The Love Issue

Volume two | Issue six | FREE

The Love Edition Musing upon ‘What Is Love’ in all it ’s guises Featuring intimate interviews with Sadie Frost, Bill Wyman, Tom Aikens and other thought leaders in culture and luxury

James Butterwick Russian and European Fine Art

Natalia Goncharova (1881 - 1962) ‘Spanish Woman’ (1916) Pencil on paper, 50 x 33cm

jamesbutterwick.com

Welcome to the latest issue of Kensington & Chelsea Review. Filled with art, auction, culture and luxury, Kensington & Chelsea Review is the magazine for the rather discerning resident of the Royal Borough.

Cover image: Gemma 11.75 Ă— 16.5 inches / 29.7cm x 42cm Pencil on paper, digital collage Alteration show on cover www.claragomez.com page. 3

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With special thanks to Malcolm Harrison Publisher Talismanic Media Founder and Managing Director Sid Raghava Editor Coco Khan Art Director | Design Max Wilson of O.W.H. Creative Publishing Director Stephen Slocombe Advertising Sales Zoya Berkeley News Editor Stefan Nicolaou Books Editor Danny Arter Theatre Editor Alan Fielden Office Manager Lee Marrero Writers Clayton Littlewood, Cathi Unsworth, Ayesha Vardag, Mark Vernon, Ben Osborn, Linda Cooke, Alexi Koponen, Shula Pannick, Annie Vischer, Adrian Foster, Sid Raghava, Ben Osborn, Dave Drummond, Alexander Ducasse, Tamlin Magee, Stephen Slocombe All material in Kensington and Chelsea Review is strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system without prior permission of the publishers. Colour transparencies and photographs submitted for publication are sent at the owners’ risk and while every care is taken, neither the publishers nor their agents accept liability for loss or damage however caused. The publishers can accept no liability whatsoever of nature arising out of nor in connection with the contents of this publication.

Opinions expressed within the articles are not necessarily those of Kensington and Chelsea Review and any issue arising there from should be taken up directly with the contributor.

If you are one of the people first picking up this issue upon its release, the air will be thick with love as the capital readies itself for Valentine’s Day. If you are reading this after Valentine’s Day you might have long separated yourself from the sport of romance- perhaps you never played at all. But with Spring in the air, and our return to 2013 with this issue, it is Love we have been musing upon.

We have thought long and hard about love in its most powerfully potent and diverse form, and particularly love that exists outside of Hallmark cards. But what is it? We’ve been asking some friends to help us understand. In our extended feature join Sadie Frost, Bill Wyman, Tom Aikens and more, each shedding some light on how it is to love. And we don’t just mean the romantic sense.

In this issue you will find musings on love of art, love in the eyes of the law, and the philosophy of the force as our guest writers so triumphantly tackle within ‘In Their Own Words’ on page 21.

Sprinklings of love are throughout the issue, though of course we still bursting with cultural and luxury content elsewhere.

Tatty Devine, the English National Ballet, dreamthinkspeak, Christie’s- all have joined in this issue to make it the fitting start to 2013 we hope the rest of the year to be. For us, the making of this, truly has been love at first sight.

Coco Khan Editor

page. 5

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Contents 8.

News News curated from the worlds of art, culture and intrigue

12. What

Is Love? Sadie Frost

With a romantic life as famed as Ms Frost’s, Sadie has some insight on love

14. What

Is Love? Bill Wyman

The legendary Rolling Stones meets the editor to discuss polyamour- in a creative sense

16. What

Is Love? Ayesha Vardag

The UK’s legendary divorce lawyer provides some hard facts on love and the law

18.

What Is Love? Tom Aikens Quick fire interview with the star chef and Great British Menu contender on the things he loves

20 . What

Is Love? Stuart Broad

The poster boy of the England Cricket Team gives us a minute

21 . What

Is Love? In Their Own Words

Writers Cathi Unsworth, Mark Vernon and Clayton Littlewood philosophise on the inherent nature of love

23 . From

Christies, With Insight

The latest instalment in Christie’s monthly column with tips for buyers

24 . Book

Reviews

Books Editor Danny Arter reviews the recent releases that speak volumes

26 . dreamthinkspeak Theatre Editor Alan Fielden meets Tristan Sharpes, director of the lauded high-impact production company

30 . Interview:

Tatty Devine

The iconic hipcat jewellery designers (who met in Chelsea we’ll have you know) talk about creation

33 . The

Future is Now

A look at the latest technological advances that are creating an entirely interactive household

34 . Ballet

Meets Beauty

A trip to the English National Ballet teaches Annie Vischer how to achieve the ultimate feminine beauty

36 . Food

and Drink

A culinary tour of Chinatown, wine and restaurant reviews

44 . Travel We travel to the capital of Finland, the pleasant greenland of Bavaria, and spend a night in Bristol

50 . Motoring Adrian Foster waxes lyrical about the Jaguar XJ 3.0L

12.

30.

14.

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34.

NEWS

Read All About It A rundown of London news from the worlds of arts, culture and the plain intriguing, all handpicked for the Royal Borough resident words: Stefan Nicolaou

FASHION DESIGN

Fur necessary, not murder The British Museum has done one better than postcards for the souvenirs of new exhibition Ice Age Art – The Arrival of the Modern Mind. In the exhibition visitors are invited to observe the cutting edge design from over 40, 000 years ago.

In the gift shop, guests can purchase replicas of mammoths, reindeer and hares, horn-ware and fossil-marble tableware hand-crafted jewellery, cave art sets and fashion accessories.

‘Grufflebags’ (from £225) are Welsh-crafted from goats reared organically in Heredfordhire. Each skin has been selected for its textural quality and colour, meaning no two bags are the same. Faux fur is also available in the shape of the Moscow Long Scarf (£45) and Exmoor Moscow Bag (£125).

For the citizens of the Ice Age fur, of course, was a live-saving necessity. The cave art on the other hand is a poignant hallmark of our heritage. The accompanying shop range offers a silk chiffon scarf and ties (both £50) that use cave art as print. A welcome break from the chaos-prints of current times.

The exhibition ‘Ice Age Art - Arrival of the Modern Mind' is open from 7 February - 26 May 2013. Tickets: Adults £10, Members free. Book online, at the Ticket Desk or on +44 (0)20 7323 8181. Open late Fridays. Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG.

Design Museum

Extraordinary Stories Director of Design Museum Deyan Sudjic posits that hanging art is distinct from showcasing design: art is best left to ‘speak for itself’, whereas the appreciation and importance of design relies on explaining the ‘how, the why and the who’.

Extraordinary Stories About Ordinary Things - exhibiting from 30th Jan - delves into the origins of the staple products and prolific

fixtures in every home and on every street.

Divided into sections from Icons to Fashion to Plastic, the exhibition walks through how, for instance, plastic was at first ‘alien’ and now a credible, vibrant design material. Patron of the museum Lady Ritblat has donated her gowns to demonstrate fashion is not frivolous or superficial but a record of how craft

changes and how people choose to represent themselves through attire.

In a city of landmarks perhaps the most interesting is the exhibit’s Icon section.

Bright red phone- and letterboxes sit beside Motorway signs and the Eurocurrency coins. All are pooled together as enduring designs that become part of a shared identity.

Extraordinary Stories... highlights that quotidian objects that create the identity of our everyday all had humble and even troubling beginnings. The vivid telephone box, for example, began as monochrome blueprint. Plastic may have been perturbing, but we’re reminded how formidable public condemnation can be...then forgotten.

(London 2012 logo, anyone).

Dancing around Duchamp The Barbican’s multidisciplinary season Dancing around Duchamp launches this begins this February. Running till June the season is a tribute and unfurling of the work of Marcel Duchamp. Surrealist, Dadaist and absurdist, he is perhaps most famous for dubbing a urinal art (‘Fountain’).

Perhaps also possessing prescience to the highly controversial contemporary works of our time.

Different generations of artists and performers with an affinity or gratitude owed to Duchamp’s work will offer an exploration of the many threads that lead back to him.

Théâtre de la Ville offer Paris Rhinocéros (14 – 16 Feb) a highly physical staging of Eugène Ionesco’s Rhinocéros – the facisat-linked anthropomorphism of Orwell’s Animal Farm in reverse. Caneway Event (23rd March) is a feature length film portrait of choreographer Merce Cunningham. 1998 Turner Prize nominee Tacita Dean films the renowned choreographer in an abandoned Ford car factory in San Francisco.

The season, running until June, is a dissection and exploration of Duchamp’s work and theories from every angle. Book tickets at barbican.org.uk. page. 8

Right: Julian Opie | Winter 38., 2012 | From a series of 75 digital prints laminated to glass and mounted to Plexiglas | © Julian Opie. Courtesy the artist and Alan Cristea Gallery, London ART

New Julian Opie Exhibition Announced Pop Artist Julian Opie’s latest collection Winter. will be hanging at The Alan Cristea Gallery. Opie’s work - ranging from highrise swathing LED displays to Pulp’s Best Of... album – is a visual shift from photograph to figurative depiction. The artist simplifies the human form in 2D animations with dots for eyes and accomplishes engaging portraiture.

Winter. extends his 2012 film into 75 pieces laminated onto glass. The film and artworks are much the same: a

frame-by-frame walk through the French countryside on a bleak but beautiful winter morning. Photographs are digitally drawn over emphasising the feeling of the walk over what was actually seen. Tree trunks are singular, entities without detail and shadow of lilac canopy; the fields are deep blocks of differing green. It’s Google Maps commissioning artistic motifs.

Despite simplicity, Opie represents the nuances of nature.

The video, rather than feeling like flicking through

holiday mementos on a camera slowly drifts us inwards.

An immersive effect that replicates slow footsteps through the provincial setting: we discover as Julian did. The original film was supported with an original score by award winning composer Paul Englishby, which will accompany the exhibition.

Julian Opie, Winter., 14 February - 16 March 2013, the Alan Cristea Gallery, 31-34 Cork Street www.alancristea.coms

BOOKS

The Own Goal Of Sports

A Short Life of Great Achievement.

McLaren has made a series of shorts to celebrate 50 years of automotive pioneering. The three shorts keep up the good tradition of profundity in automobile advertising. Founder of the brand died in a test crash aged 32. Each film – directed by Marcus Söderlund – traces the spectre of McLaren revisiting the crash site. Instead of macabre, the man is celebrated for ‘dying trying’ in a strive for excellence.

Videos can be watched on Youtube Channel: McLarenAutomotiveTV TRAVEL

Shrubbery of China The erupting high-rises of Shanghai, bustle of Hong Kong and the Terracotta Soldiers are not the only draw a visit to China has to offer. To mark the 2013 Centenary of its Chelsea Flower Show, the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS)

Kensington-born authors Medlar Lucan and Durian Gray pitch themselves up against the entire history of sports in The Decadent Sportsman (Dedalus Books).

Prompted by the ‘sporting legacy’ the book is an alternate view of the politics of games.

The book begins with the perverse ideals of sport in ancient Athens and runs through history to the propaganda of the Nazi Germany Olympic games, finishing on the current corruptions of sport: drugs and hero-worship.

A reader that promises to expose the ‘futile extravagance’ of sports with a sardonic pinch of salt. Especially the proposals of officially categorising voyeurism and cocktail mixing as athletics feats.

has launched a brochure of Garden Holidays to China.

China specialist Wendy Wu Tours and the RHS have applied their aptitude experience in creation of four two-week itinerates. Wendy Wu will lead visitors on an expedition to private and public gardens (Gardens of China, June 2013 from £3190 pp), while bequeathing knowledge of native plants to budding aficionados Plant Seekers, May 2014 from £4990 pp).

The tours are set to be a voyage into a forgotten history

page. 9

of China as the ancient juggernauts of cultivation that can be found in the cities and mountains (China’s Mountain Gardens, June or October 2013 from £3790 and Botanical Trails of Yunnan, September or April 2013 from £3990) Profits from the brochure will fund the restoration of the 19th Century Reeves Collection of horticultural illustrations, created by John Reeves in China.

For more information visit: www.rhsgardenholidays.com

TRAVEL

Mega Yacht: 80 Meters Of Pleasure J.B.Priestly Returns to the Finborough Theatre Family isn’t dead for the residents of Laburnum Grove. Contaminated with avarice and bound by deception maybe, but certainly not dead. In true form J. B. Priestly’s play of the same name challenges the purported values of the stiff and proper.

George Radfern’s is wealthy and enjoys the tranquillity his suburban dwelling offer. Namely: the wireless and his garden. Growing irritable at his family’s constant ploys to access his finances he reveals an unlawful secret - or a tactical lie.

Unlike Priestly’s An Inspector Calls Laburnum Grove is little known. This will be the first London staging for over 40 years. An ex-social commentator during the Second World War (and second only to Churchill for ratings) Priestly was committed to reproaching the British reserve.

Any one of status is a target and director Oscar Toeman is primed to repeat the Finborough’s sell out success of Preistly’s Cornelius in Summer/Autumn 2012.

Laburnum Grove opens at the Finborough Theatre for a limited run of Sunday and Monday evening and Tuesday matinee performances from Sunday, 3 March 2013. Book online at www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk.

Box Office 0844 847 1652 | 118 Finborough Road, London SW10 9ED

The Super-Yachts anchored on the Greenwich stretch of the Thames last summer demonstrated the luxuriance of living in style and mobile. Heralding an even more godly yacht experience is CRN (part of the Ferretti Group). The Chopi Chopi – named twice one can only assume for added gravitas - is a €80, 000, 000 (zeros added for extra gravitas) billionaire’s playground.

The Chopi Chopi was constructed at the CRN Shipyard in Ancona, Italy. It completely ridicules the notion of land with

features such a beach club, a 100sqm swimming platform at sea level and Turkish baths. It’s approximated that the vessel took 660,000 working hours to build. CRN have kept it Italian using local suppliers and hiring Italian architectural firms Studio, designers of the interior and exterior layout, and Studio Laura Sessa Romboli, who is now completing the interior furniture and decor. Although, even unfinished and stationary the Mega Yacht would probably still be an exquisite expedition.

FOOD

Mr Chow Mr Chow has reopened in prompt time for its 45th Anniversary this February. Now at staple of Knightsbridge an eclectic crowd in music, fashion art and film attend for famous dishes such as the Green Prawns, Mr Chow Noodles, Beijing Duck and Ma Mignon.

The restaurant can be credited for carving a new era on the restaurant scene in 1968. Authentic Beijing cuisine is combined with elegant surrounding and original artworks by Jim Dine, Peter Blake and Richard Smith.

Michael Chow has now opened eateries in Beverly Hills, New York, Miami and soon Malibu.

Mr Chow, 151 Knightsbridge, London, SW1X 7PA www.mrchow.com

Climatecars introduces Mercedes-Benz hybrid into Executive service Listed in the top 1,000 influential Londoners by the Evening Standard, Nicko Williamson has been recognised for a scrupulous environmental impact on the town car network. As founder of Climatecars, William’s can boast to be the provider of luxury service with strong principles. The green-car service can add another coup to its accomplishments. The MercedesBenz E300 BlueTEC Hybrid has joined the Climatecar fleet and will be safely emitting and waiting in the drives of Executive Service customers.

The introduction of the premier Mercedes-Benz hybrids meets the demand of Climatecar travellers for an even more premium service. The service offers leather seats, air conditioning, complimentary Belu water and magazines in every car, making it about the journey as much as the environment.

Nicko – also managing director of the green car-hire alternative – comments that the E300 BlueTec Hybrid ‘fits our mould perfectly’. The eco-friendly service is the first to offer the E300 Hybrid. Under the bonnet, the car combines

the benefits of an efficient 2.2 litre 4-cylinder diesel engine with a powerful 20 kW electric motor, and can achieve a remarkable 67.3mpg, combined with CO2 emissions of 109 g/km. On the exterior, the cars are classic Mercedes-Benz: sleek and spacious with a gleaming grate.

The new executive service keeps prices low; arriving in style at Heathrow airport will cost £75 from Central London.

Central London to Heathrow for example will be £75 (about the same as a black taxi). To book a Climatecar phone 020 7350 5960 or visit climatecars.com.

Jewellery fair arrives in Kensington Desire Jewellery and Silversmith Fair is moving from Richmond to Kensington for this year’s diverse showcase of British jewellery artists and their collections. The Kensington Conference and Events Centre will bustle with traditional and contemporary handcrafted work. The fair has been planned

by Craft In Focus – organisers of contemporary craft events.

Desire Fair features bespoke jewellery innovations with leather, acrylic, ceramics, paper, glass, copper and wood designs, as well as staple silver, gold and platinum designs with gemstones, pearls, beads and enamelwork. Work can

be viewed and purchased at the event with the opportunity to speak with the jewellers, allowing a discovery of the stories and making process of the items.

The ‘Ones to Watch’ section fulfils Craft In Focus’ commitment to support new designers. Recent graduates will exhibit their collections alongside the 120 distinctive and expertly selected jewellers. Since 2000 Craft In Focus has earned its reputation as a paean for contemporary crafts. March’s event is cited as a discovery of bespoke, mixed media jewellery for the astute eye. page. 10

Show organiser Rob Chapman commented that Kensington is the ‘perfect backdrop’ for the work on show.

The accessible central London location is hoped to widen the reach of the fair while simultaneously helping to reach a discerning audience.

The event will run 15-17 March, 10am – 5pm at The Kensington Conference and Events Centre, Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, W8 7NX. Entry free For more information visit: desirefair.com

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F e at u r e

What is Love?

Love. The source of art, life and anguish; the beginning, the end, the transient and the eternal. So slippery has the essence of love been, that despite cures for disease, successful lunar travel and a plethora of inventions of mind-blowing capacity, man has no one definition of the universe’s most powerful force. But my, haven’t we tried...

It started with the Greeks and their four forms of love outlined by Plato- Agape, Eros, Philia and Storge or in translation sacrificial love, lust, friendship and tolerance. Love has always been something beyond sex, but in modern times it has arguably become sexier than ever. Theorists have theorised on why we crave

the fickle mistress of love, positing evolutionary ideas, anthropological reasonings and more, but as of yet, the jury is out. Still there are Loves Supremes, love of God and country or for the cynics amongst us, love of money and gratification and its these loves in all their diversity that we shall be exploring in this extended special. We have

asked leaders in their fields to muse upon love in both micro and macro contexts. Some have provided their own words, others have been interviewed. Like love, the forms of these pieces might differ but each will play an important role in piecing together the greatest puzzle of all, to ask ourselves 'What is Love?'

“Love Is A Healing Process” Despite her skill as an actress, fashion designer and interiors developer, Sadie Frost is no stranger to the gossip columns. It’s her love life that is at the centre of the media fury and so it’s unsurprising she has some opinions on the most powerful human emotion.

Ben Osborn meets her

Photo: Sadie Frost by Harley Moon Kemp

It is snowing when I arrive at Sadie Frost’s home in North London. The previous night saw London suddenly buried in snow, and Sadie’s neighbourhood looks strangely timeless in it. This dreamy feeling intensifies when I’m greeted by two beautiful white dogs and a sleek grey cat that overcome any territorial instincts or shyness pretty quickly, clamouring to shower me with affection as soon as they see that I’m welcome here. Sadie herself is very relaxed, perhaps a result of the two weeks she just spent in Goa where she practised yoga for several hours a day.

But, she tells me, she hasn’t always been this relaxed, balanced person – least of all when it comes to love.

Apart from having ‘overwhelming feelings and a huge crush on a boy at school’ when she was about four, Sadie first fell in love when she was fourteen. ‘We’d recently moved house. I’d been going to a private stage school where I had a scholarship, while my sister went to the local comprehensive. And every morning when I was getting ready for school I’d look out the window and see this boy leave his house and walk down the street. I saw page. 12

him and I fell in love with him. I thought, that is the boy I want to marry.’

The mysterious boy was a student at the comprehensive where Sadie’s sister was studying. Not content with the tiny bits of information her sister could gather on her behalf, the fourteen-year-old Sadie Frost left stage school and began attending his school. ‘I was a huge romantic and I really believed in fate and destiny and all of that kind of stuff. I wanted to be so in love – I think it came from not having a very secure childhood’ (Sadie’s mother was only

16 when she was born, and separated from her father when she was very young) ‘ – I was looking for really proper, deep love; intense and painful. I needed to have those feelings.’

Now a fellow student, she found out that the boy’s name was Lucian Hunter – ‘and that he was in a punk band.’ Within 6 months they were an item; they would be a couple for five years. They are still friends today. ‘He was my first love and I still love him now,’ she explains. ‘I have such strong memories of that time in my life, of how beautiful it was and how uncomplicated. That’s the nice thing about falling in love when you’re that age: you believe everything can be good. But slowly, as you get older, negative things emerge.’

With the independence that’s typical of her now, Sadie made her recent trip to Goa alone – but at a chance meeting with an old friend at the airport she was able to reflect on the complexity of love for her these days. ‘We were talking about how hard it was, after you’ve gone through marriages and you’ve gone through having children, to feel that passion and love that you felt when you were younger, when you went into it completely openhearted and let the whole feeling of love take over.’

And, for Sadie, difficulties in love have been particularly intense because of the publicity surrounding her love life. ‘In many ways I’m very lucky: some people never fall in love, but I’ve had several definitive relationships.’

Lucien Hunter was the first of these – the second was Gary Kemp of Spandau Ballet, with whom Sadie had her first child. And the third was Jude Law. ‘I was with Jude for ten years and I loved him more than anything. I thought I’d spend my life with him. I was devoted, I would have given up anything for him. Probably, in some ways, that’s not a good thing.’

Suddenly they were cool. Sadie and Jude were part of a group of London-based British actors, models and artists that the press christened ‘the Primrose Hill set’. Other members included Ewan MacGregor and Kate Moss. The of the group were closely followed by the press, as was Sadie and Jude’s relationship. ‘It put so much pressure on us. Anything we did was in the paper. And a lot of people wanted a part of him or a part of me. When that happens, something that’s very precious in your relationship, something that you need to protect, becomes public property. Some people want to know about it and be part of it, while other people are actually horrible and dismissive and rude about something that you think is quite sacred. Everyone has a view on it. And it makes you feel dirty.’

The collapse of their marriage was devastating for her.

‘When I was first single, I was so brokenhearted. I was physically ill, I was mentally ill… I never thought I’d recover

from it. I didn’t want to live. Which is such a stupid thing. If that happened to my daughter now, I’d say it was crazy for her to put so much importance on one person.’

After their divorce, she tried to keep her personal life as private as possible. ‘But it was hard to trust people. And I found it really hard to give myself, to share the life I have with my children, my family. Because I felt like that this was mine and his… And you think, maybe that’s it – maybe I’ve had all the exciting stuff and it won’t happen again.

Sadie claims that press attention isn’t really a problem anymore. ‘The good thing is I’ve been able to be out of the press these days. No-one’s really that interested.’ I disagree – the Daily Mail, for example, still regularly updates its readers about her love life. ‘Well, it’s calmed down a lot now,’ she says, but admits that ‘still – I can be walking down the road with a guy, and suddenly a photographer jumps out. And I’m like, Christ, do I really need this baggage?

Because you know – maybe you’ve only known them for a few weeks, maybe you’re not even dating; but they’ll write that you’re together!’

More recently, the problem has been balancing the work she loves and the time needed for love to develop in her personal life. Her life is dominated by an impressive variety of creative work, including acting, writing, clothing design and page. 13

now running a production company, Blonde to Black, who are filming two projects this spring. ‘For the last few years I was a bit of a workaholic, it was back to back… I sacrificed a social life and any kind of love. If I someone asked me out on a date I’d say “I have two hours free in the afternoon in a months time.”” But these days, thanks to the hard work she put in over the past few years, she’s had a chance to find much more of balance. ‘I think if you put a lot of groundwork in with work, yes you’ve still got to keep it going but things start running themselves.’

Work might have got in the way of her love life sometimes, but she’s managed to represent her ideas about love in her design work, for example the Floozie range that her label FrostFrench produces for Debenhams. The name itself is a clue to her ideas about love. She has playfully appropriated the term ‘Floozie’ to represent self-knowledge and empowerment. ‘When we were doing the contract with Debenhams we were thinking of words that summed up me and Jemima’ (Jemima French, her friend and fellow designer) ‘and what we wanted the brand to be. And we came up with Floozie. It can be used derogatorily, but we wanted to represent women who are in control, women who buy underwear and sexy things for themselves. It’s cheeky too.’

‘I always found it really difficult when women really sold themselves on their sexuality. I never understood why someone would want to do that. I wanted to be grounded. I wanted to be androgynous; I wanted to be male, I wanted to be female, I wanted to be cheeky, I wanted to be funny – I didn’t want to just be one thing. So with FrostFrench, with the brands I create, or the characters I portray – I feel like I’m able to combine all those elements, and I’m comfortable doing that.’

An important part of this self-knowledge is letting go of the idea of perfection. ‘Perfection isn’t attractive to me. Look at women in European films – the women who are imperfect are the most exciting.’ And love, as she explains, can be a powerful tool in achieving self-knowledge: ‘Love is learning about yourself. In your life you go through a series of relationships – the good ones, the positive ones, and the destructive ones as well – but with each one, you’re learning something about yourself. Sometimes a friend will say to me, ‘You fall in love with the wrong people; why are you in love this person?’ And I’ll say I fell in love with this person because love is healing process. I’m getting something out of this. And for me now, that’s learning that love is not the big, exciting things but literally waking up and having toast with somebody. Or snuggling up and watching a movie. When I was younger I wanted excitement – and yeah, amazing things happened. But now I know that it’s the really small things that make you happy. Simplicity.’

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W h at i s Lo v e ?

Bill Wyman is a lot of things. Bassist of legendary rock band The Rolling Stones, and songwriter of his own well-regarded jazz guitar group Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings, he is also an amateur historian, entrepreneur and photographer. It's this last passion that formed the premise of our meeting on a rare sunny winter afternoon. We're at Rook and Raven Gallery for Reworked, an exhibition of Bill Wyman photographs, reinterpreted by a selection of contemporary artists. Wyman's photographs have been shown around the world, of interest due to their intimate portrayal of The Rolling Stones and the other famous faces they met along the way- but they also include landscape and natural imagery taken mainly at Wyman's holiday home in the South of France. At the time of meeting him, the exhibition hasn't been hung and it's as the PR people are showing me the images of the pieces on a laptop, that Bill himself has seen them for the first time. He's always been an easygoing man... words: Coco Khan

It was artist Terry O' Reilly that introduced Wyman to the idea of Reworked. O'Reilly is a friend of the Kensington legend ('Chelsea', he corrects me) as are a number of the artists involved in the exhibition, but not all. O' Reilly himself, nearly exactly a year earlier, was the subject of a Reworked exhibition also at Rook and Raven –an exhibition which featured some of the artists participating in the reworking of Wyman's images. There's a real sense that

this isn't the conventional conceptualisation for a show.

Instead, it comes across as a project amongst friends, who just happen to be some of the most powerful creatives in the world, and it's this sense that makes the venture so undeniably appealing. No pomp, and certainly no pretence.

I ask Bill about his relationship to art and am shocked by a kind of earnest naivety. Wyman is no pushover, you can tell that from his spunky attitude heightened by a thick London page. 14

drawl, even at 76. I test the waters by asking him about buying art and ask him, after he tells me only banks buy art, if his art is owned by a bank. He tells me it can't be, as his photos aren't art. 'I know there's people that collect photos as art but I don't think I fit into their category'.

Before I know it, Wyman has already started us on a trip to the heart of the matter. I have come here to ask him about what it is to have many loves. To be creatively

I’m not an artist Bill Wyman

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2.

1: Pam Glew x Bill Wyman, 'Mick on bus to Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto, Canada, June 1975', Bleaching technique and dye on vintage Union Jack flag, © 2013 Pam Glew/Rook & Raven and Bill Wyman Archive (Bill Wyman/ Ripple Productions Ltd) Bill Wyman, 'Mick on bus to Maple Leaf Gardens', Toronto, Canada, June 1975 (original photograph) © 2013 Bill Wyman Archive (Bill Wyman/Ripple Productions Ltd) 2: Penny x Bill Wyman, 'Stones photo shoot at Apple Studios, London, July 1969', multi-layer hand-cut stencil spray paint on 3 x £50 notes © 2013 Penny/Rook & Raven and Bill Wyman Archive (Bill Wyman/Ripple Productions Ltd) Bill Wyman, Stones photo shoot at Apple Studios, London, July 1969' (original photograph) © 2013 Bill Wyman Archive (Bill Wyman/Ripple Productions Ltd)

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polyamorous so to speak. I skirt around the subject, finding out that Wyman shoots in digital as 'his eyesight makes the decision'. It's easier at his age to see through a digital viewfinder after all. I ask some more, platitude-like questions and am greeted by the same no nonsense replies.

Even hinting at questions around the Rolling Stones (which was strictly not allowed) is returned unfazed with 'we're here to talk about the art'.

Wyman isn't alone in the room. Aside from PR's and reps, his wife Suzanne Acosta joins us, providing critical insight into Wyman. In many respects I've been trying to force Wyman into an artist's box. I try to lead him to talk about context, creative methodology, cannon and all those other terms one becomes so familiar with in art journalism. 'I know what you're trying to get at' she says from across the room 'but for Bill it comes from inside, he feels it, like a musician, he doesn't think about his art'.

I tire of trying to get some kind of art school textbook from Bill and instead we talk about how it was he came to photography.

'When I was 11 my uncle gave me a Brownie Box camera. I took photos of churches, statues, my brothers and sisters...' And so begins a story of commitment like even the greatest marriages. Wyman comes alive when talking about his photography with a glint in his eye as though he were talking about an old friend.

And who can blame him, he's been taking pictures long before The Stones were born and long after they died too.

He takes me through some of the pictures he created in those days of The Stones, reprinted for a previous art exhibition. I feel very privileged to be seeing these with him- intimate images of Jagger and Richards, and other megastars such as John Lennon. Wyman is modest about his work- 'I measure the light, but really I just see something and snap. I'm not interested in posing people' – and is happy to admit that the subject matter and his unique access to the glamourous world of rock and roll is part of the pull.

It's here that I finally understand, or at least I think I understand, what it is that makes him and this exhibition so interesting- the story. Wyman is full of amazing tales and you don't need to be with him long to realise that. From international stars to his mother who 'used to throw away all my pictures' there's an imagination entrenched in the narrative with Bill Wyman. It's the same for his pictures and the pictures made of those pictures. I feel most at ease to hear him talk about not wanting to fly any more, and his plans to just enjoy being a husband for a while. No more reunion tours with The Stones, and maybe some art...he's not sure.

I walk away with no firm conclusion on what polyamorous creativity might be, but I wonder if art, music, design, all of it are just differing shades for the primary colour- the story. It looks like even Wyman has something in common with us all.

Bill Wyman: Reworked runs until March 31st 2013 at Rook and Raven Gallery, W1

W h at i s Lo v e ?

‘The law doesn’t recognise love’ Ayesha Vardag is the UK’s top divorce lawyer. She is the woman who made prenuptial agreements work in Britain and after successful representations of billionaires (including the highly publicised divorce case of Sheikh Ahmed Al Makhtoum) is the diva who put the swagger into family law. Here she talks to us about love and the law The breakdown of a marriage can be a personal tragedy, but the law doesn’t recognise ‘love’ or the emotional pain associated with divorce in any way.

I have a lot of clients who come to me because they have discovered their husband or wife has been having an affair.

They expect to find that the courts will reflect that betrayal by awarding them more money if they divorce them. However, this is not so. While the adultery will get them a divorce, it will not be reflected in the financial reckoning. It won’t even result in a negative attitude from the court, which takes a very broad brush and tolerant view of the behaviour which led to the end of the marriage. Shockingly, even domestic violence, if it falls short of attempts to kill or violence with a weapon, is unlikely to count financially in the divorce.

Similarly, falling out of love isn’t recognized by the law as the basis for ending a marriage. In England we do not have ‘no fault’ divorce, ie people cannot just say, “Okay, we have irreconcilable differences, we’ve grown apart- we agree to divorce”. Unless they are able to wait for two years separation, they need to go through the process of stating, on the official record, something critical of one or other of them, be that adultery or other “unreasonable” behaviour.

Such little stigma attaches to adultery that in fact it is often the least contentious basis. However, if there has been no infidelity, I have to draft petitions on the basis of behaviour.

Even if the couple have agreed amicably to part, one of them still has to go through the motions of a complaint. In those cases I have to tread a fine line to make the divorce petition as inoffensive as possible while still putting in enough for a judge to grant the decree. “He became distant and withdrew from

communication with me”, “she declined to socialise with my work colleagues”, etc, are the kinds of tepid allegation which make their way into what is called, as a term of art, a “weak” petition, to be submitted for agreement to the spouse on the receiving end. One judge said that most couples would have enough material to get a divorce by the end of day 1 of the honeymoon- although notably, not buying your wife flowers on her birthday has been specifically ruled not enough.

Draft legislation came in in the ‘90s putting forward “no fault” divorce, which would have allowed couples who have “lost that loving feeling” to part without recrimination, but there is such reticence in government about being the party which made divorce easier that the reform was scrapped.

By contrast, while the emotional aspects of marriage are ignored by the law, the idea of marriage as a socio-economic partnership is not. Regardless of who earned it, the money earned during the marriage is a joint resource and the courts will expect to split it 50-50. There is, explicitly, no discrimination between breadwinner and homemaker. This “partnership” approach only counts for marriage, however- years of love and care as a cohabitee can go unrecognized and unrewarded in the breakdown of an unmarried couple, where the only economic rights are via children or general trust law in relation to the home.

Marriage remains, therefore, a socio-economic contract, as much as it was for Jane Austen’s Mrs Bennet when she rejoiced that “Netherfield Park is let at last!” to a rich bachelor for one of her daughters. While in the past, however, it was recognized as such, now such considerations are seen as unworthy.

Existential ideas of love, sexual attraction and personal fulfillment are the only acceptable drivers in relationships. The page. 16

focus on feeling “happy” and “in love” with ones partner can lead to a hasty readiness to separate when marriage doesn’t live up to romantic expectations of love. “Life’s too short to spend it with the wrong person” has become a mantra for the emotionally restless, when rose tinted spectacles come off and the imperfections of ones spouse come back into focus.

The biggest factor I have found in relationships breaking down, however, is the change in dynamics brought about by the birth of children. It’s an endlessly repeated story. Men fall in love with their wives when they are busy working girls, with stories to tell and an independent social life in mixed company, laughing, talking, dining out. The men then find it difficult to adjust to change when the wives sacrifice their careers and/ or their social lives to care for the children and the dinner time conversation becomes lost gym kits and spelling tests. A lack of common ground emerges. The woman becomes a different person from the one they married and the men withdraw, often to affairs with women with whom they work. At that point the wives, almost never the husbands, (unless pushed into it by a new lover), petition for divorce.

The best advice, from my professional experience’, for couples looking to keep out of the divorce courts is to maintain common interests, if not work then joint projects, and to holiday and go out without the children on a regular basis. Keeping love and companionship alive is worth the children spending evenings with the babysitter or week with granny. You need to take the time to remind yourselves why you fell for each other. It’s the one way to keep love, rather than law, as your “L” word. www.vardags.com

W h at i s Lo v e ?

Tom Aikens Answers Tom Aikens is London and the South East’s Great British Menu chef. The two Michelin-starred chef (and chef-patron of Tom Aikens Restaurant in Chelsea) talks inspiration with Linda Cooke What gets you up in the morning and what is your motivation for the day ahead?

The first thing that gets me up in the morning is my daughter as she seems to always be awake before me! My motivation is the restaurants and staff - they are all very important to me. I love the diversity of working in a restaurant and being able to create infinite dishes. I am a great believer in customer satisfaction and it is very rewarding to see people enjoy the food that we have all worked hard to produce.

What makes you smile?

Seeing my little baby girl Violette smile!

How do you love to spend your spare time when not working?

I like to spend time with my daughter and it’s all about making her laugh and smile. I cook for the family over the weekend and now that she is eating solids I can pretty much puree anything we eat within reason.

During the week, I have an hour’s break in the afternoon so I head to the gym, as I think it’s important to be healthy and keep fit. Before the evening service, if I have time I will go and feed by daughter her dinner.

Is family important to you?

Yes, very. I think that when you have your own kids you understand that they are the most important and special thing that a person could ever wish for. It’s also important to have family support because in a time of crisis or upheaval they are the people who you turn to the most.

Describe your ideal day – away from the kitchen…

My ideal day would start with me making waffles at home for breakfast for me and my partner Justine then feeding my baby girl and watching her smile and getting a big hug from her. I would spend a lazy morning playing with her then I might take her for a walk or to the British Museum where they have the most amazing children’s play pen. After a nice long lunch, she would have an afternoon nap which leaves us time to either go the cinema or for a long run. In the evening I love having lots of friends over for dinner where I would cook!

What other passions do you have apart from food? How do you like to indulge those passions when you have time away from the kitchen and do they also influence your cooking?

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Anyone in design has to have a love, passion and feel for what they create...I like to think that chefs are designers, architects, mixologists, scientists, inventors, ground breakers, developers, planners all rolled into one…

Tom Aikens

I love to read - mostly cooking books on theory rather than actual technique. I also love to travel and I try not to visit a place more than twice.

I love to try different foods when I travel - the traditional and the unusual, as they may influence something in my cooking. I may be intrigued by a certain spice or a way of preparing or cooking a dish.

What inspired you to get involved in the kitchenware range with David Linely?

David is a creative and passionate person like me. Anyone in design has to have a love, passion and feel for what they create, without it, it would be impossible to think creatively. I like to think that chefs are designers, architects, mixologists, scientists, inventors, ground breakers, developers, planners all rolled into one…

What inspires you from day to day? London? The countryside, markets, books?

Reading, travelling, visiting food markets around the world, definitely, as they are the foundation for ideas for many new dishes that have come from an inspiration or idea. I would also say people inspire me more than anything, especially people that do the impossible or that put themselves on the line day after day like our armed forces.

What do you do to get away from it all – to relax and unwind?

I go to the gym with a set of head phones and turn off from everything else. It’s also very relaxing to spend an hour with my daughter in the afternoon. It is so cute watching your little one play; it definitely takes all the stress away.

What and who are the loves of your life?

Violette!

If you hadn’t become a Michelin starred chef, what other career do you think you would have chosen?

I may have taken up sport as I am super competitive and determined to achieve the best results. Other than that, perhaps an explorer as I love to travel…

Who are your heroes?

Again people who put themselves first or anyone running a charity and volunteering in their spare time. As well, all the people that keep this country in some kind of order, such as the police, nurses and then of course the armed forces. Putting your life on the line is a big ask so I really respect that.

Who would you invite to a fantasy dinner party chez Aikens?

There are so many! I would try to invite a fun group so that there would be a lot to talk about. Perhaps...Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Captain Nelson, Michael Caine, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Nelson Mandela, Robert de Niro, Dennis Hopper, Charlize Theron, Ellen MacArthur, JK Rowling, Michael Jackson, John McEnroe, Ayrton Senna, Usain Bolt, Margaret Thatcher and…Bill Clinton.

Just one last question Tom. Can I come too?

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W h at i s Lo v e ?

‘I think my future companion should be aware of the perpetual flux that is my life’ Stuart Broad is the poster boy for England’s successful Investec Ashes exploits of 2009. With figures of 5/37 in the fifth and final test at The Oval, the tall allrounder helped England win the coveted trophy whilst scooping up Man of the Match himself. Son of former Ashes great Brian Broad, Stuart recently recovered from a heel injury he picked up during the Indian tour, and was about to join the England team in New Zealand for a series lasting until Spring.

Sid Raghava caught up with him on the weekend of his departure to the Antipodes to discuss love in the life of Britain’s champion How’re you doing in regards to the heel injury? All set for the NZ tour?

I have had 5-6 practice sessions indoors and seems all fine. It was frustrating that I couldn’t join the boys in India because of flight cancellations due to snow. However, I am very much looking forward to joining up in New Zealand. It is a beautiful country with small and intimate grounds full of terrific crowds. It should be a good series.

Are you looking forward to the Investec Ashes later this year?

I don’t really look that far ahead. It’s more important to concentrate on the here and now. Cricket is a funny game which changes all the time in regards to standing and individual performances.

All I can say is that it will be a good contest between two great teams – exciting as always.

As you’re probably aware, we’ll be featuring this in the Love edition of Kensington and Chelsea Review and would like to know your thoughts on love and relationships. Does Valentine’s Day have a significant entry in your calendar?

I haven’t been in England for the last eight years on Valentine ’s Day. I am mostly on the go be it playing for my teal in IPL or for the English Cricket team. Last time I actually planned for and celebrated Valentine ’s Day was probably in school.

What’s your favourite ground and your most memorable individual performance?

How do relationships work for you being on the move so often?

Yes, I think my future wife/companion should be aware of the perpetual flux that is my life.

Right now I am single (ed: he used to date actress Kacey Barnfield) but being on the road can have its advantages. It keeps the relationship fresh and the any time you spend together is usually fantastic because it’s inherently precious.

Being from Nottingham, Trent Bridge is definitely my favourite ground for obvious reasons.

Coincidentally, my best bowling figures of 6/46 against India were also achieved there and that’s probably my most memorable performance as I also managed a hat trick. Of course, the greatest satisfaction always is seeing your team win over and above accumulating individual accolades.

Finally, any resolutions for the New Year?

Being on the road so often is great and I do try and make the most out it. However, I love Theatre and this year I hope to visit more musicals and shows in London. I just recently saw War Horse and loved it!

How does it feel to be the England 20/20 Captain? (England are the current World Champions) It’s great to be able to lead the national team in any version of the game. We only meet very sporadically – perhaps once every two months. The idea is to find the right balance in keeping with the hectic needs of the shortest version of the game.

Stuart Broad is an ambassador for the specialist bank and asset manager, Investec - sponsors of test cricket in England.

Visit www.investec.com/cricket or follow us on twitter @InvestecCricket page. 20

W h at i s Lo v e ?

In Their Own Words ‘Love is promiscuous’ Mark Vernon is a former Church of England priest who found his way into journalism writing about wellbeing and spirituality. He has written for Guardian, FT, New Statesman and more. His new book Love: All That Matters is out now I suspect that something has become skewed in the way we think about love. You feel it keenly on Valentine’s Day. It is not the sentimentality, though it can be sugar-sweet.

It is not the commercialization, though it is annoying when roses double in price overnight. It is more to do with the hopes and longings we have for love displayed on that day.

On Valentine’s Day there is a sense that they have become inflated, misdirected, fancifully flawless.

I’ve come to think of it as the romantic myth. It actually goes back a long way. Plato tells a story about how we human beings were originally round wholes, with four arms, four legs, two heads. In his dialogue the Symposium, one of the West’s greatest works on love, he describes how we used to spin across the surface of the earth like ballistic cartwheels. And the gods became scared of us, of our power.

So Zeus decided that human beings needed cutting in two. He arranged for us to be sliced down the middle. Now, we only have two arms, two legs, one head and we spend our lives looking for our lost half. Only then, we feel, will we be complete, whole, rounded. And life feels very precarious until we meet our lost half, as if it will all have gone wrong if we become old before we have met our perfect mate, have known love.

It’s a myth, of course. But it powerfully captures the pressure that the notion of romantic love holds for us, and

which Valentine’s Day so shamelessly exploits. Will I meet the one who is out there for me? Is the person I am with the one with whom I can feel fulfilled?

My sense is that these deep, private anxieties are a sign that we have become skewed in the way we think about love. Plato actually agrees.

He goes on to suggest that his myth locates our hopes for love in the past. It is as if something as gone wrong and romantic love will put it right. The modern version of this story comes from the work of Freud. He wondered whether our adult desire to feel romantically at one with someone is really a desire to recapture the time we felt at one with our devoted parent, probably our mother. Like the originally whole human beings, the very young infant does, in a sense, have four arms, four legs and two heads - its own and its mother’s.

But says Plato, love is not found in the past. It comes from the future. Lovers must learn not to constantly gaze into each other’s eyes. Sooner or later, that becomes claustrophobic. Rather, they must gaze together into the future that lies ahead. Holding hands, they must step forward into life. That is the real joy of love. Not that life is completed by another, but that with the companionship of another, life can be embraced, braved, loved.

This is why commitment is such an important feature of relationships. To commit to someone is to say, let us step

‘My intention is to explore love’s opposite, hate’

Love: All That Matter is published by Hodder Education RRP: £7.99 and is available in all good bookshops.

Cathi Unsworth

by Fen Oswin

Cathi Unsworth is a journalist, novelist and music lover As a very wise friend of mine always says, love is the shield that gets us through life the love that our parents bring us up with.

My work explores what happens when that love is lacking and the effects of individuals damaged by a lack of love on the wider communities around them. With that, my intention is to explore love’s opposite, hate, and how that is created, what part the lack of love has to do with that, or whether it is

into the unknown future together. We don’t know what it holds, but with you, I sense something beautiful that allows me to be drawn more deeply into life. Let us risk it, together.

The metaphor that Plato prefers for love is, therefore, not one of wholeness, but is like a ladder. He describes how romantic love is not the completion of love but is just a first step up. We fall in love and that awakens us to a new dimension of delight in life. That delight does not begin and end with one person. Instead, we can develop a capacity to love more and more of life, to climb another step, and then another, up the ladder.

In this sense, love is promiscuous. It wants more and more from life. Fired by falling in love, we are prepared to throw ourselves into the future. We call it having a passion for living, a zest for existence. Rightly directed, romantic love does not lead us to throw ourselves madly into someone else’s arms time and time again. It leads more to a kind of overflowing of desire that spreads out around us, making for creativity, curiosity, self-sacrifice, commitment.

So when Valentine’s Day comes around, don’t thank your beloved or spend the day longing for a lover. Instead, turn towards life. That is where love is truly to be found.

possible for a person to actually be ‘born bad’, eg pyschopathic or sociopathic. It takes me to some very dark places, but although noir fiction is essentially the study of evil, my books are also very much about love, friendship and creativity and how, if our families can’t provide us with love, we can find it in the alternative societies we build. My hope is always that the positive will prevail. page. 21

W h at i s Lo v e ?

W h at i s Lo v e ?

‘There’s something about two men together that goes beyond just sex. It like there’s a bond that survives these things’ Clayton Littlewood is a controversial novelist, playwright and Kensington & Chelsea resident. Having been forcibly removed from BBC radio for obscenity, with one sketch script being sent back with a covering note that read ‘This is the most disgusting piece of filth we have ever read. Do not contact us again’, he is quite the force of nature. Having also worked as a journalist and as a fashion label owner focusing on LGBT life and style, he’s learned a thing or two about love. He talks to us about the ancient Greek words for amour that resonate most Mania (i.e obsession, madness) I’ve had years where I’ve been on my own and celibate. Then I’ve had periods where I’ve been quite obsessive. Chasing the unobtainable. There was a married man I used to work with many years ago. We’d play squash together and go out drinking and I would doll myself up every morning. A smile from him could completely change my day. Equally a slight could ruin it. He was one of the loves of my life, even though nothing really happened. Then I’ve had occasions where I’ve snooped on partners, or sat by the phone mournfully waiting for a call, overanalysing texts, searching for different meanings. I find it hard to recognise that person now. Kinda embarrassing looking back. I’m sure it stemmed from a deep rooted fear of rejection. I think gay people are susceptible to that. Especially those of my generation. I’m far more toned down now. I’m in a secure relationship and have been for many years. It provides everything I need and my partner knows everything about me (and I, him). He knows my every mood, look, and gesture. There’s a security in that.

Eros (i.e desire, longing, passionate love that is all consuming) I’ve had this type of love three or four times. Always with

men. I remember at six years old having a desire for my music teacher Mr Brock. I can still picture him now. Tall, strong Mr Brock. With his dark cropped hair, moustache, and his black tight-fitting trousers. I can picture him now as if it was yesterday. Walking toward me. And as he neared I wanted to reach out and touch him. I can remember the feeling so vividly.

I remember looking up at him and asking him if he’d take my lipstick off for me (my mum had dressed me up as Mick Jagger for the school fancy dress party). ‘Do it yourself boy!’ he said and he brushed me aside. Then it hit me. I’d hinted at something that wasn’t right. It was my first feeling of rejection.

I suppose I’m a romantic. I’ve never been particularly good at one night stands (unless I’m on holiday for some reason). I enjoy the build up of a relationship, the chase, the comfort it brings. To paraphrase the Pet Shop Boys, when I met my partner Jorge, it was like a memory of the future.

Like a perfect memory of how life is meant to be. And I remember thinking, I was, and will be with him.

Philia (i.e friendship, affection, virtuous love. ‘Brotherly’ love) You could apply this one to your family. And of course I love my family deeply. I’d do anything for them. But I would page. 22

also relate this to my ‘other family.’ My London family. Until recently it wasn’t the norm for gay couples to start a family.

So we created our own. Our friends became our families.

They became our support networks.

Storge (i.e affection, typically for someone that depends on you) I interpret this one as a love that moves from friendship, to lovers, and back to friendship. I’ve had this one once before and you see it a lot in the gay world. Gay people go through so much to find themselves, to accept and gain confidence in who they are, and to find their place in the world. We have this shared experience thing; through our upbringing, ‘coming out’, the AIDS plague years. I also think gay men are more open to experimentation. If someone had said to me when I first moved to London at 19, would you ever have an open relationship? I’d have said, No way! But the older you get, I suppose you become less precious about these things.

Whereas most straight couples I’ve met―whenever they’ve faced an issue like that, they’ve just got divorced. Which always seems like such a waste to me. But with gay men, there’s something about two men together that goes beyond just sex. It like there’s a bond that survives these things.

C u lt u r e w i t h C h ri st i e ’s

Chairman of Christie’s South Kensington, Nic McElhatton returns to Kensington and Chelsea Review for Christie’s monthly instalment of insight into their world of auction

Ross Hamilton, Pimlico Road All images copyright Christie’s Images

Like all Christie’s employees, in fact like most who work in the art and antiques world, I have reached where I am now because of my passion – passion for discovering and learning but most of all for collecting. Being able to truly understand our clients and the love and attachment they feel towards their collections is an incredibly important part of what we do and how we conduct our auctions; every collection is different. One particular sale this month, The Ross Hamilton Collection on 27 February, marks the end of an era for Mark Boyce and his late business partner, Ross Hamilton. Their shop on Pimlico Road, one of the first antique shops in the area, has traded for over 40 years and this shall be their final sale. It is a chance to celebrate the vision and taste of the owners, and comprising over 375 lots ranging from £400 to £40,000 each, it is sure to be a special occasion. www.christies.com

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B o o k r e vi e w s

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library” – Borges Books Editor Danny Arter reviews the recent releases that speak volumes First Novel Nicholas Hoyle Jonathan Cape Fiction

Nicholas Royle’s First Novel is not his first novel. Nor does it read like it; it’s an accomplished, ambitious metafiction whose intrigue is only topped by its layers.

It’s a difficult novel to write about as much of its plot pivots around a dichotomy that endows the book with a surprising twist. First Novel is a montage of aggregated stories—who has penned them, and how reliable their testimony is, is another matter altogether.

Paul Taylor is a teacher of creative writing.

He is particularly fascinated by first novels, and collects Picador paperbacks designed with a simple, white spine. Paul also collects cutouts of writers’ rooms as they are pictured in broadsheet newspapers. He scrutinises the pictures to see any evidence of writers owning his debut novel Rites, which was published, he claims, to widespread disaffection. He also likes to have sex in cars.

Ray Cross was formerly a corporal in the RAF; he witnessed a horrifying incident which decapitated a young officer. Following his discharge, he leaves Nicholas—a child he fathered whose mother died in labour—in the care of his own parents while he pursues a life of literariness in London. He also picks

up men in Soho bars and has sex with them, often in the lavatories.

These stories of the two men come to dominate First Novel. As the plot accelerates, subtle details begin to teethe which indicate all is not well. It becomes apparent that Paul’s obsession with writers’ rooms, much like his obsession with the spines of books gathered on a shelf, is rooted in a desire to curate and purvey an impression of authorial authority; to perfect the guise of a writer. He sees that Geoff Dyer, Alain de Botton, Francesca Simon and Siri Hustvedt all own Herman Miller Aeon chair; in the next paragraph, he innocuously browses an office furniture catalogue. Later, he has the same chair delivered.

Later still, he thrashes his own writing room into a bizarre pyramidical structure, positioning his prized chair at the pinnacle before ascending and petting his cat, the aptly-named Cleo. That the act paints him as a tragic Blofeld as opposed to a triumphant Pharaoh is not merely black humour; it is the culmination of a series of ruminations on the solipsistic, narcissistic nature of pyramids. Which, in turn, provides a raw window into Paul’s real persona.

For those of you who like your narratives unspoiled, now is probably the time to pause your perusal. Much of the novel’s impetus is propelled by slippages in personas, which I will attempt to elucidate further below.

It is only as First Novel races to its climax that the reader truly gets a grasp on Paul’s character. There are numerous Pauls. Paul Taylor, we discover, cheated on his wife Veronica. After she, in turn, has

extramarital sex by way of revenge and begins divorce proceedings, Paul abducts his twin children and attempts to take their lives—and his—by regurgitating exhaust fumes into his car using a pipe (whether this prompted his titillation at intercourse in automobiles is unclear; his adulterous sex, which predates the incident, was in a car in a Hatton Cross tube station’s parking lot). His daughter Laura is killed, but his son Jonathan survives alongside his increasingly deranged father.

During his incarceration, and keen to avoid further punishment from his fellow inmates, Paul concocts a story that absolves him from guilt. Trevor, the man with whom Veronica had an affair, is sketched as an alcoholic pilot who killed Paul’s wife and kids while taking them on a plane ride. Paul claims that his murder of Trevor, the only member onboard to survive the crash, is the cause of his stay at Her Majesty’s Pleasure.

But upon his release, the tale becomes a convenient way to curtain his shame. He invents another persona—Lewis Harris; crime writer, aviation fanatic and owner of an incredibly annoying guffaw. It is Lewis whose family were killed by Trevor, while Paul continues his sheltered life (albeit under a new alias, Paul Kinder), with three mannequins—wife and two children, one would assume—keeping watch out of an upstairs window. His new moniker helps him procure a job teaching creative writing (he also neglected to mention his convictions), and he begins an affair (mostly carbased) with his student Helen. It’s all very Fight Club; an irony not missed by Royle.

When Paul reads from his novel at a local

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literary gathering, one listener comments: “That’s familiar. That’s Fight Club.” Paul pleads ignorance. The comparison may be laboured a little in the pages that follow, but if the reader isn’t following the thread(s) by the time of the incident, they may find the novel substantially less enjoyable.

It takes a novelist of real skill to keep such a convoluted plot in check. Royle does so with aplomb, weaving the narrative threads to maintain intrigue (and perhaps for some readers, confusion) until the novel’s closing pages. Some motifs may be mobilized a little too readily: pyramid references; the invocation of birdsong, especially in the last 50 pages; and the aviation theme which unites Lewis and Paul—the ‘latter’ is repeatedly aroused by planes. In one comic scene, he is delighted when his partner times her orgasm almost perfectly with an overhead plane’s landing.

The whole encounter is described in terms of flight; trousers are unbuckled, seats recline, a skirt drifts upwards. Later, he is disappointed when the noise of planes taking off fails to drown out his conversation with a date over dinner. His arousal at the hands of two murderous devices (a car killed his daughter; a plane, he believes, killed Lewis’ family) is a source of genuine humour, albeit a somewhat unsettling one.

First Novel has shortcomings, but it rarely goes off-key, jettisoned as it is by its absorbing plot. Either Royle’s ambition and fluidity will be rewarded, or the book’s ambition itself will prove (commercially, at least) its achilles heel.

Either or.

The Dazzle Robert Hudson Jonathan Cape Fiction

Rebecca Harrington Penelope Rebecca Harrington Virago Fiction

Rebecca Harrington’s Penelope immediately calls to mind its namesake, one of literature’s most famous female characters. But it doesn’t recast the wife of Odysseus, as Margaret Atwood did very proficiently in The Penelopiad. Instead, it’s a novel starring a modern-day Penelope, embarking on her first term at Harvard, where she is majoring in Literature.

While Penelope’s ancestral namesake has been interpreted in a variety of guises, Harrington’s lead is far less oblique. She’s awkward, clumsy and forgetful, all of which contribute to moments of genuine humour within the book. But, for the vast majority of the narrative, Penelope does little besides frustrate.

Penelope pointedly evokes Peter Pan, a fitting invocation as she, like Peter, seems unable to grow up. She sat in a child’s car seat until the fourth grade. Granted, humans are inclined towards oddity, but it does beg the question: what on earth is she doing at the US’ foremost university? Her academic skills hardly make amends. She opts for the easiest classes (‘Dinosaurs’, ‘Counting People’), and chooses to undertake a project on Luxembourg on the basis that its capital is also called Luxembourg. Most of her research for the project is conducted through Wikipedia.

All of which is fine (ask any recent graduate, it’s a familiar tale). However there’s an overwhelming sense that it is impossibly unlikely at Harvard. Penelope’s academic ambivalence is not balanced by any extracurricular activities; her shortcomings would be excusable if they were compensated with some evidence of positive attributes, but they seem few and far between.

Most of the humour, which is the novel’s saving grace, is at Penelope’s expense.

There is a seemingly endless series of faux pas from the protagonist—sexual, social, academic. Often they are funny, but the routine of continual embarrassment wears incredibly thin. She’s altogether hapless; those hoping for a strong, empowered female protagonist are advised to swerve.

Penelope is a bizarre cross between Carry On… and Carrie from Sex and the City.

Suffice to say, it is hardly enough to carry a

convincing narrative.

The novel hardly has a pulsating plot to save it. There’s a frustratingly predictable love triangle, which has a frustratingly predictable end. There’s a cast of characters who are almost completely two-dimensional—one of her roommates, the hermetic Lan, is characterised almost entitely by a series of t-shirts she wears with slogans on them. Penelope is also fond of using metonymy to name her peripheral players: Glasses and Wet Curls to name but two. In an irony which seems unintentional, it’s a technique which becomes a little symptomatic; characters are described by their overbearing physical traits, exactly the kind of stunted character development which thwarts the novel.

Perhaps Harrington is making a point about the Harvardian emphasis on performance over personality (copies of Ayn Rand’s objectivist Fountainhead repeatedly crop up), but it hardly makes for an engrossing narrative. And the narrative’s numerous witticisms about upper-class traits, and students’ repeated insistence that they are overcome with work, are peremptory rather than pertinent.

The novel draws unheedingly towards a performance of Caligula, at which every character of any conceivable importance is present. It’s set up for some kind of spectacular climax. Yet, like Penelope’s naïve pursuit of Gustav, the suave, upperclass European playboy, Harrington invests heavily in building up to a pivotal, lifechanging moment. And then… nothing.

Her pursuit of Gustav gives the novel most of its impetus, yet their consummation (continually fretted over) is glossed over; and the drama of Caligula occurs offstage, where Penelope decides to end their liaison.

It’s a move that signals Penelope’s maturation, but it’s incremental rather than overwhelming. Her life seems to be consistently validated through her proximity to two male characters, Gustav and Ted, neither of who are particularly likeable. Yet when Penelope matures enough to end her relationship with the former, she looks destined to walk into the arms of the latter.

The novel’s most convincing passage concerns a performance of Caligula, of which Penelope plays a minor part.

Henry Wills-Mather, who is the play’s esteemed director, makes a stirring speech condemning the “spineless iterations of Disney musicals” which have ousted intelligent, thought-provoking theatre from the stage and into the margins.

Unfortunately, Penelope increasingly reads like the former.

‘Tragedy and comedy in fishing are practically synonymous. It depends who is looking and who is doing.” So says Zane Grey, bestselling author and keen angler, in Robert Hudson’s second novel, The Dazzle.

It serves as something of an elevator pitch for a novel high on comedy, high on farce, and crafted in the crevices between objectivity and subjectivity, between fact and fiction, between seeing and doing.

The craze of tunny (tuna) fishing has swept North Yorkshire’s coastline; a swathe of huge yachts have transformed its frontage. One of its number is The Dazzle, a decadent, daringly decorated vessel on which the action unfolds. The gusty Scarborough coast is hosting a gutsy tunny fishing contest, sponsored

by John Fastolf, a wealthy heir to a dukedom and, consequently, a soughtafter batchelor. Its participants are the American Grey, whose picturesque tales of honour and romance in the Wild West have amassed him a fortune; and Lorenzo Mitchell-Henry, who has recently broken Grey’s record for the largest recorded ‘tunny’ to have been landed.

Grey is convinced to take part in the contest by the meddling Henny Rosefield, who has rather sinister motives for doing so. Henny, calculated, intelligent and vengeful, wrests Grey from the clutches of his lover Brownie (which is detailed, rather too honestly, in his correspondence with his wife Dolly, in which he is frank about his infidelities) and encourages him to partake in the contest, primarily so she can accompany him and attempt to seduce the wealthy Jonny. Yet there is a darker reason for her pursuit (and eventual cuckolding) of Grey, which adds a fascinating dimension to her quest.

As Henny’s accounts reveal, tunny is not the only specimen being hunted. Darwinian rung-ascending, in social terms, is on the menu – and it’s not only Henny who has the appealing, status-enhancing proposition Jonny in her sights. Martha Gellhorn, a journalist who persuades her editor in London of the contest’s significance, has similar ideas.

Henny, the novel’s primary social climber, is well aware of the competition.

“Animals want to procreate with the worthiest mate. Once upon a time it was size, or speed, or who was the cleverest hunter. Well, we have pretty dresses now . . . and we’ve got other criteria. There’s fame, and money. There’s royalty”. When Henny finally snares Jonny, she is an ‘anthropological observer’ of the act of consummation, emotionally detached but connivingly alert to how it could affect her social standing.

Theirs is not the only tryst aboard The Dazzle. Grey is a hunter, an outdoorsman, and a slightly egotistical one at that – he is convinced that Ernest Hemingway, who repeatedly rejects his offer of a joint fishing voyage, is writing ‘slavish imitations’ of his work. He pursues women with equal (if not superior) gusto, and his reputation as a skilled lover aids

page. 25

his attempts at seduction. He attests to being a chivalrous gentleman akin to the heroes of his novels, who strive for integrity and honour, yet as the novel unravels his couplings see he tangled in an intricate blackmail plot, and his claims to chivalry are called into question.

As are many proclamations in the novel.

The narrative is a patchwork; a gun-barrel of narrators’ points of view revolve, and their cumulative effect is deadly. Letters, diary entries, telegrams and anecdotes help accumulate the novel’s details and its effect, slowly propelling the plot, is compelling. The tale overlays various characters’ version of the same event, effectively giving the reader two versions of the same incident, spiced with different perspectives, opinions, prejudices and motivations. There’s something of a vacuum between what the characters do and how their actions are interpreted, which hands Hudson license to meddle.

Who (if anyone) is giving an honest account is hard to ascertain. Did Martha Gellhorn, a London-based journalist covering the equine contest, alter the seating arrangement to sit next to the eligible Jonny, or was their collusion pure coincidence? Did slippery siren Henny Roseage refuse Grey entry to her chamber (as she implies), or did he insist upon her resting alone for the evening (as his correspondence claims)? Characters’ motivations and machinations begin to emerge in the narrative’s cracks; and the cast is unmasked as a veritable motley crew of self-interested schemers.

Mitchell-Henry is, arguably, one of the few characters not fully fleshed, which results in the ‘tunny’ competition feeling a little flat. Perhaps it’s his nearcongruence in moniker to another aboard the ship, Mitchell-Hedges. Then again, perhaps it’s OK; the fishing competition is something of an anticlimax in actuality, but it facilitates a grouping of characters whose interactions, and the deftness with which Hudson handles their nuances, make compelling reading. Accusations, suspicions and adultery are abundant; at times it feels more like an 18-30 booze cruise than a voyage furnishing serious sporting endeavour.

Which makes for a fascinating spectacle. Fastolf, who bears more than a passing resemblance to his jovial nearnamesake Falstaff, is a well-crafted comic creation, but one who transcends such a restrictive role. He’s old blood, and if Dolly is to be believed, cold blood. Fastolf is increasingly caught up in an intriguing subplot centring around Kim Waring, dope peddler and drug-dealer, who has snared Jonny’s ex-wife – and has his sights on Henny and Martha, too. Jonny’s final battle with Waring is compelling stuff, with more than his ex-wife Caro on the line.

When Waring’s real motives are outed at this denouement, they are something of a surprise, described with alarming brevity (allotted only a couple of sentences; rather incredible given the revelation).

Consequently it feels little more than a pointless footnote. The story is certainly strong, and well-crafted, enough to survive its omission; as a plot device, it adds very little, and far too late. But perhaps it is testament to the succinct plotting, and the skill with which it is executed by Hudson, that this shortcoming doesn’t greatly detract from the novel. The Dazzle is dazzling.

T h e at r e

dreamthinkspeak Founded in 1999 dreamthinkspeak are pioneers of site-specific theatre, one of the key instigators of an England-based golden age. Where much sitespecific theatre can be unfortunately sensational, gimmicky, and awkwardly interactive, dreamthinkspeak maintain a global reputation for intelligent, ‘cinematic and dreamlike’ site responsive theatre, having taken as their past inspirations The Cherry Orchard, Hamlet, The Divine Comedy and Crime and Punishment. The 2010 winners of the Peter Brook/Empty Space/Equity Ensemble Award for “adventurous achievement…in surprising sites and venues, in a structure that is innovative in its own right”, it’s now the turn of the Book of Revelations and an illustration by Leonardo Da Vinci to be worked over by the company in the labyrinthine stretches of Somerset House.

Alan Fielden interviews Artistic Director Tristan Sharpes page. 26

Photography: © Jim Stephenson

What was your inspiration for In the Beginning Was The End? How long has the process taken?

Originally a Leonardo da Vinci drawing called “A Cloudburst of Material Possessions”. It’s like a surreal doodle of a torrential downpour of rain mixed with mass-produced domestic objects. It’s a vision of the end-of-the-world. It speaks about his concerns with our over-reliance on material objects at the expense of spiritual growth. More importantly for me, it speaks to our own times and our own obsession with economic growth and regeneration; we also have our concerns about flooding through climate-change. It’s a very contemporary vision. The drawing has been in my head for many years. The project has been steadily taking shape over the past 3 years.

Can you give us a little peek into what ‘Mechatronics’ is all about? What does this combination bring to the project?

Mechatronics is a multidisciplinary field of engineering: a combination of Mechanical engineering, Electronic engineering, Computer engineering, Software engineering, Control engineering, and Systems Design engineering. It’s often associated with the world of robotics and animatronics – the world of artificial articulation. Its purpose is to develop useful products (e.g. highly intelligent artificial limbs that respond more sensitively to the users movements), but it is increasingly used to manufacture products for the world of industry (e.g., robots building cars for the mass market, reducing labour costs). It’s a very contemporary development of Leonardo’s principal love: mechanical Science. So it’s one of tools we are using to explore his world within our world. In that sense, it will emerge in some of the installations we are developing.

How did the collaboration with King’s College come about?

We did a project at Somerset House in 2004 in the disused office spaces of the South Wing.

Jenny Waldman, the Somerset House producer at that time, asked if we would return to

explore new spaces in the East and West Wing’s which had previously not been seen by the public. My instinct was not to go back to the same building, even a different part of it – but it fitted with some of the ideas I’d been playing around with about Leonardo – but it was still not enough. She then introduced me to Alan Read, from The Performance Foundation at King’s, and he showed me around some wonderful areas that were about to be demolished – I fell in love with these spaces as they were part of the old Engineering block of King’s and matched perfectly with the mechanical science strand of Leonardo’s thinking. I can’t tell you what these spaces are – you will have to come and discover them – but they are magical spaces. That was two years ago! The spaces are still standing, thankfully, and we are still doing our project!

What do you hope people will take away from the experience?

I hope they will have a moving, unsettling and thought-provoking experience, as ever with our work – but I would never presume to tell them what to think or feel. I try to ask the right questions, but it’s up to the audience to mull over what the answers might be for them personally. The work is usually quite layered and deceptively detailed - I hope the show will keep replaying in their minds for many weeks and months after.

Do you have a personal favourite aspect or part of the production?

Yes – the fit-up and rehearsal period when the show is taking final shape – it’s the scariest and most exciting period – you’re looking to see if your vision really does translate and enjoying or cringing at some of the accidental discoveries that inevitably crop up!

‘In The Beginning Was The End’ will be running at Somerset House, January 28 – March 30 www.dreamthinkspeak.com page. 27

T h e at r e : R E V I E ws

Curtain Call Metamorphosis Lyric Hammersmith www.lyric.co.uk Kafka was called by W.H. Auden “the Dante of the 20th century”. His literary work is often otherworldly, fantastical, yet parabolically universal. Metamorphosis, in which salesman Gregor Samsa wakes to find he has been ‘transformed into a monstrous vermin’, is one of the greatest of modern allegories. It is a powerful, radical tale, which is why I am confused by David Farr and Gísli Örn Garðarsson’s telling of it.

Must a theatrical adaptation of a book stay entirely true to its spirit? No, not at all. But if one is to adapt such a monumental work into a performance that does not consider any of the fundamental themes in any great depth, why choose the book at all? Why not start from scratch.

There is something neutered about Farr and Garðarsson’s vaguely Brechtian production, which was more novelty than exploration, more slapstick than insightful.

It is a physically impressive production that spectacularly

reveals, from ceiling-eye view, Gregor’s world truly skewed sideways. Garðarsson, as Gregor, impresses with inhuman acrobatic illusion. If this is meant to elucidate his unique position, it does not venture beyond the thrill. Downstairs, in clear contrast, his ordered, upright family maintain a cute rapport that over time mutates towards caricatures of normality. This show is as much about the family’s transition as it is Gregor’s. A later addition of Jonathan McGuinness’ lodger, Herr Fischer, as a gleaming bright gentleman is certainly a great comic turn, not without its well-placed hints of fascism.

It’s in the denouement - Gregor hanging dead with family sun-lit and smiling - that I became aware of what was missing. As Nick Cave’s ballad swelled and ushered in our collective catharsis I felt empty. Where was the Gregor I knew? Or more to the point, the Kafka? The full force - the gory revulsion, the cruel abandonment - in the original text is here impotent. This is a safe adaptation. It works very well as entertainment, but as a faithful telling of one of our very greatest modern myths it falls short.

Words: Alan Fielden

Metamorphosis | Photo by Sam Rosewarne

La Boheme

La Boheme Royal Opera House www.roh.org.uk Adorno would hate this. As much as the curmudgeonly German philosopher denigrated cinema as mass culture, he revered classical music. Yet tonight in a central London cinema I am waiting for the twain to meet. A live screening of La Bohème is about to start as a lady in furs next to me is eating her popcorn.

This hybridity is crystallised in the auditorium. ROH’s series of cinema screenings strips opera of any elitism and brings the performance closer to the time when it was entertainment, albeit for a selected audience. Despite this, more than half of the audience is donning suits and jewellery, seemingly dressed for Covent Garden.

Amalgamation continues with documentary interludes during the screening. Before each act Antonio Pappano, the artistic director, offers a synopsis and there is rehearsal footage with snapshot interviews from the cast. There is devotion and dedication in the added documentary material, but it is

challenging to see for whom they are made. On one hand they are the opera-lovers’ ultimate outreach to the uninitiated, on the other hand condescending towards the spectators, who do not need to be persuaded because they already sit in the auditorium. It seems the passionate production team is eulogising for the choir; I suspect that many, in 800 theatres in 21 countries, are already fond of Puccini’s 1901 masterpiece about young love.

Watching love and its travails unfold in the young bohemians’ Parisian flatshare is beautifully suited to cinema.

John Copley’s almost 40-year old production glows in cosy shades of tawny brown, orange and purple. Dmytro Popov, called in to replace Rolando Villazón, delivers a smileless, pensive, and soft Rodolfo to Maija Kovalevska’s deliberate and sensuous Mimì. However, the chemistry really comes through the mirroring couple Marcello and Musetta, sung by Audun Iversen and Stefania Dovhan respectively; when the two rekindle their fiery rapport in act four it is heartrending and deliciously painful.

On the big screen one sees a La Bohème closer than ever before: the sweat, the meticulous props of the second page. 28

act, the make-up. It is at once a stronger and a more hindering experience: the cinema audience sees everything but cannot interact. One also hears more clearly. No note is wasted but rather exponentially amplified, so the icy fifths of the third act opening freeze to the bone. We see and hear all but cannot participate. However, there is a contemporary equivalent to eavesdropping in the Opera House foyer: real-time tweets from the audience around the world are projected onto the screen during the interval and the end credits.

The last bolt of immersive alienation comes in the end as we sit in the darkness watching the curtain calls. There is a thundering applause but no one in the cinema applauds. As Brecht says about cinema, you cannot fully choose where to look as the camera has already chosen your ‘objective’ viewpoint. Opera on screen is a much less subtle experience than seeing it live, but if you already love the piece, you will willingly submit to it in this intensified form.

Words: Alexi Koponen The next in the season of ROH live screenings will be Eugene Onegin, February 20.

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FASH I ON

The promise of a new year demands an annual ritual of self-reflection and assessment too familiar for words. Far more attractive however is to focus the scrutinizing eye outwards, to look back on events and people that made the previous twelve months what they were. And where better to take our lead than from The Queen’s New Year Honours List.

Fresh from their newly awarded MBEs, Shula Pannick caught up with Harriet Vine and Rosie Wolfenden of cult jewellery brand Tatty Devine to discuss keeping things colourful, keeping things British, and keeping things moving page. 30

The fash-pack has long been au fait with the trendsetting talent of jewellery brand Tatty Devine. Credited for heralding the return of a youthful and spirited approach to accessorizing, there’s no question that Artistic Director Harriet and Managing Director and co-Founder Rosie have made quite an impression on the style of London’s cool kids. But their inclusion in the Honours List for ‘services to fashion’ alongside the likes of Stella McCartney, Stephen Webster, and Caryn Franklin is recognition of their ever-growing appeal and wider contribution to the British fashion scene. And for the proud pair, the MBEs stand for an awful lot. ‘We love fashion and everything that it encompasses: style, individualism, and expressing yourself. So we see our award as giving recognition to creativity in the broadest sense’. On learning of the honour, Rosie called Harriet – who had also received an envelope stamped Her Majesty’s Service – and then rang her husband. ‘He was so excited’ she said. ‘Both our husbands have had to put up with us over the years. It’s 24/7, we talk about Tatty Devine all the time!’

An emphasis on creativity and an obsession with design has guided the pair from the get-go.

Having met at Chelsea School of Art in 1996, Harriet and Rosie lived and worked together in student bliss.

When it came time to graduate, it also came time to move on. But, as Harriet reminisces, ‘neither of us wanted to get ‘proper’ jobs’. So, knowing they would be happiest as artists they focused their creative energy on a bounty of leather sample books they fortuitously discovered abandoned outside a furnishing store, and started making things to sell on a market stall. With the anti-conformist air of late-90’s fashion on their side, and a preoccupation for dressing up and customising their own outfits, they got to work. ‘We decided to make leather wrist cuffs studded with decorations’ offers Rosie. ‘ It just felt so right at the time’.

And the rest is the beginning of the Tatty Devine story. By Christmas ‘99, Harriet and Rosie had a veritable Christmas miracle on their hands as they found themselves wholesaling to no less than Whistles, Urban Outfitters AND Harvey Nichols, all whilst being featured in the pages of Vogue.

Pegasus Large Necklace - gold mirror £45.00, www.tattydevine.com

Of course, any good brand needs a name to match, and ‘Tatty Devine’ is the perfect moniker to embody their whimsy, ethos, and aesthetic. Rosie explains, ‘we tried a few names but we particularly liked ‘Devine’ as at Art School we had all called Harriet Miss Devine for fun’. The word ‘Tatty’ we loved as we both had an obsession for buying old tatty things that looked like they had been well loved with lots of character.

The first time we told someone we were called Tatty Devine, page. 31

they said ‘oh yes, I’ve heard of you’. From that moment on… we knew the name was right’.

As with the brand name, much of the duo’s success springs from being able to combine their individual personalities and strengths, their passions and motivations, to great effect. In her position as Artistic Director, Harriet comes up with Tatty Devine’s unique designs from scratch. A strong part of her ethos is to be original and, as neither she nor Rosie have any conventional jewellery training, she often develops new techniques to bring her ideas to life, whether digitally printing onto Perspex or knitting watches! A veritable British design maverick, Harriet explains that, ‘when we get together to design, the most important things to us are originality and fun. We talk loads about all the things we love and are inspired by, and I annotate the conversation with drawings, doodles, and words. We have hundreds of off the wall ideas and they filter into the things we most want to wear in our imaginations. My aim is to draw and create something that has the spirit of all the things we are excited by’.

And Rosie, the Managing Director, is responsible for the ongoing commercial success of the brand.

With a strong business drive inherent from a young age, her other loves for creativity and drawing drew her to Fine Art at Chelsea Art School. Having formed her partnership with Harriet, she found the space to make waves early-on for the brand by securing stockists including Harvey Nichols and Browns Focus. Now, almost 14 years later, the jewellery label can boast 350 stockists worldwide, as well as agents in the US, France and Japan. Most importantly for Rosie, Tatty Devine is run according to a strong set of values: manufacturing in Britain, the importance of originality, and promoting women. Almost all of the jewellery is lasercut and made by hand in Tatty Devine’s own workshops. Rosie explains, ‘We started manufacturing in Britain because we didn’t have the money or sales volume to get items made abroad in factories, so we developed our own manufacturing system and techniques, which in turn has informed our aesthetic. Now, we remain passionate about supporting

the British economy’. In addition, the brand takes great pride in the predominantly female staff in their workshop. Rosie, in particular, dedicates a lot of her spare time to her role as an ambassador for the Everywoman Network, an organization created to challenge and change the mindsets of women and businesses so as to maximize opportunities for women.

For many Tatty Devine fans, the best-selling custom-made name necklaces fashioned out of bright acrylic have become synonymous with the brand. Worn by Claudia Schiffer and Jessie J (and everyone in between) the necklaces are another example of the duo’s ability to turn instinct into gold. For Harriet it was simple. ‘We first made them as Christmas presents for our friends then other people saw them and wondered where they could get them from so we started making them to sell.

Now even Madonna has one!’ But the pair stress that, ‘We are not generally celebrity led. We love seeing anyone who is proud to wear our jewellery whether that be watching a gig or performing the gig! We love powerful stylish ladies like Vivienne Westwood, Mary Portas, Beth Ditto and perhaps Cleopatra if she were around today.’ And now, with the name necklaces more popular than ever with celebs and shoppers alike, Selfridges has opened its own Tatty Devine Name Necklace Pop-Up, soon to become a permanent fixture.

As a new London Fashion Week dawns on the capital, Tatty Devine are as excited as anyone to get a glimpse of the latest offerings from ‘all the amazing creative people who are inspired to dance to their own tune across the capital’. Harriet shares, ‘our new collection will continue to recreate the real world in perspex. Our ‘Hot House Collection’ was inspired by our fascination with tortoises (when we started out our studio was in an old building shared with an Artist who had over 100 of them) as well as the fact that ladybirds and butterflies are both spotty. The Kusama show at the Tate this year really inspired us and we wanted to reference her obsession with dots, nets and mirrored spaces in our pieces’.

There should be no hard and fast rules to accessorizing. It should be a fun way to reflect how you feel and what message you want to send out into the world Tatty Devine What’s clear from their varied inspiration is that as Harriet and Rosie confirm, ‘there should be no hard and fast rules to accessorizing. It should be a fun way to reflect how you feel and what message you want to send out into the world’. Harriet explains, ‘I love the notion of dressing up, and so my own style is amplified, colourful, not girly and happy to be odd’. Adds Rosie, ‘my style is VERY Tatty Devine! Fun, colourful and considered; retaining an individuality’ 2013 may have started with a bang, but the rest of the year is set to be just as exciting. Harriet reveals,’ we have plans to open a store in New York - our first store outside the UK, which coincides with the launch of our book in the US‘. And Rosie promises that global expansion will be no excuse to neglect their British base.

‘We will continue to have our space in Selfridges making Name Necklaces on the spot, and of course we are launching lots of new jewellery throughout the year.

We want to keep Tatty Devine special but continue to grow and evolve as we have been doing’.

So, 14 years on from their less than auspicious origins on a market stall, Rosie and Harriet have achieved an awful lot. But, perhaps Tatty Devine’s greatest service to British fashion is in the continued encouragement of individual expression and creativity; two core principles that have proven so important to Rosie and Harriet from the very beginning. After all, in a world of cookie-cutter style, everyone needs some British eccentricity, and an accessory or two, to help them stand out from the crowd!

For more information visit www.tattydevine.com

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TE C H

The Future is Now Tamlin Magee muses upon the future of interactivity- your house speaking to you The technology world’s largest trade event, the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, is over for another year. Usually it sets the benchmark on just what to expect for the months to come - but sometimes it provides us with a glimpse of industry trends that are beginning to gain momentum.

Unlike the corny Tomorrow’s World demos about the House of the Future, there is a legitimate sea change on the horizon in how we interact with our surroundings, and it’s called the Internet of Things.

‘Things’ is a particularly non-technical term, and it is intentionally vague. Essentially, the Internet of Things brings the internet, to your, well, things. Potentially almost all of them.

This could mean a fridge that knows when you’re running low on milk and beams an option to your smartphone prompting you to order some more, or it could be working technology in your running trainers that later uploads that data to a distant server room, storing and judging your performance, comparing it to last time and your future runs. If this all sounds a little farfetched, less thrilling advances in Machine to Machine communications (or M2M) are already being installed in houses around the world - such as smart meters, which take your household utility usage and adjusts that to cut energy wastage, or feeds the information back to your provider. There’s even a movement in - where else?

- Texas that has seen armed home owners chasing off utility workers who have been told to install them. The big technology players are keen to foist the Internet of Things on the world whether it likes the idea or not. Perhaps, then, it’s best to focus on the advantages.

Although there were only early glimmerings of a completely connected future at CES, the increasing product roster means companies are trying to work out just what to do with the technology, which is only in its infancy. Take, for example, the smart fork. This gadget was marketed at the show as ‘intelligent cutlery’, the idea being that if you’re eating too fast, using a sensor, the fork tells you to slow down, enjoy, and digest, then uploads how well you did to your smartphone when you’re finished. Chunky, plastic, pink and silver, it is not exactly the height of chic. But the gizmo is a demonstration of how the world is evolving into a more connected place, with your smartphone at the centre of your connected world.

Privacy concerns aside - increasingly commoditised as personal space is becoming - the implications are massive.

Early speculation suggests that your smartphone is going to evolve into a sort of personalised key, an access hub as well as a mobile phone, that will let you take advantage of interactivity in everything, from everything as mundane as changing a light bulb to remotely controlling and fine tuning every aspect of your home. page. 33

Speaking of Smartphones If you’re sick of your smartphone or want a change from the iPhone, I’d recommend holding out until after Mobile World Congress, the yearly phone-focused trade show in Barcelona, at the end of February. Along with the flagship new Blackberry 10 (early impressions on leaked videos: surprisingly sleek) announcement late January, there will plenty of new devices on show. So if you have an upgrade due or simply fancy treating yourself, it’s worth waiting to see what the show can offer before taking your pick.

beauty

Ballet Meets Beauty Pink jumper £69, leggings £55, legwarmers £29, all Sweaty Betty available at www.sweatybetty.com

Having always dreamt of being a ballerina, Annie Vischer discovers how ballet can bestow us all with the grace, poise and delicacy that has for so long been intertwined with the idea of feminine beauty…

This year I want to be a ballet dancer. In fact I have always rather wanted to be a ballet dancer but when the choice had to be made between giving up riding or hanging up the ballet slippers, waving goodbye to my childhood pony Lucy seemed a far more upsetting prospect. I continued to practice my barre exercises at the hallway banister for a long

time afterwards, but eventually in the lead up to University and foray into London life my turnout disappeared along with my legwarmers. Sitting entranced at the London Coliseum watching the heavenly elevation and lines of the English National Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty I could not help but long for the tinkling piano notes and rosin scents of the dance studio.

Whilst exercises en pointe and grand jetés (split jumps) are a little out of my league, a peak of interest in the dance form has made the long lean muscles tone and graceful poise that are synonymous with a ballerina’s body rather less impossible to achieve. Beauty through ballet has never been more attainable.

Nancy Osbaldeston

Interview with a ballet dancer…

I spoke to English National Ballet star Nancy Osbaldeston to delve into the life of a professional ballet dancer. Having starred in both the ENB’s productions of The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty this season, as well as being nominated for Emerging Dancer Award, Nancy is more than used to the rigorous training schedule and regimen that ballet dancers have to cope with. ‘We had a three week rehearsal period to put together The Nutcracker this year, which was in between performances of Sleeping Beauty on tour. After the shows I move on to a ten minute ice bath for my feet and calves, which stops them getting clogged and prevents any injuries. I stretch out any tight muscles to cool down my body to make sure I’m not stiff when I wake up the next morning’.

Nancy continued ‘taking time to relax as a ballet dancer is a necessity. Our lifestyle is tough and hectic at times, which takes its toll on the body. Our body is our career so we have to look after it and any time off

is spent giving it some much needed care and attention. Epsom salts in a hot steamy bath is perfection. I also find doing my nails quite relaxing, a DIY manicure coupled with a gentle exfoliating face mask give me the perfect excuse to sit still and relax. ‘ As we moved on to discuss the makeup traditions of ballet I felt rather more in my element. The defined eyes and romantic buns of the ballerinas are just as much a part of the show as the fluttering tutus. ‘It has to be quite heavy so that the audience can see the definition of your face, we need false eyelashes, bright lipstick and chiseled cheekbones’ said Nancy. Each dancer is trained how to apply their makeup perfectly for performances. MAC Cosmetics Senior Artist Caroline Donnelly works together with the English National Ballet to create the looks that make it to the stage. For Caroline the makeup is hugely dependent upon the context of the production, however the key products that will always hold a place in her kit include MAC

Paintpot in Groundwork (£14.50) for contouring, and products such as Studio Fix Fluid (£20.50), Blot Powder Pressed (£20.00) and Fluidline in Blacktrack (£14.00) which are perfect for creating an even matte skin finish, defining the eyes and all pack a great deal of staying power, an essential when under the hot lights of the stage.

A day in the life of Nancy 8am Wake up to a breakfast of salmon, poached egg and toast.

11am Travel to the theatre for a class then grab a coffee before beginning work on hair.

2.30pm Begin the matinee performance.

4.30pm At the end of the show stretch down and eat chicken salad, a banana and drink a Lucozade Sport then warm up for the evening performance.

7.30pm Evening performance begins.

9.30pm A cool down and ice bucket follow the fall of the curtain.

11pm Collapse into bed at home and get a good night’s sleep ready for the next

Nancy’s Ballet Inspired Beauty Tips For the perfect ballet bun put your hair in a ponytail and backcomb the free hanging section of hair then shape into a bun. This will give the bun more volume and help it keep its shape.

Put mascara on whilst looking down into a mirror.

Holding the mirror underneath allows you to coat each lash perfectly.

To achieve a beautiful French roll, hold your hair in a ponytail position, flip the hair upwards over your finger, then twist. Once in place hold your finger within the roll and pin loosely. Pin more securely once you have gently wiggled your finger free. page. 34

In Pursuit Of A Ballet Body Pirouette back to ballet school The central school of ballet runs adult classes throughout the week in the evenings and on Sundays. At £8 for an hour and a half’s worth of tuition, the lessons are more than worth the fee. I resolved to begin the year with my first class and continue faithfully from then on. As I walked through the doors of the ballet school, on Herbal Hill just off Clerkenwell Road, I could hear the tinkling of the pianos and muffled instructions of the teachers and was a gasp away from clapping my hands together in nostalgic delight! I skipped up the stairs to the changing room where student ballet skirts and well worn pointe shoes hung from coat hooks, before making my way to the studio for my own (slightly less demanding) class.

David Kierce – a well respected dancer and teacher within the industry – teaches an Absolute Beginners Class.

This comprised of an hour at the barre, before moving to the centre of the room to put our balance into practice. To finish we chasséd across the room, feeling every inch the white swan. David is at once enthusiastic and hilarious in his

encouragement, but strict and informative in his criticism. As we pliéd and rose to the piano music, the sense of achievement that was realized if he walked past without altering your deportment is indescribable. I simply cannot recommend this class enough, and the level of tuition for the cost of the class makes it nothing but a gift. The workout is low impact yet intense, and exiting the studio glistening with perspiration will make you feel like a perfectly devout ballerina. And in any case, shopping for ballet shoes is such fun!

For more information visit www.centralschoolofballet.co.uk.

For more tailored tuition, founder of Ballet Ensemble London Sophie Adams offers private classes. Sophie has specializes in Russian Classical and RAD technique and teaches both dancers with previous experience, and those simply seeking to build a strong core and improve posture. Classes begin with a Russian classical work out to warm up, then a simple barre session concentrating on technique and placement before moving to the centre to focus on grace and poise.

For more information email sophie-adams@hotmail.co.uk.

Swap the studio barre for the breakfast bar and get ballet fit at home Ballet Beautiful is a plan centered on ballet methods that allows non-dancers to work towards the long, strong and graceful figure of a ballerina. Mary Helen Bowers created the programme and is credited for training both Nathalie Portman and Mila Kunis for their respective roles in Black Swan. She danced with the New York City Ballet for 10 years and, following an injury, began experimenting with exercises to build endurance and strength, eventually developing Ballet Beautiful.

Classic Swan Arms Starting Position: Stand with your neck and shoulders as relaxed as possible, your feet in either first or second position and your knees slightly bent. Keep yourself lifted but not stiff, your hands should remain graceful and relaxed.

Meet me at the barre tee £50, shrug £49, track pants £65, dance vest £59, dance cami (worn underneath) £39, leggings £55, all Sweaty Betty available at www.sweatybetty.com

Ballet Fashion Just to make our sojourn into ballet even more worthwhile, Sweaty Betty have teamed up with the English National Ballet to create a range of dusky hued sports wear that is the perfect (and far more flattering) alternative to a leotard and tights.

Available at www.sweatybetty.com.

• Pull in through your stomach and open your chest.

Keep your neck long and stretch your arms out to the side into second position.

• Drop and bend your elbows down without collapsing your chest – keep your chest open and lifted.

• Lower your arms, then lift your elbows and raise your arms from the elbow, lifting your hands to your shoulders. You can begin slowly and add more speed as you become more comfortable with the movement.

• Lower your arms again and lift, staying lifted and open through your center and chest. Imagine that you are moving through water. Repeat for 8 counts and do 4 sets.

One –Leg Extension for the Lower Abs Starting position: Begin sitting on a mat with your legs in front of you.

• Stretch your legs out long on the mat.

• Pull back and pull your stomach in tight, with your arms in first position.

• Lift one leg off the floor about 10 to 20 degrees.

• Keeping the leg lifted, lean back, pulling your stomach in and lifting to the starting position. Note that you are working your abs here – the movement is in your core, not in your leg. Your leg should stay steady, lifted at 10 to 20 degrees. Repeat for 8 counts and do 4 sets.

Ballet Beautiful by Mary Helen Bowers (Vermilion, £14.99)

page. 35

KC R e vi e w Wa l k i n g To u r s

We’re feeling adventurous, and heading to neighbouring borough Westminster for an in-depth into the notorious Chinatown. Dave Drummond explores, with a little help from top chef Jeremy Pang page. 36

“There are two things that the West left in Hong Kong”, Jeremy Pang says, standing outside Kowloon Restaurant’s bakery in Chinatown. “One is spam, and the other is ketchup.” Behind him, in the window of the bakery, among egg tarts and pork buns (which are excellent – barbecue roasted pork baked into a semi brioche bun, it’s the breakfast of kings) are spam pastries. I know little about Hong Kong, having never been. I also know very little about Chinatown – an area which has arguably brought over the same misconceptions of Chinese cuisine that ketchup and spam has of Western tastes – but that’s part of the reason why I’m with Jeremy Pang. A man of meagre height, bristling with energy, an incredibly youthful face but the weathered hands of a seasoned chef, he gave up his career with Samsung to pursue his love of food. It’s a back story which is increasingly painting the history of chefs across the capital, but Jeremy has returned to a food ingrained in his blood: Chinese food.

We’re in Chinatown as part of a one day course he runs called Flavours of Asia at his cookery school, School of Wok. Started as a centre for teaching Chinese cuisine, Pang tells me as we wander the streets of a slowly waking up Chinatown that it’s developed into something of a centre for Pan Asian cookery.

Currently the school runs Vietnamese, Indian, Thai and Japanese cookery sessions, consult on restaurants across the country and are in the process of developing a range of take away dishes, entirely devoid of the so loved ingredient of the traditional British Chinese takeaway, MSG. But good Chinese food, he says, doesn’t use MSG. It’s not that it’s the devil ingredient that it’s often made out to be, but it’s just not necessary. “Takeaways often skip out steps like lengthy marinating,” he tells me over coffee before we set out, and so if you go about cooking Chinese food properly something as enhancing as MSG would likely detract, rather than improve on its flavour.

As with most of Pang’s one day tours we start with a Chinatown tour, and it quickly becomes clear that our guide knows the area. However, he’s aware that coming to visit has had its deterrents. For at least a 10 year stretch neither him nor his family, who first arrived on UK shores in the second half of the 20th Century, would have even entertained the idea of venturing to Chinatown to eat. “The Chinese are good businessmen,” he says, and so it’s natural that before long, cost cutting became the primary aim of many a Chinatown restaurant. For the uninitiated, the flavours of China must have been just as exotic and enticing when enclosed in MSGladen, deep fried, neon sauces, and so the reasoning was, ‘why bother ensuring it was good quality’?

But as Pang is more than aware, and excellent at demonstrating, Chinese food and Chinatown, is breaking away from the old view. A new generation came to take on the family restaurants and set about rejuvenating their food, and consequently the area. Kowloon is our first stop, but it’s not our only. We wander further down Gerrard Street to a supermarket where Pang talks us through the vegetables (of which I must admit I recognise nearly none), sitting on the street outside. We find kai-lan, choy sum and morning glory – so called because it is the first vegetable to rise to the morning’s sunrise – while inside

the delicacies of tofu are explained (porous, the harder kind is best used in stir frys, while non porous is a far more delicate thing, better suited to soups).

We turn into Wardour street and pass the Four Seasons, with its roasted meats hanging in the window. The duck is crisped to breaking point, something Pang says you can only find in real Chinese restaurants due to the type of ducks they bring in – these specific ones being imported from China.

The reason he says, is that UK laws don’t allow for the same techniques (feathers steamed off, air blown into the duck to separate skin from meat, air dried), to be used, and so the results are often the soggy, uninspiring birds one might come to expect after ordering your food from a window display.

We finish our tour in Jen Cafe, sitting down to dumplings and bubble tea. The dumplings are excellent, all made fresh in the window by a woman so quick with her dainty rolling pin it’s as if it isn’t there. The bubble tea, with its aimless globs of tapioca floating listlessly in the tea, blocking the straw and then in a rush of sucking my throat, is not to my taste. But then, I already knew I didn’t like bubble tea, I only thought I didn’t like Chinatown.

Chinatown Picks Dumplings: Jen Cafe There’s plenty of competition, and this is by no means the only source of good dumplings, but it does have arguably the most pleasant staff in Chinatown. There’s not a great deal of variation in fillings, but make sure you try both steamed and pan fried. Wash it down with a bubble tea – another of their specialities – if you’re that way inclined.

4 Newport Pl Leicester Square, UK WC2H 7 Roast Meat: Four Seasons No hidden gem, the Four Seasons is well known for its roast duck – once named by the Financial Times as the best in the world. Crispy and fragrant, it doesn’t disappoint, nor does the barbecued pork, or crispy pork belly. Go hungry, but don’t expect to hang around.

12 Gerrard Street, W1D 5PR Food on the Move: Baozi Inn Takeaway In between Jen Cafe and Baozi Inn restaurant is a takeaway counter where page. 37

you can pick up excellent Sichuanese snacks for food on the move. The best are the skewers of fish, meat and vegetables cooked in a spicy broth, but equally as tempting are the steamed baozi. All incredibly cheap (skewers are little over a pound each), if you’re walking past it’s almost impossible not to make a visit.

27 Newport Court WC2H 7JS Regional Cuisine: The regionalisation of Chinese cuisine has undoubtedly contributed greatly to its quality, and indeed its popularity..

A hodge podge of every Chinese dish under the sun sweating under hot lamps are a thing of the past, and some of the better regional restaurants are to be found in Chinatown, two worth visiting are: Manchurian Legends Serving food from Dongbei, the northeast region of China, Manchurian Legends has recently moved premises. Not that this affects its quality, however. Favouring the messy bits of animals, don’t go if you’re looking for sweet and sour chicken balls. Do go if you’re after stir fried pig’s intestine with leek.

16 Lisle Street, London Chinatown WC2H 7BE Empress of Sichuan By far the current most popular of Chinese regional cuisines, Sichuan food is dominated by intense, spicy flavours. It’s certainly not for those with sensitive mouths (a dish could be as simple as a plate of chillies stir fried in oil), but it is worth it if you can handle the heat. Perhaps slightly more expensive than your average, The Empress of Sichuan can be inconsistent, but get it on a good day and you can’t beat any number of its fiery plates.

6-7 Lisle St, WC2H 7BG

A d v e rto ri a l

Celebrate the perfect Valentine’s evening with an award-winning, delicious fillet steak from London’s best butcher Lidgate’s Valentine’s Dinner for Two: Hand selected Scotch fillet steak with sautéed potatoes and creamy horseradish dressing page. 38

Ingredients 5 tbs (100ml), olive oil 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 1 tbs finely chopped thyme leaves 2 x Lidgates hand selected Scotch beef fillet. (Allow to reach room temperature prior to cooking) 2 red peppers 750g potatoes (King Edward or Desiree) wash, peeled, cut into 3cm cubes 1 tbs sweet  paprika 170ml creme fraiche 2 tbs horseradish sauce 2 tbs fresh chives Chopped 2 tbs good quality balsamic vinegar(the quality makes a big difference) 150g baby rocket leaves Quick and Easy Cooking Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 2. Mix1 tbs of olive oil, the garlic and half of the thyme.

3. Rub this mix into the steaks (covering evenly). Marinate for approximately 20 minutes.

4. Grill the peppers until the skin is slightly blackened and charred. Cool, then remove skin and seeds. Then slice the peppers into thin strips and set aside.

5. Mix the chopped potatoes with 2 tbs olive oil, the paprika and remaining thyme. Then place on a large baking tray, and roast for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through and crisp.

6. Mix together the remaining olive oil and vinegar, season, and mix with the peppers slices and rocket. Place potatoes on plates, top with salad.

7. Cook fillet steaks 3mins each side (rare) or 4 mins each side (medium) in a pre-heated frying pan or griddle. Leave to rest in a warm place for about 5-10mins before serving.

8. Mix the crème fraiche, horseradish and chives, and season with salt and pepper and drizzle over the juicy steak and salad www.lidgates.com page. 39

Memorable Dining, Desirable Drinks Spend an evening to remember in the stylish surroundings of Aubrey Bar & Restaurant. Sip cocktails from our award winning mixologist Alessandro Pizzoli and experience British cuisine with a French influence.

109-113 Queen’s Gate, South Kensington, London SW7 5LR at the

For more details please visit doylecollection.com/kensington

Dri n k

“Wine comes in at the mouth And love comes in at the eye” – Yeats

Alexander Ducasse discusses the wines that vinophiles love With the official day of romance in the air, my mind has been filled with thoughts of past, present, future and alcoholic love. The impetus was having the luxurious option of bringing my own to a Vietnamese restaurant. Having just snagged a bottle from one of London’s great independent wine shops, I was quickly reintroduced to the wine that started this love affair all those years ago: Riesling. It still divides opinion: receiving almost hyperbolic praise by critics whilst UK sales seem largely indifferent. Instead, the spectre of Blue Nun seems to loom large amongst younger generations that weren’t even around to experience its heyday.

The wine that sparked the nostalgia of my first vinous love was a bottle of 2009 Dr. Loosen Ürziger Würzgarten Riesling Auslese (£32.50, The City Beverage Company, www.citybeverage.co.uk). Auslese wines are harvested in late November and early December- months after most harvests. This extra time on the vine allows the grapes to further develop in both flavour and aroma intensity. The bouquet is opulent, bursting with melon, jasmine, pink grapefruit and hints of nutmeg and flint. At four years of age, the palate was lush yet mouth-watering due the refreshing acidity of the Riesling grape. The initial sweetness from that extra time spent on the vine reminded me of clementines in syrup yet the wine finished crisp with the tang of blood orange zest. It’s pure hedonism, but luckily at 7.5 ABV you can savour more than a glass and still keep your daily units in check.

My current love, that I’ll be seeing on Valentine’s Day, is altogether different. I’m a passionate admirer of Champagne, but even more so of bucking conventionalism. Luckily for me, the sparkling wines of the Franciacorta region in NorthEastern Italy offer the perfect solution. The grapes used are similar to Champagne: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but Pinot Meunier is substituted for Pinot Bianco. The vinification is Traditional Method and the ageing demanded equals or exceeds the legal minimums held for Champagne.

My flavour of the month, Bellavista (£29.95 for the Brut NV on www.slurp.co.uk), blows away Champagne at the same price. It is delicate and ethereal like vintage lace, but deeply concentrated. The nose is deliciously floral with notes of pear whilst the palate is dry with Fuji apple and brioche flavours. I usually find similarly priced Champagnes at this price range to be austere, lemony demons and no Prosecco I’ve had to date (but would love to be proved wrong) comes close in complexity nor show such a balance between freshness and the mature flavours that only develop from years of ageing.

The 2007 Brut Rosé (£42.65, also from slurp.co.uk) has a delicious aroma of dried white roses and matched perfectly to a dinner with dishes ranging from roasted balsamic vegetable ravioli to a slowly cooked osso buco.

Let it not be said though that love isn’t a bit superficial, as the Bellavista bottles themselves are beautiful and custom-made. page. 41

Bottle of the Month Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d’Or Rosé 2005 vintage, £120 Champagne Palmes d’Or Rosé 2005 was created more than 25 years ago by Mr Nicolas Feuillatte, as a tribute to an opera diva he once met in New York, where he was living at the time. With its sensual shape and honeycombed sides that capture the light to magnificent effect, Palmes d’Or Rosé 2005 Vintage makes the perfect drink to celebrate Valentine’s Day with extravagance and lavishness.

Available at John Lewis online www.johnlewis.com

R e sta u r a n t R e vi e w s

Koffmann’s at The Berkeley Hotel Wilton Place, SW1 www.the-berkeley.co.uk words: SL A true traditionalist at heart, Pierre bases his cuisine on his grandmother’s recipes- recipes dating back to his SwissGermanic roots, where service was the basis of true Swiss hospitality. His early career was marked for greatness after graduating from the prestigious Ecole Hoteliere de Tarbes in France, and institution with an uncanny reputation for carving out the careers of the World’s best chefs. But it was only when Pierre came to the UK in 1970, to work as Sous-Chef at Le Gavroche, under the expert guise of the Roux brothers- Michel and Albert- that his flair began to really shine.

When in 1977 Pierre opened his first restaurant ‘La Tante Claire’, Michel and Albert became the backers, along with Michael Caine. The restaurant went on to top the gastronomic league, after receiving a total of 3 Michelin stars in it’s heyday.

With the roaring success that was La Tante Claire, Pierre moved the venue to the Berkeley in 1998 where it became the resident restaurant until it closed in 2003.

Pierre then officially retired, although he continued to focus on a number of consultancy projects for the Bleeding Heart, Brasserie St Jacques and the Royal Opera House.

However, he found the lure of the kitchens too much to hang up his apron strings for, and returned to the spotlight yet again when Koffmann’s opened at the Berkeley in 2010.

Koffmann is widely acclaimed for translating good, simple honest fare into sophisticated offerings without becoming a slave to trends. He considers the rewards of a chef in simply granting pleasure to his customers. Not one, for succumbing to the whims of creating experimental concoctions that claim column inches, he remains a master of doing what he does best: classic cuisine – and doing it well.

An evening at the Berkeley can’t fail when it comes to an unforgettable experience of traditional elegance reminiscent of a bygone age. The customer is treated with courtesy that often gets overlooked in today’s rushed world. Truly a trip back to the Gatsby era, where the excesses of the idle rich were pandered to, whatever you want and whichever way you want it done.

On our visit, we found the clientele to be mostly filled with business travelers and couples staying at the hotel. The menu was quite a script to study. It took us beyond our starter to actually make our minds up. I opted for a starter of Langoustines and Scallops in a coconut and coriander broth delicately infused with its complementary Pan-Asian flavours (this is as far from Classic French that Pierre will venture).

My companion’s choice was directed by a yearning for the snails simmering in garlic butter in a cocotte, topped with

emulsion. He found the emulsion to be ‘restaurant froth’ and thought it did little to add to the dish, other than pave the way for the final ‘coup de grace’ of the garlic sauce that oozed through. His resounding impression though, was of an addictive and wholesome dish.

Our palates were prepared with 2 delicious amuse bouches before and after our starter. Firstly, we were given a mini version of the chef’s signature dish of pig’s trotters presented as a breadcrumb coated parcel of the delicacy that tempted you into wanting more. Before the standing ovation of the main course- we were presented with another speciality of the chef - squid in a Bolognese sauce. My reservations over Bolognese and seafood being made for a partnership, were quickly tossed aside, as the divinely aromatised sea salt flavour of the squid was not lost in indignation. The Bolognese sauce was not too heavy and rich to drown the squid, as you may well have thought.

It turned out to be an expertly crafted testimony to subtle flavours and texture working in harmony.

We were in for a treat with our main courses. When my companion saw my beef fillet with foie gras and truffle, he wished he had gone for it even more, but still felt the signature dish of pig’s trotters had to be experienced. Both dishes arrived after an impeccably timed wait of no more page. 42

than 20 minutes, perfectly presented with their myriad of textures packed into gourmandly copious portions.

My beef fillet could not be faulted – it was exemplary.

The thick slab of fine meat slid off my knife, the foie gras slithered, and the truffle finished the dish with an aroma of sheer decadence to be savoured in its indulgence. My companion’s dish was rather less refined in its composition, with more than a leaning towards what used to be peasant food. Definitely to be missed if you are counting the calories, and not a first date dish either as eating it femininely could be unforgiving. A rich, fatty, tasty and tender episode, that, according to my companion, could have benefited from even more of the sauce. To the observer’s eye, it appeared to be more than well served with it. But such is not getting enough of a good thing!

As ever, I passed on dessert, having helped myself to the delicious bread baked on the premises, laced with olive, parmesan, and sun-dried tomato. I was amazed, though that my companion was able to find place for the giant mound of pistachio soufflé that he decided on for dessert. Thoroughly pleased I had brought such a devout food appreciator with me, we looked on at this assault course with amazement.

The sponge sprang off the fork, and each bite was as soft and fluffy as cotton wool clouds.

Big Easy 332 Chelsea Park Gardens, SW3 www.bigeasy.co.uk words: Coco Khan For the travelbugs amongst you, you’ll know that Big Easy is the nickname for the swinging city of New Orleans. It earned its name from its burgeoning red light district and unique form of swing jazz (infectious to say the least) that permeated the air of the various quarters. The international influences are carved into the makeup of New Orleans- literally, in terms of the names of its various districts. The Latin Quarter, the French Quarter, Amsterdam Avenue and God knows how many others that have found their way into the works of New Orleans’ biggest fan, Tennessee Williams. It’s this 50s-ish spirit that is encapsulated in Chelsea’s Big Easy, whilst having all the touches of modern Americana one could desire.

On approach to the King’s Road eatery the difference is obvious. It’s red lanterns in the window and live blues music filtering onto the street give the diner an immediate feeling that something special is going on. We’ve booked a table but walk-in guests are being turned away from the door.

They’re in the middle of a special festival that celebrates the permanent fixture on its menu- Maine Lobster. It’s obvious that local produce is not at the top of Big Easy’s agenda and whilst that might leave a sour taste, it epitomises what Big Easy aims to offer- real New Orleans, including the parts that might not marry to a European palette.

Most people in the restaurant are tucking into the lobster deals, but a look through the menu reveals there’s plenty more. It’s all big bold and American foods. Burgers, fries in little red baskets, huge slurpy shakes, everything served on table-filling platters with a good old slice of Southern Hospitality. The restaurant boasts a number of All You Eat Deals (All You can Eat shrimp, fajitas, BBQ) The wine list is great but can feel at odds with the ambience. Instead, it’s the extensive list of American Craft Beers that raises eyebrows.

I have to confess I’m no beer lover and was disappointed in the limited cocktail options - though why anyone would want to look beyond the colourful, tacky and absolutely perfect frozen margarita that Big Easy pride themselves on is somewhat baffling.

It’s the seafood element that distinguishes Big Easy from other American Diners in our capital, and indeed distinguishes New Orleans from other Southern cuisines.

You’re not going to find any fried chicken here. Instead its shrimp and lobster, spiced, sauced and eaten with sticky fingers as would be done back ‘home’.

Before we order, I’m already quite in love with Big Easywhich is a good thing too because the food is not perfect.

We order crab claws and potato skins to start. Both come swiftly, with comedy-sized bib emblazoned with Big Easy for added effect, and all the tools needed to crack into those claws. It’s ceremonious eating when it comes to shellfish and the restaurant maximise that pleasure perfectly.

For mains my partner orders a steak and lobster combo that fills him to brim. The ingredients are clearly of great quality and are left to fend for themselves in the mouth, with little else than some light seasoning and steak sauce. It works, and it works even better in comparison to my plate. I order a BBQ platter that combines short ribs, shrimp and a chicken breast. It arrives exactly as a I want it to look but I am unable to get more than a few bites in. I am admittedly under the weather on this cold winter night, perhaps I daresay rather unwell, but the food is smothered with thick, cloying and overly sticky BBQ sauce (or in the shrimp case, a sweet and sour sauce). I try to find a part of the meal untouched by the drenching and am unable to salvage much of it. The few mouthfuls I eat I enjoy but quickly it becomes too much and I can’t eat much more. I end up leaving half the plate.

But I’m not disappointed. If you come to Big Easy looking for fine dining, you’re in the wrong place. This is about the eating experience of a hot Southern American town, an independent shack where ingredients are pulled fresh from the neighbouring sea or ranch, and this restaurant does brilliantly at maintaining that. As for all the bombast and sometimes overpowering flavours- well that’s just home Southern American cooking I’m afraid, and you can like it or lump it. Despite leaving half my meal I am still positively full (that’s US portions for you) and feel invigorated by this little piece of Louisiana in our backyard. It’s no big ask to admire this place, it’s just one big easy.

The Athenaeum Hotel 116 Piccadilly, W1 www.athenaeumhotel.com words: Coco Khan The Athenaeum is a luxury five star hotel that can be found upon the Piccadilly- on the cusp of Hyde Park corner in fact.

It shares its vicinity with a number of top hotels including the Mandarin Oriental whose two restaurants are headed up by two culinary giants - Heston Blumenthal and Daniel Boulud.

It’s a tough act to follow, but it appears that the Athenaeum isn’t trying to.

Upon entering the hotel, it is clear the hotel is upmarket, even if a little bit too contrived. It’s lobby is clean and sharp; it has white marble-like surfaces and glass panes dotted throughout to give it a leisurely air. We move through the cosy looking whisky bar to a red painted room. This is the main dining room, and it seems to be rather empty tonight (Friday).

The decor is lovely, but again without much character, and our first waitress makes us feel almost uncomfortable with the protocol around journalists- ‘you must have only one bottle of wine between you’. Okay okay…

It feels as though the evening is on a downward spiral.

We open the a la carte menu to find a selection of British cuisine. My partner and I are big fans of British cooking but fail to find, after much exhaustive searching, anything on the a la carte that screams unique or interesting. Steak and chips are wonderful, but at a hotel charging over £200 a night, you expect more. It’s worth pointing out that the items on the a la carte menu are available at all times and to your room and so in this way it deserves credit. For people travelling with children or keeping late hours, this option is a dream come true and at reasonable cost (£16-£35 per main). For the gourmand, not so much.

It is here that my eye catches ‘The Daily Changing Menu’.

This menu was new to us having not seen it online (precisely because its ever changing) and had exactly what we wanted: flair. My partner and I ordered a warm quail’s egg salad and potted crab starter that hit the mark precisely. This isn’t the kind of thing you’re going to find on Great British Menu but for two people very familiar with the restaurant world, we were pleased to see such variation from the a la carte menu and understanding of cooking technique demonstrated from the chef. For mains we tucked into venison and rabbit, each served with a variety of well-executed vegetables including braised cabbage, kale and parmentier potatoes; well presented, albeit small portions. For desert my partner opted for port and I the fondant. We were again pleased and satisfied.

It’s difficult to sound more enthusiastic about The Athenaeum. Though everything was well executed, it was sadly rather forgettable and I am unsure if I was as pleased as I ended up simply because I was so certain it would be page. 43

a failure initially. However, there’s one thing that must be considered. The Daily Changing Menu is a veritable bargain.

For three courses you can expect to pay £24 including coffee and truffles. To get three courses in this location for that price is absolutely bonkers, so the fact it wasn’t the kind of kitchen that will cause the food world to ripple? So what. It’s good enough, and it’s fair, and these days in the heart of West London, that’s the rarest gift of all.

View of Helsinki Cathedral

T R AV EL

A Weekend in the City Spare 48 hours? Alan Fielden makes the case and tells you all you need to know for an excursion to Finland’s capital Every now and then Helsinki blows up. One can occasionally feel the mammoth booms of controlled explosions in the distance, clearing the super-tough granite bedrock for new, undoubtedly clean-lined triumphs of modern architecture.

Something about these quirky demolitions, met with nary a blink by the tranquil locals, surmises for me the unconventional, unique atmosphere of Helsinki. A city of contrasts; previously ruled over by Swedes then Russians, technologically cutting-edge yet deeply holistic, hosts of Ice Hockey world championships and mobile phone throwing contests. Helsinki is quietly, refreshingly mad -

rarely a city of extremes but a place of calm depth – a depth that reveals itself warmly, whether through a quiet, brisk stroll or an all-night bout of Nordic revelry.

Food Finnish food – I thought it’d be all herring and ice. It turned out to be some of the best food I’ve ever had. Similarly to every other field, Finnish cuisine is inventive yet unaffected with Eastern and Western influences adapted to idiosyncratic Finnish flair. Whilst the stereotypical obsession with berries and seafood rings true, more internationally minded page. 44

restaurants are creating food that’s truly innovative. Try out the pioneering work of one of Finland’s star restaurateur’s, Antto Melasniemi at Kuurna, Ateljé Finne and Puttes Bar&Pizza.

Take a guess which country is the world’s greatest coffee consumer per capita, so much so that tax breaks are written into the law. I was surprised too (I assume it’s to face those morning chills). This doesn’t necessarily translate into quality of coffee – the Finns are said (typically by those snobby Swedes) to have somewhat bad taste, so gems like Caneli Café and Kahvila Sävy stand out further more for their more refined blends. With coffee in hand, head out to Kauppatori

You may have heard of iconic design brand Marimekko, currently taking over the world with their bright and playful style. There’s no better place to peruse than their Marimekko Factory Shop, offering their full catalogue along with unique offcuts and tasters.

Trademark Finnish conscientiousness in perfect harmony with their design-love can be found in Globe Hope. Based in a renovated cultural centre opposite the impressive Senate Square, GH create their novel line of clothing from recycled parachutes, boat sails, army tents and everything between.

Every item comes with a little story noting its origins.

Note: most shops close early on Saturdays, closed Sundays.

(one of Helsinki’s main outdoor markets) and help yourself to a lovely, warm meat pie. For dessert try a traditional korvapuustit (cinnamon roll) or Terva Leijona, a kind of liquorice candy with tar flavouring.

In a squeeze never forget that Helsinki has the purest tap water in the world. It’s life changing.

Art Relative to size Helsinki is an astonishing treasure trove of culture and design, which is something of a Finnish religion.

2012 was Helsinki’s World Design Capital year during which it demonstrated on a global scale the ‘design way of life’, an obsession that infiltrates every sector of society from public space to police stations and hospitals. The Finns wholeheartedly believe that good design is at the heart of a happy society.

In particular look out of for the Helsinki Design Museum which charmingly catalogues Finnish design from the 19th century to today, the visually arresting Kiasma Museum of Contemporary Art (reminiscent of the New York’s Guggenheim), the brand new Korjamoo Culture Factory performance space complete with attached tram museum and the elegant Modernist Finlandia Hall (perhaps to catch a recital of famous Finn Sibelius).

Sauna The old saying goes that there are more saunas in Finland than cars. Here, steaming oneself isn’t so much an exotic luxury as a seamless part of everyday life. So much so that public saunas are dying off, being replaced by home installations. You’ll likely find a sauna in your hotel, though if you’re looking for something a bit more old-school check out Kotiharju Sauna in the city. Be warned, saunas are a unanimously nude affair, and there’s absolutely no funny business tolerated. Not that I tried.

Shopping Worn by Lady Gaga, Paloma Faith and Beth Ditto, and recently Elle’s Accessory Designer of the Year, even I (and by

Night Life I ended up too drunk to remember the name of the bar I ended up singing karaoke in, which is something of a shame (the deliciously moreish local viina can do that to a chap).

What I do remember is a lack of hangover, which I attribute to the exceptional tap water (life changing). Despite it’s tranquil reputation Helsinki is alive at night (though London has no need to quake in its boots just yet). The hep-cat clubbing can be found in the Kamppi and Punavuori districts (particularly Tavastia Club and Jenny Woo) whilst larger, all-embracing dance floors can be found in the city centre. Music is a wide range of international influences with Helsinki home to a thriving homegrown DJ scene. Nightclubs generally close around 4am.

Top: Uspenski Cathedral, Katajanokka, Helsinki Above: Helsinki Tram that I mean, a man) was duly impressed by Minna Parikka’s chic, surreal, eye-catching shoe boutique. “My designs are almost like love letters from one high heel shoe lover to another. Allow yourself to be playful and let a pair lead you to new adventures”. Already a national treasure, you can st find her on Finnish 1 class stamps. page. 45

Hotel I stayed at the stylish, well-situated Klaus K, featuring on-site sauna, bar, club and exceptionally chic concierges. Founded by (almost) childhood sweethearts Mia and Marc, heart, soul and a refined attention to detail is palpable. Rooms range from the lush, perfectly comfortable Passion (starting around €120 a night) up to the suitably named deluxe Envy Suite. Breakfasts are an epic and hearty affair, again with exceptional tap water.

For more information, visit www.visithelsinki.co.uk

Top: Schloss Elmau Luxury Spa & Cultural Hideaway Right: Winter Garden (Schloss Elmau)

Ich Bin Ein Bavarian There’s more to the southern, conservative region of Germany than leather trousers and sausages. But as Dave Drummond learns there is plenty of joy to be taken from leather trousers and sausages Bavaria is a region with a perhaps unfavourable reputation – not only outside of Germany, but outside of Bavaria.

The commonly held view of a Bavarian is arguably that of a lederhosen-wearing, sausage eating, beer drinking, country bumpkin. While it’s certainly true that the reality isn’t quite like the outside perception, it would be a lie to say that the stereotype doesn’t have some basis in reality. We start in Munich, spending an evening in the city before connecting to Bavaria in the morning. I’m

staying at the breathtaking Bayerischer Hof Hotel, a 350 room establishment that treads the line between German efficiency and French opulence perfectly. It’s one of the Leading Hotels of The World – and you can see why. It’s in Munich that I meet Georg Reichlmayr, an historian and tour guide as well as a born and bred Münchner. He tells me on a trip through the city that, come Oktoberfest time, he likes nothing better than to don the leather trousers, lederhosen and feathered cap, and get into the spirit of page. 46

things. We stand outside of a shop called Lodenfrey, a chic clothing store with an elegant window display. This, Georg says, is the best place to buy your lederhosen, and when they stock them (up to and during Oktoberfest), the queues run out the door.

It’s a nice feeling to be in a city that embraces its archaic history and culture as much as Munich does. And it becomes more and more apparent as I wander the streets with Georg that Münchners, and indeed Bavarians,

are very proud of their state. Bavarians, he says, count themselves as “first of all Bavarian, second European and third German.” While Berlin may have the current standing as perhaps the coolest city in Europe, it is a sprawling city which is in parts poor and dilapidated. It wears the weight of the country’s recent troublesome history in its streets.

Contrastingly, Munich, the wealthiest city in Germany, feels worlds away, with spotless pedestrianized streets and pristine, gleaming buildings. But there was a price to pay for its current beauty.

“During the second World War Munich was 90% destroyed,” Georg says, and rather than starting afresh, the city decided to rebuild exactly as it was before. The fact that it took 60 years, only being completed a decade ago, is testament to the dedication of Munich to retain its glory, and to German efficiency; it is immaculate. “Munich lives for pictures,” Georg says, and with the picturesque buildings like the Rathaus Glockenspiel on Marienplatz, a neo gothic behemoth which draws a crowd every day at 11am for its chimes, and even my hotel, the gargantuan Bayerische Hof holding itself with charming elegance, it’s hard to disagree.

Leaving the city the buildings quickly become few and far between, making way for the scenery that one might expect from Bavaria. Mountains, the forest and a lush palette of greens and yellows litter the views, which all make the idea of someone wearing lederhosen strangely more acceptable. Passing through small villages that look like they could be taken from Disneyland’s Magic Kingdom (Disney’s famous Cinderella Castle is in fact modelled on Bavaria’s Neuschwanstein Castle), I arrive at the Schloss Elmau, a hotel and spa hidden in a valley at the base of the Wetterstein mountains.

Over a hundred years old, it is lucky to still be standing after a fire tore through the main building a few years ago. General Manger Nikolai Bloyd is keen to stress the positives of the tragedy however, and tells me that the fire allowed them the chance to rebuild and to modernise the hotel. The result is impressive, not only in the renovation work, but in the fact that everything is considered. A number of bars and restaurants divide up guests to bring

I make my way up to the Elmauer Alm, a small – but incredibly busy – pub serving Bavarian staples like Weiss beer, weisswurst, pretzels and more Weiss beer, hidden up a mountain path.

Like lederhosen, the popularity of beer and sausages do little to play down the stereotypes of the Bavarians. Sweet and fragrant the weissbeer is drunk by men and women alike and is held in such high esteem by the region that as far back as 1516 Bavaria instated a “purity law”, ensuring that the only ingredients allowed in the production of beer were water, barley and hops. The results are impressive, vigorous beers, which much like the food, are of the robust variety. A typical Bavarian lunch of a weisswurst – a white, veal sausage – coming with a salty pretzel and sweet mustard, followed by apple strudel (of course), is the sort of meal that you can imagine mountain towns living on for centuries unchanged.

Sitting outside a mountainside pub, staring out across a forest which wears the colours of the changing seasons so clearly, I get the feeling that if you were to live in Bavaria you would be okay with the idea that your countrymen might think of you as a stereotype, parading around mountains with a pretzel in one hand and a wurst in your lederhosen pocket. In part because it may be true, but also because, you may not be the most fashionable, but you will be content. And for a Bavarian, that is probably enough.

Top: Blue Spa, Bayerischer Hof Hotel Above: Bayerischer Hof Hotel about privacy despite its size, while there is a calendar of cultural events, various pools catering for children, adults wanting to train and those just looking for a wade. It gives the feel of a far smaller boutique than the sizeable hotel it actually is.

I spend a crisp morning in the heated outdoor spa pool staring at an imposing, snow-capped mountain before venturing out into the outdoors. Given its isolation, should you want to leave the hotel the options are either booking a day trip, renting a bike, or walking. Opting for the latter page. 47

Schloss Elmau Luxury Spa & Cultural Hideaway www.schloss-elmau.de Tel: +49 8823 180 Rates for a double room start from 250 Euros per person, per night, for half board, which includes breakfast and dinner in the buffet restaurant. Transfers from Innsbruck cost 150 Euros each way and from Munich 180 Euros each way.

Bayerischer Hof Hotel www.bayerischerhof.de Tel: +49 89 21 20-0 Double rooms start from 350 Euros for two people sharing, excluding breakfast.

Left: The Clifton Suspension Bridge – photo, Destination-Bristol Right: The Bristol Hotel - The River Grille

Stayc at i o n

Bristol The capital of the West Country is a place where contemporary culture and maritime heritage combine, making it one of the UK’s finest staycation spots- a fact only made better by The Bristol Hotel words: Stephen Slocombe

Visitors approaching the centre of Bristol are greeted by a huge, painted mural welcoming them to “The Mild Mild West”. The handiwork of globally renowned Bristolian street artist and one man myth-machine, Banksy, it depicts riot police being confronted by a giant teddy bear, and neatly alludes to the play of contrasting elements that define the nature of this city - contemporary yet historic, connected yet apart, a sizeable metropolis exuding a laid-back, almost countryside feel in parts.

In recent years, it has been its contributions to contemporary culture for which Bristol has gained most attention. It is the unofficial home to UK street art - the aforementioned Banksy piece being voted the ‘Alternative Landmark of Bristol’, and the annual ‘See No Evil’ graffiti festival run with the council’s blessing. The work has transformed the city centre (including, ironically, the former Police Station) into a giant, brightly embellished outdoor gallery of outsider art du jour. In music - from the early 90s ‘Bristol Sound’ of acts like Massive Attack and Portishead, through the Mercury Prize winning Reprazent, to the dubstep pioneers of today - in digital creativity, in street style and even in animation (Aardman Animation is based here), Bristol’s position at the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist has made it an attractive place to live, to visit and to do business for those of a contemporary, social and cultural persuasion.

For those looking for a more traditional, sight-seeing type city break, Bristol also has a lot to offer. Its history is inextricably linked to the sea - at one time it was the second largest port in the UK, playing a major role in the infamous trade triangle between England, the Caribbean and Africa throughout the 16th-19th centuries. This maritime heritage is still strongly evident in the city today, with the harbour in

the centre of the city now a thriving area full of museums, galleries, bars and restaurants. Bristol is also home to the SS Great Britain, the largest ship anywhere in the world in its mid-19th Century heyday, and now an award-winning museum attraction and visitor ship, boasting an enviable three Michelin stars. The ship was built by legendary Victorian engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, who was also responsible for the Clifton Suspension Bridge, another local attraction that spans the dramatic Avon Gorge, offers fantastic views of the City and beyond, and has become the symbolic icon of the city today.

It is in the harbour that The Bristol Hotel can be found, superbly located on the waterfront and within strolling distance of key cultural venues such as the Watershed (Bristol’s leading cinema and digital arts space), the Arnolfini (the city’s premiere contemporary art space) and the M-Shed.

The M- Shed is an innovative museum, opened in 2011 in a former wharfside transit shed, documenting the history of Bristol, including significant input from local residents through their contribution of written words, memories and everyday objects; it epitomises the cooperative and cultural Bristol spirit.

Whilst its location is historic, the Bristol Hotel itself, both outside and inside throughout its communal areas, is a paean to contemporary chic: clean, uncluttered lines; ample yet not excessive space; minimal yet subtly humanised decor. This feel was continued in our room. The king bedded room is spacious, tasteful and easy to relax and unwind in. The bed itself was extremely comfortable, and we were provided with all the touches one expects from a luxury hotel - monogrammed robes and slippers and artisan-esque toiletries - plus a couple - including a frequently restocked personal Nespresso machine - that added a little something extra. page. 48

The hotel has a restaurant (the River Cafe Grille), a bar (The River Lounge), and a cafe/bar (The Shore), all of which look out onto the water of the docks through a large, glass facade. Breakfast was buffet style, and had everything one could ask for, from Continental pastries, cold cuts, cereals and smoothies to a full English. It is served in the River Grille, which in daylight is light and airy. At night-time, the space is transformed, with the twinkling of lights from the docks outside giving the space a more romantic, ceremonial ambience.

The dinner menu offers a good range of options, is modern yet accessible, and ticks all the requisite foodie boxes such as locally sourced, seasonal produce, dishes served on a variety of non-plate objects and the odd touches of deconstruction. After a day spent walking around the city we ordered heartily, and were pleased with everything we got - the ‘Celebration of Game’ being the stand-out dish.

The restaurant is generally busy, and locals (ie non-hotel residents) flock here, particularly at weekends, as it’s one of the better restaurants in town. For the spoiled London foodie, although it won’t necessarily give you anything you haven’t seen before, it will easily keep you in the style you are accustomed to. After our long day, we requested to take our dessert back to our rooms, and the staff were understanding and obliging, as indeed they were throughout our stay. In short, lThe Bristol Hotel like the city itself is the perfect mix of smart, contemporary and professional, friendly and welcoming, and well worth a visit.

The Bristol Hotel Prince St , BS1 Rooms start from £89 www.doylecollection.com/bristol

m oto ri n g

Purrfect for Cruising Adrian Foster waxes lyrical about the Jaguar XJ 3.0L Diesel Portfolio SWB Once upon a time, Jaguar advertisements in publications such as Autocar magazine carried the strap line ‘Grace, Space, Pace’. And back then the compliment was awarded to deserving models such as the Jaguar E-Type, Mark X and the ground-breaking Mark 2. More recently, models such as the XJ-S, the dreadful X-Type, the latter-day S-Type and the first-generation XJ saloons have been deemed by many as unworthy of carrying the noble ‘growler’ badge. Happily, foreign ownership has restored those traditional hallmarks to more recent models such as the new F-Type sports car, the inspired XF range and the latest XJ saloon, tested here.

Flagship model Launched in May 2010, the new Jaguar XJ is described

by Jaguar as ‘sleek, sporting and sophisticated’ and ‘a thoroughly modern interpretation of the quintessential Jaguar’. I agree. The new XJ is the 4-door flagship model for Jaguar and incorporates daring new styling, standard- and long-wheelbase models and advanced new technologies.

We tested the Jaguar XJ 3.0L diesel Portfolio SWB (shortwheel base) with an OTR price tag of a shade over £66,500.

Comfort and safety Within the spacious, leather-lined cocoon of the XJ cabin has got to be one of the nicest places you could ever hope

to be. The interior looks traditional with its piped and stitched leather upholstery with subtle chrome and piano black detailing around the fittings. The panoramic glass roof creates a nice, light interior, but what I loved most was the virtual dashboard. Instead of the traditional instrument cluster, there’s a foot-wide screen on which is displayed all the information normally available through the conventional dials, such as speedometer and rev counter, along with fuel and temperature gauges.

Cutting-edge technology What is noticeable about the Jaguar XJ is the balance between performance and fuel economy from such a large vehicle. Our test car, fitted with the 3.0-litre diesel unit, incorporates cutting-edge technologies to deliver seamless performance with exceptional efficiency and refinement. The new engine is 33 percent more powerful at 275PS, the 0-60 mph sprint is completed in 6.0 seconds and the electronically governed top speed is 155mph. Fuel economy is impressive, with Jaguar quoting a combined figure of 40.1mpg, which we think is realistic, and CO2 emissions of 184g/km.

On the road I have to say I was surprised by this car’s agility and performance. From its size I expected it to be something of a lumbering giant, but far from it. It seems to shrink around page. 50

you like a well tailored suit and happily shoots away from the lights and out on the open road; it swallows the miles with effortless ease, reassuring high speed stability and surprising economy. You can tailor the car’s handling characteristics to your mood with the Jaguar Drive Control offereing variable modes ― Dynamic, for a sporting response; to Winter, for greater confidence in low-grip conditions. Something which the older XJs lacked.

Around town. I was grateful for the parking sensors and rear view camera while trying to shoehorn it into what would otherwise be a normal parking space. Even in car parks I found it overhanging the white lined box as it poked its nose and bum out at front and rear.

In Summary The price range of the XJ is wide: Three engines, four specifications and two wheelbases (standard and long) are available, and you’ll pay nearly twice as much for a top-level petrol car as for a base diesel version. However, every version has the same luxury-car feel and presence, inside and out, and all come with leather upholstery, sat-nav, climate control and an automatic gearbox. But whoever styled the XJ earns a black mark for the bulky rear end, though.

On The Road price: £66,515 For information visit: www.jaguar.com/XJ

Purchase direct from the UK’s leading designer makers

CONFERENCE & EVENTS CENTRE Next to Town Hall •

Signposted

KENSINGTON 15-17 March

Hornton St, two minutes walk from High St Kensington Station

10.00am - 5.00pm Daily • Admission £5.00

All have been selected for their superb and innovative craftsmanship and have a genuine passion for the work they create.

Many of the designer makers exhibiting will also create bespoke designs for those wishing to commission a special piece.

www.desirefair.com

Ov er pl 12 us 0 Le Exh ct ib ur it es or s

Desire has become firmly established as the “must visit” event for its stunning collection and unrivalled choice of contemporary jewellery and stylish silverware. The fair will present around 120 highly talented exhibitors, from emerging British talent to more established designer makers.

written And direCted bY dAVid Shiner

Showing in London for the firSt time!

StArting JAnUArY 5th 2013 the roYAL ALbert hALL

eS dAY! n ti n Le VA iS th e n o ed V Lo r treAt YoU

eXPerienCe the ULtimAte in hoSPitALitY ViP roUge tiCKetS now on SALe

to book this experience visit bit.ly/viprougelondon or call (00) 800 15 48 0000 between 11am to 7:30pm viprouge@cirquedusoleil.com cirquedusoleil.com