West Magazine (Western Morning News on Sunday) March 1 Edition

01.03.15

PLUS: + MEET JAMIE’S

ITALIAN + THE NEW

DENIM RULES

We can’t keep up,

is Khloé coming?

A Kardashian in Plymouth, what next...

Covers_March1.indd 1

WIN: + £48 CRAFT

DAY COURSE + £360 WORTH

OF SKINCARE

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‘My father died believing Jamie was his grandson and I’m not sorry about that, because to me he kind of is’ Meet Jamie Oliver’s mentor and ‘father’, Gennaro Contaldo, p 16

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COOL KITCHENS Give yours a fresh look for less this spring

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PLYMOUTH BOUND? Will we see Khloé in town?

[contents[ Inside this week...

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THE WISHLIST Gorgeous goodies to try this week

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GILLIAN MOLESWORTH

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JUST BETWEEN US...

Actually, Flybe: thank you All the gossip - you heard it here first

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CREATING A NEW LIFE How one woman overcame heartbreak and founded a crafty new business, too

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COOL KITCHENS Give yours an affordable makeover

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FATHER FIGURE Why Jamie Oliver’s mentor is cooking in Exeter

40

SAY HI TO HIGH TEA The perfect Mother’s Day treat

JAMIE’S FAVOURITE ITALIAN Gennaro Contaldo cooks in Exeter

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16 35

DAYS OUT Smart stuff to do right now

ANNE SWITHINBANK The promise of flowers to come

29

INSIDE OUT Nourish your skin from within

30

KIND OF BLUE The best of the new denim trend

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HOW TO WEAR IT Look good in a duster coat

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CULTURE VULTURE Arty outings that you’l love

40

SAY HI TO HIGH TEA The best places to tuck in with style

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GADGETS Apps that really are worth downloading

30

KIND OF BLUE

Denim: no longer just for jeans 3

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[

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MEET JAMIE’S ITALIAN

Gennaro Contaldo cooks in Exeter

[ welcome [ We’ve got a spring in our step...

Hello and welcome to March, a month that will we’re sure - take us nicely up to Easter with lovely weather and lots of spring flowers. Then, at the end of the month, the clocks will go back and restore our light evenings. It’s a time that, when I lived in London, I would begin to seriously yearn for my Westcountry home. The beaches, the walks, the big skies and the beautiful countryside. Yes, spring’s wonderful wherever you are, but especially here in the South West.

One woman who has turned her life around from winter to spring, you might say - is Sheron King. After her divorce, she found herself a single mother and with no financial prospects. But hard work, inspiration and talent have transformed

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Tweet

of the week @OneVoiceTeam @OneVoiceTeam going the extra mile! Keeping those lovely boots clean for the @WMNWest fashion shoot in @Princesshay

her life. She now runs a thriving craft business in South Devon, and you can read all about it on page 12 today. She’s also, very kindly, offered West readers a free jewellery craft day course to be won, worth £48. I hear they are a lot of fun.

Talking of fun, we love Jamie Oliver’s favourite Italian chef and mentor Gennaro Contaldo. Gennaro’s a hoot, and was down in Exeter just recently to launch the new Jamie’s Italian restaurant in the city. Read all about it on page 16 today. Finally, for all of us in need of a spring boost, we have a fabulous reader competition on page 29 today, to win four sets of luxury skincare vitamin supplements worth £90 each. Good luck!

Spring’s wonderful wherever you are, but especially here in the South West

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Becky Sheaves, Editor

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

COVER IMAGE: Dorothy Perkins

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...

French mail order fashion label La Redoute’s flirty range Mademoiselle R has come up with this very chic trench coat, £59. Perfect for spring, www.redoute.co.uk

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the

A yolk appears as these realistic looking egg candles burn down. Perfect for Easter, from Kittredge Candles, £10.64, from crafting website www.etsy.com

wishlist

CUPPA? Cath Kidston patchwork spot Billie mug, £6.50, www.cathkidston.com

West’s top picks of the cute, quirky and downright fun

Store we adore...

Birdkids, Fowey and Wadebridge

This shop is a treasure trove of unusual children’s toys, activity kits and clothes. Owner Julia Bird, who opened her first shop in Fowey ten years ago next month, prides herself on selecting unusual stock you won’t find on every high street. We love the build-your-own-castle kit, the pop-up pets, and the origami kits from Djeco, a Parisian brand. For the smallest children there are some unusual cuddly toys, including a surprisingly friendly-looking giant squid.

Birdkids is at 3 Custom House Hill, Fowey and 49 Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, and online at www.birdkids.co.uk

Ahoy lighthouse glass by Magpie, £6.49, www.mollieandfred.co.uk

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Wishlist

Ever so pheasant Pheasant Harris tweed and Liberty print cushion, £59.50, www.madebyhandonline.com

Maribowl glass bowl made by Finnish company littala, £33, www. cloudberryliving.co.uk

Mimosa table lamp, £166.80, www.darlighting.co.uk

Pretty practical Travel journal, £7, Paperchase

Gisela Graham flourish floral glasses case, £10.50, www.tch.net 7

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24/02/2015 14:11:25

talking points Gillian Molesworth

Story of my life...

In which efficiency is somewhat lacking he Swiss are supposed to be models of efficiency, right? Well, I have a little travel story which may surprise you. On my recent skiing trip we flew into Geneva, birthplace of the famous Swiss watch and clock industry.

Indeed we spent rather a lot of time staring at the clock in the arrivals terminal, as we waited (and supposed to be good at this stuff”. waited, and waited) for our bags to “Are you going to leave?” asked arrive. our little group of Gatwick trav“Did you come from Gatwick?” ellers. “Let’s do it all together,” asked other travellers. We twitwe decided. So off we hurried, a tered away in a little flock. It cavalry charge through “nothing was most unusual, those people to declare”, outside to a 10 minute landed after we did, surely they walk over varied terrain. If you must have sorted it by now? were elderly or disabled, you “We can’t come back in once we really would have struggled. go out through customs, that’s the Even after they discovered the trouble,” said someone, and we all error, they never even made an murmured agreeannouncement. ment.

There could be Our trip orpeople still in that ganiser Daniella terminal waiting There was a went into a glassfor all I know. walled office, When I was regeneral outcry which looked like turning to London, as if we were in the place they put our Geneva flight Parliament.

‘How you if they find landed at 12pm. you’re carrying The Newquay shutextraordinary’, raw meat or stacks tles left at 12.55 and ‘That’s of unmarked and at 8pm. I had cash.

A tiredbought a ticket on appalling’ looking Swiss the latter, thinking man gestured and there was no way shrugged.

More I could make the anxious travellers craned their former. But I did buy a flexi-ticket necks around to hear what he was just in case. saying.

Our flight landed on time.

“I’m not entirely sure, but I There was no queue at passport think we’re in the wrong termicontrol and the bags arrived as nal,” said Daniella, emerging. soon as we did (in the right termi“You mean our bags are in the nal). I ran hell-for-leather across wrong terminal?” the airport, and arrived panting “No, we are – the bus delivered at the Flybe desk fifteen minutes us to the wrong one.” before the doors were closing.

There was a guttural outcry, as They managed to get me on the if we were in Parliament. “How flight. So there you are. London extraordinary”, “that’s appallone, Geneva nil. And I got to see ing”, “I thought the Swiss were my kids before bedtime.

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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 8

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BRAND NEW!

Just

between us IS SHE - ISN’T SHE? Rumours have been swirling this week that the Kardashians – or at least one of them – are coming to the South West this spring. KHLOÉ Kardashian, of hit US reality television show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, is said to be appearing at Oceana nightclub to meet and greet her Plymouth fans in April.

Events promoter Clint Stephenson claims that the star is coming to the

Broadchurch’s Jodie:

my tears are real

JODIE WHITTAKER has revealed her Broadchurch tears weren’t faked.

The actress - who plays Beth, mother of murdered boy Danny, in the drama - said she shed real tears on set of the show, set in Dorset and filmed around Bridport. The show is set to return for a third series next year. “I’m not a fake crier. I can’t squeeze my eyes shut and make the tears flow; I am really crying,” she told TV Times.

“So what physically happens is that your eyes are running, you’re short of breath and can’t speak, and over a prolonged amount of time, you get tired.”

“But I go home at the end of the day, whereas some people are really living Beth’s nightmare,” she added.

Gossip, news, trendsetters and more - you

heard all the latest juicy stuff here first!

city: “She may even stay in Plymouth.

Many of the big acts that come down have come so far south that they stay overnight.”

Khloe has hit back with the following tweet: Dolls, I am NOT appearing in Plymouth in the UK. Someone is selling tickets to an event that isn’t planned or happening! Not cool! (@khloekardashian). West says: We’re Konfused!

!

Amanda Holden:

10

YEARS

is ENOUGH! AMANDA HOLDEN has hinted that she is planning to quit Britain’s Got Talent.

The star has been judging acts on the ITV1 talent show for nine series, but it seems she might be retiring her buzzer after the tenth season next year, reports the Daily Mirror.

“I would love to make it 10 and then call it a day,” said the star, speaking while

filming the ninth series.

“Ten years is an amazing feat.

“I want a nice big clock when I leave and some holiday in the sunshine. And a retirement package.”

But Amanda’s fans needn’t worry, because even if she does wave goodbye to BGT, the star will apparently be hosting a new TV show for Endemol.

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Aaah: The Dell School of Dance in Plymouth have lovely costumes for their new show, Cinderella

in pictures Royal visit: Karl, who’s supported by disability charity Hft, was thrilled to meet its patron Princess Anne as he celebrated a move to his very own home in Newton Abbot.

Rural issues: The Western Morning News is sponsoring these fun sheep in Plymouth

Hoofbeats on the sand: Roy Curtis captured this lovely picture of riders on the beach at Marazion

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talking points Barking

Little cuties

ONE OF US Famous faces with links to the Westcountry

1 Noways Chuckles (Bulldog)

2 Tracey Witch of Ware (Cocker spaniel)

3 Vbos The Kentuckian (Flat coated retriever)

4 Efbe’s Hidalgo At Goodspice (Sealyham) 5 Choo-tai of Egham (Pekingese)

6 Heather Necessity (Scottish terrier)

7 Oakington Puckshill Amber Sunblush (Poodle)

8 Abraxas Audacity (Bull

Most popular baby names in town according to bounty.com

This week:

1 Oliver (Truro)

Tristan Evans

2 Lila (Exeter) 3 Ashton (Camelford) 4 Benjamin (Salcombe) 5 Erin (Delabole) 6 Myles (Torquay) 7 Owen (Perranporth) 8 Sienna (Plymouth) 9 Tyler (Bude) 10 Archie (Totnes)

The happy list

terrier)

9 Riverina Tweedsbairn (Airedale)

10 Purston Hit and Miss From Brocolitia (Welsh Terrier)

Pob lwc!

10 things to make you smile this week 1 Cindy Crawford unairbrushed ‘nuff said 2 Baby kale All the goodness, none of the toughness Happy St David’s Day! Ten RHS Award of Garden Merit daffodils

1 Viking 2 Tuesday’s Child 3 Ice Wings 4 High Society 5 Notre Dame 6 Unique 7 Merlin 8 Precocious

3 Find my iPhone makes your lost phone beep - loudly

4 March starts today, hooray 5 Poldark we can’t wait 6 Gisele Bundchen with superbowl hero Tom Brady, a true power couple

7 Spring lamb Sunday roast 8 Holiday plans book now for summertime

9 Shrek the Musical at Theatre Royal Plymouth soon

9 Reggae

10 Cheaper petrol great

10 Salome

news for rural drivers

MATT AUSTIN

10 Crufts Best in Show champions through the ages.

Tristan Evans, 20, is the Exeter-born drummer and backing singer with indie boy-band The Vamps, whose debut single Can We Dance reached number two in 2013.

Early years: Tristan Oliver Vance Did you know? Tristan started Evans went to Blundells School, playing drums in a marching corps Tiverton, and was brought up by when he was seven and the family mum Carolyn and father Adrian. lived in Somerset.

His dad is an independent financial adviser and the family Did you know?: The lives just outside Vamps have legions Exeter. He has a of teenage superfans, DID YOU KNOW? younger sister, Millie, with some going so far and older brother as to pen romances Claire’s sells James.

- published on fan a life-size 6ft fiction websites - with cardboard Competition: Aged 16, Tristan as the hero.

Tristan was a finalist cutout of in the UK’s Young Neigh: Tristan was a Tristan, for Drummer of the Year keen rider when he £25 competition. Tristan was younger and has a said at the time: “I look horse called Izzy, who forward to playing lives in Devon with his for the judges, meeting the other parents. drummers and seeing what I could achieve in the future.”

Starting out: The Vamps formed in 2012 and insist (despite comparisons), Rock: Tristan played in two bands they are altogether different to One with school friends: Malicious and Direction, as they put themselves The Midnight Orange Monkeys, together and write much of their own playing gigs at Mama Stone’s, in hit material.

Exeter.

Love life: Tristan is dating gorgeous Music-minded Tristan studied for London-based makeup artist and a diploma at Exeter’s Academy of model Anastasia Smith.

Music and Sound.

On the way up: The Vamps Fans: The Vamps have 2.28 million supported McFly on their Memory followers on Twitter... and counting!

Lane Tour and have also opened for Tristan initially met his fellow band acts such as the Wanted, JLS, Little members through Facebook.

Mix, Lawson and Demi Lovato.

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Interview

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sheron king

Creating a new life When Sheron King’s husband left her, prospects for this stay-at-home mum seemed bleak. Now, with an MA under her belt and her own thriving business, life looks so much better, she tells Becky Sheaves

ars and boxes line the shelves of the former dining room in Sheron King’s South Hams barn conversion, where she runs Mad Hatters, her craft business. “I need to have everything around me, as it is all so inspirational,” she explains, gesturing at the shelves full of intriguing fabrics, buttons and ceramics.

Mad Hatters was an idea born two years ago, when Sheron turned 50. Today, as well as making her own beautiful textile and ceramic creations – jewellery and artworks – she also runs courses in her studio, not to mention hen parties, children’s birthdays and corporate team-building events.

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There’s a lot going on, and a palpable sense of energy and creativity. It’s a far cry from the days when Sheron found herself alone, as a single mother to two young children, after her husband left her for someone else in 2002. “Back then, I just felt absolutely trashed,” she says, though she hastens to add: “It is all very amicable now. I truly believe something good can come out of something really bad.”

But back then, her newly-single status was a challenge financially as well as emotionally. Sheron was, at the time, a stay-at-home wife and mother with no career prospects. “I didn’t know what to do. So I went to get some career advice and they told me I had a lot of trans-

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‘My courses are always a lot of fun, the time just flies by’

ferable skills from my lifelong love of crafting, it was news which amazed me at the time,” she remembers. “But they were right: I discovered I could teach arts and crafts, and did a lot of work with Cornwall College and Plymouth College of Art, often teaching disadvantaged groups such as the unemployed or people with mental disabilities.

“At first, I would be dreadfully nervous standing up to speak in front of people but gradually my confidence grew.”

This work led to Sheron going to university in Plymouth to study for a BA in 3D design. “And then, when I was asked to stay on and do a Masters, I was really thrilled. That really did boost my confidence no end,” she says.

By the time she was awarded her MA, two years ago, Sheron’s son Josiah and daughter Daisy-Mae were on the verge of independence: Josiah is now 23 and a musician who runs a recording studio, while Daisy-Mae is 21 and just qualifying as a Norland nanny. So Sheron took the plunge and decided to set up her own craftbased business.“It wasn’t exactly a life-beginsat-50 moment,” she laughs. “But it was something I really did want to do. I just went for it.”

And so Sheron’s huge dining room became her studio. The long table now plays host to a

[

dozen or so sewing machines when she runs her textile courses, or a happily chattering group of little girls here for a creative birthday party. “It’s always a lot of fun, the time just flies by,” says Sheron, who multi-tasks by also knocking up a delicious rustic-style lunch or birthday tea for her visitors.

Recycling and upcycling is a key theme running throughout all of Sheron’s creations, she explains. “When I think back, I have always been a collector. I see potential in lots of things. I go to charity shops if I’m passing by. My own craft is a combination of textiles and ceramics, which is quite unusual. I love making textile jewellery, often with found objects such as buttons, teamed with upcycled fabrics.

“I also have a kiln and make ceramic vessels, which are very textile-like in style. I’ve always been creative but it wasn’t until I did craft when my children were younger, that I realised this is what makes me buzz. As time went on I become more interested in caring for the environment and making a bit of a statement. It’s become a passion.”

Sheron’s creations include bottle tops made into brooches, earrings beautifully crafted from old scraps of material. Some vintage paper found in a skip becomes a charming table centre piece

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with angels and flowers.

“My work is centred around objects or things that I collect. They could so easily be discarded but I save them and use them, re-celebrate them or reinvent them in a different way.”

Sheron admits her love of ceramics is not particularly “eco” but says: “It’s not really upcycling or recycling but my thing is when I fire, I only fire once, ‘from green’, as we say– I don’t do multiple firings, so that’s my way of saving energy.”

Sheron’s whole home reflects her lively, imaginative personality – her kitchen cupboards are bright pink and bunting decorates the hallway.

And hence the name of her business: “I was chatting with my son and we were going over names and Mad Hatters was one of the names that I thought kind of reflected my quirky, eclectic style. But it’s nothing to do with hats!”

Forthcoming events at Mad Hatters Studios near Sparkwell in Devon include a masterclass in felting on March 7/8 and a textile and found object jewellery workshop on April 11. Sheron King also offers birthday parties, hen parties and corporate events, for details visit www.madhattersstudios.com

WIN! A oneday course in ‘upcycled textiles and found object jewellery making’ worth £48 The courses take place at Mad Hatters Studios near Sparkwell in Devon on various dates, visit www. madhattersstudios.com for details To win, send your name, address and a daytime telephone number to: Mad Hatter Studios, westmag@westernmorningnews. co.uk to arrive by March 12 2015. Normal terms apply

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When Jamie met

Gennaro

Sarah Pitt has lunch with chef and TV star Gennaro Contaldo, Jamie Oliver’s mentor and business partner, in Exeter’s new Jamie’s Italian restaurant

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Interview

here’s a buzzing atmosphere in the Jamie’s Italian restaurant, which has only been open for a day when I visit. There are 35 restaurants now in Jamie Oliver’s chain across the UK, but this is the first west of Bristol and, in the heart of Exeter’s shopping district, Princesshay, the restaurant is causing a bit of a stir. People are stopping outside to peruse the menu. Others are opening the glass doors and coming in to ask for a table. It is lunchtime and the tables are rapidly filling up. And as they do, the heat in the

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kitchen is on the rise as the young chefs are busy cooking freshly-made pasta, spooning sauces and laying out platters of antipasti just so.

Among them, bustling with energy, darts the special guest for the day, down from London. It’s Gennaro Contaldo, the man who taught Jamie Oliver everything he knows about Italian cookery, now a business partner in the Jamie’s Italian chain. This is not merely a ceremonial visit - Gennaro, 66, has rolled his sleeves up and got stuck in from the moment he arrived off the London train. Indeed, he started the day teaching 17

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the chefs here a new dish, and now he’s bustling about clearing tables and chatting to customers, then he’s in the kitchen helping the chefs. He doesn’t sit down to eat lunch but pauses to wolf down a few mouthfuls of pasta in between swooping about, dispensing wisdom and bonhomie.

Somehow, amid all this, he’s even managing to share his ebullience with members of the local media, myself included. Greeting me like a long lost friend, he offers me a coffee (I’m tempted, but I’ve already had one) and then a glass of Prosecco (I’m even more tempted, but I’ve got to drive back to the office). Then we get down to business, perched on bar stools among the bustle, me scribbling, Gennaro gesticulating and sharing his story.

Gennaro first met Jamie Oliver when he walked into his kitchens, straight out of catering college in London more than 20 years ago, asking for a job. Gennaro was then working for fellow Italian Antonio Carluccio at Neal Street Restaurant in Covent Garden.

“Jamie turned up very early one morning, at about 7am, and I took him in. I thought he was asking for work experience at first, I didn’t realise that he was looking for a real job,” he says.

“There was a real attraction there. I wanted to say no, because there wasn’t really a job, but I couldn’t, so Jamie stayed.

[

“His aim was to learn everything about Italian food. I thought, ‘I have got so much experience, and now I have someone who wants to take it’. We became like father and son. What I saw in Jamie was a young boy full of life and passion, so incredibly talented in his cooking. He reminded me of me when I was his age. I saw another Gennaro.”

Gennaro had himself been seeking his fortune in the restaurant trade at Jamie’s age, coming to England aged 20 with the wisdom he’d gleaned

‘What I saw in Jamie Oliver was a young boy full of life and passion, so talented’ growing up in the town of Minori on the Amalfi coast. Here he learned everything about food from his father who, unusually at that time, did the cooking in the household, and - more typically - took Gennaro hunting in the hills.

Gennaro started working in a local restaurant at the age of eight, again in a parallel with Jamie Oliver, who grew up doing odd jobs and learning from the chefs in his parents’ pub in Essex.

“Jamie expressed himself with food,” says Gen-

naro. “He had this passion. I saw another Gennaro, more than another Gennaro in fact.

“One day, I was coming back from filming Food & Drink (the BBC programme) with Antonio Carluccio and Jamie was at the restaurant. He said ‘While I was waiting for you here I had a little dream that one of these days I would become very famous, make a little money and open a restaurant’. I said ‘that is fantastic’. Then he said ‘two restaurants’ then ‘three restaurants’ and he said: ‘Let’s open all over the world, we are going to do it!’

At the time it seemed like a pipe dream, and Gennaro went off and opened his own restaurant Passione (it was named ‘best Italian restaurant’ in London in 2005) while Jamie went to work at the River Café, where he got spotted by a TV crew and ended up with his own series on Channel 4. The rest is culinary history.

When Jamie hit on the idea of Jamie’s Italian, which he founded six years ago, he persuaded his old friend and mentor to leave his own restaurant to join him in business. “He said to me ‘big boy, shall we do it?’ I said to him, ‘I’ve got the most famous restaurant in London, why should I give that up?’ But he said, ‘Can you imagine how many young boys and girls we can teach how to cook Italian? We can give them a job’. He said ‘We are

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Interview

Preserving the Italian way Jamie and Gennaro’s menu One of the features of the menu at Jamie’s Italian are the colourful platters of antipasti – cured meats like salami, prosciutto and the Italian sausage mortadella, as well as Mediterranean vegetables preserved in oil and vinegar. Where Gennaro grew up on the Amalfi coast in southern Italy, preserving food was a way of bottling the colours and flavours of summer to enliven the lean winter months.

“Preserving food is an important job in the traditional Italian kitchen. It is a way of keeping the scents and flavours of produce long after they are in season,” says Gennaro.

“My family preserved all sorts of food and our larder was filled with jars of peppers, aubergines and courgettes preserved in oil and vinegar, as well as our precious tomatoes dried in the hot summer sun and as summer fruits made into jam or preserved in alcohol or syrup.

“I know you can find fresh produce all year round now, but I still love to preserve food in its season and enjoy it later in the year or to give as gifts.”

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Interview

going to create a big family of restaurants, and each restaurant is going to be the way we were working, you and me, and we are going to give them the best of everything. We are going to do those beautiful Italian dishes that you can’t get in Italy anymore.”

The menu, he says, is a joint effort between himself, chef Jules Hunt and Jamie. “Jamie gives things this beautiful twist,” he says. “Whereas once he learned from me, now I’m learning from him!”

They make their own pasta in the restaurant, use local produce alongside specialities from Italy and are big on training. “That is why we are so successful, making sure that everyone is doing their job to the best of their knowledge. We don’t mind where people come from, or what they were doing before.”

Gennaro says he wants to share his passion for the food of his youth. “We get all our lemons from the Amalfi coast because that is where I come from and they are the best. We will buy the best products, because they are good, then we’ll bargain on the price.”

When Jamie filmed his Jamie’s Italy series, he visited Gennaro’s father Francesco, then in his 90s, on the Amalfi coast, where they got on like a house on fire and Jamie cooked pasta with him, boiled in seawater. And apparently, Francesco really thought Jamie was his grandson, what with Gennaro telling him that the blond-haired boy from Essex was his son. “He said to me ‘big boy’, I love my grandchild.

And Jamie dedicated his book to Nonno Francesco and when he gave it to me I was in tears.

“And so my father died believing Jamie was his grandson and I’m not sorry about that, because to me he kind of is.”

Jamie’s Italian is at 20 Bedford Street, Exeter, www.jamieoliver.com

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Untitled-1 2

25/02/2015 14:13:52

If you’re thinking of giving your kitchen a fresh new look, there are lots of great ways to make this room the style hub of your home, suggests Gabrielle Fagan

Hey, good looking...

Dual range cooker Orianna £999ottoman and all £299 www. accessories John livingitup.co.uk Lewis

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Interiors Carradale Kitchen John Lewis

N

he recipe for a perfect kitchen is highly personal. There’s no one right ‘look’ - what matters is that this space suits you and the way you want to live. So, what is on offer

right now?

“There are several factors to take into account when choosing a kitchen,” advises Craig Burgess-Allen, UK manager for Rational kitchens. “Consider the style of the rest of your home, especially if you have an open-plan layout with spaces flowing into one another, as you want to avoid choosing a style which jars with the rest of your design scheme.

“Equally, don’t feel obliged in a period home to install a traditional kitchen. The priority is for a functional space, which is easy to work in and is visually appealing. Modern looks can be hugely successful as a stunning, calm pared-back contrast, when the rest of the house is highly embellished with flourishes and detail.”

It’s estimated that a kichen can add up to 7% to the value of a home. “Always consider the natural light available, and opt for light reflecting surfaces if it’s limited,” says Craig. “On a practical note, avoid glossy kitchen doors if you’re house proud and have small children, as they’ll show up every smudgy fingerprint!”

One trend in kitchens right now is for open shelves and glass-fronted cupboards, says Hayley Shaw, head of merchandising at Magnet. “Kitchens are no longer the place to hide your personal possessions. It’s time to express your personality and put your worldly goods on display for everyone to see. Glass-fronted cabinets and open shelves make it easy to quickly locate kitchen kit and personalise the room,” she says.

“The polar opposite of high gloss, in 2015 we’re getting touchy-feely in the kitchen, by introduc-

STYLE TIP: Always consider the natural light

Shaker Twist Kitchen Betta Living

available in your kitchen and opt for lightreflecting surfaces if daylight is limited

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Interiors Onada Kitchen in orchid pink Rational

ing rich textures to cabinets and worktops.

Mixing vintage materials with modern finishes adds instant character, and is extremely indulgent for those seeking cutting edge trends.”

Colour in a kitchen is massively on trend currently - green and cranberry are particularly popular and Nigella Lawson has just showcased a bright pink kitchen in her new post-divorce home. She’s rumoured to have spent around £100,000 on her new London kitchen now that sher has moved out of the house she shared with Charles Saatchi.

But remember that, although strongly coloured kitchen cabinets are fun, they are unlikely to add value to your house, says Amanda Watson, head of design at Betta Living.

“Painted doors in more neutral colours, like sage, chalk and grey, with maybe a central island painted in a warmer stronger shade, deliver a modern yet timeless look, which might be more advisable for those Nigella Lawson hoping their kitchen will help has just put in sel their home.”

Colour in splashbacks, walla new bright paper and fun paint effects pink kitchen, could be the perfect compromise. “Coloured walls and acrumoured cessories look amazing against to have cost gloss white or wood effect £100,000 doors, and mean you can fairly inexpensively update or pick up on new trends,” advises Amanda Watson.

But even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend, a simple facelift could be all that’s needed to create the kitchen of your dreams. “Replacing doors and drawer fronts can transform even the most outdated kitchen - there’s often no need to even empty the cupboards - and could be around half the cost of completely replacing a kitchen,” says Troy Tappenden, managing director of kitchen makeover company, Dream Doors.

“There are also simple substitutions which

[[

Lincoln kitchen Dream Doors

can gain valuable extra space in an existing kitchen, such as corner pull-out cupboards and extra deep pan drawers. Replacing a stained or damaged worktop is another easy way to refresh an old kitchen, and one popular option is to fit a new overlay over an old worktop. New handles and lighting will complete the transformation.”

Tiled splashbacks can really date a kitchen. “Re-tile with classic white tiles and accent with

a coloured grout for an up-to-the-minute look,” advises Claire O’Brien, trend manager at British Ceramic Tile.

Try their Cookhouse Metro Tile in white, £25 a square metre, contrasted with a fashionable teal grout.And if your heart’s desire truly is a designer kitchen beloved by the celebrities, consider bagging a bargain at Kitchensynch, a company which has ex-display and used designer kitchens at greatly reduced prices. Their range of high-end brands features style leaders such as Bulthaup and Poggenpohl. All in all, there are plenty of ways that you can have a fresh but functional kitchen to enjoy this springtime.

STYLE TIP: Replacing doors and drawer fronts

can transform even the most dated kitchen new handles and lighting will also help too.

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24/02/2015 14:47:07

Shopping

GET THE

LOOK

You can freshen up your kitchen by adding in a few choice items this spring

Bip floor lamp, £200 Habitat

Large black wall clock, £130 Habitat

Cookhouse Metro tiles £25/ meter with teal grout, British Ceramic Tile

Hemnes glass-fronted cabinet, £250 Ikea 25

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24/02/2015 14:47:27

Gardens

ANNE SWITHINBANK

Fleeting blooms Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, is planning her borders for the new season arch is here at last and my garden a year out while settling into their new bed. is waking up after the chill of My husband John doesn’t like peonies, or any February. Hellebores love our clay other plant whose show of flowers is fleeting. soil here in East Devon and have For his borders, he prefers structural specimens, given me another fabulous display, with interesting foliage, a long flowering period overlapping with the start of the daffodils. Honey- or both. He doesn’t much care for oriental poppies scented fuzzy yellow flowers on the paper bush or irises either, for the same reason. I admit, their (Edgeworthia chrysantha) outside my office door have opened against bare stems and are proving popular with insects like bees, hoverflies and butterflies emerging from hibernation. Nothing seems to be in too much of a hurry and I’m hoping for a steady spring to favour the flowering, pollination and set of plums, apricots, pears and apples.

There’s always a rush to complete jobs that should be done while plants are still dormant and I’m relieved There’s always a the red buds of herbaceous peonies are only just showing rush to complete against their dark crowns, jobs that should because I still have two to be done while move. I would have preferred to do this in autumn but need plants are still to clear an overgrown bed. dormant: I Peonies put down long, thick anchoring roots and are happy need to move to grow with grass right up to two peonies their stems, so you can almost naturalise them in a meadowlike situation. However the grass needs to be kept low and free of docks and nettles. Lifting peonies is always a scary process because even if you dig carefully around the clump, some thick roots will snap. Replanted immediately into good soil, their crowns must stay at the surface as burying them can prevent flowering. I’m expecting ours to take

M

individual blooms don’t last long but to me they are almost more precious and celebrated because they are short-lived. I don’t like my borders looking the same for months on end and enjoy sudden eruptions and crescendos as plants rise up, bloom and fade back again. Every day you can wander out and notice a new flower opening. The

[[

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new red stems of peonies are most attractive and their buds are fabulous. Those of the commonly grown ‘Festive Maxima’ for instance, break into white with raspberry ripple flecks before bursting. Always give peonies good soil and an open position with no competition from nearby shrubs.

Oriental poppies (Papaver orientale) sometimes need the support of some herbaceous plant props, or a sudden downpour will flatten their stems.

Bristly buds split to reveal eruptions of crimped silky petals, soon opening to the most amazing blooms. My favourites tend to be the soft pink or pale salmon coloured ones, such as ‘Cedric Morris’ or ‘Mrs. Perry’ but there are vibrant reds and oranges, mostly reaching up to 90cm (3ft).

Once they’ve finished flowering in early summer, you can shear all the growth back to tidy them up and they’ll regrow a much neater crown of leaves, happy to sit in the background until dying back for winter. These showy poppies are great for a sunny situation in well-drained soils and are drought tolerant.

The individual blooms of bearded or ‘flag’ iris might not hang around for long but the plants are narrow enough to use in quantity given full sun and well drained soil. The show starts with shorter varieties, is picked up by those of medium height and finishes with the tallest. Their swordlike leaves make strong shapes in amongst more amorphous foliage. Some, like ‘Kent Pride’ have bluish purple tones to their leaves and this tall

variety bears reddish brown flowers.

I guess the joy of Japanese flowering cherries lies in anticipation too. This has started for me already, as I’m watching the buds fatten towards twiggy branch tips. I love the whole performance, from bursting buds to the drifting of spent petals, and in April and May there are few finer sights than blossom against blue sky. Can’t wait.

Q

My wisteria trained against the house wall is looking very poorly and many of the spurs and buds are shrivelled and dead.

There was a spate of sickly wisterias after the harsh winter of 2010 when severe cold split the bark of older stems and caused die back or the loss of whole plants. I think we are still seeing the after effects of this, which weakened plants and left them vulnerable to diseases and waterlogging.

Carrying out not just the shortening of spurs but extensive pruning close to the growing season can also sometimes cause die back.

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

Anne’s advice for your garden

• C ut back tall ungainly stems of Verbena bonariensis.

They will sprout new shoots to grow strong and produce heads of purple flowers from high summer to autumn, much-loved by insects.

• Weed out unwanted ivy where it is growing like a weed near painted house walls. Ivy clings with stem roots and when peeled away, leaves unsightly marks behind.

Question time with Anne West reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank

This week’s gardening tips

Q

I planted some hyacinth bulbs into pots and left them in an unheated greenhouse for the winter. Some started to show but others have gone mouldy.

I do this sometimes and usually get away with it but we are not really going by the book.

Horticulturally, you either plant hyacinth bulbs into a border or large patio container outdoors, setting them 13-16cm/5-6in deep. Because they are outside, they remain dormant until the weather is warm enough for them to grow. Insulated by soil, they rarely fail. Or, you can force the bulbs.

One way to do this is to plant them in smaller pots (one per 9cm/3.5in) or several to a 15cm/6in pot with the tips showing and place them outdoors against a low wall. You pile spent compost or well-drained soil over them and leave them there all winter until their buds show. They are then brought indoors to continue growing. Sometimes bulbs are set in bowls of bulb fibre, tips showing, and kept in a cool dark cupboard before being placed in a warmer room. But planted shallowly in small pots in an unheated greenhouse, the shoots develop early and are them vulnerable to frost damage during cold snaps.

• Sow lettuce into pots and leave on the staging to germinate or warm slightly, as lettuce seeds don’t

like to germinate in high temperatures. Transplant individually to pots or modules, harden off and plant out.

• Move around borders cutting back dead stems, tickle soil over being careful to avoid bulbs, apply fertilizer to plants which didn’t do too well last year and mulch between plants.

• Recut ragged lawn edges, using a half moon tool.

Mark straight runs using a line and ‘draw’ curves before cutting them. Flick soil up and away from the edges.

Sow onions direct or to pots, or buy in onion sets to plant out when soil conditions allow.

Water cacti and succulents which have remained dry throughout winter in a cool, bright place. However leave lithops (pebble plants) until May, watering only after the old pair of leaves have shrivelled and the new ones grown through.

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24/02/2015 14:50:00

Beauty

Tried

& tested

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

Shine on Spritz dry hair with Satinique’s Shine Spray (£14.50) for frizzmanaging shine. Loved the results of combing through after shampoo and conditioning. www.amway.co.uk

Wake up happy No time for a facial? Then sleep on it!

Body Shop’s new Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask has been designed to leave on overnight. How easy is that? £22 at www.thebodyshop.co.uk

Eyes right New this month, Benefit’s roller lash is eyelash-tastic.

The clever brush divides, separates and curls. Tilly’s been on a roll since she tried it!

Benefit Roller Lash £19.50 www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk

LIP FIX Neal’s Yard Remedies founder Dr Romy Fraser is now behind Trill Farm in Axminster. These lovely herbal balms are first-aid for lips in a fix. £3 each from www.trillfarm. co.uk

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the review CORRECT! Don’t be alarmed: Stila’s CC cream is green, but magically corrects and evens out your skin tone and protects with SPF20. £30, www.stila.co.uk.

Beauty news:

Improve your skin from the inside out Abbie Bray discovers a new way to nourish your complexion s women, we all want our skin to look and feel the best that it can be. So, we accumulate cleansers, toners, moisturisers and the numerous other potions we have knocking around our bathroom cupboards. But have you ever thought about taking care of your skin from the inside?

Skinade is an all-natural supple- business successfully for 11 years. These ment, a daily drink that days, Julie has expanded works from the inside her business over the out. Skinade contains years to offer specialised no artificial flavours skin and aesthetics treatIts powerful or colouring and fewer ments. than 35 calories. It has a Julie has been drinkingredients are natural flavour of peach ing Skinade since last mainly organic and mangosteen and is September: “I absoluteand can help packed full of active inly love it. My nails are gredients that work tostronger, my hair doesn’t with the natural gether to make your skin fall out as much and collagen formamore radiant. With Vimy skin has never felt tamin C, Omegas 3 and so plumped up. We sell tion.

6 and Marine Collagen, a lot of Skinade at the its powerful ingredients clinic and it is a drink for are mainly organic and everyone. Even my son can help with the natural collagen for- drinks it - it has helped to clear up his acne.” mation.

Skinade costs £90 for a 30-day supply, The Beresford Clinic, home to cos- and the manufacturers say you will see a metic and non-surgical treatments dramatic difference in your skin within a in Bishopsteignton, is a well-known month of drinking it daily. So, could this be supplier for Skinade. Director Julie the new “inside” secret to flawless skin?

Mackay set up the clinic initially to For more details, visit www.beresfordclinic. offer detox treatments and has run her co.uk or call 01626 777027

A

JUST RIGHT Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation has a bottle designed to dispense just the right amount of coverage. It also contains Scarlet Spiderling Root extract to give even skin tone. £32, www.narscosmetics.co.uk

Polished Balance Me’s Super Toning Body Polish smells like a posh spa treatment and scrubs away dead cells, leaving skin feeling great. Leave on a few minutes before rinsing, for an all-over hydrating mask. £18 from www.balanceme.co.uk

[[

Win skincare worth £90!

We have four sets of Skinade supplements to win, courtesy of The Beresford Clinic in Bishopsteignton. Each is worth £90 To win, send your name, address and contact details to: Skinade Competition, westmag@westernmorningnews. co.uk to arrive by March 15 2015. Normal terms apply

Win

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

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24/02/2015 15:01:03

Fashion

Out of the blue This season, denim’s not just for jeans - it’s the must-have fabric for spring’s new look lue denim has been around forever, of course. But this spring the perennial fabric’s looking fresh and new, popping up everywhere from skirts to shirts to shoes. Yes, denim is hot right now, and this, we think, is a good thing - it’s soft, flattering AND washes brilliantly. Channel the trend with a denim skirt or jacket, or - if you want to make more of a “I’ve got my finger on the fashion pulse” statement - then a denim dress will demonstrate that you really know your stuff.

B

La Redoute £49

New Look £24.99

Primark £8

Miss Selfridge skirt £35

East £99

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Miss Selfridge £42

Ea st de ni m bo m be r £8 9

Phase Eight Cecily top £49

Juicy Couture LA patch jacket £250

Cath Kidston £80

Denim dress £24.99 lookagain.co.uk 31

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Trend Coat, River Island, Princesshay, £69 T-shirt, River Island, Princesshay, £20

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

Jeans, River Island, Princesshay, £35

HOW TO WEAR IT:

Bag, River Island, Princesshay, £40

Duster Coats

Shoes, River Island, Princesshay, £50

Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod on the delights of a longline coat little length adds a lot of elegance.

Which is why I am delighted that longer coats and cardigans are a key silhouette to try right now.

Buying one in the right weight will take you through spring and can be whipped out again just in time for Autumn, and it was with this self-righteous mantra in my head that I hit the shops. I wanted classy, but with a bit of edge, and River Island never lets me down in that respect. Success was certain. I was focused, armed with payday determination, and had done my research Mrs Kardashian West (You know her, wife of Kanye West, that nice bloke who helped a littleknown musician called Paul MCCartney) is a fan of this look, and her hemlines often skim along just a few inches from the I was focused, ground. For a lot of us however, this just isn’t practical. We live armed with in England, this equals puddles, payday wet hems, and a look decidedly more drenched than diva. determination, Especially if you are petite and had done my like me, aim for knee length, as looking like you have borrowed research your mother’s clothes for a round of dressing up is not very Oh how I long to emulate her. sexy.

There are just a few things holding Kim’s younger sister Kylie me back. 1) I live in the aforemen(not to be confused with Ms Minogue) is also a tioned England. White shorts need tanned pins, fan of the look, so much so that bloggers around and mine are more fluorescent than fabulous at the globe have dubbed her the poster child for the the moment. 2) I am over 30, so not sure how well duster coat. Whether is flying in the family’s pria tight, white, ultra short combo will sit when out vate plane (as you do) making a coffee run or getfor a friend’s birthday. One doesn’t like to look ting dolled up for a night out, she hits the longlike one has been hired to jump out of a cake. 3) length nail on the head every time.

It’s freezing here, seemingly always.

One of my favourite looks of hers is the whitRiver Island to the rescue. I’ll start with the est of white (short) shorts, with a white tee, top. You’d never know, but it has slits up both heeled gladiators, a fawn fedora, fringed bag, and sides that go the whole way up to just below my topped off with a longline soft blue coat (worn bra line. Aren’t I daring! The jeans - ripped at wide open of course.) the knee. Forget daring. I’m fearless! I feel so au-

A

thentically fierce that I start to think I might as well pack it all in and sign on as a roadie with the Foos. Then I remember how much I like manicures, and having my hair done at Saks, and designing my beloved magazine. This needed softening.

All I had to do was pop on this lavender coat, and my more sophisticated side got a look in.

Paired with grey pointed courts and a structured bag, the overall effect is undeniably classy and fun, in a girl-that-you’d-like-to-be-best-friendswith kind of way. I wonder if Kylie wants to go see 50 Shades with me? We could take the plane.

All fashion in these pictures is from Princesshay Shopping Centre, Exeter, www.princesshay.com

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RIVER ISLAND geometric coat £60

MONSOON SS15 Allegra coat £79

GET THE

look RIVER ISLAND roll cuff duster £60

RIVER ISLAND grey heels £50

STREET STYLE HERO Julia Reyna Estate agent Exeter/Spain

DEBENHAMS RJR. John Rocha Coat £250

Coat - Vivienne Westwood Bag - Mulberry Leggings - Zara Boots - Dune Glasses - Rayban Scarf - a market find

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25/02/2015 12:19:00

TheMarleGallery CONTEMPORARY FINE ART

Fantastic occasion wear bargains in our The Marle Gallery is proud to present work from exceptional young artists under the age of 19

CLEARANCE SALE New season stock also now arriving

7 March - 4 April

10am - 5pm Tuesday - Saturday

TheMarleGallery 29 Fore St. Okehampton, Devon EX20 5HB 01837659300 • www.angelokehampton.co.uk

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

25/02/2015 14:20:56

Events

The hotlist: There’s plenty to do right now here in the Westcountry, from seafood school to comedy for kids

#1 #2

Birds, Bees and other Subjects Totnes, until March 7 Peek into the world through artist Sarah Bowman’s eyes: she specialises in oils of Westcountry harbours glimpsed from cottage windows, pastoral scenes and still life. There’s also the chance to buy the paintings in her exhibition at the White Space Art gallery www.whitespaceart.com

4. Comedy 4 Kids

Great Torrington, March 8 Children aged six and over will love James Campbell’s hilarious stand-up comedy show - and the same applies to the young at heart who love a laugh.

Tickets £7.50 (buy three, get one free). Book at: www. theploughartscentre.org.uk

2. Mystery objects Colyton, March 4

#4 3. No-fear fish

#3

Philleigh, March 7 Clueless about seafood? Learn to identify, fillet and get creative with all sorts of fish, with George Pascoe at the Philleigh Way cookery school on the Roseland Peninsula. Simple, tasty recipe ideas you’ll want to try at home. £130 including lunch and drinks, book on 01872 580893

Guess the original purpose of this mystery artefact and other weird relics of bygone ages at Colyton History Society’s Call My Bluff Antiques Quiz at the Town Hall.

Auctioneers Bearnes Hampton & Littlewood will be bringing along items with fact and fictional provenances, but can you tell a winning answer from a whopper ?

The fun starts at 7pm.

Tickets £7.50 from Little Shop, Colyton Pharmacy or call 01297 552460

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Discover

culture vulture The superb new guide to the arts scene in the South West by our woman-in-the-know, Sarah Pitt Funny festival Hooray! The Dartmouth Comedy Festival is back for a ninth year, with an awesome line up scheduled between March 3 and 7. Stand up comedy joy at the The Flavel Arts Centre includes an evening with comedian Tiffany Stevenson, right,. Tickets are £10 or book a £34 package which also includes two beauty treatments at the nearby Cove salon. There’ll also be rib-tickling magic from TV conjurer extraordinaire Peter Firman and on Saturday, Alexei Sayle, below, will be giving a preview of his second volume of his memoirs. Self-deprecating, scathing, warm and hilarious, if you’ve not seen Alexei live before, don’t miss it - you’ ve probably already booked, if you’ve previously had the pleasure!

Full events diary and details at: theflavel.org.uk

Play for today Two guys. One urn. No Clue. Plymouth’s Cyclone theatre company is already in talks with potential London venues about its new play, 603 Miles which will open at Exeter’s Cygnet Theatre in June and also play at the Barnstaple Fringe Festival. The play, written by Marion MacBeth, sees estranged brothers (Sam Pomeroy and Matt Keast) brought together on a journey to take their father’s ashes back to Ireland. The hitch? Their crafty dad’s instructed in his will that the feuding pair can’t go by car or public transport, must only use the money he’s left in an envelope and ‘show their old man a good time’ on the way. We can’t wait! cyclonetheatre.com

Judy’s latest page-turner Judy Finnigan’s love of the Cornwall, where she and husband Richard Madeley have had a second home for many years, shines through in her haunting new book I Do Not Sleep. You have to love the county to really know it and I’d agree with those who have already noted echoes of Daphne Du Maurier in Judy’s own vivid portrayal of this part of the world. Prepare to be drawn in by this tale of a grieving mother drawn back to the Cornwall, where her son disappeared, in search of answers, reconciliation and peace. A real page turner.

I Do Not Sleep is published by Sphere books in hardback, £16.99 36

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Enjoy A WEEKEND IN...

Dulverton Street

Dulverton Du lve rto n De li

B

ring wellies, the dog and wrap up warm to enjoy Exmoor’s gorgeous great outdoors around pretty Dulverton.

Where to stay: Holworthy

Farm B&B on the edge of Wimbleball Lake is just six miles from the town and has been offering lovely traditional real farm-stays for more than 30 years. A stay here costs from £33 per person, www.holworthyfarm. co.uk. Bed (and a Visit England award-winning breakfast) at the Three Acres country house costs from £45 per person per night and it can also accommodate private house parties in its six guest rooms, see www.threeacresexmoor.co.uk Dinner can also be booked at both guest houses.

Oudoor fun: There’s masses to do all year round at Wimbleball Lake, including kayaking, windsurfing, sailing, rowing, archery, climbing and bushcraft. It’s managed by the South West Lakes Trust, see what’s on and how to book at www.swlakestrust.org.uk. Cast a fly for trout at

Numbe r Seven Dulver ton

the lake’s fishery from March onwards, or ‘lap the lake’ on a ramble around a 10 mile path through some stunning woods and countryside, before thawing out in front of a log burner in the Trust’s tea rooms.

Storywalk: Number Seven Dulverton not only sells art, crafts, prints and new books, but is the hub of a walking book club. The club holds regular events, where you can discuss the latest recommended read as you explore the great outdoors. Families will love Christopher Jelley’s award winning Exmoor Storywalks; free downloads of local tales that lead you along secret paths and inspire you to create pieces of art along the way! www.numbersevendulverton.co.uk Eat:

Tong Dam Thai restaurant in the town centre has a mouthwatering menu, including

some amazing salads among its mains: Try Larb Kai; minced chicken tossed in chili powder and fresh lime juice, served with spring onions, shallots, roasted ground rice and mint. Dessert?

Coy Chilli ice cream! It can pack walkers a picnic and also offers B&B inspired by the East from £60 per room. Woods in Bank Square includes home-reared pork and chicken on its menus: Pork Liver with black pudding, creamed potatoes and caramelised onion sauce (£9.50) is among the light lunch options.

Shop: Buy local cheeses, meat and speciality produce at Farthings Farm Shop on Bridge Street and you’ll also find delicious treats at the Dulverton Deli. Rothwell & Dunworth is a real book lover’s paradise - from antique editions, to out-of-print page-turners, there are thousands to browse.

Wimbleball Lake 37

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24/02/2015 14:14:17

Simply

Fascinating Sarah Pitt talks to Dillie Keane of Fascinating Aida about growing older disgracefully and her forthcoming shows in Cornwall and Devon

Dillie, Liza and Adele from Fascination Aida.

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Interview

illie Keane is well-spoken in speech and in song. You could call the founder of cabaret all-girl group Fascinating Aida a lady. So it makes it all the funnier when, as she merrily tickles the ivories on stage, she enunciates the most outrageous lyrics as if she was just singing about taking tea with the vicar.

“We saw Fascinating Aida last night and laughed until it hurt, what fun,” writes one delighted fan on their website. “Straight home to Google ‘dogging’, as instructed.”

Of course, being bawdy is an English tradition, and Dillie is philosophical about the odd audience member walking out on her more risqué material. “We don’t set out to offend people, but you wouldn’t be successful as a satirist if you didn’t occasionally cross over that line,” she says.

“I didn’t go into show business because I’m a retiring personality.”

The programme performed by Dillie and costars Adele Anderson and Liza Pulman is a varied one, but uniformly brilliant. Some of their songs are satirical, poking fun at political figures like UKIP’s Nigel Farage, while others lampoon absurd aspects for modern life. Who could resist YouTube hit Cheap Flights, which sees Dillie, Adele and Liza performing a trilling Irish folk harmony about the perils of booking a flight for 50p?

There are occasional slow

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and sad songs too, like Dillie’s moving tribute to her late mother, Look Mummy, No Hands.

Dillie, now 62, founded the group back in 1983.

She made her first appearance on TV that year and has, in recent years, been one of the feisty famous females invited to take part in the show Grumpy Old Women. Being on stage remains her mainstay, though, and fans love the live shows.

Did she think she would still be on the road with her irresistible cabaret after more than 30 years?

“I certainly didn’t,” says Dillie. “It is all a horrible shock!” While members of the trio have come and gone, Adele Anderson is the other great mainstay of Fascinating Aida, providing the bass notes to Dillie’s mezzo vocals.

Adele, also 62, is a transsexual and changed gender after university. Stability on the soprano front was achieved some 11 years ago when Liza showed up.

“Basically we kept having to give up the group because sopranos would leave us. It was hard to get someone who loves it as much as Adele and I do,” says Dillie. “Then, just as we were about to wind up for good, Liza joined us. She was just so good and very nice so we carried on. It is a much better balanced group now.”

While Fascinating Aida are popular on You Tube, they are even more so live, with performances selling out weeks in advance.

“People come up to us after a performance and say: you should be available on the NHS. If I had a pound for every time people said that to us I would be a rich woman,” says Dillie. “People come and say ‘Oh my God, I wish I’d discovered you years ago’. The show is witty and sharp and,

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without patting ourselves on the back, it is intelligent, and we do have enormous fun on stage.

“I think our style has evolved over the years.

It has become more polished and more political.

We have a series of very very short songs called the Bulgarian Songs, which we write all the time, every day if necessary. They tend to be about politics and we will express things that people might not generally say comfortably.”

The current tour, Charm Offensive, ends with a ballad called Your Home Town, which the trio rewrite for whichever town they are visiting. So Dillie and Adele, the songwriting duo, will be getting their pens out for their dates at the Hall for Cornwall, Truro on March 7 (a few tickets are still available) and the Northcott Theatre in Exeter on March 8 (already sold out).

“We played Hall for Cornwall two weeks after it opened, back in 2003, Adele and I were in panto there,” she says. “We love the Westcountry.”

Dillie promises that Cheap Flights will be on the bill for the night. “We wouldn’t dare leave it out!” And for all those who come especially for the ruder parts of the programme will not be disappointed. “We will turn the air of Lemon Quay blue,” promises Dillie cheerily.

This is the best time to catch the ladies for some time, as after the tour they will be taking a break from being Fascinating Aida for a while. But they will be back, Dillie promises. “I’m not planning to retire, I’ll just do a bit less” she says. “And Liza is practising pushing us, using a hostess trolley.”

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‘After a performance, people come up saying: You should be available on the NHS’

Fascinating Aida play Hall for Cornwall on Saturday, March 7. See www.hallforcornwall.co.uk 39

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THE DEER PARK HOTEL

High tea

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Suffice to say, it was completely fabulous.

Those French-style macaroons, made with

By Becky Sheaves ground almonds, are notoriously difficult to get ’ve been to not one, not two but right, but Hadleigh’s were exquisite, with smooth three tea parties just recently, shiny tops so perfect it’s hard to believe they were which to me sounds like a bit of a made with a piping bag (and a very steady hand). trend. And I’ve thoroughly enjoyed Next, my relatives came down from London each of them, which means it is a and we took them out for a high tea at a very cute trend that I like. So, why is this most retro and little café called Tea & Tittle Tattle in Budleigh (for years) neglected of meals Salterton. becoming quite the cool thing Again, it was marvellous and once again, I wonder? we and the kids slowly scoffed As ever, the My first tea party was at the our way through gorgeous little debate raged delectable Combe House Hotel sandwiches, some seriously in Gittisham, near Honiton. special raspberry meringues between the Food magazine (which is a great and feather-light scones. The ‘jam on last-ers’ read, if you’re interested in all debate, as always, raged between and the ‘cream things Westcountry and foodie) the “jam on last-ers” and the was holding a shindig there “cream-on-tops”. Half of our on tops’. We’re for the nominees in its annual family is Cornish (including me) half Cornish, awards. So, the clientele was and the rest staunchly Devon. I half Devon a lot of seriously good chefs will maintain till my dying day (and me). Little surprise then, that you should put jam on first, that Hadleigh Barrett, Combe then top it with a proud dollop House’s head chef, admitted of clotted cream. Meanwhile, to having been “up since 6am” preparing the my Devon relatives insist that the cream is, spread. metaphorically speaking, the butter, and should

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24/02/2015 14:08:52

4 of the best Places for High Tea

PHOTOS: GRW PHOTOGRAPHY

Lewtrenchard Manor

go on first, with jam on top. To which, my answer can sometimes be to recite the following rhyme: “Devon born and Devon bred. Strong in the arm and thick in the head”. Which needless to say goes down really well.

Having said that, as long as the jam and the cream are equally generous, I daresay it doesn’t really matter which goes on the scone first. But I’d never admit that to my husband John, who has lived in Devon all his life.

Anyway, when it came to celebrating my mum’s 70th birthday last weekend, it was clear to me that this was an occasion that called for a tea party. And not at my place, as I’m not up to making macaroons. Tea & Tittle Tattle is lovely, but with the prospect of six kids under 12, I worried that there wouldn’t be enough space for roaming and playing. Combe House, alas, was closed for renovations. So I asked around.

Anyone know somewhere lovely for a celebration tea party?

How about, suggested my friend, the Deer Park Hotel? So we booked up a High Tea for 11, and off we went.

The first impressions were really good. The Deer Park is a beautiful manor house set in seriously gorgeous grounds. You sweep up a tree-lined drive, then come in through a grand entrance to the stately home. “We’ve put you in here, so you have a room to yourselves,” said the friendly front-of-house chap, and showed us into an elegant Georgian drawing room. There was a large table all laid out, just for us, with colourful vintage porcelain and a tray of juice for the kids, plus champagne for the grown-ups.

There then ensued a bit of faffing around, as various of the kids rushed outside to the lawned garden (complete with working fountain) to let off steam. My two boys had travelled just a few miles but my sister and her four children had driven all the way down from London. This was the perfect venue for them, as there was a very relaxed attitude to children. My only worry was the fountain, which seemed to act with a sort of magnetic force, but despite them circling it with intent all afternoon (and my nephew Thomas walking its little edge wall like a tightrope) no child did actually fall in.

Inside, there was plenty of space for the children to play with Lego (we brought a box along) and, finally, we all managed to sit

ourselves down.

Along came several teapots of good quality leaf tea, plus cake stands laden with all sorts of good things: sandwiches, scones, macaroons and other petit fours, as well as chunks of fruit cake and some little loaf-baked lemon cakes.

It was all terrific, though I would – if I was being very critical – suggest the scones were a bit crumbly. Mum had a lovely time, every one of her grandchildren was there and all behaved impeccably. This was due not only to the constant abundance of cake but also to the fact that there was so much safe outdoor space in which to wander. It was quiet when we visited on a Sunday afternoon – just a few residents enjoying the newspapers in the other lounge – but even so, the whole atmosphere was so family-friendly.

William, aged nine, was even allowed to tinkle out his rendition of Chattanooga Choo-Choo on the grand piano in the hall.

Finally, Mum distributed her “Granny Rewards” to the kids: six royal purple velvet bags with golden cord drawstrings (run up by her and a pal, just for fun) each containing a handsome quantity of gold coins. Filled with chocolate, of course.

I am quite sure all the children present will remember Granny’s 70th birthday party vividly, as will all of us grown-ups too. It was a really magical afternoon, and I can’t thank the Deer Park Hotel enough for looking after us all so beautifully. If you’re planning for a Mother’s Day treat for March 15, I’d certainly recommend it.

The Deer Park Hotel, Weston, near Honiton 01404 41266

How they scored...

1 The Nare Hotel, Veryan

This elegant hotel overlooks the sea on The Roseland in south Cornwall.

It serves wonderful teas in The Quarterdeck dining room Prices: Tea and cake £8, Captain’s High Tea (with smoked salmon and a glass of Taittinger whisky) £28 Contact: 01872 500000

2 Combe House Hotel, Gittisham

Serving the Rolls Royce of high teas, with seriously good pastry chef skills on offer, this charming manor house in East Devon is the perfect setting.

Prices: High tea £24.50. with champagne £36.50 Contact: 01404 540400

3 Lewtrenchard Manor, Okehampton

Set in lovely grounds, this stately home hotel has terrific teas on offer.

Combine your stay with a walk in the gardens or a stay overnight in the luxury bedrooms.

Prices: High tea £17.50, with champagne £26.50 Contact: 01566 783222

4 Tea & Tittle Tattle, Budleigh Salterton

Food

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Atmosphere

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Service

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Price

High tea with champagne costs £25 per head

A very pretty and friendly high street cafe/restaurant that serves a Vintage High Tea between 2-4pm. Expect truly superb baking, with all the trimmings booking is advisable.

Prices: High tea £12.50 (Local Budleigh Salterton crab sandwiches, £2 extra) Contact: 01395 443203

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24/02/2015 14:09:41

Ingredient of the Week

Cress

with Tim Maddams hatever happened to cress? It seems that this little sprout was the finest and most modern of salad drawer items when I was a child, but these days you hardly ever see it on menus. And that’s a shame because, whether or not it’s cool, it has a nice flavour and quite a lot going for it.

Before I go on I need to get a few things off my chest. We are not talking about watercress, bitter cress, land cress or any other such tasty but very different plants. What we are talking about here is good, old-fashioned cress, grown in many a primary school on a flannel or in an eggshell cress, the two or three week old shoots of the plant Lepidium sativum.

It is sometimes called garden cress to distinguish it from the new kids on the block. But what I mean is the type you would expect to find in a good egg sandwich. There is a trend these days for “micro cress” which are the tiny infants of herb seeds, like basil, coriander and ameranth.

They are tasty, beautiful and, if used correctly, lend a certain valid sophistication to certain

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dishes. Sadly, the use of these microherbs is often poorly thought out. Often they are seldom more than a trendy garnish at best, making the dish look a little more appealing and at worst spoiling it. No one wants coriander cress in a traditional fish soup, unless it’s a traditional asian fish soup of course, in which case you probably would. But you see my point.

So poor old cress has been left in the shade by these strikingly brazen hussies on the microherb shelf and this is a shame as cress has a great flavour all of its own, and its spicy, peppery edge lends itself well to lots of applications.

The most recent cress invention in my kitchen here has been the birth of the bacon, curd cheese and cress sandwich. Cress yoghurt makes and excellent dip for raw veg and spicy pakoras too.

So, give cress a second chance, it’s cheap, tasty, fresh and abundant though growing your own will give you a far better taste then buying it as its often hydroponically grown. Growing it at home couldn’t be simpler and of course it will keep very well in the fridge if you don’t chop it off when it reaches its desired height.

Ways with cress:

I love cress on venison carpaccio or as a garnish for a chilled parsley soup. I love cress in egg sandwiches and, in fact, it makes a great garnish for most egg dishes. I also think it goes rather well with cucumber and yoghurt as well as smoked fish and salads. Try it with scallops and see what you think. @TimGreenSauce

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

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24/02/2015 15:02:06

Drink Porter: making something of a comeback these days

Beer of the week Bath Ales: Golden Hare The appearance of Golden Hare on a bar is a sure sign that spring is here. Although it’s available all year round in bottles, the cask version of this beer is eagerly anticipated as a three-month seasonal, available from February to April. It’s a light, easy drinking, 4.4% ABV golden ale with orange and lemon citrus notes and some balancing honey sweetness. Winter is gone.

Please, Mr Chancellor Brewing and pub industry groups are uniting in their call for Chancellor George Osborne to cut beer duty for a third year in a row, in the Budget later this month. The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) says 16,000 new jobs have been created in the pub and brewing sectors thanks to the 2013 and 2014 duty cuts.

Darren Norbury

talks beer hat goes around, comes around they say. Well yes, I suppose it would, wouldn’t it? Anyway, go back to the mid-18th century and porter was one of Britain’s favourite beer styles. Ask the person on the street now about porter, and chances are most wouldn’t even be able to identify it. And yet, this dark, malt-driven brew has been making something of a comeback in the last few years.

Ask a beer aficionado for a character profile of porter and they are likely to describe a maltforward, roast flavoured dark beer, with more hop character than a mild, but nonetheless favouring sweetness over bitterness. And it was this sweetness that, two and a half centuries back, made porter the drink of the working man.

Anecdotes tell us that the brew was given the name porter after the porters who plied their trade around London at the time, fetching and carrying long before the days of white van man.

The sweetness, therefore, was helpful in replacing lost energy, as well as the beer quenching the thirst of these busy labourers.

These days, well, porter gives brewers their chance to show off their skills with malt in a world where hops are very much the usual top billing. One of my favourites is 1872 Porter (6.5% ABV) from Elland Brewery, Leeds, recently judged champion winter beer of Britain for a

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third time. It’s complex, with bitter chocolate, coffee and port notes, but also warming and comforting. The runner-up was a porter, too – Bath Ales’ Festivity.

Down this way, look out for Coastal Brewery St Piran’s Porter (6% ABV), South Hams Brewery Devon Porter (5%), Tavy Ales Porter (5.2%) and, for something a bit different, Edwin Tucker’s Empress Russian Porter, weighing in at a hefty 10.5%, brewed by Teignworthy Brewery in Newton Abbot.

I spent a 20-minute bus break recently in the delightful company of Harbour Brewing Co’s Porter No 1, made just outside Bodmin, and it exemplifies the style: smooth, roast malt flavour, but without the heaviness of a stout and beery fruit notes with some hop bitterness on the end.

Porter is in vogue and if you seek out a decent beer bar or real ale pub you should find some good examples. The recipes are all about lightness of touch with hops, but ensuring the malt doesn’t over-sweeten the brew, which makes it a good challenge for the new young vanguard of brewers. And, unlike heavier brews, it’s a good choice all year round, especially in a world dominated by golden beers. Viva variety!

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

OVER THE TAMAR Cornish Crown Brewery, from Penzance, will be hosting a tap takeover at the Bread and Roses, Plymouth, from 7pm on Thursday. It’s a rare trip into Devon for the brewery, which has been doing well with its Red IPA and Porter recently.

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24/02/2015 15:02:32

Living

MOTORS

Fun set of wheels Car-crazy Scott Squires of Plymouth road tests the new hot hatch from Renault enaultsport has a great history of turning your run-of-the-mill hatch into a hot hatch, and for the past few generations has made some of the best handling ones, even beating the legend that’s the Golf GTI. While the Golf GTI maybe an all-round car you can live with every day, the Megane RS is more a weekend blast or track car. It’s based on the three-door Megane coupe, with a few little body tweaks to make it look a bit more sporty. You get 18-inch alloys in black or silver, while a choice of three 19-inch wheel designs are also available as a £1,000 option.

Power comes from a 2-litre turbo charged engine producing 261bhp. If you want superior suspension and a cup chassis you can upgrade

R

for an extra £1,350, which also includes a front differential.

For something a little more extreme, the Renaultsport Megane 275 Trophy comes with an extra 10bhp, the cup chassis and titanium Akrapovic exhaust as standard, plus the option of Ohlins damper and semi-slick Michelin tyres.

If you’re really serious you can opt for the Megane Renaultsport 275 Trophy-R model (the current holder of the Nurburgring frontwheel drive lap record at 7 minutes 54 seconds).

Weighing 101kg less than the Trophy, it replaces the back seats with a roll cage. Like I said, you’d have to be serious.

Around town this Megane isn’t the easiest to drive or the most practical. The visibility out of the small rear window and the fact that the rear

passenger windows are small, mean you need to use your mirrors or rely on the rear camera.

The boot is big enough to get your supplies in for the weekend, but the boot opening does make getting larger items in a bit awkward. The rear seats are ideal for short vampires: the legroom isn’t great and the small back windows and large front sport seats mean little sun will reach the passengers behind.

The clutch is heavy and has a very short bite point. After a little bit of driving you become used to it, but it can give you a tired left leg if the traffic is heavy.

As soon as the traffic clears and the roads open up the Megane comes alive – especially when you push the ‘R’ button by your right knee. This gives the car full power and livens everything up a little

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24/02/2015 15:06:06

gadget notebook 1 March 2015

TECH TIPS: HANDY APPS The apps that really are worth downloading

Here & Now Live (free, on iTunes)

Find, plan and book family and kid-friendly activities happening in more than 6,000 venues across the UK. Weekend fun, whatever the weather.

- push and hold and it turns all the electronics off and a ‘Stig’ helmet appears on the dash!

In normal mode you only have access to 245 horse or so, but with the ‘R’ button you get the full 261.

I dare anyone to drive this car on a twisty road and not enjoy themselves.

The Megane Sport must have the best front end of any front wheel drive car – and I drove it without the optional differential, so there was a bit of torque steer out of the corners. You can just enter a corner with an outrageous amount of speed and the front just sticks.

The whole car sticks to the road like chewing gum; it’s handling is up there with cars that cost a lot more money. I had as much fun in this on the open road as I’ve had in a Ferrari.

In fact, the Megane RS has put one of the biggest smiles on my face of any car I’ve driven in the past 12 months. It’s really great.

Voltz –

(free, via voltzapp.com) Use this app to shop for best deals from every energy supplier out there and switch to a new provider just a few taps. You’ll get alerts every time a better deal is available.

Buddhify

(£1.99, from iTunes and Google Play) This app will help you get into the chill-out zone. There are more than 80 types of meditation to relax to, inside this app - reducing stress and helping you sleep better.

Multi Measures All-In-1 kit (free on Google Play) Renault Megane RS 265 Price: £24.930 0-60 mph: 6 secs Top speed: 158mph CO2 (g/km): 190g/km Combined mpg: 34.40

This digital toolbox app includes useful items such as a protractor, ruler, compass, surface level and a metronome. There are a few less common tools, too - a seismometer (handy, in the event of an earthquake) and a teslameter (magnetic fields: we looked it up!)

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24/02/2015 15:06:32

The Good Spa Guide Mother’s Day is coming up (it’s March 15 folks, don’t forget!) and with this important date in mind, we’ve researched a tip-top spa guide to all the good places in the South West. We’ve found the places that that mums of all ages (hint hint) might like a voucher for in a couple of Sundays’ time.

From glamorous hotel spas to hidden away boutique boltholes, we’ve got the lowdown on the lot, with a pleasingly wide price range too.

You might well find, you’ll want to try them yourself, as well as giving treatments as a gift. Oh - and did we add that we’ve also got a £45 pamper session, with lunch, to be won at Exeter’s hip hangout The Magdalen Chapter?

There is so much in store for our readers in next week’s West, March 8

Fashion:

What florals did next Next week, our fashion thoughts turn properly springlike, albeit with the odd warm woollen and jacket thrown in (it is only March, after all).

We’re starting with a fresh look at the new florals - and what a pretty, flattering trend this is.

We’ve also got our trend-setter Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod working out the very best way to wear prints of all sorts, and looking good as you do so.

Throw in the very best of Westcountry shopping and a feature on the sailmaker turned handbag creator from Salcombe and, we think you’ll agree, West on March 8 is not to be missed!

Congratulations! Well done to Kathryn Hamlet of Teignmouth (pictured) winner of our Christmas Quiz, who won a fabulous £500 cookware set from Rangemoors, Devon (www.rangemoors.co.uk)

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