West March 22, 2015 by DCMedia

22.03.15

‘Movies and me’ Why Exmoor’s Ella Hunt is one to watch

Spring style must-haves + new botanics +

cheerful macs & hi-tech facials

plus: + seafood with

a sea view + HOW to love

INSIDE: + jenny Agutter on

set in cornwall

your lawn

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‘Graze your guinea pigs on it, let the kids build camps on it or just lie down and look through the stems’

COSY LUXURY The Cornish cottage that’s just gorgeous inside

Anne Swithinbank on the great British garden lawn, page 27

SURPRISE! How Twiggy measures up

[contents[ Inside this week... 6

THE WISHLIST Our best buys for the week ahead

GILLIAN MOLESWORTH Out and about on a spring day

JUST BETWEEN US... Sh! We have the latest gossip!

NATURAL SWEETNESS

A STAR IN THE MAKING

Ally Mac cooks healthy puds Meet Ella, Westcountry movie actress

EXMOOR’S NEW STAR Movies, Oscar-winners and me

GOOD STUFF Healthy but delicious recipes

COSY BUT LUXURIOUS How one young mum transformed her Cornish home

ANNE SWITHINBANK In praise of the garden lawn

FINDING A FACIAL? We know one that really works

TAKE A RAIN CHECK What-to-wear answers to April showers

THE NEW FLORALS Fashion chucks out the chintz

CULTURE VULTURE Great ideas for things to do

FOOD WITH A VIEW Fine dining beside the sea

MAN & BOY Phil Goodwin looks back with gratitude

FOOD WITH A VIEW The finest restaurants for dinner

APRIL SHOWERS?

The best what-to-wear solutions 3

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SISTER ACT

Discover Jenny Agutter’s Cornish connections

[ welcome [ Some amazing people live around here... And one of them is Jenny Agutter, pictured above. Perhaps best known these days as Sister Julienne in Call the Midwife, Jenny has also been working on a micro-budget film about tin mining, made in Cornwall. Why? Because she lives near Helston - and loves the Westcountry, as she explains today on page 37. Another exciting South West star is young actress Ella Hunt, who lives with her family on Exmoor. Ella’s about to hit the big time with her starring role in a new family sci-fi movie called Robot Overlords, which is out this Friday. We met up with Ella to talk about ,working with Sir Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson - read all about her rather amazing life, aged just 16, on page 16 in today’s magazine.

[

of the week @WMNWest We’re so looking forward to @MACcosmetics opening in @princesshay #Exeter. All together now: Ruby Woooooo!

This week’s West also features an interview with our new food columnist Ally Mac, from Kingsbridge in south Devon. If you’ve ever wanted to cook things that are sweet, delicious and yet also good for you, then you’ll love her recipes. Turn to page 12 today to try a few of them, and find out where she gets her culinary inspiration (clue: she’s travelled, a lot). We’ve also got great spring fashion (including rainwear - we’re realists!) and lots of fun ideas for days out in the Westcountry right now. But before you sally forth, make time to read Phil Goodwin’s wonderful tribute to his mum Nancy on page 46 today. It’s really something - and so was she.

Jenny Agutter has been working on a micro-budget film in Cornwall. Why?

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

[

[ [

Becky Sheaves, Editor

COVER IMAGE Faye Thomas

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...

Make a mobile for a treasured babyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s room with this DIY baby mobile kit, ÂŁ28, from ButtonFaceCo on the crafting website www.etsy.com Good news: all the fiddly bits have been cut out in advance! 5

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HELP AT HAND

Splendid Sparkle

Keep your sticking plasters in this retro first aid tin £15 from the www.iwmshop.org.uk

Vintage pearl and crystal bracelet £20 www.rockmyvintage.co.uk

the

wishlist West’s top picks for springtime shopping this week

Cool cuffs Wear your art on your sleeve with penguin ice cube cufflinks £147 www.madebyhandonline.com

Store we adore Angel, Okehampton

This independent boutique in Okehampton celebrates its 15th birthday on Wednesday, a testament to its popularity. Owners Angela Jones and Amanda Bright pride themselves on stocking a number of independent labels, including casual Danish brand Part Two, White Stuff and dressy clothes by Canadian designer Frank Lyman, along with shoes and accessories. “Our customers include 16-year-old girls through to ladies in their late 70s,” says Angela. “We do a bit of everything and we try to find something a bit different. The high street goes a good job, but we think people come to us for something nicer, and for the service we offer.” Angel is at 29 Fore Street, Okehampton, ladiesfashionokehampton. co.uk and 01837 659300

Field of dreams Bring the meadow into your living room with this Lara Sparks bird and butterflies cushion £70 www.rume.co.uk

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Wishlist

CHIC Keep time with this lovely watch £29.50 Marks & Spencer

Oh My Gogh! Van Gogh’s wheatfield mini umbrella £20 www.nationalgallery.co.uk

Cute Think colour for little girls with this Gilly dress £25 www.oliveandmoss.com

WHERE AM I? Wear your location with a You Are Here magnetic brooch from www.garudiostudiage. co.uk

Cecile Bertrand necklace, £119, Polka Dot Gallery in Taunton and Exeter www.polkadotgallery.com

FORWARD! A stylish reminder to put your watch forward next Sunday (that’s March 29), National Railway Museum pocket watch £25, www.nrmshop.co.uk

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talking points

Red, black

Gillian Molesworth

Story of my life...

OR BOTH?

Between posing for the paps, performing and scooping Best British Female Solo Artist, Paloma Faith showed off no less than three different outfits at the Brit Awards recently, all of them gorgeously gothic. Our favourite? It has to be the tulle and sequin-drenched Armani couture number she wore on arrival. Such a frothy confection might be a bit much in the real world, but Pearce II Fionda’s appliqued prom dress is a more wearable option, or work the red-meetsblack vibe with these two pretty summer versions.

A chance to explore, and find out more went the other day to see Admiralty Row in Mount Wise, Plymouth. Lots of people don’t know where it is or what is there – this is due in no small part to a big solid wall encircling the buildings, which were previously owned by the Minstry of Defence. Well, the wall is coming but Plymouth do you have a stripy down, and a lots of new homes are lighthouse in a public park? going up. As I parked on Mount Wise Plymouth is a real mishmash. I came across a monument to You’ve got the pockets of historic Scott of the Antarctic, another architecture that weren’t levelled Plymothian. A bronze angel, by German bombs: lovely rows wings outspread, stood behind of Georgian and Victorian the polar explorer with a bristling properties, and landmarks such moustache. There was only one as the grand Edwardian Duke of other car parked up there, and Cornwall hotel. There are various no one walking by. What a shame post-modern 1960s and 70s cement this isn’t in a more accessible rectangles, and some ultra modern spot, I thought. Nearby on Mount buildings such as Wise is a building Drake Circus. called Admiralty By the waterside, House, an imposing you’ll find the (if rather stolid) living legacy stone structure. The wall of Plymouth’s In fact it wasn’t is coming centuries as a the admiral’s down, and naval base. Its house originally latest chapter – it was built in lots of new can be seen in the late 1700s homes are the hulking grey for Plymouth’s ships etching their governor. It was going up silhouette against only in the 1930s the harbour that a swap was skyline, and agreed, as the earlier ones are governor’s house writ in structures such as the had a sea view and the admiral’s fancy clock tower of HMS did not. Drake, covered with all the Now it’s up for sale at £1.5 million bevels, pediments, balustrades, (as a 21 bedroom hotel in need of cornices and wrought ironwork renovation, if you’re interested). that the Victorians could throw Around it is going up a network of at it. new homes, a nice blend between In addition, Plymouth has some contemporary and historic. very fine public sculpture. The I’m happy that the site has white war memorial is imposing found a new purpose, another and grave. Sir Francis Drake is a chapter in the city’s ever evolving big inspirational bronze, gazing story– and that soon, dog walkers out to sea from his towering plinth, and children will be drawn in to and looking very manly despite admire Scott of the Antarctic. He the pantaloons. And where else deserves it.

steal her

style

OR MAKE IT YOUR OWN OPTION C Florals Phase Eight Ninette dress £140

OPTION A Summery Debenhams Debut £100

OPTION B Party pick Pearce II Fionda Dolce Vita prom dress, Debehams £165

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!

FRANKIE: I’M FEELING ROUGH! FRANKIE BRIDGE has told how she refused to go to hospital as she battled morning sickness so severe she felt she could not move. The 26-year-old star of The Saturdays and Strictly Come Dancing is pregnant with her second child, and had to pull out of the Strictly tour when her morning sickness kicked in. Frankie tells OK! magazine: “It’s probably the worst I’ve ever felt.

That feeling of nausea, I’ve never felt anything as strong in my life. Even to move my eyes made me feel sick. “They wanted me to go to hospital at one point and I refused because there was no way I could get in a car, I couldn’t even get off the floor.” Frankie and her footballer husband WAYNE BRIDGE already have a 17-month-old son Parker. West says: Hang in there Frankie, it will be worth it in the end.

Just

between us Gossip, news, trendsetters and more - you

heard all the latest juicy stuff here first!

Roll up! DAWN’S

Falmouth PARADE We can’t wait to see DAWN FRENCH parading through the streets of Falmouth on Thursday March 26. Dawn, who comes from Plymouth and lives in Fowey, is to be part of a celebration parade when she becomes the first Chancellor of Falmouth University The parade will be yellow-themed, with children giving out daffodils, and led by the Kernow Pipe and Drum marching band. Sounds like a lot of fun.

MARCUS MUMFORD

Carey’s husband rocks up for a micro-gig - with guinea pigs... Devon farmer (oh, and music star) Marcus Mumford is working on his new album with his band Mumford & Son. They recently played almost their entire new collection of songs at a tiny London gig in a bar in Hackney. Marcus told the crowd: “We decided pretty last-minute to play these songs

live, so you’re guinea pigs basically, pretty lovely looking guinea pigs, but guinea pigs. If this goes well, we’re going to do this in other places, probably.” Marcus and his actress wife Carey Mulligan own a 350-acre farm near Ide on the outskirts of Exeter. The new album is set to be called Wilder Mind. 9

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Cornish pride: Brothers Alfie and Morgan Sears celebrate St Piranâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day at Perranporth

in pictures Purple days: Evelyn Rees, three, enjoys the crocuses and warm weather in Newton Abbot

Lots of pots: John Leach marks 50 years of making pottery at Mulcheney, Somerset

Congratulations! Lee Lane (in green) celebrates her 100th birthday with four generations of family at Capera Care Home, St Austell

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talking points Blossom

She sells

ONE OF US Famous faces who come from the Westcountry This week:

Chris Martin Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin (38) grew up in the village of Whitestone, near Exeter. He went to Exeter Cathedral School, then Sherborne School in Dorset

10 edible shellfish found on our shores

1. Mussels 10 trees and shrubs that herald the beginning of spring

1. Hawthorn

2. Venus clams 3. Winkles

2. Cherry

4. Carpet shell clams

3. Camellia

5. Razor clams

4. Magnolia

6. Whelks

5. Crab apple

7. Oysters

6. Forsythia

8. Brown crabs

7. Japonica

9. Lobsters

8. Pussy willow 9. Viburnum 10. Mock orange

10. Dog cockles

The happy list

At their height

10 things to make you smile this week 1. Simple Minds back to the 80s, Plymouth Pavilions Apr 17 10 successful models who are not as tall as you might think:

2. Pasha from Strictly in

1. Kate Moss (5’8”)

3. Primroses scent of spring

2. Jean Shrimpton (5’7”)

4. Daylight on its way

3. Devon Aoki (5’5”)

5. Rhubarb in season

4. Liberty Ross (5’8”)

6. Simnel cake why not try

5. Laetitia Casta (5’7”) 6. Twiggy (5’6”) 7. Isabella Rossellini (5’8”) 8. Lottie Moss (5’5”) 9. Georgia May Jagger (5’7”) 10. Charlotte Free (5’7”)

the South West this May

baking one?

7. Dylan Moran hilarious at Hall for Cornwall, Mar 25

8. Girlfriend jeans a seriously good idea

9. Craft knit, sew, solder = fun 10. Wedding guest outfits time to plan them

Early years: Christopher Anthony John Martin was born on March 2 1977, the eldest of five children. Family: His father, Anthony, is a retired accountant and his mother, Alison, is a music teacher. The couple divorced in 2011. Dad dancing: Chris’s father, a Conservative Party fundraiser, often follows Coldplay on tour and is said to be the life and soul of the tour bus. Chris says: ‘He’s living the dream. I have to check he hasn’t trashed the hotel room before we leave each city.’

offered the name Coldplay by another band who did not want it anymore.

DID YOU KNOW?

Chris was named the World’s Sexiest Vegetarian in 2005 but after his split with Gwyneth he started eating meat again

Beginnings: Chris met future Coldplay manager Phil Harvey at Sherborne School. The band was formed in 1996 when Chris was studying Maths at University College London. Name change: Coldplay was was originally called Pectoralz, then Starfish, until finally they were

Success: Coldplay’s first album Parachutes (2000) was a huge hit. The band has released six studio albums in total, and their third album X&Y was the best-selling album of 2005, selling 8.3 million copies. Marriage: Chris was married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow for ten years after they met at a Coldplay concert. They have a daughter, Apple, and a son, Moses. The couple split in March 2014, which Gwyneth described as a “conscious

uncoupling”. Girlfriend: Chris was seeing Hunger Games actress Jennifer Lawrence (24) recently but they are said to have split up. By Abbie Bray 11

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People

Ally Mac

Natural

sweetness Sarah Pitt introduces West’s exciting new cookery columnist, Ally Mac from south Devon, whose recipes are both healthy and delicious lly Mac knows all about nature’s sweetness. She spent her earliest years on the Greek island of Thassos, within sight and smell of her grandmother’s cooking pots, and she loved the taste of the local honey. “I have a sweet tooth,” she admits. These days, though, the former cupcake baker, who lives with her husband in Kingsbridge, is finding ways to make her baking taste

good without wheat flour, dairy products or refined sugar. Ally, 32, will be sharing her ingenious recipes with West magazine readers over the coming weeks. She starts today with a recipe which does not actually involve cooking at all. Her Holy Balls look a bit like chocolate truffles. Their unctuous texture, though, comes not from big dollops of butter and cascades of sugar, but from succulent Medjool dates and bananas, while the flour is a pulsed up mixture of almonds and pecans. Ally devised these little morsels as a healthy alternative to the bar of chocolate many office workers chomp down to appease hunger pangs at four in the afternoon. “They do give you a boost, because they have all sorts of goodness in them, and you can make them with just a few ingredients kept in your cupboard,” she says. “I put the dates in and pulse them to bind the ingredients together, roll them into balls, roll them in desiccated coconut and goji berries and then put them in the fridge of a couple of hours. They are delicious!” Ally’s first culinary influences were felt when she was a small girl. “My mum is Greek and my dad is English. I was brought up in a busy kitchen,” she says. “My first memory as a child was watching my grandmother make homemade granola served with local yoghurt and the freshest forest honey straight off the honeycomb. “Later, we moved with my dad’s job to Libya, Switzerland and Bahrain in the Middle East, where my parents and my sister still live. I’ve got a real love for trying anything and everything from living in these different cultures. And every

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photography: andy mac

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People

member of my Greek family is food obsessed. I go back to Thassos every summer.” Ally came to the UK in the year 2000 to attend university in Bristol. Being separated from the family kitchen, though, does not stop her collaborating with her mum back in Bahrain in her cooking. “We are constantly on Skype, sharing recipes,” says Ally. Later, working for BBC Magazines, Ally started bringing in her grandmother’s granola - which she calls Yia Yia’s muesli - to colleagues. She got an equally enthusiastic response to the cupcakes she started to bake. “Then my mum bought me a subscription for BBC Good Food Magazine, and in it was an advert for the Great British Bake Off, so I decided to enter.” Ally was accepted onto the iconic baking programme for its first series, and took part in several heats. She treasures fond memories of Mary Berry coming to her rescue when whisking up a coffee cake mixture. “She took me to the sink and ran my hand under the tap, as it had totally seized up,” remembers Ally. Alas, her contribution ended up on the cutting room floor “but it was a fun experience” she says. She then launched a cupcake business in Bristol and subsequently moved to London with hopes of launching a pop-up shop there. These plans fell through, and she had to take an office job to make ends meet, but life looked up when she met her husband-to-be Andy Mac, a photographer, through internet dating. He persuaded her to move to his home county of Devon and the couple, who married last year, now live in Kingsbridge. Here, Ally has wholeheartedly embraced a new healthy way of cooking, along with the peaceful Westcountry way of life.

“Being in London, working hard and not preparing my own food, going out to eat and drinking, I was generally not feeling very good,” she says. “Now I’ve cut out a lot of dairy, gluten and sugar and I’ve noticed I feel 100 times better. I also rarely get ill or catch colds; my diet has really boosted my immune system. “I still cook lots of sweet treats now, but there is no refined sugar in them. I’m using the natural sugar in dates, maple syrup and bananas. It costs more and takes more time and effort to prepare everything, but I see it as an investment in my health.” Many of Ally’s recipes do not involve heat at all – she’s a great enthusiast for the raw food trend. “I do lots and lots of raw juicing,” she says. “I invested in a machine that keeps as many vitamins in the juice as possible. Today, for instance, I whizzed up a beetroot and some celery, then added cinnamon, turmeric and saffron, because I was writing about what the various spices can do for you. I put in a bit of raw honey in it as well, and it was delicious. “Because I go back to the Middle East two or three times a year to see my family, I love to experiment with ingredients from there. I was there in December and I bought lots of dry rose petals and made a really lovely granola using rose petals and dates, which has just a hint of the flavour of rose.” Ally also cooks with nuts – particularly cashews and almonds – which take the place of wheat flour in her cooking. She is also a great fan of coconut – coconut oil, coconut sugar (she uses an organic brand called Coconom) and untreated organic desiccated coconut. Coconut oil is a saturated fat but has recently been embraced by

Chia Spiced Blackberry Porrige

Chia Spiced Blackberry Porridge Ally says: “This combo is a match made in heaven.” Ingredients: 1/2 cup gluten-free oats, 1 cup almond or cashew milk (homemade is best), two tbsp chia seeds, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, handful of blackberries, banana, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and goji berries to drizzle. Use blueberries if blackberries aren’t available. Method: Add all ingredients apart from the banana, blackberries and pumpkin seeds into your pot and simmer for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the cinnamon and dress ther= bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Sit back, relax and enjoy this wholesome goodness.

nutritionists as not so unhealthy after all. “Apart from using coconut oil in cooking, I also use it on my face, because it is a wonderfully hydrating treat for my skin, It keeps the skin’s connective tissue strong which prevents wrinkles,” she explains. Ally says living in Devon is starting to have an influence on her recipes, too. Blackberries foraged from the hedgerows make an appearance in this muesli recipe she is sharing with West readers today. “I love wild walks and foraging which I’ve discovered living here,” she says. “It was a big change moving here from London - I was used to sirens ringing in my ears and I was not used to cows - but everyone I have met has been so lovely. I love supporting the local farmers and using organic local ingredients in my cooking. I’m constantly experimenting.” For details and to buy Ally’s products, visit www.allyskitchenstories.co.uk

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Holy Balls Ally says: “The magic sprinkling ingredient in these balls is maca, a superfood powder made from a Peruvian root, plus the chia seeds - a sort of Mexican mint.” Ingredients: 2 cups of almonds, 2 ripe bananas, 1/2 cup ground flaxseeds, 2 cups Medjool dates, 3 tbsp maca powder, 3 tbsp chia seeds. They are decorated with chia seeds, coconut flakes and Coconom coconut sugar (which can be found online). Method: Blend the almonds in your food processor to form a nice flour-like mix. Add the pitted medjool dates, bananas, flax, maca and chia. Your mix should look super sticky after a couple of minutes of blending. Drum roll... your balls are ready to roll! Use a teaspoon to scoop a batch of the mix and roll in your hands. I rolled my energy balls in chia seeds, coconut flakes and Coconom coconut sugar. Place in a fridge or freezer for a couple of hours to form. I had trouble restraining myself from eating all the mix before I rolled them out. The nutritional lowdown: Maca is rich in vitamins and provides plenty of calcium, zinc, iron and amino acids, while chia seeds are have more Omega3 fatty acids than salmon, plus a wealth of antioxidants and minerals, and are a complete source of protein. See more of Ally’s recipes at www. facebook.com/allyskitchenstories. Holy Balls 15

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Introducing

Interview

Ella A major new film out this Easter stars Sir Ben Kingsley, Gillian Anderson and a certain 16-year-old actress from Exmoor. It’s time to find out more about the talented Ella Hunt, poised to hit the big time in the blockbuster sci-fi movie Robot Overlords

By Catherine Barnes

ctress Ella Hunt is seriously under the weather, in the grip of a streaming cold. But you wouldn’t guess so to look at her. Aged just 16, she has youth and beauty on her side, which certainly helps. Yet it’s talking about the profession she loves that warms her spirits just as efficaciously as hot lemon and honey. Ella is about to star in a major new family sci-fi movie called Robot Overlords, which opens on March 27, just in time for the lucrative Easter holidays market. In it, she appears alongside Sir Ben Kingsley, who recently described the film as “a modern fairytale, in which I play the wizard and Ella is the beautiful princess”. Like many a fairytale princess, Ella grew up in seclusion, on the Exmoor farm where she still lives with her family. But today we’re in a cosy Barnstaple coffee shop to talk about her role in

Robot Overlords. Ella’s part of a stellar cast that also includes Gillian Anderson and Geraldine James as well as Ben Kingsley. That’s Sir Ben, to virtually everyone else in the world apart from Ella, who got on with the actor like a house on fire and is now on first name terms with the Oscar winner. “We had lots in common - I found out Ben keeps ducklings, while I have chickens,” she tells me. Robot Overlords is set in an ordinary British town, albeit conquered by an invading horde of automatons now holding humankind in their thrall. While the film may be primarily aimed at a younger audience, there are shades of Orwell’s 1984 that set it apart from your traditional Hollywood blockbuster, with wonderful bursts of humour and, of course, that formidable cast of actors. “Our director, Jon (Wright), who co-wrote the script is very good at making films the whole family will enjoy,” says Ella. She plays Alexandra, who with brother

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Nathan (James Tarpey) has lost her parents in the robot invasion. The siblings form a family unit with handsome teen hero Sean Flynn (Australian-born Callan McAuliffe) and the orphaned baby of the group, Connor, played by Milo Parker, a young actor who’s also co-starring with Ian McKellen in the soon-to-be-released Mr Holmes. “I was outnumbered by boys!” laughs Ella, who adds: “I was thankful to have grown up with two real life brothers that tease me - it’s a real asset, as film sets can be a predominantly male place. “Originally my part was written as a boy. I wanted to be a strong girl, one that my age group could relate to. She’s the sensible one, the one who keeps things together. I had a quite a big sisterly relationship with Milo off-set and felt quite protective. I think that came through on film you can see the chemistry between us all. “For me, James and Milo it was the first film in which we were on set for such a big block of time. And to be working with Ben Kingsley and Gillian Anderson was amazing,” she says. 17

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main picture: faye thomas

One to watch: Exmoorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ella Hunt

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Interview Ella stars alongside Gillian Anderson in her new film

“Jon’s a special director and gives actors a chance to improvise. The first takes are filmed as scripted and then it’s let loose. I think that’s what brings the film to life. Most of James’s funny lines were his own improvisations. “Ben plays quite an evil character in the film and for the first few weeks of filming, he was quite distant with all of us. Then in the last few days he came out of his evil shell and it was obvious he’d been doing it to keep us in character and disliking him. “It was great to be on set with Gillian Anderson, too. There’s a scene where she’s running through the crowd and is supposed to hit a guy, but his leg accidentally went up and hit her in the face. The director said afterwards, you could have cut... but she just kept going.” This may be Ella’s first major film role, but she had quite the Hollywood-style career break at the tender age of 11. She was decked out in a fat suit and playing the role of Katisha in a production of the Mikado at Somerset’s Millfield School. One of the parents in the audience was an agent and signed her up on the spot. Ella’s first professional role was in a commercial for Netflix, before she auditioned for a part in 2011 Spanish horror film Intruders, starring Clive Owen. “I was up for the lead, but didn’t get it as I’d had no past experience. But the director created a smaller part for me and I was 19

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Interview A scene from Ella’s new film, Robot Overlords

also asked to write and sing one of my own songs for the film, although that scene ended up on the cutting room floor. “That was a steep learning curve for me at the time, but it’s good that it happened when it did, as working in this industry is as much about coping with rejection as the highs. “Whether or not I get a part, I love it all regardless. If I haven’t been cast, I still like to watch the girl who got the part perform and see where she takes the role. It’s magical.” Ella’s mum, Louise, nods: “You have to enjoy the process and take something from it, otherwise you just end up feeling awful about yourself.” Louise is a sculptor and was herself a professional actress before starting her family. Husband David is an art dealer and eldest son William, 22, has completed a fine art photography degree at Falmouth University. Younger brother Arthur, 13, has been begging Ella to arrange a private screening of Robot Overlords for him and his school pals. “He’s so excited about this film,” Ella says. “He also asked you if you could cut your hair off, as he’d heard you can get quite a lot for actor’s hair on eBay,” Louise reminds her and they both laugh. As warm and funny as her daughter, Louise’s own working knowledge of the industry has helped to support Ella and kept her down to earth. “I was

aware my own experiences could help support her career, if she respected her craft,” Louise explains. “I saw she stood a chance of a career with longevity and the opportunity to play intelligent roles that she and other intelligent young women would be interested in.” Ella’s finished with school - for now at least - but says she’s learning just as much outside the classroom. Already almost fluent in Spanish, she’s keen to improve on her language skills, with an eye on the Spanish movie industry. “It would be a joy to work in it,” she says. Music, too, is a major passion for Ella and will be the focus of her next acting role. She’s been song-writing and performing at local music festivals since the age of nine and trained with professional opera singers to prepare for her next part, which is her first leading movie role. She’s shortly heading off on location to the Czech Republic to star as a young opera singer in a soon-to-be announced project, details of which are still under wraps. Suffice to say, it is a dream part for Ella: “It feels amazing to be 16 and filming such a wonderful leading role,” she says. All in all, I found Ella to be sweet, natural and level-headed, presumably a joy for any director to work with. “It helps living in Devon, not being involved in too many boozy glamorous events. There’s nothing like a little boredom to inspire you,” says Louise sagely. “I love living in Devon,” agrees Ella. “It keeps me grounded.” Robot Overlords is in cinemas from Friday March 27, certificate 12A.

‘Whether or not I get a part, I love it all, regardless. Acting’s magical’

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interiors

fashion

style

interview

eat out 21

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Family friendly A new mum tells Sarah Pitt how she transformed a quaint Cornish cottage with upcycled furniture and glamorous touches into a cosy first home for her baby son

Kahdine with husband Charles and baby Rupert spent their first family Christmas together at their Cornish cottage 22

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Interiors eginning a major restoration project when you are expecting your first baby sounds like a brave move. But for Kahdine Roseveare-Shazell and her husband Charles, the opportunity to buy a 300-year-old cottage a short drive from the surfing beaches of Newquay was too good to miss. The couple were searching for a home not too far from the sea to transform into luxury selfcatering accommodation. And when Kahdine found this two-bedroom cottage in Kestle Mill she could immediately see its potential. “I’ve lived here all my life. My family is Cornish and so is my husband, and I have always wanted to have an investment property,” she says. “It was just a case of persuading my husband to agree.” The cottage, which dates back to 1680, was then furnished in a traditional style with horse brasses hanging from the exposed stone fireplace and dark beams. Kahdine had dreams of creating something quite different, a look she calls “vintage country glamour” and enlisted the help of Devon-based interior designer Holly Keeling. First, though, the cottage needed major structural work. “We stripped it right back to the walls, even putting on a new roof,” says Kahdine. “We have tried to retain all the character, but it did need modernisation, so we had to carry out lots of work to bring it up to scratch.” As is often the way with building projects, one thing led to another. A plan to replace asbestos roof tiles with reclaimed slate also meant replacing the roof timbers so they were strong enough to bear the weight of the slate. The couple also installed a new heating system, ripped out fitted wardrobes in the main bedroom, rebuilt the chimney and installed a skylight to let in more light. Kahdine drew on a trusted network of local builders and tradespeople, including roofers from her family firm, to do the work, which was completed to a fairly intense schedule in five

STYLE TIP: Before you start, gather

together a mood board of inspirational images using the Pinterest website 23

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Interiors

months. And then, when the structural work had been completed, Kahdine worked with interior designer Holly on the furnishings. Her starting point for the scheme was a mood board which she’d assembled from images which inspired her, collected on the website Pinterest. “I had been gathering all the images of the style I was aiming for and I gave that to Holly,” she says. The scheme for the interior of the cottage has a glamorous feel which works surprisingly well with its thick walls and small windows. Cottages can be dark, but this look is all about light. The pale furnishings include a chinoiserie fabric used for cushions and a painterly print of hydrangeas on the bathroom blind. Next came sparkly light fittings in the kitchen and bedroom. “It is nice to have some quirky lighting,” says Kahdine. “One light in the kitchen comes from The White Company, while the chandelier above the dining table we found on eBay. The light in the bedroom gives lovely patterns on the walls and ceiling.” Holly sourced antique fur‘A lot of the things niture for the house, which in the property she then repainted in lighter are second-hand. colours. Finds include a pretty dresser in the kitchen and the It think that is magnificent carved bed in the how you get the main bedroom. “The bed is a second-hand individuality’ one we got at an auction. We’ve upcycled it, repainting it in a lighter colour so it fits in with the room, while the chest of drawers in the lounge is from the 1800s,” says Kahdine. “A lot of things in the property are second-hand – I think that is how you get the individuality.” The project came at a busy time for the couple, as Kahdine was pregnant throughout the refurbishment, which they started a year ago and completed in June last year. Their son Rupert was born in July, just a few weeks after they had moved into the cottage, called Sweetpea. It was always the plan to live in the cottage

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initially, and then rent it out as a luxury holiday let from this spring. Kahdine and family have moved out and are living in a mobile home on Charles’s parents’ farm in nearby St Columb Major, where they are planning to build a larger home of their own. At Sweetpea, meanwhile, they have just welcomed their first guests, complete with ninemonth-old baby. One of the two

bedrooms is a nursery, which Kahdine created for her own baby, and which she has left all set up for their smaller guests. “There’s everything you need, such as a play-gym, baby bath and toys,” says Kahdine. “It means that if you are a parent for the first time, you don’t need to worry about bringing everything with you, you can just come here and relax.” Kahdine says that Sweetpea – a name which reflects the cottage’s small but perfectly-formedstyle – has been a wonderful first home for her new family.“It was great living here with a baby because there is so much for them to look at,” she says. “My son just loved looking at all the twinkly lights. I still have family photos in the property because I want people to know it is, at heart, a family home.” Sweetpea in Kestle Mill is available to rent for short breaks and holidays from Unique Home Stays, www.uniquehomestays.com, 01637 881183

STYLE TIP: Buy well-made dark wood furni-

ture cheaply at auctions or online, then give it a fresh, light look with a few coats of paint

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Shopping

GET THE

LOOK

Soft colours and natural designs set the scene for a country cottage in spring

Cecile dressing table, £425, www. withinhome.com

Beeston mirror, £395, www.chandeliersandmirrors.co.uk

Design Disasters aviary compact mirror, £7.99. www.mollieandfred.co.uk

Botanical-inspired ceramic vase, £8.99, table lamp, £29.99, and selection of glass vases and bottles £5-£8.99, Dunelm Mill

Needle pendant, £66, www.darlighting.co.uk 25

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18/03/2015 09:46:26

Gardens

ANNE SWITHINBANK

How to love your lawn Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, is a fan of the great British garden lawn hey set off borders to perfection, as ladies smock and knapweeds to develop and soft grasses tickle bare feet, they’re encourages a wider diversity of garden wild life cool to lie on and are often teeming to prosper. with life. You can play badminton Problems start when you don’t like the reality on them, make daisy chains from of your lawn and need to improve matters. Grass them, blackbirds and thrushes take worms, might be sparse, allowing too many weeds to bees gather nectar and pollen from selfheal and move in and there could be bare patches. The clover and we can play at making mini meadows first step is to mow, setting the blades a little and creating 3-d shapes with our mowers. Such higher than for midsummer cuts and then is the versatility of the lawn, that green sward trim and neaten the edges. Regular mowing is of tightly knit grasses that thrives so well in the number one with lawn care, as this encourages British climate. the grass to tiller, or thicken up laterally. Lawns At home, our lawn has taken its first mowing left to grow too long make mowing hard work of the season and I feel at ease with it. We’re and will always look tatty. blessed with a moist climate and rich soil, so our Bare patches are usually a problem on smaller grass grows strongly, competes lawns where regular use causes well with weeds and never compaction. Consider replacing needs feeding. In fact, I’d be narrow walkways with paving but if quite scared to apply fertilizer children are playing, you might just That green for fear the grasses would rise have to wait until they are grown up and knock us on our chins. up. The most you can do is aerate sward of There are plenty of weeds but soil by pushing a fork in repeatedly tightly-knit they are small-leaved kinds as far as it will go and brush in some grasses that mingle with the grass and sandy lawn dressing. Try resowing still give me the smooth, mainly in autumn, so the grass has until thrives so green, expanse I’m looking for. summer to settle. Shade causes thin well here I find just grass rather sterile areas too, so consider pruning to let and if I like my ‘weeds’, then in more light, use special grass seed they become wild flowers mixtures for shade or perhaps give don’t they? up on grass and redesign the area. I wouldn’t be too keen on dandelions and Where there is compaction and moisture, moss plantains, because their large rosettes show up. often grows but I’m happy to live with this, as Fortunately, they are easy to winkle out with long as the effect is thick and green. Gardeners weeding tools or a screwdriver. Under fruit who find moss and weeds offensive can apply trees and in the wilder parts of the garden, I products to kill them off and feed at the same let the grasses grow up as meadow and only time. The lawn is then raked to be rid of the dead cut them once a year. This gives us interesting growth and usually recovers quickly. contours, allows perennial wild flowers such Poor, sandy soils don’t suit lawns too well,

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

especially when they consist of fine, fussy grasses and you might find feeding is necessary at least every spring while the soil is moist, to give it a boost. Otherwise the grasses struggle and can be overpowered by vigorous and better adapted weeds. I don’t believe in watering lawns, as grass is incredibly resilient and will regrow after droughts.

Whether you make a diamond of aromatic chamomile in it, plant groups of bulbs, mow a maze or make a meadow, be sure to celebrate your lawn. Graze your guinea pigs on it, let the kids build camps on it or just lie down and look through the stems and grass blades at eye level to marvel at the grass world of ants, moss, spiders and speedwell.

Question time with Anne West reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank I’ve been given a large and slightly spindly old house plant which I think is a dracaena. Long stems spiral somewhat and have tufts of long, red-edged narrow leaves towards the tips. The compost has just been replaced but is soft, fluffy and slightly dry. How should I look after it?

This sounds like a Dracaena marginata (often known as dragon tree) of great character. These are long-lived and very forgiving house plants but yours has been repotted loosely without being watered in afterwards. It is a mistake to remove too much old soil from around an established rootball, because this risks damaging a lot of root hairs, which are responsible for the uptake of water. By not watering the plant in, root hairs will also have frizzled up. I would water now, preferably with a rose (sprinkler) fitted to a can to prevent too much displacement of compost. But don’t water again until the surface of the compost begins to dry out. Only feed (monthly) when the plant is showing signs of new growth, proving the roots have recovered. Stand out of full sun, as your description suggests the plant has been used to low light.

I’ve planted some asparagus but can’t remember the rules for how soon I can harvest the spears and for how long they can be cut.

First, I hope you planted the crowns into raised or mounded beds because the one thing they will not tolerate is waterlogged soil. Even on light soil, it is important that rain can drain easily away and doesn’t sit around the roots. Don’t cut anything this year but you can take a few spears next year, a month’s worth the year after and then in subsequent years, cut all the spears for six weeks before letting the fern grow.

• Plant out broad beans raised from seed under glass. I generally set down a line to mark the row and then plant in a staggered pattern either side, setting the beans a generous 20cm/8in apart with 25cm/10in or so between the rows. • Sow seeds of herbs like common thyme and sage if you want lots to line pathways and edges. I sow into pots or half trays under glass, transplant singly to pots and then grow on and plant out when they fill 9cm/3.5in pots. • Sow celeriac, as this veg with swollen stems needs a long season to grow. I find this easier to grow than celery

but grated raw in salads or added in chunks to soups and stews, it adds a celery flavour. • Rudbeckias are a great choice of bedding plant for their generous daisy-like flowers in russetty autumnal shades - they go on flowering until the first frosts too. Sow under glass or buy in young plants to grow on and plant out during May. • Continue to move round beds clearing dead stems, tickling the soil over and removing weeds. Feed plants that didn’t grow too well last year and mulch over the soil surface with well rotted garden compost or other soil conditioner.

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

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18/03/2015 10:31:06

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.

Blush! This pretty coral multi-blush by Autograph and M&S will put some bloom in your cheeks. £12.50 at www.marksandspencer.com

SUMMER’S HERE?

GROOVY

Lush has blended frankincense, vanilla and caramel into this fragrance for disco divas Stayin’ Alive, £75, www.lush.co.uk

We’ve been promised an unseasonable heatwave and Sothy’s is ready to hit the beach with this summery coral (£19) which has a lip-smacking fruity flavour. Find at selected salons; find your nearest at www.sothys-uk.co.uk.

WAKE UP! Here’s five oils in a bottle (including rosemary and geranium) to pep up your skin and stimulate your senses - a great wake me up after a shower. Circulation Boost Skin Oil, £37, www.inner-soul.co.uk

HIP, HIP Bare Minerals’ Mineralixirs contain moisturising rosehip oil. Its facial cleansing oil (£21) gently wipes away the remains of day. www.bareminerals.co.uk

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the review One to try

First-time facial Sian Davies takes the plunge and tries The Environ Advanced Ionzyme Active Vitamin Facial - her first ever professional beauty treatment.

ageing ingredients into the skin by up to 40-fold, and is extremely relaxing in the process. Lying on the bed (complete with heated acials are one of those things blanket) my eyes were closed throughwomen don’t really seem to out the facial. My skin was cleansed, talk about, but as soon as I told and the gel - made up of anti-ageing and my friends I had one booked re-hydrating vitamins A, C, E and betait was met with, “Oooh, I carotene - was put onto my skin before an love a facial” and “How have you never electric pulse was used to push the mix had one?!”. even deeper. Everyone seems to have secretly been Krissie warned me I might be able to see looking after their skin while I’ve been flashing lights, even with my eyes closed, taking no notice. So a fortnight before but it was just a faint flicker. The sensation turning 28, with a few lines starting to of the electrical pulses is really difficult appear, I took the plunge. to describe. Not at all uncomfortable, the The Environ treatment, closest thing I can compare which I had at Nikita it to is like being very salon in Plymouth, was lightly flicked, and she can completely different to target areas such as around anything I had expected. the eyes, mouth or neck for I immediately I thought a few scrubs and even better results. noticed a lotions would leave me A mask followed, which difference with a clean-feeling face, felt cooling and refreshing, but with skin which hadn’t and was left on for 10 in my skin, really been improved. But minutes while soundwaves particularly I immediately noticed a were omitted. Again around the eyes difference, particularly in there were faint flashing the lines around my eyes. lights, but by the time The facial started with the mask came off I was a quick chat with Krissie utterly relaxed. Staddon, therapist and This is definitely owner of the salon, who asked me all about different and I’d say it is a must-try, my skin routine and general health. She given the results. My skin really did feel told me electric pulses and soundwaves refreshed, smooth and plump. Celebrity would drive a special combination of fans of the Environ facial treatment vitamins deep into my skin. include Oscar winner Hilary Swank, The leaflets say the procedure gives Sadie Frost, Lynda Bellingham, Mariella results to rival those previously only Frostrup and Anthea Turner. And if it’s achievable with invasive procedures or good enough for them it’s definitely good skin-thinning techniques like laser and enough for me. chemical peels – cue a sudden panic that I would be leaving the salon with sensitive The Environ Advanced Ionzyme Active skin and a bright red face. Vitamin Facial costs £60 at Nikita Beauty But instead of stripping layers away, Salon, Houndiscombe Road, Plymouth. Call leaving skin vulnerable, the Environ 07792 218016 or send an email to treatment boosts penetration of anti- info@nikitasalon.co.uk.

CREATURE COMFORTS There’s a free makeup pouch while stocks last at Mawgan Porth boutique Roo’s Beach (near Newquay) when you buy any item from the Paul & Joe Menagerie collection. Prices start at £12 for a nail enamel, so bag a bonus while you can! www.roosbeach.co.uk

CALORIE-FREE Here’s one cocoa-based treat that your waist, hips and thighs will love you for: Organic Trevarno’s body lotion (£21) - and proudly made in Cornwall. www.trevarnoskincare.co.uk

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

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18/03/2015 10:33:38

Fashion

April Showers Spring’s here, but sunshine is by no means guaranteed. Colourful cover-ups are the answer ere in the South West, April can mean beach weather - or pouring rain. Or both, in the same day. Thank goodness, then, for this season’s colourful and downright attractive rainwear. You can safely get caught out in an April shower in this little lot and still look good. There are lots of spring macs, parkas and trench coats to be had right now. We like Lorraine Kelly’s classic design for JD Williams in traditional beige but if you want to look springlike, many labels are offering versions in bright pinks, blues and oranges. Wellies and brollies, too, don’t have to be boring, as these picks from White Stuff and Cath Kidston show. Have fun this spring, whatever the weather.

YUMI lace rain mac £95

PEOPLE TREE Orla Kiely print dresses £80-£90

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LOOK AGAIN parka £49.99 www. lookagain.co.uk

DEBENHAMS H by Henry Holland cagoul £35

SIMPLY BE mac £50

JD WILLIAMS Lorraine Kelly collection mac £59

HOME CANDY ‘Waiting For Rain’ teatowel £14

PEOPLE TREE raindrop tee £30

WHITE STUFF short wellies £29.95 CATH KIDSON sky print brolly £35

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Trend Top, Oasis, Princesshay, £38 Jeans, Oasis, Princesshay, £45 Bag, Next, Princesshay, £12

HOW TO WEAR IT:

Shoes, Oasis, Princesshay, £40

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

The new botanics Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod chucks out the chintz for spring

“

lorals for Spring. Groundbreaking.” That has to be one of my favourite lines from The Devil wears Prada. I mean, can Meryl do no wrong? She’s right though. It seems that without fail, botanical prints rear their head for spring. So, what’s different this season? I’ll level with you, the trend still involves flowers, birds and a hint of tropical escapes. This time however, there is less in the way of literal interpretations. Think geometric patterns inspired by foliage, matching separates in shades of green, and unexpected glimpses of the exotic that appear like your very own Secret Garden. This gorgeous jumper from Oasis is a great example. Not only is the bright yellow sure to lift spirits in the face of even the most stubborn grey skies, but you have the It’s more rare opportunity to make just as much of a statement leav‘the power ing a room, as when you enter flower’ than it. The back is a soft semi-sheer panel adorned with clusters of ‘flower power’ highly-stylised flowery illustrathis time tions. For SS15, it is all about the dearound tails, designs, and bold brights. Look for the most vivid piece you can find, and you are on the right track. It’s more ‘the power flower’ than ‘flower power’ this time around, and pretations is a joyful one. They’re slimming. It’s I couldn’t be happier for more than one reason. pretty hard to pull off the pale dress with large red Firstly, I think that traditional chintzy floral petals if you have been munching on lovely cakes prints belong on wallpaper, not on women. There all winter. I like my clothes to be my allies in the is something dreadfully passé and unimaginative battle to look my best. Pick anything with geometabout your stock-standard cream shift adorned ric shapes, as they confuse the eye just the right with red blooms. To me, these dresses say nothamount. Smaller details and illustrated garments ing about their wearer, and fashion is nothing if in deep jewel garden colours are also favourites of not an attempt to showcase what it is that makes mine for disguising a multitude of sins. you, well, ‘you’. Remember, you don’t have to be going to the Lack of personality aside, another reason to Queen’s garden party to rock this season’s floral. embrace this seasons bolder and edgier interThese are meant to be worn every day, and mixed

with other patterns and fabrics for real impact too. Pair graphic trousers with a khaki tee and a statement necklace for cocktail chic, wear your favourite denim dress with a brightly flowered bag, and look for kimonos with delicate Japanese illustrations to add a layer of interest to your look. Final bit of advice, wear with heels – high ones. I never believed any of that tall poppy poppycock anyway. All fashion in these pictures is from Princesshay Shopping Centre, Exeter, www.princesshay.com

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NEW LOOK Palm print shirt dress £22.99

MONSOON SS15 Marielle trousers £89

GET THE

look CAROLINE CHARLES Parrot dress £595

NEW LOOK Black Hawaiian platform sandals £44.99

STREET STYLE HERO Elsia Reyna, R&D for Lush Cosmetics, Bournemouth NEXT Floral bomber £38

Coat – Superdry Jeans – River Island Boots – Jones & Jones Cross body bag – Gusti Leather 33

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Shop

The edit Your straight line to style. Shift dresses, cardigans and statement bags = sorority chic

East £150

M&Co £26

White Stuff £55

fave!

Joe Browns £50

Vienna tote £265 Florian (www.florianlondon.com)

Oliver Bonas £59.50

F&F for Tesco tote £18

Land’s End £59.95

Folli Follie tote £320

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18/03/2015 12:38:32

Events

the hotlist There’s plenty to do right now in the Westcountry, from magical movies to string puppet plays

1. Magical cinema

Wadebridge, tonight, 7.30pm Be spellbound by silent movie star Louise Brooks in a silver screening of her 1929 film Diary of a Lost Girl at Wadebridge’s vintage Regal Cinema. Brought to you by wow-tastic Cornish band Wurlitza, they’ll be accompanying the action with a live musical soundtrack in the traditional way - but listen out for The Doors and Magic Numbers hits among the classical tunes.

Tickets £9/£8/£7 (01208 812791)

2. Macbiketh

Exeter, Wednesday evening The HandleBards are four actors who convey themselves, costumes, props and camping equipment from venue to venue by bike. Don’t miss their quirky version of Macbeth at Exeter Cathedral’s 13th century Chapterhouse on Wednesday. Seats

cost £10, or bring a comfy cushion and sit on the floor for a fiver! www.handlebards.eventbrite.co.uk

3. Twinkle, Twinkle

Kestle Mill near Newquay, Friday Stargaze with Kernow Astronomers in the grounds of the National Trust’s Elizabethan house Trerice and discover what’s where in the night sky. Gates open at 4.30pm (last admission 6pm) and the stellar fun goes on until 9pm. Suggested dona-

tions £2 per adult, children free. Call 01637 875404

4. Monkey!

Great Torrington, Thursday, 11am & 1pm PuppetCraft’s show at The Plough arts centre is based on Michael Rosen’s version of the classic Chinese story about mischievous Monkey’s adventures. Mums and dads may remember the cloud-riding character as the stuff of 80s TV legend and all audiences aged four and over should love this colourful string-puppet production. Tickets: £6/£5/£4, box

office: 01805 624624

#4 35

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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 A very good read Tell Tale by Mark Sennen, published by Avon, £7.99 I’ve not come across Mark Sennen’s crime novels before, but having devoured his latest, book four in his DI Charlotte Savage series, I’m going to have to go back and read the first three. In Tall Tale, DI Savage has found out who killed her young daughter Clarissa in a hit and run accident. As she struggles with her compulsion for revenge, terrifying events start to unfold on the moor. First a bag containing a missing girl’s clothes and passport is found floating in a reservoir, then the body of a man is discovered, entombed in a pagan grave. With the feisty Det Insp and her team working out of Crownhill in Plymouth and much of the creepy action taking place near Fernworthy reservoir on Dartmoor, Tell Tale is doubly compelling – first for the local references and secondly because it is a brilliant story, with deeply unsavoury villains and police officers who are all-too-human themselves.

Opera fun Theatre Royal, Plymouth, Tuesday, March 31 Famous soprano and northern lass Lesley Garrett will join the fantastic singers of the Welsh National Opera in Chorus! – a fabulous collection of the most hummable moments in opera. Directed by its creator David Pountney, the repertoire, accompanied by live orchestra, includes the Humming Chorus from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and Va Pensiero from Verdi’s Nabucco. There’s also the less highbrow A Policeman’s Lot from Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance. In their annual visit to these parts, the Welsh company also presents The Magic Flute at the Theatre Royal on April 1-2, and Hansel & Gretel on April 4. Tickets £11.70-£50.70, www.theatreroyal.com and 01752 267222

Memorable music Saturday, March 28 Musician Phil Beer is best known for his multi-instrumental wizardry as one half of Devon-based acoustic roots duo Show of Hands. He’s taking a break at the moment, though, to tour with his own six-piece Phil Beer Band. Phil, who can coax magic out of just about any stringed instrument known to man, will be playing guitar, the fiddle and the mandolin as well as providing vocals. He’s joined by Liv Dunn on fiddles, Gareth Turner on the melodeon, Nick Quarmby providing bass and vocals, Steve Crickett on drums and Emily Slade on guitar and vocals. Expect a lively cocktail of folk, rock, country and blues, or folk ‘n’ roll as Phil calls it, when he plays his only Westcountry date on the tour at The Plough in Torrington on Saturday, March 28. Tickets £17/£16. www.theploughartscentre.org.uk and 01805 624624 36

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Enjoy

10 minutes with:

Jenny Agutter: Jenny Agutter has been one of Britain’s best loved actresses since the 1960s, thanks to roles in The Railway Children, Logan’s Run and An American Werewolf in London. She talks about the ongoing success of Call The Midwife and her new movie, filmed in Cornwall, called Tin. Jenny, 62, has a home near Helston in Cornwall, and was born in Taunton.

Is there going to be a new series of Call The Midwife for next year? We’re missing it already! Yes, we start work again in May.

to be in there. He doesn’t want anything to happen between that moment where he’s discussing what it’s all about, and all the ideas are there and the filming happening, which is interesting.

Are you allowed to get a Cornish tan during filming? I go on a spring holiday and then let the tan fade before I start filming - hopefully! I do stay out of the sun. I’m quite dark. The trouble is with a white wimple, any amount of colour shows up next to it.

You’ve also worked on some big budget Hollywood films such as Avengers Assemble – what’s that like? Always with those things, maybe a month before, maybe three weeks before, they’ll say: ‘Well, we’re doing the film and such and such is hapGive us some clues about the next series! pening.’ Then you don’t get a script, you don’t I honestly can’t. The last email I know anything and that’s it, and sent was to the producer saying one has to take it for granted that how lovely that we’re starting it’s going to be all right. The Russo a new series, and had she any brothers were lovely to work with ‘There’s a very idea what the storylines are? [on Captain America]. Quite, quite small fi lm I This year’s series was very much different from Joss Whedon with about the beginning of the SixAvengers Assemble. Joss went for have made in ties, and with that, you see all an epic, almost operatic piece of Cornwall, called the wonderful opportunities that filmmaking; everything is largerTin. They call it people start to have. You have than-life, and the Russo broththe NHS and people starting to ers... the first day I met them, they a micro budget take things for granted. Then the said: ‘We want this to be film noir. movie’ other side of that, there’s quite We want it to be dark, and real.’ a lot of anguish; suddenly one I would like to do more. I loved looks at the rotten parts of sociworking with the stunt team on ety, realising how bigoted people the last thing. It was fun to do. are; realising how stuck one is with certain things. It’s the beginning of ‘What about me?’ What’s next for you? [decade]. And that brings with it a sort of disThere’s a very small film I have made in Cornwall, content. called Tin. They called it a ‘micro budget movie’, but they’re the sweetest people and very imagiYou’ve just worked with legendary film director native, and it’s all done on green screen. I would Warner Herzog, how was that? walk through a door and there would be no furI really, really enjoyed it. What’s so good about niture, no walls, no nothing, and all of that was working with different directors is what they painted in afterwards. It has a slightly super-real bring to it, and he brings a whole experience that quality about it when you look at it. But I have is quite different from anyone I’ve ever worked yet to see it. It was a good story; I first saw it as a with before. He loves his actors; he absolutely play [by Miracle Theatre], and it’s going to end up loves film. Everything belongs to him on a set and at the film festivals and hopefully they will get a he doesn’t want anything to get between what proper release at some point. he and his actors are doing and the storyline. He doesn’t want the clapperboard to be in there; he Call The Midwife Series 4 DVD is available now from doesn’t want the make-up or the costume people www.bbcshop.com 37

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18/03/2015 12:40:33

Kynance Cove

Emma Griffin

My Secret Westcountry The Alverton, Truro

Emma Griffin Photographer Emma Griffin , 39, works in the fashion industry as well as undertaking shoots for commercial clients. She recently held her first contemporary art exhibition, Enchantment, which depicted her subjects as Disney heroines. She lives with her family near Truro. My favourite... View: At this time of year this has to be at my favourite place, Kynance Cove.

Things: Our countryside and the light. We have amazing light here in Cornwall all through the year. I adore the landscape here, which changes according to which coast you are near. The lifestyle here suits me as a mum but is also perfect for my job. I work with out-of-county clients who send me products to photograph here because of where I live and the locations I have on my doorstep. Arts venue: I love Millennium art gallery in St Ives, the Exchange gallery in Penzance and I find the guys who run The Beside The Wave Gallery in Falmouth very helpful and friendly.

Activity: It has to be walking with our dogs on beaches and in the countryside. 38

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People Food: Fish! I love the fish festival held in Newlyn in August, where you can try out amazing fish recipes made by local chefs.

Brave: one of Emma’s portraits

Pub: My favourites are the Gylly Beach Café in Falmouth and Blue Beach Bar in Porthtowan. For a family, they’re ideal. Restaurant: The Thai Orchid in Falmouth. The food there is incredible, I love the venue and the people there are so friendly. All in all, it’s great place to eat out.

Chill out: Having a day off and visiting a harbour or beach. I’ll take some photographs, have a stroll, cup of coffee and some still-time.

Weekend away: The eco-friendly Emerald holiday retreat at Carnon Downs, The Alverton in Truro, The Merchant Manor country house hotel in Falmouth and Greenbank Hotel in Falmouth Harbour. Shop: If I’m buying gifts, I go to Truro or St Ives. For really special one-off items I like The Four Crows gallery in Porthleven. Secret place: A real little secret heaven near to me is Stithians Lake. In the late afternoon the sunlight is stunning on the water, there’s tons of wildlife and it’s constantly changing. It never looks the same.

Newlyn Fish Festival

See more of Emma’s work at: www.griffin-photography.co.uk

Four Crows Gallery 39

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REVIEW

Saunton Sands Hotel By Becky Sheaves

pologies in advance, as I know there is nothing worse than a pushy parent. I can’t bear it – especially when parents show off in that particularly British back-handed fashion, eg: “Jerome is driving me mad! He just won’t stop practising for his bassoon Grade Eight exam. He’s playing his scales morning, noon and night. I don’t know how he finds the time to do his 12 GCSES and Duke of Edinburgh Gold award.” But anyway, when I took my kids up to Saunton Sands Hotel the other day, I have to admit to a little frisson of maternal pride when Luke (13) looked around the modernist white dining room, with its glittering, angular chandeliers and Empire-State-Building style mirrors, and said: “I feel like I’m in the Titanic”. Exactly, I beamed. This hotel was built at around the same time - the whole hotel is in full

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Art Deco ocean-liner mode. Really, Luke, you should consider a career as an architect – you’d be brilliant. Sorry. Allow me to preen a little. Ok, I’m over it now – on to the food. The best way, I think, to appreciate a dinner at this lovely hotel is to spend the day on the beach there beforehand. By luck, we had an exceptionally springlike visit, and so we walked on the huge expanse of soft yellow sands, paddled in the frothy waves, admired the flocks of oyster catchers scurrying about on the shore and either read a book in the sunshine (me) or yomped around in the sand dunes while chucking a rugby ball about (the kids). So we were properly hungry by the time we’d smartened up and were joined for dinner by my husband John, who had been busy at home on our farm all day. We all went for the set three-course menu, as it seemed good value and full of enticing options. To start with, we all had an “amuse bouche”. Which, naturally, I saw as an educational opportunity for getting the kids to translate the French: see earlier for my comments on being a pushy parent

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4 of the best Hotel restaurants

Hotel Tresanton

1 Abode Exeter

The Royal Clarence Hotel on Exeter’s Cathedral Green is run by top chef Michael Caines as part of his Abode chain. Expect proper fine dining,and great service too. Dish of the day: Roast ling with saffron potatoes Price: Set evening menu £22.95 Contact: 01392 319955 www. abodeexeter.co.uk

2 Harbour Hotel, Sidmouth – I really don’t know how they put up with me the best way to tackle turbot). However, an sometimes. This was a guinea fowl ballotine with impressive stack of fillets arrived instead, each raisin puree, and set the tone of perfectly cooked. In fairness, I the whole meal from the get-go love, love, love turbot and I loved by being properly delicious. this dish. Finally, I had a fresh, The best way, The service was old-school springlike dish of poached fruit and attentive, with a separate with bergamot sorbet, while the I think, to wine waiter (and a huge wine kids had excellent ice-cream and appreciate list). We opted for a bottle of John went for a fabulous lemon dinner at this white Dart Valley Reserve tart with chocolate granola. from the Sharpham Vineyard This hotel offers seriously good lovely hotel is to in South Devon, one of my fine dining, with lots of healthy spend the day on favourite wines of all time. If options as well as luxurious the beach there you’ve ever had a prejudice treats. I’ve eaten here before, but against English wines, do try not for a couple of years, and I’d beforehand this one. It’s fruity but delicate, say the standard (always high) lightly aged in American oak has gone up by leaps and bounds and very, very good. in that time. We had beautiful To start, I had the home smoked salmon and food in a beautiful place –and you can’t ask for lobster salad, as did Luke. Along came generous more than that, can you? portions, balanced by an excellent lemon Saunton Sands Hotel, Braunton, north Devon 01271 mayonnaise and carefully peeled slivers of blood 890212 www.sauntonsands.co.uk orange. John had scallops with home-cured bacon which were also terrific and William (aged nine) opted out – he’s a small eater. For their main course, the kids both went for chicken pie, which arrived somewhat Food deconstructed, slightly to their surprise. It was very good, with a hearty chunk of confit leg Atmosphere and thigh of chicken, a slice of crisp pastry and mash, plus wild mushrooms which, alas, the kids Service totally did not appreciate at all. Why my children hate mushrooms I will never understand – I Price We ate from the adore them. Tabled’Hote menu, John and I had turbot with braised gem lettuce, new potatoes and sea herbs. I was, I £36 per head admit, expecting to see it cooked on the bone (always a challenge to the chef but I think

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How they scored...

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The Westcliff Hotel has been revamped and renamed, but its reputation for great food still stands. Right now, you can quote ‘West magazine’ when booking for good deals on accommodation. Dish of the day: Duck and wild mushroom terrine starter Price: Mains around £19 Contact: 01395 513252 www. sidmouth-harbour-hotel.co.uk

3 Tresco Cottages, Isles of Scilly The luxury holiday cottages on beautiful Tresco are family-owned, as is the excellent beachside Flying Boat restaurant, a must-visit when you’re there. Dish of the day: Chargrilled pollock fillet Price: Mains around £10 Contact: 01720 424068 www.tresco. co.uk

4 Hotel Tresanton, St Mawes

This lovely and very luxurious hotel on the waterfront in Cornwall has a fantastic restaurant serving fish-andchip favourites as well as more haute cuisine dishes, all with a wonderful view. Dish of the day: Wild bass with crab cake and clams Price: Traditional favourites around £12, fine dining dishes around £20 Contact: 01326 270055 www. tresanton.com

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Ingredient of the Week

Alexanders with Tim Maddams

arch is upon us like a breath of fresh air and suddenly the hedgerows are bursting into life with green offerings that seem to sing out from the margins. They simply must be eaten! Not only do they want you to eat them, but your body, after its green-deprived winter, is desperate to take them up on the offer. While the nettles, wild garlic and sea-beet are all popping up, do not overlook the somewhat strangely flavoured Alexanders on your forays to the hedgerow. This tasty herb was introduced to the UK by the Romans as a fodder plant for their animals. But it would be an affront to its many culinary uses to regard it as cattle food. A taste that is hard to describe resides within this tall, perennial plant and the steamed stems make a sweet and aromatic addition to the seasonal table. The leaves, too, are pungent and fragrant with a strangely celery-come-fennel flavour. These are very strong indeed, so caution must be used when fragrancing dishes with this aromatic plant. The Victorians were fond of Alexanders and

used it in many ways. The most common was in the form of candied stems which were sold as sweets and the oddly soapy flavour is well suited to the confectionary counter. As with all wild plants, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to make the correct identification before eating. If you are in even the slightest of doubt as to what you are dealing with, a quick rub of leaves and a sniff will be security enough that you have the correct plant. Collecting Alexanders is a joy, as they grow in great clumps. The stems, washed, cut into lozenges and steamed are delicious. They are best cooked with a little butter along with the water with a tight lid on the pan so that they sort of braise down. Remove the lid and cook a little more to evaporate off the liquid and concentrate the sweetness, but make sure they are tender without being over-cooked. They make a rather excellent accompaniment to fish and adding a small amount of the chopped leaf to a shellfish stew is a real winner. The sweetness inherent in the plant also lends itself well to rather unusual desserts. I love to cook the stems as above and lightly sweeten them

Alexanders gin martini

You can make a satisfying gin infusion with Alexanders stems and leaves. Wash and push as many as you can into a bottle and add a little sugar. Then fill the bottle with gin. Leave for a fortnight. After two weeks, it will be ready and an excellent base for a dry martini. Shake two shots of Alexanders gin over ice with freshly squeezed lemon. Pour into a chilled glass, garnish with a little Alexanders leaf. @TimGreenSauce

with honey. Then place in jars and cover first with creamy yoghurt and top with a nice crunchy crumble for perfect picnic puddings. However you decide to use Alexanders, do look out for them as they are a real foragerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s treat at this time of year. Oh, and a curry of the stems and sea beet leaf is also a delightful seasonal treat.

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

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Drink No half-measures, but there are times when a smaller glassful is best

Beer of the week Brooklyn Brewery: Sorachi Ace Sorachi Ace is one of those hops which should come with a warning for brewers: “Use responsibly.” Dry and sharp, it offers herbal, grassy, citrus peel notes, but mated here with German Pilsner malt the bitterness is kept in check while the hop flavour shines through in a dangerously drinkable brew (7.6% ABV). I tried it on keg at HAND (see main article).

Darren Norbury

talks beer ’ll have a pint, please” is a time honoured phrase heard in pubs up and down the country (along with the soaps, of course. Although in those nobody seems to ask for anything by name, with the exception of the hugely popular Shires in The Archers). But could the pint be replaced? Before you get that pen out and start a greeninked missive to the editor, I don’t mean losing imperial measures and going all half-litre. Heaven forbid. No, I’m taking about thirds of a pint (and two-thirds), both now legal measures for the serving of beer in the UK. And I think they will shake up the way we drink. Craig Cawson, new manager of the HAND Bar in Falmouth, agrees. His venue, well-known for its wide selection of mainly keg and bottled beers from around the world, has just started serving thirds and two-thirds. He and owner Peter Walker (the pair are both ‘old boys’ of the pioneering Leeds craft beer venue, North Bar) decided thirds would enable customers to drink in way they want to, at a price they can afford. “With some imported craft beers hitting the pumps at £6 or over, it makes sense for us to provide a range of options for the customer,” Craig told me. “This makes even more sense

“I

Moving on Stuart Howe, head brewer at Sharp’s for many years and subsequently head of craft beer and innovation at parent company Molson Coors, has been appointed head brewer at Butcombe Brewery, near Bristol. I wish him all the best at the brewery, newly acquired by the Channel Islands-based Liberation hospitality group. Stuart’s among the elite of British brewers, responsible for Sharp’s innovation Connoisseurs range – he also once created a beer flavoured with woodlice!

when you consider the ABV of some beers as well. Thirds provide a reasonable taste of a beer at a reasonable price, allowing you to cover a number of beers over an evening.” There’s the conundrum, too, that for a customer who prefers a more substantial measure than a third, a half doesn’t always fit the bill. Craig said: “Two-thirds of a pint [known as a schooner] provides a more robust measure for the drinker, but one that doesn’t break the bank or result in a sore head.” Let us not forget, also, the aesthetics of the third or two-third glass. Most are not traditional straight-sided, tumbler-style vessels, but attractive stemmed glasses which all helps to broaden the appeal of beer, perhaps even attracting the wine drinker to try something light, hoppy and flavoursome instead. I’m a huge fan of the third-pint, despite having many friends who don’t consider them a proper way to drink beer. I shall persist, though, in drinking my third, in bars like HAND, at the increasing number of beer festivals adopting the measure and perhaps one day in pubs generally (hopefully schooner rather than later). Darren Norbury is editor of beertoday.co.uk @beertoday

TAKING THE PLEDGE CAMRA has published a list of General Election candidates who have pledged support for real ale and community pubs. They have all agreed to:support well-run community pubs; promote Britain’s breweries and represent pub-goers and beer drinkers. Check www.camra.org.uk/supporters_list to see if your local candidates have signed up. 43

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Living

MOTORS

A good car, made even better Car guru Scott Squires of Plymouth road-tests the updated Audi A7 he Audi A7 which came swinging into sight in 2010 as a rival for the Mercedes CLS has been to the clinic for its first nip/tuck. With the facelift Audi has given A7 its ‘Ultra’ badge, which for the likes of us means eco/green or (as Audi say in their press releases) “a very German way of saying incredibly efficient.” What has Audi done to the A7 to give it the ultra-badge? It has taken the standard 3.0-litre TDI engine, which is good for 268bhp, and given it a substantial update to improve its efficiency and fuel economy. The updated engine is down on power at 215bhp, down on CO2 emissions and up on fuel efficiency – from around 54mpg to 60mpg. It all sounds good but, let’s face it, this is a

big car and big cars need power to make them shift. You need not worry: the A7 still has more than enough torque and a silky smooth sevenspeed s-tronic gearbox to move things along effortlessly. Let’s move on to the cabin and interior as this is the part that really matters for the A7 as this is a luxury salon, and a roomy one at that.The interior is your typical Audi affair. Everything you need is there and in the place you would expect it, and has the fit and finish of a top Savile Row suit. All but the essential controls are controlled by what is one of the best infotainment systems around – Audi’s MMI. Inside is when you begin to notice just how big a car the A7 is. Four adults can sit in luxury without the usual squabble

for the seat with the most legroom, as even the passenger behind me had plenty of room and I’m well over six foot. One slight criticism is the sloping roofline which looks great, but does mean you lose a bit of headroom on the inside. And it is with the sloping roofline that I got my biggest surprise. The boot from the outside looks small but I think Audi engineers have somehow got hold of the plans for the Tardis, as it can swallow up a whole lot more than you would think. I managed to get our huge pram in and still had room left for a shopping spree. When it comes to driving you have a choice of four drive select modes – eco, dynamic, auto and individual. When set to eco everything is turned down to about three and the throttle feels like a wet sponge, while at the other end of the scale

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Tough nut you have ‘dynamic’ where everything is set to 11 and the throttle is like a hair trigger on a sniper’s rifle. If you want to get your 60mpg, you had best leave the car in eco mode. And if you spend most of your time on the motorway then the eco mode won’t bother you as this is where the A7 is happiest, and where its refinement comes in. Stick to the speed limit and all you can hear is a very slight rumble from the tyres and the eerie lack of wind noise. But if you like to take to a few B-roads then the eco mode isn’t for you. You’d best switch to dynamic which also stiffens up the suspension to give you that sportier feel. When you start to wind your way down a nice sweeping B-road you do begin to notice the size and bulk of the A7 with a little bit of body roll. Don’t let that put you off trying to have some fun as it is very capable, but it’s just more at home munching the miles on a motorway. All in all, the updates to the A7 take a very good car and make it ever so slightly better. And as the biggest improvement is to the running cost, this makes the ultra A7 a very appealing car indeed.

At a glance

This tough portable 500GB product is aimed at photographers and can be taken on shoots to back up snaps. You can transfer a 700MB film file in around seven-seconds. LaCie 500GB Rugged Mini Portable Hard Drive £68 from wexphotographic.com

Everything inside Slimline unit Claiming to be the world’s thinnest portable hard drive at just 7mm thick, this gadget has incredible capacity, with 500GB of space available. Expect lightning transfer speeds with its USB 3.0 transfer. 500GB Seagate Seven Ultra Slim Portable Drive £99.99 from ebuyer.com

With a whopping five terabytes of storage space inside, you can fit more than 6,500 films, two million or more smartphone selfies or 1.5 million music files - quite a collection. LaCie 5TB d2 USB 3.0 Desktop Hard Drive £218.40 from jigsaw24.com

Price: £45,875 0-62 mph: 7.3sec Top speed: 148mph Economy: 60.1mpg CO2 (g/km): 122g/km Engine: 2967cc, V6, turbocharged diesel Power: 215bhp at 4000-4750rpm 45

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My life

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man and boy

A mum in a million

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Phil Goodwin, father of James, five, looks back with gratitude

ou may have noticed that my weekly musings in these pages on fatherhood and family life over the past nine months were recently interrupted. The cause? The death of my mother, Nancy, aged 89. My attempts to break the news of her imminent passing to her five-year-old grandson left young James a little confused and slightly disturbed and I didn’t take him to see her in the final days. He is a little too young and impressionable. But now that she is gone, I find myself pondering the profound effect she had on my life and what that means to me as a father. In the days leading up to the funeral, I had planned – should I say imagined– I might say a few words in the church. However, having heard others struggle to read lessons at such times, I guessed, correctly as it turned out, that

I would be unable to compose myself sufficiently to do her justice. Emotions are powerful and physical – in the end it was all I could do to hold myself together as the priest conducted the service and delivered his own, impressive tribute. And I didn’t want to look like I was trying to grab the limelight. Grief is not exclusive and everybody has their own memories. The reason why I had wanted to honour Nancy is because after giving me life, she saved me on

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Mum saved me on so many occasions, believed in me and supported me

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so many occasions. She believed in me when it was hard, supported me through the bad times and was always positive. Thanks to the teachings of the Catholic Church on contraception, I came late in her life, the last of four brothers and 12 years after the third. She had married a man 16 or so years her senior, my dad Tommy, who died when I was just three, effectively making her a single mother of a toddler in her early forties. As if this wasn’t bad enough, when she had turned her dressmaking career into a safer

and better paid job as a social worker, I went spectacularly off the rails. One day a colleague spotted us together and asked if I was ‘the famous juvenile delinquent’. At the time I didn’t understand the term, but I saw from Mum’s face it would be a bad idea to pursue an explanation. My teenage rampage brought shame on the family and put her single-parenting skills unfairly under the microscope – you can imagine the naysayers…she was too soft… no father figure… spare the rod, spoil the child and so on. It must have hurt. But despite the humiliation, she never once turned her back or gave up on me. Instead she always encouraged me to ditch my tearaway instincts. When I tried to join the Armed Forces aged 15, she called in the heavy mob of brothers to prevent it. Her brother had died after his merchant ship was torpedoed in 1944 – there would be no second tragedy. When I tried to leave school for an engineering job, at the age of 16, she persuaded me to go to tech-college by offering me her £25 a week family allowance. She encouraged me to go to university, to spread my wings, as she did with all of us. This cost her dearly in her later years as she ended up with a family scattered far and wide. Her advice on affairs of the heart was as sound as her motherly skills. When I first took James to see her she divined the breastfeeding problem in an instant – ‘that baby has got hungry eyes’. And when things fell apart, you could always rock up and stay for months on end, no problem. So now, as I struggle to deal with the gaping hole she leaves in my life, I realise my real problem is not how to tell my son she has gone, but how the hell I am going to live up to her high standards.

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