West Magazine June 21 2015

21.06.15

Bloomin’ beautiful How the new Miss Cornwall beat the school bullies

INSIDE: + SEAWEED

SUPERFOOD

+ GLAMPING

OFFERS + FLORAL FASHION

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PLUS: + WILL YOUNG + BEACH PICNICS

Summertime feel-good fixes

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‘I still get very emotional whenever I hear about people who have committed suicide because of cyberbullying.

I had it non-stop, I never felt part of the group’ The new Miss Cornwall on overcoming heartache, p 12

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AL FRESCO FUN How to eat out in style

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GLASTONBURY CALLING The plan is to keep it simple, says Florence Welch

[contents[ Inside this week...

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THE WISHLIST The loveliest things to buy this week

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I WANT ONE OF THOSE...

Our columnist on home improvements

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WEST IN PICTURES Colin Firth and fields of Cornish poppies

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WILL YOUNG IN CORNWALL Why the singer loves his moorland home

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BEATING THE BULLIES The new Miss Cornwall on overcoming heartache and finding happiness

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IT’S SEAWEED, SWEETIE Meet the woman behind the new foodie trend

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EAT AL FRESCO Create a garden feast for all the senses

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HEARTACHE TO HAPPINESS Beating the bullies, by the beautiful new Miss Cornwall

MONKEY BUSINESS Anne Swithinbank on the Westcountry plant hunters

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A writer’s guide to the Westcountry

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Why all children should sleep under canvas this summer

FAVOURITE PLACES

KIDS AND CAMPING

BEAUTY Reviews, treats and more

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THE NEW FLORALS Pretty dresses in the latest prints

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GO KIMONO

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SUPER SALAD

How to wear the latest cover-ups Healthy recipes for summer days

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KIDS AND CAMPING Plus 15% off your glamping holiday

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BERRY NICE Tim Maddams on the joy of strawberries

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MAN & BOY Phil Goodwin referees the food rivals 3

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[

FAVOURITE PLACES

The best ways to enjoy the Westcountry summer

[ welcome [ You never know how things will turn out...

Just a few years ago, who would have guessed that our cover girl Briony-Mai Reynolds would ever have ended up as a beauty queen. Born with severe problems that disfigured her jaw, this gentle teenager was so shy and self-conscious at the age of 12 that she “literally never” smiled in public. Sadly, she was a target for cruel bullying at school. Fast forward six years, though, and after years of treatment she really has blossomed into a most beautiful person. She’s smart on the inside too - just off to university to study Veterinary Science.

Read all about her inspiring journey on page 12, and you’ll realise that anything is possible, with love and support.

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Tweet

Another inspirational woman in today’s magazine is Caro Warwick-Evans, who slept in a car and then a caravan while she got her company, Cornish Seaweed, off the ground. Now employing eight people and selling her natural superfood products to everyone from Jamie Oliver to Tesco, Caro’s story (page 16) is nothing short of impressive.

Finally, we’re in full bloom here as far as fashion is concerned, with the kimono trend nailed (page 32) and some of the prettiest dresses that I’ve seen in years on page 30. We’ve also got a lovely feature on how to make your outdoor dining an al fresco feast on page 22. Summer sorted, if you ask me.

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Read all about her inspiring story on page 12 of West today

of the week @thrashion I wanted to show you my recycled skateboard and silver heart pendant made from 6 different skateboard decks

Becky Sheaves, Editor

COVER IMAGE: John Allen

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

MEET THE TEAM Becky Sheaves, Editor

Sarah Pitt

Kathryn Clarke-McLeod

Catherine Barnes

Phil Goodwin

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If you do one thing this week...

Grab your bucket and spade, sandwiches and flask, and join The National Trust on beaches around the region for the Big Beach Picnic on Saturday, July 4. The Trust is staging fun free activities to mark 50 years of its Operation Neptune campaign. In this time the Trust has bought 574 miles of coastline, to preserve it from development.

Beaches staging The Big Beach Picnic include Wembury, Branscombe and Woolacombe in Devon, Towan near Portscatho on The Roseland peninsula and Polzeath in north Cornwall. Find full details under ‘what’s on’ at www.nationaltrust.org.uk.

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Bicycle bookends, £48, ww.tch.net

the

wishlist

BOHO Boho paisley tea towel, £6, Marks & Spencer

West’s picks for spending your time and money this week

Ethnic chic beaded coil necklace £7.99 new look

Store we adore

Vintage and Retro, Plymouth Vintage enthusiast Lorraine Ford seeks out the genuine article from across Europe and the USA. She sells men’s and women’s clothes, shoes and accessories from the 1920s -1980s, alongside reproduction top hats, bowlers and sunglasses. Stock changes frequently, with faux and real fur coats, jackets, and gloves in the winter and strappy sandals, sun hats and flamboyant retro 1950s-style dresses created by the Hell Bunny label during the summer.

Vintage and Retro at 119 Cornwall Street, Plymouth and see www. facebook.com/vintageandretroplymouth 6

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Wishlist

Glasshouse lantern, £29.95, www. majeurschesterfield.co.uk

Glug...

Lime green jug, £25.95, www.annabeljames.co.uk

RIVIERA Yellow floppy hat, £12, www.dorothyperkins.com

Happy Hipster embroidered picture, £35 or £50 in solid oak frame, created

by Newlyn’s www. poppytreffry.co.uk

Candy stripe cup and saucer set, £35, for four, www.sweetpeaandwillow. com

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talking points Gillian Molesworth

Story of my life...

Obsessing over an outdoor pizza oven o the thing that’s really taking up a lot of my thought right now is a pizza oven. I woke up early this morning and lay in bed thinking about it, where we could put it, where we could store the logs, how to build it. It’s becoming a bit of an obsession.

I’m not sure where I first saw the ovens but I think it was in smell of cooking.

Cyprus. Most back yards there You’ve got to have something have them: rounded domes built cool at home too though. Pizza of clay and painted white, with oven – I honestly can’t stop thinkthe logs stacked underneath. ing about them.

From mid morning you see men How fun would it be to have and women stoking the fires, getfriends over and have them make ting them good and hot to heat up their own pizzas – and cook them? the whole interior. Once it is hot Talk about low maintenance hostthey let the fire die down a bit, and ing. I could just stand around the reflected heat is the perfect and drink. They could make me oven. So may cultures have them: supper. adobe, tandoori, So I’m looking you name it. online. How to The dome shape, make a clay oven. you see, allows the Make a cardboard How fun would heat to circulate mould, cover with round and round, chicken wire, plasit be to have making an even ter over. Then on friends round temperature. goes the clay – or and make their I’m dreaming of bricks – or therfresh pizzas brown malite concrete. We own pizzas? I and bubbly on the could do that, I’m could just stand crust, loaves of thinking. bread taken out But wait – what’s around and drink with a flat handle, this on the inroast marinated ternet?

Masonry meat, grilled vegovens… and fireetables like aubergine and pepper. places. Why stop at a pizza oven An oven like that could be an when you could have an outdoor all day activity – my pyromaniac fireplace? And counter space?

10-year-old would stoke it and feed And a wood store? And a space it until the cows came home. to put your gas barbeque… and In fact, he has been deeply inwhat’s this, a covered cocktail bar spired by the mobile food gurus with built-in soda siphon? Mon who take their converted Land dieu, what they’re getting up to in Rover/horse box/van to festivals Florida and California. like Somersault and the Rock So now I’m looking at my husOyster, and whip up gourmet food band. Jaaaames, you know that when they’re out and about. They fund we were setting aside and attract passing trade in a mile said we wouldn’t touch… you do radius because of the delicious like pizza, right? And barbeques?

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

White hot Juliette Binoche looked fabulous at 50 in this white faux-wrap blazer dress by Giorgio Armani at the opening of the Berlin Film Festival recently. This beautiful floor-length dress by Pretty Eccentric offers similarly elegant impact, to ensure you’re looking white hot this summer.

Springfield maxi dress £225 Pretty Eccentric

steal her

style

OR MAKE IT YOUR OWN

OPTION B Monochrome OPTION A Kimono Maxi leaf print dress £29 Apricot Flattering

Black and white lace top dress £189 Jacques Vert Summer party favourite

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BRAND NEW!

Just

HOFF THE RECORD Weston-super-Mare born John Cleese has been hassling the Hoff for a part in his new spoof documentary, Hoff The Record, according to the Baywatch star. David says he’s become good friends with the Monty Python legend, who is apparently keen to get involved in a second series of his programme. The first

between us!

Gossip, news, trendsetters and more - you

heard all the latest juicy stuff here first!

series has not even launched yet, but has already been signed up for another run on Freeview channel, Dave. It will see a fictional version of David arrive in the UK determined to kick-start his career again, but beset by all manner of humiliating obstacles. He said: “It’s not reality television, thank God. It’s fun.”

IGGY AZALEA:

Keep It Simple, Flo Florence Welch says she’s finally learned not to ‘overcomplicate’ things. The singer will be putting in a hugely anticipated guest appearance with band Florence and The Machine at Michael Eavis’s music

shindig at Worthy Farm up the road (Glastonbury fest, folks) later this week. She says: “Just when things are clear and simple, I get scared and want to put on a cape and cover everything in glitter.”

I NEED A MENTAL BREAK! Iggy Azalea has said she decided to cancel her latest tour because she “deserves a break”. The 24-year old told Australia’s Seventeen magazine: “Mentally, to be honest with you, I just feel I deserve a break. I’ve been going non-stop for the past two years, nearly every single day. I’m not in a bad place.

“I think sometimes when you say you need a mental break, people are like, ‘A mental break? Be sure you don’t have a breakdown because you’re sad’. No, not necessarily. It’s very emotionally draining to be on all the time and going all the time, planning all the time. It’s a lot, and it’s tough.”

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Brrr: Colin Firth sported thermals under his shirt as he filmed on location in Teignmouth

in pictures In memory: Artist-in-residence Lou Tonkin in the World War One remembrance poppy field at Heligan Gardens

Wheely fun: There was so much to do at Quarry Farm in south Devon on Open Farm Sunday

Get together: A community cream tea in Par, part of the Big Lunch, was blessed with wonderful weather

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talking points Groan!

Oodles

ONE OF US

10 dog cross-breeds involving poodles:

Famous faces with links to the Westcountry

1 Boxerdoodle boxer/ poodle 2 Cadoodle collie/poodle 10 UK businesses with punning names:

1 Jean-Claude Van Man deliveries 2 Alan Cartridge printer ink suppliers 3 Jason Donervan kebab van 4 Back to the Fuchsia floristry 5 Walter Wall carpets (in Exeter!)

6 Bits and PCs computer repairs)

3 Cavapoo King Charles spaniel/poodle 4 Corgipoo corgi /poodle

This week:

5 Foodle toy fox terrier/ poodle

Will Young

6 Giant Schnoodle giant schnauzer/poodle

Singer Will Young, 36, went to university in Exeter and now has a cottage on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall

7 Pinny-Poo miniature pinscher/poodle 8 Poogle beagle/poodle 9 Rottle rottweiler/poodle 10 Whoodle wheaton terrier/poodle

7 Barber Black Sheep hairdresser 8 The Hound of the Basket Meals Dartmoor catering van 9 Geordie Armani Sunderland men’s fashion shop 10 Amazing Grates fireplaces

The happy list

Patronising?

10 things to make you smile this week 10 unusual patron saints:

1 Tennis Wimbledon, strawberries and lots of fun

1 St Adrian of Nicomedia arms dealers

2 Pink the colour for summer

2 St Alexius nurses

3 Christian Ribeiro is stay-

3 St Ansovinus gardeners 4 St Benno fishermen 5 St Cuthbert shepherds 6 St Dismas undertakers 7 St Piran tin miners 8 St Raymond Nonnatus midwives 9 St Rebekah physicists 10 St Valentine beekeeping

toenails ing at Exeter City - top man!

4 5 6 7 8 9

Sunshine it’s everywhere Outdoor pools lido time Jurassic World it’s so good Prosecco summer fizz Gazpacho chilled-out soup Lesley Garrett at Hall for

Cornwall, Truro, July 16

10 Abbamania at the Big Sheep, Bideford, July 3

Cornwall: Will Young has had a 17th century cottage on Bodmin Moor for many years. Although he also has a house in London, he recently described Cornwall as “my spiritual home” and said: “I couldn’t live anywhere else now”.

Exeter: Will studied Politics at Exeter University. He was in his second year there in 1999 when he had his first brush with fame - in a talent contest run by TV show This Morning.

He got to the final but didn’t make it into the boy band.

Coming out: In 2002, Will, with the support of his partner Richy Thomas, publicly came out as gay, pre-empting a tabloid newspaper from outing him. He also stated that he had never hidden the fact and was comfortable with his sexual orientation.

DID YOU KNOW?

Will is bringing his Love Revolution tour to the South West this autumn, playing at Plymouth Pavilions on November 1 2015

Trying again: In 2001 Will entered a second TV contest, Pop Idol, which he won.

He beat fellow contestant Gareth Gates in a final that saw 8.7 million viewers voting. “When I heard I’d won ... I felt like I’d been hit. I stepped backwards. I could not believe it,” he said afterwards.

Strong: Will gained popularity and respect for standing up to Pop Idol judge Simon Cowell, telling him: “You’ve just projected insults and it’s been terrible to watch.”

Hits: Will’s debut single “Anything Is Possible” was released two weeks after the Pop Idol finale in 2002. It went on to become the fastest-selling debut single in the UK. Family: Will has an older sister and a twin brother called Rupert. He grew up in Wokingham,

Berkshire.

Grand: His ancestor, Colonel Sir Aretas William Young, fought in the Peninsular War and was knighted in 1835 by William IV. New album: Will’s now a successful singer-songwriter. His sixth album, 85% Proof, was released on May 25 this year. It is his fourth album to top the UK album charts.

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Briony-Mai is the new Miss Cornwall

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Interview

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BRIONY-MAI REYNOLDS

Watch her blossom

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Behind every smile there is a story, Sarah Pitt discovers, as she hears the inspiring life history of Briony-Mai Reynolds, who has just been crowned Miss Cornwall

earing a glittering ballgown, with a tiara perched on her tumbling locks, Briony-Mai Reynolds looked every inch the poised beauty queen when crowned Miss Cornwall recently.

Willowy and pretty with a smile that could qualify for a toothpaste advert, the 20-year-old student from Liskeard looks in the photographs as though winning beauty pageants, like this one held at the Walkabout bar in Newquay, was something she was born to do.

Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. For up until a few years ago, Briony-Mai – who has ambitions to become a vet – never smiled in public. She was simply too afraid of what people would say.

For this bright Cornish girl, who these days loves to talk to people, was born with an under-developed jaw, which not only distorted her face shape but meant that her top teeth stuck out almost horizontally. It made her life a nightmare and led to her being badly bullied at school. The taunts of her peers will be with her for life, she says.

“I couldn’t put my lips over my teeth or shut my mouth, so I would put my hand over my mouth to hide my teeth,” she says. “I never had the confidence to smile. I was also plump as a child, it was mainly puppy fat, but I was a lot taller than the others in my classes.

I stood out. I went to two different secondary schools, in Liskeard and Tavistock, and I was bullied at both.

“I still get very emotional whenever I hear about people who have committed suicide because of cyberbullying,” she says. “I had it non-stop, I never felt part of the group.”

Briony-Mai’s parents Samantha and Jay were always there for her, she says, boosting her morale when she came in from school, smarting from the latest cruel comments of the bullies. “Thankfully I have always had my mum and dad’s support,” says Briony-Mai. “In their opinion I have always been beautiful.” A surgical solution was

PORTRAITS: JOHN ALLEN

W

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As a child, Briony-Mai endured bullying at school

proposed when Briony-Mai was 10, to break her jaw, move it into the correct position and wire it shut for a year. It was a drastic operation that her father had undergone at the same age, for the same condition.

“My mum and dad were adamant that I was not going to be put through such extreme surgery,” Briony-Mai says. “My dad had been through it, so he knew what it was like.”

Instead, her teeth and jaws were wired with a heavy duty brace which was gradually tightened to bring them into shape over five long years. It was finally removed when she was 17. “The brace was meant to come off when I was 15, but I refused to allow it because I was scared that my teeth could just go forward again,” she says.

The eventual removal of the wires holding her jaw in place was a watershed moment in Briony-Mai’s life. The metalwork was replaced by a light brace holding her top front teeth back, which was invisible to onlookers.

For the first time, she was confident she could smile. She also started exercising and losing weight, becoming the toned beauty she is today.

“After I had my teeth fixed, it took some months to get my confidence, to realise that it was OK to smile, that nobody was going to laugh,” she says.

“As I got more confident I started exercising. I now do lacrosse and cheerleading, and also bodybuilding.

“In April, too, I ran the Plymouth Half Marathon. I have always wanted to do marathons and I thought that the half marathon was a good place to start. Getting a medal for it was a big achieve-

[

ment for me, being able to say that I ran 13 miles.”

Entering the Miss Cornwall contest was another long-held ambition for her, although her mother admits she worried that it might put too much pressure on her daughter. “I first wanted to enter when I was 17 but my mum wanted me to be older,” Briony-Mai says. “When I was 18 she said, ‘Do it, but stay grounded’. I wanted to show young girls they don’t have to be something they are not, you can be who you are.

“I looked upon the contest as my school prom, a chance to dress up, because I never went to my real prom. I was too shy, so I missed that special moment that my brother and sister both had. When we were at the Miss Cornwall final, my mum turned to me and said ‘This is your prom’.”

Winning the contest was a complete shock, she says. “It was a very emotional moment. I didn’t expect to be picked. When they said my name I started crying, I didn’t think they were serious. It was a proud moment for my mum and dad, too.”

The contest, she insists, is not just about being a pretty face, and more about confidence, that elusive thing she has finally discovered. She is relaxed about whether she wins the Miss England final, which takes place in the Midlands in August. For her, it has definitely been the taking part that counts.

That, and being the reigning Miss Cornwall for the year; she has thrown herself into raising money for the Miss England charity, Beauty with a Purpose, which helps disadvantaged children around the world. “I’m still in touch with all the

[

‘I couldn’t put my lips over my teeth or shut my mouth, so I would put my hand over my mouth to hide my teeth’

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Interview

Miss Cornwall finalists. We are going to do the Race for Life in Plymouth together on August 7.”

Then Briony-Mai is off to Liverpool University in the autumn to study Veterinary Science.

Before she does, though, she’ll be going back to her old schools with her Miss Cornwall hat – or should that be tiara? - on, to tell the students her story. “I want to say to any bullies, that girl or boy you are bullying could be someone completely different in ten years’ time. Instead of making them feel bad, encourage them. Make them feel better instead of worse, because you really don’t know what is going on in their head.”

Growing up...

and gaining confidence

Briony-Mai’s mum Samantha says she was “a bit hesitant” when her daughter first suggested entering the Miss Cornwall contest.

“I was a bit worried, especially with what she has gone through in the past, that it might knock her back,” she says. “In fact, though, the opposite has happened, and meeting the other girls who are taking part has made her realise she isn’t the only one who has a story and they have become friends.

“Seeing her winning Miss Cornwall – and being able to stand up and smile without worrying - was an amazingly emotional moment,” she adds. “I thought to myself: Briony-Mai, you so deserve this, because you are beautiful. We have always thought our daughter was beautiful, of course, but it was amazing for her to be able to believe it too.”

After a difficult childhood, Briony-Mai is growing in confidence

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People

Vitamin sea Increasingly hailed as a natural superfood, Cornish seaweed is fast becoming both a chef’s delicacy and sought-after health supplement.

It’s now even on sale in Tesco. Catherine Barnes meets the woman from Falmouth who is spearheading the trend

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Seaweed has more vitamins, minerals and proteins than any land vegetable

There are 1500 types of seaweed

Packed with calcium

Lab trials suggest seaweed may inhibit cancer cell growth

It is also a natural antibiotic

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Xxxxxx

PORTRAITS RIGHT AND OVERLEAF: VICTORIA HARRISON

Caro and Tim in search of the best seaweed on the shores of The Lizard

By Catherine Barnes

n a beautiful summer day, it would seem that Caro Warwick-Evans has the perfect job, as she harvests a natural superfood from the beautiful seashore in Cornwall.

Caro, 33, along with Dutch-born business partner Tim van Berkel 30 – “We’re business partners absolutely nothing more,” she stresses with an emphatic laugh – run the Cornwall Seaweed Company. Their products are causing a major stir among both foodies and health freaks alike.

“Sea greens contain more B vitamins than any other food group,” says Caro, who eats seaweed every day. “Seaweed has all the 56 trace elements our bodies need to function including magnesium, pospherous and zinc. All the good stuff, plus vitamins A B C D and K.” Indeed, Caro glows with health, although she’s honest enough to admit that she’s always had

O

a robust constitution. Originally hailing from being somewhere you can walk down the street Southampton, she arrived in Cornwall 10 years without watching your back.” ago to study renewable energy at Exeter UniverBut Caro began to grow disillusioned with her sity’s Falmouth campus and, at work: “The development sector is that point in time, seaweed had incredibly corrupt, due to local yet to form part of her five a day. partners in developing countries.

‘I heard an Graduating with a First, she seI couldn’t see how I’d change anycured a job with an overseas aid thing – it was a cross between early-morning organisation, focused on developheart-breaking and infuriating.” broadcast on ing renewable energy systems in But it was a motorbike acciFarming Today the developing world. dent that prompted her decision Her work took her from Cornto return back to the UK, four about seaweed, wall to postings in countries inyears ago. “I got knocked off my and I thought: cluding the Borneo, Peru and bike from behind by a lorry which Philippines – a far cry from the jack-knifed and pushed me over why not?’ wild and secluded stretches of a cliff,” she says. “I was quite coast south of the Lizard where shaken by that experience and she and Tim harvest eight kinds my body took a bashing. Amazof edible seaweed. ingly, there were no breaks, only “I lived in some dangerous places including bruises.” downtown Manila, where you’d lock yourself in A job offer back home was the final incentive as soon as it got dark,” she says. “It’s great now Caro needed to pack her bags and return to Corn-

[[

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Xxxxxx

Of over a thousand varieties, only one is poisonous

wall. But the work fell through and Caro found herself jobless and homeless. “I was living in a van with a mattress in the back. So I worked as cleaner, scrubbing boats inside and out,” she says.

“It was fine, it was the summer and it was a means to an end,” she says pragmatically, adding that she opted not to sofa-surf, reasoning: “It was for three and a half months and you don’t want to stay with friends that long. I’m independent!”

Then, an early morning broadcast on the Radio 4 show Farming Today gave her the idea she’d been seeking for a new and long-term direction in life. “It was all about sustainable seaweed farming in Ireland,” she says. “And the idea ticked all the boxes for me. I got in touch with an Irish company and went over there. They taught me about seaweeds and what to do with them.

Then I came back to England and set up the business. Tim was working as a waiter at the time and looking for something more inspirational, so we joined forces.”

Of course, it wasn’t as straightforward as

Caro Warwick-Evans gathering seaweed in Cornwall 19

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People

Studies suggest seaweed fibre prevents our bodies from absorbing fat

Seaweed’s iodine also has anti-ageing properties

Seaweed is packed with iodine, vital for maintaining a healthy thyroid

simply waiting for a low tide and setting to with rious holidaymakers, as we pick well away from scissors and a basket, although that’s partly the towns and busy beaches. We only take half of what they do. Licenses had to be sought from the what’s there on a patch, so it can regrow. As we Crown Estate, which owns the seabed, as well as are constantly on move, we don’t clear out areas.” various landowners. Also, stringent food health As far as she’s concerned, seaweed’s not a fadand environmental rules had to be implemented food, but a dietary staple and she clearly loves the all from scratch, as Caro’s business is the first of stuff. “It’s so versatile - you can steam, boil stew its kind in the UK. or fry it, or eat it raw,” she says. “You can add it “There were no rules to follow, so we had to set dry to a salad and it will rehydrate in a dressing. it all up on our own,” Caro adds.

Children we meet at food festivals love it and it It sounds exhausting. “The first two years were has virtually zero calories. It contains lots of proa total nightmare,” she admits. “We were work- teins and fills you up. My favourite sort is dulse, ing seven-day weeks, with no employees and no which you can eat fresh or snack on dried. I’ll money.” snip it over salads and add it when baking bread.”

Tim and Caro now supply fresh Cornish Seaweed has been seaweed to the kitchens of top a hard slog, but success (and a chefs including Jamie Oliver, RayTesco listing) has come at a time ‘My favourite mond Blanc and Nathan Outlaw when the health industry is be(and have just begun stocking ginning to buzz with the benefits sort of seaweed their Sea Spaghetti in Tesco). But of iodine-rich seaweed. Studies is dulse, which much of the company’s seaweed suggest it could even help combat is sold dried, which gives it an 18the national obesity crisis, by preyou can eat month shelf life. venting our bodies storing food fresh or dried.

It was a bitterly cold and snowy fats.

I’ll snip it over November when Caro and Tim Until recently Caro, who has built their first drying shed from a partner and Tim, who’s single, salads’ reclaimed wood on a patch of land still lived modest (to the point of owned by a friend, which they Spartan) lives, in separate caradid in between harvesting on the vans. But Tim upgraded to a beach and tackling mountains of house in Falmouth a few months paperwork. “Now, we’re down to working only ago while Caro moved into a cottage just outside six days a week and we have eight employees.” the town. She is thrilled to have a few little luxuHarvesting takes place during spring tides, ries in life. timed around full moons, when the waters pull “It’s amazing!” she laughs. “Electricity and back to their lowest. This gives the team around water!” And if anyone deserves to reap the ben15 days a month in which to harvest seaweed. efits of a few home comforts, this determined and The rest of the time is spent washing, drying and independent businesswoman surely does. packing their products, as well as on office jobs.

“If seaweed floats you don’t know where it’s Buy Cornish Seaweed Company products such grown, so we only use weed cut from rocks,” as salad sprinkles and ‘spaghetti’ at www.cornishCaro explains. “We don’t tend to stumble over cu- seaweedcompany.co.uk

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interiors

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fashion

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beauty

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Try a pretty floral look with Retreat Home’s filigree flower pots, tealight holders, placemats and napkin rings from a selection £7-£16 www.retreat-home.com

Let’s eat out!

Eating outdoors is one of summer’s special pleasures. Gabrielle Fagan reveals how to set a perfect table for a memorable, and beautiful, al fresco feast unny days and sultry nights cry out for meals to be eaten outdoors, and the setting - whether sheltering under the canopy of a tree or gazing up at the stars - can ensure every al fresco occasion is really special.

All eyes will be drawn to the table, and its decoration can work marvels on the atmosphere and enhance the enjoyment of the food.

It doesn’t need to be elaborate or expensive, either. All you have to do is pick a theme - either a colour or decor effect - then plunder the huge array of attractive and practical outdoor tableware ranges around at the moment.

“This summer, we’re seeing a shift away from the playful colours and geometric patterns seen in trends from the last few seasons, and instead a growing popularity for a more grown-up, elegant feel,” says designer Nina Campbell.

“This reflects our increasing use of the garden or patio as a year-round outdoor room, where we want to entertain in many different ways - not just for picnic-style informal gatherings, but also for sophisticated occasions.”

John Lewis confirms the trend, reporting an 11% increase in sales of its melamine tableware

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which, being virtually unbreakable and coming Sainsbury’s have a range of blue and white tain cheery colours, is particularly suitable for bleware and accessories this summer, decorated eating outdoors. with fish and deckchair-inspired stripes.

So turn your attention to making your table Designer Nina Campbell, meanwhile, ingenlook perfect, before sitting back iously transplants the intricate and basking in the compliments. patterns of Chinese blue and Here are several suggestions for white porcelain onto melamine different themes. plates.

‘The range of Blue and white is the perfect Tropical colours also look combination for an ocean-ingood on a table set for lunch designs and spired table top, and instantly in the sunshine. Ramp up the colours available conjures a breezy beside-the-sea colour with vibrant, zingy hues has moved atmosphere. for tableware and bunting, and “Vibrant blues and turquoises you’ll feel as though you’re in a on leaps and flow into bright aqua and emertropical hotspot. bounds in recent ald greens to create a sense of se“Garden parties and barberenity for an ocean-inspired table cues usually involve plenty of years’ setting,” says Emma Mann, head guests, so it’s fun and easier to of home design at Sainsbury’s. use disposable tableware which “Fish motifs and bold spot and can look just as good as chinastripe patterns bring the feel of ware but avoids the worry of a Greek island holiday to the home, and watery breakages,” says Clare Harris, managing director prints are reminiscent of the sun shimmering of zany tableware company Talking Tables. on the sea. Textured ceramics and recycled glass “Reflecting our increasing enthusiasm for add depth and authenticity to this contemporary colour indoors, there’s more pattern and zingy look.” shades featuring on al fresco tableware. The

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Interiors

Tropical Fiesta cups (£3.50 for 12 pack), honeycomb pineapple (£8.50 for three pineapple bunting (£8.50 for three metres) and lanterns (£7 for three), all www.talkingtables.co.uk

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Interiors

A fresh blue and white nautical look can be achieved on a budget with Sainsbury’s aqua print collection.

range of designs and colours available has moved on leaps and bounds in recent years, and designs range from faux porcelain to granny-style florals and, one of my favourites, tropical brights, to conjure thoughts of exotic climes.”

Tropical colours do not need to be confined to the table decoration either. If you want to opt for bunting, a staple of outdoor celebrations since the 1940s, then Talking Tables do one festooned with jolly pineapples from their Tropical Fiesta collection.

Groups of ‘honeycomb’ paper baubles or tissue paper tassel garlands in classic white, acid brights or pretty pastels can also create huge impact on a small budget.

And if you really want to embrace this look, you could spray-paint an old garden table and chairs in a vivid shade, like B&Q’s Rust-Oleum Mode lime high gloss spray paint, £12.48 for 400ml.

Of course, you might prefer something more traditional. Rolling fields and sweeping lawns are the perfect setting for picnics, cream teas or leisurely lunches, but even a modest plot can be

Fill pots with June roses and other flowers.

Filigree pot, £16.99, www.retreat-home.com

transformed into a rural idyll with a countrystyle table.

For a pretty country look, set a scrubbed wooden table with bamboo bowls or pretty china, add to the charm with vintage-style print placemats and napkins and then add the final touch with vases and jugs filled with garden flowers.

Summertime is the season of roses, after all.

“If you want to create a natural, rustic look for your dinner table, opt for serving dishes and dinnerware made from materials like bamboo, woods and rattan,” says Nikki Stuart, assistant tabletop buyer at Habitat.

“Handwoven baskets, wooden platters, spun bamboo salad bowls and natural, unglazed stoneware will create a relaxed vibe for your table.

“If you’re having a garden party, we’ve also introduced our new Palmer collection,” she adds.

“The bowls and plates are made in India from fallen palm tree leaves. The leaves are cleaned and heat pressed into moulds, so are entirely ecofriendly. They are a disposable option that is so much nicer than plastic plates, as they are compostable, if you just can’t face washing up!”

For more details visit www.habitat.co.uk and www.talkingtables.co.uk

STYLE TIP: It’s not just about decorating the

table itself - hang bunting, or paper garlands to create a real sense of occasion for your meal

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Interiors

GET THE

LOOK

Make your outdoor meal a real occasion with these pretty details Graham & Green’s decorative paper pineapples £7.90 each

Fleuris vintage cutlery set, £34.50 for a 24-piece set

Floral drinks dispenser, £17.50, Marks & Spencer

Maritime Coupe octopus plate, www. giftwrappedandgorgeous.co.uk

Aqua print jug, £12, Sainsbury’s 25

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17/06/2015 13:58:02

Gardens

ANNE SWITHINBANK

Monkey puzzles Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, on the adventures of the plant hunters riving past the grand entrance of Bicton College near my home in east Devon, I peered in to admire the extraordinary and majestic avenue of monkey puzzle trees. The tops are visible for some distance and set you thinking about their natural habitat. Also known as Chile pine, Araucaria araucana acquired its strange moniker (originally monkey puzzler) because a visitor to Pencarrow House, in north Cornwall, once remarked that it would puzzle a monkey to climb its branches.

Horticulture and botany are wide subjects and as well as enjoying the process of growing and using plants, it is fascinating to delve into their his-

D

tory and geography.

I’ve never been to Chile but in pictures you can see monkey puzzles in pure stands or mixed with other trees on the lower slopes of snow-capped mountains. They are vulnerable, protected in the wild and in 1990 were declared a National Monument. Archibald Menzies was plant collector and naval surgeon on Captain George Vancouver’s circumnavigation of the globe on Cook’s old ship HMS Discovery. Menzies enjoyed a dinner laid on by the Governor of Chile at which monkey puzzle seeds were served.

He must have pocketed some and sowed them into a frame on the ship’s deck, returning

with five young plants in 1795. King George III was on the throne, Kew Gardens was in its infancy and Jane Austen was just 20 years old. There was a rich elite set on filling their estates and gardens with newly-discovered plants. But to do so they either had to circulate in a scientific world, or sponsor their own plant collectors.

Populating country estates with monkey puzzle trees fell to Cornishman William Lobb who was employed by the Veitch Nursery (founded in 1808) as their first plant hunter. In 1840, aged 31, he set sail from Falmouth bound for Rio de Janeiro. He found his way to the great Araucaria forests where he, his guide and porters collected vast numbers of seeds. These were picked up from the forest floor and ripe cones were shot down from high up in the branches.

These seeds, allegedly 3,000 in total, were duly sent back to Veitch and Son, who sold them as seedlings. By now, there was a prosperous middle class in Britain, a ready market for exotic plants.

The avenue at Bicton dates back to 1844 and is said to be the longest in Europe. There’s a lovely (but possibly untrue) story of how the trees, planted under the direction of James Veitch, were initially set too close and the sweeping branches of juvenile trees scratched coaches travelling up the main drive.

The trees had to be moved further back, although of course the branches eventually grew above coach level. It is also possible the Bicton trees were of a different provenance to the Lobb collection and are likely to have originated from the coastal plains of Chile.

Back at home, I decided to give my lithops (pebble plants) their

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

second watering of the season. These South African succulents are easily grown in a pan of gritty compost on my south-facing bedroom windowsill (I’d be an interior designer’s worst nightmare).

The compost surface is decorated with pebbles and stones so that the plants almost disappear, just as they would in their natural home, the semi-deserts of Namibia. Another plant, another story and I’ve now started to read up about the adventures of doughty Aberdonian Francis

Masson, Kew’s first official planthunter. We’re going back in time to 1772 when Masson sailed to Cape Town with Captain Cook, finding stapelias, bird of paradise and proteas.

He also set off at 31, so perhaps this was a magical age for plant hunters. Do I wish I’d been one? Not at all, but I’d love to have been a propagator at the Exeter Veitch nursery. Just imagine the challenge and excitement of raising plants nobody had ever seen before.

Question time with Anne

• B irds will take soft fruit and cherries before they are fully ripe,

West reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank

Q

I’ve grown some small cauliflowers but something has been eating away at the tops.

I’ve had them covered with mesh to keep the pigeons off

Summer cauliflowers are not the easiest to grow because they thrive better in the cooler parts of the year. In fact the earlier you can get them in the better and it is great they are hearting up now. It is too early for caterpillars to get in amongst them and you’ve had them covered anyway, so my best guess is that your problem is being caused by slugs. We’ve been harvesting cauliflowers here and occasionally I find a slug lurking amongst the florets. A thorough soaking and inspection is needed to be sure I don’t serve one of them up! At night, they creep out and feed on the surface, causing damage and brown rotting areas. The time when you really need to take precautions is at planting time, when you could use ferric phosphate slug pellets, sheep’s wool pellets or beer-filled ‘slug pub’ traps, half buried in the ground, to deter them from their munching.

Q

• W e’ve reached the longest day of the year and certain veg are best sown after this date, as they will no longer run up to seed quickly.

These include Florence fennel, rocket, most oriental veg such as pak choi and Chinese cabbage, radicchio, endive and Romanesco cauliflowers.

especially during dry spells. A fruit cage is great but I cover mine individually using fleece or mesh and clothes pegs.

When you’ve had enough, remove the covers and let the birds finish the end of the crop.

• Lift a root of early potatoes and if ready, begin to use them gradually.

Their space can be taken by a following crop, perhaps leeks.

My lilac tree has not flowered this year. It was too large, so I pruned it hard back after flowering last year and thought it would have time to recover

You chose the right time to prune but should have opted to thin the plant out rather than prune hard. If you’d taken out one third of the stems, cutting low into the plant, you’d have been left with a natural shape, two thirds still capable of flowering, and new shoots coming from within to regenerate the plant. A following third could be removed every year. Your tree will recover, though. Give it a mulch, after rain or a generous watering, and it should bloom next year.

Bananas grown for their exotic leaves behave like giant herbaceous perennials. The old main plant dies back but new shoots are thrown up around it. Now’s a good time to give them a slow release fertilizer (when the soil is moist) to encourage plenty of leaf.

Continue

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

to remove the side shoots of cordontrained tomatoes, tie stems to canes or guide them around strings. Bush varieties don’t need this training but take up more space.

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Beauty

Tried

& tested

We present the best beauty cheats and treats, all trialled by West magazine’s Catherine Barnes,with help from daughter Tilly, 18

IN ON THE SECRET It’s great to see Barbara Daley’s Trade Secrets range being reintroduced in store at Tesco, while the range is already available online at Tesco Direct. Achieve a good foundation with this biscuit base (£7.99)

In the know Make-up artist Davinia Fermi’s styled Kate Moss, Daniel Craig and Gisele Bundchen, working alongside photographers David Bailey and Rankin. She has her own make-up school and has now launched a range of easy-to-apply professional products, so you can master your own statement look. Prices start at £13 from www.makeupacademy.co.uk

B

BLOOMING LOVELY

NEW! Burberry’s new multitasking Lip & Cheek Bloom pots (£24) come in six shades inspired

by English country gardens. Find them at uk.burberry.com.

CLEANING KIT This cute kit in a matchbox contans a shampoo bar – just don’t forget actual lighters for the barbie if this is part of your camping kit! £4.99 at www. inamatchbox.com 28

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the review Gillian Adams goes for the full body works at the Gwel an Mor resort’s wellbeing spa in Portreath with a Beneficial Mineral Source treatment

BOX OF DELIGHTS Subscribers to Glossybox get to build their own selection box of tricks and receive five items picked from a choice of over 600 global beauty brands. Subscriptions start at £10 (+p&p) for a month at www.glossybox.co.uk/beauty

Mud magic usually plump for a facial discreet corner of the treatment room. whenever I visit a spa – it’s Next up, a mud mask. The bed was become my default option. carefully layered with towels and DanBut the menu at the Wellbe- iella liberally applied mud to me, before ing Spa at Gwel an Mor tempted me into loosely wrapping me in cling film, allowtrying something new. ing the mineral rich matter to soak into And so it was that I chose an hour-long my skin. As the mud did its work, I was full-body Beneficial Mineral Source treatgiven a lovely head massage – super relaxment (£65), partly due to the fact the spa ing, needless to say. Warmly cocooned in uses Thal’ion products. a semi-darkened room, the I discovered this French temptation to nod off was beauty brand a few years strong, until my wrapago on a trip to Roscoff. It pings were whisked off, Warmly uses seaweed in its skin followed by a brisk warm and beauty products and shower to sluice away my cocooned in a after buying and trying, marine coating. semi-darkened I’ve become a big fan.

And that’s it! Just a final The Beneficial Minrinse and a towel-down for room, the eral Source uses calcium super-soft skin with a feeltemptation to and magnesium-rich good glow that lasted all nod off was marine mud which it’s week. This girl’s good to claimed is packed with grab her trainers and go strong analgesic and stress-reagain. lieving properties, great The Wellbeing Spa at Gwel for relieving muscle tenan Mor, Portreath is open sion and joint stiffness. As an enthusiasto non-residents. Call 01209 842354 or visit tic amateur runner, whose knees don’t www.gwelanmor.com/spa for more details always take kindly to the fact, it was just what I needed.

After having a chat about what to expect with beauty therapist Daniella, I was soon decked out in paper pants and relaxing on a therapy bed under some towels, awaiting the first part of my treatment.

First off, the body is generously exfoliated, so Daniella set about gently scrubbing my skin with a Thal’ion lotion that does the job with sea salt crystals. I washed it off in the small but powerful shower in a

I

perfect pastels

Paint the rainbow with these Essence polishes – a steal at £1.60 each from Wilko stores

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Flower power Let botanicals be your friend for perfect summer dress sense... ime was when a flowery dress could look a little, well, safe. Staid, even.

But this season’s floral prints are anything but boring. There’s a vibrancy and even edginess to the designs, combining prettiness with a distinct sense of style, as these pictures show. The key with florals is not to overdo it, so pair your print dress with block colour pastels such as this little lilac shrug, or go for powder blue shoes and a cornflower hat. Viola: summer sorted!

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Margot dress, £99, Reigate diamante and bead toe sandals, £39, multi-strand beaded bracelet, £16, all Monsoon

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Fashion Hat £20, scarf £16, sunglasses £18, straw clutch £15, all www.oliverbonas.com

Kensington fit and flare cotton dress, £110, www.phase-eight.co.uk Jessica Wright blossom print Bardot dress, £60, www.lipstickboutique.co.uk

Cranham baby dress, £20 www. cathkidston.com Apricot floral sundress, £30, New Look

Layla Italian blue ballet pumps with ankle straps, £195, www.frenchsole.com Red cardigan, £59, and blue floral sundress, £35.40 reduced from £59, both Dickins & Jones at House of Fraser Raspberry clutch, £59 www.dunelondon.com

Sunglasses £18 www.oliverbonas.com

Lilac shrug, £5 Primark

Strapless floral skater dress, £40, www.axparis.com 31

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Trend

HOW TO WEAR IT:

Kimono

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

Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod puts her fitted blazer to one side and tries the latest in relaxed cover-ups ood things come to I have big plans for my new beauty. those who drape.

It is a part of Oasis’ V&A collecThemselves in delicate tion, and celebrates everything I fabrics that is. love about the British summer. It is This season’s kimono unrelentingly chintzy, but never untrend is your fast track to a good day. stylish. This outfit is probably what It is feminine, fresh and looks fanyou will catch me in when you see tastic with anything from jeans to me about town in Exeter. I initially a leather skirt. Kate planned to just have Moss is firm friends a simple white tank, with the look and, jeans and my kimono when it comes to style as the combo, but there There are anyway, she can do no is something so whimwrong. sical and fun about laysituations that If you’re a regular ering patterns, esperequire you to reader, you’ll know cially when they are as I love a blazer. But I elegant as these. It was look softer, a little also feel that there all I could do to stop less shoulder-pad are situations that myself buying a skirt require you to look of similar persuasion, severe and slick a little softer, a little but even I have limits. less shoulder-padIt simply won’t do severe and slick. This to be a walking art is the kimono’s time exhibition, nor to disto shine. Sushi with the girls, casual appear entirely when I sit on my Friday at work, or even a lunch date Auntie Ida’s formal sofa. So I settled with the beau. for just a smidge more of the patThe majority of the selection on tern, in the form of this pretty clutch. the racks at the minute are abundant These things are all about comprowith floral charm. Birds and blooms mise, after all. And actually, having of varying sizes swirl along the overthis nifty bag led me to discover the size sleeves, making you immediately very best thing about kimonos, that exude the mystique and femininity of they are so very very lightweight a geisha. that I can scrunch one into my tiny There’s also a selection that are clutch in the blink of an eye. I plan edgier and a little more rock n roll, to impress fellow wedding guests this making them festival-perfect. Think season by whipping it out with a huge black crochet with XL fringing. flourish just as the other girls start to They’re also essential in the holiday hunch against a cool breeze. suitcase, as they are uber-flattering Pretty practical, if you ask me. thrown on over a swimsuit and just All fashion in these pictures is from the thing to drape over post sunPrincesshay Shopping Centre, Exeter, kissed gooseflesh during sundownwww.princesshay.co.uk ers.

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Kimono, Oasis Princesshay, £48 Top, Oasis Princesshay, £26 Jeans, Oasis Princesshay, £45 Bag, Oasis Princesshay, £30 Shoes, Next Princesshay, £50 Necklace, Next Princesshay, £12

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NEW LOOK tie dye kimono £19.99

GET THE

look

DEBENHAMS Butterfly

by Matthew Williamson £55

OASIS V&A Anna Maria dual print kimono £45

EAST Embroidered kimono £129 EAST denim kimono £129

DEBENHAMS Red Herring £26

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Shop

The edit Your straight line to summer style: pair a vibrant maxi dress with sandals and a bright bag

+

£12.99 New Look

+ £59 Very

£25 Very

+

£32.50 White Stuff

£39 Apricot

+

£29 J D Williams

£20 Accessorize

£119.95 Moda in Pelle

£25 M&Co

+

+

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Food

ally mac’s

Summer Salad Ally says: Salads are my favourite thing ever, the perfect food for the summer.

They are easy and light for eating on a warm day when you don’t want to spend hours preparing something for lunch or dinner. I love big green leafy ones which are packed full of Popeye iron, folic acid and fibre.

And as the weather warms up, produce from the garden – or local growers – is coming into season. I love experimenting with salads, trying different things together. You really can’t go wrong. This recipe uses asparagus, leaves and herbs picked just minutes before in my garden. You can’t get fresher than that.

You will need:

Method:

3 handfuls of fresh green leaves, washed A bunch of asparagus spears, with the woody bases trimmed off 1 tbsp coconut oil A small handful of walnuts 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds from a fresh pomegranate ½ block of organic feta cheese, crumbled ½ aubergine 1 lime 1 tbsp oregano

Toast the walnuts for a couple of minutes and set them aside.

Slice your aubergine into think chunks. Sear these, and the asparagus, in a griddle pan lubricated with a little coconut oil for five minutes, but not any longer, so that they retain their bite.

Allow the roasted veg to completely cool down, and in the meantime place your fresh green leaves in a salad bowl.

Arrange the griddled vegetables on top of the salad and crumble the feta cheese and pomegranate seeds over the top.

Squeeze the lime juice over the top and sprinkle the dried oregano.

@AKitchenStories

Natural food expert Ally Mac lives and cooks in South Devon. Ally specialises in devising good-for-you recipes that are easy to prepare at home. She also sells several of her own delicious healthy products online at www.allyskitchenstories.co.uk 35

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17/06/2015 12:40:31

Wellbeing

the boost

Life just got better. We’ve handpicked the latest wellness trends, best-body secrets and expert advice to help you be your best self, everyday

BRUSHING UP Few children enthuse about brushing their teeth, while research has revealed that one in five parents are ‘unable’ to get their kids to clean their teeth for the recommended two minutes, twice a day, blaming their own hectic lifestyles and the morning school run rush. Healthcare experts Careway Pharmacies is urging us to find time to supervise two daily two-minute brush sessions, to not only prevent tooth decay, but gum disease and even later-life conditions including heart disease. They say: “Do your best with the time you have, and it will pay off in the long run.”

LASHINGS

of fun

Long, luxurious eye-lashes are all the fashion these days. Skin care experts Flint + Flint (we love their cleansing range!) recommend castor oil as a great natural eyelash conditioner. Really! Apply it to your lashes with a clean mascara wand before bed, they say. Try Pukka Castor Oil from Holland & Barrett, £9.90

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SPICE UP YOUR LIFE Tumeric, chilli and ginger don’t just add kick to recipes, they have amazing health benefits, too. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties and contains anti-oxidants, as do hot peppers which also have pain-relieving plant chemicals. Ginger’s volatile oils stimulate saliva and gastric function – the reason why it’s been used as an anti-sickness remedy for centuries. Curry anyone?

GET ON COURT! Wimbledon fortnight is on its way, and if you’re inspired to get on court, you’re making a wise decision. Tennis is a fitness fanatic’s dream - an hour of singles burns up to 500 calories, with the added bonus of up to 500 bursts of energy per match (think a circuit class gone mad), endless arm and leg toning, and constant twisting and stretching for your abs. Let’s just say there’s a reason Nadal looks like he does.

Feeling a little less active? Well, Wimbledon is coming to Plymouth on the big screen from June 29. There’ll be a picket-fenced grassy spectator area on the city’s piazza and you’re welcome to bring a picnic.

What’s coming up? Tweet us your wellbeing diary dates

Treasure Combine a walk with a free treasure hun around the National Trust’s Cotehele near Saltash in Cornwall. You can borrow GPS units from technology people Garmin at the house to track coordinates in search of hidden ‘treasure’ troves. Call 01579 351346 for details.

@WMNWest or email westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk 37

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Wellbeing

Shake those bones Expert advice for osteoporosis: My mother suffered terribly with osteoporosis in later life. How can I make sure that the same thing won’t happen to me? I’m in my mid-40s. HM, Bude

Q

Osteoporosis expert Cathy Webber says: June is National Osteoporosis Month, marking a condition that affects around three million people, mainly women, in the UK. Osteoporosis happens when the meshes that form our bones become thin.

This causes bones to become fragile and more susceptible to fractures. Osteoporosis does not mean that a bone will break, but it raises the risk of fracture.

Having osteoporosis does not cause pain in itself, but bone breaks do. Osteoporotic bones which break heal in the same way as for people without the condition, in between six and eight weeks. However, having osteoporosis means that bones may break more frequently.

Although fractures can happen anywhere in the body, the most common fractures are to the spine, hips and wrists – often as the result of a slip or trip.

The skeleton is a living, constantly changing part of our bodies. In childhood, while we grow,

our skeletons take just two years to completely exercise is good for people with osteoporosis. renew themselves. In adults this takes between This is because bone is a living tissue and only seven and 10 years. becomes stronger when it is ‘exercised’. That Bones usually stop growing between the ages is why weight-bearing exercise such as jogging of 16 and 18, but bone density increases until can help to develop and maintain bone strength our late 20s. After the age of 35 bones density in the hips and spine, and weight training can starts to gradually decrease as part of the achieve the same in the wrists. ageing process. Women are If you are new to exercise, or especially at risk because bone have been inactive for some density decreases rapidly after years, check with your GP that Exercise is good menopause. your overall health is up to the for osteoporosis At the Peninsula NHS Treatment challenge and choose something Centre we treat many patients which you will enjoy and fits because bone with osteoporosis. Patients with your lifestyle. is a living tissue who need surgery can speak to One of the most effective ways to their GP and choose to come build bone strength is through which becomes here – all treatments are NHS brief bouts of high impact stronger when and therefore free of charge. exercise. Your heel striking the ‘exercised’ Our waiting time from being ground when jogging gives a referred by a doctor to having beneficial jolt to the skeleton, for the first outpatient appointment example, or even running up and is usually three to four weeks. The waiting down the staircase.If you fit in 30 minutes of time from referral to surgery is usually 10 to 11 some form of physical activity five times a week, weeks. not only will your bones become stronger, but There are lifestyle choices which can be made to you will feel better overall. help keep bones strong and mitigate the worst Cathy Webber is Ward and Day Surgery Manager at symptoms of osteoporosis. Diet is important the Peninsula NHS Treatment Centre at Derriford, (see panel) and exercise is also important Plymouth. For more information, call 01752 506070 to maintaining stronger bones, and while or visit www.peninsulatreatmentcentre.nhs.uk it appears counterintuitive, weight-bearing

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Stars

Your stars

by Cassandra Nye This week’s sign:

Happy birthday to...

Those born under the Cancer sign are extremely loyal to those who appreciate and support them., They thrive in the company of close friends who can bring them out of their sensitve shell., and will always stand up for what is right.

Sheridan Smith born June 25 1981

CANCER (June 22 - July 22) This is an easygoing week when life plods along at a good but not hectic pace. Take the chance to have conversations with people who are normally too busy to stop. Chances are that they need the contact as much as you do. Travel should still go well although if you are going away later in the month, do double check arrangements.

LEO (July 23 - August 23) Family feelings are very strong at the moment, as is the ‘nesting instinct’.

This week could see you spring cleaning with relatives, perhaps helping out an older person. in love will feel a surge of contentment, especially when discussing holiday arrangements.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Time spent recently with family and friends reminds you of your priorities.

Cash flow may not be easy but you can see a time ahead when this could change. Work towards that with a smile on your face and it will come all the sooner!

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) It is a sparkling week socially, so get any travel or legal business out of the way early on. This is a time to give friends and family what they need from you as long as it does not cause you stress.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) Being out and about this week brings a lot of pleasure, even more than you anticipate. Think about how to do things without spending too much money. After all, it is your company that people want, not a big party.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Fully enjoy this lovely week and add into the mix as many friends and family as you are able. Turning over a new leaf may mean, for you, making the time that you spend with others that is both longer and more communicative. There is nothing like a reassuring natter, is there?

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) This has to be one of the most active and fun weeks of the year for you, Capricorn. At the moment there seems to be a lull in major problems and so don’t dwell on minor irritations. Bear in mind, midweek, that some chances do not come again.

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) When thinking of buying something very expensive this week, take care. If possible look around for a bargain before making a final decision. Letting your heart rule your head could come at quite a price!

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) While you are enjoying the sun and friends this week, be aware of any security problems or things that might break down in the home. Small precautions are worthwhile so please leave nothing to chance.

Everybody loves Sheridan – and the fabulous Ms Smith has barely been off our screens since she made a fleeting appearance as a housemaid in Wives and Daughters in 1999.

The BAFTA-winning star, who celebrates her 34th birthday on Thursday, has gone from comedy roles in Two Pints of Lager and Royle Family to filling the shoes of Cilla Black and Charmian Biggs in acclaimed biopics. Now Hollywood has come calling and she’s currently filming The Hunstman with Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth and Emily Blunt. Cancerian Sheridan had an on-off relationship with Gavin and Stacey co-star James Corden before they split and has kept the tabloids intrigued with her romances – her latest squeeze is Hollyoaks actor Greg Wood. Cancerians tend to take their time to truly fall in love and trust – but once they do, they aim for keeps!

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) The chance to forget silly problems and concentrate on having some time off comes this week. Say what you will, you are overdue a bit of pampering and care. Putting yourself first, at the moment, is a kindness to others.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) With the planets on your side this week, anything that you attempt will be backed up with strong determination.

The Bull is truly ‘going for it’ and can be expected to resist any criticism.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) Another busy week could see you finding it hard to relax. Getting some ‘me’ time is more important than ever if this is so. Set aside a couple of hours in the evening or early morning to slow down and let your mind clear.

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17/06/2015 13:12:40

St Michael’s Mount

My Secret Westcountry Lucy Diamond Lucy’s Diamond’s latest novel Summer at Shell Cottage was inspired by her own childhood holidays with her grandmother in north Devon. The Sunday Times bestselling author lives in Bath with her husband and three children.

My favourite...

Walk: You can’t beat a good tramp across Dartmoor. Stunning scenery, amazing views, a real sense of timelessness… and some great pubs too!

Beach: So many to choose from! As a child, we often went to Sennen Cove in Cornwall, where my parents spent their honeymoon. And Saunton Sands in Devon, too, which was near where one of my grannies lived. I have very happy memories of both places.

Festival: I would love to go to the Port Eliot festival – it’s in such a beautiful setting and this year’s line-up is fantastic. Music, authors, food… heaven!

Activity: As a child, walking across the causeway to St Michael’s Mount felt like the most exciting, magical thing ever. I took my children there last summer and it still felt like an adventure, especially when the tide started coming in...

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IMAGE: MICHAEL BOWLES

People

Port Eliot Festival

Saunton Sands

Port

The Hope & Anchor

Sennen Cove

Restaurant: I was lucky enough to stay in

Barbara Hepworth’s sculpture in St Ives

the gorgeous St Enodoc Hotel in Rock a few years ago and had a fantastic meal at Nathan Outlaw’s restaurant there. Really delicious food – everything tasted so fresh.

Relaxation: I love to potter around the galFood: It’s got to be a cream tea. Scones, cream and jam (raspberry for me, please), pot of tea, sunshine… that’s a recipe for joy, right there.

Tipple: I keep hearing great things about Sharpham wines. I’m in Devon later this week so am going to make a point of trying a glass (or two) for myself.

Pub: The Hope & Anchor in Hope Cove is lovely – there’s a big outdoor terrace where you can enjoy your drink in the sunshine and look out to sea. Great food and very friendly staff.

leries and shops in St Ives. The Tate and Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden are well worth a visit.

Weekend away: The St Moritz hotel near Daymer Bay is absolutely lovely. I stayed there while I wrote some of my novel The Beach Café (set nearby) and it was a real wrench to leave.

Shop: A few years ago, I bought a print called The Cleave by Brian Hoskin, in Panache Gallery, Kingsand. There were lots of other fabulous artworks in there – I would love to go again and browse through them all.

Treat: A real treat for me would be to go to Agatha Christie’s holiday house, Greenway, on the River Dart. It looks stunning and I love the fact that you can get there by steam train. I really hope to visit some time this summer.

Summer at Shell Cottage, published

by Pan books (£7.99) is out now.

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17/06/2015 13:20:01

SolarDAB 2

£80, robertsradio.co.uk A lovely portable radio, this makes a great accompaniment to a spot ofcamping. Use rechargeable AA batteries, then, when the solar panel on top of the device absorbs sunlight, it will charge them up and power the radio (indoors you can use the mains adaptor). In addition to playing both DAB and FM stations, it also comes with a USB slot and Aux in socket.

It’s the summer solstice on June 21, so make the most of the longest day of the year with these clever solar-powered camping gadgets Rainbow Maker £24.95, prezzybox.com

A gift for a child or a grown-up who wants to add a touch of colour.

Stick this to your tent window and the solarpowered motor will turn the Swarovski crystal giving the effect of small little rainbows dashing around your tent.

Sunload Solar Charger Set M5 EnerPlex Packr Solar Go Go Car £20, johnlewis.com

Keep your children amused with this toy car. Take it somewhere sunny and, with the solar panel sticking up in the middle, it will move backwards and forwards, using just the sun’s rays to motor along.

Not sunny? Simply attach the handle generator to it and by turning it, the toy car will keep on moving.

Suitable for ages 8+.

£171.15, amazon.co.uk

Unlike other backpacks, the Packr comes complete with a 3-watt solar panel. Made from plastic rather than glass, the panel is both flexible and lightweight enough (it weighs just 1lb) that you can wear it while out cycling or hiking. As the sun beats down, you can top up your camera or phone battery, perfect for a weekend off-grid in the great outdoors.

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Camping has many benefits for children, says the Camping and Caravanning Club. Lisa Salmon investigates its new Get Kids Camping campaign

Cool camping e’ve all heard of ‘happy campers’, but it seems families who enjoy camping could be more accurately described as ‘happy, educated campers’.

New research shows children who camp in the great outdoors at least once a year tend to do better at school, and are healthier and happier.

The study by Plymouth University and the Camping and Caravanning Club found more than four out of five parents thought camping had a positive effect on their children’s school education. Plus, 98% felt it made their kids appreciate and connect with nature; 95% thought children were happier as a result, and 93% believed it provides useful skills for later life.

TV presenter Julia Bradbury is president of the Camping and Caravanning Club, which has just launched a new Get Kids Camping campaign. Julia says: “Taking the kids camping is such a great experience for the whole family.

“We have masses of beautiful scenery on our doorstep in the UK, and camping doesn’t have to be expensive.

It’s a brilliant way of getting kids out in the fresh air, away from the TV and computers - developing their brains and teaching them to interact with each other and the countryside.

“If you haven’t taken your family camping, give it a go - it’s an adventure that won’t disappoint you.”

Sue Waite, the associate professor at Plymouth Institute of Education who led the study, says: “Interestingly, the parents surveyed believed camping supported the key curriculum subjects

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of Geography, History and Science and actually, that stacks up. The most common camping activities they tried were natural, like rock pooling and nature walks. Children are getting to understand ecosystems and identify lifeforms, respecting nature.”

Children weer also surveyed for the research. Making and meeting new friends, having fun, playing outside and learning various camping skills were all popular answers. The children also recognised camping’s value for problem-solving and working together, and for helping improve their understanding of subjects like Geography and Science.

Rob Ganley of the Camping and Caravanning Club, points out that as well as campers making plenty of trips to the seaside, historical sites and going on nature walks, campsites are safe places for children to play freely.

“Camping will prise kids away from smartphones and tablets and get them exploring the outdoors. There’s no better place for climbing a tree or making a den than a campsite.

“They can leave the tent, run around the site and make friends with kids from other families staying there. It harks back to the days of a safer world, in some ways. It’s a really safe and healthy environment for kids to make friends and develop new skills.”

And for parents worried about camping, Ganley reassures: “Modern camping equipment is streets ahead of what it used to be - you can get tents that are up within minutes, and there’s always glamping, where the tents are already up when you arrive.”

Get 15% off your glamping holiday!

Cuckoo Down Farm near Sidmouth in east Devon is offering a special 15% discount to West magazine readers for all 2015 stays at its glamping site (left) set in pretty farmland with ponies, goats and chickens. The farm has a 5-star TripAdvisor rating and Certificate of Excellence and a family weekend for up to six people costs from £235 (before discount). Visit the website www.cuckoodownfarm.co.uk to book, quoting WESTOFFER when emailing cuckoodownfarm@gmail.com

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17/06/2015 13:38:10

Ingredient of the Week

Strawberries with Tim Maddams

love June, she is rich with the fulfilment of promises. All spring we have been gathering momentum towards this point and this is where it all starts to happen. Sure, we have had a few seasonal treats along the way, wild garlic and nettles in the early spring from the wild, asparagus and a few broad beans from the garden and the salad bowl has been overflowing for some time. But June is when it all starts kicking off, more and more tasty stuff all the way to September before we start turning the volume down again for winter.

Nothing for me says June quite like a properly ripe and sun-warm strawberry bursting with juice, sweetness and fragrance in equal amounts. Local is best by far - the most amazing strawberries I have ever eaten were from Fivepenny Farm over the border from me in Dorset. But there are plenty of small growers and larger operations around Devon and Cornwall with some great Pick Your Own places. My local is the Royal Oak farm shop, near Stockland here in east Devon. Picking your own is fun, and a

I

little cheeky testing as you go around is all part of that fun. It’s also a great way of getting the fruit you want for whatever purpose you have in mind.

Seasonality is key. The English strawberry season now runs year round with heated poly tunnels and greenhouses coming into play but frankly this is just wrong to me. Any move away from a true season diminishes the produce not only in terms of speciality but also quality.

OK, down to business, how do we best enjoy the strawberries? Well first and foremost a bowl of warm fresh strawberries is best enjoyed with a not too cold bottle of local white wine. I think the Bacchus from Polgoon Vineyard in Cornwall is among the best of the British whites. But Old Wall and Sharpham Vineyards are both excellent choices.

If you fancy bubbles though do your best to get hold of some from the tiny Otter Farm vineyard.

Good luck. Camel Valley also offer some amazing bubbly as do many other fantastic Westcountry wineries.

Berry nice I love strawberries almost everywhere on the menu. They work very well indeed with air-dried ham, and a quick pickled strawberry can be pressed into good service with a nice blue cheese.

Simply dress the berries in a little cider vinegar and leave to stand, stirring occasionally, for about an hour. And strawberries in a salad is old hat these days.

Dessert though is the obvious choice (besides jam) and I think strawberries are best pepped up a little with the addition of some honey and a little grated lemon zest. Where you take it from there is up to you, black pepper works well, but scented geranium, mint or better still water mint will add flavour beyond your wildest dreams. Serve with frozen churned yoghurt for preference.

Cream and ice cream tend to be a little to much of a good thing in my opinion and can easily overpower the subtle aromas of this wonderful, truly seasonal, fruit of the gods. @TimGreenSauce

Tim Maddams is a Devon chef and writer who often appears on the River Cottage TV series 44

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17/06/2015 13:42:46

Drink

Darren Norbury Beer of the week I struck gold when I tried Dynamite Valley Brewing Co’s TNT IPA (4.8% ABV) at The ’Front beer festival. It’s got excellent malt which gives good body, but American hops offer clean, citrus, robust pine bitterness. Very easy to drink despite being at the top end of sessionable, but ideal for the early summer Falmouth sunshine.

Beer sales up Beer sales rose 1.5% over the previous 12 months in the first quarter of this year, according to the British Beer and Pubs Association.

The industry employs 900,000 people and contributes £22bn to the economy, according to the BBPA. The improvement is helped by the three duty cuts from the Chancellor over the past three years. Good news.

talks beer hen I started my website, back in 2004, I was not what you would call technically competent. I created pages in a way which Heath Robinson might have considered a bit ‘round the houses’, taking hours to cobble together pieces of HTML that a young hipster programmer would do with one hand while sipping a mochaccino with the other. Anyone looking at that early site would have probably clicked away very soon – luckily, I got better, and more people clicked and now I’m a happily blogger with a healthy audience.

Such can also be the route to brewing success.

I will readily admit that when I tasted the first brews from Black Rock Brewery, down in Falmouth, I wasn’t too keen. However, sitting a day ago with my mate Steve Willmott, CAMRA membership secretary and newsletter editor, in the sun that was streaming into Five Degrees West, in Falmouth, I breathed a sigh of enjoyment as I downed a Black Rock Deep (5% ABV).

It’s a malt-driven golden best bitter, caramel dominating the backbone of the brew, with tropical fruit notes on the aroma, turning to apricot on the palate. Hats off to Black Rock’s Jack Williams. The Deep was a great start to what turned into a six-pub Falmouth pub crawl, culminating in a beverage or two at the ’Front, where licensee Matt Reay was marking the

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venue’s tenth anniversary with a beer festival, and also celebrating the addition of four new cider pumps, courtesy of Skinner’s Brewery’s Cornwall Cider Company arm.

From out of our region, but always worth looking out for, are beers from Siren Craft Brewery in Berkshire. In Beerwolf, the Falmouth bar/bookshop, they had their Half Mast QIPA. Wow: big piney hop aroma, and deep hop notes on the palate, too, that bitter out on a long finish.

The real stand-out feature is that’s it’s just 2.8% ABV. Utterly remarkable. QIPA equals Quarter IPA, by the way.

Also in Beerwolf, I saw Black Flag Brewery’s Fang, a West Coast pale (4.5%) hopped with American Centennial and Citra. Having eulogised over Black Flag Chameleon Mosaic on this page a couple of weeks ago, I was a bit disappointed, primarily, I suspect, because it was on keg. Hints of citrus fruit came through, but there was next to no aroma and I wonder if it was chilled to the point of flavour impairment.

I bet a cask equivalent would have had more about it. Must update my website accordingly.

One more advantage of modern internet: I do some of my finest work in the pub!

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

BEACH FUND-RAISER Sharp’s Brewery is donating 5p from every pint sold of its 2015 special edition beers to the Blue Flag scheme, which encourages sustainable development of beaches across the world.

The current special is Rockpool, to be followed by Rising Tide, Offshore and Point Break.

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17/06/2015 13:44:13

My life

[

man and boy

A sausage is a sausage...

[

Phil Goodwin, father of James, five, wonders what’s in a name hen does a chipolata become an Accrington chipolata? An unusual question, I admit, but one which was raised during my recent trip to the North. I have just spent a child-free weekend with a gang of mates from way back, in Lancashire. Half a dozen of us gathered in the beautiful countryside around the Forest of Bowland, close to the border with Yorkshire.

People in Devon and Cornwall are all too familiar with cross-border disputes – the way to crimp pasties and assemble cream teas to mention just two small examples. But the rivalry between Yorkshire and Lancashire beats anything else in England, I would argue. And with the evergrowing trend for locally-sourced food, the traditional battles over cricket have now taken on a culinary aspect. Disputed versions of Lancashire and Yorkshire puddings are well known.

But now it seems we can add the humble cocktail sausage.

We found ourselves in this disputed area on account of my mate, Tony. He’s a Lancastrian who now lives in Japan with his family, where he owns an English language school. We sat down on the Friday night for a few beers and a feed at a gastro pub. Fine stuff it was too, meaty and farm reared. I had a ‘Lancashire steak and kidney pudding’ with mushy peas and gravy while other lads enjoyed local steaks. But the highlight of the sharing boards we had as starters was universally agreed to be the chipolata, apparently from the small nearby town of Accrington, also known by many for its wonderfully-titled football team, Accrington Stanley.

So total bill was 150 quid for five with beers.

Everyone was happy.

The next day we head off to Lower Gill, near Tosside to stay at our holiday cottages, owned

by Tony’s family since the time of the Civil War. But we were now creeping close to the county of Geoffrey Boycott and Fred Truman.

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[

God’s country, they would call it, and it is a spectacular place. We boys donned hiking boots and set off for local beauty spot Mallam Cove.

This, though, is definitely now the Yorkshire Dales, though we have only driven half an hour along country roads with no checkpoint or customs officer in sight. After a tough four hour walk over around ten miles of rolling hills, waterfalls and craggy outcrops, ruled only by peregrine falcons, this tired bunch of travellers is in need of sustenance. So we retire to a pub chock full of craft beers and people eating great looking food in big portions. You would expect no less in Yorkshire.

As we sit down with our pints and peruse the menu, it becomes clear the fare is strikingly similar to that on offer the night before. In fact, both pubs are run by the same brewery.

On closer inspection, it appears the dishes are identical.

Almost. The only difference is the provenance. The unpretentious chipolata has been shorn of its Accrington prefix and sits as simply a lonely sausage. My steak and kidney has been exported across the county line turned into a ‘Settle pudding’.

Both are ordered, tested and duly declared to be identical. They are still very good and, interestingly for those familiar with the alleged tendency for Yorkshiremen to be careful with their brass, are a couple of quid cheaper.

Back at the holiday let among the free roam-

The highlight of the meal was universally agreed to be the Accrington chipolata

[

ing chickens and sheep, we ask Tony’s Uncle Jeff about this strange custom. The answer is simple. In Settle, they wouldn’t eat a chipolata if it were from Accrington, he tells us.

I imagine these food wars will go unnoticed by most visitors to this place, which is superb on both sides of the border. Perhaps there is a lot of this going on. I will be keeping an eye out in the Westcountry for any examples.

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17/06/2015 13:45:33

Mount Edgcumbe...

French inspired interiors and home accessories

jazinteriors ...where dreams come true 01752 894012 www.jazinteriors.co.uk 16 Fore Street Ivybridge PL21 9AB

Bovey Castle

With three licensed rooms and an outdoor summer house for civil ceremonies plus two stunning reception venues, the choice is yours Mount Edgcumbe House and Country Park Tel: 01752 822236 email: edgcumbeweddings@plymouth.gov.uk www.me-weddingvenue.co.uk

West Mag_150621.indd 1

17/06/2015 15:21:15

introduces two new restaurants for the South West…

North Bovey, Devon, TQ13 8RE T: 01647 445000 E: stay@boveycastle.com www.boveycastle.com /boveycastlehotel

@boveycastle

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