West February 22 2015

22.02.15

Look your best

The West’s top make-up gurus share their secrets

PLUS: + HOW TO

WEAR FLARES + HEAVENLY

INTERIORS

WIN: + £400 COOKERY

DAY COURSE + £330 CORNISH ADVENTURE

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‘I noticed with great pleasure that the wine glasses were the oversized extra-large versions that I prefer’

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Win a £400 wood-fired oven cookery course

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Meet the Westcountry make-up experts

ALL FIRED UP

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OH MR GREY! All the goss on page 9 today

Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod reviews a restaurant, p 40

[contents[ Inside this week...

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THE WISHLIST Bright ideas for things to buy this week

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GILLIAN MOLESWORTH On the slopes and having fun

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JUST BETWEEN US...

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ALL FIRED UP

Sh! We have the latest gossip!

Win a £400 wood-fired cookery course

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HEAVENLY HOMES Cornish chapel turned luxury bolthole

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INTERIORS A heavenly home in Cornwall

KISS AND MAKE UP Meet the Westcountry’s make-up gurus

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LOOKING GOOD

ANNE SWITHINBANK

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BELLA ITALIA Our eat-out guide

Planting for the new season

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FACIAL OILS We pick the finest on the market now

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COOL COVER-UPS The best spring-friendly coats

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A FLARE FOR FASHION

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CULTURE VULTURE

How to wear those Seventies strides Great ideas for things to do

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WIN £330 DAYS OUT Tickets for Adrenalin Quarry to be won

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MAN & BOY Our columnist Phil wonders who really is the boss

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JUST THROW IT ON

The best of spring’s lightweight coats and jackets 3

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BE ENCHANTED

The Westcountry’s best makeup artists reveal all

[ welcome [ It’s goodies galore this week We have so many gorgeous things to be won in this week’s issue I wonder if we’ve gone a little over the top - but in a good way. For starters, how about a £400 cookery course with wood-fired oven guru David Jones? David and his wife Holly run the fabulous Manna from Devon cookery school - and not only has David shared his woodfired cooking expertise with us on page 12 today, he’s also invited four lucky readers to come and learn how to cook al fresco at their cookery school overlooking the River Dart. I’ve done a course there myself a while back and, let me assure you, the lunches are excellent too, as you’d expect from such accomplished cookery experts.

Elsewhere in the magazine, we meet a very

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daring Cornishman, Will Sneyd, who has turned an old quarry near Liskeard into a place of high adventure with zip wires, waterjumps and more.

We’ve got three sets of £110 tickets to win, so if you fancy a wild day out at Adrenalin Quarry turn to page 38 in today’s magazine.

I also think you’ll really love our cover story this year - we’ve tracked down three of the South West’s top make-up experts to share their secrets with us for the new season’s looks.

They’ve got great tips for all of us to look our best, plus some amazing photography of their work. They are artists at the very top of their game, right here in the Westcountry.

They’ve got some great tips for all of us to look our best, plus some amazing photography

Tweet

of the week @sweetpeawillow TY for featuring our petite Parisian chest in your Romantic Chalet Selection

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

[

Becky Sheaves, Editor

COVER IMAGE Photo by Emma Griffin. Make-up by Natasha Flower

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...

This flamboyant rug shaped like a bear would make a fun addition to a child’s room. It costs £189 from www.kelaty.com

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FUNNY BUNNIES Pink bunny slippers, £26.50, www.oliverbonas.com

Posh coffee

the

Folklore enamel coffee pot, £19.95, www.cloth-ears.co.uk

wishlist West’s top picks, celebrating everything sweet and frivolous...

Store we adore Store We Adore, Crediton Community Bookshop This bookshop is run by volunteers in the town of Crediton who took it over as a not-for-profit community business three years ago when the previous owner retired. It’s a fabulous independent bookshop, with packed shelves to browse and a lively programme of special events featuring authors, including its patron, flamboyant children’s author Babette Cole, who lives nearby.

Crediton Community Bookshop is at 100 High Street, Crediton, 01363 774740 or www.creditoncommunitybookshop.co.uk

Just add gin Ice and a slice bag, £10, Monsoon

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Wishlist

Oslo teardrop earrings, £14, Monsoon

BEE SWEET Honey from Dorset, £4.25 White Stuff stores and www. whitestuff.com

DOTTY Add a dash of retro loveliness with this trollied dolly polka dot dress, £55, www.rockmyvintage.co.uk

Sit pretty Fox pouffe, £115, www.clareloves.co.uk

Gold leaf and crystal side tiara, £110, www. glitzysecrets.com

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talking points Gillian Molesworth

Story of my life...

Gillian discovers some perks of the job do love being a journalist. It is a job in which you are always learning, sometimes familiarising yourself – very quickly – with topics you knew little about. You get to talk to lots of interesting people and learn about their lives. And sometimes, you get to go on a press trip. There are a lot of mediocre press trips – were. A tartiflette is kind of like you can see why they need all the potatoes gratin, but then topped promotion they can get – but occawith lardons of bacon and gooey sionally, they are amazing.

French cheese melted over the Right now I am sitting in a top. It was like a heart attack on chalet in the Alps, with a jolly a plate, but you would surely die roomful of five other journalhappy. ists and a PR representative for 2. French lift lines are not like ski company Inghams. It is the Colorado ones I’m used to, which end of my second day’s skiing in are quite orderly. Everyone piles Tignes, which is part of a big inin in a jolly muddle, and somehow terconnected series of resorts that it sorts itself out, often just in the also includes the nick of time. Ocfamous Val d’Isere. casionally the lift We’ve had two operator plonks a days of unbelievvery small child Lots of snow, able conditions next to you and – lots of snow, no reels off in French glorious wind, no ice, glorisomething like, sunshine: I’m not ous sunshine. I’m “Here lady, watch sure what I did not sure what I did this kid and make to deserve this, but sure he gets off at to deserve this, it’s heaven. the top, will ya?” but it’s heaven Honestly, just 3. French men looking out the don’t care if you window takes see them pee. They my breath away. don’t even bother There’s a majestic to shut the WC ridge of white mountains (includdoor, if there is one. The ski pee ing the iconic Mont Blanc) against takes a lot more effort for women an azure sky. Beneath them are – we’re better off with the door the sparkling pistes, sweeping closed. down the mountainsides. At the 4. Vin chaud at 4.30pm is the bases are ski villages with restaubest thing ever. rants, bars, and shops.

I’m off now, for another homeHere are a few unrelated obsercooked meal by our amiable vations from my trip: 1. In Tignes, chalet hosts, Sophie and Becca. you can order a dish called a We’re hitting the bars tonight. “tartiflette”. One of the other I’m gonna party like it’s 1999, in journos ordered it for lunch – I orthe words of the artist formerly dered soup because I didn’t know known as Prince. Before my ovalwhat half the things on the menu tine at 10.30, that is. Rock on.

I

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

FRINGE

benefit Any awards do where soap stars walk the red carpet runs the risk of becoming car crash viewing, owing to the painfully skimpy, diamantedrenched frocks D-listers often pour themselves into. But at the National Television Awards, Emmerdale’s Fiona Wade looked classy but cool in a white column dress, accessorised with an edgy chain-fringed bag by House of Harlow. Get your own Jude clutch, £200 (Spottedonceleb.com).

House of Harlow Jude clutch £200 www. spottedonceleb.com

steal her

style

OR MAKE IT YOUR OWN

OPTION A Classic M&Co embellished clutch £39 Adorned beauty

OPTION B Bright Monsoon beaded clutch £29 Beaded perfection

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The sound of support

BRAND NEW!

#moosewomen @KTHopkins (pre-show): Looking forward to appearing on @Loose Women

Exeter’s own KATIE HOPKINS has been having some fun on Twitter since she left the Big Brother House last week. We loved this feisty exchange about her rancorous appearance on TV’s Loose Women:

Katie appears on Loose Women and receives a somewhat hostile welcome from panellists @KTHopkins (two hours later): Thanks to @moosewomen having me on the show. The sisterhood at its finest.

A fan tweets: You are going to need more than 4 people if you are going to try and take on @KTHopkins I am afraid ladies #epic fail @KTHopkins: thank you for all the terribly kind messages regarding @loosewomen #teamkatiehopkins- the army of the femme fierce

Just

between us!

Gossip, news, trend setters and more - you

heard all the latest juicy news here first!

Pam St Clement

TO ME, DEVON IS HOME PAM ST CLEMENT may be most famous as born-and-bred Londoner Pat Butcher in EastEnders but she owes her success in life to Dartmoor, she reveals in her new autobiography. The actress, 72, says that she was “an unwanted child of divorced parents”, who ended up being fostered by a Dartmoor family at the age of 11. “I went there as a paying guest but they took me in. And from then on, life was wonderful. To me, Devon is home,” she says.

Pam holds an honorary degree from the University of Plymouth. Her new book “The End of an Earring” is out now and well worth a read.

Mr Grey says: I’M INSECURE ABOUT MY BOD He might play fantasy heartthrob Christian Grey - but JAMIE DORNAN isn’t impressed by his own body. The Northern Irish actor, 32, who stars in Fifty Shades Of Grey, tells the Irish Independent: “I think I am like anyone, I have massive hang-ups about my physical appearance.

“I was a very skinny kid... Now, I’m 32 I have the same insecurities when I was a kid and when I see an image of myself, all I see is this skinny kid and I don’t like it.”

Madonna: Why I flashed my cheeks AT THE GRAMMYS MADONNA has explained why she flashed her posterior on the Grammy’s red carpet.

The Queen of Pop lifted her skirt as she walked away from photographers during arrivals on Sunday night - revealing her bottom clothed in just fishnet tights and a black thong.

Madonna, 56, told US presenter RYAN SEACREST on his radio show the next morning she had been inspired to flash on the spur of the moment.

Madonna said: “I had an inspired wardrobe malfunction moment. As I was walking away, I wasn’t mooning - I just lifted my dress up. Mooning is like naked butt.

“Everyone’s seen my naked butt already. Not for a while, not since the Nineties.”

“It’s the age of ass, isn’t it? It was me having fun and being cheeky, no pun intended.” West says: Or was she showing off her special bum-bra type thingy?

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Bloomin’ marvellous: Alice Martin helps out with the annual National Trust flower count at Knightshayes, near Tiverton

in pictures Outdoor worship: Songs of Praise presenter Josie d’A rby on location at St. Piran’s Oratory, Perranporth

Life Saver: Brian Cole is to be honoured for 55 years’ dedication to Exmouth RNLI

Entertaining: Sally Crabtree put on a show for kids at half term in the National Maritime Museum, Falmouth

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talking points Inspired?

Our girls

ONE OF US Famous faces who live here in the Westcountry This week:

Tori Amos

10 Best Actress Oscar winners born this side of the pond

Tori, 51, is the American born singer songwriter behind hits including Cornflake Girl, Crucify and A Sorta Fairytale. She lives and records her music in a farmhouse near Bude, where she lives with husband Mark Hawley and daughter Tash

1 Vivienne Leigh Love the film? Paint your bedroom in shades of (Dulux) grey

1 Engraved Locket 2 Thimble Case

2 Greer Garson 3 Elizabeth Taylor 4 Julie Andrews

3 Scent Bottle

5 Maggie Smith

4 Vintage Chandelier

6 Glenda Jackson

5 Found Fossil

7 Jessica Tandy

6 Misty Mountain

8 Emma Thompson

7 Warm Pewter

9 Helen Mirren

8 Wishing Well

10 Kate Winslet

9 Chic Shadow 10 Urban Obsession

The happy list

All together

10 things to make you smile this week Happy Thinking Day! Girl Guiding organisations from around the world

1 Butterflies (Sri Lanka) 2 Tadpoles (Taiwan) 3 Little Birds (Thailand) 4 Brownies (UK) 5 Twinklers (Korea) 6 Tenderfoot (Japan) 7 Stars (Greece) 8 Ladybirds (Italy) 9 Happy Bees (Hong Kong) 10 Daisy Scouts (Dominica)

1 Fifty Shades say no more...

2 The Casual Vacancy better than the book

3 Moo.com brilliant online printers, try their cute cards

4 Back to school hoorah!

5 Fisherman’s Friends at Landmark Theatre Ilfracombe, March 7

6 Point to Points Try Ottery St Mary on Feb 28 - lots of fun

7 Take Me To Church odd song, but a serious earworm

8 Lighter evenings yes!

9 Hot cross buns mmm...

10 Champagne just because..

Early years: Born Myra Ellen Amos, Tori began learning the piano at the age of two and, aged just five, won a scholarship to the prestigious Peabody Conservatory of Music.

Did you know?: Tori was a high school Homecoming Queen and also voted Choir Flirt.

Let it rain: Despite homes in Cornwall and Florida, Tori can’t seem to get her post-tour timing right. She confesses to noisey.vice.com: “It seems like I always arrive in Cornwall for the Cornish rainy season. Then I get to the States and somehow I end DID YOU KNOW? up in the rainy season in Florida.”

At school, Tori was voted Most Likely to Succeed

Success: Tori has had seven Grammy nominations and sold around 20 million albums worldwide.

Her first two studio albums, Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink will be re-released in April.

Did you know? Tori’s talented teenage daughter Tash is at a London stage school. She duetted with Tori on Promise, a song from her 2014 album Unrepentant Geraldines.

Home bird: Tori has said that she switches to ‘wife and mother mode’ in Cornwall and relishes time out as a ‘recluse’.

Writer: Tori wrote the music and co-penned the lyrics of The Light Princess, a musical based on a Scottish fairytale, which launched at the National Theatre in 2013. A cast recording from the show is set for release this year.

Good Ambassador: “Cornwall” said Tori, when luxury travel people Conde Naste asked her to recommend once-in-a-lifetime place that everyone should see. She explained: “The Cornish are so warm. Because I’ve been around the world so many times, they ask me, “Where should I go?” And I say to them, “You should stay right here. You have it.”

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Interview

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david jones

main picture: carole hart fletcher

Get fired up for spring David Jones explains why a wood fired oven is this year’s must-have for keen Westcountry cooks

ith spring just around the corner, my thoughts are already turning to long, sunny days cooking and eating outdoors. I’ll soon be lighting up my wood fired oven, my preferred and definitely the most versatile method of outdoor cooking.

Wood fired ovens have been around for thousands of years and can be found all around the world. Although the shape and building material may vary, they can all produce the most amazing, mouth-watering food. Most of us know how great wood fired ovens are at cooking perfect pizzas, but few realise that the way they produce and retain heat also enables you to cook sizzling meat, tender seafood, slowcooked casseroles, mouth-watering bread and even beautifully moist cakes and desserts.

My passion for wood fired oven cooking comes from a love of the outdoors, a passion for gutsy, robust flavours and a delight in being part of tradition which allows me to cook in exactly the same way as a Roman, Saxon or Aztec would have done. At my cookery school, Manna from Devon, I’ve been using wood fired ovens for well over ten years and I’ve loved them from the very moment I lit our first one.

As you can imagine, it has been really exciting to be part of the great resurgence in their popularity which has taken place over the past few years and for my wife Holly and I it has been a pleasure and privilege to share

W

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our passion with hundreds of people wanting to understand how to get the best from their ovens. For us, cooking with a traditional wood fired oven is dramatic, fun and exciting and brings a Mediterranean feel to every dish. Once you’ve cooked in one, you too will be converted to this elemental method of cooking with fire.

Living in the South West (we live in Kingswear, overlooking the beautiful River Dart in south Devon) is a great place to cook with a wood fired oven. We are totally spoilt with the range of fresh produce local to us, from

kitchen away from guestsy - you can escape into the fresh air, feel the heat from the wood fired oven on your skin and savour the smell of food cooking.

For those who have, or are thinking of getting a wood fired oven, we hugely recommend The Bushman from Dingley Dell.

These ovens are handmade in the UK, designed for our climate and the quality is second to none. Here at Manna from Devon we have two sizes, a ‘medium’ Bushman and a ‘small’ Bushman, which we use both in and out of our courses. For successful cooking with a wood fired oven, you don’t need a huge number of special tools, just a few essentials. The most important are peels (flat metal pans) to take out your homemade pizzas. You’ll also need gauntlets so as not to burn your hands on a roasting tray, and a heatproof thermometer. A laser thermometer is the best way to gauge the exact temperature in different areas of the oven.

We regularly hold wood-fired oven classes at Manna from Devon, or you could join us at the beautiful Deer Park Country House Hotel in Honiton for one of our classes using the Bushman Oven in their fabulous garden kitchen. Our classes are always great fun and a very hands-on learning experience. As well as running these specialist classes, Holly and I have compiled the ‘Wood Fired Oven Cookbook’ (Aquamarine, RRP £9.99) - see over the page for some of our favourite recipes.

Visit www.mannafromdevon.com or call 01803 752943

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‘I’ve been using wood fired ovens for well over ten years and I’ve loved them from the moment I lit the first one’ fish markets, delicatessens and butchers, amazing local vegetables and eggs from freerange chickens. Starting with great produce is part of the joy of cooking for us, making it even more fun to invite friends around for weekend cookouts.

Utilising the long-lasting heat of the wood fired oven enables a full weekend of amazing cooking, from breakfast through to dinner, and even a cake in between. This adventurous, inspiring way of cooking is a focal point to every conversation and, on a warm spring evening, you’re not cooped up in your

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Marinated Squid with Homemade Chilli Mayonnaise David Jones says: Now I’m sure several of you will have experienced the truly grim spectre of overcooked squid – those rubber bands that are tough as old boots. I’d really like you to give this a go in your wood fired oven though – its intensely high heat means the squid cooks really quickly in about 40 seconds (yes seconds – count them). Trust me on this – the squid will be deliciously tender, with a slight charring which all adds to the flavours with the punchy marinade.

You will need: Serves 4 as a starter or several people as a snack at a party 600g/1lb 5oz fresh squid, cleaned weight (get your fishmonger to do the cleaning) 4tbsp olive oil 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2tbsp fresh oregano or marjoram leaves, roughly chopped Zest of 1 lemon, very finely chopped Salt and pepper 1 egg yolk 1tsp mustard

Juice of 1 lemon ½-1 tsp chilli powder (depending on how hot you like it) 150ml/5fl oz sunflower oil Lemon wedges

Method: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Build up the fire on the base of the oven until the temperature gets to 300C/570F. This will take about 60 minutes. When it is up to temperature, push the fire to the back of the oven with your metal peel or coal hook. Keep the door shut to keep the heat in.

Slice the hood of the squid open so it is one big flat piece of flesh. Score the skin of the squid lightly with a sharp knife into diamond shapes to make an attractive pattern which also lets the heat penetrate the flesh more quickly. Slice the squid and its tentacles into small bite sized pieces.

In a large bowl, mix together the olive oil, garlic, oregano and lemon zest. Toss the squid thoroughly in this mixture. Season well and leave to marinate for 30 minutes in the fridge.

Now make the mayonnaise. Put the egg yolk

in the food processor with the mustard, lemon juice and chilli powder. Season well with salt and pepper.

5.

Turn the processor on and drizzle the sunflower oil very slowly through the funnel until the mayonnaise is thick. Check for seasoning and turn into a small serving dish.

Keep the mayo in the fridge until needed.

6.

Put the marinated squid in a roasting tin in one layer (use 2 tins if necessary), open the oven door and carefully place the roasting tins on the oven floor. Make sure you wear oven gloves when you do this so you don’t burn yourself.

7.

Shut the door and bake in the very hot oven for 40 seconds (yes, really)

8.

Open the oven door and take the roasting tins out of the oven using your metal peel to manoeuvre them to the front of the oven.

[[ ‘The intensely high heat of a wood fired oven means squid will cook in 40 seconds - count them!’

9.

Put the squid and any juices from the tins on to a serving platter and serve at once with the chilli mayo and some lemon wedges.

10. Great as a snack or a starter or serve with

some green salad and a fresh foccaccia for a light lunch.

If you haven’t got a wood fired oven, don’t worry.

Heat your own normal oven til it’s very hot – 240C/Gas 8 – and put the squid in a roasting tin as in no 6. Cook for 2 minutes until the squid is just cooked through and has turned bright white.

Serve with the chilli mayo as above.

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Roasted White Fish with Provençal Vegetables and Basil Oil David Jones says: Here’s a delicious way to serve any firm fleshed fish; haddock, bream, bass, whiting, cod or pollock will all work well. We used locally caught sea bass. This is Mediterranean cooking at its simplest and best. The ingredients are allowed to speak for themselves without fuss..

You will need: Serves 4.

4 portion sized white fish fillets, 2-3cm thick Salt and freshly ground black pepper Olive oil 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced 2 red or yellow peppers, stemmed and seeded, cut in 1cm strips 2 medium courgettes, sliced

lengthways into 5mm strips 2 medium red onion, sliced in thick wedges 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried 2-3 sprigs fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried About 20 whole cherry tomatoes or 5 regular tomatoes quartered 2 tbsp pitted olives, halved

1/2 teaspoon crushed red chilli pepper Zest and juice of one lemon For the Basil Oil: 1 cup basil leaves 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil pinch of salt Lemon wedges to serve

Method: 1.

Season the fish to taste with salt and black pepper.

2.

Pour 1 tbsp olive oil into a baking dish. Arrange the fish in the dish, turning it to coat with olive oil.

3.

Toss remaining ingredients, except lemon juice, in a large bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil.

4.

Scatter the vegetables around the fish. Pour the lemon juice over the fish and vegetables and sprinkle with additional salt and black pepper. Bake in a hot oven until fish is just cooked through, about 15 minutes. (We used

a used a wood fired oven which is a lovely way to cook Mediterranean food and it adds a little smokiness to the fish and vegetables.

A regular oven set to about 230°c/450°f/Gas mark 8 would be perfect.)

5.

While fish is baking, prepare the basil oil.

Combine basil, olive oil and salt in bowl of food processor and process to a thin paste consistency.

6.

Remove fish from oven. Top each fillet with a generous spoonful of basil oil.

7.

Serve with lemon wedges, crusty bread and a fresh, green salad.

Information:

YOU COULD WIN A £400 COOKERY COURSE!

Recipes by David Jones at Manna from Devon Cooking School www.mannafromdevon.com Manna from Devon is based in Kingswear, South Devon and has been operating since 2006, specialising in Bread, Fish, Mediterranean Food and Wood Fired Oven Cooking David Jones uses a Bushman Wood Fired Oven from Dingley Dell (www.dingley-dell.com)

Manna from Devon Cooking School has teamed up with West magazine to offer one lucky winner an introduction to wood fired oven cooking class for up to 4 people in Kingswear, south Devon worth £400 (www.mannafromdevon.com).

Learn everything you need to know about how to cook on a wood fired oven, in a beautiful setting overlooking the Dart estuary.

To enter, send your name and contact details to: Manna from Devon Competition, westmag@ westernmorningnews.co.uk to arrive

by March 6. Normal terms apply.

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People

make up

Meet the beauty

Queens

Sally’s creative experiment with using pigment underwater, pic by Sally Orchard

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SALLY ORCHARD IN HER STUDIO TEACHING MAKE UP

Sally Orchard SALLY ORCHARD’S TIPS:

‘It’s about enhancing the person, not creating a mask’ Sally Orchard loves her job. A make-up artist based in Falmouth, she’s been painting faces for more than 20 years. It has only been a full time job, though, for the past four years.

There are two strings to Sally’s bow. Her steady work comes from making brides look beautiful for their big day. Then there’s her creative work, working with models and photographers to create fabulous picture spreads for magazines.

“I have wanted to be a make-up artist since I was 10,” she says. “In those days though, 20-odd years ago, there weren’t any courses, so I did a beauty therapy course and just learned very basic make-up. I then worked for Clarins, the skin care company, in London and I was always the one that did the make-up, but it wasn’t a massive industry at that point.”

Later, moving to Cornwall, Sally worked managing spas in Falmouth and worked with makeup on the side. But it is only recently, with what she believes has been an explosion of interest in cosmetics on the internet, that it has become her fulltime job.

Sally does the make-up for between 60-80 brides each year and, with scenic Cornwall being so popular for weddings, this work underpins her business.

“The reason I think have become popular for bridal make-up is that I enhance the person rather than creating a mask. I try to bring out their features rather than put on lots and lots of make-up. I look at the facial features and think about how I can balance what is there,” she says.

“It is amazing when you get a bride coming in feeling self-conscious and a bit worried, and then they have their make-up done and feel so different, so confident.”

The creative side of her work comes from working with new products, which she experiments with and writes a blog about on her website. Most recently she persuaded one brave model to leap into a bath while she painted her with glittery pigments for the eyes and face which stay on and shimmer underwater. “The creative side is trying new processes that are coming out all the time.

You never stop learning, fashion changes so you are always learning.”

Sally also does photo shoots for magazines, which are a real chance to develop her skills.

Most recently she’s done the make-up for a fabulous 1920s-style Great Gatsby shoot at Alverton Manor in Truro, working with photographer Emma Griffin.

The trick with vintage style, says Sally, is to update it subtly to fit in with the style conventions of the present day.

“We had a 1920s theme, but in fact authentic 1920s make-up was quite hard, they always had thin eyebrows and thin lips. I wanted to make a more modern version so I took inspiration from that, but made the look more my own.”

She went with her trademark smoky eyes for the model, but altered the look for day and evening looks, with a softer look for the day time.

“It was a long day, eight to 10 hours, but everyone pulls together to make it a success,” she says.

Being a good make-up artist is about being constantly alert to new trends, she says. Look for a wonderful idea on the internet and then experimenting until you get it just right yourself.

“I have a passion for it,” she says. “I love making people look amazing.”

Visit www.cornwallmakeupartist.co.uk for more about Sally’s work

Sally advises against using just one brand of makeup. “I don’t think one brand can every offer you everything. I use MAC, Bobbi Brown and Urban Decay and I sell a range called Motives, an American brand, which I offer for sale to students at my make-up classes.”

The biggest pitfall for novice make-up artists is misjudging how much to apply, she says. “It is about learning how to do a softer look, but still be able to see it on camera, and to do a strong look without it looking like drag.” A good place to start she says, is to avoid putting on too much foundation. “I’m not really into heavy mask foundation.”

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PIC BY EMMA GRIFFIN

Natasha Flower

People

PIC BY PETER CARTER

‘When you book a make-up artist, you’re booking a transformation’ Natasha Flower certainly knows how to make an entrance with her own signature look: Mulberry bag slung over her arm, huge designer sunglasses and a crimson slash of Passion by Chanel on her lips.

Complementing her statement pieces with simple black jeans and tee, the petite blonde mother of two from Hayle, west Cornwall, reassuringly looks the part when she rocks up to perform her magic. First impressions count: many of her clients are brides set to celebrate the happiest day of their lives and yet it’ll be the first time that either of them have met.

“My main points of contact are my website and Facebook and around 70 per cent of the brides I work with don’t live locally and don’t even have time for a pre-wedding trial,” she explains.

“They visit the website, like what they see and say, see you on the day.”

Peep into Natasha’s gorgeous portfolio of wedding makeup and editorial shoots and it’s easy to see why just so many brides book her on the strength of her look-book.

“When you book a makeup artist, you’re booking a transformation,” she says, “But you don’t want to feel like you’re wearing a mask.

I’m a lips girl myself and am otherwise a fairly natural-looking makeup wearer.

“We’ll work on the makeup together in front of the mirror and usually my technique’s very different to their same-old routine that’s become a habit. So I’m teaching them along the way. I’ll introduce a brow liner for instance, or a pencil on the bottom lids, to make the eyes ‘pop’.

People like to wear their foundation in different ways, too, and some prefer a matt surface or just a simple tinted moisturiser. But sometimes you have to persuade them to wear a fuller makeup for the day, for the perfect photos.

“Last year was my busiest ever. I worked with

NATASHA’S TIPS: 75 brides and landed my first film work, making up dozens of extras, for German television company ZDF who were in Cornwall filming their latest Rosamunde Pilcher adaptation,” adds the 31-year old.

“I’ve worked for brides over 70 and gorgeous 20 year olds - there’s always variety in age and personality. The classic ‘beautiful’ bride tends to be in her late 20s and wants to enhance her natural self, with pearl shadows and illuminated eyes.

“But everyone’s different. I’ve also made up rock and roll brides, who want to vamp it up and go for lashes, liner and lots of glam, scarlet lips, and glitter. It’s up to me to listen and provide.”

Before starting her family Natasha, who’s married to Tristan, 31 and is mum to Lana, aged three, and Dari, one, spent seven years as a regional manager for Chanel.

“My main passion’s always been makeup and I’d probably never have left Chanel if it hadn’t been for the children transforming my life,” she confesses.

“After having Lana I decided to develop my makeup skills and began networking with local stylists, florists and photographers.”

Her successful freelance career means that Natasha can juggle family life with work – she’s just back from the nursery school run, when West pays a call – and also continue to indulge her love of the luxury brands she swears by.

“I only use prestige brands and tools, Chanel, Clarins, Bobby Brown, Dior and Mac - my makeup case is under lock and key from the girls!” she laughs. “And good brushes, made with animal hair are essential. They’re key to a makeup artist’s work, so I always recommend you get brushes that won’t split, or drag over the skin.” www.natashaflower.co.uk

ACE THE BASE I use Le Blanc de Chanel Sheer Illuminating Base.

It’s a correcting balancer and a primer and finishes the skin surface in its natural state.

By the time I’ve added a foundation, it’s the perfect blank canvas ready for the next step.

SWEAR-BY FAVOURITE: I love Chanel Rouge Allure ‘Passion’: A gorgeous pillar box red.

GO POP A lighter shade of colour applied to the corner of the eye will help camouflage dark shadows. A touch of light eye shadow under the brows will accentuate their shape and highlight your eyes

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18/02/2015 15:04:47

PIC BY EMMA GRIFFIN

PIC BY EMMA GRIFFIN

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18/02/2015 15:05:28

People REBECCA’S BEST BUYS Make-up doesn’t have to cost a fortune, says Rebecca Searle. Here are her best buys for this spring: THE FALSIES MASCARA BY MAYBELLINE (£7.99, BOOTS) “This is the mascara I use on all my brides as it really is 100% waterproof – I tried it in the shower! It gives great fullness and curl, too.”

RIMMEL BB CREAM (£6.99 BOOTS) “I used this recently on holiday in the Canaries. It’s a skin-perfecting super makeup, developed specifically for women who don’t wear foundation – and it’s really good.”

Rebecca Searle

PICS BY EMMA BARROW

‘Paris Fashion Week was such an experience’ “Everyone laughed at me when I said at school I wanted to be a make up artist,” says Rebecca Searle, 27, who has a make-up studio in Plymouth.

“For a few years after I left school I worked as a waitress but working with cosmetics was always my dream.”

Rebecca saved up to fund her own training at the prestigious Jemma Kidd School of Make Up in London - Jemma’s the sister of supermodel Jodie Kidd and an acclaimed make-up artist. “I went to study in London when I was 22 and it was a real eye-opener for me,” she remembers. “My lecturer chose me to go with him to do make-up at Paris Fashion Week, which was such a great help with my career.

“I was making up models in really extreme, unusual looks – it was really exciting. Then I’d come home to Cornwall and practise on all my friends, so we’d go out for a drink looking really over the top.”

Today, Rebecca divides her work between weddings and fashion editorial. “I often do magazine work or fashion shows up in London. It’s great to

be at the cutting edge and stay up with the trends.

I did a really fun magazine shoot in London just recently actually in St Paul’s Cathedral, which was amazing, ” she says. “Right now, the most up-tothe-minute look is very clean, with sophisticated, quite understated make-up. I’m very interested in coverage that allows the skin to still show through, so I love tinted moisturisers. The other look that is really big right now is eyebrows, which are strong and defined.”

Rebecca’s brides all meet her beforehand for a trial run. “I like them to know exactly what they are getting, and to make sure that on the day everything is as relaxed as possible. I spend my weekends going all around the Westcountry to amazing wedding locations – castles, stately homes, you name it. Some brides are very nervous and even tearful, others are just really excited and some are very calm. I’ve only had one

Bridezilla who was in a bad mood, so I’ve been pretty lucky!”

Indeed, Rebecca says she has got to know so many people through her work: “Often, I’ll be working with bridesmaids, and then I’ll go on to do their weddings, which is really lovely.”

As a redhead herself, Rebecca says she knows how important it is to get the make-up that’s right for your colouring and style. “I’ve learned over the years what works with my very pale skin, and I often give make-up lessons at my studio. Too often people get muddled and confused and their products end up in the drawer not being used. But pnce you know what you’re doing, make-up can really be a joy.”

Visit www.rebeccasearlemakeup.co.uk You can also see Rebecca in action in her YouTube videos, giving advice and demonstrations.

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Ads.indd 3

18/02/2015 14:21:56

Heavenly haven Interior designer Jess Clark tells Sarah Pitt how she transformed a former chapel into a divine love nest with views over the north Cornwall coast his old chapel is called Aphrodite, and it is just divine. When interior designer Jess Clark first saw the historic building (sited on the coast between Tintagel and Boscastle) she was smitten. She and Sarah Stanley, the director of Cornish company Unique Home Stays, set about creating an uplifting interior with more than a touch of the celestial about it.

“Sarah found the chapel and fell in love with it immediately,” says Jess.

“I went there for the first time on a beautiful sunny day and the first thing I saw as we drove down to it was the amazing view. The layout is quirky, with winding staircases, but it was the combination of the views and the history of the building which swung it for us.”

T

The chapel had already been converted into a house by the previous owner but its original use can be seen in everything from the vaulted windows to high ceilings. Inside, Jess has created an interior which complements these, with a romantic yet practical feel.

The first job was a complete redecoration of the property, to replace the former dark paint throughout. “It already looked totally different once the paintwork was changed,” Jess says. “I wanted to make the decor as light as possible, with a fresh yet cosy feel.”

Jess went for a clean palette of white walls and beams with wooden floors.

She then set about decorating this neutral space, sourcing reclaimed furniture with delicate decorative features, repainted in a colour Jess

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Interiors A dark wood bed has been upcycled with pink paint

[[ ‘The combination of the stunning views and the history of the building swung it for us’

The bathroom at Combe Thatch Cottage

STYLE TIP: Using light paint on walls, windows

and roof beams gives a fresh, clean feel and lightens rooms with small windows

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Interiors

[[

The former chapel has reclaimed church pews in the dining room, below

‘With the interior, we were trying to give a nod to the fact that it was once a chapel, but in a fun way’

calls, appropriately, “cherubic pink”.

In the master bedroom, the chairs are decorated with cosy throws and a furry rug on the floor, while flowing curtains can be drawn at night to separate the bedroom from the sitting room below, adding to the cocooning effect.

Jess has used her ingenuity in sourcing the fixtures and fittings. The elegant ceramic lamp in the bedroom looks like a hand-crafted piece but was in fact a high street find. It is complemented by a copper candelabra and an antique tapestry wall hanging, which once belonged to Sarah’s great-grandmother.

In a nod to the religious origins of the building, four pews provide seating in the dining room, all sourced in local reclamation yards. “We couldn’t believe the weight of them,” says Jess. “We needed six grown people just to lift each one into place.

“With the interior, we were trying to give a nod to the fact that it was once a chapel, but in quite a light-hearted way,” says Jess.

The “cherubic pink” paint was employed to paint the old mahogany bed in the bedroom and the chairs beside it. Alcoves, meanwhile, have been adorned with angel and Greek goddess statues, sourced from local reclamation yards, and church candles.

But the most strikingly angelic touch of all comes from the light fitting which hangs in the vaulted space of the sitting room. It consists of three angel wing lights created by Dutch design-

er Tord Boontje.

“They look lovely when they are lit up, they have a real glow,” Jess says. “Because we have such a vast ceiling space here, it was nice to create a feature for it, and I thought one on its own would look a bit puny! I wanted to give that feel of being looked after - and looked over - by the angels.”

Aphrodite near Boscastle is available to rent for short breaks and holidays from Unique Home Stays, 01637 881183

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18/02/2015 12:34:32

Shopping

GET THE

LOOK

Combine calm neutrals and pale pinks with luxe texture and touches of celestial gold.

Gold angel wings, £129, www. frenchbedroomcompany.co.uk

£3.99 for sample pot, www. farrowandball.com and Homebase stores

Pink rattan chair, £295, www.outthereinteriors.com

Raffaella upholstered bed, £1,410, www.sweetpeaandwillow.com

Occa winter seal faux fur throw, £254.50

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18/02/2015 12:34:57

Gardens

ANNE SWITHINBANK

From tiny seedlings...

Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, is busy getting ready for the growing season here are two things guaranteed to summers. Aubergines loved it and varieties like make my horticultural hackles rise ‘Moneymaker’ and ‘Black Beauty’ grew into – fake plants and empty greenhousmassive plants with glossy black fruits. Here in es. If yours is full of clutter, clear it Devon in recent years, these heat-loving plants out and start sowing and planning have either struggled to take off, or faltered when for indoor crops. On the menu are tomatoes, au- summer has fizzled out in a wet August. bergines, peppers, physalis, cucumbers, melons This year I’m going for ‘Aubergine Mixed’ and maybe even passion fruit. Plus tender herbs from Mr.Fothergill’s, a crazy blend of Asian and such as basil. Choose varieties and decide how European varieties, some tiny, green or red and many of each you can accommodate in large pots, others more Mediterranean in origin. Growing growing bags and borders. them is described as ‘pot luck’ and at least I’m I’ve been lucky enough to have a greenhouse hedging my bets. Apart from warmth, the secrets as my headquarters almost continuously since of success include avoiding checks in growth, the age of 11. They’ve ranged from a bijou 4ft x moving them on in small stages rather than 6ft to large glass structures at work. For the past setting tiny plants in large pots and feeding once 16 years, my husband John and their roots are well established.

I have enjoyed the luxury of a The rule with seed mixtures 10ft x 17ft wooden greenhouse, is never to transplant only the bought secondhand and erected strongest-looking seedlings, because The choice on a plinth of bricks for a bit you are likely to be selecting just of extra roof height. This is one variety from the mix. Take all of tomatoes unheated but we can plug in a the seedlings, small and large, from these days couple of electric propagating one area to be sure of capturing the is mindcases with tall lids, to raise essence of the mixture. the temperature needed for The choice of tomatoes these boggling efficient germination (21C/70 days is mind-boggling: I like striped F). After small seedlings have ‘Tigerella’, yellow ‘Golden Sunrise’, been transplanted singly orange cherry ‘Sungold’ and orange to 3.5in pots they still need baby plum ‘Lizziebell’. Yet it’s always warmth and I often leave them great to try something new and in the cases until they’ve begun to grow and the ‘Ananas’ stands out (Thompson and Morgan). greenhouse is warmer. Alternatively, use a warm Know as the pineapple tomato, its fruits are large bright windowsill indoors for germination, or and sweet. Up until now, I’ve had to keep all our buy in young plants. tomatoes under glass, otherwise blight withers This weekend, I’m sowing aubergines. When I them up before the fruits ripen - even so-called lived back back in Surrey during the early 1990s blight resistant varieties have failed. This year, I used to keep the frost out of my aluminium we can order plants of ‘Crimson Crush’ from greenhouse and we had shimmeringly hot Suttons Seeds, said to be reliably blight resistant.

T

[[

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

We’ll have to see.

Peppers need a long growing season too but I’ll leave cucumbers until next month. They germinate well enough but can be tricky at the planting out stage. A few cold nights and they often rot away where the stem meets the ground. I find all crops, including melons, take better planted into bottomless pots placed on top of the growing bag or bed. I can’t be specific about exactly when to sow and plant, though, because the weather, your own greenhouse and

willingness to gamble for early crops are all too variable.

What about the passion fruit? Passiflora edulis (not the common blue hardy P.caerulea whose fruits are unpalatable) would like a minimum winter temperature of 10 C/50 F but has overwintered in a bed at the back of my greenhouse swathed in horticultural fleece and with roots as dry as I dare keep them. It is very definitely alive and I’ll be watering and pruning it soon. The growing season is definitely on its way.

• Divide large clumps of snowdrops ‘in the green’. Dig deeply to lift a clump, divide it into twos or threes and plant them back in to make new clumps and cover a wider area.

• Plant out broad beans sown under glass earlier. I set mine in double rows 25cm/10in apart on either side of a line, with a trowel length between the plants.

• Pot up lily bulbs for attractive and mobile displays later on in the summer. You can place one bulb in a 20cm/8in pot, or three to four in a 30cm/12in pot.

• Shear back the old foliage of ornamental grasses, taking care to cut above any new growth coming through.

This is also a good time for lifting, dividing and replanting or adding new grasses.

Question time with Anne West reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank

Q

We have lots of gaps in our garden but very little money to spare on costly new plants.

How can we plant up on a budget?

This challenge means you will have to hone your growing and propagation skills. It is a slower but ultimately more satisfying way of filling a garden.

Some shrubs, including viburnum, cornus, Japanese quince, forsythia and edgeworthia produce suckers or small, detachable versions of themselves around the base. Dig these out with roots attached and plant where needed.

Herbaceous perennials like Michaelmas daisies, phlox and sedum are sprouting from the base.

When shoots are 8cm/3in or so long, trim and dibble into trays of 50:50 soilless compost and grit, sharp sand or vermiculite. Cover with polythene, keep out of full sun and they’ll root.

Pot up, grow on and plant out. While waiting for this lot to grow, sow seed of hardy annuals (nigella, clarkia, calendula) in March to fill gaps.

Q

When is the best time to sow celeriac? I started it early for big roots last spring but they all ran up to seed.

The tasty, celery-flavoured roots (or rather swollen stems) are useful and versatile. They need a long growing season but if you get them in too early and we then experience cold temperatures, they are likely to ‘bolt’ or run to seed, from which there is no way back. I would sow under glass in late March, transplanting seedlings singly to modules or pots and hardening them off to plant out towards the end of April in grids 38cm/15in apart. Water well during dry spells.

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

Tidy back the old stems of hardy Fuchsias by pruning, so as to push energy into the new stems. They can be cut right down to the ground unless you want to leave some taller stems for extra height.

Prune overwintered pelargoniums and take cuttings of healthy shoot tips. If they are sickly looking, wait for regrowth and use the new shoots as cuttings. Leave stumps behind from which more shoots will sprout.

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18/02/2015 13:17:02

Beauty

Tried

& tested

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

Isn’t it just the cutest?

Marni’s dinky rose, almond and patchouli perfume not only smells divine, but has rekindled memories of the Knitting Nancy #nostalgia! (£25 at Escentual.com)

FLOWER POWER Chanel’s lip liner in Rose Delicat is the perfect base for petal-pink lipstick (£17.50 at Debenhams)

Bobbi Brown’s Rose Shimmer Brick is a shimmering rosy rainbow that runs from raspberry to rosewood. Pretty! (£32.50 www. bobbibrown.co.uk)

Essentials This little hamper of useful feel-good treats has been put together with new mums in mind. The Essentials, £21, www.don’tbuyherflowers.com 28

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18/02/2015 13:08:58

the review We test:

Facial oils Cosmetics expert Abbie Bray picks her favourites from the facial oils currently on the market

SAVE:

fave!

Radiance Boost Marks & Spencer Perfecting Radiance Vitamin C Oil

Wild oats....

Oat kernels are the secret ingredient in this beauty serum formulated to smooth, repair and tighten your skin. ( £28 from yourstrulyorganics.com)

SPLURGE:

Awaken the senses Sisley Black Rose Precious Face Oil

KISS AND MAKE UP Origins’ new KissZing crayons (£16 each, www.origins.co.uk) deliver a subtle wash of colour and keep your lips kissably soft.

This is Sisley’s first skincare oil for dry and mature skin, with a high concentration of active ingredients. It’s a dry oil that absorbs immediately into the skin, leaving it feeling nourished and supple. It is rich in omega 3 and 6, with a blend of plant-based active ingredients to regenerate the skin. The Black Rose and Magnolia act to tone and soothe, for a more radiant complexion. This luxurious oil can be applied in the morning or evening, using between three to seven drops either by itself or before your daily skincare routine.

House of Fraser, £136

This instantly hydrating oil is suitable for all skin types, giving the skin a boost of radiance. This oil contains 2% Vitamin C to nourish the skin and is used as a night oil underneath your moisturiser. The oil is rich and nourishing, giving plenty of moisturisation in order to support your skin’s natural overnight renewal process.

Did you know?

It is suitable for vegetarians and vegans

(Marks and Spencer, £10.50)

[[ This oil helps to support the skin’s natural overnight renewal process

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

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18/02/2015 13:09:18

Fashion

Autograph khaki jacket £79 Marks & Spencer

Mint Velvet longline biker jacket, £159 mintvelvet.co.uk

Cover up!

Spring is on its way, but it’s still chilly. Coats ahoy...

t may be March but, at the time of writing, the weather is most definitely still at the “coming in like a lion” stage. And with April showers yet to come, we need a little cover up before we venture forth. We’re not talking big, heavy winter coats, just something smart that you can throw on to keep you warm and dry. Preferably in light, bright colours that nod towards the changing season.

A trench coat is a great solution to

I

the spring cover-up conundrum: we like this one from Autograph at M&S - and if you’re on a budget, you could do worse that pick up this pale blue trench from Primark. Elsewhere, Boden and La Redoute have lovely coats in pretty colours, and another good early spring look is the biker or denim jacket. Finally, if you can be sure it won’t rain, then this unstructured number from John Rocha at Debenhams is rocking the spring suede trend. We’d probably take a brolly, just in case...

Jo hn Ro ch a su ed e jac ke t, £2 50 De be nh am s

Next denim jacket £30 Autograph navy trench coat, £99 Marks and Spencer 30

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La Redoute back bow yellow coat £85

Pixie floral duster coat, £69 Monsoon

White Stuff Noviascotia stripe biker jacket £89.95

bl ue Pr im ark pa le 3 £2 at co ch en tr

Boden’s lightweight Eliza coat, £189, www.boden.co.uk

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18/02/2015 13:14:23

Trend

HOW TO WEAR IT:

The Seventies Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod tries a little time-travel pring-Summer 2014 saw peasant blouse and some wedges for us revisit the Sixties, but my SS15 signature look. this year the Seventies Donatella Versace, at the fabulous reign supreme. age of 59, has inspired me to take Key pieces include the flare into the evening too. When the thin scarf, a high neckline, and her show kicked off couture week in flared trousers. The key to this look Paris, she donned a striking black is gently referencing the decade with pantsuit complete with sensational silhouettes and subtle pairings, rather bell bottoms. Elegant with just the than any sort of over-literal interright amount of drama, it was everypretation that may leave you looking thing a woman looks for in a special like you have just wandered in from event outfit. Her long blonde tresses, Woodstock. dark smokey eyes and nude lips Model Cara Delevigne summed up proved that sexy truly is ageless.

Seventies perfection at Ok, I accept that for Paris Fashion Week. those of us who have Walking for Saint embraced the skinny Laurent she stole for years now, a full-on Where have you the show in fabulous flare might be a bit of wedges, a patchwork a departure. So, if you been all my life suede jacket and are unsure, start small. oh wide-legged leather skirt.

Make your next pair It’s the flares that of jeans just that little beauties? Why have caught my bit wider in the leg. did fashion stray imagination however, Remember bootcut? so much so that I am a They’re a fantastic away from you? little out of love with compromise. And, my favourite skinnies, although pale denim and that’s saying a lot. blue is this season’s Where have you been darling I think wider all my life oh wide-legged beauties? leg trousers look fantastic in soft Why did fashion stray away from spring shades too. Find a pair in coral you? It took me ages to get used to the and tuck a blue and white polka dot skinny jean. The snug fit from ankle silk blouse into them. Add a clutch in to thigh made me feel like a potato on a natural or woven texture and you’re toothpicks, not a look anyone really instant style royalty. aspires to. But the flare, oh, the flare.

Committed to the classics? Well, It instantly makes the wearer taller, then you’ll be delighted to know that slimmer and edgier. When I slipped denim on denim now has the green on these white stunners from Reiss, light from the fashion world. Mix I became a better version of myself. darks with lights, dig out your old The version that has had immense denim jacket from the nineties and, stock market success, sits on the if you’re feeling especially bold, find board of a company or two, but also yourself a patchwork denim blouse. owns a yoga retreat in Nepal and Above all, remember that the heck, maybe even has a pet tiger. seventies were wildly eclectic. There That’s the power of a good pair of is no ‘wrong way’ to embrace this trousers. decade. Far out! All fashion in these I’m on the hunt for a pair of flared pictures is from Princesshay Shopping jeans now too. I’ll pair them with a Centre, Exeter, www.princesshay.com

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

S

Top, Reiss, Princesshay, £95 Trousers, Reiss, Princesshay, £129 Coat, Reiss, Princesshay, £245 Shoes, Reiss, Princesshay, £139 Bag, Reiss, Princesshay, £95

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DOROTHY PERKINS Tan felt floppy hat £14

NEXT platform sandals £45 DOROTHY PERKINS Tan suede fringe mule £39

GET THE

look NEXT flared jeans £28

DOROTHY PERKINS zig zag tote bag £32

STREET STYLE HERO Lydia Harrison Student, Exeter Coat - Zara Blouse - Zara Knit - Zara Skinnies - Dorothy Perkins Boots - Office

REISS clutch bag £95

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18/02/2015 12:18:05

3 NIGHTS HALF BOARD FOR

JUST £99 !

SPRING BREAKS ON

a r ie iv R h is l g n E e Th This offer Includes • Carvery Dinner • Cabaret entertainment • Indoor Heated Pool • Children half price • Free Parking & Wifi

OR 4 NIGHTS

FOR £129!

During March & April subject to availability

01803 213232

| www.rainbow-hotel.co.uk enquiries@rainbow-hotel.co.uk

Fine traditional cuisine with stunning sea views Open all day for morning coffee, light luncheons, Cornish cream teas and relaxed dining in the evening. The Quarterdeck restaurant is in addition to the main Dining Room which continues to serve the more traditional table d’hôte menus for dinner and Sunday lunch, always with the renowned hors d’oeuvres trolley.

Carne Beach, Veryan in Roseland, Nr St Mawes, Cornwall Both the Quarterdeck and the Dining Room are open throughout the year.

www.quarterdeckrestaurant.co.uk

Table Reservations 01872 500 000 ©LW

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18/02/2015 15:51:01

Events

the hotlist

#1

There’s plenty to do right now in the Westcountry, from the World Pasty Champs to fabulous fashion shows

1. Creative Dating Exeter, February 28

People who share a passion for culture might meet the love of their life at a creative dating event at Exeter’s Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery on Queen Street. Staff dreamed up the idea after discovering that couples had met at other museum events. The evening runs from 8-11pm at the museum, with music by soul band The Pookas. Tickets £15 from www.undergroundtickets.net or the museum recep-

#2

tion.

2. Shaun the Sheep Experience Land’s End, now open

Much-loved ovine creation of Aardman Animations Shaun the Sheep has just taken up residence at the Land’s End visitors’ attraction. The cartoon character, who is currently enjoying exposure in Shaun the Sheep The Movie, is offering to have his photograph taken with visitors, who can explore a life-size set and meet other Aardman favourites including Wallace & Gromit and Morph. Tickets from www.landsend-landmark.

co.uk

3. The F-Word: the Changing Language of Fashion

#3

Killerton near Exeter, now open

A new exhibition at the National Trust property famed for its costume collection explores how fashion responded to the latest innovations, such as zips, buttons and elastic, over the years. The story is told with items from the Killerton collection, from a 150-year-old crinoline to a 1960s mini dress. Visit

www.national-trust.org.uk

4. World Pasty Championships, The Eden Project, Bodelva, February 28

The Fisherman’s Friends from Port Isaac top the entertainment bill at the fourth annual World Pasty Championships on Saturday. Enter online by the closing date of 12 noon on Friday, at www.edenproject.com, and bring your pasty along on the morning of the competition. Winners are announced at the Oggy Oscars Ceremony in the evening. It is £10 per pasty

to enter, or £5 in the junior classes, which includes entry to Eden for two people

#4 35

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Discover

culture vulture Our superb new guide to the arts scene in the South West by our culture expert Sarah Pitt Fascinating Aida Fascinating Aida are, well, fascinating, not to mention hilarious. And last year, the all-girl cabaret trio celebrated 30 years of their unique brand of edgy and fabulous entertainment.

Despite being around since before the birth of the internet, trio Dillie Keane, Adele Anderson and Liza Pullman have clocked up over 17 million views on YouTube, where they’ve delighted fans with witty ditties about exasperating aspects of modern life. Their infamous anthem to budget travel Cheap Flights has had over 12 million hits to date, and you can enjoy them live, when they break their hectic worldwide schedule with a one-night stop in Truro on March 7.

Hall for Cornwall, March 7, tickets £23 www.hallforcornwall.co.uk

Last Man Standing Fresh from choreographing a piece for Stadt Theater Giessan in Germany, Bodmin-based James Wilton brings his athletic, dramatic choreography to the Barbican Theatre on Friday. James’s style of dance draws on martial arts and breakdancing to create raw and earthy performances.

Called Last Man Standing, James’ show explores danger, the fragility of existence and the desire to survive, propelled by his trademark soundtrack of rock music. In addition, a group young dancers who have worked with James recently will perform two curtain raisers.

Barbican Theatre, Plymouth, February 27, tickets from £9 www.barbicantheatre.co.uk

The Mist in the Mirror The Woman in Black was a recent hit at the Hall for Cornwall, and now Exeter’s Northcott Theatre is chilling the air with another of Susan Hill’s ghost stories, called The Mist in the Mirror.

The tense and atmospheric new production of Ian Kershaw’s adaptation by Oldham Coliseum Theatre invites the audience to eavesdrop on a fireside ghost story.

It’s all about James Monmouth, who has returned to England after years spent travelling, following in the footsteps of his childhood hero, the explorer Conrad Vane. An orphan at five years old, Monmouth is determined to unravel the mysteries of his own past, and find out more about the early life of Vane.

But who is the mysterious pale, thin little boy that haunts his every step? This is a treat for all fans of a good mystery.

Northcott Theatre, February 24-28, tickets from £16.50 www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

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Enjoy Shaldon’s waterfront on the Teign Estuary

A WEEKEND IN...

Shaldon cross the river Teign from the town of Teignmouth, Shaldon is a pretty, genteel village with many fine Georgian houses which is perfect for a relaxed weekend of mooching. From the pubs and cafes which line the river, you can sit with a pint or a coffee and watch the activity on the water - you’ll see everything from container ships heading for Plymouth to sailing dinghies, gigs and seine boats raced by locals. There are two beaches, one on the river and the other, Ness Cove, just around the headland, which can only be reached through a smugglers’ tunnel. Historically, this area was a hot spot for smuggling, alongside more legitimate fishing and boat building. The sand on the beaches echoes the colour of the distinctive red cliffs which stand between the town and the sea.

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Stay: Among self-catering options are the swish Shaldon Beach Huts (www.shaldonbeachhuts. co.uk) beside the river, which have stylish interiors making the most of the compact space (www.discoveryholidayhomes.com). The Clipper apartments (www.theclippershaldon. co.uk) have panoramic river views and are equipped with all mod-cons, although there’s the perfect excuse not to cook as the popular Clipper Café, in the same ownership, is next door and has a tempting evening menu. If you fancy a hotel, the gracious Ness House Hotel, built in 1810, offers comfortable accommodation, sea views and good food. And elegant Ringmore House, a short walk upriver, does bed and breakfast as well as Aga cookery courses with owner Helen Scull (call 01626 873323).

Eat (and drink): Check out ODE restaurant on Fore Street, where owner Tim Bouget uses local in-season produce, including sand eels from the estuary, in imaginative dishes – he and his wife Clare also run café ODE, closer to

Shaldon’s charming houses

Apartments at The Clipper

the sea, and win awards for both their food and their eco-credentials. For a pint and a plateful, try the historic Ferry Boat Inn on the Strand beside the estuary, which is the perfect place to watch the world go by on the river. A Devon cream tea, meanwhile, is available at the Coffee Rush Café on Fore Street.

Shop: Shaldon has all the shops you might expect to find in a ‘proper’ village, with a butcher’s, a baker’s and a post office as well as convenience

stores. For a picnic to enjoy on the beach, look no further than The Yummy Shop, which also sells fudge and other local goodies to take home as presents. Tom Thumb Boutique on the Strand stocks fashionable beachwear and flip flops, while sister shops Chicy Rachael and Nauti Rachael on Fore Street are also worth a browse.

What to do:

Shaldon has a gentle, old-fashioned seaside feel, with families enjoying bucket and spade afternoons at Ness Cove, paddling and fishing for shrimps in the rock pools. The river beach is also a popular haunt, and you can picnic beside the rowing boats pulled up on the sands.

From here you can catch the passenger ferry, reputedly the oldest ferry service in England, to Teignmouth Back Beach. From here, you can hire a boat, complete with rod and line to catch mackerel, from Teign Boat Hire (01626 777907).

Stroll up behind Shaldon, meanwhile, to explore Homeyard’s Botanical Gardens, created during the 1920s by Maria Homeyard, in memory of her husband. Entry is free.

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18/02/2015 13:07:21

Will Sneyd

My Secret Westcountry Local lager

Ad re n a li n

Will Sneyd

Q u a rr y

Will Sneyd, 53, is the founder and owner of Adrenalin Quarry near Liskeard, a huge outdoor playground that’s home to white knuckle experiences such as zip wires. He lives at the quarry near with his wife and family, and grew up in Cornwall.

My favourite...

Thing to do at this time of year: I like to drive before dawn along the awesome A374 curves and then stumble down the cliff path at Freathy, Tregantle or Maine beach near Whitsand Bay in south east Cornwall when there’s a big swell on. I leg it down with my winter suit, fins and body board, heart in my mouth, feeling my age and hoping my mates will be out there in the big stuff. Surfing’s my thing: I got back into it five years ago when I went out with a friend, lost a fin, broke my board, got a nosebleed and went numb up to my elbows. I’ve never looked back.

Music venue: Looe Music Festival in September. With big names like The Stranglers, The Darkness and Squeeze on the beach plus hundreds of smaller shows kicking off all over town, it’s the best boutique festival anywhere bar none. Our kids love it too.

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People Activity: I’m still in love with Adrenalin Quarry’s 490 metre long zip-wire. It’s never the same from one day to the next. You can put a zip line almost anywhere but it’s the landscape that makes it special. I get withdrawal symptoms if I don’t go down it every couple of days. I have a love hate relationship with The Giant Swing, I hate being winched up but love the drop.

Food: Fresh crab from almost anywhere, Malcom Barnecutt’s pasties and chilli sauce from the Cornish Chilli Company sauce.

Tipple: Skinners Brewery in Truro make Skindog lager - like a beer but awesomely blond!

Pub: The Rod and Line at Tideford. Unrepentant debauchery, great food, loud music and merriment.

You can take the boy out of Cornwall but you can’t take Cornwall out of the boy.

Last Shop Standing, Plymouth

Restaurant: The Coddy Shack in St Martins, Looe, plus Gurkha Tandoori takeaway in Liskeard.

Shop: Any independent music shop. We’ve got the Last Shop Standing in Plymouth, I love it when people buy me music! Gilbert’s Outfitters in Liskeard (they have both kinds of jeans, workin’ jeans and best jeans).

Place: The far end of the lake at Adrenalin Quarry at dusk, dim light, nobody around but bats and crayfish. And watching the sun crash out of sight from the top of the swing poles above the Quarry. I can see Dartmoor, Bodmin Moor, Plymouth, Liskeard, Menheniot, the house I grew up in, my whole universe from up there. Priceless.

WIN THRILL-SEEKING DAYS OUT WORTH £330!

We have three vouchers (each worth £110) for thrill-seeking pairs of West readers to experience the Zip and Swing at Adrenalin Quarry, Liskeard. To enter, send your contact details to: Adrenalin Quarry, westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk to arrive by March 7. Visit www.adrenalinquarry.co.uk for details.

Fresh crab

Visit www.adrenelinquarry.co.uk for a day of thrilling adventure!

Adrenalin Quarry

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18/02/2015 12:56:05

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EATING OUT

Bella Italia

By Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod

t’s a Friday night, and I have a pretty serious hankering for Italian. Problem is, it’s still January, and I am solemnly sworn to a healthy eating regime, as is the boyfriend (aka Simon The Enforcer) A swift Google search leads me to Bella Italia in Exeter. Their menu has a respectable selection of dishes under 600 calories, and there are even some starters that weigh in at under 300. Surely The Enforcer can’t argue with this?

He couldn’t. We booked a table and I rushed home to change before setting off. About halfway there on the A380, we both realised we were ravenous. The rest of the car journey was spent fantasy ordering. We hadn’t even parked and I knew I was having starters, mains and a dessert, and probably half of his dessert if he would let me.

The Queen Street branch has a warm glow that spills out onto the cold street outside. We were greeted by high ceilings, dark wood furniture and the gleam of glassware in the towering bar installation. The yellow walls are peppered with quirky framed Italian artworks, and I noticed with great pleasure that the wine glasses were the

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oversized extra-large versions that I prefer. taste of summer, rocket, red onion, garlic (not We are shown to our table. To my right there is a too much) olive oil and fresh basil. It tastes even couple in their sixties enjoying a unhurried meal better with a meatball or two on top too! Made out, and to my left is a couple in their twenties from beef and pork, the polpette have a pleasant who may possibly be on a first date. The larger bite. The mozzarella has enough presence to add tables are filled with mellow student types and the creaminess, but doesn’t turn the dish into an ode odd family. The vibe is relaxed to cheese. and cosy.

Between starters and mains we Simon settles in quickly and, are given just the right amount being the designated driver, of breathing room. I consider It’s everything orders a coke. I’m briefly myself an expert in this, having torn between the Cabernet waitressed at one of the most you want on a Sauvignon which claims to have experience-orientated eateries in cold winter’s blackcurrant and rosemary the world, The Hard Rock Café night and goes notes and the Merlot, Baggio. I in London. It’s a restaurant that ask what label the cab sav is, as walks the line between being a down a treat if it is South African (my home money-making conveyer belt with my second country) my mind will be made and making everyone feel like up. It’s not, so I go with the an unhurried rock star with glass of red Merlot (£5.95 for a large glass). remarkable finesse.

Timing Great choice. Very, very easy should never be underestimated drinking and will pair up a treat in the restaurant experience. with a deeply-flavoured pasta dish.

For mains, Simon and I are sharing again. I Down to the business of starters. Simon has am in my element as I have always suffered from spotted the bruschetta (£4.95), which comes crippling food envy. I’ve sat staring wistfully at in at sub 300 calories, and I want the polpette his meal over my plate of friend green tomatoes in meatballs (£5.75). Jealous of his pious choice I Georgia. I’ve eyeballed his burger over my pulled ask if we can share. Equally (if not more) jealous pork in North Carolina. I’ve even outright stolen of my mouthwatering choice, he acquiesces. The baby back ribs off his plate in California. bruschetta is made with firm plum tomatoes that But on this night, everyone won. I order

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4 of the best

Places for healthy food The Nobody Inn

1 The Nobody Inn, RESTAURANT IMAGES: KATHRYN CLARKE-MCLEOD

Doddiscombsleigh

the Agnello tagliatelle. (sub 600, £10.25) Slow cooked lamb and red wine ragu with fresh egg tagliatelle and Granello cheese shavings.

It’s everything you want on a cold winter’s night, and goes down a treat with my second glass of red. Simon has the Pollo Pizza (also sub 600, £9.25). His pizza, topped with chicken breast, roasted pepper and Granello cheese is perfectly nice, but might be better suited to a summer evening. Also, it had the simplicity and austerity of a low calorie meal, while my giant bowl of pasta tasted positively sinful.

For dessert we share the apple pie off the specials board (£5.95). It comes with custard, and I ask if I can have a scoop of ice cream with it too.

Simon misunderstands my request and a scuffle nearly breaks out. Apparently apple pie must NEVER be parted from its custard. Our waiter referees with remarkable patience and assures us that not only will the ice cream will be in addition to the custard, it will come in its own tiny little bowl, so his pie will be kept sacrosanct.

When it arrives I can’t help but wish I had got my own. Steaming chunks of tart apple protrude from a golden circular sponge, ever so slightly crisped on the edges. We walk back out into the cold night, thoroughly satisfied, and not with just the food. Our meal set us back only £48, so it’s as light on the pocket as it is on the hips.

Bella Italia 92 Queen Street, Exeter, 01392 211778

How they scored...

Food

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Atmosphere

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Service

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Price

Dinner for two was £48

A country pub just west of Exeter, with a reputation for fine dining, the kitchen here is very accommodating of allergies and “free-from” requests, plus much of the produce is locallysourced, especially the superb 28-day hung Dartmoor beef Dish of the day: Apple-marinated pulled pork with apple slaw Prices: Dinner mains around £17 Contact: 01647 252394

2 Pea Souk, Falmouth

This great little veggie restaurant down a side street in the town centre of Falmouth serves lovely, fresh home-made food.

Dish of the day: Mezze with hummus, feta, tabouleh and olives Prices: Mains around £7 Contact: 01326 317583

3 Veggie Perrin, Plymouth

Specialising in the Southern Indian vegetarian cuisine, this city centre restaurant on Mayflower Street is a real find for healthy, tasty food.

Dish of the day: Courgette Masala with spices, tomatoes, onions, garlic and lemon Prices: Mains around £3.50 Contact: 01752 252888

4 Tasti Mana, Exmouth

The very best sort of sandwich bar/ deli, making terrific sarnies of good bread, lots of fresh fillings and your five-a-day in almost every one. Find it tucked away on Albion Street - and they deliver, too.

Dish of the day: Falafel sandwich with baby leaves, tomatoes, carrot, courgette and peppers Price: Sandwiches around £3.25 Contact: 01395 273390

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18/02/2015 12:31:44

Ingredient of the Week

Mussels

with Tim Maddams ustainable sea food is a subject close to my heart but fear not, I’m not about to dust off the soap box and launch into a debate on the to’s and fro’s of the world of industrial fishing. Many people believe that farming fish is the way forward and this is, in many cases, completely incorrect. Take farmed salmon for instance, the vast majority of which is fed on fish meal pellets made from wild fish species caught specifically for that purpose. So eating farmed salmon is in no way protecting the marine environment.

That is not to say though that seafood “farming” is all bad. Far from it, we have some fantastic pioneers in the UK working to use trimmings and waste from fish processing factories to make feed for carnivorous farmed fish, such as salmon. But even better than that is the straightforward, Westcountry approach to farming seafood. I’m not talking the small-scale Tilapia and Baramundi farming with fish fed on vegetable matter (though that has its merits), I’m talking of the tasty bivalve, the common mussel.

Walk down almost any beach in the Westountry and you will find mussels clinging

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to rocks and seaweed all along the foreshore.

Collecting them yourself can be tiresome (though well worthwhile) and so that leads me to the brilliance of the South West’s mussel farms.

The best thing about mussel farming is it produces no negative effects to the environment.

In fact, the new off-shore operation at West Country Mussels, based in Fowey, is having a more than positive effect on the environment, creating a reef-like structure that encourages fish to shoal there. Exmouth Mussel Company also grow excellent mussels and have achieved Marine Stewardship Council sustainability accreditation for their operations, as well as countless prizes for quality.

The final bonus is that, as with all live bivalves these days, farmed mussels go through a process of purification to reduce the bacteria inside the creature, so they are extra safe too. So: mussels cause no environmental problems, actually help clean the water, and they are sustainable. What’s more, they don’t require feeding and they are perfectly safe to eat, their quality is better here than anywhere else in Europe and they are damn tasty, too.

On a cautionary note it’s worth being aware that mussels spawn to reproduce, and when they do so the quality of the mussels becomes very poor, so supply stops until they recover. They do this in spring, sometimes as early as late February. But not all mussel colonies will spawn at the same time, so you may well be able to get your bivalve fix from another producer.

How to eat mussels

Try them steamed open with a dash of cider and some torn wild garlic leaves or give them the noodle soup treatment. Or you could go all out and make mussel and cheddar croquettes. But whatever you do, make sure your mussels are from the South West - and eat as many as you like. @TimGreenSauce

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

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Drink Harbour Brewing Co in Cornwall: well worth checking out

Darren Norbury Beer of the week British mega-brewer Greene King, based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, is releasing a series of one-off collaborations with breweries from around the UK this year, and first up is Cornwall’s Penpont. Together they have created Cornish Coast, a 3.7% ABV golden session ale, with grapefruit and other citrus notes. Joe Thomson, of Penpont Brewery, said: “[Greene King’s] brewing expertise is second to none and people are already telling us how much they love the beer, which is fantastic.”

Mussel in

Rick and Jill Stein’s Cornish Arms pub, at St Merryn in North Cornwall, will be hosting its annual Beer and Mussel Festival on March 21 and 22. While Rick’s chefs attend to the seafood, St Austell and Sharp’s have come up with the beer list, including an exclusive festival brew.

talks beer here’s nothing some people hate more than a success story. If I hear one more person go on about the omnipresence of Sharp’s Doom Bar and St Austell Tribute I may let out a sweary word. Or, more realistically, ‘tut’ in that English way.

Let me be clear: there is nothing wrong with either beer when they are served properly, one’s a solid, Westcountry style brown bitter, the other an American-inspired amber session ale. Yes, they are ubiquitous in bars up and down the country, but it’s a free world and if publicans didn’t have people who liked the beers and drank them, they wouldn’t stock them. I also like to think that Bill Sharp, starting from his small industrial unit in 1994, and St Austell, spotting the importance that New World hops were going to play, have inspired many people to dip their toes in the water and try this brewing lark.

Where I do agree with many people about these beers, though, is that in both cases the breweries also have more interesting beers, which you should be going out of your way to try. For instance, Sharp’s have the wonderful, very sessionable and very flavoursome Cornish Coaster (3.6% ABV) in their portfolio, with malty, fruity Sharp’s Special still on many people’s faves

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list, despite an ABV drop from 5.2 to 5% ABV. Butcombe is best known for its perennially popular Bitter (4%), an exemplar in its class, but seasonal Haka (4.5%), made with Nelson Sauvin hops from New Zealand, offering big mango, peach and passion fruit notes, is well worth looking out for. Likewise, Dartmoor Brewery, at Princetown, is well known for Jail Ale, its original brew - but have you tried Legend, its more session-worthy stablemate, soon to be joined by a rejuvenated Dartmoor Best, the name having recently been acquired from St Austell?

Everybody’s familiar with a pint of Skinner’s Betty Stogs or Cornish Knocker, but the brewery has recently rebranded what it calls its speciality range, within which golden Porthleven and more zingy Lushington’s are more to my taste, and en vogue too.

The problem, I hear you cry, is sometimes finding these non-flagship brews, and there you have my sympathy. I can only suggest following your favourite brewers online, at Facebook and Twitter, for clues to distribution, or even get in touch direct if you’re tracking down a particular brew. I’ve never known a brewer that didn’t want to help a keen drinker find their beer!

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

ESTATE HONOUR Steve Bellman and John Milan, who run a number of pubs in the Westcountry, including the Mill on the Exe, Exeter, received the prestigious directors’ award at the St Austell Brewery Tribute Estate Awards. The brewery’s managing director James Staughton praised their passion and dedication to a consistently high standard of food, drink, accommodation and service, and their long-standing loyalty to the brewery.

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Living

MOTORS

Safe and sound Plymouth petrolhead Scott Squires tests out Volvo’s super-safe hatchback - but it is dull to drive? hen I was growing up, Volvos seemed to be designed around the shape of a brick. There were a few exceptions from before my time like the one driven by Simon Templar in The Saint (the P1800), which is still one of the best looking cars ever, in my opinion. But when I was a lad: bricks.

Things have changed, however. The Volvo V40 is the Swedish firm’s answer to the Audi A3, VW Golf and the BMW 1-series in the premium hatch sector. It takes some design cues from the coupe station wagon P1800ES with its all-glass tailgate and, in fairness to Volvo, is probably one of the best looking hatches around at the moment, with its low, sleek sporty lines. It looks even better in the R-Design guise.

The interior is excellent; everything is nice to touch and well put together and the front seats are so comfy they feel like a warm hug from a

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loved one. One slight grumble: the infotainment system has far too many menus and submenus.

One thing Volvo has always stood for is safety, and that’s no exception with the V40. It was awarded a five-star rating in the Euro NCAP tests, the safest car ever tested by the organisation.

Its City Safety System detects whether a lowspeed collision is imminent and brakes the car accordingly. There’s also an innovative U-shaped pedestrian airbag that pops out of the bonnet when it senses an impact to soften the blow.

My test car was also fitted with the £1,850 optional Driver Support System, which adds full-speed collision warning and crash avoidance system, as well as pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, blindspot monitoring, road sign information and driver alertness monitoring systems. You also get seven airbags.

You have a choice of three diesels – D2, D3 and D4 – and four petrol – T2, T3, T4 and T5. The

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gadget notebook 22 February 2015

TECH TIPS: Bluetooth speakers

Having a Bluetooth speaker here and there is fine, but if you really want to up your home-listening ante, then you need one of these multi room speakers

RIGHT ANGLE diesel engines are the ones to go for. The D2 in the test car I had is a 1.6 producing 115bhp and only 102g/km of CO2 or 88g/km, according to the manual.

I did find it a bit sluggish and underpowered at times – but I don’t think the powershift gearbox helped: it never seemed to know what gear to be in and when it did change, it seemed to take forever. I think the main problem is that rivals have some of the best automatic boxes on the market.

Volvo says that the D2 can achieve around 80mpg and while I didn’t get near that figure – I was getting around 60mpg which is good in my books. The V40 looks sporty and it handles very well over the twisty roads. It almost felt like a Ford Focus – but then again it should, as there’s a Focus chassis beneath, while Volvo has put its own suspension and dampers on and tweaked the electric steering. Around town, the V40 rides really nicely – helped by the seats, but every now and then you can feel the firm suspension.

So, has Volvo done enough to tempt a few BMW, Audi or VW buyers? I would say go on, live dangerously - or not, as the case may be in the V40. If only it had a better gearbox.

You can stream your music to this stylish triangular unit via NFC (new field communication), bluetooth or wirelessly, or enjoy internet radio access. A hub’s provided, for multi-room play.

Samsung WAM750 SHAPE M7 Wireless Audio Speaker £249 from cramptonandmoore.co.uk

Premium There’s a lot of punch for the £499 price tag. Designed with larger rooms and open spaces in mind this rather loud, big bass-giving machine streams over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth and can take instruction from USB sources too.

Denon HEOS 7 - £499 from hificonfidential.co.uk

GET PERSONAL Left in one spot, this can be hooked up with other Soundtouch speakers and can host host six customisable presets to play your favourite stations and artists in an instant.

Bose Soundtouch Portable Series II WiFi Music System - £349.95 from bose.co.uk

Party started Volvo V40R D2 Price: Engine: Power: Performance: Top speed: Economy: Emissions:

£24,245 1.6-litre 4cyl turbodiesel 113bhp 0-62mph: 11.2 seconds 118mph 78.5mpg 94g/km of CO2

This works as a standalone speaker to stream music from your smartphone, or can link multiple Play brand devices to create a surround sound system in a room or around your home.

SONOS PLAY:5 Wireless Multi-Room Speaker £349 from currys.co.uk

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My life

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man and boy

Who’s the boss?

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Phil Goodwin tries to tell James, five, what to do

ike most dads, I like to think I am the boss: a kindly leader… a benign dictator… a wise and selfless king who has seen it all and knows what’s best. Sometimes I am even allowed to luxuriate in this simple fiction, though it rarely persists. Unfortunately, I have an unruly and ambitious heir who has little respect for the throne. He gives me a hard time, lots of joy and occasionally, reason to reflect.

It’s no secret that kids can be boring. I mean really dull. And ungrateful, let’s not forget that.

Let me explain what I mean. You graft Monday to Friday and get to the weekend and you have all these plans to head out into the countryside – after all you live in Devon, it’s beautiful, right? Beaches, moors, woods all on your doorstep. Anyway, you hatch all these plans to get

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down with nature, fly kites, throw stones into the sea, eat at a lovely thatched country pub – and what do they want to do? Sit at home and play pretend with plastic men. It drives me round the bend, I can tell you.

Now I recently blurted out a rather knee-jerk rant about slapping kids, inspired by the Pope’s decision to confer almost holy dignity on a dad who held back from striking his children across the face (but admitted to hitting them elsewhere).

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It’s no secret that kids can be boring. I mean really dull. And ungrateful, let’s not forget

As a long-suffering Roman Catholic with Irish ancestry, I claim the right to badmouth the Holy Father, and after all, God love him, what does he know about families? But just because I don’t swing the arm in righteous anger, doesn’t mean we don’t have regular tear-ups at home.

The other day I was desperately trying to persuade James to put down the plastic men (and the dinosaurs and the train) so we could go out for a walk. He was having none of it, of course. Instead he was engrossed in some imaginary humanitarian airlift operation based

around the perilous, sheer cliff face of the sofa.

Instructions were being barked out by the Lego team as casualties from the floor were winched up by the waiting helicopter. All very exciting, I am sure you will agree. Deals were struck between us – five minutes here, one more play there – only to be shamelessly broken again and again. Predictably, I lost patience and we ended up in a major confrontation. There was no winner. I shouted the odds, he toppled some furniture. I threatened to give away his toys.

You should have seen his face when I said this. I swear he would have killed me if he were big enough. Instead, he slammed the door and stormed off upstairs. Eventually, he calmed down, came back and was returned to humanity by some mummy cuddling and, finally, we did go out.

However, during a quiet moment as we were drawing at the kitchen table the next day, he pipes up in an innocent voice: ‘Why do you always boss me around?’ I was touched by this gentle complaint and asked him if he thought I really did. ‘Yeah, and the teachers boss me around as well,’ he replied. I really felt for him, pushed around like that. He explained how when he was at home from school he loved to play and sometimes he really just didn’t want to go out in the cold. Well, my heart was starting to break now. I told him it was for his own good… fresh air and all that - cue stonewall silence. I even promised to try not to boss him around too much and offered a power sharing agreement. I boss him half the time he the other half. No deal. He wanted full autonomy.

‘Don’t you think that would be equally unfair,” I asked. ‘No,’ he laughed. So the cards are on the table. The dictator-in-waiting. One day, my son

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r*

We know that every home requires different styles and different colours so we offer a wide range of windows for you to choose from starting with our highest quality uPVC to our conventional timber frames the choice is yours.

Check out our new range of Solidor Composite doors. Choose from large range of styles and colours and materials using our interactive tool on our website.

Every Coastal product is tailored specifcally for every customer and our products are made to measure. We have nine installation teams and three building teams. All of our employees are trained to the highest degree and have regular training to keep them up to date with the industry standards. All of our installers are friendly and more than happy to answer any questions you may have as your installation progresses. They are clean and tidy and will leave your property in exactly the same way they found it. We pride ourselves on our excellent customer service.

Mrs Stubbe – Cullompton Just a few lines to let you know how pleased I was with the workmanship of your employee.

He arrived at 8.30am and set to work straight away. So precise, clean and tidy all on his own too. It was all completed by 12.30pm and not a speck of dirt anywhere. I am nearly 88 so can’t do much so you can tell how pleased I was, please pass on my thanks to him.

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** Offer only available on the Solidor range to be taken at time of quotation and not to be used in conjunction with any other offer.

Opening hours Mon to Fri 9am to 6.30pm Sat 10am to 2pm

call us free today 0800 085 4301

www.coastal-windows.co.uk Unit 8Visit Silverhills Units Decoyat Industrial Estate Newton Abbot Devon TQ12 5LZ our showroom 179 Union Street, Torre, Torquay TQ1 4BY Ads.indd 5

Established Since 1988

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