Kudos 02

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

Festive fashion Party in style

Downton exclusive Ed Speleers on fame

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Season’s eatings

The best Christmas recipes

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

OK, I know it might be a little early for some of you but as this issue covers December, we have no choice – we have had to go all-out festive on you! So, we have spoken to local chefs and they’ve given us some great recipes and tips to ensure your Christmas feast is fit for a king. There will be no dry turkeys or greasy spuds in sight!

We’ve also spoken to some talented locals who demonstrate how you can be more involved in the festive fun in our DIY Christmas feature, proving that Christmas doesn’t have to cost the earth! And the season wouldn’t be complete without fabulous festive fashion. We show you how you can look your best this Christmas, no matter what the occasion.

Of course, we weren’t going to overload your senses with Christmas. We talk to Sussex-born actor Ed Speleers (our Downton boy), visit a beautiful home in Sevenoaks, and check out a boy racer. We show you how you can convert a small garden into a little piece of paradise, and why the Jaguar F-type V6S is fast and furious.

There’s plenty more – we hope you enjoy reading Kudos. And a merry Christmas to you all!

We’re taking a winter break, so we’ll see you again in March.

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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 Social Media Queen: Lady Katherine Sims

Advertising Sales 01892 513332 Kudos is published bi-monthly by Bad Betty Media, Blackadder House, 1 Andrew Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9DN Printed by Polestar, Colchester, Essex Cover image by Kevin Harris

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.

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WELCOME TO KUDOS

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CONTENTS

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LOVE FEATURES Upfront 11

What’s new and happening

Fast and furious 64

A round-up of the latest foodie news

The contemporary home that’s perfect for family life

DIY Christmas 42

Home, sweet home 63

Boy racer 90

The local hero who’s living his dream as a racing driver

LOVE CELEBRITY Downton boy 20

Downton Abbey’s Ed Speleers talks TV fame

LOVE LOOKS Fashionista 16

Style on the streets

Ideas to turn your house into a home

Big ideas for small spaces 74

Tips that prove small can be beautiful

Property portfolio 85

News from the world of property

LOVE FAMILY Make it a happy family Christmas 68

How to keep the peace over the festive season

Talking head 73

Fabulous Festive Favourites 28

Have we got our priorities right?

Beauty extra 40

LOVE BUSINESS Flight plan 78

LOVE FOOD Festive food feast 50

Business agenda 80

Spotlight on fashion It’s time to party!

Local chefs serve up a Christmas meal to remember

CONTENTS

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LOVE HOME AND GARDEN Let there be light 56

We take the Jaguar F-type V6S for a spin Make your own cards, decorations and wreath

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Let’s eat 55

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The company that’s turning aviation scrap into stunning designer pieces

Help and advice for small and medium-size businesses

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SEVENOAKS HIGH STREET

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LIV E LOC AL

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06:45am

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LOV E LOC AL

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K ATE SIMMS AD

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ADV ERTISEMENTS

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UPFRONT

What’s new and happening Horsepower If you are a horse lover and appreciate good art, then the Wing Gallery in Wadhurst has a real treat for you. Horsepower is a stunning exhibition of equine art curated by Kay Jones for Wing and will run from 1st November to 17th November. Expect paintings, sculpture, ceramics and photography – all with an equine theme. You’ll even find hand-carved rocking horses by the Stevenson Brothers of Kent, an example of their work has been used for our front cover – one of Her Majesty’s Royal Collection limited-edition rocking horses.

Gallery owner, Gavin Roweth explains: “We have run themed exhibitions before and we are always looking for shows that resonate in the local environment, so the idea of having a show celebrating ‘the horse in art’ really appealed to me. We live in a very equine area; lots of people own, ride and train horses round here, and so Horsepower seemed like the perfect way to acknowledge this passion and appeal to the local community.

“So we commissioned some of the best artists we work with and selected a few more who already have a reputation for their work in this genre.

The result is an extraordinary, diverse range of paintings, sculpture, ceramics and photography which I hope our audience will enjoy.”

Curator of the exhibition, Kay Jones adds: “The icing on the cake is the Stevenson Brothers agreeing to exhibit their exquisite, hand-carved rocking horses in the show. They have delivered their masterpieces to HM Queen at Windsor Castle and built a hand-crafted carousel for the Sultan of Brunei, not to mention a new rocking horse for William and Kate’s baby, George. The design, craftsmanship and beauty of these pieces make them truly collectable works of art.” www.wingartgallery.com

A reason to be Perky Perk & Pearl is a new tea and coffee merchant, which opened in late October in the heart of Tunbridge Wells.

The name derives from the colloquial phrase for coffee (perk) and Taiwanese pearl tea. This blend of the everyday to the exotic perfectly reflects the range of tea and coffee that Perk & Pearl offers.

The shop is the venture of Joe Lloyd, a master barista and experienced retailer, who is passionate about providing Tunbridge Wells with only the best speciality teas and coffees. The shop aims to be accessible to anyone who just loves a ‘good cuppa’. Joe is happy to assist with all your coffee and tea questions, whether you are looking for a perfect afternoon tea or dinner-party coffee.

Exceptional customer service is Perk & Pearl’s raison d’être, and Joe will be happy to grind to order any of the single-origin coffees and help you choose from their range of loose-leaf teas for you to take home and enjoy. The shop will also stock a wide range of flavoured coffees, drinking chocolate and, for those looking for a real indulgent treat, drinking fudge.

For those early commuters in need of a caffeine fix; Perk & Pearl will offer takeaway single-origin filter coffee and leaf teas from 6am Monday to Friday. Perk & Pearl’s convenient position, opposite Hoopers Department Store, on Grove Hill Road, makes it the ideal stop-off en route to the station.

Perk & Pearl will also stock artisan, organic, fair-trade chocolates as well as designer mugs, tableware, machines, gifts and coffee/tea accessories ideal for Christmas presents.

www.perkandpearl.co.uk Twitter: @perkpearl Facebook: Perk and Pearl

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LOV E NEWS

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UPFRONT

Shop till you drop

What’s new and happening

Three young ladies working in Tunbridge Wells’ old High Street are bringing retailers and businesses together this Christmas with an exclusive shopping evening on Thursday, 5th December.

Lucy of Jeremy Hoye, Sophie from Bod & Ted and Jo from Payne & Son are the faces behind the new Tunbridge Wells High Street Facebook page. Tired of having the High Street constantly overlooked when it comes to town events, they have come together to help get the message out there that the old High Street is still a great shopping destination. With many fashion boutiques and cafés, jewellers and estate agents, they feel this fabulous street deserves better recognition.

Helping to raise money for the Kent/Sussex Air Ambulance, the evening will boast festive entertainment, special offers and promotions, competitions, fancy dress, and a raffle to win prizes which are being donated by the shops and businesses themselves. Carol singers, mince pies, mulled wine and chestnuts roasting on an open fire are sure to make you feel festive and merry.

So it’s Ho! Ho! Ho! on Thursday, 5th December from 5.30pm, when over 50 shops will be open late to offer you the best in High Street shopping. More details to follow nearer the time! Check out: www.facebook.com/pages/Tunbridge-Wells-High-Street/485235561554693

Meet the team

This issue, the spotlight is on Fashion Editor Sally-Ann Carroll

We are very fortunate in having Sally-Ann Carroll as Kudos’s very own Fashion Editor. She tracks down the fab clothes on our fashion pages from local shops, then styles and organises the shoot before writing the copy!

Sally-Ann has been Fashion Editor on various different magazines including The Lady, Woman’s Realm and Prima Baby. She is also a freelance fashion stylist and personal shopper.

“Fashion is my passion and I am more than happy to offer one-to-one style consultations, too,” says Sally-Ann. “Whether your wardrobe needs revitalising or you want me to accompany you on a shopping trip, please get in touch. I will be only too happy to help. A personal consultation gift voucher would also make the perfect Christmas present. Having been Style Editor on Prima Baby for many years, I am also an expert in maternity styling and promise to make you look fabulous rather than frumpy throughout your pregnancy.”

If you want to contact Sally-Ann, e-mail her at sacarrolluk@yahoo.co.uk, or telephone 07702 254621.

Special thanks to our two models in this issue, Candice Kidd and Rory Langdon-Down.

Candice is a freelance make-up artist based in Tunbridge Wells. She specialises in bridal make-up, one-to-one tuition, make-overs, pro make-up and pamper parties. You can contact her on candice.kidd@gmail.com or telephone 07895 565208. Follow her on twitter: @candieMakeup. Blog: candicekidd.wordpress.com An ex-Judd student and graduate of the University of Leeds, Rory is already making his mark in film production.

Winner of the Raindance Film Festival 2012, his credits include Sherpa’s Cinema extreme skiing film Into The Mind, work for Pavegen, a company creating renewable energy from the ground you walk on and, most recently, assisting on a car commercial in Germany. His latest venture is a short film on internships being made for the internet, called Position Unpaid. Rory uses a Red Scarlet camera, a professional digital motion picture and still camera system. View some of his work at www.areldeemedia.com or follow @areldeemedia on Twitter.

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UPFRONT Celebrate with The Salt Cave

What’s new and happening

The Salt Cave in Tunbridge Wells is having an Open Day on 20th November to participate in World COPD Day

It is thought that there are over three million people living with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) in the UK, and it kills thousands of people every year. World COPD Day is organised by the Global Initiative. Its aim is to raise awareness about chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and improve COPD care. If COPD is detected early, treatments such as salt therapy are available to prevent further deterioration of the lung function.

Salt therapy provided in The Salt Cave is a 100% natural and drug-free treatment and has helped thousands of people so far. The Salt Cave was also invited by the NHS to participate in a pilot project, as part of the Personal Health Budget programme in 2011, to provide therapy for COPD sufferers.

It has achieved amazing results. From 1st April 2014, everyone who is eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare funding will be able to attend Salt Therapy sessions funded by NHS PHB. The open day will give people the opportunity to experience salt therapy and see how it can help them. Help us spread the word and raise awareness about COPD in Tunbridge Wells. www.saltcave.co.uk

Colourful music Our very own Hannah Tucek is performing with her band, When Colours Collide, at The Grey Lady in The Pantiles on Wednesday 13th November.

The evening is presented by Paul Dunton & Guests; a superb series of candlelit showcases of the local area’s finest soloists and acoustic bands.

With four acts on the bill at each show representing a multitude of musical styles and genres, audiences are treated to an exceptional night of local music culture, songwriting and musicianship.

When Colours Collide consists of Hannah on lead vocals, Luke Godden from Uckfield on acoustic guitar, and Paul Waller from Crowborough on electric guitar. The band write all their own music, which has been described as melodic, folky pop. Their songs are catchy and uplifting, and their unique sound and strong live performances have resulted in a growing following.

Check out their music on www.reverbnation.com/whencolourscollide or facebook.com/whencolourscollideuk. If you like what you hear then make sure to show them some support at The Grey Lady!

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WHAT’S ON

Get out and about with our pick of local events

1 December Le Week-End Trinity Theatre (Film), Tunbridge Wells Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan play a British couple who, in an attempt to rejuvenate their marriage, revisit Paris, where a catalytic encounter with an old friend (Jeff Goldblum) gives them a new vision on life and love. A beautifully observed, funny and poignant story about the nature of love and commitment and the yearning of a husband and wife to recapture their youthful fearlessness, lack of responsibility and idealism. www.trinitytheatre.net 7-22 December Christmas Markets The Hop Farm Family Park, Paddock Wood The Hop Farm is hosting a series of weekend Christmas markets on 7- 8, 14-15 and 21-22 December. You’ll find locally sourced Christmas products, crafts, gifts, Kentish seasonal food, drink and more. It’s the perfect place to do your Christmas shopping and stock up for the festive season! www.thehopfarm.co.uk 7 December-5 January Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood Stag Community Arts Centre, Sevenoaks Magic Beans Pantomimes return to the Stag with Robin Hood and the Babes in the Wood. Legendary Australian soap actor Alan Fletcher, who has been playing Doctor Karl Kennedy in Neighbours since 1994, will be headlining this year’s pantomime as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Starring alongside is Andy Abraham from The X Factor, and 90s pop sensation Lolly, aka Anna Kumble. www.sevenoakspanto.com

12 December-1 January The BFG Trinity Theatre, Tunbridge Wells Adapted by David Wood, Dahl’s unique vision, humour and delightful use of nonsense language blends modern-day realism with a fantastical world, and is captured superbly in this stage adaptation which uses puppetry and live performers. A heart-pounding adventure with lifelong friendships, jumbly words and even some ‘whizzpopping’ in front of the Queen! www.trinitytheatre.net 13 December-5 January Jack and the Beanstalk Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells A giant pantomime is coming to town, featuring fantastic sets, a huge beanstalk, brilliant music and dance routines, as well as plenty of family comedy, a very mean giant and, of course, the pantomime cow. www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk 14 & 15 December Christmas Tree Festival St Mary’s Church, Riverhead Held in aid of Demelza House Children’s Hospice, entrance and refreshments are free. There are activities for the children, live music and lots of Christmas trees! The festival will be open 10am to 4pm on Saturday and noon to 4pm on Sunday.

Le Week-End at the Trinity Theatre

30 January National Theatre Live: Coriolanus Trinity Theatre (Film), Tunbridge Wells National Theatre Live will broadcast the Donmar Warehouse’s production of Coriolanus, Shakespeare’s searing tragedy of political manipulation and revenge, with Tom Hiddleston (The Avengers, War Horse and BBC’s The Hollow Crown) in the title role and Mark Gatiss (Season’s Greetings at the National Theatre, BBC’s Sherlock) as Menenius. When an old adversary threatens Rome, the city calls once more on her hero and defender: Coriolanus. But he has enemies at home, too. Famine threatens the city, the citizens’ hunger swells to an appetite for change, and Coriolanus must confront the march of Realpolitik. www.trinitytheatre.net 6 February Carmen Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells Presented by the Russian State Ballet and Opera House, this four-act opera by French composer Georges Bizet has one of the best-known plots and some of the most memorable music in a timeless story of love, jealousy, and violence in the Spanish city of Seville during the 19th century. www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk 24 February-1 March Birdsong Assembly Hall, Tunbridge Wells Marking the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War, Birdsong is the hit, critically-acclaimed stage show based on the world- famous novel by Sebastian Faulks. In pre-war France, young Englishman Stephen Wraysford embarks on a passionate and dangerous affair with the beautiful Isabelle Azaire that turns their world upside down. As the war breaks out over the idyll of his former life, Stephen must lead his men through the carnage of the Battle of the Somme and through the sprawling tunnels that lie deep underground. Faced with the unprecedented horror of the war, Stephen clings to the memory of Isabelle as his world explodes around him. Set both before and during the Great War, this stunning piece of theatre is a mesmerising story of love and courage. www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

For more events, visit www.kudoskent.co.uk

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LOV E EV ENTS

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FASHIONISTA

What’s the best thing about Christmas? We spot local fashionistas and ask them just that

SOFIA CORTEZ

Jeans, jacket and scarf, from Topshop FAVOURITE PART Spending time with friends and family

OLIVER HARRIS

JUREEPORN COOKE

FAVOURITE PART Sitting round the table eating and drinking

FAVOURITE PART Snow

Jeans, sweatshirt and scarf, from Topman

LIZ BATHAM

Grey dress, by Isabella Oliver. Sunglasses, from Noa Noa. Jumper, from H&M FAVOURITE PART Food and Christmas shopping

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Red spot dress, from a boutique in Thailand

HELENE CORNIL

Beige jacket and skirt, from Mim, France

FAVOURITE PART Getting together with family and friends

CLAIRE ROBERIO

Pink scarf, from Hoopers. Top, from Jigsaw.

Bag, by Mulberry. Jeans, from Next FAVOURITE PART Wrapping presents and putting up decorations

SARAH REAL-LAGE

Peach sweater, from French Connection.

Trousers, from All Saints FAVOURITE PART Spending time with the family

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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!

Nothing like a smoke after lunch!

Just try and take my outfit off me!

OK, now where’s my treat?

Ella, a Labradoodle, who lives near Sevenoaks

Elvis, a Shih Tzu, who lives in Tunbridge Wells

Lady Licks a’Lot, a Border Collie/Golden Labrador cross, who lives in Wadhurst

I am so cool, I even have my own Twitter account @LordFluffington

Presents!!!

Who are you calling grumpy?

Lord Fluffington the Christmas Grinch, a moggy, who lives in Tunbridge Wells

Basil, a Patterdale/Jack Russell cross, who lives in High Brooms

Freud, a Persian-cross, who lives in Cranbrook

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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DOWNTON BOY Sussex-born Ed Speleers has been charming viewers this autumn as he reprises his role as footman Jimmy Kent in Downton Abbey. In this exclusive interview for Kudos, he talks to Hanna Lindon about his meteoric rise to fame Words Hanna Lindon.

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At the other end of the phone line, Ed Speleers is distracted.

“Um – I’m really sorry about this,” he says, to the accompaniment of heavy background panting. “I just took my dog out for a walk, and… well, I’m kind of holding a poo bag right now.”

It’s hard to imagine the Ed of Eragon and Downton Abbey fame clearing up after his dog. He may play a footman in popular period drama Downton – but even while he’s polishing the silver and serving supper to the aristocrats upstairs, the Sussex-born actor exudes romantic hero-style charisma. I’m secretly expecting him to be as arrogant as his on-screen character. Instead, here he is joking about his dog and doing some seriously un-celeby dirty work. Can this really be the same man who was catapulted from schoolboy to international blockbuster star and teen heartthrob at the impressionable age of 17?

“I was lucky enough to have this drama teacher who really believed in us, and she was always putting us up for films” He laughs at the question. “Well, that whole thing was pretty bizarre. It all happened so quickly. One minute I was at school and getting ready for the holidays, and the next moment I was whisked off to Eastern Europe to begin filming Eragon.

I still find it strange even now.”

A local boy, whose dad still lives just outside Tunbridge Wells, Speleers grew up in Chichester and went to school at Eastbourne College. He was a self-confessed trouble-maker, and his teachers soon realised that the only way to keep him out of mischief was to channel all that surplus energy into acting. “It was something that I just really seemed to respond to at school,” he reflects. “I was lucky enough to have this drama teacher who really believed in us, and she was always putting us up for films.”

While he was doing his AS Levels, Speleers’ drama teacher managed to get him a meeting with the casting director of Eragon. Based on a popular fantasy series and featuring an all-star cast – including Rachel Weisz, John Malkovich and Robert Carlyle – it was set to be one of the most popular films of 2006. There was only one problem: after months of searching, they still hadn’t found a star.

What happened next was the embodiment of every fame-obsessed school child’s fantasy. With no drama school

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“It all happened so quickly. One minute I was at school and getting ready for the holidays, and the next moment I was whisked off to Eastern Europe to begin filming Eragon. I still find it strange even now”

background and zero professional acting experience, Speleers was plucked from Eastbourne College and flown to Eastern Europe to begin filming a blockbuster alongside some of the greats of the British acting scene. He says he doesn’t know why he was chosen above all the other hopefuls. As an impartial observer, though, it’s easy to see what caught the casting director’s eye. Not only was the young Ed a naturally talented actor, with none of that over-polished, drama-school style that characterised many of his trained contemporaries, but he was – and still is – enviably good-looking. With cheekbones that could have been chiselled by Michelangelo and a mop of windswept blonde hair, here was a lead actor virtually guaranteed to attract an obsessive teen fan base.

Echo Beach soon after filming Eragon, and then starred in a series of low-budget independent movies before taking some time out to travel the world. He was in danger of sinking into relative obscurity when the role of footman Jimmy Kent in Downton Abbey came along.

For Speleers, Eragon was a life-changer. “I had it in my head that I was going to do my A-Levels and go to university, maybe attend drama school and get into acting that way,” he explains. “To suddenly have it turned around that quickly – that was strange. My parents were pretty scared. As a family, it’s very difficult to know how to handle something like that.” The cast of Eragon filmed for several months in Hungary and Slovakia before moving to Vancouver to finish the movie. The solid premise and famous faces guaranteed a good box-office return – but despite grossing $249 million worldwide, it wasn’t a hit with critics. Script, story and dialogue were all panned, and many cited the fresh-faced Speleers as being the film’s one real saving grace.

With more Emmy nominations than any other international TV series in history, and some of the world’s best-known actors vying for cameo roles, Downton is a highly prestigious gig for a young actor – even one of Speleers’ pedigree. Since its premier in 2010, the show has won a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy, as well as becoming one of the most widely watched television series in the world. It must have been exciting to be offered a role in such an international sensation, I suggest to him.

It was a setback that the young actor dealt with philosophically.

He managed to net a leading role in British prime-time series

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“I had to have three rounds of auditions for Jimmy,” he says.

“I started out wanting to play him as a cockney, because they said he needed to be working class, and I just assumed that they meant London working class. They thought about it for a bit, and then said that they really needed him to be a Yorkshireman. So I had to go away and stay with my Grandpa, who lives in Yorkshire, and do some work on it up there.”

“Well, yes,” he agrees. “But it’s exciting to be asked to do anything, to have that feeling of somebody wanting you, however big or small the job is. It’s nice to have somebody appreciating you, and to feel you’re doing the right thing.”

Despite his success and his boyband good looks, Speleers is clearly somebody who looks perpetually for validation. He

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Picture REX/Moviestore.

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Picture REX/Moviestore.

describes himself as a “big worrier” who gets his buzz out of self-improvement. He wasn’t overawed by getting the part in Downton – not because he’s arrogant, but because his priority when approaching a new project is the potential for learning and trying new things, rather than simply getting his face out there. Instead of relying on his looks to drive his career, as many young British actors have done before him, he’s counting on his talent to get him noticed.

It’s working – both in the real world and among the fictional Downton set. As handsome young footman Jimmy Kent, Speleers has won the hearts of gay under-butler Thomas Barrow and kitchen maid Ivy Stuart. He finally buried the hatchet with Thomas in last year’s Christmas special, and still gets a kick out of teasing poor Ivy. So, who can we expect him to end up with? “Oh, God – I think Jimmy might be on his own forever,” he laughs. “Actually, it’s great – he could go so many ways. If they wanted to do it, I think he could end up as quite a dark character.”

The separation between the upstairs and downstairs at Downton means that Speleers only rarely gets to film scenes against the magical castle backdrop at Highclere. Instead, he spends most of his working hours in a London studio alongside the

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other servants – such as Matt Milne (footman Alfred Nugent), Rob James-Collier (under-butler Thomas Barrow) and Sophie McShera (scullery maid Daisy Mason). The downstairs cast is mainly made up of young actors in their 20s and 30s, and there’s an atmosphere of camaraderie that makes every scene feel like a family gathering.

But it isn’t just the great rapport among the actors that makes the Downton set a fertile nurturing ground for young talent.

The cast of the series is liberally sprinkled with prestigious names, and Speleers says that many of them are happy to share tips with their younger co-workers. “There are some great people in the cast,” he explains. “But they all come from somewhere themselves, and they know how to bring someone on – they’ve been amazing to me. As professional actors, they just want to help you and see you grow. It does give me that butterfly feeling, of course, because you know that you’ve got to give your best game now.”

Speleers admits to being his own worst critic. He watches himself in Downton episodes “with a face like a lemon, because it’s so painful”, analysing his performance so that he can spot mistakes and take improvements on board. Despite having the security of a part in a popular series, he still worries about the future and feels that he has to keep getting

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Timeline 1988: Born in Chichester, West Sussex.

1998: Begins to star in productions such as Peter Pan, A Streetcar Named Desire, Richard III, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hamlet at his school, Eastbourne College. While at school, he also co-authors a play, Retribution, which explores the subjects of child abuse and paedophilia.

2006: Leaves Eastbourne College to play the title role in fantasy film Eragon.

2008: Appears in British prime-time series Echo Beach as Jimmy Penwarden.

2010: Cast as one of the lead roles in British thriller, A Lonely Place to Die. 2012: Stars in comedy horror film Love Bite. Cast in A Dead Man in Deptford, based on the novel by Anthony Burgess, and secures the role of Jimmy Kent in Downton Abbey.

2013: Runs the London Marathon in support of Pets As Therapy and reprises his role as Jimmy in Downton.

better all the time to be successful. And he likes testing himself – not just at work, but in his personal life, too.

“I really love running,” he says enthusiastically. “I took it up a couple of years ago, saying to myself then and there that I was going to do the London Marathon, and I’ve done it twice since then. It’s a good thing to focus my energy into, and it’s a confidence thing as well. I did a lot of training up at Highclere in breaks between filming; and my dog was there, too, running along with me. It’s great, because you can really switch off and have a proper break.”

So can we expect to see him pounding the streets of Tunbridge Wells? He chuckles. “Well, actually, I don’t get down as much as I’d like to. I grew up in the area and lots of my mates from school are based in and around Tunbridge Wells, though, as is my dad. So… well, you never know.”

Next year, he has ambitions to up his game in the sporting stakes. More marathons are on the cards, as is a desert run, where all the participants wear bin liners to make the whole thing harder and more torturing. While most people would recoil from an ordeal like that, Speleers has the mettle to describe it as “enticing”. He also hints at a few interesting

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upcoming work projects, including a film that he’s producing.

“I’m trying to get that off the ground at the moment,” he says wistfully. “But the subject matter is really tricky.”

When the talk turns to his future career, the theme of self-improvement that runs throughout his entire conversation becomes even more evident. “I want to be open-minded,” he insists. “But what I really want to do, is I want to improve and try to learn new things and work with interesting people and challenge myself. I just want to find out ways of testing myself more. What I do for a living isn’t as important as curing cancer, but it’s a great job, at the end of the day, and I’m very lucky to do it. I have to try and remember that, and continue to push myself and enjoy what I’m doing. As long as I’m enjoying it, then everything’s okay!”

He’s still just 25, with a full career stretching out ahead of him – but it’s clear that Speleers has the ambition, drive and self-critical approach necessary to go a very long way. Let’s just hope that, however far he travels, he’ll carry on paying regular visits home.

Downton Abbey: Season 4 is available on Blu-ray and DVD on 5 November from Universal Pictures (UK)

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FABULOUS FESTIVE FAVOURITES The season of goodwill is just round the corner: ho, ho, ho!

Here are some ideas by Fashion Editor Sally-Ann Carroll and her good friend Santa to help you dress to impress.

Treat yourself or why not drop a hint to the man in your life? Happy shopping and happy Christmas!

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SHAKEN BUT NOT STIRRED

She wears: Green dress, £200, by Vera Mont. Black suede shoes, £169, from Hobbs.

Bag, £59, from Hoopers. Bangle, £6, from New Look.

He wears: Black velvet jacket, £499, black trousers, £165, white shirt, £95, all by Paul Smith from Hoopers. Bow-tie, £25, from Hoopers. Black brogues, £79, from Jones.

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READY AND WAITING

COAT TALES

She wears: Gold beaded flapper dress, £325, from Jigsaw.

Gold shoes, £69, from Jones. Bangle, £59, from Kitch.

Earrings, £21, from Sahara. Pearls, £25, from a selection at Marks & Spencer. Cream faux fur shawl, £79, from Hoopers.

She wears: Cream coat, £265, from Jigsaw.

He wears: Charcoal coat, £275, from Jigsaw.

He wears: Tweed jacket, £199, trousers, £100, by Paul Costelloe at Hoopers. Floral shirt, £139, by Paul Smith at Hoopers. Brown shoes, £110, from Jones.

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HOT DATE

She wears: Blue and black shift dress, £179, jacket, £199, shoes, £159, all from Hobbs.

Earrings, £12, bangle, £20, both from Laura Ashley. Tokyo Jane Kersti Necklace, £28, from Bod & Ted. He wears: Navy tartan jacket, £275, trousers, £125, from Jigsaw. White shirt, £95, by Paul Smith from Hoopers. Bow-tie, £25, from Hoopers. Black brogues, £79, from Jones.

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OH DEAR, BUSTED!

She wears: Printed onesie, £39.95, pink slippers, £19.95, from Joules.

He wears: See previous page.

Christmas gift wrap, £1.95 for a 500mm x 700mm sheet, Susie Watson Designs.

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TWO OF A KIND

She wears: Christmas dog sweater, £69.95, printed shirt, £49.95, red trousers, £59.95, slippers, £19.95, all from Joules.

He wears: Christmas turkey sweater, £99.95, red check shirt, £49.95, navy trousers, £69.95, all from Joules.

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THE GREAT BRITISH BAKE-OFF

She wears: Red dress, £109, from Kitch. Tokyo Jane Laura Bangle, £39, from Bod & Ted. Earrings, £12, from Laura Ashley. Red velvet shoes, £129, from Jigsaw.

Apron from Susie Watson Designs, £28. Kitchen by Rencraft.

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OFF THE RAILS

Top row, left to right: Blue sequin top, £40, by French Connection at Hoopers. Black floral dress, £179,

by Ted Baker at Hoopers. Green faux fur jacket, £199, by Ted Baker at Hoopers.

Black Malene Birger Martha cardi, £155, from Bod & Ted. Middle row, left to right: Black chiffon dress with white collar, £149, from Hobbs.

Red dress with white collar, £159, Hobbs. Black aztec printed dress, £99, from Kitch.

Black and white silk Malene Birger Jahia dress, £269, from Bod & Ted. Bottom row, left to right: Grey sequin scarf, £69, and hot pink velvet scarf, £39, both from Sahara. Silver beaded top, £139, from Jigsaw. Grey dress with embroidered collar, £89, by Nice Things from Bod & Ted. Black lace dress, £179, from Hobbs.

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THE FINISHING TOUCHES…

THE EASY WAY TO ADD A TWIST OF GLAMOUR

Gold and silver plaited choker, £49, from Kitch. www.kitchclothing.co.uk

Silver cluster necklace, £42, from Sahara. www.saharalondon.com

Silver plaited necklace, £35, from Sahara. www.saharalondon.com

Gold circle necklace, £29, from Mint Velvet. www.mintvelvet.co.uk

Pearl choker, £24.95, from Joules. www.joules.com

Joma Millie Necklace with heart, £33, from Bod & Ted. www.bodandted.co.uk

CREDITS

Fashion Editor: Sally-Ann Carroll Photographer: Matt Harquail Hair and make-up: Candice Kidd Christmas decorations: Katie Tiffin and Susie Watson Designs Christmas tree kindly loaned from Joules Heart decoration on mantlepiece kindly loaned from Laura Ashley Candice Kidd and Rory Langdon-Down 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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THE FINISHING TOUCHES…

PERFECT FOR YOUR HOME THIS CHRISTMAS

Christmas decorations, £3.75–£4.25, Susie Watson Designs. www.susiewatsondesigns.co.uk

Star garlands (available in silver or gold), £10 for a string of ten, Katie Tiffin. facebook.com/ktillustrations

Christmas stocking, £25, Susie Watson Designs. www.susiewatsondesigns.co.uk

Mugs, £8.95, Joules. www.joules.com

Advent calendar, £65, and bunting, £45, Susie Watson Designs. www.susiewatsondesigns.co.uk

Christmas cards, 10 cards for £5, Katie Tiffin. facebook.com/ktillustrations

A BIG THANK YOU TO...

The Hotel du Vin in Tunbridge Wells (www.hotelduvin.co.uk) where we photographed our fashion for this issue, and to Rencraft (www.rencraft.co.uk), who let us photograph in one of their fabulous show kitchens in Tunbridge Wells for the feature.

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HOT STYLE ON THE HIGH STREET Warm up this winter with our pick of Sahara’s fashion and accessories

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G A. Silk velvet tunic, £159 B. Wool cocoon coat, £269 C. Boucle wool jumper, £139, boucle wool beret, £35 D. Zig-zag wool kimono jacket, £225 E. Zig-zag merino wool jacket, £179, crepe jersey trousers, £99 F. Paisley velvet Nehru shirt, £179 G. Marl stripe jersey cardigan, £129, soft jersey skirt, £85

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Check boucle wrap coat, £269

Check boucle jacket, £225

Crystal flower necklace, £79

Aztec wool scarf, £69

Leather iPad messenger bag, £55

Crystal & ribbon necklace, £79

Contrast band scarf, £69

Kilim beaded bag, £79

Crystal collar necklace, £85

Zig-zag merino wool scarf, £59

Kilim woven bag, £65

Sahara, 75-77 High Street, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1XZ www.saharalondon.com KUDOS NOV 13/FEB 14

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PARTY, PARTY

Look perfect for those festive occasions with our pick of the new products

BROWNED OFF

Avoid pasty pins at that party with Cocoa Brown by Marissa Carter, a fast-acting one-hour tan mousse – perfect for those last-minute nights out, £7.99. www.feelunique.com

NAILED IT

Nails Inc Neon and Nude Nail Polish Collection contains six mini-sized nail polishes inspired by the catwalk – a great mix of shades for both subtle and glam looks, £22. www.johnlewis.com

COMING UP ROSES

Smell delicious all over with luscious, moisturising Rose Tea Soap, £4.50. www.whitestuff.com

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BABY FACE

Elemis Pro-Collagen Marine Cream is a revolutionary anti-ageing cream using the marine extract Padina Pavonica to transform the complexion in just over two weeks, £79. www.elemis.com

ONE FOR HIM

Molton Brown Deep-Clean Men’s Mineral Ions Facewash has an active mineral complex including calcium and magnesium with South African buchu plant, £18. www.moltonbrown.co.uk

PRETTY IN PINK

M&S Limited Collection lipstick is a colour-intense, creamy and moisturising lipstick available in 22 gorgeous shades, £5. www.marksandspencer.com

KUDOS NOV 13/FEB 14

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

Our passion is to create a 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. You can also view the online version of the magazine.

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 most lovable pet has 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 about 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.

Do you have any delectable 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

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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DIY CHRISTMAS Paper craft artist Katie Tiffin, from Tunbridge Wells, shows us how to make star decorations, perfect for the Christmas tree or adding a touch of festive cheer around the home

SHOPPING LIST A1 Daler-Rowney 200 gsm card DMC ‘Light Effect’ thread in silver Glitter shaker PVA glue String and scissors Washi tape

STAR DECORATIONS (20 minutes) This is a really simple, fun way to make Christmas decorations.

It’s a form of origami and can be achieved really quickly once you’ve made one or two!

1. Cut a strip of paper at the scale of 1:20. I’d say the smallest you can go is 1cm x 20cm (you can always get a few strips out of a sheet of A4), and the largest I use is 4cm x 80cm (using a sheet of A1 card). Draw the lines for the strips using a ruler to make sure they’re straight. Make sure that the card or paper is strong enough to keep its shape, but flexible enough to fold easily. For the smaller ones (1cm x 20cm), I usually use a thin card (120 gsm), and for the larger ones a slightly thicker card (200 gsm). For this demonstration, the card I’m using is 200 gsm, and is only £1 for an A1 sheet from Hobbycraft. This is enough to make you 15 stars.

2. Start at the bottom of the strip. As I’m right-handed, I use my left hand for holding the star while my right hand manipulates the shape, so if you’re a leftie then you may be more inclined to do it the other way round. Assuming you’re right-handed, hold the bottom of the strip with your left hand, using your right to overlap. It sounds silly, but if it looks like a charity ribbon (think of the pink breast cancer ribbon), then you’re on the right track.

3. While your left hand is holding the strip, use your right to pull the rest of the strip through the loop.

4. Making sure the shorter part of the strip doesn’t grow in length, tighten up the loop until you can see a pentagon

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starting to form. Once you’re happy that the shape looks like my diagram, pinch its sides down so that it will keep this shape.

5. Tuck the small end into the small fold behind. If this is a bit too long to tuck in, don’t worry – you can simply trim a bit off.

6 & 7. Using your left hand to keep hold of the main knotted end, use your right hand to tightly wind the rest of the strip around it.

8. Fold the end of the strip into the fold. Again, if it’s too long to fold into the knot, it’s fine to trim a little bit off. You should now have a strong, sturdy pentagon.

9. Finally, pinch down the centre of each side of the pentagon.

By pinching the centres, the middle of the pentagon will begin to take shape, and you’ll start to see the points of the star forming. As long as the star’s sturdy, you can keep pinching down until you’re happy with the shape.

10. And there you have it!

11. Don’t forget to thread it using a good old needle and thread if you want to turn it into a hanging decoration!

12 & 13. These stars are really easy to personalise at very little cost! You can dip them in PVA glue and then lots of glitter (best to do this after you’ve created the star). You can add washi tape (do this after step two), or simply use different coloured card!

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DIY CHRISTMAS

Make it personal with these cards designed by Katie Tiffin

SHOPPING LIST 50 blank cards and envelopes from Hobbycraft Glue dots Paper punch with a round design, 1-2cm in diameter Permanent marker pen Sheet of thin card or paper Stamp and ink pad String and scissors Washi tape, three reels 1.5cm wide, in different designs

BUNTING CARD (20 minutes) 1. Place strips of washi tape onto the card for your background, leaving a space on the left and right for one strip of tape on each end.

2. Trim the tape at the top and the bottom of the card, making sure it’s neat and tidy.

3. Measure two lengths of string, one at 14cm, and the other at 17.5cm.

4. Choose a second washi tape design which will stand out from your background design. Cut off 6cm of tape and place it halfway down the length of string, with the string at the halfway point of the tape. Fold over so that you make a little tab and cut to the banner shape.

5. Continue until you make a total of five on the smaller length, and nine on the longer length of string.

6 & 7. Using your permanent marker pen, write onto the mini banners ‘Merry’ (for the smaller length) and ‘Christmas’ for the longer length.

8. Position the banners onto your card (I use sticky dots from Hobbycraft to keep every other part of the banner in place, and the ends of the banners together).

9. Once you’re happy with the position of the banners, tape the two ends of the card. And there you have it!

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TARTAN CARD (10 minutes) This may be the easiest card you can make! All you need is one blank card and four types of washi tape. I use one with a main little focus (in this case it says ‘Merry Christmas’), and then a couple of funky tapes to make the background.

10. Start off with your main tape, placing it in the middle of the card horizontally. Build the tapes up around it, alternating the background tapes. Then, complete the card by alternating the background tapes vertically.

WREATH CARD (20 minutes) This is another simple one to make!

11. First, stick the two types of tape onto the spare sheet of card. I stick two lengths of each tape onto the card, as the paper punch is slightly bigger than the washi tape’s width. If you’re using a punch which is the same size as mine, cutting out six of each colour tape is a perfect starting point.

Use your inked-up stamp to put your message in the centre of the card. Place your cut-out card and washi tape pieces around your stamp. Once you’re happy with the design, use the sticky dots to place them permanently, then use your marker pen to draw on the detail at the top of the card.

If you would like to get in touch with Katie, please visit: facebook.com/ktillustrations

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DIY CHRISTMAS

Floristry artist Cheryl Harvey, from Tunbridge Wells, shows you how to make the perfect Christmas wreath

Our wreath is much easier to make than you might think. You can hang it on the door or use it as a centrepiece for your dining table with a bowl of floating candles in the centre for a magical effect.

Materials needed:

Floral foam wreath ring, florist scissors or ordinary secateurs, knife, florist wire, mixed foliage – I used holly, tree ivy, copper beech and yew that I gathered from a local park (after asking permission!), decorations and ribbon (wide with wired edges for a bow and narrow, ordinary ribbon to fix wreath to door).

1. Wet foam ring.

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2. Cut a straight edge off the ring to make a domed top that will help keep the design even.

3. Place single pieces of foliage around the outside of the wreath to mark an outline to work to.

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4. Make bunches of foliage to the same size and height, with enough stem showing to secure into the foam.

5. Place foliage into the wreath in groups, keeping to the outline.

6. Cut the holly to show off the berries and place the cut leaves under the berries to make a bunch.

7. Carry on covering the wreath with different groups of foliage in this way.

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8. Work in threes – three groups of each type of foliage helps to keep the circle visually round.

9. Attach florist wire to the decorations and place into the wreath, making sure the wires are secure in the foam.

10. Again, groups of three work best.

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11. Loop the narrow ribbon over the foliage and ease it between the materials to make it tight against the foam. Pull the ends through the loop, making sure they are long enough to attach to a door or fixings.

12. Take the large decorative ribbon, preferably with wired edges, and double-loop to make a bow.

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13. Place florist wire over centre of the bow and squeeze then twist the wire to make the bow stand proud.

14. Place securely into the wreath.

15. Adjust ribbon tails to look their best and cut ends into an inverted ‘V’ to neaten.

16. Hang your wreath with pride – preferably on an outside wall or door where it won’t get hot and dry out too quickly. Spritz with water if the foam gets very dry and replace materials if they dry out or start to look ‘tired’.

If you need a floral design for a special occasion – for instance a wedding, party or gift – email Cheryl at: floralsbycheryl@gmail.com

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FESTIVE FOOD FEAST Make it the best Christmas ever with our seasonal recipes from the pick of the local chefs

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LOBSTER BISQUE STARTER

SMOKED SALMON, SCALLOP AND DILL TERRINE WITH BITTER LEMON PURÉE STARTER

Darren Collins, the new Head Chef at Hotel Du Vin in Tunbridge Wells, joined the company in October.

Darren brings a wealth of experience, having spent many years with Handpicked Hotels, and lives locally.

Andrew Wilson previously worked at the Ashdown Park Hotel near Forest Row, reaching the position of Senior Sous Chef in 2003. He left to hone his skills in Michelinstarred restaurants, before returning as Head Chef.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6): 2 whole lobsters 1 carrot 1 leek 1 onion 1 celery stalk 1 bulb of garlic 300g tomato purée 2 pints of fish stock 1 pint tomato juice Few sprigs of fresh dill Few white peppercorns 450ml double cream Brandy (to flambé)

Method: 1. Take your food blender bowl and place in the fridge to chill.

Method: 1. Place the two whole lobsters in a pan of boiling water and boil for 6 minutes, then plunge into ice-cold water.

2. Remove from the fridge and add 500g of the smoked salmon and blend to a smooth paste. Then, slowly add the double cream to form a mousse.

Add the zest of one lemon and season with white pepper, but no salt as the smoked salmon is already salty, then place the mousse in the fridge.

3. Dry roast the lobster shells at 1800C for approximately 12 minutes or until golden in colour.

4. Pick and chop the dill and add to the salmon mousse. Place in a piping bag.

2. Break open the lobster, removing all meat. Set aside the white meat to use later on.

4. Whilst the shells are roasting, roughly chop the carrot, leek, celery and onion and cut the garlic in half.

5. Once dry roasted, place the shells in a pan on the stove with the chopped vegetables and garlic. Gently sauté until golden brown.

6. Add a generous amount of brandy and flambé. Once the flame has burnt out, add the tomato purée and cook down on a medium heat, stirring vigorously.

7. Next, add the fish stock and tomato juice along with the dill and peppercorns and simmer for 2.5-3 hours on a gentle heat.

8. Add the double cream and blitz using an electric blender. Pass through a chinois, or fine sieve, and season.

9. Cut the white lobster meat into small pieces and add to the mixture.

Add some chopped coriander if so desired. www.hotelduvin.com

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Ingredients (Serves 4): 1kg sliced smoked salmon 8 scallops 500ml double cream 1 bunch of dill, chopped 6 lemons 375ml white wine vinegar 275g caster sugar 250g crème fraîche Young coriander

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3. Take your scallop meat and dice into 1cm pieces and cook off in butter and olive oil. This will only take 3-4 minutes, then allow to go cold.

5. Place a square of smoked salmon down on some cling film and pipe some of the salmon mousse at one end. Drop on a few of the cooked pieces of scallop, top with a litte extra mousse.

6. Roll into a cylinder shape and set in the fridge until you are ready to use.

7. For the bitter lemon purée: Put the vinegar and sugar into a pan and bring to the boil, cook out for 3-4 minutes and leave to one side.

8. Put the lemons into cold water with a teaspoon of salt, poach for one hour and leave to go cold.

9. Remove the lemons from the water and cut in half. Remove the pips and flesh, place the skin into a blender and add the pickling syrup. Blend until smooth and place in the fridge.

10. Serve with a bowl of crème fraîche and a dressed salad, and enjoy! www.ashdownpark.com

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DUCK RILLETTES ON BRIOCHE WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE CANAPÉS

BRIOCHE LOAF Ingredients (Serves 6): Extra butter for greasing 500g strong white flour 40g fresh yeast or 14g dried yeast 30g sugar 10g salt 6 whole eggs 225g unsalted butter, very soft Egg to glaze 1 large loaf tin Method: 1. Butter the 900g loaf tin. In a large mixing bowl put in the flour, then crumble in the fresh yeast, add the sugar and salt, and mix well.

From Rosemary Schrager, the TV chef who runs a cookery school in The Corn Exchange in The Pantiles.

Ingredients (Serves 6): 3 duck legs 250g pork fat 150g shoulder of pork 2 bay leaves 2 cloves 1 whole nutmeg 25g soft butter Salt and pepper For the topping: 150g clarified butter Method: 1. Cut the pork and pork fat into 2cm cubes. Put them and the duck legs into a heavy casserole with 150ml water and the rest of the ingredients.

Bring it to the boil on top of the stove, cover, then put the casserole in the oven at 160C and cook for 3 hours approx, or until falling off the bone, stirring from time to time and adding a little more water if it is drying out.

It is important not to have too much liquid in it.

2. Drain what liquid there is into a bowl then, in another bowl, shred the meat with your hands. Add all the pork fat squished into the meat and remove the bay leaves and cloves.

3. Now mix in the butter well. Season to taste, go easy on the salt, then make into a sausage for canapés, look at the note below. Put into the fridge. This can be done a couple of days in advance.

Note: The other way is to make a long sausage in cling wrap and roll up tightly, then you can cut rounds, or however you want to serve it. You can also cover with egg and breadcrumbs twice and put it in the deep fat fryer.

CRANBERRY SAUCE Ingredients (Serves 6): 500g pack fresh or frozen cranberries 125g caster sugar Zest and juice of an orange 2 tablespoons sherry Method: 1. Simmer the cranberries in the orange juice for one minute. Stir in sugar, orange zest and sherry, then simmer gently for 6 to 7 minutes until tender and mushy.

2. The sauce will thicken as it cools. This makes quite a lot, but you can use it in turkey sandwiches, or serve with ham or any cold meats.

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2. Now add the eggs one by one, mixing all the time (this is good to do with a dough hook). Beat for at least five minutes, then add the very soft butter bit by bit; do not add it too quickly otherwise it could become a cake batter.

3. Make sure each time you add the butter it is well incorporated. This will take up to 10 minutes, so be patient. Keep beating for a further 5 minutes, so it’s lovely and shiny and slides off the dough hook.

4. Remove the dough from the bowl, put onto a lightly floured surface and shape, then put into the loaf tin.

5. Put into the fridge overnight, then remove in the morning. Brush the top with egg and put the loaf in the oven for 45 minutes at 2200C, then for 20 to 25 minutes at 1400C. 6. To make the canapés, cut out the rounds and dry them out in the oven.

ASSEMBLING THE CANAPÉS Take the rounds of brioche and pop a slice of duck rillette on each, finishing with a dollop of cranberry sauce. Easy!

For all those Brussels sprouts haters, here’s Rosemary’s recipe that will change your mind!

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH ORANGE PEEL AND ALMONDS ACCOMPANIMENT Ingredients (Serves 6-8): 1½ kilo Brussels sprouts, trimmed 450g vacuum pack chestnuts 2 oranges peeled, julienned with white pith cut off 60g butter Salt and black pepper Slivered almond, toasted Method: 1. Cook off the sprouts in boiling salted water for two minutes until tender, then drain and refresh. Cut into quarters and set to one side.

2. Boil the julienned orange peel in boiling water for 20 seconds, take out, refresh, and repeat two more times.

3. Heat some butter in a pan. Add Brussels sprouts, orange peel and half the almonds. Toss until hot.

4. Heat through and season with salt and black pepper. Garnish with toasted slivered almonds. www.rosemaryshrager.com

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ROAST TURKEY

CHESTNUT STUFFING Ingredients: 150g chopped chestnuts 1 medium onion, finely diced 20g sage, pickled and chopped 15g unsalted butter 20g granulated sugar 1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves 500g good-quality sausagemeat

Head chef Richard Lee brings to The Vine in Sevenoaks over two decades of experience in some of London’s top restaurants including Quaglinos, Mezzo and nine years as Head Chef at Circus, St. James.

Ingredients: 3.5 to 4kg free-range turkey (at room temperature) 3 tbsp rapeseed oil 2 carrots, peeled and halved 2 medium onions, peeled and quartered Sprigs of thyme and rosemary 2 celery sticks, chopped 1 leek, chopped 10 rashers streaky bacon 100g softened butter 20g chopped thyme leaves Method: 1. Preheat oven to 1800C. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large roasting tray, add all the vegetables carefully and roast for five minutes to create a vegetable trivet.

2. Meanwhile, remove the wishbone from the turkey and loosen the skin from the breast. Rub the butter and chopped thyme between the skin and the breasts.

3. Season the bird well, place chestnut stuffing in the cavity if required, and place bacon over the top of the turkey.

4. Sit the bird on the vegetable trivet and roast for 2.5-3 hours (20 minutes per 500g).

AND NOW A RECIPE FROM THE TEAM AT KUDOS: CHOCOLATE ORANGE PUDDING Our favourite alternative to traditional Christmas pudding Ingredients (Serves 6): 100g butter, melted, plus a little extra for the dish 250g self-raising flour 140g caster sugar 50g cocoa 1 teaspoon baking powder Zest and juice of 1 orange 3 eggs 150ml milk 100g orange milk chocolate or milk chocolate, broken into chunks Single cream or ice cream, to serve For the sauce 200g light muscovado sugar 25g cocoa

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Method: 1. In a large non-stick saucepan, heat the sugar until it starts to caramelise, then add the butter and chestnuts. Toss together until all the chestnuts are nicely coated.

2. Set aside to cool.

3. Place the sausagemeat and remaining ingredients in a large bowl and mix together. Add the chestnut mixture, season, and set aside.

4. The stuffing is now ready to place inside the bird. Alternatively, place golf ball-sized pieces on a non-stick baking tray and bake at 1800C for 20 minutes. www.vinerestaurant.co.uk

BREAD SAUCE Ingredients: 300g bread with crusts removed (sourdough is best, but any good crusty bread will do) 300ml full-fat milk 10g onion seeds 5g ground mace Freshly ground salt and pepper Method: 1. Place the milk in a non-stick pan, add the mace and onion seeds. Bring to the boil to infuse.

2. Remove from heat, add the bread and mix together.

3. Transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth. Season well and set aside.

Method: 1. Butter a 2-litre baking dish and heat oven to 1800C/1600C fan/gas 4.

2. Put the flour, caster sugar, 50g cocoa, baking powder, orange zest and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl.

3. Whisk together the orange juice and any pulp left in the juicer, the eggs, melted butter and milk, then pour onto the dry ingredients and mix together until smooth.

4. Stir in the chocolate chunks and scrape everything into the baking dish.

5. Mix 300ml boiling water from the kettle with the sugar and cocoa for the sauce, then pour this all over the pudding batter.

6. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 30 mins until the surface looks firm, risen and crisp.

7. Eat immediately with vanilla ice cream or single cream.

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BEST OF BRITISH

Since it opened its doors in London’s Borough Market in 2005, Roast restaurant’s mantra has been a simple one: to use produce from the nation’s farmers and fishermen to bring a new level of energy to British cooking. Now Marcus Verberne, Roast’s talented head cook, is sharing his secrets in Roast: a very British cookbook. Featuring dishes for all occasions, the book recreates some of Roast’s most popular fare for the home cook. Alongside all the classics there’s a host of new favourites.

Roast: a very British cookbook is published by Absolute Press, price £25, on 7th November, available from all good retailers, online and in store.

CHOCOLATE DREAM

For the first time in the UK, celebrated three-Michelin-star chef Alain Ducasse is offering the exclusive opportunity to enjoy a luxury hamper filled with the finest artisanal chocolates direct from his recently opened factory in the heart of Paris. The only bean-to-bar chocolate factory in the city, at La Manufacture de Chocolat, chocolate is handcrafted on traditional vintage machines using time-tested methods.

The hamper also includes a bottle of Champagne NV Selection Alain Ducasse Brut, previously only served at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester.

The Champagne & Chocolate Christmas Hamper costs £125 and is available for pre-order until 10th December by e-mailing alainducassereservations@alainducasse-dorchester.com

LET’S EAT!

A round-up of the latest foodie news

LET’S COOK!

Electrolux has launched a combi-steam oven and vacuum sealer as a dual set of appliances that allow domestic sous-vide cooking – making it possible to bring restaurant-quality flavour to the home through a professional cooking technique.

LUCKY NUMBER

A robust helping of juniper complemented by sweet Spanish orange peel, grapefruit peel, Angelica root, Moroccan coriander and cardamom seeds is the recipe for No. 3 London Dry Gin, which makers Berry Brothers & Rudd, Britain’s oldest wine and spirit merchants, call the ‘last word’ in gin for the classic dry martini, as well as the perfect G&T. No.3 is available at Waitrose stores, as well as at Selfridges and Harvey Nichols; RRP of £33.65 for a 70cl bottle.

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Sous-vide is a steam-cooking technique that is widely used for food preparation in some of the best restaurants in the world.

Dishes are vacuum-sealed before being steam-cooked at low temperatures to complete the cooking process. This technique provides great-tasting food and enhanced texture without compromising its nutritional value.

It also allows the majority of dishes to be pre-prepared well ahead of serving time. www.electrolux.co.uk

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LET THERE BE LIGHT Tucked away in a country lane near Sevenoaks, Agnes and Iskandar’s home is light and airy, perfect for their growing family

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THE OWNERS

Agnes and Iskandar, who live here with their children Dot, Zackery and Finley, and Labradoodle, Ella.

Their home

Detached five-bedroom house in an acre of gardens with a sitting room, kitchen/dining/family room, music room, playroom, study, homework room, boot/utility room, three bathrooms, and double garage with a playroom over the top.

Location

Near Sevenoaks.

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The extension across the back of the house, with its wall of glass doors

When Agnes and Iskandar decided they needed to find a bigger house in the Sevenoaks area, with plenty of room for daughter Dot, 8, and sons Zackery, 7, and Finley, 5, not forgetting Ella, the Labradoodle, the search wasn’t easy.

The couple moved to the area from their native Holland 12 years ago. “We love Sevenoaks and we really wanted to stay in the area,” says Agnes. “We can walk for miles with the kids and the dog. Holland is such a small country and everything is built up – here there is so much green, open space.

“We lived in Nutfield for five years. It was a smaller house, and we needed somewhere bigger. We wanted a nice house with a nice garden – we’re very much outdoors people – but it was difficult to find both in one property. Either the house was perfect and the garden too small, or the garden was lovely and the house wasn’t big enough.”

Buying a house is often about compromise, and that was certainly the case for Agnes and Iskandar. “We saw the for sale sign outside this house when we were driving past,” says Agnes, “and looked at the pictures online. We agreed it was too small, but we had a look around anyway. We realised that we could make something of the house – with a lot of work – but it was the acre of garden that won us over.

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Above, left to right: Clogs hanging above the door to the garage playroom are a reminder of the family’s Dutch heritage; bold use of colour in the stairwell; random tiles make a colourful splash in the kitchen

“It was a nice family house, but it was old and dark and had been neglected. The people who lived here before us were really into gardening and they created a beautiful garden, but I don’t think the house had been touched for at least 20 years!”

The family moved into the house in June 2010 and spent time getting a feel for the place before commissioning an architect to draw up plans for the changes they wanted. These included extending the house at the back with a wall of glass doors along its length, and a two-storey extension at the side, creating a new hall and downstairs cloakroom on the ground floor. The attic was to be converted into a bedroom and bathroom for Dot, and there was a new garage with a playroom over the top.

Planning permission was turned down a couple of times because of the size of the alterations, but eventually the plans were passed.

“We hired a local property development company, Hemsted, to do the work and moved out while it was going on,” says Agnes. “We couldn’t have lived here because there wasn’t much left of the original house by the time they got to work!

The whole job took around eight months – we moved out in December and were back in at the beginning of September.”

“We rented a house just 400 metres away, which was perfect,” says Iskandar. “We could actually watch the work going on and if they needed a decision on something, we could make it straight away.”

So was there anything that they would have done differently, now the house is finished?

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“Another skylight in the loft bathroom,” says Iskandar, “as it’s quite dark in there. And maybe the garage could have been a bit bigger.”

“We did make changes during the build,” says Agnes, “which is why it took eight months rather than the original estimate of six. There was going to be a wall between the kitchen and sitting room and they were building it, but we were continually walking through the space and thought, Why are we closing it?, so we decided to keep it open. There was also going to be a corridor from the hall to the boot room, along the side of the kitchen, but Vicky Risebrow, Hemsted’s Managing Director, suggested we didn’t need it – and she was right.

“There are very little things – like the door handles. We have round ones and I’d change them if I could as they’re quite hard to open, especially for the kids. But they’re just niggles.

We’re really thrilled with the way it’s turned out and Hemsted did a great job.”

The result is a beautiful house that’s very easy to live in and perfect for family life. On the ground floor, the sitting room with its open fireplace and the huge open-plan kitchen and dining room flow seamlessly into each other. Also on the ground floor is a music room, playroom, homework room and a boot/utility room. Upstairs, the main bedroom has an en-suite shower room and walk-in dressing room, and there are large, airy rooms for the boys, as well as a bathroom, study and a spare bedroom. Up another flight of stairs and Dot has her own big attic bedroom and large bathroom.

All the bathrooms are finished in grey slate with a panel of geometric ‘fun’ tiles and big walk-in showers.

The whole feel is contemporary, with cool, plain walls, leather sofas, wooden floors and a splash of colour from a single

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Above, left to right: The master bedroom; grey slate is a feature of the bathrooms

panel of sizzling red and orange-patterned wallpaper in the hall. A similar panel in shades of green makes a statement in the master bedroom. Bold lights are a feature of the dining room and hall, and the dining chairs are based on a design for chairs used by the BBC TV Olympic presenters.

“We’ve always been keen on using as much natural material as we can,” says Iskandar, “so, the flooring is natural wood, there’s natural slate in the bathrooms and oak trim on the outside of the house.”

“At the beginning we had other ideas about how we would use the rooms,” says Agnes. “For instance, the music room was going to be a study, but the children have to practise their instruments every day and with one big main living area, they needed a space for that. We didn’t plan on a homework room either, but it’s handy for the kids to go somewhere to concentrate, and if I’m trying to do something at the table and they’re running around, it’s much easier to go in there and separate myself.”

Says Iskandar: “The house was redesigned with the idea of being connected to the outside, and initially we wanted sheer glass for the kitchen and sitting room wall with no frames, but that was going to be very expensive, and not very robust.

So we had the floor-to-ceiling glass doors tailor-made for us.

In the summer, we open them all and bring the outside in.

We use the terraces a lot – we’ve got a barbecue area and a seating area. Everything is connected with wooden decking, which in turn connects with the new garage.

“The previous owners created a beautiful garden on varying levels, with lots of different areas and exotic plants and shrubs. There’s even a stable and a little orchard. It’s so big there are spaces in the garden we don’t see for weeks or months! It was part of the National Open Gardens Scheme, and the owners opened it up to the public once a year for charity. Unfortunately, it was like a jungle when we moved in and we had to remove a lot of vegetation for the patio and decking. But now the house is finished, the garden is our next project. It was, after all, the reason we moved here!”

Above, left to right: The airy, open-plan kitchen; sweeping space from the sitting room right through to the end of the house; unusual Chinese-style cabinet that came from Sarah Brown Furniture in Sevenoaks KUDOS NOV 13/FEB 14

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PLANT YOUR PENCIL

Pencil, meet herbaceous border… When your favourite Sprout pencil becomes too short to write with, you simply plant it in a pot and after a few weeks you’ll have delicious fresh herbs for the kitchen!

This unique pencil is made from sustainable wood, and comes in seven different variants, including basil, dill, coriander, mint, rosemary and thyme. Good for creative growth! Price €30 for 10. www.getyoursprout.com

THE WORLD’S FIRST WI-FI KETTLE

Imagine how perfect and complete life would feel if there was no longer that tiresome wait for the kettle to boil. Now you need wait no more, thanks to the iKettle – the world’s first Wi-Fi kettle. A simple one-touch set-up allows you to instantly control the iKettle from anywhere in the house with your smartphone. Price: £99.99 www.firebox.com

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

DRIVING STYLE

Bring the luxurious style of a Bentley into your home with the Bentley Home collection, inspired by the renowned craftsmanship and exquisite materials that characterise the interiors of all Bentley models. Just like the car, the range uses fine leather, burr walnut veneer and the iconic quilted diamond pattern embossed in the interiors of a Bentley to create seating, tables, cabinets and beds, in beautiful woods and subtle shades of ivory and taupe matched with beige and cream. www.bentleymotors.com KUDOS NOV 13/FEB 14

REALLY COOL

How’s this for something completely different? Collaboration between Fiat 500 and SMEG has resulted in this funky vintage-style fridge. Launched in Paris recently, the SMEG500 is much more than ‘just a fridge’. It’s something which catches the eye, tricks it, and reinvents. An extraordinary refrigerator for the homes of avid collectors, or a fashionable lounge bar perfect for serving drinks, it’s A+ rated for energy efficiency, has a 100-litre capacity, and is available in white, red and green finishes. www.smeguk.com LOV E YOUR HOME

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FAST AND FURIOUS Motoring writer Anthony ffrench-Constant takes the new Jaguar F-type V6S for a spin

The long-awaited F-type is that rarest of beasts; a car that looks better from behind than in front. With more than a whiff of E-Type about the boot lid and post box-slot tail lamps, it is very pretty indeed, especially with the powered fabric soft-top stowed. Climb aboard and, at around a foot shorter than an XK, the F-type reveals itself to be something of a reverse Tardis.

It’s a good job they haven’t tried to shoehorn in two rear seats capacious enough for only small children and Douglas Bader, because the cabin already feels cramped with only two seats to contend with.

Still, a snug cockpit is nothing less than you’d expect from a machine with this sporting pedigree. You’d also expect a comfortable, appropriately amorous seat and a wieldy, tactile steering wheel. Sadly, on both scores, the Jaguar disappoints.

The seat looks OK but doesn’t quite fit me anywhere, and the steering wheel rim’s too fat, making it no joy to wield.

Elsewhere, the interior design maintains Jaguar’s ongoing hymn-book approach; ancient and modern. Classy, rubberised switchgear, proper analogue dials and a Le Mans Jaguar-aping, bronze-finished starter button and steering wheel-mounted gear-shift paddles jostle for position within a dashboard design that doesn’t seem to have quite shrugged the weight of history off its shoulders.

Weekend jaunts with expensive-to-run clothes horses or shoe fetishists should be avoided, because there’s precious little stowage space in the cabin and, maintaining the reverse Tardis theme, barely more in the boot, which is laughably shallow.

That long bonnet may be occupied by two variants of a 3.0-litre V6, or a 5.0-litre V8. I sampled the more powerful V6S version of the former, likely to be Europe’s strongest seller.

With 375bhp and 339lb ft of torque on tap, the supercharged six-cylinder unit delivers more than appropriate urgency, employing an 8-speed automatic gearbox with flappy paddle override to fling the Jaguar to 62mph in just 4.8 seconds, and on to 171mph. On the move, however, I found myself forgiving

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the F-type those packaging and ergonomics gripes, because the entire experience is largely glorious. Especially since, enhanced by a baffle-opening dashboard switch, the exhaust note of an enraged hornet trapped in a megaphone is glorious, with a notably fruity crackle on over-run.

This is quite a heavy car, but it scores over the hooligan V8 with nigh-on 50/50 weight distribution. All-round double wishbone suspension is abetted by an adaptive system, fitted as standard, which automatically keeps things nicely supple in the cruise whilst instantaneously firming up through corners.

The steering, as ever with a Jaguar, is a minor masterpiece.

Tingling with road-surface information and pin-sharp in response to inputs, it simply delights.

Displaying a lovely balance and poise, and the long-legged gait of a true Gran Turismo, this is a delightful machine in which to cover ground extremely quickly without scaring yourself witless. In comparison, the V8 is, I gather, an absolute monster.

But, for most, the V6S will prove more than fast enough, especially in the context of open-topped motoring; the latter quite capable of sustaining sufficient velocities to leave you lashed to death by your own quiff.

And that’s just as well because the F-type is, frankly, expensive; the basic £67,520 cost of the V6S swollen by extras to £79,690 on the specimen I drove. Lest we forget, the new, prettier Porsche Cayman starts at less than £50,000. And it’s still easily the greatest sports car that that little money can buy.

JAGUAR F-TYPE V6S Price: £67,520 As tested: £79,690 Engine: 2995cc supercharged V6 petrol, 375bhp @ 6500rpm, 339lb ft @ 3500rpm Transmission: 8-speed automatic with paddle shift override, rear-wheel drive Performance: 4.9 sec 0-62mph, 171mph, 31.0mpg, 213g/km Weight: 1614kg Dimensions L/W/H (mm): 4470/1923/1308

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MAKE IT A HAPPY FAMILY CHRISTMAS Stress levels are running high at Christmas, and playing happy families can be fraught with problems.

Here’s advice on avoiding the tears and tantrums and making it a fun festive family occasion

Does the perfect Christmas really exist? There’s so much pressure surrounding the big day that it’s no wonder people’s expectations and stress levels go sky-high. So how best to navigate your way around the pitfalls of Christmas Day?

Try to keep a lid on them by being sensitive to their behaviour and setting clear boundaries. Try not to get cross with them, because there’s a huge amount going on for them to take in at Christmas.

You can cut the stress by creating a timetable for Christmas week. Try and prepare as much food in advance as possible, so it’s not all rushed on Christmas Eve. Make a schedule for the day itself, so guests know when to arrive and what time to expect dinner and the opening of presents. And don’t forget to make time to go and join in the fun yourself.

While the kids are going mad with their new toys and the grandparents are trying to get their attention, how do you get everyone to spend a bit of time together? It’s all about compromise in these situations. Make a pact with the kids that they can spend a certain amount of time with the new games or toys. Then everyone has to join together and do something as a group. It could be helping to get the lunch or dinner together. Or you could get the children to take photographs of everybody. You could have a family tournament on the Wii or bring out a board game. Leafing through family photo albums can also be great for bringing together different generations.

However, when it comes to family, it’s not always easy to keep everyone happy. Christmas can be a time of great joy and the cause of much conflict, because when families spend a period of time together, tensions can arise.

It’s vital to remember that good communication is the key to a happy family, so don’t jump in to make a point if you disagree with something that’s been said or done. Take a deep breath and consider your response and remember that everyone has a very different opinion.

Often, what can start out as a debate or discussion at the dinner table can soon escalate into something more aggressive, especially when alcohol is involved. You are all under one roof and the atmosphere can sometimes be more highly-charged than usual. If people do say something to upset you or someone close to you, it can be easy to let it escalate into a big argument. But try not to let this happen by trying to keep things cool and calm everyone down if it looks like everything is about to kick off.

Diffuse the situation with humour – it’s difficult to carry on arguing if you can laugh about it! And ignore mildly offensive comments – rising above the hurtful things people say makes you the better person. If you keep calm and stay polite, you’ll find that people can’t argue with you.

Christmas is such an exciting time for children that it can be hard for them not to get overwhelmed by everything going on.

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When it comes to opening presents, bet you didn’t know that showing gratitude for your gifts can be good for your health. Research by the universities of California and Miami suggests that, like optimism, gratitude can have significant health benefits, including better sleep. So even if a present isn’t to your taste, stay positive and focus on the generous spirit of the person who has taken the time to choose and wrap a gift.

In fact, this is a philosophy that can be applied throughout the day. Try to acknowledge each positive thing as it happens and then give thanks – it could be as simple as giving thanks for a cup of tea just when you needed it. You’ll be amazed at how good you’ll feel for it and how many more good things seem to keep coming your way.

However, if all else fails on the big day, remember to keep your sense of humour – and maybe a big bar of chocolate handy. Chocolate raises your energy levels, plus it’s a relaxing de-stressor, affects endorphins (our feel-good hormone) and is simply a guilty pleasure to indulge in. And, if you eat dark chocolate, which is proven to be good for you, you won’t even need to feel quite so guilty about it.

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Coming through Christmas Sparkling candlelight, delicious food, warm mulled wine and smiling children – it’s the perfect Christmas scene. But for many of us Christmas can feel like a war zone. Here, an experienced family therapist from The Counselling Centre takes a light-hearted look at some common family troublespots and offers a few tips:

1. Better together?

You don’t have to be joined at the hip to be happy. If your teenager would rather play with her new game than go on the Christmas walk/to the panto/play charades/watch The Great Escape on TV, it may be wiser to let her. Decide which occasions really matter (the main Christmas meal, shared present opening) and let the rest go. Given the freedom to choose, this year’s curmudgeonly adolescent is more likely to become next year’s Princess Charming than if she is coerced into co-operating.

2. Rituals – how and when?

Are the children’s presents to come in stockings after breakfast, wrapped parcels after dinner or pillowcases at dawn? You’d be surprised at how bitter the negotiations can be – and that’s just the adults. Discussions can get tougher after a marital separation when new families come together.

Are the children spending Christmas at Mum’s, or with Dad and his new partner? If you can, try and find a creative solution earlier rather than later. It’s all too easy to win the battle but lose the war. One family we worked with simply had their Christmas on Boxing Day. Another managed to have two, equally cheerful Christmasses with different sets of children on different days. Remember, small children will appreciate the smiles round the table more than the number on the calendar.

3. Wash up or blow up?

Try not to get too worked up about chores like washing-up and table-laying. Better two willing helping hands than a brace of resentful adolescents.

4. The pitfalls of perfection – cut some corners

Who, really, is going to care if your bread sauce is handmade

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or bought from the supermarket? Roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, gravy, brandy butter – they can all be bought ahead of time and will be delicious. The children will be as happy pulling jolly shop-bought crackers as pulling the colour co-ordinated ones you made, and Granny would rather have 10 minutes of your time than your silky egg custard on her spoon. (If she makes it clear that she wouldn’t, just smile and say the word ‘priorities’ to yourself.)

5. Dare to be different

One mother we knew ended up preparing three Christmas dinners at once: turkey for the traditionalists, pizza for the vegetarian and fish and chips for the teenager who chose that day to be different. A few years later, the teenager, now a graceful adult, was preparing a delicious and perfect Christmas dinner for the whole family.

6. Time out

Ten minutes may be enough to recharge your batteries. Take refuge in the supermarket coffee bar, the garden or the bath.

Go for a walk. In desperation, the loo will do. Breathe deeply and think about nothing.

If things really get too much, there are highly-trained, experienced professionals out there who can help. You may be grappling with infinitely more serious matters than those mentioned here. If you’re facing money troubles, alcoholism and other addictions in the family, depression, separation, bereavement or terminal illness, the prospect of Christmas, with its pressure to spend and be happy can be unbearable.

At The Counselling Centre in Tunbridge Wells we know that one of our busiest months is January, when the heartache of broken dreams and disappointed Christmas hopes take their toll. Don’t let it get too bad before you ask for help. Often, the earlier you address matters, the easier they are to deal with.

It’s often the strongest thing to do.

The Counselling Centre offers professional & confidential counselling for personal, relationship and family problems. It is a non-profit making charity which aims to provide affordable counselling. One of the key aims of the charity is to make counselling available to all, irrespective of their ability to pay. The Counselling Centre, St George’s Centre, 7 Chilston Road, Tunbridge Wells TN4 9LP. Telephone: 01892 548750. www.thecounsellingcentre.org.uk

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TALKING HEAD Angela Culley, chair of the Independent Schools Association and head of The Mead School, asks Are our priorities right?

It appears that every retail outlet has become fixated on Christmas, even though we’re only just out of October.

Working in a child’s world as I do and given that Christmas is known to be a time for children who, of course, love the excitement, the glitter and the piles of presents with their name attached, why, you may wonder, am I worried?

It is about priorities; modern children are growing up in a world of ambiguities. On the one hand these are hardened financial times, whilst on the other they are exposed to huge excess and a ‘throw-away society’. They are encouraged and expected to achieve at everything they do – to be the best, but often have little time to explore and practice any one activity in order to achieve their best and feel that inner glow of satisfaction. They are growing up in a ‘now’ and ‘me’ world of instant response and answers, giving little time for reflection and personal discovery.

At a time when Britain’s long-held reputation for having one of the most renowned and aspired-to education systems in the world is slipping, maybe we need to look very closely as to why we may be letting our children down. Do we really want to be overtaken by other countries, as we were in the recent tables that put us in 22nd place for literacy and 21st for numeracy out of 24 countries? Of course not. The majority of parents are quite rightly and admirably ambitious for their offspring, wanting them to achieve academically and move into successful careers, but this can lead to a narrow journey with frustrations for both parties. Too many fall off the road or simply become disillusioned, unfocused and distracted and consequently underachieve, losing direction and self-worth.

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A good education prepares the pupils entrusted to its system for life. It works with the individual to encourage and draw out the hidden qualities which lie deep within all of us. There is no better feeling in the world for a dedicated teacher than to watch a ‘eureka’ moment on a child’s face, to see the confidence and realisation of an ‘I can and I will’ attitude, to know that your pupils are able to connect their learning and recognise that life and the world is their classroom and that every person has gifts and an interesting story and deserves respect. I recognise that these acquisitions cannot easily be measured and put into a league table, but a child enveloped, brought up and educated with these aspirations will be one who will not only be a super future citizen, but will more than meet and far exceed any pre-supposed academic expectations.

So, with Christmas just 60 days away with all its glittery but often shallow promises, let us never forget that the greatest gift we can give our children is an education which encourages and entices them to become lifelong learners, motivated thinkers and conscientious workers. Which enables them to discover, explore and develop their talents and personal qualities, thereby preparing them for the modern world and the unknown future which lies ahead with the confidence to embrace every opportunity and the resilience to turn setbacks into springboards.

This gift is truly priceless and for life, not just for Christmas.

www.meadschool.info

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BIG IDEAS FOR SMALL SPACES However small your garden space – be it a tiny courtyard or front garden, roof space or windowsill – with a little research and a sense of style, it can be turned into an area that will not only enhance your property but also give you immense pleasure

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The hardest part about designing and styling a small space is to know what NOT to include! Small gardens by their very nature are confining, and to cram in lots of different elements will only result in a cluttered space that will feel even smaller. The best plan is to keep it simple. And remember, while you may be limited to space on the ground, you can always go upwards – the sky IS the limit. A tiny space can be full of potential and needn’t be limiting. If anything, it is as much about styling as it is about gardening.

THE OUTDOOR ROOM Creating a seamless link between house and garden is not difficult if you treat your outside space as you would any other room in your house. Block out from your mind the fact that there is a wall/window/door dividing the two ‘rooms’ and consider the following points:

• Look at the interior of your home first. Are the colours neutral in tone? If so, you can probably be a little more daring outside, with the use of stronger/bolder shades that may pick up on your interior colour scheme.

• When using paint outside, remember that you can use much stronger tones than you would indoors, as the natural daylight will make colour appear much lighter.

• Including block-built, rendered and painted walls or built-in seating in the garden is a great way to develop an area that can be painted.

• Choose similar flooring – if you use wooden flooring inside, follow this through to the garden, laying the wood in the same direction or following a pattern, if one exists.

• If you have ceramic tiles inside, choose external quality pavers of a similar size, again laid in the same way. When the windows are open in summer this will give a seamless flow from inside to outside.

• Repeat inside lighting externally – if recessed ceiling lights are used inside, choose the same type externally, set into the ground or recessed into raised beds or steps. The same goes for furniture.

Plants will be the only element that is integral to the garden but not necessary inside. You could perhaps consider using a specimen planter in the garden and repeat this inside the house, or match scatter cushions outside with those indoors during the summer months.

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GETTING IN THE MOOD Creating a ‘mood board’ will help focus your ideas. Start by cutting out and collecting images from magazines of plants that you would like to include and styles of gardens you like. Visit local suppliers for sample off-cuts of your preferred paving or decking material and any other hard landscaping materials that you like.

Other people’s front gardens can also be a source of inspiration, so take a stroll around your local area.

When you have collected enough cut-outs, take a large piece of cardboard and arrange the images on it. Place your rough garden layout, identifying the areas to be paved, grassed and planted, in the centre.

Reflect the layout of your garden plan on the board. If, for example, you intend to have a colourful planter in the middle at the back of the garden, place the image at the top in the middle of your board.

Continue to place all cut-out elements onto the board roughly where they will be in the garden until you are happy with the look you have achieved, then stick them down including your paving off-cuts and other material samples.

EMPLOYING A GARDEN DESIGNER During the design process, it’s a good idea to enlist the help of a friend or family member who has an interest in your project and seek their opinion on your ideas. Two heads, as they say, are better than one.

Better still, employ the services of a garden designer on a consultancy basis. Show the designer your plan and mood board and, for a small fee, they will be able to point out any elements you may have overlooked, or may suggest alternative plants where you have chosen specimens that will not work in your garden.

WHICH DESIGNER? When choosing a designer, you could start by browsing The Society of Garden Designers’ online directory www.sgd.org.uk, whose members must have a minimum of two years’ experience.

However, non-member designers should not be overlooked, and it’s a good idea to ask friends for recommendations.

Once you’ve chosen a shortlist: • Discuss your needs with your chosen designer initially over the phone. Explain that you would like to pay for their services on a consultancy basis and that you have already formulated a rough outline plan and a mood board.

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• You should be able to judge from your initial conversation if the designer is on your wavelength by asking them about their past work. It’s probably a good idea at this stage to agree an hourly consultancy rate.

• You may also want to check out the fees of other designers, too, but if a designer comes recommended by someone you know and trust, then it shouldn’t be their fee that determines your choice, but employing the best person for the job.

• Ask to see their portfolio when you meet and if you intend to ask them to recommend a local landscaper to undertake your job, ask to visit their past work, too.

• At your initial meeting, your designer will be able to look at your plan and mood board and should see immediately what it is you are trying to achieve. They should be able to expand on your ideas with alternative suggestions that you may not have considered.

It’s up to you then if you want to go further with the designer and ask for more assistance by way of a full, measured, scale plan and planting scheme. Most designers also offer a monitoring service where they will work with you and the landscaper to ensure the plan is followed and that it actually works on the ground.

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FIVE IDEAS FOR SMALL SPACES 1. Make your garden feel bigger by hanging a garden mirror on a wall to reflect light across the space.

2. Invest in tiered plant stands to display pots of herbs and flowers.

3. A wall-mounted water feature takes up virtually no room, but adds a wonderful extra dimension to your garden.

4. Make the most of the space on your walls by hanging pretty tea light holders from hooks hidden within foliage.

5. If your small garden gets little light, paint exterior walls in a warm colour.

THE VERTICAL GARDEN There are a number of planting pockets and modules that you can hang or attach to garden or house walls in sections to make a splash of vegetation to brighten up an old fence or wall. Wally Planters (www.woollypocket.co.uk) are modular, green, breathable vertical garden planters that can be quickly and easily installed on any indoor or outdoor wall, fence or railing. Living walls of any shape or size can be created by using multiple planters together.

Verti-plant (www.burgonandball.com) durable planters each have four pockets with ample space for eight plants. The top three pockets feature drainage holes that help to water the plants below.

Treebox (www.treebox.co.uk) sells a number of green wall systems designed for small spaces, including a vertical allotment. If you’re planning to attach your green wall to a fence, check its weight when fully planted and watered before buying; you may need to add some battens for strength.

Vertigro (www.vertigro.co.uk) is a free-standing, space-saving system whose vertical design makes it ideal for patios, courtyards, roof terraces and balconies. Its unique ‘sandwiches’ are designed to hang standard-size grow bags vertically from the frame, giving you the ability to grow a large number of plants in a very small area.

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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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FLIGHT PLAN Brothers Brett and Shane Armstrong have turned a passion for design and fascination for aviation into an innovative business

If you’re looking for a statement piece of furniture or unique item of artwork, look no further than Hangar 54 in Marden, Kent. The company was created by Brett and Shane Armstrong, who take unusual aviation-related objects and turn them into wow-factor artwork and practical furniture.

Saved and reborn from aeroplane and aeronautical salvage, these unique and stunning pieces are carefully crafted to show respect for their former life and admiration for sublime aviation engineering. Pieces from their impressive collection include the fuselage section from a Boeing 737, which has been transformed into a mirror-finished time-zone wall clock, and a 1968 Corsair belly tank, imported from Washington and converted into a sofa with Ferrari-red leather.

Brett, 38, and Shane, 47, travel the world seeking aviation scrap to turn into designer pieces. By combining them with decorative woods, glass and polished metals, their designs recycle and revalue the elegant engineering or aeroplane components to bring them back to life.

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Shane has a background in designing and engineering bespoke joinery for high-end clients. His Maidstone-based business, Blades Joinery, has been used exclusively by many world-renowned architects for some of the UK’s most exclusive residential developments. It was his passion for quality and perfection that lit the touchpaper for Hangar 54. He was shopping with his wife when he saw a desk made from an engine cowling. He couldn’t contain his excitement: the concept was brilliant and the piece impressive, but the level of detail and finish left him with no doubt that there was room for improvement.

Shane met with Brett that weekend and they talked into the night about the possibility of creating a business together that would see the idea turn into a reality.

Brett had spent 15 years in London building an information technology recruitment business focusing on investment banking and the financial markets. As brothers, Shane and Brett had always turned to each other for support, guidance

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and advice. Their joint passion and enthusiasm gave them the belief and confidence to take the concept of Hangar 54 and make it a reality. It took nearly two years of development, prototypes and planning to form the business and perfect the collection prior to the official launch in February this year.

“We were contacted by a gentleman only last month who has been collecting ejector seats for 15 years and wanted to recoup some money. These are the calls I particularly enjoy.

We’re now in negotiation to buy them and I already have potential customers in mind.”

“I fell in love with the concept,” says Shane, “and the endless potential these often disregarded pieces of salvage have. I wanted to replicate that initial feeling of excitement by using my engineering experience and flair for design to build a high-end, bespoke collection to be proud of.

Some of the larger pieces are sold for over £20,000, with the rarer, more iconic items adding to their value. Says Brett: “The price is reflected in the rarity and the uniqueness of the items that we sell. Every item comes with its own unique ‘log book’, a leather-bound wallet with an individual serial number and signed letter of authenticity. The book also documents the timeline and process used to complete the piece.”

“Brett and I looked at the market and felt there was a gap, a genuine opportunity to build a business. It’s been two years in the making, but we’re now finally there.”

The company is built on excellence. Every piece is completed using the best available materials, to the highest-possible finish. “It has to be right, or it’s not worth doing,” says Shane.

With Martin-Baker ejector seats as bar stools and mirror-finished cowlings as reception desks or drinks bars, it’s no wonder that Hangar 54 has attracted some high-profile shoppers. “We’ve had to sign a non-disclosure agreement preventing us mentioning the actor or film,” says Brett, “but we’ve recently had a piece bought by a major film company.

That was really exciting and great exposure for us, too.”

Part of Brett’s responsibility is to identify the raw parts used within their collection. “There isn’t one set place we find our materials,” he says. “That’s the beauty and enjoyment of the chase. The internet and salvage or breaker’s yards are often fruitful. I also enjoy networking throughout the aviation community and beyond.

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“We have created a British-made luxury brand that we are confident has an exciting future,” says Shane. “Due to the nature of the materials we’re working with, no two pieces will ever be the same. That’s a big attraction to our clients.

“Our collection is bought by large corporations who want to create a lasting first impression. Our clients trust us to set their brand, business or corporation apart from the competition, whilst at the same time creating that Hangar 54 wow factor.

“We also sell to interior designers and high-net worth individuals, people that are looking for distinctive designs or something unique that creates a point of conversation.”

“They are works of art,” says Brett. “Taking a salvaged 747 engine cowling and converting it into something beautiful is a unique and rewarding way to earn a living, wouldn’t you say?”

www.hangar54.com

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SIZE MATTERS – BUT IT’S WHAT

YOU DO WITH IT THAT REALLY COUNTS… Steve Totman explains the world of Big Data and how it can impact on your business It can sometimes seem like the world of business technology consists of little more than an annually rotating and refreshing series of marketing buzzwords designed to simultaneously dazzle, confuse, and scaremonger in boardrooms the length and breadth of the country.

In 2012 in came “cloud computing” and “Bring Your Own Device”, which were destined to send shivers up the spines of management.

If you weren’t instructing your IT manager to dump your company’s servers in a skip and outsource your IT to an external service provider, or encouraging everyone associated with your organisation to connect to your corporate network using their shiny new iPad, you were showing yourself up as hopelessly out of touch.

Fast forward to 2013, and it seems the crucial business IT concept de nos jours is the faintly sinister-sounding “Big Data”. But what exactly is Big Data? Why does it matter? And – most importantly – how can you use it to build and maintain competitive advantage?

It may be tempting to think that Big Data would be something of a “Ronseal” concept, doing exactly what it says on the tin. Certainly, organisations are generating, collecting and analysing data in exponentially more substantial volumes than ever before. They are increasingly aware of the potential of the data they hold – or can acquire – about their customers, their suppliers and their own business processes, to offer valuable insights into behaviours that can translate into increased revenues and efficiency.

And advances in technology are making it ever easier to source that data.

But Big Data is in many ways a misnomer. To think of it purely in terms of data volume – to equate “Big Data” to “Large Data” – is unhelpfully limiting. The commonly trotted-out line is that – like a paper overload jamming a shredder – the sheer volume of data organisations are having to handle is pushing to breaking point the tools and platforms they are using to sort and analyse that data. But that tells only part of the story.

Of course, increasing the volume of data to be processed is going to increase the challenges involved in completing that processing.

But, really, the “Big” in Big Data should relate to the impact of the data concerned. The fundamental significance of Big Data lies not in its volume, but in the insights it can provide once you sift the wheat from the chaff – Big Data, or, more specifically, effective analysis of Big Data, can be a crucial driver of business intelligence.

Take, for instance, a supermarket that sends out discount vouchers to customers based on the loyalty card points that they accrue. The supermarket wants to ensure that the special offers it provides are

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appropriately tailored to the individual customer – rewarding them by giving them money off specific products that they regularly buy, or offering discounts on slightly more expensive similar products to attempt to ease the customer into regularly buying that product instead. That kind of business intelligence calls for the collection and analysis of a lot of customer data.

Or, to take another example, a mobile phone network operator that wants to minimise “churn” (people leaving their network at the end of their contract). One good way to do this is to identify those users, so-called “queen bees”, that have a disproportionate influence over their peer group (teenage girls are one typical such group). Keep these users engaged, with special offers or preferential contract terms, and their influence will help bring more of their peers to your network – and keep them there. But how to identify what kind of person has this influence? Enter Big Data, stage left.

But if there is more to Big Data than volume, what other factors are putting a strain on organisations’ incumbent data analytics tools? For a start, there is the variety of data that organisations generate and collect. In many ways, “Big Data”, as in the challenges inherent in handling volumes of information, is something that organisations have been confronting for decades – only now it has been given a fancy name. In the age of the internet, e-commerce, social media and smart mobile devices, the data that companies have at their disposal is no longer predominantly internally-generated – the sources and types of data are much broader and more numerous than ever before.

There is, then, a strong argument for suggesting that it is speed and not size that will define Big Data in the coming months – it is the velocity of their data that is determining the hardware and software needs of data-processing organisations. Organisations may have more – bigger – data at their fingertips than ever before, but they seldom need to analyse so much of it at once that volume will be the driving force behind their need for software and hardware improvements.

In the time-honoured tradition of the business technology industry, “Big Data” may well be an enduring concept with a shiny new label slapped on the front. But don’t be seduced by vendors who try to persuade you it’s all about volume: sure, size matters – but it’s what you do with it (and how fast) that really counts.

Steve Totman is Director of Strategy, Data Integration, Syncsort. www.syncsort.com

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GET ATTENTION If you want people to listen to you, you have to get their attention first, and then hold it. Here’s how, says Mike Clayton

Speaking so people listen starts before you open your mouth, when people decide whether you are someone who is likely to be worth listening to. So you need to grab attention in a positive way: a way that predisposes your audience to want to hear what you have to say.

Power Poses

The biggest single effect on your impact comes from your unconscious confidence levels. These are largely dictated by the balance of hormones in your body – especially confidence-boosting testosterone and confidence-sapping cortisol. Adopting open, expansive, ‘dominant’ postures for just two minutes, before visiting your boss, entering a meeting room or stepping onto a platform will increase your testosterone levels and drop levels of cortisol.

Power Pauses

Pauses demonstrate deliberateness, confidence, and control. As you enter a room, step onto a stage or just engage a colleague or client, stop and pause. Take time to survey your audience and gather your thoughts. So, as you walk on, in front of your audience, move confidently to the central position, then stop. Survey the room, taking in the faces and the mood, as if to say “You are mine for the next 30 minutes.” Allow people to notice you are there and finish their conversations. You don’t need to compete with your audience; you want to speak when you have their attention. Now they know you feel in control, they will be ready to listen.

Work the Room

Entering a room full of people can be intimidating; but it need not be. There are five skills to working a room, whether it is at a small meeting or a huge conference: • Contact-making: initiating contact or joining a conversation • Hand-shaking: getting that all-important ritual right • Ice-breaking: starting a conversation • Turn-taking: moving from one conversation to another • Attention-raking: attracting attention in a positive manner

Positive Relaxation

Getting your posture and demeanour right can make all the difference between being perceived as a tense, uptight sort of person, a laid-back, couldn’t-care-less character, or a relaxed, confident professional. The secret is in being relaxed, but in a positive, energetic way. As you are reading this, notice any tension in your body and release it. As you do, allow your head to feel as if it is rising up, pulling your back a little more upright.

Now take a few deep breaths and, with each, let go of a little more tension. Now imagine your energy fills a sphere around you. Imagine that sphere growing outwards.

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This is a great technique to practice during your Power Pause. If you are on a stage or at the front of a room, facing an audience, imagine your sphere of energy gradually expanding to encompass the whole room... and then let it push outwards on the walls.

Eye Contact

Good eye contact is one of seven things that make us more likeable – and we want to listen to people we like. So what are the others?

• Smiling: a natural smile says confidence and openness better than anything else. But it needs to be a genuine smile.

• Compliments: psychologists’ experiments have shown beyond doubt what you already knew to be true – people like people who pay them compliments. As long, that is, as they believe the compliments are sincere. Just as with fake smiling, fake compliments mean less than nothing.

Hook...

Your first words need to hook your listeners and convince them that it is worth listening for more. The masters of short attention-span engagement are, of course advertisers and marketers generally.

Their formula, still in vigorous use after many years, is AIDA: • Attention: Start with something so relevant to me, or so surprising, that I am compelled to engage.

• Interest: Quickly demonstrate why I should be interested enough to keep listening.

... and Hold

Once you have hooked me, hold me by stimulating: • Desire: Let me know what I will get if I continue to listen to you.

• Action: If you hooked me and you can hold me, then let me know what you want me to do.

Three things turn off an audience quickly: boredom, confusion and transparent deceit. So the secret to holding your listeners becomes obvious: make your comments fresh, direct and trustworthy.

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

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INNOVATION: PICKING THE WINNERS ADRIAN REED EXPLAINS THE IMPORTANCE OF ASSESSING INNOVATIVE OPPORTUNITIES BEFORE DIVING IN In business, it’s often organisations that can adapt quickly that survive and thrive. To be successful, organisations need to respond to the demands of their market and business environment. This might involve launching new products, processes or ways of engaging customers. It might even involve bold decisions in an unprofitable market. In good times, it is adaptable organisations that steal market share from their less nimble competitors. In bad times, it can be a question of survival.

This leads to an increased appetite for innovation. Executives ask questions such as “How can we better meet our customers’ needs?” and “Can we make better use of technology?” This can lead to a large volume of potential ideas. When faced with a myriad of innovative project ideas, organisations face a dilemma. Which should be progressed? Left unchecked, often a bun-fight ensues, with different warring parties doggedly pursuing their pet project!

The discipline of business analysis provides us with formal and objective ways of assessing feasibility. However, before any formal project selection methodology is used, three initial quick questions can provide us with a litmus test: 1. What problem are you trying to solve, or what opportunity are you trying to seize?

Often innovation within organisations is driven by an available solution rather than the problem. Take a theoretical example: “We want to implement a new IT system to enhance relationships with our customers and increase sales”. The IT system is the perceived solution – but it may be just one of many solutions to the underlying problem. Without digging further to understand the underlying problem, it’s impossible to know whether it’s the best solution. It’s important to avoid the tail wagging the dog, and if the underlying problem hasn’t been identified, the idea is likely to require further refinement.

2. What is our long-term vision, our strategy, and which of these ideas are aligned to it?

Some ideas, if chosen, might result in a significant shift in strategy.

This is not inherently a bad thing; however, it is worth reflecting whether this is a shift that your organisation wants to make. If not, perhaps the idea could be merged, deferred or abandoned in favour of another, more aligned, idea.

3. What are the costs and what is the “size of the prize”?

Finally, it’s crucial to consider costs and benefits. These can be assessed on your relevant metrics – normally a mixture of financial and non-financial. Which project(s) will deliver the best bang for its buck? Assessing ideas early on helps to ensure that you pick the winners, bin the losers, and align your projects with your organisation’s goals. Good luck!

Adrian Reed is Principal Consultant at Blackmetric Business Solutions. www.blackmetric.co.uk

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KUDOS NOV 13/FEB 14

READ ALL ABOUT IT Confidence and Success with CBT

By Avy Joseph & Maggie Chapman As contentious a discipline as it might be, there’s no denying that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has certainly proved effective in helping a great many overcome an array of psychological and behavioural problems. In this book, experts of the field, Avy Joseph and Maggie Chapman, provide a six-step walkthrough on how to use CBT techniques to build confidence and motivation by mastering anxiety and low self-esteem. The sections are broken down into the most common self-imposed obstacles that we might encounter when attempting to achieve our goals, with the authors providing easy-to-read guidance on how to overcome each of them. £10.99; published by Capstone www.thisiscapstone.com

The New Business Road Test

By John Mullins The New Business Road Test provides the ‘opportunity assessment’ tools necessary to determine the strengths and critical flaws of a prospective start-up. Prompting questions that might seem obvious to some, but not to others, Mullins poses questions and educates the reader as to the evidence-based approaches necessary for answering them. Available with an accompanying iOS and Android app, this pragmatic, methodical and focused guide is the perfect companion for anyone contemplating the daunting challenge of setting up their own business. £24.99; published by Financial Times/Prentice Hall www.pearsoned.co.uk

The Escape Manifesto: Quit Your Corporate Job. Do Something Different!

By Escape the City The Escape Manifesto by Escape the City is a call to action for people who are searching for something more and need encouragement in making a change. Escape the City is a community-based website built around a simple concept: there is more to life than doing unfulfilling work in big companies. The online platform is designed to help corporate professionals find exciting jobs, start their own businesses, or go on adventures. The book contains many real-life examples of people who have made the leap, and offers a wealth of advice and support for making the transition. £12.99; published by Capstone www.thisiscapstone.com

Employee to Entrepreneur: How to Ditch the Day Job and Start Your Own Business

By Chris Garden and Catherine Blackburn With experience in their own corporate backgrounds, authors Chris Garden and Catherine Blackburn built their own successful drinks business. Employee to Entrepreneur shows readers how to seamlessly make the move from employment to self-employment by effectively harnessing and exploiting skills and expertise already gained. Guidance includes chapters on building a business plan, what running a business really involves, the mindset required to start your own business and unconventional lessons that will help you to get ahead. £12.99; published by Pearson www.pearsoned.co.uk

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Want to be part of the Kudos effect?

To advertise in the magazine, call 01892 513332

PROPERTY PORTFOLIO

SPA TOWN STYLE Spa Meadows offers contemporary apartments in a convenient Tunbridge Wells location With 12 houses sold at the elegant and exclusive Spa Meadows development in Tunbridge Wells, the Residential Development Sales team at Savills is preparing for the release of the next phase. These contemporary apartments, built by Monson Homes, will start at £205,000.

the opportunity to find the perfect home. Each apartment has a contemporary kitchen and living area with two bedrooms, one of which is en suite. Eight of the apartments have either a balcony or terrace area, which is perfect for relaxing in the tranquil surroundings. There is also off-road parking.

“At the launch weekend recently we had over 100 people attend,” comments Susan Bennett of Savills, “and since we started marketing the houses, the property has continued to appeal to a variety of buyers, from investors to downsizers.”

Ideally situated to the southwest of the town, Spa Meadows benefits from being close to the town centre and is also within easy reach of the common, mainline station, golf club and open countryside.

Spa Meadows consists of 28 outstanding two-, three- and four-bedroom family homes and two-bedroom apartments, all with parking and all set in attractive landscaped surroundings in a quiet cul-de-sac.

Susan Bennett concludes, “I think the apartments in the next phase will be particularly attractive to downsizers and young professionals, whilst the houses in the third and final phase will suit families who wish to live close to the town centre.”

Phase two, Lily Apartments, will be released for off-plan sales this month and are due to be completed in January 2014.

There are nine stylish apartments, which are well laid out and finished to an exceptional standard. There are a number of different floorplans for the apartments, which offer the buyer

For further information please contact Savills Residential Development Sales team in Tunbridge Wells: 01892 507005

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BOY R ACER James Weston is fulfilling his dream of becoming a top racing driver

Since the age of four, James Weston has wanted to be a racing driver.

After leaving school he pursued other careers, but always knew where his true ambition lay.

Fusion Fitness, at Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre. His high level of physical fitness gives him an advantage in any sporting activity, particularly motor racing.

Now, at the age of 26, James, who lives in Rusthall, Tunbridge Wells, with his wife Keri, is finally living his dream. But it has not been without sacrifice. He has sold nearly everything he owns – even his beloved car – to finance the racing that means so much to him. He has even washed cars for donations to raise money to fund his motorsport passion. And it has paid off.

His dream of being a racing driver began when his parents took him on his first visit to Brands Hatch. He had his first ‘drive’ aged seven, when he was taken go-karting as a birthday treat.

A couple of months ago, he ended his first season racing with the prestigious Scuderia Vittoria team in the 2013 Air Asia Renault Clio Cup UK championship at top motorsport venues including Rockingham, Croft and Brands Hatch.

Although James had never raced competitively before, Danny Buxton, director of Scuderia Vittoria, saw his potential as “massive”.

He added: “James’s speed in relation to his actual experience is phenomenal.”

James repaid Danny’s faith in him by coming top in his class in his first three races, with solid placings in the others. His mantelpiece is now groaning with trophies – although there is always space for more next season.

“I have had a fantastic first season,” says James. “My confidence has soared since Danny has shown such belief in me and I am desperate to continue making progress.”

For the past five years, James has worked as a personal trainer for

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“Nearly every boy wants to be a racing driver at some time in their lives, but I knew early on that I wanted to make the dream and passion I have for racing a reality.”

After leaving school with 10 GCSEs and four A Levels, James successfully qualified for the Royal Marine Commando Potential Officers Course, and later gained an application to work for the Metropolitan Police Service, although government cuts put paid to that career.

With the drive and desire to improve himself and compete to be the best, James now just needs the finance to see his dream come true.

“Racing is what I was born to do,” he says. “I now want to build a great relationship between myself and sponsors, so we can develop a career-long partnership.”

If you would like to sponsor James for the 2014 season and see your brand featured in one of the most popular motorsport series in the UK, call him on 07814 488066, or email weston452@hotmail.com.

Follow his progress on Twitter at James@westonracing.co.uk or log on to www.westonracing.co.uk

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Merry Christmas and a happy new year from the team at Kudos

Bauble of Sevenoaks High Street by Matt Harquail

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