West Magazine, May 3 2015

03.05.15

24

fresh ways to feel your best

INSIDE: + TOM DALEY + SUNSHINE FASHION

WIN: + HAND-MADE

CERAMICS

+ DAYS OUT

WORTH £150

The good life

+ GREAT GARDENS + SECRET SPOTS & SUPERFOOD BAKING

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‘At times, the tactics of the Conservative councillors towards me have been akin to playground bullying, but I’m never intimidated’ A would-be MP explains why she’s standing for Parliament, page 12

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The Cornish interiors project that is decidedly different

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Our Westcountry cookery expert knows the way

GET ARTY

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MELLOW YELLOW The pick of this season’s new shade for spring

[contents[ Inside this week...

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THE WISHLIST The best things to buy right now

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STEAL HER STYLE We’re channelling Scarlett Johansson

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JUST BETWEEN US...

Sh! We have the latest gossip!

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VOTE FOR ME! Two would-be MPs on childcare, husbands and Westminster dreams

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HEALTHY & YUMMY

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MY SECRETS...

A top chef reveals all

WIN HAND-MADE CERAMICS Our pick of the coolest crafts

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THE CORNISH ART PROJECT Interiors inspiration from Penzance

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ANNE SWITHINBANK Time to plant those runner beans

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EYES RIGHT How to get your best ever brows

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MELLOW YELLOW Discover fashion’s freshest shade

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HOW TO WEAR IT

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THE BOOST

Get the surf girl look for spring Top tips for maximum wellbeing

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‘WE DON’T TALK ANY MORE...’

Expert tips on reviving your relationship

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MAN AND BOY How this five-year-old would vote

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MADE WITH LOVE Cool crafts coming west

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ALL THE GOSSIP

Mark’s wedding nerves, and so much more...

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[

[

GETTING ARTY

The Penzance B & B with rather amazing decor

[ welcome [ It’s Bank Holiday weekend... ...and I sincerely hope this finds you in a relaxed frame of mind, loking forward to an extra day of rest and/or fun tomorrow. All the more time to enjoy a peaceful flick through West magazine. Which is just as well, because this edition really is packed to the brim with good things.

First up, we have not one but two reader competitions this week (see pages 16 and 18). Not only has artist Anna Collette Hunt kindly given a lucky reader one of her beautiful hand-made ceramic sculptures, we also have five sets of tickets (worth a cool £150) to the fabulous Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey to give away. Do have a go, you never know - you could be a winner!

[

Tweet

of the week @wmnwest Huge YAY! Sam @SofaDodgerUK’s been shortlisted for @Britmums Brilliance in Blogging awards #inspiration

Two women who certainly won’t be chilling out this weekend are would-be MPs Claire Wright and Julia Goldsworthy. Both are standing for election this Thursday - one in Devon, the other in Cornwall. We hear what drives smart women with young families to stand up and be counted (page 12). Whatever your politics, I think you’ll be intrigued by their stories. Finally, for better or worse, the summer fashion season is upon us. Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod trials her first ever pair of 3/4 length trousers on page 32, and we have the pick of the new lemon yellow trend on page 30. You’ll probably be glad to hear that there is a warm jumper or two in the mix, though.

All the more time for a peaceful flick through West magazine

[

Becky Sheaves, Editor

COVER IMAGE: Andy Mac

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

MEET THE TEAM Becky Sheaves, Editor

Sarah Pitt

Kathryn Clarke-McLeod

Catherine Barnes

Phil Goodwin

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If you buy one thing this week...

We really love this retro Get Lucky fairground light, only ÂŁ40 from www.housejunkie.co.uk 5

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the

wishlist

We couldn’t resist these wiggle pigs, £20, in-spaces.com www. dotcomgiftshop.com

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

Store we adore...

Chelsea Interiors, Plymouth Large blue pegboard, £65, www.blockdesign.co.uk

This shop dedicated to sprucing up your home is a surprise to find on Union Street, Plymouth’s notorious night-clubbing thoroughfare. Its window display twinkles enticingly with unusual finds, including a model retro petrol pump (actually a CD case) and old-fashioned street name signs. Inside, an antique gilt mirror bigger than a door is propped up next to a delicately pretty chandelier. The shop sells a mixture of new and old furniture, along with sparkly bits and pieces to give a bit of bling to the place where you live.

Chelsea Interiors is at 94 Union Street, Plymouth PL1 3EZ, telephone 07511 786583

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Wishlist

Pretty Honeycomb paper ball, £5.50, from www.nationalgallery.co.uk

Flamingo flourish lampshade by Rosa and Clara Designs, £45, www. designersmakers.com

TRIBAL Digitally printed cushion by Indian Gond tribal artist Roshni Vyam for lifestyle brand Iris, £115, www. yourssustainably.com

Pearl trinket box, £9.99. www.anjohome.co.uk

Original design classic Ercol chairs given a funky lick of paint, £640 for the Watering can salt and pepper set,

set of four, www.florrieandbill.com

£29.95, www.annabeljames.co.uk 7

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talking points Gillian Molesworth

Story of my life...

So: this is how democracy works t’s coming up for voting time! It’s times like this I miss my mother. My mother and I used to make a date to vote together (you didn’t have to say who you voted for), followed by lunch out at a restaurant or cafe. When I was in my twenties, it felt like a grown up and civilised ladies’ activity. for the vote, David, Ben and a few One of my earliest memories of of their soccer team mates voted voting was from Year Six, when Democrat – everyone else in the the teachers organised a debate. entire class voted for us. It was a There was a team of democrats useful object lesson, if not in poliand a team of republicans (astics, then in crowd behaviour, and signed). We were supposed to the importance of pageantry. learn about their campaign issues.

My mother was all-American, “I don’t really get this stuff but her father’s family were about taxation,” I remember German immigrants at a time saying to my mother. when it was not very popular to “Don’t worry about it,” said my be German. The debate of immimother. “What you gration is a thorny need are hats!” one, and has been She made my raging apace in this Republican team election also.

We paraded matching boater Well, as an imto the podium, hats, with ribbons migrant to Britain, of red, white and I’ll put a good word throwing confetti. blue. She got a in for the species Everybody toy elephant (the in general. Sure, symbol of the Rethere are undecheered and publican party) sirables bent on the entire class and made a little taking advantage voted for us wagon for it (also of the benefits fringed in ribbon). system – but here Then she found a are a few more imtape of brass band migrants that conmusic. The Democrats went first tributed more than they took: in the debate. David Smith and German composer George FriderBen Radley walked to the podium ic Handel, American novelist and took turns reading off index Henry James and poet T S Eliot, cards. They sat down to a light German psychoanalyst Sigmund smattering of applause.

Freud, Indian architect Anish Cue our team. The music went Kapoor, Swedish presenter Ulrika on, and our hatted parade with elJonsson, and Polish businessephant in tow marched toward the man Michael Marks – one half of podium, throwing confetti. EveryMarks and Spencer. So remember, body cheered! We said a few bits there’s two sides to every issue. about policy (who knows what Now get out there and vote – that was) and then got everybody and have lunch with your mother. to cheer again. When it came time You’ll miss her when she’s gone.

I

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

JD Williams Strappy jumpsuit £39 www. jdwilliams.co.uk

Jump TO IT! Scarlett Johansson wowed the crowds at the recent Avengers Ultron premiere in London with this wide leg jumpsuit from Balmain.

Many high end designers have swapped the skinny leg style in favour of the retroinspired wide leg this season. If you’re after Scarlett’s look for less, then you’ll find some top alternatives on the high street right now.

steal her

style

OR MAKE IT YOUR OWN

OPTION A Simple Phase Eight Navy jumpsuit £79 www.phaseeight.com Cool, sleek style

OPTION A Floral Miss Selfridge Tie front jumpsuit £45 www. missselfridge.com China blues and crisp white

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BRAND NEW!

Just

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

DANCE PRESSURE! MARK WRIGHT might be a little busy at his own wedding.

The reality star is planning to be the DJ at his wedding party when he gets hitched to former Corrie actress MICHELLE KEEGAN this year.

Mark, 28, says he couldn’t find anyone good enough to take to the decks.

“I’ve gone through DJs and DJs and I’ve actually decided today I’m going to play at the wedding myself,” he said.

!

He’s going to have to get onto the dance floor for at least one dance though – the first one. And he admits his stint on Strictly Come Dancing means that he is feeling the pressure: “People are now thinking, ‘Oh he’s going to be well good’. Everyone has high expectations now, but it shouldn’t be a show dance. I want the music to come on, and it to be just Michelle and me,” he said.

‘RITA ORA IS FAIR GAME’ SIMON COWELL has apparently hinted he could poach RITA ORA from The Voice for his show, The X Factor.

The TV mogul said there was no reason why the Black Widow singer shouldn’t follow in the footsteps of ALESHA DIXON, whom he “stole” from the judging panel of Strictly Come Dancing, according to the Daily Star.

“I saw Rita on The Voice and I thought she was very good,” he told the newspaper recently. “When it comes to asking her over, you know, it’s fair game.”

PENELOPE WILTON:

‘It’s good to end on a high note’ PENELOPE WILTON has admitted she isn’t among the hordes of people devastated to see Downton Abbey coming to an end.

The actress plays Isobel Crawley in the drama, which will finish this year after a final sixth series and a Christmas special.

Penelope says: “I’m not upset about it.

When something has run its course, it’s good to end on a high note.”

She added: “And we have to move on from 1926, and if we moved on much further I’d be dead.”

Downton creator JULIAN FELLOWES

lives in Dorset and is creating a new US-set drama called The Gilded Age. He has said he would consider the Downton cast for parts, and Penelope doesn’t rule it out: “Well, we’ll have to see. You can’t second-guess Julian,” she says.

Penelope recently won best actress at the Olivier Awards, for her role in Taken At Midnight. She says: “I hadn’t really taken [it] on board, because I’m certainly the eldest [of the nominees].

“I’m thrilled, because you spend your life practising, and you get better as you get older - you hone your craft more.”

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Wise men: Ben House helps his son Arthur, two, build sandcastles on Looe beach

in pictures Whee! Brave teddy bears were parachuting from Burlescombe church tower in Mid Devon

In costume: Eve Hazelton, from Teignmouth, is dressing in fancy dress every day for a year to raise funds for breast cancer charity CoppaFeel

Yes, ‘tis uz: The Wurzels announce they will be playing at the Devon County Show on May 21

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talking points Elemental

Sheepish

ONE OF US

Mythological folk in the periodic table

Famous faces who come from the Westcountry

1 Helium Greek Sun god Helios

2 Titanium Titan, son of Uranus.

3 Vanadium From Norse Goddess Freya

4 Cobalt A goblin that haunts underground places

5 Thorium Norse god, Thor

6 Selenium Selene, moon goddess

7 Niobium Niobe, daughter of Tantalus.

8 Cadmium Phoenician prince

9 Tellurium Tellus, Roman goddess

10 Cerium Ceres, goddess of harvest

10 British breeds

1 Badger Face Welsh Mountain 2 Lonk 3 Oxford Down

6 Devon and Cornwall Longwool 8 Llanwenog 9 Exmoor Horn 10 Herdwick

10 things to make you smile this week 1 Helston Flora bluebells, best frocks and that tune...

3 Michaelmas Daisy 4 Swan River Daisy 5 Shasta Daisy 6 Ox-eye Daisy 7 Kingfisher Daisy 8 Transvaal Daisy 9 Livingstone Daisy 10 Butter Daisy

Champion diver Tom Daley, 20, was born and raised in Plymouth

7 Ryeland

Daisy, Daisy

1 Spanish Daisy 2 Lazy Daisy

Tom Daley

5 Scotch Mule

The happy list

10 different kinds

This week:

4 Cheviot

2 Port Eliot dog show pooches have fun on May 9

3 Sunglasses time to buy 4 Poldark’s next series we’re pining but it will be back

5 Beach food St Ives food festival, on the sand May 16-17

6 Devon County show not to be missed, May 21-23

7 Salads so good for you 8 Hanging baskets a must 9 Argyle playoffs ahoy!

10 Gingham check it out

Success: Thomas Robert “Tom” Daley (born 21 May 1994) s an English diver and television personality. He specialises in the 10 metre platform event and was the 2009 FINA World Champion in the individual event at the age of 15.

Early days: Tom started diving at the age of seven. In June 2004, the month after his tenth birthday, Tom won the platform competition in the National Junior (under 18) group, making him the youngest ever winner of that event.

where he won a scholarship.

Training: At the beginning of 2014 Daley moved his training base from the Life Centre in Plymouth to the London Aquatics Centre at the Olympic Park in east London, with a new coach, Jane Figueredo.

DID YOU KNOW?

Tough times: Tom’s father Robert was ever-present at Tom’s competitions but fought a long battle with a brain tumour.

He passed away aged 40 in 2011, when Tom was 17. “He was not only my dad; he was my best friend, sounding board, taxi driver and biggest champion,” Tom said.

Tom has reportedly been paid £300,000 for his promotion of sports brand Adidas.

Career: In 2009, Tom was number one in the World Diving Rankings for the ten-metre platform.

He won two gold medals for England at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and won the bronze medal for Great Britain in the individual competition at the 2012 Olympic Games.

Celebrity: After his success at the 2012 Olympics , Tom starred as a mentor to the celebrity competitors taking part in diving show Splash! for the 2013 and 2014 series of the show.

School: In his early teens, Tom experienced bullying at Eggbuckland School in Plymouth. He moved to private school Plymouth College,

Coming out: In April 2014, Tom announced in a You Tube video that he was gay, admitting he was initially “terrified” of making the announcement: “I did it on YouTube because people were constantly digging and asking questions.”

Other half: His partner is 39-year-old writer Dustin Lance Black, who won an Oscar for the screenplay of Milk.

Smart : Tom got an A and eight A* grades in his GCSEs and an A* and two As in his A-levels.

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People

[

Election 2015

And the winner is...

[

Julia Goldsworthy

This Thursday, a host of Parliamentary hopefuls will be standing for election.

Becky Sheaves meets two determined Westcountry women , one from Devon, one from Cornwall, with Westminster in their sights

Julia Goldsworthy, 36, lives in Portreath, Cornwall. She is fighting the marginal seat of Falmouth-Camborne in Cornwall for the Liberal Democrats.

Julia is married to Chris and they have a daughter, Avery, aged two. She held the seat in the 2005-2010 Parliament, which she lost by just 66 votes.

Julie says: Losing my seat by just 66 votes in 2010 was painful, I won’t deny it. But then you should never go into politics if you can’t take the downs as well as the ups. After all, I vividly remember the moment that I won the seat back in 2005. Soon after that moment of initial elation, I looked across at the then MP, Candy Atherton, and really felt for her.

Politics can be a rough game.

At 26, I was one of the youngest MPs in the 2005 Parliament – I can remember being stopped by police officers in Westminster and being told politely that I couldn’t go into certain areas. It never occurred to them I would be an MP. My maiden speech in the House was terrifying but Annette Penhaligon, the widow of my hero David Penhaligon [the Liberal MP for Truro in the 1970s and 80s] had given me a green Cornish agate brooch, the colour of the seats in the House of Commons. David had given it to her as a

gift, and for me it felt like a talisman, a lucky orities I’d been pushing for all along, such as charm. tax cuts for people on low incomes.

I loved being an MP and gave it my all.

When this election came around, I was Getting caught up in the expenses scandal determined to give it another try. I grew up was utterly mortifying [Julia hit the head- here and feel passionately about Cornwall. lines for her furniture expense claims and On one side, my family were farmers here in in 2009 repaid £1005 for a designer pink rockCamborne, and on the other side they were ing chair]. I was - and am - horrified to think miners. My roots here are very deep and that anyone would believe very strong. Canvassing is I was in this job for finaninspiring – you meet a huge cial gain. I totally support range of people, including transparency in expense many doing fantastic things ‘You should claims and am very aware to support the community. that an MP’s salary is far It’s the best way to find out never go into higher than the average what is going on locally. politics if you earned here in Cornwall. I My husband Chris works can’t take the hope that, by giving up my in financial services sales job and fighting this seat – nothing at all to do with downs as well as again, people will see that I politics – and he is very supthe ups - it can am in this to make a differportive of my campaign, as be a rough game’ ence. is my wider family.

After I lost my seat, I Because of my work in took some time out. I probWestminster, we’re used ably drove my husband to this life in which I go up mad – eventually, after I’d and down to London on the re-organised the plastic bag drawer in the train, and I take Avery with me. You could kitchen, I realised it was time get on with think it is going to be very stressful – five things. When Danny Alexander became the hours on the train with a toddler. But we Chief Secretary to the Treasury, he asked draw, we play games and I really make the me to support him as his special adviser. So most of the time together with my daughter.

I was back up in Westminster, albeit in a difIf I win this seat, we’ll all pull together as a ferent role, but still focussing on the key pri- family and make it work.

[[

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Claire Wright

People

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Claire campaigning on planning issues in east Devon

Claire Wright, 40, lives in West Hill, east Devon, with husband Dave and daughter Katie, 11. Standing as an independent candidate for the Devon East constituency, her odds of winning have shortened to 5/1 with the bookies Claire says: I’ve always been a campaigner. At the age of nine, I read an article in Smash Hits magazine about dolphins being mistreated in Brazil. I sat down and wrote a letter to the Brazilian Embassy, asking them to stop it.

Growing up in East Devon, I’m passionate about this part of the world. I grew up in the village of Clyst St Mary and, as a teenager, I became very involved in the anti-hunting campaign. I was never a saboteur but I felt very strongly about it, and wrote a lot of letters.

My first step into local politics came when my husband Dave and I moved to the village of West Hill in 2006, where I joined the residents’ committee. With a young daughter, I soon realised that the village needed a children’s playground, and – after a lot of persuasion and setbacks – we managed to get the most beautiful play area built for the community here.

Soon after, I stood for our district council as an independent. I then found myself at loggerheads with the huge Conservative majority on East Devon District Council, especially over planning issues. I’m a determined defender of the countryside against creeping urbanisation – east Devon is under real pressure for development and some of the planning decisions in this area have been appalling. I was very involved in the campaign to

protect the village of Feniton from three enormous planning proposals that would have seen it grow in size by 40 per cent.

We managed to fight off two of the three proposals, which was a huge achievement. The great thing about politics in this modern age is that, even if I get shouted down in a council meeting, I can let everyone know what is going on via my blog – it’s a great tool for debate and transparency. At times, the tactics of the Conservative councillors towards me have been akin to playground bullying, but I’m never intimidated. They don’t frighten me and won’t ever stop me campaigning for what I believe matters to people here.

Claire’s key commitments If I’m elected to Parliament for Devon East, my key pledges are to: •

Support the NHS

•

Champion small business

•

Cut the 20% VAT on tourism

•

Fight the relaxation of the planning rules

•

Prevent public sector cuts

•

Be a political voice for young people

Visit www.clairewright.org for details

Then in 2013 I was elected to Devon County Council with 2,970 votes and a 74 per cent share of the poll. As a result, I have the largest majority of any county councillor in the South West.

I will never forget going in to County Hall in Exeter after my win. They had put up a display of pie charts showing the distribution of the votes up on the wall – mine was three quarters full! It was an amazing moment. Soon after, I decided to give up my work in PR and marketing, and concentrate on my role as a county ouncillor.

From then on, people kept saying to me: “It will be Parliament next, Claire,” and I began to think about this general election seriously. There was a lot to consider – not least the impact on my family. I’m so lucky that my parents live just down the road and are 110 per cent behind me, and Dave and Katie are all for it.

I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t genuinely think I could win, even though there is a large Conservative majority in this area. But there are so many issues that aren’t being addressed, and a lot of discontent with the current government.

In the run-up to the election, I’ve spoken to so many people here in east Devon, to get their thoughts and understand their concerns. I’ve been overwhelmed by support – Dave and I thought we would have to fund most of the campaign ourselves, but we put a “donate” button on my website and before we knew it, £13,000 had flooded in.

I can hardly believe that I have 250 people out leafleting for me right now, and every day I get half a dozen requests for placards and posters.

It’s been a really affirming, uplifting process fighting this campaign. I can’t wait for May 7.

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main picture: jonty howe photography

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People Creative crafts

Made with love Anna’s work is intricate and handmade, inspired by nature

WIN art ceramics

We are lucky enough to have one of the most prestigious craft events in the country here on our doorstep. Sarah Pitt talks to three designers taking part in this summer’s Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey, Devon

Anna Collette Hunt

We have one of Anna Collette Hunt’s beautiful ceramics to be won, a stag beetle worth £26

Anna, 27, is a ceramicist who will be exhibiting for the first time at the show. She lives in Nottingham.

image: chris webb photography

To enter, send your name, address and contact number to: Ceramics competition, westmag@ westernmorningnews.co.uk to arrive by May 8.

Normal terms apply

Anna says she is “absolutely thrilled” to be chosen to show at Bovey Tracey. “It’s my first time and a real honour. I live in Sherwood, Nottingham, which is a really arty, creative area and several of us are making the journey west to exhibit at the show.

We’re all really looking forward to it.”

She’s going to take some time out after the show to have a look around Dartmoor, and the Westcountry in general. “I’ve got a feeling I’m going to find it very inspiring.”

Her current work is based around a sort of waking daydream she once had in a museum in Nottingham.

“I half closed my eyes and thought that all the animals in an exhibition were twinkling and coming alive – I know it sounds mad but that was the beginning of my work creating ceramics.” She has just had a purpose-built studio added to her home, “It has high ceilings and I can welcome customers here – before that I was in the spare room.”

At the show, she will be exhibiting some small pieces, especially her trademark ceramic stag beetles that cost from around £10-£12, right up to big dishes costing £800.

She also sells jewellery from around £12.

Her work is detailed and intricate: “On a good day I can set up a production line and hand-craft 20 beetles in a day. At other

times, I want to work on something larger, and I can spend a week on a big dish.”

You have to be philosophical with ceramics, Anna says. “There are times when you just open the kiln and face a complete disaster. And there’s a sort of alchemy involved – I just mixed up what I thought would be a blue, but it’s come out green instead.”

Her biggest project to date is a show called The Swarm with lots of her ceramic insects crawling up the walls. “I’m hoping to create a mini version on my stand at Bovey Tracey – I’m bringing my glue gun and I hope they let me use it.” She says she likes people to touch her creations and see how they feel: “That’s all part of what makes a show like this so special.

When I set up The Swarm, I always have some at toddler height, so children can touch the ceramics.”

Anna graduated from her Decorative Arts degree at Nottingham Trent University in 2009 and, six years on, her career is going really well. “I love what I do,” she says.

Her husband Mark is a primary school teacher: “Let’s just say his class get to do more ceramics than most. He is always nicking my clay.”

And he also gets some rather special models for his class projects. “I made him a scale model of a Viking ship recently.

I’m not sure if he realises it would sell for around £800,” Anna says.

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Helen Brice Jeweller Helen gets to work with diamonds – and other gemstones – creating new designs from precious stones in old jewellery.

In her workshop at her home in the Exe Valley, Devon, she works with her customers to create each unique piece, transplanting old gemstones they bring her from old or damaged pieces of jewellery, and allowing the jewels another chance to shine in a more modern design.

“My work has more sentimental value for the customer because they are using diamonds from their grandmother’s old ring, and it is nice for me because it is more challenging to design to a brief,” she says. “It has also allowed me to work with some quite big gemstones which I wouldn’t otherwise have been able to use.”

She also creates her own designs, including a series of rings called Showstoppers which show off different coloured stones together. She will be exhibiting them at the forthcoming contemporary craft fair at Bovey Tracey.

“I really enjoy being able to showcase all the different gems together,” she says. “It is a feature of my work to mix the gemstones and colours, and although they are quite traditionally set there is a contemporary twist to them.”

“It was a happy accident that I ended up designing jewellery,” Helen explains. “I had been on holiday to Israel and brought back a bit of Roman glass and wanted to make it into a piece of jewellery for myself. So I had a go in the glass workshop at college, where I was studying craft, and thought: why haven’t I done this before? It was literally two weeks before graduation – and so I enrolled in an evening class.”

Helen has now been making jewellery for 16 years. “I think that is why my approach is a little unorthodox, I am self-taught,” she says. “Some of my early pieces are a little bit rustic but I think that is quite nice, because it shows the progress I have made.”

Visit www.helenbrice.co.uk

WIN craft fair tickets worth £150 We have five pairs of weekend tickets for the Bovey Tracey Contemporary Craft Fair (each pair worth £30) to give away. The tickets cover all three days of the fair which runs from Friday to Sunday, June 5-7 at Mill Marsh Park, Bovey Tracey (see www.craftsatboveytracey. co.uk).

Helen Brice

For your chance to win, send your name, address and contact number to: Craft Fair, westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk to arrive by May 18. Normal terms apply.

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People Adam Cornish

Adam Cornish Adam combines a career in the police force with creating beautiful objects from wood and metal Adam Cornish makes beautiful things out of pieces of fallen wood from Devon woodlands, often the knarled, twisted pieces which no one else will touch. “In the same way that Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall likes to use the whole animal, I try to use the whole tree,” he says. “I work with the bits most people would just burn: this wood is full of interest and vigour, patterns and irregularities. It can be harder to work with, but the challenge is what I enjoy.”

Adam’s transformations happen in the garage of his home in Bovey Tracey, which he has converted into a workshop. It was his father who taught him how to craft wood, when he was growing up at Liverton, a few miles down the road.

And it was his father, a builder by trade, who many years later suggested Adam take up woodturning to help him cope with the stress of his job as a policeman.

Adam now spends as many hours as he can, at evenings and weekends, in his workshop. “I find

it very very therapeutic because while I’m work- works with. “I once got hold of an original roof ing with wood, I’m in the moment. I’m not think- timber from a Devon longhouse,” he says. “It was ing of horrific things I’ve seen in the police force, going on the fire, and I said ‘Please don’t burn it’.

I’m concentrating on the turning.”

The tree it was from probably grew in the 1400s, I Adam has proved to have such made a beautiful bowl out of it.” talent for his craft that he is Another platter came from a well on the way to establishing chunk of oak riven with marks a second career. His pieces are and cracks from beetle damage, ‘I once got hold labours of love - he makes lidded which came from Dartmoor of an original vessels, contrasting one type of farmer Anton Coaker, who is wood for the base with another a Western Morning News colroof timber for the lid. He also experiments umnist every Thursday. “It was from a Devon with textures, adapting metaltricky to work, but the reward longhouse. It working techniques to add metal is getting something quite starto the wooden creations. tling when you finish,” he says. probably grew He was particularly pleased This is the first time Adam is in the 1400s’ to win third prize in the open exhibiting at the craft festival, exhibition at the Somerset Guild and he’s the first designer from of Craftsmen last year, with a Bovey Tracey to win a place at lidded vessel, made partly from the event, which accepts applicafallen birch from a nature retions from people countrywide. serve on the outskirts of Bovey Tracey. Its strikVisit www.acwoodturning.co.uk. The Coning patterns were created by fungi decaying in temporary Craft Festival takes place from the wood.

June 5-7 in Bovey Tracey, Devon. See www.

There’s often a story behind the wood Adam craftsatboveytracey.co.uk for details.

[[

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fashion

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explore

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wellbeing

interiors 21

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Every room is very different at the Artist Residence boutique hotel in Penzance, where owners Charlie Newey and Justin Salisbury invited artists to design the bedrooms. Sarah Pitt takes a look around

Get Arty

ou might expect to find a traditional chintzy interior in a handsome Georgian townhouse, but when Charlie Newey and Justin Salisbury took on this bed and breakfast establishment on Chapel Street in Penzance, they were determined to do something different.

The couple had already transformed a guesthouse in their home town of Brighton in East Sussex into their first Artist Residence, with design input from local artists and lots of help from TV’s Alex Polizzi - their Brighton hotel featured on her Hotel Inspector show back in 2010.

“I have been immensely proud,” Alex said of the Penzance project. “Justin Salisbury and Charlie Newey, whom I first met at their B & B in Brighton, the Artist Residence, have opened a second Artist Residence in Penzance.”

Charlie takes up the story: “The Brighton building was really in need of renovation, so Justin came up with the idea of inviting artists to redecorate the rooms in return for board and lodging,” says Charlie.

“It all went really well. Then when the opportunity to do the same in Penzance came along we

Y

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Interiors The rooms in this Penzance hotel have been decorated by artists

used what we did in Brighton as a guide.”

With eight rooms created by artists, alongside some more rooms in a more sober style, the guesthouse (previously known as the Georgian House) is now welcoming visitors as the Artist Residence Cornwall.

“There’s a range of eight arty rooms if people want something bold, fun and quirky. Then there are also some rooms which are a bit softer, they are very good for businesspeople and visitors wanting a restful retreat,” says Charlie.

Each artist-decorated bedroom has a completely different vibe. The Admiral Benbow room, for instance, has a mural of the popular pub with this name on Chapel Street, along with the rest of the street scene. It was created by artist Jo Peel, who trained in Cornwall at Falmouth College of Art. Her mural is a line drawing with splashes of turquoise and orange, picked up in the choices of furniture for the room.

“She was one of the artists who caught our attention, as she paints in a very illustrative style,” says Charlie. “She’s also included all the detail, like the CCTV cameras and the seagulls. She came down for a week, and did the mural in just three and a half days, which was amazing.” Many 23

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Interiors Pinky Vision is by a Brighton artist

[[

of the schemes reflect the seaside setting of the hotel. Artist Adam Makowiecki has created the Nautical Tales room, telling the story in black and white images of a lost island out to sea off Penzance, found in an old book in the town library.

The Dolly Divine room was dreamed up by artist Sinead Geary with wallpaper she made herself featuring delicate butterflies in flight – they also fly across cushions and through an image within a gilt frame on the wall.

“She went to all the charity shops and collected different postcards and frames, which gives it a really romantic feel,” says Charlie.

A colourful painting by Penzance artist Mat McIvor takes up most of a wall in one of the highpitched rooms in the old stables adjoining the hotel. “His room is really cool,” says Charlie. “We designed the room around one of his original paintings. We know Mat very well, so we knew his style of art and it naturally fell into place.”

The Pinky Vision room features a seascape in pastel shades by an artist (called Pinky Vision), whom Charlie and Justin invited down from Brighton. “I suppose the mural is somewhat psychedelic, but because it is all done in pastel colours it is strangely soothing as well,” says Charlie.

Another slightly surreal mural, depicting St Michael’s Mount and the coast surrounding it, decorates the ceiling of an attic bedroom Muju’s World, created by an artist known as Muju from nearby St Ives. Meanwhile, something completely different is provided by the soft, romantic boudoir created by artist Rachel Ella Taylor, from Kent. Here, floral blossom flocking across mirrors and glass panels is backlit by lights and Moorish lanterns hanging from the ceiling. The room is called Ephemeral Opulence.

“Rachel was someone who applied online when we put out a call for artists and we thought her work was really interesting,” says Charlie. “She does flocking on glass and we thought it would be a bit different to create something really unique, combining art with craft.”

Visit www.artistresidencecornwall.co.uk

‘I suppose the mural is somewhat psychedelic - but it is strangely soothing as well’

The Mat McIvor Room

STYLE TIP: Charlie and Justin asked local

artists to decorate each room in their Penzance B&B, with remarkable results 24

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Interiors Paint your own mural with solvent-free Ecos paints, £41.53 for five litres. This red is Signal One, www.ecospaints.com

GET THE

LOOK

Artistic touches can enliven any space in your home Moorish gold side table, £175, www.alexanderandpearl.co.uk

Raspberry butterflies cushion designed by Barneby Gates, £69, www.in-spaces.com

Tahir pendant light, £215, www.sweetpeaandwillow.com

Get creative with this set of paintbrushes, £8, from Wilkinson stores across the region

Ocean Drive shade, £41.63 for five litres, www.ecospaints.com 25

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Gardens

ANNE SWITHINBANK

The best runners Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, is planting her runner beans this Bank Holiday weekend unner beans are my favourite veg and in order to enjoy perfect pods I’m happy to spend hours sowing, erecting climbing frames, planting and then picking them. Even the slicing in a slanted and very particular, traditional-to-our-family way takes time before they are boiled briefly and quickly in lightly salted water until just on the soft side of al dente. For lunch, I’ll often tuck into just a great pile of runners, with just a little butter and pepper added.

Botanically, the runner is Phaseolus coccineus, a native of Mexico, where it has been grown as food for over two thousand years. By the early seventeenth century, it had reached our shores but was initially grown as an ornamental climber. A row of runners in full bloom is indeed a fine sight, especially as there are varieties with white, pink and bicoloured blooms as well as traditional scarlet. Some are described as having stringless pods but I always top, tail and pare down the sides of all of them. As you can imagine, I’ve prepped so many in my lifetime I’m pretty quick with a sharp knife.

In our mild climate, it is worth playing with early sowings and I’ve seen young plants for sale as early as mid April

R

when ground frosts are still common. There must be some gardeners even more desperate to enjoy their first beans than me, as you’ll often see early plantings protected by barriers of fleece or polycarbonate. I’m happy to take my time because myhusband and I sow slightly hardier French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) to crop first.

My father, who grew veg until he reached his eighties, has always cautioned against sowing too early not only because beans love warmth but because the first flowers sometimes set poorly.

He always recommended including some whiteflowered kinds, as they tend to set better than others during hot summers.

I’ll be sowing this weekend, setting the large, shiny seeds 5cm/2in apart across the top of slightly shallow 15cm/6in pots. Covered with

compost and watered in, they’ll be stood in the greenhouse to germinate. Once grown, I’ll knock the lot out of the pot and separate carefully before planting against their supports. For these, I’ve cut and stored ash and hazel poles from hedge and coppice, along with bamboo from our clumps. They need to be a good 2.1m/7ft long and are either erected 30cm/12 apart in double rows with 45cm/18in between the opposite pairs, or formed in wigwams of five poles around a 60cm/24in diameter circle. In both cases the tops are brought in and tied over the centre and for the paired rows, a long horizontal pole is lashed along the top for added stability. Our garden is windy and on our clay soil with flints, I use a metal pin to make holes so the pole bases are firmed in deeply.

This might all sound complicated but once you start, you’ll evolve your own method. There are even dwarf varieties like ‘Hestia’ suitable for containers but they’d never yield enough to satisfy a real bean glutton like me. I plant one bean per pole along the straight rows and one at

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

a pole and one in a gap around a wigwam. After this, there’s not a lot to do bar watering during droughts, weeding and, when the beans reach the tops, pinching tips out to stop a tangle.

The soil itself must be well conditioned and nourished with loads of well rotted compost and manure. I usually scatter some organic fertilizer for good measure. Take your usual precautions against slugs and snails, only usually a nuisance while the plants are settling.

I’ve tried a wide range of varieties and been pleased with them all. If you have trouble with setting, ‘Firestorm’, ‘Moonlight’ and ‘Stardust’ are Runner and French bean crosses and are self

pollinating. For a good succession of beans, sow again at the beginning of June and I sometimes start a risky but often worthwhile batch on July 1st. You can never have too many, after all.

Question time with Anne West reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank I have a shrub border bounded by a wild hedge at the back. Ivy has grown in over the bed and I’ve treated it with weedkiller.

Would it be a good idea to spread shredded bark over the ground now and will it keep the ivy out in future?

Q

I expect you’ve used a Glyphosate based brushwood type weedkiller which will have beaten back the ivy, for now. Those like me who don’t like using weedkillers can dig the ivy out with a fork. Glyphosate is taken up by the plant through its leaves and will kill roots but there is usually some regrowth and the ivy will eventually grow back down from its stronghold in the hedge.

I would wait until the soil is moist (don’t mulch over dry soil), apply some slow release fertilizer around the shrubs and then apply a layer of bark a good 8cm/3in thick over the soil. The ivy will struggle with this and make either pulling or treating it easier in future.

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

Q

I’d like to grow some alpine plants but don’t have room for a rock garden. What would be a good way to start a small collection?

For smaller, finer plants, a collection of alpine sinks would be best. You can make these (look up hypertufa troughs or pots) or buy concrete versions from garden centres. I was lucky to inherit a proper old shallow stone sink and decided it would look classy filled with different varieties of South African Rhodohypoxis baurii.

I bought five and made them the well-draining, lime free compost they need. They die back for winter and I balance a cold frame on top, weighed down with bricks but so air can get in underneath. This way they have a cold rest but are protected from too much rain. They’ve thrived and their pink, or white flowers look fab from now into summer. Go for the plants you like, read up on them and enjoy.

• M ake trenches ready to take young celery plants. They would be of special trenching varieties whose stems are blanched under the soil. I reckon this is the only way to grow tender celery stems at home, as all my efforts at growing selfblanching celery have resulted in tasty but stringy stems.

• Shade greenhouse panes facing south and possibly west as well if plants are baked by sun.

Use a shading

wash (I put this on thinly through a sprayer) or often pinning or fixing fleece or even thin net curtains to the inside works. Ventilate freely and damp down to reduce temperatures.

• Where forget-menots are finishing, sow quick growing hardy annuals into the spaces, such as Californian poppies, clarkia and nigella. Make drills across the area and water them before sowing if soil is dry.

Sow Still plenty of time to sow beetroot, carrots, parsnips, spinach, peas, kohlrabi and winter brassicas like purple sprouting broccoli. For small areas, buy in punnets of young lettuce plants, calabrese and summer cabbage.

Plant sweet peas germinated earlier in long modules or pots, or bought as plants. Make a support like a small runner bean tepee (see above) or find them some fence or trellis to climb. They need good soil and a thorough watering in.

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Beauty

Tried

& tested

FACE SAVER

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

This product’s great for girls on the go. You get face in place and SPF40 sun-screen, all ready to start the day in a flash. Intensive Skin Serum Foundation SPF40, £39, www. bobbibrown.co.uk

Hair repair Singer songwriter Ella Henderson’s the new face of dry shampoo brand Batiste’s Ready For It campaign. The haircare essential’s are not only great for between-wash spritzs, but smell great, too. £3.99 each, www.bastistehair.co.uk

Nair claims its Salon Divine Body Wax is virtually pain-free and, out to the test on our own legs, it did a great job without making our eyes water. Stir carefully after heating, to avoid unexpected hot spots when you apply. £11.99 from Boots, Superdrug andTesco.

This hair oil’s won top marks for body and shine without leaving fine hair feeling limp. £6.50 from www.avonshop.co.uk

TAKE A BROW Benefit’s donating the profits of all brow shaping appointments to charities Refuge and Look Good Feel Better, plus every customer who has a shape will take home a free full-size Gimme Brow Gel. Appointments start from £11.50; find your nearest location at www.benefitcosmetics.co.uk 28

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the review Eyes right

Pencil it in This tapered Khol Kajal liner’s great for creating statement eyes and is easy for newbies to experiment with. It’s by ARTDECO (£15.60). Find the brand at Debenhams.

SUNNY A bright that won’t break the bank: Next’s Lemon yellow nail polish (£4) is so summery!

Full and furry or nice and neat?

Katie Wright eyes up the tools and tricks to whip your brows into shape n Ancient Greece the monoup and trend artist for Benefit. brow was seen as a symbol “Starting with a make-up-free brow, use a of great beauty and intellibrow brush and brush your brows through, gence: Women even went so so all hairs are sitting in the correct place. far as to fashion little furry “Hold a pencil parallel to the side of your patches out of goat hair, to fake the bushynose and align the top of the pencil to the brow look. inner corner of the eye - the inner edge of Since then, eyebrow desirability has waxed your brows should start here. Using a brow – quite literally – and waned throughout pencil, mark this point. the decades, from Clara Bow’s thin, pencil- “To determine the highest peak of your led-on arches in the Twenties, to the major arch, place the pencil at an angle from the facial architecture of Eighties Brooke outside corner of your nose through the Shields and today’s Cara Delevingne (piccentre of your iris. Using a brow pencil, tured). But the monobrow has yet to make mark this point. a return, although nowa“Hold the pencil diagonally days it’s more about perfrom the outside corner sonal preference and findof the nose to the outside ‘To fi nd your ing what suits you. corner of your eye. This perfect brow will then tell you where THE TRICKS your brow should end. shape you need To find your perfect brow Using a brow pencil, mark to discover shape, you need to disthis point. Using these cover where your brow markings as a guide for where your should start, arch and plucking is a great way to brow should end. This can be differunderstand your personal start, arch and ent on different eye and brow shape and to avoid face shapes,” says Lauren that dreaded over-plucking end’ Hogsden, assistant makesituation.”

I

THE TOOLS Brows Precision Tweezers £19.95 (www.hdbrows. com)

[[

B Cinnamon Spice Brow Definer £15 (www. blinkbrowbar.com)

No7 Lash & Brow Brush Pro £8 (www.boots.com)

Goodbye, panda eyes: These new facial cleansing wipes from Superdrug are are infused with Micellar water, which wipes away makeup in a trice. £1.29 for a pack of 25.

Hi Brow Smoothing Wax Pencil £7.49 (www.salon-services. com)

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

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Sun Time

Jumper £49.95 Land’s End

Why lemon yellow is the colour to be seen in right now ith summer in our sights, the need for a spruced-up wardrobe is growing more pressing by the day. And even if the weather isn’t all thatbalmy, you can give off a sunshine vibe with this season’s most wearable hue lemon yellow.

Cheery without being garish, bright but not too bouncy, this flattering shade is all over the shops right now. We love these ombre yellow jeans from Juicy Couture, not to mention this vava-voom citrus print bikini, only £10 from Next.

If you’re just dipping a toe into this trend, try a lemon hat or bag. And if you’re still feeling chilly, then this Lands End sweater is, surely, the solution to looking suitably summery - while still feeling warm.

W

Lemon clutch bag £9.99 New Look

Caged sandals £27.99 New Look Floppy hat £20 Oliver Bonas

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Fashion

Lemon bikini Next £10

Dress Long Tall Sally £70

Polo shirt Lands End £29.95

Sandals £39 J by Jasper Conran at Debenhams

Top £69 M & S Best of British

Ombre skinny jeans £160 Juicy Couture

Duf fle bag £15.99 New Loo k Clutch bag Miss Selfridge £22 31

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Trend

HOW TO WEAR IT:

Beachy casual Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod on being MAIN PHOTO HAIR: AIMEE AT SAKS, EXETER MAKEUP: CLARINS, DEBENHAMS (BOTH PRINCESSHAY) PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVE HAYWOOD STILL-LIFE PHOTOGRAPHS: PR SHOTS

a surfer, and a grown up was recently on holiday in Australia. Great wine, stunning beaches, and even better weather. The promise of warmer climes meant I packed my hot weather gear and set off cheerfully. The cheerfulness lasted until I caught sight of my reflection in one of those fancy reflective city centre sculptures in Adelaide, and then again in the mirrors of a lovely city centre boutique. Cue despair, and a pledge to purge my wardrobe starting immediately.

Problem is, most of my summer downtime wardrobe harks back some six years, when I still lived in South Africa and was a bona fide surf bum. Before work, after work and all weekend every weekend I was in the water, and life inbetween was spent in a combination of denim cutoffs, branded vests and tees and squishy flip flops. It was bliss.

Fast forward to my thirties though, and those same clothes I believe older look a little, well, sloppy. I think translates as when your hair is sun bleached to the colour of sunlight and ‘more faceted’ your skin is berry brown you and I want a really can throw on anything wardrobe that and look fantastic. But the refl ects that. older, slightly greyer and infinitely paler me looking back found myself in Princesshay’s Fat Long story short, from the mirror looked a little Face. What a treat. The store is a feast I went shopping dated and sad, as if I was desof soft textures, interesting prints and perately clinging to the person gorgeous natural colours. Casualwear I was, rather than embracing heaven. who I have become.

I have to admit though, I was nervous about Don’t get me wrong, I still adore the beach. I trying these clam diggers on. I have a bit of a pet surfed Bondi and the Gold Coast on my recent trip, hate when it comes to trousers that can’t decide and my boards are waxed and ready for the moment if they are long or short. That said, no one wants the UK water temperature rises above 11 degrees. to wear full-length jeans at the beach, and there It’s just that these days, there is more to me than is nothing attractive about a fully exposed leg salty skin. I’m developing an enjoyable editorial awash with goose pimples. And, if cropped jeans career, and I’m a part-time photographer, I’ve lived are good enough for Sarah Jessica Parker and in London and weekend there often. I believe older Rosie Huntington-Whiteley then who am I to translates to ‘more faceted’, and I want a wardrobe judge? Rosie looked amazing recently in a pair that reflects that. Long story short, I went shopping. of calf-length Mother denims paired with a grey Within 48 hours of landing back in the UK, I tee and strappy flats. We’re not quite at sandal

I

Top, Fat Face Princesshay, £48 Trousers, Fat Face Princesshay, £42 Trainers, Fat Face Princesshay, £30 Hat, Fat Face Princesshay, £25 Bag, Fat Face Princesshay, £80

season so I scouted about for some more covered options and developed an immediate crush on these floral skate trainers. So cute and ever so comfortable. I can see myself popping them on after an hour in the water and happily doing a section of the coast path with them on my feet.

This fabulous gorgeous crochet top is a real find.

It’ll look just as home with a leather pencil skirt as it does popping out to Coffee #1 on a Saturday.

Don’t forget your fedora. It’s the final flourish for any sophisticated and savvy mermaid. The sun is stronger than it feels, and this flattering shape is a favourite of fellow surfers Cameron Diaz and Marissa Miller. Looks like a stylish summer is a shore thing.

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

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DEBENHAMS Red Herring swimwear £26

DEBENHAMS Mantaray shorts £22

DEBENHAMS Mantaray sandals £18.50

GET THE

look

I love: This more modest take on the bikini. I’m not quite ready for full costumes only, but the high waist on this Red Herring number will cover that hard-to-target lower belly while the covered top means I can frolic in the breakers with no fear of wardrobe malfunction.

SUPERDRY folk tank £22.99 EAST stripe linen top £49

NEW LOOK flared jeans £24.99 33

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Wellbeing

Sam Taylor:

Sofa Dodger Mum of three Sam Taylor from Bodmin is the Sofa Dodger, trying out keep-fit activities that make exercise fun. This week she tries: Athletics thletics has been on my to-do list for the giggle was in full flow, with a lot of ages. So I got in touch with Dorches“did you hear abouts” and “you never ter Athletics Club, which had a guess whats”. ‘senior’ training in Yeovil taking My session for the evening was all place. I was warned about throwing and that despite the tag, all of the jumping skills.

The participants would be teenagthrowing coach, Guy, ers. I know how to get down showed me the techI was paired with the kids, though, as I have nique for javelin. I tried with a girl who a secret weapon… an iPhone from a standing start turned out to something wotsit. Oh yes, they and then progressed love all that. to a bit of a shuffle, be South West At the track, I was enthusiasbefore I unleashed. I Under 15s chamtically greeted by the coaches, was paired with a girl who turned who quizzed me on the Sofa out to be the South West Under 15s pion and boy, Dodger challenge. Apart from Girls champion and boy, could she could she throw one lad, the rest of the teenagthrow. ers were all girls. I am not sure It turned out I’m no Fatima what the collective noun for Whitbread (sorry if the teenaggroup of pubescent girls is, but ers are reading this – ask your for the purposes of this column, I will call them parents), but maybe my forte would be the long a giggle, mainly because that’s what they did… a jump. I made my way over to Peter the coach. lot. Warming up with a jog around floodlit track, He seemed to be trying to motivate a particularly

A

[[

This week: athletics Sam trained with Dorchester Athletics Club www.dorchesteralthletics.com

wilful gigglet of girls, whilst holding a rake. I myself have watched enough Olympics to know that the technique is all about height, so from a standing start, I launched myself into the air and managed to plop slightly ahead of where I started. I just about made it on to the sand.

Peter continued raking. I hit the board and again - whumph. I think I cleared a good metre and a half. Strangely, the girls had got distracted and forgotten the cheering bit, though.

get involved: Visit www.sofadodger.co.uk and key in your postcode to find a class or club near you. Or add your own to the growing database, for free.

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Wellbeing

ally mac’s

Almond Pulp Macaroons Ally says: Whenever I make almond milk (see my recipe last week in West and on my website) and post a photo, I receive comments asking what to do with the almond milk pulp. So I decided to create these scrummy almond pulp macaroons, using the pulp left over from my almond milk recipe. They are naturally sweet, gluten-free and really easy to make.

Almonds are packed with vitamins, minerals, protein and fibre, and are associated with a number of other health benefits too. Go on, go nuts and make a batch!

You will need: (makes 10-15) ½ cup Medjool dates 1 cup almond pulp ¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan sea salt (found in health food shops) ¼ cup coconut oil ½ cup shredded unsweetened organic coconut Some non-stick baking paper

Method: 1.

Pulse dates and almond pulp until smooth.

Add salt, coconut oil, and shredded coconut.

2.

Line a baking tray with some non-stick baking paper.

3.

Scoop your batter one tablespoon at a time onto the paper.

4.

Bake at 180C for 30 minutes, until golden around the edges.

5.

Cool for 30 minutes, if you can wait that long; these are super tasty warm with a cool glass of almond milk!

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

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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

AN INTRODUCTION

TO SCUBA DIVING

If you’re keen to get more active, why not try scuba diving this summer, with the chance of a free diving lesson next weekend (May 10)? Cornish Diving School, The RNLI and Falmouth Hotel are all teaming up run a free Discover Scuba Diving course. To take advantage of this offer, email info@ cornishdivingschool.co.uk or call 07885 771282.

MORNING SICKNESS:

an organic aid...

It’s thought around 10,000 women suffer hyperemesis gravidarum in pregnancy, the same extreme morning sickness that the Duchess of Cambridge endured through both her pregnancies. Even in its milder form, morning sickness is a miserable condition to endure, which is why mum-of-two Jennifer Feltham’s has a Morning Sickness Balm (£6.99) in her newly-launched natural pregnancy and baby products range.

Jennifer’s The Morning Sickness Balm contains mint and ginger, which can help soothe waves of nausea; apply just a little under your nose or on your temples.

It’s also worth a try before a journey, if car or sea sickness plague you - and it can help soothe tension headaches, too.

Find it at: www.miadomskincare.com

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you can’t run from the truth about sugar Think you’ve earned that fizzy drink? ous disease, such as diabetes, heart disThink again, according to a report in ease, and dementia, the report says our sugary diets now generate the British Journal of Sports more ill health than physical Medicine, which has said that Even inactivity, alcohol, and smokeven athletes can’t outrun a athletes ing combined. bad diet. can’t outrun It’s even described the food It says that excess sugar and carbs, rather than physical ina bad diet industry’s marketing tactics as “chillingly similar to those activity, are primarily behind of tobacco firms which set the surge in obesity. While regular exercise is key to staving off seri- out to convince the public that smok-

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ing was not linked to lung cancer’. The Journal is calling for health clubs and gyms to remove the sale of sugar-laden products from their premises.

When calorie counting, it’s the source of the calories that matters, and fat is better than sugar: “Fat calories induce fullness or satiation,” the report states.

“Sugar calories promote fat storage and hunger. Healthy choice must become the easy choice.”

THE ART OF

CHINESE ZEN

LET’S RIDE Cycling is great cardio-vascular exercise and kind to the knees. There is still time (just) to sign up for the first mass bike ride from The Eden Project on May 10 if you do so by tomorrow (May 4). There will be three route distances of 36, 60 and 100 miles.

Sign up and you could win a men’s or women’s Boardman aluminium road bike. Visit www.edenproject.com/ edenclassic for details.

South Devon Chan Group is running a day retreat at Leusdon Memorial Hall, Poundsgate, on Dartmoor on June 14. The day will be in silence, an opportunity to experience the deeper possibilities of Chinese Zen Buddhist meditation. Visit www.westernchanfellowship.org

‘Tweakments’ reign supreme The label ‘anti-ageing’ seems to feature on so many products these days, but do we really want to stop the ageing process entirely? Not necessarily, according to a new study by The Harvey Medical Group, which found nine out of 10 us believe we look our age… or younger. The findings confirm a trend the group has noticed for women seeking ‘tweakments’ like dermarolling, rather than drastic procedures that attempt to turn back time.

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Wellbeing Put time into your relationship to get it back on track

‘We don’t talk’ Expert advice for your relationship:

My partner and I don’t talk any more. We both work long hours and when we come home he’ll disappear to watch TV in another room. I often just go to bed because it feels like he’s not interested in me anymore. I think we’re becoming like strangers. What can I do to change things?

with something like: “I really miss the way we used to talk together in the evening. It used to make me feel really close to you. I’m sad that we don’t do that anymore.”

A number of things will have happened there.

You will have invited an opportunity for comfortable chat, as well as demonstrating that you are still interested in him. You will have Counsellor Tricia Moore says: It invoked a memory of good times, which is often a sounds as though you’ve good place to begin rebuilding better times now. drifted into the habit of not Importantly, by starting with your own feelings talking at the end of the and staying with them, you will be keeping the day. You’re both tired and doors to shared communication open. have learned to unwind It’s a golden rule, especially when separately. you’re talking about something Perhaps, tricky, that you speak from early on in Over time, with the perspective of your own your relationship, it was so the stresses of feelings, rather than anything easy to chat and relax, as you that sounds like a challenge or would with a friend. But over life and work, accusation, like: “You don’t...” or time, with the stresses of life you’ve “You always…” or even “I wish and work, you’ve forgotten to forgotten to be you wouldn’t…” These create be each other’s best friend. defensive reactions and shut the Now, in that gap that’s opened each other’s doors to good communication. up between you, you feel he’s best friend You may fear rejection, but not interested in you. It’s quite the chance to enrich a good possible that he’s thinking relationship will be worth the something similar! risk. Good luck.

So try taking the initiative to do something differently. Take some tea or a glass of wine to Tricia works for Plymouth charity Marriage Care share with him and sit down. Start a conversation

Q

[[

Five quick fixes: Dr Susan Heitler (author of The Power of Two), has some surprisingly effective quick fixes for your relationship

1. Switch Your Focus It’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on what your partner does that bugs you.

Re-focus – what can YOU do differently to lighten up both your lives?

2. Do The Maths Add more affection and appreciation into your relationship. Subtract the criticism, disagreement, blame and complaints.

3. Look Ahead Don’t focus on old resentments and disappointments. Placing your energy on future goals as a couple will help you create a game plan for getting there.

4. No buts Eliminate the word “but” when speaking to your partner. Each time you respond with “but...” you are erasing what you just heard, making your partner feel erased, too.

Instead, use lots of “Yes!”

5. Have More Fun Fun doesn’t have to cost money. Turn on music while you do dishes together. Go outdoors and enjoy the sunshine. Or do just about anything that’s different. New, with a positive attitude, is invigorating.

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Wellbeing

STARS

03.05.15

ARIES (March 21 - April 20) Drifting through this week, at times it feels a little surreal. There seems to be nothing to pin you down.

That can be good but also a bit unsettling!

Anyone who tries to tell you what to do, however, is likely to get a short response.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21) Usually well anchored into your daily life, this week sees you a bit adrift. Your energy seems to be pulling you in all directions. Sometimes it is a good thing to go with the general flow of life. Right now you have something to learn about your wilder and more imaginative side. Do you have the right person by your side? If not, look for them.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) There are those who expect you to be very serious this week. Well, they would like you to be serious most of the time, wouldn’t they? Seeing as this is a time for you to indulge your little whims and fancies, they may not be too pleased.

So, you will do what you like anyway.

CANCER (June 22 - July 22) There is a lot about your life and image to be happy about. Sometimes we all seem to take that for granted. Counting the things that are really important to you and make you happy is an eye-opener. Putting more into those relationships and activities brings a great deal of pleasure this week. Chat away. Discover about your friends and family. Ask the questions and then sit back and listen.

LEO (July 23 - August 23) Letting go of any negative or frustrating thoughts is what this week is all about. Aim to meet the weekend having had a complete mental spring clean.

A healthy outlook has to include spending less time with negative people. If you have to work with them don’t waste too much time trying to change attitudes. You won’t!

Chat and burble, burble and chat. There is a lot to learn.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23) When you want to get your point across this week, use a combination of wit and wisdom. Others will be more willing to listen to you if they are given only one course of action and that is to do things your way! I can’t say that you are always right but your mind is very sharp and precise at the moment. Important com-

munications need to be fast-tracked before Mercury the messenger turns retrograde.

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23) Romantic thoughts bump into reality midweek. This is when you most need your sense of humour. Is someone having a joke? Pulling your leg?

Sadly not. That wonderful, passionate, mind-blowing moment may have to wait.

On the plus side, this is a great time to get to grips with work and help out colleagues and friends. You are being given the chance to change a previously hard-held attitude.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22) With too much energy burning a hole in your head, channel it well.

It would be easy to rant and rave at people for no real reason in order to let off steam.

Why not, instead, go hell for leather and get all of those jobs done? Both at home and at work, the fire in your belly can bring about real progress. Be an achiever, not a whinger. Wanting something to happen and being constantly frustrated is not fun.

nicely. Be sure to give that enough time and encouragement. Communicate as never before in the next few weeks and, if you are looking for love, keep going!

PISCES (February 20 - March 20) Change anything that you can this week that will make you feel fresher.

Younger people lead the way and show you how to have some fun. You may have the urge to travel but maybe don’t have the cash.

Plan for the day when you will have the chance to go. Working with someone else to make your dreams come true shows real promise.

Of course you prefer to be in sole charge but first you need something to be in charge of !

Happy birthday to...

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21) There is an element of self-indulgence to this week. If it is used to change things about you that need changing, that is good. If it is used to wallow in feeling sorry for yourself, then it is not! Get out and start something new, even if it is only a book! If you want romance, waiting for someone else to make the first move is futile. There are times when you look unapproachable.

CAPRICORN

(December 22 - January 20) Have you jumped into a loop and can’t get out? Are all of your usual efforts getting you nowhere? Are you going over the same ground with no effect?

Should you give up? No. What you need is to give it a rest. Come back later when you are more positive. Get out and play, enjoy nature, spend a little and love a lot. Take a fresh tack to get into the right place. Life is nowhere as complicated as you think.

AQUARIUS

(January 21 - February 19) What a grand week! With everything slipping into place, it seems that you are on a roll. Of course you want to avoid anything that will be distracting or disruptive. Even so, there is one relationship that seems to be coming together

George Clooney Gorgeous George turns 54 this Thursday (May 7) and isn’t he wearing his years well?

George soared to stardom in the early 1990s with his portrayal of Dr Ross Benson in TV series ER, then became a serious filmstar with roles in Ocean’s Eleven and Batman.

He recently hit the headlines for his superglamorous Venice wedding to human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin. George is a Taurus, and Taureans born on May 7 are said to be charming, tactful and with a ready wit in social situations. Despite their likeable characters, however, May 7 Taureans tend to keep a small, close social circle. Shame!

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My Secret Westcountry Ben Bulger Ben Bulger is group development chef for the four River Cottage Canteens. He lives in Exeter with his wife Ali and their children Noah, six, and Edith, four My favourite Westcountry...

Walk: From Mamhead in the Haldon Forest.

This is always great for a peaceful walk, while the kids can play. The view on a clear day down over the Exe estuary and beyond is stunning.

Venue : Exeter Phoenix arts centre is a great small venue. I’ve seen some of my favourite artists here and some great comedy as well.

Food: This time of year, I’m picking wild garlic and adding into some scrambled eggs or steamed with some local mussels and cider.

Kitchen cupboard essential: Cornish sea salt. There’s not a lot to say about this apart from everything tastes better with it on…especially chips.

Activity: Biking around Haldon Forest, which has really great and well organised cycle trails to explore.

Pint: Sharp’s Doom Bar, best drunk while sitting on the terrace of The Mariners pub in Rock, north Cornwall, on a sunny summer day.

Wet-your-whistle: I have recently got a taste for the Collector Vermouth, a great tipple from the guys at the Ethicurian in Wrington near Bristol.

Pub: The Turf Locks in Exeter. You know summer’s here when the Turf has opened its doors and you have to make the effort to walk (or boat) there, as it’s not accessible by road.

It’s great for barbecues in the summer months.

Restaurant: The River Exe café in Exmouth. It’s not really a café but a restaurant, serving great simple seafood on a barge floating in the Exe Estuary.

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People

The Turf Locks pub, left, is accessible only on foot or by boat

Cafe: The Hidden Hut at Porthcurnick beach at Portscatho. It’s a superb little beach café, that runs some great pop up evening events through the summer.

Westcountry Sunday: Time playing at the beach with the kids, having a picnic and watching the sun set.

Grocery Shop: I love all the little independent shops up and down Magdalen Road in Exeter - Pipers Farm for meat, Gibsons Plaice for fish and Smith’s for wine. All of them are special.

Gift shop: Leaf Street, also on Magdalen Road; it has helped me out with many last minute birthday gifts.

Treat: The Orange Elephant ice cream parlour at Taverners Farm in Lower Brenton just outside Exeter. They make really amazing ice creams… although I pretend it’s for the kids!

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MAIN PICTURE: EMILY WHITFIELD-WICKS

Enjoy

A WEEKEND IN...

Polperro Talland Bay Hotel

his picture-postcard fishing village in south east Cornwall is popular with tourists, for whose benefit the massive car park on the outskirts of the village has been built. It is worth avoiding the busier periods for this reason, so mid-May is a great time to visit this little harbour in a ravine with a jumble of pretty cottages clustered around it.

Polperro also makes a good stop-over for those walking the South West Coast Path. It still has a working fishing fleet and you can watch the boats unload their catch in the harbour if you time your visit right. The village also specialises in the type of gift shops which are the stuff of childhood holiday memories, selling fudge, knick-knacks, New Age artwork and curios, and (of course) sticks of rock.

T

Do: Take

a fishing trip out of the harbour on board the Smuggler with skipper Ollie Puckey (mobile: 07966 528045) who has posted pictures of the impressive haul on previous trips on his Facebook page. Dave Myers of TV’s Hairy Bikers caught a massive cod on his recent trip

to sea aboard Smuggler.

Discover: You can find out more about Polperro’s colourful past at the Polperro Heritage Museum of Fishing and Smuggling.

Inhabitants colluded with smugglers to land strong liquor and other contraband in the dead of night. The museum, appropriately housed in an old pilchard works on the quayside, also has photographs of fishermen working in the harbour dating from the 1860s.

If Polperro is not itself tiny enough for you, with its little cottages and narrow streets the width of footpaths, you can see it all in miniature at Polperro Model Village at the top of the village (see www.polperromodelvillage.com) which dates back to the 1940s.

Eat (and drink):

The historic Blue Peter Inn is known as the last pub until France, just tucked into shelter around from the harbour entrance. Regulars call it “The Blue”, and it is the place to go for good food and well-kept beer.

Stay:

Many

of

Polperro’s

cottages

are

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Talland Bay Hotel

4 of the best Gastropubs

1 The Treby Arms, Sparkwell

MasterChef winner Anton Piotrowski (above) cooks here in a village handily near the A38 in Devon. Expect exceptional food in this 18th century pub, reputedly built by Isambard Kindom Brunel.

Dish of the day: Rhubarb crumble soufflé with rhubarb sorbet and custard Price: Three course dinner from £40 Contact: 01752 837363

2 The Cornish Arms, Tavistock Hearty flavours from chef John Hooker are on the unpretentious menu in this refurbished coaching inn in the town centre.

Dish of the day: Starter of ham hock scotch egg, blue cheese and chicory Price: Three course dinner: £21 Contact: 01822 612145

available to rent for holidays and short breaks, among them The Fisherman’s House, which overlooks the harbour and comes warmly recommended (contact: 07715 629711). See www. holidaycottagespolperro.co.uk for a full list. If you fancy bed and breakfast, the Penryn House Hotel has great breakfasts made with Cornish produce. For elegance and comfort with sea views, stay at the Talland Bay Hotel, a few miles along the coast towards Looe. The menu in the Terrace Restaurant and Conservatory includes sea bream roasted in a rock salt casing and Cornish crab bisque. Visit www.tallandbayhotel. co.uk for details.

Shop: For gifts to take home, try The Cornish Maids Fudge Shop, where the fudge is made on the premises. You can buy artwork created by spiritual painter Patrick Gamble – who also does spirit readings – at the Patrick Gamble Art Studio and Gift Shop. If you need a sugary pick-me-up, Cornish Goodness stocks enough old-fashioned sweets in jars and pick and mix to keep children (and sweet-toothed adults) happy all afternoon.

3 The Halsetown Inn, St Ives

The team from much-loved Blas Burgerworks in St Ives have taken over this quirky pub at the top of the town. The menu has original takes on pub classics, and the kitchen is led by Aussie chef Ange Baxter.

Dish of the day: Cornish mussel puttanesca with orzo pasta Price: Three course dinner from £21 Contact: 01736 795583

4 The Tolcarne Inn, Newlyn

Michelin-starred chef Ben Tunnicliffe cooks in this charming pub, making good use of the nearby fish market.

Fresh, simple and delicious food is on offer, at affordable prices.

Dish of the day: Whole grilled plaice, Cornish earlies, vermouth, wild mushrooms and herbs Price: Three course dinner from £28 Contact: 01736 363074

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Ingredient of the Week

Lamb

with Tim Maddams amb. It’s a misleading name, isn’t it? I mean, when we visit the shops or the butcher’s counter and the little light comes on inside the brain that says: “Lamb this Sunday please,” we walk up to the counter and select a pack or ask the butcher for a nice bit of lamb, they hand it over and away we go.

But lamb is a bit of a generic term for pretty much any meat of the sheep you can think of.

So when we get right down to it, what is lamb?

When does it become mutton? And why don’t we eat more mutton?

It’s an interesting one. We are all led to believe that new season or “spring” lamb is the best choice by far. It certainly ought to be, given its hefty price tag.

But this price reflects two things, really. The first is the cost of production. To have lambs ready for slaughter in the spring they need to be born about 20 weeks beforehand. That means right in the middle of winter when ewes, for the most part, can’t lamb outdoors and must be fed as there is little in the way of forage crops and

L

certainly no grass grazing for them. This results in higher feed and management costs for Old MacDonald: hence the higher price tag.

The second factor is fashion. If you like a mild, pale meat for your roast or shepherd’s pie then this is the meat for you. The modern version of this new season lamb has been carefully engineered to coincide with Easter when demand for lamb is high. To my mind, however, it is nowhere near as tasty as its naturally occurring, outdoor reared and grass fed alternative available later in the year, say August or September.

As we all know, the age and type of grazing an animal has been fed will determine the characteristics of the meat. The younger, the more tender - and the older, the more flavoursome. I leave it entirely in your hands which you choose for your Sunday lunch, curry or barbecue. But I would say it’s well worth asking a few questions at the butcher’s shop, so you know what you’re getting and what to expect from your lamb in terms of flavour, fat and texture.

What to buy: After September grass-fed lamb, the first choice for sheep meat for me has to be hogget, a young sheep too old to be classified as a lamb by the farmer, basically a sheep between 7 and 14 months. It is sometimes called a shearling as it is (just) old enough to have been sheared.

Often twin and triplet lambs take longer to reach a marketable weight, pushing them age-wise out of the true lamb category and into the hogget category. Then we have mutton, technically any sheep over the age of 14 months but traditionally far older animal, probably a female that has got past successful breeding age or a castrated male (or “wether”).

@TimGreenSauce

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

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Drink

Darren Norbury Beer of the week My favourite tipple from the Maltings festival was Milestone, a 7% ABV IPA from the Quantock Brewery. No stranger to success, the brew was named beer of the festival at last year’s Somerset CAMRA beer festival.

It was listed at Newton Abbot as an American style IPA, but it seemed more British inspired to me, although there was a hint of tropical fruit notes in there.

Smooth and delicious with a lovely malt background.

The art of judging beer If the idea of judging beer intrigues, fellow West Country-based beer writer and sommelier, Sophie Atherton, has written an excellent guide to the process. Click http:// afemaleview.net/ and look for the March 25 entry entitled Judgement Day.

talks beer he beer is swirled, it’s held up to the light, it’s swirled again while covered, releasing the aroma as the hand is swiftly drawn away. Oh, and the beer is tasted, too!

As I write this, the SIBA South West beer festival is in full flow at Tucker’s Maltings, and this year’s event has proved to be as good as ever.

It was preceded by a competition between all the organisation’s member brewers in this region, with Inncognito, a smokey porter with a hint of vanilla and port, made by Plain Ales, in Wiltshire, taking the top prize.

But there was Cornish success in the other top medal positions, St Austell taking silver with the blessed Proper Job’s big brother, 7.2% ABV Big Job, and Coastal Brewery winning another award, bronze this time, for its hugely popular Merry Maidens Mild.

In brilliant sunshine I chatted to several brewers – oh, we have to call it networking now, don’t we – while a panel of hardened beer judges made their way through a staggering range of the West Country’s finest brews.

SIBA is the Society of Independent Brewers – the acronym originally stood for Small Independent Brewers Association, but now breweries as large as St Austell are members. It’s a trade organisation, helping brewers get their beer to market as well as offering advice on marketing, and campaigning and lobbying on issues such as beer duty. Where

T

CAMRA works for the drinker, SIBA works for the brewer.

Both organisations hold regional local beer competitions which lead to national finals, but the SIBA judging has one important difference.

As well as the usual marks for clarity, aroma, taste and aftertaste, SIBA judges are interested in whether or not a beer is saleable. A brewer could create, for instance, an ultra-hoppy, very bitter double IPA which a judging table raves about, but which if it was on a pub bar would be too leftfield for most drinkers so could be well on its way to vinegar before the cask was all sold.

The beauty of these judging tables, though, is that beer experts sit side by side with regular drinkers. Both may have different approaches in terms of their appreciation of beer, but the opinions of each are valid. By this process, winning beers emerge by consensus and that Inncognito, although a bit out of the box in its concept, is subtle enough in its flavour and low enough in ABV to mean that although one wouldn’t drink too much of it, it is interesting enough for a lot of people to want to try it.

And that is what beer festivals are all about. To try new styles and brews in good company and then, in my case, to have a little doze on the train home, hoping not to wake up in Penzance!

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

BREWERY FUNDRAISER Cheddar Ales is hosting a Fashion Show in aid of St Margaret’s Hospice, in Taunton and Yeovil, at 7.30pm on May 16. The show is being staged by Amba, of Wells, and tickets, priced £15, are available via https://ambafashionshow.eventbrite.co.uk/ 45

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My life

[

man and boy

It’s all so boring!

[

Phil Goodwin and James, five, do not have election fever y son made his first ever political pronouncement on the way to school the other day, completely out of the blue. ‘Oh Daddy,’ he told me, with his best, downwardly intoned, worldly wise voice. ‘The Government are just talking and talking - boring all the time.’

A blunt analysis, but possibly a fair one, given the approaching election. I think we are all beginning to tire of listening to grandiose speeches.

But what amused me most was not that he was turned off by talking heads on TV – he growls at practically anything that is not an animated cartoon anyway – but the fact that he even knew that such a thing as The Government existed. Perhaps he has been paying more attention to current affairs than I gave him credit.

In response, I attempted a half-hearted explanation of the importance of who governs us versus our lack of interest in most of what they say. His tolerance for the subject was very low – he changed the subject within seconds, to the vital statistics and running speed of this week’s favoured dinosaur. The Gorgosaurus, if I am not mistaken.

Still, I find myself agreeing with the main thrust of his argument. More often than not, politics tends to lack the kind of drama which truly delights. And political campaigns are perhaps the worst of all. Unless you are turned on by watching middle-aged men pontificating to hand-picked followers and bemused workers in a dimly-lit tinned meat factory. Who wouldn’t be bored? In his book Three Uses of the Knife the film director David Mamet, writes about politics, drama and the “hero journey”. This

M

dramatic arc of action – a character battling forces that threaten to thwart his dreams or even destroy him – is familiar to us from films and plays. However, when politicians cast themselves at the centre of their own dramas – providing solutions to problems that may or may not

[

‘Oh Daddy, the Government are just talking and talking boring all the time.’

[

exist – it just doesn’t capture our imaginations in the same way.

Take some of the headlines from the general election campaign. I don’t see immigration as a problem and I quite like the EU, so the entire UKIP argument is lost on me. Similarly, the plea from the Tories’ to trust them as they diligently press on with their effective management of the economy also leaves me cold. I tend to think business is a more organic activity, divorced from the control of Whitehall. Labour offers a kind of Robin Hood narrative - to rob from the rich and give to the poor - which has some dramatic potential. Equally, the SNP’s scrapping of our nuclear weapon system, Trident, at least raises distant thoughts of world war and nuclear destruction, which is anything but dull.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t pretend these issues are not important, simply that, like some of the main players, they are just a bit tedious.

As young James has already picked up on.

Now, if the pundits are to be believed, most people made their minds up how they going to vote months ago. So, as we enter the final few days (yawn) with opinion polls deadlocked, what is there to look forward to? According to the figures, another hung parliament.

So the real excitement will come in the days that follow. This is when our tub-thumping leaders will happily ditch their shiny pledges, drop their lofty principles and joyfully shatter all their pre-election promises. Some of humanity’s worst traits will be on display: sharp elbows, backstabbing, grasping, lies, accusations… all in the name of power, and the ultimate prize of Downing Street. It’s going to be ugly and dirty. But it might just be interesting.

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