WMN on Sunday - West Magazine 4 January 15

04.01.15

Cosy chic

Toasty winter style trends

INSIDE + HOW I LOST 7.5 STONE IN 2 YEARS

MAKE 2015 YOUR TIME TO SHINE... + HEALTH + CAREER + RELATIONSHIPS

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PLUS: + THE BEST

PUB WALKS

+ BOUTIQUE

HOTELS

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INTERIORS The B & B with style

‘On January 6, I’ll make the dog wear reindeer antlers one last time.

Then it’s on to 2015’

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Gillian Molesworth, p9

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NEW YEAR, NEW YOU It’s your time to shine - here’s how

A ROUND OF GOLF We roadtest the newest GTI

[contents[ Inside this week...

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THE WISHLIST

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DAYS OUT

What to buy, where to shop Pantos, wassails and more

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TWELFTH NIGHT Gillian Molesworth packs up the decs

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ONE OF US Who knew: Kristin Scott Thomas comes from Redruth

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FASHION Looking cool, feeling cosy

NEW YEAR, NEW YOU Wise words on making that change

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SHED POUNDS, GET HAPPY

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THE BEAUTY PAGES

An inspiring real-life story Tips and treats for looking your best

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FASHION ROUND-UP Looking cool, feeling cosy

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CAKE OF THE WEEK Kate Shirazi bakes Eccles cakes

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MY SECRET WESTCOUNTRY Author Kate Ellis spills the beans

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GREAT PUB WALKS Our pick of the South West’s best

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INGREDIENT OF THE WEEK Tim Maddams in praise of leeks

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MOTORS: THE LATEST GTI Scott Squires puts the new Golf to the test

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THE GADGET COLUMN Smart ways to get the kids outdoors

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EATING OUT Cute cafes across the South West

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THE BEST PUB WALKS

Fresh air, exercise and a pint what more could you want?

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MY WESTCOUNTRY

Author Kate Ellis shares her favourite places

[ welcome [ This week’s issue is full of good things If you are looking for inspiration this week, then you’re certainly in the right place. The start of a New Year is a great time to re-examine your priorities, and for this issue our wonderful writer Sarah Pitt has tracked down some Westcountry experts on how best to make positive changes to your life. Read her wise words on page 12 today.

And if - by any chance - weight loss was on your list of resolutions, then you’ll also find Catherine Barnes’s interview with Crediton’s Sally Stone (page 16) completely riveting reading. Not only did this 40-something mum lose an astonishing seven stone, Sally has also posed for some really rather amazing photographs. It certainly does provide food for thought!

[

Tweet

of the week @NTSouthWest Monday moment of calm.

Image from @AlanHowe3

Now, we begged, we pleaded but sadly our hilarious columnist Kishanda Fulford has decided to call it a day. She’s got a book to write, four kids to bring up and a 22 bedroom stately home to run, so, alas, she won’t be appearing in West on a regular basis from now on (though I hold out hope that she’ll do us the occasional star turn - watch this space). All is not lost, however, because not only has our fantastic columnist Gillian Molesworth been given more space, she has also got with the social media trend and joined Instagram. See the results today on page 9 and let us know what you think - via email, Twitter or now Instagram. Crikey we’re trendy, us.

She has got with the social media trend and joined Instagram - see page 9

[

Becky Sheaves, Editor

CONTACT: westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk Tel: 01392 442250 Twitter @wmnwest

COVER IMAGE: Celtic & Co

MEET THE TEAM Becky Sheaves, Editor

Sarah Pitt

Kathryn Clarke-McLeod

Catherine Barnes

Phil Goodwin

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If you try one website this week...

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hen visit Bideford-based online jewellery store JewelStreet (www.jewelstreet.com). This enticing online boutique sells 12,000 designs from more than 250 different jewellers. All pieces are accredited by a resident goldsmith and there’s a no-quibble 30 day refund policy. Because JewelStreet gives designers much better margins than they can find on the traditional high street, shoppers benefit from competitive pricing, too!

The range is amazing, from this cute custard cream necklace (£24) by Westcountry designers Lily Charmed to these 18ct sapphire-set nappy pins, each £1,200 from Mara Hotung.

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NEAT AND TIDY Get your jewels in order with this delightfully eccentric four drawer wooden jewellery box, £49, from www.oliverbonas.com

Mackerel this Way print, £25, by St Agnes-based artist Jo Polack, from the Studio Gallery, Peterville, St Agnes or visit www.jopolack.co.uk

The wish List West’s top picks for spending your time and money this week

Store we adore White Space Art, Totnes This gallery is run by art enthusiast Jolyon White, who exhibits work by talented artists and designer-makers, largely from this part of the world. Paintings include dreamlike oils by Marilyn Browning and Sarah Bowman’s still lifes and harbour landscapes. Other gems include silver jewellery by Holly Belsher and conker sculptures – they really do look like the fruit of the horse chestnut tree – by Dorset-based Mark Hall.

72 Fore Street Totnes, ww.whitespaceart.com

Buzzz.......

Busy bees can water their seeds with this child’s metal watering can, £4, Tesco stores and www.tesco.com

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Wishlist Dreaming of a tropical escape? Bring warmer climes into your living room with this Frida cushion, £55, made from heritage fabric and stitched by Katy Napier from www.sunbeamjackie.com near Penzance

Break the winter blues with this LadyBirdLikes necklace £12 www.etsy. com

See things in a new light with the Chiddingfold recycled glass lamp, £75, Laura Ashley stores and www.lauraashley.com

Pink Marc de Champagne Truffles, £12, www.nationalgallery.co.uk

WRAP UP Checked wool and cashmere blankets, £120 each, www.thefinecottoncompany.com

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Events

The hotlist: There’s plenty to do right now here in the Westcountry, from park runs to live shows

2. Sleeping Beauty

#1

January 9-10, West Hill Wonder Productions will be performing their professional panto Sleeping Beauty in West Hill village hall, East Devon.

Friday, 9 January at 7 pm, Matinee on Saturday, 10th January at 1 pm (doors open 12.30). Tickets, £9 per adult and £7 per child on sale at West Hill Post Office and from Tricia Heard on 01404 814191.

Park Run

3. J-J-J-Jive Talkin’

Lanhydrock, January 10

Truro, January 13-17 Saturday Night Fever is the hi-energy live show at the Hall for Cornwall in Truro from January 13-17. Suitable for ages 12 +, tickets from £18. For details visit www.hallforcornwall.com

Get fit at Lanhydrock’s weekly Park Run event on Saturday January 10 (and every Saturday) near Bodmin. It’s friendly, 5k, and not a race! See www. parkrun.org.uk/lanhydrock for details.

#4 #3 Wassail!

Saltram, January 17 It’s time to wake up those apple trees! Bring whistles, pan lids and wellies to bless the orchards. Saltram, Plymouth is wassailing on January 17 at 6pm (book on 01752 333500, saltram@nationaltrust.org.uk) or look out for a ceremony near you.

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My life

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GILLIAN MOLESWORTH

Twelfth night If only we celebrated like the Spanish do...

an it really all be chior wave from colourful floats over? All the jolli- and fling candy to the crowd. In the ment, all the booze, all Canary and Balaeric Islands, they the turkey leftovers? arrive by boat – what a spectacle.

There’s nothing left to That night, children put out their look forward to now, except putting shoes with some sweets for the away the Christmas decorations. Be hungry monarchs and some hay for still my heart. their camels. They We should live in wake up on Kings’ Spain, or one of the day to discover other Latin countheir shoes filled tries. The party’s with chocolate On January 6, just getting going coins – hooray!

I’ll make the dog over there. ChristAnd what have mas may over, but we got to look forwear reindeer Epiphany is on Janward to? Taking antlers one last uary 6 – the twelfth the Christmas decday of Christmas, orations down. Not time. Then it’s once known as fair. on to 2015 Twelfth Night here.

I shouldn’t comTo Spaniards, plain. The task January 6 is el Dia of putting things de los Reyes – the away gives me the Day of the Kings. opportunity to go The kings followed Jesus’ star – but through our Christmas stuff for travelling by camel, it took them one last time. Everyone should nearly two weeks to get there. build a legacy with Christmas. My So this is party week for Spangrandmother was hugely proud of iards. On January 5 the three kings her tree. She and my grandfather parade. Balthasar, Caspar and Mel- collected souvenirs from places

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[

they visited, and hung them on the branches. She loved her tiny double decker bus from London, her kangaroo from Australia.

We still have the handmade wooden cutouts such as Babar the Elephant and Winnie the Pooh that my mother made in her teens. Our clay nativity figures came from France, a gift from my parents. Our nativity has the usual admirers (ox and ass, shepherds, wise men) as well as a few unusual ones, such as a trio of pandas and a Steiff giraffe.

I love the cardboard angels that go on the top of the stable, made by a six-year-old Sophie and a friend, long may they last. So maybe taking down all the decorations isn’t so bad after all. It may not be as fun as parades where they fling sweets, but it has its own nostalgic charm. I’ll make the dog wear reindeer antlers one last time. Then it’s on to 2015.

Gillian Molesworth is a journalist and mumof-two who grew up in the USA and moved to north Cornwall when she met her husband

My week on moleywest

In Spain, Jan 6 is magical

moleywest

A King’s Day parade

moleywest

Babar, made by my mother

moleywest

Our nativity worshippers

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Fresh: Falmouth university student Olivia Bossert has launched her own fashion magazine

in pictures True love: Jacqueline and Derek Taylor had a card from The Queen on their diamond wedding anniversary

Strong stuff: Steve Dustow launched the first ever Cornish vodka near Fowey

Fun times: Kate Ponting has a new job as Countryside Learning Officer for the Clinton Devon Estate in East Devon

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talking points Sore head?

Abroad

ONE OF US

10 international hangover remedies (allegedly)

Famous faces who come from the Westcountry

1 Prairie Oyster tomato juice, raw egg, Worcestershire sauce, seasoning (USA)

2 Dried bull penis (Sicily) 3 Pickled umeboshi plums (Japan)

Countries where food, festivities and gifts are customary on Twelfth Night (Epiphany), January 6

1 Italy

4 Full English breakfast

2 Spain

5 Buffalo milk an ice cream,

3 Holland, Belgium and Luxembourg

cream, rum, more rum and cream liqueur smoothie (Namibia)

4 Argentina

6 Tripe soup (Turkey)

5 Finland

7 Sauerkraut brine

6 France

(Poland)

8 Katerfrühstück pickled herring (Germany)

9 Leche de Tigre a juice from fish, lime juice, onions and pepper (Peru)

This week:

Kristin Scott Thomas

7 Guadeloupe

Glamorous bilingual actress Kristin Scott Thomas was born in Redruth, Cornwall in 1960

8 Goa 9 Latvia 10 Poland

10 Balut poached duck embryo (Philippines)

The happy list

Work it off

Why Redruth? Her father was a pilot for the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm and was based in Cornwall at the time

Most memorable: She has starred in Four Weddings and A Funeral, The English Patient and The Horse Whisperer (with Robert Redford).

Early years: Her childhood home was also in the Westcountry, in Trent, Dorset.

DID YOU KNOW?

10 things to make you smile this week A 100g slice of Christmas cake has around 360 calories. www. caloriesperhour.com works out how many calories a 10 stone person will burn in 60 minutes when they’re...

1 Sleeping (57) 2 Applying makeup (127) 3 Watching TV (64) 4 Indulging in ‘moderate’ (!) sexual activity (83) 5 Disco dancing (286) 6 Walking the dog (191) 7 Driving a tractor (159) 8 Shovelling snow (389) 9 Writing thank you letters (114) 10 Playing the accordion (114)

1 Lighter evenings today’s sunset will be 12 minutes later than on December 21

2 The sales bargain winter coats, cut-price boots...

3 School term back to normality, and about time too

4 Ever so early snowdrops spot some near you 5 Kaiser Chiefs at Plymouth Pavilions on February 9

6 Holiday dreams time to book your getaway?

7 Broadchurch it’s back!

8 Burns Night coming soon, dig out your kilts

Tragedy: Her father was killed in an air crash when she was five years old.

Early struggles: She went to drama school but was told she would never be an actress. So she left at 19 to work as an au pair in Paris.

Kristin has acted in many French films, speaking French.

Family: She has three children: Hannah.

Joseph and George and is divorced from their father, a French gynaecologist.

Smart lady: In 2013 she was on the ‘50 best-dressed women over 50’ list (The Guardian)

Famous relations: Kristin is a great-great-niece of Captain Scott, the polar explorer.

Off to France: Speaking French fluently, she studied acting in Paris.

Breakthrough: In a 1988 adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s A Handful of Dust, Kristin won an Evening Standard award for most promising newcomer.

9 Point to points seriously good fun winter days out

10 Workmates so good to see them again

In the award-winning Four Weddings and a Funeral, 1995 11

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new year new you

New Year is traditionally the time when people take stock of their lives and decide what needs to change. Sarah Pitt sounds out some wise advice on where to start

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People t sounds pretty alarming, doesn’t it, the exhortation to ‘turn your life around in 2015’? But if there’s been something niggling at you for ages, there is no better time than the first days of a new year to take action and finally do something about it.

It was Emma Mansfield’s post-festive dissatisfaction seven years ago which led her to knuckle down and write The Little Book of Cornwall, a compact and quirky pictorial guide to the county which became an overnight bestseller.

Now the publisher of a string of successful Little Books, Emma, who lives in Bodmin, also runs her own yoga school. She credits a New Year resolution with changing her life for the better.

Emma had always worked long hours for other people, having establishing a career in TV production and then working at the Eden Project.

After having a breakdown and suffering from severe depression, she had returned to her parents’ home in Essex to take stock of her life.

“I was making creative products for other people and was feeling a bit frazzled,” she says.

I

“I really felt that I needed to do something for me. your life - and then writing down what you want I remember spending that week between Christ- to change - can be a very powerful thing to do.” mas and New Year working out what I wanted. I That it takes guts to admit to problems, whethwrote a list, and then I got going. er with your close relationships, your job, your “I think the most important thing I did was finances, your weight or even your whole life, is take responsibility for my something most counsellors entire life. I decided what I agree on. The approach to wanted to do, and then I got doing something about it is on with it. It was a real turnwhere they can differ. ing point in my life.”

Qualified counsellor Life looks a lot more Tricia Moore volunteers for ‘I think the most cheery for Emma, 39, these the charity Marriage Care days, but that New Year in Plymouth. She counsels important resolution has established couples, married or otherthing I did an annual ritual for her. wise, who are experiencing Every New Year’s Day she difficulties in their relationwas take has a mental “spring clean” ship. responsibility and writes lists of what she She advises people conwants to change in her life. templating divorce after for my “I think it is important to a ‘Christmas from hell’ in entire life’ put your house in order,” each other’s company to she says. “And I think it proceed with caution, and helps to write it down. Just opt for counselling before saying you want to change separation. “Definitely look

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People

at this first, especially if you have children, because you don’t want to go down the route of separating because it doesn’t feel right at the moment,” she says. “There are a lot of pressures for relationships to be perfect, but perfect relationships aren’t realistic. Sustaining a good relationship is the thing to aim for. And remember: all relationships can be better.”

The festive season is notorious for destabilising already rocky partnerships, she says. “Christmas is the season of good cheer and all that, but it is also a prime time for opening up the cracks that are already there. There’s all this pressure to have fun, and it can leave you thinking ‘why don’t I feel wonderful?’ so it can bring things to a head” Many of the people who come to her for counselling are already in a pretty desperate state. But there are many things that couples can do to improve their relationship before they reach this point.

“My advice is to make time for each other,” she says. “Get the children to bed and then take the time to talk and actually listen. Listening is the

key, because it is no good talking to each other if you are not listening to what the other person is saying, and just trying to think of a smart answer.”

Warring couples, she says, often feel like they are no longer on the same team. “If it feels like you are on opposing teams, try and sit down and talk about why it feels like that, so that you are on the same side again. That way, whatever issues you have, you can deal with them together.”

Dissatisfaction with your life – and taking action to change it – is what New Year is all about, the motivation behind the perennial New Year’s resolutions. But what if the thing you need to change is simply your attitude towards life itself ?

That is the thinking behind ‘mindfulness’, a philosophy geared at coaxing the mind through a number of exercises, including breathing exercises.

Miranda Bevis teaches mindfulness in both group sessions and one-to-one sessions in her home town of Taunton in Somerset. A qualified

Above: Emma Mansfield Right: Miranda Bevis, mindfulness counsellor

doctor, Miranda trained as a mindfulness practitioner after being amazed at the relief it gave to her late husband. He had been suffering mentally and emotionally as a result of living with motor neurone disease. She credits it with changing her own life too.

“I think mindfulness is incredibly powerful,” she says. “I have worked as a GP, a counsellor and a yoga teacher and in terms of managing stress and anxiety mindfulness is the best thing I have come across. It has made a huge difference to friends and family and to me. I used to be terribly anxious, and I’m not now.

“I do it every day. Mindfulness is really a way of life, about bringing yourself back into the moment. Some of the processes for doing this are really small, for example just stopping for a minute to examine how you are feeling.”

She recommends taking part in mindfulness as a group, “because that way you can learn from each other”.

“One of the processes we often do is just focus on the breath. The mind goes wandering off, and you then bring it back to the breath. It goes wandering off, and you bring it back to the breath

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[ [ ‘So many people have a very negative self-image which is actually not good for them’

How to be happy in 2015 Happiness really can have a positive impact upon our physical and well as mental wellbeing. Studies show that happy people get sick less often, recover faster from illness and even live longer. According to Dr Mo Zoha, consultant psychiatrist at leading mental health hospital The Nightingale, our capacity for happiness is determined by a number of factors, including things we cannot influence, such as the experiences of our early years and genes. But it is possible to raise our joy threshold - which is something to smile about!

Dr Mo’s top tips for a happier 2015: 1. Money - does money buy you happiness?

Those that spend their time and efforts seeking love rather than more money tend to be happier, particularly once they earn enough to pay for necessities. Focus on nurturing relationships rather than earning money in 2015 2. Enjoy the moment: Older people tend to be happier. It is thought that they are better at living in the present and better at controlling emotions, which we can all strive to achieve

3. Work makes you happier. It provides routine,

again! It is like training a puppy to walk to heel.

“Another exercise we do is eating a raisin mindfully, and that basically means that I give people a raisin and ask them to examine it minutely. Focusing on anything in detail leads to this relaxation because you are no longer focusing on your thoughts.”

Mindfulness is also about treating yourself with compassion, she says, something which people with problematic lives can forget to do.

“So many people have a very negative selfimage which is actually not good for them,” she says.

Miranda believes that mindfulness is even more powerful than exercise in helping people to change their lives. “The thing about mindfulness is that it allows you to cope with whatever is thrown at you,” she says. “Most people find by the end of the course that their lives have significantly changed. They feel calmer, less anxious, less stressed, and more able to negotiate the pitfalls of life.”

Visit www.marriagecare.org.uk and www.somersestmindfulness.co.uk to find out more

structure and self-worth. Make sure you are in a job you enjoy. If you are not, make finding one that you do a priority for this year

4. Independence: Personal control in work makes you happier; there is better life satisfaction for those earning less but in control of their working practice than those who are richer but have less control

5. Relationships: Those with close relationships are happiest – try to see friends and family more in the New Year

6. Friendships: Research shows the closer people live to their friends, the happier they are – make new friends close to where you live. Get to know your neighbours better, try joining sports groups or taking up a hobby close to your home 7. Play to your strengths: Identify your strong points and focus on developing these, in either your work or a hobby. This will encourage you to become immersed in what you do and find life more gratifying

8. Altruism: Helping others enables us to be more connected with the world around us. In

2015, find local charities, sports clubs or community organisations where you can donate your time. You might even start new friendships with local people

9. Be kind: Set yourself a weekly target for acts of kindness for friends, family, colleagues and strangers on the street. This will further increase your connection to the outside world

10. Focus on the positives: Improving happiness levels can depend on how we focus our attention – being attentive and focusing on one positive task helps us to enjoy the moment 11. Positive memory: Those who are happier remember bad events in a more positive light – it is possible to focus on particular aspects of a memory to notice the positives more than negatives 12. Gratitude diary: You can retrain your mind to focus on the good things that happen rather than the bad, as well as stop taking your blessings for granted, by keeping a gratitude diary. Every day for six weeks jot down five things that happened that day for which you are grateful

13. Meditate: Regular meditation can help with positive mental health

14. Say ‘thank you’: Expressing your gratitude for someone’s actions is the single most effective exercise in positive psychology. Saying thank you to even small acts and gestures will help improve gratitude levels

15. Use technology less: The less time you spend on using technology, the more you can carry out activities that help you engage with the world around you

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now!

e m

If weight loss was one of your New Year resolutions, then this story might just inspire you. Catherine Barnes meets Crediton’s Sally Stone, who has shed an amazing seven and a half stone in the past two years. Oh, and she has posed for some rather spectacular photographs, too...

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f you’d told Sally Stone two years ago that she’d be stripped down to her undies and gracing the pages of the nation’s best-known tabloid newspapers, she’d have laughed in

your face.

Back then, the blonde and athletic-looking mother-of-one from Crediton was a size 22.

She weighed eighteen and a half stone with the modest ambition to shed enough pounds to squeeze into a pair of size 14 ‘I’ll slim into them’ jeans, hanging unworn in her wardrobe.

Today, the 40-year old looks terrific. She is a trim size 10 and weighing 10 stone 10lb - just right for her 5’8” frame.

“I thought that if I could ever fit into those size 14 jeans, I’d be ecstatic,” she says. “But when I lost the weight, and tried them on, they were too big and I had to give them away.

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Interview

It was a case of Oh no! but I was so pleased I’d got so far and it felt really great.”

Indeed, after successfully shedding an incredible 7 stone 9lb, Sally not only got rid of the jeans, but her inhibitions too. She posed for a glamorous boudoir-style photography session, after a friend’s daughter booked the session and persuaded her to take the plunge.

“I was about a stone away from my goal weight and was umming and aahing,” says Sally, who lost the pounds after joining her local Slimming World group. “I’d turned 40 and wouldn’t have dared, but my friends said it would give me that confidence boost. One friend came with me – I was utterly terrified – but it turned out to be a good laugh. Then the story came out: I’d spoken to a journalist but was still shocked when I saw the papers and my photos spread all over The Sun! “My Slimming World friends were really supportive. I was braced for a bit of a backlash after appearing in a tabloid in this way. But in fact the whole experience was great - I think everyone understands that it wasn’t a case of me boasting.”

In fact, it was a health scare that initially convinced Sally to embark upon a head-on battle with her weight. She had always been physically active - she runs The Children’s Cottage Company with her business partner Alex, building outdoor play equipment and bespoke playhouses for affluent and A-list clients. But working on some carpentry one day, she suffered a splitting headache and loss of vision. Within minutes she was rushed to hospital with a suspected stroke.

Thankfully, tests revealed that it wasn’t, in fact, a stroke. But Sally began to question her eating habits: she would skip breakfast and tuck into quick and comforting pasties and takeaways

‘I’d turned 40 and didn’t dare do a boudoir shoot but my friends said it would be a confidence boost’

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SALLY AT HOME: STEVE HAYWOOD BOUDOIR SHOOT: KENSA BOUDOIR PHOTOGRAPHY

Interview

for lunch and dinner. “Being rushed into hospital frightened me into deciding I had to lose weight,” she explains. “I’d yo-yo dieted all my life and my weight had gone up and down from an early age, but I didn’t really have much willpower. Initially, I didn’t want to join a diet club, but in fact, I really enjoyed it and it was great to talk with other people in my position. I quietly sat down with Angela, who runs the group and at the end of the session, I weighed in and we discussed how much I was hoping to lose.

“You’re not weighed in front of other peoplealthough everyone else is in the same boat, in any case. But I was shocked at just how much I weighed. I knew I was heavy, but felt utterly mortified that I’d let myself go so badly.”

Sally still attends the weekly Slimming World sessions to keep herself on track. Balanced recipe plans based around an ‘anything in moderation’ principle have totally changed her life.

She also began to exercise home-cooked meals she now prepares. “I can play as she adopted healthier with him more - he’s into WWF wrestling,” she eating habits: “It was somelaughs. “And I’d never really done it before. Any thing that I’d wanted to do activity used to leave me exhausted and breaking anyway and it helped the into a sweat. Luke’s been so supportive and tells weight to come off,” says me I look lovely. He even reminds me: mummy, Sally. “I started running you can’t eat that, because you’re on a diet! He I’d hardly loves all the Slimming World ever done recipes such as low fat spaany before ghetti bolognese and shepand herd’s pie, so I don’t have to became cook myself separate meals.”

‘When I wake quite adSally’s single, but just dicted. I now run two or three recently she has dipped a up, I see this times a week, either on a treadtentative toe in the dating photo on my mill or outdoors and I do seven scene. “It’s been really fun,” kilometres every time. I’m planshe says “And of course wall and I think: ning to take part in a 10k charity they are all people who that’s me - and I run this year and then maybe didn’t know what I was like move on to doing half marabefore.” want to stay that thons.”

Needless to say, since she way!’

Sally had shed seven stone by has become a media pinthe time she dug out her dream up, she’s attracted a fair jeans from the cupboard and bit of unsolicited interest, discovered she was too slim for too, confessing: “I have had them. Once she was under her quite a lot of new friend reinitial goal weight of eleven and a half stone, quests on Facebook - which I ignore!” she set herself the new target weight of 150lb (10 Sally has also given the incredible portrait of stone 10lbs) which she hit in March this year, 14 herself in sexy black lingerie pride of place on months after she began her new lifestyle. She has her bedroom wall, to maintain her focus. “When maintained this new, healthy weight ever since.

I wake up, I see it and think, that’s me: and I want Sally’s son Luke, eight, has been thrilled with to stay that way.” And when you look this fabuthe new life in his mum – and enjoys the healthy lous, that’s the kind of wake-up call that works.

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fashion

style

40

eat out

26

gardens 21

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[

interiors

And so to bed

Catherine Barnes finds a B & B that’s proving popular with visitors to the town of Tavistock, thanks to its owner’s appealing sense of contemporary style

[ he Westcountry’s a magnet for many people seeking a new home and lifestyle that will earn them and income. For Tony Walker, Tavistock seemed like the perfect place to do just that and create a contemporary bed and breakfast that’s a strictly doilyfree zone.

The Rockmount B&B, close by the town’s imposing railway viaduct, was hardly awe-inspiring when Tony bought it in 2008. The spacious 1930s house may have had plenty of capacity for modification, but boy, did it need some modernisation, with woodchip papered walls to strip, sagging ceilings, old-fashioned light fittings and brambles rioting everywhere outside.

Tony has created five letting rooms from the available space, including a new warmly insulated contemporary garden room. With a clever eye, he even managed to convert a parking area for two cars into a space where up to eight vehicles can be parked offroad, including his own three.

He relocated here from Manchester, where he had worked training store managers. Tony lived for two years in this Devon property before revamping it to become his own work-from-home business.

He’s not only made the most of all the space the property has to offer, but gone all out to avoid frills

T

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Interiors

STYLE TIP: To give a sense of modern

luxury, each room has 500 thread-count bedlinen and a Nespresso machine

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Interiors

and furbelows by creating warm interiors with an appealing masculine touch: he favours dark woods, light neutral walls and splashes of colour in his considered use of soft furnishings and artwork.

“Tavistock attracted me because it has a fantastic reputation, but it has only a few B&Bs and two hotels,” he says. “The interiors were all my own design. I think if I’d been doing it in a bigger city, I’d have stuck my neck out even further.”

Despite a night’s stay costing from just £55 per person in his king and super-king size ensuite bedrooms, Tony’s gone all-out for comfort with 500-thread count Egyptian cotton sheets on the beds, luxury toiletries and Nespresso coffee machines in each room. While there’s a signature stamp to his decor and the rooms are warmly inviting, there’s no uncomfortable sense that you’re being put up in a room that a family member’s just vacated.

“I - just the once - stayed at a B&B where it was clearly someone’s bedroom, with things in the drawers and family photos,” says Tony. “This is more like a boutique hotel. I was brought up in the industry - my parents have run hotels in Spain and Manchester - so I grew up seeing how things are done.”

With the help of a plumber friend, Tony renovated and decorated the property himself.

In order to maximise the number of guests he can accommodate – and Tony’s already pretty well booked ahead for many weeks next summer – there’s no guest sitting or dining room at The Rockmount, nor the ordeal (for guests) of making polite first-thing conversation with total strangers over a full English.

“Breakfast is taken in the bedroom,” he

explains. “I have room service menus in the welcome packs.

Almost 100% of the guests love the fact that they don’t have to mingle first thing in the morning. I tried the dining room option in my first year before making the dining room into another letting bedroom and every single guest preferred room service.”

Tony’s created his own separate private living area in the house, with the kitchen alongside his own living room and ensuite bedroom. This is decorated along similar lines to the letting rooms, albeit with a few more personal touches.

“My own space is slightly more eclectic” he says.

While the guest rooms are carpeted, his own space has stripped floors and mounted on the walls are some of his own artwork canvasses.

“I do paint, although have not had the chance lately, with five guest bedrooms to look after and two dogs to walk,” he adds.

Pets Pablo, a German Shepherd and Bertie, a Labrador Ridgeback cross even have their own little terrace, accessed via his private accommodation.

Tony’s day begins at 6.30am and he runs the entire business single-handedly. Breakfast is served at 7.30am and rooms are stripped and cleaned when the guests check out, followed by an hour’s daily ironing, dog-walking, shopping and gardening.

“The property itself is easy to maintain and I paint it every year,” he says. “The quality of workmanship when I did it in 2010 means it’s

STYLE TIP: Dark

woods, light walls and splashes of colour give an atmosphere of calm luxury

straightforward to keep on top of. It’s the kind of finish I’d like to have, if I was staying in a hotel and so many guests have said to me: “Thank God! No doilies!”

See more at www.rockmount-tavistock.co.uk

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Shopping

GET THE

LOOK

For a smart and contemporary feel, choose real wood, dashes of colour and strong styling

Cairngorm 100% lambswool throws £95 www.scottishlinen.com Cream station wall clock £30 Tesco

Aire towel collection from £19 Made.com Fonteyn chest of drawers in oak and walnut £479 www.made.com

Pier cushion £55 www.barbaracoupe.co.uk

Illy coffee machine £149 www.espressocrazy.com

Decanter with wood stopper £24 www.oliverbonas.com

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22/12/2014 12:48:52

Gardens

ANNE SWITHINBANK

Winter’s flowering plants Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, is counting the flowers in her New Year garden here is a tradition in some gardens to note down and count the flowers open on New Year’s Day. This is not just an exercise in making sure the garden is packed full of winter interest but the data, collected over many years makes for fascinating reading. Studying the timing of recurring natural phenomena is referred to as phenology and the collected results give an insight into climate change. You are really meant to be looking for the beginning of things, such as the first call of the cuckoo, unfurling of oak leaves or appearance of blackthorn flowers, so a flower count is a gardeners’ phenological twist. You can find out more by going to www. naturescalendar.org.uk run by the Woodland Trust.

Many winter flowering plants occur naturally in light woodland and tend to set their flower buds during late summer and early autumn, during which time they could be vulnerable to drought. You might have noticed the bobbly buds of witch hazel and winter sweet or the fat green buds of camellias and rhododendrons developing back then and checked to make sure their soil or compost was moist. In their natural environment, soils would be well drained yet also moisture retentive and light shade would protect them from the drying effects of the sun. The trick in a garden is to mimic woodland conditions by perhaps raising beds slightly so they drain better on soggy soils, mulching with garden compost or leaf mould and most important, siting them out of full sun in, say, in a north facing border.

Our witch hazel (Hamamelis mollis) has yet to poke forth its spidery petals but when it does, any day now, the fragrance will fill the area around our front door and linger in the porch. I know

T

winter sweet (Chimonanthus praecox) is out because the first glistening flowers appeared just before Christmas. They have a spicy fragrance and maroon blotches inside the creamy yellow flowers. These shrubs are not for the impatient because once planted, they can take a few years to put down roots before hitting their stride.

Containerisation and clever feeding often means they are bought in bloom and then puzzle their new owners by refusing to flower again for anything up to five years. Once liberated into the soil, they put all their energy into extending their

roots but will eventually settle down to bloom reliably. The best winter sweet plants I know are trained against walls on the Lutyens designed terraces at Hestercombe near Taunton.

Good old winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum) will be out and our white, winter flowering heather Erica carnea ‘Springwood White’ is in flower. Unlike some heaths and heathers, this one does not need an acidic soil and grows happily in good light. Camellia ‘Cornish Snow’, a Caerhays hybrid, should also be in full bloom, as its single, pure white flowers open

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This week’s gardening tips Anne’s advice for your garden

between December and April.

Winter iris (Iris unguicularis) is a treat and will grow in the most awkward cracks and crevices. Foliage can look tatty in winter and it is worth tidying this up and cutting away all the brown ends, so flowers really stand out. They are good for cutting too. This is a rhizomatous iris from Greece, Turkey and Tunisia, which behaves like an herbaceous perennial. Once you have a clump, it is easily divided during summer. In our last garden, we shoved small plants into a small

soil gap between a wall and a driveway and they loved it.

If you are short on flowers, I would cheat. The garden centres will be displaying slightly forced pots of bulbous Iris reticulata which cost next to nothing. I pot these on, let the flowers open in the porch or greenhouse, then stand them out until the foliage dies back and later, plant them into borders or containers. Trying to beat your flower count every year is a sure way of bringing the best winter colour to your plot.

• Place an upturned pot over emerging bulb shoots when working in borders.

While planting, mulching or weeding, it is too easy to accidentally trample them.

• Lay boards over soil in the kitchen garden if you are still working on beds to clear and dig or mulch.

Ideally, create

beds 1.2m/4ft wide with paths around the outside, so you don’t need to tread on the soil at all.

• Place cardboard over the pathways between your veg beds and cover with mulch (chipped bark is easier to walk on).

This keeps them weed-free.

Question time with Anne West reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank My student son was given some Spanish moss for Christmas, which he intends to drape in his room at university. But how should he look after it?

Q

Spanish moss or Tillandsia usneoides is an air plant, a type of bromeliad. Long skeins of plants develop in the tropical atmosphere of its native habitat from South Virginia down to South America. In the wild, water and nutrients are absorbed though the leaves and plants live off dust and dead plant matter. I’m sure there will be plenty of delicious dust particles in your son’s room but there should also be reasonably good ventilation to prevent the skeins from rotting.

He’ll need to collect rainwater for misting and occasionally submersing the plants overnight.

Ask at the garden centre for special air plant fertiliser. Good, but not direct light is perfect and plants will enjoy a summer break outdoors, though not while birds are nesting!

Q

Our Brussels sprouts have opened like small bunches of greens instead of neat buttons. Where did we go wrong?

The usual cause for ‘blown’ sprouts is loose soil. Avoid too much forking and fluffing up the ground before planting and choose a bed of settled soil. I make a channel along the row and plant firmly into this, so soil will fall in and earth up the plants as they develop. Tall varieties should be staked in windy sites or if they become top heavy, as they wobble around in the soil, causing stress to the roots. Otherwise, lime in the autumn and avoid too much high nitrogen fertiliser.

Send your questions to Anne at westmag@ westernmorningnews.co.uk

Cover soil with polythene to dry it out and warm it up ready for planting later. Raise off the ground by hoops or upturned pots so that condensation can dry out.

Sow broad beans, sweet peas and parsley in the greenhouse. None of these needs any additional heat. Sow beans to modules or trays, sweet peas to deeper root trainers or toilet roll inners and parsley over compost surface in a seed tray. Cover with ventilated lids to protect against mice and just leave them on the staging.

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22/12/2014 13:51:59

Beauty

Tried

& tested

We present the beauty treats and cheats of the week, all trialled by West magazine’s Catherine Barnes, with help from daughter Tilly, 17.

IN THE DEEP...

One sachet of this green powder turns your bath into a mineral-rich soothing soup, but be warned: it definitely smells like the sea too! Thalgo Micronized Marine Algae, £31.65, FeelUnique.com

Partners Bronnley has created this new fragrance to celebrate its 15-year partnership with the Royal Horticultural Society. Winter Jasmine eau de toilette, £15.00 www. bronnley.co.uk

Detox treat

IT’S A COVER UP

The Body Deli’s products are made from nourishing raw superfood ingredients.

These starter kits cost £38 from www. abeautifulworld.co.uk

This stick concealer

by Barbara Daly’s ideal for masking rogue blemishes. £7.99 at Tesco

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the review This week we try

Yoso Pro 3 Deep Cleansing

Mine’s a latte This Poundland nail polish has a touch of class about it.

Quick drying Latte Nail Polish £1, www.poundland.co.uk

Rozina Sabur gets to grips with the gadget that claims to enhance each step of your skincare regime inter is always a rough carry on with the recommended 15 minseason for those who, like utes of daily treatment. me, get extremely dry skin from the frosty weather. So I HaYoso Pro 3 Step Deep Cleansing was eager to try this device, which prom- System, £149.99 (BeautyCrowd.com) ises to boost your skincare routine using ion technology.

It looks more like an epilator than something appropriate for your face, but the vibrating gadget comes with a hasslefree charger and its compact size means it doesn’t take up much room in my bathroom cabinet.

The Yoso has three settings: cleanse, moisIt’s quite hard to turise and boost.

You use your own use around your usual products nose and the but, rather than using your fingers crevices of your to apply them, the face as effectivedevice does it for ly as just using you, with the ion technology becomyour hands ing activated when the titanium head is in contact with your skin.

However, I find my skin is not left with its usual clean feel, probably because the device’s tiny head limits how much product can be applied. It’s also quite hard to use around your nose and the crevices of your face as effectively as just using your hands, though it does feel nice and gentle.

After a few uses, though, I haven’t noticed enough of a difference in my skin to

W

[[

EASY DOES IT Aromatika’s fine Chamomile Scrub is easy on dry and sensitive skins as it exfoliates. £12.95 from www.aromatika.co.uk.

Want a review? Send your request to westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk 29

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22/12/2014 13:53:33

Wellbeing

So sweet?

Dietary guidelines should focus more on sugar, and less on salt, according to doctors. Sugar, especially when added to processed foods, may be contributing to both obesity and ill-health in later life.

ccording to research published in British medical journal Open Heart, added sugars are likely to have a greater role in high blood pressure and heart disease and stroke than added salt.

The study’s authors warn that teenagers, in particular, may be consuming a shocking 16 times their recommended daily limit of sugar, in the form of sugars added to processed foods.

Doctors have called for dietary guidelines to emphasise the role played by these added sugars, particularly fructose, in the fight to curb heart disease.

US doctors James Di Nicolantonio and Sean Lucan, who are behind the findings, say that the sugar to watch out for (and limit or avoid), is the high-fructose corn syrup, which is the most frequently used sweetener in processed foods, particularly fruit-flavoured and fizzy drinks.

While 300 years ago, most people only consumed a few pounds of sugar a year, in the UK today, the average person will eat around 30 kilos of sugar a year, equivalent to 24 teaspoons a day.

Most at risk of serious health complications

A

from a sweet tooth are those who get a quarter or more of their daily calories a day from added sugars. We should, instead, be aiming for a figure of less than 10%.

But the good news is that naturally-occurring sugars found in fruit and vegetables are not harmful to health and eating fruit and vegetables is almost certainly beneficial to overall wellbeing.

The report’s authors are calling on food manufacturers to provide clearer information about ‘hidden’ sugars, saying that not all food labelling is clear enough. Where you can, check

the labels and keep tabs on your sugar intake, they say. Above all, be aware that most of the sugar we eat does not come by the spoonful but hides in many of the ready-made foods we buy on a regular basis.

THE KEEP FIT COLUMN WHERE ONE WOMAN TRIES EVERYTHING:

DODGER

this week: KARATE

THE SOFA

Mum of three Sam Taylor, 35, from Cardinham near Bodmin is behind Sofa Dodger, the website with wealth of keep-fit activities at a place near you. This week she tries: Karate Apparently Beyonce channels an alter-ego when she goes out on stage: she has named her Sasha Fierce. Sasha is a bad-ass diva and as her name suggests, she is fierce. I needed to rouse myself off the sofa and embody an alter-ego for my looming karate class at the Byrne Black Belt Academy.

As I kissed goodbye to my roaring fire and potential glass of wine, I felt more like Sasha Farce.

This particular class was rammed full

of World Champions – six of them in fact!

Amazing to think that in a village hall on the North coast of Cornwall, there was such a concentration of elite athletes…..and me!

We started off with a warm up, then partnered up and started progressing through sparring sequences. I rained down a volley of blows on the pads and my knuckles began to glow. At least I could rest when it was my turn to hold the pads.

GET INVOLVED: Try something new or tell the world about your own keep fit class for free at www.sofadodger.co.uk

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Enjoy

A WEEKEND IN...

Exeter I

t’s Devon’s capital and (arguably) the region’s most important city. Why not spend a weekend in Exeter and enjoy the January sales, plus much, much more…

Stay: Feeling glam? Southernhay House is a gent’s residence turned into a boutique hotel, in a quiet leafy area within walking distance of the city centre. Or try the very cool and funky Magdalen Chapter Hotel nearby, or the Royal Clarence right on Cathedral Green. On a budget?

The clean and friendly Raffles Hotel on Blackall Road has doubles from £78.

Eat:

Exeter has some terrific eateries. At the smart end of the scale, dinner at the Michael Caines restaurant in The Royal Clarence is well worth a try. Exeter’s also blessed with some great world cuisine – try Al Farid or Mashawi for good Middle Eastern cuisine or the Thai Jasmine for… well, need we spell it out? Veggies and vegans will love the fresh, alternative vibe of The Plant Café.

Time for tea: Seek out West’s resident baking expert while you are here – Kate Shirazi runs the fabulous Cakeadoodledo café on Cathedral Green. We also love the cakes and coffee at The Exploding Bakery on Queen Street.

What to see: St Nicholas Priory is ancient and fascinating, and the amazing 12th century Cathedral is not to be missed. The Royal Albert Memorial Museum recently had a £10 million

makeover and deservedly won the UK’s Museum of the Year award.

Things to do: Make your way to the entrance of Exeter’s Underground Passages on Paris Street, for a subterranean trip like no other along the city’s extensive underworld. Exeter has three cinemas – two mainstream (Vue and Odeon) while we love the independence of The Picturehouse, which has a bar, good food and a more varied playlist. Feeling energetic?

Head down to the Quay for riverside walks, kayaking at Haven Banks or a chance to try climbing at the amazing Clip and Climb centre in the old power station here.

Shop: Where do we start? Well Princesshay is a good place: the shiny new shopping centre is home to Next, Fat Face, Hollister, Superdry and Reiss, and much more. You’ll find Gap, The White Company and Russell & Bromley on the High Street as well as a huge M&S and the country’s newest branch of John Lewis. Quaint Gandy Street is great for quirky smaller stores such as White Stuff and interiors store Moko. There is great food (butcher, fishmonger and more) on Magdalen Road, as well as the adorable Leaf Street boutique for gifts and treats.

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22/12/2014 13:16:25

Fashion

It’s cold outside...

But you can feel cosy - and look gorgeous - with our pick of fashion’s best winter warmers rrr! In the chill of January, there’s a definite need for some genuinely cosy clothes. But you can look good as well as warm - promise! Just pair up jeans with some properly furry boots, a woolly jumper and, if at all possible, a hint of cashmere. We love this cashmere scarf from Next (£40) and these super boots from Brantano, which you’ll find for sale in your local branch of Clarks. One local label which excels at this sort of comfy-casual style is Celtic & Co from Cornwall. Right now, their sheepskin and wool designs are really coming into their own, and everything is tip-top quality too, so they are well worth a look. Then head off for your beach walk looking, and feeling, fantastic.

B

Cashmere scarf Next, £40

East £950

Monsoon £35 Crew neck cable jumper £80 Knee boots £170 Celtic & Co

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Boyfriend cable cardi £95, Cashmere accessories £32 - £60 Celtic & Co

Ribbed Geelongora jumper £120, Aviator boots £150 Celtic & Co

Toscana gilet £345, Toscana boots £190 Celtic & Co

Lipsy £20

Cuckooland scarf £19.95

Apricot £49

Brantano for Clarks £75

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Fashion

The edit Make the January return to work a little easier with our top picks

+ Lavand £119.90

+ Next £50

+ Very £39

fave!

M&Co £32

Very £32

+

Monsoon £49

+

+

Moda in Pelle £59.95

Dune £69

Lotus £59.99

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Bake

[[

NEW!

‘Transfer to a wire rack and sprinkle with caster sugar while they are still warm’

Kate Shirazi bakes:

cake of the week

Eccles cakes

I love the thought of Eccles cakes, but whenever I eat them I realize why I don’t have them more often: chopped mixed peel. Bleuch. I can’t stand the stuff. It makes me shudder just to think about it, sitting there all orange and yellow in its little round tub, just waiting to make you contort your face in disgust. I made Eccles cakes with just currants. They were lovely. Someone should make it the law. Much nicer.

Makes about 10

You will need: 1 x 500 g/18 oz packet all-butter puff pastry 25 g/1 oz/1 3⁄4 tbsp very soft unsalted butter 75 g/2 1⁄2 oz/1⁄2 cup currants 25 g/1 oz/2 tbsp dark muscovado sugar

Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon Finely grated zest of 1 orange 1–2 drops of lemon oil (optional) Caster sugar for sprinkling

Method: 1.

Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas mark 7.

Roll out the pastry to about 3 mm/1⁄8 in thick and cut out 10 rounds (more if you can). In a bowl, mix the butter, currants, sugar and fruit zests. I sometimes add a drop or two of lemon oil to the proceedings.

2.

Place a teaspoon of the mixture into the very centre of each pastry circle. Bundle up the outer edges as if to make a purse and squidge the edges together to seal the little parcel. Turn each one over, seal-side down, and roll it out into a flatter circle so that the currants just start to peek through.

3.

Prick all over with a fork and place on the baking tray.

Repeat the process until they are all done and then bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.

4.

When they are out of the oven, transfer to a wire rack and sprinkle with caster sugar while they are still warm.

Kate Shirazi runs Cakeadoodledo shop and cafe on Exeter’s Cathedral Green (www.cakedoodledo.co.uk) and bakes cakes of all kinds to order and send by post. Look out for Kate’s beautiful books Baking Magic and Cake Magic (both £11.99, Pavilion Books) 35

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22/12/2014 13:49:58

Bayards Cove

My Secret Westcountry

Kate Ellis Best-selling novelist Kate Ellis’s murder mysteries featuring detective Wesley Peterson are all set in and around South Devon. Kate who lives in Cheshire, spends a lot of time in Devon and dedicated her book The Shroud Maker, published this year, to the people of Dartmouth.

My favourite ...

Winter walk: I’ve always loved the walk from Kingswear to Greenway. I think Greenway is a magical place but perhaps, as a crime writer, I’m prejudiced - because it was once the home of the Queen of Crime herself, Agatha Christie. The views from the Greenway estate over the River Dart are truly breathtaking.

Venue: The Flavel in Dartmouth.

It’s a wonderful venue with a theatre and good food. The cinema there screens not only the latest films but live broadcasts from the Royal Opera House. It also houses a fantastic library, where I’ve been invited to speak on occasions...and where I once hosted a fun Murder Mystery Evening.

Westcountry food: I do have a weakness for Riverford Organic food... and pasties are always a great temptation.

Pub: There are many excellent pubs in south

Devon but my particular favourite is the Cherub in Dartmouth (just opposite the Community Bookshop). I really love its medieval architecture and its cosy atmosphere. It features as The Angel in some of my books.

Westcountry tipple: I’m very partial to the local real ale – Cherub Bitter in The Cherub as well as Otter Ale and Doom Bar. Town: I really love walking around Dartmouth – I always seem to find somewhere new every time I visit. I also enjoy exploring the other historic towns and villages in the area and walking in the countryside and around the coastal path. I always enjoy walking to Dartmouth Castle, stopping at the end of the path to look out to sea... and then climbing down to the little cove below.

Scenic spot: Coleton Fishacre is a sublime Arts and Crafts house set in beautiful grounds that was once home to the D’Oyly Carte family. The house and grounds are stunning and peaceful. However, having

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Xxxxxx People said that, to a crime writer like myself, there’s nowhere too pretty to be a crime scene!

Restaurant: There are quite a few excellent restaurants in Dartmouth. For an informal meal I often eat at the Royal Castle Hotel’s atmospheric Galleon Bar. For a more special occasion I’d probably choose Taylors Restaurant where the food is gorgeous and the view over the Boat Float can’t be beaten.

Shops: Dartmouth has a lovely Community Bookshop with enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff and, as well as this, the whole area is rich in independent bookshops. I must give a mention to The Totnes Bookshop, The Harbour Bookshop in Kingsbridge and the excellent Torbay Bookshop run by Matthew and Sarah Clarke.

Treat: A good meal followed by a stroll to

Dartmouth

Bayards Cove (where one of my fictional detectives lives) rounded off by a drink at The Cherub. Can’t think of anything better!

Event: Candlelit Dartmouth is a particularly evocative event with a winter lantern procession through the town’s narrow, twisting streets. As I’m a bell ringer I love ringing the church bells and I can’t wait to ring them with the Dartmouth Town Ringers on my next visit to Devon in 2015.

Kate’s nineteenth Wesley Peterson thriller, The Death Season is out now in hardback (£19.99 Piaktus). For more info visit www.kateellis.co.uk

Dartmouth Castle

Riverford Organics

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22/12/2014 13:55:25

Days out

Great pub walks We select the very best pub walks in the South West: all have great countryside, fresh air and a very warm welcome at the bar Jamaica Inn, Bodmin Moor

For a ‘blow the cobwebs away’ kind of a walk make a beeline for Bodmin Moor. Rugged, rural and Cornwall at its most natural, this is the place to come to get away from it all and clear the mind.

After pounding the atmospheric landscape scattered with hints of Cornwall’s rich and varied past, you will have regained your vigour just in time to join fellow walkers at the bar in the legendary Jamaica Inn. www.jamaicainn.co.uk

The Cricket Inn, Beesands

The village of Beesands is on the South West Coast Path in south Devon, which makes The Cricket Inn a bolt hole for walkers. Within the village is a large fresh water lake complete with bird hide, ideal for bird watchers. And it’s only a short walk along the coastal path to the famous Slapton Ley Nature Reserve in Torcross. www.thecricketinn.com

The George Inn, Plympton

The Sea Trout Inn, Staverton

The Sea Trout Inn is a traditional south Devon pub dating back to the 15th century. Situated in the picturesque South Hams village of Staverton near Totnes, this pub is an idyllic country retreat and is great for a walk along The Middle Dart Valley - an easy stroll that passes along the River Dart and through lanes and woodland, before returning back to Totnes. www.theseatroutinn.co.uk

The Pandora Inn, Restronguet

Start in Mylor Bridge near Falmouth and pick up the footpath which trails the creek and headland around to Restronguet Passage. Look out for beautiful views of river and the gold post box which celebrates Sir Ben Ainslie’s triumph at the 2012 Olympics (he started his career here). When you spot The Pandora Inn, complete with thatched roof and chocolate box looks, there will be no resisting the temptation to stop off before the final stretch. www.pandorainn.com

The Millbrook Inn

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Days out The Victoria Inn, Perranuthnoe

The Watering Hole, Perranporth

Old Ferry Inn, Bodinnick

The George Inn, Plympton

For an easy-going walk with plenty of eye candy, set off from Perranuthnoe along the South West Coast Path in west Cornwall. You’ll love the far-reaching sea views from Lizard Point to St Michael’s Mount. Follow the circular route inland and you’ll weave your way through a landscape dotted with mining relics before finding yourself on the doorstep of the Victoria Inn, a destination pub with top-notch foodie credentials.

Bagsie a seat by the fire and reward yourself with a well-deserved local drink. www.victoriainn-penzance.co.uk

Find your sea legs and get the mind matter churning with a walk through the scenic landscape that inspired Cornwall’s much loved author, Daphne du Maurier. Taking in beautiful countryside, wooded creeks and stunning coastal views, the popular Hall Walk starts out in Bodinnick and includes two river crossings – firstly from Polruan to Fowey and then from Fowey back to Bodinnick (C. Toms & Son Ltd run the passenger ferry). After almost six miles, a drink and bite to eat will be more than justified. Where more apt than Bodinnick’s Old Ferry Inn, which overlooks ‘Ferryside’, du Maurier’s old family home. www.oldferryinn.co.uk

The Millbrook Inn, South Pool

The award winning Millbrook Inn recently won Tourism Pub of the Year at the Visit Devon Awards. Located near Kingsbridge, this friendly pub is ideally placed for walks on the South West Coast Path and serves up award winning food, too. www.millbrookinnsouthpool.co.uk

Favoured among dog walkers and families alike, Perranporth’s two mile stretch of golden sand is a failsafe option guaranteed to keep everyone from Granny and Grandpa to buggy bound babies smiling. Low tide offers perfect fuss free stomping ground. Or for something a little more adventurous, scale the steps carved into the cliff side for a bird’s eye view of the rolling surf. Don’t miss a pit stop at The Watering Hole, a surfer’s bar on the beach offering good food and an authentic North Coast experience. www.the-wateringhole.co.uk www.thegeorgeplympton.co.uk

The George Inn in Plympton is a short walk away from the National Trust’s Saltram Park on the leafy outskirts of Plymouth. The pub is surrounded by woodland and the beautiful views of Saltram House.

This 17th century coaching inn serves good homemade food by a roaring fire, perfect for after your stroll. www.thegeorgeplympton.co.uk

The Ship Inn, Ugborough

The superb foodie pub The Ship Inn at Ugborough is in the perfect location for an afternoon walk across south Dartmoor. With the moors on the doorstep, walkers can take on the dramatic Dartmoor tors or simply opt for a brisk stroll on the edge of Devon’s famous national park. The 16th century pub does great restaurant and bar meals, with excellent Sunday lunches, and is dog friendly, too. www.shipinnugborough.com For more ideas on good walks, days out and much more visit www.visitcornwall.com and www.visitdevon.co.uk

Beautiful Perranporth Beach

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Enjoy the views on a walk from Perranuthnoe to The Victoria Inn

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The Watering Hole

Pandora Inn

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22/12/2014 13:07:11

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Time for a cuppa

By Becky Sheaves

udleigh Salterton: there is something about the very name that slightly makes me want to giggle. And I’m not the only one: when Jeremy Clarkson popped

by Budleigh Salterton to try out a Bentley Continental for Top Gear, he dismissed this seaside town in East Devon as “Britain’s most over-priced, dreary place.” A bit rich coming from a man who lives in the Home Counties, you might say. But still, does Clarkson have a point?

After all, Budleigh, as it is known to locals, has long been the butt of many a peculiarly English joke. In TV’s Blackadder Three, Rowan Atkinson greets the news that he has lost all his money with the words: “I don’t believe it!

Goodbye Millionaire’s Row. Hello the Budleigh Salterton Rest Home for the Terminally Short of Cash!” Even back in the 1940s, Noel Coward

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REVIEW

was mocking the town, saying it was a place for “bores”, citing the “potted palms, seven hours of every day on a damp golf-course and a threepiece orchestra playing Merry England.”

However, a little bird (OK, my husband) told me that Budleigh is home to a really great little café, called Tea & Tittle Tattle. So on a quiet weekday, we pottered over to see what all the fuss is about. May I say, the first impressions of Budleigh as a whole were very favourable – the town has lots of intriguing little shops, a lovely unspoilt beach and a friendly air of independence and prosperity. In the centre of town is a corner shop that has, since 2008, been this family-run café.

It’s tiny, but full of character and – when we visited on an ordinary Tuesday lunchtime – surprisingly busy. There were only two tables free when we walked in. And having eaten there, I’m not surprised it is such a hit. It’s friendly, with excellent service, good home cooking and very low prices. The sort of place that every small town deserves, but so few actually have.

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John ordered sausages and mash (£8.20), while I went for a chicken and chorizo casserole (£6.95). John’s dish was old-fashioned in a reassuringly good way. The sort of dinner your grandmother would (or should) have put on the table. The superb sausages were from nearby Greendale Farm. The onion gravy was rich, dark and silky and the mash was properly buttery.

Along came a dish of shared veg, which was also just as Granny would/should have cooked it: swede with butter and pepper, carrots cut longways and brussels sprouts that were (to my modern way of thinking) perhaps just a smidgen overcooked.

My casserole was a bowlful of joy – generous amounts of meat in a delicious French-style bean and chorizo stew. Really good seasoning and beautifully done, with “home cooked” written all over it.

John then ordered apple pie (£4.25) which was superb: the sweet pastry was so short it was almost cake, and the apple was not too sugary or stewed. Basing my choice on the

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4 of the best Cafes

1 The Clipper, Shaldon

A friendly coastal-themed café right on the waterfront in trendy Shaldon, near Teignmouth in South Devon. Good home-baked cakes a speciality, and also serves lunch and dinner.

Dish of the day: Home cooked ham with free range eggs and chips Mains around £7 Contact: 01626 873747

2 The café, Duchy of Cornwall Nursery, Lostwithiel

With interiors by Annabel Elliot, this lovely café was opened by her sister – who just happens to be Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (and hubby Prince Charles owns the place). Very good locally sourced ingredients and a great menu.

Dish of the day: Donna’s salted caramel cheesecake Prices: Mains around £8 Contact: 01208 872668 old-school credentials of the chef thus far, I chose raspberry suet pudding (£4.25) and was not disappointed. It was a generous slice packed with jammy fruit, light in texture yet reassuringly rib-sticking at the same time.

On the wall was a list of local suppliers and a map showing where all the ingredients come from. I approve – this café really does think local and supports producers such as the wonderful Devonshire Dairy at Chagford, whose cream (on my suet pud) was absolutely excellent. The service was swift and the staff seemed both happy and efficient. After 2pm they serve what looked like a seriously good high tea, with all the trimmings, which I think will be tempting me back here before too long.

On the way back to our car, John and I looked in several estate agency windows. It must be nice to live here. Yes, we liked Budleigh Salterton a lot - and we liked this charming little café, too.

Tea & Tittle Tattle, 4 Fore Street, Budleigh Salterton, Devon, 01395 443203

3 The Welcome Café

Along the water on Exeter’s Quayside is a lovely walk and you’ll find this dogfriendly café in the old inn here. Warm welcome, charming architecture and great home baking.

Dish of the day: French toast with bacon and maple syrup Prices: Mains around £4 Contact: 01392 279003

How they scored...

Food

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Atmosphere

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Service

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Price

Lunch for two was £19.80

4 The Apple Tree Café, Land’s End

Open all year round near Sennen for homemade breakfast, lunch, cakes and cream teas. Vegan and gluten free available and a cosy wood burner to boot.Dish of the day: Newlyn crab sandwiches Prices: Mains around £7 Contact: 01736 872753

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22/12/2014 13:44:44

Ingredient of the Week

Leeks

with Tim Maddams s it me or are leeks a little hard done by? They seem to be the ever present veg of least consideration, always there in the shops, often used as a part of one dish or another, tossed into a soup or added to a stew, but almost never given the chance to shine.

Despite this, leeks have long been held to have surprising qualities that set them out from the crowd.

Among other leeky ideas, they have variously been kept under a pillow to encourage dreams of future husbands, worn on helmets to repel Saxon invaders and (most notably perhaps) the emperor Nero believed eating leeks improved your singing voice.

Right now leeks are in their prime, and good tasty fresh leeks from a local grower have a lot to offer you in the way of taste and texture. They are also a healthy choice, full of antioxidants to

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help you stave off a winter bout of coughs and colds. Most importantly though, they taste great and can be used in a myriad of different ways in the kitchen.

I love to serve leeks with pasta, shredding the greens after washing and sweating them down with a little streaky bacon, garlic and chilli. The whites I wrap in foil with a little thyme and olive oil and bake in the oven until tender. These are then chopped and added to the sweated greens along with more olive oil than it seems sensible to use and finally the pasta and more thyme leaves. Season well and serve with a very mature cheddar or, even better, some strong, blue sheep’s cheese.

Feel free to make a few school playground jokes about leeks in the sink, leeks on the floor and taking a leek, but be warned, this can lead to bad dancing and comedy eye brow waggling.

Leeks have long been held to have surprising qualities that set them out from the crowd

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Smart ways with leeks Preparing leeks requires a little care. As you know they have many layers and these layers often trap small amounts of soil between them as they grow. A leek can look pretty clean but have hidden dirt within: a politician of a vegetable if ever there was one.

The best way to deal with this is to slit the leek lengthways without cutting off the root end and run warm water from the tap over the whole thing, twisting each half a little to allow water in between the closely packed layers of veg. Alternatively you can slice the leeks thinly on a slight angle and wash these rounds thoroughly before draining.

Thinly sliced and dipped in milk then seasoned flour leeks fried in oil make wonderfully sweet onion rings for dainty nibbles. Roasted leeks can be pureed and added to potato mash. You can braise them like fennel, steam them, add them to stir fries, cream them with white wine and black pepper, sauté them, chargrill them, poach them or bake them.

But, whatever you do, don’t leave them on the side lines. And don’t buy leeks that have been cut and packed and look dry. Oh, and the green of the leek is just as good as the white, but a little tougher and so requires more cooking. @TimGreenSauce

Tim Maddams is a Devon chef and writer who often appears on the River Cottage TV series 42

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22/12/2014 13:30:18

Drink

Darren Norbury Beer of the week Multi-award-winning Forge Brewery, in North Devon, is well known for clean, easydrinking brews, and Litehouse (4.3% ABV) is no exception, shining like a beacon on the bar. Maltier on the aroma, but with a zesty, citrus hop note following through on the palate, this is a lovely session bitter.

Beer ahoy Brews from Hall & Woodhouse will be among those from several UK breweries when the new P&O cruise liner Britannia launches in March.

The vessel will offer a Great British Beer Menu featuring some 70 beers and ciders from around the UK.

talks beer ’ve had a relationship with computers, I suppose, since my teenage years, the early days of the Commodore 64 and Sinclair Spectrum. And since then I’ve constantly managed to straddle the line between with-it teccie and old school hack, mostly coming out on the side of the latter.

People assume that, because I run a big website that’s updated several times a day, I’m a programming geek, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. My teenage son can grasp in seconds things that I’m struggling to keep up with, but it’s necessary because beer, like many other areas of life today, is heavily tech reliant.

I’m speaking here from the point of view of the writer or reviewer, although in the bigger brewhouses you’ll find lots of computer control these days, nailing exact temperatures and brew times, offering pinpoint accuracy as to when ingredients need to be added.

In my world, though, online media is king.

There was a time, when I first got interested in beer, that my Pocket Beer Guide by beer writing legend Michael Jackson, was my bible, my fundamental guide to all things beer.

I still carry it with me, and still find it useful (if you don’t have one, it is well worth looking out for a copy in a second-hand book shop or on the web).

But for up-to-date research in a beer world that is changing every hour of every day, online is where the action is.

There is no shortage of information on brewers

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and beers from all over the world. Ratebeer (www.ratebeer.com) provides probably the biggest online resource for beer information, relying on user-generated content, as does Untappd (untapped.com) which has more of a social media feel about it – you can toast friends’ check-ins ‘n all that.

If you’re a member of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) you have access to a national database called What Pub? (whatpub.com) which offers information on local pubs, whether or not they are fine ale-dispensing houses.

These are the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds more beer-related websites and blogs out there where you can take in a mind-boggling amount of information about brewers and beers, but they all come with the same warning: a lot of this ‘information’ is, in fact, opinion. My ‘mustsee pub’ could be your ‘must-avoid dive’. Thereby lies the danger of the net and the beauty of a volume by an authority like, these days, Roger Protz or Adrian Tierney-Jones, in guiding one through this morass of prose.

I’m hooked for the social side. I like following what fellow drinkers and the brewers are up to, and I find the net convenient, too, living as I do right down the pointy end of the Westcountry.

Of course, nothing beats a pint and a put-theworld-to-rights natter in my local, but as long as one doesn’t get too obsessive, I like being ‘wired’ too.

Darren Norbury is editor of beertoday.co.uk @beertoday

BREWER TO THE RESCUE Dartmoor Brewery has donated £500 to the Dartmoor Rescue Group. The money is going towards a new GPS communication radio and location beacon, particularly useful during the winter months.

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22/12/2014 13:30:48

Living MOTORS

Golf GTI MKVII

Car guru Scott Squires takes the newest Golf GTI out for a spin, to see if it is as good as they say...

ack in 1973 VW test engineer Alfons So how does the MK7 compare with the Loewenberg had an idea to create competition? a sporty version of the company’s From the outside, you would be hard pushed to new family hatchback. At first tell the GTI apart from a standard Golf. But if you people thought it was a crazy idea, look closely you will see the red stripe through but he soon found support from the head of the the grill, the lower stance and the twin exhaust PR department. An official assignment was sent round the back. But as always, VW has, unlike its to the R&D department to create rivals, gone with the understated the ‘Sportgolf’ as it was known. look for the GTI. After a few prototypes were On the inside you have 40 years rejected, the team members of evolution. I’m pretty sure I Since then, the finally hit the nail on the head, could get in the GTI blindfolded competition has and in 1975 the GTI was born. and know where all the buttons In the 38 years since, 1.7 million are. got tough with GTIs have been sold around the As standard with the GTI you the likes of the world. get; Composition media system Ford Focus ST, The GTI has always been up (5.8 inch touch screen), Bluetooth, on a pedestal for all other hot sat nav, multifunctional steering so how does the hatches to be compared with, wheel, parking sensors front and MK7 compare? and for the first few versions rear, Bi-xenon headlights with (MK1, MK2 and MK3) no one LED daytime lights and 2Zone could touch it. climate control.

Then VW dropped the ball with the MK4, but it There are a few touches on the inside that hark saw the errors of its ways and the MK5 and MK6 back to the original GTI, such as the Jacara cloth were back on form. Since then the competition seats or (as my other half said) “What’s with the has got tough with the likes of the Ford Focus ST tartan seats?” and the pitted gear knob which and the Renault Sport Megane 265. looks like a golf ball.

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A neat little touch on the inside is the magic little bar across the bottom of the screen that senses your hand and brings up menus or makes buttons larger on the touch screen. It’s a simple thing but makes a big difference.

I must also give a shout out to the person who designed the seats. They are some of the comfiest, best supporting ones I’ve sat in.

For the first time VW has made an upgrade package for the GTI in the form of a performance pack, which adds 10-horsepower and gives you a trick differential on the front. This has probably been done to keep up with the likes of the Megane and Focus ST. Drive the GTI around town and it’s no different to driving any other Golf. The optional Adaptive Chassis Control does a great job when set to normal of keeping the ride fairly smooth, but still has enough stiffness in the suspension to maintain good body control.

Switch it into Sport and everything becomes a lot firmer and the car feels like it on rails, while the ride is still usable every day. Can’t say that about other hot hatches.

Take the GTI out of town and on to some twisty roads, throw it at a few bends and the GTI will flow through them like the Tamar flows between

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22/12/2014 13:25:54

gadget notebook 4 January 2015

HI TECH: gadgets for kids on the go Get them off the computer and into to the great outdoors with these fun wheels

Fast and furious Part sit-on scooter, part mountainboard, and a little part sledge, this is all things to all 7-12 year olds; it has pneumatic tyres, adjustable seat back and (more for the parents) easily fits in the boot of a car. Another bonus for mum and dad is that the ride arrives part pre-assembled so there’ll be no messing about trying to unearth spare parts. Just load ‘em up and watch them go.

ATC Classic All Terrain Kart £149.99 from allterrainkart.co.uk

Devon and Cornwall. The GTI always feels composed. There is never a hint of torque steer even when you ask for full power out of a hairpin bend.

The steering is absolutely sublime – giving you full confidence about where you are placing the car. The engine seems to have been tuned for usability rather than outright speed – no matter what speed or gear you are in – you can just flex your right toe and the engine duly responds, and the speed just builds relentlessly.

So nearly 40 years on from the original has VW made a car worthy to wear the hallowed GTI badge? If I had to answer truly, I would say: Yes and no!

The problem is that the MK7 GTI is such a capable car, that you never really feel like you are on the limit. Driving it seems just all a bit too easy and safe.

Don’t get me wrong, this is a very, very good car. But I still think they could have made it a bit more edgy.

But on the other hand, this is a fast car you can live with every day, drive around town and use in every sort of situation. And wasn’t that always the point of the original GTI?

At a glance Engine: 2.0 litre 217 bhp 0-62 mph: 6.5 seconds Max speed: 152mph CO2 (g/km): 139g/km Combined mpg: 47.1mpg Price: £26,130-27,750

Steady on There’s no dispute that the best way to teach a kid how to ride on their own two wheels is through the balance bike method. This metal bike has a lightweight frame, drum brake and is suitable from 18 months. It’s the perfect starter bike to help little ones build confidence before moving on to the real pedalling variety.

Red Super Junior Max balance bike £74.99 from kiddimoto.co.uk

Mini me This shrunken ride has ignition and engine sounds, a horn, working lights and speaker for MP3 music. Its six-volt battery propels kids forward either at their own control or, flicked into parental power, grown-ups can remotely control the car too. Flying Gadgets Bentley Ride-on £359 from harrods.com

Carry on The original Micro Scooter has recently added this new product.

It’s a standalone ride, a place to carry your rucksack or a trolley bag.

4in1 Luggage Scooter £164.95 from microscooters.co.uk

Hybrid ride This scooter and skateboard combination comes from California. The Sbyke is fun and a real head-turner.

SByke P20 - £149.95 from sbykeuk.co.uk

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22/12/2014 13:26:28

My life

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man and boy

Better times?

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Phil Goodwin, dad of James, four, has hopes for 2015 am not one for New Year resolutions. Pledges hatched in drink or solemn vows sworn in the guilty aftermath of excess seem doomed to failure. Like the fleeting dedication of a January gym goer, such promises will be lucky to see the light of Valentine’s Day. But as the year turns, so too does the mind toward the months ahead in anticipation and, dare I say, hope of better things to come. Setting aside the obvious desire for health and continued employment, I would like to send out an appeal to the Almighty – a prayer to the Great Architect – for 2015. The request concerns two very different but currently troubled institutions: Liverpool Football Club and Russia.

Cast your mind back a year: The Reds were sat proudly at the top of the Premier League and still in possession of the luxuriously talented striker and occasional biter of men, Luis Suàrez. Throughout a heady spring, I followed perhaps the most audacious and improbable tilt at the title since Kevin Keegan led Newcastle to within a whisker of glory back in the 1990s. That it ended in misery matters little.

Life is for the living, not the looking back - it was wonderful while it lasted.

Over in the Russian city of Sochi – birthplace of my dear wife and our annual summer destination – the final touches were being applied to a $50 billion Winter Olympic Games. Hosting the festival of ice and snow in the sub-tropical Black Sea resort may have seemed as unlikely as Liverpool’s crazy run, but host it they did.

And, aside from a failing light bulb in a snowflake display – even that was turned into a positive when the organisers revealed a sense of humour and simulated a repeat fault – the

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event was a resounding success.

Maybe, just maybe, I thought, this could help open the country up to the world. Perhaps there would one day be direct flights, an end to visas…

And then: Putin invaded Ukraine, annexed

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Like the fleeting January gym goer, such promises will be lucky to last until Valentine’s Day

Crimea and appeared to stick two fingers up to the world.

When we arrived in Sochi in August the swish Siemens trains imported from Germany were still gliding along the new line up to the ski resort in the mountains. The slick new roads had all but made traffic jams a thing of the past. The place had been transformed from Turkey to Switzerland in five years.

Just a few weeks ago – in the wake of economic sanctions – came the grim announcement that the trains had been removed and services scrapped. Food prices are soaring as the rouble plummets: this is no joke for my inlaws, who are staring down the barrel of the third major economic collapse in 15 years. It is not nice. You go to bed with savings and wake up with the price of a bar of chocolate.

Given the deadly seriousness of the Russian problem, you may say it is trite, even insensitive, to speak in the same breath about Liverpool’s stumble back into mid-table mediocrity.

I would disagree.

Slings and arrows come in all sizes.

And anyway, once you cut through the complexities there is a connection. To my mind, both situations boil down to the concentration of too much power in the hands of one man.

Vladimir Putin seems entirely without effective criticism in the Kremlin. And Brendan Rogers appears virtually unchallenged in what used to be called the Boot Room.

I hesitate to call for regime change in Moscow or Anfield – revolutions, as we know, can be messy – but I would voice one hope for the year: that the gusty winds of change blow strongly down the corridors of both mighty halls. And that those perched on their respective thrones might unplug their ears and start dancing to a different tune.

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22/12/2014 13:17:19

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