Kudos Magazine - Issue 01

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Your free lifestyle magazine for Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and surrounding areas

Autumn looks New season, new style

Royal star

Naomi Watts on playing Diana

Cosmetic surgery Brave new world

HELLO Welcome to the first issue of Kudos, the new local magazine for Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks and the surrounding areas.

For our September/October launch issue, we talked to Shoreham-born actress Naomi Watts, whose film about Princess Diana is due for release in September. We’ve also visited a cheesemaker (no calorie counting for me that day!), winemaker (erm, same again) and farmer, to find out what it’s like making a living from the land. We also met a man who’s paragliding over the Himalayas for charity (maybe I should join him to work off the cheese and wine?), and visited a stunning country mansion.

Local models show the new trends for autumn, and we put the Range Rover 3.0 TDV6 through its paces.

We’ve also got features on food, gardening and beauty. Phew!

Our aim is to bring you a magazine that really is local, about the people who live and work here and make up our community. We wanted to make it modern and stylish, filled with features that you’ll want to read.

I hope you think we’ve succeeded!

But we’re not expecting to get it all right first time, so we want to hear from you! This is a local magazine by local people, for local people, so if there’s something you want to see or say, or even something you don’t like, email us at editorial@badbettymedia.co.uk. This is a magazine for all of us – so get involved and love local life!

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Hannah Tucek Publishing Director

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Managing Director: Robin Tucek Publishing Director: Hannah Tucek Editorial Director: Ann Wallace Creative Director: Neil Constant Chief Sub-Editor: Verity Willcocks Fashion Editor: Sally-Ann Carroll Motoring Editor: Anthony ffrench-Constant Beauty Editor: Lucy Hargrave Photographer: Matt Harquail

Advertising Sales 01892 513332 Kudos Magazine is published bi-monthly by Bad Betty Media, Blackadder House, 1 Andrew Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9DN Printed by Polestar, Wakefield, West Yorkshire

While every care is taken to ensure accuracy, the publishers, authors and printers cannot accept liability for errors or omissions. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be produced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holder and publisher, application for which should be made to the publisher. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher.

KUDOS SEPT/OCT 2013

WELCOME TO KUDOS

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CONTENTS

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LOVE FEATURES Upfront 11

What’s new and happening

Pets corner 19

We name and shame

Luxury on four wheels 58

A round-up of the latest foodie news

A stunning family home with a stylish sense of history

Home, sweet home 57

The taste of success 68

Create a wildlife haven 74

Meet a high flier 90

Ideas to turn your house into a home Make your garden a sanctuary for our endangered species

The local hero who’s paragliding for charity

Property portfolio 85

LOVE CELEBRITY From Sevenoaks to superstar 20

LOVE FAMILY Best days of their lives 62

LOVE LOOKS Fashionista 16

Talking head 67

Naomi Watts on life in Hollywood and playing Princess Diana

Style on the streets

Fashion Forward 28

The latest autumn looks

Cutting edge 38

News from the world of property

Tips on settling children into their new schools, from tinies to teens Why every child deserves to feel success

Kitchen company Rencraft and 32 years of success

LOVE FOOD Rosemary’s baby 44

Business agenda 80

CONTENTS

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LOVE BUSINESS It’s all in the detail 78

The future of cosmetic surgery

Rosemary Shrager and her cookery school

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LOVE HOME AND GARDEN Thoroughly modern mansion 50

We put the Range Rover 3.0 TDV6 through its paces The joys of living off the land

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Let’s eat 49

Help and advice for small and medium-size businesses

KUDOS SEPT/OCT 2013

THE PANTILES

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LIV E LOC AL

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05:00am

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LOV E LOC AL

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K ATE SIMMS AD

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UPFRONT

What’s new and happening There’s a new theatre school in town!

Razzamataz is opening at Hayesbrook School in Tonbridge on Saturday, 21st September. It offers training in dance, drama and singing for four to 18 year olds, together with exciting opportunities to perform.

Razzamataz gained national recognition when Founder and Managing Director Denise Hutton-Gosney appeared on Dragons’ Den in 2007 and won an investment from Duncan Bannatyne. Since then, the two have gone on to create an incredibly successful formula, which has resulted in more than 40 schools opening up and down the country.

The Tonbridge school will be run by Dave Mac, who has been in the entertainment business for 35 years.

“I’ve been everything from an entertainment manager to a stand-up comedian and a cruise-ship entertainer,” says Dave.

“I was even a police officer for a while, working on covert operations because at five feet six inches, I look nothing like a police officer!”

Dave retired last year, with commendations for his work in child protection, but you can’t keep an old trouper down!

“This opportunity to become involved with Razzamataz arose,” says Dave, “and because it’s backed by Duncan Bannatyne, I thought I’d have a look at it. I met Denise, listened to what she had to say and decided it was a really good product and went for it.

“The main thing about Razzamataz is that it’s created to let kids have the maximum fun, in a safe environment. I’ve been to other Razzamatazz schools over the summer to see the set-up and to help out, and the atmosphere in all of them is fantastic.

Dave Mac in disguise

“Children learn more than singing, acting and dancing. Even at four, for instance, we start working on their confidence, their communication skills, how to interact and behave with each other – it’s all about being part of a team.

“I’m so enthusiastic about it. I’ve had a wonderful, wonderful life in entertainment and travelled the world. Obviously, Razzamataz is a business, but money is not my motivation for opening the school. It’s about staying in show business, doing something that’s fun and bringing on the next generation of entertainers.”

Razzamataz has a free taster day at The Hayesbrook School, Brook St, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 2PH on Saturday, 14th September. Cheryl Baker, singer and TV presenter, will be picking the winner of a year’s free scholarship to Razzamataz at the event. To book your child’s place, email tonbridge@razzamataz.co.uk

Win a family ticket for the pantomime spectacular Jack and the Beanstalk This year, the Assembly Hall Theatre pantomime, Jack and the Beanstalk, will star much-loved actor, TV star and Waterloo Road’s Grantley Budgen, Philip Martin Brown and children’s Hi-5 presenter Luke Roberts plus Sarah Jane Buckley from Hollyoaks in an unmissable family spectacular.

Comedian and actor Noel Brodie will play Simple Simon and completing this year’s line-up is Stephen David, who will be on hand as the hilariously over the top Dame Trott.

Featuring a larger-than-life beanstalk and one very mean giant at the top of it, this classic tale will be brought to life in the Assembly Hall Theatres’ biggest pantomime yet.

We’ve got a family ticket for two adults and two children for the opening night, 17th December, up for grabs! To enter, simply email editorial@badbettymedia.co.uk and put “Panto” in the subject box. The first correct entry picked at random after the closing date, 31st October 2013, will win the prize.

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LOV E NEWS

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Meet the team

This issue, the spotlight is on Katie Tiffin Katie Tiffin created the fun paper animals for our fashion shoot and the paper flower bouquet for our cover, and explains how she got into paper crafting.

“It all started in the run-up to my wedding. I wanted to have personal wedding stationery, but couldn’t find anything out there which fit the bill. My (then) fiancé suggested I make it myself, so I did. From that point on, I’ve been crafting away for friends and family, and started doing commissions via word of mouth.

“In June this year I started a twice-monthly stall at the Pantiles Market with my mother-in-law, and am now at the point where I sell paper-crafted goods.

“At the moment it’s a real labour of love and a hobby, but I’m starting to get myself out there with lots more markets and starting to enquire about being stocked in coffee shops and retail stores.

“As a little girl, I was encouraged to make origami and craft to distract me from my eczema, and now it’s lovely to see how other people get enjoyment from something I love doing.”

If you want to know more about Katie’s papercraft, email her at katietiffin@gmail.com or visit facebook.com/katieillustrations

Special thanks, too, to our models, local girls Victoria Coleman and Olivia Williams, and make-up artist Ellie at The Beauty Aisle. Victoria does editorial, catwalk and promotional modelling, and also fundraises for a children’s book-gifting charity, The Imagination Library, which was founded by country singer Dolly Parton.

Victoria manages the Hawkhurst affiliate. (missbritishinternational@yahoo.co.uk; www.victoriacoleman.co.uk). Olivia is a Food PR & Marketing Consultant – her company is The Bird House (olivia@the-bird-house.co.uk). Ellie at The Beauty Aisle specialises in make-up for weddings and special occasions. (www.thebeautyaisle.co.uk; tel: 07554444963; hello@thebeautyaisle.co.uk).

COMPETITION TIME – NAME THE CHEEKY SEALS! The outdoor Ice Rink is back in Calverley Grounds, Tunbridge Wells, from Friday, 22nd November to Sunday, 5th January 2014!

We have 20 seal skating aids to help the younger skaters find their feet on the ice and we need you to come up with names for them!

The winner will receive a family ticket (two adults and two children) for the Tunbridge Wells Ice Rink, plus an invitation to the special VIP ice rink launch night on Friday, 22 November.

For your chance to win, send us your suggested name on a postcard, with your name, address and phone number, by 31st October, to: Seal Giveaway, Kudos Magazine, Bad Betty Media, Blackadder House, 1 Andrew Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9DN or email your entry to sealscomp@tunbridgewells.gov.uk.

To book tickets visit www.tunbridgewellsatchristmas.com or visit the Assembly Hall Theatre or call 01892 554645.

Tickets go on sale 30 September. The onsite box office will be open from 18th November 2013. Tickets start at £8 for adults and £6 for children subject to session dates and times. Family tickets (2 adults, 2 children) start from £34.20.

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HEMSTED AD

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THE MEAD AD

WHAT’S ON

Get out and about with our pick of the local events

21 & 22 September Kent Painters’ Group Art Exhibition and Sale Sevenoaks School, TN13 1HU The weekend features a Private View, opened by Ian Palmer, BBC newsreader and broadcast journalist, and an “open for all” day on Sunday, when families and children are very welcome. The artists and sculptors are a mixture of leading local professionals and gifted amateurs, who use a wide range of media and techniques. Some of them now also exhibit in London – for example, Will Taylor and Nick Hebditch – and some who have featured in the Press, like war artist Graeme Lothian, who was hurt whilst painting in Afghanistan. KPG offers the public the opportunity to buy quality work at very modest prices without the gallery overheads, the net proceeds going directly to the supported Kent charities. www.kentpaintersgroup.co.uk 3 October Giltrap & Wakeman Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells Guitar legend Gordon Giltrap and ‘Yes’ keyboardist Oliver Wakeman have joined forces in a unique collaboration of progressive rock and classic folk music. Be prepared for an evening of beautiful compositions, wit and charm from these two masters of their crafts. www.trinitytheatre.net 4 October Stephen K Amos Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells Expect an evening of fun, warmth, big laughs and audience interaction from the master of feel-good comedy. www.trinitytheatre.net 9 October Blofeld and Baxter: Memories of Test Match Special Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells Two of the titans of UK cricket present a side-splitting show full of memories from within the Test Match Special commentary boxes all over the world. www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

10 October Ed Byrne – Roaring Forties Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells A self-confessed ‘miserable old git’ since the age of 23, Ed Byrne is now in his forties. Come join him, as he truly comes of age. www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

26 October Barnstormers Comedy Night The Hop Farm Country Park, Paddock Wood Stand-up comedy at its best. www.thehopfarm.co.uk 27 October Kentish Wedding Fair Stag Community Arts Centre, Sevenoaks A friendly boutique wedding fair with a range of quality exhibitors and suppliers, from dresses and cakes to flowers and photographers.

Free glass of bubbly and live entertainment, plus free goody bags for registered brides and free bridal magazines. Register on www.kentishweddingfairs or just come along on the day. www.stagsevenoaks.co.uk

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Painting by David Aspinall

31 October The Close Up Show Stag Community Arts Centre, Sevenoaks Close-up magic is one of the most popular and impressive forms of the art and this event showcases some of the best exponents. With performers direct from sell-out shows at The Magic Circle, a strictly limited audience will meet them and experience the magic in an intimate setting, often taking part themselves. Seeing IS believing! www.thecloseupshow.co.uk 2 & 3 November Fireworks Spectacular The Hop Farm Country Park, Paddock Wood Get ready for a fireworks party to remember. www.thehopfarm.co.uk 3 November Reginald D Hunter Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells Following two previous sell-out tours of the UK and the release of his debut stand up DVD, Reginald D Hunter Live, Reginald brings his own unique blend of humour in a brand new show, Reginald D Hunter – In The Midst Of Crackers. www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

10 November Paul Merton’s Impro Chums Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells One of the UK’s best-loved performers, and his world renowned Impro Chums – Mike McShane, Lee Simpson, Richard Vranch and Suki Webster – have created a new and unique comedy show, based entirely on suggestions from the audience. www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

12 & 16 November Cabaret Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells Direct from his award-nominated performance as Emcee, celebrated singer/songwriter Will Young reprises his role in Rufus Norris’ acclaimed production of Cabaret. www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

LOV E EV ENTS

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FASHIONISTA

We find fashion and favourite cakes on the streets

ANN CARLEY

LYN BARWICK

FAVOURITE CAKE Lemon drizzle

FAVOURITE CAKE Carrot

Per Una at Marks & Spencer floral dress

Black maxi dress from Next

SOPHIE HARMER

Top Shop orange wrap dress

FAVOURITE CAKE Sticky Toffee Pudding Cupcakes from Lola’s Kitchen 16

LOV E FASHION

CHRISTINA DAVIS

Jigsaw red jacket. Zara stripe T-shirt.

American Apparel jeans FAVOURITE CAKE Victoria Sponge

NIK PASS

Jack Wills white T-shirt.

TK Maxx red shorts FAVOURITE CAKE Carrot

CHLOE JONES

H&M black playsuit FAVOURITE CAKE Lemon Drizzle

LUCIA SULIKOVA

JIntimissimi black vest and white mini FAVOURITE CAKE Strawberry

KUDOS SEPT/OCT 2013

PETS CORNER

We all love our pets, but often they are not the little angels we would like them to be. It’s time to name and shame your pet!

I have destroyed every bed my owner has ever bought me

These flowers help disguise the smell of my farts

I am as miserable as I look

Archie, a Border terrier, who lives in Pembury

Jakey, a Chocolate Labrador, who lives in Sevenoaks

Dizzle, a white long-haired cat, who lives in Tunbridge Wells

I like to sneak into your drawers when you are not looking

Being naughty makes me so tired

I like to fall asleep in inappropriate places

Betty, a Silver Tabby, who lives in Tunbridge Wells

Lolly Pups, a Border Collie/Golden Labrador cross, who lives in Southborough

Snaffles, a Tortoishell cat, who lives in Langton Green

If you have a pet to name and shame, email a photograph and details to editorial@badbettymedia.co.uk

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LOV E PETS

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FROM SEVENOAKS TO SUPERSTAR The journey to success has taken actress Naomi Watts from Kent to Hollywood via Australia.

As her latest film, based on the life of Princess Diana, is released, Naomi talks to Kudos about growing up in Shoreham, her happy family life – and playing an icon

Words Robert Blake Pictures REX/Moviestore

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KUDOS SEPT/OCT 2013

Stardom didn’t come quickly for Naomi Watts. She had to wait until 2001 to gain recognition, but there’s been no stopping her since.

She was born in Shoreham, near Sevenoaks, the second child of Peter and Myfanwy Watts. Her father, the road manager to Pink Floyd, died when Naomi was seven and her mother moved Naomi and her older brother, Ben, around the country, spending three years with their grandparents on Anglesey in North Wales, until the family settled in Australia when Naomi was 14.

After bit parts in commercials, Naomi landed her first role in For Love Alone in 1986. She met her best friend, Nicole Kidman, when they both auditioned for a bikini commercial and shared a taxi ride home.

Naomi appeared in a string of films but it wasn’t until David Lynch cast her in the critically-acclaimed film Mulholland Drive in 2001 that she began to be noticed.

Stardom finally came in the surprise hit The Ring the following year. In 2003, she starred in 21 Grams, which earned her an Oscar nomination.

Her subsequent films include the comedy I Heart Huckabees, the remake of King Kong, the role of Valerie Plame Wilson in the biographical drama Fair Game, and Helen Gandy in Clint Eastwood’s biographical drama, J. Edgar. For her leading role as Maria Bennett in the disaster film The Impossible, she received her second Oscar nomination along with a Golden Globe nomination.

As for her private life, she met actor Liev Schreiber in 2005 and the couple now have two sons, Sasha, six, and Samuel Kai, four.

Now, as she celebrates her 45th birthday on September 28th, the spotlight will fall on her once again as she stars in Diana, the film that chronicles the last two years of Princess Diana’s life.

Did you hesitate before taking the role of Diana?

Yes, one hundred per cent. It was very difficult to say yes to it, but I couldn’t say no. It’s high pressure because everyone thinks they know her and they’re going to jump to comparisons. I was dreading people saying, ‘She looks nothing like Diana,’ and, ‘Why her and not somebody else?’

But I couldn’t not do it.

You just have to forget that and immerse yourself in the character. And I did.

She was a fascinating woman who lived an extraordinary life, a piece of history that was eventually going to be told. Making the film felt like a wonderful character study.

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What is it that appeals to you about playing real life, as you also did in The Impossible?

In this case, it was the most famous woman of our time.

There was almost too much information and that becomes difficult to work with because all the information that you’re reading is conflicting and it’s not necessarily lining up. And that makes it hard and it becomes sort of noise in your head.

In the case of Maria in The Impossible, it was nothing but helpful because it’s just pure, and it’s all coming from her.

I wish I could have got to meet Princess Diana, but obviously it didn’t happen. In Maria’s case, not only did she speak to me in very expressive ways, she wrote pages and pages of letters to me each time we approached a new scene. So she was like an open book, and she’s also a writer so I think she really enjoyed the process of sending me these letters, and of course it was nothing but helpful.

And Valerie Plame in Fair Game?

I did get to meet her and she was well known, obviously not to the degree of Princess Diana, but it was important to create the walk and the talk and understand her mind. In the case of meeting Valerie, I wanted to understand her personal life; more because there was a lot of information about her career and all the politics, and all the things that she went through. I wanted to understand what was going on for her.

Hearing you talk about these characters from Maria to Valerie Plame and even Helen Gandy in J Edgar, it begs the question, why are there always complaints about a lack of good female roles out there?

There are great characters, but there’s a lack of volume.

I guess it’s just a part of our industry, unfortunately, that not enough films are being made about women. I’m in a film due to be released soon, called Adore, with Robin Wright, and I realised it’s the first time I’ve been on screen with another woman throughout its entirety since Mulholland Drive and that’s a good 12 years now. So, I don’t know why.

What will it take to change that do you think?

Faith and good writing, writers with ideas, or getting out there and finding the good stories. You know, I try to be as actively involved in that as possible.

So your movie with Robin Wright is going to cause a stir?

A little bit. It’s based on a novel by Doris Lessing about two mothers. And, yes, it’s a very twisted subject and, yes, I guess I’m just interested in things that are possibly going to stir things up. Someone has to do it. Human beings are not all perfect, are they? We’re filled with flaws and contradictions and complications and that’s what I’m interested in.

Speaking of mothers, you’re a mother. You must have had your moments. Has it been tough?

My feeling is that the minute you make the decision to become a mother you bring on a lifetime of second guessing yourself. Everything that happens, the most minor things in

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everyday life, you’re like, ‘Should I have done that? Should I have given him the present before I did that? Is that bribery?’ That’s what comes with motherhood. Men seem to be absolved of that!

Did you enjoy being pregnant?

I loved being pregnant. I felt my most strong and my most virile. The second time was actually harder and I think that was because I was chasing a toddler at the same time. There was no putting your feet up and getting foot rubs, that sort of thing. But you do feel strong and alive and you’re just amazed what your body can do.

What changed for you after you had children?

Oh, everything. I also feel guilty because I go to work now and I’m getting paid to do something which I always feel that I’m not doing as well as I did before the children. In some ways, yes, I am, because I think deeper. I feel things differently.

I feel much more of a mindful and aware person, but I find it hard to live and breathe my work in the same way that I used to. I just feel that I’m desperate to get home. It’s as simple as that.

Do your sons understand what you do for a living?

They don’t really understand it yet. There have been times where they see a photo or a flash of us on TV or something and they’ll go, ‘Oh, Mummy,’ or ‘Daddy.’ Then we try to explain that Mummy or Daddy has to go to work now and they’ll say, ‘But I want to come.’ They can come to the set and they see you and they think that our work is in a trailer. That’s our office. When I was shooting The Impossible, it was quite difficult for them coming to work for the first time because they saw Mummy in quite a bad condition. So I had to explain that it was all just pretend. It took a little while. We prepped it days in advance and then showed them how you can put a little bit of blood on and then you can rub it off and now they like it, too.

I know your children have travelled Down Under.

What are their impressions of Australia?

Well, taking my first son was such a big deal for me, going down to Bondi Beach where I have so many memories and dipping his feet into the water. It was really a big deal for me.

But Kai, Samuel Kai, he came to Australia for the first time a few Christmases ago and it was great. We stayed in Bronte Beach, which is a beach close to Bondi, and they can just run naked.

Do you consider yourself British or Australian?

I consider myself British and have very happy memories of the UK. I spent the first 14 years of my life in England and Wales and never wanted to leave. When I was in Australia I went back to England a lot. But I also consider myself very connected to Australia. In fact, when people say where is home, I say Australia, because those are my most powerful memories.

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Liev Schreiber, your partner, is a great stage actor and he’s been getting one rave review after another. What are your thoughts about his stage work?

He’s just magnificent as he always is and he just seems to keep getting better and better. I don’t know how that’s possible because I believe he’s the best-reviewed theatre actor there is in New York and he just keeps blowing everyone else away.

As part of a famous couple, do you worry about people making up stories about you on the Internet or in the press?

Well, it does happen. It does. Luckily, knock on wood, we get away with living quite privately, but I think, ultimately, it’s because we don’t have any scandal in our life and there’s nothing really extraordinary about us, except that we’re in films and on TV. We just go about our lives and we don’t make it bigger or more special than it is. So we get left alone most of the time, but there have been untruths printed about us.

How do you respond?

You don’t. You just don’t. Nine times out of 10, it’s best to just leave it alone.

Which of your sons takes after you or Liev more?

I think that Sasha looks more like his dad and Kai looks probably more like my brother, actually. But in terms of personality, who knows? They change every day.

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Talking of Australia, your best friend is Nicole Kidman, who became successful before you did.

Yes, but she didn’t drop me because I wasn’t successful! It was inspirational and it was tangible, looking at her succeed.

We lived in different parts of Sydney, and when I went to America, I was just hoping to work. If you put yourself into that trap of trying to emulate somebody else’s success, you just destroy yourself. I played this little game with myself.

There’s always someone who wants to be you. So you say, ‘Okay, I don’t have that, but what do I have that that other person doesn’t have? I have a car. I have two thousand dollars in the bank.’ You have to play psychological games with yourself and do it in the reverse as well.

How did you get into acting?

I kind of got introduced to acting because I saw my mother in a local production playing Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady when I was about four, and just remember being totally in awe of what I could see. Then, when we moved to Australia, I finally talked my mum into letting me have acting classes at the weekends. At first acting class was where you’d go and try and be a tree or your favourite animal. But as I got older, the classes got more serious.

You’ve had acting success for 10 years now. Has that success changed you?

No. I’m the same person. The only days that it’s different is when you’ve got a film coming out and people are suddenly so interested in you and ask you a million questions. You get sick of talking about yourself.

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“Growing up with a brother, you drew pictures of buildings exploding and you played with Action Man and war with your friends”

You must be surrounded by a lot of ‘yes’ people now. Is it difficult not to lose yourself and remember who you are?

I’m careful. I’ve grown up with really strong women in my life who all have very strong opinions and they are not afraid to say what they think. As a result I’m drawn to people like that.

I don’t want someone to sugar-coat things and to say that everything is fine when there’s an absolute disaster happening. I’ll always be attracted to people who tell me the truth, I need that. If I’m getting out of hand, or things are getting out of hand, slap me down!

What was the hardest thing that you’ve had to tackle in the business?

Coming to America and knowing nobody. In retrospect, I don’t know why I did it; I feel I went there on a whim.

I wanted to travel and I knew I wanted to act. When I first arrived everyone was overwhelmingly positive and it gave me enormous hope, false hope.

Weren’t you a journalist before?

I was a fashion editor. I would write little pieces, not going out and interviewing people or anything like that. It was more about helping create the looks for the fashion editor, and occasionally I’d find myself writing inches on describing a white shirt.

How do your friends feel about your success?

My friends and family are really happy for me. I haven’t seen any massive changes with them and I think they are proud. I got lucky with that one break, getting that role and did a good job and I turned it into something beyond that.

Is it weird not being able to go anywhere without being recognised?

Honestly, no one recognises me. You’d be surprised. I don’t get recognised that much.

Do you like that?

I do. I like to go to the supermarket on my own. I like to go and do everything myself. In my day-to-day life, I’m out in my

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flip-flops and my sweats and hardly any makeup and no one notices you. And I really like it like that.

You’ve been described as having a lack of vanity and a lot of guts, which makes you different from a lot of the actresses. Where does that come from?

I’d say growing up with a brother. He was older so he influenced me more than I influenced him. There were no Barbie dolls, no pink bedrooms, no pink nail polish, none of that. Growing up with a brother, you drew pictures of buildings exploding and you played with Action Man and war with your friends. That’s a difference I think that made me a tomboy, not self-conscious as a kid.

He’s a photographer now. Does he take pictures of you?

He does. It’s great working with my brother because he knows a side of me that nobody else knows. We grew up together. He knows the playful spirit in me, and it frees me up. It’s about the in-between moments that he knows how to capture.

And do you feel more confident with him?

I do, I do. He makes me laugh and I think you’re at your best when you’re free.

You filmed Diana in London. How was it, being back here?

Oh, I love London. I was born and raised in Shoreham, near Sevenoaks in Kent, and lived in the UK till I was 14. I love London. I think it’s a great city. It’s slower-paced than New York, but it’s a real city like New York, spread out. It’s somewhere in between LA and New York, I think.

Fame was a long time coming for you. How do you feel about it now?

I’m just grateful. Let’s not forget that I struggled as an actor for hire for so many years. I feel lucky. And I hope it continues. I’ve now got an incredible family, and my two children are just the best thing that ever happened, and the most demanding role yet, but the most rewarding hands-down.

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EYES RIGHT

Give your eyes the perfect lift with this non-surgical beauty treatment

Since hitting my thirties, I’ve noticed that I look a lot more tired than I used to, permanently tired, in fact. When a friend told me about Thalgo’s anti-ageing Eye Massage Mask and how it was a miracle treatment, I was dubious. It would take a lot more than a non-surgical beauty treatment to make me look fresh-faced again!

My friend insisted it was highly effective at tackling everything from wrinkles and dark circles to puffiness, so I decided that maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss it.

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with a fresh, calm contemporary style, gentle music and scented candles, all helping to create a wonderfully-relaxing atmosphere.

Once I am cocooned under a towel on the treatment bed, Jess begins. The first step is a full cleanse as all the grease and grime from the day is wiped away. The first thing I notice is how soft Jess’ hands are. The second is how amazing the products smell!

I did some research and found that Vanity Fair on Camden Road in Tunbridge Wells was the only beauty salon in the area to offer this treatment. Owned by Jess Butler, it’s a friendly, family-run business. Her mum, Sue, is on reception and they have also recently been joined by Lindsey, who has over 12 years’ experience in the industry.

Jess uses Thalgo products after discovering the brand while doing work experience. From the company ethos to the gorgeous smell of each product, Jess instantly fell in love. Thalgo products are marine-based and 100% natural, so the perfect choice for a beauty salon. Jess also likes the fact that the brand is exclusive to salons, which means you will be given expert advice on which products are best for you.

Vanity Fair is deceptive – it’s a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. There are two beautiful treatment rooms downstairs,

The cleanser is removed using a hot cloth and an exfoliator applied, followed by a toner, which has been warmed before applying. My

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face is then blotted with tissue. By this point I am so warm and relaxed, what with the gentle music and the intoxicating scent of the Thalgo products, that I feel myself slowly drifting off – until the real fun begins.

First, Jess applies a Hyaluronic Eye Patch Mask under each eye, making them instantly feel cool and refreshed. Jess explains that they are really good to instantly tighten and detox the under-eye area. After that, she applies a cold lavender pillow over my eyes, followed by the eye mask.

When the eye mask machine is turned on, it does give me a slight shock, mainly because I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The sensation is a little weird as it vibrates and massages your eye area, but after a minute you become completely absorbed by this highly-sensorial experience.

The unique machine, which they say resembles a ski mask but made me think of Robocop, incorporates a range of hands-free massage movements which target the delicate eye area. It utilises a combination of built-in techniques which target the acupuncture points with air pressure helping to decongest, drain and plump whilst easing tension and relaxing the eye area. Dynamic vibrations stimulate the eye-contour area with rippling and pulsing movements, helping to smooth fine lines and reduce dark circles.

The mask works its magic for 10-15 minutes but the experience doesn’t stop there. Whilst your senses are being indulged, Jess gives the most blissful shoulder, neck, arm and hand massage. It is complete heaven! Working at a computer all day means that I have always suffered with achy shoulders but Jess is clearly skilled and found all my knots, easing the tension and sending me to heaven.

By the time the treatment ended, I felt as if my whole body had been pampered. I was incredibly relaxed, as if I had just had a good night’s sleep. And the eyes? Well, I don’t think I have ever looked so refreshed! My skin was so soft and smooth, my eyes looked bright and the fine lines and bags had pretty much disappeared. It really is that instant.

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Jess recommends one treatment once a week for six weeks, then once a month to keep your eyes looking their best.

If you want to continue caring for your eyes at home, Thalgo’s Collagen Eye Roll-On and Silicium Eye Cream are excellent and target different age groups. You can also use the Hyaluronic Eye Patch Masks at home and Jess recommends one to two a week.

If you suffer from tired, puffy eyes with dark circles and wrinkles (basically anyone over the age of 25!) then Thalgo’s Eye Massage Mask is definitely the treatment for you. Lasting half an hour and with the added bonus at Vanity Fair of Jess’ amazing massage, it is well worth every penny, and no surgical needles in sight!

Vanity Fair offers a range of other beauty treatments, from its popular microdermabrasion and spray tans, through to manicures, massages and waxing. Established in October 2009, the salon has gone from strength to strength, and is currently looking to expand.

When you consider that Jess is only 26, that’s pretty impressive.

Having worked incredibly hard over the last four years to build her business, Jess looks remarkably fresh-faced and wrinkle-free. Must be the Eye Massage Mask…

SPECIAL OFFER FOR KUDOS READERS

Thalgo’s Eye Massage Mask usually costs £39.50 a session at Vanity Fair, but if you mention Kudos when booking, you’ll not only receive the treatment for £29.50 per session, you’ll also receive a lavender pillow and Thalgo eye make-up remover.

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FASHION FOWARD What will we be wearing this autumn? With a little help from her woodland friends, Sally-Ann Carroll has hit the local shops and done the legwork for you.

Shapes are sharp, colours are rich and classic pieces have a distinct twist. Take a peek at the key trends for the season ahead

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NEW HERITAGE

Brilliantly British and as timeless as ever. Think textured tweeds, understated elegance and the odd brogue or two. Perfect for town or country, the latest iconic designs are simply there for the taking.

Olivia

Left: Tapestry jacket, £189. Skirt, £98. Brogues, £159, from Jigsaw.

Earrings, £18, from Noa Noa.

Victoria

Right: Tweed jacket with floral lining, £70. Floral shirt, £50, from Laura Ashley.

Jeans, £185, by Nobody from Bod & Ted. Brogues, £169, from Hobbs.

Earrings, £10, from Top Shop.

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SPORT DE LUXE

The new season’s neutrals have a distinct modern and sporty feel. Cool, calm and collected, silhouettes are designed to cleverly enhance the female form.

So ready, get set, go and step out in style.

Victoria

Jacket, £119. Sequin cardi, £69. Pants, £69, from Mint Velvet.

Shoes, £149, from Hobbs.

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Olivia

Jacket, £119. Trousers, £69, from Mint Velvet.

Shoes, £149, Hobbs.

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IN PRINT

Don’t be a shrinking violet, the newest prints are meant to be shown off and admired. Prepare to be dazzled by an array of colour and sassy patterns. If the shades clash, so much the better.

Victoria

Jacket, £135. Shirt, £80. Jeans, £90, by Betty Barclay from Hoopers and Fenwick. Gold beaded Camellia brooch, £12, www.elizajoan.co.uk. Shoes, £139, Hobbs.

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Olivia

Dress, £150, by Sportmax Code from Hoopers. Shoes, £169, from Hobbs. Bangles, £7. Earrings, £10, from Top Shop.

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COLOUR CODE

Feeling fruity? Well, you’re in for a treat. Orange and green are currently colours to be seen in. Utterly delicious and guaranteed to brighten gloomy winter days.

GO GREEN Victoria

Reversible jacket, £90. Jeans, £100, by Betty Barclay from Hoopers and Fenwick.

ORANGE CRUSH Olivia

Dress, £129. Shoes, £169, from Hobbs. Crochet collar, £24 www.elizajoan.co.uk

Victoria

Tunic, £162. Jacket, £92, by Crea from Hoopers. Jeans, £75.

Necklace, £69, from Jigsaw. Pumps, £89, from Mint Velvet.

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EQUESTRIAN CHIC

If you have a horse, saddle up and take to the hills. If you would rather simply walk the dog, you can still look the part. The equestrian trend is now a force to be reckoned with, and one for us all. Tally ho!

Victoria

Quilted jacket, £90. Pants, £55, from Laura Ashley. Scarf, £39.95. Wellies, £39.95, from Joules.

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Olivia

Quilted gilet, £69.95. Blouse, £59.95. Jeans, £49.95. Wellies, £39.95. Scarf, £34.95, from Joules.

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OFF THE RAIL

From left to right: Linton tweed sweater, £169, from Jigsaw. Mustard cord skirt, £55, from Laura Ashley. Black and white dress, £99, from Hobbs. White shirt, £115, by Crea from Hoopers. Pink skirt, £99, and matching jacket, £229, from Hobbs. Grey lace jacket, £69, from Mint Velvet. Black and white knitted jacket, £158, from Bod & Ted. Khaki cardigan, £159, from Jigsaw.

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A

B

C

D

A

Left to right: Plum suede pumps, £89, from Jigsaw. Cowboy boots, £165, by Hudson from Bod & Ted. Brocade pumps, £119.

Brown suede boots, £179. Tan boots, £199, all from Jigsaw.

C

Brown leather gloves, £99. Knitted gloves, £25. Chocolate suede belt, £59. Tan belt, £45. Wine belt, £45, all from Jigsaw.

Fashion Editor: Sally-Ann Carroll

B

Olive snood, £35, by Betty Barclay from Hoopers and Fenwick.

Trilby hat, £39. Plum scarf, £69. Saddle bag, £99, from Jigsaw.

D

Pink flower crocheted neckpiece, £18. Embellished emerald crocheted neckpiece, £18, Eliza Joan (www.elizajoan.co.uk).

Chunky silver necklace, £29. Peach and silver necklace, £29, from Mint Velvet. Green and black necklace, £30, by Betty Barclay.

CREDITS

Photographer: Matt Harquail Hair and make-up: Ellie at the Beauty Aisle Set Design: Katie Tiffin

Chair kindly loaned from Wesley-Barrell (01892 536286) www.wesley-barrell.co.uk Olivia and Victoria were our top supermodels for the day. If you are interested in being part of our fabulous fashion, please email a recent picture with relevant details to editor@badbettymedia.co.uk

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CUTTING EDGE The cosmetic surgery industry has defied the recession to grow by 90% over the past five years. Lucy Hargrave looks at the driving factors behind the boom

Not many industries can claim to have flourished in the economic uncertainty that followed the credit crunch, but the cosmetic surgery business has bucked all mainstream commercial trends. Between 2007 and 2011, the number of surgical and non-surgical procedures being carried out in the UK increased by an incredible 90%. Non-invasive procedures experienced the highest growth at 110%, followed by breast surgery, which grew by 56.6%. Despite frozen salaries and the recession, an increasing number of people are choosing to splash out on improving their looks.

So what’s behind the growth? It can be attributed in part to a shift in public perception. Thirty years ago, people were somewhat embarrassed about having cosmetic surgery or certainly wanted to have it done incognito. Attitudes have changed due mainly to the American effect. People across the Atlantic are proud to have cosmetic surgery and tell all their friends. This openness and acceptance, and to an extent the younger age of patients, means that it is no longer the preserve of the rich, famous or older people. In America, everyone feels they have an opportunity to improve, and enhancing their appearance is just one of those opportunities – many people also feel that cosmetic surgery improves their mental wellbeing.

To see how far the American passion for self-improvement has permeated our culture, you just have to turn on the TV. Although a few years ago it would have been considered tacky to admit to plastic surgery (think of the disdain heaped on glamour models such as Jordan and Jodie Marsh), now our celebrities talk about their latest nip ‘n’ tuck procedure as though it was just another facial or spa treatment.

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It’s clear that the abundance of celebrity role models has increased our appetite for cosmetic surgery – but it’s not so obvious how the average person on the street can afford to follow in the footsteps of the rich and famous. The bulk of the 90% increase in cosmetic procedures over the past five years has been driven by ordinary people from a range of income brackets. With the most popular procedure, breast augmentation, costing between £3,000 and £9,000, we asked local Consultant Plastic Surgeons Anita Hazari of Spire Tunbridge Wells, and Marc Pacifico, who has just opened Purity Bridge, a new clinic in Tunbridge Wells, to share their views on why they think cosmetic surgery has grown in the UK, despite the recession.

“People have always cared about how they look,” says Marc Pacifico. “It’s a fundamental part of how we feel about ourselves. Some people have speculated that when there are decisions about how to spend a certain amount of money in these tough economic times, people are deciding to spend it directly on themselves rather than on a physical item. After all, the psychological boost after treating oneself to a new purchase is relatively short-lived, compared with the medium to long-term positive psychological effect of having a cosmetic medical or surgical procedure.”

Anita Hazari agrees. “Though the popularity of cosmetic surgery has increased, the non-surgical cosmetic industry has seen an exponential rise. It is expected to grow from £2.3 billion to £3.6 billion by 2015 in the UK. “This is in spite of the recession. One reason could be that during such times, people are looking to enhance their

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emotional and mental wellbeing and feel better about themselves. The money is spent on procedures that appear to have the most impact such as upper-eyelid lifts, wrinkle relaxing injections and dermal fillers. A second reason is that television programmes such as TOWIE and the celebrity culture have almost ‘normalised’ non-surgical procedures such as Botox.

The growing interest in cosmetic surgery has had a knock-on effect on advances in the industry, which Marc Pacfico thinks is both good and bad. “On the one hand, it has spurred on research in ageing and skin which has broad-reaching benefits. This has also resulted in the continued development of more advanced technology.

“However, on the downside, it has resulted in the promotion of products and technology that may not have been tested to the rigorous standards needed (and are subsequently withdrawn after problems occur). That is why I am careful to only use products that have stood the test of time, and that I am confident are produced to the highest quality.

“Finally, the growing interest in cosmetic surgery has unfortunately encouraged many unsuitably qualified people to put themselves forward as practitioners, putting the public at risk. Since the publication by the government of the Keogh report, I hope that people are more aware of the importance

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of finding a highly-qualified and appropriately-trained individual to treat them.”

The rise of injectable treatments over the last 10 years, as well as advances in medical skin care, has transformed plastic surgery. “Prior to that, it was all or nothing – a facelift or no treatment,” says Marc. “The non-invasive procedures allow smaller steps toward facial rejuvenation to be taken incrementally, at an earlier age, before surgery is indicated.

In addition, they have provided excellent methods of maintaining post-surgical results. I practise a bespoke treatment regime for each individual, which may comprise a combination of injectables, medical skin care and surgery, as appropriate.”

Says Anita: “With the increase in popularity of cosmetic procedures, both surgical and non-surgical, most people want to look refreshed and rejuvenated, not ‘done’. Advances in techniques has meant that the caveat of ‘less is more’ is true.

An example is the use of one’s own fat into areas, where traditionally fillers have been used. As the technology to harvest fat and transfer of the fat stem cells (adipose derived stem cells) has improved with better fat cell survival rates, the technique is increasingly used with good success in augmenting areas such as the face and the breast.”

Non-invasive procedures such as Botox, dermal fillers and

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“With the increase in popularity of cosmetic procedures, both surgical and non-surgical, most people want to look refreshed and rejuvenated�

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laser hair removal account for nine out of 10 cosmetic procedures carried out in the UK, and Anita thinks part of the reason lies in TV shows.

One recent blot on the plastic-surgery landscape was the PIP scandal, when potentially-faulty PIP breast implants were at the centre of a global health scare.

“The Keogh report found that celebrity magazines have normalised such procedures and play a significant part in their increasing popularity,” she says. “It also found a shocking lack of regulation of the industry, which means that procedures such as laser hair removal, dermal fillers and Botox can be carried out by literally anyone. This has resulted in places providing such services mushrooming in every town and every high street. For many, having Botox or a dermal filler is considered to be the same as having a haircut.

The implants, manufactured by defunct French company Poly Implant Prothese, were filled with industrial-grade silicone gel intended for mattresses and could rupture, exposing the silicone to body tissue. However, the impact on the industry has not been as you might expect.

“The Keogh report warns that ‘Dermal fillers are a particular cause for concern as anyone can set themselves up as a practitioner, with no requirement for knowledge, training or previous experience. Nor are there sufficient checks in place with regard to product quality – most dermal fillers have no more controls than a bottle of floor cleaner. It is our view that dermal fillers are a crisis waiting to happen.’”

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“The main change I have noticed is a positive one,” says Marc.

“Patients consulting me for breast augmentation are, on the whole, more clued-up about the risks involved, and have a greater awareness of product quality. They also have a greater understanding of the need to see a highly-qualified plastic surgeon who tailors an approach to their individual needs.”

Says Anita: “Ninety-five per cent of PIP implants were used in the private sector. Following the PIP scandal, a review led

by Sir Bruce Keogh reported that the rupture rate with PIP implants was twice that of other implants, and non-medical

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grade silicone was used. Several recommendations have been made in the review, including that of the breast-implant register to be re-instated. The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) and British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) have called for this register to be made compulsory. From the patient’s perspective, it is advisable to research your surgeon thoroughly and ensure that he or she is adequately trained and on the GMC Plastic Surgery Specialist register. The lack of regulation of the industry does mean that any doctor, from GP to any specialist or general surgeon, can perform cosmetic surgery even if they have no specific training.”

You would imagine that safeguards would now be in place to ensure patients’ safety, but it seems this is not the the case.

Says Anita: “Though several recommendations have been made

by Sir Bruce Keogh in his report to make the cosmetic industry safer, specifically: making all dermal fillers prescription-only; ensuring all practitioners are properly qualified for all the procedures they offer, from cosmetic surgeons offering breast enlargement to people offering ‘injectables’, such as dermal fillers or Botox; an ombudsman to oversee all private healthcare, including cosmetic procedures to help those who have been treated poorly; an advertising code of conduct.

“However, none of the recommendations have been legislated or made mandatory yet. And until that is done, the burden still very much falls on the person seeking cosmetic surgery to ensure that they are being treated by a qualified person. Until then, there will always be a significant risk of people falling into the hands of cowboy firms or individuals whose only aim is to make a quick profit.”

Adds Marc: “I would recommend looking for certain markers of quality assurance, such as membership of BAAPS (the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons), BAPRAS (the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons) and ISAPS (the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery).

Men make up a large section of the industry’s growing customer base. Plastic-surgery statistics this year show that a record number of male ‘tummy tuck’ operations and high-profile celebrity hair transplant patients, such as Wayne Rooney and James Nesbitt, have helped to raise awareness of this treatment.

All this has had a knock-on effect, as Marc Pacifico has found.

“Male cosmetic surgery in the UK accounts for 10% of all procedures. The most popular is rhinoplasty (nose job), with gynaecomastia (male breast reduction) surgery being the second most common, followed by eyelid surgery. Certainly in my practice, which is centred around breast and body contouring, men coming with a request for male breast-reduction surgery is a very frequent occurrence. The most common reason is the visibility of breast tissue in T-shirts on ‘no suit’ days and embarrassment at the poolside or the beach.”

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Anita agrees. “I’ve seen a big increase in men wanting procedures, particularly in relation to surgery around the eyes, with an aim of making them look less tired, and perhaps younger in an ever-more competitive workplace. I am also seeing an increase in male facelifts and gynaecomastia.”

So what can we expect to see in the next few years in the way of new procedures?

“The hot topic in plastic surgery at the moment is fat,” says Marc Pacifico. “Specifically how fat can be transferred around the body to enlarge, reshape or modify certain areas. We are some way off using stem cells to recreate organs, but there is a lot of interest in how their properties can be harnessed for facial rejuvenation purposes. In the future, instead of muscle-relaxing injections, we may be using pure stem-cell injections to turn back the clock.”

Says Anita: “I think that in spite of new techniques, such as fat transfer to breasts, breast-implant surgery will continue to remain very popular. This has been the trend both in the UK and across the Atlantic. In times when one looks for more cost-effective operations with less downtime, upper eyelid surgery under local anaesthetic as a day procedure which instantly rejuvenates the face and makes one look fresher, will be more popular.”

Considering surgery?

Although it is important to remember that there are many reputable clinics out there that only use the very best products in their treatment and adhere to the very highest possible standards, it is also important that before you go ahead with any cosmetic procedure you do your research. Find a reputable clinic and an experienced consultant and check they are registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). Ask lots of questions and ask to see examples of results from previous patients. Going ahead with any form of cosmetic treatment is a big decision and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Contact

Anita Hazari works at the Spire Tunbridge Wells Hospital, Fordcombe Rd, Fordcombe, Tunbridge WellS TN3 0RD; www.spiretunbridgewells.com. To make an appointment, please call 01892 741150. More information at www.anitahazari.co.uk Marc Pacifico has opened Purity Bridge, a new clinic offering a sophisticated, holistic approach to skin care, facial rejuvenation and body contouring, bridging the division between beauty therapy, medical skin care and cosmetic surgery.

Purity Bridge is at 6, Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells TN4 8AS. More information at www.puritybridge.co.uk, email info@puritybridge.co.uk or call 01892 536960

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ROSEMARY’S BABY Tunbridge Wells’ own celebrity chef, Rosemary Shrager, talks about her new cookery school and staying in touch with her jungle friends

Rosemary Shrager is Tunbridge Wells’ newest celebrity resident. She moved from Yorkshire, her home for 10 years, to an apartment in the Corn Exchange in the Pantiles, to launch her cookery school and, from September, her delicatessen and café.

Rosemary is bubbling with enthusiasm about her new school.

“It’s going really, really well. It’s early days but I’m really pleased. Numbers are going up all the time, which is good news. And everybody loves the cookery school. It’s a beautiful place to come, with gorgeous cooking, gorgeous everything!

“John Rogers, my head chef from Swinton, has joined me in Tunbridge Wells and we’re both running courses. We do everything from beginners to advanced, sushi, poultry, fish and seafood, you name it. There’s healthy cooking, too, and special dietary classes. And the deli and coffee shop is due to open in September.”

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So why did she choose Tunbridge Wells? “Firstly, location.

It’s a beautiful town, and I thought that people around here would have time on their hands. It’s such a beautiful place and the Corn Exchange is a wonderful space.”

Rosemary doesn’t regret moving from her home in Yorkshire.

“I live over the school, and this is my home now, forever.

Tunbridge Wells has everything, which is brilliant. And I adore the Pantiles – there’s always so much going on.”

The Tunbridge Wells cookery school is Rosemary’s first solo venture. “This is my third school but my very first solo enterprise,” she explains. “My other two were for other people, and doing my own thing is terrifying, and quite stressful because you’re responsible for so many other people. But we’ll be OK. It will work as long as everyone knows about us. With this school, I feel I’ve finally achieved my goal.”

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Rosemary on Ladette to Lady Picture: REX/Moviestore

Rosemary originally wanted to be an architect and studied at the Northwich School of Art and Design and Heatherley’s School of Fine Art. She later moved to London, married barrister Michael Schrager, and they had two children, Tom, and Kate. Rosemary gave up on being an architect and turned to her real passion, food, setting up a catering company.

She developed her skills under a number of chefs – including Jean Christophe Novelli and Pierre Koffman – and in the late nineties, opened her own restaurant in Cornwall, but it didn’t work out.

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Amhuinnsuidhe Castle, his estate in the outer Hebrides.

As a result, she published the first of five cookery books, Castle Cook, in 2001, and went on to set up another cookery school at Swinton Park, in Yorkshire.

So what does she love about teaching? “Showing what I know and people going ‘Wow, that’s how we can do it’. It’s part of my life now. I love imparting things on to people. I love the camaraderie. It’s really special.

“It was a long time ago,” she says. “But I’m in the right place at the right time now.”

“I’m also doing things with other chefs, which is great fun, as well as teaching. The best of both worlds! For instance, I’m going to be doing something with Pierre Koffman in his kitchen and then we’re doing a dinner. There are lots of different things going on.”

Her first cookery school came when Jonathan Bulmer of the cider company asked her to set up a cookery school at

TV is one of them. “I’m doing something at the moment for the BBC and there’s lots more in the pipeline,” she says.

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“It was good fun, and I still get recognised as that lady who was on I’m a Celebrity. I’m so lucky to have been able to do it”

“I love TV. But it’s not my job, it’s a way of getting me out there, and keeping me in the forefront.”

Her appearances have included Ladette to Lady, Kitchen Showdown with Rosemary Shrager, and Rosemary Shrager’s School for Cooks, where 10 contestants competed for the opportunity to work in a Michelin-starred restaurant.

In 2012, Rosemary memorably became the culinary saviour in I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here, where one of her highlights included turning kangaroo tail into a feast.

“Doing Celebrity is something that will stay with me forever,” she says. “It was good fun, and I still get recognised as that lady who was on I’m a Celebrity. I’m so lucky to have been able to do it. I’m still in contact with people from the show, which is inevitable in a way, because you go through quite a lot together. I spoke to Charlie Brooks and Linda Robson only a couple of days ago.”

Fitting everything in is a challenge. “I’m in the cookery school every day except when I’m filming for TV. And TV isn’t glamorous at all. It’s exhausting! But I’m so lucky that I have the chance to do so many things.”

One bonus is that her children and four grandchildren live in London, which is an easy journey from Tunbridge Wells. “The trouble is, I see than less of them now than I did when I was in Yorkshire, because I’m so busy!” says Rosemary.

And she plans to be even busier. “We might do a restaurant in Tunbridge Wells in the future,” she reveals. “I’ve got so many plans. I’m totally in love with my job, I love food. I’m so excited about the future.”

Leaving the jungle

Picture: REX/Moviestore

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For the full cookery school schedule, please see www.rosemaryshrager.com

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COOK WITH ROSEMARY These delicious recipes will make the perfect dinner party dishes or a treat for the family MARINATED LAMB KEBABS

RED ONION TARTE TATIN

This makes a lovely, spicy, lemony kebab, with the irresistible flavour of coriander seeds, which always reminds me of holidays in Greece.

A tarte Tatin is a surprisingly easy dish to make and it looks magnificent. Serve as a vegetarian main course or as an accompaniment to meat or game. It’s also very good with some sliced goat’s cheese on top, flashed under a hot grill.

Ingredients (Serves 4): 650g leg of lamb, skin removed 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black peppercorns 2 teaspoons cumin seeds, crushed 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt 2 teaspoons paprika grated zest of 1 lemon 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into 2cm dice For the mint yoghurt sauce: ½ cucumber, peeled and deseeded 250ml Greek yoghurt 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint sea salt and black pepper Method: 1. Cut the lamb into 2cm chunks and put them in a bowl. Add all the remaining ingredients except for the red peppers. Mix well and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight, or for as long as you can.

2. Cut the cucumber into small dice, then mix it with the yoghurt and mint. Season with salt and pepper and set aside in the fridge.

3. Soak 4 wooden skewers in cold water for 30 minutes (this will prevent them from burning). Thread the lamb onto the skewers, alternating with the red peppers.

4. Cook under a preheated grill or on a barbecue for 10 minutes, turning regularly, until slightly charred on the outside and pink inside. Serve with the mint yoghurt sauce.

For more recipes...

see Rosemary Shrager’s Absolutely Foolproof Food for Family & Friends, published by Hamlyn, £18.99 www.octopusbooks.co.uk

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Ingredients (Serves 4): 350g puff pastry plain flour for dusting For the filling: 100g unsalted butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 4 large red onions, peeled and cut in half lengthways through the root 100g caster sugar 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar 250ml red wine 2 tablespoons chopped thyme 2 garlic cloves, chopped sea salt and black pepper Method: 1. For the filling, melt a third of the butter with the oil in a frying pan just large enough to hold the halved onions. Add the onions and brown all over on a really low heat. This can take up to 20 minutes – try not to hurry the process. You will need to turn the onion halves a couple of times during cooking, but be careful that they don’t come apart.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients except the butter and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 20–25 minutes, until the onions are very tender.

3. Remove the onions from the pan, transfer to a plate and leave to cool.

Add the remaining butter to the liquid left in the pan and simmer until reduced and fairly thick. Pour into a deep 22–23cm round ovenproof dish, arrange the onions evenly over the base, flat-side down, and leave to cool.

4. Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface into a 30cm circle about 4mm thick. Cover the onions with the pastry, tucking the excess pastry down the side of the onions. Place in an oven preheated to 190°C/Gas Mark 5 and bake for about 25 minutes. Check that the pastry is golden brown – if not, turn the oven up slightly and cook for a further few minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for a couple of minutes.

5. To turn out, place a large serving plate on top of the Tatin and then invert both pan and plate so the tart is released on to the plate. If any bits stick to the pan, scrape them out and put them back on the tart.

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LOVE IT – OR HATE IT!

The infamous Marmite effect rarely extends to chocolate products.

After all, everyone loves chocolate. But all that is about to change because Marmite Chocolate is here – and yep, you guessed it, you’ll either love it or hate it.

Chocolate and Marmite – what’s not to love? Or hate. Made using 98% milk chocolate and 2% Marmite flavouring, it’s unlike any chocolate you’ve ever tasted. Two 100g bars, £4.99, from Firebox. www.firebox.com

BILL’S HEADS TO TUNBRIDGE WELLS

Bill Collison, the name behind Bill’s Food and Produce Store, is bringing his recipe for success to Tunbridge Wells. From a fruit and veg stall down a lane off Lewes High Street, which was destroyed by the floods in 2000, to a shop-cum-café that quickly became a sensation, Bill’s now has 15 branches around the country and is backed by Richard Caring, owner of top celebrity restaurant The Ivy. www.bills-website.co.uk

LET’S EAT!

A round-up of the latest foodie news

CORNY!

Propercorn gourmet popcorn comes in four delicious flavours (Fiery Worcester Sauce & Sun-dried Tomato, Sweet & Salty, Sour Cream & Chive and Lightly Sea Salted), hand-popped and delicately tumbled using secret recipes from natural ingredients.

Price 90p a pack from Waitrose, Ocado, Harvey Nichols, Benugo and Whole Foods. www.propercorn.com

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SHAKE IT UP

Make a mean cocktail with the help of the Alexander and James Cocktail Set. It contains a muddler with an ergonomic stainless steel handle and plastic tip to crush, mash and macerate fresh ingredients; a sleek, compact citrus press with long handles for extra leverage and minuscule holes to filter pulp and seeds; a measure; and a stainless-steel cocktail shaker, made in Italy by Metallurgica Motta, with a built-in strainer. Price: £48.75. www.alexanderandjames.com

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THOROUGHLY MODERN MANSION Inspired by Lutyens, the beautiful country home of John and Gill Elliott combines a sense of history with all the comforts of modern living – and more

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The owners

John Elliott, who runs a house-building company, his wife Gill, their daughters Carrie, Sam and Becky, plus Ben, the black Labrador. John’s son Richard and his wife are also frequent visitors.

Their home

New-build mansion.

Rooms: Drawing room, kitchen/breakfast/family room, scullery, dining room, snug, gallery, study, garden room, library, six en-suite bedrooms, indoor pool, games room and wine cellar.

Location

Near Tunbridge Wells.

Built

2006-2008.

Previous homes

“The first property I bought was in 1972 in Tonbridge, Kent – a Gough Cooper semi for about £7,500. This is our seventh house.”

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“We wanted a modern house internally, but one that would look as mature and traditional as possible externally” When house-builder John Elliott came across a 56-acre site in the glorious East Sussex countryside a few miles outside Tunbridge Wells, he decided it was just too good to miss.

“Plots of this nature and size come up once every 10 years,” he says. “It was magnificent and so right for us. I couldn’t turn it down.”

It was the perfect site to build a dream home for wife Gill and their family. The build took two years and they finally moved into the stunning six-bedroom modern mansion on 1st September 2008.

Says John: “We had a pretty good idea of what we wanted because that’s what I do for a living. But it still took four or five goes to get it right.”

“We wanted to build a modern house in every sense of the word, but with a fair degree of influence from historic buildings – what I call historic precedence. The house design and much of the internal features are actually shades of Lutyens’ early designs.”

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There was a full-time site manager as well as a project manager to oversee work on the 14,000 sq. ft. property, but as they got closer to finishing, John and Gill spent a lot of time on site working on the final details.

When it came to the interior design, Gill admits she was lucky.

“The size of the place was a bit overwhelming. I knew the look and feel I wanted – stylish but comfortable – so I asked one of the designers that John uses to help me create it. He told me to go through magazines and pull out pictures of anything we liked, then we came up with fabric swatches, paint charts and lots of ideas.”

“Gill places baskets of conkers around the house to keep spiders away”

Life revolves around the huge kitchen, which has a breakfast area at one end and a family room at the other. “I had the Aga installed because I felt it was de rigueur for the country,” laughs Gill, “but I never thought I’d like it. In fact, I use it all the time.”

A glazed garden room, with doors leading out to the hot tub on the patio that wraps around the whole house, links the kitchen with the pool area – what John refers to as the ‘entertainment zone’, including a sauna and steam room.

The stunning kitchen was designed by Mark Wilkinson

“The pool is 12 metres x 6 metres (about 40ft x 20ft) and is 12.5 metres at the deep end as Gill likes to dive,” says John.

“The boarding on the roof is Cape Cod, paint-impregnated for outside use. We left it natural, which works well with the brick walls.” There’s also a fantastic sound system (there’s an audio system in all the key rooms) and coloured lights in the pool, which show it off to its full advantage.

Light floods the garden room

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The roof of the pool room is boarded with natural cladding

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Lutyens-inspired arched beams in the corridor

The bed is elevated on a plinth so the couple can enjoy the views through the full-length windows opposite

Sustainable oak is a feature of the house – there’s £600,000 of it, from the solid doors to the extensive panelling and external beams which are weathering to an attractive silver.

The only exception is the guest wing. Explains John: “When we designed the house, we copied the style of traditional manor houses where the main house was high quality and the extensions echoed the style but were reduced in quality. So the glazed link to the guest rooms is softwood rather than oak.”

John says that there have been very few modern manor houses with a respect for traditional design built in recent times. His attention to detail was such that he had bricks made to imperial size rather than metric and laid in Flemish bond for an authentic look.

Reclaimed tiles have been used where possible, and the house has eco features – including a rainwater harvesting system – which help to make it as energy efficient as possible.

The house may be grand but it’s still very much a family home. The handmade solid-oak rocking horse in the sitting room was a present from John to Gill. It was made by local

John’s car collectiom is stored in the garages around the courtyard

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The feature oak staircase

specialists Stevenson Brothers and has a horse-hair mane and tail, and a secret compartment creating a time capsule where Gill has put some family treasures. You’ll also find bowls on conkers around the house – Gill is convinced they help keep spiders at bay.

There are five garages off the courtyard and in the oversized double garage (complete with a clock tower topped with a weather vane of Ben, the Labrador) is John’s pride and joy.

Nellie is a 1936 Morris 12/4 with just 46,000 miles on the clock. “My grandparents had one, and I bought this in 1979 and rebuilt it completely. It drives perfectly – we used it for Richard’s wedding.” He’s also proud of his climate-controlled wine cellar with a humidifier to keep the corks supple.

So, does Gill see them staying in this house for the rest of their lives? “I guess we will move one day,” she admits. “At one point, John said that a stupendous plot had come up a few miles away and what did I think? I said ‘No way’! The trouble is, it’s in his blood. He’s not going to agree with this, but this is bricks and mortar to him; to us it’s a home. He’s always thinking ahead. But having said that, we lived in the last house for 16 years, so you never know!”

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STAY TUNED

This Sampler retro-style portable DAB+/FM radio has a leather surround and handle, making it pretty as well as practical. The radio features DAB+ and FM radio reception with 10 presets, plays and charges iPhones and iPods, has a dual alarm (wake up to radio, iPhone, or buzzer), and snooze and sleep modes. Price £130, from Emma Bridgewater. www.emmabridgewater.co.uk

TOAST ON THE MOVE

There’s no better way to start your day than with this ultra-cool Camper Van toaster! Daydream about road trips and the great outdoors while your toast browns with the coolest toaster you’ll ever see. It can toast two slices of bread at a time, and has an adjustable setting. Price £39.95, from Prezzybox. www.prezzybox.com

HOME, SWEET HOME Ideas to turn your house into a home REALLY COOL

Bringing a splash of fun and colour into the kitchen with this Servis retro 1950s-style fridge freezer collection. The metal-cased range is available in Chilli Red, Pistachio Green, Classic Cream and Tangerine Dream.

SITTING PRETTY

The fridge also boasts a practical capacity of up to 335 litres of frost-free fridge space, a full-width chrome wine rack and an A+ energy rating for efficiency. Price £799, from Argos. www.servis.co.uk

The Arden chair, hand-made in Britain from solid ash, combines the tradition and elegance of the Windsor chair with more contemporary characteristics, resulting in a fabulous chair which will fit well in to either traditional or modern rooms. It’s available in a natural wood or finished with red, yellow, purple, lime green or grey. From £456, by Great British Designs. www.great-british-designs.co.uk

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LUXURY ON FOUR WHEELS Motoring writer Anthony ffrench-Constant puts the Range Rover 3.0 TDV6 through its paces

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It’s been 10 years since the last new Range Rover – a long time in anyone’s terms – but the wait was worth it. The all-new model takes a hi-tech approach, with the highlight being an aluminium bodyshell that sheds weight to improve efficiency

Until the arrival of the first Range Rover in 1970, any status associated with 4x4 ownership invariably related to your total acreage of barley and possession of a dairy herd large enough to make the naming of individual animals somewhat impractical.

The Range Rover changed all that at a stroke, taking the 4x4 not just onto the tarmac, but more specifically onto the most well-heeled strips of urban tarmac in the land and, thence, of course, to the weekend cottage in Wales. The original marketing blunderbuss may have successfully targeted the bloodsports brigade, but, let’s face it, the Range Rover has always been, first and foremost, a status symbol.

Indeed, despite the fact that it’ll still shave its own legs, kick sand in the faces of bullies and leap tall buildings at a single bound, all pretence of agricultural practicality has now been expunged; the company being the first to admit that, first and foremost, the new Range Rover has been designed to ooze luxury from every pore.

Frankly, with prices now starting at a wallet-melting £71,295 and a price tag of a hundred grand not unlikely for all-singing specification models, it had better…

Boasting the world’s first aluminium SUV monocoque body, it certainly looks the part. All the trademark styling cues – floating roof, clamshell bonnet, split tailgate and front wing ‘gills’ – remain, and this a suitably stylish yet reverential tug of the forelock to the sacred Range Rover DNA. Indeed, the only seriously questionable exterior touch is daytime running lights resembling a tangle of fairy lights lobbed at a Christmas tree by a petulant toddler.

On board, the designers have also made a decent fist of upping the luxury stakes. Irritatingly, however, the sacrosanct arm of the ‘captain’s’ chair now tussles in vain for the attentions of your elbow with a pointlessly oversized, leather-clad centre console box lid better suited to Rastafarian hair containment.

A proper design howler.

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Switchgear, reduced in quantity to make the Hoovering easier, is tidy enough, but the electronic facsimiles of real driver’s instruments are as unconvincing and un-luxurious as ever, and the centre console touch-screen presentation and operation remain distinctly below par.

One major positive, however, is a weight saving of up to an astonishing 420kg over the third-generation car; think an entire compliment of passengers lighter. And that’s just as well, because there are no new drivetrains on offer, the payoff being improved performance through such rigorous dieting.

I drove what is destined to be the bestseller; the 245bhp 3.0 litre V6 turbodiesel version which, mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission, will now throw this 16ft 4in, 2.1 ton goliath to 60mph in just 7.4 seconds, and on to 130mph.

The ride’s better and the handling’s much improved too. The revised air suspension is a huge improvement on previous, Seasick Steve efforts, most notably in its low-speed ride quality. And better control of body roll has all but eradicated the disconcerting, ocean racer yaw of its predecessors. On the motorway, a combination of serious refinement and a driving position 90mm higher than any other SUV make for an appropriately snooty, nose-in-the-air experience.

Granted, there is still a whiff of vagueness to the steering and, for all its size, the Range Rover doesn’t feel quite as firmly planted as some rivals. But then, none of those rivals can hold a candle to it when the going gets properly boggy.

A true Range Rover, then, which, but for a few interior design howlers, stands its ground as a peerless combination of luxury and off-road ability, making you feel properly special every single time you climb behind the wheel. Not least because you’ve been able to afford the purchase price.

R ANGE ROVER 3.0 TDV6 Price: £71,295 As tested: £87,895 Engine: 2993cc V6 twin-turbo diesel, 245bhp @ 4000rpm, 442lb ft @ 2000rpm Transmission: 8-speed automatic with paddle shift override, four-wheel drive Performance: 7.4 sec 0-60mph, 130mph, 37.7mpg, 196g/km

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Weight/Made from: 1880kg/Steel Dimensions L/W/Hmm: 4966/1877/1468

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BEST DAYS OF THEIR LIVES There’s plenty you can do to help children settle into school, whether they’re first-timers or moving to secondary school

With thousands of children starting school for the first time, switching from junior to secondary or starting a new school because of a house move, it can be a fraught time for them and you. But there’s plenty parents can do to make these early days as painless as possible.

Reassure them that you’ll be there to pick them up after school in the early weeks even if, long-term, someone else will be doing it. Plan a little treat that you can do together when you get home, like making cookies together, and tell them about it beforehand so they have something to look forward to.

First-timers Starting school is an exciting time in a child’s life and you need to help them to be positive about it.

If your child starts crying when you’re about to leave, don’t panic. Teachers are trained and experienced in dealing with children who don’t want to leave their mums. Send your child off with a smile and a wave, along with the reassurance that you’ll be there to collect them later. Remember, however upset your child seems, even really distressed children settle very quickly once parents have gone, so make your leave loving but brief.

It’s helpful if your child knows what to expect from school so before they start, make at least one visit to the school and if possible arrange to show your child around their new classroom and meet their teacher. Show them where they’ll leave their coat and lunchbox and where to find the toilets, playground and hall.

Find out about the daily routine from the teacher and let your child know what to expect. Make sure you walk or drive to school together, so your child gets to know the route, and point out the school every time you pass it.

Prepare for their start by getting them into the routine of going to bed early. A good night’s sleep will make them happier in the morning and less anxious. They’ll also find it easier to concentrate and learn if they’re not tired.

Involve your child in getting ready for their first day. The evening before term starts you can work together to prepare their uniform, bag and snacks.

Try to allow plenty of time to get ready on that first morning.

For every child that’s up with the lark and raring to go, there’ll be one who is nervous and anxious and refuses to get up or get dressed, and drags their feet over breakfast.

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Make sure your child knows that they can ask the teacher if they’re unsure about anything or need help. Remind them to go to the toilet if they need to – some children are frightened to ask – and pack spare clothes in case of accidents.

Make sure you’re there in good time to collect them, and take a snack with you as they’ll probably be starving.

Older children Moving to a new school is usually the hardest part of a move for older children. Switching schools means making new friends, getting to know new teachers and figuring out how to navigate their way through a new system. This can be particularly difficult for teenagers.

Before the first day of school begins, take a tour of the school with your child so that they can get a feel for the place and know where everything is.

If your child has to take a bus or walk to school, make sure

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they know the route, the times that the bus picks them up and where, and how to get home. If possible, accompany your child on their first day.

Although most children adjust to a new school quickly, for some the first few weeks of school can be challenging. You might find your child is withdrawn, more sensitive, not doing as well in their lessons, or being uncooperative. If you suspect that they’re having problems, it’s important to tackle the situation as quickly as possible. Talk to them to try to find out why, and contact the teachers if necessary.

An expert’s view Clinical psychologist Katherine Poole offers advice to parents Most of us feel some anxiety when we start something new – think back to the last job you started or the last time you moved to a new area. One of the most helpful things you can do for your child is to normalise their worries. Try giving a personal example of when you felt the same and how the feelings passed. Help them look forward to a few weeks’ time when things will hopefully feel more settled; let them know that other children feel nervous, too.

We all want to protect our children from difficult situations and if their move is making you feel anxious, try to talk to your partner or a friend about it. Children pick up on our anxieties easily, so try to work through them yourself.

Your child may actually be feeling excited about the change, as well as anxious. Try to provide time for calming activities, distraction and fun in the days before their first day, which will help you all feel more relaxed, and prevent too much focus on the event.

Help them prepare by making sure they know how they are getting there and, if possible, what they are doing on the first day. Make sure clothes are out and bags are packed to avoid an unnecessary rush in the morning as this will increase adrenalin levels.

I believe the most important factor in supporting your child in their move is that they feel able to come to you if they do have worries and problems, so that they feel less alone. It also means that you can act if they do experience something more serious, such as bullying. Let them know you are available to talk if they have any worries.

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situation. When you talk with them about problems, try not to hurry to solve, reassure or dismiss them. Let them know you have heard them and can imagine how difficult it must feel. Empathise, then if you have some suggestions, ask if they would like a few ideas of things which might help. They are far more likely to listen if they feel heard and understood.

Depending on your child’s age, reassure them that they will make new friends and help them maintain important old friendships. Try to support out-of-school meetings once they feel ready to make them.

If they are older, try not to force an in-depth conversation.

Just let them know you are there if they want a chat, or try a text or e-mail if they find this less intense.

The majority of children do manage the transition to a new school well, but some struggle. If, after a number of months, you and their teachers have concerns or if they seem reluctant or start to refuse to go to school regularly, it may be time to seek some professional help to support them and help them move on in their school life.

If your child does have problems at first, this is quite normal so try not to panic. Young people sometimes say that their parents do not listen and just want to tell them what to do; our parental anxieties can make us want to rush in to fix the

You can contact Katherine Poole on 01892 516755; www.tunbridgewellspsychologist.co.uk

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TALKING HEAD Angela Culley, chair of the Independent Schools Association and head of The Mead School, believes

Every child deserves to feel success

Self-confidence, self-esteem and self-belief without arrogance can be the cornerstones of an individual’s ability to find happiness and contentment in their lives, helping them to achieve their goals and aspirations, and hold their place in society. The taste of success at school, in whatever form, is what gives children that natural self-confidence and self-esteem which they will carry forward in whatever they do and achieve in adult life.

Of course, this is easy to say but not always easy to achieve. However, schools can set their pupils on this positive road by making sure every child feels happy, secure and valued as an individual within the school environment. Each child needs the time and attention to accomplish this, and not every establishment can afford to provide this environment. Small schools and small classrooms are the optimum, but for some parents this, unfortunately, is not an option.

The beauty of a small school – and by that I mean a school of under 200 pupils, like The Mead – is that they are able to offer a bespoke education for the individual. By building this into our planning whilst ensuring this is the norm within the school, we are doing everything we can to help every child to feel success. A good head teacher works alongside caring and committed staff who are prepared to go the extra mile and create the environment that is the key to a child’s growth.

If possible, organising children into small ‘houses’ within a school is important. Our house system, in particular, works really well.

There are 50 or 60 children of all ages in each house which meets every week, and a really strong identity quickly develops. Many primary-aged children are being educated in year groups of up to 90 pupils, meaning these children are only mixing with an 11-month age range. Mead children gain from always looking upwards and aspiring to the 11-year-olds, while older children love looking after the younger ones. This philosophy follows right through the school and I never cease to be amazed at the strength of the house allegiance, both inside The Mead and beyond.

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Parents must also help reinforce self-confidence, and it is essential that the school and they work closely together.

Children work best with boundaries and routine. The rhythm of life must be securely in place prior to the fun and unexpected elements being introduced. This provides the security and continuity that is so important.

Communication is vital for a strong relationship of trust between home and school to be established. Once you’ve got that triangle of parent, child and school with mutual trust and understanding at the centre, with all parties sharing the educational journey together as equal partners, then the child is going to thrive.

Whilst parents support their child’s school, equally the school must respect and understand individual families, because each family unit is going to be unique, as is each child. An advantage of small schools is that they get to know everyone so well – something that’s so much easier to achieve with smaller class numbers. For instance, Mead staff check their emails three times a day, and parents know they can directly email any teacher – or drop into school – so potential problems can be shared and dealt with immediately.

In fairness, this would be far more difficult to maintain with 30 children in a class, rather than the 14 or 15 we are so fortunate to enjoy. We also help parents in their children’s learning by using communication books which are a daily link between the parents and the teachers. We also have a weekly blog, so parents know exactly what’s happening in the classroom. The child’s educational experience is a shared experience.

One thing children must always know, whatever the size of school, is that it is always good to ask for help. It is only through asking for help when it is needed that you learn and move forward. It’s really important to create an environment in which it’s all right to get things wrong, because that’s how you get it right. Children will only openly do this if they feel safe and confident, and that school truly is a second home.

www.meadschool.info

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THE TASTE OF SUCCESS

From cheese to meat and wine, meet the local producers who are making their mark on the foodie scene

Nick Walker (left) and Arthur Alsop in their dairy

THE BIG CHEESE Arthur Alsop and Nicholas Walker specialise in artisan cheese-making in Five Ashes, Mayfield.

They produce a whole cheeseboard of award-winning products, as Nicholas explains

How did you two meet each other?

We used to live next door to each other in Mayfield and we both have a catering and food background.

How did the idea for a cheese business come up?

We were looking for premises in London to open a specialist beef restaurant. We’d looked at around 30 places but it was at the height of the property boom and rents were too high. Then Arthur heard of a local cheese factory for sale that had been open for just over a year but was struggling.

We changed tack and decided to look into buying it. At the

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time it was producing around 75 kilos of cheese a week – we now produce up to 1200 kilos.

Had either of you got any cheese-making experience?

No. We had both been chefs and Arthur had grown up in the family business which was beef farming and meat plants in Scotland, prior to doing an apprenticeship under Albert Roux at Le Gavroche.

Do you have clearly defined roles in the business?

Arthur is Managing Director driving forward the dairy and our

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Describe a typical day in the dairy.

We arrive at 5.45am, take the pH of the previous day’s make to check acidity levels, then put the cheese into the brine. We scrub the moulds ready for the day’s make which could be 1500 litres of Mayfield, 800 litres of Sussex Farmhouse and 600 litres of Sussex Camembert.

The first vat to be filled is the Mayfield, and that takes one-and-a-half hours. This is followed by four vats of Camembert, then one of Farmhouse. Cultures are added, followed by rennet, then the curds are cut and stirred and temperatures adjusted. The first cheeses to come out of the vats and left to drain are the Camembert, followed by Mayfield which is scooped out and into the press by 12.30pm. At 3.30pm it is out of the press and replaced by the Farmhouse. Whilst the cheese is being pressed, a further 3000 litres of milk is collected from Guy Brickell’s farm in Mayfield for the next day’s make. All cheese should be out of the press by 6pm, ready to be salted when the correct pH is reached. The dairy is then scrubbed down ready for the next day. The last person tends to leave the dairy between 6.30pm and 7.30pm.

Whilst the cheese is being made, small pockets of time are grabbed to do phone calls and emails, whilst someone else is making up orders and turning the cheeses in the maturing rooms. They have to be tended to every day as they are a live product.

retail outlet at Borough Market in London and I am Production Director.

Did you have a particular style of cheese in mind when you started?

We wanted to continue with some of the cheeses that were already being made but needed desperately to alter all the recipes to get more depth into the cheese. What we wanted to achieve was a complete cheeseboard ranging from soft whites and blue through to semi hard and hard cheeses, which we have successfully done.

And how many do you make now?

We currently make 19 different cheeses but do not put them into production all at the same time. The ones we always produce are Mayfield (Gold World Cheese Awards), Sussex Farmhouse (Gold British Cheese Awards) Sussex Blue (Silver British Cheese Awards) Sussex Camembert (Silver British Cheese Awards) Sussex Brie (Silver British Cheese Awards) Five Ashes (Bronze British Cheese Awards) and Lord London (Silver World Cheese Awards).

Who is responsible for the recipes?

We both work on the recipes. For instance, when we developed Lord London, I had a base recipe which Arthur then started adding to for good texture, flavour and an appetizing appearance.

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What have been the main challenges that you have faced?

There are always ongoing challenges with cheese as everything has an effect on them and the milk, from the weather to having enough hours in a day.

What have been the high points?

The high point was seeing the Lord London being used at the Royal Wedding breakfast at the Goring Hotel.

Do you have a particular favourite among your cheeses?

Mayfield and Lord London.

And which are the most popular?

The most popular hard cheese is the Mayfield. We make a range from 16 to 20-kilo wheels and we sell around 70 per month. The most popular semi-soft is Lord London – we sell around 1000 per month. The most popular softs are Sussex Camembert and Sussex Brie.

What are your plans for the future of the business?

To produce more of the longer-maturing cheeses (12 months plus) such as Sussex Mansion.

Alsop & Walker Coles Hall Barns. Five Ashes, Mayfield, East Sussex TN21 6JH Tel: 01825 831 810 www.alsopandwalker.co.uk

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Fidelity Weston and one of her British Hereford cows

DOWN ON THE FARM Romshed Farm is a small family-run organic farm in Underriver, Sevenoaks, owned by Fidelity and Martin Weston. The farm supplies meat to local people, including air-dried ham, hung in their 16th-century barn.

It’s a way of life the couple love, as Fidelity explains Who works on the farm?

The farm is mainly run by me with Andy, who is the farm manager and does most of the day-to-day work on the farm, looking after the livestock and carrying out all the daily jobs.

My husband Martin helps out as do our four, now grown-up children, if they are around.

How long has the family owned the farm?

We’ve owned it since 1984, when we moved in. It was very derelict with a lot of work needed to restore all the beautiful, historic farm buildings, putting up fencing, restocking and generally building up the business. We started with a flock of 400 ewes and employed a shepherd, Rex, who taught both Martin and I everything we needed to know about sheep.

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How long has it been organic?

We took the decision to go organic in 2000 as we had not used insecticide sprays up to that point and there were incentives to convert to organic. The only change it really meant for us was to stop using artificial fertilisers. The effect of this on the grassland was enormous, as we actively encouraged clovers and vetches into our grasslands. We now get as many bales of hay as we would if we were not organic, and our meadows are filled with wildflowers, bees and insects, with crickets and grasshoppers singing all summer.

What was behind the decision to become organic?

We decided to go organic as we wanted to retain the amazing wildlife we had on the farm and to provide really tasty, naturally-reared, pasture-fed meat to local people.

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and with just two sows we have four batches of pork during the year. So, we sell most of our meat to customers who live locally and know what is coming up from our email newsletter. We also have a pop-up shop in our barn for people to come and collect their meat. We often tie this in with an Open Day so our customers can see the animals and learn more about our way of farming.

Has this been successful?

We have very supportive, loyal customers but the fact that we cannot supply regularly can make it quite difficult for them. It’s fine if you have a reasonable-size freezer and you enjoy eating a range of cuts of meat, as we price our meat to encourage buying in quantity. So, if you can do this we are very good value and it works well. We sell some of our meat to Chart Farm and to a butcher in London who only sells organic and biodynamic meat. The Swan in West Malling also takes some of our pork and beef.

And how do you plan to grow sales?

We would like to be selling all our meat directly to customers who really enjoy the range of cuts and exceptional flavour.

To achieve this we need to market ourselves more and make sure our customers really value us for our seasonality.

What do you raise on the farm?

We have a small suckler herd of traditional British Hereford cattle (a rare breed), Lleyn sheep, two saddleback sows Bella and Octavia (also rare breeds), and egg-laying and table chickens.

Describe the ethos behind Romshed Farm and its produce.

Our strapline is ‘Conservation farming supplying organic produce to local people. Naturally reared, pasture fed meat, giving flavour that is rare to find’.

Because we are small we are able to give great care and attention to the welfare of our livestock, who live as natural lives as possible. We want to produce meat that really tastes delicious and that enables the environment to be as good as possible for wildlife.

When did you take the decision to sell your produce to the public?

We started to sell produce direct to the public when we went organic.

How do you do this?

We are small – our beef and lamb is pasture fed and finished on the last of the summer grass. We do table chickens in the summer when they can live on the pasture enjoying the sun,

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What are the biggest challenges you face as a small producer?

The business of selling our meat is a big challenge, but also our costs are high per animal. For instance, our table chickens, which are considered by many of our customers to be the tastiest ever, are very expensive to produce. Not only are they in small batches out on the grass but each one is dry plucked, taking a full half an hour each, so our labour costs are very high.

And the rewards?

There is nothing more satisfying than having really good feedback from our customers and eating our delicious meat ourselves! Sitting with Bella or Octavia as they have their piglets must be another highlight – to see a pig giving birth so naturally is rare and touching as she is so careful with her tiny newborn piglets. If only all pigs were able to farrow in that way!

Do you aim to develop the business further and if so, how?

Our business development is restricted by the size of the farm. I would like us to be able to sell all our meat directly to the consumer and to make this as easy as possible for everyone. We are hoping that a new website and regular pop-up shop opening hours may help with this. We would like all our customers to feel that it is always worthwhile going out of their way to buy meat from small producers such as ourselves. That takes some commitment in everyone’s busy lives, but it’s worth it.

Romshed Farm, Underriver, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 0SD www.romshedfarm.co.uk

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Will Davenport tending his vines

R AISE YOUR GLASS Will Davenport established Davenport Vineyards in Rotherfield in 1993 and has built up the winery from a small start-up to a collection of local organic vineyard sites that total 20 acres producing award-winning wines under the Limney brand Who runs the business?

At the moment, myself, two employees and one part-time student.

What made you decide to go into the wine business?

An interest in wine from an early age. I used to make wine in my parents’ kitchen from any fruit that I could get and then try to get my parents to drink it. After school I worked in a vineyard in Alsace for a season.

How and where did you train?

I worked for a wine company in London for two years and then travelled to Australia and studied winemaking for a graduate diploma at Roseworthy College near Adelaide.

I also worked for wine producers in California, France and Australia.

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What makes this part of the country good for vines?

The climate is warmer and sunnier than most of the UK and there are some good soils in some areas of the Weald; it’s not too high in altitude and has sheltered sloping land.

How did you choose the four sites for your vineyards?

Limney Farm is on a sandstone area of the Weald and the site is west-facing with quite a steep slope, great drainage and no frost. The Horsmonden fields are very sheltered and warm.

Soils vary between clay and sand. All the sites have to be frost-free and have a warmth that is created by shelter and sunlight. For an organic system, the health of the soil is vital.

What made you decide to be an organic operation?

I always had an interest in organic farming and wanted to grow grapes organically. I live on the farm, and using toxic

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juice to cloudy wine and then into something that has delicacy, fruit purity and a soft finish. You never know how the wine will turn out until the end.

Describe the wines that you produce.

We make a dry white wine from aromatic grapes such as Bacchus, which has a dry balance but with a range of flavours (hedgerow, citrus, violet, elderflower, gooseberry) all in the same glass. The wine changes over the years as new flavours become prominent and others fade to the background.

Our sparkling wines are made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Auxerrois. The blend is different each year, with small changes in the wine’s character. Our current vintage (2008) is Pinot Noir and Auxerrois and has a strong, yeasty, biscuit flavour with some redcurrant character. The wines are aged for three years before they reach the shops, so there is a maturity and sense of aged richness to them which works really well with the fine bubbles.

Which are you most proud of?

While sparkling wines have attracted a lot of attention in the media recently, my favourite is our dry white wine because it shows what can be done with good grapes and minimal intervention by the winemaker.

chemicals on the land here just never felt right.

What difference does this make to the finished product?

I believe that there is an extra dimension to the wine that comes from the natural, chemical-free way that the vines have been grown. The wines immediately changed in character after we went organic.

What are your plans for the future?

To continue growing organic grapes and making the best wines we can and to use the most sustainable methods possible. We are looking at using rainwater in the winery instead of mains water (this will complement the fact that the winery is already self-sufficient for electricity). We are also considering planting another five acres of vines next year.

How much more difficult is it to be an organic operation?

Much more difficult! There’s a lot of time involved in weeding under the vines, rather than using herbicides; having to inspect the vines for any diseases and then work out how to remedy any problems without resorting to a chemical fix; keeping soil fertility at optimum levels using only compost and green manures. Everything has to be worked out a year or two ahead because organic treatments take time to incorporate into the soil and become available to the plants.

What have been the major challenges you have faced since you set up?

Maintaining a decent yield and coping with some less than good weather in 2012.

And the best parts?

Seeing the wines develop naturally in the tank from grape

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Davenport Vineyards, Limney Farm, Castle Hill, Rotherfield, East Sussex TN6 3RR www.davenportvineyards.co.uk

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CREATE A WILDLIFE HAVEN From composting to choosing the right plants, here are some easy ways to get your garden buzzing with life

It’s not difficult to encourage greater biodiversity without compromising the way your garden looks. Here are a few small changes you could make to the way you manage your garden that can bring major benefits for the creatures that call it home. Some will actually save you time and resources, and all should bring in more wildlife to watch.

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1. Flowers mean food

Flowers provide pollen and nectar for bees, butterflies and other insects. The busy hum of bees and bright colours of butterflies enlivens gardens, and pollinators perform the vital task of fertilisation – seed and fruit production would drop dramatically without them.

Avoid too many highly-bred cultivars with big and blowsy or double flowers, most of which contain little or no pollen or nectar. Choose plants that provide pollen and nectar for as long a season as possible, from spring (crocus and mahonia for example) through to autumn (Sedum spectabile and ivy, which is particularly late to bloom and may provide food into early winter). Studies are showing wildlife cares little if a plant is native or not – Buddleia davidii hails from China, yet British native butterflies love it.

2. Grow a mix of trees and shrubs

Grow a range of trees, shrubs and climbers, or a mixed hedge to provide food and shelter. As well as providing food in the form of flowers, fruits and seeds, they provide cover and nesting sites for garden animals, from insects to larger species such as birds.

Small trees and shrubs that are good for blossom and berries include rowan, crab apple, elder, blackthorn and hawthorn.

Fruit trees support a range of specialist native wildlife and can provide for them while also supplying you with a useful crop.

3. Look after mature trees

If your garden is too small for big trees, get some planted in the neighbourhood, and protect those that are already there – large street trees provide a vital habitat for a range of wildlife which may visit nearby gardens while foraging. Wildlife rarely respects garden boundaries: try to see your own plot as part of a wider web of interlinked gardens and green space.

4. Add water

The single easiest way to add wildlife value to a garden is to install a pond, however tiny – a large pot or even an inverted dustbin lid in an out-of-the-way spot will do. Ideally, do not introduce fish to a pond primarily there for wildlife (they will eat anything that moves), and if you can resist temptation, allow water plants to colonise naturally. Make sure ponds have at least one sloping side to allow creatures an easy way out.

Most wildlife, including amphibians like newts and frogs, like shallower water than is generally thought.

5. Leave a pile of dead wood in a shady spot

Decaying wood provides an ever rarer habitat to a range of specialist wildlife that is growing increasingly-uncommon in the countryside, such as a stag and bark beetles and their grubs, and many species of fungi, while also providing cover and hibernation sites. Any unstained or unpainted wood will do, although big, natural logs are best, ideally partly buried.

Artfully arranged, log piles can look quite architectural and rustic, though many prefer to tuck them out of sight.

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6. Compost, compost, compost

Composting your garden waste helps all your garden plants and wildlife. It speeds up the natural recycling of nutrients that goes on in nature all the time, harnessing native decomposer organisms or saprophytes, especially fungi and soil bacteria.

Compost makes for healthy soil, which is good for everything living in it and growing on it; it is an excellent mulch; it is free and easy to produce; and unlike organic matter imported from elsewhere, comes without packaging or the ‘fuel miles’ involved in its transport. Compost heaps also shelter many small creatures (and some larger ones, like slug-loving slow worms, and grass snakes), which enjoy the heat released by decomposition.

7. Provide food and water for birds all year

Garden birds are some of the most conspicuous of garden wildlife, and easy to attract with supplemental feeding. Over the winter, supplementary food may mean the difference between life and death for many, especially with weather as cold as the last two years. Ideally, offer a mix of foods including peanuts, sunflower hearts, seeds, kitchen scraps and fat balls, or proprietary seed mixtures, to supplement natural foods such as berries and seedheads. Don’t forget, a supply of clean, unfrozen water is just as vital – and ensure feeding tables are not accessible to the nemesis of garden birds, the domestic cat.

8. Don’t be too tidy

This doesn’t mean your garden has to look a mess, but piles of leaves and twiggy debris provide both food and habitat for many species. If you leave perennials uncut over winter, their hollow stems can shelter hibernating insects. Piles of stones also make good habitat – for hibernating reptiles and amphibians particularly. You can tuck them away in hidden corners, at the back of borders or even behind the shed.

9. Allow a patch of grass to grow longer

If you don’t have room for, or don’t want, a full-scale wildflower meadow, simply allowing patches of lawn to grow longer will provide shelter for small mammals such as wood mice, voles and shrews, and food for some butterfly caterpillars – not all of these eat cabbages or nettles, contrary to popular belief!

10. Garden sustainably to help protect wildlife

Sustainability is an environmental buzzword that simply means minimising your use of finite resources (such as oil) in favour of those that are continuously produced by natural processes (power from wind turbines, or, bringing it right home, using your own compost). Synthetic pesticides are not only toxic to more than the target organisms, they are extremely energy-intensive to produce, so employ them as a last resort wherever possible. Avoid peat-based composts, choose wood for patio furniture from sustainable sources, recycle all you can, and save water wherever possible – these are all more sustainable forms of gardening. It will help ensure that your garden treads lightly on the world.

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Sedum Spectabile

Verbena bonariensis

• Butterflies like warmth and shelter, so position your nectar plants carefully in the garden

SAVE THE BUTTERFLIES

Buddleia davidii Harlequin

300,000 fewer butterflies were recorded on the wing in British skies in the summer of 2012 than in 2011, leaving several species in danger of extinction from parts of the country. Whatever type of garden you have, from rolling acres to a compact container garden, it’s surprisingly easy to make it butterfly-friendly. Remember, the greater the variety of plants with large, brightly-coloured flowers you grow, the more butterflies will visit.

• Butterflies love heavily-scented flowers, so try planting Sedum spectabile and Verbena bonariensis, which can attract many of these charming insects into your garden • Plant shrubs and small trees such as common honeysuckle around the edges of your garden to provide shelter for butterflies, but ensure that your flower beds are in full sunlight • Make sure you plant a variety of flowers that are available from early spring to autumn. Plants such as Buddleia davidii Harlequin will give butterflies the fuel needed to keep them airborne • Change the way you think about your garden. Small numbers of caterpillars might turn into gorgeous butterflies, so don’t get rid of them, instead imagine a butterfly in the late summer sun • The Buddleia is by far the best nectar plant, attracting 18 different butterfly species

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Michelmas daisies

BATS AND HEDGEHOGS

The hedgehog population has dropped from 36 million in 1950 to just one million today, meaning the species is facing the same rapid decline as the tiger. Bat populations, too, have declined considerably over the last century.

Bats

Flying uses a lot of energy, so bats have huge appetites! For example, a tiny common pipistrelle can eat around 3,000 midges, mosquitoes and other small flies in a single night.

The key to a successful wildlife garden is to include plenty of plants that will attract insects, and to ensure that your garden has a good supply of insects from spring through to autumn.

Flowers that bloom throughout the year, including both annuals and herbaceous perennials, are a good idea: night-flowering blossoms attract night-flying insects.

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Making your own bat box Bats do not like draughts, and prefer well-insulated boxes where the temperature and humidity remain constant. They also need a rough-textured wood to cling to.

The wood should not be treated because bats are very sensitive to chemicals. A ‘bat ladder’ or other landing area that leads to an entry slit wide enough to admit bats, but narrow enough to keep out predators is also essential (15-20mm).

Once up, a bat box cannot be opened legally without a licence. For more information on bats and the law, call the Bat Helpline (0845 1300 228).

Things to remember • Make sure joints are well sealed and avoid large, loose-fitting front panels • All timber used in bat boxes should be rough-sawn (unplaned) and untreated from sustainable sources • Keep entrance slits small (15-20mm) • Removable lids should not be used and the box should not be opened Designs and instructions for making your own bat box can be found at www.bats.org.uk.

Hedgehogs

It’s really easy to make a house for hedgehogs. Take a sturdy crate and turn it upside down. Cover it with stones, earth and wood, and make sure there’s an entrance. If it’s dry and protected, hedgehogs can use it to stay in over winter.

• You can buy a wooden hedgehog box, or make one to a similar design. Whenever you buy wood, make sure it comes from a sustainable source.

• Make your hedgehog home a sturdy one as badgers and foxes will make a meal of a hedgehog, given half a chance.

• The easiest way to help hedgehogs find a home is to give them plenty of natural opportunity. Log piles, compost heaps and cosy spaces under a shed or hedge are all popular.

• Hedgehogs like to furnish their own homes with leaves and garden debris – it’s part of their hibernation ritual – so don’t line the box for them.

• Don’t disturb the box once it’s occupied. You might frighten a nesting mother and cause the young to be abandoned.

• If you can, put your hedgehog home in or near a damp, untidy area so that hedgehogs are protected when they come out to forage.

The Royal Horticultural Society’s website has a wealth of information on gardening. It is one of the world’s leading horticultural organisations and the UK’s leading gardening charity. An interest in gardening is all you need to enjoy being a member of the RHS. www.rhs.org.uk

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IT’S ALL IN THE DETAIL Rencraft’s John Stephens talks about life in the kitchen What’s the history of the company?

My business partner Nick Pile started the business 32 years ago, making tables and beds. I joined him five years later when I left Cornwall at the age of 18, and came to Sevenoaks looking for work. I came across Nick and started working for him, becoming his business partner two years later.

We have been based here at Chart Farm in Sevenoaks since the company began. About 25 years ago, we ventured into the kitchen market, running alongside the other things we were doing. We had a small shop in Tunbridge Wells under a different name selling furniture and kitchens, but this got confusing for our clients. So three years ago, we decided to put everything under the Rencraft umbrella.

In the last recession, we launched a product called the Wooden Kitchen. It was a range of cupboards and its USP was that the carcase and drawer boxes were made completely from solid wood, with no chipboard, plastic or MDF. It had a very freestanding look and feel. We found that it sat well in the

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middle of the kitchen market for people who didn’t want a mass-market kitchen and also those at the top end not necessarily wanting to pay premium prices. Over the last 20 years, the product has evolved to the more bespoke service we offer today.

What’s the structure of the company today?

Nick and I are joint partners. We have 15 employees in the workshop, who have worked with us from six months to 22 years, so we have a very stable work force. The two most recent employees are young trainee lads who did carpentry at college. In the showroom here at Sevenoaks, we also have three full-time designers, a production manager, and a part-time receptionist.

What challenges have you faced over the years?

Two recessions! The 1991 recession was challenging in the fact that the business went onto a three-day week, and no one came in for a few months looking for a kitchen. This last recession has been different. The new leads have not dried up and it has not been as hard for us as a business as ‘91, but there have been new challenges. However, it has definitely not been

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as tough, and although it has gone on for longer, customers have still kept coming in.

What’s the best business decision you ever made?

Going into the kitchen market. When we took on a new shop in Tunbridge Wells, it had been a kitchen showroom. As we stripped out the old kitchens, we thought, ‘We can do this’, and so we did. It turns out we are good at it, too!

What impact has the current economic climate had on your business?

The recession has changed our customer’s approach as a consumer, which, in a way is a good thing. They want to know exactly what they are getting before they commit, and there is a higher level of demand and expectation. People are a lot more aware of how they spend their money and what they get for it. They have to work harder for it, so that’s fair enough!

What are your and Nick’s strengths as joint business partners?

I think the way that Nick and I have worked together over the years is a real strength. Although there are two people running the business, we are different ages and have different interests within the business. We don’t fight for each other’s role – we dovetail very well. We have different objectives at different times, bouncing ideas off each other, reining each other in or pushing one another along when we need to. It’s a big strength for the business. We have worked together now for 27 years.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

From a young age, Nick drummed into me about the detail.

It’s a very important part of what we do – lots of people design kitchens nowadays, but it is those little bits of detail that really make the impact but are often missing. That is the difference between a good kitchen and a great one.

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How have trends in kitchens changed?

Things have moved on a lot since we introduced the Wooden Kitchen. Now, we offer a much more sophisticated product and a lot more choice to our clients. Drawer runners now come with a lifetime guarantee, and there is also an infinite choice when it comes to handles. Worktops now come in different composite quartzes, which offer a much more diverse choice.

Are there some woods that never go out of fashion?

Who can say never, but oak is a timber that I would expect to stay in fashion. When it comes to kitchens, hand-painted has always been a popular choice. We have been offering hand-painted kitchens for 25 years and it’s the most popular kitchen we are currently selling and always has been. Walnut is the latest trend, which has taken over from maple.

If you weren’t at Rencraft, what would your dream job be?

I would definitely be running my own business, certainly making or creating something and probably involving people – we have some fantastic clients and I enjoy interacting with them. I have done various property development projects over the years and I enjoy the whole process, from building to furnishing, so it may be property-related, which brings us full circle to where I am today.

What do you predict for the future?

If only! About six months ago, we introduced Siematic, which is a more contemporary German kitchen, to our showroom in Tunbridge Wells, which is going well. We looked at a number of companies but Siematic’s approach, and the way they work, closely mirrored ours. Our customers expect a certain standard from us, so it was important to find a company that would reinforce that. We are also currently developing a new range, with the ultimate aim of customers being able to order online, so watch this space.

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LEADING FROM THE FRONT Mike Clayton lists his 10 characteristics of truly wise leadership

Wise leadership… ... makes a difference

While smart leaders keep things on an even keel, wise leaders know they have a window of opportunity to make a difference and are determined to seize their chance. The two primary forms of wisdom are Sophia and Phronesis. Phronesis is the practical wisdom to get things done; navigating material and logistic challenges and the vagaries of realpolitik.

... and chooses that difference with care

Sophia is the wisdom to make sound choices. You can easily find yourself dissipating your energy across many endeavours. This is neither smart nor wise: focus on one thing at a time, that really matters, and give it all of your commitment. Our word decision comes from the Latin: de cidere – to cut off from. When you make a decision, you cut yourself off from all of the alternatives.

... is mindful of unintended consequences

Decisions have implications – and not all of them are what you intend.

Wise leaders know this, so they play out scenarios like chess grand masters, deploying all the many pieces in different ways to gauge the impacts of their choices. You will not be able to maintain a 100% record of right decisions, but by thinking through all of the possible consequences first, you can raise your hit rate.

... learns constantly, to adapt to changing realities

Smart leaders learn what they need to, to thrive in a changing world.

Wise leaders learn for the sake of learning, because they know that the broadest possible understanding will give them the ability to be the first to perceive from which direction the changes will come, and how they will affect your choices.

... can exert self-control when under pressure

It is easy to be self-assured and appear controlled in set-piece events.

The tougher quest is to remain fully in control when events spiral out your control. These are the leaders that fill us with confidence.

... while remaining honest about who you are

Wise leaders are never so controlled that they hide their true selves behind some form of shop-front. Instead, they develop their true selves to be something finer than many of the rest of us.

... knows that even bystanders matter

... can see the small details and subtle trends

This doesn’t mean that everyone will be right – how could they be?

Nor does it mean we have a duty to everyone. It does mean that your choices and actions affect people and that you have responsibilities that you need to balance. You cannot balance all of your responsibilities without recognising that bystanders do matter. This is true not just of the people who are here now, but those who will follow too.

Master Itei commented, ‘matters of small concern should be treated seriously’”

... because you know your role is to serve

“Among the maxims on Lord Naoshige’s wall, it is written: ‘Matters of great concern should be treated lightly.’

Hagakure’s In the Shadow of the Leaves is sometimes called The Samurai Manual. It is certainly strong on how to die well, though not dying seems preferable to me. However, it is full of wise observations and this is one of my favourites.

... can synthesise details into a broad context

Perceiving the details is of no use to you unless you can also use them to build a wider understanding. The value of detail is to avoid your

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understanding becoming superficial. Make it deep, rich and textured.

This will allow you to build nuance into your actions.

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Leadership is like a circle: when you truly lead, people happily follow.

This gives you a responsibility towards them. Many models of leadership assert a leader has a responsibility to help others “become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous”. In describing Servant Leadership, Robert Greenleaf used those words as the test of a servant leader.

Mike Clayton gives seminars and talks about business and personal success, and has written numerous books. www.mikeclayton.co.uk

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FIVE WAYS TO WAKE UP YOUR ENTREPRENEUR BR AIN Daniel Priestley helps unlock your entrepreneurial potential Being an entrepreneur is about having the entrepreneur’s mindset. It’s about seeing a problem and recognising the opportunity that it creates. It’s about “connecting the dots” when you meet a perfect stranger who could be a perfect strategic partner. It’s about dealing with the stress of endless possibilities and being able to decide what deserves your focus the most.

Here are some real-life challenges that will automatically start to enhance your “entrepreneur brain”, so you can tune into the right choices that will make your business a success.

Challenge 1: Make three big phone calls Pick up the phone

Challenge 4: Take holidays every year When you run

Challenge 2: Put your prices up It’s been four years since

Challenge 5: Hire someone The UK has 4.8 million small and

Challenge 3: Get your personal finances in order Be sure to have your business bank accounts separate to your personal accounts, and make sure your business pays you every month.

In your personal banking set up a few accounts for holidays, for investing, for predictable expenses and for charity. As soon as you pay yourself each month, split the money up into the different accounts. It will help you to get what you really want each year rather than being random and reactive with money.

Daniel Priestley is a successful entrepreneur who’s built and sold businesses in Australia, UK, USA and Singapore. His latest book Entrepreneur Revolution is full of exciting and practical strategies for building a successful small-business.

and call a person or an organisation that could take everything to the next level. Maybe it’s a dream customer, maybe it’s a celebrity that could endorse you or maybe it’s a distributor who could sell truck-loads of your products. Don’t just do this once, do this every week. Sometimes the long-shot comes off, but too often we learn to play small and never attempt to go big; it all starts with a phone call.

the economy went into recession and most small businesses haven’t put their prices up since. It’s time to bump things up a level. When you put your prices up a little, you feel better and it forces you to think about how you’re adding more value to your clients. When you’re “cheap”, you begin to think that it’s OK to do an average job; putting your prices up keeps you on your toes and makes you commit to being more remarkable.

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a business you can feel as if it’s your baby and you can’t leave it alone for a minute, let alone a week or two. If you don’t take holidays however, you will burn yourself out and begin to resent your business. You probably started the business to have more freedom, so stop being a slave and start taking some breaks. I promise you your best ideas will hit you when you’re relaxing on the beach with a suitable drink in hand. medium-sized businesses, and if we all hire one more person, the country will have full employment. Hiring someone feels risky when you’re small, but the key to becoming bigger is recognising you can’t do everything on your own. Find a sales person, get a book-keeper, hire an executive assistant. Figure out who could help you to do more high-value activities and get them on your team. At the very least, get a cleaner and use that time to work on your business so you can eventually hire someone full-time.

There are apprentice schemes and flexible workforce websites like elance.com, so there are no excuses not to recruit people who can help you to do a better job.

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HOW TO DEVELOP MENTAL TOUGHNESS John Perry, a pressure management consultant with The Aziz Corporation, talks tough

We are often our own worst enemy, building mental blocks that prevent us from achieving our potential. But this can be changed by looking at our challenges from a different perspective. By doing this we develop mental toughness, a resilience that will help us banish our gremlins and enable us to embrace new opportunities.

The key is to recognise that it is our perception of the demands facing us – rather than the demands themselves – which result in the feeling of being underwhelmed by the challenges of 21st-century living.

This, of course, is not a new position to take up. In the First Century A.D. Epictetus wrote, “People are disturbed not by things, but by the view they take of them.” It does, though, rather cut-across many current popular views of mental (ill) health, which tend to see people as passive, helpless victims.

Programmes for building mental toughness acknowledge that a sense of it all being “too much” does not result simply from exposure to challenging demands. If it did, then all who are exposed to work-place pressures would, inevitably, be wracked with hopelessness and despair. And, clearly, this is not the case – what is stressful to some is invigorating and motivating to others.

What this approach teaches us is that low resilience is largely a consequence of the irrational ideas and demands that people impose upon themselves.

For example, imagine you are giving an important presentation at work; your every attempt at humour is falling flat and you start feeling stressed. It would be easy to conclude that your stress comes directly from the poor reception to your presentation. But this would be false.

In such a situation, it is likely that you would be generating your own stress, by saying to yourself something along the lines of, “I absolutely must give an outstanding presentation; it is awful that it is not going well, and this confirms that I’m worthless.” With such a belief activated, it is hardly surprising that you would become ever-more anxious and that your presentation would deteriorate still further.

But how different would your experience be if, in the same situation, you were to remind yourself that, “Just because I would prefer to give an outstanding presentation, there is no law in the universe that says that I MUST do so… It is disappointing that it hasn’t started off as well as I’d hoped it would; but I’m a resourceful person and I can still turn it around...”

With this appraisal activated, you would retain control of your emotional response to the situation, be far more likely to succeed in achieving the goals of your presentation – and reduce the harmful impact of stress to a minimum!

Simply by taking a different perspective, we are lifting the heavy load we place upon ourselves and positive results will flow.

www.azizcorp.com

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WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU FACING AT WORK TODAY? The Leadership Doctor is a smartphone app designed to help guide you through business

challenges – a management guru at your fingertips providing you with sound advice, based on eight critical success factors. Easy to use and full of hints and tips that have been used widely in many of the world’s top organisations, these tips and tools can now be accessed on demand.

With a built-in ‘consultation’ process, you can get quick answers to questions and challenges that you could be facing today.

www.merlinnavigator.com/leadership-doctor

Dream It, Do It, Live It! 9 Easy Steps to Making Things Happen for You

By Richard Newton and Ciprian Rusen This practical nine-step guide offers easy-to-implement advice on achieving any goal by taking a project management-style approach to it. Whether your dreams are getting ahead at work, starting a business or even learning to play an instrument, this book offers advice on how to make it happen through sound management principles. The book’s content is based around several ‘heroes’ who have gone through this process, alongside tips and advice. It also asks the reader relevant questions to aid you in envisioning and achieving your goals. £9.99; published by Capstone.

www.thisiscapstone.com

The Business of being Social

By Michelle Carvil and David Taylor Many businesses still use traditional marketing methods and there is certainly confusion about how to use emerging social media channels and to what extent they should replace older methods of promoting a business. In this book, expert guidance is given on how to build a winning social media strategy and how to make the most of Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. As well as focusing on the specific social media channels, this very informative book offers advice on the best ways to create, build and grow communities on social media platforms. £15.99; published by Crimson Books

www.crimsonbooks.co.uk

Business lending boost Small and medium-sized businesses are benefiting from increasing use of a government finance scheme by banks to improve availability of finance.

credit, by providing the banks with a government guarantee for 75% of the loan value.

New figures show lending through the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme for the second quarter of 2013 reached £84 million, the highest since March 2011.

Since May 2010, over 12,400 SMEs have been offered EFG loans with a total value in excess of £1.2 billion. It has enabled Kingfisher’s Screwfix and TradePoint businesses to offer credit facilities or higher credit limits to trade businesses that might otherwise fall just outside the companies’ credit criteria.

Meanwhile, the EFG trade credit scheme launched in April, has already helped over 1,500 small business customers of Screwfix and B&Q owner Kingfisher by enabling increased total credit limits of over £10 million. EFG is a demand-led scheme which allows banks to lend to SMEs who would otherwise not receive

KUDOS SEPT/OCT 2013

Both Lloyds Banking Group and Santander have continued to significantly increase their EFG lending, with Lloyds lending almost twice as much in the second quarter of 2013 (£13.9 million) compared to the same quarter last year (£7.1 million).

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Want to be part of the Kudos effect?

To advertise in the magazine, call 01892 513332

PROPERTY PORTFOLIO

NOT JUST RUN OF THE MILL A delightful development including an old watermill and Georgian house in Farningham

An exciting new development is coming to the heart of the picturesque Kentish village of Farningham in Sevenoaks, courtesy of Vision Homes. Set in eight acres and adjoining the River Darenth, the Farningham Mill Estate is a collection of converted and new-build houses and apartments that are being sympathetically restored and designed to blend in with the existing 18th-century buildings, that include the Grade II listed mill.

The estate will offer a wide range of properties, from two-bedroom cottages to large, loft-style apartments and gracious family homes. First to launch on 14th September, between 10am and 4pm, is Lions Yard, a trio of three-bedroom, new-build houses. Facing directly onto Farningham High Street, each has generous living space, as well as parking at the rear and small courtyard gardens. Each property will also have access to the communal grounds once the development is complete, including the walled garden and orchards, which are edged by the river Darenth.

Additional phases will include the former watermill, which will comprise four plots with two duplex apartments and two one-storey apartments, maintaining fantastic original features.

The original Georgian house is being refurbished into a grand residence, as well as the four-bedroom house to the rear of the mill, and both will have garaging in the grounds.

The development also includes the conversion of stables and other outbuildings, which will create several attractive cottages.

The project is due for completion by summer 2014.

Giles Underhill, Director of Vision Homes, says the development

KUDOS SEPT/OCT 2013

took more than two years in the planning, but signing off the last details are now in their final stages.

Says Giles, “We are very nearly at the end of that process, so full-scale restoration will be starting shortly, with a view to completion in summer 2014. This is a very exciting project and I am delighted that the first phase, Lions Yard, is launching in September. I am sure it will generate a large amount of interest from potential buyers.”

Abbe Hall, of selling agents Savills, agrees. “We are delighted to be working with Vision Homes on what is a truly innovative and imaginative project that will see this focal point in the village restored to its former glory. The launch of Lions Yard represents the first phase at this historic site and we are looking forward to being part of it.”

Farningham provides a charming village location for those looking for a more relaxed pace of life. The River Darenth runs through the village, and indeed through the Farningham Mill development, providing scenic riverside walks. For everyday needs, the village is served by a convenience shop as well as a long-established family-run butchers. Other amenities include a book shop and a locally-loved Indian restaurant. A Sainsbury’s superstore is located in the nearby village of Otford. Nearby Eynsford and Farningham Road stations provide a service to London Victoria in 30-40 minutes.

Only two plots now remain in the first phase, with one plot sold off-plan. Prices for Lions Yard are from £545,000. For more information and sales enquiries, contact Savills on 01732 789740.

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FIND YOUR PLACE AT HAMILTON PLACE Live in the heart of Sevenoaks in one of these stunning new homes Situated in the heart of Sevenoaks, Hamilton Place is an exciting new development by award-winning housebuilder Millwood Designer Homes, consisting of just four link-detached homes ranging from three to five bedrooms.

New homes like this are a rarity in Sevenoaks, not just because of their location, which is only a short walk from the shops and station, but also because they each have a garage, which is particularly hard to find in such a central location, making them a real gem for anyone that likes the idea of being close to town but without compromising on privacy.

Expertly crafted, each home is truly indulgent. One features a beautiful vaulted ceiling in the kitchen/breakfast area, whilst another sees the entire first floor dedicated to the master bedroom and en suite.

If you like the idea of an open-plan design, one home has a natural flow from the kitchen and dining area to the family area and garden room, with a combination of bifold and French doors to enhance the layout and bring the outdoors in. For

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versatility, the final home features an attic room – perfect as an additional bedroom, games room or a media room.

Sales Director Philip Brown urges potential buyers to contact Millwood’s selling agent Wood & Pilcher soon if they want to be involved in the design of their new home. “The homes will be ready spring/summer 2014, but with construction now started, time is running out if you want the chance to bespoke your home using our unique Design & Build service. Options range from completely changing the internal layout, right through to choosing the colour of tiles on the bathroom walls, depending on the stage of construction.

“This is a rare opportunity to buy a luxury new home in the heart of Sevenoaks. As one home has already sold off-plan, make sure you don’t miss your place at Hamilton Place and get in touch soon.”

Prices from £975,000. For further information, please contact selling agent Wood & Pilcher on 01732 667434. Alternatively, visit www.millwooddesignerhomes.co.uk

KUDOS SEPT/OCT 2013

MEET A HIGH FLYER There are all sorts of charity challenges, but paragliding in the Himalayas has to be one of the riskiest

David Maidman is about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

In October, he travels to the Himalayas, where he is undertaking a 100km paragliding challenge and raising money for the Kent Air Ambulance and children’s hospice Demelza House.

There is, of course, always the possibility that the thermals could stop working and he could be heading down. He must then seek a safe landing zone and prepare to hike to the nearest village – which is when the adventure truly begins!

David, 49, lives in Hawkenbury, Tunbridge Wells, with his wife Pamela and their two teenage children. He has been paragliding for around four years and usually flies on the beautiful South Downs near Glynde. To find more reliable gliding conditions, he has flown in many countries including Spain, Morocco and France.

David has also spent time preparing for the trip by watching as many videos as possible of paragliders in the Himalayas. “The professional coaches agree that it’s a big challenge,” he says, “so I’m learning as much as I can before I go.”

Says David: “When we moved to Tunbridge Wells, we frequently visited the South Downs and I often saw paragliders in action.

I thought, this has to be the best way to see the South Downs!

“We then went to Morzine in France on a family holiday. Morzine is like the paragliding capital of France, and I thought, ‘Wow, I’ve to do this’. Much to the family’s upset, I went on a course while we were on holiday and, once home, I did a training course with Air Works, a paragliding company in Glynde. It all snowballed from there.

Once you get bitten by the bug, in the paragliding world they call it a ‘career’. It becomes an absolute passion.”

“It’s always been my dream to visit the Himalayas, and it’s a favourite site for paragliders, a super place to fly,” he says. “I’m very interested in the Buddhist culture as well, so what better place to visit and paraglide?

“Pamela wasn’t keen for me to take on such a challenge when the children were young. But they’re teenagers now, so she said, ‘OK, you can go’. I wanted to do it with a purpose and raise money for local charities at the same time, as well as raise the awareness of windpower as a renewable source, which can be harnessed and applied.

Despite initial reservations, Pamela and their children are now firmly behind his paragliding. “They have confidence in me now, especially as I’ve built up experience on a number of trips, and I’ve also completed a safety course.”

“The Kent Air Ambulance is very dear to paragliders’ hearts because when we do get it wrong, they help us out. And I chose Demelza House because I feel strongly for parents who are in a very difficult situation, and I’d like to do what I can to help them.”

So at the end of October, David intends to paraglide 100km unassisted and in one continuous flight, through the Himalayas. This will involve searching for lifting air and thermals (rising bubbles of warm air) and should take around four to five hours.

If you would like to sponsor David, donations can be made securely and directly through his Just Giving website at www.justgiving. com/david-maidman.

David says: “I’ve been focusing training on thermalling techniques – staying within rising air – in order to maintain height and to achieve cross-country potential, and ultimately my 100km goal.”

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So why did he choose the Himalayas for his risky venture?

LOV E LOC AL HEROES

Do you know a local hero? Email editorial@badbetty.co.uk with details.

KUDOS SEPT/OCT 2013

LOG ON TO THE KUDOS WEBSITE The Kudos website is all about keeping people connected and informed.

You are able to view the online version of the magazine but the website is so much more than a regurgitation of what’s inside! Quite frankly, what’s the point?

Our passion is to create one community website. THE place to go when you want to know what’s going on in your area or you want to communicate with your town.

FASHIONISTA

If you are local and love fashion, then we want to hear from you! Our photographer Matt Harquail is often out and about in the area looking for trendy people to snap.

So if you get approached by a tall, dark and handsome man clutching a camera, don’t be alarmed! If you don’t want to wait around to bump into him and are desperate to show the community just how cool you are, then send an email to website@badbettymedia.co.uk and we’ll let you know when he’s next on the look-out.

PETS

We all love our pets, well most of the time!

They make us laugh, they can make us cry, but no matter what, most of us wouldn’t know what we’d do without them. But even the greatest of pets have a dark side, a naughty streak. If you think your pet deserves to be named and shamed, then get that camera out and send the evidence to: website@badbettymedia.co.uk

EVENTS

OK, we’ve got some event listings in the magazine but come on, there’s no way we can fit everything in there! So, the website is about sharing as much with you as possible. All the events we hear about are on there. If you think something is missing, then you probably haven’t told us. If you know something great that’s coming up, then we want to hear about it. Just email the details and, if possible, a great image to website@badbettymedia.co.uk.

Simples, you might say…

MESSAGE BOARD

This is where we all keep in touch! Are you looking for advice on something? Perhaps a recommendation? Maybe you just want to tell the community something? By now you should know what to do, but just in case: website@badbettymedia.co.uk

FOOD & DRINK

We all love food and drink. They are the most important parts of any culture, at the heart of any great dinner party or night out.

So do you have any great food recipes you want to share? Maybe you have invented an amazing cocktail, or perhaps you’re a local restaurant with a fantastic deal or delicious new dish that you want to share with the community. You know what to do: website@badbettymedia.co.uk

LOCAL GROUPS

Pretty self explanatory really. If you are a local group then tell us a bit about yourselves. That way, if someone is looking for a local group to join, they can see what’s going on. Simply email the details to website@badbettymedia.co.uk

So let’s start sharing and talking. Love your community! www.kudoskent.co.uk

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website@badbettymedia.co.uk

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