WMN on Sunday - West Magazine December 2014 by DCMedia

14.12.14

+ PARTY STYLE

SORTED!

Festive & fun: + Lovely food

+ Cheat at cake

+ Gorgeous gifts + Great days out

+ ART DECO DELIGHTS + GET PERFECT HAIR

INSIDE: + OUR BUMPER CHRISTMAS QUIZ: WIN £1000 WORTH OF PRIZES!

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TheMarleGallery Contemporary Fine Art

Winter Exhibition

Colin Moore

Mairi Stewart

Zee Jones

Andy Small

22 November - 17 January Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 5pm

Victoria Place, Axminster, Devon EX13 5NQ 01297 639970 art@themarlegallery.co.uk www.themarlegallery.co.uk www.facebook.com/themarlegallery

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‘Cider, simply sweetened with honey and churned in an icecream maker, will make an excellent sorbet’ Tim Maddams cooks with booze on page 42

EVENTS Hat’s on and where to go this Christmas time

LISTEN WITH MOTHER From storytelling to becoming a published children’s author

[contents[ Inside this week... 6

THE WISHLIST What to buy, where to go

WHAT’S ON

MODERN MANORS

Our pick of the best events in the West Kishanda Fulford goes to another planet

STORY OF MY LIFE Gillian Molesworth buries a time capsule

LISTEN WITH MOTHER Five children, and one very exciting new book for mum/author Rachel Tetley

The demo cook for Rangemoors shares her secrets

Anne Swithinbank on what to do this week

MY WESTCOUNTRY

A last minute Christmas cake recipe with a difference

Sparkles, glitter, sequins: your party guide

SURPRISE INSIDE!

HAPPY QUIZ-MAS! Win £1000 in prizes with our festive quiz

BEAUTY Putting the new GHD tongs to the test

THE FASHION PAGES Your Christmas party looks, sorted

HOW TO WEAR IT Ruffle your feathers this season

MY WESTCOUNTRY The pro cook who’s a farmer and a mum

RESTAURANT REVIEW

THE BEER EXPERT

Great hotel restaurants uncovered Your Christmas ale shopping list

MOTORS We road test Toyota’s newest Rav 4

MAN & BOY Phil, James and a ton of homework

GARDENS

FASHION

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STORY TIME Meet the mum turned children’s author

[ welcome [ Inspiration - it’s everywhere! Now listen, just how clever do you think you are? Because if you and your loved ones have a little spare time over the Christmas period, we have a great competition for you to enter. Yes, West Magazine’s Grand Christmas Quiz (set by our in-house quiz mistress extraordinaire, Catherine Barnes) is on pages 18-23 today. Pit your wits and you could win prizes worth more than £1,000. First prize is a £500 set of gorgeous Rayburn cookware courtesy of Rangemoors, the Devon-based kitchen range specialist. Then there are goodies and days out from Celtic & Co, River Cottage, Crealy Devon, Cornwall Farmers and Princesshay Exeter all to be won. Fabulous Westcountry companies every one, and well worth a

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of the week @OneVoiceTeam Loving our Christmassy photo shoot for @WMNWest and @Princesshay with @stevenhaywood1 #PR #Exeter

look if you are Christmas shopping right now, too. And if you think you haven’t got time to do the quiz (there are cards to write, trees to buy, halls to deck, etc...) then check out our heartwarming feature on page 14 today. Rachel Tetley (above) heads up a family of five children, yet has also managed to write a children’s book published both here and in America. She also found true love along the way: all together now - aaah! Finally, if you didn’t get round to making a Christmas cake in time for the fruit to mature, take heart: Kate Shirazi, our baking guru, has the recipe for you on page 33. Clue: it’s not nearly as traditional as it looks. Food for thought...

Pit your wits and you could win prizes worth more than £1,000 in our Christmas quiz

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Becky Sheaves, Editor

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

COVER IMAGE: Steve Haywood

MEET THE TEAM Becky Sheaves, Editor

Sarah Pitt

Kathryn Clarke-McLeod

Catherine Barnes

Phil Goodwin

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If you buy one thing this week...

Win

This charming Delicious Devon tea towel is new from South Devon based firm Coast & Country. They cost ÂŁ9.99 online from www.shopsatdartington.co.uk We have 5 tea towels to give away! To win, send your name, address and phone number to westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk to arrive by January 2 2015. Normal terms apply

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SOFT AND SWEET SNOWFLAKE

Sam Pickard moorland fawn cushion, £59, designed and handprinted by north Devon designer www.sampickard.co.uk

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

WITH LOVE Beautiful outsize Vera Wang flower arrangement £105 Interflora www.interflora.co.uk

One for the tree £10 The White Company

Tin-tastic Emma Bridgewater hearts tin, £5, www.onebrowncow.co.uk

WARMER Take this Orla Kieley flask with you £20 Patch & Acre, www.cornwallfarmers.co.uk

POUR MOI? Jug with paisley print £12 www.burlanesonline.co.uk

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Wishlist Glow

BURN, BABY

We love these festive candle lights £18.95 www.melodymaison.co.uk

Charnwood C-Four woodburner, price £1,090, from Devon-based www. rangemoors.co.uk

Cook! Fun Christmas apron £18.95 www.clare loves.co.uk

CLASSY GLASS Marimekko “socks down” jug £60 www. cloudberryliving. co.uk

Boutique of the Week Brocante, Fowey and Mevagissey Brocante is French for ‘bits and bobs’, and that is just what this shop specialises in. “It is not bric-a-brac, it is not antiques, but is it somewhere in between, just beautiful stuff really,” says owner Kieron Cockley. There’s plenty to tempt Christmas shoppers here, with beautiful decorations from Retreat, colourful blankets from Austrian designer David Fussenegger and striped cushions from Scandinavian brand Linum. Brocante is at 49a Fore Street, Fowey (01726 833390) and 1 Church Street, Mevagissey (01726 842425) 7

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Events

The hotlist: There’s plenty to do right now here in the Westcountry, from Christmas food markets to opera

2. All aboard the Santa Tram

Seaton, December 14 & 21 Visit Santa by tram this Christmas. Catch the festive tram from the Seaton terminus to Colyton in East Devon, to be greeted by Santa and meet him in his grotto. Adult £10, child (315yrs) £10, children under three £5. Advance booking essential, please contact 01297 20375

Carol singing Pentillie Castle, December 17

3. Crealy Christmas Near Exeter, throughout December

Come along for some good old-fashioned carol singing at Pentillie Castle near Saltash on Weds December 17 at 6.30pm. Warming winter refreshments available. No booking required. This is a free event, donations to Cornwall Young Carers Project www.pentille.co.uk

Meet Santa, Rudolph and his helpers in their warm and cosy grotto for Santa’s Interactive Story Time, with gifts for all (good) children at Crealy Devon. Santa will be there today (December 14) and from 19-23 December, from 11am. The park is also open all year, with 75,000 sq ft of indoor adventures to explore. Visit www.crealy.co.uk for details

Festive farm fun Buckfastleigh, until December 24

Pennywell Farm in south Devon is transformed into a winter wonderland this month. Look out for Nativity plays that children can take part in, Santa in his grotto and real life reindeer, not to mention festive mini piglets! Book Santa visits now by visiting: www.pennywellfarm.co.uk or call: 01364 642023.

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My life

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MODERN MANORS

Fantasy world

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Kishanda Fulford finds it best just not to think about things...

recently read that some modern gurus now advocate that we should live in the ‘present’. No one should even think about ‘yesterday’ and anyone contemplating their ‘tomorrow’, should bring themselves straight back to ‘present time’ in order to appreciate the ‘present’ moment. What a load of rubbish. I cannot imagine that there is a woman on this planet who is not most of the time living on that remote other planet, Zog. Why would anyone want to be in the present while you are vaccuuming or completing yet another mundane household task such as cleaning the bath. Imagine if you really kept yourself in the present? All the time? For example, if you really thought of nothing else as you cleaned the bath other than how the bath cleaner was not really doing its job efficiently? As I sort washing out in to piles of dark clothes and whites it may appear that I am in the present as, miraculously, the sorting takes place. How this happens when I am simply not thinking about whether something should go in the dark pile or the white pile I have yet to fathom. Perhaps I am a Stepford wife and I am not aware of it. Or perhaps it is true that women can be in two places at the same time – eg when I am peeling carrots, while the gritty skin may be stripped in neat layers, I am actually floating on a cloud. Even as I write I find something appears on the screen. But actually I was thinking about what time I ought to shut the chickens up. I find I can take myself away from the present even though I am having to deal with something very much in the here and now. For example, only yesterday, the telephone rang and my eldest son told me the car he was driving had had an

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altercation with a bollard on the Clifton Suspension Bridge. As he approached the toll booth he realised that there was not the necessary pound coin needed to cross the bridge anywhere to be found. Not even in spilled change in the nooks and crannies of the car. The toll man ordered my son to back out of the queue and, with that, the front bumper attached itself to a bollard as he was reversing. As if this was not bad enough, for weeks I had meant to put him, and my other sons, onto our AA gold-plated membership

Zog. I find it is much better to be on Zog as much as you can be. So instead of saying to my son ‘what a clot’, and berating him, I just went to my special planet and let the robot take over. Only last week we had guests staying for a wedding and one of them, at breakfast the next morning, said to me loudly, ‘Did you hear me screaming last night?’ It is at this point that I start to drift away. I, by remote, politely told her I had not heard her screaming in the night. ‘There was a bat in our bathroom! You must have heard my screams!’ By now I am on Zog. Both feet firmly planted. It was not happening to me and I was not in the present. There is little you can say to a guest about bats. They are part of this ancient house and one of the joys of living here. The guest would have liked the conversation to continue, but I said, ‘Oh, don’t worry I am sure, if you screamed loudly enough he won’t be back tonight’. Later, the guest asked if they could have another bathroom. They had noted there were plenty of other bathrooms they could use. It only took me a millisecond to bounce off the planet. What the guest did not realise was, that it would not matter which bathroom they had, as bats have lots of friends. I must have simply drifted away from the conversation by talking about the unseasonably warm weather. On the planet Zog.

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There is little you can say to a guest about bats. They are part of this ancient house and one of the joys of living here which would mean the children could get themselves out of their own scrapes. But I hadn’t got round to it. I rang the AA and while I waited for the telephone to be answered I found myself not in the present at ALL. I was in Spain, I was in a restaurant, I was deciding exactly what to eat, there was no sink of washing up near me, a lovely glass of chilled white wine was in front of me, the air was warm. Back to the AA but only briefly, just to repeat our postcode, and then back off on to

Kishanda Fulford lives in Great Fulford, Dunsford, Devon. Her family has lived in the same stately home for more than 800 years and recently appeared in the hit BBC series Life is Toff.

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Taste test: Rosie Tuff entered a Young MasterChef contest at Richard Lander School, Truro, organised by the Rotary Club

in pictures Just so cute: Mary Dean primary school’s Reception Class at Tamerton Foliot performed a nativity play

Black sheep: A hand reared Scarlet Ibis chick met its parents at Paradise Park, Hayle

Where’s the fire? Firefighters Jason Doney and Martin Allbutton took part in a trolley dash in Tesco’s St Austell

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talking points Festive film

Hmmm...

Gillian Molesworth

Story of my life...

West’s top 10 Xmas movies:

1 Elf Smiling’s our favourite 2 It’s A Wonderful Life Jimmy Stewart classic still melting hearts, 68 years on

Creating a time capsule for the future

3 T he Nightmare Before Christmas Tim Burton’s eerie adventure

4 Love Actually Cockle5 H ow The Grinch Stole Christmas Dr Seuss’s sweet story

6 The Snowman We’re walking in the air...

7 Home Alone Where’s Kevin? Still so funny

8 A Christmas Carol Alastair Sim as Scrooge – perfect

The top five gifts posted for sale after Christmas on eBay last year:

1 Socks (19,502 pairs) 2 Lingerie (18,693 items) 3 Ties (4,729) 4 Calendars (2,000) 5 Scarves (600)

9 T he Muppet Christmas Carol Michael Caine joins in the capers

10 White Christmas We’re

The happy list

dreaming

Singalonga 10 festive hits from yesteryear that we still sing along with every year:

1 Fairytale of New York Pogues and Kirsty McColl

2 Merry Xmas Everyone Slade

3 D o They Know It’s Christmas? Band Aid 4 I Wish it Could Be Christmas Every Day Wizzard

5 A ll I Want For Christmas is You Maria Carey

6 H appy Xmas (War is Over) John Lennon and Yoko Ono

7 Mary’s Boy Child Boney M

8 M erry Christmas Everyone Shakin Stevens 9 Mistletoe and Wine Cliff Richard

10 Stop the Cavalry Jonah Lewey

e’re building an extension. After months of discussions, meetings, and planning applications it’s finally going ahead. Every morning I am so eager to see what will turn up: a digger? A cement lorry? A pile of stone? It’s great fun to watch this project take shape. Basically what we are doing insects. is linking our cottage to an outThen we all chose an object: a building. This new build we have front page of The Western Morndubbed “the link room”. The founing News, a clarinet reed, coins, dations have been dug out, and a some Lego, a toy car and some radon sump installed to remove liquid tobacco from James’ e-cigany harmful Cornish granite gas. arette. Soon sand will be laid and comFinding a proper time capsule pacted, and over that, the cement cost £250 plus, I cheaped out and and flooring. ordered a stainless steel Thermos “We should make a time capflask off the internet. On this I sule,” I said. wrote “time capsule 2014” with Coincidentally, my hobby engravwe had all just er and the builders been to see Interscraped it into the stellar – which, if earth for us. We ought to have it’s still on near “Just think what done a better you, you should go that will be like job of recording and see immedito open,” mused ately, it’s brilliant. James. Or indeed, the zeitgeist of So we were all feelthe circumstances 2014. Well, what ing philosophical under which it can you do on about the effect would come to of the past on the light. It might be a school night future – and vice centuries before after 8pm? versa. the capsule sees After supper the light of day, one night I passed especially once the around paper and pens. “Go on underfloor heating goes down. then, write a letter to the people Would it be found? Who would of the future, and we’ll bury them open it? We ought to have done a under the new foundation,” I said. better job of recording the zeitSo we each wrote a letter. It’s geist of 2014, I couldn’t help thinkhard to think what’s going to be ing. Well, what can you do on a interesting to people of the future, schoolnight after 8pm. when it comes down to it. We put I just hope the Thermos doesn’t our ages, what we did for a living, explode or burst into flames from and what we liked. The kids listed plastic and e-cigarette emissions their friends and their pets – the when it’s finally opened. The opener of our time capsule will people of the future would never read about our dog Pirate, rabbits get another chance to learn all Misty and Beauty, fish and stick about our pets.

warming

10 things to make you smile this week 1 Elementary Holmes and Watson are to reunite for a third season: yes!

2 Mince pies they have to be hot, though. And with clotted cream.

3 The weather winter sunshine - so much better than last year

4 Hampers easy to send, great to receive

5 Christmas jumpers wear yours for charity

6 Drinks parties mine’s a mulled wine

7 H aving a much-needed break counting the days 8 Churches lit by candles 9 Carols we just love them 10 The office Secret Santa a great chance for a giggle

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 11

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PERFECT GIFTS OPEN UNTIL 9PM EVERY THURSDAY UNTIL 18th DECEMBER

...unwrap the perfect Christmas Untitled-2 3

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Shop Hot pink statement necklace Next £28

Lily and Lotty Christina silver diamond snowflake earrings Drakes Jewellers £54

Grace crystal necklace Accessorize £45

Clea necklace Coast £30

Cosmic star stud earrings Pandora £55

Sparkle pearl ring Pandora £85

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Karishma necklace Accessorize £22

DRAKE CIRCUS SHOPPING CENTRE

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Christmas treasures

MARC by Marc Jacobs – Henry Skeleton watch Drakes Jewellers £185

The best treats for someone special this festive season

hese small treasures may not look a lot to the everyday man, but trust us, jewellery represents the holy grail of Christmas gifts for the hardto-buy for woman in your life. Check out this selection of festive gifts from the Drake Circus Shopping Centre in Plymouth to deliver some sure-fire sparkle and joy.

The tiny treasure

The statement piece

If you are thinking of buying your loved one a beautiful ring, this Pandora Sparkle pearl ring will perfectly complement any outfit. Planning a Christmas proposal? Let Drakes Jewellers, Ernest Jones and Fraser Hart help you find that flawless, glittering diamond..

If you are feeling brave this Christmas, the Accessorize Grace crystal necklace is a gorgeous bold gift. Why not bring a touch of colour to an outfit with this Next hot pink statement necklace? Bold jewellery is the perfect match for a Little Black Dress and these two pieces will make her feel like the most glamorous girl in the room.

The fashion statement Chokers are back this season - think drop-deadgorgeous Victorian elegance. We love this Clea Necklace from Coast

Never underestimate the power of beautiful earrings. Pandora has a fabulous collection of discreet yet stunning earrings such as these Cosmic star studs. Or for a truly festive look, why not give the Lily and Lotty Christina silver and diamond snowflake earrings from Drakes Jewellers?

The ring

The timepiece Make sure your other half is always stylishly on time for hot dates. You can buy this stunning Marc by Marc Jacobs watch in Drakes Jewellers.

Some Christmas pampering Satori, Drake Circus’s beautiful new beauty salon not only boasts pampering packages, but also sells the Elemis 12 Days of Beauty gift set. From luxurious night cream to pampering body oil, this Elemis gift set will be sure to delight. Start today with the Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm, then there is a treat for every day, finishing on Boxing Day with the final (and very apt) gift: Treat Your Feet Foot Cream.

Elemis 12 days of beauty gift set Satori £59.50

For details visit www.drakecircus.com 13

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RACHEL TETLEY

Listen with mother Becky Sheaves meets the Devon mum - and stepmum - who started out telling stories to her extended family and ended up writing a successful new childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s book

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Interview

PHOTOGRAPHY: GRW PHOTOGRAPHY

Rachel Tetley with her family: (anti-clockwise from left) Gaby, Piers, William, Charlotte, Sophia, Rachel and Henry

By Becky Sheaves

tepmothers, it has to be said, get something of a raw deal in children’s fiction. Think Snow White, Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel: the message seems to be that Dad’s new wife will be unpleasant at best, and downright dangerous at worst. Meet the Tetley/Varley family, however, and things could not be more different. Rachel, 33, was mother to two daughters when she met Piers - a dad of two boys - at a party. These days, they are happily married and have child number five - Sophia, aged two - together. All five children live with Rachel and Piers, get on well and have a lot of fun along the way. It probably helps that Rachel is full of energy and an extremely good cook, as I discover over a slice of her excellent ginger cake, still warm from the Aga in the family’s farmhouse home in East Devon. Even more remarkably, Rachel has (somehow) found time to put the whole experience of parenthood - and step-parenthood - to good use. She has written a children’s book about the adventures of a young boy called Jake, who is, she says, “very much inspired” by her stepsons William, 16 and Henry, 12. In her book, called Guardian of the Underworld, the hero Jake is in his last year at primary school when he stumbles into a

dark but exciting fantasy world. This book has just been published to great acclaim from young readers both here and in the United States. “I’ve always loved children, and becoming a stepmother to Henry and William has really opened my eyes to how adventurous a story needs to be to engage with boy readers,” says Rachel, who looks absurdly young to be heading up a family of five children. “My daughters and I had always been outdoorsy - we’re very in to horses. But all of a sudden becoming part of such a big family and having boys in the mix too turned us into people who build dens in the woods and go for wild adventures. My book is very much a response to that experience.” In Rachel’s story, which is aimed at boys and girls aged 9-12, Jake teams up with a girl from school called Arianna. The pair set off to solve challenges (and much more) in a fantasy world of dragons, magic and some pretty scary characters. The story owes much to Rachel’s love of the Narnia books by CS Lewis, and ends on a nailbiting cliffhanger. Rachel plans for it to become the first in a whole series of Underworld books. The story behind this first book stretches back many years, Rachel explains, to the time when she was expecting her oldest daughter Gaby, now aged 15. “All of a sudden, I wanted to connect with my own childhood. In particular, a lovely book by Enid Blyton that I adored back then, called The 15

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Magic Faraway Tree. So I sat down and wrote about five pages about a child crossing over into a magical world. “Over the years, I moved house so many times, but every now and then I’d sit down and re-read those five pages and think, ‘I really must finish that story’ - but the time was never right.” Indeed, it was not until Rachel found her own happy-ever-after with new husband Piers that she found the motivation - and confidence - to complete the project. It was in 1999 that Rachel discovered she was pregnant with Gaby, when she was working as a groom in an event yard in Staffordshire. Rachel moved back to Devon to be near her parents but Gaby’s arrival was soon followed by a double tragedy: Gaby’s father was killed in a road accident and, soon afterwards, Rachel’s warm, supportive mother died heartbreakingly young, of cancer. “I was devastated, of course,” Rachel re-

members. “It was a very difficult time.” Rachel later started a new relationship with the father of her second daughter Charlotte, and moved to live with him in Wiltshire. Things didn’t work out, however: “With hindsight, I entered into that relationship when I was very upset and without thinking things through - not surprisingly the relationship wasn’t meant to be,” she says. But Rachel is nothing if not determined. Not only did she study for - and pass - her A Levels when Charlotte, now 11, was very small, she also won a place to study Law at Harris Manchester College, Oxford. “It was a fantastic opportunity. But with two small daughters and as a single parent, I decided to run my own business instead,” she explains. She turned her love of cooking to good use by launching a catering company. “I started small, just me going around offices offering really lovely baguettes,” she remembers. “I ended up with

seven employees.” And so it was that Rachel, by now a determined single mum, came to her father’s 50th birthday party in early 2011. She found herself seated opposite Piers, a colleague of her father’s. Unknown to Rachel, Piers was a single father to two sons, both of whom lived with him. “I liked him immediately, but despite his enthusiastic attempts at conversation, I was somewhat aloof under the assumption that he was married,” said Rachel. “It wasn’t until I was leaving that my brother said, ‘Yes, Piers is an amazing guy, a single parent working full-time as a senior manager. No one can understand why his wife would have walked out on him.’ At that, I immediately pestered my father for Piers’ phone number and gave him a ring.” That weekend, Piers agreed to come up for a visit to Rachel’s home in Wiltshire. “It was so indicative of his enthusiasm for life, and his self-

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Interview

confidence, that he said he wanted to come out riding with me,” remembers Rachel. “Within minutes of trotting off together down the road, he had fallen off !” But undeterred, the pair soon were spending lots of time together and before long Rachel and her daughters moved into a new home in Devon with Piers, Henry and William. “I just knew - you do just know, don’t you?” says Rachel simply. In April 2012 Sophia was born and in the summer of 2013 the couple got married in the pretty stone church in their village of Sidbury. They celebrated with a lively party of delighted friends and family afterwards in the old stone barn at their home. There was barely a dry eye in the place when Rachel and Piers made their speeches. It was in the run-up to the wedding that Rachel decided to have a try at completing the book she had started almost 15 years before. “I had sold my catering business and was at a bit of a loose end.

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I just started writing and didn’t stop until the story was finished - it took about four months.” Rachel wrote the book in longhand, often outdoors in the garden as the children played. She says the rural setting of the farm contributed to the atmosphere of her story about a magical world accessed through a whirlpool hidden in woods. “As I wrote, I read back everything to the children,” she says. “I soon realised that to captivate the boys’ attention, there needed to be genuine danger. As soon as they said part of the story was ‘lame’ out it went! And they were really helpful in getting the dialogue right: I would read out sentences and ask, ‘Would you really say that?’” Rachel and Piers went to Italy on their honeymoon, with friends and family caring for their children. But the book came too: “Because it was all written in longhand, we spent some of the honeymoon typing it up, very romantic!” she remembers. The end result has undoubtedly been worth it: Guardian of the Underworld has been described as ‘C S Lewis meets Neil Gaiman in this thrilling new series which rivals Harry Potter’ by Children’s Literary Journey. As one of the young readers wrote in a review: “I would highly recommend this book. Awesome book. Awesome plot. Awesome characters.” Rachel has even drawn the illustrations herself, as well as designing the book cover. As she says, she is “used to being busy”. And right this moment, she is writing the second volume in the series, with inspiration and help from the young readers in her family. Guardian of the Underworld by Rachel Tetley is published by Amazon Media www.amazon.co.uk

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Rachel wrote the book using pen and paper, often outside while the children played nearby

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Compiled by Catherine Barnes

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It’s quiz time! This festive season, why not play our fun family quiz with over £1000 prizes to be won (see page 23)

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Books

Brand Names

These high street brands all originate in Devon and Cornwall

Bestselling thrillers Finders Keepers , Dark Side and Blacklands are all set in and around Exmoor, penned by which South African-born novelist, pictured below left? The Shroud Maker is the latest of Kate Ellis’s 17 crime novels set in South Devon locations What’s the name of the detective who solves her murder mysteries? The Hound of the Baskervilles is well-known, but which Sherlock Holmes story sees the detective arrive at Tavistock to find a missing racehorse? Mal Peet’s new book The Murdstone Trilogy is a hoot, but what top literary award did this Devon writer win in 2006 for his novel for young adults, Tamar?

Which preppy fashion outfitters started out from a Salcombe boutique?

This fortified Devon beverage was originally made by monks – what is it?

Rodda’s is famous for what naughty-but-nice scone essential?

East Portlemouth on the south Devon coast inspired Portlebay’s name, but what kind of snack does the company make?

Floris London makes its luxury products in North Devon. What’s it famous for?

Devon knows how they make it so creamy, but what’s the name of this household-name rice pudding brand based in Lifton?

Mrs de Winter was Susan Hill’s sequel to which Daphne du Maurier classic, set in south Cornwall?

What did Mummy lay, according to the parents in Devon author Babette Cole’s hilarious picture book for young readers?

Green fingered types will be familiar with this Paignton-based brand, which germinated in Reading in 1806?

With which period of history is Dartmoor murder mystery writer Michael Jecks mostly associated?

Its original Cornish Pasty is Ginster’s best-selling item, but where in Cornwall do they make their pit-stop snacks?

Which Agatha Christie thriller begins with a séance in a remote house on snowy Dartmoor?

With what outdoor activity would you associate Gul, which is headquartered at Indian Queens in Cornwall?

10.

Which Lelant-born author’s romantic novels have huge following in Germany?

10.

Which series based on Winston Graham’s books set in Cornwall is being brought back to our TVs in 2015?

Vi-Spring is said to include the Beckhams, Paris Hilton and Kirstie Allsopp and Claudia Winkleman among its VIP customers. What’s this luxury brand, based in Plymouth, famous for making?

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Celebrity Westcountry roots: Can you identify these celebrities born in Devon, Cornwall or Somerset? 1.

There are rumours this drummer was born in Redruth

This comedienne was born in Torquay - such fun!

This model’s Tavistock roots are no (Victoria’s) secret.

This film star was born in Redruth, but weddings and funerals also factor in her screen career

Exeter-born, this actor received a Bafta award nomination for his role in TV’s In The Flesh, this year

Torquay-born, she models (pictured right) acts and graduated from Cambridge - so she’s not just a pretty face!

This actor made his name in Rome, but was born in Taunton and starred in Solomon Kane.

At 12 years old this Torquay actress already has films including Les Miserables under her belt

Are you conscious of the coupling between this Exeter-born singer-songwriter and the Westcountry?

10.

This Yeovil-born actress (above) has been cutting it in film and TV roles including Pillars of the Earth and Atlantis

Collective nouns Collective nouns: Some are apt, some are completely random – can you take an educated guess at the right word for each group? 1.

Wrens a. Flutter b. Herd c. Chirp

Morris dancers a. Troupe b. Side c. Guise

Hummingbirds a. Charm b. Tune c. Murmur

Caterpillars a. Legion b. Army c. Troupe

Sardines a. School b. Host c. Family

Butchers a. Cleaving b. Slaughtering c. Goring

Ladies a. Bevy b. Allure c. Charm

Prisoners a.Pity b. Conscience c. Shackle

Fishermen a. Drift b. Line c. Creel

10.

Journalists a. Conspiracy b. Slant c. Rumour

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10/12/2014 14:40:36

In the news in 2014 Clue: you might like to visit www.westernmorningnews.co.uk! 1.

What did Daisy Parker’s clever dog Russell unearth in her Plymouth garden this summer?

Dubbed the Seaton Down Hoarde, metal ‘detectorist’ Laurence Egerton (right) found 22,000 of what kind of treasure in Devon?

Merlin Cadogan found something worth £600 at Westward Ho! in March - what was it?

Established in 1820, Ridgways in Newton Abbot has been declared one of the Westcountry’s oldest family businesses. What does it sell?

Viewers fumed that the acting was inaudible in the TV adaptation of which classic Cornish novel in April?

Cornwall-born Sheila Tracy, who died aged 80 this year,

was the first woman to do what on Radio 4?

Which Cornwall theme park hosted a huge all-night Masked Halloween Ball?

Kingsand in Cornwall stood in for Margate as a location in which Mile Leigh film, starring Timothy Spall, released this year?

Dubbed the comedians’ comedian, who was honoured with a blue plaque at his Torquay birthplace last month?

10.

Plymouth’s Theatre Royal played host to two Matthew Bourne ballets this year. Edward Scissorhands was staged in November, but which novel was brought to life by his company in May?

Panto Test your knowledge of this year’s shows 1.

4. 5.

John Challis is playing Fleshcreep alongside Bobby’s Davro’s Simple Simon in Jack and the Beanstalk at Plymouth’s Theatre Royalbut in which sitcom did he make his name as Boycie? Sandra Dickinson’s also in Jack and the Beanstalk at Exeter’s Corn Exchange, but in which cult 80’s sci-fi TV series did she star as Trillian? Sleeping Beauty is this year’s panto at the Princess Theatre, Torquay: which film starring Angelina Jolie was inspired by the story’s vengeful fairy? Robin Hood’s the festive show at Hall for Cornwall in Truro. Over which city does the villainous sheriff hold sway? Mark Little plays the baddie in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Queen’s Theatre in Barnstaple, but in which Australian soap did he play good egg Joe Mangel?

Look out for Peter Pan at the Playhouse in Weston-Super-Mare. Who wrote the original play and children’s book?

The Wayfarers present Beauty and the Beast at Taunton Brewhouse. What kind of flower does Beauty’s father pick for her from the beast’s garden?

See Aladdin at the Paignton’s Palace Theatre in January – Besides a magic lamp, which other object commands a genie?

Lyme Regis Pantomime Society will be staging Cinderella at the Marine Theatre. What’s the name of the romantic hero in this perennial favourite?

10.

Dartmouth Players are staging Sinbad at the Flavel Arts centre later this month. From which famous book does the story come?

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Christmas Songs All together now... 1.

How many maids are milking in the Twelve Days of Christmas?

In the Holly and the Ivy, which bears a blossom as white as lily flower?

Have you bought your copy yet? Who sings the opening lyrics on the new Band Aid 30’s Do They Know It’s Christmas?

And who sung the opening lines on the original 1984 version?

With whom did Bing Crosby croon a version of the Little Drummer Boy in the 70s, still heard today?

X Factor winner Sam Bailey topped the charts last Christmas: What was the name of the song?

Walking in the Air is the theme to which animated Christmas classic?

According to the song, What were Frosty the Snowman’s eyes made out of?

What kind of pudding do the carollers demand in We Wish You a Merry Christmas?

10.

American James Lord Pierpont wrote this jolly festive song about winter sleigh races. What do we call it today?

On the first day of Christmas...

Where in the West? Test your local knowledge 1.

This Cornish town takes its name from a saintly Irish Princess called Ia, who according to legend, sailed over the sea on a leaf.

This moorland town is home to the UK’s highest brewery - and a famous prison.

Time stood still in the 1960’s at The Valiant Soldier Inn, now a quirky museum in which Devon village near a monastery?

Damien Hirst’s famous statue Verity (right) stands in which North Devon seaside town?

This is the only Cornish town to be listed in the Domesday book and was once home to the county assizes

This town’s famous for its Furry Dance and Flora Day in May

Known as The Gateway to Cornwall, this town is at one end of The Royal Albert Bridge

This Devon town’s original name was Twyfyrde, with a famous lace factory that now makes textiles

Located in what’s dubbed England’s ‘little Switzerland’ this place has a quaint water-powered cliff railway

10.

Also known as Chelsea on Sea, this resort is said to boast the most resident millionaires in Cornwall. 21

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Entry form Cut out and send to West Magazine, Heron Road, Sowton Industrial Estate to arrive by January 2, 2015. Normal terms apply

Books

Brands

Celebs

Collective Noun

10.

News

Panto

Songs

Where

10.

Name

Address

Contact number

Email address *West magazine will not share your details with any third party

Quiz_Dec_14.indd 22

10/12/2014 14:42:01

£150 Princesshay gift card

Your fantastic prizes!

River Cottage cookery course

First prize: Rangemoors cookware worth £500 • Second prize: £230 River Cottage cookery course • Third prize: £200 family annual membership for four to Crealy Devon • Fourth prize: £150 Princesshay Exeter gift card • Fifth prize: £59 Celtic & Co slippers • Sixth/seventh prizes: 2 x £50 family days out with The National Trust • Eighth prize: £50 Cornwall Farmers voucher £50 Cornwall Farmers voucher

A family membership to Crealy

Rangemoors cook kit

Just look what you could win! Our star prize is a £500 set of top-quality Rayburn cookware from Rangemoors, the Devon kitchen range and stove specialists (www. rangemoors.co.uk). Also up for grabs are days out with the National Trust, Crealy Devon passes or a day’s cookery course with River Cottage in East Devon. Shop till you drop with £150 gift card for Princesshay shopping centre Exeter or £50 voucher for Cornwall Farmers. Or just get cosy in Cornwall’s Celtic & Co slippers!

A day out with the National Trust

Celtic & Co slippers 23

Quiz_Dec_14.indd 23

10/12/2014 14:42:37

Gardens

ANNE SWITHINBANK

All I want for Christmas Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, on what she and her fellow gardeners really would like this year hristmas is approaching fast and there is still some tricky present buying to contemplate for odd aunts, uncles and family friends. They are all keen gardeners, so surely a land-based present is bound to please? I can’t speak for all gardeners but here is some guidance about what might - and might not make us jump for joy. Arguably the most useless present I’ve been bought is a sign fashioned in the style of a giant wooden plant label stating ‘I’m in the garden’. No thank you: I have spent many years honing the art of camouflage so that when I get into the garden nobody can find and interrupt me. I’ve also received a lot of gloves and clogs that have been too small for my hands and feet, strangely. Large gloves thick enough to withstand bramble prickles and nettle hairs are always welcome and what I’d really like is a proper serious gardening apron to protect my clothes while at the potting bench. The best present I’ve been given was a collection of wooden pressers crafted from old piano wood by my Dad (who used to be a piano tuner and repairer). He made them with little handles to grip, to fit a variety of different pot sizes and a rectangular one for seed trays. I still have them and they are ideal for pressing compost down lightly to create a smooth surface for seed sowing. At the cheap end of gardening presents, I can never have enough garden twine or plastic plant labels. My husband once bought me a roll of thick twine for Christmas (yes, that got some laughs) which although it was beautiful, was actually too thick to use. Large clay pots are another favourite and the children clubbed together to buy me

a collection one year. Should you want to spend more and your gardener loves rhubarb, a posh clay rhubarb forcing pot is both useful and beautiful. Most gardeners appreciate special gardener’s soap with crushed pumice or wheat germ to

ease grime from our hands. Or you could easily set up a stocking with lots of small useful gifts. Sometimes second hand tools can come up trumps. I like old-fashioned garden lines for marking out seed drills and beds. One end of

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your string is fixed to a metal frame holding a winding mechanism. Two pointed legs allow this to be pushed into the ground. The other end of the twine is attached to a metal pin for the other end of the row. I could do with several of these. Many tools bear replication, such as forks (two are used back to back for dividing herbaceous perennials). I can’t own too many trowels, knives or secateurs. If you are splashing out £30-40 on your gardener, Swiss Felco and French Bahco (I like the medium PX-M2 ergonomic secateurs) are good makes. For general use, I’d opt for a folding pocket gardening knife with a straight blade rather than a curving one, as they are easy to use for trimming cuttings.

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

[[ We gardeners always need preserving jars and bottles for rendering produce into jams and chutneys

We gardeners always need preserving jars and bottles for rendering our produce into jams, chutneys, pickles, herby oils, sloe and damson gin etc. There’s a huge interest in home-grown flowers for cutting, so snips (like mini secateurs) and vessels for steeping and arranging are great. Try Haws (www.haws.co.uk) for their metal jugs. Their 2.25L plastic conservatory watering can is my basic kit for the greenhouse. Of course, if you are really stuck and short of funds as well, you could always pledge some time. What we all need in the garden is a little help from our friends.

• Cut down or coppice hazels that have grown large. Harvest straight poles for bean rows and chop the rest up for firewood. Cut close to the ground and your hazel will soon grow up again. Light will enter for wild flowers to grow. • Use a few prunings to make a thickety log pile down the bottom of the garden

to attract small insects and other mini beasts which in turn are food for birds. Slow worms, newts and toads need these wild areas for hibernation. • Tidy around the front door ready for Christmas. Clear leaves, spruce up containers and maybe add a plant or two. Clipped evergreens or a contorted hazel look good.

Question time with Anne West reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank

I have a lovely weeping silver pear whose branches are weeping too much and sweeping over the ground. Can I prune it?

The weeping part is grafted on to the trunk, so first look inside and make sure there are no ‘feathers’ or side shoots from the main trunk that need to be cut away. You might find there’s a thicket of inner branches that could be thinned out. During winter, take out a few of the longest most misplaced stems close to the top of the plant at the point where they cascade down. Whatever you cut, it shouldn’t be obvious. You could train one of the long stems up a cane by another 45cm and then let it trail, to create a higher tier of draping branches and lighten the structure.

Why don’t I have any berries on my holly?

Hollies are either male or female. When they flower in spring or early summer, the small flowers reveal their sex by either having prominent stamens with pollen on the ends, or obvious styles and immature fruit swellings. If your holly is male, you’ll need to plant a female cultivar to get berries. If your holly is female, it may not have a male partner nearby for pollination, so you need to plant a male. Hollies are usually labelled male or female, or ask garden centre staff to look the variety up for you. Don’t go by the name because ‘Silver Queen’ is male and ‘Golden King’ is female!

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

Cut holly sprigs that are still bearing a few berries, otherwise the birds will take the lot and you’ll have nothing for the top of your Christmas pud. They’ll keep in water in a cool place.

Move roses that are not doing well because they are overshadowed or outcompeted by nearby trees and shrubs. Dig a trench around them a distance from the trunk, undercut and replant, sprinkling ‘Rootgrow’ over their roots. 25

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09/12/2014 17:53:33

REAL HOMES

Deco delight Sarah Pitt visits an Art Deco apartment in Cornwall. The property has been a dream come true for its owners, who - as she discovers - live and breathe the 1920s and 30s

ucked above a shop in Redruth in Cornwall’s old mining heartland, is an incongruous gem, a luxury bolthole with more than a touch of movie-era glamour. Pass by in the street, and you’d have no idea it was there. There’s a bit of a clue, mind you, in the shop beneath. Called La Belle, it specialises in objets d’art, furniture and ephemera from the Art Deco era of the 1920s and 1930s. Owners Danny and Michelle Everard spend all their waking hours – including some when by rights they should be asleep – stocking the shop and arranging it just so. Danny travels all over the country to find unusual pieces from the era of Hollywood’s heyday and brings them back to Michelle, whose window displays are, he says, “legendary” in the town. “The best bit for me is the search, for Michelle it is the display,” says Danny. “She is absolutely brilliant at it, that’s her forte. We are a team, I couldn’t do it without her and she couldn’t do it without me.” The couple have built up such a reputation that enthusiasts for Art Deco beat a path to their door from around the world. “We even had one woman come over from Sydney,” says Danny.

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Interiors

[[ The apartment is now a highly original bolthole, decorated with all sorts of authentic finds from the Art Deco period

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Interiors The bed is newly built under the eaves in the style of the 1920s

“She walked in the door, went straight across the room and said ‘I’ve made it!’.” And now the couple have a new showcase for their passion: the two-floor apartment above the shop. They have spent the past year converting it into a highly original bolt-hole, decorated with authentic finds from the period. From cocktail glasses to model nymphs, a polished walnut desk and even a palm tree lamp adding a touch of shimmery glamour, the apartment whisks you back to the era of Jeeves and Wooster. From the moment you walk through the door, you know you are somewhere special as you hang your hat on the polished aluminium hat stand. It’s one of only three which Danny has found in 17 years in the business. “We knew what we wanted to do,” he said. “We wanted the flat to be very Hollywood-era glam.” Danny travels the country to source Art Deco finds from both individuals and dealers, finding particularly rich pickings on the south coast resorts, as Bournemouth and Southampton which were fashionable at that period. “The palm tree was a real find,” he says. “It really is spectacular, and it has a light underneath. The lady I bought it from believes it came from America.” Polished wood is a big feature of the apartment, from the maple dining table with carved flourishes on its legs to the dressing table in one of the bedrooms, complemented by a perfume bottle of the period, and a figurine of Diana the Huntress.

[[ ‘We knew we wanted it to be very Hollywoodera glam. It’s been a labour of love’

The Everards worked with a carpenter and builder who were enthusiasts for the project to make best use of the relatively compact space over two floors. “We showed them our designs and they built it with us,” says Danny. The living room and dining room are open plan, with a slick modern kitchen – plus Art Deco touches – just off the main room through a doorway. The bedroom above is reached via a spiral staircase, and looks down on the sitting room and its original carpet, with stylised floral motif.The second bedroom makes creative use of the area under the eaves. The built-in bed and tables were newly designed in the Art Deco style, with a striking geometric headboard. The little touches are as important as the showy pieces of furniture and spectacular mirrors - and

just as much care has gone into sourcing them. “We have put in all the detail,” says Danny. “If you open the drawers of the dressing table you will find booklets and leaflets from the period to help set the scene.” For Danny and Michelle, a sale in their shop is a bittersweet thing. “You get the money, but letting go of a piece is really hard,” Danny says. So furnishing their apartment has been particularly satisfying, because every element is here to stay. “It has been a labour of love for us,” says Danny. “When you open the door, it is like stepping back in time.” No 1 La Belle Apartments, Redruth is available to book for holidays through Blue Chip Holidays, www.bluechipholidays.co.uk or 0844 704 4987

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Shopping

GET THE

Art Deco bathroom using tiles from Original Style, from a selection at www. originalstyle.com

LOOK

Discover Art Deco for your home with these 1920s looks

1920s style mirror £195 www.chandeliersandmirrors.co.uk

Art Deco cocktail cabinet and other pieces, from a selection La Belle, Redruth, www.labelleartdecoandantiques. co.uk Aston cloakroom basin, £315, www. bcdesigns.co.uk

Thermal silvercoloured cafetiere, £49.95, www. creative-tops.com

BIBA Toulouse dressing table, £499, and mirror, £199, www.houseoffraser. co.uk

Art Deco shop display mannequin, from a selection, La Belle, Redruth, www.labelleartdecoandantiques. co.uk 29

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09/12/2014 18:00:02

Beauty

Tried

& tested

Ooh la la! French company Blancreme’s cosmetics and toiletries are inspired by food and drink. This strawberry and pomegranate set includes bath foam, shower gel, body scrub, body lotion and massage cream. £44.95 at www. boutiqueprovencale.co.uk

We check out the best beauty products of the week, as selected by West magazine’s Catherine Barnes, with help from daughter Tilly, 17.

NEST EGGS This clutch of six chamomile and meadowsweet-scented robin’s egg soaps contain oatmeal and wheat bran exfoliating ‘speckles’. £19.95 from www. annabeljames.co.uk

Gloss over it! Poundland’s rainbow lip glosses are ideal stocking fillers at £1 each. 30

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the review This week we try:

GHD Curve curling tongs Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod bows to GHD’s latest offering have cruel friends. In the days before GHD, I have been likened to both the comic Bill Bailey and Smeagol from The Lord of the Rings. In fact, the Bill joke was so well received that another member of the party even fell off the sofa with mirth. They have a point. My long blonde hair tends to be also gave me much-needed volume. Appara bit lifeless. On a good day it musters ently this is the work of a spring activated up a half hearted kink that is the beach ergonomic lever that is designed for longer wave equivalent of Skegness. Needless to hair. say, when straighteners hit the shelves I All I know is that, in my thirties and was first in the queue, and my GHD claswithout the help of dry shampoo, this is a sic is now an extension first. of my very arm. From The next day, the curls smooth as silk lengths to had dropped just slightly medium curls that have but were still very much The real beauty queen bounce, I evident. I just picked up witchcraft here? can do it all. Hence, I had the wand again, popped in reservations when GHD about six fresh ones, ran The fact that the released a new curling a paddle brush through curling iron range. Why would I need my mane, this when I can get the and walked also gave me same results with what out the door much-needed I already owned? So in with almost as volume the interest of science, much spring in I tried the GHD Curve my step as in Soft Curl Tong. my hair. I’ll cut to the chase. Put Last night I this on your Christmas list. My classic has rough-dried my newly-washed been throwing me jealous glances from hair and went to sleep. I can my dressing table for the past week. From hear you gasping, surely I the moment you hit the on switch, the paid for this in the morning? new GHD Curve is everything you would Nay. expect from these market leaders. This morning I had salonInside the 32mm barrel are six quickquality hair in sub-ten minthinking sensors that ensure that heat utes. I divided each side of my is distributed consistently right across hair into three sections. Then the barrel. This means no cooked hair, I wound the bottom third of just even, tumbling XL curls. My first each section loosely around attempt was just before a night out. I the large barrel. Within minsectioned my hair into roughly 16 secutes you have a Kate Middletions and, working from the bottom, tonesque finish. wound them around the barrel all the It also comes with a heat way and held until I could feel the heat mat (so you can pop it down glowing through. I gently let go, and took safely) a professional length a moment to admire the lengthy surface cord, and goes into automatic area that was now smoothly curled. sleep mode after 30 minutes A quick spritz of hairspray and onto without use (Best.Feature. the next one. The end result was a Ever – No more U-turns on the cascade of thick lustrous curls worthy M5). Here’s to great hair! of the Victoria’s Secret runway. The real GHD curve, from £110, www. witchcraft here? The fact that the curling ghdhair.com

Show some skin Give skin a golden glow - LDN:Skins Tone 3 Mousse with moisturising shimmer has been formulated for the perfect party tan. £29.95 www.ldnskins.com.

ten out of ten Soap & Glory’s limited edition Perfect Ten shadow palette will take you through from dawn to dusk £16, Boots

[[

Want a review? Send your request to westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk 31

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09/12/2014 18:01:42

Wellbeing

Party pre-tox Prep yourself for the morning after the night before this party season, with our clever health and beauty regime ith the Christmas party season in full swing, nutritionist Simon Bandy says there are ways to minimise potential damage wrought by over-indulging. So what’s it all about? So-called ‘pre-toxing’ means loading our systems in advance with nutrient-rich foods that will help us feel fresh and cope with a party lifestyle. Simon, who’s an advisor with health supplement people veganicity.com, has these seven steps to help avoid festive fatigue:

3 Forty winks: Late night gift shopping, parties and long days at work are often unavoidable in the run up to Christmas. Try to fit in a pre-party snooze - or better still an early night.

2 Prepare your gut: Pineapple and asparagus are great for cleansing the system before it’s assaulted with mince pies and mulled wine. Choose drinks mixed with dark berry juices as these tend to be packed full of antioxidants.

4 Do some light exercise: It’s a great way to improve circulation, shift toxins and help recover from a hangover.

DODGER

1 Don’t crash diet to fit into party outfits: Eat sensibly and try not to snack on sugary or high fat party foods - these can cause fluctuating blood sugar levels, which may lead to fatigue.

THE SOFA

5 Glow, girl: A good dry body brush can help skin to glow and stay blemish free. Found in many

beauty creams, hyaluronic acid can soften skin. 6 Look after your liver: Supplements containing artichoke can help maintain a healthy liver and to decrease the build-up of free radicals. 7 Don’t forget to de-tox: Drink plenty of water throughout the day after a heavy night and eat healthy foods that are packed full of proteins and nutrients, such as fruit, nuts or seeds and broccoli, kale and spinach.

THE KEEP FIT COLUMN WHERE ONE WOMAN TRIES EVERYTHING:

this week: Karting Wanna-be fitness fanatic Sam Taylor, 35, lives in Cardinham near Bodmin and runs the Sofa Dodger website (www.sofadodger.co.uk). This week she tries karting A racing boiler suit is not a good look. Every time I bent down, two buttons would embarrassingly pop open when I donned mine at St Eval Kart Circuit. The karts looked harmless enough. They were a two pedal affair and kids of seven years old could drive them, so they couldn’t be that complicated. Surely? Two laps in though, and I was making

Driving Miss Daisy look like a high speed police chase. This was not good. I started to get paranoid that the stewards were smirking, as I watched one little tot after another speed past me. I was glad that I had a helmet on, so I couldn’t be recognised as the “rubbish one who kept getting lapped”. I tried to invoke the parable of the Hare and the Tortoise, just to make myself feel better!

GET INVOLVED: Try something new or tell the world about your own keep fit class for free at www.sofadodger.co.uk 32

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09/12/2014 17:32:52

Bake NEW!

cake of the week

kate shirazi bakes:

Rebel’s Christmas Cake Kate says: I like a bit of subversion. Not a lot, you understand, just a wink towards it every now and again. This cake is a case in point. It looks like a pretty normal Christmas cake but lurking underneath, for those who hate Christmas cake is – a sponge! This would also work well with chocolate cake, red velvet cake or a carrot cake. The marzipan also gives it a really smooth finish for you to ice on the top.

You will need: 1 Victoria sponge cake (in two layers) 4 tbsp jam of your choice 1.5 kg marzipan 1 kg icing sugar 2 large free-range egg whites juice of 2 large lemons food colouring pastes edible glitter

Method: 1.

Sandwich the two layers of the Victoria sponge cake together with a large spoonful of jam. Sieve the rest of the jam into a small saucepan and set aside.

Roll out 1kg marzipan using icing sugar to stop it sticking until it is about 3mm thick. Pop one of the cake tins on top of it and cut round. Then cut a rectangle as long as your cake’s circumference and as deep as its depth.

Warm the sieved jam until it’s really loose, then carefully brush over the top and sides

of the cake. Place the circle of marzipan on top, and wrap the strip around the sides. When it is all smooth and wonderful, it is really best to leave the cake alone for a day to dry and set.

To make the icing, it is best to use a mixer or a hand whisk. You’d need arms like a shotputter to do this by hand. Place the icing sugar, egg whites and lemon juice in a clean bowl and slowly start beating (I use the paddle beater attachment). Turn up the speed slowly until it is at full speed and the icing makes thick meringue-like peaks.

Ice the cake with a palette knife, starting with the top and dipping the knife in hot water every now and then to help smooth the finish.

To decorate, add different colourings to the marzipan. Roll the remaining 500g marzipan into balls and add food colouring, then slightly wet your hands and roll the balls into edible glitter. Place them onto the cake using a icing as glue. Leave the cake to dry for 24 hours before cutting.

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 Cake Magic, Christmas Magic and Baking Magic (Pavilion Books) 33

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09/12/2014 17:35:09

Coast Kandis jumpsuit £115

Next Metallic pleat skirt £45

Next Statement necklace £38

Schuh Gold high heels £50

Shiny happy It’s Christmas party season, so now is your time to glow rrr! It’s dark and cold outside. Pull on some furry socks and cuddle up on the sofa. Pass me those Hob Nobs, would you? Now, just hang on a minute. There’s a reason why the ancients marked the winter equinox - aka the shortest day, aka next Sunday - by lighting fires and torches and er... (betrays ignorance of prehistoric festivals) things like that. Yes, there is a (strong) temptation to hole up and hibernate at this time of year. But Christmas is coming. And as well as putting lights up on your tree, you need to add a bit of sparkle to your outfits, too. Not all day long, of course, but if you are off to a party or two, then a little glitter, spangle or even bling is the answer. We love this pretty sequinned skirt from Dorothy Perkins. Paired up with a black silk tee you’ll look - and feel - a million dollars. Or how about this oh-so-glamorous embellished jacket from East, which will add a touch of oriental gold to an outfit (and hide your upper arms too, which can be helpful). Go the whole hog in top-to-toe shimmer or just add a touch here and there: either way, you’ll look like a star this Christmas.

C o as t to p £45 sk ir t £55 sn o o d £35 Jenny Packham Debenhams Dress £225

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Fashion Ea st Ve lvet em be lli sh ed ja cket £199

New Look Glitter playsuit £29.99, gemstone clutch £29.99, grey faux fux stole £12.99

Dorothy Perkins Rose gold sequinned pencil skirt £25

Accessorize Floral head slide £28

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09/12/2014 18:06:59

Trend

HOW TO WEAR IT:

Feathers Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod revels in this season’s new look ’ll try anything once, too’ It’s also unexpected, which transbut what scared me lates to serious fashion kudos. Thinkinitially about this new ing of it as clashing prints, for people feather trend was its who are bored of clashing prints. potential to look a little You should already have a blazer bit like I’m trying too hard. And no in your cupboard. If you don’t, conmatter how hard I have actually tried sider this written permission to go behind the scenes, I like every outfit out and buy one post haste. Don’t put to look effortless. it on your Santa list, or even buy it a There is a time and a place for allas ‘present to you from you’, this is an out flamboyance though, and a Christessential. mas cocktail party (not to mention I would go so far as to say this New Year’s Eve) is definitely it. So I means you can put it on the joint acdecided to face my fears head on. count. The masculine clean lines are a I had set out in search of the partywonderful foil for the frivolity of your perfect skirt when I locked eyes with skirt. It’s a joyful combination worthy this Freya feather lace top in Coast. of a MTV starlet giving out interviews The ensuing scene was like somein a boutique hotel. thing from a bad Black, I’d wear it romance novel. head to toe every day if (I’m here to meet my fashion conscience someone else...I would let me. By the really shouldn’t... way, my fashion conThe next thing Well, ok, I supscience is my 84 year I knew I was pose one dance won’t old grandmother who hurt.. ) The next thing has always openly and swearing lifelong I knew I was in the loudly admonished me if adoration as I changing room wearI walk into a room sporting it and swearing ing dark hues. “There twirled in front of lifelong adoration as I are so many beautiful the mirror twirled in front of the colours you can wear, mirror. why black!” followed by Then I scurried off scrunching her face up to Costa for a celebrain disgust and making a tory cappuccino and, just like that, sick sound. It leaves a mark. my dreams of the cutest flounciest I think the fun of the feathers might skirt ever, evaporated. But true love mean she makes an exception this time never dies, and just days later I found though. To transform your ruffled inky myself online continuing the search. skirt into an everyday essential pair it Naughty, I know, but it gets worse. I with a black quilted sweatshirt, tights found myself ogling feathered jackets, and black ankle boots. The addition of capelets, and even feathered shoes. this texture will break the black and Turns out, there’s something inadd interest to an outfit that can veer credibly fun about this trend and, dangerously close to unimaginative. worn right, you can definitely still The only thing I fear being labelled emit an air of enviable everyday ease. more than ‘try-hard’ is ‘unimaginaHere’s my guide to maximising tive’ Which is why I allowed myself wearability, specifically if you manage this burgandy feathered clutch to to find the perfect skirt. The three Bs wear with my new top. All in the name – a band shirt, blazer and black. Comof facing my fear, of course. bining the soft ruffling feminity of feathers with your favourite band tee All fashion in these pictures is from creates a wonderful juxtaposition. It Princesshay Shopping Centre, Exeter, says ‘I’m a girl, but I have some edge www.princesshay.com

MAIN PHOTO HAIR: SAKS, EXETER MAKEUP: CLARINS, DEBENHAMS (BOTH PRINCESSHAY) PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE HAYWOOD STILL-LIFE PHOTOGRAPHS: PR SHOTS

Freya Feather lace top, Coast, Princesshay, £60 Milan trousers, Coast, Princesshay, £44 Black asymmetric stiletto sandals, River Island, Princesshay, £45

Trend_Dec14.indd 36

10/12/2014 16:43:43

COAST Ostrich tippet £60 JULIEN MACDONALD DEBENHAMS Feathery cardigan £42

NEXT Feather sandals £30

RIVER ISLAND Purple feather drop earrings £3

GET THE

look

STREET STYLE HEROES

REISS Grayson feather embellished clutch £110

MORE IS MORE Alexander McQueen’s AW14 show featured arresting feathery lashes by make-up legend Pat McGrath. Go all out this party season and embellish your peepers a la high fashion. Shu Uemura have some impressive offerings online.

MONSOON Feather top £69

Myma Rogers, 19

Harriet Rogers, 20

Estate agent, Torquay

Student, London

Scarf, Topshop, £35 Top, Missguided, £20 Jeans, River Island, £45 Shoes, ASOS, £20 Bag, Mulberry, £500

Scarf, Missguided, £20 Top, H&M, £20 Jeans, Topshop, £45 Shoes, Zara, £50 Bag, Bridge, £100

Trend_Dec14.indd 37

09/12/2014 18:17:35

The National Fireworks Championships on The Hoe, Plymouth

Sue Hosegood

My Secret Westcountry

IMAGE: JOHN ALLEN

Sue Hosegood Sue Hosegood, 46, works for Devonbased kitchen range specialist Rangemoors, where she gives cookery demonstrations in the run up to Christmas. Sue lives on her family farm at Zeal Monachorum in mid Devon with husband William and their three sons aged 15, 13 and eight. My favourite... Dish: One of

my favourites at the moment is a sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce. I’ve got one bubbling away on the Rayburn as we speak. It is even more delicious with cream.

Westcountry food: We are beef

and sheep farmers, so we do eat our own meat, but I also like to support local butchers. At the moment, I’m buying some meat from Farmer Luxton’s near Okehampton. I recently bought some wonderful braising steak from him, cooked the meat nice and slowly and made it into a pie. My family said: “you can make that again”.

Walk: I am very lucky. Because I live on a farm I am surrounded by beautiful countryside, so I go walking there. I always take my golden retrievers with me.

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09/12/2014 18:49:02

Xxxxxx People

IMAGE: JOHN ALLEN

Tavistock Pannier Market

Shopping: Only a couple of weeks ago I went shopping with friends in Tavistock, which we do every year in the run up to Christmas. It has lots of interesting, unique shops and also the pannier market of course.

farm but as a family we do enjoy going to the International Fireworks Championship on Plymouth Hoe (held every August). Visit www.rangemoors.co.uk

Restaurant: I very rarely eat out, but a few years back friends treated us to dinner at Gidleigh Park. It was very tasty and all beautifully presented – a really special occasion.

Stove: I’ve had the chance to try plenty at Rangemoors but wouldn’t be without my oilfired 660C Rayburn which does our central heating, hot water and all the cooking. It is a pressure-jet model so it is very economical and very responsive. In the winter it is on all the time, and everyone comes and gathers around it. It is good for drying wet clothes, too.

Cooking method: It’s got to be slow cooking in a range. You can leave a joint in there for half a day and it will slowly cook to perfection. Range cookers really come into their own at Christmas. You can have things on top keeping warm while you are cooking the rest.

Fish and chip shop: I like the fish and chips from Graylings in North Tawton. Outing: It’s difficult to get much time off

the

Graylings Fish and Chip Shop, North Tawton Gidleigh Park near Chagford 39

Sue_Hosegood_MSW_Dec14.indd 39

09/12/2014 18:49:36

[

EATING OUT

[

Budock Vean Hotel

By Becky Sheaves

ne of my favourite get-aways here in the South West is a trip to the lovely family-run Budock Vean Hotel, down on the Helford River near Falmouth. It’s a gorgeous place with fabulous grounds, friendly staff and – high on my list, as you can imagine – a seriously good restaurant. My husband John and I went down to stay for a couple of nights recently (without the kids thanks to our very kind relatives who held the fort) and had a terrific time. And while we were there we ate at the restaurant. Now, this hotel has been in the same hands for many years and has many long-standing and very loyal fans. We’re among them and, although I’m no spring chicken (ahem), we’re usually among the noticeably younger faces staying. This time, however, was ever so slightly different. There was markedly more of a mix of ages staying. I even spotted a chap with long hair, accompanied by a positively trendylooking girl. And – what was this? – the bar area and once rather staid (not to say dated) lounge areas have been revamped with cool blues and chic greys, as have many of the bedrooms (and the rest are on the to-do list, apparently). It’s an evolution rather than a revolution but there is no doubt this grand old lady of Westcountry hotels has had more than a bit of a revamp. It all looked wonderful, but I was worried: “I do hope the food is the same as ever,” I said to John as we sipped gin-and-tonics in the newly-elegant bar. I’ve always considered myself rather clever

to know that this quiet Georgian hotel has two fantastic and longstanding chefs, both of which – without fuss or drama – cook up superb restaurant food here with a more than a hint of classical French skills and topnotch local ingredients. I hoped they hadn’t gone all cool on the culinary front. I did not want to find myself eating burgers. They have their place, but not here. Fear not, all was well. Our dinner was reassuringly excellent, with calm, professional and thoughtful service throughout. To begin, I had

super-fresh local Falmouth Bay scallops cooked to perfection. My main course was lemon sole in a tangy green sauce vierge. Oh my goodness. I know the chefs have the benefit of no-troublespared local sourcing and a just-out-of-the-sea lemon sole is a beautiful thing. But these folk really do know how to cook fish. It was meltingly tender and so delicately prepared. John, meanwhile, was delighted with his Cornish beef teriyaki, served with mustard, pea shoots and mooli. Mooli? It’s type of fresh radish, apparently common in Asian cuisine. Yes, I did have to google it. John then had a very restrained, traditional and spot-on delicious pan-seared breast of guinea fowl, served with parsnips, chantenay carrots, chestnut mushrooms, garlic roast new potatoes,

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09/12/2014 18:08:30

4 of the best

Good hotel restaurants

Gidleigh Park

1 The Eastbury Hotel, Sherborne

This handsome town centre hotel has a deservedly excellent reputation for fine dining, with an emphasis on Dorset-sourced products. Dish of the day: Castlemead chicken, celeriac dauphinoise, leeks and Sherborne bacon. Prices: Tasting menu £55 a head Contact: 01935 813131

2 Restaurant Nathan Outlaw, Rock

[[

John forgetting the crucial jacket and a proper stock-based port and tie the gents have always had wine sauce that must have taken to wear in the restaurant. He was hours to prepare. lent a jacket to put on, which made For dessert, John then chose us giggle a lot but the front of a local cheese selection. Along Oh my goodhouse staff were very nice about came beautifully presented Corness. These folk our oversight. On this occasion, nish blue, Cornish yarg and really do know although we had remembered to Helford white with quince jelly, observe the dress code, the vibe walnuts, celery and biscuits. You how to cook fish. was ever so slightly more relaxed: may well be familiar with nettleIt was meltingly the chap on the table next to us covered Yarg, which I adore for tender and deliwas in a sweater and open-necked its fresh lemony youthfulness. shirt. As I said, times are definiteCornish Blue, meanwhile, won cately prepared ly a-changing at the Budock Vean. the top accolade ever globally for But I am very happy to report cheese a few years back: Chamthat the cuisine here is at the pion Product at the World Cheese same high standard as ever. And Awards. I’m sorry to say – and I that is a very good thing. The Budock Vean Hotel, have noticed this when eating it elsewhere reMawnan Smith, Cornwall 01326 250288 cently – but this cheese has changed and is nowhere near as good as it once was. At the top of its game, it was an addictively moreish creamy Cornish take on Italian dolcelatte: today it’s just an ordinary softish blue, with none of the flavour and bite it once had. Ah well. Helford White, John’s third cheese, is a little round blue cheese Food from nearby Treveador Dairy: bitter, interesting and fragrant. It is my new cheese best friend Atmosphere from Cornwall and well worth a try, if you get the chance. Service I’m writing rather a lot about John’s cheese board, I notice. But I also managed to tuck away Price A three course dinner is an excellent sharp-sweet lemon posset with can£41 a head. died lemon and syrup oat biscuits. Memorably, one of our previous stays here saw

How they scored...

  

This hotel has a two-star Michelin restaurant thanks to resident star chef Nathan Outlaw. It’s superb but not cheap - but there is a more affordable brasserie by Nathan here as well. Dish of the day: Monkfish, smoked leeks, Jerusalem artichokes and seaweed. Price: Tasting menu £99 per head. Contact: 01208 862737

3 Gidleigh Park, Chagford

Another (in fact the only other) two Michelin star restaurant in the South West is this handsome former shooting lodge turned boutique hotel on Dartmoor. Here top chef Michael Caines and team serve up imaginatively sensational food. Dish of the day: Warm salad starter of native lobster with cardamom, lime and mango vinaigrette. Price: Lunch from £46, signature menu £140 per head. Contact: 01647 432367

4 The Idle Rocks Hotel

This hotel in beautiful St Mawes is on the water across the river from Falmouth. It has a reputation using Cornish produce with an emphasis on foraged wild ingredients. It is also a delightful place to stay, voted in the “50 Best Beach Hotels in Europe 2014” by the Sunday Times. Dish of the day: Grilled mullet, Cornish anchovies and sauce vierge Price: Mains around £22 Contact: 01326 270 270

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09/12/2014 18:08:59

Ingredient of the Week

Booze

with Tim Maddams lcohol. Whether you drink it or not is of course entirely up to you (or possibly ordained by the religion of your choice). But one thing is for sure, the many and varied flavours and tones of everything from cider to sherry make a big difference in cookery. Classic recipes from all around the world, with the obvious exceptions, often call for a good glug of wine, often more than half a bottle. Take, for an example a good strong, red wine and stock reduction used as a gravy. It’s unlikely that without the wine you will get the desired balance of sweetness, acidity, and depth to counter the richness of the well-reduced meat stock. Forget to put the wine in at the right time and you could ruin the whole thing. As with many things in cookery, it’s not just about the ingredients, it’s about your understanding of them and how they each interact with the other to create the flavour you want. To continue with the wine in gravy example, if you simply reduce a meat stock until it thickens and then add a glass of wine before serving the result will be a very winey, acidic and unpleasant sauce fit only for the bin, though you could rescue it if you postpone supper by half an hour. What you really need to do is start with the

wine, get it reduced by at least half and then add the stock and reduce that. This gives the wine time to lose its acidic edge and sweeten up before the stock begins to add its own elements to the sauce. You can then taste the sauce as it reduces, seasoning carefully and adding aromatics as required, such as thyme, rosemary, etc. Some people like to marinate raw meat in wine but I have to say I don’t like this, it pickles the meat and makes it very sour. But there are many, many ways you can use booze as an ingredient. Soaking dried organic apricots in apple brandy will produce (after a week or two) one of the best fillings for an almond tart you are every likely to come across AND a decent snifter for the hip flask. Cider, simply sweetened with a little honey and churned in the ice cream machine, will make an excellent if intoxicating sorbet. And pretty much any booze stronger than around 15% will work added to cream and whipped as an accompaniment to hot desserts. The bonus of cooking with booze? Once the bottle’s out of the cupboard it legitimately needs tasting before you can use it. This way you can really get an understanding of how it will affect the end dish. Well, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Cheers.

Boozy puds

The booze chosen for most desserts must have a depth of richness and a slight sweetness that will stand out in the dish. It’s also best to add some at the very end of the cooking process. Let’s take some fine Somerset cider brandy as an example. You want to make a nice brandy custard tart: good idea. But how to get the best from the brandy and how to impart that warmth to the dish? I would suggest splitting the alcohol in two, adding half to the custard as you prepare it and the other half stirred in at the last minute before it goes in to bake. What about a sweet sherry ice cream? Same thing: put half in the mix as it thickens and then add the other half as the mixture cools before churning. @TimGreenSauce

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

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09/12/2014 17:46:25

Drink

Darren Norbury

talks beer t’s time to get the beers in. I know I always say that, but I mean it’s time to get the beers in for Christmas. And please, don’t be tempted by those pile ’em high, sell ’em cheap supermarket deals. It’s the festive season. You deserve better. This column is all about supporting our local West Country brewers. Now’s the time to find out what they have in stock and find beers for your parties, and to enjoy with your Christmas meals. You’ll find local beers in many farm shops these days, but try approaching the brewer direct, too. Some offer polypins – plastic beer casks – into which they can put 18 or 36 pints of the beer of your choice. There are plenty of Christmas beers around. Down here in Cornwall, Jingle Knocker, from Skinner’s, is a perennial favourite and, at 5% ABV, typifies the malty, fruity style one comes to expect from a festive brew. These beers are fine in moderation, but Skinner’s realised that many people wanted a session beer to drink, say at an after-works drinks party, so introduced Christmas Fairy at a much more quaffable 3.9%. There’s a choice of two at Bays Brewery, too, in South Devon. Jingle Ale (4%) offers subtle malt sweetness with a hoppy finish, while at 3.9% there’s 2015, made specially to welcome in the New Year – well-balanced and easy drinking if you’re taking it steady after Christmas Day! There’s a big range around in these styles, and plenty of others, too. Look out for beers such as Cornish Crown’s Porter (5.2%) from just outside Penzance. It’s not branded as a Christmas beer, but it’s ideal at this time of year, having an addi-

tion of Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla which gives a lovely smoothness in both taste and mouthfeel. And Otter Claus, from the Otter Brewery, near Honiton, is a seasonal classic, ruby coloured and warming with some bitter chocolate notes. Make this Christmas the year you replace at least some of your wine, or sherry even, with some beers. Resinous, hoppy beers work well with white meat, while red meat will suit a more robust, malty bitter. If you’re vegetarian and having a nut roast with some good seasoning, a wheat beer might hit the mark. For Christmas pudding why not try a little stout rather than reaching for dessert wine? Hoefully, I’ve encouraged you to try some local beers this yuletide, but remember: good Westcountry beer is for life, not just for Christmas! Darren Norbury is editor of beertoday.co.uk @beertoday

Toast of the West Harbour Brewing Co, near Bodmin, and Wild Beer Co, in the depths of Somserset, are honoured in the December issue of FHM as the magazine presents its Craft Beer Awards. In the top ten are Harbour’s flagship India Pale Ale and the Wild boys’ Belgian style strong ale, Ninkasi. Congratulations!

POOCHES’ PINT If you take your canine companion to a pub you know there’s a pint where they look longingly at you as you sup your pint. Well now they can have a beer of their own. Snuffle Dog Beer, made in Belgium, is nonalcoholic, of course, and is brewed with beef or chicken stock and malt barley extracts, plus mineral oils. It comes in 25cl bottles and in four packs.

Beer of the week At the time of writing this, I have just returned from St Austell Brewery’s Celtic Beer Festival and its famed selection of one-off brews. Among these was Dark Destroyer, an 8.2% ABV black lager that was deceptively drinkable for its ABV. Nice lager flavour with the addition of a small amount of dark malt to give the colour. One of those ‘specials’ you wish St Austell would do more often. 43

Tim_Beer_Dec14.indd 43

09/12/2014 17:46:49

Living

MOTORS

All grown up Plymouth petrolhead Steve Grant road tests the new Toyota RAV 4, as the original Sports Utility Vehicle celebrates a milestone birthday here’s some big automotive birthdays being celebrated this year. Mazda’s iconic MX-5 and Land Rover’s hugely popular Discovery are both 25. And, you may find it hard to believe, but Toyota’s popular RAV4 is 20 years old. Like the MX-5 and the Disco’ before it, this car was a ground-breaking arrival. Its unveiling at the 1994 Geneva Motor Show marked the arrival of a new kind of vehicle, one that would transform the global car market. The original “Recreational Activity Vehicle” with four-wheel drive pioneered a new segment for compact, highly manoeuvrable Sports Utility Vehicles, part of the market that has since developed from niche to motoring mainstream.

Back then, Toyota had modest ambitions for its new model, expecting initial worldwide demand of only around 4,500 units. When 8,000 orders came in the first month alone, production volumes had to be doubled. Billed as “small, light, sporty and affordable” the RAV4 initially was available only as a threedoor in the UK, with a 2.0-litre petrol engine and either five-speed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. Equipped with independent suspension all-round, a monocoque body and measuring just 3.96m long (little more than today’s Yaris), it was unlike anything else on the market. The motoring public went bonkers for it. The following year – RAV4’s first full year on sale – almost 6,800 were sold, quickly establishing it

as the fourth best-selling model in Toyota’s 14strong UK line-up. That year it sold 53,000 worldwide; the following year saw double that number reach the road, and by 1995 the total had tripled. Global sales have grown with each of the four generations of RAV, with more than five million now having been sold – more than 167,000 in the UK. As a testament to Toyota’s reputation for building hard-wearing, reliable vehicles, more than 90 per cent of the RAV4s ever sold are still on the road today. That’s some achievement. When it came to creating this latest, fourth generation model, Toyota talked to existing RAV4 customers around the world to understand what the liked best about their car. They cited its good manoeuvrability, ease of access, elevated view of

TodaysworldGadgetGuru_Dec14.indd 44

09/12/2014 17:40:08

gadget notebook 14 December 2014

TECH TIPS: Gifts for geeks All your techy types will love these goodies

the road ahead, versatility and reassuring capability. As a result, the fourth-generation RAV4 reflects a stronger emphasis on family use, while keeping those core values. Its styling is sharper - there’s a top hinged tailgate for the first time - a more spacious cabin and loadspace, greater comfort and higher levels of safety. The rear door-mounted spare wheel has gone but I suspect many will not miss it. Customer choice is wider than ever before, with the UK range extending to nine models, offering both two and all-wheel drive, four diesel and petrol engines and three transmissions. I tried the 2.2-litre Icon flavour, with six-speed manual gearbox and all-wheel drive. The 148bhp four-cylinder engine - the pick of the range - is said to return 49.6mpg on the combined cycle though I managed an adequate, and probably more realistic, 35.4mpg. Plenty of mid-range torque and a smooth gearbox means this was an easy, enjoyable car to drive, with just the right mix of power and performance - something we’ve come to expect from Toyota. It’s a five-door only model, offered with a single wheelbase worldwide. And it’s longer by 235mm compared to the previous model. Icon models also come with keyless entry and easy push-button start as standard, together with new two-tone 18-inch alloy wheels. This builds on an equipment list that also includes dual-zone climate control automatic headlights and wipers, cruise control and a DAB digital tuner. And my, it has certainly grown over the years! It’s much more practical as it now measures up as a proper medium-sized SUV on the inside, where there’s ample room for four adults. So, like any 20-year-old, it’s bigger, more muscular and more grown up than its earlier forms. One thing will remain the same, though - it will still be popular.

Toyota RAV4 Icon 2.2 Price: £26,800 Engine: 2.2-litre diesel Power: 148bhp Top speed: 118mph 0-62mph: 9.6 secs Fuel consumption: 49.6mpg (combined) CO2 emissions: 149g/km

Time machine Click your fingers and the time and date will appear on this Bluetooth clock, and there’s a built-in mic for handsfree calling. Bluetooth Click Clock £99.99 firebox.com

Top cup For the coffee purist, this machine maintains a 15-bar pressure (the one baristas boast about being ideal). We’ll drink to that. Morphy Richards Red Accents Espresso Machine - £99.99 morphyrichards.co.uk

ROBOTIC FUN

New Newton Remember Newton’s Cradle? Here’s an update in glass, with LEDs inside. The five beads glow blue and red as they collide. Kinetic Light Newton’s Cradle £44.99 thefowndry.com

Combine building skills with an introduction to electronics with this robot arm kit. When built, the arm plugs into your computer via USB, giving you total control over its movements in real time. Programme it, then sit back and marvel as it tidies up your desk space. Robotic Arm Kit £34.99 maplin.co.uk

TodaysworldGadgetGuru_Dec14.indd 45

09/12/2014 17:44:33

My life

[

man and boy

Homework crisis Phil Goodwin and James, four, both have a lot to do

thick veil of academic despair hangs over our family home. No boughs in this house decked with holly, tis not the season to be jolly. Not yet anyway. Deadlines are looming and nothing is getting done. For my dear wife, a long-suffering phD student, this is a near-constant state of affairs. Anyone vaguely familiar with the three-year slog to complete a doctorate knows it is a lonely and confidence-sapping experience. Recently the state of affairs has been compounded by her impending conference presentation combined with a spectacular absence of inspiration. To make matters worse, she is doing the whole thing in a second language, English (she’s Russian) which can turn the act of producing dazzling prose into a process akin to walking through treacle. My personal woe is of a slightly lower order and concerns the need to submit an assignment for the part-time master’s degree in creative writing I began this term: the simple matter of a 5,000-word treatment for a film and an accompanying 2,000-word critical essay - due the first week of January. In theory, working to a deadline is my bread and butter. But I’m finding that journalism and academia are worlds apart. To complete the circle, young James, at the tender age of four-and-three-quarters, also bears the scars of scholarly expectation as teachers quicken the pace in his reading and writing lessons at school. To be fair, the boy carries the burden better than his parents. But we are all under the cosh. You hear a lot about the pressure these days on children to perform from an early age, sitting Sats tests and suchlike. Politicians love to lecture on how we need to up our educational

standards to compete in an increasingly competitive global world. There has even been talk of testing kids at five, which does seem ludicrous. Frankly, it amazes me that James, a fun-loving and silly individual, whose stock response to a serious question remains the raspberry, is even able to read and write letters at all. And despite the protestations of our elected rulers, not all countries start so early. In Russia, the country of my wife’s birth, schooling starts at six. Finland

[

James is a fun-loving and silly individual whose stock answer to a serious question remains the raspberry

[

is a year later. In the UK the age is five though effectively this is brought down to four courtesy of Reception class. It may not be a legal requirement to start school at four, but after two years of hefty nursery bills few families can afford to keep their kids at home - I certainly don’t know of any who do. And even if you wanted to let your child develop naturally in a home environment, you would have to teach reading, writing and basic maths or risk sending the poor kid to school so far behind their colleagues they would probably never recover. I recall I loved reading at primary school – the stories of the Griffin spring to mind – and James is also enthusiastic about books. When it comes to serious sit-down study, though, he is less interested. Of course, we are sent books in the official bag with instructions to build on the work they do in the day, though the few mums and dads I speak to say their kids are usually too tired and they don’t push it. For my part, I absolutely love the module I have been studying – we watch and dissect films, analyse the building blocks of drama and look at what makes a story tick. Of course, then you have to produce something that works and turns according to age-old principles, which is where I am now. I thought I had my idea nailed until a couple of weeks ago – a noir mystery set in the world of undercover police and animal rights. However, the nagging uncertainty over an endlessly complicating plot finally became too much and I decided to scrap the idea in favour of a new story, now started from scratch. I’m not panicking yet, but I will be soon. Christmas? You’re kidding.

Man&Boy.indd 46

09/12/2014 17:36:29

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©LW

03/12/2014 15:56:11

WINTER IS OUR FAVOURITE SPORT Whether it’s snowing, icy, muddy or just cold, the time has come to get behind the wheel of a Jeep Cherokee and give winter a run for its money. Not that it’s a fair ﬁght, of course. The Cherokee’s Selec-Terrain traction™ system allows you to adapt to the conditions of the road at the turn of a dial. So you’re always in control, no matter what Mother Nature sends your way. With 0% APR representative, £2,000 dealer contribution^ & 3 years Free Servicing.* It’s time to play winter.

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Jeep with ®

MODEL SHOWN IS A JEEP CHEROKEE 2.0 LIMITED 170 HP AUTOMATIC 4X4 WITH ACTIVE DRIVE I AT £36,320 OTR INCLUDING SPECIAL PAINT AT £625. OFFICIAL FUEL CONSUMPTION FIGURES FOR THE NEW JEEP CHEROKEE DIESEL RANGE IN MPG (I/100KM): EXTRA URBAN 55.4 (5.1) – 61.4 (4.6), URBAN 39.8 (7.1) – 44.1 (6.4), COMBINED 48.7 (5.8) – 53.3 (5.3), CO2 EMISSIONS: 154 – 139 G/KM.

Fuel consumption and CO2 figures are obtained for comparative purposes in accordance with EC directives/regulations and may not be representative of real-life driving conditions. Factors such as driving style, weather and road conditions may also have a significant effect on fuel consumption. Promotion now available on new Jeep Cherokee models until 6th January 2015. ^Dealer Deposit Contribution only available in conjunction with Jeep Hire Purchase or Jeep Horizon PCP. 0% APR Representative Hire Purchase available for a 3 year term with a minimum customer deposit of 12% required. Finance subject to status. Guarantees may be required. Terms and Conditions apply. We work with a number of creditors including Jeep Financial Services, PO BOX 4465, Slough, SL1 0RW. *New Cherokee models will benefit from complimentary servicing covering the car for three years or 30,000 miles, including protection for the first MOT on all qualifying retail sales. Prices and specifications correct at time of going to print (12/14). Jeep is a registered trademark of Chrysler Group LLC.

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10/12/2014 14:55:09