WMN on Sunday - West Magazine November 9

09.11.14

Charity angel ‘I gave my hair to a sick child’

WIN! INSIDE: + WHY NOT

TO MOISTURISE

+ ELEMIS SET WORTH £125 + 5 X AMAZING SPACES BOOKS

PLUS: + DRESS LIKE DOWNTON + INSPIRED INTERIORS

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[ welcome [ Never give up...

Tweet

of the week @stevenhaywood1 @WMNWest Fashion Spread in today’s @ WMNSunday complete with Horse/Dog named “Toby” images by @stevenhaywood1

Do you remember seeing the news coverage of a beautiful 400-year-old Grade I listed house in Dartmouth going up in flames a while back? I do, and at the time I thought it was a heart-breaking loss to the town - and the Westcountry. But for owner Anne Way (pictured above) the disaster was not, after all, the end of the world.

Read all about her £1 million mission to bring the house back to life on page 26 today.

And if inspiration is what you are after, then there are three very special women (page 14) who have it in spades. They have all done something amazing for charity. Just for starters, Ilona, our cover girl from Tavistock, has cut off her hair and donated it to a charity which makes

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wigs for children undergoing cancer treatment.

Her story is simply amazing.

We’ve got some great prizes to win this week, starting with five hardback copies of TV architect George Clarke’s latest book, each worth £20.

You can see his selection of the best Amazing Spaces in the South West on page 18 today.

And if you’ve got an old horse trailer sitting around, you may end up wanting to convert it into a chic cafe/bolthole just like our Somerset couple have done. Oh - and finally, Anne Swithinbank (of Gardeners’ Question Time fame) has all the info on how to choose the best tulips to plant now on page 24. Happy reading!

Read all about her £1 million mission to bring the house back to life on page 26 today

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Becky Sheaves, Editor

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

COVER IMAGE: Steve Haywood

MEET THE TEAM Becky Sheaves, Editor

Gillian Molesworth

Kathryn Clarke-McLeod

Catherine Barnes

Phil Goodwin 3

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05/11/2014 11:27:05

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WISHLIST Westcountry treasures to buy now

‘Most very grown-up people who wouldn’t usually eat a cupcake will be putty in your hands if you offer them these’

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Kate Shirazi’s Cake of the Week, page 33

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FROM THE HEART Why I gave my hair to a children’s cancer charity

AMAZING SPACES George Clarke’s inspirational Westcountry projects - plus win his book!

[contents[ Inside this week...

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THE WISHLIST What to buy, where to go

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WHAT’S ON

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MODERN MANORS

Our pick of the best events in the West Kishand Fulford is bothered by bats

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INSECTS FOR SALE Gillian Molesworth’s entrepreneurial kids

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FROM THE HEART Three women explain why they went the extra mile to help others

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WIN GEORGE CLARKE’S BOOK TV’s top architect discovers Amazing Spaces right here in the South West

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BEAUTY: TRIED AND TESTED Win Elemis cosmetics worth £125

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Clever space solutions for historic houses

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Music festival maestro gets away from it all

INTERIORS

BEAUTY Party pouts and £125 treats to win

IT’S DOWNTON, DARLING Fashion channels Lady Mary

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RESTAURANT REVIEW Garlicky but good in Plymouth

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FORAGE WITH TIM Our foodie guru gathers chestnuts

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THE BEER PAGE New brews from the Doom Bar boys

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GREAT GADGETS Jazz up your commute with the latest in-car technology

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MAN & BOY Our hilarious back-page columnist on virgin births

MY WESTCOUNTRY

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fave!

-based artist Catherine Hyde is ava This beautiful giclee print by Helston www.catherinehyde.co.uk

ilable to buy online for ÂŁ75 at

05/11/2014 16:39:54

Contents_Onething_Nov9.indd 5

this week... g in th e n o y u b u o y If

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WITH PRIDE Remember the fallen with this crocheted poppy brooch £10, www. iwmshop.org.uk or this Royal Mail Poppy stamp cushion £30, www. iwmshop.org.uk

mp, £70, is rcelain la urchin po a and se k ’s ic er ss Coop and Treli aker Amy Cotehele t a s ie Cornish m er ll a from the g s.co.uk available erceramic p o co y m www.a

The wish List West’s picks for the loveliest things to buy this week

TOP HAT Cosy flapper hat from www.rockmyvintage. co.uk

Sweet treat We love designer Gillian Kyle’s bone china tribute to the Tunnocks Caramel Wafer www.hunky doryhome. co.uk, £14.50

Boutique of the Week Social Fabric, Totnes

Caroline Voaden (pictured) and Saj Collyer run this Totnes shop/workshop. They believe in the therapeutic power of craft, running classes to make things to wear or give as presents. They also stock lots of yarns, materials and patterns.

The fun, relaxed classes, held in the back room of the shop, include making a skirt

pattern tailored to your shape and knitting the perfect chunky winter cable sweater.

You can even crochet your own snowflake decorations for Christmas. As the shop’s name suggests, this is a very social place.

Social Fabric, 68 High Street, Totnes TQ9 5SQ, 01803 866144, www.socialfabrictotnes.co.uk

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Bagsy that!

Look styish and bright with this Urbane small leather handbag £110, from www. be-loved.me

. . . m oo

va v a v

Wishlist

Pink pin up girl wooden brooch £9, www.etsy. co.uk

Bright idea Celebrate your relationship with this personalised print - you choose the words £25 www. betsybenn.co.uk

HEAR ME ROAR Hello Tiger handmade cushion cushion, www.hunkydoryhome.co.uk, £30

Lizzie Hemmings earrings from £60, the Thelma Hulbert Gallery, Honiton 7

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Events

The hotlist:

#1

There’s plenty to do right now here in the Westcountry, from book signings to house tours, and more

Secret Cotehele November 11,14 & 19

Go behind the scenes with the housekeepers and curators at the National Trust mansion of Cotehele near Saltash during its annual deep clean. £25, including lunch and morning coffee, 10.30am-2pm, call 01579 351346 to book or visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk

#3

Bridport Literary Festival November 9-16

Join top writers in west Dorset, such as Daisy Goodwin, Sir Roy Strong, Professor John Carey and MP Alan Johnson, at Bridport’s bookfest all next week. For details visit www.bridlit.com

#2Truro City of Lights November 19

The fabulous tissue lanterns will be out for this fun event in Cornwall’s capital of Truro, complete with dancing, music and more. The parade starts at 6.30pm, with park and ride buses during the evening.

#4

St Austell by torchlight November 15

Parade through St Austell by torchlight on Saturday 15 as part of a winter celebration for the south Cornwall town. Fancy dress and fancy torches encouraged – last year 1,000 people took part.

Judging takes place at 4.30pm and the parade starts at 6pm from John Keay House.

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My life

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MODERN MANORS

Unwanted guests Kishanda Fulford’s home is invaded

ermin: it is such a good word to describe the beasts and bats that daily make me screech. I think to myself, what vermin is the worst culprit?

Well, No. 1 in the charts has to be rats. A big fat rat, like Samuel Whiskers, with his long tail and his dreadful, cruel wife Anna Maria. I think it was Anna Maria who suggested that Tom Kitten be trussed in string and then wrapped in pastry.

There was once a dead rat in my compost heap and having to move it, (where to I can’t remember, as I was having the vapours by then) has put me off gardening. It is that greasy gristly tail and those foul front teeth. They are not only to be found in the garden: my neighbour had a particularly aggressive one that turned up in her front room. Two strong gamekeepers chased it around the room with a spade and ended up by being bitten. And a rat bite, if their teeth are coated with Weils disease, can be deadly.

Next in the chart are probably mice. One champion recently climbed a flight of stairs to the first floor, made his way into my daughter’s cupboard and ate her bridesmaid shoes. They were made of leather and very expensive (that is not entirely true, they were quite expensive). He had woofed down the leather upper and sole and left no more than the heel and the enamel buckle on the front. I have found a stash of walnut shells on the top floor, that suggests a mouse or mice had bothered to carry his booty from the kitchen - a climb of about fifty feet.

But a mouse dropping can be muddled with that of a bat. My daughter has just randomly informed me that another mouse, probably first cousin to the one that ate her shoes, has now

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taken a fancy to her Nivea face cream. There was a ‘plop’ in the face cream and one in a small china pot that stood alongside.

I worked it out. It must be a bat. “But Mummy, they can’t be that accurate.” No telling on the bombing abilities of a bat. Bats also, like most people, have to pee and that is such a bore on brown furniture where their urine corrodes as efficiently as acid. They have no nice table manners either and when they have gorged on flies, they leave the gossamer wings all over every-

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them including the almost witch-like sprinkling of rosemary water in the cracks of the sills. My only weapon against them that works, on a temporary basis, is the Hoover.

Badgers have yet to work their way though my fortifications – but if they did, (I expect I will have nightmares now about the invasion of badgers in camouflage) most of them would bring with them TB. Thankfully this is something that in humans is curable but in cattle, devastating.

The test for TB in cattle is remarkably unreliable and once a tested cow shows ‘positive’ it is off to the grass pastures in the sky – even if it is subsequently revealed that they did not have the bug. So healthy cows are destroyed because some man in a grey suit feels there is a reason for them to be culled.

Readers will also know my views on squirrels. If there is a poor (?) squirrel who has already met his Dunkirk, my old Labrador brings it back to the house as a trophy for me.

He will not drop the squirrel until he is proffered either fillet steak or a banana.

So, the list is: 1. Rats. 2. Mice. 3. Bats 4. Flies.

5. Badgers 6. Squirrels. Sorry, just thought, the very worst, the most horrible, are ticks. Revised list: 1.Ticks 2. Rats 3. Mice 4. Bats 5. Flies 6.

Badgers 7. Squirrels. And don’t get me started on slugs and moles.

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A bat can squish itself through the smallest of gaps and, good as their hearing is, a scream doesn’t alarm them thing – the bedspread, the floor, everywhere. It is also no good thinking that you have sealed off the attic because a bat can squish itself through the smallest of gaps and, however good their hearing is, they seem not to be alarmed however much you scream at them.

Flies have to be No.3 in the charts. They are however, not omnipresent. But a nice hot August comes along and they want to stay in our best south-facing rooms – with all their friends and relations. I have tried every remedy to get rid of

Kishanda Fulford lives in Great Fulford, Dunsford, Devon. The house dates back to Norman times and has been continuously occupied by the Fulford family for more than 800 years.

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Lots of fun was had at the Halloween ball at Flambards, Cornwall

in pictures Bampton Fair always a great Devon day out

Festival of Allantide celebrating Cornish Halloween with a special red Allan apple

Vintage ploughing David Jones with Bob and Bill at Crowlas, Penzance

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talking points Eeek!

Pin ups

Gillian Molesworth

Story of my life...

Stick insects for sale, make great pets As its 2015 calendars go on sale, Calendar Club reveals the top 10 2014 celebrity calendars currently pinned to our walls.

1 One Direction 2 Olly Murs Ten of the oddest (but genuine) phobias:

1 Venustrophobia (beautiful women)

2 Gamophobia (marriage/ commitment)

3 Cliff Richard 4 Robbie Williams 5 Gary Barlow 6 Elvis Presley 7 Cheryl Cole

3 Lutraphobia (otters)

8 Joey Essex

4 Spectrophobia (mirrors)

9 Kylie

5 Ablutophobia (washing)

10 Kelly Brook

6 Chorophobia (dancing) 7 Aulophobia (flutes) 8 Cacophobia (ugliness)

The happy list

9 Geliophobia (laughter) 10 Ephibiphobia (teenagers/youth)

Ding dong Ringing the changes: 10 famous bells

1 Ben Ben (Palace of Westminster )

2 World Peace Bell (Kentucky)

3 Maria Gloriosa (Erfurt, Germany)

4 Tsar Bell (Moscow) 5 Old Tom (Christ Church, Oxford)

6 Liberty bell (Philadelphia)

7 Great George (Liverpool) 8 Bell of King Seongdeok (South Korea)

9 Sigismund (Krakow, Poland)

10 Pummerin (Vienna)

10 things to make you smile this week 1 Log fires the best way to keep warm

2 Seed catalogues dreaming of next summer’s flowers

3 Christmas plans it’s early days but: turkey or goose?

4 Sunsets just spectacular 5 Sequins on everything 6 The Apprentice madder than ever

7 Properly cold weather we like it

8 Poppies wear them with pride

9 Mal Peet’s new book The Murdstone Trilogy, set on Dartmoor and flipping funny

10 Wool not to mention cashmere and alpaca. Cosy

know that you are eager to catch up on the progress of our stick insects. We used to have two, Twiglet and Log. We watched with fascination as they grew and shed their skins, a perfect outline of their entire bodies complete with spindly legs and eyeballs. They grew to about four inches long – nearly as long as a to it and the eggs did indeed hatch. standard pen.

Suddenly we were the proud parAnd they really do look like ents of an increasing number of sticks – specifically, bright green stick insects – perfect miniature new growth. They like to hang replicas of their parent, about the upside down on the brambles in size of a fingernail. (I say parent their habitat, an old fish bowl with because apparently they are hera lid on top. Sometimes you have maphrodites.) to stand and stare a while before We put them in their own plasyou can spot them. tic cups with bramble habitat and Well. I say “them”. To the great set up shop: £3.50 for one or £5 for distress of our friends who were two, complete with instructions. looking after them The kids made over the summer a jazzy poster holidays, we did (Sophie coloured have a casualty: it in, for a cut of Freddy was Twiglet escaped. the profits) and we not too upset The house was took it to the park,

by Twiglet’s searched and to rugby practice, searched again but and anywhere else demise. It gave no joy. The concluwe could think him the leverage sions were that of. We even sold a to press ahead Twiglet: 1. Crawled pair to our dentist into a vent, 2.

– at the price he with his breeding Escaped out a charges, I figured programme window and is now he could afford it. enjoying life in the Not surpriswild, at least until ingly, Guess Who the weather turns, or 3. Was eaten ended up being handed the busiby one of the Labradors. ness when everyone else lost inFreddy (10) was not too upset by terest. The last of the litter of 20 Twiglet’s demise. It gave him the were quietly given away for free. leverage he needed to press ahead We kept a few – Holly, Bramble with his breeding programme. and, my very own pet Charles This consisted of picking eggs out Stickens (get it?). Tiny Charles with tweezers, putting them in a Stickens has the biggest house of used margarine tub and spraying all, with a thicket of brambles. them with water daily (or when he This turned out to be not very remembered). clever, because the time has come The eggs took three months to to clean his home and I can’t find hatch – I was sure he would lose him. That’s the trouble with caminterest. Lo and behold, he stuck ouflage pets… live and learn.

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 11

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main picture: Steve Haywood

why did

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t h u e c r e h h air s

off?

All across the Westcountry, kind-hearted people do extraordinary things for charity.

Here, we find three women who have gone the extra mile (or much, much further) to help others

Haircut heroine Actress and theatre school coach Ilona Richardson, 24, lives in Tavistock with husband James, 27, a youth worker. Last week, Ilona chopped off her almost waist-length locks and has donated them to The Little Princess Trust. The charity makes real-hair wigs for girls and boys who’ve lost their own hair through cancer treatment Ilona says: I first really became aware of how lucky I was to have such long hair when a friend had alopecia. She said she longed for a real hair wig, as the synthetic ones from the NHS are so uncomfortable. It got me thinking, well, I’ve got a lot of hair I could give.

The thought of going through a life-changing illness is bad enough without having to contend with losing your hair. I found the Little Princess Trust online - it’s a lovely charity that makes wigs for children going through cancer treatment. It costs around £350 to make each wig from donated hair. After making the decision, I discovered one of the children in our drama group, who has cancer, had received a wig from the Trust.

Her family said that it had been a wonderful thing and made her feel like a little girl again.

I hung on to my hair until the panto I am performing in this winter had been cast. Things kind of fell into place: I was given the role of Poison Ivy in Wonder Productions’ Sleeping Beauty, then went

for the chop. I’d only ever had one short haircut as a child. Back then, I went to a hairdressers and a crazy lady gathered it all up in a bunch and sheared it off at the top with clippers, laughing as she did it.

It made her seem really evil! Since then I’d only ever had trims but now I have a neat bob and I love it.

Cutting my hair off was the right thing to do, emotionally and altruistically. I’m lucky and in a happy place in my life. I truly believe there’s no need for me to focus too much on how I look, or feel I look. You have to be happy in yourself - and that will make you a more attractive person. Long hair feels good, but any hair feels great if you don’t have it.

Ilona’s hair was cut by Louisa Broome at Hair Lounge in Tavistock. She’s set up a fundraising page at www.mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/ilonarichardsonhair, to help The Little Princess Trust cover the cost of transforming donated hair into a wig for a child with cancer.

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Family fun run Adele Prosser, 34, lives with her husband Kieron, 28, a Royal Marine, daughter Rhianon, 14, and son William, three, near Exmouth in Devon. William has myotubular myopathy, a rare condition which means he has extreme difficulty swallowing and breathing. The Prosser family is taking part in a sponsored Santas On The Run event in aid of Children’s Hospice South West

Raising money: the Prosser family

Adele says: We didn’t know anything about William’s condition during my pregnancy.

When he was born, he was having breathing problems, but it wasn’t until he was five months old that we got the diagnosis.

One of the neuromuscular consultants advised us to “let him go”. She said he would not be likely to reach his first birthday anyway. But we couldn’t do that. He wasn’t moving very much at that point and he had this huge mask on his face, but he would smile, and he knew we were there. I knew we had to keep on fighting.

We were told he would need a tracheostomy, an operation to put a tube into his throat, attached to a ventilator to help him breathe.

He has also had a gastrostomy, a tube directly into his stomach to feed him. Because William can’t breathe or swallow easily, he is at constant risk of choking. I have to be constantly alert, and we have carers to help us every day.

One day my daughter Rhianon and her friend had to help me resuscitate William. I was on my own and they were upstairs.

I had to scream for them to come and help me because he had gone completely blue. Once we had re-

vived him, we all had a cry and a hug. I’m getting goose-bumps just thinking back now.

Because of William’s condition, it is hard for us to do things as a family. That is why we are so grateful to the Children’s Hospice South West (CHSW) for our stays at Charlton Farm, their hospice in north Somerset.

We all go. We enjoy being able to spent time away, the four of us, and the facilities are amazing. William can’t actually go swimming but we can sit in the jacuzzi with him.

They have got the facilities to hoist him into a bath, which we can’t do at home, and people cook for us, which is wonderful. It can be sad, though, because there are also grieving families staying there, which brings it home to us why we use Charlton Farm.

We are taking part in the Santas On The Run event, 2km around Vivary Park in Taunton, to raise funds for the CHSW. We are really hoping William will be able to come too, in his wheelchair. He is absolutely Santa-crazy. There are going to be thousands of families there, and we can’t wait to see his face when we get there. He has this new thing when he sees things he loves: he goes ‘wowee’. The only thing that could stop him coming is if he gets a cold. Even the slightest cold can be dangerous for him.

He is doing so well now, and there’s excellent gene therapy research coming to clinical trials. We are just praying every day that he gets chosen to take part. I no longer say when William dies, I say if. But for all families like ours, the hospice means so much.

To sponsor the Prosser family, visit www.chsw. org.uk, quoting the reference Team Prosser

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People Be cc i’s fr ie nd A nn a di ed at 31

Swimming to Norfolk Becci Hill, 34, is a mum-of-one and lives near Plymouth. She has set herself a charity challenge to swim 374 miles in a year in memory of her friend Anna, who died of a brain tumour. Becci is a full-time mum who is married to Jimmy, a locksmith.

Becci says: I met Anna on a family camping holiday when I was 12. We got on so well that our two families stayed in touch – our brothers were friends, too. Anna was such a lovely person, always smiling, always had time for everyone and was always so upbeat.

We met up several times through our teens, even though she lived a long way from us up in her home town of Gorleston-on-Sea in Norfolk. When she grew up, she worked first as a lifeguard, then joined the police force. It was typical of her to chose a career helping people. She was brave, sporty and such a positive person. When we both got married and I had my daughter, who is now three, we didn’t get the chance to meet up so often, but we stayed in touch.

Anna’s diagnosis with a brain tumour came as a dreadful shock. She was so young – only 28 – and so healthy. She endured some dreadful treatments, including surgery, and the side effects were very hard to bear. I never once heard her complain about it, though. In the end, she lost her fight with cancer aged 31.

Just before she passed away we had been planning to meet up but, very sadly, she died before I could make it up to Norfolk. When I heard the news of her death, I was devastated but I really wanted to do something positive.

She wouldn’t have wanted us all to sit around moping. It was never her style.

I’ve never been a good swimmer, in fact I could hardly swim at all, except in a sort of doggy paddle. By contrast, Anna was a fantastic swimmer. I decided to set myself a challenge to raise money for the Brain Tumour Trust, and thought that learning how to swim properly would be a good thing to do in Anna’s memory.

Then I hit on the idea of swimming the distance from my house to Anna’s. It is 374 miles and I’m going to try and do it in a year. If it takes longer, that’s fine. I will get there in the end. I told Anna’s parents, and siblings, and they are all really supportive. As a mum myself, I know no parent should bury their child. It’s heartbreaking. I’m not the only one to be fundraising in Anna’s honour – she inspired so many people.

Plympton Swimming Pool have kindly donated me a free year’s membership and I have had three swimming lessons just to get me going. I’ve now worked up to being able to swim half a mile – 32 lengths – in front crawl and I aim to swim six days a week.

I’m hoping by Christmas I will swim a mile on every visit.

I write a regular blog (www. swimforasmile.wordpress. com) which encourages people to sponsor me.

My target is £2,740, the sum the Brain Tumour Trust raises every single day – they raise £7 mil-

[[ When I heard the news of Anna’s death, I was devastated but I wanted to do something positive

lion every year for research. Already, I’m noticing how much fitter I feel, so I’m benefiting from the whole thing too. I swim at 7am, to fit in around family life, and there are times when I have to push myself to get out of bed at 6.30am. But when I think of what Anna went through, I know it is worth it. I want to raise money so that other young people don’t suffer as she did. She died much too soon. I want to make the most of the time I have here and do something special in her memory.

To donate to Becci Hill’s long distance swim, visit www.justgiving.com/becci-hill

Becci is swimming every day to reach her sponsorship target

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The classic American caravan is now a Somerset family home

[ AIRSTREAM CARAVAN IMAGES: BEN ANDERS

[

GEORGE CLARKE’S

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Living The interior style is handmade and eclectic, with shots of rich colour

Writer, TV presenter and architect George Clarke has a new book out celebrating building projects that are small but perfectly formed. We take a sneak preview of three Westcountry design ventures that have captured his imagination.

Project 1: The Airstream caravan The Creators: Mark and Charlotte Mabon, who live near Glastonbury, Somerset George says: Nutritional advisors and caterers Mark and Charlotte Mabon, together with their young daughter, were living in rented accommodation and their lease was coming to an end. They bought a 1954 Airstream “Sovereign of the Road� which had seen better days and have made it into their family home.

The exterior look of the Airstream was clearly already spoken for in the inherent glamour of the shiny aluminium, riveted panels and curved, industrial, aerodynamic lines. But inside, the couple wanted to impose their own personal style. Five minutes away, they found a local stained-glass artist to create a window for them. Charlotte set up a sewing workroom at home, so she could work on the project while their daughter was having her afternoon naps. Some 1970s navy-blue floral print needle-cord was re-invented and became a small kitchen cupboard curtain hung from a simple net curtain wire. Vintage grain sacks were made up into simple roll-up blinds for all the windows

Charlotte created the soft furnishings while her baby slept

The kitchen cupboards are made from reclaimed wood, with heavy wooden old fruit and vegetable boxes as drawers, set on sliders. The surfaces are all stained and waxed to create an aged patina and a consistent look across the various woods.

Amazingly, Mark and Charlotte have managed to create their own fridge in a vintage suitcase. The case is lined with vintage wallpaper while an inner aluminium container acts as the actual food box, with a small heat exchanger and fan fitted at the back to cool everything.

In the living area, old Peruvian textiles are used for long bolster cushions for added comfort on the built-in seating. Charlotte collected old leather school satchels and small canvas utility-style bags, and these were fixed along the wooden edge of the seating unit to store small items.

Mark had collected old maps of the area and used these as his own highly individual interpretation of wallpaper, trimming them to size and sticking them up with wallpaper paste.

An old bureau was re-used as a working desk, its back legs removed to fit snugly over the wheel arches. Its exterior was painted a chalky, matt dove-grey and the interior a rich magenta/fuchsia, both of which paints were hand-colour-mixed by Charlotte. The Airstream is parked in an old apple orchard at the back of a farm where Mark works. At last they have a real home and it has worked out perfectly.

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TRAILER PHOTOGRAPHY: RICHARD MAXTED

Living

Project 2: The converted horse trailer The creators: Simon and Rachael Bowden who live near Frome in Somerset George says: Simon and his wife, Rachael, run a cheesemonger’s business and wanted to take their wares to festivals and shows. They had previously gauged the market by trading very simply from a canvas gazebo and some trestle tables. This horsebox was the ideal means of taking the business up a gear.

Rice horseboxes are respected for their classic design and sturdy construction. Simon and Rachael spotted this 1970s one on an online auction site; it fitted their brief and, as Simon says, “It was meant to be – it was literally down the road.” Simon’s plan was to use the rear ramp for access, leave the horsebox features intact, and create a space that could double up as additional storage or an overnight sleeping platform.

Simon’s approach was to keep things relatively simple and retain the original paintwork and overall look. The exterior would be left intact, apart from the serving hatch he had fitted. He

wanted to ensure that the design and materials were in keeping with the horsebox itself: simple finished wood, scaffolding poles and fixings, and a stainless-steel, small-bowl sink. A storage shelf area was fashioned from old wooden wine boxes donated by a friend who works in the wine trade, set on their sides and supported by more scaffold poles.

Simon has ingeniously used one of the original ramps of the horsebox to create additional floorspace which can be used as a sleeping area when the horsebox is not in cheese-selling mode, or as additional storage when it is. When the ramp is flat, a waterproof covering folds down to create a roof over the area and is secured by a simple bungee cord that fits over the wooden base.

A hatch for the serving area was cut into a side wall of the vehicle. In his search for a tradesman to create the hatch, Simon looked first at camper-van conversion companies, but “most of them were busy for about a year”.

Consequently, he researched companies that built and worked on trailers and could create a simple swing-up opening hatch, supported by gas struts and a safety bar.

The horsebox is now fully set up to travel and sell cheese, and it’s a charming and inventive project. It is delightfully low-tech, and has an engaging pastoral feel that echoes the look of French rural farmers’ markets.

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Project 3: The tin tent The creators: Jon Taylor and Sally Biddle, near Mullion, Cornwall George says: After restoring and redecorating their newly acquired Cornish farmhouse surrounded by 12 acres of meadow, Jon and Sally started to wonder how they could put the land to good use instead of just looking at it.

It was when they arranged a party for old friends from London as well as newer local friends that they came up with a plan: to lock up the farmhouse, erect a marquee in one of the fields, hire a band and have their own mini-festival. The guests would all bring tents or camper vans and camp in the fields, build an outdoor fire, talk, cook and hang out together. Afterwards, they decided to set up their own small but stylish glamping venture.

The plan was to use an old shipping container as the basis for glamping accommodation, then design and build a large canvas tent-style roof with a large overhang to provide shelter for a deck-style veranda at the front, and the kitchen and bathroom additions to the rear.

Sally and Jon have natural style, and they know what they like. They wanted to create something innovative, and the “tin tent” had to have integrity in its design and materials. Keen

to avoid a clichéd “country style”, they were inspired by the natural materials of the container and its place in the rural environment. Consequently, the direction they opted to take was a more industrial, textural, honest and rustic one, both in the materials and the decorative scheme.

They liked the idea of it looking “sheddy” and “shacky”.

They were keeping to a tight budget, which actually worked both financially and aesthetically. For example, the electrical trunking was left exposed, the mezzanine level was created out of welded steel, and particle board was used

The smaller of the two exit ramps now lowers down to create a bed

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04/11/2014 14:16:10

Living Scaffolding poles were turned into furniture within the old container

Win! 5 copies of George Clarke’s latest book, worth £20 Five hardback copies to be won

TIN TENT IMAGES: BEN ANDERS

HOW TO ENTER For your chance to win, just email us at westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk by November 21 putting Amazing Spaces as the subject. Normal terms apply George Clarke’s More Amazing Spaces

by George Clarke with Jane Field-Lewis (Quadrille, £20) is out now. The new series of George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces is currently showing on Channel 4.

as a wall finish. The single beds were made out of scaffolding tube, as was the dining table. The pedestal stand for the washbasin is a chunky slice of a tree trunk and was left in its natural state with the bark attached.

Large wooden electrical cable reels were given new life as outdoor dining tables. Railway sleepers set vertically in the ground act as windbreaks for the barbecues and fire pits.

The container was ordered and delivered by truck, but installing it wasn’t easy. First it had to be craned over a 6ft Cornish hedge.

Two doorways were cut into the container and reinforced with a metal frame. A timber extension was built onto the back using the remnants from the door cutting.

The rest of the exterior was clad with wavy-edged larch and the interior with yachtvarnished marine plywood.

Sally has placed grey velvet cushions and plaid woollen blankets on the bed, along with naturally rumpled linen bed sheets. Reindeer,

[

goat and cow skin rugs, with more blankets and velvet cushions, all enhance the space, making it feel more inviting.

Sally and John are delighted with what they’ve created. Rusty, the tin tent, is open for bookings ( w w w. c l a s s i c. co.uk) and everyone absolutely loves it.

As Jon and Sally say, “It’s one of those rare moments when you have ended up with exactly what you had in your head – and that doesn’t often happen!”

Rusty, the tin tent, is open for bookings and everyone absolutely loves it

[

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26

interiors

34

fashion

style

36

trends

33

food 23

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04/11/2014 18:10:00

Gardens

ANNE SWITHINBANK

Tulips Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, says now is the time to plant bulbs for colour next spring mong our collection of gardening photographs, I recently stumbled across a shot of the amazing red lily-flowered tulip ‘Pieter de Leur’ blooming here in a large square lead-coloured container five years ago. The effect was sensational and I set off immediately to hunt down some similar bulbs for a repeat performance next spring.

November is the best month for getting your tulips in, as they’ll be healthier and less vulnerable to frost damage and disease. This has got to be one of gardening’s best investments of time and money, since bulbs are relatively cheap, easy to plant and almost guaranteed to succeed. To be sure of bagging specific varieties it pays to order early from a catalogue but taking pot luck at the garden centre is good fun.

The range on offer can be overwhelming but breaks down into short-stemmed kinds for windy sites and tall, sophisticated sorts to tower above other plants. Some flower early at the end of March, while others wait until May. Individually, the flowers don’t last more than a couple of Choose short weeks but gardening is all about watching and waiting. stemmed kinds The green buds on their elonfor windy gating stems are as much a ing sort whose dark maroon sites and tall, part of the excitement for me petals are edged with white. as the flowers, which open Dark tulips look best against sophisticated wide on warm, sunny days. backdrops of acid yellow or sorts to tower Tulips originate from Medilime green foliage, otherwise above other terranean regions, Asia and they can merge with soil and the Middle East where springs make ‘black holes’ in your borplants are warm and showery, folders. lowed by hot, dry summers.

First used as garden plants Under similar conditions, in Turkey, tulips trickled into some varieties will bloom northern Europe during the again the following year in our gardens. ‘Spring 1500’s and were an instant hit. Only the wealthy Green’ and near black ‘Queen of Night’ are said could afford such sumptuous blooms and wellto be good returners but not on my heavy soil. to-do ladies showed off by pinning them to their Here, ‘Fontainebleau’ has been reliable, a strikdresses. Then, in seventeenth century Holland,

A

[[

the prestige and one-upmanship of owning the most flamboyant tulips spiralled out of control.

The most sought-after had flames and feathers of one colour over a contrasting base (now known as ‘Rembrandt’ or ‘broken’ tulips). These unpredictable markings were caused by a virus and speculative buying and selling (while the bulbs were still in the ground) became rife. Each was traded repeatedly until fortunes changed hands.

‘Tulipomania’ reached a frenzy during a three year period between 1634 and 1637 after which the market crashed almost overnight, leaving many traders bankrupt.

For just one bulb of a variety called ‘Viceroy’, it is said one speculator paid two loads of wheat,

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Succeed with tulips Anne’s tips for the best blooms next year Look hard at bulbs in their packet to make sure they are sound and healthy.

This week’s gardening tips

Choose a sunny border of well-drained soil. Or a frost proof container of well-draining compost (add one part of grit or sharp sand to four parts of ordinary compost)

Anne’s advice for your garden

Tulips look best in generous groups of one sort, or dotted through other plants in a wider swathe.

Set bulbs 10-15cm/4-6in deep. If the holes are difficult to make, then the whole area needs to be forked or dug over, with a little soil conditioner added.

• There is still time to lift, divide and replant herbaceous perennials.

I would leave Japanese anemones until spring, as their thick vertical roots sometimes rot going into winter on heavy soils.

Make a note of the varieties planted or keep the packet for future reference.

four loads of rye, four oxen, eight fat pigs, twelve sheep, two barrels of butter, a thousand pounds of cheese, two hogsheads of wine, four barrels of beer, a silver beaker, a suit of clothes and a bed. Fortunately, tulips are now a lot cheaper than that.

Admire tulips in old paintings and if you want that ‘Rembrandt’ look (without the weakening virus), you can find modern varieties with flame-like patterns. Parrot tulips such as ‘Estella Rijnveld’, peony-flowered kinds like ‘Carnaval de Nice’ and viridifloras such as ‘China Town’ are good examples.

• Running out of border space for the extra perennials? Prune off the lower branches of selected shrubs

to make them a more tree-like shape. Raising the crowns will create space beneath.

• Many lemons and other citrus will be flowering and fruiting throughout winter. Keep them bright, above 7 C/45 F and feed fortnightly (switching to winter citrus fertiliser) to keep them healthy and fruitful.

Question time with Anne West reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank

Q

I have a ‘hardy’ banana Musa basjoo planted in my garden. Will I need to dig it up and bring it in for winter or should I wrap it

in fleece?

This is also known as Japanese banana, grown for its foliage and hardiness rather than fruit, which are small and unpalatable. Plants are hardy to -5C/23F but will lose foliage in cold weather. The answer is tempered by location, weather predictions and attitude to risk. In a sheltered spot, you could leave the plant out but rush to fleece it on cold nights. Gardeners who don’t leave anything to chance will wait for the first light frosts, cut back foliage and create a chicken wire frame around their plant to pack with straw but there is always a risk of rotting. I’m going to leave mine out but if severe weather threatens, lift it, heel it in a greenhouse bed and as this is not heated, wrap the body in fleece.

I planted a white currant which has done well and looks great when flowering and fruiting. It has grown large and spreading, so how and when should I prune it?

Q

The white currant is a sport or mutation of a red currant, so the pruning for both is the same.

Carry out the job from now until March, using a good pair of secateurs. Shorten the main, leading shoots by half. Cut just beyond a bud on the stem, choosing according to its direction, so an upward facing bud will give you an upward pointing new shoot, whereas a downwards pointing one will send out a lower stem. Shorten other shoots to 5cm/2in and thin out any stems causing congestion. This is similar to gooseberry pruning but different to a blackcurrant!

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

Go shopping for bargain packs of bulbs. Crocus (actually corms) are great for planting in turf.

If you have many and a bad back, make holes 10cm/4in deep using the tines of a fork and brush corms in. They sort themselves out and naturalise well.

As leaves fall and evergreens are more visible, check out your variegated shrubs. If shoots are reverting (all green leaves), trace these back to source and cut them out before they take over.

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04/11/2014 14:19:13

Saving grace Anne Way’s 17th century merchant’s house in Dartmouth was almost destroyed by fire four years ago. She tells Sarah Pitt about her £1 million mission to save this gracious property f it hadn’t been for the iron builder’s prop which Anne Way’s son Tim pushed against the front of the Merchant’s House in a Dartmouth street, the building would have collapsed. And part of the historic street scene would have been lost forever.

In some ways, says Anne wryly, she wishes it had. For the process of restoring the Grade I listed building, gutted by fire in June 2010, has cost more than £1 million.

The whole process has taken Anne and her husband Nigel, who are hoteliers, three years to complete.

“We thought we’d done the right thing at the time in saving the building, but has ended up costing a lot of money and a lot of work!”

I

she says. “Because it wasn’t completely destroyed, we had to rebuild it to English Heritage’s specifications.”

The results, though, have definitely been worth it. Anyone looking at the façade with its mullioned windows and carved wood, or gazing in awe at the intricatelycarved Charles I ceiling would be none the wiser that this was a shell just over four years ago.

And when all the builders, plasterers and other master craftsmen packed up their tools in August last year, Anne’s own work on the interior design began. One advantage of the restoration project was that the building was in better condition than it had been at any time since the Ways first bought it back in 1990.

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Anne Way has rescued the 400-year-old property

Interiors

The property was gutted by fire (above) but has been restored

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Interiors

Old and new combine in the interiors

“It had been owned by a Government department as a job centre, and it was empty and crumbling,” says Anne. “There were pigeons living upstairs.”

They patched the building up and it had been used as a restaurant and a shop, but, says Anne, “it had never been completely restored”. The fire did, at least, offer them the opportunity to remodel the building and restore it to its former glory.

“We were presented with a bit of a blank canvas, because we started from scratch,” she says.

Now, the building is immaculate. The ground floor is still commercial premises, while the floors above have been converted into two swish apartments, Merchant’s Rest and Merchant’s Rise, which are rented out for holidays.

Merchant’s Rest, on the first floor, features that extraordinary Charles I ceiling, restored by the renowned plaster expert Shaun Wheatley, festooned with cherubs and intricate mouldings.

The room is an open plan living room and sitting room, with mullioned windows stretching along its entire length. The historical features, such as the original fireplace, work surprisingly well with the sleek new furnishings. These include a gleaming kitchen, separated from the living and dining room by a breakfast bar. The result is cosy, comfortable and upbeat, historic without being fussy or dated.

It is a look which Anne has got down to a fine art in her role furnishing the three historic hotels owned by herself and her husband: the Royal Castle Hotel in Dartmouth, the Seven Stars Hotel

in Totnes and the Luttrell Arms in Dunster.

“It is such an historic and attractive building we decided we would make it top end. We wanted to make the most of the historical architectural features but give them a modern twist, because that is what people want these days,” she says.

“And, being in Dartmouth, beside the sea, the interiors have got to be quite light and fresh.”

STYLE TIP: Use muted colours as a background,

then add splashes of pattern for impact with colourful cushions and headboards

The bedrooms in both apartments have plain, muted colours with splashes of colour and pattern. The padded headboards were made by the upholsterers at Anne’s own interior design company Fanfare in Newton Abbot. They also made jaunty owl cushions for the main room in Merchant’s Rest, the first floor apartment. The look in this grand room is completed with red velvet curtains. “I went for a theatrical look, to go with the amazing plasterwork ceiling,” says Anne.

“The second bedrooms in both apartments are small, which was challenging,” she says. “Mostly, these are couple’s retreats, but they had to be able to sleep four adults.” Cleverly, she went for cabin beds with bunks above. “That’s the trick, you are always looking to make the most out of your available space.”

Hire these apartments with Blue Chip Holidays, www.bluechipholidays.co.uk, 0844 704 4987

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Shopping

GET THE

LOOK

Owl cushion £20, www.hunkydoryhome.co.uk

Mix bright cushions and ornate detailing with clean-cut modern designs

Florence lambswool throw £150, www.thefinecottoncompany.com

Personalised cushion £29.99, www. gettingpersonal. co.uk

Natural oak table lamp £75, www.hunkydoryhome.co.uk

Wall mirror £209.95, www.melodymaison.co.uk

Nidi Camelot Soft children’s loft bed £1,650, www.gomoddern.co.uk

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04/11/2014 14:02:31

Beauty

Tried

& tested

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

BLITZ IT! Witch Blemish Sticks have been blitzing zits since the 1960s and now the handbag hero has undergone a makeover of its own. The sale of limited edition sticks (£3.19 each) will raise £10,000 for cancer charity Marie Curie, tackling problem pores for a fantastic cause. Available exclusively at Superdrug.

Lush, baby!

+ + + ELEMIS ON QVC Bag a 24-hour bargain from 8pm on Saturday November 15, when QVC will be offering this indulgent Love Your Skin collection from Elemis for just £40. It contains face and body essentials including the brand’s award-winning Pro-Collagen Marine Cream, with the entire bag of goodies worth over £125.

Win

We love the touch of science lab about the Lush bottles and pipettes of their handmade cosmetics.

Glam up with red Ambition liquid lipstick, Fantasy gold eyeliner and Focus silver eye shadow - £14.50 each and complete your look with Lustre gold dusting powder (£10.25).

Find them at www.lush.co.uk

fave!

We’ve got our mitts on an Elemis Love Your Skin face and body collection to (reluctantly!) give away.

For a chance to make it your own, tell us which channel will showcase the range next weekend? Send an email headed Elemis with your name and address to westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk by November 21

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the review Three of the best:

Liquid eyeliners Becky Sheaves lines up to try a trio of liquid eyeliners

Staying power This eyeliner may look a little chunky, with its angled edge designed to achieve that Sixties flick, but if you don’t want to your lids too heavily lined, it’s easy to use the edge of the liner close to the lashes for a more subtle outline.

It has good staying power too, lasting all day. Soap & Glory Supercat Fat Jumbo Carbon Black Ink Eyeliner, £7, Boots

SHINE ON Bedazzle your selfie pout with Giate’s glitter kit. The frosted sparkles adhere to a foundation lip-fix for a high-fashion finish. £16 from www. ciatelondon.com

SUBTLE

Pretty, but tough Yves Saint Laurent’s La Laque Couture Les Graines in Blue Galuchat looks like glitter polish when you paint it on, but it dries to a grainy deep turquoise that really looks (and feels) like leather. (£18.50, www.debenhams.com)

There’s a subtle shimmer to this charcoal grey liner when you apply along the lash line.

The wand is quite long and thin, so you need to be careful and precise, but it defines well, dries quickly (so no messy liquid on the crease of the lid), and rinses off easily with make-up remover. Yves Saint Laurent Eyeliner Baby Doll in Gris Vinyle, £25 (www. yslbeauty.co.uk)

[[ With a bit of practice and a few coats to build up the colour, I had cat-eyes to be proud of

Feline fun I’ve wanted to master the Alexa Chung flick for ages but could never manage with soft eyeliner brushes. This sharp felt-tip liner was far easier and way more precise. With a bit of practice (hint: YouTube tutorials), and a few coats to build up the colour, I had cat-eyes to be proud of. Burberry Effortless Liquid Eyeliner in Jet Black, £23 (www.burberry.com)

Want a review? Send your request to westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk 31

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04/11/2014 14:31:18

Wellbeing

Moisture matters As our skin ages and becomes drier, we should slather it with heavy-duty creams that will rehydrate our skin and lock in moisture. Right?

Wrong, says Dr Ros Debenham, Exeter-based specialist in medical aesthetics e’ve all been brainwashed into thinking that we should cleanse, tone and moisturise. But as skin changes over the years, this regime is not necessarily the best way forward.

By the time we’re 25, the replenishment of our skin cells begins to slow down and we get a buildup of dead cells on the skin’s surface. These make the skin feel dry to the touch and look dull and lifeless. So, we respond by cleansing, toning and moisturising. But, in fact, this sends a message to cells below the skin surface that we’re already hydrated enough, meaning that they ease up on producing moisture.

Then we apply thick night creams which literally suffocate the skin, which actually does become dry as a result. The protective barrier of the skin is lost, meaning that pollutants and products penetrate deeper into the skin. If you have sensitive skin, the products you use to combat it could be the problem, rather than the solution. Very few men have sensitive skin and I am convinced this is because they rarely use skincare products.

Products containing retinol - a form of Vi-

DODGER

W

THE SOFA

tamin A - are key to getting rid of our skin’s dead, dry-feeling cells and promote increased skin cell turnover. Vitamin A increases collagen production, improving firmness and reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles and improving skin texture.

But it has to be applied in adequate concentration. Disappointing results are often due to

fake ‘retinol’ products bought over the internet or because the concentration of active ingredients is just too low.

I recommend ZO branded products but these must always be sold by a trained practitioner, who can explain how to apply them properly.

Dr Ros Debenham runs Exeter’s Radiance Medispa. www.radiancemedispa.co.uk

Dr Ros says...

The new routine for skin involves cleansing, exfoliation, the application of oil control, antioxidants, Vitamin A and sunscreen.

Remove makeup with proper cleanser that does not change the pH of the skin - never use facial or baby wipes! Do a double cleanse if a lot of make up is used.

Toner is unnecessary when using proper cleanser and is usually drying to the skin.

Exfoliate with a polish that gently removes dead skin cells but also has antioxidants and promotes healing.

Don’t moisturise: healthy skin does not require this.

Sun protection, even in winter: Yes Factor 30+ UVA, UVB and natural melanin,even in winter and every two hours when in the sun.

Products also need to be changed every four to six months, according to your skin’s changing needs and so that it doesn’t get bored. Really!

THE KEEP FIT COLUMN WHERE ONE WOMAN TRIES EVERYTHING:

this week: KORFBALL Wanna-be fitness fanatic Sam Taylor, 35, lives in Cardinham near Bodmin and runs the Sofa Dodger website (www.sofadodger.co.uk). This week she tries a new sort of team sport Korfball is a mixed team sport - four girls and four boys. Since I like team sports and blokey banter, this had the potential to be right up my street - although geographically, it was not that convenient, being in Exeter.

The game has similarities to netball, played at a fast pace with a much higher hoop and boy, were the guys good at it! Girls can only mark girls but

my opponent was a good number of inches taller than me, so cunning was the order of the day.

The game was relentless and I quickly turned the colour of a newly hatched lobster. Six attempts later and finally I bagged myself a basket. A thoroughly enjoyable game and reminiscent of my netball days, it also felt very different with the male dynamic included. Definitely worth a try.

GET INVOLVED: Try something new or tell the world about your own keep fit class for free at www.sofadodger.co.uk 32

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04/11/2014 14:10:34

Bake

Kate Shirazi bakes:

Grown-Up Mocha Cakes Kate says: The coffee in the buttercream makes these a bit more adult, and the sponge has that slight hint of bitterness that is needed to cut through all that topping. Most very grown-up and sensible people who wouldn’t usually think about eating a cupcake will be like putty in your hands if you offer them these.

You will need: For the cake: 85g/3/4 cup self-raising flour 4tbsp cocoa powder 110g/1/2 cup caster (superfine) sugar 110g/1/2 cup soft margarine, softened 1tsp baking powder 2tbsp instant coffee granules dissolved in 2tsp boiling water 2 large free-range eggs 25g chocolate coffee beans (optional) Gold dragees (optional) to decorate

For the mocha buttercream: 110g/1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 225g/1 1/2 cups icing (confectioners’ sugar 1tbsp cocoa powder 1tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 2tsp boiling water You will need a large piping (decorating) bag fitted with a star nozzle.

NEW!

cake of the week

Method: 1.

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas mark 3. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.

2.

Sift flour, cocoa and sugar into a mixing bowl, food processor or mixer. Add the margarine, baking powder, dissolved coffee and eggs, and beat until the mixture (batter) is light and fluffy. (If you want to add a real

bonus feature, chuck in a small handful of chocolate coffee beans and fold them in.)

Spoon mixture into the prepared cases, and bake in the oven for around 20 minutes until firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

3.

To make the buttercream, put softened butter, in a bowl, sifted icing sugar and

cocoa in a bowl over the top, and beat. Add coffee and beat again. If the mixture is too wet, add more icing sugar. Too dry? Add a tiny bit more coffee.

4.

Place a piping bag and pipe huge, glamorous swirls onto the cakes and dot with gold dragees, if you so wish.

Kate Shirazi runs Cakeadoodledo shop and cafe on Exeter’s Cathedral Green (www.cakedoodledo.co.uk) and bakes cakes of all kinds to order and send by post. Look out for Kate’s beautiful books Cake Magic and Baking Magic (both £11.99, Pavilion Books) 33

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04/11/2014 14:11:44

Dennis Basso Faux Fur Coat £147, QVC

Downton, darling

necklace £18, M&S

Lorcan Mullany for Jacques Vert fringed dress £499

Channel your inner Lady Mary this winter with lace dresses, furred capes and plenty of glamour e may not have Anna the faithful lady’s maid to do up our evening gown but here at West we are certainly keen on the icily elegant style of Downton’s Lady Mary Crawley. This winter’s evening wear is undoubtedly influenced by the TV smash hit series.

There’s lots of haughty elegance on sale right now, often at less than aristocratic prices.

So if you are looking ahead to Christmas parties, why not go for lace, embellishment and lots of luxury? We love this beautiful floor-length red lace number from Myleene Klass’s new range for Very. At only £79 it is an office party showstopper. If you’re worried about getting chilly on the way there (or back) then how about this cape from Jacques Vert. And while not everyone can carry off a tiara like the Countess of Grantham, a little bit of bling can add that touch of (upper) class glamour. Next week, we go downstairs: Mrs Patmore’s pinny and Daisy’s mobcap, anyone?

W

Kimono £195, Next

blouse £24, Dorothy Perkins

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Fashion

Crystal necklace £98, Butler and Wilson

Lexi bag £45, Accessorize

Hooded faux fur cape £199, Jacques Vert

Myleene Klass Lace Bandeau Maxi Dress £79 www.very.co.uk

peplum top £25, Gok for Tu Sainsbury’s

dress £149, shoes £59 both Monsoon 35

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04/11/2014 14:05:38

Trend

HOW TO WEAR IT:

Autumn texture Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod explores how to wrap up for the cooler days, and avoid taking heat veryone is abuzz with a few variations on these gentle quethe news that major reries. “Where is that nice pencil skirt tailers’ profits have sufI bought you?” (This is very cunning, fered as a result of the as if I flare up at the perceived critiwarm temperatures. cism he can pretend he was simply Apparently people just aren’t shopquestioning its location in the house) ping for winter outfits. Fair enough.

“Aren’t you going to work today?”

But what about autumn? It’s a won(Again, very easy to weasel out of) derful, mellow, in-between sort of and “You look shorter than usual” season and it deserves a nook of your (devious, as he knows I fear looking wardrobe dedicated to it. (Thank me like an Ewok in flats and it is for this later Next, vouchers will do nicely!) reason that I have held off buying a At this time of year, ankle boots, brown faux fur coat). skinny jeans and chunky knits reign If you want to avoid passive aggressupreme. The best part? None of sive wardrobe banter at the breakfast these purchases would be wasted. bar, just remember these tricks. OldThey will slot wonderfully into your school matching is your friend here. winter wardrobe as canny layering Pair your handbag to your shoes and pieces, and the jeans you will look instantly will take you all the ‘together’. It also really way into spring and helps to pick a colour summer.

The real ‘theme’ and stick to Offerings beauty of this season it. Greys, creams and include a is that you can be both rich browns work harcomfortable and gormoniously together, tempting mix of geous, the offerings throw a bright pink soft cashmeres, include a tempting bag into a muted mix touchable suede mix of soft cashmeres, and you have the air touchable suede and of a lady who left the and sumptuous sumptuous leather. house after a glass of leather Isabel Marant lunchtime wine. showcased the softer Look for detailing side of AW14 at her and texture. Think carunway show in Paris. ble-knit jerseys, boucle Models prowled the catwalk in lacejackets, quilted boots and visible up boots, chunky knits and shades stitching on trousers. These touches of army green, all the while looking add depth and interest to your outfit the very definition of Amazonian and dispel any notion of it being perfection. donned straight from your bedroom But how does the average lady floor. Structure is also your friend. tackle this cosy autumnal look, withThis binocular bag I picked up from out looking like they have popped out Fat Face is an excellent example. It’s of the house in study-day ‘comfys.’ clean hard lines introduce a sense or I always know when I have taken order that a slouch bag just couldn’t my need for comfort too far. Although muster. my other half has learnt the hard Most importantly, own it. “No love, way not to offer his unsolicited opinI don’t know where that pencil skirt ion on my outfits, this doesn’t stop is. But, it’s three degrees outside, so I him from gently alluding to the fact know where you can put it!” that I really could look better. WarnAll fashion in these pictures is from ing signs that you have strayed too Princesshay Shopping Centre, Exeter, far into relaxed territory manifest in www.princesshay.com

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

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Amelia Cable hoody, Fat Face, Princesshay, £58 Denim washed black jeggings, Fat Face, Princesshay, £38 Denchworth quilted ankle boots, Fat Face, Princesshay, £70 Luxury leather binocular bag, Fat Face, Princesshay, £55

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Trends_November_9.indd 36

04/11/2014 13:13:24

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04/11/2014 13:13:56

Si Ford

Manson’s Guitars, Exeter

My Secret Westcountry Si Ford Si Ford is the founder of Dartmoor’s Chagstock music festival, which takes place near Chagford and began in his back garden in 2006. Headline acts have included the Boomtown Rats, The Lightening Seeds and Squeeze.

Chagstock Festival

My favourite...

Pub: There are too many to mention around here and it depends on the mood, the weather, the company and the condition of the ale!

Beauty spot: East Prawle for a coastal location, or camping in a field next to a pub with views way out to sea. And anywhere up on Dartmoor for scenery, even in the worst weather!

Walk: Between Chagford and Sandy Park by the River Teign, or the other way from Sandy Park to Fingle Bridge again by the River Teign. They are beautiful walks at all times of year; from carpets of bluebells, to a raging river in spate, to snow crunching underfoot.

Event: Well, obviously: Chagstock!

Live acts: The Saw Doctors (who played Chagstock in 2007). My daughter, Jodie, 18 (who played with her band last year) and Whitesnake (I can dream!).

Jodie’s joined a band at uni and she loves doing open mics. She’s sung at every single Chagstock since she was nine.

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People Walks along the River Teign

Dartmoor

Shop: Mansons Guitar Shop, Exeter. I can spend a lot of time in that shop dreaming about guitars I would like. You can never have too many guitars.

Restaurant: The Old Inn, Drewsteignton. I don’t eat out very often but locally this is the place for me. Unpretentious, superb food and owned by two lovely people.

Tipple: Dartmoor IPA. I love the beer and I love the fact that it is brewed right on top of Dartmoor, next to a prison.

The Old Inn, Drewsteignton

Carp floats

Venue: The Minack Theatre in Porthcurno is spectacular. And I know it’s not local, but the old Hammersmith Odeon was my favourite in my youth.

Day out/activity : Walking the dog in numerous locations around here gives much pleasure. I go carp fishing with my son Max, 14, quite a lot. It’s a great day even if we don’t catch anything, which for me is a lot of the time.

Chagstock will take place July 17-18 in 2015 and tickets go on sale at www.chagstock.info in the New Year 39

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04/11/2014 13:11:45

[

Chloe’s Plymouth

By Gillian Molesworth

unch is sacrosanct in France. In schools, the entire teaching staff sit down with the pupils to eat a communal three-course meal. Shops shut, businesses switch on the answering phones and lock up. Workers and students head home for a hot repast, or to a favourite restaurant, perhaps a creperie, to socialise with friends and colleagues.

It is altogether a much, much more civilised routine than a sandwich at your desk. To many French people, the desk sandwich represents the lowest you can sink, like going down a rung on the evolutionary ladder.

So it was with great zeal that I accepted a working lunch invitation to a well-regarded

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EATING OUT

French restaurant in Plymouth called Chloe’s.

My companion would be Chris Davey from Devon-based estate agents Luscombe Maye.

I had been to Chloe’s once before, when a friend and I enjoyed a prix-fixe theatre menu before watching a show at the Theatre Royal. I’m not sure if it says something about me or about the restaurant that I have zero recollection of the show, but a photo-perfect memory of the lobster bisque. It was that good.

Chloe’s is small and simple. It has a black and white colour scheme and quiet decoration – the biggest statement piece is the baby grand piano, which is played in the evenings. A railing outside shields you from the traffic on Princess Street – printed, Chris tells me, with a view of La Rochelle. This is where head chef Didier Franchet polished his craft for 15 years, in the kitchen of the Michelin-starred Chez Serge.

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Quelle dommage! Didier is not here, the waitress tells us, or he would certainly have come out to say hello. It is half term, and he is travelling with his family – his wife Jo and children Chloe, 10, and Rochelle, seven. But, she reassures us, we are in good hands.

Today we are ordering off the “menu chic”, which has a good range of bistro-style soups and light bites to more substantial meat and fish courses. As we have made the effort, it seems a shame to under-order.

Luckily Chris is a foodie, so I have no hangups about ordering the escargots (snails, £8.50), followed by a “hearty cassoulet” (£16.50). I am going full français today. Chris orders the lobster bisque (£8) followed by duck leg confit (£18.50).

Before the food arrives a little basket with homemade bread is produced, lots of different types, along with a little crock of whipped butter

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4 of the best French restaurants

1 La Fourchette, Totnes

This café brasserie in a Grade II* listed building in Totnes has French classics like bouillabaisse, crepes and souffles – with upmarket pizza and burgers for kids and the less adventurous.

Dish of the day: Moules frites (mussel and fries), with choice of marinière, provençale or bretonne sauces.

Prices: Mains around £10 Contact: 01803 864499,

2 Côte, Exeter – Chris, a regular here, loves the rye.

And voilá, our starters arrive.

Part of the fun of French food is the celebration of it. Chris’ bisque is accompanied by little white bowls adorned with lions’ heads, holding the croutons and shredded emmental cheese garnish. An abstractly bent spoon holds the rouille, which is one of those French things that you don’t investigate too carefully, like rillettes or Andouille sausage.

My snails come with a specially shaped clamp to hold the shells, and a thin prong to winkle out the tender meat. They emerge from their curling shells in a froth of buttery garlic.

Sacre bleu, I had forgotten how much garlic there is in proper escargot – good thing this wasn’t a date. Chloe’s’ escargot is buttery, garlicky snail heaven – with garlic bread to mop up.

All garlic, all the way. Je ne regrette rien.

Chris reports great things about the lobster bisque that I remember so well – rich and velvety. There is a wait for our next course but then, we did both order slow-roast dishes.

They are worth the wait. My cassoulet is a comfort-food heaven of white bean stew, cooked with duck leg confit, belly pork, and garlic sausage (yes, I really am taking no prisoners). It is rich and savoury, with a variety of textures: the fall-apart coarse grain duck meat to the creamy beans, and the thick salami slab of the sausage.

Bread crumbs on top add herby crunch.

I order sauvignon blanc to go with it (probably the wrong thing, but it’s not a snooty place at all). It was crisp and fruity, with a lovely nose.

Chris’ duck leg confit, which he chivalrously offers me to try, comes drenched in a rich brown sauce. What is it about French sauces? This one made me want to break into song. It is one of those sauces that evolve in your mouth, leaving you with lingering starbursts of different flavours. It probably takes about three hours to

Right near the cathedral in the city centre, this Parisian bistro (pictured) has “robust French flavours, cheery continental vibes and brilliant value for money”, according to the Good Food Guide. It is a chain, but one committed to small producers and a great wine list.

Dish of the day: Escalope de veau (ethical veal escalope) with watercress, lemon and jus Prices: Mains around £12 Contact: 01392 433406

3 Roovray’s Restaurant, Mevagissey

make – and worth every minute.

After our plates are sent back nearly clean (I wasn’t quite man enough for the full portion of cassoulet) we opted for coffees instead of pud.

We got a fair amount of work discussed, when the food wasn’t competing for our attention.

After an hour and a half I returned to the office in a garlicky haze of contentment. Chloe’s is a treat (we managed to ring up nearly £70 for two) – but it’s a special one, and I personally guarantee the memory will last. I can’t remember a single one of my desk sandwiches.

How they scored...

Food



Atmosphere



Service



Price

Lunch for two was £67

Owner and chef Thierry Rouvrais cooks up simple, good food in his kitchen in Mevagissey on Cornwall’s south coast. There’s an early bird menu if you don’t keep continental hours.

Dish of the day: Crème brulee, £4.95 Prices: Mains around £14 Contact: 01726 842672

4 The Dining Room at The Nare Hotel, Veryan

The Nare offers both casual and formal dining – and the formal dining means jacket and tie and silver service fivecourse Table d’Hôte. It’s a tribute to a former British tradition, one heavily informed by Auguste Escoffier and his five mother sauces. Fab wine list, too.

Dish of the day: Order a flambe to be cooked at your table, or choose from the mouthwatering sweet trolley with lashings of crème anglaise.

Prices: Five-course Table d’Hote is £50 per person Contact: 01872 501111

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04/11/2014 14:28:26

Ingredient of the Week

Sweet Chestnuts with Tim Maddams

loves. Good, thick, leather gloves, or indeed a stout pair of rubber washing up gloves. That’s what your going to need if you’re planning on gathering your own wild chestnuts. And gather them you should, there’s been a bumper crop this year and they are littering the woodlands right now. So you need to get in quick before the squirrels nail the lot.

The reason for the gloves is that these cheeky nutty treats are wrapped up well in spiky cocoons that will discourage you from collecting them in no uncertain terms. You shouldn’t find it to hard to find a decent tree. Even modern conifir plantations tend to have a few deciduous trees along the edges and sweet chestnut is almost certain to be among them.

You may be led a merry dance in larger woods before you actually find the tree as you will start

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to see empty spiky husks from the nuts.

But look around you as you might you won’t be able to see the tree. Take it from me, squirrels and birds take the nuts from the tree and scatter the evidence all about the place, often hundreds of yards from the source. I think they do it deliberatively to throw us off the scent, so be warned.

The nuts, once you have found them, will be a little smaller than you expect. That’s because the ones we buy at Christmas time are usually imported from France and Spain, where they seem to grow bigger and better chestnuts than us.

Once safely home and removed from their prickly outer casings you can keep them just as they are in a dry larder for a few weeks, but they are best cooked and eaten sooner. And when cooked and peeled they keep very well vacuumpacked or in the freezer.

Sweet chestnuts

Roasted chestnuts lend themselves to all sorts of dishes. Cut a cross in the shell and roast them in a hot oven until the shells open up. I like to peel them, then blend with garlic and olive oil to make a pasta dressing. Another favourite is as a stuffing for game birds with pork mince and plenty of thyme and sage.

Chestnut ice cream

I love to make chestnut ice cream.

Roast chestnuts in the oven, then cook again in milk. Blend, then add eggs and cream along with honey to cook out the custard. It’s a serious winner with a mince pie or an apple tart. @TimGreenSauce

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

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04/11/2014 13:34:29

Drink

Beer of the week My star find from Falmouth Beer Festival was White Hind, from the Quantock Brewery in Somerset. Had my mission not been so wideranging I could have drunk a pint or three of this. An inviting, hoppy aroma leads to a well balanced brew with peppery and tropical fruit notes. Gorgeous.

Hear, hear

Thanks to North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson, Caron and Des Archer (from Padstow Brewing Co) have found their hugely popular Pale Ale in the Strangers Bar in the House of Commons. Mr Rogerson says: “I congratulate Caron and Des and the team at Padstow for their contribution to the local economy in North Cornwall.”

Darren Norbury

talks beer o there I am, standing next to Kernow King as he knocks back a Skinner’s Hopslayer and chews the fat with a real life man-in-drag Betty Stogs, watching a group of first term uni students take their first tentative steps into the cider tent for a pint of Badger’s Arse. Where else could I be but the Falmouth Beer Festival?

A hardy annual on the Cornish social calendar, the event is held in the Princess Pavilion, next to the seaside Gyllyngdune Gardens. It attracts huge numbers to try some 200 real ales, ciders and perries.

It’s a great occasion. And, for me anyway, it is a chance to try new brews not only from the Westcountry but around the UK that I wouldn’t otherwise find in the same room, Add in some fodder, live music and, of course, the Blue Anchor Morris Men and you have one of the best parties in the west. It’s the ideal opportunity to chat to brewers, of course, and it was good to see the likes of Josh Dunkley from Cornish Crown, Pete Martin from the Driftwood Spars, and Dave Wilmott of Granite Rock Brewery.

Now that most beer festivals serve the – perfectly legal – third of a pint measure, this is a great way for the novice to try a variety of beer styles, or for old hacks like me to try to keep up with the huge number of new

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brews coming to market each month.

Highlights for me were Skinner’s Seven Hop Beer, made under their Cornish Beer and Surf Co guise, which, well, pretty much does what it says on the pumpclip. The hops offer grapefruit and kiwi notes that really refresh the palate. At the other end of the spectrum, Dark Ness, from the Red Rock Brewery, in Humber, South Devon was an easy-drinking, smooth, porter-style affair, with a lovely bittersweet finish.

Sharp’s seasonal Red Ale once again reminds us that there is more to this giant national brewer than the ubiquitous Doom Bar. It’s a vibrant, berry red, malty beer that goes down a bit like an Irish red and which is the ideal autumn drink. I look forward to its appearance every year.

If you see a beer festival advertised locally and you haven’t been to one before, give it a go. You’ll generally find a wide range of beers and lovely people, too. I’m still not sure if the fella in the queue at Falmouth who brought his mother “so she can reserve a table seat” was joking or not, though…

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

CLEANING UP Cornish firm Sapooni has created a new soap using St Austell Brewery’s Proper Job IPA. The soap combines Proper Job with hops and essential oils of sweet orange and grapefruit, and has been created to complement and harness the hoppy, citrussy aroma of the beer.

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04/11/2014 13:35:01

Living TECHNOLOGY

School run blues With the weather starting to deteriorate, so too does the school run. Dad and driver Matt Joy suggests some alternatives e’re back at school after half term and had our first properly miserable school run of the 2014-15 academic year this week.

So far we’ve been spoilt by mild autumnal weather but a bit of rain makes all the difference and caused the usual flood of morning traffic.

Just like the clocks going back, the backfrom the holidays school run is a ritual that turns the transport world upside down.

Safety is the most commonly-quoted reason

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For most people, the car is the quickest and most inexpensive option

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gadget notebook 09 November 2014

TECH TIPS: for journeys

Cheer up the morning commute with cool in-car kit

Cosy toes Beat the traffic and hot-foot it, keeping toes cosy on winter days with these battery-operated heated insoles £29.95 from www.primrose.co.uk

Full charge

e e ls

This is a clever little gadget - a stylish, flexible charger and stand for iPhone 4 (or older) and iPods. Banish your queue-related blues with music. £13 from www.TheGreatGiftCompany.co.uk

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for driving your children to school as opposed to any other method or transport. Except that by doing so, there are thousands of extra vehicles on the road at peak times, and around schools.

I wonder: having hundreds of children out on the street instead of tucked away in cars may seem unsafe to us adults, but is it really?

There’s a good deal of flimsy reasoning behind this whole school run situation these days. For primary schools, where children are under the age of 11, a 20-minute solo walk is out of the question. But perhaps we parents could get up a bit earlier and walk with the kids to school - or cycle with them? We’d save money on gym membership, wouldn’t we?

And then for the majority of secondary schools here in the South West, there is a school bus for far-flung pupils. Those that live too close to qualify for school transport are within a radius of no more than a couple of miles from the school.

Hence they could walk it in less than 30 minutes.

I may be too old now to have a clear picture of modern life in a secondary school, but in my day, unless your dad happened to drive an F1 racer as his company car, getting picked up by a parent was seriously not cool/hip/whatever the appropriate term now is. By the time I’d reached 12, a bus pass in the back pocket and the lack of parent hovering over you meant freedom. It also provided a healthy chunk of independence: getting to school on time was down to me, and the occasional cock-up of the school bus service.

And that’s before you even start thinking about the cost, both financial and emotional, of this vast increase in traffic. Some of us have to get to work by car because it’s the only viable option (personally speaking, for me it takes four times as long and is twice as expensive to go by public transport) but some have a choice.

Unfortunately for most people, the car is the quickest and most inexpensive option to get the kids to school of a morning.

Until that changes, every morning between 8am and 9am will be a little fraught on the region’s roads. What better reason is there to look forward to Christmas?

art on

Make (cycle) tracks to school or work. This hand-painted bicycle bell was designed by Annie Legroulx for Kikkerland. £30, www.cotswoldtrading.com

Time travel Time stands still when you’re stuck in a jam. Sadly TARDIS is not included with this Doctor Who inspired scarf, which channels Tom Baker’s longest serving incarnation of the Time Lord. £31.99 from www.thegiftoasis.com 45

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My life

[

man and boy

Seeing a miracle

[

Phil Goodwin and son James are amazed at the aquarium

limb high into the eaves of Plymouth’s National Marine Aquarium, far above gazing crowds, and it is possible witness one of the Earth’s great wonders, a true miracle of nature. Separated from its mother, an impressively mottled young zebra shark circles a holding tank which keeps it safe from the larger predators. It is blissfully unaware of its exceptionally unusual origin: a virgin birth.

No father required: of which, more later.

I came across the creature during a recent visit to this impressive aquarium with my boy James, one of his girl friends and her dad.

Young James, as you may remember, has an obsession with sea creatures, especially sharks.

The four of us were given a special tour of the kitchen, filter room, control centre, plant and fish nurseries and even mortuary, which make up the back office to the attraction. Naturally, for us the highlight was a trip to the top of the shark tank, where we watched the slightly unnerving sight of a dorsal fin breaking the surface and gliding across the calm, deep waters.

It seems to be a trait of our species to attribute human qualities to animals – many of the large fish here have names and the staff seem quite fond of them, particularly the half-blind loggerhead turtle, called Snorkel. She has been a favourite attraction since she washed up at Sennen Cove, west Cornwall more than 20 years ago.

Equally, it is tempting to draw analogies between animal behaviour and our own everyday lives and relationships. As we shuffled across the rickety footbridge which spans the artificial sea, complete with a downed airplane as reef, one of the large sand tiger sharks cruised slowly in circles, rather menacingly, beneath our feet. It was, our guide Joe explained, sleeping as it swam. This is a trick it manages by

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switching off sections of its brain one by one in order to complete the bare minimum number of tasks required to stay alive. We men will understand this trick. How many of us have been accused of this very thing as we sit watching

[

[

The shark was switching sections of its brain off one by one: we men will understand this trick

football or rugby while grunting acknowledgements to the inquiries of our loved ones?

The experience of getting so close to this resting monster was enough to scare James’ young mate, Hala and send us all scuttling off the rickety structure.

From here we were led to a smaller tank, connected but fenced off from the main area. And it was here we saw the wonder child. No more than a metre long, golden with black patches - whoever named it a zebra shark has clearly never seen the African striped horse.

The fish propelled itself around with effortless swishes of its supple tail. Joe explained that it came from a captive mother in Abu Dhabi. The shark’s mum has never encountered a male of the species, yet she has produced a succession of healthy offspring.

This miracle has happened through a process known as parthenogenesis. This occurs in nature where breeding females come to the end of their reproductive life without ever having actually given birth.

The babies that result from this remarkable process of reproduction are always female as there are no male genes involved in their production. Parthogenesis is, however, extremely rare in sharks and stunned conservationists.

Hala’s father, Azzam, is a Syrian who has watched from afar as his country is torn apart by war. He smiled knowingly at the mention of his wealthy, oil-soaked Arab neighbours in Abu Dhabi.

“These guys can do anything,” he laughed.

Nature is unpredictable and evolution has thrown up some pretty strange phenomena over the past few billion years. I wonder how long it would be before this particular conjuring trick jumps the species gap. Could half the planet eventually become redundant?

“If this catches on, our days are numbered,” I told him.

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