27.02.16
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bold home trends to try
Peter in Plymouth ‘It’s where I met the love of my life’
INSIDE: + JOSS STONE + SPRING FASHION
PLUS: + WIN CORNISH
DELI TREATS
MOTHER’S DAY SPECIAL: + fresh-cut flowers + beauty gifts + days
out to remember
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Green Credentials
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‘The children would fill a vase with daffodils and proudly deliver it while I was enjoying a Mother’s Day lie-in’
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TO BOLDLY GO... New decor directions for your home
Anne Swithinbank on the best flowers for Mothering Sunday, p26
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SPRING FLINGS Brighten up your March wardrobe
THE SWEETEST TREATS Our Mother’s Day gift guide
[contents[ Inside this week... 8
STEAL HER STYLE Kate Middleton’s cool blues
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JUST BETWEEN US... Sh! We have the latest gossip!
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MEET PETER ANDRE Life, love and wife number two
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28
MUM’S THE WORD Beauty goodies she’ll adore
ON MOTHER’S DAY Great ideas for gorgeous gifts
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CHOOSE YOUR HUES The latest interiors trends
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ANNE SWITHINBANK
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FRESH GREENS Foraging recipes to try now
Delightful daffodils for Mothering Sunday
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BEAUTY WITH ABBIE BRAY Pampering made simple
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SPRING FLINGS Fresh colours for your wardrobe
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CULTURE VULTURE What’s on and where to go
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BOOST YOUR WELLBEING Great ways to feel your best this week
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FORAGING FOR FUN Tim Maddams scours the hedgerows
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BEYOND THE GRAVY Chris McGuire on carvery etiquette
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STEP TO IT!
Julia Bradbury’s workout tips
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A very live performance Wander around the streets of Exeter right now and you’re quite likely to run into the film star Nick Moran, who is currently in the city performing in an exciting new production of Harold Pinter’s Betrayal at the Northcott Theatre. The Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels star tells us what drew him to the city
Younger fans will recognise him as the menBy Catherine Barnes acing Scabior in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, while he had to work hard to maine’re filming a digital trailer for tain a straight face as gangster Reg Towler in the play in a bit,” says Nick James Corden and Matthew Baynton’s hilariMoran, laughing at the irony. ous BBC comedy, The Wrong Mans. “But you can’t get any less digital Corden and Baynton met on the set of Telthan theatre. star: The Joe Meek story, the rather brilliant “I’m a self-confessed digiphobe,” he adds 2008 film which Nick co-wrote, directed and with endearing candour, plonking an object even played guitar on. They returned the on the coffee table that apparently came out favour by writing him the part. Interestingly, of the ark somewhere between the raven and it’s another rather similar favour that has led the dove. Nick to take to the stage at Exeter’s Northcott “This is my phone. I’m an analogue warrior. Theatre in Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, which With this device, I can actually talk to people he’s rehearsing when we meet. who are not in the room. It’s like magic.” The much anticipated play – co-starring And hello to you, too, Mr Moran. Talking a actors Simon Merrells and Sarah-Jane Potts mile a minute, charmingly down-to-earth and – opened on Thursday and runs until March 5. laugh-out-loud funny, in real life the actor is It marks the directorial debut of Nick’s friend a far cry from the villains he’s portrayed on Paul Jepson, who also runs the theatre itself, film. as its artistic and executive director. They Guy Ritchie’s 1998 movie Lock, Stock and first worked together, Nick explains, when Two Smoking Barrels propelled Nick to inter- Paul brought Telstar to the stage. national fame. Incidentally, he and the former Nick believes that Betrayal - the theatre’s Mr Madonna now live next door to each other first home-grown new production for six years in London, reveals Nick, and tend to shoot the - marks the beginning of an exciting new era breeze about about bin days and Neighbourfor theatre in Exeter and the wider Westcounhood Watch. try. “We’re all doing this for our love of Paul,”
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PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE HAYWOOD
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PETE IN PLYMOUTH
Love, life and wife No. 2
[ welcome [
Interview
NICK MORAN
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A time to pamper - or be pampered... hether you are choosing a treat for your mum or hoping to be made a fuss of yourself, Mothering Sunday is a day that looms high on most people’s agendas round about now. So hello and welcome to our Mother’s Day special issue, packed with gorgeous and unusual ideas for gifts and extraspecial Westcountry days out come March 6. Yes, Mother’s Day really is next weekend, folks! As well as the lovely treats - everything from luxury spas to five-course meals - this edition of West is a little bit of fun me-time for us all right now. We’ve got an exclusive interview with the
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of the week @ExeterNorthcott Brilliant interview with Nick Moran, one of our #Betrayal stars, in today’s @WMNWest @WMNNews! TO ADVERTISE: Contact Lynne Potter: 01752 293027 or 07834 568283, lynne.potter@dc-media.co.uk
adorable Peter Andre on page 12, in which our intrepid writer Dawn Ellis gets the lowdown on why Peter married in Devon, and his romantic attachment to the Plymouth Pavilions. Clue: believe it or not, it’s a specail place for him and his new wife Emily. Oh, and you can hear all about his plans for his new show in Plymouth next month, too. Finally, if your idea of a great Westcountry day out is a trip to the local pub for a slap-up Sunday roast, do read Chris McGuire’s hilarious take on carvery etiquette (Beyond The Gravy, p46) today. It made all of us here in the West office laugh, a lot. Thank you Chris!
Yes, Mother’s Day really is next weekend, folks!
[
Becky Sheaves, Editor
EDITORIAL: westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk Tel: 01392 442250 Twitter @wmnwest
MEET THE TEAM Becky Sheaves, Editor
Sarah Pitt
Kathryn Clarke-McLeod
Catherine Barnes
Lynne Potter
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If you buy one thing this week... Check out these delicious relishes made by Sarah Stanton-Nadin of Sarah & Finn’s in her kitchen overlooking Gwynver beach in the far west of Cornwall. Sarah, whose business is named after her son Finn, started off selling her condiments in the beach car park, and many foodie awards later, she still makes every batch by hand. See www.sarahandfinns.com for stockists.
Win
We have two sets of five Sarah & Finn’s relishes to give away, worth £20. For your chance to win, tell us which beach Sarah lives beside. Email ‘Sarah & Finn’s competition’ with your full contact details, including postal address, to westmag@ westernmorningnews.co.uk by March 15. Normal terms apply, West magazine will not share your details.
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Gie-El glass pendant lamp £87 en.dawanda. com
CLASSY Artemis Design antique iron and glass table £838 4Living.co.uk
the
wishlist
GEMS Pearl flower earrings £49.95 www. annabeljames.co.uk
West’s top picks for Mother’s Day treats (it’s March 6!)
STREET STYLE STAR
Jodie Kelly Nurse Jodie Kelly caught our eye at Plymouth’s Drake Circus shopping centre, in this stylish powder blue belted coat, teamed with a rather fabulous shoulder bag. She says: “I like a classic look with a twist.” And doesn’t she know how to wear it? Coat: Marks & Spencer Dress: Primark Bag: House of Fraser Boots: House of Fraser
TEMPTING Treat your mum to elegant afternoon tea with this Regency cake stand £35 www..tch.net
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Wishlist
CHIC FEET Ankle-strap flats £25
Elegant Romance body oil £36 from Devon-based www. lolasapothecary.com
La Redoute
Grace Blanc clutch £60 from Topsham’s www.rarepear.co.uk
STORE WE ADORE:
Inside Out Finding a Mother’s Day gift for your stylish mum just got easier with this fabulous emporium. We love the relaxed boho glamour of Danish Pilgrim jewellery and the funky bags from Irish designer Orla Kiely and lesser-known
PRETTY – and very reasonably priced – designs from Nicky James and Sophie & Matt. Inside Out, 85 West Street, Tavistock, and 1 Bampfylde Lane, Princesshay, Exeter, www.gottohaveit.co.uk
Glass bottles £4.95 each www. livelaughlove.co.uk
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talking points Gillian Molesworth
Story of my life... I love to cook the way my mother did hen my mother died, we searched through albums to find a picture to go with her obituary. My father found a photo of her that featured in Greenwich Magazine. It was to accompany an article on American women who had travelled to Europe to take cooking courses. Some had studied at the Cordon Bleu, others could I learned the value of her “keep make authentic wiener schnitzel it simple” mantra the hard way, or sauerkraut. My mother could by getting thoroughly over-excitmake pasta. ed on the first few dinner parties The picture shows her in her I threw at university. The first kitchen, cutting up peppers, was a complicated casserole that flanked by a glass bottle of olive took up the whole day, leaving me oil, an aubergine and some garlic. tired and, it has to be said, resentShe is wearing a black top and a ful by the time the guests showed white apron, and is smiling up at up. The second was a Mexican the camera. The vegetables are evening in which my friend and arranged on the counter like a I spent the entire evening in the still life painting. kitchen, unable to In fact art was sit down or chat her first passion, with guests. though she also My family now loved to cook. joke that the better I really miss She instilled I like the guests, being able to pick all of her four the more basic the up the phone children with food is – because I’d a love of good rather spend time and ask my healthy food, with them than in mum cooking simply prepared the kitchen. and artistically I really miss questions displayed. being able to pick up “Taste is the phone and ask important, but so my mum cooking is presentation,” questions, like: Can she told me. “Always make sure I make a pavlova with only three you have different colours on the eggs? Are you supposed to braise plate, even if it’s just a garnish. It or stew a brisket? Why is my makes the food more exciting.” lasagne runny? What’s an easy The pasta course was right up brunch bake for a crowd? her street, because Italians don’t I have a copy of the magazine muck around with food too much. picture now hanging in the kitchThe emphasis is on good ingredien, next to one of my mum’s still ents. If you’ve got beautiful ripe life paintings – coincidentally, of tomatoes, you don’t have to do an aubergine and peppers. She is much to them. Bit of fresh basil, my food hero and I will remembit of salt, good quality olive oil ber her teachings: keep it fresh, and handmade pasta, Bob’s your keep it simple. That way you can uncle. keep the joy of cooking.
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Gillian Molesworth is a journalist and mum-of-two who grew up in the USA and moved to north Cornwall when she met her husband
ELEGANT
day wear by Ellie Jones
Style icon Kate Middleton looked her usual elegant self when she partnered her Emilia Wickstead dress with high-street accessories on a recent Royal visit. The Duchess has certainly got her money’s worth from this pretty teal ensemble, which she’s been spotted wearing several times before. Here, Kate is wisely allowing her dress to do the talking by teaming it with classic black accessories. Here are our suggestions to make like Kate - without the royal price tag.
OPTION A Sassy
Cocktail dress £159 Pretty Eccentric
steal her
style
OR MAKE IT YOUR OWN Classic clutch £75 Dune
+ OPTION B Fluted
Black courts £19 Zalando
Flippy skirt £155 Related
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27.02.16
Just
ZOE STAYS
between us
COOL
Gossip, news, trend setters and more – you
Zoe Ball has said a silly moment at the works Christmas party has inspired her husband, DJ Norman to devise his own epitaph. Zoe, the Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two host, was snapped locking lips with a 22-year-old at an after-show party. But Zoe, 45, said instead of causing friction in their 17 year marriage, the pair – who have two children – laughed
it off. She said: “He has always said he wants his gravestone to read: “Norman was a very patient man.” And that sums it up really! “We have a good understanding of each other. We’re both pretty down-to-earth and the reasons I fell in love with him and we found each other in the first place are still there.”
[[ ‘Drinking was a coping mechanism for me’
THE BEST IS YET TO COME Calum Best has credited the love of his mum Angie for getting him back on the straight and narrow after he turned to alcohol when his father died. Calum, the son of football legend George Best, revealed on TV’s Loose Women recently that he “went drinking for a good three to four years” following George’s death in 2005. “It may sound weak to some, but it was my coping mechanism. I’m on a really healthy path [now], which is really good for me.”
heard all the latest juicy stuff here first!
!
NEW ROLE ROCKS She has graced the big screen in the Westcountry period drama Far From the Madding Crowd, alongside famous Devon resident Carey Mulligan, but now actress Juno Temple has swapped corsets for catsuits in her latest role. The Somerset-born actress stars in Vinyl, Martin Scorsese’s new Seventies-set TV series about the rock music industry, which is produced by none other than Rolling Stone Mick Jagger. “It’s the closest to real life I’ve felt about a part,” she says. “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. I’m living my ultimate fantasy.” Does that include her raunchy love scene with Mick’s son James Jagger, we wonder?
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Tuneful: Shannah Russell, 13, and Chris Fowell, 16, are starrring in musical Oklahoma with the DJR School of Performing Arts in Plymouth
in pictures Woof: Sarah Petherick had her first customer at Diva Dogs grooming parlour in Exeter
Munch club: Pals sample the cupcakes at a pop up cafe fundraiser at Heavitree Pleasure Ground, Exeter Disguise: Bug mask-making was fun at RHS Rosemoor in north Devon
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talking points Neigh
Elementary
ONE OF US Famous faces with links to the Westcountry
10 pony breeds eligible to enter in a Mountain and Moorland showing class
1 Shetland 2 Exmoor 3 Dartmoor 4 Welsh 5 Kerry bog pony 6 Connemara 7 Highland 8 Dales 9 Fell 10 New Forest
10 actors who played Holmes
This week:
1 Basil Rathbone 2 Jeremy Brett 3 Robert Downey Jr 4 Ian McKellen 5 Jonny Lee Miller 6 Rupert Everett 7 Benedict Cumberbatch 8 Michael Caine 9 Larry Hagman 10 Peter Cook
Joss Stone
The happy list
Titled
10 women’s names in fiction:
10 things to make you smile this week
1 Rebecca (Daphne du
1 Crocuses spring’s on the
Maurier)
2 Emma (Charlotte Bronte) 3 Carrie (Stephen King) 4 Pamela (Samuel Richardson)
5 Justine (Marquis de Sade) 6 Imogen (Jilly Cooper) 7 Lolita (Vladimir Nabokov) 8 Marnie (Winston Graham) 9 Belinda (Maria Edgeworth) 10 Vera (Elizabeth von Arnim)
way
2 3 4 5 6
Sunshine and fresh air Tea and cake very British Feb 29 leap year proposals Log fires still cold enough Fab hats made by Rivka Jacobs in Exeter
7 Friendly cats on the prowl 8 Friends better than therapy 9 Exploring the coast it’s on our doorstep
10 Lazy lie-ins after all, it is the
The soul singer grew up in mid Devon, where she still has a home today Born with it: Joss Stone, 28, has been Too cool for school: Joss left school “obsessed” with soul music since at 16 having only achieved three she was a child, growing up listening GCSEs. “It wasn’t that I was stupid,” to her mum Wendy’s records. She she has said. “I’m just a little bit decided to pursue a dyslexic and I wasn’t career in music at the very academic. I’m age of 13. By the time more artistic.” she was 15, the superDID YOU KNOW? talented songstress Attack: In 2011 two Joss Stone is had a record deal with men from Manchester EMI. were arrested near her the singer’s home and later jailed stage name. Career: Joss shot for conspiracy to rob She was born to fame in 2003 and murder the singer. Joscelyn Eve following the release of her multi-platinum Mama Stone: Joss’s Stoker debut album, The mum Wendy ran a Soul Sessions, which live music venue in was shortlisted for the Exeter with her second 2004 Mercury Prize. She has since husband for a number of years. Sadly, gone on to sell over 12 million albums in March last year, Mama Stone’s worldwide, and had four consecutive closed its doors for the last time after albums make the top ten in America’s it fell victim to the credit crunch. Billboard 100. She also has two Brit Awards and one Grammy under her Free spirit: Hippie Joss always belt. performs on stage barefoot. She says of her music: “I don’t make music Devon: Joss was raised in a village to try and have a hit record. I sing named Ashill near Cullompton because I have to, I feel empty if I in mid Devon. She attended the don’t do it.” local comprehensive, Uffculme School. Home is still the same rural Wealth: In 2011, Joss was estimated farmhouse she grew up, which she to be worth £11 million. bought from her parents. By Ellie Jones
weekend... 11
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Interview
Hello,
MYSTERIO Mr Andre
The Westcountry has special associations for Peter Andre, who met his wife Emily in the very venue where he’ll be performing next weekend. Dawn Ellis chats to the pop star and TV presenter ahead of his trip to the Westcountry
By Dawn Ellis
op star and TV presenter Peter Andre is soon to be in the Westcountry, playing a live show at the Plymouth Pavilions in March. But there is even better news for Peter’s fans in the region – he tells me that, eventually, he would like to move house and live in the Westcountry with his family. His wife, Emily MacDonagh, grew up near Taunton in Somerset and Peter says they are “always coming down” to the area. “It’s a great part of the world,” he says. “We love it. We’re thinking of eventually moving
P
down that way, to be honest.” The couple famously tied the knot in Devon last year, with a ceremony at the Grade I listed Georgian mansion Mamhead House, near Exeter, last summer. “It’s a wonderful place to get married,” he says. “The whole day was so special. It was such a beautiful location there and such amazing memories to cherish.” Emily and Peter, who now have a two-year-old daughter Amelia, have yet another Westcountry link. They met at one of Peter’s previous gigs, at Plymouth Pavilions back in 2010, under rather dramatic circumstances. When he was on tour in the South West, Peter was rushed to hospital with kidney stones and had
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OUS
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Interview
to have emergency surgery. His surgeon (whom he now calls his “hero”) was none other than Emily’s father Ruaraidh. “He found out that my kidney had got infected,” he explains. “As a thank you, I gave him tickets to one of my shows and Emily and her mum turned up in Plymouth. The next thing is I’m friends with the family. Two years later we went on our first date and now we’re married. “I’m a great believer in fate – it’s strange how things happen in life. I’m a bit of a destiny believer.” The singer will return to the city on his latest tour, when he’ll play to his faithful fans at Plymouth Pavilions on March 12.
“I think it will be a very poignant night in Plymouth and I hope Emily can make it,” he said. The English-born singer, who grew up in Australia, has enjoyed hits with the likes of Mysterious Girl and Behind Closed Doors. More recently, he released a swing album Come Fly With Me and is now focusing attention on his Peter Andre Live 2016 show, which will, he says, be high energy and will include all his hits - and more. “There’s going to be something for everyone on this tour,” he says. “There will be some swing, but there will also be soul, blues and funk. We also have such an incredible band and we’ve added more to the brass
section to give it more of a funk sound. “We’ll throw in some old classics as well, with some Queen and Prince. “We’ll have a cracking night. Come down, you won’t sit down for a minute as it’s such a feelgood show with lots of great classics and genres.” Peter has also recently been on our TV screens shimmying his way across the dance floor on Strictly Come Dancing. He came seventh on the series and says he loved the whole experience. “I’m just so happy that I had the chance to do a show like that and learn new techniques and made friends with so many new people. I’ll never forget the experience,” he says. “I think some of that fancy footwork
‘I’m a great believer in fate - it’s strange how things happen in life’
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A life in showbiz
Highs and lows of Peter Andre’s career Family: The youngest of five children from a Greek Cypriot family, Peter was raised in north London until the family emigrated to Australia, where his parents still live. He is close to his family, but tragically lost his older brother Andrew, a restaurateur, to cancer in 2012. Early days: Back in his teenage years, Peter secured his first recording contract while living with his family in Australia.
With wife Emily
TV shows on ITV2 until their divorce in 2009, which was also played out in the public eye.
With ex, Katie Price
will be seen on stage on my tour.” Incredibly, he is celebrating 20 years since his hit Mysterious Girl was first released. Today, Peter’s career is looking stronger than ever. He has presented the TV show 60 Minute Makeover, and is starting a chain of coffee shops with his brothers – they have one coffee shop in East Grinstead now and previously ran another in Brighton. Peter says he is always looking for new ventures and challenges. “I’m looking at opening a chain of restaurants. I want to merge my chain of coffee shops to restaurants,” he says. “I’m looking forward and ahead. “I think there will come a time where I just want to chill out, but I want to build a business like the restaurant business as there will come a time that I can step away from the music industry and do something different. It’s all for family at the end of the day.” But Peter says that, whatever the future holds, he won’t be giving up performing any day soon: “Music will always run through my veins and be at the heart of everything I do,” he tells me. Though we are still holding out for a Peter Andre-run café near us, too! For tickets visit www.plymouthpavilions.com
Marriage: Peter appeared alongside glamour model Katie Price (aka Jordan) in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here in 2004. The couple got together on the show, and married the following year. Peter became stepfather to Katie’s son Harvey with footballer Dwight Yorke and they went on to have two children, Junior and Princess Tiaamii. Reality: Peter and Katie’s everyday lives featured in numerous reality
Live: Peter on stage Happiness: These days, Peter prefers not to speak about Katie, in contrast to their very public spats in the past. He has found happiness with new wife Emily MacDonagh, a doctor from Somerset, and they have a daughter called Amelia.
Peter and Emily wed at Mamhead in Devon
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Enjoy
Indulge your mum at the Gaia Spa in Plympton’s Boringdon Hall Hotel
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Mama mia! You know you want to spoil her, but just where would be special enough for your mum on Mother’s Day? Catherine Barnes has a few ideas...
fave!
Four hands massage and tea at Boringdon Hall Hotel’s Gaia Spa
Book ahead for this multimillion pound country house hotel spa near Plymouth, set to open in April. Treat mum to a day package including treatment and afternoon tea with champagne (from £95 per person), or choose from Gaia Spa’s fabulously indulgent range of signature therapies, including its 90-minute Four Hands Massage (£250) or rejuvenating Jade Facial (£90). Gift vouchers are already available to buy at www.gaiaboringdon.co.uk 17
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Enjoy In good taste Treat her to the seven-course taster menu (£58 per person) at the fabulous Glazebrook House Hotel in South Brent on the edge of Dartmoor. Inspired by Carroll’s Alice, the luxury rooms are a decadent Wonderland – push the boat out with a night’s stay and she’ll love you all the more for it. www.glazebrookhouse.com
Feast in Wonderland at Glazebrook House
Relive the Railway Children Channel the spirit of Cornish resident Jenny Agutter’s most heart-warming role, Bobby in the Railway Children, by treating Mother to a cream tea and a jaunt on steam engine along a picturesque line. We’re spoiled for choice in our part of the world: The South Devon Railway’s luxury dining train departs Buckfastleigh on its Mother’s Day run at 4pm next Sunday (booking essential, at www. southdevonrailway.co.uk). Or hop aboard the Bodmin & Wenford’s Cornwall Belle, which sets off from Bodmin at 2pm on Mother’s Day, the first of its scheduled Steam & Cream Tea trains this year (£18.50 per person). Book at www.bodminrailway.co.uk.
Family Tree There’s always something special in bloom at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Devon garden, Rosemoor at Torrington. This Mother’s Day, a carvery lunch is on offer at its Garden Kitchen Restaurant and you’ll also find professional photographer Jayne Poole in a pop-up studio, where she’ll be taking portraits of mums and their families by request, to mark this special day. There is also be an Antiques & Collectables Fair happening and Stretegate Camellias will be on site discussing how to get the best out of your blooms. See www.rhs.org.uk/ gardens/rosemoor
Surprise! All mums can expect a surprise gift when you treat them to a three-course lunch or afternoon tea in the Wildflower Restaurant at the Moorland Garden Hotel in Yelverton, on March 6. Lunch sittings take place between midday and 2pm (£23.95 per adult and £14.50 per child), with tea from 3.30pm to 5.30pm (£16.95 per adult and £9.95 per child). www.moorlandgardenhotel.co.uk 18
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Say it with flowers
Mum’s best friend?
A bouquet of flowers is part of the Hartnoll Hotel’s special Mothering Sunday menu. This lovely boutique hotel near Tiverton’s threecourse lunch (£29.50 per person) is being served between midday and 3pm. Request the flowers for the special lady in your life when you book in advance. www.hartnollhotel.co.uk
Buy her a cake at the outdoor market being held at Blackpool Sands to coincide with Dartmouth’s Celebration of Dogs fiesta on March 6. Put your own pooch through its paces (there are even prizes for the best doggie and owner fancy dress) and enjoy the atmosphere at this fun day (10am until 4pm) as a family.
fave!
Sweet things Mums with a sweet tooth will love a lunch including old-school puddings with a contemporary twist, at The New Yard Restaurant at Trelowarren, near Helston. Choose two courses for £18.95 or three for £23.95 and from spotted dick (with crème anglaise), vanilla rice pudding (with orange and pomegranate) or a chocolate and pistachio ice cream sandwich from the dessert menu. See newyardrestaurant.co.uk
Surf’s up Bring out her inner daredevil: book a £40 surfing lesson or coasteering session at Croyde Surf Academy on Mother’s Day and bring your mum along for free! We think it’s one of the most unusual ways to work up an appetite for a slap-up lunch or tea on Mothering Sunday. www.croydesurfacademy.com
High Tea at Langdon Court Noteable women including Elizabeth I, Catherine Parr and Lillie Langtry have stayed at beautiful Langdon Court, a gorgeous manor house turned boutique hotel and restaurant in Wembury, south Devon, which also has a picture-perfect garden. High tea here is a thing of delight: delicate sandwiches, dainty cakes and petit fours, scones and clotted cream - and it seems only right to opt for the sparkling version (£40 for two), which includes a glass of Prosecco. Book, or buy, a gift voucher at: www.langdoncourt.com
Follow in the footsteps of history’s famous ladies at Langdon Court
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Enjoy Sink into a comfy sofa by the fire at The Arundell Arms, Lifton
Country Delight Roaring fires, squashy button-back armchairs: you can’t get more traditional cosy country house hotel than The Arundell Arms in Lifton, which has an amazing one-off special offer to celebrate Mother’s Day. For just £99 for two, you’ll get a glass of bubbly and its five-course Taste of the West tasting menu for dinner, oh – and an overnight stay in a double or twin room, with a full English breakfast to set you up in the morning. www.arundellarms.com
Tiptoe through the tulips Mums (and grandmas) go free – and will be given a cupcake, too! – at the Eden Project on Mother’s Day, provided they are with at least one of their children or grandchildren. Treat her to lunch in the Mediterranean Biome, where you can also tiptoe through the tulips in bloom. www.edenproject.com
Wood-warmed bathing Treat mum – and yourself – to a mother and daughter spa package at Exeter’s fabulous Magdalen Chapter hotel. The package (£229 for two) includes a facial, back massage and choice of manicure or pedicure, a two-course lunch (or afternoon tea) plus a free gift. Bring a cossie, as there is an amazing woodburner-heated, steamy outdoor pool. This treat is only available Monday to Fridays; so if you want to spoil her on Sunday, go for the Twilight Affair package (£75 per person), which includes a 60-minute treatment and three-course meal. www.themagdalenchapter.com
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Wed
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eAT
Weddings
AtLangdon
SAT URDAY2APRI L E x pe r i e n c et h eu l t i ma t eSo u l n i g h twi t hat h r i l l i n gl i v es h o wa n dde di c a t e d di s c opl a y i n gt h eg r e a t e s tSo u l a n dMo t o wnh i t s ! E n j o yas u mpt u o u s3c o u r s edi n n e rwh i l s tbe i n gt r e a t e dt oas t u n n i n gs t a g es h o w f r o mn a t i o n a l l ya c c l a i me dpr o du c e r s , f o l l o we dbyadi s c oa n dda n c i n gu n t i l l a t e ! T h eSo u n do fSo u l Pa r t yNi g h twi l l f e a t u r et woh o u r so fs i z z l i n gs o u l mu s i cf r o mT h eSt a r sF r o m T h eCo mmi t me n t sat h r i l l i n gl i v ee x pe r i e n c et h a twi l l s t i ry o u rs o u l ! F e a t u r i n gc l a s s i cs o u l h i t s i n c l u di n g : Mu s t a n gSa l l y , Ch a i no fF o o l s , T a k eMet ot h eRi v e r , T r yaL i t t l eT e n de r n e s s , No wh e r e t oRu n , I nt h eMi dn i g h tHo u r , Ha r dt oHa n dl ea n dma n ymo r e .
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23/02/2016 13:20:00
Bolder beauty As this year’s decor trends head off in new directions, Gabrielle Fagan plots some routes for 2016’s fresh, bold looks
ecor never stands still. It takes new directions each year, which may be major departures or simply variations on a theme, but will have an impact on our homes nonetheless. Dramatic schemes look set rule the roost in 2016, so it might be time to bin the beige and make a statement by painting walls in rich, dark colours or investing in a few bold pieces of furniture. “This trend is all about not shying away from colour and it gives us an opportunity to inject some new life into our homes,” says interior stylist Kristen Grove. “There’s a huge misconception that dramatic colour makes a small space feel even tinier, but the reality is, it can make a room feel grander. However, natural light plays a huge part – there isn’t a lamp in the world that can light up a room like nature – so painting a room a dark colour with small windows is possible but risky. You don’t want to leave a space feeling depressed. “Get the balance right, and working dramatic style into a room can instantly add glamour and sophistication.” For a colour scheme, think deep Georgian blue, charcoal grey and berry red shades. Create areas of contrast to bring more drama into the room by teaming strong decor with bright white finishes. Abigail Ahern is a master of the moody setting, and her paint range is full of shades which are perfect for atmospheric rooms. Try her Madison Grey emulsion, £40 for 2.5 litres, from interiors company Rockett St George (www.rockettstgeorge.co.uk). Another trend heading our way this year is the
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Deep blues, pinks and purples are used to stunning effect in this bold scheme, featuring the Isla armchair £550 Sofa.com
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Interiors
Charlie bed frame, ÂŁ585 and bedside table, ÂŁ139, from Barker & Stonehouse 23
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Interiors
Interior designer Kelly Hoppen partners bronze with grey in this sitting room, www.kellyhoppen.com
geometric look. Geometric shapes, patterns and textures are perfect for a modern minimalistic makeover – just make sure you get your style sums right and avoid too many clashes. “The geometric trend is the perfect way to give your interior a contemporary look. This style can give rooms an illusion of space and add depth and interest,” says Robin Auld, head of marketing at Topps Tiles. “Try combining different colours and scales of one or, at most, two shapes, to keep the look fresh and to create a unique interior.” Layout is key when it comes to the geometric look. Make one piece in a geometric print, perhaps a wall or rug, a focal point. Hexagonals are this year’s favourite shape and graphic hexagonal tiles, in an unusual honeycomb pattern, can create an eye-catching floor or splashback, especially if teamed with a ‘Get the balance strong colour. right, and working Tiles are an ultra-effective way to embrace this trend and dramatic style Topps has an inspiring collecinto a room can tion, including the striking Hex“Vital ingredients are bright, instantly add agon Rustic Travertine Tiles, brilliant colours, teamed with £3.99 each (or £65.22 per square leaf patterns, animal and bird glamour and metre). Or you could get the prints, and just for fun, a few sophistication’ effect on your walls, with B&Q’s parrot or flamingo ornaments. Move Your Wall grey and cream It’s perfect for summer and geometric 3D diamond effect would work brilliantly in an wallpaper, which is £14 a roll. open-plan kitchen or living Bright tropical patterns are space which leads to a garden.” also all the rage this year. This trend offers sultry Team key colours – lime and jungle greens, patterns, jungle greenery and hot good looks – sea blues, burnt orange, sunshine yellow and hot time for a style samba. pinks – with white or warm wood tones, sleek “This is a flamboyant look that tastefully contemporary shapes and leaf and animal-patshouts fun and conjures up a setting which feels tern prints. gloriously drenched in sunshine,” says Tamara Or conjure up the clear waters of the CaribKelly, shopping editor at inspiration interiors bean with The Lido, paired with the deep peasite Housetohome.co.uk. cock blue-green of The Reading Room, two paints
[[
Hexagon rustic Travertine tiles, £3.99 each (£65.22 per square metre) from Topps Tiles work well with these deep blue of the kitchen units
from the Claypaint range, £15.75 for 750ml, from Earthborn Paints. You could also banish winter chills with a ‘rainforest’ feature wall, using tropical jungle green leaves and bird wallpaper, which is £12 a roll at B&Q. Another strong trend right now is for natural materials in contrasting tones and textures. “Try pale wood in grey, taupe, blonde or white, with a darker stone in flowing lines,” says design guru Kelly Hoppen. “The four ‘hot’ metals this year will be bronze, nickel, rose gold and beaten black metal. Wood, ceramic and stone are the most important elements in a home, as they’re a great starting point to build on. To be successfully ontrend, it’s essential to get the right balance of each.” All in all, 2016 could well be the start of an exciting new look for the nation’s homes.
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GET THE
LOOK
Add quirky interest with bold colours, geometric patterns and Rococo flourishes
Emmanuel chair £711 www. sweetpeaandwillow.com
Mariska Meijers Cubism cushion £169 Amara
Sparrow wallpaper £40 per square metre www.in-spaces.com
Kartel stone stool in chrome £212 Amara
Ornate Monaco mirror £215 www. ayresandgraces.com
Pimlico purple metro tiles £19.95 per square metre www.wallsandfloors.co.uk 25
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Gardens
ANNE SWITHINBANK
Golden gifts Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, is looking forward to a bunch of daffodils on Mothering Sunday arch is just around the corner, bringing with it Mothering Sunday, which puts me in mind of daffodils. We have many different varieties here in our garden, added by a succession of owners over the years. Left undisturbed, they’ve grown into good clumps which between them, bloom over a span of three to four months. When they were young, our children were taught to ask before they picked flowers and learnt how to go about it. They’d fill a vase with daffodils and proudly deliver it while I was enjoying a Mother’s Day lie-in. Wallowing about in bed eating a few pre-breakfast chocolates while breathing in the clean, spring-like fragrance of freshly picked narcissi is a treat I shall never forget. Daffodils grow well in the South West, echoed by thriving populations of the wild native sort (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) in damp woods, hedge banks and meadows. As a child, growing up where north Kent merges with south east London, we used to enjoy the sprinklings of yellow in Lesnes Abbey Wood, one of the closest daffodil colonies to London, so I’m glad they are here in east Devon too. My husband John and I introduced a few bulbs to a small meadow area in the garden where they look just right for the job. While tulips struggle to come back year after year in the damp, clay soil of our garden, daffodils have no problem. The mild winter saw some varieties bursting into bloom from verges and roundabouts during December and January, causing comment and concern that everything was about three months early. In fact some varieties have either been bred to bloom early (‘Rijnveld’s Early Sensation’
Than Mum k you, xxx
M
springs to mind) or respond like this to warm temperatures. Most are only a little ahead of themselves and our ‘February Gold’ were only a couple of weeks early. This is a useful daffodil because at 30cm/12in tall, they aren’t felled by February gales and even stood up to hurricane Imogen. While botanically, all daffodils are in the genus Narcissus, in garden parlance, we tend to refer to those with large trumpets as daffs and those (usually highly scented) kinds with shorter trumpets as narcissi. We’ve just come to the end of ‘Grand Soleil d’Or’ with yellow petals and bright orange cup and I’m looking forward to doubles ‘Cheerfulness’ and ‘Sir Winston Churchill’. Their perfume can be overpowering but one or two blooms added to a vase of other daffodils does the trick. In terms of garden design, I guess encouraging many clumps of different daffodils is frowned upon and accused of being ‘messy’ but I think they’re worth it for variety and long flowering season. Bunches of mixed varieties are great, so when choosing daffodils for your mother, look for different sorts and put them together. Easier still would be to order from a grower like Fentongollan Farm (01872 520209 www.flowerfarm.co.uk) near Truro. They produce mixed bunches according to season and you can add handmade chocolates to the gift. If your mother is a gardener, then the best present would be a catalogue bought from daffodil specialist and breeder R A Scamp of Falmouth (07826 067175 www.qualitydaffodils.co.uk) plus a sum to spend on ordering bulbs for delivery and planting in the autumn for blooms next spring and forever. Some varieties are expensive but that’s because they are uncommon and you are
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[[
not likely to see them anywhere else. There is so much choice, The children one starts to look, like a novice at the racecourse, at the names. would fill a vase You might be lucky to find somewith daffodils thing appropriate, say ‘Sharon’s and proudly Champagne’ (a lemon and white small-cupped daffodil), Jenny deliver it while (a white and pale lemon cyclaI was enjoying mineus type), ‘Poppy’s Choice’ a Mother’s Day (double orange-yellow) or for a Beatles fan, maybe ‘Abbey Road’ lie-in (white). Place names like ‘Polruan’ (a yellow jonquil) might be good, or just let one catch the eye - I liked jonquil ‘Oryx’ for its lemon and white flowers. Some of my favourites bloom in clumps under our apple trees and are like pale lemon versions of the old pheasant’s eye (Narcissus poeticus recurvus). These really are the flower of spring.
Question time with Anne West reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank We have a fan-trained peach against a sunny wall. I pruned it rather hard last year, it has regrown quite well but is sort of losing its shape and I’m not sure what to do next, or when.
Q
Peaches flower and fruit on wood produced in the previous year, so the most you’ll be doing soon is removing one or two stems from congested areas. Wait until a dry day in April when there will be less risk of the disease silver leaf entering wounds. Where two stems are competing for space, remove one and tie the other to the wire or cane. Later, there will be more new shoots than you can tie in and some will be pointing away from the wall, so reduce these to two leaves. When the peach has finished fruiting, look for healthy new stems to replace some of the old ones. Prune the old ones back to a healthy bud lower down and tie in the new. Avoid pruning after August, as from then to April the risk of silver leaf increases again.
Last year, at a plant fair I bought an exoticlooking busy lizzie with dark leaves. This has stood on a windowsill all winter but is now one bare stem 21cm/9in tall with leaves only at the tip. How can I make it grow and flower?
This week’s gardening tips Anne’s advice for your garden
• Don’t worry if occasionally some daffodils don’t produce flowers (known as blindness) or the buds of showy doubles turn brown and fail to develop (bud blast). Both can be caused by weather conditions (often a dry spring the previous year) and plants usually right themselves. Should problems persist lift, divide and replant congested clumps in spring and make
Q
For your impatiens to thrive in winter, it probably needed more warmth (15-21 C/6070 F). Plants can survive at 10 C/50 F but look as though they are struggling to stay alive. I suspect temperatures took a nose dive close to the window at night. Leave it where it is for now and wait for temperatures to rise and the plant to return to growth. When it does, make the tip into an 8cm/3in long cutting. Prune the stem of the mother plant back to 8cm/3in and hope it sprouts new shoots. Next year, overwinter a warmer room near but not right by a south facing window. Move to a shadier spot as the sun strengthens in spring.
sure bulbs are planted to twice their own depth. • Prune midseason clematis (flowering from May and June onwards) by trimming back to the topmost pair of fat buds. Prune late flowering kinds right back to just above the older wood. • Sow onions under glass, unless you intend to plant them from sets later on. Transplant seedlings at the ‘crookneck’ stage when still bent.
Sow broad beans under glass, setting them in modules or seed trays. Protect from mice (I cover them with a propagating case lid but so that air can still circulate from under the staging.)
Prune
Send your questions to Anne at westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk
roses, then weed around them, scatter rose fertilizer over their roots and spread well rotted compost or soil conditioner to their root area.
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Beauty
[[ Beauty treats make perfect Mother’s Day gifts and there are so many to choose from right now
Relax Lush Love Your Mum bath set £10.95 Soak in soothing rose and lavender with these gorgeous bath products.
Heaven scent Clarins Eau Dynamisante fragrance set £33 House of Fraser I adore this timeless classic scent that also tones and revitalises. This gift set comes with handy handbag sized spray, too.
Abbie’s
On a roll Aromatherapy Associates Relax and Revive Duo £18 Two roller-ball aromatherapy blends, Revive Morning and Deep Relax, make a cute present.
Get set Benefit B.Right skincare set (Debenhams £18) Snap up this limited edition six-piece set, showcasing Benefit’s new radiance boosting skincare range.
Beauty box Expert advice from beauty guru Abbie Bray of Newton Abbot With Mother’s Day around the corner (I can’t believe it is almost March already!) there is no better time to start thinking about gift ideas to pamper your mum on March 6. Or to leave about as hints, if you are a mum yourself! Mothering Sunday is the time to show mums just how much we love and appreciate everything they do. I think beauty treats make the perfect Mother’s Day gifts, as they are not fattening like chocolates and last so much longer than flowers. Here, I have done the hard work for you and selected some of the best gift ideas on the high street at the moment - and, without giving too much away, I know what I will be buying my mum this year! There are some lovely gift sets to choose from, so what are you waiting for?
Inspired Estee Lauder Modern Muse Le Rouge perfume (Boots £44) This floral, woody fragrance celebrates inspirational modern women - making it the perfect gift for Mother’s Day.
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22/02/2016 14:01:54
Winter Warmers at the Langstone Cliff Hotel Sunday 3rd January 2016 - Thursday 31st March 2016 (with the exception of the Easter Weekend 25th—28th March 2016 )
From just £78.00 per room per day for two people accommodation, full English breakfast and Dinner! Quite amazing value!
No shopping, no cooking, no washing up. Friendly, helpful, all local staff.Warm, clean, pleasing accommodation, constantly being up-dated (the newly refurbished entrance hall looks quite special). For full details of this amazing offer just scan the QR code or go to
http://www.langstone-hotel.co.uk/specialinterests/special-interest-winter-warmers.php Mount Pleasant Road ● Dawlish Warren ● Dawlish ● Devon ● EX7 0NA Telephone
01626 868000
Facsimile 01626 868000
Web: www.langstone-hotel.co.uk Ads.indd 1
23/02/2016 13:20:35
Snake bangle £10 Dorothy Perkins
Denim jump suit £120 Hilfiger Denim at www. zalando.co.uk
Mix it up pring is on its way to being sprung and this season’s new separates are giving us reason to be cheerful. While the weather is still unpredictable, a mix-and-match approach comes into its own, giving us the opportunity to treat ourselves to a few pieces we’ll be able to wear well into summer. Grab this Les Petit Prix all-in-one jumpsuit, opposite, while you can from La Redoute (it’s been reduced to a bargain £17.40). A skinny-rib pully underneath makes it cosy until summer really begins. Maxi dresses are big news for 2016 and a blouse makes an otherwise summery frock ready to wear now. We love this Linea black broderie dress (£99) and Biba ivory lace collar shirt (£79), both at www.houseoffraser.co.uk. Hate ironing? Cheat with clever ‘separates’ that are actually all-in-one, like this pretty lemon layer top, right, from Look Again.
S
Poppy print blouse £55 Laura Ashley
Ribbed turtleneck £20 JD Williams
Khaki suedette heels £29.99 New Look
Mock layer top £35 Lookagain.co.uk
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Fashion Contrast-stitch merino jumper £99 East
Linea black broderie maxi dress £99 Biba ivory lace collar shirt £79 www.houseoffraser.co.uk
Double layer cami top £59 Mint Velvet
Sateen ankle-grazers £49.95 White Stuff
3-row trapped bead necklace £12.50 Evans
Linen cotton double layer crew neck sweater £98 Jigsaw
Two-tone bangle £9.50 Oliver Bonas
n av y G o k fo r T u £2 8 er, 2- in -1 ju m p sb u rys. (w w w.s ai n co.u k)
Mock suede heels £10 Primark
Pinafore maxi £19.99 New Look
All-in-one long-sleeved trouser suit reduced to £17.40 skinny rib jumper £22 shoes £49 all at www.laredoute.co.uk 31
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Trend
HOW TO WEAR IT:
Double coats MAIN PHOTO HAIR: LILY AT SAKS, EXETER MAKE-UP: CLARINS, DEBENHAMS (BOTH PRINCESSHAY) PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE HAYWOOD
Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod on why two coats are better than one y biggest character flaw? Indecision. Which is why, for me, this trend was met by the sound of angels singing and the tiniest little jig. Being encouraged to don two coats means never having to choose between two favourites again, which is sure to save me a significant chunk of time this season. This trend is a spillover from menswear, where Balmain started sending models down the catwalk with leather bikers under smarter overcoats. It looked good, and proved to be a significant manoeuvre in the war on winter. Before long women’s fashion editors and street style heroes were taking it to the next level, and the double coat trend in its current form was born. Traditionally, the look involves at least one longer length coat. But, optimist that I am, I wanted to interpret it in a way that means it can be worn into slightly warmer spring days which I continue to maintain are Denim, fur and just around the corner. If you leather are already have a trench or a pea coat in the closet, you are in luck the three key because these iconic cuts are the textures to play core of the look and can be layered in a multitude of ways. with either over Denim, fur and leather are or under your the three key textures to play classic coat with either over or under your classic coat. That said, although a lot of trendsetters have been snapped with the likes of a short fur jacket over a trench, I’m not sure the theirs from the nineties. The fashion police don’t South West is ready for such a fashion forward care if it is dark or light, and the older and more approach. There is a chance the security guard battered, the better. These look great buttoned up at Tesco might misinterpret your style savvy for under a khaki coat. the garb of an unbalanced shoplifter and follow The soft nude leather jacket from Karen Millen you up and down the aisles. That’s an accessory I’ve donned opposite was buttery soft and beautino one wants. So, unless you are bolder than bold, ful, if you’re looking for a Mother’s Day present I would suggest keeping your longer length garto yourself (which is non-negotiable by the way) ment on the outside. Tidy, and tamer and sure to I highly recommend it. With one this beautiful, I attract the right type of attention. suggest donning a simple vest underneath so that Denim jackets are making a real comeback. when you get to your destination, you can keep Which is good news for anyone who still has wearing the jacket without overheating.
M
Leather jacket, Karen Millen, Princesshay, £350 Over cape, Karen Millen, Princesshay, £235 Shoes, Karen Millen, Princesshay, £140 Vest, Karen Millen, Princesshay, £45 Jeans, Debenhams, Princesshay, £38
Fur (faux) is another winner here. I am a big fan of adding interest to a look by incorporating texture. Tweed and even high-end patchwork work too. On top, I opted for a cape with a blanket feel to it. I consider it an homage to another instigator of the look– the XL scarf worn as a wrap. This is its evolution and it adds a luxurious soft drape. So, how much time have I saved so far? If I’m honest, none. Now, if only Anna Wintour would show up somewhere wearing two different shoes. All fashion in these pictures is from Princesshay Shopping Centre, Exeter, www.princesshay.co.uk
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Patchwork jacket £65 RIVER ISLAND
fave!
Cecilia coat £899 HOBBS
GET THE
look
This jacket is a hard worker. The patchwork design means it will work with a multitude of outfits, and under just about any coat you throw at it
Green suede biker jacket £32.99 NEW LOOK
Suedette bomber jacket £34.99 NEW LOOK
Savona coat £225 REISS
Trench coat £80 NEXT
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culture vulture Our guide to what’s on in the South West by woman-in-theknow Sarah Pitt
CALLING CREATIVES Budding artists from across the Plymouth area are being challenged to get creative as part of a new competition being staged in the city. The Plymouth Young Contemporary Open 2016 is showcases the talent of the area’s young people. Anyone aged four to 30 who is living, working or studying in the Plymouth area is invited to submit work inspired by the theme ‘grow’. Genres can include photography, installation, sculpture, performance and film. Prizes include the chance of further commissions, as well as seeing your work in an exhibition in the city’s Radiant Gallery, pictured, and the Peninsula Arts Gallery at Plymouth University. Find out more at www.plymouthyco.com
Acting role Double platinum-selling singer-songwriter Newton Faulkner is to appear in musical theatre (minus his trademark red dreadlocks) at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter. Newton will take the part of Johnny in the Tony award-winning musical American Idiot, alongside X Factor finalist Amelia Lily, who plays the part of Whatsername. The show features the music of rock band Green Day with the lyrics of its lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong. It is the story of three boyhood friends searching for meaning in a post 9/11 world. See it at the Northcott Theatre from May 18-21. Tickets from £20, www. exeternorthcott.co.uk
New blues A rhythm and blues club has been launched in Penzance, promising some of the best stomping blues riffs around. The Mill Rhythm and Blues Club will meet once a month at The Mill Restaurant and Bar, with house band Doctor Dobro providing the backdrop to the proceedings and guest musicians and other bands on the stage. Doctor Dobro have spent the past 18 months building up a solid following in west Cornwall, with their gutsy original compositions and choice repertoire of covers based around country blues. See and hear them, plus guests, at the launch night on Friday, February 29. Tickets £3 on the door, with tapas at £10 for three dishes, www.themillpenzance.co.uk
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Enjoy
Your stars by Cassandra Nye This week’s sign:
Happy birthday to...
Pisces are compassionate and sometimes dreamy, both great attributes to have. Find a friend in someone born under this sign and you have a true bestie for life, who’ll be forgiving of your foibles and the listening ear you need – often picking up on troubles before you’ve fully realised them yourself. Giving without expecting anything in return, emotions run deeply within Pisces, who can be as unafraid to express how they are feeling, as they are to comfort and care.
Chris Martin born March 2, 1977 The Exeter-based Coldplay frontman had his first chart success with the album Parachutes and won a Grammy Award for Song of the Year for Clocks. Since he “consciously uncoupled” with wife Gwyneth Paltrow, with whom he has two children, Apple, 11 and Moses, 9, in March 2014, he’s romanced actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Anabelle Wallis. But he and Gwynneth have remained good friends - even revealing they still have platonic sleepovers at each other’s houses for the sake of maintaining a family bond. Good for you, Chris.
PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Are you feeling better? Some sharp words seem to have drifted your way in recent days. Mercury the messenger has had the jitters. Folk are changeable at the moment. Do you know that? Relax, Pisces. There is no need to try and please everyone. A few days, or even hours, doing something that you really enjoy revitalises your perspective on life.
ARIES (March 21 - April 20) There could hardly be a better start to the week with forward-looking Saturn and benign Venus bringing good news. Expect shifts in your working life, perhaps a promotion or the chance to really show your talents. Put yourself forward, gain as much knowledge as possible and prepare to be charming. Mixed fortunes recently shouldn’t dent your confidence now. TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Passions may have peaked, but that doesn’t mean a boring week, far from it! All may not be rosy in the garden, but there are plenty of blooms that please the eye. Sparks between you and a colleague raise a smile. You can be a bit of a pleasure seeker now. Taking extra time with family and friends makes bonds stronger.
GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) A strong and loving family time is on the horizon, when the chance to help someone close brings its own rewards. This is not a bad time for personal proposals but, with Neptune in the mix, make your intentions clear. Unusually, intuition can help you out at work this week. Tune in to how your boss and colleagues are feeling.
CANCER (June 22 - July 22) Be a little more prepared to spread your wings this week. Using your talents and building on them can bring
rewards. Meeting someone new through a friend or colleague provides a chance to be spontaneous. A little bit of jealousy could creep into a relationship when you are paid attention by someone new. Reassure, but don’t make too much of it.
LEO (July 23 - August 23) Arm yourself with the right questions before getting into any discussions this week. Mercury’s messenger service will help you, but only if you help yourself too. Love is waiting for a move from you, possibly at the weekend. Could it possibly be time for plan B?
VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Begin the week with optimism. You feel special and, of course, you are! More control over your life and a feeling that fate is on your side give you confidence. A career boost comes through a personal attachment. This may be someone who is far away and who you see infrequently.
LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) In a leap year, such as this, there are always surprises in store for you, Leo. With both Venus and Saturn on your tail, romance intensifies. Those who are not in a relationship or who want to develop an existing one, stay tuned! The hints may be subtle, but someone wants to move things along. Listen, and proceed accordingly.
SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Had an awkward few days, Scorpio? Despite your best efforts and the might of Mars, perhaps things have been less than smooth. You need to choose your company carefully. By mid-week you should be planning something special for the weekend. Visiting calm and soothing places is your reward for being brave.
SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Given that it is a leap year, there are always surprises. The best news is, they are usually good ones! In your case, someone who has been slow to respond seems to have woken up. Do you feel like putting some effort into comforts at home? There are bargains to be had for early birds.
CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) Are you having trouble getting your message across? Does someone seem determined to misunderstand? It may not be their fault, with Mercury the messenger being in a bit of a strop. Leap a few days ahead to see things calm down.
AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Some people and situations can be really awkward, can’t they? Be at your charming best even when you feel provoked. Getting cross will upset you more than just going with the flow. Be ready for romance at the weekend. 35
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Wellbeing
the boost
Life just got better. We’ve handpicked the latest wellness trends, best-body secrets and expert advice to help you be your best self, everyday
Buff it! Get to work on your wobbly bits with Champneys’ five-piece skin-smoothing set. Detox-In-A-Box, £30 (the actual contents are worth £43.50) contains all the seaweed-infused scrubs, mud and body butter you need, plus a massaging tool (www.boots.com).
Did you know? Did you know that around
40% BEST FOOT FORWARD Former Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury is back with a new show exploring the best walks with a view in Britain, but says she’s as obsessed with walking at home as on the telly. She reveals her house is littered with pedometers, explaining: “I try and make 5,000 steps a day. I don’t really like the gym.” But the 45-year old mum of three insists she’s not superwoman, adding: “I like slobbing out on the sofa just watching Grey’s Anatomy and The Affair.” Sounds like our kind of girl!
of the nation’s daily fluid intake today is from tea? Four cups with milk provides almost a quarter of our daily calcium requirement, while a hot brew is a source of manganese, which is essential for bone growth and body development.
Love from... Red Letter Days has teamed up with Breast Cancer Care’s ‘Buy it with love’ campaign to donate 5% of sales from two of its Mother’s Day experiences including Afternoon Tea for Two at various locations. www.redletterdays.co.uk
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nd Be
If you suffer from non-specific low back pain, your doctor will probably recommend you to stay active and keep moving, but nagging aches can put you off the gym or joining an aerobic class. Pilates, though, can be the answer: it increases flexibility and strength in the spine, mobility of all major joints and improves your posture. Instructor Kay Sharpe specialises in healthy back Pilates classes, in Plymouth and South Devon. Find out more at: www. totalbodypilates. co.uk
do n’ tb
rea k
Ru’s rules Fabulous drag star RuPaul overcame dark days and bullying before emerging as the shining TV star he is today. His philosophy? “Life is hard. There is no way to get around that. Life is difficult and hard - it is beautiful and wonderful also - but you have to be able to prepare your
child and give them the tools to process this information.” His most famous mantra is: “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love someone else?” Something we all could live by, don’t you think?
Enlightened hydration Does your skin start to flake at the first sign of a cold snap? Rather than switching to a heavier moisturiser, a creamier serum could make all the difference. Erborian Elixir Au Ginseng, £80, is a light and milky liquid that, applied after cleansing and before moisturising, gives a double dose of hydration. www. erborian.com
What’s coming up? Tweet us your wellbeing diary dates
Happy families? A new study has found that more than three quarters of British parents feel happier since having children. But the bad news is they have less quality time together, go on fewer date nights and say “I love you” less often than before. Agony aunt Suzie Hayman, a trustee of the parenting charity Family Lives, advises: “It’s
so important to try to make time for each other. When people talk about having no time, often it’s because they’re spending time doing things that aren’t important at home. “Close the door on work when you come home, and remember that the people you’re living with are more important.” Sound advice.
@WMNWest or email westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk 37
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Wellbeing
How to spare your blushes Tackling rosacea isn’t easy - but it can be done, says our expert My mum has recently started getting a reddish rash on her face, especially at certain times of the day and if she is stressed. I think it could be rosacea but I do not know enough about it. This Mother’s Day, I would love to be able to help her with this problem, as it is really getting her down. SC, Lostwithiel
Q
Dr Pradnya Apte says: Your mum has my sympathy. Rosacea is more common among women than men and often begins with flushing but other symptoms can develop as the condition progresses, such as burning and stinging sensations, permanent redness, spots and small blood vessels that become more visible. There can also be raised red patches (known as plaques) on the skin. Persistent facial redness, known as erythema, is like a blush that does not go away and can make you look as though you have been drink-
ing alcohol heavily. The redness usually affects the cheeks, nose and chin but can also spread to other areas such as the forehead, neck and chest. Rosacea is a cyclic condition so there are periods when the symptoms subside. It can also be linked to the menstrual cycle. There is no known cure but many of the symptoms of rosacea can be controlled to a degree with treatment – I personally have had a lot of success helping patients with rosacea at my medi-clinic. For most people, treatment will involve a combination of self-help measures and medication. Creams and gels can also help, especially products containing Vitamin C which is known for healing blood capillaries. One thing your mum could try is to avoid triggers that make rosacea worse. These can include sunlight exposure, stress, strenuous exercise, hot/cold weather, hot drinks, alcohol and caffeine. Spicy foods can also trigger an attack. If rosacea is associated with spots, then a course of oral antibiotics from her GP can help
clear them up. In some cases, procedures such as laser and Intense Pulse Light (IPL) treatment may be helpful. These treatments are aimed at the visible blood vessels causing them to shrink and make them less visible. I have found in my clinical practice that using a quality skincare range that is dedicated for rosacea skins helps enormously. I recommend the top-quality cosmeceutical products from the Image skincare range to help with this condition. I also recommend Vitamin C infused skin peels to reduce the redness and soothe the skin. The downside of rosacea is that there can be the added problem of skin pigmentation associated with this condition, so it is important to have skincare that helps with this and hydroquinone-free skincare is best. Dr Pradnya Apte runs the Revitalise-Rejuvenate medi-clinic in Exeter. For more information email info@ revitalise-rejuvenate.co.uk or call 01392 426285 for a free skin consultation.
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22/02/2016 14:00:11
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Eat
Ingredient of the Week
Winter cress with Tim Maddams
ebruary is one of those months of brassica that looks a lot like watercress, look when there could be quite a lot of out for rosettes of verdant green leaves. Harvestwild greens in the hedgerows and ing them couldn’t be simpler, but don’t take all along the coastal paths… or there the leaves from one plant as you may kill it off for may be none. Since it’s been mild, the year. The strong peppery and slightly bitter though, this winter, you will probtaste isn’t for everyone. Use it ably spot the early tips of wild judiciously, but stop short of garlic plants, nettle growth and making it the main ingredient. Winter cress even the almost-burgundy leaves In other words, treat it more like of the water mint venturing forth. a herb than a leaf. makes an excellent There should be a few goodies Winter cress makes an exceladdition to hearty to plunder from the wild, unless lent addition to hearty pulse pulse dishes or the deer, sheep and pigeons have dishes or risottos, roughly got there first, of course. It’s good chopped and added at the last risottos, added at to get out and about with a basket minute to pep things up a little. the last minute to at this time of year, collecting bits Sprinkle it raw onto a pizza, or pep things up a and bobs that are already out, as in a robust dish of pear, blue well as spotting emerging plants cheese and roasted onions, with little and taking note for a return trip in a few toasted nuts mixed in to a few weeks. seal the deal. Perennial winter cress should Wherever or however you be fairly easy to find on pasture lands and in decide to go for the winter cress, do give it a go. hedgerows. At this time of year, it’s one of very Apart from anything else, it just feels good to go few plants that will be growing strongly. A kind out, basket in hand, and see what you can find.
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Cress to impress Try using winter cress, wild garlic and water mint to make wild herb pesto. Use in fairly equal quantities, roughly chop them and place in a blitzer or pestle and mortar. Add a little grated hard cheese, some rapeseed oil or olive oil and a few toasted hazel nuts. Season and use as you would any other pesto. This paste should keep in the fridge with a little oil on top for a few days, but will be far better used within a few hours of making. @TimGreenSauce
Tim Maddams is a Devon chef and author of Game: River Cottage Handbook no. 15 (Bloomsbury £14.99) 40
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22/02/2016 13:49:02
Drink
Beer of the week
Darren Norbury
talks beer tasted my first beer when I was a dumpy 330ml cans which, of course, have now teenager, and you know what? I become trendy again, like hippy beards. I can wasn’t impressed. recall a well-balanced, lightly The curious hopped flavor with pleasure now, thing is that I reunaware at the time that beer The pale golden member my mother being the would be so important in my life main beer drinker in the house, all those years on. I am surprised brew came in my father having developed to find that the beer is still availthose dumpy a taste for Southern Comfort able, now in a handsome bottle, 330ml cans or Campari, depending on his at 3.2% ABV, made by Charles mood. (I never inherited his Wells, in Bedford, the current which have now taste, thank goodness, although custodian of the nomadic Courbecome trendy I have a recollection of giving age brand. again, like hippy Cinzano and Advocaat a go as a My paternal grandmother enteen – what was I thinking?) joyed a beer, too. Bottle of Guinbeards Now, Mother’s tipple of choice ness every Sunday lunchtime, as was Courage Light Ale. The soon as she entered our house pale golden brew came in those for lunch, having been picked up from the Salvation Army citadel. I never started drinking decent beer until my mid-thirties, although there had been a Kronenbourg phase when I started out in journalism, and an early 1990s Caffrey’s and Guinness Bitter New Lion Brewery is attempting an phase when those fake Oirish pubs were thick on experiment in Totnes, south Devon. They the ground. are asking locals to grow hops in their It just goes to show how much our tastes garden for a crowd-sourced green hop change and mature over the years. As a child I beer. I like the sound of this and I’ll be could never imagine loving a Brussels sprout, following the project with interest. now I would make a main dish out of them (with some bacon bits added: gorgeous). And the palate never stops changing. I can remember drinking
I
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HOP TO IT
We had a tasting session in The Star, near Penzance, recently and Elgood’s Coolship, a Belgian-style sour, divided opinion. More accurately, myself and beer bloggers Boak and Bailey loved it; everyone else made a face as if they’d bitten their first lemon. I thought it was really well-made.
Tis the saison
The Driftwood Spars in St Agnes (a Cornish seaside pub with its own micro-brewery) is holding its first beer festival of the year, called The Dark, The Light and The Saison. The event takes place from March 11-13 (and the food’s great, too!).
my first heavily smoked beer, the famous Schlenkerla Rauchbier Marzen, and thinking: “I don’t think I can stand too much of this.” But the palate adjusts and I find these days there are very few beers I don’t like. With the exception, ironically, of Bombardier, made by… Charles Wells. I’m tempted now to seek out a bottle of Courage Light Ale (I see it’s available online at specialist Beers of Europe) to see if it brings back a snapshot of my childhood and my mother sipping away as she made Sunday dinner. She was never a great cook, alas: we used to draw straws to see who was going to carve the gravy… Darren Norbury is editor of beertoday.co.uk @beertoday 41
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22/02/2016 13:49:32
Enjoy A WEEKEND IN
Minehead
inehead was put on the national map in the autumn, when its Foxes Hotel was the subject of a heartwarming Channel 5 documentary. The town, with its pretty harbour and high street full of interesting independent shops, makes a great base for exploring this part of Somerset.
M
Stay: At
Dunster Castle
the Foxes Hotel, with bedrooms looking straight onto the seafront. If you arrive during the week, you’ll be given the warmest of welcomes by young people, all of whom have learning disabilities, who help staff it and are training for careers in the hospitality industry. The ensuite bedrooms are beautiful, with a room costing from around £79 per night and dinner, B&B for two from £110. Or head a few miles up the coast to beautiful Porlock Weir and stay at the glorious Miller’s at The Anchor. It’s stuffed with wonderful curiosities and was established by the late Miller’s Antiques Guide author Martin Miller and his daughter Tanya.
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Bakelite Museum
DJ Miles teas
Foxes Hotel
West Somerset Steam Railway
Miller’s at the Anchor Hotel, Porlock Weir Book a double ensuite- with bed and breakfast from around £85 a night.
Shop: If you’ve room in the boot, stop by Chris’s Crackers - a trove of fabulous old furniture and architectural salvage on the road into Minehead. We spotted a huge old Western Morning News enamel sign and garden lovers will be inspired by the chimney pots and tin baths, perfect for planting bulbs and herbs. This part of the world is spoilt for choice if you love all things vintage. Look out for Robin in the town centre, which is full of super quality period clothes and accessories for both ladies and gents, dating back decades. You’ll browse for ages. Pop into Exmoor Country interiors, too, for a lovely range of soft furnishings and indoor style.
Eat: For
a hearty meal in a cosy atmosphere, try Mullions on The Avenue. On the menu: River Exe Mussels Mariniere and homemade game terrine. The Old Ship Aground on Quay Street does wonderful pub grub, with its meat reared
on the owners’ Exmoor farm. They even cure their bacon and fish in their very own smoker. There’s also live music here on Friday evenings and rooms to stay, from £66 for a double with breakfast.
See: Potter around the town and take a walk up the pretty church steps and then take a walk along the seafront towards the pretty little harbour. Packhorse Bridge at nearby Allerford is a short drive away and worth a look- the historic cobbled structure over the brook is just four feet wide. Visit: You
can see Dunster Castle from Minehead and for miles around. Now owned by the National Trust, the castle grounds are also spectacular and Dunster village itself is well worth a day trip. Or pop into the wonderfully eccentric Bakelite Museum in nearby Williton. Its nostalgic exhibits date back as far as the 1920s and you can enjoy a cream tea off pretty vintage china in its tearoom, too.
Buy: DJ Miles tea and coffees, blended in Minehead and available in lots of local independent shops and delis in this part of the world. All aboard: Take a West Somerset Steam Railway train from Minehead railway station to Bishops Lydeard. There are nine stops along the line, so it’s a great way to sightsee and stop off at villages including Dunster and Watchet along the way. An adult Day Rover ticket costs £19. 43
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23/02/2016 10:30:43
Dinner at Clavelshay Barn
Jacob’s Hut, near Okehampton
My Secret Westcountry Sue Milverton
Sue Milverton
Sue Milverton is the co-owner of the award-winning Clavelshay Barn Restaurant near Taunton. She started the business with husband Bill in an 18th century stone barn on the family farm, with a focus on locally-sourced, sustainable and seasonal ingredients. The couple have three grown up children.
My favourite... Walk: The Seven Sisters group of trees on Cothelstone Hill in the Quantocks is a landmark that you can see from miles away - and from there you can see for miles. The 360-degree view includes the Blackdown Hills, Brendon Hills, west Somerset Coast, the Bristol Channel to Wales and the Mendip Hills to the North. Even on a cold, wintery day, it is an uplifting experience. Beach: Kilve on the west Somerset coast does not have golden sand and blue sea, but is much more interesting. There are rock pools and ledges, complete with fossils, both large and small. It’s a fascinating place and unchanged since I went there as a child. A walk from East Quantoxhead to Kilve, along the cliffs, finishing up with tea at The Chantry tea rooms is a lovely day out.
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People
The Millbrook Inn
Food: I love our own farm-reared pork – roasted slowly and with perfect crackling, apples from our tree, roast potatoes and local vegetables. Being able to talk to customers in our restaurant about the farm and where the food comes from is such a pleasure for me. One of my customers said to me: “We feel it is like coming to dinner with friends.” I take that as a great compliment. Tipple: There is a vineyard near us at Cannington, which has been producing award-winning wine for more than 20 years. My favourite is Oatley Jane, a crisp, dry white – just perfect on a hot summer’s day.
Kilve beach
Arts venue: The Minack Theatre at Porth-
Shop: A friend introduced me to a great shop in
curno. I’ve wanted to go there for years and in September was lucky to go with a friend to see the Last Night of the Proms. It was a magical experience, which I will always remember – a glorious sunny day, blue, blue sea, brass band playing, audience cheering, flags waving. It felt like being on a film set.
Wellington, called The Emporium Somerset. It is a collection of individual traders selling crafts and Fairtrade products. It is light and bright and full of lovely things.
Weekend away:
Bill and I are not posh hotel kind of people but a memorable break was staying for two nights in a shepherd’s hut, Jacob’s Hut, in deepest Devon, at Thrushelball near Okehampton. The weather wasn’t kind, but it really didn’t matter as we were cosy after lighting the woodburner. If you get that “stop the world, I want to get off” feeling – this is the place for you.
Activity: As a child, I used to go to Woolacombe with the family, in the days of small wooden surf boards. I hadn’t been for years, but last year had a chance to go in the sea at Sennen Cove. Hiring a wet suit for the first time was a brilliant idea (despite slight difficulty getting it on and off !) and meant that I could stay in the sea for ages. Catching that perfect wave which brings you right onto the beach gives a real buzz, whatever your age – exhilarating!
Pub: The Millbrook Inn, Southpool, South Devon. We came across this pub by chance about 25 years ago. My husband took me to a farm sale nearby in a torrential rain storm. After patiently standing in a field in the pouring rain for hours, we warmed up in front of a log fire and had a superb lunch. We return to the Millbrook whenever we are in the area. It’s quite simply my idea of the perfect pub.
Oatley Vineyard
www.clavelshaybarn.co.uk 45
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My life
What a week
Beyond the gravy Chris McGuire joins a Westcountry pilgrimage... to the carvery s an outsider, I thought they were vast plates, piled unfeasibly high with teetering just a way of eating on a Sunday. roast potatoes, back to their tables. In one corner, How wrong was I? They’re so much there was what I can only describe as a ‘watermore than that. For many a trip to fall’ of shimmering gravy. This, I’m sure, was one of these establishments is a what Willy Wonka would have created if he was quasi-religious experience. Yes, what I learned into meat and had never heard of cholesterol. this week was how seriously Westcountry folk “What are the rules?” asked our guests. “Is it take eating at a carvery. a ‘one visit only’ set up? Or can It all started with a simple you go again and again?” situation. We had visitors eager I didn’t know. to experience a traditional roast. “It’s just that really I wasn’t a So far, so straightforward – affects our game carvery virgin... you’d think. I asked a couple of plan.” friends, Westcountry locals, for My guests had but had to battle a recommendation. Let’s call a game plan? I a strong urge to them ‘Gordon’ and ‘Jamie’. thought we’d just “You must try X,” announced come here to eat. genuflect in the Gordon, with unusual zeal. Feeling out of direction of the “X?” interjected Jamie, dismy depth, I joined brisket gusted. “Their gravy is like dishthe queue; diswater. Go to Y instead.” covering ‘the “Y?” spluttered Gordon. “I rules’ by obwouldn’t let my dog eat there!” serving the The argument escalated. Fearp e o p l e ing it might come to blows, I left ahead of them to it. us: On my way home, I sought guidance from one 1. Eat as much as you of my neighbours. want. Then eat a little bit “Carveries are life and death matters round more. There’s no point these parts,” she proclaimed. “When I tried to if you don’t feel sick sell my house, people didn’t want to know about when you leave. schools or parking – just how good the local carv2. Don’t fill up on eries were.” stuffing. Fill up on In order to avoid further upsetting Jamie or meat. Pile your plate Gordon, I ignored their advice and went with a with the most expensive place recommended by my neighbour. She had items, even if you don’t (rather threateningly) insisted it was the best. I plan on eating them. couldn’t refuse. 3. The correct portion size When we arrived, I was amazed. I wasn’t a for roast potatoes is: as many carvery virgin. Oh no. I’d eaten roast meats as you would usually consume before – but never in the Westcountry. People in a calendar month. here wore the solemn expressions of pilgrims at 4. There’s always more gravy. their place of worship. I had to battle the strong 5. Never jump the queue. urge to genuflect in the direction of the brisket It was with this final rule that we myself. All around, diners expertly manoeuvred fell down. A member of my group
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– who shall remain nameless, let’s call her ‘Rebecca Smith from Glasgow’ – decided as she only wanted potatoes (this was her third visit) she could walk to the head of the queue. I tried to warn her, but it was too late. Rebecca had broken the most important rule of carvery-ing. Safe to say we won’t be returning to that particular establishment (not that they’d have us). Carvery is a game you should only play if you know the rules. If you’re a bit unsure, go for a burger – there’s less at stake. Chris McGuire is a writer who recently moved to the Westcountry and is now considering becoming a vegetarian. @McGuireski
NEXT WEEK: Will a family board game bring out Phil Goodwin’s competitive streak? 46
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