the shore of Lake Pyhäjärvi, that I finally get to experience a traditional smoke sauna. The sauna is sacrosanct to Finns (it’s the only word the language has exported), and nine out of ten people indulge at least once a week. “All the best decisions are made in the sauna,” says our hostess (and 132

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sauna ‘elf ’) Eveliina. We wear swimsuits (although Finns traditionally go naked), and hats to protect our hair, and sit inside the glorious heat, inhaling the wonderful aroma, while Eveliina gives us a mixture of sea salt, juniper and honey to rub onto our skin. We then take turns to lightly thrash ourselves with juniper (it would usually be birch, but the late summer means there aren’t any suitable leafy swatches). And then it’s down to the still-frozen lake to take a dip. I gingerly climb down the wooden steps, the breeze at my back decidedly icy.

I take the prescribed deep breath and plunge straight in.

I’m submerged for maybe ten seconds – it is numbingly cold – and climb out, suddenly awash with a gloriously invigorating rush of endorphins. It’s all Eveliina can do to encourage me out of the heat-freeze cycle and get ready for supper. We all shower, then climb into cosy robes and woollen socks to sit down to a delicious wild food banquet, featuring pike ceviche, moose tartare with lingonberries, hot smoked salmon, red deer and medallions of elk meat. We eat, looking out over the frozen lake, and I suddenly realise that just moments ago I was happily wallowing in it in just a bikini. It seems utterly insane. And very, very Finnish.

The following morning, our last day, things get even more Finnish, when we’re collected from our hotel

by Aapo to go ‘floating in the rapids’. We drive a few kilometres, and by the side of the road get dressed in bright orange waterproof suits, gloves, boots and wetsuit hoods. After galumphing through a wood – resembling extras from a nuclear disaster movie – we arrive at the banks of the Kitka River. We wade in, struggling to stay upright in the pressure of the current at our backs. Aapo guides us through the process, advising us to just lie back and let the river do the work, but before I’ve even attempted to get into position, I’m knocked off balance by a large slab of fast-moving ice. Aapo grabs my foot and hauls me back in. “Relax,” he says, “just go with the flow.” And when I finally do, and lie back, able even to ignore the slow trickle of icy water down my neck, and allow the Kitka to carry me on, it is perhaps the most

escape relaxed I’ve been all week. Aapo offers this activity in winter at night, where you can float downriver while the aurora borealis dances across the sky. Now that must really be something. And it’s only taken me a week to think that floating down an ice-packed river is anything other than normal. How very Finnish.

The trip was provided by Visit Finland (visitfinland.com).

•

• • • • • • • • Lake Pyhäjärvi awaits after a smoke sauna at Pyhäpiilo Sauna and Spa

Finnair (finnair.com) flies daily to Helsinki from Heathrow, and onto Kajaani (the closest airport to Hossa), and Kuusamo, from £225 return.

Martinselkonen Eräkeskus (martinselkonen.fi) offers bear safaris from €80/person.

Hotel Hossan Lomakeskus (hossanlomakeskus.com) has cabins from €85/day.

Jooga Taival (joogataival.fi) offers wilderness walks from €65.

Lazydog SUP (lazydogsup.fi) has paddleboarding from €50.

Janne Autere (hikesntrails.com) offers canoeing and kayaking from €95.

Hossa Visitor Centre (hossa.fi) has fat bike hire from €35 a day.

Rukapalvelu offers floating in the rapids from €79/person. (rukapalvelu.fi) For information about the wilderness sauna and wild food experience, visit saunatour.fi/en/saunas/pyhapiilo-sauna-spa/

An historic hotel, with outstanding food and beautiful gardens, located in the heart of Cornwall.

T H E A LV E R T O N . C O . U K S TAY@ T H E A LV E R T O N . C O . U K 01872 276 633

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Imogen Clements checks into The Pig at Combe, to see how things are going one year after opening in Devon.

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t’s been just over a year since The Pig group of boutique hotels opened its fifth in Gittisham, near Honiton, Devon. Some distance from the capital, considerably further than the other Pig hotels, it was a punt opening a hotel whose main business has been Londoners looking to escape the city for a stylish weekend retreat. Yet it seems it has paid off: The Pig at Combe, with its 27 rooms and, more recently, additional cottage accommodation, welcomed almost 12,000 guests in its first year and has enjoyed almost full occupancy all year round – even in February, it was at 97%.

The appeal of The Pig has much to do with owner Robin Hutson’s studied choice of location. “I probably get a dozen potential sites for new Pigs dropped on my desk daily, of which one a year will be worth serious consideration.” What he’s looking for is an interesting building with a substantial kitchen garden in a unique setting, which, by their very nature, invariably come with immense planning headaches and require millions to refurbish.

The Pig at Combe – an Elizabethan Manor set in 3,500 acres of rolling Devon countryside – was a functioning hotel when Hutson bought it, but required £9m to renovate and refurbish in order to cater to the level of occupancy The Pig can expect. Plus, of course, 134

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The Georgian Kitchen

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The Folly

The Attic Hideaway

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it required a complete interior overhaul. It’s all very well finding an interesting house to make your next hotel, the main job is exploiting every aspect of it to deliver the ultimate in guest experience, and this is something that the Hutsons – Robin and wife Judy – excel at. Indeed, Judy’s relaxed glamour aesthetic is coveted by many as the style they’re looking to replicate in their own homes, according to a recent interview with interior designer Sarah Lavoine in The Times.

No corner of the hotel has been overlooked. The previously unused attic space has been converted into rafter rooms, including the rather special ‘hideaway’ room, The Attic. Rooms in the stable yard have original stall partitions, and in one, cobblestones under foot; the room that is the Old Laundry has a huge Victorian drying rack still suspended from the ceiling, and the Great Hall is now the main bar, through which guests arriving at the hotel are greeted by the warmth of lively chatter from those supping aperitifs seated on the various sofas in front of the immense fireplace. The house’s old Georgian kitchen is now a private dining room, and the Orangery, built by 17th-century owner Sir Thomas Putt (known for the ‘Putt’ apple tree), has had double-height windows and doors fitted; with its own bar and woodfired oven, it’s the perfect garden venue for seasonal dining. Again, it’s been fitted out with simple garden furniture and opportune planting, and enormous wicker and cob pendants hang over the tables. Outside, large fire bowls illuminate the garden and a majestic Cedar tree that has held court over the sweeping lawn for hundreds of years, probably back to the time of Putt.

In short, The Pig at Combe is one big photo opportunity, whichever way you turn, from the wisteria on the walls to the Arab ponies galloping across the facing meadow to the interiors of every room, all offering something different to discover.

The food is wholesome gastro fare using ingredients grown in the hotel’s own extensive three kitchen gardens – vegetable, herb and infusion – or sourced from within a 25-mile radius. Dining is neither stuffy nor uninspiring.

On the contrary, the ‘Piggy, Fishy or Garden Bits’ range of tapas are fun, comprising, as examples, crackling and apple sauce, mini fishcakes or tempura Combe mushrooms. The main courses are fresh and enticing, falling under sections on the menu headed ‘Mostly picked this morning’ (e.g. garden spinach and nettle soup or Barnstable cauliflower risotto) and ‘Otter Valley or Lyme Bay’ (e.g. Westcountry 28-day aged 8oz sirloin steak with thrice-cooked chips, bone-marrow butter or Béarnaise sauce, or dressed South West crab with wild garlic mayo, thrice-cooked chips and garden salad).

Breakfast is a veritable spread, and as much a feast for the eyes, offering an immense array of cereals, granola, berries and compotes, and cooked breakfasts ranging from kippers, smoked salmon, to every variety of egg to the classic full English.

Curlditch Cottages at The Pig

It’s no wonder that The Pig at Combe, a mere year after opening, went straight in at number 40 of the Top 100 hotels in the UK. With business booming, great reviews and accolades pouring in, what more can there be to do?

Fiona Moores, The Pig at Combe’s manager, is happy but keen to draw more local residents to the hotel, to stay or to dine. The Folly and the Georgian kitchen – the latter with its adjacent converted pantry and scullery, from which to enjoy pre-dinner aperitifs – make ideal private dining or party venues.

“They’re atmospheric, beautiful spaces that add a certain specialness to the evening, which many hotels/ restaurants can’t offer,” says Fiona.

Also, there are new additions to the hotel’s accommodation roster: Curlditch Cottages, located down a private track off the main hotel’s drive, are three thatched cottages perfect for families or groups of friends looking for cosy seclusion. Each comes with a kitchenette, sitting room, two bedrooms and a monsoon shower. There is a pretty walled garden behind two of the cottages, where kids can run around, and although each cottage comes with kitchen basics – artisan bread, eggs, cereals and a Smeg fridge packed with drinks – guests can enjoy the hotel’s restaurant and full facilities before walking the ten-minute stretch back to their cottage or being chauffeured there in the hotel’s resident Land Rover.

This additional element conjures up thoughts of special occasions worth gathering the family together for. With all three cottages, there’s room for 12, and the party can celebrate the occasion with a meal in The Folly or Georgian Kitchen before retiring to their own little hamlet. As with the main hotel, the cottages are decorated with character touches at every turn.

If you’re looking to impress family, friends, employees or clients, you’d be hard pressed to find another hotel that offers the wow factor combined with relaxed style of The Pig at Combe. Indeed, I’m told it’s already one of the favourites of the litter among Pig aficionados. Just be prepared to have the people you bring distracted, snapping and posting on Instagram throughout their stay.

With a hotel this photogenic, it’s impossible not to.

• • • •

The Georgian Kitchen is available for private dining for up to 14 guests.

The Folly is available for private dining for up to 22 guests. The menu at The Folly is family-style sharing dishes and arrival is 8pm.

Rooms at The Pig at Combe start at £145 a night midweek and £165 weekends in the main hotel.

The cottages start at £375 a night during the winter months (1 November - 31 March); £405 in the summer.

thepighotel.com/at-combe

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For teachers and parents of children studying in the South West Schools news in brief

Trinity School’s ‘Science Buskers’ TRINITY SCHOOL’S ‘SCIENCE BUSKERS’ – students from Year 4 to Year 13 – have had a busy year since their launch performing science experiments in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Psychology. Their aim is to encourage engagement with the sciences. From demonstrations to primary schools and the local community during Science and Engineering Week 2017, to performing at the Devon County Show, the Buskers are proficient at making science accessible. Their hard work was recognised by the British Science Association, which entered them into a national competition where they won a dry-ice kit. This has since been used to enrich the Busking experience both at school events and beyond.

Exeter School alumnus inspires schoolchildren with Summer Film School at Exeter Phoenix

PHOTO: RHODRI COOPER

AN EXETER SCHOOL alumnus is celebrating corunning his third annual Summer Film School, attended by 25 young people.

Philip Symes is part of Four of Swords Theatre, and together with business partner Sarah White, runs the Summer Film School at Poltimore House, just outside Exeter. Summer Film School provides children aged 10-14 with the opportunity to work with highly skilled filmmakers and create a professional short film in just one week.

Phil said: “This is an amazing ongoing venture and collaboration with Exeter Phoenix, which provides young people with the opportunity to work on all aspects of making a short film from scratch.”

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school

King’s pupils sleep out for homeless charity

A* grade success for Shebbear College

JUST BEFORE the end of term, 16 Sixth-Form girls from Meynell House at King’s College Taunton, along with Deputy Housemistress Liz Gregory, slept outside to raise money for Taunton Association for the Homeless – a local charity supporting vulnerable people and helping them overcome their issues and build a better future for themselves.

The girls slept on the boarding house patio with only flattened cardboard boxes and a sleeping bag. To date they have raised £827.

SHEBBEAR COLLEGE students have achieved a record number of A* grades, and the majority of the class of 2017 have succeeded in gaining places at their first choice of university.

Destinations include Imperial College, Birmingham, Leeds and Exeter.

Headteacher Simon Weale said: “This has been a very stressful experience for the students, who have been guinea pigs testing the new exam system. The results they have achieved are testament to their ability and resilience, and I know that each one of our students will go and make a success of the opportunities they have been given.”

Ellie Bird

Will Cox, Anna Bennett and Helen Dalton

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Boosting confidence

Support and encouragement is key to keeping teenagers engaged with education. In the fourth part of this exclusive series for MANOR, Professor Ruth Merttens offers advice on helping teens with learning during this potentially difficult time.

M

any parents share moans about their difficult teenagers. Standing at the school gates, I catch a conversation between two mums about their lovely 11-year-olds’ older siblings, and speaking as a granny, my heart goes out to all concerned. Yes, young teenagers are impossible – bizarrely, for much of the same reasons as toddlers! The latter are transitioning from babies to children, and the former from children to young adults, and no-one knows how to act in the next stage. But much creative writing, both poetry and novels, attests to how very difficult it is to be a teenager. Not only is one’s body undergoing the most strange, uncomfortable and unaskedfor changes, but everything else seems to be peculiarly annoying, and, quintessentially, no-one understands.

When it comes to school and learning, parents are in a double bind. Their child, who, up until now, has been basically happy to accept that their mum or dad has the right to oversee their learning, and is also pleased with the attention drawn by their efforts and projects at school, suddenly morphs into a different being entirely. They become both secretive and demanding, infuriated if questions are asked, and wanting help with a particular piece of work at unreasonable hours or in impossible ways. For parents and carers, it can feel as if we’re treading a thin and slippery path composed entirely of eggshells. There are several pieces of advice that I personally have found both sound and helpful, particularly in relation to the three different areas of education: English, Science and Humanities, and Maths.

1. ENGLISH: DO AS I DO… It’s a truism to suggest that the older children get, the more they’re inclined to ignore what we say and do as we do. In relation to learning, this gives us a powerful if silent advantage. If parents and carers read, if they talk about, wait for, are seen to be excited by and discuss books, then their children are extremely likely to continue to read through the teenage years, when the danger is that they cease reading and never pick up the habit again. Keeping your teenager reading books, not just snippets from the internet or posts in chat-rooms or on social media, is 140

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more important than any other single aspect of education.

Reading books – novels, poetry, non-fiction – develops intellectual capacity and habits of scholarship in a way that virtually no other daily or weekly practice can do.

It’s at this age that children’s brains undergo important changes, and the stimulation of a narrative, description or explanation which is a lot longer and more sustained than a video on YouTube or an extract from Wikipedia is critical. Thus, it’s totally worth putting energy and effort into fostering this. Some ideas include: • Talk about books – read books together, taking turns and passing the book from one person to another.

There are so many excellent books written for the 1316 age range that adults can get as much enjoyment and stimulation from these as teenagers can. Try Siobhan Dowd (The London Eye Mystery), Patrick Ness (A Monster Calls and the Chaos Walking trilogy), Benjamin Zephaniah (Face) and Mal Peet (Tamar) just to name four, for some amazingly gripping and well-written novels. Passing good books back and forth, around family and friends, talking about these and being seen to enjoy them gives your teenage child a grounding – all the more powerful for being unspoken – that will support their intellectual and cognitive development as well as their emotional wellbeing for years to come.

• Try poetry – many teenagers start with song lyrics and move on to poetry at this age. Poetry is highly emotive as well as being expressive, and can really resonate with the enhanced emotional states common during our teenage years. Encourage this by having poetry books and poetry around. Many current lyrics hark back to, or are even versions of, what might be termed ‘classic poems’, and there are many great websites where one can browse poetry. Although poems are not necessarily long, they are thoughtprovoking and use language in innovative ways.

“Poetry,” as Thomas Hardy once commented, “does more with less.”

• Even the most reluctant reader will sometimes be tempted by ‘the book of the film’. If Star Wars is an obsession, there are plenty of books on the subject, both

school novels and factual. If Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes is the passion of the year, then how about trying a dose of the original Conan Doyle stories?

Keeping your child stimulated by literature, and willing and able to read a text longer than can be found via Google and read in five minutes (or seconds), is central to educational success. It may also augment that psychic store of myth, legend and fantasy that enables children to cope with the painful transition from child to adult. Understanding our own feelings, as well as empathising with those of others, can be fostered through narrative as through almost nothing else.

2. SCIENCE AND HUMANITIES: WHO SAYS? “Teenagers believe everything except what their parents tell them,” a downcast dad said to me recently. I was tempted to reply that it was ever thus, when I reflected that, in this respect if in no other, the internet has made matters ten times worse. Kids now Google every question, and implicitly believe the answers they get.

Even with undergraduate students, who are definitely older and should be wiser, I find myself constantly asking about the provenance and veracity of information. I want to know the source. Who wrote or said it? What were their credentials for that knowledge or those facts? Is it

possible to trust their opinion? Do we have confidence in the informant? It astonishes me that I have to nudge, or even harass, the students into an attitude of healthy scepticism in relation to what they read on the internet.

Something they might express considerable doubt about if someone told it to them in a pub becomes an absolute fact if they read it via Google.

The internet also has a marked tendency to distance us from the source of the knowledge. Students tell me what Piaget said, not because they’ve read the Paiget, but because they’ve read what Wikipedia says that Piaget said.

And it will not do. I expect undergraduates to go to the source, precisely so that they can form their own opinions about what this educationalist or that one meant when they said this or that. There is always the interpretation.

So, as children turn into young adults, and form their own patterns of study and research, I want them to understand several important things about using the internet as a source of enquiry. (i) If you read what Jo Brown says that Mary Smith said, then you’re getting Jo Brown’s opinion and not what Mary Smith actually said or wrote. If you really want to know what Shakespeare said, you have to read Shakespeare. (ii) If I have an axe to grind, a particular position to establish or a story to tell, I’m likely to interpret

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school everything through this perspective. People do not need to lie. They give partial information, only mentioning some of the facts (those most likely to support their case). They interpret things through the lens of their beliefs, as we all do, but you, the reader, may not know (because the writer may not say) the standpoint, which slants everything. (iii) Remember that the internet is like the café or pub.

There are people you may encounter there who you would not want to have a drink with! You definitely wouldn’t trust them to sell you a secondhand bike, and you might well not believe everything they tell you. Online, just because you can’t see that the person you’re chatting to is not dodgy doesn’t mean that they’re fine. In the same way, just because someone has provided online information, it doesn’t mean it’s true.

Be a cautious sceptic – about information and facts as much as about unknown people.

3. MATHS: PREVENTION NOT CURE In relation to maths, it’s generally around the age of 13 and 14 that things can start to go pear-shaped.

Maths is one of those areas of learning where kids can very easily decide that they ‘ just can’t do it’.

Perhaps they find a particular topic – algebra or ratios or frequency charts – really hard, and then their confidence is knocked. Maybe a couple of friends with whom they’ve been working for many years start to get consistently better marks than they do, and then they become discouraged and cease to try. Whatever the reason, it can happen that children of this age can mentally ‘drop out of ’ maths, and do the minimum required to survive.

The problem with this is that maths is a core subject; it matters for just about every area of education and general life. Success in the maths exams at 16 is a precursor for continuing in education of any type post-16. To make matters worse, maths education is also polarised: relatively early on – usually at the end of Y8 and always by the end of Y9 – decisions are made that set each child on a track, either toward the higher examination in maths or the lower. Taking the higher papers, even if the grade achieved is not much above a pass, allows the child to pursue higher education and opens a wide variety of possibilities post-16. Taking the lower papers tends to preclude these things. It follows that it’s really important to make every effort to keep your child on track to do the higher papers if at all possible.

In terms of success (or failure) in maths, much importance can be put down to confidence. As soon as a child loses the belief that they can persevere and come to understand something, as soon as they start with the assumption that they won’t be able to do it, the whole thing becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and they tend to start failing. So preventing this happening is key. As soon as you feel – from what 142

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they say and from their general attitude of ‘I hate maths’ – that your child is losing confidence in the subject, it’s time to intervene. A really positive idea is to find someone – family or friend – to give a little targeted help. This doesn’t have to be a paid tutor, and it doesn’t need to be more than a few sessions. Ask a brother, a cousin, an aunt or a friend who doesn’t mind maths to go through some things with your child, perhaps staying to have a meal afterwards or maybe being thanked with a bottle. They need to chat to the teenager to find out which bits of maths they find hard, then target the support, just working on one or two things that the student has decided they don’t understand at all. The critical thing here is to give lots of praise, because the boost to confidence that can result is as important as the actual maths. The aim is that, over two or three sessions, the child feels that they actually can do it and understand it, and also that they have someone to turn to if another similar problem should arise. You will have then reversed the downward spiral into “I can do maths!”

It’s also important to keep in close contact with the school. There is a national shortage of maths teachers, which affects all schools, state-funded and private. This means that, all too often, students in KS3 are being taught maths by teachers who have not been specifically trained to teach maths. It follows that those techniques of explanation and demonstration, which make the subject easier to learn, may not be being used to the maximum extent, and more students struggle. Alert the school if a problem either of attitude or understanding is developing before it gets severe. And make sure that, at the end of each year, you know exactly into which groups your child is being placed so that their options are not being inadvertently curtailed.

HOW PARENTS CAN HELP: SOME ‘DOS AND DON’TS’ …

• DO try to keep lines of communication about their learning open. This is best achieved by means of positive actions rather than daily questioning. Taking a young adult to the cinema or driving them to a concert or sporting event can produce an informative conversation in a relaxed context.

• DON’T subject your reluctant teenager to a barrage of questions. My husband used to accuse me of questioning techniques reminiscent of the Spanish Inquisition when I tried to get information about a homework project or topic from my resolutely silent son. And in this my husband was perfectly correct: the questions did not elicit the required information.

• DO keep reading, keep discussing and sharing books, keep borrowing or buying new ones and keep up to date with the range of literature for this age group.

Consult a variety of people: the school, friends with similar interests, the library, the local bookshop

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•

•

as well as the internet, and find out what might stimulate your child. Then read it!

DON’T forget that the global and virtual world is useful, exciting and, nowadays, necessary. But it can also be dangerous. As far as possible, keep electronic devices (laptops, tablets, iPads) public and shared. If your child wants a tablet, make it at least a nominally shared one (which mostly only they use). If they are online chatting, you need to be aware who they’re communicating with, and for what purpose. This is much easier to achieve if they are in a family space.

DO maintain yourself a healthy and critical scepticism about information gained from the internet. Just because I read it online does not mean it’s true! Constantly probe sources – who said that?

Where did the information come from? Why might we be inclined to trust it – or not? Giving advice to teenagers is of little use here. They simply don’t hear it. You have to model this scepticism in everything you do in your own research online. If you are a

•

•

healthy sceptic, your children will be too.

DON’T stop doing things together. It is more important, not less, to sustain the joint activities that all of you can enjoy as children grow through the teenage years. Whatever it is that you all enjoy, keep doing it, or find new activities to share. Whether it’s going to Laser Quest, having a swim, attending the local team’s football matches or watching films with a bag of popcorn at home, it’s a shared time and so valuable for being just that.

DO praise more than you criticise. A grumpy, surly teenager is really a small, scared child who isn’t sure what’s happening to them and doesn’t much like it. Too often they feel far less in control than they appear. Praise and appreciation are key here. The more the teenager feels that you don’t value them, the more they’ll tell themselves that they don’t care.

The more they feel pressured, the more they’ll resist.

So wait and watch for something to praise – and then make sure you say it!

GAMES AND FUN ACTIVITIES

Word game

Whizz at arithmetic!

To play An example • Each person divides their page into two columns.

• They write a 5-letter word at the top of one column without showing the other person.

• They write five short lines (to represent 5 letters) at the top of the second column.

To play An example • Ask your audience to say a random 5-digit number, e.g.

25843 • Write your own number under this.

Appear to do this at random but actually choose the number so that each vertical pair of numbers adds to 9.

E.g. you write this: 7 4 156 • Repeat this three times so you have a tower of eight numbers. Tell the audience you will add them instantly.

• You know that each pair adds to 9 9 9 9 9 which is 1 less than 100 000.

• You also know that four lots of 100 000 is 400 000, so your answer must be four less than this: 3 9 9 9 9 6. So you write this.

• Wow! You added it up in a trice.

• Repeat the trick letting your audience start with a different 5-digit number.

stamp _ ____ piece 1 gr oan 2 stars 2 g reek 1

Play proceeds thus: • Take turns to say a 5-letter word to your partner, specifying the spelling. So you say a word to your partner.

You write the word below the dashes on your page, e.g. groan.

• Your partner has to write this word below their word and say how many letters the two words have in common. NB the letters do not have to be in the same place in the two words!

• You record this, e.g. 2 letters in common.

• Then they say a word to you and you write this below your word. You say how many letters are in common between this word and yours.

• Keep playing like this until one of you guesses the word of the other.

25843 74156 71831 28168 62364 37635 45602 54397

399996

HELPING YOUR CHILD WITH LEARNING If you have missed an issue and would like to access a part of the series, please write to school@manormagazine.co.uk.

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Exeter School Taster Days 7+/8+ 7+/8+ 9+ 11+ 13+ Sixth Form Students go at their own pace, are respected and treated as equals, enjoy their learning and want to come to school!

Open Day for Prospective Parents Saturday 30th September R.S.V.P. enquiry@sands-school.co.uk or call 01364 653233

Thursday 9 November Thursday 16 November Monday 20 November Saturday 11 November Wednesday 15 November Monday 13 November

A chance for pupils to see what Exeter School life is like Book online An independent day school for boys and girls aged 7 - 18 www.exeterschool.org.uk 01392 273679 @ExeterSchoolUK

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Prime Waterfront & Country House

S O U T H H A M S’ L EAD I N G ESTATE AG EN T

Guide price

Waterside home with annexe – Noss Mayo A38 9 miles, Dartmoor National Park 11 miles, Plymouth 11 miles

hotel 6 Bedrooms bathtub 3 Bathrooms furniture 4 Reception Rooms

£1,350,000

A substantial waterside house with frontage onto the Yealm Estuary, with 2 bedroom annexe, outhaul mooring, woodland garden, parking and enjoying wide and intriguing riverside views. Waterside walks from the doorstep, along the estuary and around a National Trust headland. EPC Rating E.

Web Ref: NEW130038

Prime Waterfront & Country House department: 01548 855590

DARTMOUTH 01803 839190

KINGSBRIDGE 01548 857588

MILLBROOK 01752 829000

MODBURY 01548 831163

NEWTON FERRERS 01752 873311

marchandpetit.co.uk 146

MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

Newton Ferrers office: 01752 873311

SALCOMBE 01548 844473

TOTNES 01803 847979

PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590

Property The Bulletin | Property of note: Clay Point, Flushing, Cornwall Snapshot comparative

Clay Point, Flushing, Cornwall Guide price: ÂŁ3,000,000. See page 150 savills.com

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Prime Waterfront & Country House

S O U T H H A M S’ L EAD I N G ESTATE AG EN T

Guide price

Contemporary home with income – East Allington, Totnes Kingsbridge 4 miles, Totnes 10 miles, A38 Devon Expressway 10 miles

hotel 4 Bedrooms bathtub 3 Bathrooms furniture 1 Reception Room

£1,175,000

Stunning countryside views from this beautifully presented light filled home with a lovely contemporary feel, set in a tranquil location with a 2 bedroom apartment and 1 bedroom stone built barn conversion. EPC Rating house and apartment D, annexe exempt.

Web Ref: KIN130152

Prime Waterfront & Country House department: 01548 855590

DARTMOUTH 01803 839190

KINGSBRIDGE 01548 857588

MILLBROOK 01752 829000

MODBURY 01548 831163

NEWTON FERRERS 01752 873311

marchandpetit.co.uk 148

MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

Kingsbridge office: 01548 857588

SALCOMBE 01548 844473

TOTNES 01803 847979

PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590

property

The Bulletin What does the future of buying look like? We ask South West experts for their opinions.

I

n the scheme of things, the house-buying process hasn’t changed dramatically in recent years.

Obviously the internet makes it possible to take an initial look at many more properties than you could possibly have done a couple of decades ago, when the only means of gauging what was available was stockpiling as many brochures as agents possessed and viewing any stand-out homes in person.

But the buying process remains largely the same: view in person and negotiate with the selling agent the best possible price.

What, though, will things look like in 20 years’ time? As the speed of automation accelerates ever faster into areas we never thought possible – e.g. driverless lorries and cars – we are envisaging a world that relies far less on people to do things for us and far more on machines. Travel agents, to all extents and purposes, are obsolete for many of us who go online to choose and book our holidays. Will this ever be true of estate agents? Virtual-reality headsets are already allowing us to ‘walk through’ a property on the other side of the country as if we were there, and drones are becoming commonplace such that we can view the surrounding area, and zoom in on any less-appealing aspects. So, will there come a time when we won’t even need to physically view a property before buying it? MANOR asks some of the South West’s experts to share their opinions on how they see the property world changing, along with their role within it.

Richard Addington of Jackson Stops, Exeter, thinks technology and automation will be more relevant to certain sectors than it is to others. “I believe we will see a clear two-tier market emerging, as is the case in other sectors (such as motor, travel, banking and leisure).

That is, a distinction between the commodity and non-commodity ends of the market. The commodity end of the market (e.g. standard two- to four-bedroom houses) will become increasingly automated, with technology reducing transactional costs. That will manifest itself with even more self-service options, which are already becoming prevalent – arranging for market appraisals, online viewings, booking in-person viewings, submission of offers and chain checking.

There may well also be more sophisticated algorithms developed purporting to provide valuations. While initially appealing to both buyers and sellers, I believe that a large percentage of the public will learn to treat this kind of search for efficiency with caution, just as we are now beginning to experience the frustrations associated with banking and call centres.

“At the non-commodity end of the market, there will remain a place for personal service and the sense of security offered by an expert sharing the responsibility for what is likely to be the largest financial commitment a house buyer or seller will make. That is not to say that technology won’t provide significant assistance to such experts, who are unlikely to be office based but will effectively have a mobile office with them in the form of a smartphone and a portable computer.”

James Baker, of Stags, Totnes, is yet to see automation playing a big role in the process: “We have conducted quite a few VR tours of houses and have had mixed reactions. We’ve sold one house by VR tour, where a competitive-bidding situation resulted in the eventual winners viewing the house for a second time online as they were 100+ miles away at the time and speed was of the essence. For me, the most immediate future development for the property market will be legislative – it’s time the government introduced a system that stopped buyers pulling out at the last minute. Something similar to the Scottish system where, when an offer is accepted, it is legally binding and it goes through to exchange and completion.”

James is sanguine about the long-term value of agents within the mix: “You can’t beat the human touch, which is why all our agents responsible for selling houses go and meet the client and talk about the best things about living at the house, and so forth.”

Patrick May of Qwest Property Consultants concurs with James’s experience. “There is no doubt that the sophistication of virtual tours will improve and be great for first impressions, but buyers will still need to view themselves or use a finding agent, because smells, noise and surrounds beyond the capability of the equipment will be relevant. People will still be suspect of relying totally on a machine where their biggest investment is concerned, but will depend on their own personal experience of a property, or a professional they trust. I see the finding agent role will, if anything, be more commonplace than it is currently in 10-15 years’ time.”

So, the search process will doubtless get much more sophisticated as a result of technology – extensive personal data, for instance, informing you what properties out there are right up your street – but when it comes down to buying, the immense investment, both emotional and financial, that property represents makes the human element still valid.

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Occupying an enviable location in the village of Flushing, across the water from Falmouth, Clay Point offers beauty, tranquillity and easy access to its neighbour’s vibrant arts scene.

Words by Imogen Clements.

E

ven if you’re woefully unfamiliar with the Cornish coast, you couldn’t fail to have heard of Falmouth. It’s the place to be, officially: this year, The Times named it as the best place to live in the UK as voted by readers. A bustling town with a prized university and population of 22,000, it has gained a reputation as a place with an arty, hip community (think East London’s Shoreditch with a harbour) frequenting a vibrant mix of galleries and museums, including the National Maritime Museum, with shops that include Finisterre, Mirri Damer and Folklore, and eateries that include Rick Stein, The Stable and Hunkydory. Still very much a primary location not given over to tourists, its economy is thriving, powered by a lot of talented designers that immerge from the university and never leave. It also has access to some of the choicest locations along the Cornish coast.

Take the pretty village of Flushing. Situated across the water from Falmouth, it owes its name to the 17th-century Dutch builders who came to construct piers and sea walls and settled there. The village’s elegant houses were home

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to the captains of packet ships, which in the 18th and 19th centuries were used to carry post office mail packets to and from British embassies, colonies and outposts.

Many of these grand houses have been refurbished to make prize family homes offering all the beauty of the sea with the additional arty buzz and accessibility of Falmouth across the water.

Clay Point is one such property. Built in 1901, it’s a six-bedroom house boasting what must be one of the best positions on Falmouth Harbour. South-facing and private, Clay Point rises up from its stone quay (it has its own beach) and is set behind large terraced gardens. This is the kind of uniquely special house that rarely comes to market, and has had only two owners since 1973.

Felicity Harris bought the property 15 years ago with her husband. They knew the area well from her childhood but latterly through a holiday home the family owned in St Mawes for many years. Felicity had been looking for a property she could make their primary home and had briefed the region’s agents to let her know as soon as anything combining beauty and tranquillity

property of note came up. As soon as she heard that Clay Point had come onto the market, she leapt on a train to view it.

It was love at first sight. Her husband came the following day, and the transaction was completed soon after. There was much work to be done, Felicity reveals: “The dining room had collapsed, all the fireplaces had been bricked up and the studio that now leads off the kitchen at the east of the house was a disconnected outbuilding partitioned throughout, and full of junk.

“The previous owners had bought the properties in the 1970s and done to the house those things typical of that period, like cementing up all the fireplaces. We set about restoring the place, building upwards above the ground floor bay-windowed dining room (now the sitting room) to create the master bedroom with another bay window. We connected previously unused parts of the house, such as the studio.”

The studio, which leads off the kitchen, is a long room, is a long room – 30ft in total – with a skylight flooding it with natural light. They set about reconnecting the room to the main house, removing the partitions and making good the space, so that Felicity, an artist, could paint in it.

“I used it as an artist’s studio, but it could easily be used as a dance or exercise studio, it’s that big.”

Across the courtyard, there is a two-storey sail loft set down from the road, where the first floor has been strengthened to take the weight of a car, so that you can drive straight into it from the road. There are additional garages also.

The house is grand on arrival, with a beautiful wide staircase leading up from a spacious square reception that’s fitted out with a welcoming woodburner. Indeed, all the house’s fireplaces – of which there are many – have been opened up.

“The house was a lot smaller when we bought it, but I wouldn’t say it’s immense,” says Felicity. “It doesn’t have many rooms, it’s just that every one of them is so beautifully proportioned.”

And each of them makes the most of the house’s unique position. The master bedroom, with its bay window, looks out across the harbour of bobbing yachts, and has access to its own balcony.

“I’ll miss the atmospherics of the house – there are so many corners and aspects of it to enjoy,” says Felicity.

“If the wind is too strong on the sea-facing side, there’s a courtyard on the other side that is wonderfully sunny, hot and still. It’s magical.”

Big family meals can be taken on the terrace that looks out over the harbour. Go down a tier and you can recline on a garden bench on the gravel path and watch family and friends play croquet on the upper lawn. A network of paths leads down to the lower garden and quay, where there is a slipway and steps onto the beach.

“Right down by the sea there is another layer of garden,” Felicity reveals, “with a lookout that has

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property of note electricity and water, so you can have a fridge there and a kettle. It’s the perfect place for evening barbecues and parties. We would camp down there, after eating – it’s wonderfully secluded and a very special spot both for an evening gathering or just to wander down and have a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, looking out to sea.”

The Harrises set out to create a haven – relaxing, therapeutic, yet sociable – and achieved it. It’s clear that Felicity will be sad to leave: “It’s been a very happy house. I’ll be horribly sad to go, but it’s too much for me now. The children are grown up and busy getting on with their own lives, and a house like this really needs a family to love every aspect of it.”

Clay Point is a dream home, in a dream location that’s steeped in maritime history. With a highly reputed primary school in the village of Flushing, fantastic secondary schools in Truro, and a highly respected university in Falmouth, this is the kind of house that works for every member of the family from a practical perspective, but which also offers much more. Clay Point changes hands rarely, not surprisingly. If it were mine, I too would hold on to it for as long as I possibly could.

Clay Point is on the market with Savills, Truro for £3,000,000. Tel:01872 243260. savills.com

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Eastern edge of Dartmoor, Chagford A smallholding with direct access to the open moor and stunning views Stone farmhouse for further improvement • Nearly 3,000sq ft on two floors including 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms Attached annexe • About 1,200 sq ft detached barn incorporating a studio and potential for stabling • Gardens and other domestic outbuildings • Pasture and young broadleaved woodland • About 11 acres in all Guide price £850,000

Exeter 01392 214 222

exeter@jacksonstops.co.uk Offices in London & across the country MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

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VERSATILE AND ELEGANT RESIDENCE SURROUNDED BY WONDERFUL GARDENS

PERRANWELL STATION, TRURO, CORNWALL

Village centre - 700 yards; Perranwell railway station - 1; Mylor Yacht Harbour - 5; Falmouth - 6; Truro - 6; Cornwall Airport (Newquay) - 25 (distances are approximate and in miles).

Set in the charming village of Perranwell Station, Trewinnard House is Edwardian and originally constructed around 1905. Restored and refurbished by the current owners yet retaining many of the original features, the property offers great flexibility, with four reception rooms, a wonderful leisure complex with a heated indoor swimming pool, and mature gardens surrounding the house on all sides. Approximately 6714 sq ft plus triple garage.

Guide ÂŁ1,400,000 Freehold 154

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Savills Cornwall David Jenkin david.jenkin@savills.com

01872 243200

STUNNING GRADE II LISTED GEORGIAN HOUSE IN MILVERTON

MILVERTON, SOMERSET

Five reception rooms ◆ Five double bedrooms ◆ Idyllic village setting ◆ 40’ triple garage and store ◆ Garden studio Lawned gardens ◆ Walled kitchen garden

Savills Exeter Sarah-Jane Bingham-Chick sjchick@savills.com

01392 455 743

Guide Price £995,000

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Exeter 24 Southernhay West, Exeter EX1 1PR 01392 241686 | exeter@struttandparker.com

Devon | Ide

Guide Price ÂŁ1,200,000

A spacious 6 bedroom family house with a swimming pool, tennis court, stables, paddock and outbuildings in this popular village 6 Bedrooms | 4 Reception rooms | 4 Bathrooms | Utility room | Cloakroom | Garden | Swimming pool | Pool house | Tennis court | Stables | Paddock | EPC: E In all about 3.75 acres | Approximately 2885 Sq Ft Exeter Isabel Clifton | 01392 241686

/struttandparker @struttandparker 156 MANOR | Early Autumn 2017

Exeter Richard Speedy | 01392 241686

struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including Prime Central London

Exeter 24 Southernhay West, Exeter EX1 1PR 01392 241686 | exeter@struttandparker.com

Dartmoor | North Bovey

Guide Price ÂŁ900,000

An attractive 5 bedroom family house with beautiful Dartmoor views and equestrian facilities 5 Bedrooms | 2 Reception rooms | 3 Bathrooms | Laundry Room | Cloakroom | Gardens | Sun terrace | Stables | Open fronted barn | Ample parking | EPC: D In all about 5 acres | Approximately 2558 Sq Ft Exeter Richard Speedy | 01392 241686

/struttandparker

@struttandparker

Exeter Oliver Custance Baker | 01392 241686

struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including Prime Central London

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Prime Waterfront & Country House

S O U T H H A M S’ L EAD I N G ESTATE AG EN T

Guide price

Exquisite property with annexe – East Allington, Totnes Kingsbridge 4 miles, Totnes 10 miles, A38 Devon Expressway 10 miles

hotel 4 Bedrooms bathtub 2 Bathrooms furniture 3 Reception Rooms Web Ref: PWC150010

A stunning country house in a peaceful location, within beautifully landscaped gardens with large duck pond. Recently moderised throughout it displays a fresh twist on the traditional. Included is a separate 2 bedroom annexe, studio, workshop and detached stone barn in walled garden with potential. EPC Rating house F and annexe E.

Prime Waterfront & Country House department: 01548 855590

DARTMOUTH 01803 839190

KINGSBRIDGE 01548 857588

MILLBROOK 01752 829000

MODBURY 01548 831163

NEWTON FERRERS 01752 873311

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£1,100,000

Kingsbridge office: 01548 857588

SALCOMBE 01548 844473

TOTNES 01803 847979

PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590

Prime Waterfront & Country House

S O U T H H A MS’ L EAD I NG ESTATE AG E NT

Guide price

Period property in peaceful haven – Ashwell, Totnes

A fabulous Grade II listed Tudor farmhouse in a beautiful tranquil valley offering peace and tranquillity, yet only a short distance from the town of Totnes. 2 bedroom annexe and outbuildings, set in approximately 2 acres to include ponds, outbuildings, paddock and tennis court. More land and woodland available by separate negotiation. No EPC required.

Totnes 6 miles, Exeter 32 miles, Plymouth 25 miles

hotel 7 Bedrooms bathtub 4 Bathrooms furniture 4 Reception Rooms Web Ref: PWC160035

Prime Waterfront & Country House department: 01548 855590

DARTMOUTH 01803 839190

KINGSBRIDGE 01548 857588

MILLBROOK 01752 829000

£1,000,000

MODBURY 01548 831163

NEWTON FERRERS 01752 873311

Totnes office: 01803 847979

SALCOMBE 01548 844473

TOTNES 01803 847979

PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590

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The Bloor difference The Bloor difference

CAREFULLY CONSIDERED LOCATIONS CAREFULLY CONSIDERED LOCATIONS

BECAUSE THERE ARE THOSE BECAUSE THERE ARE THOSE WITH A GREATER OUTLOOK ON LIFE WITH A GREATER OUTLOOK ON Superior LIFE coastal living in the South West Superior coastal living in the South West

We take a lot of care over where we build our homes.

We take a lot of care over where we build our homes.Not because we have to, but because we want to.

We ask Not because we have to, but because we want to. ourselves, if it were our home, where would we want it to be?

We ask ourselves, if it were our home, where would we wantCarefully it to be? chosen locations in historic seaside locations.

Carefully chosen locations in historic seaside locations.

Our Palm Cross development is offering discerning buyers a rare opportunity to buy a beautiful new home in the picturesque MODBURY Our Palm Cross development is offering discerning buyers Devon town of Modbury, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. a rare opportunity to buy a beautiful new home in the picturesque Palm Cross, Pearse Gardens, Palm Cross provides the perfect combination of a peaceful escape, Devon town of Modbury, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Devon PL21 0RB with easy travel back to civilisation.

Palm Cross provides the perfect combination of a peaceful escape, 2, 3 & 4 bedroom homes with easy travel back to civilisation.

That’s the Bloor difference. from £239,950 That’s the Bloor difference.

Speak to our Sales Advisors:

S E E I T . F E E L I T . E X P E R I E01548 N C E I T897540 .

SEE I T. F EEL I T. E X PER I E NC E I T.

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Price and availability correct at time of going to press. Images shown for illustrative purposes only.

ice and availability correct at time of going to press. Images shown for illustrative purposes only.

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Snapshot comparative A selection of properties with interesting features from around the region and in London.

Hart House, Topsham Guide price: £895,000

Devon

A semi-detached Grade II listed property spread over four floors, Hart House offers estuary views, exposed beams and period features. This four-bedroom house benefits from many spacious rooms with dual or triple aspect, a balcony, a trompe l’oeil picture window on the front façade and a wattle-and-daub wall with exposed timbers. The second and third floors have separate access and utility services. struttandparker.com

Scawswater Mill, Truro Guide price: £1,150,000

Cornwall

This seven-bedroom property is located close to the River Allen and Idless Woods. Made up of three buildings, a vaulted room links the Mill House with the Mill building itself, and a mezzanine over the sitting room connects the bedrooms. The Mill building is spacious, with big windows, a large staircase and the whole top floor set out as one expansive room. rohrsandrowe.co.uk

Blackler Barton House, Ashburton Guide price: £875,000

Devon

A five-bedroom Grade II listed farmhouse situated in the South Hams countryside, the property retains many original features, including a 400-year-old door, a crinoline wardrobe in the main bedroom and exposed beams. Several rooms feature large, exposed fireplaces and the kitchen benefits from underfloor heating. Outside, there is ample room for parking and manicured lawns featuring a stone labyrinth. marchandpetit.co.uk

Warehouse W, London Guide price: £440,000

London

A one-bedroom warehouse conversion situated within the vicinity of Canary Wharf, this property features an openplan kitchen and reception room with large doors leading onto a Juliette balcony, while a mezzanine provides extra storage space. Exposed brick, wooden beams and metal columns provide a backdrop throughout. The bedroom has an en suite bathroom and there is an additional guest shower room. Parking is available. savills.com

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back page prize draw

a designer chair and ottoman by HAY worth a combined ÂŁ1,065!

About a Chair and About an Ottoman by HAY

The Touch Design Showroom will offer an insight into the high-level bespoke creations the company offers in premium kitchens, furniture, dressing rooms, media rooms and staircases. There will also be selected pieces of designer furniture available to buy such as this About a Chair and About an Ottoman by Danish company HAY.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF TOUCH DESIGN GROUP

This prize draw comes in association with Touch Design Group, the bespoke luxury furniture designers and manufacturers, who open their brandnew showroom in Exeter on 17 October 2017.

Kitchen by Touch Design Group

To celebrate the opening of this new showroom, Touch Design Group are offering one lucky MANOR reader an About a Chair and Ottoman, worth together ÂŁ1,065.

PHOTO: COURTESY OF TOUCH DESIGN GROUP

HOW TO ENTER Simply go to manormagazine.co.uk/backpagecompetition and click on the link.

This Back Page MANOR Prize Draw closes at midnight on 31 October 2017 and the winner will be informed on the following day via email.

Full terms and conditions of the Prize Draw can be found at manormagazine.co.uk/backpagecompetition

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Staircase by Touch Design Group

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87 Queen Street, Exeter, EX4 3RP, Tel 01392 279994, Email websales@mortimersjewellers.co.uk

MANOR | Early Autumn 2017