MANOR Issue 20 High Summer 2017

The Region’s Premium Publication High Summer 2017 Issue 20 | £4.50

Angela Hartnett As I see it

The region’s winning architecture RIBA best of the South West 2017

Dune dining

Cornwall’s Hidden Hut

Win a cruise and stay break Sail to Santander

CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY

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ARTS & CRAFTS HOUSE WITH FINE COASTAL VIEWS

SEATON HOLE

Fine home in a prominent elevated position enjoying far-reaching sea views. 2 reception rooms, kitchen/breakfast room and basement with wine store and large studio/gym. Master bedroom suite and 5 further bedrooms. Integral garage, detached garage, stores and summer house. Landscaped gardens of about 1.4 acres. EPC – F

Savills Exeter Chris Clifford cclifford@savills.com

01392 455 733

Guide Price £1,300,000 4

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SOUTH CORNISH COASTAL HAVEN WITH PANORAMIC WATER VIEWS

FLUSHING, SOUTH CORNWALL

Savills Cornwall

Flushing - 1.5; Mylor Yacht Harbour - 2; Falmouth - 3; Truro - 10; Cornwall Airport Newquay - 29 (distances are approximate and in miles).

Above its privately owned beach, Pencreek House has light, spacious and modern interiors, with three large reception rooms, up to five bedrooms and the potential for a self-contained annexe, creating a perfect coastal retreat. Six acres of south facing gardens descend to the private slipway and on to the foreshore where there is an outhaul mooring.

Guide £2,000,000 Freehold

Jonathan Cunliffe jcunliffe@savills.com

01872 243200

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

Devon | Budleigh Salterton

Guide Price ÂŁ1,350,000

A spacious 5 bedroom house of beautiful contemporary design in an elevated location in this popular coastal town.

4 Bedrooms | 5 Reception rooms | 4 Bathrooms | Study | Utility room | Cloakroom | Lift | South facing sun terrace | Double garage | Ample parking | EPC: C Approximately 5349 Sq Ft Exeter Isabel Clifton | 01392 241686

/struttandparker @struttandparker 6 MANOR | High Summer 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

Somerset | Bradford on Tone

Guide Price ÂŁ1,650,000

A beautiful Grade II Listed country house with 8 bedrooms, gardens and paddocks bordered by the River Tone.

8 Bedrooms | 4 Reception rooms | 3 Bathrooms | Study | Games room | Butler's pantry | Utility room | Formal gardens | Garage/car port for 4 vehicles | 2 Paddocks | Fishing rights In all approximately 6.9 acres | Approximately 5798 Sq Ft Exeter Oliver Custance Baker | 01392 241686

/struttandparker

@struttandparker

Exeter Richard Speedy | 01392 241686

struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including Prime Central London

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Whatever your passion Effective planning for your future: • • • • •

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Comprehensive financial planning, giving you the freedom to enjoy what you love the most.

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Contents

High Summer 2017

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

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AS I SEE IT...

Chef and entrepreneur Angela Hartnett MBE

Style & Beauty 16 TRENDS

All-time classics and a sneak peak

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COMPLEXION PERFECTION Enhancing and maintaining a healthy glow

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MY FEEL-GOOD REGIME Writer and artist J.R. Carpenter

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THE STYLE SHOOT Photographed by Seb Chandler

Features 28 PRESTO AL FRESCO The Hidden Hut, Cornwall

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ACCESS ALL AREAS We talk to Mylor Sailability founder Tracey Boyne

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CRAWL OF THE WILD Exploring open-water swimming with the Bantham Swoosh

Photostory 40 FACE VALUE

Photographs by Rick Davy

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Culture 54 SKIN DEEP Cornwall’s National Maritime Museum’s tattoo exhibition

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WRITING PLACES Novelist Wyl Menmuir

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STORIES TO LIVE BY The International Agatha Christie Festival

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RISING STARS Plymouth College of Art Degree Show

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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 88 SEAWEED AND EAT IT A taste of the seashore with Ebb Tides’ Tony Coulson

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WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

Space 108 BUILDING SUCCESS RIBA South West award winners

Fighting food waste in Exeter

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BON APPETIT

118

Innovative French restaurant La Petite Bouchée

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BITES

Elaine Skinner of Camellia Interiors

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Food news from across the peninsula

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THE TABLE PROWLER ...dines out at Brown’s, London and the Port Gaverne Hotel, Port Isaac

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Q&A THE BEAUTIFUL BESPOKE Glass designer Jo Downs

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SHOPPING FOR SPACE Outdoor cooking

High Summer 2017

110 MANOR school 134 SCHOOL NEWS IN BRIEF Maynard robotics team wins trophy in Denmark; Truro High pupil to play chess at national competition; Cornwall’s best young baker crowned; West Buckland U13s take Devon cricket title; Stover School pupil cooks her way to success

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CHOICES, CHOICES, CHOICES Dr Ruth Merttens with advice on helping children aged eight to 11 make good decisions

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Property 143 THE BULLETIN Looking to buy or move within the South West?

Where do you go?

126 Escape 126 MOUNTAIN MAGIC A summer trip to the French Alps

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FREEWHEELING Cycling from Bristol to Bath

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PROPERTY OF NOTE

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SNAPSHOT COMPARATIVE

Tresithney, Rock, Cornwall

A selection of properties under £700,000 in the South West and London

Back Page 162 PRIZE DRAW Win a four-night cruise and stay break to Santander with Brittany Ferries

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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 ASSISTANT

Phoebe Tancock phoebe@manormagazine.co.uk

CONTRIBUTORS

Professor Ruth Merttens, Sandra Kirley, James Tyson COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

Claire Wares claire@manormagazine.co.uk

DESIGN

Eleanor Cashman, Guy Cracknell

Beautiful Sterling Silver Collections Est. 1984 in North Devon

www.kitheath.com 12

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THE COVER Flowing jacket with ruffled sleeves, £29.99, Zara Photographer: Seb Chandler; Stylist: Mimi Stott; Model: Sonya Derviz; 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.

Welcome to The Impeccable Taste Issue of MANOR. This high-summer issue has traditionally focused on food, but as with all our issues, we would never give over the entire magazine to one theme – you’re far too broad minded! And although the summer offers up a fantastic array of edible fare across the region, referring to ‘taste’ rather than simply that which is good to eat allows us to cover a whole range of subject areas for discerning readers. So, not just fantastic food, but also award-winning design.

This issue, we celebrate the South West’s leading architects by showcasing some of the RIBA South West 2017 award winners. From educational establishments to modern conversions, from tree houses to waterfront private homes, these are buildings whose architecture is of the very highest standard.

Where primed palates are concerned, we interview Angela Hartnett, one of the UK’s most highly regarded and bestloved chefs. Angela, whose father was Irish and grandparents Italian, reflects on the importance for families of long, uninterrupted meal times and recalls some of the more fraught episodes of her career.

We feature one of Cornwall’s best culinary hideaways: The Hidden Hut near Portscatho. Tucked into the dunes of a pristine corner of the Roseland Peninsular, this little café has become as well known for its delicious menu as it is for its perfect al-fresco location.

In this issue, we get active out and about, sailing, swimming, cycling and mountain climbing. First to Mylor Marina near Falmouth, where we discover how Tracey Boyne’s initiative, Mylor Sailability, helps more than 1,000 disabled people each year get out onto the water and experience the joy of coursing the waves.

Then to outdoor swimming, as we watch Anna Turns swim the 6km Bantham Swoosh down the River Avon for City to Sea, a charity that aims to reduce ocean plastic at source.

Jane Fitzgerald takes to her bike to cycle the 15-mile railway path between Bristol and Bath, resting tired limbs in Bath’s warm mineral waters on arrival. And we observe how, with crisis comes opportunity: Fiona McGowan spent the first two days of her long-awaited half-term family holiday to the Alps stuck at Heathrow airport due to a well-documented IT crash. But, as a result, she and her family discovered a jewel of a hotel in Canary Wharf’s Novotel, and on arrival at their destination all experienced the rapid beneficial effect Alpine air has on elevated stress levels.

In MANOR Property, we feature some of the best houses on the market, and ask the experts where is best to buy in the South West right now.

And finally, we have our Back Page Prize Draw, which in this case is for a cruise and four-star stay in Santander for two!

We hope you enjoy this issue and all the delectable delights that summer has in store, and look forward to seeing you in September.

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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TOWN MOUSE, COUNTRY MOUSE Sweetness...

Darling...

I’m reviewing how my diet has changed through the decades, partly a factor of fashion and partly a factor of ageing and constitution – health and figure.

Although people rarely mention ‘figure’ these days – I think it’s because once one gets to a certain age (ours), you notice you no longer have one, and as the world seems to be ruled by our generation, in that the youngsters aren’t getting a look in yet, being too busy trying to muster a job and a rung on the property ladder – it seems only right that we be ‘figure’-free! Instead, it’s all about health and what’s happening on the inside. Which is why I keep buying stacks of fresh green veg, which I can’t eat fast enough before it goes yellow (broccoli, kale) or mushy (salad leaves). I have eschewed meat as a staple, going instead for the odd prime cut, and I’m fermenting around the clock. Yes, darling, 2017 was my year for kefir. And kombucha. And kimchi. All the ‘k’s. What do you mean, “what”? It’s all about the gut these days, sweetness, and these fermented concoctions help balance all that gut flora, which is the root of a healthy, efficiently functioning body. Amazing, really, that it’s taken us so long to work that one out, and how quickly things change. When I stop to consider all that ‘modern’ food we grew up with – sliced white bread, margarine, sandwich spread… Olive oil was an exciting novelty in our household, as was an avocado.

That said, the trend now is for the 1970s, done well.

Ottolenghi Notting Hill is stocking vol-au-vents on the deli counter, darling, stuffed with veggie delicacies, and we’re all partaking in cheese and wine parties – except now it’s called tapas, comprising the very best cheese, and wine. Things are cyclical, sweetie.

They certainly are. It seems that our grandmothers’ larders were somewhat healthier than our mothers’, who were seduced by all things sliced, dried, tinned and convenient. Now it’s all about home-grown veg, grinding beans prior to each percolation rather than instant, and allowing everything to go off a little and ferment prior to eating. Just where do we find the time?!

Indeed, you could say we’re going right back to the Neanderthal, what with fasting regularly and fermentation. Some might say, sweetie, that our constitutions have not yet evolved beyond hunter/ gatherer, where the hunter came home just once a week, dragging the kill, and we had to survive on veg and nuts in the meantime. It is, of course, the root of all things Paleo and 5:2. So much healthier, they say, to live like cavemen and ancient civilizations. Except we’ll never know, will we? Because their life expectancy was probably around 29, before they got eaten by that thing they were hunting.

Anyhow, I’m glad that we’ve come full circle and are eating fresh foods, much of it seasonal vegetables, because down here in the country there is an abundance of it – so much good food, one is spoilt for choice. Plus we are, just like those cavemen, cooking it all over a flame. Yes, that’s another of the latest trends – cooking over fire. I swear that BBQs existed when I was a child… but, apparently, this is different – wood fired grills and fire pits.

You mean you don’t have one, sweetie? Shame on you. Go get some sticks, rub them together, fast while attempting to ignite and allow food to ferment and rot prior to consumption. That way, you’ll be in the zeitgeist and brimming with good health.

WHAT’S HOT IN THE SMOKE?

WHAT’S COOL IN THE COUNTRY?

Tickets to Conor McPherson’s new play, Girl from the North Country, with music and lyrics by Bob Dylan, are selling fast at the Old Vic from 8 July – 7 October.

Head to Mitch Tonks’ Rockfish Crab Party in Dartmouth for an afternoon eating South Devon crab, mayonnaise and salad. Chef Angela Hartnett will be hosting with Mitch for the day. Tickets cost £35 per person. 12noon-4pm, 30 July.

Breathing Colour by Hella Jongerius at the Design Museum is an exhibition that will fundamentally change how you look at colour – an almost scientific exploration of how light and form affects colour as we see it.

Until 24 September.

The River Cottage Festival at River Cottage, Axminster for masterclasses, foraging, dancing, music and, of course, food.

Tickets: £17.50 adults; children under 16 go free; weekend tickets £85. 26-27 August.

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All-time classics

Antonio Marras AW17

We are all about sustainability rather than passing fads, and there are some trends that fortunately transcend the seasons and the years, such as stripes, florals and pinky nude as a colour. Indeed, we’ve seen a glimpse of what’s to come next season and can testify that if you’ve invested in any of these, you’ll get some decent wear out of them. Plus the trend for sweaters under tea dresses and jeans under frocks allows easy transition when temperatures do drop. Compiled by Phoebe Tancock.

Earrings, Whistles,£30

Metallic clutch, Whistles, £69

Top, Marks and Spencer, £35

Trainer, Office at Topshop, £74.99

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Trainer, Zara, £29.99

Top, Jigsaw, £90

Asymmetrical skirt, Unique by Topshop, £110

Vintage skinny jeans, Next, £35

Super skinny jeans, Next, £46

trends Lela Rose AW 17

V neck top, Next, £20

Chiffon dress, Marks and Spencer, £59

Skirt, Marks and Spencer, £49.50

Dress, Topshop, £49

Top, Marks and Spencer, £19.50

Leather slip dress, Boutique by Topshop, £160

Belt, Hobbs, £69

Skinny jeans, Next, £46

Dress, Topshop, £49

Velvet sandals, Next, £30

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Sneak peak

Issey Miyake AW17

Just to prove our point about sustainable styles, a quick look at what’s coming up on the high street follows the same ruffle, asymmetric hem and wide-leg themes we’ve seen to date, but in autumnal shades.

Compiled by Phoebe Tancock.

Earrings, Accessorize, £10

Top, Marks and Spencer, £45 Top, Marks and Spencer, £39.50

Skirt, Marks and Spencer, £49.50

Handbag, Accessorize, £25 Wrap sandals, Next, £35

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Ribbon tie shoes, Marks and Spencer, £19.50

Trousers, Marks and Spencer, £45

trends Dress, Zara, £19.99

Emilia Wickstead AW17

Dress, Marks and Spencer

Dress, Hobbs, £139

Trousers, Marks and Spencer, £45

Slingbacks, Marks and Spencer, £35

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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beauty

Complexion perfection Summertime beauty is all about the skin. Make-up artist Elouise Abbott chooses her favourite products for celebrating, enhancing and maintaining a natural glow.

W

hen summer arrives, we can welcome beautiful, bronzed and radiant complexions.

At this time of year, we want our products to be light and refreshing, and our make-up to be clean and simple. Aside from all the usual skin health requirements, drink plenty of water, eat a nutritious diet, and always wear sunblock. If you want your skin to look its best with or without make-up, you need to start with a good skincare regime. I like to keep skincare extra simple during the summer months, focusing on keeping the skin clean, soothed and super hydrated. I personally favour leaving any intense treatments for the autumn/winter months, as acid peels and the like can leave the skin more susceptible to UV. I love Omorovicza Moor Cream Cleanser.

Essential oils of peppermint, eucalyptus and camphor leave your skin cool and refreshed, while a powerpack of minerals works to refine and clarify. I personally like to rinse off even a cream cleanser with a splash of water. Damp cotton wool, toner or rinse – it’s your choice.

I am a recent convert to the Konjac face-cleansing sponge from South Korea.

Made from a natural root, this sponge has an interesting texture that cleanses and aids exfoliation, and is amazingly gentle yet incredibly effective. I use after cleansing as a final wipe and have found it to remove the last traces of even my toughest waterproof mascara. Try the Facial Puff Sponge with Bamboo Charcoal.

A gel hydrator is a great lighter alternative to cream. Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Cooling Gel is wonderfully light, with fabulous powers of hydration. This product is perfect if you have combination or oily skin, or just want to avoid the greasy layers that can build up with products in the summer.

A weekly skincare mask is always welcome. Glam Glow ThirstyMud Hydrating Treatment is wonderfully replenishing, hydrating and soothing.

It’s safe to say that sunshine and heavy make-up are not friends.

The lightest way to even out your complexion with a little coverage is with a BB or CC cream. Vichy Normaderm BB Clear has excellent 20

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coverage while still being light. It soaks into the skin, leaving a matt finish which I really like as some BB creams can be quite greasy. Suitable for all skin types of all ages.

During the summer months, I get a lot of requests for a dewy complexion, especially from brides. However, a dewy-finish foundation can often be quite high maintenance because it doesn’t ‘set’, and is best suited for a dry young skin.

More mature skin and oily skin types are much more prone to the product creasing and sitting in fine lines. But now I’ve discovered Kevyn Aucoin Etherealist Skin Illuminating Foundation. This is a hydrating, medium-coverage foundation that illuminates skin without looking too shiny or greasy, and gives a long-lasting flawless finish.

Charlotte Tilbury Magic foundation is exactly what it says on the bottle. Great for all skin types and contains skin-plumping hyaluronic acid along with a host of other anti-ageing ingredients. This will build up to full coverage yet still feels beautifully light. Anti-ageing, brightening, correcting… it’s all there. I just love this little gem.

Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Concealer is fine and incredibly pigmented. A little goes a long way and this product doesn’t crease – ideal. Amazing for all ages and skin types.

MAC Paint Pots are amazing little tubs of cream colour that set into a longlasting waterproof eyeshadow. I often use the shade ‘Painterly’, which is a beautifully light neutral skin shade, either on its own or as a neutral prime shade for eyeshadow. This product is also a great non-creasing alternative to concealer on the eyelid.

Accentuate your features with a touch of highlighter. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Liquid Highlighter is everything you need for that radiant complexion with a dewy glow.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips & Cheeks in the shade ‘Milk Chocolate’ is a multi-tasking pot of cream gorgeousness. This shade has a little bit of a bronzer-blush effect as well as a touch of sheen, giving a youthful, healthy glow.

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

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Dawlish Warren, Devon

My feel-good regime Artist and writer J. R. Carpenter grew up in rural Nova Scotia and lived in Montreal for many years before settling in South Devon with her husband, Jerome Fletcher, who is also a writer.

She now lives in Plymouth.

I’m not very sporty but I can walk and walk for hours on end. One of my first purchases upon arrival in Devon

was a pair of violet high-gloss Hunter wellies, followed not long after by a Barbour waxed cotton jacket with flaps over the pockets to keep the rain out, and a truly excellent hood.

I’ve walked long stretches of the South West Coast Path

in stages from Penzance to Land’s End, from St Ives to Morvah, and around the Lizard. It’s pretty amazing to stand on the cliffs at Poldhu, where the first transatlantic wireless signals were sent from.

I carry a camera with me everywhere I go. I keep my

Pentax K1000 in good working order, but these days I usually use my Canon G11 or my iPhone. Most of the pictures I take wind up archived on my hard drive, never to be seen again, but a few make their way into my webbased writing and art projects.

that stretch of sea around Dawlish. I’ve taken hundreds of photos from the train window, and in every single one the sky is different.

Plymouth has great cloud action. Between the sea on

one side and the moor on the other, the weather is often different in every direction. Plymouth is also very windy, so when foul weather does move in at least it blows over quickly.

I spend a lot of time in libraries. During my PhD, I did

some work in the archives at the Telegraph Museum in Porthcurno, Cornwall. It used to be the hub of a global telegraph network but you could only get there by donkey.

These days, the bus from Penzance takes 50 minutes. Or you could walk. It took me seven hours, but you can do it in less if you don’t stop to take quite so many photos.

I am slightly addicted to Instagram. I try to limit myself

Weather has figured in my work since I moved to the UK.

to one post a day. I spend a ridiculous amount of time composing the captions. I’m at @jrcarpenter.

I’m sure that’s just a coincidence. The best thing about doing research at the Met Office Archives in Exeter is taking the train there and back. I just can’t get enough of

When I first emigrated from urban Montreal to rural Devon, Twitter was a lifesaver. It’s still my main way

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of finding out about what’s going on locally and nationally. I follow a mix of small press publishers, arts organisations, online journals, journalists, and other artists and writers. I’m at @jr_carpenter.

but nothing really makes any sense until you get in there and get your hands dirty. I planted six fruit trees last November and all appear to have survived the winter.

Getting lost is good. I’m still getting lost in Plymouth. As

I tend to work on a lot of things at once. At the moment,

I’m busy with a new web-based work called This is a Picture of Wind, which will use live weather data to explore the language of wind. I’m also writing an academic paper to present at a conference in South Korea. This will be my first trip to Asia. I can’t wait to explore the ancient sea port of Inchon and the ultra-modern metropolis of Seoul.

We bought a house in the Limousin region of France a few years ago. Now I’m trying to figure out how

gardening works. I’ve read heaps of books on the subject,

a North American, I’m forever trying to cross through roundabouts rather than edge round them. There are a lot of stone walls in Plymouth, which don’t show up on maps.

The Gathering Cloud by J. R. Carpenter (published by Uniformbooks) addresses the environmental impact of so-called ‘cloud’ computing through a poetic retelling of the history of how we came to name the clouds in the sky. luckysoap.com

LANGUISHING IN MY BAG Whether I’m nipping up to the shops, setting out for a long-distance coastal walk, or hailing a cab to catch a train to a plane, there are a few things that are always in my bag: a small unlined notebook, a Muji pen, my camera-map-Insta-Twitter-machine, also known as a phone, Carmex lip balm, MAC Lady Bug lipstick, a reusable water bottle, a granola bar or two, and a book – I’m currently reading Weatherland by Alexandra Harris.

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As I see it...

Angela Hartnett MBE is one of the UK’s most loved chefs and restaurateurs, known for her Italian-inspired cooking. A protégée of Gordon Ramsay, she worked in the kitchens of Aubergine, L’Oranger and Petrus, rising to head chef at Petrus within seven months. In 2007, she was awarded an MBE and the following year opened her own restaurant in Mayfair, Murano, where she holds a Michelin star. Angela is currently Chef Patron for Murano restaurant, Cafe Murano in St James and Covent Garden, Cucina Angelina in Courchevel (France) and joint owner of Merchant’s Tavern in Shoreditch. Angela has two cookbooks to her name – Cucina and Angela’s Kitchen – and makes regular television and radio appearances. She lives in Shoreditch, London, with Neil Borthwick, Head Chef of Merchant’s Tavern, and their two dogs.

I had a lovely childhood growing up with an older brother and

a younger sister. We had great parents but my father passed away when we were all young. We managed, and it made us an even closer family. Our younger sister was seven years younger than me, so just one when our father died. My brother and I became very responsible early on.

me Murano, which is when I became independent. Gordon had faith in me and trained me to make sure I understood the dynamics of running a restaurant.

When I’m not working, I like to relax just like everyone else:

dinner, movies, chilling at home, walking the dogs.

I loved school. My oldest friends are still the ones I had from school.

If I’d not been a chef, I’d have liked to have been a forensic scientist. Although I don’t think I’m smart enough, I do think

My mother had Italian parents and my father was Irish, so food and eating properly was very important. We ate as a family and

it’s incredible what those guys do.

never had TV dinners or watched TV while we ate. I think this is very important today, sharing food over long meals with family and friends without distractions.

The best thing about this job is the people you work for and the guests you serve. It’s lovely to see people enjoying themselves

I could write a book about some of the madness and crazy incidences I’ve experienced in my career. I managed to switch

Coriander is not my favourite herb, but other than that I eat

the freezer off before lunch service once and melt all the ice creams and sorbets, then that same day I split the crème anglaise and crème brûlée. The job is hard work and long hours, but very rewarding. You soon learn from your mistakes and tend never to repeat them.

As a woman in this trade I have never been treated differently.

I never really felt I needed to be different from the guys. I judge chefs on their ability, not whether they’re male or female. When you work from 8am until midnight, it’s hard for both sexes.

As a kid, I liked cooking and proved to be good at it, plus I liked

the idea of owning my own business, so those things I suppose came together.

I started my career at a hotel in Cambridge. I’d started working

in bars and pubs just to pay my student debts, but it was at The Midsummer House, Cambridge, where, working as a waitress, I managed to talk my way into the kitchen. Hans Schweitzer was my first chef, then after a few years there, he sent me to Barbados and after Barbados I came back to London and started working with Gordon Ramsay.

A lot of my career has been being in the right place at the right time. It was very fortuitous to be working with Gordon in his

first restaurant. I worked for him as his company grew, and with that came opportunities. It was perfect timing.

in your restaurants. That’s what hospitality’s all about. pretty much everything. Cooking for myself, I’ll have a bowl of pasta, salad, roast chicken on Sunday. Not exotic, pretty normal.

It’s always good to see friends who have nothing to do with your job. I have some fantastic and very dear friends in the world of

hospitality, which is fabulous, but friends outside the industry provide balance.

I love having people around for dinner – it’s always loads of fun

and relaxed. We constantly have the neighbours over.

Ideal dinner party guests for me would probably be the entire cast of Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm. I’d cook anolini, roast

chicken, followed by cheese and accompanied by great red wine.

I love the South West. Many chefs I know have restaurants in

Devon and Cornwall. Will I one day? ‘Never say never’. If the right opportunity came up, quite possibly.

British summers are wonderful – there are loads of festivals

to go to and it’s warm. If I go away, it tends to be in late September or early October while it’s still hot in other parts of Europe, but when there are less crowds.

Angela Hartnett, along with Mark Hix, Mitch Tonks, Romy Gill and other top chefs, will be at the Dartmouth Food Festival, which takes place on 20–22 October. dartmouthfoodfestival.com

I owe a lot to Gordon Ramsay. I would not be where I am now

if it wasn’t for him – he invested in my first restaurant. He sold

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Bespoke architectural staircase spanning three storeys.

Plywood chassis with ‘secret’ fixings; Constructional quarter sawn oak veneer treads with natural low sheen finish; 10mm shadow gap detail across all panel intersections; Hand patinated handrail in bronze with glazed side panel.

It’s the detail that sets you apart FEATURED PROJECT: SHORTLISTED FOR RIBA NEW LONDON HOMES CATAGORY 2017 HIGHLY COMMENDED FOR OUTSTANDING ARCHITECTURAL MERIT

BY LONDON EVENING STANDARD In collaboration with LTS Architects, London www.lts-architects.co.uk

Bespoke joinery | Furniture | Kitchen interiors T: 01392 364269 | touchdesigngroup.com Photograph by James Brittain MANOR | High Summer 2017

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Fiona McGowan seeks out The Hidden Hut, where chef Simon Stallard and team create outdoor feasts that celebrate the best in Cornish produce. Photos by Sally Mitchell.

I

’m sitting at a picnic table, clutching a large paper mug of a chowder-like soup, with a hot-water bottle on my lap and a thick red rug wrapped ineffectually around my legs. I have my hood up, but the gale-force wind still whips inside and snags hair into my face. Ah, England in the summer.

Porthcurnick is a tiny sandy bay on the Roseland Peninsula. Perched in a natural alcove on a grassy slope 28

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above the beach is a sage-green hut, presiding over a collection of wooden picnic tables. It is unprepossessing in its demeanour, particularly on a drizzly day with a south-easterly wind roaring in across a rough, leaden sea.

A swaying string of lights twinkles optimistically above a large serving hatch. A woman stands behind the counter, dressed in a white shirt and blue-striped apron, grinning into the gusts. “I’m not cold,” she assures me. “It’s quite

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warm in here.” But then that might be because her boss is standing next to me.

The creator of The Hidden Hut is Simon Stallard, a chef who’s worked all around the world – from cooking over wood beside a white-water river in Italy to some of the swankiest restaurants in the UK. After years working in central London, however, he became increasingly disenchanted: “I felt that the more high-end the restaurant, everyone became more and more exploited. I thought, ‘I’m just living someone else’s dream.’” So when he was offered a job at a pub on the Roseland Peninsula in Cornwall, he leapt at the chance. “I’ve always been quite nomadic,” he explains. “It’s the way that you gain so many different styles of cooking and skills. You can’t just sit in one place.”

When Si arrived, the 16th-century Roseland Inn was “a tired old coaching inn”. Within six months,

the pub had been named ‘Dining Pub of the County’ and ‘Gastropub of the Year’. Building rapport with local fishermen, growers and meat farmers became a passion: “I’d push hard to get a farmer to move out of his comfort zone and grow me an acre of something different,” he says with relish. He also built a relationship with a university student who was working in the restaurant. Jemma is now his wife, business partner and mother of their young son. Very quickly, he was fully embedded in life on the Roseland – and just as quickly, the owner of the Roseland Inn decided to cash in on the great work that Si had done, and put the pub on the market.

It was a tough time for Si. “I thought, ‘Wow – I’ve just worked endless hours, I’ve moved everything, my life.’ I’d brought a few guys down from London.

I’d really set up camp. I felt completely abused and exploited.” It was perhaps the biggest turning point in his career. He speaks passionately about the jump-off-thecliff moment: “I told myself, I’m not doing this again.

I’m not cooking for someone else any more. There’s something so meaningful about cooking beautiful food and sourcing it and having these relationships. And I didn’t want anyone to rip that away from me again.”

To make ends meet, of course, Si had to get work: he spent six months managing Bustopher Jones, one of a handful of fine-dining restaurants in Truro, and spent a year working at the Rosevine Hotel, just up the road from Porthcurnick beach. He then landed a well-paid consultancy job, managing chefs for The Cornish Fishmonger and Wing of St Mawes. He was commissioned to bring chefs from all over the country to Newlyn Fish Market and educate them – with the aim of encouraging them to source their fish from The Cornish Fishmonger. “I didn’t preach to them,” he says, “I just explained the catching methods, the types of boat, the sustainability issues. I was just giving them information that I’d accrued over the time that I was there.” Clearly fired up, he continues: “It was super valuable, not just for them, but for me. I loved going into the market. I loved that sunrise where you just feel like you start the day so magically. I love Newlyn. I love the energy down there – it fits in with my style.” He also enjoyed the fact that, for the first time, he didn’t have to work evenings and weekends, and could save up a deposit to buy a little Tudor-Jacobean cottage on the Roseland with Jemma.

Jemma, meanwhile, had become a clinical dietician, and was commuting to Penzance daily. While she loved her work for the NHS, the pressure and the commute eventually came to a tipping point eight years ago. When Si and Jemma heard that a shabby little hut selling lilos and ice creams on Porthcurnick Beach was up for sale, they decided to take it on. It was to be Jemma’s project, initially – although Si provided the initial push: “It was a 75-year-old shed that was held together with paint and glue and extra bits of wood,” he remembers. “I went in, MANOR | High Summer 2017

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The Feast Nights are now so popular they can sell out within eight seconds and sometimes have as many as 22,000 people applying for them.

cleared everything out, painted it, put a bit of flooring in, put some refrigerators in and said, ‘We’ll give this a go for a year’.” To show their commitment to the project, they decided to open seven days a week.

The Hidden Hut began to sell lunches, teas and coffees. Jemma’s mum was drawn out of retirement to bake cakes, and Jemma ran the business. Her dietician background and her mum’s obsession with using the best ingredients (“I’m only baking if I can use beautiful flours… I’m not compromising on butter… I’m not compromising on any ingredients…”) meant that the food was delicious. However, for the first year, the business was not a rollicking success, and Si and Jemma wondered when it would pick up.

Still spending his days educating chefs at Newlyn Fish Market, Si watched the fabulous seafood getting exported to restaurants as far afield as Spain and to central London. He decided to buy a few boxes of mackerel, borrow some kettle grills, chop up some wood and make some salad. They put a board on the road, and reckoned on catering for around 50 people. “The first night, literally, 50 people were in and eating, and there were more and more people coming over the cliff. We said, ‘I’m really sorry – we’ll do it again next week.’ I got enough for 100.” He and Jemma borrowed barbecues and grills from friends and prepared for 100 guests. Yet again, they were overwhelmed… The Hidden Hut had finally found its way onto the radar.

The Feast Nights are now so popular that Si and Jemma sell tickets online. They can sell out within eight seconds and sometimes have as many as 22,000 people 30

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applying for them. Si gathered a team of chefs to work in the Hut for the lunchtimes and the once- or twicemonthly feasts. The emphasis was always on having a low impact on the immediate environment. Initially, the kitchen was on a trailer that could be towed in and out. The food for the café is now cooked off-site in a big kitchen unit in nearby Portscatho, and Si proudly explains that The Hidden Hut generates no landfill waste. Packaging is 100% recycled, and they use local recycling company HCA to collect all of their waste from bins that are stored in a barn away from the beach.

Si’s spontaneous style of cooking began brewing when he worked in Italy: “It was really inspiring working with guys who were just shooting from the hip, rather than this big, planned stuff.” And the feasts have just that sense of immediacy. Need a rotisserie capable of turning a grill carrying 150kg of chickens at a slow enough rate to cook them evenly over wood? Bastardise a Stannah stair-lift motor, and attach it to a grill. Need a place to brew topnotch coffee? Buy a derelict public toilet block and turn it into a hipster-cool coffee shop called Tatams (overlooking the harbour in Portscatho, it now has rather classier loos in the back). Want to encourage people to enjoy locally caught fish? Start a fish festival and contribute all the profits to local projects. (Portscatho Fish Festival was so popular it turned into ‘Simon Stallard’s Barbecue for 1,000 people’, and Si decided to knock it on the head and come up with more creative local events).

The word has spread about Simon Stallard, and he receives requests to do events for an array of clients, from small local weddings to banquets for the super-

feature rich. Because the feasts are created entirely off-grid, Si can cater for wood-fired grills in the most isolated of locations. He’s run events where all the guests have to be helicoptered in, or brought in on 1920s launches to remote beaches. He’s been asked to consult for high-end resorts around the world, to give advice about setting up feast nights. “We massively cherry-pick the jobs we do,” says Si, clearly keen not to get overwhelmed by demand. The Hidden Hut and Tatams form the anchor of his work, and Jemma, their son and her family are his bedrock.

I returned to Porthcurnick on a glorious summer’s evening for a Mackerel Feast. The environment could not have been more different. In a golden sunset, the guests sat together on the out-sized picnic tables, while the chefs cooked over huge blackened half-barrel barbecues, blue smoke wafting up to blend with a cobalt sky. Everyone had their own plates and cutlery, people popped their own bottles of fizz, cider and wine, and groups of unconnected people chatted easily across tabletops laden with bags of crisps, crackers, dips and big jugs of wild flowers. Antipasti – pots of olives, nuts and sun-dried tomatoes – could be bought at The Hut (at £5 a pop, it was no surprise that many people had brought their own starters). The food was served, canteenstyle, at a long wooden counter, with Jemma and the serving team chatting to visitors and doling out buttery baby potatoes, leaves of Romaine lettuce and a whole grilled mackerel with a big drizzle of vinaigrette. It was basic, wholesome food. There was nothing fanciful or imaginative about the fare, and I suspect that the young couple on our table who make a habit of ‘foodie experiences’ (they mentioned unusual supper clubs and a restaurant where they were served by blind people) might have felt a little let down. But this is what it says on the tin. As Si says, “It’s about getting a really cool, robust, beautifully, locally made picnic.” It’s about the conviviality of dining together with total strangers. It’s about eating naturally, cooking naturally and being surrounded by nature. hiddenhut.co.uk

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Fiona McGowan meets Tracey Boyne, the founder of Mylor Sailability, which helps about 1,000 disabled people a year get out on the water.

“I

must have cried 800 times in the last four years,” says Tracey Boyne, owner of a sailing school in Mylor marina, a small harbour just outside Falmouth.

Tanned, strong and capable, Tracey hardly seems the weepy, emotional type. She single-handedly runs a sailing school with a staff of 15 and 3,000 customers a year. But it’s the charitable arm of her business, Mylor Sailability, that brings her to tears.

Mylor quay is an attractive harbour, tucked into a cove on a narrow, sheltered stretch of water in the Fal estuary. Opposite lies the Roseland Peninsula, and the sprawl of nearby Falmouth docks is hidden behind a large bluff. The sun glints off the windows of the recently tarted-up Mylor Yacht Club, and the lanyards of many

PHOTO: HAMISH MITCHELL

The Wheelyboat

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yachts clink gently in the wind. Mylor Sailing School is a collection of wooden buildings at the back of a car park, behind which are steps down to a long wooden pontoon.

Tracey, with a big straw hat plonked on her head, and suitably maritime blue-and-white t-shirt, shows me around her workplace. Rows of brightly coloured sailing kit are neatly arranged on hangers, labelled according to size; helmets hang tidily against the back wall; big plywood storage drawers are impressively organised.

I’ve never seen an outdoor centre this uncluttered and efficient-looking.

Although Tracey almost fell into owning the sailing school, it’s something she’s certainly cut out for. Her ‘first career’, as she puts it, was accountancy, and there’s

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Working with people with disabilities has opened my eyes to the wider community and all their challenges, which are huge.

PHOTO: HAMISH MITCHELL

a residual sense of the accountant about the visual order.

No doubt it also plays a part in running the business itself. Tracey and her then business partner, Craig, bought a business that was on its knees, back in 2007.

It had been running since the 1970s, but had gone into “a bit of a slump”, as Tracey tactfully puts it. She and Craig expected it to be hard work to make it a success, but within a year, they had so many customers that they were almost overwhelmed. “We were really efficient,” explains Tracey. “We developed the fleet and ended up struggling a bit because it was so busy.”

It can’t have helped that, soon after buying the business, Tracey had moved away from Falmouth to West Penwith, continued to work as an Outdoor Ed teacher at Truro College and then had her first child. She and Craig also ran a cruising yacht business – training people to run larger yachts. “It was hard work and low profit margins,” she remembers. Five years after buying Mylor Sailing School, Tracey had two little girls, and was running the two businesses, as well as teaching. Something had to give. She took voluntary redundancy from Truro College, and when Craig decided to move on to other ventures, she bought him out of the business. She sold the cruising boat on eBay and honed down the business to just the sailing school.

Since she was a small child, Tracey has been outdoorsy. Her mum would take her and her two brothers on hiking and camping holidays, and they

Tracey Boyne

PHOTO: HAMISH MITCHELL

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spent lots of time in Cornwall. When Tracey made a decision to quit accountancy and travel the world, she started to see a different possibility in her future: one that involved the outdoor activities that she loved.

Moving to Cornwall to be able to study Outdoor Education at Plymouth University, she took up sailing and became keen on racing: “I didn’t even think I was that competitive until I got into my sailing boat,” she lets on. “I thought: actually, I quite like this. It was an unexpected find.” While she got into lots of other sports, particularly rock climbing, it’s sailing that continues to inspire her: “I’d leg it here after college for racing, literally get the boat ready, push off, jump on and just breathe. It’s another world.” And today, she says, it’s a great activity for the whole family to do. “Your priorities change when you’ve got children and a family life,” she tells me. “It’s great to do something all together that everyone likes as a family. Everyone likes skiing and everyone loves sailing. As a mum, you can’t get better than that.”

Although, in her day-to-day life, she doesn’t get out on the water much anymore, she still gets inspired by the work. “I do get an awful lot out of running my own business. It’s exhilarating, liberating. It’s high risk running an adventurous activity business,”

PHOTO: HAMISH MITCHELL

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she admits, but with a determined attitude to safety, the worst accident they’ve had in ten years has been a broken elbow. She gets great pleasure from passing on knowledge and developing people to help them find opportunities that might otherwise be missed – a fallout from 12 years of teaching.

In 2013, Tracey found an outlet for the altruistic side of her nature. Mylor Sailing School had always welcomed a number of customers with disabilities, and it got her thinking that she could do more to make the school accessible to all. After talking with Steve Hillman, Inclusion Sport Officer at Cornwall Sports Partnership, she decided to hold an open day to sound out the level of interest. She sent out a total of four emails, and had low expectations about the take-up. To her shock, 110 people booked in for taster sessions. Realising that there was demand, she spent the winter searching for funding to make Mylor Sailing School more accessible, making adaptations to the boats and getting insurance. The West Cornwall Youth Trust came up with the first offer to get the ball rolling.

Working with people with disabilities has had a huge impact on Tracey. “It has changed me massively,” she says. “It’s opened my eyes to the wider community and all their challenges, which are huge.” It has been a very

feature emotional journey, hearing people’s stories, seeing their daily struggles. “If someone’s got any extra mobility needs, just finding somewhere to stay is way more difficult that you think it is,” Tracey explains. She’s also witness to the efforts that both those with disabilities and their carers make. “You meet some pretty determined people. Sailability runs all year round. All the ablebodied people stop going because it gets a bit cold, but they say, no, we’re still coming.”

Funding is always going to be an important part of running Sailability. Recently, Age UK approached Tracey to apply for joint funding to give access to people over 50 with special needs. Another chunk of funding from Inspired Facilities (part of Sport England) enabled Tracey to build a wooden-clad classroom and social space, with ramped access, projector and screen, and a hearing loop for the hard of hearing. More exciting still, Tracey was able to build an extra section of pontoon, making it easier to get people on and off boats. She has invested in a motorboat (the Wheelyboat), which is wheelchair-accessible and has support seats for those who can sit unaided, as well as a hoist and sling system to lift people out of wheelchairs and into a boat. As many as 1,000 disabled clients a year now use Mylor Sailability. Add to that the 3,000 clients using the sailing school, not to mention all the time and energy that goes into training, fundraising and building, I wonder how Tracey copes. “I’ve learned a lot about managing and delegating,” she smiles. “The biggest learning journey when you grow is identifying what you can delegate out.

Like the book-keeping. The admin. I now have someone to help me with the nitty-gritty things that I don’t have time for…”

All of this endeavour hasn’t gone unrecognised.

In 2016, Tracey won the Royal Yachting Association (RYA)’s Outstanding Voluntary Contribution of the Year award, as well as Cornwall Tourism’s Silver Award for Access and Inclusivity. Earlier this year, Mylor was shortlisted from a list of thousands for the South West Tourism’s Access and Inclusivity Award. Mylor Sailability

came joint first: “When we went up to Bristol for the awards do, Gold wasn’t even on the radar,” says Tracey.

“We thought Silver or Bronze at best. And we won joint Gold with the Eden Project. I mean, I’ve got two wooden huts on a quay!”

The business is booming, and in ways that Tracey had never dreamed possible when she first mulled over the idea of taking on a small sailing school in a quiet backwater near Falmouth. She looks down at the quay.

Assistant instructor Ryan, who has cerebral palsy, is helping to guide a sailing boat with two Sailability clients in towards the pontoon. With a look of contentment, Tracey says, “I haven’t looked back once since I started Sailability. It’s been the most humbling, most fulfilling experience of my life.” mylorsailingschool.co.uk

RYAN’S STORY Ryan Lynthwaite (left), who has cerebral palsy, was a Sailability client for a couple of years before he decided become a volunteer. “His social skills are beyond his 20 years,” says Tracey. “The way he engages with participants with light-hearted banter and keeps it up while getting on with his job is really amazing. He always notices when someone needs particular help: the other day, a 12-year-old with a physical disability was going out on the Wheelyboat. Ryan offered to sit behind the client while he steered to keep him safe – and even improvised a footrest for him.” He always displays incredible patience, she adds.

“I watched him sit beside an older client with a severe learning difficulty, holding his hand and guiding him – completely unfazed by the client’s unexpected movements or verbal noises.” Now employed as an assistant instructor at Mylor, Ryan has achieved his PYA Powerboat Level 2 License and his VHF Marine Radio Licence and is working on this RYA Day Skipper Theory navigation course. His ultimate aim, he says, is to become a Powerboat Instructor.

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PHOTO: GRAHAM WYNNE

Anna Turns begins her open-water swimming season at the crack of dawn for the Bantham Swoosh.

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A

ALL PHOTOS: GRAHAM WYNNE

fter endless faffing, deciding which isotonic gels to stuff up the leg of my wetsuit and whether to wear wetsuit socks or not, I’m at Aveton Gifford at 6.30am, ready to start the Bantham Swoosh. I’m among 400 other swimmers being briefed by the Outdoor Swimming Society volunteers before we begin our 6km journey down the River Avon to Bantham, with the outgoing tide speeding us up as we swim the last few hundred metres, hence the ‘swoosh’. There’s a lovely buzz and friendly chatter between participants as we enter the water at 7am when the spring tide is at its highest – definitely no elbows at dawn.

It’s a muddy start, so we’re told to swim breaststroke with our heads up for the first couple of hundred metres, and once the river opens up and visibility improves, we start to front crawl and the mass of swimmers begins to spread out. I’ve been training for months in the pool and in nearby estuaries, building up my stamina and improving my front crawl technique, but I’m by no means in racing mode – I want to find my pace and enjoy the ride. From the start, I look for my own space among the busy crowds of swimmers, and try to find my own rhythm. It’s not cold – water temperature is 14°C, I’m told – so I’m thankful I ditched the very buoyant wetsuit socks, which no doubt would have changed my leg position in the water.

All the things my swim instructors have said to me in the past pop back into my head: ‘lengthen out each stroke’, ‘slow down to speed up’, ‘keep elbows high on exit from the water’. Efficiency is key; there’s no point rushing and getting totally out of breath. I know that once I reach the end of the tidal road, that’s a fifth of the way – although landmarks look different from the water’s surface, and it’s easy to lose sense of where I am as the tree-lined banks all look the same along the river. Thank goodness I know this route fairly well; many swimmers have travelled from all over the country, some from Yorkshire, Birmingham and London, just for the Swoosh.

My goggles keep misting up – the spray I used has washed away in the drizzle at the start line – and my wetsuit is chafing, despite wearing a rash vest (next time I’ll use Vaseline, like the seasoned wild swimmers).

There are moments when I’m taken by surprise by large swathes of seaweed, but changing scenery is a welcome distraction and I soon spot the white speed limit sign that marks the waterski area halfway along our route. I eat the isotonic gel (rhubarb and custard flavour – sickly sweet but a welcome boost) and another swimmer does the same next to me. She says she’s struggling, so I try to impart a few words of encouragement, telling her it’s only 3km to go, but I’m just as apprehensive as her.

As I swim along, focusing on my breathing while taking in the scenery every time I turn my head, I realise how incredibly liberating it is to lose total track of time.

I have no watch, so I have absolutely no idea how many

More than 400 swimmers enter the water at the start of the tidal road at Aveton Gifford

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As I swim along, focusing on my breathing while taking in the scenery every time I turn my head, I realise how incredibly liberating it is to lose total track of time.

ALL PHOTOS: GRAHAM WYNNE

Once the pink boathouse comes into view at Jenkins Quay, swimmers are swooshed up to four times their normal swimming speed with the outgoing tide

minutes I’ve been swimming for or how much longer this journey might take me; it’s quite a contrast to clockwatching in the pool. I’m not competing with anyone today, not even myself. That’s quite freeing, and all that matters is that I enjoy it and finish.

Now that I’m swimming to the side of the main group of swimmers, I’m away from the chaos of limbs everywhere. As the river widens, the wind picks up and the water gets fairly choppy; it takes more effort to cut through the water. Around the next bend, the wind over the tide eases off and I spot the first boats, so we’re on the home straight – well, it’s another 1-2km back to Bantham. I think of all the times I’ve walked down to the river bed at low tide and now I’m swimming over the same sand. Others stand to have a rest, but I keep swimming and I vow to keep going once I start spotting shore crabs walking sideways across the seabed; they’re everywhere, and I don’t fancy having my toes nipped so I just keep swimming.

For me, swimming is my headspace and a way for me to gently push myself out of my comfort zone. As I swim, I admire the beauty of this landscape, the clarity of the water, the greenness of the trees, the flow of my body through the river, and I feel lucky.

Once I see the pink boathouse at Jenkins Quay, the outgoing tide pulls me about four times my normal swimming speed. I take my goggles off and get swooshed

The swim down the River Avon finishes at Bantham where the mouth of the river opens up to the sea and beautiful Burgh Island

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feature along, laughing and chatting with fellow swimmers.

As I clamber out of the river at the sandy beach, a volunteer offers a hand to pull me up. It feels strange to suddenly stand upright for the first time in almost two hours. I hear my name being called and I’m so pleased to see my family.

My back aches, my eyes are puffed up, my neck is sore but I’m happy. We walk back through the dunes for a well-deserved hot chocolate. I took this swim in my stride – I had no idea how the pacing would work over such a long distance, so I didn’t push myself. Next time, I know I’ll swim smoother and with more confidence.

One thing is for sure: this girl can.

Anna swam the Bantham Swoosh in aid of City to Sea, a campaign to reduce ocean plastics at source. If you’d like to sponsor her, please visit: citytosea.org.uk/Anna-Swim

DIP YOUR TOE IN Drake’s Island Swim: swim across Plymouth Sound to Drake’s Island. 15 July. chestnutappeal.org.uk Burgh Island Swim: an evening, mile-long swim around this iconic landmark, in association with Surf Life Saving GB; there’s also a half-mile option, ideal for those new to open-water swimming. 20 July. ashfords.co.uk/event/burghisland-swim Swim 4 Logan: one-mile swim from the promenade slip in Penzance. 30 July. cysticfibrosis.org.uk/get-involved/ fundraising/events/swim-4-logan St Michael’s Mount: 1.5-mile swim from the beach, out and around the island. 5 August. chestnutappeal.org.uk The Big Swim: beach to beach races at Port Isaac.

5 August. thebigswimcornwall.co.uk Padstow to Rock Swim: a mile across the Camel estuary on the late afternoon tide. 6 August. padstowtorockswim.org.uk

PHOTO: KATE TRELEAVEN

Inn to Inn Swim: from Devoran to Mylor near Falmouth. 12 August. nearwaterevents.co.uk/inn-inn-swim

Wildly happy: Anna after her swim

ANNA’S TOP TIPS • • • • • •

• • •

Never swim alone – swim with a buddy or have someone close by watching you from the shore.

Check tide times and ask lifeguards about rip tides. Swim within your limits.

Wear a brightly coloured silicone swim hat (or a tow float if you have one) to increase your visibility.

For extra protection from rocks, weaver fish and the cold, wear wetsuit boots and gloves.

Wetsuits are not essential but if you prefer the extra layer, invest in a triathlon wetsuit – more flexible and less chafing.

Changing in and out of wetsuits is fiddly at the best of times when your fingers are cold after a sea swim, don’t even attempt to put a bra back on.

Make sure you have a flask of hot drink and plenty of cake to hand.

Sign up to an event and get experience swimming in open water in different conditions.

Connect with other wild swimmers via Facebook groups (search for Devon Wild Swimming or Cornwall Wild Swimming), go to outdoorswimmingsociety.com and devonandcornwallwildswimming.co.uk

Plymouth Breakwater Swim: travel by boat to the breakwater then swim 2.2 miles back across the Sound, landing next to Tinside Pool. 13 August. chestnutappeal.org.uk Polkerris Swim Festival: swim 1km, 2km or 3km in the sheltered harbour. 26 August. madhattersportsevents.co.uk/polkerrisswimfestival Scilly Swim Challenge: swim the islands in one day.

5 and 6 September. scillyswimchallenge.co.uk Dart 10k: from Totnes along the River Dart to Dittisham.

9 or 10 September. outdoorswimmingsociety.com Polkerris Sea Swim: 5km swim out to the buoys and back towards Gribbin Tower in south Cornwall. 16 September. madhattersportsevents.co.uk/swim Burgh Island Swim: 1 mile around the island, in aid of Chestnut Appeal. 17 September. chestnutappeal.org.uk Around the Mount: swim the mile and a half from Marazion around St Michael’s Mount. Organised by the RNLI, in aid of Penlee Lifeboat Station. 17 September.

Search for RNLI Around the Mount Open Water Swim 2017 on eventbrite.co.uk

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Cornwall-based photographer Rick Davy spends much time exploring the South West and on his journeys has encountered a rich and varied cast of characters.

“My style is real and vivid,” he says. “I shoot film and digi and capture all that interests me –from street to portrait, monochrome to colour. A camera is always by my side so I don’t miss an opportunity to grab what I see.”

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photostory

A reflection of oneself “I came across Ken Howard OBE when he was painting a harbour scene in Penzance.

A week or so later, he invited me into his world/studio. A very humble man.�

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Flame red and piercing “It was Leigh Hill’s piercing eyes and flame-red hair that caught my attention.

She’s covered in body art/tattoos that she designed herself.”

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photostory

Weathered “I met Mark on a beach back in 2012. He’s a lecturer, a writer and a surfer with 30 years in the water. Nice guy.”

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Ford Falcon lover “Lovely guy. I met him at a recent classic car show. I love the way this shot looks so ‘period’.”

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photostory

Look into my lens “I shot Jules on a wet November morning inside her VW bus.

I loved her dreads, the way she looked and everything about her.�

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Never more focused “Ken’s love of Jaguars has spanned 70 years. He has one of the largest private UK collections and drives them regularly.”

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photostory

The hooded illustrator “Writer, illustrator and historian Roger is a very private man with some fascinating stories.�

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An alien presence “I captured this image as James turned and faced the light. It reminds me of Alien, the movie. I think it’s the mask that does it.”

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photostory

Chain dust “Christian, the tree surgeon. No dressing of the shot, just as it is – real.”

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Corporate stare “You might think that John is a CEO of a 1970’s US corporate company. In fact he is a retired GP with a passion for Havana cigars that he smokes in his garden shed.”

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photostory

A very large ho ho “Badger discovered the church after an out-of-body surfing experience. He lives in a single decker bus somewhere in Cornwall.”

Discover more of Rick’s work at rickdavy.co.uk @rickdavy

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Culture Tattoo art at Cornwall’s National Maritime Museum | Wyl Menmuir International Agatha Christie Festival | Plymouth College of Art Degree Show South West must sees | Worth making the trip for | Staying in

Dorset Garden II by Dylan Lloyd. Showing at ‘Escape’, 22 July – 26 August at Hybrid Gallery, Honiton. See page 67

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PHOTO: PAUL ABBITT

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culture

An exhibition at Cornwall’s National Maritime Museum is bringing the long history of tattooing in Britain into the light.

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ow that summer’s here and we’re all bearing skin, it’s impossible not to notice the proliferation of tattoos. It’s estimated that around one in five of the UK population is tattooed, with the figure rising to one in three among young adults, and the popularity of inking skin shows no signs of abating.

Where tattoos are concerned, our first thoughts tend to revolve around location (on the body) and what it signifies – a rite of passage, pledge of love, marker in time or something more cryptic – rather than the origin and rich history of this unique artform.

‘Tattoo: British Tattoo Art Revealed’, the groundbreaking exhibition from the National Maritime Museum in Falmouth, sets out to dispel this by taking the viewer on a fascinating journey through 400 years of tattoo history up to the present day. Indeed, the exhibition is the largest gathering of real objects and original tattoo artwork ever assembled in the UK, and provides the most comprehensive study of tattooing from the 18th century to present day ever presented by a museum.

Why, given the length of time tattoos have been prevalent in society, has no exhibition such as this been shown before?

“For me,” explains Alice Snape, one of the exhibition’s curators, “there is no denying that tattoos

are art, that’s not a question up for debate. Tattooing is another medium and tattoos can be analysed in a way that any other works of art can – watercolours, sculptures, sketches, oil paintings. This means that some are worthy of being housed in a museum. The problem is, of course, that tattoos aren’t objects that can be put in a frame or housed in a cabinet. They are on the skin of living, breathing people, which means ordinarily they disappear from existence once the wearer’s life is over.”

With this in mind, ‘Tattoo: British Tattoo Art Revealed’ has commissioned tattoo art from some of the best tattooists in the country. “The 100 Hands Project,” says Alice, “is a way of representing the threedimensional, living nature of the tattoo. I’ve hand-picked 100 of the best tattooists in the UK right now to provide a snapshot of the work tattoo collectors are currently getting inked onto their skin, from black and grey and geometric to neo-traditional and colour realism, each through an original design on a silicone arm.”

As well as commissioned tattoo art, the National Maritime Museum’s exhibition displays more than 400 real objects and original artworks, photographs and historic artefacts relating to tattooing. It boasts such a wealth of material through collaboration with the Science Museum, Museum of London, British Library, Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology (University of MANOR | High Summer 2017

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PHOTO: PAUL ABBITT

PHOTO: LUKE HAYES

PHOTO: LUKE HAYES

PHOTO: PAUL ABBITT

PHOTO: LUKE HAYES

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culture Cambridge), the Palace of Westminster, Royal Cornwall Museum, Cornwall Records Office, and the National Archives, as well as with numerous private collectors.

“What’s been missing,” says guest curator Dr Matt Lodder, “is this real big-picture, trans-historical survey, which joins up the dots in chronological order from the 17th century to the present day.” Dr Lodder, who is a lecturer in Contemporary Art History and Director of American Studies at the University of Essex, adds: “When it’s laid out as a continuous story, the whole sense of tattooing’s place in society changes – it’s not some new fad, but a constant, important presence in British cultural life, part of the fabric of how our country has expressed itself and understood itself for centuries.”

‘Tattoo: British Tattoo Art Revealed’ showcases the work of major tattoo artists over time, from George Burchett, who tattooed throughout the first part of the 20th century, to modern-day masters Alex Binnie and Lal Hardy, the latter famous for his work during the punk era. It also reveals hidden histories, including the story of Britain’s first female tattoo artist, Jessie Knight, who worked from the 1920s until she retired in 1963. One of the star items on display is a hand-painted advertising banner used by Jessie’s tattooist father to advertise his trade, and which became Jessie’s prized possession.

The exhibition, on show at the National Maritime Museum until January 2018, is a must for anyone with an interest in art, as it offers the first comprehensive tour of British tattooing as an artform, and features cuttingedge designers, leading academics and items from the most important private collections of tattoo material in Britain, including that of Paul ‘Rambo’ Ramsbottom, Jimmie Skuse and Willy Robinson.

As Alex Binnie, one of today’s most highly regarded tattoo artists, states, “It’s important to get some idea of the amazing history behind contemporary tattooing. The range of work in this exhibition is immense, and this will bring it to a wider public.”

So, as you ponder the number of bodies on the beach this summer bearing tattoo art, ponder for a minute just how long civilization has engaged in tattooing, and why.

In the words of curator Dr Matt Lodder, “Tattooing is a magical, romantic, exciting and often-misunderstood artform, and we hope that our exhibition will communicate some of that magic to visitors.”

‘Tattoo: British Tattoo Art Revealed’ is showing at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, Falmouth, until 7 January 2018.

Tickets: adults £12.95, children £5, under 5s free. nmmc.co.uk

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Writing places Sandra Kirley talks to Booker longlisted novelist Wyl Menmuir about internal and external landscapes, the death of the author, and cliff-edge creativity.

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erhaps everyone can identify a particular location that coincides with the psychology of a specific moment, prompting a strong emotion or memory, so that it becomes more than just a place, but rather part of your soul. To capture such a place in words and make it the dominant force of a story, beyond plot or character, takes a rare skill. Yet this is precisely what Wyl Menmuir manages to achieve in his debut novel, The Many, and is undoubtedly one of the reasons the book made it onto the Man Booker Prize longlist in 2016.

In some ways, you could say Wyl Menmuir is a landscape writer. Place features heavily in much of his writing and plays the starring role in The Many, a novel about male grief. The remote coastal village where the story is set is a character in itself, credible and chilling, drawing you in until the final page, and remaining with you long afterwards. Driving across Bodmin and down the narrow lanes towards Truro, where Menmuir has now settled with his wife and two children after a long spell in London, I am convinced The Many is inspired

by Cornwall: the stark landscape, the small fishing coves with their hint of hardship, that sense of being cut off from the rest of the world. Perhaps not the Cornwall you experience on holiday or in other fiction, but the one you only really see when you live here. But when I finally meet Wyl, he tells me with a rueful smile that The Many isn’t based on Cornwall at all, but on an amalgam of different places he has known throughout his life.

“Although the tankers in the book are from off the coast of Falmouth, the fishermen are inspired by miners in the north, whose children I used to teach,” says Menmuir, who previously trained as a teacher and now works part-time as a literacy consultant. “I didn’t want to be beholden to the details of somewhere that actually 58

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exists. With a ‘no-place’, I can make it mean whatever I want it to mean. I can imbue it with all sorts of emotions and events that help reflect the mood of the piece. I can also make it more personal to the reader – The Many is whichever place you want it to be.”

But perhaps there’s another reason why The Many is based on a no-place: the setting has a dual and much more sinister role to play in this story, which a real place, bound by the accuracy of detail, might never fulfil. Here, the remote coastal village is also a bleak and unsettling force, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, and taking the novel down a path that borders on the supernatural. Two main characters co-exist in this strange half-world: Timothy, an unwelcome incomer and new occupant of the former house of a mysterious dead man known simply as ‘Perran’, and Ethan, a young fisherman haunted by Perran’s death and obsessed by Timothy’s presence in Perran’s old house. As you become increasingly immersed in each of their stories, you soon begin to feel as cut off from reality as they are.

“I wanted to create a separate world because what I’m aiming for is really difficult to describe. I want the reader to accept that the village is a real place, but then to question that place through flashbacks that lead the reader to believe that there’s an allegorical reading to be had from it. Ideally, the reader should hold in their mind that a place can be real and unreal at the same time, and in doing so it creates a little gap. What I really wanted to explore was grief, and grief is about gaps that you cannot reconcile.”

The Many began life as Menmuir’s dissertation while completing his MA in Creative Writing at the Manchester Writing School, and was commissioned directly by Salt Publishing through Menmuir’s tutor, Nicholas Royle, who recognised his student’s talent and submitted the manuscript.

culture “I didn’t have the usual route to publication that many writers have – the multiple submissions, the rejections or the hunt for an agent – and I really appreciated that. Working directly with a smaller publisher also meant I could get more involved. I was able to vet the cover and have my say on much of the editorial. A smaller publisher is also more likely to put you up for awards.”

A place on the Booker Prize longlist has undeniably transformed Menmuir’s career as a writer, and not least helped him catch the eye of new agent, Peter Straus.

“The turnaround from being an unpublished author to a published author and then an author on a longlist is massive, although getting on a longlist doesn’t mean vast wealth. But it’s been an unexpected journey. My first aim was to get a novel finished, then to get it in print, then to get some recognition for it. But I never expected to be listed for the Booker. So far, it’s been published in Italy but it hasn’t sold internationally. I was told the American market wouldn’t buy it. The editors loved it but said they didn’t think the American readership would go with a book with so much ambiguity.”

It’s true that The Many is anything but predictable.

Just like grief, the book is a process, a sentiment that grips you from beginning to end, and one that is worthy of multiple re-visits to be fully experienced. On rereading, you might see something new, but the story is never explained or neatly wrapped up. It’s up to you to do that.

“I’ve had people react to the book really badly, because I ask a lot of the reader. There aren’t enough answers and I don’t offer solutions. I believe in the death of the author once you hand the book to the reader; I want them to do at least 50% of the work. The sorts of reading experiences I enjoy most are the ones where at the end I’m left wondering what it all means.”

Menmuir cites David Vann and Mark Richards as some of his favourite authors, and emphasises the importance of not only reading widely, but reading quality writers he can aspire to. “When I’m writing, it doesn’t help me to read commercial fiction. I like books that drag you in and spit you out again. At the moment, I’m reading a lot of Tim Winton. The control and craft of all of his aspects of writing is incredible.”

Place is set to play an equally powerful role in Menmuir’s next novel, currently in its early stages. “It’s based in a fictional place inspired by cities I’ve known, specifically ones in Eastern Europe. Really, it’s my response to the referendum, which led me to reflect on my experiences in Europe. I grew up with Europe being an entity and saw myself as a European, so I was really upset when it happened. Why would anyone want to be isolationist? Now I’m writing about a city where everyone is an immigrant.”

Given the dark theme of his debut novel, you could be forgiven for thinking that Menmuir is a melancholy

character, but it’s a friendly, ebullient man who sits before me, talking animatedly about his forthcoming projects, which include a spate of literary festivals, a short story for the National Trust, his role as Writer in Residence at Falmouth University, and, of course, finishing the second novel.

“I’m a very jolly person really. The darkness has to come out somewhere, and narratively, darkness is more interesting than light. With the new novel, I definitely want to have more fun. I’m exploring the relationship between light and dark in lots of different ways, like the quality of light in different places, but also the light and shade in people’s lives.”

Although Menmuir became a published writer later in life, he has always written. Following an English degree from Newcastle University he worked as an arts journalist for various magazines, then completed a fasttrack NCTJ course to try his hand at news journalism in London. At home, he would scribble stories and fill his bookshelves with notebooks, which he now claims will never see the light of day. It was a residential writing course at the Arvon Foundation followed by the MA in Creative Writing that really brought his writing into the limelight.

“Firstly, it was about having the right story to write.

Writing this story seemed to unlock something in me.

I did the MA to have a structure that allowed me to finish it, but also because I enjoy writing academically.”

Menmuir has completed several postgraduate courses, including two PGCEs. From his home in Cornwall, Menmuir now splits his time between his editorial consultancy, his literacy support in schools and his writing, a balance that can sometimes prove challenging. “Trying to find time to write is becoming more difficult but freelancing helps.

I love being in control of my own time. I recently decided to start tracking my writing again by simply noting it in a daily diary. If I write 500 words a day, I’m happy, and ideally I try to work on my novel five days a week. I found it very difficult to write in London; there’s too much distraction. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do in Cornwall, but I make time more easily here.

I write fairly well out on the coast.

I take my notebooks and sit on the edge of the cliffs. That’s often where I get my best ideas.”

The Many is published by Salt Publishing. wylmenmuir.co.uk

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James Tyson, director of the International Agatha Christie Festival, tells MANOR about this year’s event, inspired by and dedicated to the Queen of Crime.

PHOTO: THE CHRISTIE ARCHIVE TRUST

Agatha Christie at the Matopo National Park, Zimbabwe, 1922

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espite being known the world over, Agatha Christie is something of an enigma: during her life, she only allowed one 30-second interview on the BBC (you can hear it at Greenway, her holiday home outside Kingswear, overlooking the River Dart). When organising a festival dedicated to this most extraordinary author and woman, one might be inclined to rely on the works she left behind, almost one every year throughout her long writing life, from The Mysterious Affair at Styles in 1920, to her last published works, including Postern of Fate in 1973 and Poirot’s Last Case in 1974. Her stories have been frequently adapted, and her career ranged from silent cinema to stage, radio and television.

Considering that her life spanned interesting times – from Queen Victoria and the latter days of Empire to the Labour government of the 1970s, two world wars and encompassing art movements from modernism to abstraction – it’s no surprise that her clever and entertaining tales featured role-play, unresolved histories, and the capacity and desire for change, particularly amongst her women characters.

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But I wonder, what was the Devon that Agatha Christie returned to, on her seasonal visits to Greenway?

What was the Dartmoor she looked out onto in writing that first book while staying at the Moorlands Hotel at Haytor? What was the Great Britain in those days, the Europe that mobilised so many in fighting a war of nations? During World War One, Agatha remained in Torquay, treating the wounded in a makeshift hospital at its Town Hall – it was here she saw the first Belgian refugees, who inspired her most recognised and celebrated detective…

This year’s International Agatha Christie Festival (IACF) has sprung from one of her lesser known books, an ‘archaeological memoir’ published in 1946 called Come, Tell Me How You Live. The book was inspired by a phrase in Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and the ancient ‘tell’ sites that Agatha and her husband, the renowned archaeologist Max Mallowan, had been charged by the British Museum in the 1930s to excavate, uncovering and unearthing the remains of 3,000-year-old Babylonian cities. How can simple, everyday objects reveal so much about the places, the people, and the unheard stories of a whole

culture

Chanje Kunda

Fereshteh Ahmadi

civilization? This ‘detective’ work of a different kind is perhaps one that many of us encounter and become fascinated by in our day-to-day lives, much like Agatha Christie was. And just as a fleeting glance from a stranger can conjure a character, so such an object can form the basis of a story.

IACF takes place in September in Torquay, and brings together fans from across the world to enjoy a programme of projects and new commissions from artists across South Devon and beyond. This year’s lineup includes musicians Hugh Nankivell, Steve Sowden and Ben Ballard (as the wonderfully eclectic Trio of Men), visual artist Shelley Castle, plus Encounters,

Dance in Devon and Doorstep Arts. There will be experts on Agatha Christie, as well as some more unusual writers, performance artists and theatremakers, including Manchester’s Chanje Kunda, who tells her extraordinary tale of everyday passion and desire in the solo performance Amsterdam. Through her fascinating piece The Road to Huntsville, Stephanie Ridings attempts to understand what brings ordinary British women like herself to strike up devoted correspondences with men on death row in Texas, USA. In addition to the five-day festival, this year IACF is beginning a new year-round programme focusing on developing cultural tourism in Torbay, as well as nurturing and supporting the work of local and international artists of all ages. In May, it brought the acclaimed novelist and short-story writer Fereshteh Ahmadi from Tehran, introducing her enigmatic, mysterious and humorously observed tales of everyday life in Iran to audiences at Plymouth’s Festival of Words, Torquay’s Torre Abbey, and at a special event at the Free Word Centre in London. Ahmadi’s visit was part of a new programme of residencies, inviting extraordinary writers and artists from across the world to ask them their perception of Torbay, its problems and complexities, as well as its wonderful beauty. Later in the year, the pioneering Australian choreographer Hellen Sky will be visiting, also to continue her work and draw on the surroundings and particular histories of this seaside town. One of Canada’s celebrated independent theatre groups, Zuppa Theatre from Halifax, Nova Scotia, will present their brilliant sleuthing-meets-archaeology performance, The Archive of Missing Things. They will also work with the festival on a collaborative project to investigate and collect stories around health and wellbeing in relation to urban planning, design and architecture.

Part of the inspiration for this programme was Agatha Christie’s love of travel, from her Grand Tour of the 1920s to her returning journeys to Iran, Iraq, Syria and Egypt on archaeological expeditions, undertaken from the 1930s right through to the early 1960s. The other inspiration is Torbay itself, which has given harbour to so many writers, thinkers and pioneers, from Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Oscar Wilde, to the mathematician Oliver Heaviside, the geologist William Pengelly, Charles Darwin and the choreographer Isadora Duncan. The festival aspires to continue and reinvigorate this space for reflection and inspiration, whether it’s a matter of finding the missing clue, recognising the layers of earth beneath our feet, or some other uncertainty – probably quite unnoticed – yet which allows us to observe a question that may just be a matter of life and death.

International Agatha Christie Festival, 13-17 September at Torre Abbey, Torquay. For tickets and booking details, see iacf-uk.org.

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Imogen Clements checks out the latest crop of fresh talent at the Plymouth College of Art Degree Show.

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here are companies – commercial artists, designers, media and branding operations – that make trawling graduate shows across the country the cornerstone of their recruitment strategy.

It’s here that they spot talent and snap it up, and I’ll admit, there’s a certain thrill to it. Touring the degree show at Plymouth College of Art, I get to see work by highly talented artists on the cusp of their careers, and the show is curated to the highest standard to display art across a broad range of disciplines that would turn not just the heads of prospective employers but also publishers and collectors.

Ben Lintell

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Plymouth College of Art is one of the oldest colleges of its kind in the UK, dating back to 1856, when it was first a drawing school. It has been through many changes since it opened its doors, always in the realm of art, and today boasts more than 1,000 undergraduates studying 21 different subjects. These range from the more popular Photography through to the more niche skill of Glass and Ceramics, to the more ‘topical’ area of Fashion Media and Marketing.

Art colleges need to be in a constant state of evolution to keep up with the demands of society, the employment market and, of course, the very latest technological platforms and production facilities. Plymouth College of

culture Art launched Fashion Media and Marketing as a course just three years ago – with the first class of graduating students finishing their degrees this year. The course has already attracted students from across the country.

Of course, you can take all this in from the prospectus, which is an exciting read for any aspiring artist: Plymouth College of Art is, for one thing, on the coast; it boasts impressive alumni, plus the promise of visiting tutors of international acclaim, and work placements at some of the UK’s most highly regarded brands, including Finisterre and Seasalt.

But there is nothing that sells a college better than its students’ output.

I begin with Printed Textile Design and Surface Pattern, and am drawn immediately to the work of Winona Flay, who has transposed her bright, contemporary watercolour paintings onto sumptuous velvet cushions. In this subject area, it’s not merely the print but where it’s used. There is opulent, goldflecked wallpaper of intricate design in one corner and kaleidoscopic patterns that decorate Lycra cycling vests in another. In each case, designs work perfectly with the ‘canvas’ for which they are intended.

The work on show from Glass and Ceramics is jawdropping. Some of the glass artworks, particularly that

by Ben Lintell, are immediately covetable. One piece, included in his final collection, is called ‘Free Fall’ and comprises curved glass pieces with intertwining necks, each vibrant in colour and blown to striking effect – they seem to dance with one another against a white backdrop.

Another standout piece for me from a Glass and Ceramics graduate is a porcelain triptych of a horse’s neck and torso by Tansy Barton. The cool white porcelain draws you closer and invites touch through Barton’s keen observation of the horse’s natural contours.

“I have a lifelong passion for everything equine,” Barton

Anna Boast

Tansy Barton

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Natalie Wood

Winona Flay

Graphic Design student Ellen McDonough cleverly incorporates cats into a range of potential brand imagery

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culture reveals. “I’ve grown up around many wonderful horses, finding their power, strength and elegance fascinating.

This forms the basis of my ceramic sculptural work, where I aim to portray the many different qualities of the horse through clay.”

In the same gallery is the Jewellery graduates’ work, alongside Ceramics and Contemporary Craft. It’s not just the work these students create that’s fascinating but what’s inspired it. There are rich stories behind each piece that engage the viewer, taking you into the mind of the artist.

The jewellery is innovative and striking, not just in design but in the use of materials, with some pieces made entirely of natural, sustainable and found materials.

Lauren Gunning-Bown creates delicate jewellery using bioplastic made from seaweed and buddleia, the wool of her pet angora rabbit, foraged materials such as limpet shells, and melted sea glass found on Plymouth beaches.

From here I’m taken to the Fashion graduates’ work. Again, it is stunningly curated, and the work shows a level of imagination, a creative combination of materials and tailoring, along with a certain degree of wackiness that you’d easily see on many more established designers’ runways.

I’m told that the college prides itself on close collaboration between students and subjects, such that

the Commercial Photography students document much of the other students’ final shows, and the Printed Textile Design students work closely with the Interior Design students, and so forth. That way, they break out from their silos and apply their work as they would do in the wider world.

The college boasts a number of well-known alumni, including the actor Charles Dance, photographer Harry Borden, Peter Jupp (now Creative Director at Apple in California) and Alice Vandy, the UK-based fashion designer. But it’s clear, as I finish my tour, that I’ve been looking at the work of prized alumni to come. Indeed, some have already landed jobs with highly regarded publishing houses, including Penny Chan, who began freelancing at GQ Style prior to her graduation in Fashion Media and Marketing.

It’s a privilege to discover such artists at the start of their careers, and see the level and variety of work and intricacy that each has put into their final shows.

I’m reminded that society owes a lot to places such as Plymouth College of Art, which, each year, nurture and deliver a succession of talented creatives into the world, to inspire and be enjoyed by us for generations to come.

David Jamin “Une Pause dans la bibliothèque“

Thomas Bossard “It’s him again”

Acrylic on canvas 80x80cms £1,950

Oil on canvas 50x50cms £1,995

plymouthart.ac.uk

Exhibition of the latest works by David Jamin and Thomas Bossard Starting July 16 until September 16, 2017 62 Church Street, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 3DS 01326 219323 | 07913 848515 | info@artworldltd.com | www.artworldltd.com MANOR | High Summer 2017

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culture South West must sees...

PHOTO: D. SAWYER

Lamelladrones – electrical and acoustic sound installation array by David Sawyer

Group enterprise Formed in 1999, Art Haven is an artists’ initiative comprising a waxing and waning roster of practitioners from different disciplines. The latest exhibition, ‘Band Width’, features the work of seven artists, who will show a selection of new works in the fields of painting (Liese Webley), mixed media (Stella Tripp), photography (Gabi KrukenbergTayler), sculpture (Andrew Vaccari), print (Simon Ripley), and woven tapestry (Christine Sawyer). There will also be a sound installation by David Sawyer, who spent years designing and making musical instruments. The work in the exhibition focuses on instruments that play themselves, enabling David to set up a spatial array of resonant sculptures, including using electromagnetism to vibrate steel blades (lamellas) through shellacked paper fans.

18-23 July at PS45 (formerly Spacex Gallery), 45 Preston Street, Exeter EX1 1DF. Admission is free, and artists will be stewarding the space from 11am to 5pm each day, and are happy to talk about the work. arthaven.co.uk

On the make

Until 3 September at Leach Pottery, Higher Stennack, St Ives TR26 2HE. leachpottery.com

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PHOTO: SARAH WHITE

When it comes to pottery, the mere mention of the name ‘Leach’ is enough to raise interest – and expectations of quality.

‘Clay in Practice: The Leach Studio’ is a chance to see new pieces by members of the Studio Team, and reveals how some of the crew work with clay when they’re not making Leach Standard Ware pottery.

Featuring pots by Laurence Eastwood, Matt Foster, Britta James, and Kat Wheeler, the exhibition presents a range of styles, functions and glazes – including materials that have been locally sourced and blended.

Chawan by Matt Foster

Get away If there’s one thing the South West does spectacularly well, it’s offering opportunities to take time out from this hectic world. ‘Escape’ is a joint show of paintings that depict the places we might seek solace when it all gets too much. Mark Rochester lives in Ilfracombe and travels to the rugged North Devon coastline to paint en plein air, and brings a fresh take to the landscape genre with his vertiginous views and graphic mark-making. For Dylan Lloyd, it’s the garden that provides inspiration.

Living and working in Dorset, he paints large canvases that offer an immersive experience of a garden in growth; the exaggerated depth of field and pixilated elements of his work are reminiscent of photography.

22 July – 26 August at Hybrid Gallery, 51 High Street, Honiton EX14 1PW. hybrid-devon.co.uk.

Dark Cliff by Mark Rochester

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Two’s company A la nuit by David Jamin

This summer Art World Gallery is hosting a two-man exhibition of works by David Jamin and Thomas Bossard.

David Jamin is a portrait painter, who portrays the sensitive side of humanity. His passion for drawing was established in his childhood and he has gone on to master many different techniques, enabling him to convey emotion in his own distinctive style.

Thomas Bossard is a painter whose work is rich in technical detail. Humour plays an important role in his work, and he takes much inspiration from artists such as James Ensor and Honoré Daumier.

Chris and Ellie of Art World Gallery are the sole agents in the UK for these two French artists. David Jamin has been with the gallery for 15 years, and Thomas Bossard for 13 years. During this time, both artists have accumulated an evergrowing list of collectors here in the UK. 16 July - 16 September 2017 at Art World Gallery, Falmouth TR11 3DS. artworldltd.com

I think we’re lost by Thomas Bossard

What big teeth you have…

PHOTO: STEVE TANNER

How thin is the line between civilisation and the wild? That’s the question at the heart of Wolf’s Child, an enchanting promenade production from Cornish theatre company WildWorks. Loosely referencing the Greek myth of Callisto, Wolf’s Child tells the story of Mother, who protects her collection of orphan girls from the dangers of the wild. When a wolf attack leaves her injured, she sends her most trusted envoy into the woods in her place. Here the girl discovers darkness, love, terror and freedom… Led through the twilight by a chorus of sharp-tongued crows, the audience is immersed in the fairytale while soaking up the atmosphere of the gorgeous Trelowarren landscape. And remember, don’t stray from the path – here there be wolves.

Mother, played by Sue Hill

Until 30 July at Trelowarren Estate, Lizard Peninsula, Helston TR12 6AF. Tickets are £16£21, and are available via hallforcornwall.co.uk. For more information, see wildworks.biz

Hidden histories When not spray-painting mural onto the walls of Miami, or creating ad campaigns for global brands, or designing a poster for Pixies, Stephen Bliss is ripping down huge chunks of advertising posters from billboards around New York City, collaging them together and painting gangs of female bikers, cartoon characters, pin-up girls and other pop iconography with black ink onto the ripped surfaces. Following the success of his debut solo show in Los Angeles, the former Rockstar Games/Grand Theft Auto senior artist brings his eye-popping modern-day palimpsests to north Cornwall for ‘In Throbbing Colour’.

26 July – 26 September at Pop Café Gallery, Trevanson St, Wadebridge PL27 7AW. popcafegallery.co.uk

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culture Worth making the trip for...

Wall to wall art Europe’s largest street art and graffiti festival returns – and this year’s Upfest promises to be the brightest and best to date, with more than 350 artists from over 50 countries hitting the streets of Bedminster to paint live on more than 30 venues and outdoor walls. As well as Bristol legends Inkie, Cheo, Cheba, Jody and Voyder, this year’s line-up includes festival artist duo Pahnl, internationally renowned artists Kobra (Brazil), New Yorkbased Buff Monster, Portugal’s Pantonio, street art pioneers Eelus, Will Barras, Xenz, as well as Nomad Clan and Filthy Luker. As well as pop-up eateries and stalls, the local cafes and bars get behind the festival, so there’s always plenty of places to take a break when your feet get tired – which they will.

29-31 July at various locations across Bedminster, Bristol. upfest.co.uk Artist – Nomad Clan

Movie magic I’ve always envied Americans their nostalgia-tinged teenage memories of drive-in movies. The closest we got to that when I was growing up in Camberwell was if someone pushed the telly near an open window. But these days, the Rooftop Film Club – with venues in Shoreditch, Peckham, Kensington and Stratford – offers an outside viewing experience par excellence, with added street food and themed cocktails. This summer, atop Peckham’s Bussey Building, thanks to the NME and the BFI, there’s Cine Jam – a season of films with cracking soundtracks, including O Brother, Where Art Thou?, High Fidelity, Pulp Fiction and Drive. Starting at 7pm, there’s live music before each film, with the movie magic beginning at 9pm. Book early to get a ‘Love Seat’. In your face, Americans!

Throughout the summer until 30 August at Rooftop Film Club, Bussey Building, 133 Rye Lane, London SE15 4ST. £15-£50. rooftopfilmclub.com

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Rise up

PHOTO: IWM

Through a century of placards, posters, banners, correspondence, art and archival footage, ‘People Power: Fighting for Peace’ demonstrates the energy, commitment and courage of those willing to stand against war.

Conscientious objectors during both world wars, the interwar pacifist movement, protest movements railing against the Cold War, Vietnam, Greenham, and then the digital-harnessing tactics of the Stop the War coalition, which also saw more than two million marchers against the Iraq invasion take to the London streets… But as well as these very public examples of protest, it’s the private stories shared here that show how much the pursuit of peace is intrinsic to being human. And in that, this show offers hope.

A march of 2,000 anti-conscription protesters in London, 1939

Until 28 August at Imperial War Museum, Lambeth Rd, London SE1 6HZ. £10 (£7, £5). iwm.org.uk

PHOTO: VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM, LONDON

PHOTO: LORRAINE O’GRADY

Lorraine O’Grady (b. 1934), Art Is (Girlfriends Times Two), 1983/2009.Photograph

Making history Opening in 1963, at the height of the Civil Rights movement and its dreams of integration, ‘Soul of Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power’ shines a light on the vital contribution of Black artists to a dramatic period in American art and history. Vibrant paintings, powerful murals, collage, photography, revolutionary clothing designs and sculptures made with Black hair, melted records, and tights – the variety of artworks (many on display in the UK for the first time) reflects the many viewpoints of artists and collectives at work during these explosive times.

Spanning the emergence of Black feminism, debates over the possibility of a unique Black aesthetic in photography, and including activist posters as well as purely abstract works, the exhibition asks how the concept of Black Art was promoted, contested and sometimes flatly rejected by artists across the United States.

Until 22 October at Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. £16.50 (£14.50). tate.org.uk

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Evening dress, silk taffeta, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Paris, 1955

Dress to impress Once again, the V&A pulls out the stops to make us realise that, essentially, we’re all going about in rags… Cristóbal Balenciaga all but reinvented haute couture in the 1950s, and has earned a place among the giants of 20th-century fashion.

‘Shaping Fashion’ marks the 100th anniversary of the opening of his San Sebastian fashion house, and charts the Spanish designer’s rise through garments, hats, drawings, photographs and film.

Until 18 February 2018 at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL. £12. vam.ac.uk

culture Worth staying in for...

Get ready to rumble If you liked nothing better on a Saturday morning in the 80s than settling down in front of World of Sport to see the latest instalment of Big Daddy’s feud with Giant Haystacks, then GLOW could be the show for you. Inspired by the real story of an all-female wrestling league in the 1980s, the ten-part series – set in Los Angeles and showcasing big characters and even bigger hair – tells the story of Ruth Wilder (played by Alison Brie), an out-of-work actress who joins the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling crew in a last-ditch effort to keep her career afloat. Executive produced by Orange is the New Black’s Jenji Kohan and Tara Herrmann, GLOW was co-created by Liz Flahive (Homeland) and Carly Mensch (also Orange is the New Black), so it’s got credentials to die for. As with the over-the-top wrestling extravaganzas of old, you’ll turn up for the absurdly hilarious body-slamming narratives and stick around for the heart-warming stories in their midst.

GLOW is available to watch now on Netflix.

Call me Do you find yourself increasingly enslaved by your mobile, by its constant demands for your attention, trilling and parping in your pocket? Have you noticed that we no longer seem able to allow a solitary moment to stay that way? Left at the table momentarily by your dining companion’s bladder requirements, your first instinct is to pull out your device. And that’s if it’s not already next to the napkin. This ‘five-hundred-quid worry bead’ is central to Will Self ’s latest novel, Phone, which takes a characteristically clear-eyed look at contemporary life – and finds it wanting. The final part of the trilogy that began with 2012’s Umbrella (shortlisted for the Booker), and 2014’s Shark, we are once again in the company of Dr Zack Busner. Now 78, he is sliding towards mental oblivion, but, as he says, “Alzheimer’s itself may be a form of good mental health – after all, what could be saner in a world in which every last particle of trivia is retained on some computer than to … forget everything.” Quite. And it’s his only way to keep in touch with autistic grandson Ben, whose penchant for hacking is about to uncover some very uncomfortable truths for MI6 agent Jonathan De’Ath, aka ‘the Butcher’…

Phone is out now, published in hardback by Viking.

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Jumpsuit, £49.99, Zara

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The Style Shoot For this Style Shoot, we channelled Ross Poldark and took to the Cornish cliffs. From there we contemplated the rugged wild beauty of the horizon, took comfort in the long grass and adopted an air of romantic reflection and restrained elegance.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SEB CHANDLER STYLED BY MIMI STOTT

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Inspiral silk satin dress by Unique, £275, Topshop

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Top, £15.99, Zara; skirt, £22, Next

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Striped top, £28, Next; capri trousers, £28, Next

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Funnel top, £7.99, Zara; trousers, stylist’s own

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Flowing jacket with ruffled sleeves, £29.99, Zara; trousers, stylist’s own

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Culpepper ruched blazer by Unique, £245, Topshop; trousers. £38, Next

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Photographer: Seb Chandler Stylist: Mimi Stott Model: Sonya Derviz from Select Hair and make-up: Maddie Austin Special thanks to the Port Gaverne Hotel, Cornwall

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Food

Seashore foraging in East Devon An Exeter food waste project | French brasserie La Petite Bouchée Bites, the latest news and events from across the region | Food pioneer | The Table Prowler

PHOTO: MATT AUSTIN

Tales of Space and Thyme is just one of 25 new extravagant cocktails featured in ‘The Search For Fame & Fortune’, the second drinks journal produced by Exeter’s Victorian-inspired bar, Doctor Ink’s Curiosities. doctorinks.com

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MANOR’s food editor gets a taste of the seashore in East Devon with Tony Coulson, founder of Ebb Tides. Photos by Kyle Baker.

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rudging across the shingle shoreline of the Jurassic Coast as the tide reaches its lowest, Tony Coulson and I wade through a cold, fast-flowing stream and clamber up onto the rocks. The East Devon coast isn’t a bad office – armed with a rucksack and a pair of scissors, Tony has a special licence to hand-harvest edible seaweeds, which he markets as seaweed blends to grind into recipes.

Tony, who previously worked as a psychotherapist and has always been a keen fly fisherman, has lived in Sidmouth for almost 20 years and knows this coast intimately. Facing out to sea, we spot three visible coloured bands of seaweeds as we walk into the intertidal zone on the rocky shore: first the bright green sea lettuce, then red seaweeds such as dulse at the midshore, then at the low spring tides, the brown kelps are exposed.

Standing on the exposed rocks, looking out to the wide expanse of sea, with the red Jurassic cliffs behind, we see no other sign of human activity. “This seascape hasn’t changed, and to me, it feels very primitive out here,” says Tony, with his back to the town and 88

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the tourists at the other end of the beach. “Seaweeds are primitive plants, too, they haven’t changed for thousands of years. At times, it’s almost a religious feeling that I get when I’m cutting the seaweed – I feel huge gratitude.”

It’s definitely a calm, relaxing environment to work in, although of course there are risks, ranging from being stung by a weaver fish to getting stranded and cut off as the tide comes in, so it’s important to not lose track of time. “It’s therapeutic just being next to the ocean – special ions are released and it’s known to be good for your health and wellbeing,” explains Tony.

“Thousands of years ago, when people lived in caves along this coast, shellfish and seaweed would have been their staple diet. Now, many people are going back to the simple things – you can’t get food less processed than this,” says Tony, as he begins to nibble at some sea lettuce, one of the vibrant green seaweeds. “I could just snack on this all day – it has all the minerals and vitamins your body requires and it’s full of fibre.” Perhaps that’s why this sea-sourced delicacy has once again

food

Tony Coulson

become such a trendy superfood: it’s rich in vitamins, especially B vitamins, and minerals like calcium, iron and magnesium, plus Omega-3 fatty acids, and it’s a wholesome alternative to salt.

Ebb Tides is a real hunter-gatherer business model – it’s natural, sustainable, and Tony is at the whim of the weather and the tides. He harvests six species of seaweeds by hand by cutting the fronds with scissors halfway down, so they regenerate quickly – some kelps can grow one metre in a day. On the beach, Tony weighs the seaweed he collects and logs the amount (perhaps 10kg of kelp on one foraging trip), species and location as part of his licence agreement with Natural England along a seven-mile stretch of coastline.

At home in his kitchen, he washes and dries the seaweed in small batches and sells it in grinders that can be put on the dining table. “I’m trying to keep away from exotic strange names,” says Tony, whose mix of sea lettuce and laver is called ‘sea salad’; there’s also a smoky, rich, spicy dulse grinder, and bladderwrack and forest kelp are mixed for the earthier kelp grinder.

Aside from the four basic taste sensations (salty, sweet, sour and bitter), there’s a fifth one, umami. This Japanese word means ‘beautiful savoury taste’ and can be found

in ingredients like mushrooms, tomatoes and kelps in particular. “Umami gives an extra depth of flavour and adds mystique to a dish,” says Tony, who worked closely with Woolacombe-based chef Noel Corston to make Ebb Tides’ seaweed blends. Noel is a big advocate for including the umami element in cookery, and seaweed is a great source of it: “So many food trends go back to nature – what tastes good and grows naturally normally outsells processed foods in the long-term,” says Noel.

“It’s great to have hand-harvested seaweed sourced locally here in Devon on a commercial scale. From a culinary point of view, it’s a natural healthy salt, and you get this umami hit, which is great for bringing meaty flavours out in veg and fish. Umami is what wraps up all the other flavours, and when it’s not there, that’s when you realise something’s wrong about a dish.”

All UK seaweeds are edible and versatile. They can be added as a garnish or condiment, or used as an ingredient in their own right. The main harvest is throughout the summer months until the end of September, when low tides allow, although some species can be harvested all year round. Tony comments that “the dulses and sea lettuce look quite advanced for this time of the year, so we’re MANOR | High Summer 2017

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It’s therapeutic just being next to the ocean – special ions are released and it’s known to be good for your health and wellbeing

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food

Tony Coulson launched Ebb Tides in 2016 with three main seaweed blends: sea salad, dulse and kelp

having a good season”, although he does sometimes buy some sustainably hand-harvested seaweed in from Ireland because he just can’t keep up with the demand himself.

With more than 400 species in the UK alone, seaweeds are protected plants, so it shouldn’t be a free for all, but next time you’re on the beach, have a little taste. Just make sure you don’t rip it off the rocks, always be aware of the tide, wear sturdy footwear, and don’t turn your back on the sea in case bigger waves start coming in.

Tony is always on the hunt for little coves and secluded spots to forage, often at the crack of dawn, but he is ultimately limited by the tide when he’s on foot: “I’m looking at getting a boat to access some of the more remote spots – that way I could get into places where I know there is seaweed but I’ve not yet been able to get to.” Most founders of foodie start-ups would be quite stressed as their business begins to take off with increasing demand. Not Tony – he’s enjoying the slow pace of his new working life, in tune with the ebb and flow of the tides and the natural environment that surrounds him. ebbtides.co.uk

HOW TO EAT SEAWEED Tony is always experimenting with new recipes: “I’m trying to simplify it because people often get caught up with complex Japanese recipes. It doesn’t have to be difficult, I want to demystify it.” Crunch it into salads, on omelettes and frittatas, even grind it onto baked beans on toast. Add seaweed to smoothies or ice creams, eat dulse with beefburgers, or serve fish with sea lettuce, and use it to make stocks or as extra seasoning. Kelp can be added to curries: soak it and cook it, then blitz it up; it makes an incredible madras, according to Tony. Dulse can be a veggie bacon substitute; he fries it up for five seconds once it has dried a little – delicious!

In Japan, dashi stock is a staple made by drying kelp, soaking it for an hour then boiling it for half an hour. Add fish flakes (smoked trout or mackerel, for example) and noodles, and that’s the basis of Japanese diets.

Tony suggests seaweed can be a substitute for your salt grinder – it’s a natural salty seasoning. He also recommends making a seaweed butter as a simple way to incorporate the goodness of seaweeds into your life: “Place the softened butter in the bowl of your food mixer and add 16g of dried seaweed. Mix at low speed until the butter is an even colour and the seaweed is incorporated.

Wrap the butter in greaseproof paper and leave to set in the fridge.”

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Waste not, want not

Dave Wright, manager at St Sidwell’s Community Centre, tells Anna Turns how Exeter volunteers are fighting food waste and connecting in the kitchen.

Photos by Martin Weiler.

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ith irises in bloom, blue tits popping their heads out of the bird box, and rainbow chard growing at least seven feet up out of the raised beds, the peaceful garden at St Sidwell’s Community Centre is a suntrap; an oasis just metres away from Exeter’s busy, noisy city centre. Growing and cooking food is transformative on different levels for volunteers, many of whom are contributing to a low-key project called Waste Not Want Not, which tackles the serious issue of food waste. An estimated 20-40% of UK fruit and vegetables are rejected even before they reach the shops – mostly because they don’t match the supermarkets’ excessively strict cosmetic standards. And across Devon, food makes up 23% of waste – that’s approximately 31,600 tonnes of food waste in Devon dustbins.

St Sid’s receives surplus fresh produce donated via the Exeter Food Network, from food banks, supermarkets and local allotment societies when there’s a glut. “We’ve just been given loads of rhubarb from St Thomas allotments, and local farmers have sent us boxes of beets, for example,” says centre manager Dave Wright, who explains that the Waste Not Want Not project came about informally a couple of years ago when he went to collect fresh produce from the food bank that they couldn’t store: “Among it all, they offered us five boxes of limes from Waitrose. So we took them back to the kitchen and made 65 jars of lime pickle with help from a few of our volunteers, and labelled it up.”

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marmalade made from several boxes of satsumas from the Co-op, which had reached their sell-by date. “Waste Not Want Not is now a permanent part of what we do here,” he says. Whenever there’s an abundance of fresh produce, the team gets to work making it into pickles, chutneys and preserves, sold here and at the Mulberry Cafe at Exeter Community Centre for just £1.50 a jar.

St Sidwell’s is a place of refuge in a part of Exeter that particularly needs a lifeline. “This is an area with high levels of social deprivation, one of the only areas in Devon among the worst 5% of the UK,” Dave tells me. “And while there are lots of projects that help people back to employment or independence or self-confidence, we’re unique because as we’re a small charity, most of the support they get is from each other.” In the kitchen, employed cook George may be working alongside someone with learning difficulties, someone with a history of mental health, a recovered heroin addict, an ex-offender and a refugee from Syria. “The support they get in the kitchen is mostly from each other, it doesn’t have to be overcomplicated.

You don’t need structured programmes – bringing people together and getting them to do something or make something together works best. Cooking is great for that, especially baking, because it’s satisfying, social, you have to work as a team, there’s an immediate product you can smell or taste and see, and people appreciate that – there’s a sense of pride in that achievement.”

Promoting inclusion is what St Sid’s is all about. With social deprivation, a lot of people can feel vulnerable, marginalised and isolated. St Sidwell’s rents out rooms to a diverse variety of community groups throughout the week and runs a volunteer work placement programme; all are welcome. Last year, Dave took on 157 volunteers

and cooking is always the most popular activity, with gardening a close second.

The colourful St Sid’s community café is run by one employed professional cook, George, plus a team of volunteers and people on work placements. “We offer affordable and nutritious food and always make everything ourselves from scratch, often with ingredients grown in our garden. Everyone is welcome, and if someone wants to make one cup of tea last three hours, they can do. We also give away meals to our volunteers, many of whom may not have cooking facilities where they’re living, so this can be quite an important meal in their day.”

Established in 1998, St Sidwell’s Community Centre sits on the original site of an Anglo-Saxon church and there have been burials here for more than 1,000 years, although it has no religious affiliations. In between some of the graves, Dave has planted herb graves, with various thymes and mint, plus there are more unusual fresh herbs growing: lovage, fenugreek, Jacob’s ladder, hissop, marjoram and fever few. Of course, there are huge compost heaps here in the garden, and the raised beds are

thriving with red cabbage, kale, onions, radish, beetroot, broad beans, peas, salad leaves and spinach.

Over the years, the need for an accessible cookery school emerged: “We have always trained people to cook when they volunteer here, we’ve run cooking-on-abudget courses and courses for young chefs in the school holidays, but three years ago we started running a baking club every Thursday afternoon. Guest bakers teach how to make breads, cakes or pasties, and each course costs just £2.50 to cover ingredients, then people take what they’ve baked home with them.”

With funding from the People’s Postcode Lottery, Dave has set up the St Sidwell’s Community Cookery School more formally this year, currently with free slots on weekday courses and weekend workshops. “It’s exciting for us and a good example that we’re making good use of our kitchen – we see this as much more than a community café,” says Dave, who is adamant that good, healthy food doesn’t have to be expensive or elitist. “Devon is full of cookery schools but they’re really expensive – people are genuinely interested in learning to cook and having access to these courses to gain confidence in the kitchen.”

The Waste Not Want Not project will continue to be integrated with the cookery classes that take place here – it’s simple, yet effective, and this scheme is another extension of St Sid’s ethos, combining education with hope, skills, confidence and an environmental conscience, without breaking the bank. “For me, it isn’t just about not throwing food away, it’s not just about combating food waste and raising awareness of that, but it’s also just about bringing people together,” says Dave.

“It feels like a very natural thing to do.”

St Sid’s Cafe is open 9am-3pm Mondays to Fridays for breakfast, lunch, teas, coffees and cake. St. Sidwell’s Community Centre, Sidwell Street, Exeter EX4 6NN. For event information, visit stsidwells.org.uk

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MANOR’s food editor Anna Turns discovers La Petite Bouchée, the bijou brasserie that recently arrived in north Devon on four wheels. Photos by Nick Hook.

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food

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PHOTO: JAMES BALSTON PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO: JAMES BALSTON PHOTOGRAPHY

he small village of Witheridge is a trendy new dining destination for serious foodies.

La Petite Bouchée, a four-seater restaurant housed in the back of a converted 1971 Citroen HY Camper Van (right), brings the informal, sociable aspect of French dining to rural Devon. Chefs Anita-Clare Field and her wife Caroline set up this quirky business in London three years ago: “We want to recreate those amazing nights when you go out in France and sit together and have far too much rosé, eating four-course meals over three hours with a relaxed ambience. Our ethos is all about enjoying delicious food in good company,” says Anita-Clare, whose typical menu includes entrées such as chargrilled razor clams or duck rillettes, followed by an amuse bouche of gazpacho Provençal. With just one evening sitting every Friday and Saturday night, diners can enjoy French-inspired cassoulet, monkfish cheeks or Basque seafood stew, and choose from classic desserts like tarte au citron, crème brûlée or a regional cheeseboard. In addition to this cosy, intimate restaurant for four, AnitaClare and Caroline have built a 20-cover dining room at the back of their house to run in conjunction with the original van.

So why move to Devon? Widely known as the most unique brasserie in London, the successful La Petite Bouchée originally stemmed from the city’s thriving supper club scene: “Our model is a hybrid, with a set menu like most supper clubs, and diners would pay on the night like in a mainstream restaurant rather than in advance.” But family circumstances changed, and having lived in Somerset for 22 years, Caroline was hankering to move back to the West Country. “We decided to move somewhere that neither of us has lived before,” explains Anita-Clare. “Devon seemed the obvious choice because we both independently love it here and we have friends in Okehampton and near Newton Abbot. We both thought this area of north Devon was really beautiful and the community that we’ve found ourselves in couldn’t have been more lovely, we are very lucky.”

With moules frites and fruits de mer on the menu, Anita-Clare is definitely making the most of the delicious produce on her new doorstep, quite literally: “Our eggs are from a farm just down the road, we use local honey, Red Ruby beef from Burrow Farm on the Killerton Estate, duck and chicken from Creedy Carvers in Crediton, mussels from Exmouth and fish from Devon Quality Fish, who have their own fishing boats.” Anita-Clare adds that she is keen to work with as many small producers as possible, while making amazing food accessible. “I’m really pleased that 93% of what we serve is sourced within a 30-mile radius from our home.

The only thing that isn’t local is our wine list, because it’s French – we’re lucky to get our wine (much of it is organic or biodynamic) from very niche vineyards in the

We want to recreate those amazing nights when you go out in France and sit together and have far too much rosé, eating fourcourse meals over three hours with a relaxed ambience.

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south-west of France, where my family originally comes from, and that’s so important to us. However, our beer comes from Black Tor Brewery and we use Ashridge Cider, which is made in Staverton in south Devon.”

Growing up, Anita-Clare often holidayed in the Loire Valley, Brittany and the shellfish mecca of Normandy (she had her first fruits de mer when she was eight years old), and Caroline’s parents had a house in France, too. “We both loved that way of life, going to the market, picking up fresh produce and coming home and cooking it. That’s exactly what we’re trying to recreate here. Everything is fresh, seasonal, definitely responsibly sourced, and we want to share that experience with people.” The traditional French way of shopping is a far cry from supermarkets. “Most French housewives go shopping every day for veg and bread, order their meat once a week and drive to the market by the coast for fish and shellfish – we should be more like that here.”

Anita-Clare has found the Devon food scene remarkably different to that in Crystal Palace, where she was previously based. “It’s far more friendly down here in terms of getting to know producers. There’s nothing like getting your wellies on and being able to go and see some cattle... the provenance of our food is very important and we want to pass that philosophy on to our diners as well.”

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This small but perfectly formed restaurant has a conscience, too. With a set menu, food waste can be kept to an absolute minimum, and Anita-Clare is proud that each service produces less than half a black bin liner full of rubbish, excluding glass bottles. So it’s a streamlined model. Fish, for example, arrives on the day it’s going to be cooked: “I will not serve fish unless it’s just a day old. We’ve got a 100% record for shellfish, so I don’t want to tarnish that. If you’re coming along for moules frites, you want to know that those mussels are as fresh as fresh can be.”

Having previously cooked elaborate four-course dinners on a camping stove without running water or mains electricity, it’s clear that Anita-Clare has a good sense of humour, and her heart-warming, open approach results in menus accomplished with care. Now she has the luxury of a real oven to make her crème brûlées, but she hints that she might be tempted to resurrect her camping stove this summer and cook on her roof garden above the dining room. .

La Petite Bouchée, Witheridge EX16 8AE. Open from 7pm Fridays and Saturdays. Set menu £30pp. Booking essential. 01884 860654. lapetiteboucheebrasserie.co.uk

Bites

Feast for 1,000 mouths Nancarrow, the working organic farm near Truro, is collaborating with leading chefs for four nights of feasting in aid of Action Against Hunger. Embodying their ethos of sustainable food production, the chefs aim to feed 1,000 people from a single bullock reared on the farm from 5-8 October.

Guest chefs, including Gill Meller and the team from River Cottage, Tom Adams (Coombeshead Farm, Pitt Cue), James Knappett (Bubbledogs & Kitchen Table) and Andy Appleton (Appleton’s at the Vineyard), join Nancarrow’s resident chefs Darren Broom and Jack Bristow. Beef from just one of Nancarrow’s traditional breed bullocks will feature on all of the menus, alongside other seasonal ingredients grown on the farm and by other local suppliers.

Gill Meller says: “For me, the best kind of cooking and eating celebrates seasonal ingredients produced sustainably. I know this is an ethos shared by the team at Nancarrow Farm. To be able to enjoy ingredients in the environment in which they have been reared or grown is very special, and Nancarrow’s 1,000 Mouths festival will provide people with the perfect opportunity to do just that, while also raising funds for an excellent cause.”

Tickets are now on sale. 5-8 October. 5pm until late. Tickets from £40pp includes farm tour, cocktail on arrival, canapés, and three-course menu. Go to: nancarrowfarm.co.uk

An expanding wine list Lyme Bay Winery has introduced four new wines: the fresh and zesty Lyme Bay Sandbar 2015, and the intense, fresh Bacchus Block 2015, both of which are still white wines; and two new sparkling wines, Lyme Bay Blanc de Noirs with red fruit characters, and the vibrant Lyme Bay Sparkling Rosé.

James Lambert, managing director of Lyme Bay Winery, says: “Our head winemaker, Liam Idzikowski, and the team here have been working hard to produce these delicious new still and sparkling wines.” lymebaywinery.co.uk

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Secret Orchard The craft cider producer Secret Orchard Cider is on the look-out for apples grown in west Cornish orchards, after releasing its first cider made with 100% pure Cornish apple juice. Co-founder Todd Studley is excited to release this new cider, which has been hand-picked, pressed and packaged in Cornwall: “We’re really happy with the crisp, refreshing taste we’ve achieved in our first batch.”

Secret Orchard is based within Exmoor National Park in Somerset, where Todd and his business partner Joe Heley grew up. Now living in Cornwall, Todd was keen to expand his range of ciders by working with quality Cornish apples. The 2016 Cornish Vintage was made using parcels of apples sourced from several orchards in west Cornwall, within a 10-mile radius of Todd’s home in St Erth. Now he is on the hunt for other small orchards this year in order to grow production. Orchard owners in west Cornwall looking for a home for their apples can email Todd: todd@secretorchardcider.com

Jam on top?

Matthew Makepeace recently launched the Salcombe Cream Tea Co., delivering Devon cream tea hampers to your door, desk, holiday cottage, boat or beach. Scones are freshly baked by Frogmore Bakery each morning, clotted cream is from Langage Farm, strawberries come from the Tamar Valley and jam is produced by the family business, Soar Mill Cove Hotel, near Salcombe. Cream teas can be delivered anywhere within a 15-mile radius of Salcombe, or boxes can be posted nationally, so the only thing you need to worry about is whether to put the jam or cream on first. salcombecreamteaco.com

Small but perfectly formed

artisanchocolatesdevon.com

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PHOTO: GUY HARROP

Artisan Chocolates Devon is a new handmade chocolate company based in Kingsbridge. Founder Peter Alcroft is a trained chef who previously worked in luxury hotels across the globe. His knowledge and skill for chocolatemaking ensures the flavours marry together: “Firm favourites include salted caramel truffles, and we have also introduced more adventurous flavours of lime and cardamom. We only use the finest chocolate to create our luxury truffles and bars.”

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Hungry snapper Three images by North Devon food photographer Guy Harrop have been commended at the Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year 2017. The international food photography competition celebrates the best photographers in the industry from across the globe, with this year’s competition attracting more than 8,400 images from over 60 countries. Judges included Jay Rayner, Xanthe Clay, Gary Rhodes and David Loftus.

Guy’s images include this shot of a lone take-away van at Woolacombe beach waiting for trade, in the Partridges Food For Sale Category. “It is the sixth year of the competition and the sixth year that my foodie photos have caught the judges’ eyes, so I am just very pleased to be recognised at this level. This year the competition was high and I think the quality of the food photography is fantastic,” says Guy. guyharrop.com

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Feeling chilli Dartmouth Ice Cream has launched two new flavours for the summer, collaborating with the South Devon Chilli Farm to make Chilli Chocolate Ice Cream and Elderflower Chilli Sorbet. Dartmouth Ice Cream ran a logo design competition with students at Dartmouth Academy, and winning Year 7 student Louella Hughes’s eye-catching design now features in stores alongside the new flavours. Both flavours are available until the end of August. dartmouthicecream.com

Still on the move Cosmo Caddy of Devon Distillery is crafting gin in small batches using a custom-made mobile Italian copper still called Prosperity, which is transported on a vintage truck.

His ‘Still on the Move’ represents a modern twist on an age-old process. “We are making gin for individuals, festivals, restaurants and bars,” says Cosmo. “It’s proving a great draw to make your own gin, creating a label and being able to enjoy the gin on the same day. We can make between 20 and 100 litres (27-140 bottles) in a run, which takes between two and six hours.”

Cosmo has also produced the new limited-edition Elmhirst Gin for The Shops at Dartington, made with rosemary picked on the estate, and the name honours the most significant family in Dartington’s modern history.

Barbara King, managing director of The Shops at Dartington, comments: “Gin is the drink of the moment.

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It therefore makes complete sense for us to create our own clean, dry gin with selected ingredients right here on our doorstep.” devondistillery.com

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Beach bar Overlooking the beach at Sennen, Ben Tunnicliffe Sennen Cove now has a new outdoor bar, the Surf Den, and an exclusive ale on the menu produced

by Skinner’s Brewery. Described as a ‘session beer’, Head Launcher is a refreshing pale ale named after Sennen Cove’s lifeboat controller, who oversees the launch and recovery of the life-saving vessel, which is so important to the local community.

Combined with chilled DJ sets and freshly baked pizzas, ocean views make the Surf Den the perfect spot to refuel after a day on the beach.

Save the date ROCKFISH CRAB FESTIVAL Mitch Tonks and co-host Angela Hartnett celebrate all that is great about British crab. Enjoy music, local crab, children’s crabbing competition and the best-dressed table competition. Bring bunting, table linen, flowers, candelabra, whatever you fancy.

30 July. From 12noon. Dartmouth South Embankment. Tickets £35. rockfishevents.co.uk

SOUTH WEST COFFEE FESTIVAL Get your caffeine hit and taste local brews.

Nourish Festival

4-6 August. Powderham Castle. swcoffeefest.com

PENGRILLIE BBQ FESTIVAL

CLOVELLY LOBSTER AND CRAB FESTIVAL

A family fun day of sizzle, flames, delicious food and live music, plus teams compete for the title of PenGrillie Pitmaster 2017.

Celebrate sustainably caught local shellfish with family fun activities and chef demos.

6 August. £7.50. Pentillie Castle, Saltash PL12 6QD. pentillie.co.uk

NOURISH Food, music and craft, plus this year a new gin festival and the Devon Street Food Awards.

2 September. Bovey Tracey town centre. nourishfestival.org

3 September. Standard admission charges apply. clovelly.co.uk

TOPSHAM BEER AND BACON FESTIVAL Organised by the founder of Good Game and The Pig and Pallet. Local ales £3 a pint, plus BBQ. 9 September. Topsham Quay. Follow @topshambeerandbacon on Facebook. topshambeerandbacon.co.uk

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Food Pioneer Romy Gill MBE INDIAN CHEF While growing up in India, I enjoyed eating more than cooking. I used to run away to play with my friends if

my mum asked me to help her, but came back to eat at the right time when the food was cooked. I used to cook with my mum or others but when I moved to the UK I missed the food I ate throughout my childhood.

Hence, I started cooking and experimenting with ingredients that I had never seen or cooked with before, remembering the way my father would grind the spices or my mum or grandmothers or aunties would cook.

I never describe or label my food as authentic. Every

household in India or within the family cooks in different ways. My food is very modern Indian food using the produce from here, cooking with spices and presenting it well.

My food has influences from India, from my travels and the produce from this country. Every culture has

its own traditions. India is a big country – so many religions and languages are spoken, the clothes they wear to the festivals and the customs they follow are so different. I was very lucky as I had the exposure of different cuisines and cultures because my dad worked in the steel industry, where people came to work from all over India.

More women are now leaving their jobs to follow the dream or passion to cook. TV has played a big part in

women entering the industry. Yes, it’s unsociable hours and involves seeing less of the family, but if one has a great team of family, staff and friends, I think you can do it. I always encourage and help women or men who are just starting out.

I am always training my staff to learn new things. We

can inspire more women to take the reins in professional kitchens and that starts in catering colleges. We need to teach them about different cuisines of the world, as we are one of the most multicultural countries. I personally think if you have anyone in the team who wants to know about food, we should move them up the ladder and encourage them to learn how to cook.

I adore Allan Jenkins and Sheila Dillon, who is just like my mum. Sheila inspires me every day with her knowledge

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I’m travelling abroad or at home near Bristol, I write and take pictures, and together we test my recipes with a twist.

I’ve got a busy calendar with pop-up events and festivals.

This started with my residency at Carousel London, as well as Budapest, and I have fabulous guest chefs coming to my restaurant to cook. This year, I’m looking forward to the BBC Good Food Show, Big Feastival, Meatopia, Abergavenny Food Festival, and my favourite – Dartmouth. Dartmouth Food Festival gave me an opportunity when no one else did, so it has a very special place in my heart. My daughters and my husband love coming to beautiful Dartmouth every year with me.

Romy Gill was awarded an MBE for contributions to the hospitality industry last year and she runs Romy’s Kitchen and Restaurant in Thornbury, Bristol: romyskitchen.co.uk. Romy will be taking part in events at Dartmouth Food Festival this October, for more information visit dartmouthfoodfestival.com

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Signature dish Chef and restaurateur Ben Tunnicliffe sources his fish from Newlyn Market and the small dayboats fishing out of Sennen Cove. He combines flavours simply and instinctively, letting the quality of the ingredients take centre stage. A firm believer that cooking should be led by the seasons and the best market produce, Ben has designed this recipe to work with a variety of fish – the red mullet could be replaced by dory, brill or sea trout, for example, depending on availability.

“I love the flavour and texture of red mullet. It’s really versatile, too, and works perfectly with the Mediterranean influences in this dish. My cooking style is all about simplicity and letting the finest-quality ingredients speak for themselves, so this is exactly the kind of thing I would cook for my family on a late summer evening. It’s best to avoid red mullet during the spawning season (May – July) and make sure you avoid buying mullet that are less than two years old (under 16cm),” explains Ben, who runs The Tolcarne Inn in Newlyn, and his beach-side restaurant, Ben Tunnicliffe Sennen Cove. benatsennen.com

Red mullet, with mussels, pesto and gnocchi Serves four INGREDIENTS

• • • • • • • • •

4 portions of red mullet – filleted, scaled and pin bones removed 1kg mussels – cleaned 2 large carrots 2 celery sticks 1 fennel bulb 4 banana shallots Homemade/shop-bought pesto (see below) Fish/light chicken stock Gnocchi, homemade or shop bought (see below)

GNOCCHI

• • • •

225g floury potatoes, in their skins 80g plain flour ¼ tsp salt ½ free-range egg, beaten

PESTO

• • • • • • •

125g pine nuts 125g parmesan cheese (or pecorino), cut into small chunks 1 large bunch fresh basil leaves 1 garlic clove, crushed with the flat side of a knife 200ml extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper A squeeze of lemon juice

METHOD For gnocchi

Bake the potatoes for 50 minutes, or until very soft and leave to cool.

When the potatoes are cool, scoop the flesh out from the skins and mash it or pass it through a potato ricer. Mix with the flour, salt and egg to make a firm dough. Roll the mixture into 1cm thick sausages, cut into 2cm lengths. Cover and set aside.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Boil the gnocchi for three minutes, or until they rise to the surface. Drain ready for use.

For the pesto

Heat a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pine nuts and toast them for a few minutes until browned and fragrant.

Place the parmesan or pecorino chunks in a food processor and add the basil leaves, garlic, toasted pine nuts and olive oil.

Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Blend for a few seconds until it begins to come together and is smooth.

Taste the pesto for seasoning, and add a squeeze of lemon juice.

For the red mullet and mussels

Wash the mussels in cold water, removing any barnacles and any stringy bits from where the shells open and close.

Refrigerate until required.

Peel and roughly chop the vegetables to similar sized pieces, and sweat in some olive oil without colour until tender.

Add about ¼ pint of stock and the mussels. Cover with a lid and cook until the mussels are all open – discard any that don’t open. Add the cooked gnocchi. Stir and bring back to a gentle boil. Stir in a generous amount of pesto, taste and adjust with more pesto and/or seasoning according to taste.

While the sauce is finishing, fry the red mullet fillets in a hot frying pan with a splash of oil. Do most of the cooking on the skin and just turn on to the flesh side to finish. I always slightly undercook fish, as residual heat will finish the cooking process.

Serve in suitable bowl-type dishes, with the cooked fillets of red mullet on top.

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The Table Prowler Brown’s, London Browns in Covent Garden is an institution. Established in 1973, it used to be the Westminster County Court building but makes a rather elegant brasserie and bar, with a hint of Paris about it. The interior is high-ceilinged, with dark wood floors, leather upholstery and a long zinc bar; the clientele are reserved, professional types. Waiters are quietly efficient, attending to you as soon as you’ve walked in through the door rather than leaving you hovering. I was to meet my father for a pre-theatre lunch, and Browns, set in the heart of Covent Garden, is the perfect eatery for such. Civilised, calm and of a certain quality, it allows you to look forward to the show or reflect on it afterwards without distraction. And the food adds to the all-round treat, which, of course, London theatre is. The menu is British fare cooked à la French bistro, so think: British mussels marinières, Devon crab and avocado on sourdough, and duck liver parfait with brioche. For mains, we chose fish and chips (Dad) and lobster risotto (me), and we both chose the Devon crab to start.

The Devon crab arrived atop a layer of crushed avocado, which allowed you to spread it easily on the toasted sourdough.

The crab was fresh and the avocado perfectly ripened to allow

for both taste and consistency. The lobster risotto that followed was rich. It tasted and looked browned, like the butter had been toasted a little to give it a sweet, nutty taste. It was heavy on the butter and parmesan – enrichening the dish rather than sprinkled on top which, after quite a filling starter, meant there was no room for dessert. But the portion size was optimal for risotto – big enough not to disappoint, but small enough to ensure full enjoyment of the show, post-meal.

The fish and chips were wonderful, and of the very best quality: crisp, light batter encasing plump white cod with thick-cut chips, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inner.

We washed it all down with a cold Sauvignon Blanc and headed for the theatre. Browns, an elegant environment serving up quality food, which at £60 for the pair of us means that you can do both theatre and a meal in London in style, without breaking the bank. browns-restaurants.co.uk Food 9 | Service 8 | Ambience 9 | Location 8

Port Gaverne Hotel, Port Isaac, Cornwall It was a family day out – half the extended family were in Cornwall and we were to join them for lunch and a walk.

The location of choice was the Port Gaverne Hotel, near Port Isaac. A small coastal town made famous by Doc Martin, Port Isaac tends to get all the attention: it boasts fantastic cliff-top walks, pretty shops, and quality pubs and restaurants, notably Nathan Outlaw’s two Michelin-starred Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, and his one-star Fish Kitchen. Most people head straight for here, bypassing the little hamlet of Port Gaverne, but here you’ll find a cove with shingley beach, another grassy cliff top with stunning views and a rather good gastro pub in the Port Gaverne Hotel, which offers a perfect postwalk lunchtime menu including roasts, fish and chips and rather delicious puddings. It dates back to the 17th century, when it was an inn catering to a then thriving fishing port.

The ceilings are low and the rooms carpeted and cosy; there’s a spacious private dining room upstairs, and references to the hamlet’s trading and maritime history everywhere you look.

You can sense a jovial, cosy, ‘home-coming’ atmosphere to the place, and despite there being a lot of us, Jackie, the owner, obligingly squeezed in a couple more stragglers, despite the place being packed.

We chose the standard fare of roast lamb, fish and chips, and one of the more exotic dishes, plaice fillets with basil crushed potatoes, grilled leaks and mussels with a saffron and cucumber sauce. The fish and chips were very good, with a crisp, light salt and pepper batter, chips in a bowl and tasty

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mushy peas and tartar sauce on the side. My roast lamb was cooked perfectly – medium leaning toward medium rare, very tender and with all the works, including a Yorkshire, because everyone likes Yorkshires, regardless of the roast (these were quickly robbed from my plate), and a cauliflower cheese browned under the grill as well as the usual plethora of veg, all al dente rather than overdone. The gravy was dark and rich, and an accompanying glass of red wine made for the perfect Sunday pub roast.

The plaice, I’ll be honest, didn’t look so exciting – the fish was plump, white and plentiful and it had all it promised from the menu, but the yellow sauce took away something from the presentation, although I’m assured it was a good accompaniment to the fish and potatoes, tasty but enhancing, rather than overpowering. We were all well sated and this was the type of relaxed, hearty pub lunch that’s perfect after a cliff-top walk, whatever the season. One dessert worth sampling was the Polzeath honey and whisky tart, which came with raspberries and elderflower ice cream. Beautiful to behold, it was delicious and passed around for all to try. A good traditional gastro experience and one that hasn’t gone unnoticed – the Port Gaverne was voted the Best Pub in Cornwall in the National Bar and Pub Awards of 2016. portgavernehotel.co.uk Food 8 | Service 8 | Ambience 8 | Location 9

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cornishbeds.co.uk Tel 01726 825182 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 MANOR | High Summer 2017

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Space

The RIBA South West Awards Q&A | Shopping for space

PHOTO: SANDY STEELE-PERKINS

Woodman’s Treehouse, RIBA’s South West Small Project of the Year

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PHOTOS: SANDY STEELE-PERKINS

At a ceremony that took place at The Bristol Harbour Hotel on 23 May 2017, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) awarded 14 practices across the South West with RIBA South West Awards.

I

n the words of Jon Watkins, RIBA South West’s Regional Director, “RIBA Awards always bring out the best in regional and national architects across the South West, and this year’s award-winning projects offer quality, diversity, excellence in design as well as lots and lots of delight.”

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as immense inspiration for readers, and is something we are only too happy to devote pages to. Here we showcase six of the winners: an educational building, an idyllic holiday retreat, two private homes, an ingenious small space solution and a conversion project.

These are, of course, just a selection – the other RIBA South West 2017 Award Winners can be found at architecture.com

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WOODMAN’S TREEHOUSE RIBA SOUTH WEST SMALL PROJECT OF THE YEAR Architect: Brownlie Ernst and Marks Client company name: Mallinson Ltd City/town: Dorset The Woodman’s Treehouse was built as a secluded luxury hideaway on an established glamping location. It was created by a self-build team of skilled furniture makers and green wood craftsmen, which included the client and his family members.

Structurally independent of the English oak tree that hosts it, the Woodman’s Treehouse has already become one of the most popular destinations on the site due to its unconventional design.

The heart of the house is a rotunda that, with its thick outer walls, holds the support spaces for the bedroom, kitchen, toilet and bathroom spaces. There are outer and inner variously clad timber linings that add to the atmosphere, along with the numerous views of the thick wood that the house inhabits.

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THE QUEST RIBA SOUTH WEST ARCHITECT OF THE YEAR Architect: Magnus Ström of Ström Architects Client: Private Region: Swanage, Dorset The Quest is a single-storey dwelling for octogenarian clients and their disabled daughter. The clients wrote a two-page brief, which they gave to the architects and said, “Get on with it.”

The design surpassed their aspirations. It boasted an almost effortless sense of space with no split levels and deep (as much as 8m) open-plan living in a comfortable, warm environment, with a fantastic view.

There are solar panels for power discreetly placed on the roof, with underfloor heating throughout the house, bar the pantry. The floor of the main spaces is locally sourced Purbeck limestone, while the glazed facades maximise natural light.

The design is already attracting the attention of the international media and shows bold enlightenment of clients at a late stage of their life, and an architect who delivered to the brief with tenacity (the discovery of an old mineshaft delivered unexpected structural challenges) and vision.

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PHOTOS: MARTIN GARDNER

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PHOTOS: NIGEL RIGDEN

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space PRIVATE HOUSE, DEVON Architect: Stan Bolt Architect Client company name: Private Tucked away in the privacy of open fields and water frontage, this private house is a spacious family home set on a promontory of a Devon estuary.

The house mixes modernism with reclaimed finishes to deliver both practicality and a lived-in, loved feel. The design makes the most of its landscape, into which it is discreetly tucked.

Light-filled and with large open spaces, the building has stone walls and extensive windows. The bedrooms are laid out in timber pods, allowing extra privacy, and there are smaller outdoor spaces intended for use at different times of day.

An indoor pool lies close to the centre of the house and opens up to the exterior, solving the dilemma of less-than-conducive British weather.

Local contractors and craftsmen from the community were hired to implement the landscape design and complete the house, while locally sourced materials were used to ensure it blended into the landscape, including Purbeck stone, concrete and copper cladding.

The judges said: “The interior design was remarkable in the use of well-worn finishes, materials and the use of bold, bright colours.

The exterior palette of materials employed in their raw state achieve a durability and low maintenance that ensures this building will age gracefully and engage sympathetically with its surrounding landscape.�

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THE MINERS’ COTTAGES RIBA SOUTH WEST CONSERVATION AWARD 2017 Architect: Design Storey Client: Design Storey Region: Pensford, Somerset The Miners’ Cottages is the renovation of two 18th-century cottages located in a conservation area. Design Storey acted as both architect and developer, and looked to reinstate the original configuration of the cottages and create two dwellings appropriate for 21st-century living.

PHOTOS: LAWRENCE GRIGG

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The renovation involved changing the window proportions to the street; the removal of the garage and the return of the building to two terraced houses. At the rear, a new kitchen-diner was added to each cottage and clad in narrow larch boards stained black, reflecting the mining heritage of the buildings.

The architects treated this project as if it were a listed building, researching its history and significance before implementing the designs. The result has been a multitude of finishes and textures delivered with a great deal of thought and consideration into both conserving and adapting the small historic cottages for 21stcentury occupation.

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STUDIO Architect: David Sheppard Architects Client company name: Private City/town: Totnes, Devon

PHOTOS: JOAKIM BOREN

Studio is the design and meeting facility of David Sheppard Architects, which he shares with one assistant. Based in Totnes, the exterior is that of an unassuming, modest corner building.

Studio is a small art gallery, a rental space for the architect’s pension, and the architect’s own studio.

The dominant feature of the build is the circular meeting room, which balances on a singular beam poised over the entrance lobby and is filled with light by the skylight overhead; the staircase is also a refined work of art.

Clients cannot fail but to be impressed by this architect’s ability to invent a lot from a little at all levels of design urbanism: spatially, ergonomically, economically and intellectually.

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PHOTOS: JACK HOBHOUSE

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THE LIVING SYSTEMS INSTITUTE Architect: Hawkins\Brown Client company name: University of Exeter City/town: Exeter, Devon The brief for The Living Systems Institute for the University of Exeter was complex and required technically demanding laboratory spaces within a sloping site, positioned adjacent to its host, the Geoffrey Pope building, designed by Sir Basil Spence.

The result is a new building that extends the old, creating a break-out courtyard between the two at entrance level, with raised views overlooking the university campus below.

The layout of the building seamlessly mixes the wet and dry research spaces into separate building masses, which work on a functional level and well within the constraints of the site itself. The laboratory spaces offer views into the social spaces and the outside landscape, adding a sense of lightness. To enter, staff and students must use a pass card key system and its design encourages collaborative working, which was an important consideration of the client.

The judges felt what had been created was “a place of discoveries, where disease and illnesses might be halted using its facilities. As we visited, fruit flies were being used to help with melanoma cures.�

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Q&A Elaine Skinner is the founder of Camellia Interiors, an interior design practice she established in Cornwall in 2003. The business now has two showrooms in Rock and Truro, and employs a team of 16 full-time and contractual staff.

Camellia is one of the only British Institute of Interior Design (BIID) qualified and accredited practices in Cornwall, and specialises in creating luxury and contemporary interiors for a wide range of properties.

How did you start out in interior design?

My mother was an interior designer and my father was a developer, so I grew up immersed in it. I did a degree and a masters in design and about 20 years ago was invited to come down to Cornwall to teach at Falmouth University.

I was working in London at the time and immediately fell in love with Cornwall. I’d been brought up in Dorset so knew the coast, but Cornwall had everything I liked about Dorset, without the bits I didn’t. I landed a job with a design practice as a result of the university work and never looked back. When children came along, I decided I wanted to work for myself and set up my own company.

That was 19 years ago.

What’s the secret of your success?

It comes down to two things: process and a confidence to question the brief. I’ve always believed that a lot of designers are capable of designing properties and giving a client what they want. What is different with us is how we do it. We pride ourselves on being fastidious managers of the process. Our design work is probably 5% of our time; the rest of it is the paperwork. We’re extremely tight and nothing is left to chance. We use good people and allow them to charge correctly, then they know they’ve got to deliver. Many of our clients are time-poor and often have a finite amount of time here to relax. They don’t want the inconvenience of delayed jobs or unforseen issues.

When they arrive, they want everything to be 150%, and we get that. So we battle on their behalf and do not allow tradespeople to say “sorry, I’m two weeks behind”. It’s all about paperwork and ensuring you have trusted suppliers.

Secondly, we’ll question the brief if we don’t think it’s right, and invariably win business as a result. Clients hire you for your insight, expertise and experience, not purely as ‘yes’ people.

Would you say the bulk of your clients are holiday homeowners?

No. Our clients cross the full spectrum – those who use us for their own homes and those who use us for holiday accommodation. We have two showrooms – Truro and Rock - and a Camellia client is as much the customer who’ll come in to buy a tin of paint and have a cup of coffee, as the owner who commissions us to manage a full spec project. Many designers dismiss the smaller jobs, but that paint customer eventually does up a room, and then a house and has come to us throughout.

What are you currently working on?

We are at various stages of different jobs. At any one time, we would probably have about 20 soft furnishing jobs on, from someone wanting to replace a set of curtains to someone else who’s bought a house and needs window

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space treatments in every room. At the moment, we probably have five furniture jobs, where a client’s bought a second home, where they already have window treatments, it’s freshly decorated but they need furniture for the whole house. Then we have our full-sized projects, where we’re doing everything. We have one currently in Polzeath, another in Newlyn, one in Truro and one in St Mawes. It’s normal to have about four projects of that size running at different stages at any one time.

How big is Camellia Interiors?

We have showrooms in Rock and Truro because we made a conscious decision about five years ago to split the north coast and central Cornwall. We plan for a third showroom in the next couple of years to form our Bermuda triangle!

In Truro there are six of us, and in Rock there are two of us, and then behind the scenes we’ve got a team of eight contractors that work full time for us. We need to expand and contract because of the nature of the business, so that’s why we also offer the paint and smaller purchases.

It provides the staff with security and allows us to retain talented people.

Do you have a set style?

No. I feel very strongly that you need to bring an open book to a project. As an example, we recently had a client in Mawgan Porth who bought a property overlooking the water for the plot – to knock it down and rebuild. They came to us and said, “Right, we’ve got a tricky brief.

We are pro-sustainability, all our furniture is British, sustainable or re-cycled and is also very modern. We’ve bought this old bungalow that we intend to knock down and create an eco beach house, but we want to use it in the meantime.”

They had three young children and didn’t want to wait three years, so we needed to make the house work

for them straight away, whist also working with them and their architect, on the phases of knocking it down. Their question was “how can we do that without too much interruption to our holiday, while ensuring that everything you put in now, also works in the new house? And can you do it in eight weeks, so we can use it for Easter?”

We pulled it off and they loved the interior design so much that they decided they wouldn’t knock it down after all. The architect was livid with us! But this is a classic example of how you need to approach a job with no set idea and no intention of putting a stamp on it.

Where do you get your inspiration?

In looking. I think that’s one of the key qualities of a designer. Whether it’s product design, furniture design, interior design or any artform, you have to be aware of what you’re seeing all the time. Looking around constantly gives you an eye for what works and, more importantly, what doesn’t. You have to know what’s wrong in order to get it right. Sensing everything all the time, of course, can be to your detriment because it can make you a real headcase! All my family laugh at me when we go on a skiing holiday or to a hotel, as I’ll physically move the furniture. I do it because I know it shouldn’t be there; it should be over here. They get it immediately when I’ve moved it, and it has an instant effect on making the space relaxing and more harmonious for everyone Everyone benefits, but I’ll often get cries of “ just leave it alone Elaine”.

What’s your dream job?

I love it when a client comes to you with a challenging property and really wants to push the boundaries, to do something that truly fits their personality. camelliainteriors.co.uk

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Leaf-inspired chandelier

The beautiful bespoke Long established as the UKs leading fused-glass designer, Jo Downs’s career is coming full circle with the launch of her new interiors and architectural service.

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nyone who has browsed the pretty streets of St Ives, Padstow, Tintagel or Fowey will likely know Jo Downs for her colourful glass galleries, and the exquisite handcrafted work within. Having started her career in London 20 years ago, she now works at her studio in the Cornish market town of Launceston, creating gift and interior pieces inspired by Cornwall’s uniquely beautiful coast. Her career began, however, on a much grander scale of making, and now, with the launch of Jo Downs Architectural Glass, she is returning to the large-scale bespoke work that made her name.

“When I set up my first studio in Muswell Hill in 1996, large-scale commissions were my focus. I was fresh out of college, with just one kiln, but the first projects I worked on were pretty ambitious in terms of their size and complexity. Straight off the bat I was creating fused-glass architectural work for big hotels and corporate clients, things like wall panels, partitions and fine art installations. It was a niche market, with very little competition, so the commissions kept coming, and 120

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before I knew it I had a thriving business on my hands.”

After London, a short spell as guest artist at Stuttgart Art Academy preceded the official launch of Jo Downs Glass Design and her move to the comparatively rural location of North Cornwall. “My time at the academy in Germany allowed me to experiment with new ideas and new fusing techniques. Back then, my designs were strongly abstract, geometric even, but when I came to Cornwall my inspirations changed completely. All this natural beauty, the coastline and the ocean, suddenly poured into my work. Now, of course, that iconic Cornish look is what I’m known for.”

Along with that change of location and inspiration came a change of direction in business terms. Seeking to plug into Cornwall’s thriving tourism sector, Jo opened her first glass gallery in Padstow in 2005, selling smallscale gift and interior ware. “The gallery in Padstow was so successful that one became two, and then three, and now I have seven galleries in total.” Private commissions, however, have always remained Jo’s passion, and now, with her gallery business on a firm footing, Jo has finally

promotional feature

All this natural beauty, the coastline and the ocean, suddenly poured into my work.

Now, of course, that iconic Cornish look is what I’m known for.

PHOTO: PETER SEARLE

Jo Downs

Bespoke fish chandelier for a home on St Austell Bay

Jo Downs with her Shoaling Fish commission for an architect-designed house in Padstow

found the right moment to commit to a dedicated interiors and architectural business. “The launch of my bespoke architectural glass service is a kind of homecoming for me” says Jo. “It’s where I started, and it’s what I truly love to do, so having come to a point where I can give time and focus to that is a wonderfully gratifying thing. Jo Downs Architectural Glass is designed to work in partnership with interior designers and their clients, giving them the chance to incorporate bespoke glasswork into their design schemes. We have a dedicated team – myself as designer and maker, plus specialist glass workers and a full-time project manager – and we have invested in an additional design studio with two new kilns and the space and facilities I need to create really progressive pieces for my clients.”

The most spectacular of these ‘progressive’ new pieces must surely be Jo’s mesmerizing glass chandeliers.

She launched the initial idea at London’s 100% Design exhibition in 2016, followed by Grand Designs Live at the NEC, and not surprisingly received a wealth of attention from industry leaders and design firms. “The chandelier concept has been in development in my studio for several years now, and we launched it only when the process had been perfected. These works are created from tens, even hundreds, of individual pieces, so it’s pretty intensive work requiring multiple firings and incredibly detailed finishing. The joy of the chandelier idea is that it can be adapted to suit any space, in any design, so the truly bespoke nature of these pieces really shines through. I’m incredibly proud of them, and each commission I’ve had has been completely unique. I’ve just created a beautiful blue fish chandelier for a home on St Austell Bay, which has been designed to sit perfectly in the client’s ocean view mezzanine, and I’ve recently finished an equally lovely leaf-inspired chandelier for a home filled with all kinds of other, beautiful pieces of art at Restronguet Point.

When the chandeliers are installed, that’s the day these works, and bespoke works in general, really come into their own. They are unique to each person and each place. Bespoke works, I think, are really a reflection of the client’s identity, their personality, passions and aspirations. If I can achieve that perfect piece that really reflects who they are, I’ve done my job well.”

For further information on Jo Downs Architectural Glass contact interiors@jodowns.com or see architecture.jodowns.com

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Shopping for space It’s that time of year when we take to cooking outside, and there’s no end of choice when it comes to stylish equipment to ensure culinary excellence. This year it’s all about fire, which adds to the visual effect, but don’t be restricted: BBQs, paellas, pizzas and salad are what summers were made for.

Compiled by Phoebe Tancock.

16-piece cutlery set, Next, £38

Seahorse dishes, Cream Cornwall, £10 - £24

Lobster platter, Cream Cornwall, £49

Ardesia bamboo cheese board and tools set, Amaroni Home, £35

Morso from Hearth & Cook

Bucket BBQ, Amara, £49

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BBQ, John Lewis, £149

Outdoor rugs, Cuckooland, £49.50 each

space

Plate, Amara, £12.50

Morso from Hearth & Cook

Salad servers, Amara, £16

5 in 1 BBQ tool set, Designist, £43

Salad bowl, Designist, £43

Metallic wine glasses, Next, £24

Bee jug, John Lewis, £19.95

Salvage bench set, Next, £750

Jame Oliver Dome wood fired oven, Garden House Design, £2,200

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Escape Alpine summer holiday | Cycling from Bristol to Bath

Climbing near Chamonix. See page 126

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W Fiona McGowan and family overcome IT-related airport dysfunction and find themselves succumbing to the beauty of the Alpine summer.

Fiona and family

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e’re sitting in a restaurant high above the ground, gazing down at cars that look the size of toys, and a wide sweep of river curving through the landscape below. Our waiter speaks impeccable English with a strong French accent. The food, cooked by a Michelin-starred female chef (who is also French), is quite possibly the best I’ve ever eaten.

The kids declare that their meals – predictably, burgers and chips – are amazing (the meat cooked to a melt-inthe-mouth perfection).

Our holiday in the French Alps, however, has yet to materialise. Instead of a vista of mountain peaks and Sound of Music meadows, we’re looking across grey forests of tower blocks and a murky River Thames. In any other circumstances, this meal, on the 38th floor of the brand-new Novotel Canary Wharf, would have been a very special treat. However, we are only here due to our (admittedly First World) refugee status. The day before was spent at Heathrow Airport, mostly standing in queues, as British Airways bumbled its way through a global IT system failure. After manually checking in the bags of thousands of passengers, processing them through passport control and security, the departure screens showed that all flights were cancelled. No announcements. Queues of hundreds formed to ask the same handful of customer services people the same question. To which the answer seemed to be: you can’t leave the airport. Mutterings about cyber attacks abounded, as we joined first one line and then another to try to get out of the airport. Our bags were effectively impounded.

A night camping out at a friend’s house was followed by a night at the exceptional Novotel – accommodating

escape staff organised inter-connecting rooms with a private lobby. The kids and the hubby played in the pool, while I got a sweat on in the gym. The breakfast almost matched up to the evening meal, and Swissair saved the day, getting us out of City Airport to Geneva a mere two days later than expected. Still without luggage.

Starting a holiday with high stress levels is never a good thing; this was meant to be a great-value trip to the Alps, taking advantage of off-season rates, and experimenting with Airbnb. As we fiddled with the satnav in our hire car and headed up towards Chamonix, the tension was still high, but as we approached the wide glacial-cut valley leading into the mountains, the gritted teeth gave way to sighs. In summer, the peaks are tipped with snow, edged with dark acres of rock, and wrapped in velvety green forests and meadows. For our children, the landscape is nothing short of thrilling.

Saint-Gervais-les-Bains is a small spa town about 20 minutes’ drive west of Chamonix, and about an hour from Geneva. Famed for its thermal pools, it’s pretty without being twee. Off-season, it is quiet, but there’s still a smattering of tourists – mostly walkers, mountaineers and climbers. Almost everyone going about their French business of buying baguettes and pastries looks outdoorsy, tanned and fit. The facilities are excellent: the swimming pool, a three-minute walk

from our chalet, comprises an indoor and outdoor pool.

The usual amenities of small (overpriced) supermarkets, boulangeries, pharmacies, a handful of souvenir shops and a (newly opened) art gallery are clearly there to serve the winter and summer tourist market. In the summer months, nearby Chamonix throws off its ski-resort mantle and draws in a different sort of tourist: from sightseers and walkers to wingsuit pilots and hardcore mountaineers. It’s a large town, with high-end shops and a pedestrianized main street, littered with outdoor café tables and people dressed in bright mountain wear.

Our apartment, on the third floor of a large wooden chalet, was homely and comfortable. OK, the dishwasher didn’t work, the showers were tiny, the kettle was erratic and there was no washing machine – but perhaps that’s par for the course with Airbnb. The weather did its mountain thing, going from hot sun to foreboding cloud and intense monsoon-like thunderstorms in a matter of hours…

On a couple of days, we hired a rock-climbing guide. Dougal Tavener, a Welsh instructor with Mountain Spirit Guides, managed the tough task of setting up rope lines for our two children, my husband and myself – a wide range of abilities. With Dougal’s low-key encouragement, six-year-old Obi and nineyear-old Freya scampered confidently up huge 45m rock faces. The atmosphere at the unthreatening road-

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escape

The meadows were littered with colour-saturated flora, lush grass, muscly mountain horses and fat, velvety cows with clonging bells.

Mer de Glace

side crags was more like an indoor climbing wall than the scary mountain routes that beckon more intrepid types. Off-season, the routes are popular with school groups, mountain guides-in-training and even the local gendarmes. There are cafés and toilets nearby, and a convenient car park a minute’s walk away. One of the crags, Gaillands, has an inviting lake surrounded by a wooded path nearby – a great place to cool off if the sun is beating down, and if the kids have lost their lust for height.

Hiking in the mountains is not just for the experienced, either. The Tourist Office in Saint-Gervais offered maps with marked pathways (cross-country skiing routes in the winter), which can be accessed by switchback roads or cable car. Some cable cars do not run in the early and late part of the summer – it’s worth checking online or at the Tourist Office. We took a meandering walk on the opposite side of the valley from the Mont Blanc range. The meadows were littered with colour-saturated flora, lush grass, muscly mountain horses and fat, velvety cows with clonging bells. Our chosen route was classed as ‘easy’: a gentle stroll with the occasional hilly bit. The kids, however, needed a bit more focus and a challenge. Pretty Heidi scenery and the occasional cuckoo calling didn’t sustain their interest for long… “When are we going to climb a mountain?” asked Obi. We answered his question with a trip to the Aiguille du Midi. A great, jagged 3,800m-high pinnacle towering above Chamonix, it is topped with snow in the summer, and skirted by masses of vertical rock. A cable car rocks its way precipitously up the mountainside, giving the children (and some of the tourists) the requisite thrill factor. The peak is famed among climbers and tourists 128

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alike, and you can see why. The clouds hovered around the surrounding peaks, but cleared enough for us to gaze deep into the surrounding melée of snowfields, couloirs, peaks and places where only the very brave will venture.

“The mountains are falling down,” Dougal had told us. Looking around, it seemed a bit of a stretch to think that these giant monoliths could collapse. But it’s true.

While the ice and snow on the surface of the mountains ebbs and flows with the seasons, the permafrost that lies a few inches inside the rock has been there for thousands of years. Rising temperatures are causing the permafrost to melt, making the rock unstable and leading to an increase in avalanches and rockfalls. Not only does it mean that the peaks themselves are shrinking, but it threatens the communities throughout the Alps and every other mountain range in the world. Up at the Aiguille du Midi, the temperature is markedly colder than down in the valley, and it’s hard work taking a breath. This is an inhospitable place, despite the many viewing platforms, tunnels, walkways, cafés – not to mention the clear glass box in which you can step out over 2,000m of emptiness.

I wonder if the great Aiguille (‘Needle’) itself will still be here for future generations to see…

Several miles away is the Mer de Glace, a huge snake of grey rock-strewn glacier, with a small band of gleaming blue ice at its centre. The walk from the Aiguille du Midi chairlift gave our children (and us) the adrenalin rush that they hoped for. The path hugs the rocky slopes of an intimidating ridge above, large sections of which are snowfields. Snowball fights ensued, the kids delighting in chucking granular, icy snow down our backs as we picked our way along the path. It was at times treacherous, with big scree slopes falling away

to sheer cliffs, areas of deep snow where you sink up to your knees, and crevasses in the rock beneath that scared the hell out of us. There were times when we had to use hands and feet, and had to shove the children along to stop them sliding down the mountain.

Clouds began to gather around the peaks above us, making us rush our picnic to get to the Mer de Glace before a storm rolled in. The glacier can be reached from the Montenvers railway station via cable car (built in 1988 to cope with the shrinking level of the glacier), and a seemingly endless zig-zag of metal steps to reach the ‘Ice Grotto’: a tunnel and series of caves that has been carved out of the ice. At various stages along the descent are markers showing the ‘tide-marks’ of the glacier as it has melted. Back in 2000, it only took 118 steps to reach the ice; now there are 370. It loses 4-5m in depth every year. It is chilling in every way.

On our final evening, we ate out at Brasserie du Mont-Blanc in Saint-Gervais. It was a great bookend to our trip – the service was almost shockingly quick, the food delivered at top speed. The children enjoyed their filet mignons and frites in a slight departure from the burger concept, and our meals were succulent. All topquality pub grub – French style. The pièce de résistance, of course, were the crêpes with gooey Nutella sauce –

cue photos of our children’s faces smeared with chocolate and bits of crêpe hanging from their jaws.

It’s a sign of a good holiday (or perhaps of a truncated one) that we left wanting more – so much so that we’ve even considered moving to Chamonix in the future…

The mountains, crumbling though they are, had worked their magic.

Mountain Spirit Guides: mountain-spirit-guides.com

‘Ice Grotto’

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Jane Fitzgerald cycles the old railway path from Bristol to Bath, where she takes the waters and contemplates the stars.

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t’s an early start from Lawrence Hill in Easton. We unhitch the bikes, scan an ominously grey sky, faff with backpacks and elastic straps (must buy panniers) and launch gingerly up the hill to join the path at what was the station. Against us is a gust of commuter cyclists flying downhill towards the city. Young, cool and kitted out, their wheels weave expertly around dog walkers, in and out of scrubbed and brushed school children, past mums pushing buggies, a teeth-flossing hipster, and ambulant coffee drinkers.

Within minutes, the frantic early morning spin evaporates to a trickle and urban spreads into suburb with business parks, playgrounds and allotments. The route dips under splendid Victorian bridges, through the very long Staple Hill tunnel, where pigeons flap loudly, and opens into a green corridor flanked by drifts of campion, bluebells and cow parsley.

Hawthorn blossom falls like snow onto the path.

The South West isn’t known for flattish cycle paths, so when I heard about the Bristol and Bath Railway path, it went straight on my list. The traffic-free path, the oldest 15 miles of the Sustrans cycle network, follows what was the Midland Railway, which was closed in the 1960s by the now-notorious – but for cyclists and steamrailway enthusiasts perhaps far-sighted – Dr Beeching.

We pedal on through Mangotsfield and Warmley (oh, to live in Warmley) and to Bitton Station where the whiff of sizzling bacon lures us to leap off our bikes and 130

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into the Avon Valley Railway Café, located in a 1950s railway carriage called ‘Margaret’. Although a bit tight for time (we have a late-morning booking at Thermae Bath Spa), we stop for a swift breakfast. Swift it isn’t. A team of carpenters have ordered the Full English, and so have a group of elderly steam-train enthusiasts. We are an hour into our ride and there’s at least half an hour to go. After bolting down our toast, we power through the open fields of the north-east Somerset countryside and into Bath, arriving at the Thermae just shy of an 11am appointment.

We spill into the sparkling glass atrium, helmets slung over arms, glowing from an embarrassment of fluorescent clothing and a furious last leg along the banks of the River Avon. Despite this, the staff are welcoming and delightful (clearly, they’ve seen it all before).

Robed, flip-flopped and dispossessed of our phones, wallets, glasses and clothes, we flap downstairs to the Minerva baths to wallow in the 34-degree mineral-rich waters from the King’s, Hetling and Cross Springs. These were allegedly first discovered around 863BC by Prince Bladud, who was cured of his skin disease after bathing in these healing waters, which like their founding myth, also contain more than a pinch of sodium (195mg/l) and chloride (340mg/l). Should you wish for an aquatic rooftop view of the city and its Georgian architecture, you can float to the edge of the steamy open-air Rooftop Pool and watch people in the streets below going about their business.

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PHOTO: J BEWLEY/SUSTRANS

Public art along the route

Moving downstairs to the new Wellness Suite, we are steamed in Roman (ocean sounds and lavender scents) and Georgian (tea rose and birdsong) fashion, invigorated in the Ice Chamber, with its chill north winds soundscape, and warmed in the infra-red sauna, which heats your body directly without warming the air around you. Feeling suitably purged and cleansed, we drift off to the sounds and images of outer space (courtesy of NASA) in the Celestial Relaxation Room inspired by the 18thcentury Bath-based astronomer William Herschel.

Leaving my partner to his interstellar reveries, I glide to the treatment room, where sometime later, through the cushioned face cradle of the massage table, I see the soft-soled shoes of therapist Tom come in and out of view

as he deftly administers the last few minutes of a reviving aromatherapy treatment (the ‘Perfect Pick Me Up’).

I have been scrubbed, wrapped in kaolin mud, profoundly massaged for 85 minutes (I asked for ‘deep’ and it was) and I am transported to a very good place – the fields of Elysium come to mind. Tom delivers the treatment almost invisibly, with enormous care, sensitivity and dexterity, using essential oils that smell and feel heavenly (juniper berry, pink grapefruit, rosemary and frankincense).

I couldn’t have wished for a more professional therapist.

Feeling cleansed, invigorated and slightly underdressed, we lunch in the elegant Canvas Room of The Gainsborough Bath Spa, where further unexpected sensory pleasures are delivered – the smoked mackerel

PHOTO: THERMAE BATH SPA

Early morning rooftop bath

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PHOTO: THERMAE BATH SPA

Celestial Relaxation Room

PHOTO: COURTESY HERCHEL MUSEUM/CHIS LACY

PHOTO: COURTESY HERCHEL MUSEUM/CHIS LACY

William Herschel

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Herschel’s reflecting telescope

appetizer is swept to the table beneath a glass dome filled with swirling wood smoke; the aromatic fish rocks with tangy pickled vegetables, a spangling tomato jelly and small explosions of caviar. Chef Daniel Moon (under the guidance of Austrian Michelin-starred chef Johann Lafer) clearly knows what he’s doing, the service was faultless, and the single espresso dynamite.

On our bikes again, we cycle to the Astronomer’s House, the Herschel Museum of Astronomy. It was from the back garden of this house in new King Street, Bath, in 1781 that musician and astronomer William Herschel discovered the seventh planet from the Sun that became known as Uranus, doubling the known size of the solar system. Herschel’s connection with the renovated Bath Spa Thermae is not only about providing inspiration for the Celestial Relaxation Room. His scientific work on measuring the ‘calorific value’ or temperature of the colours in the visible spectrum led him to discover the existence of infra-red light, the radiant properties of which transmit energy that is converted into heat when absorbed by objects such as people sitting inside the radiant sauna in the Thermae Wellness Suite.

Among the astronomical and musical artefacts on display are replicas of his inventions: the telescope with which Herschel discovered Uranus, and a lamp micrometer – a disc with moving arms, two oil-burning

lamps and some string. With these simple components, Herschel measured the distance between stars and galaxies with almost 100% accuracy. The museum also provides an intriguing insight into the Georgian home. Downstairs, the dining room is set for supper, and the rooms are furnished with some of the original family furniture and walls are decorated in 18th-century designs. At the back of the house is a charming garden laid out symmetrically with cypress trees, box parterres and a quince arbour.

It probably would have been sensible to take the bikes back on the train to Bristol, but as the museum is so close to the railway path we chose to cycle. It was hard work but we were able to take our time. I realized how much of the outward journey been spent head down, not really taking in the landscape, the splendid industrial architecture or the (sometimes rather dubious) public art that punctuates the route. As I freewheel back down to Lawrence Hill, feeling relieved and with a palpable sense of achievement, I’m already plotting the next ride. thermaebathspa.com thegainsboroughbathspa.co.uk sustrans.co.uk visitbath.co.uk

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

Maynard robotics team wins trophy THE ROBOTICS TEAM from Exeter’s Maynard School was awarded second place overall for the ‘Inspiration in Core Values’ category, which looks for the team that embodies extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit at the FIRST LEGO League Open European Championship, which took place in Aarhus, Denmark, over the weekend of 27-28 May 2017.

The team was made up of Kitty Guinness, Bella Brent, Anna Harries, Miri Cooper Wedge and Anya Hitt.

“The girls should be incredibly proud of these achievements, and it is just so special to be flying the flag for women in STEM at these events,” said Laura Burt, Head of Computing at The Maynard School.

Truro High pupil to play chess at national competition ONE OF TRURO High School’s youngest competitive players, seven-year-old Ornela Mallick, successfully competed in the Regional Megafinal of the UK Chess Challenge, taking home the Cornwall Under 7 Girls Suprema title.

Jeremy Menadue, chess teacher and international competitor, said: “I’m proud to see Ornela get her just rewards for all the hard work she puts in at Chess Club. It’s a shiny trophy to keep and the chance to represent Cornwall on a national platform.”

Ornela will now be heading to Twickenham this July, where she will represent the school and Cornwall in the competition’s national Gigafinal.

Ornela practising at the school’s lunchtime chess club

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West Buckland U13s take Devon cricket title

WEST BUCKLAND SCHOOL’S U13 first XI were crowned county cricket champions on Wednesday 21 June after defeating Mount Kelly in the Devon Cricket U13 T20 Cup Final, played at Sandford Cricket Club near Crediton.

The West Buckland boys won by 32 runs, after making 132-8, with Ed Broggio in Year 7 top scoring with 27 runs not out. Henry Cooper in Year 8 then took three wickets for 15 runs as Mount Kelly were reduced to 100-9. Man of the match was Henry Cooper, who also contributed 22 runs with the bat, in addition to his three wickets.

West Buckland’s U14 cricket team also made their county final, finishing as runners up after Blundell’s put in a strong batting display, scoring 167-5, with the West Buckland XI managing 103 in reply.

Great Truro High Bake Off names Cornwall’s best young cake-maker A YEAR 6 PUPIL from Constantine School has been crowned Cornwall’s best young baker in the Grand Final of the Great Truro High Bake Off. Gold prize in the countywide competition went to Angus McDonald, from Constantine School. Only half a point away from the top score, Emma Sellwood, from Bosvigo, was awarded silver, and Matilda Bennett, from Kea, received bronze.

The judging panel included Truro High’s Head of Food, Mrs Lisa van der Lem, and the head chef and owner of the celebrated Cornish bakery Baker Tom’s, Tom Hazeldine.

The competition was organised by Truro High School for Girls and open to young bakers in Years 5 and 6 from across Cornwall.

Stover School pupil cooks her way to success

SAMANTHA TAYLOR-CLARKE was named winner in the Devon Junior Chef category of South West Chef of the Year, held at Exeter School on Monday 26 June.

South West Chef of the Year recognises the skills and creativity of junior chefs across the region, and has been highlighting the exceptional standards within the South West.

Samantha was competing against seven young cooks, who were judged by Mark Dodson, Michelin-starred chef proprietor of The Masons Arms; Scott Paton, head chef at Boringdon Hall Hotel; and John Wheeler, head of Hospitality, Hair & Beauty at Exeter College.

Samantha will receive mentoring from Mark Dodson in preparation for the final in October.

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

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Choices, choices, choices

A growing sense of autonomy is an important part of children’s development. In the third part of this exclusive series for MANOR, Professor Ruth Merttens offers advice on helping children aged eight to 11 learn how to make good decisions.

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ften described as ‘ten going on 13’, the junior years are distinguished by the occasional if increasingly worrying glimpses into what life will be like when we really are living with teenagers! Our eight to 11 year olds are mostly fine; they haven’t yet hit the ‘bolshie phase’ and they’re far more able to amuse themselves and do things independently than they were as infants. This gives them – and us as parents – much joy in that it allows them to develop their own interests, make their own decisions about what to focus on, who to be friends with and, in general, how to spend their leisure time. All good, and one of the most important aspects of children’s learning at this phase in their development is the necessity to let them, increasingly from eight to 11, make their own decisions in the appropriate contexts. This applies in relation to their play and also in relation to school learning. They need to be persuaded to make sensible decisions about how to use their leisure time. And at school, there should also be times when they are allowed to choose how to do a particular calculation or what to write about in their essay. Prescription only produces ‘copy-cats’ and not thinkers. The key in both areas is to support children in making good decisions rather than poor ones. Often the answer is to give a choice – so the decision is genuinely theirs – but to omit bad choices. So, for example, I offer Jimmy the choice between ceasing to play his Xbox now, and having another half-hour on it later this evening or playing on for half an hour now and having no further time on it this evening. I do not offer the choice of playing it for the next two hours! Children who are not allowed to develop their decision-making skills in small matters at this stage are likely to make a lot more bad decisions later on, when the stakes are a great deal higher.

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TABLETS, PHONES AND THE INTERNET As they grow older, children will inevitably become more drawn into the world of electronic communication, virtual reality and information technology. Although I, like all teachers, sometimes see the very real downsides of this technology, I also appreciate the upsides and advantages. Computers of all types and sizes, from phones to video games, are now important in everything children do. They are a major feature in their communications with friends and family, not merely those living far away but also with those who live next door or even in the same house.

Technology enables ways of communicating that in some ways are more personal and intimate than were possible for us, as children, in the past. It also allows children to develop leisure activities that facilitate a wide raft of learning in different ways. Children can and do learn history by participating in a virtual Stone Age civilisation, and maths by solving logical puzzles working with a friend online. This is why it is easy for us, as parents, to feel completely overwhelmed by the power and the possibilities opened by this new dimension in our lives. It seems simpler to just batten down the hatches and refuse our children access to the internet, claiming that it’s dangerous or that they should have ‘better things to be doing’. Of course, it is bad for children to spend five or six hours a day staring at a screen, but it’s not sensible to use this as a reason to deprive them of the opportunities to communicate and to learn using technology. Whether we like it or not, becoming proficient operators within a virtual universe is as important for our children as learning to make and enjoy food and drink with other people. Technology is not going away, and learning to use it efficiently, confidently and safely is a must in 2017.

school SAFETY FIRST Technology in all its forms provides powerful ways of communicating. Mobiles, tablets and other devices open a door onto the outside world, and can therefore enable your child to do and see some wonderful things.

However, like all ways of communicating, this can also be dangerous. Three simple rules can make a massive difference to your child’s safety.

FIRST – SHARED IS GOOD! Try to keep all devices in communal areas at home; visible technological communication is much more likely to be safe communication. If your child has access to the internet and a mobile phone or tablet when tucked away in their bedroom, they are far more likely to be at risk. This is one reason why it’s sensible to stick to the rule that children only need their own mobile phone when they start secondary school. There is no persuasive argument as to why a child of eight to 11 years old must have a mobile phone of their own. The plea, “But everyone has one!” is not a good argument, and since you’re certainly not going to want that argument (everyone does it!) to carry weight when it comes to drink, drugs or sex, it’s best to bite the bullet and refuse to accept it when the child is nine years old and still young enough to be controlled (mostly).

Shared devices are great. Allow your child to use your mobile, whether it’s to play a game, call a friend or chat with a cousin. Have shared iPads or tablets rather than ones that are for their exclusive use. The general principle that the necessities of life – and access to virtual reality and electronic communication are a necessity nowadays – are shared in our home is a really good one. It sets the foundations for living with others, and prioritises communal living over communication. Keep it public, keep it visible!

SECOND – PREVENTION IS BETTER… Use internet filtering software and also find out what child-protection services your service provider offers. It’s relatively easy to block unsuitable content nowadays, and this is a must. Your child is not mal-intentioned when they type ‘bouncy animals’ into Google, but what comes up may be images that are hard to dispel once seen and may disturb them for a long time. Use child-friendly search engines, such as kids.yahoo.com or AskKids.com.

Ask your child’s teacher or head teacher for a list of these.

No parent has ever been able to totally control the environment in which their child is growing up, and this is, in principle, no different now than it was years ago. However, the risks may perhaps be higher than they were for us as children, since the internet offers a global playground. Words cannot be unsaid, and can have permanent effects beyond those we may have intended or desired. But the same – and perhaps more so – is true for images, particularly with children of this age, when

associations are just beginning to be made and they are particularly impressionable. Images, seen on the internet, often ‘by mistake’, which perhaps associate sex with violence, or simple affection with overt sexual behaviour, are clearly not only upsetting now, they can have effects which may be still more dangerous later.

Therefore, the injunction to use ‘blocking’ software becomes all the more pertinent. Many parents would not dream of letting their nine-year-old child wander alone or unsupervised through the town centre or the shopping mall, but will nevertheless allow them to browse the internet, enter chat rooms, or follow conversations in a virtual yet global world, where the risks of harm are arguably greater by a factor of not just ten but 100. Keep it public, keep it visible!

THIRD – TAKE AN INTEREST! As with books, TV and conversations with friends, the more genuine interest you show, the greater the chance of your child getting the best out of technology. Even with those ‘oh-so-boring’ games, it’s just so beneficial to put yourself out and have your child teach you. As they explain all the ins and outs, the different characters, and the best ways to play or to gain this or that advantage, so you will be learning not just about Pokémon or whatever, but about what makes it so appealing to your child and what attraction it has for him/her. It’s the interaction between your child and technology that should be of interest to you. The more virtual reality, whether it’s different ways to chat or popular games or social media, becomes part of general conversation and family life, the greater the chance that your child will not only be safer but also more likely to be using it to expand their horizons in healthy and beneficial ways – which is what we all want.

LEARNING AT SCHOOL The Junior years are critical at school – mainly in terms of attitude, which tends to firm up during these middle years. If children aged eight and nine are confident, if they basically have a good group of friends and, broadly speaking, enjoy school, then this bodes very well for the trickier demands of Year 5 and especially Year 6.

Although I, and many other educationalists and teachers, would wish it were not so, the last two years at primary school are nowadays somewhat focussed on the end of KS2 SATs (standardised tests), which can put a great deal of pressure on children and still more on their teachers. Many schools and teachers work very hard to preserve an interest-led curriculum and to keep learning engaging and accessible, but there is no denying that government pressure makes this much harder than it used to be. Sadly, this is one reason why so many teachers choose to leave the profession. It’s also a reason why some children may begin to dislike school.

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being taught things too fast and too early. Sometimes, a child will really struggle with a maths concept, finding it hard to comprehend and unable to get their heads around the related calculations. However, three months down the line, it will seemingly all just click into place. Piaget was right – there is such a thing as ‘readiness to learn’.

We can work very hard as teachers, and children can struggle and feel dispirited, when we teach something before some children are ‘ready’ to learn it. This is why teachers much prefer to be able to go at the child’s own pace. In Years 5 and 6, where the government tests make this impossible, it’s best for some children to ignore a few parts of the curriculum that they are not yet ready to learn, and to focus on those bits where they can succeed.

At the end of the day, a difficult topic like long-division is just one or two questions on the tests (it’s not required at secondary school anyway). So putting effort into making sure they learn the more useful and important mental calculation strategies is a far better use of time.

Such a strategy of ceasing to batter a child with things for the test with which they struggle and aiming for success in a slightly reduced set of topics is likely to be both more effective and to give your child more confidence.

So, the best thing that parents can do is to try to ensure that their child stays positive about their learning.

This means that, rather than heaping on the pressure, it’s advisable to encourage and support, especially when the going gets tough. All children struggle with particular parts of the curriculum and find other bits easier and more stimulating, but if the feeling of not coping is persistent, then something needs to be done. Make an appointment to talk to the teacher and bear in mind that it may well help to include your child in this conversation. Part of what children don’t like about the pressures at the top of the primary school is that they have little say in what is being done with and to them. And, as mentioned earlier, this is precisely the age at which we need to start developing the ability to make sensible choices.

INTERESTS AT HOME Between eight and 11 years old, children start the lifelong process of becoming the person that they really want to be. Their interests begin to firm up, and specific talents, whether sporting, intellectual or artistic, become more evident. It goes without saying that parents play a pivotal role here. The mum who is prepared to make sure that her child gets to his/her swimming lesson at 6am every Thursday is not only enabling a potential sports success, she is also telling the child in the most convincing way, through actions rather than words, that their interests are important to her. The presence of Dad at the child’s judo class each week makes the statement, explicit to the child, that other things matter as well as their performance on the maths and grammar tests.

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their performance in tests really do matter as much, if not more. Being an active participant in a good group of friends, having and following interests outside the school curriculum, being able to take a more independent role in helping at home – all these have as much influence on how happy your child’s teenage and subsequent adult life will be as how many they get right on an arguably inappropriate test.

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

• DO remember that life is neither a race nor a competition. Children grow in spurts and this applies as much to academic competence as to physical size.

What they find impossible to do today may become a lot easier in two or three months’ time. Try to help them to see that they are not stupid – they may just not be ready to learn this yet.

• DON’T make the end of KS2 tests – or indeed any tests – the only or even the most important evaluation of your child. Tests give a snapshot, nothing more.

They tell us remarkably little about intellectual capability, and nothing at all about the sort of person your child is. The results enable no prognosis about how successful or how happy your child may be as an adult unless we allow them to. It is what we, as parents, do with the results that has all the influence for good or ill here. A child who is made to feel a failure at 11 is much more likely to fulfil their own worst expectations.

• DO encourage your child by all means possible to read, read, read! Between eight and 11 is precisely when they should really be devouring the books.

Make stringent efforts to find books they like and want to read. Continue to read to them, so that they get into a story and want to know what happens.

There is nothing more important – and more crucial for educational success – than making sure that, between the ages of eight and 11, your child turns into an avid reader.

• DON’T forget that opening the door onto a global and virtual world can be exciting but it can also be dangerous. If your child is online, you need to be aware who they are communicating with, and for what purpose. Keep it public, keep it visible!

• DO engender a healthy scepticism about information culled from the internet. When your child relays some extraordinary ‘fact’ or describes some supposed ‘new’ discovery, be critical. Encourage them to ask questions. How do you know that’s true? Where does that information come from? Is there a possibility that it is biased in some way? It’s at this stage that we really need children to understand that just because you read something on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true!

Just because someone tells you something as a ‘fact’, it doesn’t automatically mean they’re correct.

school •

DON’T forget that if your child is interested in something – no matter how boring it may seem to you – there must be something in it that is grabbing their attention so effectively. Take time to allow them to share it with you. It’s important that you’re aware of what is attracting them, and also respect goes two ways and must be earned. You need to respect their tastes and interests if you want some respect from them. Besides, maybe you will discover that Pokémon is not really that boring!

•

DO praise more than you criticise. When I was training as a teacher many years ago, a gifted professional gave me a great piece of advice: “Always give three positive comments to every negative one.”

Children lack confidence; they are smaller and less powerful than adults, and often vulnerable. So the negative comments cut much deeper than the positive ones and this is especially true of so-called ‘naughty’ children. Three positives for every one negative. Stick to it rigorously – you may be surprised at the result!

GAMES AND FUN ACTIVITIES

Texting you, texting me

PM for a day

To play • One person writes a text – either on a mobile (but without sending it to anyone!) or on paper exactly as they would write it on a mobile phone.

The text message doesn’t need to be long, but it should use lots of shortforms and possibly even emojis.

• The second person must re-write the text using the most formal language possible. They should punctuate their re-written sentences correctly.

• Repeat this, but the other way round, so that the second person now produces a text and the first person re-writes it in the most formal language possible.

• Have three goes each, and then study the pairs. Which one gets the prize as the most extreme example of textese and formal English.

This is a great car game – it is best with 3, 4 or 5 players of a variety of ages!

Tricksy numbers You need one or more willing victims!

To play • Ask your victim to write a number between 51 and 100 – they must NOT show you!

• Take a small piece of paper and write a number between 10 and 50 on it. You do NOT show them, but you tell them you are magically writing the answer they will get!

• In your head, subtract the number you wrote from 99, say the answer aloud and ask your victim to add that number to their number.

• Tell your victim to take the left-hand digit off their number and add it to the units.

• The victim must now take their answer away from the number they first thought of. This is the number written on your piece of paper – you give it to them still folded!

Can you work out how this works?

To play • You are to be Prime Minister for a day. You can bring in ONE new law (yes, only one!)

• Each person has to think of the new law that they would want to get passed whilst they are Prime Minister.

• Give everyone a short time to think about this, then go round the group.

• Each person outlines their new law. What will it do? How will it work? Does it need to be enforced/policed?.

• Discuss each new law in turn.

• Take a vote on which one gets passed!

Give away a million!

This is a great car game – it is best with 3, 4 or 5 players of a variety of ages!

What to do • Suppose you had £1,000,000. (You wish…)

• How long would it take you to give it away (yes, really!) if you gave away £100 per day?

• Would it take you more or less than one year? More or less than 10 years? More or less than 100 years?

• Ask as many different people you can find this question, giving them the alternatives (one year, 10 years, 100 years).

• Don’t give them time to work it out, but record their guesses!

NB. YOU NEED TO WORK OUT THE ANSWER IN ADVANCE!

HELPING YOUR CHILD WITH LEARNING In the next part of this exclusive series, Professor Merttens will focus on young teenagers. 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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Prime Waterfront & Country House

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

Guide price

Stunning barn conversion with stables & annexe – Slapton Kingsbridge 7 miles, Salcombe 13 miles, Dartmouth 7 miles

hotel 4 Bedrooms with 2 Bedroom Annexe bathtub 3 Bathrooms furniture 2 Reception Rooms

£1,175,000

Nestling in rolling countryside in an idyllic private location set in approximately 8 acres, with an L-shaped stable block. Duck pond complete with island and an array of hidden garden areas. Separate oak framed annexe, summerhouse, greenhouse and vegetable boxes. Access to Slapton Ley Nature Reserve. EPC Rating C.

Web Ref: KIN080393

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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Kingsbridge office: 01548 857588

SALCOMBE 01548 844473

TOTNES 01803 847979

PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590

Property The Bulletin | Property of note: Tresithney, Rock, Cornwall Snapshot comparative

Tresithney, Rock, Cornwall Guide price: ÂŁ3,000,000. See page 144 johnbray.co.uk

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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

Outstanding sea views & water access – Kingswear Dartmouth ¼ mile by ferry, Totnes 12 miles, Torquay 11 miles

hotel 4 Bedrooms bathtub 3 Bathrooms (2 en-suite) furniture 3 Reception Rooms Web Ref: DAR120182

Positioned in 2 acres of gardens and grounds and approached via a private road, ensuring peace and privacy. The property and grounds have an array of vantage points to enjoy the magnificent views. Steps descend through the garden to the water’s edge and access to Silver Cove with private slipway and dock fitted with davits for small boats. EPC Rating F.

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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£1,800,000

Dartmouth office: 01803 839190

SALCOMBE 01548 844473

TOTNES 01803 847979

PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590

property

The Bulletin It’s the eternal question: you’re looking to buy or move within the South West, but where do you go? Imogen Clements asks the region’s estate agents to point us in the right direction.

W

e are, it seems, fascinated with spotting that next prime location. Not simply from an investment perspective but – and possibly more so in the South West – also from an emotional and practical standpoint.

There is, of course, no end of people and resources to help you. National newspapers in response to reader interest are regularly on the case, sensing a trend for relocation amongst professionals, often some distance from their current base. A radical change.

The Sunday Times annually publishes its top locations by UK region. In the latest, the South West fared particularly well, with Falmouth topping the reader vote for the best place to live in the UK. Why? Because, apparently, it’s vibrant and buzzy – a town rather than a village – is set on a beautiful stretch of coastline, and is teeming with creative, arty types, helped by an expanding and highly regarded university that has spawned some of the UK’s best creative talent, such as the furniture designer Tom Raffield. This arty population of Falmouth has led to a hip contingent of retailers taking up residence, such as surfer brand Finisterre, the jeweller Mirri Damer, and Folklore, the stylish crafts retailer, not to mention the numerous fashionable eateries now located there, such as The Stable and, of course, Rick Stein.

The drawback is, as ever, the transport situation – we are all peripatetic beings these days, needing to get back and forth to the capital and beyond national boundaries, and the South West’s transport network has been woefully neglected.

Some feel that this inaccessibility has added to the region’s charm, and that of its people. According to Gideon Sumption, of Stacks independent buying agency, the ability of Westcountry folk to overcome difficulties such as the longterm lack of investment in infrastructure is what makes them special. However, given those accessibility pitfalls, where would experts like Sumption buy now in the South West?

“Three spots come to mind,” he responds. “Firstly, anywhere within ten miles west of Tiverton: great countryside but good communications and within the Blundell’s independent school discount area. Then, the Blackdown Hills: not as fashionable as Dartmoor or the Quantocks, but great countryside, with good communications and access to the excellent schools in Taunton. And then central Exeter: the townhouses are good value compared with their rural counterparts, and Exeter is a really vibrant, happening city with a great train service to London.”

Exeter, it seems, is universally up there with the Westcountry agents. Richard Speedy of Strutt & Parker mentions Exeter first: “Prices are rising more in Exeter than in other parts of the West Country; there is a shortage

of letting properties and housing stock generally. Exeter’s café culture is very popular with buyers and it has become a wonderful place to live and bring up children, with such close proximity to moor and sea.”

Richard adds: “If you’d rather a place in the country, the Teign Valley is a happy medium between being in the middle of the moor and having easy access to Exeter. We’ve sold over 20 houses there in the past 18 months because of this reason.” He goes on to then mention how Salcombe’s appeal seems never to die.

Richard Addington of Jackson Stops agrees about the Teign Valley, which he views as perfect for everyday living, with good surroundings but not impractically distant from schools, amenities and work. For holiday living, he suggests Putsborough Beach, which in his view is probably the best beach in Devon, facing due west to the Atlantic, with Lundy Island in sight. “There are only about 15 houses there and it’s getting a reputation for very high prices as a result.”

Prunella Martin of Marchand Petit, the South Hams specialist, agrees with regard to Salcombe but is more specific: “South Pool on the Salcombe Estuary is a beautiful, quintessential Devon village – peaceful, pretty, with access to water and also close to wonderful Mill Bay, the sandy beach opposite Salcombe. It also has an excellent pub in The Millbrook Inn.” Further top spots from Prunella include, “Newton Ferrers, an estuary village with everything – grocery store, butcher, chemist, yacht club, excellent pubs and a thriving local community. It’s a picturesque location with easy water access and a wide array of property, from cottages to substantial family houses. And Totnes,” she concludes, “the creative soul of the South Hams. It’s an historic town with a wonderful variety of shops, boutiques, restaurants, pubs, arts and crafts, set close to the A38 with excellent links to London and the rest of the UK yet still close to the coast.”

In Cornwall, Jonathan Cunliffe of Savills, Truro, favours Penzance: “a beguiling mix of Georgian architecture, the arts and the sea”; followed by Portreath, “an up-and-coming harbour and beach town on the north coast”; and finally, Wadebridge, “a smart, thriving former market town, straddling the River Camel, and not far from Rock, Padstow and Bodmin Moor.”

Does this make it any easier for you? Hmm. There are clearly numerous prime locations in the South West, and none that will tick all boxes, so it’s probably best to work out what you can live without and, ultimately, whether the property, the home you buy, will override any cons, because you and your family simply love it.

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property of note

Located in one of Cornwall’s most desirable coastal villages, Tresithney is a stunning, architectdesigned house making a rare appearance on the market. Words by Imogen Clements.

R

ock, in a short space of time, has become one of the most desirable places in the UK to reside during down time. Situated on the mouth of the Camel estuary, on the opposite side of the water to Padstow, its beaches are little changed in 60 years. The estuary remains one of the most tranquil and picturesque stretches of water in the South West; it is wide, safe and perfect for beginner sailors, and further up the estuary, towards Wadebridge, you can while away the hours picnicking or wildlife-spotting.

“I think that has always been the big draw of Rock,” comments Jo Ashby of John Bray and Partners, the leading estate agent in the area. “It’s not just the visual beauty of the estuary, but what it offers. It’s perfect for sailing and watersports, whatever level you are, then the well-established St Enodoc Golf Club has always been immensely popular. So these classic leisure facilities, together with the pristine location, have made the place a major holiday attraction for generations.”

But it’s in the last ten or so years that there’s really been a step up in the high-end development of Rock.

During this time, there has been an overspill of the ‘Rick Stein effect’ in Padstow across the water, and Michelinstarred restaurants have been added to the mix, providing an all-round luxury holiday experience.

Now that there really is everything on your doorstep – outstanding natural beauty, the ocean, top-class sailing, and golf at either St Enodoc or the newer Point at Polzeath’s 18-hole course, and then fine dining come the evening… It’s no wonder that architects and designers have been busy creating in Rock some of the UK’s most stunning coastal homes from which to base oneself.

Tresithney is one such example, and a rarity, Jo tells me. Not because houses of this spec don’t exist in Rock – they do – but they rarely come up for sale. “What are more commonly on the market are properties with the potential for development, which of course are popular as they’ll often lead to complete renovations or new builds, but this takes time,” says Jo. “Many who come to Rock are time poor, may have just been involved in a development and don’t want to embark on another, or simply want a home where they can just take the keys, move in and relax. To find one of this architectural MANOR | High Summer 2017

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standard is very unusual. The appeal of the location and the work that’s gone into a house of this type ensures they are held on to, rarely relinquished.”

Tresithney itself was a development project – originally a bungalow bought for its plot. The resulting house looks newly built but it is in fact seven years old (the plot was bought by the current owners ten years ago). Tresithney took two years to plan and build, and has been enjoyed by the owners ever since, but now that children have grown and other commitments mean the family can’t get down to it as often as they’d like, they’ve decided to sell.

The standout design of the house immediately prompts you to enquire after the architect. Tresithney was designed

by Stan Bolt, one of Cornwall’s most established and highly regarded architects – in fact, he’s featured on page 112 as a RIBA South West Awards winner, adding to the plethora of accolades accumulated over the years.

“What makes Stan Bolt so well regarded and sought after,” says Jo, “is that his work is timeless. Often you find that contemporary architecture starts to date more rapidly than classic styles, yet Tresithney looks as if it were built yesterday, exactly as it did when Stan completed it.”

Apparently, the owner selected Stan Bolt because he wanted something architecturally special and interesting, more than just a holiday home. “He wanted a statement house as well as a retreat for the family, and to view it today, I doubt anyone could improve on the design, aesthetically or ergonomically,” says Jo. “The architect’s use of materials is amazing and the way the landscaping and every aspect of the building hangs together is flawless. It’s a great holiday home with much more 146

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He wanted a statement house as well as a retreat for the family, and to view it today, I doubt anyone could improve on the design, ergonomically or aesthetically.

property of note

besides: there’s a lot of entertaining space, big terraces, a fantastic shower that you can fit about four people in who’ve all raced back from the beach, cold and wet. It’s modern, but it’s a warm and welcoming home that’s been really well thought out.”

There is little that’s been overlooked, inside or out.

The extensive gardens are beautifully manicured and

there’s a separate flower meadow in which to recline and read. The house, although not frontline, benefits from wonderful views of the estuary, and because it’s set back, is immensely private. “The waterfront is a short walk away, as is dinner or cocktails at the St Enodoc, should you choose,” says Jo. “Nathan Outlaw’s pub, The Mariners (a collaboration with Sharp’s brewery), is MANOR | High Summer 2017

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property of note

around the corner, everything is within walking distance such that you needn’t use the car once during your stay, which for parents who spend their lives ferrying children around is a key benefit. But with Tresithney, you have the privacy, too.

“Being frontline may offer up unbroken views,” adds Jo, “but when Rock is at full tilt over the season, there are numerous boats and trailers and a constant buzz, which can be great fun but also good to be able to escape from, which is why this house is so special.”

Who would this house appeal to? Well, to look at it, who wouldn’t it appeal to? Positioned a stroll from the beach, with five spacious bedrooms, four of which have en suites, a half-acre garden comprising a pool and flower meadow, not to mention pristine views of the estuary and a state-of-the-art architectural interior, there are few people who’d not dream of a house like this.

“What we see all the time with Rock,” says Jo, ”is people holidaying here to recreate their own childhood.

Tresithney would suit somebody who perhaps has that connection with the area, who wants that perfect holiday environment for their own family, someone who loves contemporary architecture but is looking to move straight in, rather than watch it come to fruition.

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Tresithney is a statement house with spacious grounds that’s tucked away in one of the South West’s most sought-after locations. It will be someone who loves the location, and the building’s aesthetic, but is ultimately quite private.”

A property comprising all these features is quite a find, more so in Rock, ensuring that it will doubtless be snapped up.

Tresithney is on the market with John Bray and Partners at a guide price of £3,000,000.

The house is set back from Rock Beach. There is private parking for four to five vehicles or boat storage.

John Bray and Partners offers a 360 management service to property owners who are looking to let their property while they are not using it, or simply maintain it throughout the year.

Tel: 01208 863206 johnbray.co.uk

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JOHNBRAY.CO.UK Pavilion Building, Rock, Cornwall PL27 6JS 01208 863206 | sales@johnbray.co.uk

POLZEATH, NORTH CORNWALL An immaculately presented property with spectacular sea views from most rooms. Contemporary design finished with great attention to detail, currently used as a main residence, but would also make a highly desirable holiday/letting home.

4 Bedrooms | 3 en-suite bathrooms | Stylish contemporary design built in 2009 | Reverse open plan living | Wide open coastal views | Energy saving features | Outside storage/further accommodation | Patio dining with sea views | Separate driveway with ample parking.

Viewings by appointment only Guide Price ÂŁ1,350,000 FREEHOLD 150

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JOHNBRAY.CO.UK Pavilion Building, Rock, Cornwall PL27 6JS 01208 863206 | sales@johnbray.co.uk

TREBETHERICK, NORTH CORNWALL A substantial and beautifully presented family home situated in this privileged position in Trebetherick with exceptional views of the Camel Estuary, St Enodoc Golf Course and Brea Hill.

6 Bedrooms | 5 bathrooms | One bedroom annexe | Large gardens and grounds | Popular letting property | Easy access to footpaths and beach at Daymer Bay | Potential plot subject to the necessary planning consent.

Viewings by appointment only Guide Price £2,750,000 FREEHOLD

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CHARMING HOUSE IN A TRULY SUBLIME CLIFF TOP SETTING WITH ATLANTIC VIEWS

PERRANUTHNOE, CORNWALL

Penzance - 5.5; Porthleven - 7.5; St Ives - 9.8; Mousehold - 10; Truro - 27; Cornwall Airport Newquay - 42 (distances are approximate and in miles).

Bosca is set in two acres of private south-west facing grounds with ownership to mean high water, overlooking the Atlantic. This recently refurbished property takes full advantage of its setting, with sea views from all principal rooms. The accomodation consists of four bedrooms, a large sitting room and kitchen. The detached cottage is set away from the main house and has two bedrooms as well as a studio.

Guide £1,250,000 Freehold 152

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Savills Cornwall Jonathan Cunliffe jcunliffe@savills.com

01872 243200

FAMILY RESIDENCE IN WONDERFUL GARDEN ON EDGE OF SOUGHT-AFTER VILLAGE

LUSTLEIGH, DEVON

Reception hall, cloakroom, 3 reception rooms, kitchen breakfast room, pantry and utility room. Master bedroom suite, 4 further bedrooms (2 en-suite) and separate bathroom. Detached studio/garden room. Ample parking.

Savills Exeter Edward Tallack edward.tallack@savills.com

01392 455 741

Guide Price £995,000

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

Dorset | Rousdon

Guide Price ÂŁ1,400,000

A well-presented 5 bedroom family house with South facing gardens, sea views and woodland on a 350 acre private Estate on Devon's beautiful Jurassic Coast.

5 Bedrooms | 2 Reception rooms | 4 Bathrooms | Utlilty room | Cloakroom | South facing landscaped garden | Large workshop | Double garage | Further parking | Woodland | Sea views | C Approximately 4274 Sq Ft Exeter Isabel Clifton | 01392 241686

/struttandparker 154 MANOR | High Summer @struttandparker 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

Devon | Widworthy

Offers Over ÂŁ1,500,000

A stunning Victorian Gothic Rectory nestling in its own hidden valley in the wonderful East Devon countryside 6 Bedrooms | 4 Reception rooms | 3 Bathrooms | Study | Utility room | Cloakroom | Formal gardens | Courtyard | Various outbuildings | Former tennis/croquet lawn | Open paddock and natural grounds In all about 6 acres | Approximately 4619 Sq Ft Exeter Oliver Custance Baker | 01392 241686

/struttandparker

@struttandparker

Exeter Richard Speedy | 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

Stunning south facing estuary views – Dittisham

£1,500,000

Located in the desirable village of Dittisham on the Dart Estuary within walking distance to all local amenities. Reverse level living takes advantage of the outstanding views whilst the delightful gardens offer a high degree of privacy. Vegetable garden and greenhouse. Double garage and parking. EPC Rating E.

Dartmouth 6 miles, Kingsbridge 14 miles, Totnes 9.5 miles

hotel 4 Bedrooms bathtub 3 Bathrooms (1 en-suite) furniture 2 Reception Rooms Web Ref: DAR160207

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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Dartmouth office: 01803 839190

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

Waterfront property with mooring – South Pool Kingsbridge 5 miles, Salcombe 11 miles, Dartmouth 12 miles

hotel 4 Bedrooms bathtub 3 Bathrooms furniture 1 Reception Room

£1,895,000

Quintessential Devon house in idyllic, popular coastal village at the head of the Salcombe Estuary. Immaculately presented with water views from all rooms. Direct water access, running mooring, garaging and boat house. Gardens and ample parking.

EPC Rating D.

Web Ref: PWC170033

Prime Waterfront & Country House department: 01548 855590

DARTMOUTH 01803 839190

KINGSBRIDGE 01548 857588

MILLBROOK 01752 829000

MODBURY 01548 831163

NEWTON FERRERS 01752 873311

Kingsbridge office: 01548 857588

SALCOMBE 01548 844473

TOTNES 01803 847979

PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590

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COASTAL | COUNTRY | TOWN | MODERN | PERIOD

TRETHEAGUE | SOUTH CORNWALL | GUIDE PRICE £1.25M Gorgeous Grade II* Listed House overlooking private parkland, renovated to an exceptional standard

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01872 306360

01872 306360

COASTAL | COUNTRY | TOWN | MODERN | PERIOD

SHORE ENOUGH | FOWEY ESTUARY | SOUTH CORNWALL | GUIDE PRICE £1,000,000 Brand-new 5 bedroom contemporary house with magnificent views of the iconic Fowey Estuary

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Dartmoor National Park, Christow A Grade II listed village rectory in the sought after Teign Valley Reception hall • Stair hall • 3 reception rooms • Kitchen • domestic offices • 5 bedrooms • 2 bathrooms Converted attic space • Garaging • Old cider barn • Ample parking • Delightful gardens bordering St. James’ church • Summer house • Streamside paddocks and orchard • Field shelter • In all about 1¾ acres

Exeter 01392 214 222 160

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

property

Snapshot comparative A selection of properties £700,000 and under from around the region and in London.

Jocelyn Cottage, Payhembury, Honiton Guide price: £565,000

Devon

This three-bedroom Grade II listed property sits between the villages of Payhembury and Feniton. Both the sitting room and family room have beamed ceilings and an inglenook fireplace with a woodburner. The kitchen is fitted out with two Agas – one oil-fired and one gas – and has granite worktops. There is space outside the front of the property for two to three cars to park, and a detached thatched garage/workshop. humberts.com

Kilter House, Coverack, The Lizard Guide price: £675,000

Cornwall

A five-bedroom Georgian farmhouse close to the village of Coverack and the coast, Kilter House was renovated by the current owners but still boasts a number of original features. The kitchen/dining room has southfacing views on one side of the room and a seating arrangement around an original fireplace with an oak lintel on the opposite side. The property is situated on three-quarters of an acre of secluded private ground. savills.com

Courtlage, Higher Cumery, Kingsbridge Guide price: £625,000

Devon

Set in a quiet rural location, Courtlage is a threebedroom barn conversion encompassing a kitchen/ breakfast room, a dining room, a cloakroom, a utility and an attic room, which can be used as an office or a fourth bedroom. Outside, there is a detached double garage and a detached barn/granny annexe fitted with a kitchen, bathroom and upstairs bedroom. marchandpetit.co.uk

St Olaf’s Road, Fulham Guide price: £700,000

London

Recently refurbished, this two-bedroom property is located in a Victorian mansion block close to Parsons Green. An open-plan kitchen and reception room create a light and spacious living space, and the fireplace adds a warm touch. The flat has two double bedrooms, a bathroom and also has access to the communal roof terrace. The property is a short walk to Parsons Green tube station and Bishops Park. struttandparker.com

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back page prize draw

a four-night cruise and stay break to Santander

B

Santander Cathedral

rittany Ferries, in association with MANOR, is offering one lucky reader and their companion a four-night cruise and stay break to the stylish city of Santander in northern Spain, including a return overnight cruise from Plymouth to Santander and a two-night stay at the Gran Hotel Victoria, located in the beach-side Sardinero quarter.

Not only will the winner sail aboard Brittany Ferries’ flagship, Pont-Aven, but as an extra treat they’ll enjoy a delicious four-course dinner in the à la carte restaurant.

THE PRIZE A four-night cruise and stay break in Santander, for two people, travelling together in a standard car, comprising: • • •

Spanish tapas, typical fare found in Santander

Two-nights on board in a four-berth cabin A four-course dinner on the departing voyage Two-nights’ bed and breakfast at the four-star Gran Hotel Victoria, Santander

The break departs from Plymouth on Sunday, returning on Thursday, and needs to be taken between 17 September and 5 November 2017, subject to availability.

HOW TO ENTER Simply go to manormagazine.co.uk/backpagecompetition/santander

Pont-Aven

This Back Page MANOR Prize Draw closes at midnight on 31 August 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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18 ct White and Yellow Gold Diamond and Ruby Cluster Ring Diamond Centre Stone - 1.30 ct approx

164

87 Queen Street, Exeter, EX4 3RP, Tel 01392 279994, Email websales@mortimersjewellers.co.uk

MANOR | High Summer 2017