31.12.16
INSIDE:
27
The Good Fizz guide
Simple ideas for stylish living
DON’T MISS Rick Stein’s new taste adventure
HOW TO STAY
TOASTY - pg 28
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‘I’m convinced some presents are never used, they’re just rewrapped and passed on in a perpetual cycle of hidden disappointment’ Chris McGuire’s been re-gifting, p46
22
IT’S TIDY UP TIME Smart ways with storage
09
YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST Sh! We have all the gossip!
[contents[ Inside this week... 6
THE WISHLIST Our pick of the best treats this week
9
JUST BETWEEN US... Sh! We have the latest gossip!
12
RICK’S FAVOURITE RECIPES Padstow’s Mr Stein shares his wisdom
16
28
OUT AND ABOUT First class fashion for the fresh air
36
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS A Westcountry chef shares top tips
2016: A YEAR IN PICTURES A top photographer looks back
22
IT’S TIDY UP TIME Storage made simple, with expert advice
26
JUST ASK GRACIE Our style guru solves your problems
28
A BREATH OF FRESH AIR Looking good while you’re out and about
30
BOOST YOUR WELLBEING Great ways to feel your best this week
33
SMALL BITES What’s hot in the South West foodie world
37
CHAMPAGNE MOMENTS April Marks chooses the finest fizz
42
THE GENERATION GAME The new guide to teenage talk
46
HE’S HAD ENOUGH Chris McGuire needs a lie down
42
THE GENERATION GAME How to understand your teenagers
44
SECRET WESTCOUNTRY
Where to go, what to do
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22 Drink Beer of the
[ welcome [
week
It’s always nice to be able of beer, run to a finger down look at a glass side of the glass and say the gently moist “Hello, old Such it was friend.” with Harvey’s (4%), hailing Sussex Best Bitter from Lewes, in Sussex, which I spotted at the recent Watermi festival. It’s ll, Lelant, delightfully old-fashi a taste of fresh, English hedgerowoned, with gentle malt hops bitterness. Definitely a and exemplar of true the style.
Darren Norbury
TRIBUTE TO S
talks beer
T AUSTEL
ou wait years for a beer called Job to come Italian along, then years. It is in one year. two appear a country where, of course, As Michael of wine is probably Caine will still plenty never say: and food culturedrunk, and where “They’re only ‘sposed to the wine is particula blow your off.” and food matching rly big. But b***y tastebuds beer is catching The first was is here, and on there, as they are confi it Austell Small part of the hugely will grow. dent their successful Batch series market St Proper Job, of brews, There’s a mountain with zesty similar to Sorrento climb when to lemons to beer sales, actually used it comes though, as brewing process. in the 97% of the Italian market is dominate The second was a collabora d by big brewers’ tion between brands. WorldDriftwood wide, however, brewing maestro Spars The Italians independPete Martin ent brewers (based in the iconic are graduspent a day ally eating pub in St Agnes, north into the mass Cornwall market, three visiting ) and as is witnessed with Pete at Italian brewers by the fact that from the the big global Antica Contea the Driftwood players are ficio, based Birristarting in Gorizia, smaller successfu to buy Spars, creating eastern Italy. northThe Italians a l craft breweries. a day with spent luscious coff In this country, Pete at the Meantime ee St Agnes brewhouse, and Camden creating a stout, availab Town, both luscious coffee stout le in London, which should have become available any any time now be part of worldtime now. wide concerns It was great - not to the to catch up detriment these guys with of their when they products, so far paid a visit to my anyway. local, to tour The ing Company the Penzance Italian Brewhouse, visitors Brewspent some brewer Pete hosted by zance Brewing time at Penowner and Elvin. All nose around brewers love brewing processCo, clearly fascinate other people’s d by the having a there, and no exception kit, and this the beer in enjoyed some . As a one-man the bar at trio were of a very tight the attached before returning operation brewery on Pete runs to the DriftwooStar pub a small footprint visitors were where their d Spars impressed own Superbia beer. They with the quality, but the on tap, having best bitter explained of the that in Italy still very much always great been delivered by courier. was craft to welcome It’s been a proliferatin its infancy, although beer is visitors down especially when they there has here – ion of start-ups bring beer! Darren Norbury in the past few is editor of co.uk beertoday. @beertoday
L It’s already been well commen but I need to ted upon, add St Austell team my congratulations to the on their Western News South Morning West business award. Thorough of the year in small-bat ly deserved for innovatio ch growing the brewing alone, let alone n Looking forwardcore business in tandem. to supping with many more happy years this great family firm.
Brewed the obscur e way
Thomas Hardy Ale. Remem that? Legenda ber rily made by Dorset brewer Eldridge Pope, it is now owned by the Vecchiato Brothers and some of , the latest vintage been matured has in cognac barrels, rather than the usual sherry casks. Only a limited number of these bottles are being sold. I’ll let you know if I manage to track one down… 40
Beer_Dec10.in
dd 40
Y
[[
Here’s to a Happy New Year! hen you look back at 2016, what do you remember most vividly? Is it the big history-making moments - Brexit, Trump, the refugee crisis - or smaller, m o r e personal events? In this edition, our favourite photographer Steve Haywood, who takes many of the wonderful pictures every week here in West, looks back at his own year in pictures. I think you’ll love his round-up of 2016 in the Westcountry, in photographic form. Elsewhere in the magazine (p12) we catch up with our favourite chef, Rick Stein, the man who truly put the Westcountry’s food on the map. If, like me,
W
Tweet 05/12/2016
STORAGE WARS
How to tackle clutter
15:50:20
[
of the week
[
[
you enjoyed his latest BBC TV series, Rick Stein’s Long Weekends, you’ll have loved his foodie explorations around Europe - especially when he tracked down a Greek version of a Cornish pasty! In this week’s West, we catch up with Rick as he turns 70, and he shares a lovely recipe from his travels with us - thank you Rick! With foodie thoughts in mind, we have five fabulous cookbooks to win this week, all packed with great recipes by the region’s chefs. Do enter - I’ve seen a copy and it really is a lovely book to have in your kitchen or on your coffee table. And finally, I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2017.
[
I think you’ll love his round-up of 2016 in the Westcountry
@BeerToday
In my @WMNWest column today, Italian brewers in #Cornwall, @DriftwoodSpars brewery and #Penzance Brewing Company
TO ADVERTISE: Contact Cathy Long: 01752 293017 or 07557 576668, clong@dc-media.co.uk
Becky Sheaves, Editor
EDITORIAL: westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk Tel: 01392 442250 Twitter @wmnwest
COVER IMAGE: Celtic & Co
MEET THE TEAM Becky Sheaves, Editor
Phil Goodwin
Kathryn Clarke-McLeod
Gillian Molesworth
Cathy Long
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If you buy one thing this week... Why not buy a cookbook packed with wonderful recipes from the South West’s top chefs? The Gold award-winning chefs from Taste of the West have teamed up with the region’s top food producers (also all Gold award winners). Their combined expertise has created delicious new recipes using Westcountry ingredients such as lobster from Dorset, chillies from Devon and elderflower wine from Polgoon Vineyard in Penzance. The book is illustrated with beautiful pictures by the internationally-acclaimed food photographer David Griffen. A Taste of the Westcountry costs £17.99 from We Make Magazines (www.wemakemagazines.co.uk)
Win
We have five copies of A Taste of the West Country to win. To enter, simply tell us the name of the food photographer who took the pictures for the cookbook. Send your entry, together with your name, address, phone number and email, to: A Taste of the West Country competition, westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk to arrive by January 13. Alternatively, you can post your entry to A Taste of the West Country competition, West magazine, Queen’s House, Little Queen Street, Exeter, EX4 3LJ. Normal terms apply, West magazine will not share your details.
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Pendant light £145 Heal’s
Peony reversible tote £35 Cath Kidston
the
wishlist West’s top picks for spending your time and money this week
CHIC Mica side table £195 Oliver Bonas
Garden Trading doormat £20 Amara
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Wishlist
BAKE! Kitchen scales £12.99 HomeSense
fave!
COSY Mint tassel throw £32 Oliver Bonas
Hinchcliffe and Barber mug £12 National Trust
SHINE Metallic loafers
Galah notebook £5 TheMakerPlace.co.uk
£75 Dune 7
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talking points Gillian Molesworth
Story of my life... Let’s give up giving up ew Year: the time of resolutions. I always think it’s a bit depressing in sullen January to give things up. Rather, we should take things on. To heck with the diet. What were those things you always wanted to get around to but haven’t? Or, would you like some inspiration for something new? and treat yourself with a trip For instance: abroad at the end of the course. Calligraphy. Why not perfect Help a refugee. There are so your handwriting? You could many people still displaced by issue beautiful invitations, place this lousy Syrian situation: have cards, and thank-you notes. It’s a coffee morning and donate to a centuries old art, made easier the cause, at the very least. Or, go by the modern technology of ink whole hog and turn the annexe that doesn’t come in a bottle. Or into refugee accommodation. hey, go full antique and use the Write a letter. Yes, an old-fashbottle. There are several different ioned, pen-on-stationery letter. alphabets: from Germanic ones Delight an elderly relative or to flowery French get back in contact ones. All it takes with a school chum. is practice. Enjoy the unusual Learn a experience of writYes, an oldlanguage. Just ing an address on fashioned, penthink how many an envelope and on-stationery there are on offer. applying a stamp. Arabic, Spanish, Ask forgiveness. letter. Delight an Chinese, German, It’s never too late elderly relative Portuguese. to say you’re sorry. or get back in Learn wonderYou might be surful new words prised by the result. contact with a for which there Chances are it’s school chum is no English only pride holding translation: for you back. Sure, they instance Fernshare the blame but weh, in German, which is feeling you get extra points for being the homesick for a place you have first to bring it up. never been, or pochemuchka in Make music. Join a local group, Russian, a person who asks too be it choir, orchestra, or samba many questions. While we’re on band. This gives you a time and a the topic: tsundoku in Japanese is place each week where you have the act of leaving a book unread to do it. Music does good things to after buying it, and iktsuarpok your body, mind and soul. There’s in Inuit is the frustration you research backing it up – like, feel while waiting for someone to proper science, not just the stuff turn up. PR agencies use to sell products. Use one of those Amazon It will improve your life. vouchers to get a language CD Happy New Year!
N
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.
SILVER ON
black
The Light Between Oceans actress Alicia Vikander looked stunning in this Louis Vuitton dress on the red carpet at an awards ceremony in London recently. The floor-length dress makes more than a nod to medieval times, being made of soft leather with glittering silver embellishment. Louis Vuitton dresses will set you back many thousands of pounds but you can find similar inspiration for this striking colourway on the high street at a fraction of the price.
Slip dress £99 Miss Selfridge
steal her
style
OR MAKE IT YOUR OWN
OPTION A Pretty Black longsleeved dress £59.99 New Look
OPTION B Elegant Cleo dress £360 Phase Eight Webber
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31.12.16
TILDA’S NOT TIBETAN! The writer of the movie Doctor Strange has defended the film from accusations of “whitewashing” over the casting of TILDA SWINTON as a traditionally Tibetan character. The British actress plays the Ancient One in the superhero movie - a role depicted as an elderly Tibetan man in the 1960s Marvel comics. Writer Jon Spaihts says: “We were wrestling with the fact that some of the core characters of Doctor Strange were created in the early 60s and they are dated. “They represent, to some extent, stereotypes which we had to find ways to freshen up.
Just
between us Gossip, news, trend setters and more – you
“The Ancient One we’ve reinvented as a woman, a woman of Western extraction in this film. “I will say there’s almost a Tilda Swinton exemption because I think she could play any role she wants. I think she’s sublime in this film.” Just not Tibetan.
[[ ‘I’m back on the road again, peeps’
LIFE AFTER BAKE OFF Great British Bake Off presenter SUE PERKINS - who spent many years with a home in Penzance - is planning to “stretch her legs” with an extension to her live tour. Sue, who with her comedy partner Mel Giedroyc has hosted Bake Off since it launched on the BBC in 2010, is leaving the programme when it moves to Channel 4.
Instead, she’s added 16 dates to her Spectacles show, which sold out during its initial leg. “Having spent the last seven years crammed into a tellybox shouting the word ‘Bake’, I think it’s high time I got out, and stretched my legs on the UK stage. Sue will be performing in Poole, Dorset on February 24 and in Bristol on March 7. Yippee!
heard all the latest juicy stuff here first!
!
CHARMING AND VAIN? Typecasting? Surely not! HUGH GRANT is to star as a “vain, charming acting legend” in the sequel film to worldwide hit Paddington. Paddington 2 finds the marmaladeloving bear living in Windsor Gardens and follows him as he hunts down a thief with the help of host family, the Browns. Award-winning actor Hugh will star as Windsor Gardens’ local celebrity Phoenix Buchanan - described as a “vain, charming acting legend whose star has fallen somewhat in recent years”. We’re sure Hugh will play the part perfectly.
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Hello! Guess who came to switch on the Christmas lights in Torpoint?
Leading roles: Owen and Emily had starring roles at St Mary’s School nativity, Tamerton Foliot
in pictures Young farmer: Bridgwater and Taunton college agriculture student Ben Peters is looking after calves Sweet: Five seal pups were released back into the sea at Godrevy by the Cornish Seal Sanctuary
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talking points A HISTORY
of the
WEST in
100
objects The best way to:
SHED THOSE POUNDS In need of a bit of inspiration to shift those mince pie pounds? Here’s how to make 2017 your time to shine. • Weight loss retreat: A NuBeginnings luxury retreat aims to change your relationship with food through nutrition, exercise and therapies. Based at Westwell Hall, a luxury Victorian manor house in Ilfracombe, north Devon, expect a week of exercise, massage, pilates, yoga, hiking and more. Prices start from £1,995. www.nubeginnings.co.uk • Get active: If you’re looking for a workout that doesn’t feel like a workout at all, Zumba is your answer. The fastpaced music and intense aerobic activity burns up to 1,000 calories per class and gives a stronger, leaner body and a healthy cardiovascular system. To find your nearest class, visit www.classfinder. org.uk •
Running it off: When it comes to keeping fit and losing weight, goals and targets are key, so why not sign up to take part in an organised run? Whether it’s a mile or a marathon, pick a realistic date in the future and start planning your progress with this as your end goal. Then grab a friend to train with and lose the Christmas pounds in the fresh New Year air. To find a local event visit www.runbritain.com • Join a club: A weekly slimming club will give you support and encouragement, plus a weekly weigh in to keep you on track. Find Slimming World, Weight Watchers and Rosemary Conley online and join up!
25: FIGURE OF AN ANGEL from Bere Regis, Dorset, 15th century
Julien Parsons is the Senior Collections Officer, The Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter. He says: For many years this oak angel appeared drab and very brown. But a surprise lay hidden beneath its dark surface. As a conservator cleaned it for display in 2011, to her surprise, bright pigments emerged. When freshly painted, 500 years ago, it would have been resplendent in colour. The angel once belonged to the Exeter businessman Harry Hems and originally came from the church of St John the Baptist in Bere Regis. As this village is close to Dorchester and has a long association with the Turberville family, you won’t be surprised to learn that it helped inspire Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles – Bere Regis was renamed Kingsbere in the novel. So how did an angel from a church in Hardy’s Wessex end up in Exeter? By 1870 Bere Regis church was in a desperate state with a leaky roof, crumbling stonework, broken windows and rotting woodwork.
This Dorset angel is nearly 600 years old
Funds were raised for a renovation programme and in 1874–5 Hems’s firm removed the old wood, and carved replacements. It’s believed our angel originally graced the chancel. Some might consider Harry Hems as a vandal, but I think this unfair. He was highly skilled and these days has many admirers. What’s more, he saved fragments of medieval woodwork that would have been lost but now serve to inspire future generations.
#25
On display in the Courtyard, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter. 11
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Interview
Food For liFe Gemma dunn meets Cornwall’s most famous chef ick Stein’s latest foodie mission, Long Weekends, is all about enjoying life’s simpler pleasures. “It’s what I do really,” says the seafood maestro, who over the years has cooked for a host of famous faces, including the Queen. “I’ll leave campaigning cookery to other people - people like Jamie Oliver and Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall who do a fabulous job. For me, it’s about saying, ‘Hey! We’re alive’, and what’s the best part of being alive? Eating and drinking... apart from the obvious,” he adds with a chuckle, “so let’s enjoy it while we can!” Rick’s BBC Two food-travelogue series is a colourful culinary adventure that followed the chef as he embarks on a string of European weekends, in search of good food, wine and traditional recipes. It’s now been followed by a wonderful – and equally colourful – cookbook, packed with recipes. Rick first emerged onto the foodie scene in the Nineties, with his early seafood cookbooks and TV series based on his life as owner of The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow. Today, he cuts a relaxed figure, excitedly reeling off vivid anecdotes of Palermo’s bustling markets and late-night dining in Thessaloniki, Greece. “It’s great fun. Crikey - to be paid to go off to these cities,” he notes, rolling up his shirt sleeves
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as he speaks. “For most people that work during the week, having a weekend off is wonderful anyway. But if you add a bit of travel, it makes it so special.” The decision to pen a tie-in book for this latest series was a “no-brainer”, he says. The book is intended to inspire in two ways - as a travel guide for the destinations he visited and as a recipe book for those keen to cook the dishes he found there. “ C o o k i n g during the week, you tend to stick to things you know because you haven’t got time. But at the weekends, you might well try something - and this is what this book is all about, really.”
Rick moved to Padstow in the early Seventies, shortly after completing his English degree at Oxford and he certainly knows a thing or two about rousing enthusiasm in the kitchen. As well as decades of small-screen appearances on the subject, he and his ex-wife Jill Stein have built an empire that includes six acclaimed Cornish restaurants, a cookery school, food shops, a pub and cocktail bar. Their son Jack is executive chef of the British arm of the family business. As a result, Padstow has been dubbed “Padstein” but Rick has also expanded beyond north Cornwall, with restaurants in Winchester, Poole,
‘If I want to retire, I will but, to be honest, I
don’t see why I should!’
Marlborough, as well as Mollymook in Australia. “People say, ‘It’s crazy, your life’, but it’s not really,” he says, detailing how he splits his time between Chiswick in London, Padstow and Australia, which he visits three times a year inspired by his Australian second wife, Sarah. “I like travel, I don’t find it stressful.” He has, however, taken a step back from the day-to-day running of the family business. “I couldn’t do what my chefs do now, I just wouldn’t have the energy,” says the father-of-three, who turns 70 in January. “I’m lucky. Because I have such great managers, I can do less and less, but still have an overall feeling for how the business is going,” he adds, praising his sons (Edward, Jack and Charlie) and ex-wife Jill for their hand in the design, food, wine and decor aspects of the business. “If I want to retire, I will, but I don’t think I will, to be honest. I don’t see why I should!” Rick Stein’s Long Weekends, £25, BBC Books
Apfelkuchen German apple cake Serves 8 2 dessert apples, peeled, cored and cut into fine wedges 1tbsp lemon juice 125g unsalted butter, softened 140g golden caster sugar 3 eggs, beaten 225g plain flour 2tsp baking powder 1/2tsp salt 75ml full-fat milk For the topping: 1 1/2tbsp demerara sugar 1/2tsp ground cinnamon Whipped cream, to serve 1. 2.
3.
4.
Heat the oven to 170C/Gas 3. Butter and line a 23cm cake tin. Coat the apples in the lemon juice and set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy using an electric beater. Add eggs and beat until smooth. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until well incorporated. Slowly add the milk, mixing well after each addition until you have a smooth batter. Transfer the batter to the cake tin. Arrange the apple wedges in a spiral over the batter. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle on top. Bake in the middle of the oven for 40-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean and the top is golden. Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 15 minutes in the tin. Run a knife around the edges and turn out on to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.
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Interview
Soutzoukakia (Greek meatballs in tomato sauce with cinnamon and cumin) Serves 4 For the meatballs: 500g minced beef 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated 1 egg, beaten 1/2tsp ground cumin 1/2tsp dried oregano 2 slices stale white bread (about 100g), soaked in red wine and squeezed dry 1/2tsp salt 12 turns black pepper mill 3tbsp olive oil For the tomato sauce: 1 onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 3tbsp olive oil 5cm cinnamon stick 1tsp ground cumin 1tsp sugar 150ml red wine 1tbsp tomato paste 500ml passata 1/2tsp salt 12 turns black pepper mill 1.
2.
3.
Mix together all the ingredients for the meatballs except the olive oil and, with wet hands, mould into 20-24 rugby-ball shapes. Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat and fry the meatballs until golden on all sides, or grill on a griddle pan if you like grill lines on the patties. Make the tomato sauce by sweating the onion and garlic in the olive oil with the cinnamon stick, cumin and sugar until soft, about 10 minutes over medium heat. Add the red wine and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to medium again. Add the tomato paste and passata, season with the salt and pepper and cook until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the fried meatballs and simmer for 20-30 minutes with a lid on the pan until cooked through, adding a little water if the sauce is too thick.
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People
No two days are same when you work in the creative field of photography. West contributor Steven Haywood shares highlights from his year ince going freelance four years ago, photographer Steven Haywood has notched up thousands of miles travelling the country, camera in hand, covering everything from red carpet events to micro-breweries for clients including the BBC and the National Trust. Based in the South Hams with his wife and two young daughters, Steven’s hours are anything but ordinary, which is the very reason he loves what he does and is pretty good at it too. He’s handpicked his personal highlights from 2016 to give us an insight into life behind the lens. Follow Steven on Twitter @stevenhaywood1
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SOARING STYLE “This was to promote the National Trust Killerton’s ‘Fashion to Dye For’ exhibition. We knew we needed the most colourful, vibrant shoot possible to fit with the theme but this really just fell into place on the day itself. Everyone asks me whether it’s been photoshopped but it hasn’t; Jasmine, the model, balanced on that pole for a full 15 minutes! We shot this in mid-October but it looks like the height of summer. I was really pleased with the end result – it has a nod to Banksy and it’s great fun.”
CAPTURING POLDARK “It was a real privilege to be the only photographer allowed on the red carpet at the Poldark premiere at St Austell’s White River Cinema. While others were penned into a holding area together with throngs of swooning women, I was right there with the actors. Aiden Turner was great with the crowd and when I quite literally bumped into Eleanor Tomlinson, instead of looking at me sternly like anyone else would have done, she apologised to me. I captured this dark and brooding shot during a Q&A with a 600mm lens and 5.6 aperture – I was up against some fierce national competition but managed to get a pretty good show in the papers.”
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People NATURE’S BOUNTY “The Land Rover in this picture is my own, we used it as part of a photo shoot to promote Killerton’s cider and apple festival in September. As a photographer sometimes you just have to use whatever is available to you, and this car fit with the rustic countryside aesthetic we wanted to achieve. Half of my job is making the everyday a bit more sexy, and with the help of visitor services officer Andy Bramwell and Ranger Toby, cocker spaniel and unofficial Killerton mascot, we managed it! It took us most of the afternoon to fill the Land Rover with apples and then I had to drive the car home in the pouring rain, but it was worth it. I love this shot.”
‘I particularly like this shot of David Attenborough, it is almost vulnerable’
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH “I was commissioned by the BBC to photograph David Attenborough at the premier of Planet Earth II at the Cinema De Lux in Bristol. Although I didn’t get the opportunity to have a one-on-one with him – he allegedly doesn’t like having his photo taken – I particularly like this shot. There’s something very sedate about this almost vulnerable moment that we wouldn’t usually see. I also took lots of him looking as twinkly eyed as we all know him to be, but this one is quite unique and it will remain in my portfolio forever.”
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People
PROUD DAD “I just couldn’t do a year in pictures without including my two daughters, Evelyn, three, and Matilda, five months. I’d really like to dedicate this year to my wife and family; Rebecca had a high-risk pregnancy this year with Tilly and there was a chance we might have lost her. It’s been a pretty tough year, not helped with my coming and going at all hours for my job, but we’ve muddled through together and we couldn’t be happier. This shot was taken on my iPhone, a scary concept for any professional photographer!”
‘I’d really like to dedicate this year to my wife and family, we couldn’t be happier’
HO HO HO “Believe it or not, we shot this in June at NT Tyntesfield near Bristol. One of the country’s leading Father Christmases, the Celebrity Santa Claus is completely bald and not overweight at all. Throughout the year, he tours the UK with his costume, which includes a full fat suit and a variety of different capes, shooting for the press and films and appearing at high-profile events. Here we are in a tiny room at Tyntesfield – this was taken in another property on site, as everything in the main house is far too valuable. Lighting the fire would have been too mean for poor Father Christmas so we used a flashgun with orange gel to create the look – I think it came out pretty well.”
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interiors
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wellbeing
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fashion
family life 21
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It’s tIdy up tIme! time for a good tidy up after Christmas? sam Wylie-Harris sorts through stylish spacesaving solutions ew Year is the perfect time to make a resolution to de-clutter and create space for the things that will not only complement your lifestyle but create a sense of order. If you’ve acquired new possessions over Christmas, it could well be time to have a think about how to store them neatly in your home. A good clear-out (do you really need those outof-date appliances, old magazines and clothes that you never wear?) should be followed by clever storage ideas that will reward you with a stylish and functional home. “Don’t just think of storage as tidying away, it’s also an opportunity for you to display the things you love,” says Myriam Ruffo, business leader for Ikea UK & Ireland. “The Ikea Kallax range is a perfect example of this, and can serve as somewhere to store and display your things.” Along with wall units and cabinets, this range from Ikea includes a work station which not only helps squeeze in extra storage but can also serve as a room divider. Available in white with a funky green trim, which can be colour co-ordinated with magazine files, house plants and decor, it also comes in piano black and a birch effect, to channel some Nordic charm. “We’re continuing to see a growing trend for Scandi-inspired interiors,” says Simon Glanville, managing director at the aptly named Store. “The Scandinavian home is known for its simplicity of design, beautiful utility and paredback colours. So to get the style, look for pieces in white and birch wood that can elegantly store
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Interiors
Raskog trolley £49, Knuff magazine file (set of two) £7 Fladis basket £16 Skubbare basket £8 Valje wall cabinet £17 all Ikea
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Interiors
Elvarli storage units from £329, Knipsa basket £16, Marius stacking stool £3, all Ikea
away your everyday items. This can be easily achieved in the kitchen or hallway, two areas which tend to become cluttered quite easily.” Storage needs to be practical but there’s no reason why it can’t also be a beautiful addition to your room, says Molly Park, designer at Oliver Bonas: “Transform your clutter into a decorative feature with roomy storage baskets - we have some woven from sea grass with a geometric print - to combine style with function.” Another problem-solver is to make something out of nothing, such as the space under the
Northgate flip-top storage bench £199 www. aplaceforeverything.co.uk
stairs. Trolleys on wheels can easily slide into your rarely-used clothes – such as that Santa nooks and graduated shelving units can become suit. If there’s space under the bed, now’s the an extension of the stairs. You can even add a time to utilise it. “By using under-bed bags or bookcase. boxes, you can easily tuck Banisters can be a lovely decoaway out-of-season clothrative feature but if you’re guilty ing, extra bedding or other of using them to drape your jackseldom-used items,” says de‘Another way ets over, put up a coat peg with cluttering expert Suzanne to increase a shelf above to provide a tidy Baker of The Holding Comcapacity is to home for gloves, hats, shopping pany. “Most wardrobe spaces bags, dog leads and more. Anare poorly planned, so don’t purchase tables other space-saver is to pack away be limited by the standard or ottomans hanging bar and shelf - install additional rods or purchase that double as stackable shelves. storage areas’ “In the living room, look for a solution that features shelving or drawers above or below, to really maximise vertical space. Shelving solutions are available in attractive finishes, and to create clever storage solutions, think vertically. “Another way to increase storage capacity is to purchase tables or ottomans that double as storage areas.” Indeed, clever storage solutions are worth their weight in gold, says Vanessa Hurley-Perera, chief product officer at Sofa.com. “Our Fleetwood sofa bed is a three-in-one multifunctional piece of furniture, working as a comfortable perch by day and spacious guest bed by night, with the added bonus of having storage space that’s ideal for extra bed linen, towels or your summer wardrobe.” So there you have it – plenty of inspiration for a tidy, organised home in 2017! Good luck!
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GET THE
LOOK
Smarten up your home with clever and creative storage ideas
Personalised storage crate £24.99 Getting Personal
Sage storage unit £225 Oliver Bonas
Kallax desk combination £189 Ikea
Seagrass baskets £19 Oliver Bonas
Bookshelf £449 Cuckooland
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Ask Gracie...
Want to look your best this week? Our styling expert Gracie Stewart of Exeter can help you fulfil your fashion potential in every possible way. All you have to do is ask...
Detailed cape £95 Debenhams
Under cover I’ve got a beautiful dress to wear for New Year’s Eve but I’m not sure what to wear over it to keep warm when I venture outside - any ideas? ME, Newton Abbot
Q
When searching for practical yet glamorous outerwear you should definitely consider a cape. Whether worn long as a coat or short as a jacket, the cape gives a touch of elegance to any outfit and it pairs superbly with everything from much-loved denim to festive party dresses. From satin tuxedo styles to preppy double-breasted silhouettes, there are so many chic ways to wear this caped crusader style. Black cape coat £70 Evans
Poncho cape £79 La Redoute
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Gracie’s shopping list
Last minute panic Q
I’ve been invited to a New Year’s Eve party but I still have no idea what to wear – HELP! GF, Helston
If there’s one night to bust out all the sparkles and shine, it’s New Year’s Eve. Whether you’ve planned a big night out or you’re sticking closer to home, this is a chance to dress up. For an eye-catching but relaxed outfit, take one part casual tee, mixed with two parts fancy glam (that is, a sequin pencil skirt and killer heels). Top it off with a red pout and you’re out the door. If sequins aren’t your thing, a little black dress will look chic regardless of the dress code. If you’re attending something more formal, go all out with a floor length gown that oozes glamour. Nude tights will do the trick but if you want to make a statement, consider a black or patterned pair instead.
Sequin skirt £38 Next
Batienne dress £130 Phase Eight
Sequin swirl maxi dress £75 Lipsy
Smith & Cult nail lacquer in Dark Like Me, £19, www.cultbeauty.co.uk Moody and mysterious, ‘Dark Like Me’ is an opaque aubergine shade that suits almost all skin tones. This product delivers smooth, even coverage, plus the high-performance formula is high-shine and long-wear.
The morning after the night before Concentrate contains natural oils to repair the skin and address getting enough sleep the night dullness so you’ll wake up to a before (there’s also a high chance I’ll brighter complexion. Its lavender be slightly hungover!) so how can oil also helps calm anxiety and I fake a good night’s insomnia to maximise sleep? KS, Truro those precious sleeping minutes. We’ve all been there. Skip foundation. If Staring at ourselves you’re dehydrated, founin the mirror wondations don’t apply as dering how we’re seamlessly. Swap heavy going to hide the make-up for a BB cream puffy eyes, blotchy blended with a drop of skin and overall dehighlighter, and you’ll hydration - tell-tale a) reap the hydrating signs that you aren’t rewards of the base and feeling your best. b) boast a radiant glow. First up, don’t wait Finally, apply a coral until the morning. If cream blush. Blush is Smashbox L.A. you’re burning the the best facial pick-meLights blendable midnight oil, it might up and the one thing you lip and cheek colour in Silver be tempting just to should never be without Lake Sunset £25 crawl into bed but after a late night. Coral Boots you’ll thank yourself is flattering to all skin in the morning for tones. Apply on the hightaking the extra thirty seconds est part of your cheekbones and to apply a concentrated night blend upwards and outwards to serum. Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery open the face. I have to work on New Year’s
Q Day and I know I won’t be
Bobbi Brown brightening BB cream £29.50 Debenhams
Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery concentrate £36 John Lewis
Burberry Gold Touch, £25, Burberry This multi-use pearlescent cream highlighter adds a delicate golden glow to eyes, lips and cheeks. The buildable, light yet creamy texture blends seamlessly onto the skin creating smooth, luminous highlights. Suqi mini bead necklace, £17.50, White Stuff Strung with oh-so dainty teal, white and black beads and faceted glass crystals, this necklace was designed so it can be worn as a single long length or layered up for extra versatility.
Got a style or beauty question? Email Gracie Stewart at westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk with the subject Ask Gracie
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Mohair socks £29 Jigsaw Crochet hat £17 Accessorize
Oversized cocoon coat £150 Cath Kidston
Chelsea boots £229 Dubarry of Ireland
Striped cardigan £45 White Stuff
Going out here are few better ways to burn off those Christmas calories than with a long winter walk in the crisp countryside. As we work up a sweat forging up steep hills and over uneven coastal paths, we need to be able to add and remove layers on the go. When it comes to layers, choose neutral shades that go easily with one another, plus the odd splash of warm, vibrant colour to add interest. Opt for natural fibres where possible so that your skin can breathe and don’t be afraid to inject an element of fun through pompoms and faux fur.
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Colour block jumper £18 Matalan
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Fashion
Cable knit jumper £26 M&Co
Cashmere wrap £300 Jaeger
Toscana gilet £375 Celtic & Co
Helen Moore pompom gloves £40 House of Fraser 29
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Wellbeing
the boost
Live healthy
Life just got better. Our wellness guru Charlotte Dear has handpicked the latest health secrets and expert advice to help you be your best self, every day
Having indulged to our hearts’ content throughout the festive season, Love Your Liver Month couldn’t be timelier. This January the British Liver Trust is embarking on a UK road show offering pop-up liver health clinics to the public and is also asking everyone to pay special attention to this crucial organ, which performs over 500 vital functions. This involves bringing together all aspects of maintaining a healthy liver, from reining back the alcohol to taking regular exercise and drinking plenty of water. www.loveyourliver.org.uk
Take the plunge TAKE NOTE Get another notebook for Christmas this year? Instead of throwing it in the re-gifting cupboard, put it to good use with a New Year’s Resolution that sees you writing down something good for every day of 2017. No matter how trivial or insignificant the individual moment might seem, from watching a pretty sunrise to discovering a new favourite sandwich filling, finding positivity in our every day lives can have an uplifting effect on our general wellbeing. And it will be fun to look back on this time next year too.
It’s New Year’s Day and you’re feeling somewhat delicate and a little worse for wear - the last thing you feel like doing is jumping into freezing cold water, right? But for 200 folk from Wembury, south Devon, braving the chilly seas is the perfect way to see in 2017. The mass swim is at 1pm on January 1 - so why not give it a try? Swimming in cold water is blood-pumping exercise, which is guaranteed to send your adrenaline soaring and boost your immune system - wetsuits optional!
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Stable work However much horse owners might moan about the daily chore of mucking out, there is no disputing the mental and physical health benefits of this simple task. Not only does it generate a full-body workout, but it is also immensely satisfying and offers valuable headspace. Recognising these benefits, Dee Dee Wilkinson is offering the chance to muck out for free at her Dartmoor livery and trekking centre this winter. Tempted? Call Dee Dee on 01364 631296.
RETREAT FOR GOOD HEALTH For many of us the start of a new year comes with thoughts of living a healthier life. If you’re in search of a real detox of both mind and body, The Raw Retreat, based in Polyphant in east Cornwall, offers a variety of programmes, from juice fasting to weight-loss, incorporating Cornwall’s dramatic scenery through Nordic walking and hiking. There’s also yoga, massage and superb, healthy food, too, all set on a beautiful farm. A four-night weight loss retreat starts at £1,295. Find out more at www. therawretreat.co.uk
What’s coming up? Tweet us your wellbeing diary dates
@WMNWest or email westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk 31
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Wellbeing
Impulse Texapore O2 waterproof hiking shoes £130 Jack Wolfskin
Best foot forward Walk your way to health
the findings have led to calls for walking to be “prescribed as medicine”. It’s not just seniors who can benefit, though. And while a gentle stroll certainly has its place (sometimes getting a bit of fresh air or taking in the autumn leaves is enough of a goal for the Physiotherapist Phil Morel day), the humble walk can also be says: Walking offers the a serious workout, too. chance to be immersed in This means it’s important to nature and to get ‘away remember, like any other form of It’s keeping from it all’. Along with exercise, walking can potentially swimming, it is a hero in put the body under strain too, so people active the low-impact exercise all the usual rules about suitable with general stakes – meaning it can be footwear, warming-up and not igexercise like a great option when injunoring those niggling aches and ries or health problems pains apply. walking that is are an issue – and there’s Strenuous walking will load the mainstay of lots of research highlightthe body heavily, particularly helping prevent ing its effectiveness, from the lower back and lower limbs. helping ward off major Loading the body’s tissues will, disease and pain diseases like heart disease in the main, lead to positive adand Type 2 diabetes, to aptation so we become fitter and reducing depression. stronger, but overloading our tisA Yale University study sues can lead to injury and pain. published last month In relation to walking, lower found walking helped seniors deemed at high back, hip, knee, ankle and foot problems are what risk of disability avoid problems such as imwe see mostly in clinic. Sources of symptoms are paired mobility and balance. The research folvaried and it’s important to remember that pain lowed more than 1,600 adults aged 70-89 on a can be referred, for example from the lower back three-and-a-half year exercise programme, and into the leg. Getting symptoms checked sooner
Ridge II GT boots £130 Haglofs
My New Year resolution is to take more exercise and I’m thinking of starting gently, with walking. I’ve had knee pain in the past, so I’m a bit nervous of overdoing things. Any advice? GC, Crediton
Q
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Tatra Lady GTX boots £190 Hanwag
rather than later might mean you avoid them spiralling into worse problems, as treatment can begin to empower people in resolving or managing their symptoms. It’s keeping people active with general exercise like walking that is, after all, the mainstay of helping prevent disease and pain. Factors influencing overload may be walking speed, duration and frequency, as well as body weight, biomechanics and terrain. It’s important to build up gradually to strenuous work, which allows time for adaptation and protect against injury. So start gradually, get the right footwear and enjoy your new hobby!
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SMALL BITES Our pick of what’s on in the Westcountry food world right now Dinner at River Cottage Give the weekend a warm welcome with a Friday or Saturday night dinner at River Cottage. No ordinary dinner party, the evening starts with a tractor ride to River Cottage HQ before an introduction from the chef over a few tasty canapés. Having learnt about the philosophy and provenance behind River Cottage’s culinary creations, you’ll be treated to a four-course menu of fresh, seasonal and local produce. The fantastic evening ends with petits fours and coffee before a tractor and trailer ride back to your car. www.rivercottage.net
Exeter Cookery School Make 2017 the year you expand your culinary repertoire by signing up to a course at Exeter Cookery School. With a whole host of deliciously exciting courses to try. from bread baking to cream and sorbet making, fishy dishes to handson butchery days, there’s a class for every ability and occasion. Owners Jim and Lucy Fisher have returned to their Devon roots having gained an impressive joint résumé that spans MasterChef, Rick Stein and Ready Steady Cook so you really will be learning from the best in their stylish 1830s warehouse on Exeter’s historic quayside. www.exetercookeryschool.co.uk
Riverford Organic Boxes Try a new way of shopping for your weekly fruit, vegetables, salads and meats this January by signing up to Riverford’s nutritious selection of organic boxes, delivered to your door fresh from the farm. Make your own box by choosing from the mouth-watering selection of farm fresh produce or opt for an organic box filled with new seasonal surprises each week to keep your meal plans fresh and exciting. If you’re ever stumped for ways to cook your ingredients, find a host of delicious recipes at www.riverford.co.uk
Take a walk on the wild side Discover Cornwall’s free food this New Year by joining Rachel Lambert on a wild walk collecting edible goodies as you go. Winter can be a great time to forage as it offers a peaceful setting to reflect on the plants around you. Head to Prussia Cove on January 7 in search of greens, berries and seeds or discover the nutritional qualities of seaweed in Mousehole on 13th. For an extra special foray, opt for a bespoke private walk with a personal guide in a location of your choice. www.wildwalks-southwest.co.uk
Got some foodie news? Let us know on westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk 33
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Bake
Squillionaire’s shortbread Emma says: Millionaire’s shortbread is a classic of the British biscuit tin. Squillionaire’s status is assured by the inclusion of chunks of chocolate as well as a layer of smooth, shiny dark chocolate.
Ingredients
Method:
For the polenta shortbread base 125g butter, softened and cubed 140g polenta 125g brown vanilla sugar 100g ground almonds 70g ground hazelnuts 40g almonds, toasted and chopped 1 egg
1.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Line a 30 x 23 x 4 cm baking tin with baking parchment. Brush the parchment and tin liberally with melted butter.
2.
Put the butter, polenta, sugar, hazelnuts, ground almonds, chopped almonds and egg into a bowl and beat with an electric mixer to form a soft but fairly grainy dough. Press the mixture into the tin and smooth with the back of a large spoon.
3.
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden and quite firm to the touch. Leave in the tin to cool completely.
4.
Spread the dulce de leche over the base. Sprinkle 55g of the chocolate chunks over the caramel and press them in lightly.
For the topping: 300g dulce de leche 250g dark chocolate, cut into chunks 40g butter Cocoa powder, for dusting
5.
Melt the remaining chocolate with the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, stirring until smooth (or in a microwave). Pour this over the caramel base, tipping it gently from side to side so that the chocolate mixture is evenly spread to the edges of the tin. Leave in the tin to cool, dust with cocoa powder lightly and evenly, then place in the fridge to chill. Cut into pieces.
Emma Goss-Custard runs Honeybuns in Sherborne, Dorset. Honeybuns Gluten-Free Baking by Emma Goss-Custard is published by Pavilion, £14.99 34
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Cook
Mediterranean Sharpham Ticklemore Goat cheese slice Recipe: Sue Hudson, partner Ashburton Delicatessen This delicious recipe using local goat cheese is a doddle to make with the help of ready rolled puff pastry
1.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Divide the rolled pastry into four rectangles.
2.
Egg-wash a border of about 1cm around the edges of each rectangle – not in the middle.
3.
Arrange the chopped vegetables in the centre of each portion of pastry, avoiding the egg-washed area.
Bake in the preheated oven for eight to ten minutes or until puffed up around the edges and golden brown. Garnish with chopped parsley.
This book pairs Taste from across Cornwall, of the West award-winning chefs and producers Devon, Dorset, create original Somerset and recipes that can Gloucestershire be prepared at to get a genuine home. What better to Taste of the West way Country?
Crumble the cheese over the top of the vegetables and season with pepper.
West Country
4.
5.
“We are so lucky to live in an area where beautiful ingredients are to be found almo st on our doorstep.” David Jones, Chef, Worth Matrav ers Tea & Supper
A Taste of the West Country
A collection of original of the West award-win recipes created by Taste ning chefs and producers
Method:
A Taste of the
Ingredients: 325g all-butter puff pastry, ready rolled 20g semi-dried sun blush tomatoes 6 pitted green olives, halved 30g grilled sliced aubergines or courgettes, drained and cut into strips 80g roasted red peppers, drained and cut into strips Half a grilled artichoke heart, cut into strips A twist of black pepper 100g Sharpham Ticklemore Goat cheese 1 egg, lightly beaten Parsley, chopped
Room, Dorset
This recipe comes from the new A Taste of the West Country cookbook, now available on Amazon (We Make Magazines, £17.99) UK £17.99
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A collection of original recipes created by Taste of the West award-winnin g chefs and produc ers Photography by David Griffen 1
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Drink
Happy h ur with drinks expert April Marks
April says: As we enter 2017 are we celebrating the end of 2016 or the start of 2017? Either way, do it in style! By that I’m referring to what’s in your glass as the clock strikes twelve. Traditionally this h a s always been Champagne as nothing shouts celebration quite like Champagne, however Prosecco sales are increasing at an ever rapid rate and are very likely to take over this year. So, what’s the difference between the two and how do you choose what to drink tonight? Let’s
Champagne Cocktail – Silver Top You will need; Champagne flute Shaker 25ml triple sec 25ml Plymouth gin 2 tsp orange juice 1 tsp grenadine Champagne for topping up ½ slice of orange What to do; Shake the triple sec, gin, orange juice and grenadine together well with ice in the shaker and strain into the flute. Top up with Champagne and perch the orange on the glass.
start with Champagne, the king of fizz which comes from the region called Champagne in northern France. Growing conditions are strict and it is considered the best in the world for top quality sparkling wines. Here they grow Chardonnay for elegance and acidity, Pinot Noir for body and Pinot Meunier for fruitiness. They use a very time consuming and expensive ‘traditional’ method when making the wine whereby the second fermentation (which creates the fizz) all takes place in the bottle. This method produces finer bubbles and the wines have a richness and complexity.
Nothing shouts
celebration quite
like Champagne
Prosecco is produced in the Veneto region of northern Italy where they grow the Glera grape. Before its secondary fermentation (which happens in tanks not individual bottles) the base wine is produced in such a way as to protect the wine’s fruitiness. The resulting fizz is light, fresh, fruity and will often have a touch of sweetness. It will also have bigger bubbles than Champagne. If you’re looking for something more interesting than Prosecco but your budget won’t stretch to Champagne then go for a French Cremant or a Spanish Cava which have also been made in the traditional way. Whatever you’re drinking tonight I wish you a very happy new year! April Marks is co-founder of Regency Wines Ltd Exeter @regencywinesuk
WINE OF THE WEEK Champagne Jules Feraud Reserve Brut NV If you love your Champagnes soft and delicate then this is the style for you. Made by Champagne Blin, Pinot Meunier dominates giving it a fruity palate, exceptional quality and stylish with a soft effervescence of tiny bubbles.
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Drink Beer of the year Penzance Brewing Co IPA (6% ABV), made at the back of my local, the Star Inn, Crowlas, still does it for me and this has been a vintage year for the brew. However, I was particularly impressed by Arbor Ales’ Yakima Valley pale ale, which was named champion at Falmouth Beer Festival in October.
Darren Norbury
talks beer hat was 2016, then. A big year for strategy for investors – buy into us and one day beer. Although, in fairness, every AB InBev may come along and make us all milyear this century has pretty much lionaires. That sounds a bit risky, frankly, and been a big year for beer. What have I’m not sure I like the ethos that’s suggested, we learnt? That there are more UK either. breweries than ever before (between 1,500 and On the beer front, well, after I’ve been bang1,700, depending on which staing on about it for years, it looks tistics you believe). That there like craft brewers may finally are more beer styles than ever have their sights on modern incoming to market, and that terpretations of brown bitters, Our tastes are brewers are, in general, being albeit with recipes involving changing and more adventurous. high bitterness new world hops, Where’s it all going to go in while I also think it’s about time there will be new 2017? Well, Norbury’s cryswe saw some more milds availbeers to meet new tal ball has been rubbed and I able. reckon I can see a slowdown in Beers with adjuncts – that is markets. I can’t the rate of growth of breweries. ingredients outside of the holy wait to check There are already one or two, trinity of malt, hops and yeast them out. Happy in fact, which have closed, and – will continue to be popular, they quote a problem which is mostly with brewers adding coNew Beer! going to become increasingly pious amounts of fruit to a brew, prevalent unfortunately: a race although there was one example to the bottom on pricing. this year of custard cream bisFor the survivors, though, cuits being added to a mash! the market does seem to be expanding still as Sour beers have been slowly gaining in popumore people become familiar with what we now larity and I think these and other continental call craft beer and it becomes available in more styles, like German bocks, will prove irresistible venues: not necessarily traditional pubs, but to British brewers’ sense of adventure. Sours rebars, too, and restaurants and hotels. quire a change of perception in terms of drinkI can see more expansion for bigger breweries, ers’ palates, yet it’s only a few years back that mirroring St Austell’s takeover of Bath Ales this even moderately hopped IPAs were being dubbed year, for instance. There are certain to be more “a bit challenging”. buyouts by big global players, too, such as AB Our tastes are changing and there will be new InBev’s acquisition of London craft brewing piobeers to meet new markets, as well as new venues neer Camden Town Brewery. and new experiences. I can’t wait to check them It’s interesting to note that some microbrewerout. Happy New Beer! ies I have seen pitch for crowdfunding lately cite Darren Norbury is editor of beertoday.co.uk the Camden Town experience as a potential exit @beertoday
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FOREIGN BEER OF THE YEAR Capt California Black India Pale Ale, from Ruhstaller, arrived in cans from the USA at a mere 7.6% ABV and it was love at first sight for me. The style should confuse with its dark colours, yet punchy, hoppy IPA flavour, and this does, with just the faintest hint of dark malt sweetness. On the finish, slight coffee notes.
Pub of the year My local (see Beer of the Year) notwithstanding, there are two bars that I particularly enjoy hanging out in: the HAND bar, in High Street, Falmouth, for the sheer diversity of beers and staff knowledge, and the Hub bar, on St Ives Wharfside, for beer quality, fab burgers and the sensational view.
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Enjoy
culture vulture Our pick of the not-to-miss arts events taking place in the South West right now
A night at the ballet Saint Petersburg Classic Ballet comes to the Hall for Cornwall this January with two of the greatest classical ballets of all time, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. On January 18 and 19, watch Odette transform from swan to princess as she searches for a prince to break her evil spell, and on January 20 and 21 marvel as Clara’s Nutcracker and Mice come to life, accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s endearing score. Tickets cost from £20.50-£37.50 and can be booked at www.hallforcornwall.co.uk
A touch of gruesome
Sing in the Epiphany To mark the visit of the Three Wise Men, Somerset Chamber Choir is presenting a rich and varied programme of seasonal music, all performed by candlelight. Helen Lunt will play the cello, Richard Pearce is the organist and Graham Caldbeck will conduct. The repertoire will stretch from the 16th century up to the present day, to create a celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany. Don’t leave your own singing voices behind, as there will be plenty of opportunities for audience participation. Tickets from £5.50, 7pm, January 7, King’s College Chapel in Taunton, www.somersetchamberchoir.org
To celebrate its 21st anniversary, the Circus of Horrors is taking to the road with its latest incarnation, The Never-ending Nightmare. Coming to the Lighthouse in Poole on January 13 and Princess Theatre in Torquay on January 17, this bizarre, brave and beautiful stage play is performed by the first circus to appear in London’s West End for more than 100 years. The circus’s gruesome beginnings started at Glastonbury Festival in 1995 and it has since travelled the world from Argentina to Aberdeen, with festival appearances with Oasis, Foo Fighters and many more. www. circusofhorrors.co.uk
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Talking to teenagers If today's teen slang leaves you confused, a new guide called How To Talk Teen can help you translate, promises author Mark Leigh
een talk is so bad it's sick. As a rough translation, that means it's great. If you're a teenager. If you're a parent, on the other hand, it is quite literally bad - a foreign language that leaves mums and dads “riding the struggle bus”, as their teen-talking kids might put it. And that, of course, is part of the reason it exists, explains author and father-of-two-teen-
T
agers, Mark Leigh. "It is about using terms your parents don't know, but it's primarily about laziness and just making things as short as possible," he says. As a regular customer at Starbies (the affectionate teen nickname for the coffee shop chain Starbucks), Leigh heard so much indecipherable teenage slang that he decided an entertaining explanatory guide was needed. So he researched (with the help of his children, aged 18 and 19) and
wrote How To Talk Teen, a "totes awesome" dictionary of teen slang. "Eavesdropping on teenagers' conversations, I was just thinking 'What are they talking about?' I wanted to know what they meant," Leigh explains. Not only is teen slang often unintelligible, it can also be utterly confusing, even if you think you know what particular phrases mean. Take “poppin tags”, for example. If a teen says
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Enjoy
'Poppin tags can mean going shopping... or going shoplifting' they're off to pop tags they may simply mean they're going shopping. But if they're using its alternative interpretation, they could get arrested - it also means shoplifting. "If you think you're poppin tags going shopping, that's good, but if your teen thinks it's shoplifting, that's probably not so good," warns Leigh. Some of the slang does mean exactly what it says - like the slightly convoluted “re-uninvite”. In a nutshell, this is when someone invites a person to a party, changes their mind and tells them they're not invited any more, then has a change of heart and invites them again, and finally decides - yet again - that they don't want them to come. "So they're re-uninvited," says Leigh with a laugh. "There really is a name for it, which is just wonderful." A great example of teenagers' utter lack of spoken effort is the term 'BT dubs'. Clearly the phrase “by the way” is far too long for teens to bother typing or saying out loud - but, unbelievably, even the by the way acronym BTW is excessively lengthy for this age group. That final W is three whole syllables and, quite frankly, saying all three is a waste of precious teen time. So the troublesome W is shortened to the easier, single-syllable slang “dubs”. Sorted. "How much effort does it really take to say 'W'?! It's so lazy it's unbelievable," says Leigh. In a similar lazy vein, a teenager might use the bizarre phrase, “Om, nom, nom,” when tasty food is mentioned. Apparently this onomatopoeic gem originates from the Cookie Monster in TV's Sesame Street, who made the sound when munching his favourite cookies. For today's teen it's simply much easier to say than, “This is particularly appetising”. "It's like an evolution of the teen grunt, but I'm sure next year it'll just be, 'Om' because they'll get bored of saying the rest," he observes. A major contributory factor to teen speak is text and social media, and young people's need
Author Mark Leigh
to get their meaning across with the minimum amount of typing (and effort). "They want to convey the most information in as short a space as possible, both because they may have a limited amount of characters and also because they just can't be bothered to type much," says Leigh. Part of the motivation for using teen slang is also for young people to show their peers they know the words, and to prove they're cool. "A lot of it is middle class suburban kids trying to look cool talking about their “hood” (short for neighbourhood) and trying to get one over on their peers, especially if they're using acronyms," Leigh points out.
One such acronym is HFFA, meaning “hot from far away” - the closer a person gets to you, the more unattractive they become. Leigh suggests the plethora of TV channels and US shows now available means American slang is more widely used today, and circulated widely via social media, so it rapidly becomes accepted parlance. "It's a combination of all these things coming together, and it's only going to get better or worse, depending on how you look at it," warns Leigh. • How To Talk Teen by Mark Leigh is published in hardback by Little, Brown, priced £9.99. Available now 43
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My Secret Westcountry Jeffrey Robinson
Kynance Cove
Jeffrey Robinson, 31 is head chef at The New Yard Restaurant, Trelowarren, St Mawgan in Meneage. He lives in Lelant, near St Ives, with his wife Caroline and their sons Oscar, three, and Rory, one. My favourite: Walk: Glendurgan Gardens - such a nice place and not too far from us down near Falmouth. They have an amazing maze there too, which I got lost in for quite some time. It’s a great place to just walk around and clear your head. Place to eat: Obviously The New Yard restaurant at Trelowarrren! I’m so chuffed to have taken over as Head Chef here and what a gem of a place Trelowarren is. As well as the amazing restaurant the estate is just a wonderful place to take a wander. I’m also looking forward to eating at The Coldstreamer in Gulval, near Penzance. I worked with the chef/owner Tom FranklinPryce and ate his food at The Porthminster Café in St Ives when he was there. He bought this pub a while ago and I’m a little embarrassed I haven’t eaten there yet, as I know his food is the business. Weekend escape:
The Talland Bay Hotel, Porthallow, in south east Cornwall. A lovely little place to hide away with the kids and the dogs. It’s a stone’s throw from the beach and
The Talland Bay Hotel there is a cool little café down there. The inside is somewhat avant-garde but they pull it off: the food is great, the gardens are lovely - it’s a perfect hideaway.
Tim Smit there on the sand till dinner. That carried on for about four years!
Shop: Norway Stores in St Ives. It was a big part
Beach: Kynance Cove is an incredible place and
of our life when we owned our restaurant The Loft in St Ives - the shop was almost a back-up dry-store for us. They couldn’t be nicer people. Maria makes all her own cakes there as well but you need to get in early - they are very popular… plus my mum works there now.
it’s so close to me now at Trelowarren. I never really explored this part of Cornwall until I met my wife but it is simply incredible. Before then Porthminster Beach at St Ives was always my hang-out - I would finish lunch service and all the chefs would go down jump in the sea and just lay
View: The view of St Ives from Tregenna is pretty special and the long drive into Trelowarren through the bluebell woods is pretty spectacular too. Plus the view over Kynance Cove is hard to beat.
Event:
The Eden Project’s live music Sessions are pretty special and I must go down more often, seeing as it’s so close.
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People
The Eden Sessions
Westcountry icon: Has to be Sir Tim Smit for The Eden Project - what a place. How he conceived it all and what it has done for Cornwall is simply incredible. I love to go there, we recently took the boys to see the dinosaurs - I think I was more excited than they were. Pub: The Gurnard’s Head near Zennor - great food, great beer and peace! But if I’m in St Ives itself we head to The Hub - they do serve the best beer in town. Food: A St Ives Bakery pasty - Ched the baker there is a genius. You will not find a better pasty anywhere and that’s a fact. If you are in St Ives, get down there - you will not regret it. He also does the most amazing bread in there: I love the Turkish ciabatta with some hummus and cured meats…. Heaven!
The maze at Glendurgan Gardens
St Ives Bakery pasty
Drink:
The Bourbon old school at The A bar (Alba). I simply love this drink and it is always the first place we go to and more than likely finish in, plus the food there is simply outstanding.
Secret place:
My wife Caz and I went for a walk along the dunes at the back of Gwithian beach just before we got married. I’d never walked there before but it was so lovely – I think this could be a new little place to explore.
Special treat:
Now that I don’t work seven days a week any more, I’ll be able to expand on this in the near future.
The Gurnard’s Head 45
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My life
Chris MCguire
i’ve had enough Chris Mcguire’s Christmas went well - sort of...
s we stand on the brink of another 7 bike rides cancelled New Year, may I present a round-up Those crisp winter cycle trips I’d planned in my of my final week of 2016 in a handy time off were all knocked from the schedule by numerical format that you may find Christmas obligations. “It’s far too cold to ride a familiar: bike, why not do a jigsaw with 12 Del-boys falling me?” said one elderly relaI’ve watched so many repeats tive, I dutifully obeyed – I’m convinced that I’ve seen Derek Trotter fall silently furious. some presents are through a gap in the bar 12 times. 6 meals uneaten never used, they’re Funny the first time, by number There really is 12… not so much. Sorry Mr Jason! nothing like cookjust rewrapped 11 names forgotten ing for people and passed on The family across the road sends who do nothyou a card but you can’t read their ing but push the in a perpetual handwriting or remember their food around their cycle of hidden names. Then you bump into them plates. I now disappointment while on a post-Christmas dinner know how my walk. “Good to see you…” awkmother felt. ward silence “mate!” “How are… 5 old kings all the… little ones doing?” Few things in life are The guest who brings their as stressful as small talk with someone whose own music with them! Gone name you should, but don’t, know. is our mellow Christ10 presents re-gifted mas music, replaced by What is it about me that makes people think: scratchy dubs of Elvis’s He’d love an Albert Einstein toilet roll holder? five ‘must have’ hits. I know it’s the thought that counts, but really? The only upside was Thank goodness for the re-gift. I’m convinced we listened to In the some presents are never used, they’re just reGhetto as we were wrapped and passed on in a perpetual cycle of tucking into German hidden disappointment. cake. Safe to say, my 9 coffee creams uneaten rendition of ‘In the GaThey’re sitting there, as I type, hidden amongst teaux’, didn’t go down used wrappers at the bottom of empty chocowell. late tins. Who actually eats the coffee creams? I 4 car alarms wonder if they’d last long enough for us to hand Nothing says Christout at Halloween? Here’s hoping. mas like oversensitive 8 pies defrosted car alarms going off for Unexpected guests, when you’ve nothing in hours, and hours, while their except coffee cream chocolates, are a major owners are off celebrating. I’ll hazard at this time of year. I wonder how many leave it there. people get food poisoning each yuletide from 3 pints of milk half-frozen mince pies microwaved in a jiffy by Who drinks all the milk at Christstressed-out unprepared hosts? mas? Where does it go? Another
A
[[
Boxing Day spent roaming the streets looking for an establishment willing to sell me some semi skimmed. 2 lost remotes I’m not saying there’s a conspiracy afoot. Yet it does seem strange how grandparents can find the programme they want to watch, then lose the remote control. I’ve never watched so much ‘Songs of Praise’. And a hangover in front of the telly Need I say more? Chris McGuire is a writer based in the Westcountry. He is completely out of mulled wine @McGuireski
NEXT WEEK: Phil Goodwin on love, life and parenthood in the South West 46
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