Worcester Park Life Jan 22 by jenny stuart

Worcester Park Life

KT4’s ONLY FREE Independent Community Magazine and Business Guide January 2022 Issue 154

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Welcome to YOUR Worcester Park Life

from jenny@maldenmedia.co.uk

Well, what a year… Treble jabbed, have still managed to avoid catching Covid and who would have thought that we are now looking forward (not!) to spending our 2nd Christmas home alone, and New Year’s Eve probably either outside or once again, on Zoom. I’d had my optimistic hat on for this festive period, before new variant Omicron reared its most unwelcomed head. Bah humbug! But thank goodness for still (as I write) being able to socialise outside and enjoy the company of friends and neighbours to lift the spirits. I hope that you have been enjoying similar and that impromptu get togethers, long dog walks and TV box sets gets us through it!

Please do remember we are here if you’d like to promote your business, club or organisation to a wider audience. Just give me a call. Very good chance I’ll be around! And a huge thanks to everyone who has contributed in 2021. With very best wishes to you and yours for 2022.

Jenny Deadline for our February editions is 24th January

& Since ‘08

Since ‘05

Published by Malden Media Ltd Editor Jenny Stuart jenny@maldenmedia.co.uk 020 8336 2915 www.maldenmedia.co.uk 36 Rosebery Avenue KT3 4JS

Please note that the opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily represent the views of the editor. All advertisements are commercial and not indicative of any endorsement by the editor who accepts no responsibility for any loss suffered directly or indirectly by any reader as a result of any advertisement or notice published in this magazine. All in-house artwork and editorial presented in this magazine remains the copyright of Malden Media Ltd. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, stored on any retieval system, or transmitted in any form - electronic, mechanical. recording, photocopying, or otherwise without prior permission from the Publisher.

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Worcester Park History Ninety years of service by David Rymill This month we look at one of Worcester Park’s bestremembered early businesses, the bakery which occupied the gabled premises on the corner of Central Road and Longfellow Road (now the Halifax) for about 90 years. In the early years the shop was numbered as 5 Cheamside, before being given a number within Cheam Common Road and finally becoming 138 Central Road. Cheamside consisted of five shops on each side of Longfellow Road, and these shops (the left-hand three of which have been rebuilt) are probably the oldest in Central Road, in existence by the 1880s. From that time until well into the 20th century there was a grocer’s shop on the upper corner of Longfellow Road, and a bakery on the lower corner. By 1887 the latter was run by Shadrach Fife (who was, perhaps appropriately, born in Sandwich). In 1902-09 W H Randall was advertising in the Malden

parish magazine as a ‘family grocer and provision merchant’ and ‘baker and confectioner (opposite)’ at 5-6 Cheamside, so presumably he was running both shops at that time. He also sold dog biscuits, poultry mixture and bird seed; these details are given on a paper bag, dating from Randall’s time at 5 Cheamside, discovered by Roy Hellings during repairs to a floor at 13 The Avenue. Mr Randall probably gave up the bakery in 1909 (he continued to run the grocer’s until the mid-late

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1920s); John William Morley then took over the bakery, and the family ran it for nearly 70 years. Also in 1909 he married Alice Reynolds, and although the business was run under the name J W Morley, following the convention of the day, their granddaughter Sheila Tate recalls that it was her grandmother who provided the business acumen. The shop, and the family’s generosity to local people, are well remembered by many residents. As Mrs Tate describes, John Morley used to cook turkeys for local people whose ovens were too small. Doris Lightowler (the dancing-teacher ‘Miss Knight’), speaking of the early 1930s, remembered “cakes seven for 6d in Mr Morley’s… a well-made cake for 2d and his bread was beautiful – a white loaf was 4d.” My mother recalled that, on the way home from school around 1950, “we used to buy bread rolls, two for a penny at the end of the day, and walk home eating them.” Peggy Wilson recalled “I used to be sent up for so many penn’orth of yesterday’s cakes.”

Peggy Gibbard (née Ruegg) recalled another instance of Mr Morley’s kindness: her mother had to go to the station to meet a neighbour, an ex-serviceman returning from the First World War, to give him the devastating news that his wife had died of flu, and one of his daughters of diphtheria; the remaining children were being cared for by relatives in Leatherhead. When he was not on the expected train, “my mother went into Morley’s in a great state, and old John Morley said ‘You go home, girl, and I’ll meet the train’. And he did, he took [the serviceman] into his shop, gave him some tea, and stripped his window of cakes, and sent it all down for the children.” Mr Morley’s son, also John William, who began helping his father at the age of twelve, succeeded him and ran the business until his retirement in about 1977. Flour was brought from a mill at Ewell, and later by horse and cart from London, in twelve different grades, to be used in the bakery buildings that ran alongside Longfellow Road behind the shop. Sheila Tate recalls that her father continued the family

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tradition of generosity: “He was always giving away cakes if little children came in.” Mrs Tate remembers that, when she was a child, quantities of fondant fancies would be brought home “at Christmas time for us to case them” in papers ready for sale. She worked in the bakery in the 1960s; the bakehouse was located behind the shop, beside Longfellow Road, and an upper storey had been added where the bread was baked at night, while the downstairs was used for ‘day goods’ such as cakes and buns. The working day was long: “Saturdays used to be any time from 4 in the morning till lunchtime, and most mornings it was 5 or 6 until you were finished. There used to be sandwich [loaves], split tin, bloomers, farmhouse, Vienna rolls, Vienna sticks, wholemeal; you used to get bags of Hovis flour that you made the Hovis bread with.” Fondant fancies were individually hand-dipped on Wednesdays and boxed on Thursdays ready for the weekend, and in the summer Mrs Tate remembers making “thousands and millions of strawberry flans.” After the business closed, the premises were taken over by the Leeds Permanent Building Society, later incorporated into the Halifax. Further up Central Road, the shop originally numbered as 5 Percival Parade and now as 44 Central Road (later Model Road and Rail and now Donna’s Boutique), was also a baker’s shop, run in the 1920s-30s by Henry Chitty; it was later taken over by John Morley, who ran it as a branch of his main shop. Bob Blake recalled that in the early years a twowheeled truck with shaft handles was used to take bread and cakes to the top shop. To get the truck to the top of the hill, Mr Morley “employed a well-known local character always referred to as Manny Turner, who was only about five feet tall. John Morley hitched the truck to his old Jowett car with Manny Turner in the shafts to hold it down. Most of the time Manny’s feet weren’t touching the ground because he was a little short man. I always imagined the saying, ‘His feet didn’t touch the ground’ as very appropriate.” Our illustrations, courtesy of Sheila Tate, show the bakery on the corner of Longfellow Road through the decades. The first shows it in c.1900 during the Fife family’s tenure, and the second after John Morley had taken over the business – with signs advertising Cadbury’s chocolates, Mazawattee tea and White’s ginger beer as well as Hovis bread. As the third photograph shows, in the mid-20th

century the bakery was promoting ‘the golden brown Hovis dainty bread’ while panels above the main windows advertised cakes, fancies and teas. Finally, by the 1960s, the plate-glass window had been extended down Longfellow Road, and fashions in both delivery vehicles and prams had changed. David Rymill rymilldavid@outlook.com 01962 868976.

Worcester Park, Old Malden and North Cheam: History at our Feet Published in 2012 and available at £10 (plus £2 towards postage if required) from the Rymill family. Ring 020 8330 6563 for more details.

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HOUSE PRICES DOUBLE IN 2022 In common with any good headline the words above are designed to pull you in to read this article and, while it could prove to be an unexpectedly accurate prediction, we doubt the future will be quite that sunny. The press is full of attention-grabbing phrases, going every which way, but the truth is that in a world where we can neither predict which letter of the Greek alphabet we are going to learn next, nor know with certainty if it will rain next Tuesday, our short-term view of the market is misty at best. One 2021 fact that has been bandied around is that 1 in every 16 homes changed hands in the UK. If that trend continued every property in the country would be sold, on average, once every 16 years which at first sight seems like a frenzy but it is not far removed from the normal level. Owner occupiers move approximately once every 17.5 years, or 3-4 times in their homeowning lifetime. The market has certainly been busy, but this comparison illustrates that there are plenty of people who will move in 2022 and beyond. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Our position in a Halo, the area on the edge of any city where transport links remain strong, suburbia ends and countryside begins, has not changed. The enthusiasm for hedging bets, moving for an improved lifestyle and more space still shines bright. People continue to work from home either as

instructed or because that is coming to be accepted as a new normal. Halo locations will therefore retain their shine, even to those who leapt over the Halo in their bid to follow a more rural dream we understand. We don’t know exactly what will happen next year, but in 2032 we don’t expect to be able to pick up a home in the area for the same price, or less, than we could today. PERSEVERANCE AND PATIENCE We learnt plenty in 2020 and the learning curve was steep. Last year, 2021, has been more settled but required patience. The dream is always that a house sale will flow effortlessly from offer to completion, but in reality, there are usually bumps along the way. Attracting good offers hasn’t been an issue, there continues to be a lack of supply and strong demand, but over the last year there have been times when the bumps seem to have grown and multiplied far beyond need. Mortgage offers have been delayed, surveys have been postponed, solicitors have worked remotely, mobile phones have entered dead zones just at the crucial second, huge computer systems have collapsed, and normal practices have had to be quickly modified for the times. Sometimes it has been comical, other times not so much, but everybody is adapting to the new way of working and 2022 is looking like an excellent time for the next ‘1 in 16’ homeowners to move, and we are here to help with the perseverance and patience needed.

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Reach your dreams in 2022!

Were you affected by flooding? Many houses were affected in Worcester Park by the floods last summer- as was our Scout HQ The National Flood Forum is holding drop-in sessions for anyone affected, stressed, or concerned about flooding on Monday 10th Jan `22 noon -6pm & Thursday 13th Jan 2-7pm at 4th Worcester Park Scout HQ, Braemar Rd, Worcester Park KT4 8SW. All welcome!

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The impact, however, is not having some pretty pictures to look at. It is about the process of choosing the areas that you would like to see improvement in, and how a better version of your life would look. I get it, we’re all busy and there’s a million other things striving for your attention! But did you know that creating a vision board can increase your chance of achieving success in your goals by 60%! If you would love to make your own vision board there is loads of information online, or for a more personal touch you could join a workshop. We will dream and scheme together to work through each area of life to gain insights into your true desires and see where to focus your energy to achieve real changes in your path. At the end of this fun and life enhancing process you will have a vision board to keep you focused on your goals for 2022

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Pets … New Year, New You… and your doggo too! How change can help in your dog’s training ’

By Jennifer Murray, J Murray Dog Training

Ah, January. It may be dreary… but it’s that brilliant time of year when we all seem to vow to do the same thing – make a change. Change our diet, change our fitness regime… And the inevitable “are you doing dry January?” (Before you ask, I’ve got a toddler and two stubborn Basset Hounds… am I fairy-cakes…). So, in this issue, I thought I’d talk about change. Specifically, making a change in your dog’s training. Regardless of how long you have had your dog or how well behaved they are, training (or rather, learning) is a never-ending process. Dog trainers have a saying that we “always have Pavlov on our shoulder” - I shan’t bore you with theory behind this, this just means that every day your dog is making associations… with EVERYTHING. Put a hat on each time you leave the house? That hat now means walkies… or being left alone! Perhaps you prep the kids’ dinner before you feed the dog… watch your dog wait near their bowl as soon as you get the chips in the oven. Every day your dog is learning something new without you even noticing, whether they’re 16 weeks or 16 years. And how we use that info is how we train. I’ll let you in on a secret – dog training is as simple as “A, B, C” – Antecedent, Behaviour, and Consequence. It’s far less scary than it sounds – ‘Antecedent’ refers to the factors that lead your dog to perform a behaviour, ‘Behaviour’ is what your dog does in response to the ‘Antecedent’, and ‘Consequence’ is what happens to your dog after they have done whatever it is they did. Let’s take your doorbell, for instance – your doorbell is the Antecedent which causes your dog to bark (the Behaviour)… and as a Consequence of your dog barking, perhaps you get cross and shout at them… and perhaps this annoyingly happens every time the doorbell rings. In order to make a change, we must ourselves change something. Let’s say we change the Antecedent – we replace your doorbell with a knocker… it’s not a guarantee, but it’s extremely likely your dog’s response to the new sound will be different. We’ve changed the Behaviour. Similarly, (and to be honest, more conveniently), we could change our Consequence – rather than shouting when the dog barks, we throw a tasty treat onto their bed. Next time the doorbell

goes, I’ll put money on the fact your dog will look at their bed or you as if to say, “Oi! Where’s my ‘DingDong’ snack, mate?!” See? Change. I’ll not poo-poo years of canine behavioural studies (not to mention my own business!) by saying it’s as simple as that, but my point is that whatever small change you make to your dog’s day-to-day can have such a profound effect on their behaviour, so we must never EVER think that they are just ‘naughty’… or even perfect angels! The scope for change is always there… and yes, you most definitely CAN teach old dogs new tricks! Whatever your change… here’s to your 2022 together x Remember - consult a trainer or behaviourist if you need support or are concerned about your dog’s behaviour.

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The best apps for changing careers edX Want to learn an entirely new discipline? There are apps for that, including Khan Academy and the web-based Futurelearn and OpenLearn. This app comes from the prestigious Harvard and MIT and many other top universities, and it offers free courses in everything from coding to construction and mathematics to management.

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The Dots Designed for “people who don’t wear suits”, The Dots is a job-hunting app and social network for creative types and freelancers. In addition to finding vacancies you can learn via virtual seminars and find project collaborators too.

Review Of The Year

Which computer pioneer and codebreaker features on the new Bank of England 50 pound note that entered circulation in 2021?

Before later admitting it was an April Fool’s joke to help promote its upcoming electric cars, which car manufacturer said in a press release that it was changing the fourth letter in its name to a “t”?

At the 2021 Brit Awards, who became the first ever all-female group to win the Best British Group award?

Which online fashion retailer bought the brand Debenhams in January and the brands Burton, Wallis and Dorothy Perkins in February?

Name the only two players to score for England in the penalty shoot-out of the UEFA Euro 2020 Final.

Which British city was stripped of its UNESCO World Heritage status in 2021 due to developments along its waterfront?

In 2021, El Salvador become the first country in the world to make what legal tender?

Instead of its usual course on the River Thames, the 2021 University Boat Race was held in Cambridgeshire on a stretch of which river?

2021 saw which 83-year-old become the oldest ever person to win an Academy Award for acting?

10. Name the three countries who finished above Great Britain in the medal table at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

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Parkin’ some thoughts Mine’s a pint by Nick Hazell I was naturally a glass half empty person. A chronic health problem had the effect of making me realise that at least I had something to drink from. Until now, this ability to swig from the pint glass of positivity has served me well, but as the bells ring time on 2021, I fear the taste has gone a bit sour. There’s indeed a lot to be said for the power of positive thought. I think it may have been Hippocrates who said “the natural healing force in each of us is the greatest force in getting well.” Who am I to disagree? In the current pestilential environment though, I’m fast running out of the ability to see the light at the end of this particular tunnel, an endeavour unaided by the cancellation of the 14:36 to London Waterloo due to the driver’s less than positive, positive PCR result. The New Year is meant to be a time of celebration. A time of looking forward with friends and excitement to the next 365 days. This year, though I can’t help but feel pleased just to have made it through the last one. As 2022 begins, it has the look and feel of the one before it and the one before that and even the most idiotic optimist would have trouble resisting the temptation to pick up the remains of my pint and pour it over their head. But am I wrong to feel so negative. It’s all relative right? Many of us have relished a chance to slow down and reevaluate, even with remote schooling! Staying upbeat and being rational and appreciative of what we have amidst the madness should be the way forward. Shouldn’t it? Indeed, it has not all been bad. There have also been some good things that happened last year. Scientists revealed that cheese isn’t bad for you, Donald Trump was banned from Twitter and my pizza oven finally made it through the Suez Canal. Throwing a shadow over all this though has been the not so invisible cloak of Covid.

Initially it was an interesting diversion undertaken in fine weather. Now it’s a journey of uncertain duration in the cold and wet and about as fun and uplifting as an Eastenders Christmas special. As it goes on, this pandemic has lurched towards us in terrifying waves, receded to an inconvenient swell only to return in a more than mildly terrifying tsunami. We don’t really know if the vaccines throw enough light on the safety exits. I’ve taken more jabs than Tyson Fury and I still can’t go out for a coffee without looking like Dick Turpin. I suppose we can’t give up. Maybe this year there will be a breakthrough. Maybe 2022 will be different. Maybe it will be the year where my pint glass will be returned full. After all, two years in and we’re only on Plan B. At least there are another 24 other letters of the alphabet!

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Ramen Tofu Noodle Bowl

This is such a light, refreshing soup and 1. Use a spiraliser to make long noodles from the low-carb too, thanks to the addition of courgette; alternatively use a swivel potato peeler to vegetable noodles. You could also use create long strips. Set aside. If using kelp or regular kelp noodles or regular noodles instead. noodles prepare according to instructions and drain well. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 14 minutes Serves: 4

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan and add the tofu. Sauté for 5 minutes over a medium-high heat until the tofu is lightly golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

• 1 medium courgette (or use 150g kelp 3. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and sauté the spring noodles or cooked regular noodles) • 1½ tbsp olive oil onion and garlic for 1–2 minutes over a medium heat. • 450g firm tofu, drained and cut into Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Add the 2cm cubes pak choi and mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes until • 2 spring onions, finely chopped the pak choi has wilted. Stir in the miso paste, tamari soy • 2 garlic cloves, crushed sauce, beansprouts, tofu and courgette (or other) noodles • 600ml vegetable stock and stir briefly. Turn off the heat and allow the soup to sit for • 2 pak choi, roughly chopped 1–2 minutes to allow the noodles to soften. • 150g shiitake mushrooms, sliced • 1 tbsp white miso paste 4. Ladle the soup into bowls and scatter over the sesame • 2 tbsp tamari soy sauce seeds and coriander to serve. • Handful of beansprouts To serve Nutrition per serving: 176kcal, fat 10.6g (of which saturates 3g), • 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds carbohydrates 5.4g (of which sugars 3.7g), protein 14.5g • 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

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Health Healthier alternatives to sugar Blamed for everything from obesity to tooth decay, sugar has gone from being a symbol of wealth to an international health crisis. Sugar’s addictive qualities combined with its prevalence in everyday convenience food make it difficult to consume in safe quantities. Thankfully, healthier alternatives are now available, promising lower-calorie or more nutritious substitutes to our favourite sweetener. To help you navigate the ever-growing world of sugar alternatives, here are the best ones to add to your shopping basket in 2022. Honey Quite possibly the most popular alternative sweetener on the market, honey is packed full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. However, like table sugar, it’s also high in calories and breaks down to glucose and fructose, so unfortunately poses some of the same health risks. Unlike sugar though, honey has been linked to improved heart health and lower blood pressure. Plus, its soothing, healing qualities make it a great cold remedy. Coconut sugar Made from coconut palm sap, coconut sugar is another natural sweetener to consider if you’re looking to lower your sugar intake. While regular sugar contains no nutrients, coconut sugar requires little processing and so retains small amounts of iron, zinc, calcium, potassium and antioxidants. Although this makes it a healthier option, coconut sugar still contains the same number of calories as normal sugar, so should be used sparingly. Stevia The holy grail of sugar alternatives, stevia is a natural sweetener that’s extracted from the leaves of a South American shrub. Unbelievably, it contains zero calories while being up to 350 times sweeter than sugar, meaning that you need much less to satisfy your sugar craving.

Although it’s non-chemical, stevia extracts do have a noticeable aftertaste. However, it does come in various forms, including powder and liquid, so it’s worth shopping around to find one you like. Sugar alcohols A type of sweet carbohydrate, sugar alcohols are processed from plant fibres such as birch, berries and cornhusks, and contain half the number of calories as sugar. Don’t be deceived by the name; sugar alcohols don’t actually contain any ethanol – or sugar for that matter. Unlike regular sugar, they don’t cause tooth decay or an increase in blood sugar. Plus, they’re low in fructose too – sugar’s most harmful ingredient. Erythritol, xylitol and sorbitol are just a few examples to look out for in ingredient lists. Commonly found in jams, sweets and chewing gum, they’re also used in sweetener brands such as Truvia. Yacon syrup Agave syrup and maple syrup are hard to top, but the latest syrup to enter the market is that of the yacon kind. Extracted from the South American yacon plant, this sweet, dark, thick syrup contains a special type of sugar molecule that our bodies can’t digest. This means that it contains just one-third of the calories of regular sugar, making it the latest craze amongst dieters. Its high fructan content has also linked it to an array of health benefits, from helping constipation to lowering blood sugar. What’s not to love?

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All the colours of the rainbow by Caroline Knight

Joy in the winter garden The start of a new year often represents fresh hopes for good things to come. It is therefore the perfect time to review your patch of outdoor space to ensure it will provide pleasure – even in January. Look through your windows to the garden, should you be lucky enough to have one. Does it fill you with joy? There’s no reason why it shouldn’t continue to excite you in winter if you concentrate on both structure and colour. It really needs to sparkle, with or without frost. You need either strong structural design that looks stunning at any time of year, or a wonderful array of rainbow shades, punctuated by architectural forms. But how can you achieve this? Planting a rainbow Aim to provide something that fits into the chart of the seven visible spectrum colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Almost certainly, you will already have some green – but do you realise how many different shades of green exist? Of course, there are several hundred and you don’t need to replicate them all! The secret of good greens is to have one shade set off against another – dark and light is the classic combination to create impact. How about having some ornamental grasses such as Carex ‘Ice Dance’, a sedge that creates a light, bright mound, in front of a dark green evergreen hedge, a holly or a conifer? You can play with greens all year round, but January is the month they can really bring the show alive. Reds for the winter garden Think about stems and bark as well as flowers, foliage and berries. There is a feast of red opportunity to warm up the month. The fiery stems of Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’ or Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ will set the border ablaze, particularly if you prune down your cornus in late winter or very early spring so that the new growth is pleasingly vertical. The bark of Prunus serrula, or Tibetan cherry, with its rich mahogany shine, can look stunning against a backdrop of dark green hedging or the brown leaves of winter beech. Lower to the ground you might consider heuchera such as H. ‘Forever Red’ or H. ‘Paprika’. Then we have rhododendrons, some of which can be adorned with a blousy show of scarlet this month. Select the early-flowering R. ‘Lee’s Scarlet’ or R. ‘Nobleanum

Coccineum’ for some January cheer. Don’t forget those red-flowering evergreen camellias too – their winter flowers stand out like beacons against the dark green foliage. Create orange and yellow sunshine in the garden Pop a few ornamental grasses into your borders or pots and January will glow. The low, mounded form of Anemanthele lessoniana is a great little plant for providing year-round joy. If you have the space, clumps of tall miscanthus with its warm, yellow-orange stems and seed heads will look stunning in January, providing both structure and colour. Choose an orange-stemmed cornus for vertical accent and dot these plants around your garden in repeated forms to bring the picture together. If you have space under shrubs and bare January trees, plant Eranthis hyemalis, the winter aconite. It will create a spreading, golden carpet provided you give it a semi-shady spot. Then for a magnificently structural statement, Mahonia ‘Winter Sun’ is hard to beat. It produces bright yellow, scented flowers at the darkest time of year and is a great plant for brightening a dull corner.

Tunes’n’Tea Once again, come and enjoy an afternoon of live music, tea, coffee, cakes and conversation. Hear a selection of Rock, Pop, Jazz, Country, Folk and Standards – great tunes, old and new for you to enjoy and join in with if you wish. There’s a live band of seasoned musicians making a fun afternoon in a relaxed environment of friends. Every second Thursday of the month. Doors open at 1pm. Music from 1.30pm-3.30pm St John’s Church Hall, Station Approach, Stoneleigh, KT19 0QZ (next to Stoneleigh Station, West Side) Entrance: £4.00. Enquiries to 020 8224 1351, leave your name and details on the answerphone and we will call you back.

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also be clipped every year so that it retains a shrub form with blue young leaf colour. For an indigo or violet hue, consider the conifer Cryptomeria japonica, which turns a pleasing shade of purple in winter. Evergreen heucheras can provide low mounds of purple foliage to line your paths and provide a safe haven for garden wildlife. Your winter garden is likely to be viewed through glass for much of this month, so help it to come alive with colour! Caroline Knight: Gardendesignideas.co.uk Beat the winter blues with garden blue, indigo and violet Once again, versatile grasses can fit the bill. Blue fescue is an evergreen grass that can create winter blues that you’ll welcome, rather than a downward mood swing! There are plenty of conifers with steelyblue foliage to provide structure and colour, including Juniperus ‘Blue Star’, a low, spreading, sculptural plant that will provide weed-suppressing groundcover too. Evergreen Pittosporums such as P. ‘Wrinkled Blue’ are happy to be pruned into sculptural ball shapes to provide mounded, soft shapes, and the evergreen Eucalyptus gunnii with its striking juvenile leaves can

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Friday Night Cocktail Club The Old Fashioned by Ali Warner I wrote this the day after my first hangover in forever and believe me the last thing on my to-do list was to top up my remorse with more units of alcohol. I found a cocktail on the International Bartender’s Association’s website called ‘The Suffering Bxxxxxxd’ which promised to be the perfect New Year hangover cure for me and my suffering self esteem but on the grounds of decency I vetoed it. The last thing you or I need to start 2022 is unnecessary swears on top of two pints of water and some Paracetamol. Instead I have opted to begin dry January wonderfully wet with a retro cocktail called ‘The Old Fashioned’ something that I’m going to happily embrace as a lifestyle choice this year. No more down with the kids for this Warner. I don’t really get TikTok, non-fungible tokens sound like they need an ointment and I definitely prefer meeting and socialising IRL than in Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse. I’m ready to embrace the beauty of basics in 2022. I might consider a booster jab of life goals in June but until then I’d like to order an extra large dose of normal please. Being ‘old fashioned’ might not be very de rigeur but when it comes to drinks it has a lovely lingering, lasting quality to it. This short, strong drink required you to sip it slowly. You need to sit down somewhere comfy and appreciate it. Forget tinkly glasses and the social whirl, this is one to spend time with in a lovely analogue way - maybe accompanied by a book instead of your kindle or 2 sides of your youthful vinyl rather than the mad daily mixes of Spotify.

Technically, you can make it with just about anything you have in your home bar. The base spirit can be almost anything (mezcal and aged rum are popular these days) but brandy, rye and especially bourbon are considered the most historically accurate. I’m not much of a whiskey drinker myself which is ironic considering my Irish blood, but I am happy to quaff a bourbon. I was introduced to the old fashioned made with Buffalo Trace which is considered a decent reasonably priced option by people who know more about bourbon than me - but as discussed rum and whiskey are options too. The ingredients you need 1 teaspoon of sugar 3 dashed of Angostura bitters 1 teaspoon of water 2 oz of bourbon or the spirit of your choice 1 wide strip orange peel to garnish Ice How to make it You need a short tumble style glass for this - ideal for giving your cut glass an airing. Put the sugar 3 dashed of bitters in a tumbler. Add the water and stir gently until most of the sugar is dissolved. Fill the glass with ice cubes, add the bourbon/scotch or rum and stir to combine. Fold the orange peel in half and squeeze over the top of the glass until its aromatic oils are released - it doesn’t matter if it drops into the glass or stays on the surface. Drop the peel into the glass as garnish. Sit down, take a breath and a big sip and make God grant you old fashioned health and happiness this new year.

Many bartenders consider the recipe for ‘The Old Fashioned’ to be the original, primordial cocktail, one that’s largely still made according to the oldest known cocktail recipe, dating from the first decade of the 19th century.

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Codeword Codeword Each letter of the

Each letter in this alphabet haspuzzle beenis represented by a different number replaced by a number between 1 and 26. The codes for shown the grid, Once with you the three lettersinare shown. have filled these throughout the first few entered for you. grid you can start guessing words and 1reveal other letters. As4 you 2 3 find the letters enter them in the box below. 5

You might be surprised to learn that you can keep many unusual and exotic animals as pets in the UK without needing a licence. They include marmoset monkeys, capybaras, octopus, African pygmy hedgehogs, tarantulas and boa constrictor snakes. But under the Dangerous Wild Animal Act, you are not permitted to keep creatures including wild boar, camels, chimpanzees, badgers, bears and dingos unless you have a licence granted by your local council. To gain a licence you’ll need to prove that you are knowledgeable about the animals and that you have appropriate facilities for housing them. Last year, Dangerous Wild Animal licences were granted for just under 4,000 animals here in the UK, which represented an increase of over 50 per cent. They included crocodiles, tigers, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, primates, venomous snakes and scorpions. Apart from the safety issues of keeping wild animals as pets, together with animal welfare concerns,

there is a very real danger of exotic species escaping and becoming feral. There are now thousands of parakeets that live in and around London, thought to have originated from the pet trade. Red-eared terrapins are also seen in ponds within urban parks and it is unknown at this stage if they are capable of breeding here. There is one pet in our midst, however, that has a huge negative effect on wildlife. The humble cat! Some countries are considering banning domestic cats from roaming outside whilst others have discussed bans on cat ownership in a bid to protect biodiversity.

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Pictograms Pictograms Pictograms Each of these pictures represent a

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F_RST OF APR_L F_RST OF APR_L F_RST5 Words OF APR_L OBYORK OBYORK 32

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W N E R

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OBYORK

These are a popular snack with adults and children alike and are also a great energising boost before or after a workout – perfect as an afternoon pick-me-up or when you fancy a sweet treat. Make a batch of these and store them in the fridge or freezer. Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus chilling Cooking time: 2 minutes Makes: 20 Balls

1. Place the coconut oil and xylitol (or stevia) in a pan. Gently melt over a low heat, stirring to dissolve the sweetener. Allow to cool slightly, then tip into a food processor and add the nut butter. Process briefly until combined.

Ingredients 2. Add the coconut flour, protein powder and acai or goji berry • 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted powder (if using), and blend again to form a stiff dough. If it seems • 3 tbsp xylitol or 1–2 tsp too wet add a little more coconut flour or protein powder. The granulated stevia mixture should be firm but soft. Add the dried berries and pulse • 220g nut butter (cashew, briefly, just to break them up slightly. almond or peanut) • 4 tbsp coconut flour 3. Tip some desiccated coconut onto a plate. Take small spoonfuls of • 60g vegan vanilla or berry the mixture and shape into walnut-sized balls, then roll them in the protein powder coconut until coated on all sides. • 1 tsp acai or goji berry powder (optional) 4. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up before eating. • 50g dried berries Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to (cranberries, cherries etc.) • Desiccated coconut, to coat 4-5 days or freeze for up to 1 month. Nutrition per ball: 117kcal, fat 8g (of which saturates 2.8g), carbohydrates 7g (of which sugars 2.5g), protein 5.5g

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Solutions Quiz

CodeWord

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Sudokus Pictograms

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Constructing Your Future 36

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