MANOR Issue 26

The Region’s Premium Publication

Early Summer 2018 Issue 26 | £4.50

As I see it Actress Jenny Agutter

Joking aside Understanding laughter

Spray it loud Bristol’s graffiti festival

Award winner MANOR’s media success

CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY

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MODERNISED MANOR HOUSE WITH A DETACHED COTTAGE AND STUDIO SET IN 2.5 ACRES

CARBIS BAY, ST. IVES, CORNWALL

West Cornwall Golf Club (Carbis Bay) just under a mile; A30 about 2 miles; St Ives just over 2.5 miles; Penzance about 8 miles The views along the coast are simply world class and the scarcity of such property makes this a truly special opportunity.

Gonwin Manor and its sister property Primrose Cottage provide spacious and versatile family accommodation with the option of catering for a dependent relative or holiday letting possibility. The direct access to the footpath, hidden away from prying eyes, provides beautiful walking opportunities up and down the coast. 4,834 sq ft (Main house & Cottage) 6,194 sq ft (in total) EPC= F. Guide ÂŁ3,000,000 Freehold 4

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Savills Cornwall Ben Davies bmdavies@savills.com

01872 243200

BREATH-TAKING LOCATION

THURLESTONE, SOUTH DEVON Bantham 1 mile walk, Hope Cove 2 mile walk, Kingsbridge 5 miles, Salcombe 7 miles Magnificent detached family home overlooking the 18th hole of Thurleston Golf Club and the stunning South Hams coastline beyond. Situated on a private road, minutes walk from the beach. 6 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and 4 reception rooms. Garage, parking and lawned gardens. EPC: F

Guide ÂŁ2.95 million Freehold

Savills South Hams Sarah-Jane Bingham-Chick sjchick@savills.com

01548 800462

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GONE TO THE BEACH

BANTHAM, SOUTH DEVON The Beach about 3/4 mile, The Sloop Inn about 1/3 mile, Kingsbridge about 5 miles, Salcombe about 7 miles Rare and wonderful opportunity to buy your ‘forever home’ in this beautiful South Hams village. Kitchen/breakfast room, sitting room, dining room, garden room, 4 bedrooms, 3 bath/shower rooms, gardens and garage. In need of total modernisation. In about 1.8 acres. EPC = G

Guide Excess £2 million Freehold 6

MANOR | Early Summer 2018

Savills South Hams Sarah-Jane Bingham-Chick sjchick@savills.com

01548 800462

CHARMING WATERFRONT HOUSE WITH PRIVATE QUAY ON MYLOR CREEK

MYLOR, FALMOUTH, CORNWALL

Mylor Yacht Harbour about 530 yds by footpath; Mylor Village about 1.5 miles; Flushing about 2 miles Built in 1988 by the present owners, Otter Cottage occupies a magnificent waterfront site near the end of Church Road, elevated above the creek, with fantastic 180 degree water views. Four bedroom accommodation set over three levels, with a charming kitchen / sitting room on the ground floor. The terraced gardens and grounds stretch along the creek, there is a private quay, boat store and boat lift down to the foreshore as well as two garages. 2,304 sq ft. EPC = E Guide £1,750,000 Freehold

Savills Cornwall Ben Davies bmdavies@savills.com

01872 243200

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Contents

Early Summer 2018

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20

36

Regulars 19 TOWN MOUSE, COUNTRY MOUSE

What’s hot in the smoke; cool in the country

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CONFIDENTIAL Princesshay Spring in Style, Hayne Raising the Roof and TEDxExeter

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AS I SEE IT...

Actress Jenny Agutter

Style & Beauty 20 TRENDS

Sunny side up and med chic

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PURPLE PATCH

Features 36 THE SMEAR TEST Cervical cancer charitable initiative

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COMBATING THE PLASTIC PERIL The fight to become plastic free

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THE LANGUAGE OF LAUGHTER Insights from neuroscientist Sophie Scott

The summer beauty trend

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MY FEEL-GOOD REGIME Aromatherapist Katie Paige

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THE STYLE SHOOT Photographed by Simon Powell

Photostory 48 REAR VIEW

Images by photographer Nik Strangelove

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62 Culture 62 LET US SPRAY Upfest, Bristol

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FROM ASH AND EMBERS Svend Bayer at Kigbeare Studios

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SOUTH WEST MUST SEES...

What’s on around the region

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THE EXHIBITION SPACE A guide to the region’s art galleries and exhibitions

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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 96 KID KUDOS Cabrito Goat

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ON A CHILLI CRUSADE Spicy notes from Dr Hot

102

DUNE DINING Recipes from The Hidden Hut, Cornwall

106

BITES

118 Space 114 Realizing THE POTENTIAL Architect Annie Martin

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With Miranda Hackett Flowers, Devon

Food news from across the peninsula

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THE TABLE PROWLER ...dines out at Totnes Pop-Ups and Villandry, London

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Q&A

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SHOPPING FOR SPACE Out source

Early Summer 2018 Escape 124 TWO SIDES OF PARADISE Luxury comparisons in Sri Lanka

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LAP OF LUXURY

Property 143 PROPERTY OF NOTE

Woodlands, Pentire Headland, Cornwall

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Focuses on Sennen, Cornwall

StarBed Hideaways, Devon

MANOR school 135 SCHOOL NEWS IN BRIEF Depeche Mode musician opens new music building at Shebbear; Millfield Prep pupils watch rocket launch at Kennedy Space Centre; Shebbear Bronze Duke of Edinburgh practice exhibition; Latest collections from Truro High School designers; Nine Millfield medals from the 2018 Commonwealth Games; Exeter School hosts British Shooting Target Sprint

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THE RELOCATOR

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SNAPSHOT COMPARATIVE A selection of properties in the South West and London with attractive outdoor features

Back Page 162 PRIZE DRAW Win an original work of art by Jethro Jackson, one of Cornwall’s leading artists

DEVELOPING CHARACTER IN OUR CHILDREN Head teacher Pete Last

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First a space, then a place; a place of your own. There’s no place like home

31a East Street Ashburton Devon TQ13 7AQ 01364 653563 ashtonhousedesign.co.uk MANOR | Early Summer 2018

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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

Amy Tidy

amy@manormagazine.co.uk

ADVERTISING SALES

Jeni Smith

jeni@manormagazine.co.uk

CONTRIBUTORS

Steve Wright, Liz Miller, Pete Last DESIGN

Eleanor Cashman, Guy Cracknell

Fashion Jewellery Brand of the Year

FINALIST Supplier of the Year

Award Winning Sterling Silver Collections See www.kitheath.com for your nearest stockist Also available at John Lewis Est. North Devon 1984

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THE COVER Kaftan, Zara, £49.99 Photographer: Simon Powell; Stylist: Mimi Stott; Hair and make-up: Sophie Moore; Model: Erika Pattison at Select

© MANOR Publishing Ltd, 2018.

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 Sunshine Issue of MANOR. We called this issue Sunshine because we are in the first throes of summer and because the word ‘sunshine’ only has happy connotations. Moreover, as I write this in May under a cloudless sky, there is a palpable glow hanging over the nation, mainly as a result of incessant sun each day but also down to a certain Royal wedding, which was bathed in rays, picture perfect, and guaranteed to put a smile on even the most staunch republicans’ faces. Happy vibes are notoriously infectious.

Which brings us to laughter. There is no better feeling than uncontrolled, tear-streaming laughter, en masse. We need more of it. Yet, what is laughter? Why do we do it? Are we the only species that does it? It seemed pertinent in this Sunshine Issue to look at the power of laughter so Fiona McGowan talked to neuroscientist Sophie Scott, who heads up the Speech Communication Group at UCL and specializes in the study of laughter. How we laugh, when we laugh, can tell us a lot about the personality type we are and the mental state that we’re in. Sophie should know. In her spare time, she does stand-up so is positively immersed in the subject.

For a different, and often quirky perspective, photographer Nik Strangelove shoots from behind. In his long term documentary project, Rear View, Nik presents us with a different angle, and one that engages and involves us in the scene in a way that it wouldn’t, were the subject of the photo shot straight on. In this issue’s Photostory, we carry a selection of Rear View south west studies that Nik’s photographed over the years.

We also look at the pernicious scourge of plastic. Very much now on the global agenda, it’s a problem that’s particularly pertinent in the south west, where our double coastline receives tonnes of discarded plastic washed up on its shores daily.

This constant visual presence has meant the south west leads the rest of the country in attempting to tackle the endless tide of plastic. With beach season upon us, it seems wise to further drive the point home of quite how detrimental our heavily ingrained consumption patterns have been to the environment.

Not enough is said of flowers, and the positive psychological effect they have on us. Miranda Hackett is a florist who, try as she might to stick with a ‘proper’ corporate job, kept being drawn back to her childhood love of gardens and flowers. Now a florist, whose career has taken her from London and the Home Counties to Slovakia and now Devon, Miranda gives us some key tips on creating the perfect dreamy bouquet.

With delectable recipes, escapes to Sri Lankan safaris and Starbed Hideaways and a chance to win an original work of art of a seascape by one of Cornwall’s leading artists (this issue’s Back Page Prize Draw), this is a happy issue, designed to inject sunny vibes in all who read it.

Possibly more than anyone though, we’re all ecstatic here at MANOR because we returned from the British Media Awards with no less than three trophies – two silvers and a bronze - beaten only by the multimillion pound UK publishing heavyweights, Trinity Mirror and DC Thomson. I am immensely proud of what our tiny team achieves with each issue, and hugely grateful to all our readers, and businesses, for supporting our south west independent title the way you do.

We hope you enjoy this issue and may the sun shine throughout your summer and beyond, if not literally then metaphorically-speaking!

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 Subscribe to MANOR for a year for just £25. Visit manormagazine.co.uk/subscribe

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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Ooooh là là!

Expertly gathered together at our showroom in Exeter is a truly international collection of the finest range cookers, kitchen appliances and stoves, designed to transform homes and inspire wonderful culinary creations. Whether you’re seeking a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ that French cooker manufacturer, La Cornue, offers, or something equally special from our other suppliers, including Morsø, Wolf, Sub-Zero and Esse, Hearth & Cook offers you the chance to see and explore live, working models from these superlative makers. To whet your appetite, visit us in store or online.

Call 01392 797679 • www.hearthandcook.com

FINE STOVES, OVENS, BBQ’S, RANGE COOKERS & KITCHEN APPLIANCES 16 MANOR | EarlyOUTDOOR Summer 2018

14 Oaktree Place, Manaton Close, Matford, Exeter EX2 8WA Find us in Oaktree Place, 100 yards behind Carrs Ferrari, half a mile from The Devon Hotel.

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wake up to natural sleep

10% off

for Man or reade rs with the code Manor1

At Naturalmat, in the heart of Devon, we hand craft unique mattresses and beds using entirely natural and organic materials.

*New London Showroom NOW OPEN

www.naturalmat.co.uk 01392 877 247 *Chiswick Showroom ~ The Old Dairy, 66a Paddenswick Road, London W6 0UB Devon Showroom ~ Odhams Wharf, Topsham, Devon EX3 0PD 18

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TOWN MOUSE, COUNTRY MOUSE Darling...

I am veritably, positively infected, with happy vibes, and it is down to one thing, sunshine. The sun comes out in the Smoke and the world is transformed. Everyone’s smiling, even at strangers, tables are out on the pavement, f lowers are blooming in hanging baskets, and life is good. It is quite fascinating the effect that sunshine can have on humble homo sapian, specif ically, British homo sapian. But sunshine coupled with a good wedding, and my cup runneth over. I’m so happy I’m delirious, and can get absolutely nothing done. It’s the Med effect sweetie!

Crack open the Provençal rosé and clear me some space on that picnic rug. I’m there with you, kicking off my sling backs and running through the buttercup f ields. Sigh.

WHAT’S HOT IN THE SMOKE?

Sweetness...

It’s a rampant, widespread glorious epidemic, and I too have succumbed. There is simply no gloomy way of articulating the word ‘sunshine’. Buttercups and dandelions, cow parsley and corn flowers everything’s buzzing and excitedly breeding. All we needed was a pristine sun-soaked wedding of impossibly beautiful, loved up and well-liked people to kick off summer and make us all implode with joy. I have it on good authority that these sunny vibes will last the summer and I’ve dusted down the paella pan and that impossible-toerect-but-so-much-more-tastefulthan-a-gazebo triangular canopy thing accordingly, as I plan to entertain al fresco all summer long, wearing yellow, drinking rosé, tickled pink, and laughing, all the while. In the words of Willie Nelson, bring me sunshine, and oodles of it. There’s nothing I love more.

WHAT’S COOL IN THE COUNTRY?

Collections never exhibited outside of Mexico before, Frida Kahlo: Making Herself Up at the V&A, 16 June – 4 November 2018. A collection of clothing and personal artefacts that belonged to the iconic Mexican artist.

The Roman Baths, Bath will be opening late from 16 June – 31 August. Their torch lit summer evenings will mean that the site is open until 10:00pm each night, so the ruins of this beautiful Roman building can be experienced by torchlight.

Take a dip in one of London’s Lidos this summer, we recommend: Tooting Bec Lido (SW16), Brockwell Lido (SE24) and London Fields Lido (E8).

Visit The Garden House in Buckland (Dartmoor) on a sunny day to enjoy the many blooms they have.

Tickets will give you access to the extensive gardens, tea rooms and plant centre.

Petersham Nurseries have lately opened two new restaurants in Covent Garden. The Petersham, which is the more premium affair and La Goccia for a vibrant, all-day dining experience. The menus for both venues sound simply exquisite.

Brief Encounter at the 1920’s Empire Cinema, Haymarket. Emma Rice’s company Kneehigh’s highly original version of the romantic classic. Staged in the cinema, this production combines silver screen with musical theatre. Until 2 September.

Falmouth Classics combined with the Falmouth International Shanty Festival, draws cruisers, racers and working boats together, celebrating classic and heritage vessels. This is the largest Classic Boating event in the UK and will be taking place 22–24 June.

The Contemporary Craft Festival, 8-10 June.

Now in its 15th year, is one of the most loved craft events in Europe. The event is held at Mill Marsh Park, Bovey Tracey, Devon.

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Sunny side up

Earrings, Topshop, £8.50

Hat, Hobbs, £45

Christopher Kane SS18

Add a splash of sunshine to your wardrobe. Hues of mustard, buttercup, and egg yolk are everywhere this season, and wearing it big is guaranteed to inject happiness into your attire and all those you encounter.

Be brave; you’ll see. Compiled by Amy Tidy.

Top, Marks and Spencer, £17.50

Jeans, Marks and Spencer, £25 Necklace, Topshop, £18.50

Dress, Zara, £99

Dress, Marks and Spencer, £39.50

Sunglasses, Topshop, £39 Bag, Accessorize, £30 Sandals, Zara, £25.99 Shoes, Zara, £55.99

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Bag, Marks and Spencer, £25

Necklace, Marks and Spencer, £17.50

Stella McCartney SS18

trends

Earrings, Accessorize, £10

Dress, Whistles, £279

Skirt, Topshop, £125

Shirt, Hobbs, £99

Lolly’s Laundry Dress, Debenhams, £110

Shirt, Zara, £39.99

Shoes, Marks and Spencer, £59

Bag, Next, £30

Skirt, Marks and Spencer, £199

Shoes, Zara, £19.99

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Med chic

Necklace, Accessorize, £14

Shirt, Mango, £35.99

3.1 Phillip Lim

Summer staples that are the pinnacle of understated style: dark indigo denim, navy blue hues, crisp white shirts and stylish slip ons and sneakers. Relaxed and easy to wear, these pieces can be combined to create an effortlessly French look – St-Tropezian or summer Seine. Compiled by Amy Tidy.

Jumper, OSKA, £169

Dungaree, Monsoon, £59 Belt, Hobbs, £49

Shirt, Debenhams, £55

Jeans, Zara, £29.99

Backpack, Whistles, £280

Trainers, Whistles, £129

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Sunglasses, Zara, £15.99

Backpack, Jigsaw, £199

Trainers, Zara, £25.99

trends Dior SS18

Earrings, Oliver Bonas, £19.50

Blouse, Oliver Bonas, £49.50

Top, Zara, £39.99

Dress, Zara, £29.99

Earrings, Mango, £9.99

Bag, Oliver Bonas, £49.50

Trousers, Toast, £195

Dress, Oliver Bonas, £69.50

Sunglasses, Zara, £15.99 Shoes, Marks and Spencer, £45

Trousers, OSKA, £169

Sandals, Zara, £39.99

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beauty

Purple patch

There’s nothing like a splash of colour to brighten your day, and this summer make it a splash of purple. Purple, in all its lilac and violet hues, is this season’s key trend. Make-up artist Elouise Abbott takes you through her favourite purple beauties.

F

irst up are the lavender tones of Becca’s First Light Priming Filter. Lilac counteracts any dull yellow tone to your complexion, brightening tired skin, and this is the ultimate summer skin prep.

Sometimes all you need is a good eyeliner.

Whether you like to add colour in the waterline or smoke it out on the lid, you can’t go wrong with Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil in the shade Purple.

I am a huge fan of the professional make up brand Viseart and their eyeshadows. The Theory IV Eyeshadow Palette in the shade Amethyst contains six complementary shades that flatter all skin tones and eye colours. This palette contains all you need for a soft day make up or a smokey eye. If you want to glam it up for an evening out or festival, then a touch of Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow in the shade Gypsy will provide the requisite dazzle.

A violet blusher is great on mid to dark skin tones. For a long-lasting colour I use Urban Decay Afterglow 8 Hour Powder Blush in the shade Bittersweet. I’ll also take the blusher brush lightly over the eyelids to give a soft diffused drape of colour to tie the look together.

Highlighters are still going strong and the 24

MANOR | Early Summer 2018

formulas get better and better. The Illamasqua Beyond Powder in the shade Daze has a wonderful ethereal pink lilac iridescent quality.

Don’t be fooled by the way it looks in its packaging; this as actually a very soft highlighter, suitable for all skin tones. Just sweep lightly over the top of the cheekbone where the light sits naturally.

Yves St Laurent’s Luxurious Mascara in Fascinating Violet is a summer staple. Purple mascara looks great with all eye colours. If you don’t wear much make up or prefer to keep eyeshadow neutral, this is a fantastic way to introduce a touch of colour. Subtle yet fun.

When it comes to lips, are you gloss or matte? In the matte corner, we have MAC Matte Lipstick in Lavender Jade and in the gloss corner we have Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Gloss Lip Lacquer in the shade Boys Don’t Cry. Both perfect shades for the perfect pout. When wearing a statement lip, keep the eye make up fresh and simple to create the perfect balance.

For those finishing touches, OPI Nail Polish in the shade Purple with a Purpose is a deep purple ultra chic shade.

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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Bespoke.

Touch Design Group transforming houses into unique and beautiful homes.

Kitchen from concept to completion. Designed, made and installed by Touch Design Group.

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touchdesigngroup.com Telephone: 01392 364269 Exeter, Devon Kitchen Interiors | Furniture | Media Rooms | Dressing Rooms | Interior Doors | Staircases MANOR | Early Summer 2018

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TEDxExeter 2018 It was the seventh year of the annual TEDxExeter ideas festival and with the tickets for the live viewing at the Exeter Northcott Theatre selling out within minutes, the University of Exeter Alumni Auditorium - along with numerous other venues across the city - provided a simultaneous livestream of the talks on the day. The theme for this year’s event was ‘connect’, and covered areas as diverse as sleep, deaf awareness, human rights and sustainable clothing. All of the talks from this year’s event will be available online in June and are free to watch.

Photos by Matt Round Photography. tedxexeter.com

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confidential

Raising the Roof for Iraqi children On 28 April, Hayne – the events venue in Devon – opened its doors to host Raising the Roof, a charity auction, dinner and dance in aid of youths and children in Iraq whose homes and lives have been affected by war. Revered chef Eran Hovav of the Baobab Café cooked up a feast for the 130 guests; Saloon Star, the band, well and truly raised the roof and got everyone dancing, and Simon Reeve helped conduct a live auction of high-value lots kindly donated by local businesses and artists. Altogether, more than £11,000 was raised. justgiving.com/crowdfunding/raising-the-roof

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confidential

Princesshay Spring in Style At the beginning of the new style season, shopping destination Princesshay, in association with MANOR threw an exclusive soiree for selected guests prior to the main Princesshay Hello Spring public event that took place on 6 April. Lloyds Lounge hosted the event in their terrace bar in the heart of Exeter and served up bubbly and a succession of exquisite canapĂŠs ranging from pork belly chunks, balls of deep fried brie and fillet of beef crostini. There were luxury beauty treatments from Molton Brown and styling from Saks Hair, and personal stylist Chantelle Znideric presented to guests key looks for the season from participating retailers Next, Reiss and Oasis. Each guest left with a goody bag with surprise gifts from MANOR, Goldsmiths and Berloni. Photos by Steven Haywood Photography unless stated. princesshay.co.uk

PHOTO: QUEENIE CHAN PHOTO: QUEENIE CHAN

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Founding Editor of MANOR, Imogen Clements, attended the British Media Awards 2018 held at The Hilton, Park Lane, and hosted by Lauren Laverne.

She was thrilled to pick up trophies in every category that MANOR had entered. They were: Regional Brand of the Year: Silver (Gold was won by Trinity Mirror’s Cornwall Live; Bronze was won by Trinity Mirror’s Liverpool Echo)

Regional Editorial Content Team of the Year: Silver Lauren Laverne

(Gold was won by Trinity Mirror’s NCJ Media; Bronze was won by Trinity Mirror’s Manchester Evening News)

Regional Company of the Year: Bronze (Gold was won by DC Thomson Media. No silver trophy was awarded in this category)

Imogen with MANOR’s trophy haul

The Region’s Premium Publication

Early Summer 2018 Issue 26 | £4.50

As I see it Actress Jenny Agutter

Joking aside Understanding laughter

Spray it loud Bristol’s graffiti festival

Award winner MANOR’s media success

CULTURE FOOD SPACE ESCAPE SCHOOL PROPERTY

Imogen said, “I am absolutely thrilled by the recognition that MANOR has gained through these awards. We are an independent publisher comprising a tiny team who put together a substantial title every six weeks. To be up there on the medals podium alongside such UK media heavyweights as Trinity Mirror and DC Thomson is frankly mind-blowing. I am hugely proud of every member of our team and thank all those who have contributed to MANOR over the three years we’ve been in publication.

“The biggest thank you goes to our readers, who we know to be great ambassadors of the title recommending it to friends and relatives, and are forthcoming in their praise of MANOR, which is always a tremendous boost.

“British Media Awards and gushing reader feedback – it doesn’t get much better than this!”

britishmediawards.com/2018-winners

MANOR will be crowd-funding this summer via crowdcube.com. For updates or further information on this, please email invest@manormagazine.co.uk

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PHOTO: QUEENIE CHAN

East Soar

My feel-good regime Aromatherapist Katie Paige worked as a health professional for several years, specialising in sensory integration, a branch of neuroscience concerned with how the brain processes sensations, such as touch and smell. In 2017 she launched Botany Blend organic skin oils, based in Kingsbridge, a business that encompasses her belief in sustainability, fair trade, protecting the environment, a love for aromatherapy and living in coastal Devon.

Having grown up on the Somerset Levels, I have always been drawn to the countryside. It’s in my blood: my mum

was the daughter of a farmer and my dad grew up on the moors. He’s probably the most ‘country’ man you’ll ever meet – a birdwatcher, fisherman and all-round naturalist.

As a child I travelled to remote places all over the world to observe the wildlife and local flora. I’m thankful for that – it connected me to nature, which is where I feel happiest.

Many childhood summers were spent on our family boat, Shearwater. It was a 28ft yacht – run-down, smelly and

a real squeeze, but it was a great way to get away from holiday traffic and crowds. Just peace and tranquility.

We visited beautiful places such as Lundy Island and Woolacombe, where we saw dolphins, seals, basking sharks and flocks of gannets diving into shoals of mackerel.

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My other half and I continue to seek that tranquility; we know all the secret, secluded empty beaches and love to camp. We hope to buy a boat one day. In the summer

we spend our time on the beach having barbecues, paddleboarding, fishing, swimming and camping. In fact, last year my husband proposed to me while camping on a cliff edge near Wonwell Beach.

I have done stints in Leeds and London to get it out of my system, but after a season in Morzine in the French Alps I knew I couldn’t go back to urban living, so I moved to Devon in 2012. The first thing I noticed was how healthy

and active everyone was. I joined the local gym, Willpower Fitness in Kingsbridge, which is essentially a barn in some woods. Will Wood, the owner, is a fantastic coach – he really puts me through my paces. It’s very rustic there and I love it.

Snowboarding is my favourite sport. I love hiking to the

summits of remote peaks – places few people have ever been – and enjoying the splendour and magnificence of the mountains, and then the freedom and exhilaration of boarding back down. Equally, I feel at home at, and on, the sea. I qualified as a diver 10 years ago and have been lucky enough to dive all over the world. It’s the tranquility of diving that is so compelling – it’s a completely different world down there. Living in Devon, it’s almost rude not to surf and my husband is an expert, so I have been casually learning for the past five years. I’m hoping to finally get to grips with the sport this summer. For me, Bantham Beach is the best place to surf.

I try to do at least one good long walk a week, mostly on a Sunday with my dog, Woody. I like to stride along

I love flowers. I have these enormous dahlias, which I grow every year. I also have a new white hydrangea,

which I’m looking forward to seeing in bloom later in the summer. I like to grow fragrant flowers like jasmine and roses. I was once told that lavender by the front door was good luck, so I have lavender lining our driveway.

For unwinding with friends and eating out, it has to be the Tower Inn in Slapton – the food is delicious; it’s a real country pub set beside a medieval tower. For

coffee and a treat I choose The Pantry in Kingsbridge and the Almond Thief in Dartington, and Aune Valley in Loddiswell do the best breakfasts! botanyblend.com

rugged and spectacular coastline from East Soar to Overbeck’s in Salcombe. I also like to run with friends along other parts of the coast path – especially at sunset.

LANGUISHING IN MY BAG I always carry a 1-litre bottle of water to keep me hydrated, and Botany Blend’s Meru face oil – it really feeds and plumps the skin and smells divine.

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PHOTO: TIM JENKINS

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As I see it...

Born in Taunton, Jenny Agutter started out as a child actor in films such as the The Railway Children and Walkabout. After treading the boards for a while, and spending many years in Hollywood, she settled with her husband and son in London and on the Lizard. She plays Sister Julienne in the popular BBC TV series Call the Midwife. Interview by Fiona McGowan.

People think of me as very British, which I’m not. The first place I

though. I didn’t like being told I had to go to awards and be seen at that event or another. What you learn in this profession is to keep your eyes open and to take the opportunities – you can’t always do exactly what you want.

I went to boarding school in England. Being at ballet school, I

I was always aware that you can be hot one minute and not the next, so I was very careful about money. I bought a house when

remember was Singapore. Then, from the age of eight to 16, we lived in Nicosia on Cyprus, where my father was running the entertainment for the Forces who were based in the Middle East. actually felt very lucky and rather a spoilt brat. In the holidays, I’d go back to Cyprus – it was all very Gerald Durrell… We had a lot of Greek and Turkish friends. We built a boat from a pontoon, and we’d go along the coast and spend our entire time bailing out the boat. Snorkelling, looking for coins and bits of pots from the old Byzantine town. It was an interesting contrast to living in England.

When I was 11 years old, I was cast in a Walt Disney film about the Royal Danish ballet, I think because I looked young for my

age, my ballet was of the right standard, and I was uninhibited.

But I was not an actor; I wouldn’t have been an actor in a million years. I wouldn’t have been a dancer, to be frank.

It was terribly exciting, being in a film at that age. To me, it was all just playing games. The director would say, “Look over

here, a giraffe. A giraffe going by. Now there’s a lion. He’s frightening.” I thought it was Hollywood. Then I went back to school, and had it knocked out of me completely. They were not impressed. The thing about boarding school is that you’ve got to live with these people for months on end, so if you feel something isn’t acceptable, you very quickly withdraw.

From the age of 13, I was handled by a publicist who treated me entirely like a child, which was exactly right. I think that a lot of

people who start work as a child get treated like an adult, which they’re not. Back then, I would say serious things like, “Do you think I should take this role?” And my publicist would say, “Well, what’s the grub like? Is it a nice location? Who’s making it?” He gave me the point of view that this should be fun... And that affected the way I chose roles for the rest of my career.

Unlike with dancing, I never learned the technical stuff that goes behind what you do as an actor, so I worked in the theatre

for a while. I was terrified of being on stage. I still feel nervous to a certain extent – if you’re not, then you don’t have the energy you need. I ended up at the National in my early 20s, playing Miranda with Gielgud as Prospero in The Tempest.

All the other actors of my age who were playing the smaller roles had come straight out of drama school. It made me feel insecure – I didn’t even know what an iambic pentameter was... To overcome it, I worked bloody hard. I was extremely lucky to be working with someone like Gielgud. He was the most generous, funny, delightful person. His way of working was to nod and wink and say, “Isn’t this fun? Aren’t we enjoying this? Come on, this is just great.”

I don’t understand people going to America and hating it. Why

I could afford to, knowing that I might have to sell it at any time, because real estate was a good way to keep one’s options open. Looking back, though, I do think, “Why the hell didn’t I push to have a production company?” But I didn’t have that kind of energy – I was much more like a cat. I wanted to see what was coming.

What’s happening in the industry regarding sexism is quite right. When I lived in LA, there were a lot of sleazy people

around – people that you avoided spending time with alone. If I was invited to a private screening, or invited to ‘join on the yacht’ or a ‘special weekend party’ somewhere, I just didn’t do it. I know how insidious it is. Maybe you go to the screening, maybe someone makes a little pass. And you think that’s OK, but then there’s something else, and you’ve kind of got yourself cornered then. You think, “I can’t actually blow the whistle now.” Abuse starts in a small way.

Much as I enjoy acting, I’m really passionate about all the stuff that goes on around it. I love the photography, the special

effects and the stunt choreography. If I wasn’t doing Call the Midwife – which I absolutely adore – I know I’d have got myself more involved on the other side of the camera.

There’s something deeply peaceful about Cornwall, but also quite stirring, because there’s a real strength to the land itself.

If you go out into the garden when those mists have cleared, you think you might find yourself back with the dinosaurs; it’s as though time doesn’t exist here. I think it’s why the Cornish have such respect for the ruggedness and the difficulties of the place. Everything about the place is stronger than you. You lose fishermen; people fight to live here. The rewards are how beautiful it is.

I did a mini-series based in Europe many years ago, and had a flat in Belgium, and we would shoot in Paris and all over Europe.

As Brexit happens, I look back on those open-ended artistic times, and I worry that it will all disappear. Cornwall has had so much support from Europe and it’s so sad to see that it’s turned its back on that. Today, you can eat Cornish meat in Cornwall because we have abattoirs that were paid for by European money. I wish Theresa May had just said “no, forget it. This wasn’t our policy.” What an idiot Cameron was. What a historic buffoon. What a thing to put on the line. No-one knew what the hell they were voting for…

The seventh series of Call the Midwife is available now on DVD.

do they stay? If it hadn’t worked for me, I’d have been back in a flash. I did feel very much on the edge of the Hollywood scene,

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The Smear Test

Around 3,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with cervical cancer every year, and it is the most common cancer in women under the age of 35. It is largely preventable through cervical screening and the HPV vaccination, yet one in four women aged between 25 and 64 do not take up their screening invitation.

T

he ‘Smear Test’ is a charitable initiative by professional photographer Simon Powell and designer Marc Rouse to boost awareness of cervical cancer and its prevention.

After each shoot Simon asks the models and celebrities he photographs to smear their lipstick for one last shot. Simon and Marc came up with the idea in early January 2016 when Marc suggested it would be good to do something interesting and different after each of Simon’s shoots. “I was keen to use my skill-set and the context in which I work to support a good cause, and this fitted the bill. Every woman I’ve shot professionally has been happy to take part and I’ve now photographed 150 ‘Smear Tests’, including the beautiful Michelle Keegan after a Revlon shoot. Ultimately, it would be nice to produce a book, do an exhibition and sell limited-edition prints with proceeds given to Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust.”

Simon supports and always tags Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust, which is the only charity in the UK dedicated to women and their families affected by cervical cancer. It runs a similar initiative every January with #smearforsmear encouraging lipstick-smeared selfies to go viral via social media. Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust has been highly supportive of Simon raising awareness in his campaign.

Approximately 850 women die of cervical cancer each year.

Screening prevents 75% of cancers developing and is estimated to save some 5,000 lives each year. Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust raises awareness of how cervical cancer can be prevented while offering support to all those affected, 24 hours a day. jostrust.org.uk simonpowell.net #thesmeartest

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PHOTO: LEWIS ARNOLD

Feeling increasingly smothered by the environmental menace represented by plastic, Fiona McGowan reflects on how the actions of campaigners and believers can give us hope in the fight to become plastic free.

S

itting at my computer, clicking through news and social media sites, I feel as though I am being choked by plastic. Plastic stats, to be precise.

The numbers are so massive they are almost meaningless. I can’t even imagine what 8.3 billion tonnes looks like – that’s how much plastic we have produced globally since the 1960s, when plastics first hit our wide-open maw of consumption. Some 79% of that has gone into landfill or the wider natural environment. I try to picture the giant floating plastic dump in the middle of the Pacific. It’s three times the size of France … FRANCE! The country that takes half your holiday to drive across. It

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contains 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic – nope, that number does little to stimulate my visual cortex. The science of measuring it alone I find mind-boggling. It took 30 vessels and a big mother ship along with a Hercules aircraft and two other planes to even measure the damn thing.

I need to take a breather and decide to cycle along deserted country lanes to Penzance. The last stretch runs parallel with the sloping sea wall that abuts Mount’s Bay as it curves from Marazion to Penzance, the latter being the first community in the UK to achieve ‘plastic-free status’, as part of the Plastic Free Coastlines campaign led by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS). What, I wonder,

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I try to picture the giant floating plastic dump in the middle of the Pacific. It’s three times the size of France...

as I pedal past St Michael’s Mount, does this actually mean, though? Glancing down at the beach, I see a small woman hauling a massive piece of fishing net up the beach. She’s doubled up under its weight. I throw down my bike and run to help. We pull it up to the path. “At least it can’t get back into the sea,” she puffs, as she turns to head back down to the sand.

Together, we drag three or four more nylon net sections off the beach. She doesn’t want her picture taken. “I’m just doing this because I saw a group called Plastic Free Penzance on Facebook,” she tells me. “And I thought I’d do something about it, too.” Was this a one-off, I wonder? A chance meeting? In Penzance, I drop into a small cafe on Market Jew Street, the town’s bustling high street with its mix of pound shops, lowbudget clothing stores still clinging to the town centre, and a smattering of independent cafés and shops.

A handful of businesses are displaying ‘Plastic Free Penzance’ stickers. Louise Todd in The Terrace café offers a balanced view. While she’s pleased with the impact the campaign is having on the community, she thinks that word hasn’t spread much beyond the cafes, with the wider community still being in the dark. She is ardently doing her bit – replacing plastic wrap with paper bags, reusing plastic bags, selling only cans and glass bottles, as well as bamboo cups for takeaway coffees, and offering money off to people who bring their own coffee cups. She has a beef with retailers turning to so-called ‘Vegware’ – a plastic made from ‘compostable’ material. It requires a special composting process, she explains, which is not available in Cornwall. Takeaway cups tend to get thrown away in regular bins too. “Surely the first step should be to get recycling bins, everywhere,” she suggests.

Up the road, the big greengrocer’s has no plastic bags.

The manager proudly leads me along aisles laden with fruit and veg. “We are almost completely plastic free,” she says, pointing out the sheaves of paper bags, and customers filling up their reusable ones. The message has clearly filtered through to a wider customer base than the town’s coffee-shop patrons. Penzance has been put on the map since winning the SAS award. Journalists from all over the country, and film crews from the BBC, from Japan and Bulgaria, have been asking locals about their plastic-free status. And eyes have been opened – in large part thanks to one very passionate Penzance resident, Rachel Yates.

With a background in broadcasting journalism, having worked throughout the UK for the BBC, Rachel returned to her hometown some years ago and rekindled her love of the ocean, and her passion for social engagement. As a volunteer regional rep for SAS, she organised beach cleans and encouraged her kids to get involved. But when the Plastic Free Communities campaign hit, she grasped it with unprecedented fervour.

Within months she had cajoled local businesses into reducing or dropping their single-use plastics, and very soon was pulled on board to work part-time at MANOR | Early Summer 2018

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PHOTO: LEWIS ARNOLD

PHOTO: ALEXA POPPE

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PHOTO: JESSE ELLIS

The Plastic Free Coastlines campaign is a very democratic process SAS’s office near St Agnes. She’s now mentoring other communities around the country who need advice and support in their aim to go plastic free.

In the few months that she’s been working on the campaign, Rachel has been overwhelmed by the positive responses she’s had – not just from the individuals who have signed up for plastic-free status, but from the hithertounheard-of collaboration in the town. The Chamber of Commerce, the local Business Improvement District, the Penwith District Tourism Association, the town council and a number of business mentors have all joined forces to ensure that everyone is committed to the programme.

“There is a changing tide in Penzance, there’s more of a can-do attitude,” she says, “so we’re looking closely at how we need to lead the way – how we can be more innovative.”

Working at the SAS HQ, she can now see how the Plastic Free Coastlines campaign has well and truly taken hold in communities around the country. It’s in schools, businesses and local authorities, and the mantle has even been taken up inland on waterways and in the countryside. Rachel, like many others, attributes the sudden leap in interest to the ‘Blue Planet effect’, after David Attenborough’s latest documentary powered its way into the public consciousness. SAS’s plastic-free campaign tapped right into that newly awakened passion. “If we all decide not to buy bottled water any more, it’s a small step to take, but it makes a massive impact on the amount of plastic in the environment,” says Rachel. “I think that’s why it’s captured people’s imaginations and their enthusiasm – it’s something that’s doable.” The Blue Planet effect may arguably have altered behaviour at the highest levels, too, with both the government and the monarchy riding the anti-plastic wave. The Queen has banned single-use plastics from all her estates, and Michael Gove has recently announced a national deposit scheme for plastic bottles.

Surfers Against Sewage have been campaigning about plastics for donkey’s years. CEO Hugo Tagholm knows that successful campaigns have to work on many platforms. While the regular beach cleans have a huge impact, they will not alter social behaviour.

And although getting the word out in schools is vital – particularly for the ‘trickle-up’ method of

children educating their parents – it can’t change the behaviour of big retailers. “I always think of it as the tool kit approach,” says Hugo. He speaks fast and with the punchiness of a consummate lobbyist. “We need education. We need business change. We need to create new products. We need people to consume in a different way. We need the legislation to drive all of that. So everyone’s got their part to play.”

He has been at the sharp end of marine conservation campaigning for 10 years now, and knows what an important role organisations like SAS have in influencing the government. “Let’s look at the plastic bag charge,” he says. “Surfers Against Sewage lobbied for that for two years before it came into being. It wasn’t just behaviour change overnight. It wasn’t just people deciding they didn’t want plastic bags and taking reusable bags to the stores – it was legislation that did that. And that’s reduced circulation of plastic bags by nine billion.” Similarly, the microbead ban came in at legislative level. Like a great military campaign, the charge for change needs to come from all angles: from the alteration of individual behaviour, to a collective local community effort, and to a change in legislation. One will not happen without the other. Seat belt laws and smoking bans, Hugo reminds me, only came into being because people campaigned, and because government listened.

The Plastic Free Coastlines campaign is a very democratic process: just consider the woman dragging the nets off the beach, thanks to social media and a personal connection with the environment; the community leader who fired up a whole region with her stamina and drive; the chief exec of a surfy marine conservation charity; the members of parliament who actually listened to their constituents; and the lobbyists who are fighting for a better world.

I cycle back along the bay and see a handful of dog walkers. At least three of them are carrying large plastic bags and filling them with rubbish. I stop to talk to one woman. They are not part of an organised team, she tells me: “I just do it because I walk my dog here every day and I want to keep it clean. It’s about caring for the environment you live in.”

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Goldsmiths High Street, Princesshay, Exeter, EX4 3LH Union Street, Torquay, TQ1 1ET

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I

Of vital importance to our wellbeing and a crucial element of human communication, laughter is little understood. Fiona McGowan talks to neuroscientist Sophie Scott to try to unfathom this (generally) happy human reflex.

t is an unseasonably stunning spring day in Exeter.

The sky is a cobalt blue. Students on the university campus are doing what students have been doing since time immemorial – sitting around, chatting, throwing balls to each other. There is a buzz around the theatre buildings – crowds of people are perching on the amphitheatre steps. Inside the auditorium, the audience is squinting in the darkness. And it’s worth hiding away from the sunshine: this is TEDxExeter and the talks are inspiring, if not transformative. Late in the afternoon, neuroscientist Sophie Scott strides onto the stage. Her presence is wide, electric, her voice powerful, no-nonsense, and it carries the confidence of a professional

speaker. She is here to talk about laughter. Within a matter of minutes (or was it seconds?), the audience laughs. Less than halfway through, we are roaring. Sophie Scott is clearly not your average research scientist.

Some weeks later, I am deep in a warren of basement rooms in London’s Russell Square, home to UCL’s neuroscience faculty. Sophie sits across a bland boardroom table, yawning unselfconsciously. The harsh fluorescent lights don’t detract from her youthful face – she looks a good 15 years younger than her Wikipediastated age. Perhaps it’s all the smiling and laughing she does… She has five TEDx conferences under her belt.

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We learn to use laughter as a gauge for safety even before we are born.

organised events that mimic the format of TED’s short, eye-opening talks on a range of subjects based around technology, entertainment and design. It is a broad church.) And she has spoken at the annual TED conference in Vancouver. Sophie’s personality is clearly far too extrovert to be confined to a lab and a phalanx of research studies. But, of course, she is still a highly respected scientist in the field of human communication.

“I keep getting introduced along the lines of being ‘the laughter lady’,” she sighs. “I say: ‘But what I do is actually really boring.’”

Back when she was an undergrad, studying biology – “because I didn’t know what to do, and I liked it at school” – she was drawn to the study of the mind.

After quitting her pure biology degree, she spent a year selling kilts (“Yes, really! Right here in Russell Square, as it happens,” she laughs), before choosing a biology degree that incorporated psychology, and segued from studying the psychology of music to speech. In the 90s, the research on communication (among many other behaviour studies) took a dramatic turn with the introduction of brain scan imaging.

All of a sudden, Sophie found that she was using her background in physics and chemistry in interpreting images of neural activities in the brain. Psychology was particularly appealing, says Sophie, because “it is such a diverse science. You could be looking at mental health problems, or personality or development; brain and body measurements; language; vision; hearing; how you represent the body…”

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on the then nascent techniques of brain scan data. After working as a researcher in Cambridge, she returned to London as a research fellow. She now heads the Speech Communication Group at UCL. In the world of academia, of course, papers have to be written and published, science has to be done and grants applied for.

To the layperson, Sophie’s espousal of public engagement – the TED talks and Royal Institution Christmas lectures – makes her a star in the world of scientific discovery.

But many scientists still look down on the more ‘public figures’ in science, as though disseminating information to laypeople somehow devalues their work as scientists.

And then there’s laughter itself. “I think studying laughter is relatively controversial,” Sophie explains.

“It doesn’t sound like a proper thing to study. In my field, we want to understand emotion in a way that might help us to comprehend mental health problems like depression, so things like negative emotions seem very important.” She continues: “In psychology, we’ve pretty much established the science of emotion, which is entirely about negative emotions.” Sophie thinks that some other scientists view the study of laughter as “like saying you study tinsel – it’s just silly”.

What she has discovered, though, is that laughter is as valid a form of emotional communication as any other.

Laughter, as we know, can be used for so many functions.

Extroverts think they laugh more than introverts (they don’t). Sophie has found that people with depression often find laughter excruciatingly irritating – which could lead to further understanding of the sense of social exclusion of those with mental health issues. Laughter, she says, tells us more about ourselves than the joker making us laugh. We

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PHOTO: MATT ROUND PHOTOGRAPHY

tend to laugh when we like the person we’re with – and we always laugh a lot with our friends.

We learn to use laughter as a gauge for safety even before we are born. Hearing the rhythm of our mother’s laughter in the womb, and then as a baby, hard-wires us to think: “If there’s laughter, then everything is OK.” Animals laugh too – primates giggle when tickled, but have also been shown to laugh in social settings. One study shows that even rats laugh. There is probably an evolutionary reason for laughter, says Sophie: “It’s very important for making and maintaining social bonds, and seems to have this functional role of displaying that you’re playing and making it permissible, inviting others to join in. It’s all safe and we’re not going to hurt each other.”

Sophie’s work, of course, looks at the neurological and physiological effects, in tandem with the behavioural side, of emotional communication. Laughter, unlike smiling or other positive responses, is about loss of control. There is a postural muscle reflex in our bodies that keeps us upright, ensuring that we don’t slump over.

When you laugh, that reflex gets switched off. “It makes you floppy and unstable. It makes it hard to do things with your hands, because your muscle tone is lost. When you’re laughing really intensely it’s very hard to speak, partly because you’re fighting the laughter, but also because it gets hard to do muscle movements.” This pure lack of control intrigues Sophie: “There are very few studies on this, so I’d like to know a bit more about it.

We don’t know how it happens or why it happens.”

While Sophie is dedicated to the science, she has also taken her public engagements to another level. Some years ago, she decided to have a go at stand-up comedy.

Now, with 50 gigs under her belt, she still sees herself as something of a novice: “You’re supposed to do a hundred before you can call yourself a proper stand-up… I’m not there yet. At this rate, I’ll probably get there just before I retire,” she chuckles.

As an expert on laughter, there must be some pressure to ‘get it right’ if you’re trying to tickle a room full of people. I would imagine the vast majority of us would be terrified at the very prospect. “It is really anxiety provoking,” she admits, “because there’s a really clear and pure property to it, which is, if the audience don’t laugh, you’ve failed. It’s that simple.” But, as any comedian will tell you, the pay-off more than makes up for the fear: “The first time I did it, I was really nervous about it. I thought: ‘Why did I put myself forward for this? Why am I doing it? This is madness.’ When I came off stage, the MC came on and said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen… Sophie!’

And there was this clapping and cheering, and I thought: ‘Oh, this can go on for as long as they want to, this is just lovely.’ Then my only real thought was ‘I want to keep doing this and I want to get better’.”

Stand-up has, of course, informed the way she gives lectures, and how she addresses her public engagements.

It has given her an almost boundless confidence.

Professor Sophie Scott

The contrast between the heady experiences onstage and working with researchers in labs must be quite something. “I haven’t stopped doing the more general emotional vocalisation stuff,” she points out. And that work will continue: “It would be too easy to be sidelined if I only did laughter.” Emotionally, of course, it’s a high to hear people laugh, whether in the lab or in an audience. “It’s delightful. It does colour your mood in a positive way, even though it’s a very serious science,” she says. Sophie now wants to focus on the way in which laughter has a connection with personality traits.

“I feel like, with laughter, we might have a bit of a thread we can start pulling on to start connecting a lot of things, like social interactions and emotions and personality, that haven’t really been drawn together before. I’d like to know more about that variation.”

It seems as though Prof. Sophie Scott might just be the one to bring the science of laughter to the centre stage.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA): individuals having a laughing spell when they don’t feel amused (some disorders associated with the condition include: Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis and stroke) Gelotophobia: an intense fear of being laughed at Gelotophilia: the enjoyment of being laughed at Katagelasticism: a psychological condition in which a person enjoys laughing at others

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Photographer Nik Strangelove started his documentary work ‘Rear View’ by accident, then realized it gave a novel and quite revealing angle to his photography.

St Ives, Cornwall, 2002

“I originally started photographing people from behind as I was quite shy, but then found that the view from the back was sometimes more amusing and interesting than it would be face-on. After a while, I realized I had quite a few of these ‘rear view’ images, at which point I began to actively look for more. ‘Rear View’ has become a longterm, life-long project. Whenever I’m lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time, and I have a camera with me, I’ll capture another image to add to the portfolio.”

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photostory

Helston, Cornwall, 2006

Pool, Cornwall, 2005

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Penzance, Cornwall, 2002

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Porthleven, Cornwall, 2014

Wadebridge, Cornwall, 2006

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St Ives, Cornwall, 2002

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Plymouth, Devon, 2014

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St Ives, Cornwall, 2005

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St Ives, Cornwall, 2003

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St Ives, Cornwall, 2006

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photostory

Looe, Cornwall, 2006

NIK STRANGELOVE Born in London, Nik grew up in Oman and Singapore. He began taking photographs when he was 16. After graduation, Nik worked as a freelance photographer. He spent 15 years living in Cornwall whilst working on personal projects. In 2015 he returned to his native London to concentrate on new projects. He prefers to work with analogue equipment and available light.

Through his photography, Nik attempts to open the viewer’s eyes to the strangeness, variety and intensity of the world we pass through each day, looking but perhaps not seeing. nikstrangelove.com instagram.com/Strangelove14

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Enchanted Summer at Boringdon Hall Join us at our five-star manor house hotel & spa in Devon for a sumptuous concoction of relaxation, wellness and pure indulgence. Home to the 3 Rosette Gallery Restaurant and Gaia Spa, there’s plenty to stimulate the senses and stir the soul at Boringdon Hall this summertime.

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Boringdon Hall, Plymouth, Devon, PL7 4DP boringdonhall.co.uk | 01752 549549 | @boringdonhall

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Culture Upfest, Bristol | Svend Bayer at Kigbeare, Devon South West must sees | Worth making the trip for | Staying in

Velante From ‘Stillness/Movement/Flow’, an exhibition of recent abstract work by Carol Hosking-Smith.

21 June – 21 July at Penwith Studio Gallery, Back Rd W, Saint Ives TR26 1NL. penwithgallery.com

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Nomad Clan

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Steve Wright previews Upfest, Bristol’s world-renowned street art festival, which celebrates its tenth birthday this year

“W

e could never have imagined how popular it would become. Upfest was created as a gathering of artists who just wanted somewhere to paint, and we still are an arts festival for artists – it just so happens that 50,000 people turn up to watch!”

Founder Stephen Hayles is explaining how, in its ten-year lifespan, Bristol’s Upfest (or Upfest: The Urban Paint Festival, to give it its full title) has graduated from a small gathering of street and graffiti artists looking for somewhere to paint, into Europe’s largest street art festival.

Upfest returns to the streets of Bedminster, Ashton and Southville in south Bristol this July for its tenth instalment (and, in fact, its tenth anniversary – the festival launched in 2008, and took a break in 2014). As Stephen explains, Upfest came about somewhat by accident: “It all started back in 2008 as a paint jam [a group of artists coming together to paint a location, without any pre-existing design]. We just wanted to get some artists together and find them somewhere to paint. Since then, Bristol’s busy

graffiti scene and the growing global profile of Banksy and others have accelerated our growth.”

Indeed they have. Upfest is now a three-day event spreading across three south Bristol suburbs, and featuring – alongside live painting by hundreds of artists on thousands of square metres of walls across the area – a wealth of live music on five stages, street food stalls plying cuisine from around the globe, and much more. The family focus has also grown year on year, and at this year’s Upfest you’ll find a wealth of children’s and family art activities – including the festival’s first interactive embroidery installation.

Still the festival’s raison d’être, the live painting – by some 400 invited artists from around the world, selected this year from a pool of 1,100 applicants – takes place on the Saturday and Sunday, with the Monday designated as a viewing and special family day, with extra art workshops for children.

This year’s visiting artists include Bristol-based Paris, renowned throughout the world for his large-scale

PHOTO: STEVE MAY

Odeith

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Nomad Clan

PHOTO: PAUL BOX

artworks for events such as the Glastonbury Festival and the 2012 London Olympics – and a member of the hugely important 1990s Bristol graffiti crew TCF (Twentieth Century Frescoes), who painted with Banksy at the time.

Elsewhere, Athens’ Insane51 produces spectacular overlay murals – two murals on the same surface that can be seen individually with the use of 3D glasses.

There’s also a return for Manchester female duo Nomad Clan, who wowed the festival last year; and a visit from Portugal’s Odeith, globally renowned for his groundbreaking anamorphic style – distorted images that appear normal when viewed from a particular point.

Other big names to watch out for include Brazil’s L7M, whose inspirations include the beauty of life and the disarray of the city, and two Upfest newcomers: Connecticut-based Arcy, known for his large-scale, paintsplashed style, and The London Police, creators of the instantly recognisable ‘LADS’ characters. The other big news for this year is a collaboration with the world-famous cartoon sitcom The Simpsons, meaning that festivalgoers will be treated to interpretations of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, Maggie et al by world-renowned artists, who have been selected Simpsons creator Matt Groening to bring the much-loved characters to life in their own unique styles.

That first Upfest, back in 2008, was a hugely auspicious beginning. “It was such a great experience, bringing together many artists who would normally have been out painting alone,” Stephen recalls. “Many of those artists have since become our friends and return to Upfest year on year.”

Over its first decade, Upfest has become an integral part of the local community – not just over the one 64

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PHOTO: STEVE MAY

PHOTO: PAUL BOX

Stephen Hayles

action-packed weekend each year, but in terms of the lasting artistic legacy on walls and buildings across the area. “We wouldn’t have persevered if the community hadn’t supported what we were doing,” Stephen says. “In the early years we had to find building owners that could see our vision but, once local businesses were able to see the quality of the artwork being produced each year, that all changed. When the cost of paint and hire equipment is factored in, we now get offered more walls than we can afford to paint safely! It’s amazing how much support we receive from all areas of the community. Just last week a senior citizen walked in the gallery and contributed £80 to our crowd-funder just because she loved what we did.”

The festival has certainly played an integral role in the ever-increasing popularity of this part of Bristol, known also for its great bars and restaurants, and for the adventurous Tobacco Factory Theatres. “It was never our specific intention but yes, Upfest has helped to make this area of Bristol very popular,” Stephen acknowledges.

“A downside of that has been the rise in property prices around here, causing some displacement. Every action has a reaction, unfortunately, but it certainly goes to show just how powerful art can be.”

The festival is estimated to generate over £3million for the Bristol economy each year – and that figure doesn’t take into account all of the visitors who pitch up all year round to see the artwork. “We regularly hear from local traders that Upfest has made a significant difference to their summer – and that they have been able to pay a few more bills thanks to the extra income over the festival weekend and beyond,” Stephen says.

The tenth instalment will both resemble, and differ from, that very first Upfest a decade ago. “The sheer scale of the festival is the main difference between now and then,” Stephen confirms. “It’s also got a more international flavour: we’re proud to be hosting artists from 70 countries at this year’s event, as opposed to just a handful in 2008.

From the artists’ perspective, it’s a chance to meet new people, exchange ideas and build new relationships, and this hasn’t changed since our first event. From our perspective, though, the festival ethos of inclusion is

just as important now as it was then. That ethos covers everything from our volunteers to visitors – which is why we strive, each year, to keep the festival free to attend.”

To mark the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the UK, Upfest is proud to be working this year with Bristol Women’s Voice, an organisation aiming to make gender equality in the city a reality. Three female artists have been invited to create artworks exploring the themes of positive women and bravery. There’s a greatly increased presence of female artists at this year’s festival, too.

“The graffiti world has always been primarily male, reflecting the fact that most taggers are young men,” Stephen says. “However, street art is redressing that balance, with more women taking their voices to the street year on year. Back in 2008, fewer than 5% of our artists were female: ten years on we’ve made good progress, with almost 30% of our spaces going to women this year.”

Alongside the aforementioned Nomad Clan, female artists to look out for at Upfest ’18 include two local talents: artist and fashion designer Gemma Compton, creator of beautiful pieces that draw on the wonder of nature; and printmaker/illustrator Zoe Power.

From further afield, meanwhile, come Berlin-based Argentinian artist Caro Pepe, and Bao Ho, queen of Hong Kong’s street art scene.

And what lessons have Stephen and his team learned since that first can of spray paint was pressed back in 2008? “The biggest lessons we learned that first year were to listen to our artists – and to get organised. No one wants to be standing around with nothing to do, so we do everything to make the experience of our artists and our visitors the best and the most fulfilling it can be.

Many artists spend hundreds, even thousands of pounds to come and paint at Upfest, and we need to give them a good experience when they get here. The other lesson we learned was: control everything you can – and don’t worry about the weather!”

Upfest 2018 takes place from 28-30 July across Bedminster, Southville and Ashton, south Bristol. For more info, including a festival map, visit upfest.co.uk

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PHOTO: PETE MONTGOMERY

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At Kigbeare Studios in West Devon, potter Svend Bayer passes on his considerable knowledge of wood-fired ceramic techniques to a new generation. Words by Liz Miller.

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PHOTO: LIZ MILLER

or some, pottery is a weekend hobby, but for those using a wood-fired kiln, it’s an allconsuming way of life. Danish potter Svend Bayer is one of the latter, prepared to put in gruelling hours feeding fuel into the kiln in order to achieve bold colours and unique textures for his work. He’s now training a new generation of potters in the complex and communal techniques of wood-firing.

When I visit the kiln Svend helped build at Kigbeare Studios, near Okehampton in West Devon, he has just finished the 6am to 10am shift, three days into a five-day firing. Svend is working alongside five potters - Pete, Brigitte, Rebecca, Joss and Deborah - to share the arduous work that goes into over 100 hours of woodstoking and to pass on his knowledge of the anagama (climbing kiln).

While apprentice Pete Montgomery takes over the next four-hour shift, Svend clocks off for coffee, toast, and a nap. He briefs Pete to keep a close eye on the thermometer to ensure the internal temperature keeps climbing. The aim is to reach 1340 degrees centigrade by day five and progress is plotted on a line chart, which has so far curved to 1150.

“We could do this firing in two or three days, but we are aiming to reach temperatures where the metallic oxides leech from the pots to create the most incredible purples, blacks and reds,” explains Svend as he warms up in one of the studio’s holiday homes.

Svend Bayer

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We could do this firing in two or three days, but we’re aiming to reach temperatures where the metallic oxides leech from the pots to create the most incredible purples, blacks and reds.

PHOTO: LIZ MILLER

PHOTO: LIZ MILLER

Apprentice Pete Montgomery stokes the kiln

For a five-day firing process, team work is essential, and Svend has picked a group of trusted potters who are prepared to put in the punishing hours for six sessions a year. Aside from making the work, there are days of pre-firing preparation, starting with the towering wood piles that flank the kiln on three sides, with 60 cubic metres burnt a year. (Svend reveals he received five copies of 2016’s hit Christmas book Norwegian Wood by Lars Mytting about the Scandinavian art of chopping and stacking timber.)

“It’s a labour-intensive job. It takes a week to pack plus at least a week splitting and stacking the wood,” he says. “Then it’s a five-day firing and we have to wait a week before the kiln is cool enough to unpack.”

The four-hour shifts require serious concentration.

It’s tempting to use the warmth around the firebox as a sociable hearth, but this is a professional operation and, as we chat, Svend’s eyes are distractedly drawn to the temperature gauge as he focuses on the job at hand.

Svend has built around 20 kilns during his career and the Kigbeare project is a long-term plan that has finally come to fruition. Thanks to over £10,000 raised by crowd-funding and an Arts Council grant, the kiln was built last year with a remit to teach wood-firing techniques and pass on skills gained from nearly five decades as a potter. This kiln is based on a Chinese design and is made out of bricks from Svend’s old kilns, insulated with a thick layer of cob.

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Pots stacked inside the red-hot kiln

Pete, who trained at Belfast Art College, has some experience of wood-firing and is more than happy to invest time in this project because he wants to learn enough to run a kiln himself. Svend directs Pete to feed wood into the stoke holes down the sides of the kiln, while explaining the packing process. “Stacking the kiln is like a 3D puzzle because we need to direct the flame.

Hot air will take the shortest route so we have to force it out to the sides by spacing out the pots.”

This kiln has over 1,200 pieces inside it, from mugs, plates and bowls to larger pots. Svend has taken space at the back of the kiln, then Joss, Rebecca, Pete, Deborah and Brigitte put their work in on the shelves.

Finally, Svend takes the space at the front for 200 pieces, including his signature large pots. The first chamber, nearest the firebox, is where the most ash is created, which will stick to the pots “like flypaper” and create the most interesting finishes.

Svend, who trained for three and a half years under renowned potter Michael Cardew (the first apprentice at the Leach Pottery in St Ives), has also worked in the USA and travelled extensively in South-East Asia. He has dedicated his life to pottery and now, at 72, he wants to ease off and let the next generation take more of the load.

This is unsurprising given the physical work and mental concentration that goes into wood-firing.

One of the reasons Svend encourages such attentiveness among his team when they stoke the kiln

culture LEACH POTTERY

Some of Svend’s work

is the scale and value of the pieces inside. Months of work at the wheel go into these chambers. “This is too important – it’s people’s livelihoods… everyone has their own individual style, the only bit I’m responsible for is the firing,” he says.

Come Monday, Svend and the team will stop firing the kiln and leave it to cool for a week, before unpacking the pieces the following Sunday. “You have to enter the kiln to unpack it, but it’s still very hot. I’ve lost 7lb in weight unpacking,” he says.

The enclosed nature of the structure and the unpredictability of the firing process means that the potters don’t know what will emerge, or even if it will be intact. It’s an exciting end to the creative cycle. In between stoking, Pete explains: “I’ve got mugs, bowls and beakers in porcelain in the kiln – all my output – and it’s always a surprise when it comes out.”

Once the work is unpacked, it is lined up alongside the kiln and assessed, before pictures of suitable pieces are taken, ready for sale. The potters then return to their individual studios, catch up on sleep, then begin building up a body of work for the next session in April. Working with a wood-fired kiln demands long-term commitment but as Svend admits: “An awful lot is done for love.”

Founded by celebrated artist Bernard Leach in St Ives, one of the birthplaces of British studio pottery is supporting a new generation of makers through apprenticeships, training schemes and workshops.

The Leach Pottery, which marked the tenth anniversary of its restoration in March, has an apprenticeship scheme sponsored by Cornish lifestyle label Seasalt. Three potters have already benefited from the support, with the latest recruit, Annabelle Smith, taken on last autumn.

“We encourage people who have not come from a ceramics background to apply,” says Libby Buckley, director of the Leach Pottery. “We take them on for three years (Seasalt sponsors the first two years) and they train on the job. They spend many, many months making egg cups!”

The first apprentice, Callum Trudgeon, is still working at the pottery while Matt Foster is in his final year. “It’s small scale, but it gives people the chance to learn in an area with limited opportunities,” says Libby.

As well as the sponsored job, there is also an opening for one year’s training at the Leach Pottery supported by free accommodation and a small stipend. Applications for the next round of this highly coveted position start in the summer.

“Studio Pottery is in fashion at the moment,” says Libby, citing the trend among younger people to examine the provenance of the objects they buy, coupled with the popularity of BBC show The Great Pottery Throw Down. “Certainly the Throw Down has been good for people who might not have come to pottery classes.”

The pottery also offers very popular workshops and courses, which are limited in size. “We are on quite an enclosed site, so there is enough room for seven potters, while Bernard Leach’s personal studio above the old pottery has five wheels.”

As the pottery holds its tenth anniversary exhibition, offers free local passes, and stages a series of family-friendly events, Libby says running apprenticeships and training will continue Leach’s legacy of having produced over 100 skilled potters since the 1920s. leachpottery.com

kigbeare.co.uk facebook.com/KigbeareKiln/ Annabelle Smith

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South West must sees...

New horizons Head to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum’s (RAMM) cafe gallery for a celebration of digital art created by young people across Devon, including Torbay and Plymouth, as part of the ‘Machina’ project run by Daisi. The display includes GIF animations, digital paintings and installations using apps, smartphone technology, coding and other digital techniques – many of the works were inspired by objects in the RAMM and Plymouth’s The Box collections.

Traditional media such as painting and printmaking add further variety.

Until 1 July in the cafe at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Queen St, Exeter EX4 3RX. rammuseum.org.uk

Sound and vision Bringing together six musicians and visual artists, ‘time– trace–place’ is a collaborative, performative installation exploring the idea of ‘trace’ in all its meanings and associations: its links to memory, history, change, fragments, layers, palimpsests, the physical, the numinous.

Using sound, visual media, text and performance, the work also looks at the complex, active layers (historical and current) of Porthmeor Studios and St Ives itself. The installation gradually accumulates and transforms over 10 days across two spaces: the Exhibition Room with its sea view, and the enclosed space of Cellar 4. Both spaces are open to the public throughout the day, giving full access to the working process as the installation grows, with formal and informal live performances and Q&A sessions.

4–14 June at Porthmeor Studios, Back Road West, St Ives TR26 1NG. time-trace-place.weebly.com

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VOCES8 Ensemble

Soaring voices To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Exeter Festival Chorus will perform Monteverdi’s Vespers, with sackbuts and cornetts – the ultimate showcase of the Venetian renaissance. Accompanying the choir is The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble, a virtuoso period instrument group, as well as celebrated British vocal ensemble VOCES8. Touring extensively throughout Europe, North America and Asia, the group performs repertoire from Renaissance polyphony to contemporary commissions and arrangements. Completing the line-up is Schola Exe, a choir of Devon’s young voices.

14 July, 7.30pm, at Exeter Cathedral, 1 The Cloisters, Exeter EX1 1HS. Tickets £7–£30. exeterfestivalchorus.org.uk

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Thurlestone, oil on board, 42x59cm

Sky watching Firmly established as one of Devon’s foremost landscape artists, David Morgan is renowned for his distinctive impasto oil paintings. Ten years on from his first display at White Space Art, and having five successful solo exhibitions at the Totnes gallery since, his work returns. Living and working in Devon proves inspirational, with the drama of changing skies and moving light across the countryside and coastlines evident themes in this exhibition. “It’s the first thing I do in the morning.

Look up at the sky,” David says. “I spend more time looking at the sky than anything else . . . When I start to paint I always begin with the clouds and the sky.” David paints quickly and with large brushes. The objective is to be instinctive and direct, with oil paint hanging over the edge of his board, as if the painting has been ripped straight out from his sketchpad.

23 June – 14 July at White Space Art, 72 Fore Street, Totnes TQ9 5RU. whitespaceart.com

Dishes by Russell Kingston Ceramics

Plate it up Now in its second year, ‘Clay: A Festival of Ceramics’ celebrates the importance of ceramics to North Devon. More than 60 exhibitors from Somerset, Dorset, Bristol, Devon and Cornwall will be showcasing a range of functional and decorative ceramics, handmade by artisans and studio potters, along with a programme of workshops and demonstrations throughout the day. As an added treat, Devon Pop Ups launch the festival on 30 June with Feast – an artisan dining experience that shines a light on Block, a restaurant on Butchers Row that is building a reputation for vibrant and creative menus and will be the venue for a Middle Eastern supper. Diners will be eating their meal on handmade plates made by Russell Kingston Ceramics, which they get to keep and take home afterwards.

1 July at Barnstaple Pannier Market, Butchers Row, Barnstaple EX31 1SY. Feast takes place on 30 June at Block, 12–14 Butchers Row, Barnstaple EX31 1BW. Tickets cost £35pp (to include BYO corkage) and includes the limited-edition, handmade plate (RRP £25). Booking is essential via devon-pop-ups.co.uk.

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Petal power On a walk through the West Cornwall landscape, artist Maggie Matthews discovered Varfell Farm’s Greenyard Flowers – the world’s largest daffodil producer – and The National Dahlia Collection. Located near Marazion, the collection holds more than 1,600 new and heritage varieties – “a real national treasure”, says Maggie. ‘In Bloom’ brings together the body of work inspired by the spectacular fields of colour the artist stumbled across.

6–30 June at Cornwall Contemporary, 1 Parade Street, Queens Square, Penzance TR18 4BU. cornwallcontemporary.com

Colour and Light, mixed media on canvas, 100 x 100 cm

Last chance to catch …

An ambitious solo exhibition

by British artist Andrew Litten, ‘Ordinary Bodies, Ordinary Bones’ includes large-scale, gestural and impasto oil painting shown alongside energetic works on paper and a handful of raw sculptural works, all made over the past three years.

Each work illuminates the artist’s intense and introspective fascination with the universal mundanity and complexity of everyday existence, acknowledging that life is made up of a paradoxical combination of deeply meaningful and utterly insignificant happenings and states of being. Themes such as isolation, addiction, love, sex, paranoia, empathy, fear and death are all visited and shared.

Sexual Intercourse

Until 16 June at Anima-Mundi, Streetan-Pol, St Ives TR26 2DS. anima-mundi.co.uk

Fancy a long weekend packed with performance?

Then head to Barnstaple for Fringe Theatrefest: four days of fun and diverse theatre activity, embracing the widest possible range of theatre forms, inside and outside, with events all over the town.

28 June – 1 July at various venues across Barnstaple. theatrefest.co.uk

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The Exhibition Space WHITE MOOSE

LIGHTHOUSE GALLERY 53, Causewayhead, Penzance TR18 2SS 01736 350555 | lighthouse-gallery.com

Trinity Street, Barnstaple, Devon EX32 8HX 01271 379872 whitemoose.co.uk

Linenfall by Marianne Edwards

Dreams of Everyday Objects, 26 May – 7 July 2018. Featuring the work of Marianne Edwards, Jane Hoodless and Mangle.

These artists invite you to leave reality behind as everyday objects and surroundings take on the surreal quality of dreams. This exhibition explores ideas of perception, memory and time.

THE SUMMERHOUSE GALLERY Market Place, Marazion, Cornwall TR17 0AR 01736 711 400 | summerhousegallery.co.uk

Crab Apple and Gorse, Bosigran,

by Mark Preston

‘A Cornish Summer’ until 30 June. New paintings by Mark Preston, Amanda Hoskin and Michael Sanders.

Warm memorable beach days, long walks and distant headlands. Cliffs covered in wild flowers and the glorious Isles of Scilly are captured in this collection of beautiful paintings.

TREGONY GALLERY 58 Fore Street, Tregony, Truro TR2 5RW 01872 530505 tregonygallery.co.uk

The Summerhouse Gallery is a beautiful space showcasing the very best of Cornish art. Located only a stone’s throw away from the wonderful St Michaels Mount, we aim to create the perfect place to discover stunning artwork in a friendly and relaxed manner.

“The artist run Tregony Gallery… the outcome, as ever with this gallery, is something very far indeed from the ‘tourist tat’ that once used to pass for ‘art’ in many smaller Cornish galleries.”

Galleries Magazine, July 2017

‘New Directions’ will be held at The Summerhouse from 10 June, and will focus on artist Kate Richardson’s journey into the abstract.

‘Emergent Forms’ to June 30 ‘Promenade’ opens July 10 Reflexa

by Kate Richardson

Jason Bowyer NEAC RP, Studio Poppies, oil on canvas, 110 x 112 cm

JACKSON FOUNDATION GALLERY

CIRCLE CONTEMPORARY

Denzil Forrester: ‘From Trenchtown to Porthtowan’ May 26-June 23

CIRCLE is a Fine Art Gallery located in North Cornwall and represents a diverse group of artists who have a strong personal style. The gallery is a cool and minimal space which is continually evolving, collecting emerging and well known artists, alternating group and solo exhibitions, focusing on fresh and innovative art.

North Row, St Just, Cornwall TR19 7LB 01736 787638 | JacksonFoundationGallery.com

Hawksfield, A39 (located between Padstow and Wadebridge) Cornwall, PL27 7LR | 01736 787638 | circlecontemporary.co.uk

Kurt Jackson: ‘Seacrows’ May 26-June 23 Renowned landscape painter Kurt Jackson focuses his gaze on a frequent companion, the population of shags and cormorants that populate our rivers and coast. And in an exhibition curated by Peter Doig and Matthew Higgs, the Jackson Foundation’s first invited artist, Denzil Forrester, explores the world of London’s dub reggae clubs.

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Kurt Jackson, Bit of a beauty, mixed media on paper, 57 x 60 cm

Sax Impey, The Veil, mixed media on panel,122 × 244 cm

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THE BROWNSTON GALLERY

THE ROUNDHOUSE AND CAPSTAN GALLERY

36 Church Street, Modbury, Devon PL21 0QR | 01548 831338

Sennen Cove, Cornwall TR19 7DF 01736 871 859 | round-house.co.uk

EVOLUTION 8 - 30 June

One of the most iconic buildings in West Cornwall, this unique circular gallery in the heart of Sennen Cove, has become a magnet for some of the best in Cornish art, jewellery and craft.

Set on two floors, the Capstan Room and Net Loft have two distinct personalities, each a showcase for Cornish excellence.

A stunning new exhibition by leading Abstract Expressionist Jerry Browning. This new body of work is inspired by the coast and countryside of the South West.

Open daily from Easter until late October, with limited opening during the winter months.Please phone before making a long journey.

thebrownstongallery.co.uk Evolution Blue by Jerry Browning Blackthorn by John Piper

WHITEWATER GALLERY

RAMM

Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery Queen Street, Exeter EX4 3RX 01392 265858 exeter.gov.uk/RAMM

1a The Parade, Polzeath, PL27 6SR | 01208 869301 whitewatergallery.co.uk Specialising in painting, print, sculpture, photography and ceramics by Cornwall’s leading contemporary artists.

Pop Art in Print 12 May to 26 August,

£4.50 (£3.50) Under 19s free.

Vibrant, sexy and very much of the moment, Pop Art reflected a fascination with the iconic status of celebrities and brands. Pop artists recognised the potential of prints to communicate ideas quickly and cheaply, creating art which both mirrored and critiqued the American Dream.

Exhibition organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

© Gerald Laing, Sandra from the series Baby Baby Wild Things, 1968. Screenprint Circ.672-1968. Collection: Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

NEW CRAFTSMAN GALLERY 24 Fore Street , St. Ives TR26 1HE | 01736 795652 newcraftsmanstives.com

Now in its 56th year, the New Craftsman exhibits paintings by emerging and established artists alongside the very best in contemporary international craft.

High Moor, Malcolm Ashman RWA

On show from 26 May to 30 June, handwoven rugs by Jason Collingwood, ceramics by Akiko Hirai, and paintings

by Malcolm Ashman RWA.

On show from 25 May to 22 June, our Spring Mixed Show, celebrating the very best of Cornwall’s established and newly emerging artists and makers.

Glasswork by Mim Brigham, 2018

WHITE SPACE ART 72 Fore Street Totnes, TQ9 5RU 01803 864088 whitespaceart.com

Second Moon by Vanessa Cooper

Harmony: 26 May - 9 June, paintings by Vanessa Cooper & Marilyn Browning. Ceramics by Jacqueline Leighton Boyce.

Cooper and Browning explore notions of domesticity while Leighton Boyce’s nature-inspired ceramics compliment with an organic exterior. Three artists in harmony. Brochure available.

To advertise your gallery, exhibition, show or event here please email advertising@manormagazine.co.uk or call 07887 556447

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Worth making the trip for...

Cruel for cats

PHOTO: JOHAN PERSSON

Poldark star Aidan Turner makes his West End stage debut in a revival of The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Martin McDonagh’s pitch-black satire on extremism. It’s the early 90s, and Mad Padraic, a terrorist deemed too much even for the IRA, is busy pulling out the toenails of a Belfast drug dealer when he hears that his beloved cat, Wee Thomas, has taken ill. But when he gets home to the island of Inishmore, he discovers that the cat is not just sick, it’s been the victim of a hit and run, and is stone-cold dead. Set on revenge, Padraic vows to find the truth, and has bullets aplenty to find the culprit … It’s a brave play that encourages you to laugh at real horror, and previous productions have ramped up the gore to match the comedy, so it’ll be interesting to see how this version chooses to balance those elements.

23 June – 8 September at the Noel Coward Theatre, 85–88 St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4AP. £10–£99. delfontmackintosh.co.uk

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ELLA MURTHA & THE PHOTOGRAPHERS’ GALLERY.

Life laid bare

Tish Murtha, Elswick Kids, 1978

Renowned for capturing the reality of lives burdened by poverty and deprivation, Tish Murtha hoped her work would bring about change in the communities she photographed. A new exhibition, ‘Tish Murtha: Works 1976–1991’, charts her remarkable accomplishments and offers a tender and frank perspective on a historic moment of instability in Britain. The exhibition surveys six major bodies of work: Newport Pub (1976/78); Elswick Kids (1978); Juvenile Jazz Bands (1979); Youth Unemployment (1980); London by Night (1983); and Elswick Revisited (1987–1991), using both vintage and contemporary prints. In addition, the exhibition will also include personal letters and ephemeral material from the Tish Murtha Archive.

15 June – 14 October at The Photographers’ Gallery, 16–18 Ramillies St, Soho, London W1F 7LW. thephotographersgallery.org.uk

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Show and tell This summer, the Barbican Art Gallery is showcasing the work of two towering women of documentary photography: ‘Dorothea Lange: Politics of Seeing’ and ‘Vanessa Winship: And Time Folds’. In the first UK retrospective of her work, American Depressionera photojournalist Lange’s iconic images are complemented by British contemporary photographer Winship, 2011 winner of the Henri CartierBresson prize. Both women’s work creates an intense sense of drama, even in the smallest interactions and the subtlest of expressions, and looks right into the heart of what it means to be an ‘outsider’. Compelling stuff.

Dorothea Lange, Migratory Cotton Picker, Eloy, Arizona, 1940, the Oakland Museum of California.

22 June – 2 September at the Barbican Art Gallery, Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS. £13.50. barbican.org.uk

DEGREE SHOWS 2018

PHOTO: GARY ALEXANDER

Turn me on

By turns delightful and occasionally disturbing, automata have captured the imagination for centuries. ‘A Curious Turn’ features automata from the leading makers of the last 40 years, ranging from the humorous to the macabre and from the playful to the satirical. Visitors will be able to turn, push and crank to see many of the pieces in action, while other pieces will have films to show them in motion. King of the contraption, William Heath Robinson was one of the principal figures inspiring the revival of automata making in the 1970s, and two of his related designs are included here.

Until 19 August at the Heath Robinson Museum, 50 West End Lane, Pinner HA5 1AE. £6 (£4). heathrobinsonmuseum.org

LIVE. MAKE. #KEEPCREATING.

Manet’s Olympia, Paul Spooner, 1981. Collection Cabaret Mechanical Theatre.

DEGREE SHOWS 8 - 21 JUNE / OPEN DAY 16 JUNE Uncover the spirit that drives everything we do and explore work from the freshest in creative talent.

For times, tickets and locations visit plymouthart.ac.uk

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PHOTO: JODIE CAREY. COURTESY OF EDEL ASSANTI.

Love tokens

Jodie Carey, Earthcasts, 2017

British artist Jodie Carey has created a series of striking works in response to the Foundling Hospital story. Displayed within the exhibition gallery and amongst the historic Collection, Carey’s monumental pieces are imbued with a sense of remembrance and emotional trace.

Drawing inspiration from the 18th-century fabric tokens left by mothers with their babies as a means of identification – one of the few tangible connections between mother and child – Sea is formed from hundreds of swatches of fabric that have been dipped in liquid clay and fired. These fragile white ceramic fragments cover the exhibition gallery floor, while upstairs, two monumental works cast in the earth explore ideas of memory and time.

Eighteen life-size plaster sculptures crowd the Anteroom, while in the Foyer a delicate and slender bronze sculpture stands floor to ceiling. Carey’s abstract and organic works seek to make visible the fragility of life and human relationships, to acknowledge the absent presence of the children who passed through the Foundling Hospital, and to reflect on the elemental drivers at the heart of its story: love, loss and survival.

Until 2 September at The Foundling Museum, 40 Brunswick Square, London WC1N 1AZ. foundlingmuseum.org.uk

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culture Worth staying in for...

PHOTO: PER ARNESEN

Shower of death We all know how depressing constant rain can be, so imagine if it also carried a virus that wipes out most of the human race … Six years later, two siblings emerge from the safety of their bunker to find all remnants of civilisation gone. Soon they join a group of young survivors and together they set out on a danger-filled quest through an abandoned Scandinavia, searching for any sign of life. Set free from their collective past and societal rules, the group has the freedom to be who they want to be. In their struggle for survival, they discover that even in a post-apocalyptic world there’s still love, jealousy and many of the coming-of-age dilemmas they thought they’d left behind with the disappearance of the world they once knew … With all the bleakness you’d expect from a Skandi drama, The Rain nevertheless sets itself apart from other series in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi genre with its playful energy and an engaging search for a scientific truth behind the deadly outbreak of killer rain.

The Rain is the first Danish original series for Netflix, streaming now.

Take it easy The writer Ottessa Moshfegh has said that when outrageous or delusional thoughts occur to her, thoughts that immediately notify the correctional self that something ‘not right’ is going on, she gives them to her characters, and allows them to play it all out. And this is why her characters are so off-kilter and yet totally credible. This concept is explored more fully in her latest novel, My Year of Rest and Relaxation, in which the young female narrator throws herself into an experiment in narcotic hibernation, aided and abetted by one of the worst psychiatrists in the annals of literature. Young, thin, pretty and a recent Columbia graduate, the narrator lives in an apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan paid for, like everything else, by her inheritance. But there is a vacuum at the heart of things, and it isn’t just the loss of her parents in college, or the way her Wall Street boyfriend treats her, or her sadomasochistic relationship with her alleged best friend. It’s the year 2000 in a city aglitter with wealth and possibility; what could be so terribly wrong? Darkly funny, merciless and tender, it’s a showcase for the gifts of one of America’s major young writers working at the height of her powers.

Published on 12 July by Jonathan Cape.

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The Style Shoot This Style Shoot combines designer looks and high street, all wrapped up with a good dose of summer spirit.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SIMON POWELL STYLED BY MIMI STOTT HAIR AND MAKE-UP: SOPHIE MOORE MODEL: ERIKA PATTISON FROM SELECT

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Black dress, Issey Miyake, £1,290; black trousers, Issey Miyake, £720; sandals, Mango, £19.99

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Bodysuit, Zara, £17.99; Kowtow skirt, ASOS, £180; earrings, Zara, £12.99; shoes, Zara, £29.99

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Grey top, Issey Miyake, £659; grey skirt, Issey Miyake, £955; sandals, ASOS, £10

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Kaftan, Zara, £49.99; top, stylists own; sandals, Mango, £19.99

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Dress, Zara, £95.99; sandals, Mango, £19.99

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Dress, Zara, £95.99; sandals, ASOS, £10

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Black top, Issey Miyake, £710; black trousers, Issey Miyake, £740; sandals, Mango, £19.99; earrings, Zara, £9.99

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Food

Cabrito Goat | Dr Hot | Recipes from The Hidden Hut Bites, the latest news and events from across the region Signature Dish | Food Pioneer | The Table Prowler

PHOTO: DAVID GRIFFEN

Fresh mackerel on the menu at The Beach at Bude, Cornwall thebeachatbude.co.uk

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PHOTO: MIKE LUSMORE

Food editor Anna Turns catches up with James Whetlor as his mission to transform the British goat dairy industry reaches tipping point.

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hallenging the status quo is never easy, but occasionally a food producer comes along and does more than just rock the apple cart. As a chef at River Cottage Canteen in Axminster, James Whetlor became all too aware of the fundamental mismatch between the goat dairy industry and the wasteful slaughter of billy goats soon after birth. Only the female kids are useful to the dairy industry, and without any demand for goat meat, the males are rendered useless. He took it upon himself to address one of the craziest and most fundamental pitfalls of the modern British dairy system, and so his adventure began.

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James went back to basics, grazing four billy goats on a small patch of scrubland, and when his goat dishes sold out at the restaurant on the second night, he knew he was on to something. In 2012, he founded Cabrito Goat, and by creating a sustainable market for goat meat in restaurants, he’d give the so-called ‘poor man’s cow’ a chance to prove its worth. Now, kid has kudos, and that’s all thanks to James, according to Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall, who says that “James has transformed goat meat from a misunderstood, little-used ingredient to a highly desirable menu must-have”.

Having trained under top London chefs, James knew only too well that provenance is always the most important

food ingredient in professional kitchens, and soon he was supplying top-quality goat meat to the likes of Neil Rankin at temper restaurant, Fergus Henderson at St John and Yotam Ottolenghi. “Often new products and trends are introduced to the British public via restaurants. Look at pulled pork on the shelves of big supermarkets – that’s come from trends started by Neil Rankin and others a few years ago,” says James, who reckons that 2,000 people a week see goat on the menu at St John. “That in itself is normalising goat meat as a product. Meanwhile these talented chefs are making our product look and taste as good as possible, so that’s been perfect marketing for us – we have ridden on their coat-tails,” adds James, who believes chefs could be the saviours of artisan producers. He’s now supplying chefs as far-flung as London, Bristol, Manchester and Scotland, and delivering meat boxes to retail customers nationwide.

Just as rose high-welfare veal has seen a renaissance, finally the appetite for goat meat is beginning to find a foothold. And rightly so. The global recipes in Goat reflect the very nature of goat and its worldwide appeal. “It is part of the dietary mix of food cultures all over the world, from Mediterranean countries, across Africa to the Southern States of the US, where there is a big goat barbecue movement. Goats and humans have this long, shared history that dates back to 1200 BC. They have always been so adaptable and useful – wherever there are humans, there are goats, more or less.” Humans have been eating, wearing and using goat products since the Stone Age – goats were the first livestock animals to be domesticated, as long ago as 11,000 BC. Their inherent value lies in their versatility – they thrive in tricky environments, they reproduce regularly and they’re not aggressive.

So why haven’t we Brits eaten much goat up until now? Because our system of farming developed around sheep, not around goats, due to the wool trade. Today in the UK, commercial dairy goats produce as much milk in one year as UK dairy cows produce in a single day, but that’s on the increase. In the last 20 years, the goat dairy industry has grown from a few small artisan producers to 65 million litres a year. “Finally, with a booming goat dairy system, we have the availability of billy goats, and they can become part of our food culture now.”

So it’s time to eat more billy goats, and boldly James states that even a vegetarian who eats goat’s cheese is part of the current problem. “To me, that’s completely illogical, there is no intellectual basis for that at all – some people don’t understand the food system. We are all culpable if we buy the cheese products that are driving this food system. If you buy these dairy products, you are contributing to a system that currently euthanises 50% of the livestock that is born on that farm every year.”

But we can all offset that and stop it happening by changing our purchasing decisions: “Once a month, instead of buying a shoulder of lamb, buy a shoulder of goat. Such is the scale of these two industries that there are 70,000 young goats available to the meat system every year in the UK, compared to 116,000 lambs killed a week for meat. If everyone who bought a log of goat’s cheese from the supermarket bought a joint of goat once a month, the problem would go away.”

Currently, 70,000 young goats go to slaughter every year in this country, according to James. “Cabrito’s mission statement is to help put all billy goats back into the food system. That’s it. That will happen in the next five years,

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Cabrito’s mission statement is to help put all billy goats back into the food system. That’s it.

That will happen in the next five years, I think…

I think – we are at 30% of all the billies in the UK at the moment, and it should get easier, but we are going to require the involvement of large multiple retailers because they have the scale and distribution that is important,” he says.

Currently, Cabrito work with a network of ten or so goat dairy farms across the country. Delamere Dairy happen to be just ten minutes away from James’s home by the Devon/Dorset border, where Will farms 2,500 milking nannies and sends 70% of his billies into the food system via Cabrito. Another farmer, Phil in Preston, who has 2,000 milking nannies, sends all his billies to Cabrito: “So they are the first dairy possibly anywhere in the world to not euthanise any of their goats. That’s a huge achievement and is a testament to the openmindedness and acceptance of the dairy industry’s problem – they know this is an issue and they want to do something about changing it. Now we have these two main dairies on board, which is a huge progression, and hopefully we’ll connect with more dairies.”

James has close links with Farm Africa, a charity that has created an entire economy with huge societal benefits, all from the introduction of goats. Farm Africa began 20 years ago with three goats and now have 10,000 across the continent. “This one charity illustrates just how much of a contribution these goats can make to the lives of humans,” says James. “These animals are inherently so valuable – and we put some of them in the bin in this country.”

HOW TO COOK GOAT Try moussaka, cassoulet, kleftiko, Ottolenghi’s goat shawarma, kid korma, kid shank and apricot and pistachio tagine, hay barbecue goat, goat kebabs, or zab – a Somali dish of roast goat served on a bed of rice.

WHERE TO EAT GOAT Romy’s Kitchen, Thornbury, near Bristol; River Cottage Canteen, Axminster; South Sands Hotel, Salcombe; Gastrobus, Bantham Beach; Nancarrow Farm, Zelah, near Truro.

WHERE TO BUY GOAT Ask your local butcher or farmhouse goat’s cheese makers. cabrito.co.uk Goat: Cooking and Eating by James Whetlor. Published by Quadrille, £20.

Photography by Mike Lusmore. James is donating half of his royalties and fee to Farm Africa. farmafrica.org

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food Cabrito al disco Serves six to eight This recipe was given to me by Martin Anderson, aka the Travelling Gaucho. He once shoved a bowl of this into my hand while I was delivering to temper, the restaurant where he works. It’s not just in the book because it has such a brilliant name, it’s here because it tastes like it’s made by someone who loves you.

New potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks, added to the sauce after the canned tomatoes, are a great addition. And please, please, please make the humita below to serve with the disco – it’s the best side dish in the book!

INGREDIENTS

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1.5 kg kid meat, cut into about 4 cm cubes 60 ml extra virgin olive oil 1 white onion, diced 1 red pepper, deseeded and diced 2 garlic cloves, chopped 4 tomatoes, quartered 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 teaspoon black pepper 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 fresh chilli, finely chopped 1 glass white wine 1 x 400 g can chopped tomatoes 2 spring onions, finely sliced, to serve

METHOD

Brown the cubed meat in the olive oil, then add the onion, pepper, garlic and fresh tomatoes and cook until the onions are translucent – about 10 minutes. Add the spices, salt, oregano, chilli and wine, and once the alcohol has evaporated, add the canned tomatoes. Cover and cook until the meat is tender – about 1 hour – adding a little water if it starts to dry out. Serve with humita (below) and the spring onions sprinkled over.

Humita INGREDIENTS

METHOD

• • • • • • •

Cook the onion in the oil until translucent – about 5 minutes – then add the red pepper and chilli and cook for 5 minutes. Add the grated sweetcorn and cook until tender – about 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese until melted, adding some of the liquid if necessary. Season to taste and serve with the cabrito al disco.

½ red onion, finely diced 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 red pepper, deseeded and finely diced 1 jalapeño chilli, finely diced 4 ears sweetcorn, blackened on the barbecue and grated 1 burrata or mozzarella ball, chopped (save the liquid) Salt and freshly ground black pepper

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PHOTO: SCOT BASTON, ZOOMING FEET PHOTOGRAPHY

Anna Turns meets Dr Hot, one of Europe’s biggest producers of chilli and a man who really knows his jalapenos from his habaneros.

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ith more than 3,000 varieties, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed with knowing where to start when it comes to cooking with chillies. But Matt Rogers, the Devon-based entrepreneur behind Dr Hot, is on a mission to debunk the myths, make chillies more accessible and prove it’s not all about the heat.

In fact, Matt swears by chillies as a way to fend off ailments, and eats them in some form every day: “The health benefits are fantastic and chillies don’t all have to be very hot. One red chilli has the equivalent of three oranges’ worth of vitamin C and I haven’t been ill for years – if I feel like I’m coming down with something, I cook a really hot curry and fight it off.”

There are so many misconceptions about chillies – most often they make the headlines when the crazy few enter eye-watering chilli-eating competitions and attempt to devour the infamous Carolina Reaper, the world’s hottest chilli, measured at a whopping 1.5 million Scoville heat units or SHU (the measurement scale of how spicy a chilli gets). Incidentally, Matt hasn’t tried to eat one of those himself; he says he doesn’t see the point and he’s determined to steer clear of any gimmicks.

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“It’s not all about the heat – it’s about blending the right chilli into the right dish, and the taste bud adventure begins with the mid-range chillies. It’s not scary but a bit more education about what to choose and how to eat them is definitely needed. Once people love them, they eat them for the rest of their lives,” says Matt, who grew up in Noss Mayo on the family farm and then went on to study horticulture. He traded in fresh produce for many years, selling 20,000 boxes of courgettes or 60 tonnes of avocadoes a week to big supermarkets, then supplied Pizza Hut with iceberg lettuce, peppers and tomatoes. “One day back in 2001, someone wanted 200kg green chillies for pizza toppings – that was a really new thing back then and I eventually sourced it, then they repeated the order and it mushroomed from there.” But fruit and veg were simply commodities and Matt decided to use his agricultural experience to start producing chillies himself in 2004.

Now he produces 20 tonnes a week at farms in Berkshire and Guernsey from May to November, and in Spain throughout the winter months to ensure a consistent supply. Matt’s farms are all pesticide-free and he believes we’re on the cusp of a horticultural revolution: “We

food

It’s not all about the heat – it’s about blending the right chilli into the right dish, and the taste bud adventure begins with the mid-range chillies.

PHOTO: SCOT BASTON, ZOOMING FEET PHOTOGRAPHY

Matt consults for a chilli farm in the Gambia

introduce beneficial insects that eat the greenfly and other nasties. I also buy 30,000 bees a year. Without them we wouldn’t get one chilli! We produce 10 times as much off one plant as organic farmers do, yet we use 80% less water and resources.

“It takes three months to get each seed to the point of harvest and then we harvest the same amount of chillies each week from the same plants until the end of the season. When the British season tails off, the Spanish season kicks in,” says Matt, who grows half a dozen main chilli varieties, including five tonnes of jalapeno per week and 12 tonnes of serenade chillies a week. Currently, Matt supplies Waitrose and other high street retailers in the UK, plus Dr Hot fresh and dried chillies (sun-dried in southern Spain) are sold to restaurants and greengrocers from as far south as Madrid and as far north as Stockholm.

“The chillies we grow fit into different cuisines – different chillies suit different types of dishes, from Mexican to Asian and European. So if you cook a Mexican dish and use an Asian chilli it just won’t taste right.” Matt firmly believes we need more guidance at the point of sale to explain which chilli to use and how, and lack of availability also creates a huge barrier. According to Matt, over the past decade, chilli supermarket sales have shown about 20% growth year on year and us Brits are a good ten years behind most

Matt Rogers, aka Dr Hot

Americans in our chilli-eating habits – probably due to the strong Mexican influence – and he hopes that in a couple of years’ time, when people get more used to eating chillies, demand for a more diverse mix of chilli will increase.

Chilli is a key part of so many food cultures, from Moroccan harissa to Caribbean Scotch bonnets that feature in traditional hot and spicy jerk sauces. Smooth and smoky Mexican chillies tend to give slower heat to the tongue – Matt suggests blending some with smooth avocadoes and sour cream for a simple guacamole.

For example, the pablano or ancho chilli is mild and measures at 1,500 SHU and is a great place for nervous chilli eaters to begin, but it’s not currently so widely available. Jalapenos are medium, with heat up to 8,000 SHU, and habaneros are hot with an average rating of 200,000 SHU. Turn to Asian chillies and you’ll experience a sharp, zingy and zesty bite to the tongue, so chillies such as the hot bird’s eye or rawit are a brilliant complement to ginger, lemongrass and lime.

Here in Europe, types of cayenne pepper such as the serenade are a versatile pizza topping or a great addition to Mediterranean salads and Matt reckons the mild Spanish green padrons, cooked with a high heat and best served with olive oil and sea salt, could one day replace traditional bread and olive oil appetisers. Bring on the chilli revolution!

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Cornwall’s go-to al fresco restaurant launches its first cookbook.

et up by chef Simon Stallard with his wife Jemma, The Hidden Hut is a small outdoor restaurant tucked into the dunes between Porthscatho and St Mawes on the southern Cornish coast. There, Simon and his team cook up huge open-air feasts throughout the summer, whatever the weather. There is no mobile signal nor road access to The Hidden Hut yet in 2017, 22,000 people applied for just 600 covers with tickets selling out within minutes of release each month.

This is Simon’s first book. With The Hidden Hut cookbook, Simon draws on his signature feasts and adapts them for the homecook to deliver achievable dishes for both family meals and larger gatherings. We present you with a selection of recipes from this highly lauded book, to give you a taster of what emerges from the dunes on Cornwall’s Roseland Peninsula, then inspire you to go seek out The Hidden Hut for yourself come the summer. hiddenhut.co.uk

Chilli saffron toast with crispy bacon Serves four Eggy bread with a twist. The fiery green chilli and coriander really wake up the dish…

INGREDIENTS

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2 large eggs, beaten 16 rashers of smoked, streaky bacon 40g butter 4 slices of 1 large saffron loaf (about 2.5cm thick and 100g each) 4 tsp wild honey 1-2 small green finger chillies, to taste A bunch of coriander leaves Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Season the eggs with salt and pepper, then pour them into a deep saucer or shallow bowl and leave to one side. This is for dipping the saffron bread into.

Preheat the oven to 195°C (17°C fan oven) gas mark 5½ and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Lay out the rashers of bacon on the prepared baking tray. Lay a second layer of parchment over the bacon to keep it flat and stop it curling while it cooks.

To get crispy bacon, cook in the oven for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Dip each slice of saffron bread into the egg and press down to soak up the egg, then turn over so that 102

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both sides are soaked equally. Fry for 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. When all the slices are fried, put them onto a baking tray and pop them in the oven with the bacon to keep hot until you’re ready to serve.

Put the crispy bacon on top of the saffron toast and drizzle with honey. Serve sprinkled and the chillies and coriander.

food Fire-pit wild sea bass with Verde sauce Serves four to six A real crowd pleaser.

INGREDIENTS

• • • • • • • • • • •

1 x 2kg wild sea bass, gutted and scaled Olive oil, for coating 2 handfuls of flat-leaf parsley leaves Leaves from a handful of lemon thyme sprigs 1 large lemon, sliced 1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced 5 bay leaves ½ onion Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling Lemon wedge Crusty bread (to serve)

FOR THE VERDE SAUCE

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7 anchovy fillets in vinegar (4 if using salted) 10g wild garlic leaves or 1 garlic clove 2 tbsp capers 20g basil leaves 15g flat-leaf parsley leaves 1 heaped tbsp lemon thyme leaves Juice of ½ lemon 125ml extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

To make the Verde sauce, rinse the anchovies (if using salted), then put them and the remaining ingredients, apart from the olive oil, into a mini food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Gradually pour in the olive oil and blend to a fairly smooth sauce, season with salt and pepper.

Alternatively, if you prefer a chunkier sauce, finely chop the anchovies, garlic, capers and herbs, or use a pestle and mortar, then add the lemon juice. Gradually stir in the oil. Spoon the sauce into a bowl and set aside.

Light the fire pit (or you could use a wood-fired grill or a barbecue) about 30 minutes before cooking.

You want a medium-high heat on one half of the firepit grill. The rack should be about 20cm above the heat source.

Rinse the sea bass in cold running water, then pat out with kitchen paper. You could cut a slash behind the head to enable heat to reach the collar – there is no need to slash the sides – the skill is in creating bass crackling.

Cover the fish with a good coating of olive oil. Stuff the parsley, thyme, lemon slices and garlic into the fish cavity, then top with the bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.

Rub the grill rack with the cut side of the onion to stop the fish sticking to it, then put the sea bass directly on the hot side of the fire-pit grill. Grill the sea bass for 4 minutes on each side, carefully turning/rolling it over using two fish slices. Move the fish over to the cooler side of the grill and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until the skin is crisp and the flesh starts to flake away from the bone, especially around the base of the head.

Serve the sea bass with a splash of olive oil and the lemon wedges, Verde sauce and crusty bread.

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Samphire frittata with warm lemony courgette salad Serves four A quick veggie supper packed with seasonal veg. Marsh samphire can be foraged in the Roseland, Cornwall in the summer months.

Famously served with fish, it goes beautifully with eggs too.

INGREDIENTS

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250g new potatoes, sliced 2 tbsp sunflower oil, for frying 6 large eggs, beaten 50g samphire A handful of finely shredded tarragon leaves

FOR THE COURGETTE SALAD

• • • • • • • • • •

150g runner beans 3 tbsp olive oil 2 shallots, sliced 3 yellow courgettes (or green if you can’t find them) 2 garlic cloves 6 small vine-ripened tomatoes 2 rounded tbsp chopped oregano leaves Juice of ½ lemon Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

To make the courgette salad, steam the runner beans for five minutes or until tender. Refresh the beans under cold running water and put to one side. Meanwhile, 104

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heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and cook the shallots for five minutes until softened. Add the courgettes and garlic, and fry for 3 minutes Stir in the tomatoes, half the oregano and the lemon juice, then reduce the heat slightly and cook for 5 minutes or until the courgettes are just tender and the tomatoes have started to break down.

Stir in the runner beans, add the remaining olive oil, and season with salt and pepper, then warm through.

Keep the salad warm while you make the frittata.

Put the potatoes in a pan of cold salted water and bring to the boil. Cook for 15 minutes or until tender, then drain in a colander. Heat the oil in an ovenproof frying pan. Add the drained potatoes, and the beaten eggs, most of the samphire and the tarragon. Lay the remaining samphire on the top. Crumble over the goat’s cheese and season with a little salt and pepper.

Preheat your grill. Cook the frittata for 7-10 minutes on the hob over a medium heat, enough to set the bottom, then finish under the grill until just set all the way through. Add the remaining oregano leaves to the salad and serve it warm with the frittata.

food Orange cardamom cake Serves eight This fragrant bake is sublime served with a scoop of crème fraîche or chocolate sorbet…

INGREDIENTS

• • • • • •

3 whole oranges (preferably blood oranges) 375g ground almonds 375g caster sugar 2 tsp baking powder 9 large eggs Créme fraîche to serve (optional)

FOR THE SYRUP

• • • •

Juice of 1 orange Juice of ½ lemon 50g granulated sugar Seeds from 4 cardamom pods

TO DECORATE

•

•

One orange, peeled, pips removed, sliced into 5mm-thick discs (preferably a blood orange 1 handful of pistachio nuts

METHOD

Put the oranges in a saucepan over a medium heat and cover with water.

Bring to the boil and reduce the heat, cover with a lid and cook gently for 2½ hours. Remove the oranges, then cut them in half and remove any pips.

Put in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4 and line a 25.5cm round cake tin with baking parchment.

Weigh out 550g of the orange purée and put it in a large mixing bowl. Mix the orange purée with the almonds, sugar and baking powder using an electric beater. While still mixing, add the eggs, one at a time, until you have a smooth batter. Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the syrup, put the orange and lemon juice in a saucepan then add the sugar and cardamom seeds. Cook over a medium heat to dissolve the sugar, and then increase the heat to high. Cook for 5 minutes to reduce the liquid.

Leave the cake in the tin and put on a wire rack, then arrange the orange slices over the top. Pour over the syrup and leave the cake in the tin to cool.

Put the pistachio nuts between two sheets of baking parchment and using a rolling pin to crush them roughly. When the cake is cook, turn it out of the tin and sprinkle with the crushed pistachios.

Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche.

The Hidden Hut by Simon Stallard is published by Harper Collins, £20. Now available to buy.

Photography by Susan Bell.

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A feast for foodies at Port Eliot Learn new cookery skills, discover kitchen secrets and experiment with unusual flavours at Port Eliot Festival with a host of talented chefs, cooks, brewers and growers on the menu. The line-up includes Anna Jones and Jack Stein, who make the house’s Georgian Big Kitchen their own and head outside to the Open Fire to cook up a storm. They’ll also be joined by Paul Ainsworth, Ross Geach and Genevieve Taylor, plus actress Teri Hatcher who will bake the savoury muffins that secured her the coveted ‘Hollywood Handshake’ during her appearance on The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer.

A new Port Eliot restaurant, The Lawn, will be the hub for talks, tastings and workshops, and head chef Freddy Bird will cook Southern Mediterranean and North African-inspired sharing dishes over fire. Devon’s Oyster Shack inhabits the Walled Garden, serving fresh, locally sourced and sustainable rock oysters, Salcombe crab and lobster plus local catch-of-the-day fish, matched with wines expertly chosen by Plymouth’s Le Vignoble. Down by the River Tiddy, the Sipsmith Gin Palace will be inspired by the palaces of the 1820s, and raucous jazz parties will ensue.

26–29 July 2018. Port Eliot Estate, St Germans, Saltash, Cornwall, PL12 5ND. porteliotfestival.com/buy-tickets

Lazy summer Sundays Back for its second season, Schooners at Trevaunance Cove in St Agnes is hosting relaxed Sunday sessions throughout the summer. Long, lazy brunches will merge into afternoon barbecues overlooking the ocean.

Chef Adam Vasey’s eclectic menu showcases seafood freshly hauled up the beach, as well as his favourite local food and drink producers, such as Primrose Herd and Duchy Charcuterie. schoonerscornwall.com

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food

Lyme Bay ‘meads’ the way Lyme Bay Winery, the UK’s leading producer of awardwinning meads, recently teamed up with mead fanatic Sam Boulton, owner of the UK’s first mead bar and cocktail bar, The Vanguard, in Birmingham, at a recent ‘mead forum’ event. Together with key movers and shakers from the drinks industry they are on a mission to reinvent the honey-based drink for a contemporary audience and they have developed six new cocktails created around Lyme Bay’s range of meads with promising results, according to the forum: “The wild flavour combinations and the deep, honey body of meads make them an ideal addition to creative cocktail recipes.” Sam adds: “For bartenders, the aptly named Traditional Mead is a great introduction to the still category; a good blend of honey and a great mouth feel.”

But, as Martin Litt, business development manager at Lyme Bay Winery, explains, often there is misunderstanding around the world’s oldest fermented drink: “Mead is made from fermented honey rather than apples or hops, which means it’s not just a new product for the market – it’s a whole new category.” Lyme Bay Winery are now exploring the possibilities of extending the mead forum event in 2019 to include a blind tasting, and perhaps introducing the UK’s first mead competition, as well as developing a mead makers awards body to celebrate the best of this drink. lymebaywinery.co.uk

Girl power Exeter-born Kayla Tuvey, 19, is the youngest chef (and possibly the first woman) in 41 years to win the title of Chaîne des Rôtisseurs GB Young Chef of the Year 2018. Kayla, who works as commis chef at the Deer Park Country House Hotel, near Honiton, will travel to Taiwan in September for the international finals.

Testing their creativity and practical talent, the chef finalists were asked to cook a three-course meal for four in 3.5 hours, using compulsory ingredients notified beforehand, and enhanced by a ‘mystery box’ opened at the start of the cook-off in the kitchens of Lainston House Cookery School, outside Winchester. Each dish was then judged against strict criteria of taste, presentation and originality.

In a closely fought contest, Kayla’s winning menu packed a punch with the judges to clinch first place.

She says she has been inspired by the flavours she has experimented with in the Deer Park kitchen over the past 18 months and is delighted to have won: “It is absolutely amazing – I still can’t really believe it! It is a very great honour to represent my country in Taiwan, and it will be even more special as it falls on my 20th birthday!”

Mark Godfrey, managing director of the Deer Park Country House, is also thrilled: “With the support of our executive chef Hadleigh Barrett, as well as the numerous acclaimed chefs who have offered their kitchens to mentor her, Kayla has excelled in such a prestigious, international cookery competition and she is already flourishing as a result. Kayla is without a doubt a young chef to look out for, and no matter what the finals in Taiwan bring, we’re all as pleased as punch and proud that she has made it this far.”

Kayla Tuvey

Emily Scott

Meanwhile Emily Scott, chef patron of the St Tudy Inn in North Cornwall, and Padstow’s Jill Stein have both been named on a list of the most influential women in hospitality by CODE – a leading industry publication.

They feature alongside chefs such as Monica Galetti, Angela Hartnett and Nigella Lawson. Emily felt proud to be listed: “The industry has changed a lot – for the better – since I trained, and the presence of more women as chefs, sommeliers and business owners has played a massive part in that. I really hope that my inclusion on this list alongside so many inspirational women will encourage young women in Cornwall to enter the industry or continue their training. There are fantastic career opportunities in hospitality – the message here is that the industry wants and needs you!”

The list was judged by, among others, Ewan Venters (CEO of Fortnum and Mason) and highly respected author Diana Henry, who sought to celebrate “the women who are trailblazers, highly successful, inspirational, socially conscious … and just damned good at their jobs”. sttudyinn.com

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Dartington’s distillery

devondistillery.com

Save the date

CORNISH GIN FESTIVAL

PLYMOUTH FLAVOUR FEST

23 June. Truro Piazza. 12–5pm and 6–11pm. Session tickets £12. cornwallginfest.co.uk

Chef demos, tastings, kids’ cookery and much more at the city centre Piazza.

SUMMER FOOD FESTIVAL

1–3 June. All day. Free. flavourfestsw.co.uk

KINGSBRIDGE FOOD AND MUSIC FESTIVAL Music at the bandstand and street food in the town square all weekend.

1–3 June. All day. Free. kingsbridgefoodandmusic.org

OTTERY ST MARY FOOD AND FAMILIES FESTIVAL The community celebrates local produce with foodie events all day.

2 June. Ottery St Mary town centre. otteryfood.org

CREDITON FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL Celebrating its 10th festival, the festival chef demo tent welcomes Mary Quicke MBE and and Sam Brook, head chef at the stylish Paschoe House.

9–10 June. creditonfoodfestival.co.uk

BRISTOL FOOD CONNECTIONS More than 100 events across the city, from family workshops to veg-growing activities to feasts.

11–17 June. bristolfoodconnections.com

OCCOMBE BEER FESTIVAL Pimm’s and prosecco, plus local beers, ciders and wine with plenty of street food too.

15–16 June. Weekend ticket £30. occombefestival.co.uk

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Learn all about gin with the finest Cornish producers.

Tour the farm and enjoy the college’s foodie celebrations at their open day.

24 June. 10am–4pm. Duchy College, Stoke Climsland Campus, PL17 8PB. cornwall.ac.uk

MEVAGISSEY FEAST WEEK Celebrating the ‘Feast of St Peter’ with food and drink.

24–30 June. mevagisseyfeastweek.org.uk

ROCK OYSTER FESTIVAL Party the weekend away by the Camel estuary with music and great food and drink from Wild Food Kitchen, Cargo Coffee, Alice in Burger Land and Truly Crumptious, plus the Padstow Brewing beer tent.

6–7 July. Roskear Farm, near Wadebridge, PL27 7HU. Lastminute adult weekend ticket £44. rockoysterfestival.co.uk

PHOTO: NICK HOOK

The Shops at Dartington have launched a new permanent distillery within their food hall, in partnership with Cosmo Caddy, the owner of Devon Distillery. Cosmo’s grandfather set up Sharpham Vineyard and Cosmo uses Sharpham’s grape skins to make his Dappa (Devon Grappa), while his great-grandparents, Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst, were the pioneering entrepreneurs who founded the Dartington Hall project 93 years ago.

“Establishing Devon Distillery here adds another chapter to my rich family heritage in this region,” says Cosmo, who owns the UK’s only mobile still, known as ‘Still on the Move’, which makes bespoke gin anywhere in the country. “Alcohol production is my absolute passion, and I’ve spent years learning, tasting and blending in pursuit of the best spirits to create exceptional-quality products with integrity. I’m thrilled to have a permanent base at Dartington to continue this journey.”

The new copper still will produce The Shops at Dartington’s signature bottle of Elmhirst Gin and produce other contract gins and spirits at a later date. The distillery will also offer a boutique gin experience, enabling small classes to witness the process of making gin.

food

Signature Dish Norma Makepeace’s pavlova Norma Makepeace, matriarch of Soar Mill Cove, bought the South Devon hotel with her husband, Keith, 40 years ago and now she tells the story of its transformation in her new book, alongside many family favourite recipes and hotel signature dishes. Her pavlova is a staple when her children and grandchildren come to lunch. “I love this pavlova because it’s so versatile, fresh and seasonal,” says Norma. “My family love it best with fresh summer berries, but it can also be made with chocolate or coffee and topped with nuts in the colder months!”

It should be crisp on the outside and a little soft inside, and can be made one or two days in advance, then filled and dressed up on the day.

The Cook, the Carpenter and the Cove by Norma Makepeace is a historical memoir and recipe collection. £30. Available online: soarmillcove.co.uk

Serves ten to twelve INGREDIENTS

• Whites of 6 large eggs with a good

• • •

pinch of salt (I do not use vinegar or cornflour) – and remember to take your eggs out of the fridge at least an hour before use 350 g caster sugar, which has had a vanilla pod stored in it, or ¾ tsp pure vanilla essence 725 ml whipped cream 450 g soft fruit – a mixture of strawberries and raspberries works well

You will also need a baking sheet lightly oiled and lined with silicone paper, or even better, a sheet of silicone to lay on the baking sheet.

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks; do not overwhisk. Add the sugar 1 tbsp at a time, whisking all the time until you have all the sugar incorporated and the meringue is thick and glossy.

With a large metal spoon spread the meringue on the silicone to form a large circle, one-inch deep.

Using a piping bag with a rose nozzle, pipe around the edge of the circle making a rope effect. Do this twice, making a ‘wall’ for the pavlova shell. I always pipe a few extra meringue roses onto another piece of silicone paper just in case the sides of my pavlova collapse (it has been known!). If you have these extra meringues, you can, with a little whipped cream, make repairs. And should one side of the pavlova decide to fall a little, then make use of this by making a waterfall. Trust me, it

looks amazing; just let the fruit appear to fall out of the meringue shell.

When the pavlova shell is safely piped, put the metal tray into the oven – remember, at no more than 150°C/ gas mark 2.

Cook in the oven for 1 hour, then turn off the heat but let the pavlova remain in the oven until it is cold, or if possible, overnight.

Keep the pavlova shell dry. A good pavlova should be crisp and dry on the outside and just a little soft and squidgy on the inside (not like bought meringues, which are more like polystyrene).

When you are ready, whip the cream with a little icing sugar to taste, pile into the case in layers with the fruit. Finish with a decorative layer of fruit and pipe a few frills if you like. Garnish with a few strawberries with their leaves still on.

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Food Pioneer Ben Watson OWNER, BEN’S FARM SHOP Food is a wonderful thing. With a basic understanding

and a little practical nous, virtually anything is achievable. If you asked me to build a computer I wouldn’t know where to start, but there’s hardly a food item invented that can’t be made better by hand – because that’s how they all started.

We’re a local ‘local food’ business. There needs to be

a lot more of these because we can’t feed everyone by ourselves. We sell good food that is produced by suppliers we trust and keep our supply chains as short as we can. We don’t sell any ultra-processed food and have always championed simple, fresh, good-quality ingredients – ‘real’ food that you prepare at home. It feels great to be offering good-quality food in as little packaging as possible and constantly striving to do both of those things better, rather than cutting corners to source – or make – and sell as cheaply as possible.

Often the things that inspire me and get me moving tend to be negative – for example, how bad most of

the processed and prepared food available is. Back in the early days (around 1982) when I realized how easy it was to make a good sausage, it was the fact that everybody else had decided to go down the cheap, pink, emulsified route that convinced me that we could do better and should give it a go. My brothers both went into farming, but I was always more interested in what happens post-farm. The whole world is obsessed by scale and growth, but I’m a bit of a peasant at heart and have always enjoyed doing things on a small scale, by hand.

Knowing is what I love most about my job. I suppose

I’m a bit of a control freak, but knowing the people I work and deal with, the food we make and sell and, most importantly, so many of our customers (although I’d be the first to admit that I’m not good with names), still gets me moving. Knowing that, in our own small way, we’re doing something worthwhile and that it’s appreciated feels pretty good too.

I like being a small business. Having changed the

business name, opened Ben’s Wine & Tapas in Totnes and a Ben’s Farm Shop in Magdalen Road, Exeter in 2017, we’ve no plans to expand further. Having outgrown being a one-man/barrow-boy-type operation many years ago, we needed a certain scale to keep our 110

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production kitchen and butchery viable, but, having achieved that, ‘small, but perfectly formed’ is the way to be. We’re working hard to make more of our farm shop cafes and to improve our takeout offer – which fits in well with a successful first year in the tapas bar. We’ve always focused on selling good-quality ingredients to cook at home but the world is changing. With Waitrose installing an enormous sushi bar at the back of its Exeter shop and turning every surrounding nook and cranny into in-store picnic areas, we’d be crazy not to embrace the good-quality food-on-the-move movement ourselves.

My parents moved to Riverford in 1952 – five years before I was born. But even though I’m Devon born

and bred, I still feel like a bit of a blow-in. Apart from a few years away at school, university and generally misspending my youth in London, I’ve been in Totnes ever since. My family still farm at Riverford and all my siblings are involved in the Riverford businesses in some way. My father, John, began moving towards higher welfare, less intensive farming methods in the 1970s, years before anyone used the word ‘organic’.

He’s long retired and has passed the farm on to my brother Oliver and sister Louise, but he still likes to be involved. My other brother, Guy, is Mr Riverford Organics (veg boxes) and sister Rachel looks after the brand and marketing. They’ve gone large while we’ve stayed small. We’re a broad church.

Visit Ben’s Farm Shop at Staverton, Yealmpton, Totnes and Exeter, plus Ben’s Wine and Tapas in Totnes. bensfarmshop.co.uk

food

The Table Prowler Totnes Pop-Ups On a recent voyage in rough seas from Roscoff to Plymouth, I took to my bunk in a windowless cabin the moment we left harbour. I wasn’t sleepy, but I had a battered copy of Han Kang’s The Vegetarian to read. This disturbing book centres on the protagonist Yeong-hye’s decision to give up meat, perhaps not the best choice for a lurching airless cabin on a Sunday afternoon somewhere in the English Channel. By page 59 and feeling that a respite from meat might be timely, I abandoned the book to fitful sleep.

Some days later and safe on shore, word of a pop-up fourcourse vegetarian feast in Totnes run by interior designer Gemma Dudgeon and private chef Alastair David reaches me – with their exhortation “meat-eaters get onboard!” – along with enthusiastic recommendations from trusted friends. I reserve two places.

Uncertain about the notion of pop-ups in private homes (they inhabit rather odd territory, somewhere between a dinner party and a restaurant). I approach 2 Plym Villas tentatively on a sunny Thursday evening. What is the protocol? What if I sit next to the bore? Should I offer to help with the washing up?

Behind heavy tendrils of white wisteria, a note is pinned to the front door of the Georgian townhouse: “Please knock and enter quietly” – Gemma and Ali’s nine-month old baby is asleep upstairs. With Aperol spritzes in hand we mingle in the chic Pineapple Room, where two long tables are laid for supper. Bright semi-abstract paintings hang on the walls, glasses twinkle inside a dresser, and light streams in through French doors that open onto the garden, looking out towards the walls of the medieval castle.

Canapés of seared marinated courgette rolled around mozzarella appear, followed by the sweetest tomatoes and wild garlic on flat bread. Conversation flows easily and the atmosphere relaxes as an abundance of asparagus (with a perfect bite) and parmesan custard, hearty artichoke and mushroom pie (with freshly dug Jersey Royals) and an exquisite rhubarb trifle with strawberry water-ice and sorrel appear and disappear before us. Gemma and her attentive team move lightly between tables replenishing water jugs and lighting candles as the sun sets.

Later, as happy diners prepare to leave, Alastair emerges from the kitchen in his immaculate whites. He has spent days working on the balance of the trifle, he says. The produce came from local growers where possible, his plan to source it all from one farm scuppered by the cold spring. I guess it makes sense for a chef and an interior designer to produce terrific food in a beautiful home. “We owned so many plates, chairs and cutlery it seemed like a good idea,” Gemma says simply. “And I love the fact that I don’t have to get up tomorrow and do it all over again,” adds Alistair.

Gemma and Alistair hold monthly pop-ups with seasonally changing themes and they are about to go on tour to Ashburton (venue tbc) on 7 June; Michael Sutton Cellars in Dartmouth (with wine flight) on 9 June; and Nkuku, Harbertonford, on 26 July. Worth exploring. alastairdavid.co.uk/pop-ups Food 9 | Service 9 | Ambience 10 | Value 9

Villandry, Great Portland Street, London It was a spectacularly sunny May morning and I was in a very good mood. Villandry was just the place to enjoy a late morning brunch. Our table was in the window, the rays streamed through it, and we’d had to walk through the floristry section of the restaurant which was stacked high with the morning delivery of blooms.

Villandry is like a large French bistrot-cum-retail emporium selling cakes and delicious deli fare over various counters as well as providing sit down service. For brunch I chose the salt and pepper squid and the Croque Madame and my companion chose the wild mushrooms and poached egg on toasted sourdough. For a pick-me-up I had a Pink Kick – a non-alcoholic, invigorating grapefruit and wild berry cocktail, which was delicious. The salt and pepper squid disappointed a

little - the batter was crunchy but too floury - but the Croque Madame was substantial and made a perfectly acceptable brunch, if a little heavy on the béchamel sauce. The wild mushrooms, enriched in a mushroom sauce, were delicious I’m told; the eggs poached to precision, but there was not enough sourdough. We finished the meal with petit fours, comprising truffles dusted by a lot of cocoa. It was the perfect place to take brunch and star-spot, but I’ve had better Croques and would probably think twice about ordering the salt and pepper squid again. The meal came to £55. villandry.com Food 7 | Service 8 | Ambience 9 | Location 8 | Value 7

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MMA, MAKING HOMES THAT JUST WANT TO BE LIVED IN…

SPECIALISING IN MAKING DREAM HOMES COME TRUE. Bespoke property development and management services for the discerning client, who is looking for a particular level of craftsmanship, quality and unrivalled attention to detail…

If you would like to find out how, we’d love to hear from you.

MIKE MARTIN ASSOCIATES The standard for living

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Tel: 07836 782801

www.mma.consulting

info@mma.consulting

Space Annie Martin | Q&A with Miranda Hackett | Shopping for space

The work of Annie Martin, architect See page 114 anniemartin.co.uk

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We all like to think we can spot potential, but a bungalow on a suburban street in Polperro, Cornwall, didn’t look, at first sight, all that, until you realized what sat behind it. Architect Annie Martin describes how she transformed this single-storey dormer bungalow into a modern, stylized home that made the most of its setting, while giving nothing away to passers-by. Interview by Imogen Clements.

Tell us a little about the brief – was it always going to be a replacement build?

The clients saw the potential of the house when they bought the property in 2014. The site and location of the house are incredible. It looks very conventional from the street, but it has a south-facing rear garden that backs onto the coastal path with what seems like a vanishing edge to the sea.

The original house didn’t take this into account and embrace the views, such that, for example, the kitchen, the most frequented room in any home, was located to the north (the street side).

The original intention had not been for a new build.

The first plan was to alter and extend the existing house by converting the garage and lifting the roof, retaining the existing fabric of the building where possible.

Planning was granted on this basis.

A quantity surveyor was then employed to assess the costs of the proposal; through this, it was realized that to rebuild the property would be financially more attractive, especially as VAT would not be applicable and the fabric of the building, services (kitchen, bathroom, and so forth), could all be modernized to today’s standards. A revised planning application was submitted and approved.

When drawing up the initial plans, what considerations did you have to take on board with this property?

In this case the site defined the proposal. The position of neighbouring properties and the long narrow nature of the site we were working with meant the orientation of the building had to be to the rear, south-facing garden.

We needed to ensure that the replacement building would sit on the same footprint as the house that it replaces but we were looking to address many of that building’s shortcomings – specifically its lack of views, its aesthetics, the awkward layout and the outdated fittings and services.

The client wanted to increase the accommodation of the building while not extending the footprint deeper into the garden, so we raised the eaves to the existing walls to provide a first floor. A sloping roof, zinc-clad, allowed us to ensure the height of the building on the road side was kept low and no more imposing that the original house.

The street front was kept deliberately modest and simple, and the kitchen, living room and master bedrooms were all arranged on the private south-facing side of the house to take advantage of the panoramic views overlooking the rear garden and sea beyond it.

On the south-facing side of the house we could be more playful, with timber cladding, a projecting, covered balcony and glazed sliding doors to allow the garden to be an extension of the ground-floor living areas.

The main living areas, along with two ground-floor bedrooms, were located on the ground floor so potential future needs of the owners, were they to become less mobile, were allowed for.

With the whole project we were looking to raise the design standard of suburban living without being in any way imposing or ostentatious.

The house seems very minimalist – how do you balance the practicalities of storage with the aesthetic?

There is plenty of built-in storage. The clients are very tidy and particular, so were looking for a minimalist approach.

Beyond the plan and build, how do you go about creating the home?

We worked as a team on all aspects of the fit-out.

We used David Amos of Amos Lighting to install the lighting, and Jam Interiors to help with blinds, curtains and lighting. The clients had a clear idea of what they wanted and selected the tiles, kitchen and bathroom fittings.

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Before...

...and after

Before...

The street front was kept deliberately modest, while on the south-facing side we could be more playful with timber cladding and a projecting balcony.

...and after

What in your view are the key ways of assessing potential? What specifically should we be looking for?

Right from the start, consider the full brief from end to end. So, what are the site characteristics? Think about where the terraces would best be located, where the best views are, where the evening and morning sun areas are.

Then, which rooms do you want to be private – such as bedrooms and bathrooms – and how open-plan do you want them to be? Ultimately, consider where your sofas will be and how they will be oriented – to the TV, the view, or the fireplace, for instance.

It is best to have a variety of spaces. Consider both drama and tranquillity aspects. In the case of this property, we created a dramatic double-height entrance space, leading through to an open-plan living, dining and kitchen that looked out onto the spectacular views. But big sliding doors meant the living could also be separated from kitchen/ dining areas, and a first-floor viewing area away from main 116

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space open-plan space provided a small, central but tranquil area from which to enjoy the panoramic views.

How do you ensure the build is as efficient and hasslefree for everyone as possible?

Good regular communication is key between all parties.

There was, with this project, a good working relationship between the builders, client, design consultants (many of whom I’ve worked with a lot) and myself. We had regular site visits and meetings, so all aspects of the work were discussed before they were undertaken, and items ordered when necessary. A full tender package was produced prior to commencement on site so the majority of works were priced and agreed before the work commenced.

Annie Martin is a RIBA Chartered Architect who set up her own practice in Devon, near Exeter, in 2006, having worked for practices in London, Australia, Sussex and South Devon. Annie has won numerous awards, including the RIBA Town and Country Sustainability Award, RIBA Arnold Sayers Award for House Design and Housebuilding, and Renovations Magazine’s ‘Home of the Year’. She lives in Dartmoor with her husband and two children.

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H AW K S F I E L D

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Q&A PHOTO: HENRY WELLS PHOTOPGRAPHY

Miranda Hackett founded Miranda Hackett Flowers back in 2010 in Bray, Berkshire and since then has worked on a wide range of projects for a number of notable clients and events.

Now based in Devon, Miranda continues to work for both London and local clients, alongside running workshops where she demonstrates how to achieve her style of artisan floristry.

What made you decide to become a florist?

I was working for a multi-national company as a commercial advisor, but my heart had always been in gardens, around flowers and the creativity of my childhood. During a period living in Ireland, I had the chance to focus again on nature when I worked and was trained at a new floristry business, Appassionata Flowers (now one of the leading floristry business in Ireland).

I loved it – recapturing those feelings from childhood and working artistically in a commercial setting. Three years later, back in the UK, I set up my own floristry business, which became Miranda Hackett Flowers.

Where has the job taken you?

A lot of my work has been for high-end London and Home Counties clients. My favourite briefs are for intimate weddings where the couple and I have a shared passion for local and seasonal flowers in an artisanal style. I am delighted to have decorated Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace for weddings, worked for Eton College and British Polo Day, and run numerous workshops at Heston Blumenthal’s The Hind’s Head in Bray. Some of my most challenging work was when living in Slovakia – running a business in a foreign country and conversing with suppliers with my limited Slovak language skills. Now, very happily based in South Devon, I also work at informal and artistic venues; for example, I recently decorated Ocean Studios at Royal William Yard for the launch of Flavour Fest, which included a wild foliage display.

I am a keen supporter of, and run events for, British Flowers Week and The Chelsea Fringe Festival.

When we think of florists, we think of weddings - how does your business break down?

Whilst weddings do tend to make up the majority of my work, I spend 20-30% of my time running workshops and connecting with fellow flower enthusiasts. I also spend time styling photoshoots, and on commissions for corporate events.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m working on designs for a couple of weddings next year at Anran, Devon, and one at a festival wedding 118

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space

PHOTO: CLAIRE PENN PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO: FOTOPLUS

venue in Surrey. I’m working with The National Trust for events later this year in Cornwall and have just fixed two workshops at the atmospheric Botelet in Cornwall for September and December. With British Flowers Week around the corner, I am looking at flower ordering and allocations for events at Pentillie Castle and Ocean Studios. I’m also hoping to have some personal creative time to work on a photoshoot with cow parsley and ferns.

How do you approach a brief?

For weddings, I always try to meet the couple in person to understand them fully. Some clients struggle to describe or visualise their ideas so it’s important to really get to the bottom of their personal taste and style in order to paint them a picture of, or literally sketch out, their vision.

What are the common mistakes people make frequently with flower arranging?

With vase arrangements, it is about having the confidence to work differently to how you might expect – choosing blooms with wonky stems, using the closed buds as well as the blooms, and specifically, angling the stems out from the vase rather than pushing them far down within, giving a more natural style to the arrangement.

Are there any failsafe approaches that we can learn?

Every florist will tell you that for lasting arrangements you need to condition flowers by re-cutting the stems and putting them in water prior to use. But you can also maintain the quality and extend the vase life of homepicked flowers by cutting and foraging in the morning (when the stems are full of water, so less likely to wilt) or in the evening (when full of carbohydrate after a day of photosynthesising); never in the heat of the day.

What are the current trends in floristry? How have these changed over the years?

A decade ago there was demand for very precise and formulaic designs but for some time now the opposite has been true, with the trend instead for very natural and loosely styled designs. Large scale wild displays are popular for weddings, particularly hanging features. A heightened awareness of provenance and sense of identity seen across other industries is being paralleled in the flower world, with increasing requests for British seasonal flowers.

What would be your dream job?

There’s something very special about decorating a large old barn where you can work with the wooden beams, raw stone walls and ancient doors to create drama and atmosphere with large-scale, free-form displays.

If I were to give a gift of flowers to a good friend (female) who’s in her forties and extremely stylish, and another, a man this time, what would you recommend?

At this time of year, for the female friend, I’d give a generous bouquet of foxgloves, peonies, viburnum and foliage finished with hand-dyed silk ribbon. And for the man, a botanical-style arrangement with different types of ferns and greenery, in a ceramic vase.

Miranda is running two workshops for British Flowers Week. On 21 June, ‘Garden Flowers’ at Ocean Studios (Royal William Yard, Plymouth) and 22 June at Pentillie Castle & Estate, Cornwall.

The latter will include a tour of the beautiful gardens and a two-course lunch. Miranda can also be found at The Port Eliot Festival with her Festival Flower workshops. mirandahackettflowers.co.uk @mirandahackettflowers

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Out source Long days soaked in sunshine are fast approaching and here is some al fresco inspiration ready for the summer season. Add to nature’s homespun glory with pops of colour in furniture and accessories. Compiled by Amy Tidy.

House Of Fraser Bloomingville pendant lamp, Beaumonde, £85

LSA International Jug, Amara, £30

Faux plant, Next, £16 Gin glass (set of two), Annabel James, £27.95

Vase, A by Amara, £25

Pot succulent, B&Q, £6 Bamboo chair, Jo & Co Home, £145

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Bowl, John Lewis, £12

Eicholtz plant prints (set of two), Sweetpea & Willow, £595

Candles, Debenhams, £16 each

space Garden Trading lights, Amara, £70

Vase, Jo & Co Home, £8

Hearth & Cook Lantern, Next, £12

Side plate, John Lewis, £8

Cushion, John Lewis, £12

ICTC Olivewood salad servers, John Lewis, £18

Utensil box set, Marks and Spencer, £49.50

Cushion, White Stuff, £45

Parasol, Marks and Spencer, £99

Table, Marks and Spencer, £99

Edie Armchair, Danetti, £65

Morsø Forno Outdoor Oven, Hearth & Cook, £1,099

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Escape Sri Lanka | Starbed Hideaways, Devon

The Lobby, Colombo Shangri-La, Sri Lanka See page 124

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Imogen Clements experiences two equally luxurious sides of Sri Lanka – from the island’s breathtaking natural environment to a man-made ‘Shangri-La’ …

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escape

T

The Lagoon Pool, Hambantota Shangri-La

he elephant was within 20 yards of us and a trunk’s length from the jeep in front. It stood across the track blocking it, with little inclination to move.

We were on safari in Sri Lanka, in the Udawalawe National Park. The children had necks craned and eyes wide, while I shuffled in my seat. These were wild, adult elephants, unpredictable and more than capable of flipping a jeep and tipping all its little human occupants into the dirt, and we were stuck. There’d been a monsoon downpour the day before – torrential rain like I’d never experienced – which had left the earth beneath our jeep gorged, soft and slippy like potters’ clay. The wheels spun as our driver attempted to reverse, sending the jeep sideways ever closer to a lake. I was feeling the adrenaline rise, and not in a good way. Sri Lanka is also home to crocodiles.

The elephant in question was now turning towards the jeep ahead, edging alongside it, to send all its occupants scrambling starboard. It stopped, gave them all a weary look, then turned away and plunged down the bank into the bordering undergrowth.

After some wheel-spinning, their jeep gained traction and proceeded. We needed another to come and tow us out. It was all part of the experience, and one none of us will forget in a while. This was a Sri Lanka I hadn’t expected – elephants, crocodiles, breathtaking tropical landscape and head-spinning biodiversity.

We’d flown to Sri Lanka via Abu Dhabi (although there are direct flights to Colombo from London). The bird’s-eye view as we descended to Colombo was in stark contrast to Abu Dhabi. While Abu Dhabi is desert, the descent to Colombo takes you over a thick carpet of lush, vibrant palms lining the mid-west coast of Sri Lanka. Turquoise sea, azure sky and verdant green landmass – vivid hues enriched by sunshine, the whole lined by golden sands.

We had two stops planned in Sri Lanka before flying on: the first in the Hambantota district on the south-east of the island, then back up for a brief stay in Colombo.

The Hambantota district was badly hit by the 2004 tsunami. It reportedly killed some 4,500 people in Hambantota town alone, and the district has been under a period of recovery, reconstruction and rapid development since then, accelerated by the end of the country’s 26year civil war in 2009. The transport infrastructure has improved – there is now an airport serving the district – and international hotel groups are beginning to move in. Understandably. This corner of Sri Lanka boasts outstanding natural beauty. It’s home to several national parks, which are natural habitats for elephants, sloth bears and leopards, among a vast array of wildlife.

One such hotel group, Shangri-La, has been quick to invest, and invest heavily, in Sri Lanka in recent years.

The luxury Hong Kong-based operator, with some 100 hotels across the globe, opened the 300-room Shangri-La Hambantota in June 2016 and followed it in November 2017 with the 541-room Shangri-La Colombo.

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Elephant spotted while on safari, Hambantota

Two egg hoppa for breakfast

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Bee-Eater spotted while on safari, Hambantota

Ocean View Suite, Hambantota Shangri-La

escape Our trip was to comprise stays at both, and we were greeted at Colombo Airport by our ShangriLa driver. To date, shuttle flights between Colombo and the Hambantota district have been limited to a number of smaller airlines, the schedule of which didn’t work for us, so we were to head south by car, and there was much sightseeing en route. We passed Buddhist temples, paddy fields, tea plantations and cotton fields; through towns with domestic elephants roaming enclosures by the road like ponies in paddocks; and people, busy and happy, teeming the streets; whole families squeezed onto mopeds, friends laughing, hanging out of tuk-tuks.

Civil war and tsunami notwithstanding, there’s an open-hearted friendliness among Sri Lankan people and an unfettered love of all children, such that when we arrived at the Shangri-La Hambantota our somewhat travel-dazed two were welcomed as warmly as we were, scooped up, plied with cool drinks and fragrant flannels and shown the myriad child-focused activities available at Shangri-La. There are a lot – this is a hotel that has the most extensive kids’ club on the island. During our stay, our girls spent most of their time in the water park, with its spiral slides and water jet zone. Adjacent, there’s a 7-metre-high flying trapeze and trampolines – which children of all ages, including adult ‘children’,

can experience. For the infants there are supervised daily kids’ clubs offering crafts such as elephant-painting and balloon-painting; for the older children: pool tables, air tennis and Xbox; and for the adults there’s an 18-hole golf course (set in a coconut palm plantation and designed by internationally acclaimed golf architect Rodney Wright), a gym, two further swimming pools – one of which, the sunset pool, is adult-only to allow serious, uninterrupted lengths – and when you need to take a breather there’s an Ayurvedic spa, where the Ayurvedic doctor will assess you and prescribe the best spa treatment for you, instructing your therapist accordingly.

The Shangri-La Hambantota spans 58 hectares, and with such a wide variety of activities on offer the temptation to stay within the hotel confines is understandable, so Shangri-La brings traditional Sri Lankan culture and craft to guests via the hotel’s artisan village. Here you can witness traditional Sri Lankan crafts such as ‘laaksha’, where intricately designed pots are illustrated by carving the rich lacquer rather than painting it; or batik scarf-dying that uses wax and dye deftly applied, layer after layer, to reveal, once all the wax is melted off, a lavish pattern of colours. The artisan village isn’t just for spectating but offers guests – young and old – classes taught by artisan weavers, potters, sculptors and painters.

Bovey Castle

The ultimate venue in the heart of Dartmoor...

Located in the heart of Dartmoor National Park in Devon, 5 red star Bovey Castle rests in 275 acres of beautiful countryside and rolling valleys.

First opened as a hotel and golf resort in 1930 by Great Western Railways, the luxury castle hotel boasts 60 fabulous bedrooms, 22 self-catering country lodges nestled in the grounds, not to mention two refurbished restaurants, the Elan Spa and our award-winning 18 hole championship golf course, designed by J F Abercromby.

Book in at The Elan Spa to experience relaxing ESPA treatments, whilst the dedicated ‘Gentlemen’s Quarter’ offers traditional wet shaves for the discerning gent. Visit Smith’s Brasserie for relaxed ‘best of British’ classics, or the 3 AA Rosette Great Western Restaurant for a night of exclusive dining.

For bookings and enquiries please contact: 01647 445007

LUXURY ACCOMMODATION | COUNTRY LODGES | GOLF | DINING DEER PARK | OFF ROAD EXPERIENCE | FALCONRY | SPA | SHOOTING North Bovey, Devon, TQ13 8RE T: 01647 445007 E: info@boveycastle.com www.boveycastle.com /boveycastlehotel

@boveycastle

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Caption

Swimming pool with ocean view, Colombo Shangri-La

Capitol Bar and Grill White Room, Colombo Shangri-La

Table One restaurant, Colombo Shangri-La

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For us, though, the truly memorable experiences were the two safaris that Shangri-La organised – the first to the aforementioned Udawalawe National Park, and the second a riverboat safari.

The first meant getting up with the sun – which alone is something to be experienced in Sri Lanka. As well as elephants we saw the most beautiful birdlife, including open-billed storks and blue-tailed bee-eaters. The river safari took us down the wide Walawe river that’s lined with heavy tangles of mangrove. Spotting wildlife from a boat gliding silently down the river was mesmerising. We saw water buffalo treading water, again the most stunning array of birdlife from fish eagles to rose-winged parakeets to purple herons, and in the trees hung huge bats. Grey langur monkeys ogled us from the branches, nudging and gossiping with one another, before our guide directed our gaze to the water, where a crocodile’s bulbous eyes blinked before sinking beneath to make a smooth exit. Further downstream, another was taking a rest on the bank before it too, unsettled at being the spectacle, slid into the water. At the mouth of the river, fishermen stood among the waves throwing their lines as the sun set.

While Hambantota provided access to breathtaking wildlife, flora and fauna, Colombo Shangri-La offered man-made splendour that scaled new heights.

The Colombo Hotel is part of an $800m investment to develop 10 acres of the city’s highly exclusive Galle Face plot into a luxury hotel, retail and real estate complex.

The hotel opened in November 2017, with the remaining elements of the complex yet to be completed,

but if the hotel is any indication, this will be one of the most luxurious stopovers, or go-to destinations, in Southern Asia. It’s huge, with 500 rooms and 41 suites overlooking the Indian Ocean. The lobby is marblefloored, glass-walled, with searing ceilings adorned with giant crystal-encrusted lotus flower chandeliers.

Throughout, the Shangri-La Colombo is a lesson in the art of grandeur. There are six restaurants and bars and two enormous ballrooms comfortably seating 1,500, a 24-hour gym and a sizeable outdoor pool that overlooks the sea.

Food is a key element of the luxury offering provided by both the Colombo and Hambantota Shangri-La hotels. While the latter sports three restaurants overseen expertly by the fun and highly personable executive chef Nonky Tejapermana (previously of the Hilton Park Lane and London Mandarin Oriental), at Colombo the culinary range across the six restaurants and bars is huge, offering pretty much everything for any cultural taste or palate. Both have an all-day buffet restaurant with a staggering array of choice: numerous interactive cooking stations offering Middle Eastern, Malaysian, European, Northern Indian, Dutch, Portuguese and Sri Lankan cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Our room was a two-bedroom serviced apartment with a fully stocked kitchen complete with washer/dryer and dishwasher, perfect for those families planning a longer stay in Colombo, or perhaps to get all the washing done prior to heading home. Oh, to be organised.

Were I to compare the two hotels, both are peak luxury, but Hambantota Shangri-La is very much geared to families, whereas Colombo Shangri-La suits the all-important MICE (Meeting, Incentives, Coventions and Exhibitions) tourism community. With its secondto-none conference and events facilities and wow factor at every turn, this is a hotel designed to impress those accustomed to the very best.

It’s no surprise that Sri Lanka has seen tourism double in the last five years, and the trend is ever upwards. Our trip showed us two aspects of this rapidly developing nation – the very evident realisation of the potential that this well-positioned island nation holds for the global business community, and the immensely rich, aweinspiring landscape and astounding biodiversity that it harbours for nature lovers. May the two never conflict.

Room rates at Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo are from £135 per night and at the Shangri-La’s Hambantota Golf Resort and Spa from £232 per night. In both cases rates are based on double occupancy and include all taxes and fees shangrila.com/hambantota/shangrila shangri-la.com/colombo/shangrila Sri Lankan and Emirates Airways both fly direct to Colombo from Heathrow and Gatwick respectively and return flights can cost as little as £500, depending on the time of travelling.

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Anna Turns discovers StarBed Hideaways, a blissfully remote, romantic retreat in the grounds of the National Trust’s Buckland Abbey.

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rriving at StarBed Hideaways is not what you might expect. After driving along country lanes and entering the National Trust Buckland Abbey estate just west of Dartmoor National Park, owners Bryony and Bertie Hancock offer a warm welcome and guide us onto their Supacat multi-terrain vehicle for the final leg of our journey across farmland. It’s a slow and bumpy couple of miles up to the shepherd’s huts on the hilltop, and this off-roading sets the scene for our mini-adventure.

Aurora and Halcyon offer the most secluded glamping with 360° panoramic countryside views framed by beech trees. It’s the perfect escape from the rat race and an ideal, down-to-earth location for a digital detox. Wellies are essential.

Bertie and Bryony originally set out to create the ultimate place to unwind because, with young children themselves, they know only too well how rare downtime can be: “Time out is so precious – when we go away, we want it to be special and romantic. There aren’t MANOR | Early Summer 2018

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When you stay here, you suddenly realize how loud a sheep is when it chews on grass, how noisy an owl is, or you notice the whirr of a pheasant’s take off. Suddenly you can become more connected to nature.

many places that offer this level of privacy and luxury. We’ve gone the extra mile to make it really spoiling.” And it all comes down to attention to detail – Bertie and Bryony have purposefully not installed televisions but instead there’s a Scrabble set, pack of cards and a fire pit. The huts are off-grid (each has its own generator) so there are USB sockets but no mains electricity, and guests have to forego a toaster and hairdryer. But instead, the shelves are well-stocked with nature identification books for wildlife watching, Slow Devon guides for exploring beyond the estate, and astronomy books for stargazing through the skylight above the bed.

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owl is, or you notice the whirr of a pheasant’s take off.

Suddenly you can become more connected to nature.”

Aurora and Halcyon each consist of a double configuration of handcrafted oak shepherd’s huts – a first for makers Blackdown Shepherd’s Huts: “We gave a whole new meaning to ‘bespoke’,” says Bryony. “We were probably high maintenance for them as we pushed the boundaries but they were enormously proud of what they created in the end.” Each of the two hideaways consists of an 18ft shepherd’s hut for a king-size bedroom and freestanding roll-top bath tub with a rain-head shower, plus a smaller hut attached with kitchen facilities plus washroom complete with Devon-made REN toiletries.

Countryside views are uninterrupted – there are

purposefully no bars down the centre of the window frames. Match that with distinctive Sanderson floral wallpapers, and subtle green and blue Farrow & Ball hues, and the scenery feels like part of the décor. The furnishings have been chosen with the environment in mind – Weaver Green rugs, mats and cushions are made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, ideal for using on the radial wooden deck outside; wool pillows and duvets are made by The Wool Room in Somerset; and two Axminster sheepskin beanbags provide a comfy spot to sit inside.

Beauty lies in the detail – from ethically sourced Nkuku accessories and handcrafted Byron & Byron curtain poles to blackout eye masks on the bedside tables and vintage artworks chosen at auction by Totnes-based interior designer Holly Keeling. “Whether it’s a beautiful picture or an old piece of pottery or a particular item of glassware, everything has been considered and that’s probably why it has taken so long to perfect,” explains Bryony, who admits that creating luxury five-star hotel rooms in the middle of a wood is certainly no easy feat.

“Perhaps that’s why no-one else has done it to this extent before. Yes, it has been logistically difficult, but we don’t regret doing this and we know that we’ve created something unique in its own right.” And Bryony has worked hard to make sure that StarBed fits into the National Trust ethos seamlessly. “In essence, Buckland Abbey has been a sanctuary since the 13th century.

It began as a monastery and then Sir Francis Drake returned here for time out and reflection, so it has a palpable sense of calm and tranquillity at its core.”

StarBed Hideaways is pretty ground-breaking for the National Trust. This was its first foray into glamping and it was essential that the shepherd’s huts would blend in with the aesthetics of this historic landscape with minimal impact on the environment. This ethos continues right down to the homemade food provided – veg are grown in Buckland Abbey’s own kitchen garden, eggs are laid by the estate chickens, bacon and sausages come from Bertie and Bryony’s own Saddleback pigs, and other ingredients are sourced from trusted local producers. Wooden wine cellars are currently being installed beneath the shepherd’s huts so that no-one has to walk down the hill to the larder if they run out of snacks or alcohol, and they’re hoping to offer daily room service. Bryony is developing her ‘little black book’ of food producers and craftspeople so that guests can explore the best of the best, from workshops with Jessie the hide-tanner, who uses age-old techniques, to Dartmoor’s new whisky distillery. It’s evident that the couple get so much pleasure in giving extra shine to their guests’ downtime. And as guests leave, Bryony always asks “what have we forgotten?” Well, the answer is “absolutely nothing!”

StarBed Hideaways, Buckland Abbey, Yelverton, Devon PL20 6EZ. 01822 259062, starbedhideaways.co.uk

Relax and Recharge Open for Day Spas, residential packages and membership Sunday lunch £22.50 per person Non-residents most welcome for morning coffee, cream teas and meals throughout the day

This family-run country house hotel on Dartmoor is bursting with traditional character and friendly service from people ready to make you feel at home.

South Devon Hotel of the Year 2015 AA Silver Award 2015 Spa and Wellbeing Experience,Visit Devon Awards 2015

Ilsington Country House Hotel NEAR HAYTOR, DARTMOOR

Ilsington Village, Dartmoor, Devon Tel: 01364 661452 www.ilsington.co.uk MANOR | Early Summer 2018

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OPEN MORNING

Saturday 6th October 2018

Please call for information or to book a place 01626 354505 An Independent Day and Boarding School for Boys and Girls aged 3 - 18 Years • Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 6QG • 01626 354505 • WWW.STOVER.CO.UK 134

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

Depeche Mode musician opens new music building at Shebbear SHEBBEAR COLLEGE was delighted to invite Peter Gordeno of legendary 80s new wave group Depeche Mode to open its new music building in April. Peter is an accomplished musician and has also worked with many other great artists including George Michael and U2. He spent the day in a variety of workshops with pupils, accompanying singers, encouraging young singersongwriters and composers, and inspiring several of their more accomplished pianists. Following the official opening ceremony, a concert for invited guests and parents took place in the Music Department’s Recital Room, which houses one of the two Steinway grand pianos that Shebbear now has. It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase several of the performers who had worked and performed alongside Peter during the day. Parents and invited guests were then given the opportunity to view the many specialist classrooms, which include a fully equipped music technology suite and a recording studio.

Millfield Prep pupils watch rocket launch at Kennedy Space Centre TWENTY-FOUR MILLFIELD PREP PUPILS visited the headquarters of NASA, the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, USA, where they witnessed a rocket launch and had lunch with an astronaut. The pupils watched the Falcon 9 take off on a resupplying mission to the International Space Station, before meeting astronaut Charlie Walker, an American engineer who flew on three Space Shuttle missions between 1984 and 1985. Pupils were able to see behind the scenes of the famous Launch Control Centre, where NASA teams were working on upcoming missions to Mars and the moon. Organiser of the trip and Millfield Prep Head of English, David Cageao, said: “The pupils had a fantastic time at the Kennedy Space Centre. With entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos once again turning the world’s attention to space, it was a great time to visit and perhaps inspire some future space travellers.”

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Schools news in brief

Shebbear Bronze Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition THIRTY SHEBBEAR COLLEGE PUPILS from Forms 3 and 4 embarked on the first part of their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh expedition, travelling from the college to Instow via a camp at Smytham Manor near Torrington.

The teams were accompanied by fantastic weather, which they felt fortunate to have, considering previous weekends had consisted of rain, wind and even snow! After camping for one evening, the teams packed up camp the following morning and disappeared into the early-morning mist.

With the sun shining, temperatures rose quickly, and this was to be the main challenge for the remainder of the expedition. The teams reached their finish target at Instow in good time. The next stage will be the assessed expedition, which takes place later on in the term.

Latest collections from Truro High School designers

Truro High School GCSE designers model their one-of-a-kind garments a a special photoshoot on the day of the fashion show

Pupils from Year 10 model bespoke skirts created as their first taste of GCSE Textiles

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STYLISH COLLECTIONS from Truro High School’s talented A-level and GCSE designers recently hit the runway at the school’s annual fashion show. Catwalk pieces were inspired by the bustling international hubbub of Hong Kong, poetry by Percy Bysshe Shelley, the anarchic irreverence of Vivienne Westwood, plant life cycles, technological revolutions, Game of Thrones and the troubled relationship between Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. The event was particularly special for Year 13 student Alice Barry, having recently received news that she has been offered a sought-after spot to study costume for performance at the London College of Fashion. For the past five years, all grades achieved

by Truro High pupils in A-level textiles have been A or A*. Pupils’ work consistently wins prizes at the CreatEd exhibition hosted by Falmouth University, which last year saw the school receiving more awards and commendations than any other institution.

school Schools news in brief

Nine Millfield medals from the 2018 Commonwealth Games MILLFIELD PARTICIPANTS brought home a total of six silver and three bronze medals from the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Swimmer James Guy was the top performer, winning four silvers and one bronze medal after competing in six events at the Optus Aquatic Centre. Team England teammate and former pupil Cameron Kurle also won two silver medals.

Both athletes attended Millfield Prep School before joining Millfield itself. Other medal winners included Team England’s Harry Gibson (hockey, bronze) and Ollie Lindsay-Hague (rugby sevens, bronze).

Additional achievements included debut performances from current pupils Daphne Schrager (Lower Sixth) and Tatiana Tostevin (Year 10). Para-athlete Daphne finished fifth in the T35 100 m, and swimmer Tatiana competed in four events in the pool, gaining three personal bests. Overall, 14 members of the Millfield community represented five countries at the games.

Millfield’s Director of Swimming Euan Dale with former pupil and 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Cameron Kurle

Exeter School hosts British Shooting Target Sprint EXETER SCHOOL welcomed ex-British pistol shooter Georgina ‘Gorgs’ Geikie to launch the British Shooting Target Sprint qualifier, to be held at Exeter School on 7 July. This is the second year the South West qualifying event for the National Series will be held at the co-educational independent school. Last year’s event attracted over 70 entrants. The National Series is organised

by Georgina, who represented Great Britain in the 2012 Summer Olympics. “We have individual male and female categories as well as an open team event. No experience is needed and we provide all the equipment.

The top five in each category will go forward to the National Final at the Yate Outdoor Sports Complex in October.” There are three categories: youth (age 11–15), junior (age 16–20) and senior (age 21+). Director of Sport, Andy Mason, said he was delighted to host the event and give all pupils a chance to try a new physical activity.

Georgina ‘Gorgs’ Geike

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Pete Last, head teacher of Kingsley School, discusses the role of schools in developing children’s character, not just their ability to pass exams.

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school

I

s it more important for your child to obtain a large number of high-quality GCSE and A-level grades or for them to develop and sustain a good character? I think this is a very interesting question for those of us who are parents to consider. My wife and I have been fortunate to have had three children, all of whom are now in their 20s and are entering the world of work. I cannot deny that their GCSE and A-level results have played a part in the journeys they have followed, and were, for example, a major factor in influencing what they studied at university and where they studied. As a dad, though, by far the most important thing for me is that my children are of good character – that they possess desirable personal qualities such as honesty, reliability, determination, resilience, kindness and respect. This matters much more to me than their exam results ever did.

There is a lot of talk in many schools at the moment about the importance of character. Most people would probably agree with the assertion that it is important for us to ‘have a good character’, even if they are not sure exactly what this might mean. So is good character simply an inherent attribute or can it be taught? And if so, how best can this be approached, bearing in mind some of the unpopular attempts at ‘character building’ of days gone by that were thought by many to be overly aggressive, sometimes even cruel and arguably counterproductive for those on the receiving end?

Children learn best, both academically and socially, when they are enthused and want to learn. Carrots and sticks come to mind…

One of the most influential sources of useful research and information about character education is the Jubilee Centre for Character and Virtues, based in the School of Education at Birmingham University. Their website contains a wealth of research, practical information and materials for any individual or school wishing to develop how they approach character education. Reading their research, it is clear that the Jubilee Centre strongly believes that good character can indeed be taught and that schools, colleges and universities have a key role to play in the development of character.

David Carr wrote in 2007: “[I]t is often said that we remember teachers as much for the kinds of people they were as for anything they may have taught us.”1 Does this resonate with you? It certainly does with me. I cannot recall the actual taught content of many lessons I attended when I was at school, but I can most definitely remember the teachers who made learning fun and who had a major impact on my developing personality. What a privilege it is to be a teacher, and what a responsibility teachers have in helping shape the character of the children they teach.

I am now the head teacher of Kingsley School in Bideford, North Devon and I have lots of conversations with prospective and current parents about their children and the dreams and aspirations they have for them. For

Even when they don’t succeed, as a school we always endeavour to be there to pick them up, dust them down and set them on their way again…

Pete Last

some parents, it would appear at first glance that exam success is the be-all and end-all of what they want the school to provide, but it is usually only a matter of time before the conversation has broadened out to include such important aspects of the children’s development as their happiness, their integrity and their character. As a school, we know that it is possible to nurture character because we do it every day.

We encourage our pupils to try to develop a positive mindset whereby their attitude towards things they are finding difficult is not “this is impossible, so I’m going to give up” but rather “this is really hard, but I’m going to persevere until I can do it”. We see this in the classroom when students are struggling to master a tricky aspect of the subject they are studying; we see it in our PE and games lessons when children are battling to master a new technique or skill; we see it in our boarding houses when youngsters are finding it difficult to be away from their families and settle in to new surroundings; we see it when we take pupils out on Duke of Edinburgh expeditions when the physical and mental challenges facing them can appear to be daunting. We see it every day in myriad ways throughout all age groups within the school, from our nursery children right through to our sixth form.

It is wonderful to watch students push themselves in such a wide variety of settings and, more often than not, surprise themselves with what they are capable of achieving. Even when they don’t succeed, as a school we always endeavour to be there to pick them up, dust them down and set them on their way again, just as I remember doing so vividly when my own children were first learning to ride their bikes without stabilisers.

Sometimes it hurts to fail, but the true test of character is whether you are strong enough to get back on your bike! Inspire in a child the desire to do just that, develop a character in which pride in everything one does is the driving force, and the rest will follow naturally.

1

Carr, D. (2007) ‘Character in Teaching’, British Journal of Educational Studies, 55(4): 369–389.

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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

Contemporary country elegance close to beaches - Nr Modbury

Guide price

£1,325,000

A superbly presented 4 bedroom detached property, a short distance from the sea, with self-contained 1/2-bedroom lodge and detached studio, set in grounds of approximately 4 acres with adjoining paddock. Beautifully finished with a contemporary feel yet retaining character features with outstanding garden and countryside views.

Modbury 5 miles, Kingsbridge 11 miles, Plymouth 17 miles

hotel 4 Bedrooms bathtub 4 Bathrooms furniture 3 Reception Rooms Web Ref: PWC180007

Prime Waterfront & Country House department: 01548 855590

DARTMOUTH 01803 839190

KINGSBRIDGE 01548 857588

MODBURY 01548 831163

NEWTON FERRERS 01752 873311

Modbury: 01548 831163

SALCOMBE 01548 844473

marchandpetit.co.uk 140

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TOTNES 01803 847979

PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590

Property Property of note: Woodlands, Gannel Estuary, North Cornwall The Relocator: Sennen I Snapshot comparative

Woodlands, North Cornwall See Property of Note, page 143 legacyproperties.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

Period equestrian property in tranquil setting - Nr Yealmpton

Guide price

£995,000

A substantial period farmhouse with excellent equestrian facilities and a separate self-contained 1 bedroom annexe, set in approximately 10.5 acres, in a peaceful and tranquil setting with outstanding countryside views. Excellent access to A38.

EPC Rating F.

Plymouth 9 miles, Kingsbridge 13 miles, Modbury 5 miles

hotel 6 Bedrooms bathtub 4 Bathrooms furniture 4 Reception Rooms Web Ref: HEA170001

Prime Waterfront & Country House department: 01548 855590

DARTMOUTH 01803 839190

KINGSBRIDGE 01548 857588

MODBURY 01548 831163

NEWTON FERRERS 01752 873311

Newton Ferrers: 01752 873311

SALCOMBE 01548 844473

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TOTNES 01803 847979

PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590

property of note

Woodlands, Pentire Headland

This issue’s property of note is a substantial home on the Gannel Estuary, one of North Cornwall’s most prized locations. It is fitted out with the highest quality materials and state of the art appliances, with every element of its design and finish applied bespoke in line with the buyer’s taste and lifestyle needs. It’s yet to be built. Intrigued? Read on. Words by Imogen Clements.

A

s we’re all aware, location is of prime importance to any home. Prime, indeed breathtaking, locations there are aplenty in the South West. But to create a home which makes the very best of this through its architecture, views and aspect, and boasts a standard of interiors finish that complements the lifestyle offered by such a setting, requires a level of expertise that extends from concept through to finish, and a team of highlyskilled architects, builders, and designers.

It is this ethos – quality homes that complement their prized locations - that is behind the success of Cornwall-based developer Legacy Properties. Legacy Properties started life in London some eleven years ago, before relocating to Quintrell Downs, near Newquay in Cornwall in 2014. Following a succession of awardwinning developments in the county, the company has grown threefold to employ a team of twelve.

“We’ve now completed five developments in North Cornwall,” reveals Managing Director, Nick Long, “One - Seascape, a luxury collection of ten apartments and two houses on the Pentire Peninsula - has won an International Property Award; another - Fistral House, a development comprising ten high-end apartments overlooking Fistral Beach – our site manager on that project won the NHBC Regional Award and a Seal of Excellence. It’s this recognition by the industry which has cemented our reputation for quality, which in turn has driven demand.”

The south west is out-performing the UK property market and premium stock in pristine locations all the more so. There is a demand for quality accommodation by the sea, which is exactly the territory in which Legacy operates.

Nick, originally from Kent, relocated to Cornwall with his wife, Hannah, four years ago and they are expecting their first child. They live in a Legacy property.

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“We know ourselves the appeal of Cornwall,” explains Hannah, ”and that appreciation for the setting and associated lifestyle compels you to create a luxury home that makes the very best of it. Nick surfs; he cycles, and we’re about to start a family. He’s worked on many, and we’ve lived in various homes in a variety of places to know what works.”

Nick and Hannah live in Seascape, the aforementioned award-winning development, and it is this level of design of design and architecture that is extended to all Legacy Properties, such that many are bought off plan, long before completion.

Case in point is Woodlands. Woodlands is the company’s latest luxury development to be approved.

Located on the banks of the Gannel Estuary, with far reaching views of Crantock Beach on North Cornwall’s iconic Atlantic coast, building will commence this summer.

Woodlands will comprise ten four and five bedroomed houses, developed to the very highest specification, in accordance with the buyer’s requirements. Set within a 1.2 acre site, with landscaped communal and private gardens and direct access to the estuary, the houses will be built using the best quality, locally-sourced materials and stateof-the-art appliances and technology.

Each house will extend over three floors, with the main living areas on the first or second floor to ensure light, airy spaces enhanced by spectacular views. “The architecture is very much led by the location,” explains Nick, “Where we pitch and orientate the property is key.

We then design each home to allow as much light into the living spaces as possible.

This sort of property is snapped up quickly, understandably. “We would generally expect to see around 60% of our homes sold prior to the development being completed,” Nick reveals. “Woodlands houses are of a very high quality specification – they will be our flagship - and the degree of individualization that we’re offering with these homes requires buyers getting in early.”

Arguably Newquay’s most exclusive development, properties in Woodlands will sell for up to £1.15m. Legacy goes to considerable lengths to ensure prospective vendors are equipped with all the information they need, understand every element of the build, and fully visualize their finished home. “Some people aren’t used to buying this way so we try to make sure they have all the help and information they need. Instead of just giving them a brochure and asking if they want to buy we use in-house and external consultants who can talk them through any aspect.”

By way of example for Woodlands, Legacy is hosting an exclusive preview day on 9 June to help any prospective buyer get the full picture of what is on offer. Interested parties will be taken through a detailed presentation of floorplans, CGIs, all the finishes and materials, and a chance to meet the full design team.

They will then be taken to a completed Legacy property, a private penthouse which has been fully customized 144

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A typical living room design at Woodlands

The Gannel Estuary

and overlooks Fistral Beach. This allows a walk through and ‘touch and feel’ of the materials, the appliances in situ, and the furnishings and fittings. Finally, prospective buyers are taken to the site on which Woodlands will be built to see first hand the stunning location the homes there will occupy. Scaffolding will be erected to give prospective buyers a sense of the views they can expect to enjoy from their finished home.

“These are substantial homes in a stunning location.

We want to ensure that prospective buyers get inspired by visualizing the finished building and helping to create the home they dream of, by offering them a complete bespoke design service. We have a designer on the team who can consult and advise each prospective buyer accordingly.”

Nick goes on to explain the level of flexibility Legacy offers, “The homes are spacious (between 1,700 and 2,000 square feet) and, although the footprint is fixed and approved by the planning authorities, the purpose of each room can be specified by the buyer, so rather than a bedroom they may choose to fit out a media room; instead of a downstairs snug they may prefer to install a home office.

“We make a point of sourcing the very best suppliers we can,” explains Nick, ”We take our guide from bespoke high-end one-off homes and ensure we work with the most acclaimed architects, key brands and suppliers on each of our developments.

“For example we partner with Devon Stone for tiles, which sources stone from all over the world.

property of note

Penthouse living space overlooking Fistral, Newquay

Fistral House, Newquay

We use Crestron, specialists in home automation and highly popular with the London market, and we choose Gaggenau for beautiful, high-performance ovens and kitchen appliances, loved by professional chefs. For our bathrooms, we’re delighted to use the Axor range from premium German brand, Hansgrohe. The front doors we source from luxury supplier, Urban Front, because of the quality of their hand-finished product.”

Bespoke design requires time and consideration.

To give an idea of timeline, from Woodlands’ first unveil at its open day on Saturday 9 June, it will take approximately 18 months before the buyer can expect to cross the threshold into their newly finished home.

Who does Nick expect that new owner will be? “From experience it’s been a complete mix of individuals. We have had a lot of buyers who are looking to downsize to a new build, because their current house is too big to manage. Equally, there are those looking to invest in a spectacularly wellpositioned second home. We’ve had a lot of interest from those looking now to spend half the year abroad and half the year in Cornwall, and want a level of build and modernization in a home, that doesn’t require constant maintenance.”

The digital age we live in now allows for flexible working and greater time spent in real areas of outstanding natural beauty. Top developers are responding to that by pinpointing sites in stunning locations, no longer hampered by any lack of proximity to the M25 and commuter belt, and aided by much improved transport facilities. For example North Cornwall is now well serviced by Newquay Airport, with three flights a day to and from London, and access to many other UK cities. Finished to a level you’d expect in a luxury, one-off build, these are homes which the highly discerning will want to enjoy for years to come. “We build properties to live in, not just to sell. We’re based here, we live here, specifically in the same properties we develop. We have a responsibility to the prime location we’re permitted to build on to create quality, long lasting homes, not least because our reputation relies on it.”

Therein lies the name, Legacy. A dream home of your own making? Now you can.”

For further information of Woodlands 4-5 bedroom luxury homes and initial viewings, contact Legacy’s selling agent. Bookings are by appointment only.

David Ball - Luxury Collection: 01637 850850/sales@dba.Estate legacyproperties.co.uk Master ensuite, Fistral House, Newquay

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It’s a small world, the South West. One highly regarded individual in the region’s property sector, Jonathan Cunliffe, is branching out, inspired by the county he lives and operates in.

Your face is familiar - where do we know you from?

I have been working as an estate agent in Cornwall for 25 years, with half that for one of the world’s largest real-estate firms, latterly as a director in charge of the westcountry residential business and UK Waterfront.

What are you doing now?

I’ve just set up my own estate agency firm, to focus on Cornwall’s prime residential market.

Why? And where?

I enjoyed my time with my previous employer and learnt a huge amount but at 45 years of age I felt it was now or never, and wanted to get back to the earlier part of my estate agency career, where I spent more time on the ground in Cornwall helping clients buy and sell. I have a young family so that was a factor too. My office is a short walk or shorter bike ride from my home in Falmouth.

(Although having said that, the ‘office’ these days is any mobile phone or laptop!).

What sort of properties are you looking to successfully market?

I have worked exclusively in the prime market in Cornwall for some twenty years, so I will stick to what I know. With my market knowledge I feel I can assist the sale of the more unusual or individual properties in Cornwall; those with a special location or history.

The Cunliffe family on holiday in New Zealand

Fal Estuary valued at £2.5m, a large house in a lovely setting on the edge of Fowey at £1.25m, and a charming creekside cottage near Helford. I also have several clients who have instructed me to market their properties on a ‘private’, off-market basis.

Isn’t the property market suffering a downturn - is now a good time to branch out on your own?

Actually I think this is the best time for someone like me. Properties don’t sell themselves in a more difficult market. I started out in the depths of the recession in 1993, so know what is needed to get the best result for my clients. I have achieved results in markets good and bad, and I think sellers know they need someone with plenty of experience in this economic climate.

What do you think you can offer that bigger branded agencies can’t?

I am pretty sure my track record at the top end of the Cornish property market is second to none, but this aside, I will make sure my clients get sound advice, total discretion and a highly personal service. Although it would be silly for me to claim to have the same resources as a big global firm, of course I now have more time for my clients, as I don’t have the responsibilities that go with a senior director role in a big firm. Technology has changed much in recent years and now makes it easier for smaller firms to compete with the offerings of a large, corporate estate agency chain.

You’ve just launched - do you have anything on you books now that gives us an idea..?

How do I find you?

Yes, I have several instructions, which I am launching now. They include a prime waterfront property on the

My own website is jonathancunliffe.co.uk Call 01326 617447 or email jc@jonathancunliffe.co.uk

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property

The Relocator tours the South West on your behalf to get an on-the-ground insight on hotspots in the region to analyse their relocation potential. We do our research and talk to residents, businesses and estate agents to get the lowdown on…

SENNEN, CORNWALL

Sennen is one of furthest places west you can be whilst still on mainland Britain. This Cornish coastal village is situated approximately nine miles west of Penzance and is close to some of the most recognised attractions in Cornwall, including The Minack Theatre, Tate St Ives and St Michael’s Mount. Nearby is Sennen Cove, with Sennen Cove Beach, a popular tourist haven that’s renowned for its beauty. But does it have serious relocation potential?

M5

SOMERSET A303

According to Ben Standen of JacksonStops, Truro, there is a varied mix of properties available in Sennen, with the village more of a draw than Sennen Cove for those wanting to relocate, whilst Sennen Cove Padstow is popular for those looking Newquay Airport to purchase Newquay a holiday

M5

DEVON

AN ESTATE AGENT’S OPINION…

A30

DORSET

Exeter Airport A30

Exeter

Dartmoor A38

CORNWALL Plymouth

St Austell Truro St Ives

Falmouth

Penzance

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WHAT THE SMALL BUSINESS OPERATER SAYS…

Gwel An Treth, Sennen Cove, Price upon applications, Jackson-Stops

home. There’s plenty of property development happening here, where smaller properties and bungalows are being bought and renovated into larger homes, detached houses being of particular interest.

“Sennen holds huge appeal for families. It has a lifeguarded beach, so that comes with a safety element.”

The village of Sennen is sought after by those looking for the laid-back atmosphere to relocate to. There is a lot to do outdoors – the South West Coastal Path means a threemile walk to Land’s End by foot and there is a year-round impressive swell for keen surfers.

Sennen has seen an increase in tourists visiting as roads have improved to facilitate greater access to the more remote parts of Cornwall. This has helped positively develop the area, and strengthen the community through the expansion of independent businesses. There is an active town hall and an operational local lifeboat station. Being situated close to Penzance is an additional draw. Penzance is around nine miles away and is itself fast becoming a hotspot for serious relocators thanks to its Georgian architecture, and creative, busy coastal community. In Penzance there are employment opportunities, a London-linked railway station and an array of galleries, shops and restaurants that a Sennen resident can easily access.

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West Cornwall has a strong arts scene and Sennen itself is home to one of the oldest and most established galleries in the county, The Roundhouse and Capstan Gallery, which has been an art gallery since 1983. The gallery is a unique two-storey circular, Grade II listed building, which was built in 1976 to house the Capstan wheel used by fishermen to haul the boats up the beach. Current owners Colin Caffell and Sally Peterson describe how being in this part of the world encourages the business to thrive. “We have collectors and clients that visit year after year. They love the gallery and the location almost as much as they love the art – so it’s tradition for them to come back,” explains Sally.

Being a sculptor and potter himself, Colin began selling his range of hand-thrown studio ceramics in the gallery soon after the couple relocated to Cornwall 12 years ago with their young daughter, having previously lived in Berkshire. They took over the premises in 2010. “Having both always worked in the arts,” says Colin, “we could grow the business by introducing and displaying work by a greater number of high-end artists.” Being situated in Sennen Cove, right by the Atlantic Ocean, is paramount for the business as visitors are captivated by the surrounding views. “Like any small community,” notes Colin, “you have to prove yourself and get involved in some way in order to be full accepted. That takes time, but it is worth it.”

The award-winning Sennen Surfing Centre offers classes for beginners and improvers, right through to intermediate surfers with private lessons available. All of the employees are local and live within a 15-mile radius of the complex. Working at the Surf School prior to taking it over 14 years ago, head surf coach and co-owner Dave Muir explains how Sennen is hugely family oriented, which makes it a unique spot for the business: “Sennen is a family place, with lots of family-run businesses. As a result, we really get to know people.”

Business partner and father of Dave, Rob Muir, adds, “The location is unrivalled, and we have a fantastically clean

property

Sennen Cove

Broadsands, Sennen Cove, £650,000 with Jackson-Stops

sea.” Having a business based in such a glorious setting has its perks but can prove challenging, “It is difficult at times as there is no through traffic and limited employment options in the area.” That said, Sennen Surfing Centre does well as a business during the season and closes from mid-October through until Easter.

links to London takes around 20 minutes by car and from here there are both standard and sleeper services direct to London Paddington. Thirty minutes from the village is St Erth, a small train station where you can also get direct trains to Paddington, albeit stopping trains, and there is easy access from here to St Ives. Newquay Airport is an hour away, with flights twice a day to London. Land’s End Airport is very close, taking 5-10 minutes to reach by car and provides flights to the Isles of Scilly (taking only 15 minutes).

WHAT THE RESIDENT SAYS… Having moved to Sennen 17 years ago from Northampton, Rob Muir and his family had visited a few times, before deciding to make the move. Now, years on from relocating and now co-owning Sennen Surfing Centre, Rob and his family have never looked back: “The best thing about living in Sennen is the location and beach. However, a better bus service and stronger mobile network are a couple of things that could do with improving.”

Sennen village is only a 15-minute walk away from the beach and is well suited to families looking for less tourists and a community atmosphere.

PROPERTY… Due to the high demand for second homes in the area, house prices in and around Sennen have risen, in Sennen Cove particularly. Prices vary widely but a four-bedroom home inland can go for £450k while moving closer towards the beach – with sea views – expect to pay around £750k for a property of the same size and condition.

SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION… There are approximately around 15 state primary and five secondary schools within a ten-mile radius of Sennen, all with good Ofsted ratings. Independent schools can be found at Hayle in St Piran’s School, which is a 30-minute drive; Truro High School for Girls and Truro School which is about an hour’s drive.

Falmouth University, the highly celebrated innovative hub for higher education creatives, is an hour from Sennen, and Newlyn School of Art is only 20 minutes away from Sennen and here short courses can be taken in the following disciplines: painting, drawing and printmaking. There is an artistic, creative vein that is very strong and runs throughout the region.

TRAVEL AND GETTING AROUND… Being so far west makes Sennen always a destination, with access to it fairly limited. No through traffic has its pros and cons. Penzance railway station with its direct

The Relocator’s verdict…

Sennen is considered a Cornish treasure, particularly for families on vacation, and one that is quieter than the often overrun St Ives and Padstow tourist haunts, thanks to its more secluded ‘end of the line’ westerly location. Its position has its drawbacks in terms of employment opportunities and lack of buzz at certain times of the year, but the scenery for many outweighs the cons. Plus nearby Penzance, a bustling coastal town, provides all the arts, amenities and employment opportunities that Sennen may lack, and is only a short commute. Its own growing popularity will doubtless have a positive knock-on effect on outer-lying villages, whose residents can enjoy the tranquillity and outstanding natural beauty while having access to one of the South West’s fastest-growing towns a la mode, right now.

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Truro 01872 278 288 truro@humberts.com

Strand Street, Padstow

Guide price of ÂŁ500,000

Prime Location overlooking vibrant Padstow Harbour A rare opportunity to purchase a two bedroom apartment within a grade II listed former warehouse in one of the most iconic harbours of Cornwall. The impressive sitting room has three large windows, one of which was once the warehouse door for handling goods, offering panoramic views over Padstow’s harbour and views to Rock. Set in the heart of the village with its picturesque bustling harbour, shops restaurant and pubs. This property would make a perfect holiday retreat or a base in Cornwall. EPC exempt.

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humberts.com

Part of the Chesterton Group

Tregoodwell, Camelford

Guide price of ÂŁ599,950

Fine Victorian home with adjoining cottage between Camelford and Bodmin Moor.

Nestled in the small Hamlet of Tregoodwell, this handsome Victorian home offers spacious accommodation and benefits from having a separate attached two bedroom cottage. The main residence has been tastefully decorated and has many period features juxtaposed with a modern kitchen and style. Beautifully presented and ideal as a family home or property with income. EPC: F MANOR | Early Summer 2018

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JSA Knight Frank, Exeter

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property

Snapshot comparative Properties across the South West and one from London with attractive outdoor features.

Long Rydon, Stoke Gabriel Guide Price: £749,950

Devon

A spacious, well-appointed detached house that offers five bedrooms, two en suites and a bathroom, this substantial family home also has a separate building, which could be used as a home office or gym. The property benefits from a large level area of garden to the rear, below the slate terrace, and the terraced patio and decked area is perfect for al fresco dining and entertaining. stags.co.uk

Cornwall

Higher Polmenna, Portholland Guide Price: £1,850,000 This six-bedroom house, situated within unspoilt countryside only 2 miles from the sea, is an extended and renovated country home that retains some original features. Located in an idyllic rural setting, the peaceful village of Tregony is nearby. There is an orangery with extensive country views, and to the rear of the property is a patio and heated swimming pool. savills.com

Devon

Glebe House, Farringdon Guide Price: £1,950,000 Glebe House is a Grade II listed former rectory with two cottages in a private setting near Exeter. The house comprises four first-floor and three secondfloor bedrooms. Glebe House Cottage is detached with four bedrooms and Lime Cottage has a single bedroom and is currently being used for holiday letting. This impressive property boasts an outdoor swimming pool, tennis court and extensive gardens. jackson-stops.co.uk

Gasholders, King’s Cross Prices from £810,000

London

This is a stylish and contemporary new development set within the iconic King’s Cross gasholders. Once completed, the three Grade II listed gasholder frames will house 145 distinctive apartments and penthouses, situated by Regent’s Canal. There will be access to a landscaped residents’ rooftop garden created by Dan Pearson, Chelsea Flower Show designer, a residents’ lounge, private dining room, cinema, gym and spa. savills.com

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“Patrick makes an extremely perceptive partner in any property quest. He is keen, insightful, committed and has a savvy nose for unearthing suitable houses” Tara Physick

With over 25 years experience helping clients buy and sell properties in the South West, Patrick May will help • • Save you time by inspecting possible houses and create a shortlist of houses for you to view • • Preview Service also available

Call for an informal chat PROPERTY PROPERTY FINDER

FINDER

Southernhay Lodge, Exeter EX1 1QT T +44 (0)1392 420878 | M +44 (0)7525 475057 | Email pm@qwest.co.uk

www.qwest.co.uk MANOR | Early Summer 2018

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LOCATED WITHIN ONE OF THE REGION’S MOST SCENIC POSITIONS

TREMATON, NEAR SALTASH, SOUTH EAST CORNWALL Plymouth 8 miles, Exeter 45 miles, Truro 47 miles

A beautiful example of a Grade II listed Georgian residence set in glorious gardens and grounds of about 17 acres. 5 bedrooms, 6 reception rooms and 2 bathrooms. Enclosed courtyard, stable block, storage outbuildings. Established gardens, pasture land and woodland.

Guide £1.1 million Freehold 156

MANOR | Early Summer 2018

Savills Exeter Edward Tallack edward.tallack@savills.com

01392 455755

GEORGIAN CHARM; BEAUTIFULLY RENOVATED CAPTAIN’S TOWNHOUSE

POLRUAN, FOWEY RIVER, CORNWALL

Fowey about 0.7 miles by passenger ferry; Lostwithiel about 8.5 miles; St Austell train station about 11.5 miles via Bodinnick ferry

Savills Cornwall

Tainui is a beautiful and spacious period property, set in an elevated position in the tranquil village of Polruan. The house has Ben Davies been conscientiously restored to provide generous and flexible accommodation over four floors which include an an open plan bmdavies@savills.com kitchen / dining and sitting room, up to six double bedrooms including a potential annexe, with terraced gardens to the rear.

01872 243200 2,554 sq ft. EPC = E. Guide £650,000 Freehold

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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

Beautifully converted chapel by the sea - Nr Bantham

£895,000

Located just over half a mile from Bantham Beach, this stunning detached converted old chapel is a luxurious property providing spacious family accommodation with ample parking and private gardens in a beautiful rural setting. Ideal holiday home with income potential. EPC Rating E.

Kingsbridge 5.4 miles, Salcombe 9 miles, Exeter 42 miles

hotel 5 Bedrooms bathtub 4 Bathrooms furniture 1 Reception Rooms Web Ref: KIN170201

Prime Waterfront & Country House department: 01548 855590

DARTMOUTH 01803 839190

KINGSBRIDGE 01548 857588

MODBURY 01548 831163

NEWTON FERRERS 01752 873311

Kingsbridge: 01548 857588

SALCOMBE 01548 844473

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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

Grade II farmhouse with barns for conversion - Nr Totnes

A rare opportunity to purchase a charming Grade II listed, 17th century farmhouse with 4 barns set in approximately 5.5 acres. Dating back to 1688 the property boasts many original character features including open fireplaces, wooden beams and lovely flagstone floors. Two barns are currently workshops, one barn has planning permission for a 4 bedroom holiday let and one has planning for a 1 bedroom conversion. No EPC required.

Totnes 4 miles, Plymouth 21 miles, Exeter 29 miles

hotel 4/5 Bedrooms bathtub 1 Bathrooms furniture 3 Reception Rooms Web Ref: TOT150220

Prime Waterfront & Country House department: 01548 855590

DARTMOUTH 01803 839190

KINGSBRIDGE 01548 857588

£850,000

MODBURY 01548 831163

NEWTON FERRERS 01752 873311

Totnes office: 01803 847979

SALCOMBE 01548 844473

TOTNES 01803 847979

PRIME WATERFRONT & COUNTRY HOUSE 01548 855590

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To advertise here please email advertising@manormagazine.co.uk or call 07887 556447 FASHION OSKA 18 Fore Street St Ives TR26 1AB T 01736 797219

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The Jewellery Box RADMORE’S OF TRURO

Fine Antique and Modern Jewellers 1 Duke Street,Truro TR1 2QE | 01872 277217 | truro-jewellery.co.uk Fine antique and modern jewellers in the heart of Truro. Visit our exquisite shop and discover a reflection of our past heritage and beauty.

POLKADOT GALLERY 12 Martins Lane, Exeter EX1 1EY 01392 276500 polkadotgallery.com

Polkadot Gallery is passionate about contemporary jewellery and stocks the work of specially selected world-renowned and talented local makers. From beautiful gold and platinum rings containing exquisite diamonds, to jewellery incorporating wood, titanium, porcelain and textiles, they have something to delight every taste.

ERIN COX JEWELLERY 14 Castle street, Exeter, Devon EX4 3PT 01392 660836 | erincox.co.uk

From the heart of the city of Exeter, Erin Cox creates bespoke jewellery imbued with a timeless quality, inspired by the natural landscape, and the organic and molten fluidity of manipulating metal. Using carefully curated stones, and recycled or fair trade metals, Erin’s jewellery become pieces that tell a family story. Come and talk to us about your story, and let Erin create something for you.

CANARY BLUE 4 Cathedral Lane, Truro TR1 2QS 01872 858089 canary-blue.co.uk

Each piece at Canary Blue is tailored and made just for you; from choosing your own loose diamond or perfect colour gemstone, to designing your own unique ring from scratch.

Our onsite workshop can restore and remodel your jewellery; or for the ultimate romantic wedding gesture, you can spend the day with us and make your own wedding rings!

KinetIQue Jewellery

B317 Victoria Beacon Place, Victoria, Cornwall PL26 8LG 01208 592066 | kinetique.co.uk

The amazing IQ Diamond, created by Cornwall’s award winning KinetIQue Jewellery, offers a socially responsible stone for today’s socially responsible buyer. See our luxury jewellery ranges and bespoke designs all backed by a lifetime guarantee.

CAROL ANNE

Boutique Jewellers Featuring exciting new designs from new designers, that are fun, affordable and above all else, wearable.

5/6 Holland Walk, Barnstaple EX31 1DW 01271 345786 51b St James Street, Taunton TA1 1JH 01823 330242 carolannejewellery.co.uk

Kit Heath

To advertise here please email advertising@manormagazine.co.uk or call 07887 556447

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back page prize draw

an original work of art by one of Cornwall’s leading artists

PHOTO: PAUL MOUNSEY

Looking Down From Stepper PHOTO: PAUL MOUNSEY

F

or this Back Page Prize Draw, MANOR has teamed up with Porthilly Gallery to offer as a prize an original framed oil painting by the celebrated artist and gallery owner, Jethro Jackson.

Looking Down From Stepper by Jethro Jackson is oil paint on board and it measures 30 x 40cm (50 x 60cm with the frame, which will be provided.) An original work such as this by Jethro would sell at £1,200.

We are thrilled to offer one MANOR reader this prize. Jethro is a highly acclaimed painter, who is best known for capturing the essence of the dramatic North Cornish coastline, and its distinctive moods that vary with the season.

Porthilly Gallery opened in 2010, to showcase new work by Jethro Jackson and his father, the potter Paul Jackson. Porthilly Gallery now presents a vast collection of paintings, ceramics and sculpture by many artists, with an extensive client base across the world. porthillygallery.co.uk

To enter to win this unique work of art, go to manormagazine.co.uk/backpagecompetition This MANOR Prize Draw closes at midnight on 15 July 2018 and the winner will be informed the next day.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS : The prize is the original artwork by Jethro Jackson titled: Looking Down From Stepper, 2018, oil on board, 30 x 40cm (50 x 60 cm including frame) RRP: £1,200. The prize cannot be exchanged for a cash alternative; nor will any negotiations be entered regarding exchange of the prize. The winner must telephone 01208863844 to claim the prize. All terms and conditions for the draw can be found at manormagazine.co.uk/backpagecompetition

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PHOTO: PAUL MOUNSEY

HOW TO ENTER

www.michaelspiers.co.uk THE SOUTH WEST’S LEADING RETAILER OF FINE JEWELLERY AND WATCHES, INCLUDING:

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87 Queen Street, Exeter, EX4 3RP, Tel 01392 279994, Email websales@mortimersjewellers.co.uk 164

MANOR | Early Summer 2018