West, May 31, 2015

31.05.15

34 Summer saviours

DON’T MISS: + WIN £140

1920S BALL TICKETS + SEAWEED

FESTIVAL PLUS: + GREEN

JUICE + GORGEOUS

DRESSES

INSIDE: + COASTAL

INTERIORS + GWYNETH

PALTROW

The ultimate

coffee

guide

JO REES’ TOP BARISTAS, BLENDS & BEAN ROASTERS

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www.coastal-windows.co.uk 27/05/2015 15:28:38

‘When asked to try out the iCapsule rejuvenation hub, I wondered whether it was just another dubious device that is only good for generating false hope’ Jayne Freer tries a hi-tech beauty treatment, p29

36 16

GET OUT THERE Can exercise really cure depression?

THE LATEST BUZZ Our round-up of the finest coffee spots in the West

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‘I LOVE HIM AS A FRIEND’ The truth about Rita Ora and Ed Sheeran

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BEST BURGERS An American diner in Exeter

[contents[ Inside this week...

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THE WISHLIST Lovely things to check out this week

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GILLIAN MOLESWORTH A wedding in Bermuda? Must you?

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JUST BETWEEN US...

Sh! We have the latest gossip!

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RUNNING FREE

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THE GOOD COFFEE GUIDE

Risking life and limb on Exeter Quay Find the best cup near you

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RIVIERA CHIC Interiors inspiration in Brixham

26

ANNE SWITHINBANK Starting from scratch in the veg garden

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BEAUTY TIPS AND TREATS

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MY WESTCOUNTRY TV’s Ros Atkins picks his secret South West getaways

Great ideas for looking your best

30

HOLIDAY STYLE Pretty fashion for summer getaways

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JUICY FRUIT Ally Mac’s recipe for Mighty Green Juice

37

YOUR STARS What does the week ahead hold for you?

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DINER STYLE The best burgers, from St Ives to Saltash

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MAN & BOY Phil Goodwin ponders the class system

30

FASHION

Your holiday style, sorted 3

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[

[

RIVIERA CHIC

Harbourside cheer in salty south Devon

[ welcome [ First things first... ...and a huge Happy Birthday to Tilly Barnes, our marvellous make-up tester (see page 28 today).

For the past year, Tilly (with her mum Catherine) has been trialling everything from mad milk baths to Poundland nail polish for our Beauty pages. This week, Tilly turns 18 and is now, officially, an adult. We only hope she doesn’t exercise her new-found independence by saying she doesn’t want to spend her weekends trying out all sorts of weird (and wonderful) concoctions on her oh-so-perfect skin! Thank you Tilly, and don’t rush away from Tavistock to university TOO soon, please!

Elsewhere in the magazine, we have another friend to thank. Our cover girl this week is Jo

Tweet

[

of the week @JDarlingPhotos Great afternoon shooting (& nearly ridden over by) @GillyMole (re)learning her polo skills with SW Polo for @WMNWest Eds note: Find out how Gillian’s day in the saddle went in next week’s West!

Rees, editor of Food magazine, who comes from Barnstaple. Jo has shared her encyclopaedic knowledge of coffee, in all its intricacy with us.

Read her Top 10 Westcountry coffee shop list on page 16 today.

We’ve also got a rather hair-raising tale on page 12 today.

Our writer Fran McElhone tracked down a chap from Exeter who spends his days leaping backwards down concrete stairs. Turns out Steve Jehu is an international gymnast as well as a “parkour” expert (and TV star). Days after Fran wrote this piece, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, called Woody Sebastian. Yet another cause for celebration!

She’s tried everything from mad milk baths to Poundland polish

[

Becky Sheaves, Editor

COVER IMAGE: Salt Media

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

MEET THE TEAM Becky Sheaves, Editor

Sarah Pitt

Kathryn Clarke-McLeod

Catherine Barnes

Phil Goodwin

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Win We have a pair of tickets worth £140 for the Saunton Sands Summer Ball to win. To enter, send your name, address and contact number to Saunton Sands competition, westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk to arrive by June 5. Normal terms apply.

If you do one thing this week...

Release your inner 1920s flapper at the fabulous summer ball taking place amid the Art Deco splendour of the Saunton Sands Hotel in north Devon on Saturday, June 13.

The evening offers the chance to immerse yourself in this glamorous era, with cocktails, live swing dancers and a pianist as you dine. Tickets for the ball cost £70. Or why not make a weekend of it? On the Saturday afternoon the hotel is running a Pop Up Hair and Beauty Boudoir. A two night stay in the hotel, including the ball, costs £250 per person, and there’s a one-night offer too for £150.

Find out more at www.sauntonsands.co.uk or call 01271 890212 5

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22ct gold vermeil on silver moonstone bracelet, £85, www. rigbyandmac.com

XXXXX Poppy weekend bag, £29.95, www. dotcomgiftshop.com

the

wishlist

ELEGANT CIRCLES Gold-coloured round swing necklace, £7, Matalan

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

Store we adore...

Bickleigh Mill near Tiverton This restored Georgian watermill by the rRiver Exe offers retail therapy over three floors, with Emma Bridgewater crockery, exquisite glassware from Cornwall’s Jo Downs, Cornish slate creations from Exeter-based Driftmoods and cute babywear from Topsham’s Emilie et Rose.

Bickleigh Mill is on the A396, visit www.bickleighmill.com or call 01884 855419

Aqua glass tealight holder, £5.50, www.oliverbonas.com

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Wishlist

SUNNIES Folli Follie sunglasses, £70, www.follifollie.co.uk

Blue tit melamine picnic plate, £4.99, www. oakroomshop.co.uk

YACHT CHIC Classic sailing boat model, £49.95, www.thenauticalcompany.com

Zigzag detail high strappy sandals, £15, Matalan

Colour pop travel purse in teal grey, £28, www.oliverbonas.com 7

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talking points Gillian Molesworth

Story of my life...

Destination weddings not always a good idea he fantastic West magazine special weddings edition a couple of weeks ago got me thinking about all thingsmarital. This is mostly nostalgic – I’ve only been to a smattering of weddings in the past five years.

The main concentration of them was when most of my friends got hitched within a three year some guests out of the market, period, when I was in my 20s. and leave out family members like Those were simpler times. No old auntie Marge who drools a bit one else to look after, no bedtimes but is a good sort, and relies on to observe or babysitters to return this sort of event to see the family to. Being a guest at a wedding in and get her back into social circuyour 20s was about looking good, lation. No way could she manage partying hard, dancing, and posBermuda. sibly finding a little bit of love Our whole family has been inamong the guest base – guys look vited to a “destination” wedding so good when they’re all dressed this spring, though, to be held in up, don’t they, and weddings are the south of Spain. And I find I inspirational. have changed my The only troumind about destible was that they nation weddings. all came at once, We are really lookand in a period ing forward to it.

Maybe, Bermuda of your life when Yes, we had to isn’t the place no one’s earning dedicate time and very much. All money to the trip, your wedding you disposable but now that we’re guests would income goes toolder, and several have chosen for wards travelling to of us friends are the weddings, staynot getting married their holiday... ing overnight, and for the first time, buying presents. there’s less of the This is why I’ve OTT pageantry and never thought a it all seems more “destination wedding” was a very civilised, and more grounded. It good idea. It’s easy to get carried struck me that in our 20s we had away in the planning stages, isn’t plenty of time to hang out with it. Yes, you could have a wedding our good old friends, but in our in Bermuda, but it doesn’t mean 40s, not so much: most of our time you should. For one thing, everyseems to be taken up with jobs one has to make it their holiday, and schools and committees. spending money on airfare and So I’ve come around to destinataking time off work, and maybe tion weddings like this one. It will Bermuda isn’t where they would be wonderful to see old friends have chosen. Or, for that matter, and meet new ones, and explore the people they would have chosen a new place. The weather being 30 to be with. degrees in the shade doesn’t hurt Destination weddings can price either…

T

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

Bellini dress £229 Amelia Rose shrug £59 (www.damselinadress.co.uk)

Berry NICE Mary Berry lived up to her surname in this raspberry pink Bellini dress from Damsel In A Dress at the Baftas recently. The Great British Bake Off presenter (who has a home in Salcombe, south Devon) had her gown customised with half-length sleeves, but you can pair the sleeveless dress with their pretty shrug - and be perfectly in the pink.

steal her

style

OR MAKE IT YOUR OWN

OPTION A Daytime Oliver Bonas Coral dress £59.50 www.oliverbonas.com Pretty in pink

OPTION A Evening Jacques Vert Lorcan Mullany dress £499 www. jacques-vert.com Elegant cross-front detailing

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brand new!

Just

between us Gossip, news, trend setters and more - you heard all the latest juicy stuff here first!

‘Why I love ed’ RITA ORA has revealed she has collaborated with ED SHEERAN on a new song.

The Black Widow singer says she considers the Thinking Out Loud chart-topper as a “legend”.

“I did this incredibly beautiful song with Ed about our friendship; he’s one of my best friends,” she says.

!

“It’s amazing having a friend in this industry of the opposite sex that you haven’t hooked up with. He’s such a legend. I respect him in so many ways.”

George:

‘How i proposed’ Women all over the world have dreamed about what it would be like to be proposed to by GEORGE CLOONEY - and now the man himself has revealed exactly what that involves.

George recently spilled the beans to CBS News about how he had asked now-wife of eight months AMAL ALAMUDDIN to marry him.

He said: “When I asked her, we had never talked about it, so it was all - there wasn’t like a, ‘Maybe we should get married’.

Literally, I dropped it on her.

“I was at my home and I queued up a playlist of some of my aunt Rosemary’s songs and I asked, and she just kept saying,

How to look good: ‘Oh my god’ and ‘Wow’ - completely unexpected.

“And you know, I just said - I’m 53 at the time - ‘I’ve been on my knee now for 28 minutes so I gotta get an answer out of this cause I’m gonna throw a hip out. I might not be able to stand back up’.”

GWYNETH PALTROW has revealed her top tips for looking good - laughing and having sex.

The Oscar-winning actress announced her “conscious uncoupling” from husband CHRIS MARTIN – who grew up in Whitestone near Exeter - last year and has since begun dating Glee co-creator

Brad Falchuk.

Gwyneth told Women’s Health magazine in the US: “I’m not really a ‘beauty person’. I believe, as cheesy as it sounds, in exercise, laughing, having sex, being yourself.

“I’m not like, ‘Then I use this masque that I make on my stove’.”

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Famous: TV’s Floella Benjamin opened a new nursery in Exeter

Dressed up: Baby Cooper, aged seven months from Plymouth, is to appear on TV’s Blinging Up Baby

Gratitude: Lauren Newby thanks the coastguards for rescuing her collie Ice, after he fell down a cliff at Paignton

in pictures

Wave on! Kids are getting free surf lessons in St Ives and Hayle, thanks to The Wave Project

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talking points Let’s dance

Chin chin!

ONE OF US Famous faces who come from the Westcountry

10 fabulous gin cocktails

1 Gin Rickey 10 dance crazes

1 The Twist 2 The Soulja Boy 3 Cha Cha Slide 4 The Vogue

This week:

2 Tom Collins

Duncan James

3 Dirty Martini 4 Gin Fizz 5 Singapore Sling

5 The Twerk

6 Long Island Iced Tea

6 The Charleston

7 Clover leaf

7 The Macarena

8 Alexander

8 The YMCA

9 Monkey Gland

9 The Jive

10 The Perfect Ten

10 The Mashed Potato

The happy list No prunes

The boyband heartthrob grew up in Dorset and east Devon, and went to school in Sidmouth Early years: His real name is Duncan Matthew James Inglis. The 37-year old singer was brought up by his single mother, with help from his grandparents. He lived in Dorset and later in the east Devon village of Salcombe Regis, attending nearby Sidmouth College as a teenager.

Drama: Duncan studied A Level Drama at Sidmouth College.

10 things to make you smile this week 10 foods that can help relieve constipation - and taste nice

1 Jam why not make your

1 Summer berries 2 Air popped popcorn

2 Tennis time for a knocka-

3 Mixed bean salad

3 School back to the routine 4 Exams nearly over, kids 5 Beach evenings watching

4 Brazil nuts 5 Dried apricots 6 Peanuts 7 Pineapple juice 8 Pears 9 Kiwi fruit 10 Sweet potatoes

own? bout with friends

Star: He played Dr Watson in a Sidmouth Youth Theatre production of Sherlock Holmes.

Love: Duncan came out as bisexual in 2009 and has since identified himself as gay, but maintains an air of mystery over his DID YOU KNOW? current relationship status.

Duncan is the

great-grandson of Herbert Chapman, the 1930s Arsenal manager

Career: After school, Duncan became a ‘Havenmate’ entertainer at a Haven holiday camp in West Bay, Dorset.

Success: Duncan formed the band Blue in 2000 with Lee Ryan, Simon Webbe and Antony Costa. Their first single, All Rise, was a hit, followed up by their first Number One, Too Close.

the sun go down

6 Barbecues eat al fresco 7 Mint in drinks, on potatoes 8 Summer pudding mmm 9 Paolo Nutini Eden, June 12 10 Cider With Rosie Plough Arts Centre, north Devon

UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2011, singing I Can, but it turned out they couldn’t - only reaching 11th place.

Solo: Duncan embarked on a solo music career in 2006, starred in Blood Brothers in the West End and then had a stint as a TV presenter before Blue got back together in 2011.

Do you remember? The newly reformed Blue set out to win for the

Family: Duncan has a 10-year old daughter, Tianie-Finn with ex-girlfriend Claire Grainger. His talented little girl’s a junior associate of the Royal Ballet and has already taken to the stage in panto.

Hard times: Duncan filed for bankruptcy in 2013, blaming the credit-crunched property market slump for his financial woes.

Back on the road: Duncan starred in his first panto - Birmingham’s Jack and the Beanstalk - last Christmas.

Blue completed a tour on the back of their new album, Colours, last month and are lined up for further appearances this summer.

Musical: Duncan’s also set to star in musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert, which begins a UK tour in August.

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Interview

Ninja warrior Having the nerve to flip backwardsover concrete is as much about a strong mind as it is about a strong body.

Fran McElhone meets Devon freerunner, Commonwealth Games silver medallist gymnast and TV star Steve Jehu

ithin seconds of asking if he can “do that thing where freerunners push off against a wall and flip backwards”, Steve Jehu replies with a cool, “Oh yeah” and, with zero run up, his foot bounces against the wall and he executes a perfect, on-demand, easy-breezy back flip right there. Even though he’s getting over a sprained ankle (which he did tripping over a gym mat).

Steve is easy to spot at our meeting place, in the spring sunshine at the quay in Exeter. It’s one of his typical training haunts. He’s the one with massive biceps stretching his T-shirt a little bit, as he strides towards me with the biggest smile ever, carrying a gym bag, which he promptly stuffs in a bush, before shaking my hand and starting to stretch, after politely asking me if I mind. Buff, talented and charming. What’s not to like?

Steve’s biggest career feat was clinching team silver in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. This was for the sterling part he played in the men’s five-discipline event – floor, pommel horse, still rings, vault and parallel bars.

After that, he briefly toyed with the notion of going for a place on Team GB at the 2012 Olympic Games in London but, in the end, he decided to leave the world of competing behind and focus on coaching instead, working at the Exeter Gym Club.

The 28-year-old’s most recent achievement is reaching the finals of Ninja Warrior UK, ITV’s prime time Saturday

W

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PHOTOGRAPHY: GRW PHOTOGRAPHY

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Interview

night game show this spring, trumpeted as TV’s toughest obstacle course. Steve, however, says “it wasn’t that hard”.

“The audience was great, the contestants were a great bunch and there was a proper buzz in the air. The experience was amazing, partly because it was something I’d admired as a kid watching the Japanese and American versions on TV, and because of the physical challenge. And because I knew it was something I could be really good at.”

Steve’s passion for gymnastics, which has gripped and shaped him since he was a 10-yearold, played a huge part in him beating around 5,000 applicants nationwide to be among the last handful standing on the show. He’s able to pull stunts involving walls, bars, stairs – pretty much anything concrete and hazardous, essentially – while springing fluidly from A to B, otherwise known as freerunning.

“After the 2010 Commonwealth Games, it was the natural time for me to stop gymnastics at top level,” he explains. “My body was not holding up and I didn’t have the time to train as hard as I wanted.

“Freerunning is an outlet that I could comfortably transfer to instead of gymnastics. It allows me much more freedom when training, but it is still a challenge. And it keeps me fit.

“With gymnastics, I was in the gym six days a week sometimes twice a day. With freerunning, I can train outside and fit it in around other commitments. I try to get out in all weathers but it’s definitely nicer when the sun’s shining.”

Steve’s main haunt, by the Exeter quayside, offers a series of different features, heights and obstacles where he can hone his technique. After his warm-up, he runs off and starts spinning and flipping over anything in his path so that I can see him in action.

Steve now focusses on both freerunning and parkour, he explains. Parkour is

If you do big jumps with

poor technique

you’ll kill your legs all about getting from A to B in the most efficient way possible, while freerunning is all about the tricks, flips and making the line of travel look aesthetically pleasing.

Training involves “watching video after video” online. Then it is a case of putting what he’s seen into practice within the safe confines of the gym before venturing out onto the concrete. “Warming-up is essential for avoiding injury”, he tells me.

“Starting indoors is a good way to do it and

then trying to hook up with people who have done it before and letting them help you out.

There are a lot of guys out there who just go for the big jumps, which can be pretty lethal - if you do big jumps with poor technique, you’re going to kill your legs.”

His best trick - and by best I mean completely bonkers - is the Kong Gainer. It’s a through vault over a wall using your hands and jumping your feet and legs through your arms, and, as you do, performing a backwards somersault, going for-

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wards. Get it?

I try to fathom the power needed in the arms in order to get the height required to flip the body around in the air in order to avoid smashing your head on the wall. I type it into YouTube and see lots of egg-shaped bumps and blood.

“It’s pretty lethal,” Steve smiles. “Getting the guts to do it for the first time is very, very challenging. There’s no amount of watching videos or seeing someone else do it that can physically going to prepare you.

“It all comes down to preparing your body to be physically strong and flexible enough. But like gymnastics, most moves are progressive. So you build them up from very simple beginnings.

“I was petrified the first time I did the Kong Gainer, but this was taken over by adrenalin, the desire to do it, and the belief that I could.

“Then I have to fully 100 per cent committed, nothing less. The elation and buzz you feel afterwards is like nothing else.”

A huge part of sport is this mental strength, and Steve concedes that all the top athletes have this “edge”. “I see it in my coaching work with young gymnasts,” he continues. “Those who are mentally strong are the ones who are going to succeed - they’re the ones who put the most work in and they have that extra drive.

“The mental and physical sides are linked – if

I’m 100 per cent physically fit and feel great, I can attack things full-on. If I’m not, then it affects my confidence, which affects my performance.

“Half of it is that mental edge to complete the trick. But too much gung-ho and not enough physical training and discipline and you’re going to kill yourself.”

Steve is a local chap - he attended Honiton Community College and Exeter College. He started competing in gymnastics both nationally and internationally from the age of 12. But throughout his teens, Steve had to suffer the ignorance and jealousy of others, taunted for doing a “girly” sport.

“This aspect was a big part of my childhood,” he admits. “The teasing was difficult and I didn’t know how to deal with it at the time. It drove me on to do better though. And I was doing something I was passionate about and that was my main motivation.

“I don’t think it’s like this for young kids any more, thankfully. These days, people seem to understand that gymnastics requires immense physical strength.

“I liked the challenge of it as a sport, and the fact that we gymnasts can do things most people can’t. So being a gymnast felt like a special thing,” he continues. “And to this day, seeking out physical challenges is just in my DNA.” 15

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the buzz

the buz 1

We’re in the middle of a coffee revolution. Cold brew, single origin beans, named estates... all of a sudden coffee is becoming the new wine, says Jo Rees, editor of the2015 South West Independent Coffee Guide.

Here are Jo’s picks for the ten South West coffee shops to add to your artisan coffee trail.

For more details visit www.food-mag.co.uk

Amid Giants & Idols www.amidgiantsandidols.com 59 Silver Street, Lyme Regis, Dorset, DT7 3HR

Just at the top of town, a little away from the crowd-filled streets around the historic harbour of Lyme Regis, sits the unusually titled Amid Giants & Idols. “It’s an anagram of my two nieces’ names,” explains owner Xanne Carey.

It’s a small independent coffee house and micro roaster, with UK Barista Championships semi-finalist Xanne at the helm. Devoted to the art of coffee, it offers up to five seasonally selected coffees and a variety of brew methods. Roasting its own coffee using ethically sourced beans, the team also finds and promotes beans from new up-and-coming local roasters. A real find.

2

2

Boston Tea Party www.bostonteaparty.co.uk Honiton, Exeter, Barnstaple

Boston Tea Party (BTP) is a small, family-owned independent café group serving simple, well-prepared food and drinks made with quality ingredients.

Using coffee from Bristol-based Extract Coffee Roasters, BTP offers a range of artisan medium and dark roasts.

Winner of the Food magazine Reader Awards’ Best Café category, BTP originated in Bristol but now has cafes across the South West including in Barnstaple, Exeter and Honiton. Each café has its own personality in keeping with the local surrounds, but all share a sustainability ethos. Stop press: Plymouth’s new BTP is soon to open on the waterfront at Sutton Harbour.

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The Brew House www.origincoffee.co.uk Harbour Head, Porthleven, Cornwall, TR13 9JA

In the lovely fishing village of Porthleven, The Brew House is Origin Coffee Roaster’s own flagship coffee shop. It’s where you’ll find head barista TJ and his team experimenting with various brews and roasts.

Central to TJ’s extensive and continually evolving menu are single estate coffees, roasted down the road at Origin HQ and rotated according to season. These include micro-lot coffees that have been sourced exclusively for The Brew House on Origin’s direct trade trips. Also on offer are home brewing courses, which will teach you the art of filter brewing and the science behind extraction. Clever stuff.

4

Crediton Coffee Company www.creditoncoffee.co.uk 1 Market Square House, Market Street, Crediton, Devon, EX17 2BN

It’s not often you find a café where you can watch the coffee being roasted while sipping a freshly brewed cup made from beans roasted in-house – so this is a rather special place to visit. The family-run coffee shop has a contemporary and spacious interior.

With at least six different roasts of its own coffee to choose from, and a range of brewing methods at son Dan Webb’s brewing bar, coffee geeks can go wild with flavours here.

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Good Vibes Cafe 28 Killigrew Street, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 3PN

If you enjoy a quality coffee paired with fantastically fresh and wholesome food, look no further than Good Vibes Café in Falmouth. A result of the creative and culture-packed imaginations of John Hersey and Hannah Rutland, it certainly meets their brief of creating a relaxed meeting and eating place that serves delicious, hearty food.

The artisan coffee alternates as frequently as the menus, and a range of roasters keeps the three grinders packed with the best seasonal blends and guest espressos – John likes to true new and inventive blends. “The wackier the better,” he says.

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5

The Exploding Bakery www.explodingbakery.com 1B Central Station, Queen Street, Exeter, EX4 3SB

It’s the smell that will lead you to The Exploding Bakery, one of Exeter’s favourite coffee haunts.

This is primarily a bakehouse, so the wafts of home cooking spill out onto the paved area outside, drawing customers from the train station entrance a few yards away.

It was a natural step for coffee-loving baker and co-owner Oli Coysh to have his own onsite coffee machine – and to apply the same level of care to the brew served as he does to his cakes.

Monmouth is the house coffee, but there’s a second grinder for various guest coffees, including Clifton, Round Hill, Square Mile and Climpson & Sons.

6

Fodder @ Yeo Valley HQ www.yeovalley.co.uk Rhodyate, Blagdon, Bristol, BS40 7YE

Slightly off the beaten track, but with possibly the best view in the South West, is Fodder, the restaurant and café at Yeo Valley HQ. At the foot of the Mendip Hills, it’s a delightful slice of urban cool in a countryside setting.

You’d be forgiven for wondering why a company famous for its yoghurt and milk has a coffee shop – but then, Yeo Valley is not your run of the mill dairy, as a visit to this quirky space, once the staff canteen, testifies. The coffee is expertly presented, using beans from Mozzo, and there’s a nice range of rustic, wholesome foodie choices on offer.

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Relish Food & Drink www.relishfoodanddrink.co.uk Foundry Court, Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 7QN

It’s a pretty safe bet you’ll experience one of those perfect coffee moments as you sit in the sunny courtyard outside this little Cornish gem.

Relish Food and Drink is a café and deli in the heart of the north Cornwall town of Wadebridge, a peaceful haven just yards from the busy shopping.

Its secret weapon is owner Hugo Hercod, UK barista champion of 2008 (the same year he came 10th in the world championships). Freshly ground beans from Cornwall’s leading roaster, Origin, are given specialist treatment by Hugo and his small team – which includes 2014 UK barista championship finalist Mark Williams.

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Strangers with Coffee www.facebook.com/ StrangersWithCoffee 31 St Cuthbert Street, Wells, Somerset, BA5 2AW

There aren’t many baristas who reach the level of dedication achieved by Ivan Hewitt, so it’s well worth popping in to his coffee shop for a bit of caffeine-related chat. It’s a friendly and informal setting, where creating the perfect cup of coffee is the top priority. A tea-drinking Yorkshireman, Ivan became a coffee convert after visiting his son in Sydney. With his chef wife Susan, he first opened a café in Truro before moving to Wells to create his perfect coffee shop.

Ivan has trained with Origin and Allpress and takes every opportunity to develop his coffee knowledge – on a day off, he’ll be out visiting top coffee spots.

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Strong Adolfo’s www.strongadolfos.com Hawkesfield, A39, Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 7LR

Strong Adolfo’s isn’t your typical roadside café.

Situated just off the A39 near Wadebridge, it’s a striking wooden building with panoramic glass windows and inside, the stripped back interior has a clean, industrial feel. At the heart of Strong Adolfo’s is Mathilda, originally from Sweden, and her husband John who has lived in Cornwall since the age of 12. Mathilda brought the Swedish tradition of ‘fika’ – coffee with something sweet to accompany it – to the café.

This certainly is a great spot for fika, with speciality coffee sourced from Origin and a daily selection of delicious homemade cakes.

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interiors

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health

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fashion

wellbeing 21

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27/05/2015 10:37:51

Seaside chic Design savvy duo Bev Mills and Fiona Wilson have transformed this house by the sea in Brixham, south Devon. Sarah Pitt finds out how to get some Riviera style into your home riends Bev Mills and Fiona Wilson both have an eye for design. Bev runs Brume Design, a company which designs window and wall stickers to beautify a room, including a wall clock which really does go tick tock.

And it was this one of her designs, a sticker clock which really tells the time, that got an airing on primetime TV when her friend Fiona starred in BBC2’s The Great Interior Design Challenge last year, reaching the final of the TV programme.

A great fan of Bev’s vinyl stickers, Fiona featured the clock in her makeover for a cottage living room, the scheme which clinched her first win on the programme.

Now Fiona and Bev have pooled their talents to transform a rented house in the south Devon fishing port of Brixham. It is the first project for Bev’s new business, called Property Potential.

The brief was to create a house smart enough to sell as a holiday home. It was a gift, says Bev, because the owners were happy to let them have a free rein. “We were dealing with two blokes who were really open to whatever we wanted to do, and they were very happy with what we came

F

up with.” itive pictures by St Ives painter-fisherman Alfred The property had seen a fair bit of wear and Wallis. The colours are predominantly blues, tear as a rented home, and the interior was greys, oranges and yellows, among them the shabby. So Bev and Fiona had quite a transforma- painted kitchen chairs, cheery orange teapot and tion to achieve, to come up with orange glass tumblers. There a look that visitors would fall in are splashes of colour, too, in love with. the retro travel posters framed “What we have gone for is a on the walls, advertising such ‘What we have sort of fun holiday feel, but slightglamorous destinations as the ly rustic as well,” says Bev. “We French Riviera, Australia, Los gone for is a sort wanted it to be unpretentious Angeles… and Brixham. of fun holiday and not too precious, because “We managed to get an old feel. It needs to as a holiday home it needs to be poster for Brixham which somewhere people can feel comwe have hung over the firebe somewhere fortable.” place,” says Bev. “The idea is people can feel Their starting point was the to give that feel of, ‘I’ve been all colour scheme, which included around the world and but Brixcomfortable’ some interesting Farrow and Ball ham is the only place for me!’” grey paints – from gunmetal to In the sitting room, the wall cloudy sky with a hint of mauve – behind the sofa is decorated to chime with the sea views from with a wallpaper of fishing the house. trawlers, a design called Whitby by Mini Mod“Property developers generally paint walls in erns. “We wanted to reflect the fact that the house magnolia and sell it like that, but our whole idea is in a working fishing town, so everything is a bit was to come up with something different,” says nautical,” says Bev. Bev. The colour scheme was inspired by the primHer scheme for the room started by hanging a

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Retro posters include one of Brixham itself

STYLE TIP: For a holiday home go for a bright and

cheery look that is stylish but not too precious colour can be added with crockery and posters

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Interiors

[[ ‘We found some things on eBay, bought some new and went around junk shops and reclamation yards’

framed lithograph of Victorian heroine Grace Darling above the fireplace, pictured going to the rescue of a stricken boat through a stormy sea. “That was in the back of my garage, I bought it many years ago,” says Bev. “I was just waiting for the right spot to put it.”

Cushions on the sofa include one embroidered with Tudor galleon the Mary Rose. “We collected cushions that had nautical or seaside-y things on them,” says Bev. “It is funny how when you set a brief - things start popping out at you when you look around. It was really good fun collecting it all.

“We found some things on eBay, bought some things new, and went around junk shops and reclamation yards to put the look together.

“The letters spelling Brixham on the windowsill I picked up in a shop in Modbury, where I live, while lots of the vases are from charity shops or were bought by Fiona at HomeSense, which is a bit like the discounter TK Max but for interiors.

A lot of the lamps and textiles came from there.

All the bedlinen was brand new, though, because we wanted that to be top quality and fabulous.”

They also retained the Aga in the kitchen and its splashback of colourful tiles, but added features including one of Bev’s trademark sticker clocks from Brume. Another of her vinyl stick-

ers, of a galleon, decorates the walls of the child’s bedroom.“I’m really thrilled with the way this project has turned out, and the owners say it exceeded their expectations,” says Bev. “It was really quite yucky before, and now it is quite a

des res I think! The proof of the pudding now is whether it will sell!”

The Bench House, £475,000, www. marchandpetit.co.uk. Visit www. propertypotential.expert.

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Interiors

GET THE

LOOK

Coloured number mugs £3.95 each, www.dotcomgiftshop.com

Choose nautical detailing, cool blue glassware and pops of colour

Harbour tray £24, www. fionahoward.com

fave!

Blue stripe glass vase £26, www.oliverbonas.com

Leimu table lamp £495, www. amara.com

Porthole mirror £72.95, www. coastalhome.co.uk

Lantern £10, Sainsbury’s

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26/05/2015 17:23:14

Gardens

ANNE SWITHINBANK

A beginner’s guide Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, on getting started with veg growing uring the last week alone, I’ve been asked several times to give hints and tips for first-time veg growers.

Saying ‘add lots of organic matter to your soil, don’t sow a whole packet of seed at once and give crops the spacing suggested on the packet’ is easy but the truth is, I’ve been gardening now for so long that I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be a beginner. Is it comparable to the frustration I’ve felt while trying to achieve something new on the computer, change a recessed light bulb in the bathroom ceiling for the first time (those spring clips!) or master reversing a trailer?

Succeeding as any kind of gardener requires the right mindset and ability to tune into the environment, weather and living things around you. Having green fingers means focussing on the seeds or plants. Everything you do with them is accompanied by thoughts such as Will they be able to grow in this soil? Will the temperature suit them? Are they going to have too much or not enough water? Is anything going to come and eat them? The overwhelming message I get from beginners is fear of doing something wrong. There is actually nothing serious you can do wrong, as long as the plants grow and nobody gets hurt.

Gather information, then just have a go.

Few beginners have the luxury of well-dug and nourished beds to cut their teeth on, and coping with rough ground requires a plan. I’d let a couple of beds in my kitchen garden ‘lie fallow’ for a year or two. During March and April, having winkled out and disposed of the perennial docks and nettles, I skimmed off the grass and other weeds using a spade (good fodder for the compost heap) and forked the rest roughly. Next, I dug a trench the width and depth of a spade blade across the 1.2m/4ft wide bed, forked the base,

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added compost, forked again, added fertilizer, then planted potatoes and covered it with soil to make a slight mound over the spuds. I only ever do one or two trenches at a time, because this is hard work, but the soil gets dug and conditioned plus a crop grown, all in one action.

Had I started later, I might have cut back the grass and weeds before smothering the area with black polythene. Or, I could have covered it with several layers of wet newspaper, loaded some well-rotted compost on top, and then soil and

planted pumpkins in it. What was definitely not on the menu was sowing seeds. These need a fine seedbed with no competition from weeds and this only comes after soil has been cultivated and kept clean. If you can rake the surface easily, then it can be a seedbed.

On cleared and improved but slightly lumpy ground, you can grow almost everything by raising it in modules first to bypass the need for a seedbed. Even root crops like carrots and beetroot can be cluster sown and transplanted. The

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

trick is not to let the little plants become rootbound in their containers and water them in well.

Many gardeners stick to modules forever, finding them easier. They are great for early starts under glass when the soil is too cold or wet, however you can’t beat the results of letting some crops germinate straight into good soil with no interruption to their roots. They are almost always better and more drought tolerant.

Bagging an allotment is great plan, as you’ll be surrounded by experienced gardeners, all

happy to tell you ten different ways of achieving the same thing! If your first step is a small one at home with little ground, even setting up a raised bed kit on concrete will work. It’s surprising what you can grow in 15cm/6in of 50:50 potting compost and good soil. Try to dig out half and switch with garden soil mixed with well-rotted compost at least once a year.

Question time with Anne West reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank Before Christmas last year, I gave my wife a bunch of large-flowered chrysanths which lasted for six weeks. After the flowers faded, two stems remained alive in the vase and had sprouted roots. We potted them and they are now sprouting sideshoots from the tall stems and flower buds. What now?

Q

Many plants will root in water but these are monster cuttings! I would keep them outdoors now and stake the long stems. Allow them to flower from their side shoots and if they make a ridiculous quantity of buds, thin them out. When they’ve finished, keep them frost free and cool in winter, then early next year, cut the stems right back, clean off the roots and pot them up in a shallow pot or box of compost.

Keep them cool and bright and they will make shoots which can then be taken as 8cm/3in long cuttings. When rooted, pot them up three to a pot and pinch out the growing tip to make them branch. Grow them on and they should make good flowers.

Q

My young apricot has made masses of fruits.

Should I let them all develop or take some off?

Apricots tend to do well down here in the mild South West and are great plants for south-facing beds and walls where they really make the most of the sunshine.

There are many good new varieties like ‘Flavourcot’ and ‘Tomcot’ and they are selffertile, so in a small garden you can get away with making room for just the one.

If the fruits are cheek by jowl, thin them to one every 5-8cm/2-3in. This will give you better quality fruit, stop them from damaging each other and prevent branches from snapping under the weight.

Next year, thin your crop when the fruits are hazelnut-sized to ensure good-sized fruit to harvest.

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

• S till plenty of time to sow or plant French and runner beans, squash, cucumbers and sweetcorn. Sow more beetroot, carrots, lettuce and chard.

• S hear over Aubrieta and alpine phlox to keep plants compact. Dead head and tidy pulmonaria and doronicum. It is time for spring flowering plants to take a back seat.

• C ut back the growth on large clumps of marsh

marigolds, as they tend to slump after flowering and take up too much pond space.

They’ll grow new, smaller shoots for the rest of the summer.

• Continue to buy plants in pots but roots must be soaked thoroughly first, best submerged in a bucket of water.

Water in well.

• Give houseplants a checking over, removing old leaves, cleaning the rest, and feeding or repotting. Check for pests.

Look out for shoots of green leaves appearing on variegated plants. Trace them back to their source and cut them away. Left on, they grow more strongly than the gold or multicoloured leaves and will take over.

Return to beds you’ve forked over to remove perennial weeds like ground elder, bindweed and couch. Tackle any regrowth now before it takes hold.

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Beauty

Tried

& tested

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

TAKE HEART Sealed with a... pop heart lip gloss £3.99 madbeauty.com

FIRST THINGS FIRST Ace the base on a budget – these foundations are just £4.99 each at New Look.

Nut smooth Unrefined coconut oil’s so good for you and these treats (lotion £7.99, oil £11.99) by JASON will leave your skin and hair silky smooth and smelling fabulous. Find the complete range and health tips at jasonnaturalcare.co.uk.

SPECTACULAR LASHES RapidLash is behind two products developed to keep your lashes poolside perfect without resort to falsies. It says its enhancing serum (£39.99) can boost volume by up to 75% when applied over an eight-week period, while its conditioner (£28) will shield eyelashes from UV rays and improve their natural definition.

Find both at Boots or rapidlash.co.uk

TAKE IT HIGHER Volumise your locks with this weightless dry spray, available in shampoo-out colour versions to hide root-regrowth. Find Bouffe sprays at Boots, £5.99 each.

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the review

Energy boost Jayne Freer tries out the iCapsule rejuvenation capsule ournalists can be a sceptical bunch and I’m no exception. So when I was asked to try out the iCapsule rejuvenation hub, I did wonder whether it was just another dubious device only good for generating false hope.

I don’t suffer from the more serious conditions the iCapsule is said to help (arthritis, depression, SAD syndrome, acne, dermatitis and eczema vised to drink at least two litres after each to name just a few) but I was keen to try it session to help flush out toxins as the out for its detoxifying element and to get detox gets underway. a much-needed energy boost.

It wasn’t until sessions seven and eight Based in Soft Soles Health and Beauty that I started to really notice a difference. in Plymouth, the iCapsule is the only one My complexion looked brighter, dark cirof its kind in the South cles under my eyes faded, West.

The machine the pain of a two-week-old works by combining Far back injury decreased and Infrared (FIR) and LED I had more energy. photodynamic light therLouise says that every‘My complexion apies to stimulate the one is unique and we all looked brighter, body’s own repair and react differently to the dark circles detoxification processes. iCapsule depending the Louise Brown, owner body’s individual needs. under my eyes of the iCapsule, advised Among her clients is an faded and I had that I initially undergo ME sufferer who regularly a burst of six, 30-minute travels from London to for more energy’ sessions over a 10-day the treatment as she says period to kickstart the it helps reduce fatigue. detox process.

Will I be using it again?

Climbing into the hub Most definitely, whenever for the first time, I thought how well it I fancy a little pick-me-up! would sit in a 1980s episode of Doctor Who with its coloured lights and sci-fi-style casing. It’s like getting on a colourful sunbed but without the harmful UV rays. I lay back as the bridge of lights slid up and down my body and the temperature began to rise. As someone who loves warmth, I found this really relaxing.

The first five sessions didn’t really seem to have an obvious impact but one thing Louise Brown, I did notice was the bucketloads of water owner of the needed to quench my thirst – obviously iCapsule my toxin levels were at a max! You’re ad-

J

Kiss me Perfect kissable lips from sunrise to sunset with these new sunshine glosses by Art Deco, £12 at Debenhams.

Cocktail hues Seabreeze and Tequila Sunrise – these Toma polishes take inspiration from the cocktail bar. £7.25 each at madbeauty.com

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

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Don a dress Make dressing simple with a frock for the start of summer dress has to be the easiest answer to the perennial question of what to to wear when you climb out of bed in the morning. And if the fun has gone out of fashion for you, then shopping for a new frock is sure to rekindle your interest as summer arrives.

For a nostalgic look, this cotton candy stripe dress from House of Fraser is perfect. Teamed with sunglasses and brogues, it makes an elegant ensemble to wear to the beach – you’ll look like you stepped out of a vintage travel poster.

For relaxed elegance, it is also worth giving online and mail order company Baukjen a try.

Their stretchy jersey dresses are comfortable and classy, and squeeze into any small space in your suitcase to emerge crease free.

And while white is not the most practical of colours there is no denying that it looks brilliant with a tan. If you are feeling daring, this embroidered beach dress from Primark looks stunning.

Or try Next for a stylish all-white shirt dress in a pretty cutout fabric.

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Candy stripe cotton dress, £41.30 reduced from £59, House of Fraser

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Fashion

Munro print dress, £109, www.baukjen.com

Embroidered beach dress, £17 Primark

White shirt dress, £34, Next

Erice dress, £89, www.baukjen.com

Zig zag dress, Oliver Bonas, £55, www.oliverbonas.com

Soft Grey linen drapey dress with gilt neckline detail, £49, www.redoute.co.uk

Striped maxi dress, £42, online only at www.mandco.com

1950s style summer symphony prom dress, £115, www.20thcenturyfoxy.com 31

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Shop

The edit Be the best-dressed wedding guest with our pick of the best outfits

+

Feather fascinator £29 Accessorize

+

+

Fascinator £79 Jacques Vert

+

Edith fascinator £75 Phase Eight

+

+

Floral dress Kaliko £129

Floral drape-neck dress £169 Jacques Vert

Satin kimono dress £179 Pretty Eccentric

Pompom shoes £99 Jacques Vert

Peep toe shoes £99 Jacques Vert

Beaded wedges £65 White Stuff

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Food

ally mac’s

Mighty Green Juice Ally says: This juice is a great way of giving your body an immune boost which will keep you happy and healthy all day long.

Most of us fall short of the recommended daily amount of plant foods in our diets, and this is where juices and smoothies come in. They allow us to introduce a variety of scrummy vegetables and fruits in an easy way. After all, you can only eat so much kale or chew so much celery per day!

Juicing makes nutrients more readily available to your body as the plant fibres are broken down into a dense liquid that supercharges your system. This means that you get that hit of goodness that bit quicker, with the nutrients absorbed speedily into your body. And because the juicing process condenses the nutrients in your pick of fruit and vegetables, you get a really powerful hit of goodness in just the one glass.

While it is tempting to add more fruit than vegetables, because of the sweetness, it is vegetables which we are often most lacking in our diet. I tend to use a ratio 80% vegetables, 20% fruit for green juice.

You will need:

Method:

(makes one glass): 6 leaves of kale ½ a cucumber Handful of spinach 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, grated 1 green or red apple

Core the apple, chop the cucumber into chunks and grate your ginger.

Place all the ingredients in your blender, I am currently using a Nutri Bullet, which is easy to clean and use.

Pour into a glass and enjoy every slurp. Best drunk on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning, it is guaranteed to make you feel like Popeye. Smoothies really are a wonderful pick-meup, guarenteed to put a spring in your step however you were feeling beforehand!

Make sure you wash all your fruit and veg before juicing; even if they are organic then you need to watch out for bugs and dirt. I try to use organic produce when possible; we have so many organic farms and shops in Devon!

@AKitchenStories

Natural food expert Ally Mac lives and cooks in South Devon. Ally specialises in devising good-for-you recipes that are easy to prepare at home. She also sells several of her own delicious healthy products online at www.allyskitchenstories.co.uk 35 33

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Wellbeing

the boost

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

A SACHET A DAY...

These one-a-day sachets are packed with minerals which nourish your skin from the inside. The apple-flavoured jelly supplements contain marine collagen, coEnzymeQ10 (found in anti-ageing creams), Aloe Vera and Vitamin C. Another key ingredient is the anti-inflamatory Resveratrol, found in red grapes and the gardener’s foe Japanese knotweed.

Buy at £22.94 for a 14-day supply from www.workswithwater.com.

THE ART DECO LID0 Plymouth’s art deco Tinside Lido has just opened for the summer and has to be one of the most stunning outdoor pools in the world to swim. A two-hour session costs £4 and wetsuits are permitted for those who prefer their dip to be less bracing. Deckchairs are also for hire, so you can enjoy the spectacular sea view post-bathe.

Dark sweetness Cutting down on our sugar consumption’s become the number one priority for health but, in its unrefined form, there’s been a revival of interest in blackstrap molasses. The Victorians advocated brimstone and treacle for health. Post-war wholefood pioneers highly recommended a spoon of the stuff in a glass of water to boost iron, calcium, magnesium and a wealth of other vitamin and mineral levels. It’s good for your brain, skin, hair, bone and bowel health.

Organic brand Meridian foods 740g jars are available from health food stores and cost around £2.99.

magnesium calcium

iron

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swim free Good news if you love swimming but spend the rest of the day with your head cocked trying to get rid of trapped water in your ears. These tea-tree oil drops were developed by South African ear nose and throat specialists to gently coat the ear canal with a waterproof barrier. Suitable for swimmers of all ages, find SwimSeal drops at Superdrug and Boots, £7.99.

Clovelly Seaweed Festival Clovelly is set to hold its Seaweed Festival on June 14, celebrating the wealth of health and nutritional benefits of iodinerich marine plants - from plate to bath.

Exhibitors will include the Seaweed Health Foundation and there’ll be a host of opportunities to try, taste and listen.

This inaugural event looks set to become an annual Westcountry fixture and is being held in aid of the North Devon Hospice.

FOLLOW THE GARDEN TRAIL Stretch your legs on a beautiful walk through the woodland and garden by the Tamar at Pentillie Castle in Cornwall. Half of the £6 entry fee will go to support Children’s Hospice South West when you visit between midday and 4pm today.

This event is part of the charity’s fundraising Garden Trails taking place at various gorgeous Westcountry beauty spots until the autumn.

Visit www.chsw.org.uk for more details.

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Wellbeing

Run it off Can exercise tackle depression?

I am struggling with depression, which is affecting my ability to cope with day-to-day life, and a friend has suggested that taking up running could help with this. Is there any evidence that it works?

hormones, called endorphins. Research has shown that the positive upturn in our mood can last for more than twelve hours after a workout. Secondly, exercise reduces cortisol in our bodies. High cortisol levels are triggered by chronic stress and raises inflammation in our bodies. Inflammation has a toxic influence and causes major wear and tear in our body over Kevin Simpson, clinical time. Thirdly, during exercise, the increased psychologist and partner at blood pressure and blood flow brings more Outlook South West replies: Yes, oxygen and energy to the brain, meaning it there is. One in ten of us will works more efficiently. Most people find they be struggling with depression at any one point can think more clearly and creatively after a in time. Depression drains people of life and good walk. vitality, so much so that just Exercise often gets you keeping on top of day-to-day outdoors too. Being in a natural tasks, or facing other people, environment also has therapeutic can be a real effort. It is a major ‘In fact, exercise benefits. As does the social public health challenge for can have the element, if you are exercising modern society. same therapeutic with other people.

Now, we have all heard the Finally, exercise is considered to news that exercise is good benefit as be a keystone habit. This means for us. Even better, over the a course of that once exercise is a part of past fifteen years, research antidepressants’ your life, there is evidence that increasingly suggests it has a positive knock-on effect. that exercise can alleviate People who exercise tend to depression. In fact, it can have eat more healthily, work more the same therapeutic benefit as efficiently and get a better night’s sleep. So, for a course of antidepressants. most people who are depressed, exercise is a How does this work? In all sorts of ways. Firstly, no-brainer. exercise triggers the release of mood-lifting

Q

[[

Get fit the smart way How to work exercise into your life

1. Plan ahead Research shows that writing down beforehand where and when you will exercise will double the chance of it actually happening.

2. Morning mood Starting your exercise first thing in the morning means you get the full benefit of the uplift in mood and energy. Also, willpower is often strongest in the morning.

3. Record your progress At the end of each session, write down and track your progress. There are a lot of good apps that are tailor-made for this and will help turn your new activity into a habit.

4. Step by step Start off with baby steps. If you are really struggling to get going, just aim to exercise for five or ten minutes, three times a week.

Getting the first step on the ladder is the key to reaching your goal.

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Stars

Your stars

by Cassandra Nye This week’s sign:

Happy birthday to...

Gemini-born are quick-witted and always on their toes - charming and friendly individuals who like to indulge in talking, quite a lot!

Mel Giedroyc born June 5, 1968

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) It would be easy to get overexcited this week and risk a ‘crash and burn’ situation. Pace yourself and plan ahead. With so many balls in the air and the Full Moon urging you on, try to be flexible.

Where it is possible to get others to help, let them. This weekend could see you in the presence of someone who could become very attractive to you. If they are from far away and have a really cute accent, then this will certainly help.

CANCER (June 22 - July 22) The Full Moon as the week begins gives a glow to your working life. Are you able to make some good suggestions?

Could it be possible that your boss is looking for someone with a mind like yours?

LEO (July 23 - August 23) After a few tense weeks, the glow of the Full Moon brings life back to normal.

Or so you think. Actually it can be better than that. Venus is shouting encouragement from your corner again, Leo. Help her along by being in the right place with the right person this weekend.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) Taking charge of your working and home life now seems effortless and even fun. Those who are already in your life may be planning a holiday or party. Make sure that you are involved. Self-congratulations may be the order of the week.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) As usual, everyone wants to take up your time. Being so attractive and accommodating can be such a bore sometimes, can’t it?! Venus is in there with you giving you all the charm and negotiating power that you need.

Celebrating her birthday - with a HUGE cake, we hope – is Great British Bake Off presenter Mel Giedroyc, who turns 47 this week. Cambridge graduate Mel found fame with comedy partner Sue Perkins on TV’s Light Lunch.

Mel now has two daughters with TV director husband Ben Morris. Lively Geminis are adept at thinking on their feet, making a TV comedy career the perfect job choice for bubbly Mel.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) It is relaxing and fun to ‘go with the flow’ for a while but now could be the time to take charge. If someone is taking unfair advantage, avoid them. The Full Moon this week is shining a light on your finances.

Don’t want to look? Again, just take charge.

Making economies can actually be fun if you get stuck into it.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) Being spontaneous now could lead to a great adventure. It could be a new holiday destination, starting a hobby or even a business. Now could be the time to start a family. Maybe you will finally decide to be serious about finding that ‘special someone’.

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20) With the brighter weather come some bright people. Fine, but don’t let them take up time that you want for yourself.

If you must see them, why not have one big gettogether? Those who want to take up your time with finances should be easy to deal with. The Full Moon is giving you a break here, so use it.

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19) Was all that hard work and effort worth it? This week you find that it was. At

last, given some space to think and enjoy the world around you, take a bow! This is not only a time for you to shine, offers come your way that will be hard to refuse.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Has it taken a while to get settled into your current position in life? Have there been drawbacks and the wrong people around?

Well, this week you can be yourself in your own space. Don’t let others impose. Give yourself time to think, enjoy and inwardly digest your surroundings

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) A kind of physical urgency hits you this week. Do you really have to dash around and make a lot of noise though? Probably not. The way forward now is to slow a little, giving enough time to think carefully.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) At times you wish there was more activity in your life. At other times, you feel under pressure and want to step out of the fray. The answer could be to put your different concerns in little mental compartments.

Balance by alternating between a compartment with stress and one with something that you enjoy.

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The coastal footpath footpath

My Secret Westcountry

My favourite...

Walk: This time last year, I walked from Maenporth beach in Falmouth all the way around the headland to Helford Passage.

There’s a spectacular view out across Carrick Roads and over to Roseland and a pungent smell of wild garlic. A pint at the end of the walk topped it off.

Ros Atkins

Beach: Rare is the summer we don’t go up to

Ros Atkins presents BBC World News programme Outside Source and grew up in Stithians, Cornwall. He lives in London with his wife Sara and two daughters and they regularly visit family and friends in Cornwall.

Event: There are two days of the year when I always wish I could be back home, but rarely manage it (thanks to the school holidays...).

Stithians Show is just up the road from where I grew up and I still love to wander around the fields looking at the animals, the tractors and,

Porthtowan for a barbecue and some frisbee when the tide’s out. If we really want to get away from things, we go just a little further up the coast to Chapel Porth beach.

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People

Ros and family at Kennall Vale

to my surprise, the dog show-jumping, which I watch for hours. And then there’s Helston Flora Day. I danced four times when I was at primary school and still get a shiver when I hear the tubas beginning to the bass part. ‘Onetwo-three-hop’ as we were taught at school.

going through a prolonged IPA stage and it’s great that the Cornish breweries are responding. Every time I go home there are more local options on the pump, which is brilliant.

Pub: The Shipwrights Arms in Helford Village

down at Newlyn in the 70s and he still has a boat at Helford. We go out to the Manacles off the Lizard in search of bass. It doesn’t get much better than that, especially if we catch something.

on a summer’s evening. I have fond memories of going down there with my grandparents who lived in Manaccan. And Cadgwith Cove Inn for the singing on a Friday night. I made a documentary about the impact of tourism on Cornwall a couple of years ago, and we started it with shots in this pub.

Food:

Restaurants: I’ve never been big on eating

Activity: My Dad used to be a fisherman

Bass, if we’re lucky enough to catch some and cook it on the day. And of course pasties. I have to set limits on them when I’m down.

Tipple: Like a lot of

people at the moment, I’m

out in Cornwall (Mum’s cooking is all I need!).

I did, though, have a lovely meal at The Old Coastguard in Mousehole when I was down there covering the Olympic torch relay. Three years on and I can still remember it in detail, which is a good sign.

Way to relax: Being in Cornwall is relaxing for me full stop. But if I really need to blow away the cobwebs, it’s the coastal footpath I turn to. I don’t suppose I shall ever have seen it all.

Secret place: The River Kennall runs right past the bottom of my parents’ garden in Stithians and runs down into Kennall Vale. It’s a plunging valley full of gunpowder mills from the 19th century with hundreds of trees. The buildings, water wheels and leats are still there and the river roars down through it all. It’s a very special place. Park in Ponsanooth and follow the signs.

The Helston Flora Dance

Watch Ros front overseas news programme Outside Source at 9pm Mondays to Thursdays on the BBC News Channel from tomorrow.

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Eat/Drink

RUBY MODERN DINER

A little gem

By Becky Sheaves

n a perfect world, we here at Team West would, of course, go out for lunch at least once a week – if not every day.

In reality, lunch is all too often a sandwich at the desk. But since we moved offices recently into the centre of Exeter, it seemed like a good idea on a quiet(ish) Friday for four of the team (me, our designer Kathryn Clarke-McCleod and staff writers Sarah Pitt and Catherine Barnes) to venture forth.

Ruby Modern Diner is in a beautiful old building at the other end of the block from our new office, right in the heart of Exeter – the pretty bit near Gandy Street. The building used to be (as far as I can remember) a Victorian bank, and The padded it still has that imposing look to it from the outside. booth was Inside, though, and you are perfect for transported from meeting-Mran indiscreet Mainwaring-from-Dad’s-Army to: “Yippee, I’m a GI bride”. natter (who Yes, if you’ve ever wanted to us?

Journalists eat in a 1940s American diner, then this is the place to come gossiping – all red padded banquettes surely not!) and enormous ice-cream milkshakes. Except I suspect this doing a great job, if you ask me.

21st century version is nicer The diner is hip without being than the real thing ever was – too much, and the menu is great. and the food, thanks to its use of top-notch WestIt’s also nice to be eating somewhere that isn’t a country ingredients – is, surely, better too. chain restaurant, of which Exeter has plenty.

We sat down in a padded booth, which was perFor our first course, I went for an excellent fect for an indiscreet natter (who us? Journalists House Salad, with the addition of a spicy blackgossiping – surely not!). Our waiter was a very seared chicken fillet. I was glad to read on the nice chap indeed, and the service was swift and menu that the chicken is free range and from smiley. Everything you’d hope for, in fact.

Creedy Carver – this farm is nearby in mid Apparently, the diner is the brainchild of a Devon and it is a high-welfare chicken farm of young local couple, called Erin Allgrove and which I wholeheartedly approve. I’m very fond Richard Harrison (pictured opposite) who are of chickens and have a dozen at home, so I like

I

[[

to know that chooks have been looked after properly and had a good life. Alongside, I went for a cheeky little glass of a very good Prosecco (£4).

Well, it was a Friday.

Kathryn looked at the menu and exclaimed: “Oh good. Mac and Cheese!” Which I thought might mean a cheeseburger. But apparently it is macaroni cheese, American style – she and her fiance have travelled a lot in the US and it’s a staple side dish over there.

This Westcountry version turned out to be a huge dish of extremely tasty pasta, all blackened and tasty on top and an absolute bargain of

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4 of the best Burger restaurants in the South West

IMAGES: MATT AUSTIN

1 Blas Burgerworks, St Ives

comfort food at £4.50. It was easily enough to be a main meal, even though it was tagged as a side.

What with a pint-and-a-half of vanilla milkshake (£3.75, made with the excellent Italian gelatostyle ice-cream from the dairy farmers of Otter Valley near Honiton), and a cheese burger, the end result was that most of the Mac and Cheese came home in a doggy bag. It was definitely too good to leave behind.

Sarah went for a Panko chicken fillet burger (£8.50). Panko is a thing these days – it’s the new Japanese version of breadcrumbs and, as I understand it, the crucial difference is that panko is made from bread with the crusts already cut off. Which makes the crumbs less liable to absorb oil, and hence crisper. It all sounds a bit fashiondarling but Sarah said the chicken was, indeed, great. She also ordered a side dish of proper, freshly-made spicy coleslaw, also delicious and a very generous portion (£3.75).

Catherine meanwhile had a blue burger (£8.50) with Devon blue cheese (plus chestnut mushrooms, lettuce, tomato and caramelised onion).

Did I mention that the beef comes from Red Ruby Devon cattle near Exeter and that the burgers are freshly-made every day in the restaurant? In fact, the name itself – Ruby Modern Diner – is a tribute to the wonderful Westcountry rare breed

beef that they use here. Impressive.

Indeed, so impressive was all this grub that when it came to dessert, we could only manage a shared pud: an extravagantly tall chocolate fudge sundae (£5.50) and several spoons. It was, again, superb – thanks to the Otter Valley ice-cream and the hearty chunks of chocolate brownie.

All in all, this place is a real find – a lot of fun but with seriously good food, too. I like to think we will all be back here again on a Friday lunmchtime before too long.

Ruby Modern Diner, Queen Street, Exeter 01392 436168 www.rubyburgers.com

Tucked away in a St Ives side street, all burgers are handmade with quality Cornish beef Dish of the day: Burger with Cornish Blue cheese, spinach and truffle aioli Prices: Mains around £11 Contact: 01736 797272

2 Route 38, Saltash

By the side of the A38 you’ll find this fun American-themed diner packed with Elvis memorabilia, making its own burgers. There’s also a Route 5 and a Route 303 Dish of the day: El Ranchero burger, minted lamb with letuce and mayo Price: Mains around £8 Contact: 01752 851038

3 JD’s Grill, Plymouth

Another American-styled diner, this one is a bit more pricey and upmarket (despite the odd eating competition!)

Dish of the day: North Carolina pulled pork with secret bbq sauce Price: Mains around £14 Contact: 01752 601605

4 The Driftwood Spars,

How they scored...

Food



Atmosphere



Service



Price

Food & drink for four was £78

St Agnes

By the sea on the north Cornish coast, this historic pub has a serious fish restaurant but also a great bar menu.

Check out the homemade Driftwood burgers, plus the veggie options Dish of the day: Lentil burger and portobello mushrooms Price: Bar mains around £11 Contact: 01872 552428

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Ingredient of the Week

Gooseberries with Tim Maddams

ll hail summer! The gooseberry is in season right now and also back in fashion, though quite how it ever managed to lose its cool credentials, I have no idea. If ever there was a fruit with style and substance, the good old goosegog is the chap.

There are a number of different varieties of this sharp, plump and prickly berry but really they can be split firmly into just two camps: red and yellow. In truth, the red is more of an intense amber tinged with blackcurrant and the yellow varieties are really more than a little green, especially when not over-ripe.

I can’t imagine for a minute that I am the only person who as a child would filch a few of these prickly little fruits and pop them in my mouth, only to be brought up short by the intense sharpness of their juice. The flavour grows on you though, being like natural pear drops, the initial sharpness giving way to a hint of sweetness.

When it comes to cooking, the gooseberry is

A

traditionally partnered with sugar to create a number of comforting dishes that are a big part of our national culinary repertoire.

I think, though, that this limits the uses of this prickly treasure somewhat. I love gooseberry jam, fool and crumble as much as the next man, but I am also a big fan of them making an appearance in the savoury courses.

The classic use for gooseberries in a savoury context is lightly to cook them with either a little honey and some reduced cider or straightforward sugar, before allowing them to cool and serving them up alongside roasted mackerel.

This can work really well if you manage to balance the acidity of the berries with this additional sweetness and make the gooseberries into a smooth ketchup to serve with the freshly smoked fillets of mackerel.

What I am very fond of, though, is the use of the raw gooseberries, ideally a mixture of the reds and yellows, as a kind of relish for all sorts of summer feasting. The recipe given here, right, is one of my favourites.

Berry good: For a special relish, chop gooseberries and add grated raw garlic, chopped shallot, a little honey and a good glug of organic rapeseed oil. Add a pinch of garam masala, chopped mint and basil and, if you like, some chopped chilli for heat or paprika for warmth.

This cheeky relish works well with barbecued fish, meat and halloumi-style cheeses. Dress halved strawberries with this relish and drizzle over air-dried ham, with garlicky croutons.

@TimGreenSauce

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

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Drink

Darren Norbury Beer of the week Bramling Cross hops give Bays Brewery’s current seasonal, the aptly-named Springtime (4.5% ABV), a big hint of blackcurrant, peppery flavour. The name might lead you to expect a golden brew, but this is an intense amber, easy drinking and with a good body. Another good reason to drink seasonal.

Investing in the future St Austell Brewery has announced a 14.9 per cent increase in operating profit in the year to December 27, but the more interesting figure to me is the £9.7m invested that year in acquisitions, refurbishment and production. Hopefully this means the firm is on course to remain a robust independent, rather than a potential takeover target.

talks beer am currently engaged in curating – yes, I think curating is the word – a bottled beer shop in Cornwall. I say curating because it doesn’t feel like salesmanship, which is just as well as I am the world’s worst salesman. In my eagerness to evangelise I’m more likely to give beer away (“you really must try this Texan imperial IPA – no, have it on me”) than talk deals.

It’s been a learning curve. British beer is my thing; as I’ve said before I want people to try it in all its guises, from standard bitters to imperial stouts. But the largest selection of stock is Belgian beers, and I’ve been working my way through them so I am able to give something approaching sensible advice to customers.

A lot of people view Belgian brews with some trepidation, and indeed some of the brews are very different to the styles we are used to in Britain, but it’s amazing how quickly the taste can be acquired.

Perhaps the biggest difference is to be found in the taste of the sour beers. Wild yeast is the key to these beers’ flavour profiles. In the UK, most brewers have a ‘house’ yeast which has been looked after over the years – it’s a living organism – and the name of the game, generally, is consistency. In Belgian, wild yeast, found all around us in the air, plays a big part in fermenting the beers, adding funky, sour notes that can give

I

berry fruit flavours and vinous, acidic notes. It can make each brew subtly different, even when the other ingredients remain the same.

As little as three decades ago in Britain, Belgium was possibly better known for its chocolate and Hergé’s boy detective Tintin than its beers.

It was the late beer writer and ‘beer hunter’ Michael Jackson who brought Belgian beers to many people’s attention.

Now, not only are we drinking more Belgian beers, but a lot of our brewers are having a crack at taking on the masters at their own game. The Wild Beer Co in Somerset brews Somerset Wild, for instance (5% ABV) which makes the most of the airborne yeasts that have helped to make local cider such a success story.

Beer geeks worldwide are aware of the styles and are imitating them, but the Belgians, ironically, are now trying their hand at beers which take their inspiration from America. You may have come across that new phenomenon the Belgian IPA. There’s an excellent example called Belgian Coast IPA which is a collaboration between US brewer Green Flash and Belgian St Feuillien. So the Belgians are back at the top of their game. I’ll keep you informed of their next move as my ‘research’ continues…

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

HARE TODAY Bath Ales’ seasonal Summer Hare is back – and such was its success in 2014, production has been upped by a quarter this year. A transatlantic mix of Bramling Cross and Chinook hops combine to make a well-balanced, fruity beer.

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Living

Tidy your room!

If your child’s untidy bedroom is causing rows, you’re not alone. Lisa Salmon investigates how parents can best deal with arguments over mess

t’s an old chestnut, but that standard phrase of parents, “go and tidy your room”, is behind many a family argument.

Research has found that a third of such rows are about kids’ messy bedrooms, and they leave almost half of parents feeling stressed or upset.

“I think children and messy bedrooms go hand in hand,” says Relate family counsellor Denise Knowles.

“As children get older, they start to assert themselves, and one of the ways they do that is to claim their territory.

They’re saying, ‘This is my place, and this is where I can be me’.

“They’re asserting their individuality.”

But if mums and dads want their child to tidy their bedroom, getting on their case and nagging them may not be the best solution, as Knowles points out that the more a parent goes on about

I

something, the less likely a child may be to actually do it.

She recalls how, after many weeks of asking her own son to remove his things from her kitchen work surface, she eventually spread pots and pans from the kitchen all over his bed. She cleaned up her mess when he cleaned up his, and says the unusual tidying manoeuvre worked a treat.

“Parents need to find different ways of appealing to children and young people,” she says, “and if we can use a bit of humour and be creative in the ways of approaching potential problems, and pointing things out in a practical way, it can have more of an impact than mum or dad just having another go.”

She also suggests having stages of warnings asking kids to tidy up, then telling them a second time if necessary, and if both requests fail, stuffing the offending articles in bin bags for disposal.

“You’ve got to be strong to do it,” she says, “but you also have to recognise that your child is entitled to their space.

“Tidiness isn’t so important to them at this moment in their lives - they’ve got other things that are much more pressing.

“Parents have a choice - they can close the door, or perhaps ask them to do things in stages, like strip the bed, and take it step by step.”

Some parents may use financial incentives to persuade children to keep their rooms tidy, but Denise thinks any pocket money should be earned, and, certainly for younger children, she suggests allocating an amount of money for a child, then drawing up a chart and listing deductions of a stated amount for any tasks, such as tidying their room, that they fail to complete. The child gets the money minus deductions at the end of the week.

“It means they still get something, but less if they don’t do what they’re asked to do,” she says.

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gadget notebook

[[ She eventually spread pots and pans from the kitchen over his bed - and says the manoeuvre worked a treat

The research, by interiors retailer Furniture123, revealed that arguments with offspring break out at least twice a week in 43% of households, and shoot up by 37% once children hit the age of 11 years.

Curfews, social events with friends (such as parties and/or sleepovers), interactions with siblings and chores followed untidy bedrooms as the top five things kids and parents clash on.

With regards to curfews, and rows over parties, parents can help diffuse any disagreements by explaining the rationale behind their decisions to young people, says Denise.

“Explain, and tell them you’re asking them to respect your wishes, and that you know they feel aggrieved about it. You need to give a bit more rationale than, ‘Because I said so’,” she stresses.

Dads reported feeling more upset by clashes with their kids than mums - with 70% admitting to this, compared with 65% of women. Yet mums were the most likely to enter into arguments with their offspring - with 78% doing so, compared with 67% of men.

“Mums have less time these days because a lot of them work, and the increased amount of arguments they have with their children may have something to do with the fact that they’re out of the house more often but still carrying the vast majority of the responsibility for keeping the house clean and tidy,” suggests Denise.

Research recently released by Care.com also found that the most common cause of couples who are parents arguing was over how to discipline their children.

“It’s important to recognise when an argument becomes harmful,” warns Denise.

“It may be that there are other underlying difficulties that are too difficult to talk about.

Sometimes we allow things to go on for so long that pressure builds up and it bursts out like a pressure cooker, in what can be perceived as an aggressive way, and it’s going to get responded to defensively.

“The rule of thumb has to be to say things sooner, and in a calmer way.”

31 May 2015

TECH TIPS: Massage gadgets Give aches and pains the elbow with our round-up of massage technology

TAP IT

Pick your desired setting and the two pads will tap away on your aching muscles. It also comes with two adjustable heads.

Beurer Infrared Massager, £79, from currentbody.com

Lie back Lie on this pad and Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) technology will relax your muscles and strengthen your lower back.

Kyrobak, £229, kyrobak.co.uk

Relax Mains powered, you can attach this highly effective Shiatsu back massage chair with Technogel to any seat.

HoMedics massage chair £99, from homedics.co.uk

PAD IT OUT What looks like a pretty suede cushion in this season’s must-have bronze is actually a clever battery-driven massage gadget.

Anywhere Massage Cushion, £19.99, from maplin.co.uk

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My life

[

man and boy

[

A question of class

Phil Goodwin, father of James, five, on humble beginnings

or me the best Monty Python sketch has to be the Four Yorkshiremen, in which a group of men bemoan their ‘umble upbringings with increasingly competitive claims. “Our dad would come home and split us in two wi’ a bread knife,” and so on.

As a northerner who has lived many years in the south, it has added spice. All we expats from the ‘grim’ north have at times found ourselves slipping into similar characters in order to burnish our own, more earthy, credentials.

Living with someone who grew up under Communism, however, gives you a different view on the world. Not least in terms of how society is organised and classified.

My dear wife, a Russian who was still in her teens when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, is a fine example. Take the thorny subject of

F

class. Any claims I might make to belong to the Working Class are roundly dismissed. No matter how strongly I protest my credentials: born in a factory town in the industrial North West, grew up in a council house (bought in the Thatcher years); raised by a single parent (widowed) - she just won’t have it.

On the surface, Soviet society was very simple: a workers’ state where everyone was equal. Of course, now we know this was an illusion.

There was an intelligentsia, there were Party members, there were the military, and all of these strata enjoyed certain privileges. My father-in-law was a building foreman and member of the local Party building committee, a position that came with perks.

This continues to this day in terms of pensions, meagre though they are over there. Granny, for example is designated a “veteran of labour” and receives a premium. It seems fantastically complicated to me. There is an uncle who served in the Army who is now entitled to free travel and – wait for it – complimentary underpants. Bizarre, I know. Handy though, you have to admit.

[

You mustn’t get the wrong idea. I am no working class hero in a donkey jacket wearing Doctor Marten boots and preaching about the plight of the oppressed. That all stopped back in about 1989. But working in the media, liking foreign food and reading books in another language can’t be enough to get you promoted to the middle class, can it?

Still, it seems the problem is one of degrees.

In order to qualify as working class in Russia, it seems, you must hail from the very bottom rung of society. To paraphrase my wife’s definition: you would have grown up in flat with shared kitchens and bathrooms, with parents working in a menial job, or (preferably) unemployed and alcoholic. The presumption is that in revealing pride in my origins, I am – she says - playing a tune on ‘the world’s smallest violin’, weaving an unconvincing tale of woe.

I reject this, of course. I never had it hard, to be honest. My mother, a seamstress who retrained as a social worker after my dad’s death, wasn’t short of money. We had a car, TV, holidays, all the usual stuff.

But you can’t grow up on a council estate and be middle class, surely. Ah, but you had a holiday home, my wife would say. In truth, it was a caravan. What, I wonder, will my son make of all this in the 2020s or 2030s? I imagine my attempts to describe the class-ridden post-industrial world of the late 20th century will sound like someone banging on about the Napoleonic Wars to me. I remember my dear old mum once told me her morning treat as a young girl was the top of her dad’s boiled egg. Not the yolk, mind. Just the bit he cut off the top.

But it’s useless. As Michael Palin said: “You try and tell the young people of today that ... they won’t believe you.”

You can’t grow up on a council estate and be middle class, surely?

[

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TheMarleGallery CONTEMPORARY FINE ART

Society of Wood Engravers 77th Annual Exhibition 30 May - 27 June

Tues - Sat 10am - 5pm

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