Cardiff Life - Issue 170

Food/Arts/Entertainment/Shopping/Property ISSUE 170 / JULY 2017 / £3

CELEBRATING THE BEST IN THE CITY, PENARTH & THE VALE

WE’RE

ISSUE 170 / JULY 2017 / PERFECT TEN – IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY! / SPA DAYS / FESTIVAL FASHION

10!

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HAPPY B

!

S U O T Y A D H T R I

EDITOR’S LETTER / ISSUE 170 / JULY 2017

We’re ten!

Yep, it’s our birthday – we’ve been around for ten years. Ten years. Seriously, just where does the time go? I’ve been at the helm for almost six of those years, but it’s gone by in a flash. As a city, Cardiff has changed – for the better, naturally – and continues to evolve in so many exciting ways.

So, how do you put together a special tenth anniversary edition that celebrates the very best of Cardiff in a limited number of pages? It all seemed a lot easier back in 2007, when we produced our first issue. A beautiful water tower conversion in Cyncoed, a visit to Cowbridge, a Welsh rugby feature, and we had a mag that we felt showcased the best of the region. Today, there’s so much more of, well, everything – we could quite easily fill a telephone directory-sized tome every three weeks.

Working on a magazine for this city is a daily joy, and an honour for the whole team – even more so than it was ten years ago. We hope you enjoy this celebratory issue – here’s to the next ten!

Dathlu’r deg!

16

R COVERY ife!

STarsO rdiff L of Ca say,

y e Ten y us, as the it...

Temp does fug really

Ydy, mae’n ben-blwydd arnom – rydym yn bodoli ers deng mlynedd. Deng mlynedd. Ond o ddifrif, i ble mae amser yn mynd? Rydw i wedi bod wrth y llyw yn ystod chwech o’r blynyddoedd hynny, fwy neu lai, ac mae’r amser hwnnw wedi hedfan. Mae Caerdydd wedi newid fel dinas – er gwell, wrth gwrs – ac mae’n parhau i ddatblygu mewn cynifer o ffyrdd cyffrous.

Felly, sut mae creu rhifyn arbennig ar gyfer ein pen-blwydd yn ddeg oed – rhifyn sy’n dathlu’r agweddau gorau ar Gaerdydd ar nifer gyfyngedig o dudalennau? Roedd y dasg fel pe bai’n llawer haws yn 2007 pan aethom ati i lunio’r rhifyn cyntaf.

Yn y rhifyn hwnnw – a oedd yn cynnwys twr dwr wedi’i addasu yn gartref hardd yng Nghyncoed, ymweliad â’r Bont-faen ac erthygl am rygbi yng Nghymru – roeddem yn teimlo ein bod yn dangos yr ardal ar ei gorau. Erbyn hyn, mae mwy o bopeth i’w gael – yn wir, gallem greu rhifyn o faint llyfr ffôn bob tair wythnos.

Mae gweithio ar gylchgrawn ar gyfer y ddinas hon yn bleser bob dydd ac yn fraint i’r tîm cyfan – yn fwy felly’n awr nag yr oedd ddeng mlynedd yn ôl. Rydym yn gobeithio y gwnewch chi fwynhau’r rhifyn hwn sy’n destun dathlu, ac edrychwn ymlaen yn eiddgar at y deng mlynedd nesaf!

VELIMIR ILIC Editor vel.ilic@mediaclash.co.uk Follow us on Twitter: @CardiffLifeMag

CONTENTS / ISSUE 170 / JULY 2017 M EET T H E T EAM

MAIN FEATURES

Editor Velimir Ilic vel.ilic@mediaclash.co.uk

16 10th Anniversary My, how time flies...

Managing editor Deri Robins deri.robins@mediaclash.co.uk Senior art editor Andrew Richmond Graphic design Megan Allison Cover design Trevor Gilham Contributors: Hugo Ball, Andrea Byrne, Jamie Rees, Katie Kissoon, Elisabeth Mahoney, Rhys Williams

22 The Big Picture Ten years on, it’s still exciting to see the city in a whole new light

THE ARTS

Advertising manager Mark George mark.george@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy advertising manager Claire Hawkins claire.hawkins@mediaclash.co.uk Commercial director Steve Hawkins steve.hawkins@mediaclash.co.uk

30 What’s On Stand by your calendars, Cardiff – it’s busy out there

34 Sherman Theatre Sherman’s visionary artistic director, Rachel O’Riordan

37 Film Preview Chapter’s in the wars

SHOPPING 39 Shopping Intro We’ve been crate-digging...

40 Editor’s Choice Birds, bees, planes and kites – we’re talking flights of fancy

Production and distribution manager Sarah Kingston sarah.kingston@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy production manager and production designer Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk

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Chief executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Cardiff Life, MediaClash, Circus Mews House, Circus Mews, Bath BA1 2PW; 01225 475800, mediaclash.co.uk, @The MediaClash

FOOD

DEPARTMENTS

54 Restaurant

9 Spotlight

Four hours of pure epicurean indulgence at Asador 44

More local good news stories

48 Let Off Some Steam

57 Recipes

Robe and flip-flops at the ready – it’s spa time!

Two summery dishes, courtesy of the Vale Resort in Hensol

The Cardiff Life summer party, Chapter’s new café and Meal Squared at Waterloo Tea – who will you spot this month?

OPINION

BUSINESS

13 A Man’s World

71 Business Insider

Cardiff’s homeless population is rising – and we can no longer turn a blind eye, says Rhys

More tales of go-getting excellence from Cardiff’s business community

44 Fashion You’re the fest thing

HEALTH & BEAUT Y

52 Girl About Town Gary Barlow, award ceremonies and plenty of feelgood factor – yep, Andrea’s been out and about

65 Snapped!

82 Cardiff Lives

© All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash.

About MediaClash We’re a Bath-based publisher, creative agency and event organiser Magazines Our portfolio of regional magazines celebrate the best of local living: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff, Exeter and Salisbury. We also publish foodie mag Crumbs. (crumbsmag.com, @ CrumbsMag) and wedding title Vow (@VowMag).

Agency From the design and build of websites to digital marketing and creating company magazines, we can help.

Events We create, market, promote and operate a wide variety of events both for MediaClash and our clients Contact: info@mediaclash.co.uk

Hello, Jayne Gregory! The founder of film crew agency Gems talks dressing up and David Bowie

PROPERT Y 76 Property Showcase A Grade II-listed Welsh longhouse in the Vale of Glamorgan

On the cover Happy birthday to us – mwah!

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C A R D I F F: I T S L I F E A N D T I M E S

(Clockwise, from left) Songhoy Blues, This Is The Kit, The Amazons and Jen Cloher – all are playing at this year’s expanded Swn Festival

EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT...

SWN, REBOOTED Swn Festival returns to Cardiff this autumn – not just for one weekend, but a whole month of live music Bringing together new and emerging artists, the festival, which celebrated its tenth birthday last year, will return from Friday 22 September to Saturday 21 October with a series of shows in venues across South Wales, leading up to that final weekend we all know and love. Shows will include the joyous desert-punk blues of Songhoy Blues, Australian singer-songwriter Jen Cloher (with special band member, Courtney Barnett), rising indie rockers The Amazons, This Is The Kit (Kate Stables’ beautiful, folk-influenced thrum is a complete joy to behold), and plenty more names still to be announced.

“For a while, I’d deliberated over Swn’s future, but we had an overwhelming response to last year’s event and a huge demand from the music scene in Wales that this festival is needed,” said music promoter John Rostron, Swn co-founder alongside Radio 1’s Huw Stephens. “Turning ten gave us an opportunity to rebuild the festival in a new way.

Swn has been putting on shows outside of the main weekend for a while, so it will now bring a series of concerts together across a whole month. This is just the beginning of the fun, and there are plenty more surprises to come – watch this space!”

Tickets for Swn are now on sale. For more info, go to swnfest.com or follow @swnissound on Twitter

PHOTO BY KIRSTEN MCTERNAN

C A R D I F F: I T S L I F E A N D T I M E S

Winging it: WNO’s new virtual reality project, Magic Butterfly

OPERA

REALITY CHECK A young Agatha Christie (middle), pictured rollerskating in Torquay

As part of the exhibition, there is a photograph album of Agatha at Pwllywrach and also a first edition of Endless Night, a story set on a road outside Cardiff.

“My family and I are delighted to share some of our favourite images and quotations of my grandmother, Agatha Christie,” said Mathew Prichard, who looks after the Agatha Christie Archive.

“As well as being a marvellous author, she was a remarkable person who made an indelible impression on everyone she met.”

Set to captivate audiences young and old, Magic Butterfly invites visitors to step inside and engage with the world of two classic operas, with re-imagined scenes from The Magic Flute and Madam Butterfly. Launching outside Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff for four weeks from 14 July, the free experience will then visit other locations across Wales and England.

Presented in a shipping container using Google Daydream technology (a mobile VR platform), the immersive experience – developed by REWIND, an award-winning VR/AR content production agency which has delivered VR environments for Björk and the BBC, amongst others – will use responsive animation and sound.

Said David Massey, WNO’s digital producer: “We wanted to produce an innovative experience that audiences can engage with physically as well as emotionally. This is an exciting new venture for the company, using new technology, drama and music to help us put audiences right at the heart of what we do. I have no doubt that Magic Butterfly will delight people and help us build new audiences for opera.”

For more: museum.wales/cardiff

For more: wno.org.uk

WORD HAS IT

QUEEN OF CRIME A new exhibition at National Museum Cardiff illustrates the life of popular crime writer, Agatha Christie Featuring rarely-seen photographs from the author’s private collection, Agatha Christie: A Life in Photographs (running until 3 September 2017), illustrates the life behind the works of the most widely-published author of all time.

Each image is accompanied by a quote in Christie’s own words, drawn from both published works and unpublished personal correspondence.

Christie, of course, was a frequent visitor to Wales. Her only child, Rosalind, married a Welshman, Hubert Prichard, and they lived at a house (‘Pwllywrach’) just outside Cardiff.

Welsh National Opera launches a new, site-specific virtual reality experience

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This procedure can be carried out on ladies of all ages and skin types whether it is to simply add subtle definition or reconstruct a completely new brow design where there is zero natural hair growth.

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A MAN’S WORLD

RHYS WILLIAMS

ROUGHING IT

THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FANTASTIC CHARITIES THAT SUPPORT THOSE IN NEED

Cardiff might be booming, but the city has almost the same number of people sleeping rough as Birmingham. We can no longer turn a blind eye, says Rhys

I

t was only a few years ago that Cardiff was named ‘best city to live in’, with the highest quality of life in the country. Additionally, the study suggested that residents were some of the most likely to have a job, with the lowest living expenses and highest growth in disposable income of anyone in the country. Good, eh?

Today, Cardiff remains a very exciting place to be. As a city, we hold some pretty amazing major events, encompassing sport, food, culture and more. As I write, we have three big artists performing at the Principality Stadium: Robbie Williams, Coldplay and Justin Bieber. The street food scene is booming, and we are consistently seeing increases in the business sector.

Development is everywhere.

However, there is also another side to Cardiff’s rapid growth that we can no longer turn a blind eye to – the substantial increase in the number of homeless people on the streets. As you walk through the city, be it early morning or late at night, you will

often see people sleeping rough, and I’m frequently approached or asked for ‘spare change’. I’m generally reluctant to part with change because I can’t give to everyone, and I often think, ‘where will they spend the money?’. And I have to confess that, on occasion, I’ve ‘stereotyped’ the person asking, without knowing their story. But I’ve tried to do my part in the way I see best. I will often purchase breakfast and a hot drink for homeless people I encounter, and support food banks in supermarkets and charity events when I can.

Speaking of charities, there are a number of fantastic examples that support those in need, such as The Wallich – I am pleased to say that I have supported them, competing in their fundraising Cyclone 24 event, and I’ll be doing it again this year. I’ve also worked with Llamau, a charity that provides outstanding support for the most vulnerable.

And Huggard is another homeless charity I’ve recently come to know.

There are also fundraising events that allow you to experience ‘sleeping rough’

first-hand – CEO Sleepout and Byte night, to name just two. From talking to previous participants, it is not a comfortable night’s sleep and really brings the reality of being homeless to life.

I was encouraged to see that Cardiff has a ‘rough sleeper strategy’, which looks at ways of improving issues related to homelessness, including identifying causes, support, early intervention and tailored solutions. Shockingly, Cardiff has almost the same number of people sleeping rough as Birmingham, so we need to be more proactive in supporting relevant service providers and charities.

I guess the question is, what can we do to help? Do we rely solely on the council and third sector organisations? Or do we as a community need to come together and offer support? Ultimately, everyone needs to chip in where they can – do your bit!

Rhys Williams is an ex-Wales and Cardiff Blues rugby star, now commercial director at the club.

For more, see cardiffblues.com

029 2047 0909 | www.martynprowel.co.uk Family Law | Residential Conveyancing | Wills & Probate | Dispute Resolution | Accident & Personal Injury | Medical Negligence | Criminal & Motoring Offences a

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PERFECT TEN This glossy thing in your hands? No less than our tenth anniversary issue! Indulge us a little as we share some of the nice things people are saying to us on our big birthday...

IT’S OUR B I R T H D AY !

“We have always really loved Cardiff Life – it engages positively in the cultural and social fabric of the city, shouting loudly about what’s great in Cardiff. As a publication, it has really got behind us, expecting nothing in return, which is very rare. The team there – engaging and passionate personalities – have always been great.

I particularly love the food and drink sections and reviews – obviously! – but also features on people in different business sectors; it’s interesting to see what makes them tick.”

Owen Morgan, Bar 44/Asador 44 “Cardiff Life has been massively supportive of what I’ve done – I owe it, big-time. Not many other publications about Cardiff are written by journalists, so it means that CL is in a different league, and their covers are rarely less than brilliant. It’s one of those aspirational publications – things look great in its pages, and you never put it down without finding out something interesting going on. It works hard to reflect ‘real’ Cardiff, while celebrating the best of the city.”

Christian Amodeo, I Loves The ’Diff “Our clients love reading it in the salon, so I know it has a wide appeal to men and women of all ages. The Cardiff Life Awards has been a great addition – we had a huge response when we won the Hair category last year, so we know the positive impact it has. Keep up the good work!”

Greg James, Goji Hair

Issue 1

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Issue 100

21/06/2013 09:55

“Cardiff Life is always hotly anticipated in the office. I’ve discovered a couple of my favourite restaurants and cafés thanks to reviews in the mag (Bar 44 and the awesome Penylan Pantry, to name but two) and I especially love the way it champions independents, which should be celebrated as an essential part of city life.”

Carolyn Pugsley, Freshwater PR

Issue 124

“It’s the magazine of choice when you want to find out what is happening in the locality, with articles on interesting businesses and personalities. And numerous social events and the Cardiff Life Awards have propelled the magazine into a position where it acts as the glue between local businesses and organisations. We recently hosted a social at our teahouse in the city centre and were blown away by the diversity of the attendees. The mag truly has its finger on the pulse – long may it continue fighting the good fight!”

Kasim Ali, Waterloo Tea Issue 128

“It’s a pleasure to read – editorially, the standard is very high – and the mag is my first port of call when I’m working on a Cardiff-based project or client. It’s been an absolute pleasure dealing with the team over the last few years and I’m very grateful for all the support they’ve given me.

Happy tenth birthday, Cardiff Life – here’s to the next ten (and hopefully more)!”

Elin Rees, Elin Rees PR w www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 17

Issue 145

“Cardiff Life is a fantastic magazine, showcasing all that Cardiff has to offer. The quality of the content is second-to-none, and I genuinely look forward to each edition. As a big foodie, I know I can rely on it to help me discover the very best eateries in town. Professionally, it has really helped Slater and Gordon raise its profile, particularly through being shortlisted for a Cardiff Life Award, which is something we are all incredibly proud of.”

Carys Murphy, Slater and Gordon Lawyers “The magazine provides a feast of interesting articles. I enjoy reading it as a business professional, but my teenage daughter also reads it for the lifestyle, travel and fashion segments. The energy and enthusiasm executed by the staff at Cardiff Life makes it stand out. Business associates I have dealt with for many years want to be seen in it – the magazine generates a real vibe of excitement.”

Gail de’Claire, Charles Stanley

“Savills’ Cardiff office is also celebrating its tenth anniversary this year – we are proud to say that we advertised in the first edition of Cardiff Life and have continued to do so ever since. It is always a colourful and exciting magazine. I enjoy checking out the What’s On pages for any fun events on the horizon. And everybody loves Snapped!, just to see who has been enjoying the parties and events over the past month!”

Daniel Rees, Savills Issue 154

Issue 156

“The magazine is the ideal outlet for Cardiff Airport to share its updates on exciting developments and new routes to an engaged audience in the heart of our market. And the response we’ve had as headline sponsor of the Cardiff Life Awards has been invaluable. We’ve enjoyed great brand exposure, made new contacts and I’ve even been part of the judging panel!

I’d like to wish Cardiff Life a very happy tenth anniversary, and every success on their continued journey as one of the city’s finest publications.”

Debra Barber, CEO, Cardiff Airport

“We’ve worked closely with Cardiff Life over the last few years and they do a really great job of supporting independent businesses.

I’ve been impressed by how they take the time to understand our needs and tailor their support accordingly. It’s a fantastic magazine for the local area and in my opinion has certainly become the go-to publication for those living and working in our city.”

Jon Saunders, The Dead Canary Issue 157 18 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

IT’S OUR B I R T H D AY !

“It’s a quality, highly stylish magazine which I love reading. We display it in our Laguna Bar and Laguna Spa for clients to enjoy. I have been absolutely delighted to see the yield that our adverts produce, and we are always thrilled to be involved as a sponsor in the Cardiff Life Awards. Congratulations!”

Caroline Sims, Park Plaza

“Cardiff Life is a great supporter of the arts in Cardiff – we’ve had some wonderful coverage, in particular around major events such as City of the Unexpected and Festival of Voice. As someone still relatively new to Cardiff, I enjoy finding out more about the city through the magazine’s features and guides. I really like the fact that it also supports and champions small, local creative businesses. We hope to continue working with Cardiff Life for many years to come.”

Graeme Farrow, Wales Millennium Centre

Issue 163

Issue 164

“Cardiff Life is celebrating its tenth year because of the team of dedicated individuals who work tirelessly to showcase the very best that Cardiff has to offer. Over the years, it has proven a valuable point of reference for everything Cardiff whilst helping us promote our organisation and raise our profile. The Cardiff Lives Q&A never fails to make me laugh, smile or learn something new about the people who make this city the wonderful place it is.

Penblwydd hapus!”

James Robinson, Hello Starling

“The magazine does a brilliant job of celebrating everything that’s special about our capital city.

The quality of each edition, both editorially and through eye-catching design, makes it stand head and shoulders above other publications in the marketplace. It’s an invaluable advertising tool for us, but I also enjoy reading it to keep up-to-date with city life. All of us at St David’s really enjoy working with the Cardiff Life team, and send huge congratulations for their tenth birthday!”

Hywel Butcher, St David’s Dewi Sant

Issue 165

“For me, it’s the go-to magazine for lifestyle, arts and cultural events in Cardiff. It keeps me up-to-speed and in touch with what’s going on. I love the shopping pages – it’s great to support independent businesses and boutiques, and I always get a thrill to see my own work in there!”

Anne Morgan, Anne Morgan Jewellery Issue 167

“The team has been incredibly supportive of us, and open to ideas when we want to gain coverage for our clients. It’s a must-see publication in our office for anyone wanting to know what’s what and who’s who in Cardiff – from the Snapped! section to the most gorgeous homes across Cardiff and the Vale. Here’s to the next ten years – and thanks for your support!”

Vicki Spencer-Francis, Cowshed PR www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 19

The BIG PICTURE Even after ten years, we still love to see Cardiff in a fresh, surprising light. We asked five of our favourite local photographers to share a particularly hot shot – and tell us how and why they captured it...

22 I cardiff LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

IMAGES OF CARDIFF

JAKE MORLEY “This was taken four years ago, but it sticks in my mind as one of my favourite Cardiff wedding images. This couple were great fun on their big day. While walking from the ceremony at the city’s magnificent City Hall to the reception at the Happy Gathering in Canton, we stopped in the park for a few pictures. Cardiff has so many amazing backdrops, from historic buildings through to the sleek modern textures of the newer developments.” jakemorley.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 23

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IMAGES OF CARDIFF

OWEN MATHIAS “The Angel Hotel, on the corner of Westgate Street and Castle Street, is said to have existed since 1666, in various guises. I love this photo because the wide angle makes the hotel and its corner location look like the famous Flatiron building in New York. The light trails remind us how busy Cardiff’s traffic can be at this interchange, and how modern culture has impacted upon this 450 year-old icon of the city.” owenmathias.com

NICK TREHARNE “This image of a daring young child, walking along the snout of Roald Dahl’s Enormous Crocodile, at Cardiff Bay Barrage, was taken in December last year, with the beautiful weather providing a rich blue sky behind the bright green crocodile. I needed a very low camera angle to hide the skyline of Cardiff Bay in the distance and a brave model who was happy to oblige, with the blessing of her father.” nicktreharne.com

24 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

KIRSTEN MCTERNAN “This was taken for [Cardiff-based singer/ songwriter] Sweet Baboo, for the cover of his The Marc Riley BBC Sessions LP. It was taken at the cloakroom section of the ladies’ bathroom in Cardiff Masonic Hall on Guildford Street – the most beautifully untouched 60s/70s room, complete with wood panelling, retro mirrors and vintage orange leather chairs. We were looking to recreate a 60s music studio portrait, in the style of [BBC Radiophonic Workshop/electronic music composer] Delia Derbyshire, so we lugged masses of dusty old analogue equipment up two flights of stairs to use as the backdrop.

However, at the last minute we decided to take a photograph without any of the equipment in it.

Straight away, we knew it was the one.” kirstenmcternan.zenfolio.com

SACHA MILLER “Here is an image I created at a same-sex wedding in Cardiff Castle. For me, it sums up what I love about photographing weddings and our capital city.

Namely, that they both share elements of diversity, friendship and good humour, with one of our historic landmarks looming in the background.” sachamiller.co.uk

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A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E A R T / D I N I N G

ART OF THE MATTER The Market Place in Cowbridge hosts a dining event and exhibition by award-winning artist HORMAZD NARIELWALLA

H

ormazd Narielwalla believes that “shapes created by and for a body long dead can give new dimensions, new perspectives for the living body.” Fashion moves on and its templates are soon discarded, but this exciting artist uses the redolent remains to meditate on the human condition.

Narielwalla’s practice began among the bespoke tailors of Savile Row, yet their classic brown paper patterns are not the only ones referenced in his unique collages and artist’s books. With coloured papers and acetate, he brings vitality to venerable templates, whether 1970s luxury lingerie designs (Lady Gardens), antique magazine inserts (Le Petit Echo de la Mode) or 1920s tailoring manuals (Hungarian Peacocks). Freed from function, these patterns can be seen as abstract drawings, and Narielwalla builds on the legacy of Cubism, to radically reinterpret the human form.

PAPER CUTS AND COLLAGES

On Friday 25 August 2017, at 12.30pm, join us for a special art event by Hormazd Narielwalla himself. Enjoy a drinks and canapés reception and meet the artist, followed by our chef’s delicious two-course set lunch. To start, a selection of canapés upon arrival, then a choice of main course: assiette of pork – honey-glazed pork belly, stuffed apricot tenderloin, thyme and garlic rillettes, black pudding purée and caramelized apple – or open ravioli of Mediterranean vegetables, with goat’s cheese, asparagus, spiced chickpeas and spinach velouté.

Then a choice of desserts to finish – choose from dark chocolate melting fondant, brandy cherries, coconut ice cream and popping candy tuile, or a selection of cheeses, biscuits, apple chutney, grapes and celery. All this for only £29.95 (including VAT).

Contact us now to purchase your lunching event ticket, or find more information at www. the-marketplace.co.uk/pages/specialevents.

ALFRESCO DINING

The familiar luxury of our restaurant’s interior complements the wonderful historic building that is The Market Place, making for a relaxed yet sophisticated lunch and dinner in the heart of Cowbridge.

Our restaurant opens into a secluded and beautiful walled courtyard garden – tailor-made for al fresco dining – hidden within the old medieval town wall of Cowbridge.

It’s a perfect place to chill out and enjoy a sunny lunch or a balmy, early summer evening meal. www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 27

Would you like to work in Media Sales?

We are always looking to hear from talented individuals who would like to work for MediaClash, presenting advertising opportunities and marketing solutions across our portfolio of fantastic local titles. We are a growing business and anticipate there being various opportunities over the next few months.

If you would like to join our continuing success story please email your CV to mark.george@mediaclash.co.uk or give us a call anytime on 01225 475800 for a chat about the company, our magazines and available positions.

www.mediaclash.co.uk

ad v er t i s i n g feat u re E d u c at i o n

Meet the Nursery We asked local nurseries: “What sets you apart from the rest?”

Cherie Wilson Acorns Nurseries Limited Tel 02920 382009 www.acornsnurseries.co.uk

Tell us about yourself...

I qualified as a Nursery Nurse and began my Acorns career at Baby Acorns in Partridge Road in 1990. As Operational Director, I oversee the day to day running of 11 nurseries and our holiday scheme – Action Pak, as well as leading and inspiring our team of 335 staff.

My own two boys attended Acorns and I have recently become a Grandmother.

What are you most proud of at Acorns?

I am so proud of our nursery team and I recognise we are only ever as good as the wonderful people we have working for us.

We have an exceptional retention of staff record and many of our staff have worked for Acorns for over 25 years!

Our Nursery Managers all started as Nursery Nurses and have grown organically in the ‘Acorns Culture’. All our staff develop their knowledge and qualifications with the Acorns policy of continuous staff development. A quarter of our staff have achieved the highest possible childcare qualification – NVQ Level 5 with many also completing Level 2 in Team Leadership.

What makes your nursery so special?

Our philosophy is to provide the same standards of care and dedication that we would want for our own children. We can provide the very highest standards of care because of the skills and dedication of our Nursery Team as mentioned above.

We have our own team of Maintenance staff, Gardeners and Decorators, who ensure the Nurseries are maintained regularly and provide a safe and welcoming environment for the children. All our staff are paediatric first aid trained and we have invested in a defibrillator in every Acorns Nursery. Each Nursery has its very own Chef who prepare home cooked meals, often using fruit and vegetables grown in our gardens.

We are fortunate to have a variety of beautiful buildings and very large natural gardens, where children can take part in Forest School sessions and sporting activities as well as exploring and discovering in our outdoor classrooms. The equipment, toys are furniture we use within our nurseries are of the highest quality.

What is paramount to picking a good nursery?

For any parent, it will be one of the most important decisions a parent will have to make. Parents should visit a number of nurseries and they will be surprised how they will get a ‘feeling’ of what is right for their family.

At Acorns we have an ‘Open-Door’ Policy where parents can come and visit at any time during the day without an appointment. I would say this is an important indicator of the quality of a nursery. The nursery environment should be warm, bright, clean, happy and welcoming.

ingredients. Having seasonal vegetables ensures that everything we provide is as fresh as can be – most of it is picked that morning!

Sara Williams Meithrinfa Y Pelican Tel 02921 328842 www.ypelican.co.uk

Tell us about yourself...

Our incentive for opening Y Pelican was a desire to offer children from different families the gift of the Welsh language and a wholesome, healthy diet, while doing all we can to be kind to our environment, and where each baby and child is respected for their individuality.

What is paramount to picking a good nursery?

I believe that you get a feel for a place when you are shown around, be it from the staff or the building itself.

If you are comfortable and happy, then it will be a lot easier to leave your child!

What are you most proud of?

Our ethical and sustainable ethos. We are aware of the environmental problems facing us and want to help create a better future for the children we care for. All cleaning products used are eco-friendly, and our products don’t use harmful chemicals that are damaging to your health.

Our nappies are also 100% recycled into plasterboard.

Food is sourced from local farmers, making sure our meals have the best

What makes your nursery so special?

Y Pelican is special thanks to the staff and parents.

We like to see ourselves as another side to the family, and like to help as much as we can by being flexible and understanding to parents’ needs, with extended opening hours for those busy people.

What makes your nursery different from others?

Definitely our delicious, nutritious food! It’s all freshly cooked daily by Lisa, our wonderful chef. We use organic produce from our hard-working local farmers.

Some of it even comes from our very own veggie patch, which our children have helped to nurture.

We also use organic aromatherapy oils instead of harsh chemical-filled air fresheners, and natural balms for those little bottoms.

What is your greatest achievement to date?

Being runner-up in the Nursery of The Year Awards in 2016, having only been open for a year. And being a finalist in the Cardiff Life Awards wasn’t too bad an achievement, either!

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 29

7 July – 7 August

Turner Prize-winning artist/musician, Martin Creed; a bit of posh – Jack Whitehall is back; Sugar Baby, the latest from award-winning Cardiff theatre company Dirty Protest

Plays/Shows/ Performance 10 -1 3 J ULY

F.E.A.R Performance mavericks Mr & Mrs Clark present a brave, revealing, intimate and hilarious one-man show, charting a path from early childhood to mid-life crisis.

Chapter; chapter.org 11 -1 5 J ULY

35 TIMES Jules’ coffee mornings are a place to get creative, learn a waltz and speak out, as six brave women find their voices, in this new production by Mercury Theatre Wales.

Chapter; chapter.org 13 -1 5 J ULY

THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR Nikolai Gogol’s fast-paced, riotous, ever-popular satire on

corruption in imperial Russia, as relevant today as it would have been when he wrote it, in 1835.

Part of the Russia 17 season.

Sherman Theatre; shermantheatre.co.uk 1 5 - 1 6 JU LY

HIRAETH: I DIDN’T GET TO BREATHE TODAY Sublimely choreographed, site-specific dance, music and performance piece from the highly-regarded Frag(mental) collective, drawing on fragments of personal experiences, storytelling and life observations.

West Wharf Gallery; cardifffringetheatrefestival.co.uk 1 7 - 2 9 JU LY

GREASE: THE MUSICAL Time to dust off that leather jacket and pull on your bobbysocks – it’s the original high school musical! “Summer lovin’, had me a blast...”

Wales Millennium Centre; wmc.org.uk

30 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

MACBETH Treachery! Murder! Black magic!

Everyman Theatre’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s popular tragedy, as your man and Lady Macbeth embark on a savage and bloody pursuit of power and success.

Sophia Gardens; cardiffopenairtheatrefestival.co.uk

reckoning, leaving Jenny and Tommy forever bound together by blood and fate. Brutal and beautiful, Hywel John’s play fuses raw, epic romance with guttural urban poetry to tell the story of a secret generational legacy of love, violence and fury.

Presented by The Other Room.

Wales Millennium Centre; wmc.org.uk

25-28 J ULY

29-30 J ULY

20-29 J ULY

SUGAR BABY Being a small-time drug dealer in Cardiff is tough, especially when your old man owes £6,000 to a loan shark who’s got a tattoo of Beyoncé on his neck, in this comedy from acclaimed writer Alan Harris and award-winning Welsh company, Dirty Protest.

Chapter; chapter.org 28-29 J ULY

SEANMHAIR A chance meeting between two children on the streets of Edinburgh leads to a terrible

THE TEMPEST Taking Flight Theatre present Shakespeare’s magical play, set aboard a luxury ocean liner.

Performances take place at Trelai Park, Ely (29 July) and The Kymin, Penarth (30 July). takingflighttheatre.co.uk 1-12 AUGU S T

THE ADDAMS FAMILY Uncle Fester, Lurch, Pugsley and co return in this heart-warming musical comedy.

Wales Millennium Centre; wmc.org.uk

W H AT ’ S O N

ARTS

Comedy 9 & 1 6 J ULY

THE GATHERING A new, regular Sunday night of stand-up, sketches, festival previews and featured acts, hosted by Mark Olver.

Glee Club; glee.co.uk 1 5 J ULY

JACK WHITEHALL More self-mockery from everyone’s favourite toff.

Wales Millennium Centre; wmc.org.uk 3 1 J ULY

DANIEL SIMONSEN Work-in-progress show from the Norwegian comic and Edinburgh Comedy Awards’ Best Newcomer, as seen on Russell Howard’s Good News and Vic and Bob’s House Of Fools.

Chapter; chapter.org

Music 1 1 -1 2 JULY

COLDPLAY Chris Martin and chums bring their A Head Full Of Dreams show to town. Both dates sold out – you know the drill...

Principality Stadium; principalitystadium.wales 1 2 J ULY

THE SPOOKY MEN’S CHORALE Revered Australian collective, veering between Georgian anthems, tender arrangements of traditional and contemporary classics, absurdist humour and a “triumph of choregraphy.”

St David’s Hall; stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk 1 3 -1 6 JULY

PENARTH CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL Featuring internationally acclaimed, UK-based musicians.

Penarth Pier Pavilion; penarthpavilion.co.uk 1 5 J ULY

CARDIFF PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA The Orchestra’s 35th birthday concert, with key pieces by Strauss and Elgar.

St David’s Hall; stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

Macabre mischief: The Addams Family – the touring musical comedy version – calls in at Wales Millennium Centre

2 2 JU LY

MARTIN CREED A delightfully non-conformist evening of words, music, talk and songs, courtesy of the Turner Prize-winning artist and musician.

Chapter; chapter.org 2 2 - 2 9 JU LY

WELSH PROMS The annual classical, jazz and folk extravaganza is back – don’t miss the high-spirited Last Night, one of the great dates in Cardiff’s concert diary, featuring a feast of beloved classics.

St David’s Hall; stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

exploring different aspects of contemporary India.

Ffotogallery; ffotogallery.org UNTIL 27 J ULY

PICK OF THE DEGREE SHOWS Featuring work by South Wales’ Fine Art graduates, including installation, photography, painting and ceramics.

Cardiff MADE; @CardiffMADE UNTIL 27 AUG UST

JODIE HATCHER: METALWORK Beautiful sculptural objects made from thin copper strips.

Craft In The Bay; makersguildinwales.org.uk

2 3 JU LY

JULIA FORDHAM Late 80s/early 90s singersongwriter (and major Cardiff Life crush, back in the day), promoting latest album, The Language Of Love.

Acapela; acapela.co.uk 2 8 JU LY

THE DOORS ALIVE One of the best Doors tribute acts around, natch.

Acapela; acapela.co.uk

Art U N TI L 2 2 JU LY

A MILLION MUTINIES LATER – INDIA AT 70 Photography exhibition,

UNTIL 9 S EP T EM B ER

SUMMER EXHIBITION Changing exhibition of new work by over 50 emerging and established artists, across a variety of media.

Albany Gallery; albanygallery.com UNTIL 3 1 J ANUARY 2 0 1 8

BACON TO DOIG: MODERN MASTERPIECES FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION Featuring work by prominent 20th-century British artists and sculptors, including Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, Barbara Hepworth, David Hockney, Grayson Perry and more.

National Museum Cardiff; museumwales.ac.uk

UNTIL 3 SEP TEMBER

AGATHA CHRISTIE: A LIFE IN PHOTOGRAPHS New exhibition illustrating the life of the ‘queen of crime’, with rarely seen photographs from the author’s private collection.

See also Spotlight news, page 10.

National Museum Cardiff; museumwales.ac.uk

12-29 JU LY

DICK CHAPPELL, VIVIENNE WILLIAMS AND RICHARD BARRETT Landscapes and still lives from the influential trio of artists.

Martin Tinney Gallery; artwales.com UNTIL 2 4 NO V EM B ER

UNTIL 3 SEP TEMBER

GILLIAN AYRES Major showcase of work from the Turner Prize-nominated painter, one of the leading and most revered abstract artists of her generation, no less.

National Museum Cardiff; museumwales.ac.uk

MEGAN COPE & HELEN JOHNSON Joint exhibition of large-scale paintings and video work, exploring the complex colonial and cultural relationship between Australia and Britain, via notions of identity, power and social history.

Chapter; chapter.org w

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 31

ARTS

W H AT ’ S O N

Lock up your daughters: The Spooky Men’s Chorale are coming to St David’s Hall

Family

Sport

ONGOING

SATU RDAY 1 5 J ULY

DOCTOR WHO EXPERIENCE Experience mind-blowing special effects, face up to Who baddies and fly the TARDIS through time and space.

Porth Teigr, Cardiff Bay; doctorwhoexperience.com

Book Now 1 4 -2 5 N O V E M B E R

TIGER BAY A revolution is brewing in the dark and restless world beneath the genteel surface of Cardiff’s Butetown, in this epic new musical drama that brings Tiger Bay roaring to life.

Wales Millennium Centre; wmc.org.uk 2 7 APRI L 2 0 1 8

MY FAMILY: NOT THE SITCOM David Baddiel’s Oliviernominated one-man show about memory, ageing, infidelity, dysfunctional relatives, moral policing on social media, golf, and gay cats.

St David’s Hall; stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

GLAMORGAN v SOMERSET NatWest T20 Blast, 7pm.

SSE Swalec; glamorgancricket.com FRI DAY 2 1 JULY

GLAMORGAN v SUSSEX NatWest T20 Blast, 6.30pm.

SSE Swalec; glamorgancricket.com SU N DAY 2 3 JULY

GLAMORGAN v ESSEX NatWest T20 Blast, 2.30pm.

SSE Swalec; glamorgancricket.com FRI DAY 2 8 JULY

GLAMORGAN v SURREY NatWest T20 Blast, 6.30pm.

SSE Swalec; glamorgancricket.com THU RSDAY 3 AUG UST

GLAMORGAN v GLOUCESTERSHIRE NatWest T20 Blast, 6.30pm.

SSE Swalec; glamorgancricket.com MON DAY 7 AUG UST

ENGLAND v INDIA Under-19 ODI, 10.30am. SSE Swalec; glamorgancricket.com

32 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

WANT MORE? Sign up now for the Cardiff Life newsletter As editor of this fine mag, there’s nothing I love more than drawing your attention to this great city’s choicest events, places and people.

To keep readers fully updated about what’s happening in Cardiff, we send out a free Friday email newsletter, packed with news, tips and special offers. (Please note: no way will we share your data with any third parties – we’re just not like that!)

So if you’d like a friendly hello from us in your inbox as the weekend beckons, please sign up today: mediaclash.co.uk/cln

T H E A L B A N Y G A L L E RY

SUMMER EXHIBITION 6th July - 9th September A changing exhibition of work by more than 50 artists View the exhibition on our website www.albanygallery.co.uk 74b Albany Road, Cardiff, CF24 3RS | T: 029 2048 7158 | E: info@albanygallery.com Gallery open: Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sundays and Bank Holidays 11am-4pm

F E AT U R E

INTERIORS SPECIAL

Award-winning shows, plaudits galore, a complete reversal of fortunes – it’s been a quite a couple of years for Sherman Theatre and its visionary artistic director, RACHEL O’RIORDAN. We catch up with her ahead of the theatre’s new production of Chekhov’s tragi-comic masterpiece, The Cherry Orchard

By E L I SA BE T H M A HON E Y 34 42 II CARDIFF CLIFTON LIFE LIFE II www.mediaclash.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk

T H E AT R E

T (Opposite page) Sherman’s highlyanticipated take on Chekhov’s classic The Cherry Orchard is coming in October; (This page, from top) The hugely-successful Iphigenia In Splott, written by Gary Owen; artistic director Rachel O’Riordan in profile

RACHEL HAS NOT ONLY SAVED THE SHERMAN, SHE’S TURNED IT INTO AN INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS

he turnaround in fortunes at the Sherman Theatre since Rachel O’Riordan took up the post of artistic director in 2014 is a suitably dramatic tale. The director, who trained as a dancer and did a PhD on Shakespeare before moving into creating her own productions, had previously worked at Hampstead Theatre, The Royal Exchange in Manchester and the Peter Hall Company.

She recalls her worst moment, new to the Sherman post, with a shudder. “The venue was in trouble when I got the job, no two ways about it.

There was a day when I was sitting in the main auditorium, which seats 452 people, and I did a head count. There were 32 people in the room, including myself.” The venue had just lost its annual £160,000 grant, and morale – for those still in their jobs – was at an all-time low.

Cut to now, and the Sherman’s award-winning shows, which tour to London’s prestigious National Theatre and Royal Court, the Edinburgh Festival and even Broadway, are the hottest tickets in town. There’s a new, palpable sense of ambition about the place, and that clearly stems from the Irish vortex of energy now leading the team. “I don’t give up easy,” O’Riordan says, “so I came in thinking I will change this, or die trying.

I can be quite tough, and was very clear about what I wanted to achieve. The Sherman identity just wasn’t there; there wasn’t a clear vision of what theatre was in the place, so I set out what I wanted it to be under my directorship and I’ve stuck to that.”

The turnaround began with her first production, Romeo and Juliet, which was specifically designed to bring a new, younger audience into the venue. It worked.

Then, despite the financial challenges, O’Riordan focused on developing Sherman as a producing rather than receiving theatre: making

ARTS

new work in and for the capital city instead of booking shows made elsewhere. The theatre now produces more work than ever before, and on much tighter budgets.

Initiatives were put in place to get different people through the doors and connect more widely with people across the city: ‘Sherman 5’ offers a free first visit to visitors from Communities First areas, complete with free transport to the venue. Such game-changing initiatives, combined with O’Riordan building an outstanding creative team to work with, have revitalised the Sherman. Her first Christmas show, Arabian Nights, doubled the theatre’s usual sales.

But if there is one pivotal moment, it was the opening night of Gary Owen’s Iphigenia In Splott in 2015, with its five-star review from The Guardian (“perfect theatre”) and immediate impact on the UK theatre scene. Suddenly, everyone was talking about Cardiff, and the play would go on to the National Theatre, a run in New York (where it also received rave reviews) and a UK tour.

“The most important thing Rachel has done is to save the Sherman,” Owen explains. “One of the most important institutions in Cardiff’s arts world was months from closing when she took over, and she turned it around. Then, beyond saving the place, she’s turned it into an international success.

“I work with theatres all over the UK, and these days the first thing a theatre in London will say to me is, “If you’re doing something new with the Sherman, we’d love to be a part of it.” Five years ago, none of them were saying that. And Rachel’s achieved this success on the meagrest of resources, and overwhelmingly by using local talent, rather than buying in expertise from over the border.”

The two are now working on the Sherman’s major autumn production, a new version of Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, set in Pembrokeshire in 1980. The National Theatre is supporting the play’s development, and when we chat, O’Riordan is just back from a week’s workshopping of the play in London.

“It’s one of the most radical reimaginings of a play I’ve ever read,” she says. “It somehow manages to be entirely Chekhov and nothing like it. In 1980, nobody knew where Thatcherism was going to go: individualism, capitalism, change. It’s about letting go of things we thought were stable, and that’s exactly what the original play is about.”

Tickets are on sale now, so you might want to get booking pronto.

I ask O’Riordan to name her favourite play, fully expecting to be told that’s an impossible question. But no, quick as a flash, she replies: “I always go back to Shakespeare, to King Lear, for the sheer extraordinary strength and beauty of the story-telling.

“I’ve never directed it,” she adds, with the fasttalking passion and determination I’ve heard all through the interview, “but I will.”

The Cherry Orchard is at Sherman Theatre from 13-28 October. For more, see shermantheatre.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 35

Stockists of: Rixo London Essentiel Antwerp Onjenu London Velvet Ag jeans 360 cashmere Rails Wyse London IDA jeans Stella Forest Uzma Bozai Pyrus Baum Und Pferdgarten MunthĂŠ Rabens Saloner Penny Black Isle Jacobsen Custommade Stella Nova YAYA Indie and Cold ....and much more

Unit 1, Pontcanna Mews, 200 Kings Road, Cardiff CF11 9DF Tel: 02920 225 522 | kiticymru.com | info@kiticymru.com Facebook- Kiti | Instagram- Kiticymru | Twitter- kiticymru

FILM

ARTS

ALONE IN BERLIN IS A TIMELY FILM ABOUT THE POWER OF PROTEST

(Clockwise from top) Alone In Berlin, Churchill, and Destination Unknown

IN THE WARS World War II continues to inspire modern film-makers, with three new movies set between 1939 and 1945 showing at Chapter this month

By JA M I E R E E S

W F I L M O F T H E MO NT H

MANHATTAN Woody Allen’s classic 1979 romantic comedy/drama, a love letter to New York City Twice-divorced comedy writer Isaac (Allen) navigates entanglements with journalist Mary (Diane Keaton) and high school senior Tracy (Mariel Hemingway). Met with widespread critical acclaim, this is the essential Woody Allen, shot in lustrous black and white and perfectly scored with the music of George Gershwin.

Showing at Chapter on 23 and 25 July, certificate 12A

e begin with Churchill (PG, until 20 July), which sees Brian Cox following in the footsteps of Gary Oldman, Albert Finney and Michael Gambon to portray the great man who led Britain to victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. 48 hours before the D-Day landings in 1944, allied forces assembled an army on Britain’s south coast but had to wait for an anxious and belligerent Churchill’s agreement.

An immersive look at the iconic and fascinating ‘greatest Briton’, as he weighed up his strengths and weaknesses and risked personal relationships in this nail-bitingly crucial stage of the war.

Alone In Berlin (12A, until 20 July), meanwhile, stars Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson as working-class couple Otto and Anna Quangel, who are doing their best to ride out the war in 1940s Berlin. But when their son is killed fighting on the frontline, everything changes. They begin pouring their rage and grief into postcards emblazoned with anti-Nazi slogans, risking everything to disseminate their messages of protest across the city. Their seemingly small acts of subversion rattle the regime, including a police inspector who will not

rest until the culprits have been caught. All told, it’s a timely film about the power of protest, based on the true story of two ordinary people trying to make a difference.

Finally, we have Destination Unknown (12A, 13 July), the story of twelve survivors, their families torn apart by the Holocaust, striving to build a new future after the war. Combining unique and intimate testimony with immersive archive, the film unveils the human stories underlying the events of the Holocaust, including one of the few escapees from the terror of Treblinka, and an exclusive interview with Mietek Pemper, who helped Oskar Schindler compile his now-famous list, which saved 1,200 people from being killed in the Holocaust.

The film traces the narrow paths to survival, whether in hiding, fighting as partisans, or enduring the concentration camps. But the participants’ stories do not end with liberation – we see how they had to survive the chaos that came afterwards, and their attempts to build new lives.

It’s followed by a Q&A with producer Llion Roberts and director Claire Ferguson.

For more: chapter.org

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 37

Gifts/fashion/stores/more

ON THE RECORD

Spillers Records, of course, is a Cardiff institution, so it seems more than apt to mention them in this, our tenth anniversary edition. And, given their triumphant Glasto headlining slot and enhanced 20th anniversary reissue of defining album OK Computer, Radiohead are arguably the band of the moment. You’ll have to be quick to bag one of the fancy, ultra-limited blue vinyl copies* (*smug alert – we’ve got ours), but don’t worry if you miss out: Spillers has plenty of other essential vinyl (and CD) goodies you’ll want instead. Happy crate-digging!

Spillers Records, 27 Morgan Arcade, Cardiff; Tel: 02920 224905, spillersrecords.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 39

1

2

3

FLIGHTS of FANCY

4

BIRDS, PLANES, KITES, BEES – YOU GET THE PICTURE…

5

1. PULL THE STRINGS

2. BUZZIN’!

3. HELLO, PETAL

4. PREY TELL

5. GOING CHEEP

Aerobie Symphony beach kite, £29.99 Just add a good breeze and golden sands From John Lewis, The Hayes, Cardiff; johnlewis.com

Bee cushion, £13.95 You’ll need three or four for the full swarm effect, of course – from Cardiffbased Spicetag From Spicetag; spicetag.com

Demoiselle silk scarf, from £95 Created by French textile designer Celine Chassary, this beautiful Chacha by Iris scarf is digitally printed on luxurious silk From Pad Deco, 35 Castle Arcade, Cardiff; paddeco.com

Eagle Batwing t-shirt, £135 Just pair with black jeggings and silver sandals – job done From Vivienne Westwood, The Hayes, Cardiff; viviennewestwood.com

Scion Lintu Birds rug, from £180 Handmade in India, from thick, soft 100% wool – cute, too From John Lewis, The Hayes, Cardiff; johnlewis.com

40 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

ED’S CHOICE

SHOPPING

7

6

8

9

10

6. GAME ON!

7. ZIP IT

8. THE SPAIN EVENT

9. BEAK PERFORMANCE

10. IT’S A BIRDIE!

Cardiff City 2017/18 home shirt, £45 Bluebirds, flight – geddit?

From Cardiff City FC; cardiffcityfc.co.uk

Seagulls wash bag, £15.99 Toiletries, make-up, costume jewellery, odds and sods – fill it with whatever takes your fancy From Shore, The Esplanade, Penarth; shorecoastal.co.uk

The 500 Hidden Secrets Of Barcelona, £13.95 The best bars, restaurants, locals hangouts and more – fly from Cardiff!

From Waterstones, 2A The Hayes, Cardiff; waterstones.com

Lovebirds tray, £55 Serve up a special breakfast in bed to your other half, or frame it – the choice is yours From Pad Deco, 35 Castle Arcade, Cardiff; paddeco.com

O’Jays print (contact for prices) We can’t get enough of Patternistas – this, and more of the creative studio’s gorgeous patterns, can be printed on all manner of interior and exterior surfaces From Patternistas; patternistas.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk II CLIFTON CARDIFF LIFE LIFE II 41 www.mediaclash.co.uk 69

SHOPPING

FA S H I O N

YOU’RE the FEST THING! Whether you’re kicking off festival season at Green Man or ending the summer at The Good Life Experience, these festi-fabulous pieces will see you through

T

he key to creating the ultimate festival look? Be nonchalant.

In order to rock the ‘I’ve just thrown this on but still look fabulous’ vibe, the one-piece will forever be your friend. We adore Michael Kors’ cute daytime dresses, especially the yellow crochet lace number which would look perfect paired with wellies, a tan belt and a messenger bag. Or if jumpsuits are more your thing, there are plenty of good styles around to choose from – John Lewis has plenty to start you off.

A durable jacket is always a festival essential, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose fashion points – try All Saints or Reiss for biker-style jackets with a twist. Denim jackets are also a great investment to pull your festival look together, and the classy embroidered number by Michael Kors (see opposite) goes with pretty much anything.

For ultimate fashion creds, it’s all about well-chosen accessories: think Wayfarers, cool chokers, a good waterproof, even a vintage fisherman’s hat. And you’ll need a sturdy but stylish backpack, naturally, such as the dark cherry-coloured leather example from Radley (pictured opposite) – small enough to strap on while pulling killer shapes to your favourite band. Now, where’s the beer tent?

All items available at St David’s Dewi Sant in Cardiff at time of writing. To keep up to date with the latest trends, news and offers, see St David’s on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter (@StDavidsCardiff), or at stdavidscardiff.com 44 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Multi-floral lace shift dress, £230, MICHAEL Michael Kors

FA S H I O N 1

SHOPPING

2 3

4

5

6

7 9

8 10

1. Acorn Moroccan medium leather saddlebag, £330, MICHAEL Michael Kors 2. Taxi yellow crochet lace dress, £220, MICHAEL Michael Kors 3. Grace suede biker jacket, £395, Reiss 4. Floral embellished oversized denim jacket, £350, MICHAEL Michael Kors 5. Northcote Road leather backpack, £189, Radley 6. Carme striped tee, £38, All Saints 7. Arielana print shorts, £130, Reiss 8. Printed bloom rubber wellington boots by Joules, £44.95, John Lewis 9. Baby Brother flat sandals, £480, Vivienne Westwood 10. Wayfarer sunglasses, £180, Vivienne Westwood www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 45

YOU’VE GOT THE LUXE Stressed, tired and overloaded with the rigours and toils of daily life? Sounds like you’re in dire need of a little pampering – get ready to unwind and recharge with a luxury spa treatment (or two)

By K AT I E K I SSO ON

W

hatever your daily grind – dealing with the kids’ tantrums, exhausting heatwaves, temporary traffic lights – we’re here to rescue you. You need a bit of ‘me’ time, right? Well, we can think of no better way of recharging than with a bit of indulgent pampering at one of the many luxury spas in Cardiff and the Vale. Soothing massages, facials, saunas, holistic treatments... there’s a bit of something for everyone. Now, robe and flip-flops at the ready – prepare to relax...

BEAUTY WITHIN

This medical spa and cosmetic laser clinic in Cowbridge specialises in non-surgical skincare solutions and cosmetic procedures, but also offers traditional spa sessions for men and women. It has an extensive range of de-stressing treatments, from individual facials and massages to exoticallythemed packages, with a light lunch included.

So whether it’s a quick detox or a day’s worth of intense cosseting, this place has you covered.

Must-try: It’s pretty hard to ignore the enigmatically titled ‘Moorish Ceremony of Dreams’. This £235 package includes a spa bath, Rasul body treatment, Elemis Body Nectar Nourishing Float, deep tissue massage and Elemis 48 I cardiff LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

facial. At a mammoth five-and-a-half-hours, it’s R&R on a whole other level.

10 High Street, Cowbridge; beautywithinspa.co.uk

BELLE TOUJOURS

Located in Pontcanna, this leading hair and beauty salon also includes the luxury Twilight Spa – all bases covered. As well as a range of Elemis facials, massages and salt scrubs, you can also get waxed, have eyelash tints, grab a luxury manicure or pedicure, and top up your tan. Your other half won’t recognise you…

Must-try: Call us predictable, but you can’t go wrong with the Touch Facial and Elemis Full Body Massage (£117). For the first hour, the therapist provides gentle facial manipulation followed by an application of anti-ageing solutions, and then a personalised deep tissue back, neck and shoulder or full body massage. Oh, just sign us up now.

113 Cathedral Road, Pontcanna, Cardiff; belletoujours.co.uk

CELTIC MANOR

The five-star rated golf and luxury resort is home to the award-winning Forum Spa – with 16 treatment rooms, a spa bath, relaxation room and an ornately decorated pool that overlooks the rooftop garden, it’s ideal for whiling away the afternoon in opulent surroundings. And do check out the Ocius treatment rooms, offering all manner of signature massages, facials, scrubs and beauty

Main pic: The inviting Forum Pool at Celtic Manor Resort

H E A LT H & BEAUTY

GOT YOUR ROBE AND

FLIP-FLOPS AT THE READY? GOOD. NOW

PREPARE TO RELAX...

treatments for men and women.

Must-try: There are a range of affordable packages, but we were swayed by the whole-body ‘Essential Indulgence’ – with a midweek price of just £142 you get a 50-minute massage of your choosing, plus a choice of two facials. Throw in a light lunch and use of the spa’s facilities, and you’ve got yourself a pretty sweet day off.

Coldra Woods, Usk Valley; celtic-manor.com

HOLM HOUSE

Set in a Zen-style garden overlooking the Bristol Channel, Holm House in Penarth offers a unique range of Indian, Balinese, Malaysian and Japanesethemed treatments, using La Sultane de Saba luxury products. Once you’ve been caressed into a state of relaxed bliss, you have the usual array of facilities to enjoy, including a hydrotherapy pool, tidal current machine, steam room, compact gym and quiet relaxation area.

Must-try: All the treatments sound heavenly, but we’re intrigued by the Gold Anti-Ageing Facial. This £70 session uses a combination of gold mineral particles with caviar extract, rich in vitamins, amino acids and trace elements, and is designed to reduce wrinkles and improve firmness.

Sounds like 75 minutes of gilded heaven.

Marine Parade, Penarth; holmhousehotel.com

LAGUNA HEALTH & SPA

You’re properly spoilt for choice at Park Plaza’s

Laguna spa, which offers an extensive menu of Elemis treatments, from full body massages and hot stones to facials and beauty therapies. Day packages include a light lunch, plus use of the relaxation room, spa bath, steam room and 20-metre swimming pool, with great views across the city. Feeling energetic? The two-storey gym is crammed with state-of-the-art equipment including TRX suspension trainers, spin classes, and Power Plate vibration machines.

Must-try: On a lazy summer’s day, get things off to a sparkling start with the £40 Breakfast Package.

After a 25-minute treatment – choose from a facial, salt scrub back or scalp massage – you can have a refreshing dip in the pool, followed by a continental breakfast with a Prosecco or Buck’s Fizz. Chin-chin!

Park Plaza Hotel, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff; lagunahealthandspa.com

ST DAVID’S HOTEL & SPA

The only AA five-star rated hotel in Cardiff, this modern metal-and-glass building resides on the waterfront of Cardiff Bay, boasting fantastic views. Its highly-rated Marine Spa offers a comprehensive list of treatments and packages to suit all tastes and pockets, and it boasts a 15-metre swimming pool, with a corridor of strategically aimed water jets, and a large hydropool where you can sit and watch the yachts while the water massages your cares away. w www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 49

H E A LT H & BEAUTY Must-try: The Double Decadence Spa Day For Two pretty much says it all. For £225, you and a partner receive a luxurious full body massage and a vitamin glow facial – both 55-minute sessions – with a light lunch at the Waves Lounge, and full use of the spa’s leisure facilities.

Havannah Street, Cardiff Bay; thestdavidshotel.com

URBASBA

Situated in the heart of the capital, this minimalist urban spa at Cardiff & Vale College boasts a jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. You can choose to relax on a heated ceramic bed or be invigorated by a monsoon shower. The centre, run by professionals and college students, also features state-of-the-art hair and beauty facilities with a range of Elemis and Goldwell treatments, microdermabrasion, make-up and hair removal. It’s basically a full service and valet for tired humans.

Must-try: The spa has a huge range of affordable health and beauty treatments, so you could mix and match an entire day of pampering for less than a posh meal. But if we had to pick one, the £40 Elemis Aromaspa Ocean Wrap sounds like a delightful way to let your worries drift away, while cocooned in a comforting layer of fragrant marine algae.

A post-massage snooze at Laguna Health & Spa

Cardiff and Vale College, Dumballs Road, Cardiff; urbasba.co.uk

VALE RESORT

Wales’ largest spa boasts no fewer than six bespoke relaxation rooms, including dedicated ‘slumber’ and ‘chill’ areas, outdoor loungers for sunny days and 19 treatment spaces. The dynamic ying to the spa’s tranquil yang is the recently refurbished gym, which boasts a £400,000 investment in tech-savvy equipment, available to energetic spa guests and favoured by the sporting professionals who train at the resort.

Must-try: For the ultimate in decadent indulgence, we love the idea of the Thursday Chill ’n’ Chocolate (£59). This afternoon session begins at 12.30pm with a buffet lunch, followed by a 55-minute Maychang Halo aromatherapy massage to calm you down, then tea and chocolate to pep you up again.

Hensol Park, Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan; vale-hotel.com

YEAR OF THE TIGER

As you might guess from the name, this health spa near Cardiff city centre takes inspiration from the Far East, where relaxation techniques have been used for thousands of years and are part of daily life. Alongside a range of massage, holistic and beauty therapies, it also specialises in non-invasive treatments to help tone your face and body. And after your session, you can retreat to the relaxation lounge and zone out – just in case you’re not quite chilled enough.

Must-try: The Ultimate 4-Hands Massage sounds particularly intriguing. For just £77, two therapists work together to provide a total body massage – back, legs, feet, head and hands – in order to confuse the brain and aid relaxation.

64 Albany Road, Cardiff; tigerhealthspa.com 50 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

The Marine Spa pool at St David’s Hotel & Spa

Pampering awaits at Cardiff and Vale College’s urbasba

GIRL ABOUT TOWN

Andrea Byrne and family, with interloper Lee Byrne lurking behind

ANDREA BYRNE News a nchor

FEELGOOD FACTOR Community awards, Take That, school lectures and pampering – that ANDREA BYRNE certainly gets about a bit...

S

o, the sun has truly found its way out the last few weeks. We even had a fleeting heatwave, of course, which meant that everyone (including me!) went from moaning that it was too wet, to moaning that it was too hot. Luckily, I had plenty lined up to keep me busy – a packed diary, come rain or shine!

The month started with a visit to Newbridge, for the annual United Welsh housing organisation community awards. It proved to be a very inspirational ceremony, celebrating the work that good neighbours do to put other people first in their local communities – a night with plenty of feelgood factor, something we could all do with a bit more of, given some of the horrific stories that have dominated the news recently.

Speaking of feelgood factor... Next on the agenda was Take That.

Gary, Mark and Howard were playing Swansea and we decided to make a real family affair of it. Me, my mum, my sister-in-law and her cousin were nothing less than wowed by a spectacle of a show – the Fab Three certainly didn’t disappoint. And we even managed to catch up with an Ospreys legend in the Liberty Stadium corridors – I just couldn’t resist the photo opp! Who needs Gary Barlow when you’ve got Lee Byrne? [Go on then, Lee: give us your rendition of Back For Good – Ed].

Once I’d stopped tapping my feet and humming Never Forget,

it was time to prep for a school lecture about the news at Eastern High in Cardiff. Thank you so much to all Year 7’s English classes, who listened so attentively and asked some brilliant questions. I’m looking forward to returning the favour when Mrs Smith brings the pupils into the studios!

It’s certainly been a busy month. And with my husband away working in New Zealand [You mean standing in for Gary Barlow, surely? – Ed] for the British & Irish Lions tour, I took the chance to treat myself to a bit of pampering whilst I had the chance. I’m currently indulging in some amazing skin treatments.

Microdermabrasion, which removes dead skin cells to reveal a fresher complexion, and then derma-rolling, which stimulates blood flow, gives skin a vigorous massage to stimulate collagen growth. It’s all about rejuvenation! And my therapist Natalie, at Beauty and the Brows in Porthcawl, rounds it all off with a luxurious hydrating ‘24K Gold Collagen Face Mask’, which helps fine lines, dark circles and a whole lot more. What’s not to like? I am now super-soft! The only problem is, my skin feels so good afterwards, I never want the sessions to end. So – that’s me. Feelgood people, feelgood music and feel-great skin – literally shedding a layer for the summer. Bring on the holidays!

WHO NEEDS GARY BARLOW WHEN YOU’VE GOT LEE BYRNE?

Follow Andrea on Twitter: @andreabyrnetv, or at andreabyrne.tv

54 I cARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

R E S TA U R A N T

FOOD

Asador 44 The latest addition to the Bar 44 stable takes its modern Spanish food to the next level – and then some

By V E L I M I R I L IC Photo s by OW E N M AT H I A S

R

egular readers will know all about our love for – okay, obsession with – Bar 44, the popular, award-winning mini-chain of modern Spanish tapas restaurants in Cowbridge, Penarth and Cardiff, founded by Owen and Tom Morgan. Now the brothers have channelled their huge passion for authentic Spanish food and wines into a new venture: Asador 44.

Embracing the ‘asador’ style of cooking from the heart of northern Spain – fine meat, fish and veg, slow-cooked over charcoal and different woods on a custom-made grill – the Asador 44 experience is as authentic and considered as you’d expect from the Morgan siblings.

Ardent Hispanophiles to the last, they spent months travelling through Spain to research regional food and find the best ingredients from top producers, and it really shows.

Every last detail has been thought through, from an impressive, predominantly Spanish wine list (including extremely rare and older vintages) to the dry-ageing cabinets on the restaurant floor, stocked with Galician, Asturian and Welsh meat, and an exceptionally well-stocked cheese cave – yep, that’s right, a cave – boasting around 30 types of Spanish queso. That’s proper cheese obsession.

The stylish, statement decor, with its serious, dark woods and exposed bricks, somehow underlines the fact that you’re about to undergo an important, momentous eating experience.

And so it proves. Our feast begins with hand-carved jamón ibérico, its complex flavours – buttery, nutty, grassy – so good that you can almost taste the fresh young pasture the pig would have grazed on. Then, slices of

IT’S A MOMENTOUS EATING EXPERIENCE – FOUR HOURS OF PURE EPICUREAN INDULGENCE

seared, spiced, spankingly fresh tuna, brightened by fresh chilli and creamy avocado; and cured Duroc belly pork, sweet and tender. “That’s the Peppa Pig of pork,” says dining chum, O-man. All painstakingly assembled and beautifully presented, you want to Instagram the hell out of the food almost as much as you want to eat it.

A calabaza – squash, chard and beetroot from the charcoal grill, served with goats’ curd and hazelnuts – is great too, but the best is yet to come. The main event, and the bit we’ve been particularly looking forward to, is the Rubia Gallega chuletón, a huge rib of 45-day dry-aged ten year-old Galician steak – rare breed old cow that has reached the pipe and slippers stage, ostensibly – to share.

Grilled on the bone, served rare and sliced, with a blood orange, fennel and mint salad on the side to cut through its inherent richness, it doesn’t disappoint. With a judiciously salted crust – a good thing – it’s deeply succulent, with a layer of unctuous, melt-in-the-mouth fat that’s just as delicious as the meat itself. We devour piece after piece, ravenous cavemen feasting triumphantly on their kill. At one point, O-man emits a low, primal moan, like Sid James on heat. “That knocks every other steak I’ve ever had into a cocked hat,” he whispers.

But that’s not even the end of it. There’s also a selection of five regional Spanish cheeses – the best of which is a raw, cured hard variety coated in lard and rosemary – served with Pedro Ximenez raisins and membrillo.

Puds follow – moist, earthy Asturian walnut, beetroot and Moscatel cake, with chestnut honey ice cream; and arroz con leche, a kind of reinvented Spanish rice pud, with poached fig and green apple, adorned with artistic splodges and swishes. Just divine.

All told, it’s four hours of pure epicurean indulgence, pretty much one of the most intense, delicious and most pleasurable eating experiences I’ve ever had. Goodness knows how they do it, but the Morgan brothers – true food heroes, relentless in their pursuit of proper artisan Spanish fare – have raised the bar yet again. We’re bloody lucky to have them.

DINING DETAILS Asador 44, Quay Street, Cardiff CF10 1EA; Tel: 02920 020039, asador44.co.uk Opening hours Tuesday to Thursday noon-3pm & 5pm-10pm; Friday and Saturday noon-10.30pm Prices Starters from £7, mains (from the charcoal) from £11, cheeses from £7 (for three), puds £7 Child-friendly? Families are welcome, of course, but there’s definitely more of a grown-up vibe – one for special occasions or date nights Vegetarian choice Lovely goodies to pick at Wine list Incredible, one of the best we’ve seen – predominantly Spanish wines, sherries and ports, plus craft beers, spirits (gin, vodka, tequila/mezcal, pisco etc) and top-notch cocktails Service/atmosphere Staff are friendly, chatty and knowledgeable; quick, fuss-free service; very buzzy atmos – the place to be

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 55

À LA CARTE MENU STARTERS

SOUP OF THE DAY extra virgin olive oil £5.50 CHICKEN LIVER PARFAIT spiced apple chutney, toasted brioche £7.50 SMOKED HADDOCK & SPRING ONION RISOTTO crispy hens egg, parmesan, peas £7.50 CRAYFISH COCKTAIL baby gem lettuce, gazpacho dressing, avocado mango salsa £8.50 FREE RANGE PORK BELLY boudin noir croquette, celeriac remoulade apple puree, pancetta crisp £7.00 HERITAGE TOMATO SALAD mascarpone mousse, tarragon oil focaccia croutons, pinenut vinaigrette £6.50

MAIN COURSE

WELSH LAMB RUMP pressed potato terrine, peas, broad beans, asparagus roast shallots & goats curd £18.50 MARKET FISH saffron mashed potato, spring greens, herb butter sauce, dill oil, confit cherry tomatoes £18.00 10OZ CELTIC PRIDE RIB EYE STEAK £23.00 8OZ CELTIC PRIDE RUMP STEAK £20.00 handmade chips, grilled tomato & mushroom, choice of sauce PEPPERCORN, BLUE CHEESE or WILD MUSHROOM CHICKEN BREAST herb butter, lemon thyme crushed potatoes, chestnut mushrooms, leeks, broccoli, butternut squash £16.50

DESSERTS

TODAYS SPECIALS £6.00 CHOCOLATE PLATE hot fondant, white chocolate mousse popcorn, hazelnut praline parfait passion fruit sauce £8.00 STRAWBERRY & CLOTTED CREAM TRIFLE sherry, fruit scone £6.00 LEMON PANNACOTTA blueberry compote, oatmeal, meringues £6.00 CHEESE & BISCUITS £6.00 SELECTION OF ICE CREAM £5.00

PORK CHOP creamed mash potato, basil pesto, parsnip crisps roasted carrots £17.00 RICOTTA GNUDI wild mushrooms, hazelnuts, spring vegetables truffle cream sauce £14.00 BEER BATTERED FISH & CHIPS tartare sauce, minted pea purée, lemon £16.00

LUNCH MENU Head Chef Robert Evans

STARTERS

MAIN COURSE

DESSERTS

SOUP OF THE DAY extra virgin olive oil

BEER BATTERED FISH & CHIPS tartare sauce, pea purée, lemon

CHOCOLATE FONDANT hazelnut praline parfait

CHICKEN LIVER PARFAIT apple chutney, toasted brioche

RICOTTA GNUDI wild mushrooms, hazelnuts, spring vegetables truffle cream sauce

LEMON PANNACOTTA blueberry compote, oatmeal, meringues

SMOKED HADDOCK & SPRING ONION RISOTTO crispy hens egg, parmesan, peas HERITAGE TOMATO SALAD mascarpone mousse, tarragon oil focaccia croutons, pinenut vinaigrette

8OZ CELTIC PRIDE RUMP STEAK handmade chips, grilled tomato & mushroom, peppercorn sauce CHICKEN BREAST herb butter, lemon thyme crushed potatoes, chestnut mushrooms, leeks, broccoli, butternut squash

Manor Parc Country Hotel & Restaurant

CHEESE & BISCUITS SELECTION OF ICE CREAM Coffee & Mints £2.90 Available Monday - Saturday, 12pm - 2pm Two courses £15.00 | Three courses £19.50

Thornhill Road, Thornhill, Cardiff, CF14 9UA | Tel: 029 2069 3723 | www.manorparc.com | enquiry@manorparc.com

RECIPES

FOOD

CARTE BLANCHE Two tasty, summery dishes from JUSTIN LLEWELLYN, executive chef at the Vale Resort in Hensol

Roast breast of duck with pumpkin and beetroot purees, and heirloom tomato and chorizo salad (Serves 4) I use duck from Madgett’s Farm, just outside Chepstow. It’s a family-run business that produces some of the best duck and chicken in the country. This recipe is summer on a plate, and a real showstopper for any dinner party.

Ingredients: 4 Madgett’s Farm duck breasts For the pumpkin puree: 1 medium pumpkin 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder 1 bay leaf 500ml milk Salt and pepper, to taste For the beetroot puree: 750g beetroot 1 garlic clove, crushed 2 tsp red wine vinegar 50g unsalted butter

For the tomato and chorizo salad: 200g heirloom tomatoes, washed and cut into wedges 100g good chorizo, sliced 1 pack wild flowers (optional) Method: 1. For the pumpkin puree, peel and deseed the pumpkin and cut into one-inch cubes, then put into a heavy-based saucepan with the cinnamon and bay leaf, and cover with the milk.

2. Simmer very gently until the pumpkin is soft and tender, then drain off the milk, place in a liquidizer, and blend on full power for two minutes. Pass through a fine sieve and season to taste.

3. For the beetroot puree, preheat the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4.

4. Wash the beetroot and trim the stalks, leaving the skins and roots on.

5. Wrap each wet beetroot in foil, put in a roasting tin and cook for an hour and a half, until easily pierced with the tip of a knife, then slip off and discard the skins.

6. Roughly chop the flesh and put into a blender with the garlic, vinegar and

butter, then season and whizz to a smooth puree. (You can prepare in advance up to this stage and keep in the fridge. When ready to use, gently warm the purée through, stirring regularly.)

7. With a sharp knife, trim the excess fat and sinew from the duck breast, and lightly score the skin.

8. Heat a large frying pan with a drop of oil. Put the breast in (meat side down) for 30 seconds to seal, then turn and cook on the skin side until golden and crisp.

9. Transfer the breast to a preheated oven tray and cook at 180˚C for six minutes.

Remove and allow to rest for five minutes before slicing.

10. Meanwhile, grill the sliced chorizo until caramelised on both sides.

11. To plate up, warm the purees and spoon some on opposite sides of each plate. Cut each duck breast in half and place one piece on each of the purees.

12. Finally, drizzle your heirloom tomatoes with extra virgin olive oil, season with sea salt and put in the middle of the plate with the caramelised chorizo and wild edible flowers, if using. w

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 57

FOOD

RECIPES

Vanilla panna cotta with strawberry jelly (Serves 6) A good panna cotta (‘cooked cream’) will have a ‘just set’ consistency – wobbly, but not solid, and be able to hold its shape. This delicious version is elegant and, with the strawberry flavours, makes for a wonderful warm-weather dessert.

Ingredients For the panna cotta: 150ml whole milk 600ml double cream 3 vanilla pods 60g caster sugar 2 gelatine leaves For the strawberry jelly: 3 gelatine leaves, soaked in cold water 150ml strawberry puree 150ml water Method: 1. For the strawberry jelly, heat up the 150ml water until hot. When the gelatine leaves are soft, squeeze out the excess water and add to the hot water for a couple of minutes. Add the strawberry puree and stir until smooth.

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2. Divide the mixture between six glasses, and refrigerate for four hours to set.

3. For the panna cotta, split the vanilla pods and scrape out the seeds. Add the pods and seeds to a saucepan with the milk and cream and bring to the boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until the mixture thickens to the consistency of thin natural yoghurt (about 20 minutes).

4. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse for five minutes before adding the gelatine and caster sugar. Whisk to dissolve and allow to cool before straining the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve (chinois).

5. Once the jelly is set, remove from the fridge, pour the milk and cream mixture into the glasses and refrigerate for two hours to set.

6. Serve with whatever takes your fancy: meringues, clotted cream, strawberry sorbet, a caramel shard, chocolate soil or freeze-dried raspberries with fresh mint.

Vale Resort, Hensol Park, Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan CF72 8JY. Tel: 01443 667800, vale-hotel.com

IT’S A MATCH! You’ll need good wines to go with Justin’s twocourse meal, of course – DEAN EUDEN from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) picks out a pair of cracking bottles from the Vale Resort’s own wine list FOR THE DUCK There’s a lot to balance in this dish, so I’d pick a pinot noir from the Allan Scott Estate.

Its high acidity levels will cut through the rich duck and spicy chorizo, and its earthy quality will match the beetroot and pumpkin.

FOR THE PANNA COTTA Try the Chateau du Seuil Cérons – it matches the sweetness of the panna cotta but with enough acidity to leave your palate refreshed. The fruit notes in the wine will complement the sorbet and its honeyed depth will bring it all together. Don’t drink dry white or red with a dessert – the sugar will amplify the tannins and acidity at the expense of the fruit flavours, and you’ll ruin both food and tipple.

For more: wsetglobal.com

E AT I N G O U T A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

DINING in CARDIFF Cardiff Life’s selection of the best places to eat out in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan AMERICAN GOT BEEF 83 Whitchurch Rd, Cardiff CF14 3JP; 029 2061 7534; www.gotbeef.co.uk Burgers made from the best Welsh Black beef – try the full-on 'Hangover', with bacon, American cheese and bloody mary ketchup.

HANG FIRE SOUTHERN KITCHEN The Pumphouse, Hood Road, Barry CF62 5BE; www.hangfiresouthernkitchen.com No-one does American Deep South-style barbaecue food – cooked 'slow and low' – like HF's Shauna Guinn and Sam Evans.

SEAFOOD SHACK 5A High Street, Cardiff CF10 1AW; 07900 424644; @SeafoodShackCDF Themed restaurant based on American surf shacks, serving fresh seafood dishes in an open theatre kitchen, with over 100 wines to choose from, plus cocktails, craft beer and more.

THE SMOKE HOUSE 77 Pontcanna Street, Cardiff CF11 9HS; 029 2034 4628; @SmokeHausWales Authentic, family-friendly American barbecue restaurant in Pontcanna, with amazing dishes made from local ingredients.

ASIAN CEN @ CELTIC MANOR Coldra Woods, Usk Valley NP18 1HQ; 01633 410262; www.celtic-manor.com/cen Fresh, exciting and inspired contemporary Asian cuisine, created by 2013 MasterChef finalist Larkin Cen.

BRITISH/EUROPEAN ARBENNIG 6-10 Romilly Crescent, Pontcanna, CF11 9NR; 029 2034 1264; www.arbennig.co.uk Family-owned restaurant in Pontcanna – fine dining for people who love real food.

ARBOREAL 68 Eastgate, Cowbridge CF71 7AB; 01446 775093; www.arboreal.uk.com Award-winning boutique café/kitchen/bar, serving seasonal, honest and tasty food.

60 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

BARLEY & RYE 2 Greyfriars Rd, Cardiff CF10 3AD; 029 2034 5051; www.barleyandrye.co.uk Huge beer and whisky selection, served alongside inventive European dishes.

BILL’S 27-39, Wyndham Arcade, Mill Lane, Cardiff CF10 1FH, 029 2023 1524; Pilotage Building, Stuart Street, Cardiff Bay CF10 5BW, 02920 499 957; www.bills-website.co.uk Contemporary European chain, dishing up crowd-pleasing food from breakfast to bedtime.

EPICURE BY RICHARD DAVIES Celtic Manor Resort, Coldra Woods, Usk Valley NP18 1HQ; 01633 413 000; www.celtic-manor.com/epicure Exquisite, modern fine dining experience created by award-winning chef, Richard Davies.

CHAPEL 1877 Churchill Way, Cardiff CF10 2WF; 029 2022 2020; chapel1877.com Swish restaurant and bar/bistro, located in a restored, exuberantly-decorated and ornate former chapel.

THE CLASSROOM Dumballs Road, Cardiff CF10 5FE; 029 2025 0377; www.theclassroom.wales Cardiff and Vale College's unique restaurant, serving modern European food, with a focus on regional Welsh produce. Great city views, too.

THE CLINK HMP Cardiff, Knox Road, Cardiff CF24 0UG; 029 2092 3130; theclinkcharity.org Stylish, award-winning fine dining restaurant run by prison inmates, championing fresh, organic local produce.

FISH AT 85 85 Pontcanna Street, Pontcanna; 029 2023 5666; www.fishat85.co.uk British-caught fish, expertly cooked to your liking in a bright, modern space. There's an extensive on-site fish counter, too.

FFRESH Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay CF10 5AL; 029 2063 6465; www.wmc.org.uk Quality cooking and seasonal menus showcasing the best Welsh produce, with stunning views of Cardiff Bay.

LAGUNA KITCHEN & BAR Park Plaza, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff CF10 3AL; 029 2011 1103; www.lagunakitchenandbar.com Sleek, modern restaurant serving Welsh/ international cuisine, plus bar with terrace.

LOCKE AND REMEDY 18-19 Trinity Street, Cardiff CF10 1BH; 029 2167 6982; lockeandremedy.com Bar/restaurant, serving wood-fired pizzas, burgers, adventurous cocktails and craft beers.

THE MARKET PLACE 66 High Street, Cowbridge CF71 7AH 01446 774800; the-marketplace.co.uk Cosy and welcoming, this upmarket restaurant serves beautifully presented, cheffy dishes.

Popular for Sunday lunches.

THE POTTED PIG 27 High Street, Cardiff CF10 1PU; 029 2022 4817; www.thepottedpig.com Located in a former bank vault underground, expect modern British food, ever-changing seasonal menus, and wonderful gins. The whole suckling pig is amazing.

FINE DINING JAMES SOMMERIN The Esplanade, Penarth CF64 3AU; 029 2070 6559; www.jamessommerinrestaurant.co.uk Michelin-starred destination restaurant, serving highly innovative food. The tasting menu offers a bespoke menu created for each and every table.

FRENCH BULLY’S 5 Romilly Crescent, Cardiff CF11 9NP; 029 2022 1905; bullysrestaurant.co.uk Using seasonal and local produce, with a unique French wine list sourced from small, passionate growers.

CHEZ FRANCIS 185 Cowbridge Rd East, Cardiff CF11 9AJ; 029 2022 4959; 21 Glebe Street, Penarth CF64 1E; 029 2070 2429; www.chez-francis.co.uk Cosy French restaurant, serving rich, bistro-style seasonal cuisine.

A D V E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E E AT I N G O U T

ITALIAN CALABRISELLA 154 Cowbridge Rd East, Cardiff CF11 9ND; 029 2022 5839; www.calabrisellacardiff.com Authentic Italian café and restaurant, serving hearty, home-cooked food.

CASANOVA 13 Quay Street, Cardiff CF10 1EA; 029 2034 4044; www.casanovacardiff.co.uk Modern techniques applied to regional Italian cooking in this discreet two-floor restaurant.

ELGANO 58 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9LL; 029 2025 5853; elgano.co.uk/restaurant Fresh, authentic Italian cuisine – cooked with love, eat with passion, as they say.

PORRO 22 High Street, Llandaff CF5 2DZ, 029 2056 5502; 57 Wellfield Road, Roath CF24 3PA, 029 2240 2200; www.porrocardiff.com Modern British fare inspired by Italian cooking and eating, embracing the Italian philosphy of simple, quality ingredients.

SPANISH ASADOR 44 14-15 Quay Street, Cardiff CF10 1EA; 029 2002 0039; www.asador44.co.uk The finest charcoal-grilled chuleton steaks, fish and veg, from the heart of northern Spain.

BAR 44 15-23 Westgate Street, Cardiff CF10 1DD; 0333 344 4049; www.bar44.co.uk Award-winning tapas – a true taste of modern Spain. They recently won an award for best patatas bravas in the UK. Branches also in Penarth and Cowbridge.

THE DISCOVERY Celyn Avenue, Lakeside CF23 6FH; 029 2075 5015 knifeandforkfood.co.uk/venue/the-discovery Laid-back dining and drinking, as per The Conway (above).

THE GRANGE 134 Penarth Road, Grangetown CF11 6NJ; 029 2025 0669; @PubGrange Independent free house with frequently changing menu of pub grub, including Welsh flat iron steaks, burgers, pies, curries with 'half and half', beer-battered fish and chips, and more.

HARE & HOUNDS Aberthin, Cowbridge CF71 7LG; 01446 774892; hareandhoundsaberthin.com Thriving ale and food house, with a small, dailychanging seasonal menu, served in relaxed and informal surroundings.

KINGS ARMS Church Road, Pentyrch CF15 9QF; 029 2089 0202; kingsarmspentyrch.com Cask ales and modern British food with a twist at this snug longhouse inn.

THE LANSDOWNE 71 Lansdowne Road, Canton CF5 1LX; 029 2022 1312; thelansdownecardiff.co.uk Popular free house, serving real ales, good cider and proper pub food. Big on atmosphere, their Sunday roasts are legendary.

LONGHOUSE The Tumble, St Nicholas, Cardiff CF5 6SA 029 2115 7754; www.longhousewales.com Cosy, award-winning 17th century watering hole. Chef/patron Andy Aston's feasting food is prepared with heartfelt soul, imagination and flair.

THE OLD SWAN INN Church Street, Llantwit Major CF61 1SB; 01446 792 230; knifeandforkfood.co.uk/venue/ the-old-swan-inn Traditional pub bar with roaring fire and oak beams, plus recently revamped dining area.

LA CUINA 11 King's Road, Cardiff CF11 9BZ; 029 2019 0265; lacuina.co.uk Authentic, traditional and contemporary Catalan food, featuring recipes from different regions.

THE PILOT 67 Queen's Road, Penarth CF64 1DJ; 029 2071 0615; knifeandforkfood.co.uk/venue/the-pilot Located high on the hill, with spectacular views overlooking Cardiff Bay, expect pub classics with a twist and frequently changing guest ales.

GASTROPUBS

INDIAN

THE CONWAY 58 Conway Road, Pontcanna CF11 9NW; 029 2022 4373; knifeandforkfood.co.uk/venue/the-conway A daily blackboard menu offers modern Welsh/ European food, plus great real ales.

CHAI STREET 153 Cowbridge Road East, Canton CF11 9AH, 029 2022 8888; 15 High Street, Cardiff CF10 1AX, 02920 399 399; chaistreet.com Indian street food kitchen, offering a casual and authentic taste experience.

MINT AND MUSTARD 134 Whitchurch Road, Cardiff CF14 3LZ, 029 2062 0333; 33-34 Windsor Terrace, Penarth CF64 1AB, 029 2070 0500; www.mintandmustard.com Pioneering Indian cuisine, inspired by the Keralan philosophy of fresh, light and healthy food.

MOKSH Bute Crescent, Cardiff CF10 5AN; 029 2049 8120; www.moksh.co.uk Modern Indian restaurant serving Goan-inspired dishes made with a nouvelle flair.

PURPLE POPPADOM 185A Cowbridge Rd East, Canton CF11 9AJ; 029 2022 0026; purplepoppadom.com More imaginative, nouvelle Indian food, courtesy of the one and only Anand George.

MEXICAN WAHACA 51-53 The Hayes, St David's Dewi Sant, Cardiff CF10 1GA; 029 2167 0414; www.wahaca.co.uk Tasty tacos, burritos, quesadillas and more – moreish Mexican-style market food.

PIZZA DUSTY KNUCKLE The Printhaus, 70A Llandaff Road, Cardiff CF11 9NL; 07943 826701; @dusty_knuckle Incredible wood-fired pizza. 'Nuff said.

PORTUGUESE MADEIRA 2 Guildford Crescent, Cardiff CF10 2HJ; 029 2066 7705; www.madeirarestaurante.co.uk Portuguese restaurant and fish specialist in a cosy, colourful setting.

THAI THE THAI HOUSE 3-5 Guildford Crescent, Churchill Way, Cardiff CF10 2HJ; 029 2038 7404; thaihouse.biz Long-established restaurant, serving authentic, colourful Thai food.

VEGETARIAN MILGI 213 City Road, Cardiff CF24 3JD 029 2047 3150; milgicardiff.com Cool vegetarian/vegan eatery, offering 'plantbased' dining, natural cocktails and craft beer. www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 61

E D U C AT I O N ad v er t i s i n g feat u re

Meet the HEADTEACHER Find out more about the people in charge at your child’s present, or future, school...

Robert Carnevale

Alun Millington

What is paramount to picking a good school?

The fundamental aim at Rougemont is to ensure that every pupil achieves the most they can from their education; that they leave school as well-rounded individuals who have reached their potential.

We achieve this through a number of ways, all of which I believe are important when choosing a school. Visiting the school itself is also paramount and visiting on a normal school day will give a ‘real feel’ to help choose the right school.

Tell us about yourself...

I come to Westbourne School with over 20 years of experience in education. A native of Swansea, I studied Modern History at St. John’s College, Oxford, before competing my PGCE at Swansea University.

I began my career teaching History in North London, before returning to teach in Wales.

Having gained extensive experience in middle and senior management at Llangatwg School in Neath, I was appointed Headteacher of St. Michael’s School, Llanelli. I have also been guest lecturer at Swansea Metropolitan University and am Principal Examiner for WJEC History. In my spare time I enjoy sports, music and classic literature, and family time.

Rougemont School 01633 820800 www.rougemontschool.co.uk

What makes Rougemont special?

Our small class sizes ranging from 14 to 22, allow us to focus time and attention on individual needs, whilst our inclusive and friendly approach across the three schools creates a strong sense of community. Our ‘School for Life’ approach ensures support at every stage of a pupil’s educational journey, from Nursery right through to Sixth Form.

Our most recent ESTYN inspection highlighted our pupils’ ‘high levels of wellbeing and exceptional attitudes to learning’ and I’m incredibly proud of this.

Westbourne School 02920 705 705 www.westbourneschool.com

What is paramount to picking a good school?

You need a school that aims high – somewhere with an outstanding academic pedigree but also a caring ethos that will truly develop and value your child as an individual.

The best schools take responsibility for shaping the confidence, skills and morality of their pupils, and achieve sustained success without placing a straitjacket on pupils’ freedom of choice, especially in terms of exam options.

62 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

What is your average class size at Westbourne?

Class size is always important. At Westbourne, we average 10 per class in the Prep School and 16 in the Senior School. The trend in education in Wales is for larger and larger schools, and this usually means larger and larger classes. Instinctively, we all know, from teachers to parents and pupils, that this presents major issues in terms of individual care and attention. Will your child be overlooked in a big class? Will the teachers have the time to devote to raising standards, or will they just be overwhelmed by numbers? Class size matters.

Describe the sense of community at the school...

Westbourne School is placed in the heart of the local community, but it also attracts and welcomes pupils from the wider region and the four corners of the world.

Pupils with diverse backgrounds and talents come together in a wonderfully cohesive and mutually supportive environment.

They contribute towards a lively and warm family atmosphere that, once experienced, will not be forgotten.

What are you most proud of?

Westbourne School is a tremendous school with an excellent reputation that goes before it. I am very proud to be its new headteacher and determined to maintain and enhance its status as one of the best schools in the country.

What makes your school so special?

The family atmosphere, coupled with the strong academic outcomes, make the school an attractive and special proposition to any prospective parent or pupil. Knowing that we have helped shape the lives of so many special and talented young people is something that the school holds very dear.

sally Davis

Howell’s School, Llandaff (GDST) 029 20261832 www.howells-cardiff.gdst.net What makes you most proud?

Helping someone discern their talent and watching them grow tall with confidence.

When I see a student, perhaps someone who has not quite found their niche, recognising the thing that makes their heart sing, that’s when I know we’ve done a good job.

What is your top tip for parents visiting a school?

Speak to current A-level students, and imagine your child as one of them. Our College students are warm and articulate individuals, with a demeanour that will stand them in good stead in the next stage of their lives.

What scholarships and bursaries are available for students?

Scholarships up to a maximum of 50% are available at Year 7 and Year 12, and 100% bursaries are available at these points of entry, too. In Year 7, scholarships are awarded for academic excellence and music, and in addition in Year 12 for drama, sport, product design and art.

St John’s College, Cardiff

A leading independent day school for boys & girls aged 3–18 Choir School to Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral

Top School in Wales in The Sunday Times ‘Parent Power’

Gareth Collier

Clare sherwood

What makes your college so special?

CSFC is an inspirational learning environment.

Lessons are often challenging as students really question the validity of information in an effort to go further and delve deeper into their subjects. Teachers spark with enthusiasm and a desire to contextualise learning, so that all students can develop excellence in their subjects and discover a relevance to their chosen career paths.

What makes your school special?

Our excellent academic results, and exceptional co-curricular programme; we foster the growth of intellectual curiosity and offer enormous breadth of opportunity. High quality pastoral care and the school’s Christian ethos give our pupils the opportunity to reach their full potential. Our beautiful campus and our links with Llandaff Cathedral inspire a sense of heritage, whilst our first-class curriculum enables our young people to look confidently to the future.

Cardiff Sixth Form College 02920 493121 www.ccoex.com

How big is your average class size?

Class sizes at CSFC vary from 4-20 and whilst class size is an important factor in ensuring plenty of teacher contact time with students, the composition of the classes is just as important. The academic range within the class is relatively small, with all students working at the top end of achievement levels. Therefore, extension activities for the more able become the norm within classroom teaching, and students’ passion for learning drives their desire to work hard and achieve more.

Describe the sense of community at the college...

CSFC is a vibrant hub of excited and exciting students from all over the world. Whilst approximately 20% of our student body come from the Cardiff area, the remaining 80% come from a wide range of different national, religious and cultural backgrounds.

The Cathedral School 02920 563179 www.cathedral-school.co.uk

Estyn Inspection - ‘Excellent’ including the seldom awarded ‘Excellent’ for Standards of Teaching (2012)

Nursery & Infants

l

Juniors

l

Seniors

l

Sixth Form

Please contact Admissions to arrange a visit:

02920 778936

www.stjohnscollegecardiff.com

Charity No. 701294

What are you most proud of?

The times when we gather together to celebrate our many pupil achievements.

Each week, as we listen to pupils reading in the Cathedral and tell of their successes in assemblies, there is an immense sense of pride in their hard work and determination to be the best that they can be.

Describe the sense of community at The Cathedral School...

As a Woodard School, our sense of community is strong and embraces those beyond our gates. Our house system develops confidence and an ability to work together, and our students leave the Cathedral School as internationally-minded young people who seek to make a positive contribution to society.

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 63

Adventures in party-going

SNAPPED! AC ROS S CA R D I FF, O N E S H I N D I G AT A T I M E

SUMMER SOIRÉE On one of the warmest days of the year so far, invited guests, clients and friends from the local professional, business and arts sectors packed into Cardiff Life’s summer drinks party at Waterloo Tea/Wyndham Arcade in Cardiff city centre – light work was made of the excellent canapés and tea-infused prosecco!

Photos by Esme Charles Photography (esmecharles.com)

Jay Page (Chapel 1877), Caroline Sims (Park Plaza) and Lydia Whitfield (Effective Communication)

Jon Saunders (The Dead Canary) and Gemma Simons (Cardiff Harbour Authority)

Carolyn Brownell and Emily Cotterill (both Cardiff BID)

Kasim Ali (Waterloo Tea) and Imran Nathoo

w www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 65

SOCIETY

Continued from page 65

Katie Dowling, Jodie Phillips, Annabel Lloyd, Hannah Dixon and Jane Cook (all Golley Slater) Carys Osborne and Ellys Evans (Orchard Media)

Ooh, look – we’re in this month’s Snapped!

Mike and Jo Gauza (Extravagauza)

Kayleigh McLeod (Creative Cardiff) and Emina Redzepovic (Sustainable Studios)

Phoebe Davies and Laura Jones (both Petersens PR)

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SOCIETY

Sophie Bishop (Cardiff Airport), Imran Nathoo, Andy Gardiner, Lydia Whitfield (Effective Communication), Rhiannon Jenkins (Cardiff Airport) and Annie Hartley (Ubiquity Group)

Shelley Phillips (Jamjar PR), Grace Nelder (Wales Millennium Centre), Megan Richards (Jamjar PR) and guest

Sam Vining and Steph Bradshaw (both Ubiquity Group) Mark Watts (EST Accountants), Rosanna Hood (MediaClash) and Rob Barber (Lloyds Bank)

Mike Walmsley (The Wallich) and guest

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 67

SOCIETY Sarah Vining (Sarah Vining PR), Jamie Rees (Chapter), Alwyn Thomas and Sion Dafydd (Kutchibok)

THE NEXT CHAPTER Caffi Sïo, Chapter Arts Centre’s new ‘culture café’ in Cardiff Bay, officially opened recently with a VIP launch event. Guests enjoyed tasters from the food and drink menu, plus live performances from singer/ songwriters Gareth Bonello (The Gentle Good) and Danielle Lewis.

Photos by Simon Ayre (simonayre.com) For more: chapter.org

Andy Eagle (Chapter), Imran Nathoo (Kitchen Clonc) and Cassie Maunders

Team Sïo!

Danielle Lewis

Llinor ap Gwynedd and Emyr Wyn (Pobol Y Cwm)

Angie Dutton and Olwen Moseley (Cardiff School of Art and Design)

68 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Robert Andrews (Chapter board member), Sally Griffith (Chapter), Steve Blandford (Chapter board member) and Mitch Winfield (Cardiff Met)

SOCIETY

ALL SQUARE

Team hug!

Held at Waterloo Tea in Cardiff’s Wyndham Arcade, in aid of the Action Against Hunger charity (for which it raised £2,000), the latest MealSq food pop-up – themed around ‘cooking from our heartland’ – was an all-female affair, featuring the talents of popular deli/ café Penylan Pantry, BBQ gals Hang Fire, drinks/sensory/olfactory expert Ericka Duffy, Greek food-inspired Lia’s Kitchen and Brød Danish Bakery, plus background sounds from Spillers Records’ very own Ashli Todd.

For more: penylanpantry.com Lia Moutselou (Lia’s Kitchen)

Just like that! Louisa Hodges (Action Against Hunger)

The happy throng

Melissa Boothman (Penylan Pantry) and Shauna Guinn (Hang Fire) Lost in music: Ashli Todd (Spillers Records)

Hungry guests arriving

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Shake-ups/launches/successes/promotions

CA R D I FF G E T S S ER I O US

Sign up for Talks On Tour and you could win tickets to see Coldplay in Cardiff

Talks On Tour founder Estelle Wilkinson

QUOTE OF THE ISSUE

“DON’T DIRECTLY SELL AT PEOPLE – THEY HATE IT!” Ooh, who’s getting antsy?

Find out on page 73...

THE BIG STORY

TALKS ON TOUR Aspiring music wannabes given a unique chance to meet Coldplay’s crew and industry experts Taking place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Wednesday 12 July, Talks On Tour is an opportunity for young people (the event is aimed primarily at 16-30 year-olds) considering a career in the music industry to hear advice from toptier professionals, including Coldplay’s agent, concert promoter and crew. Limited tickets, priced at £10 and open to anyone looking for a career in the industry, are now available.

Talks On Tour: Coldplay is the second in a series of sessions curated by Creigiau-born Estelle

Wilkinson, who herself has a successful 20-year career in the music industry, having started out in Manchester with bands such as the Happy Mondays and Intastella. She went on to become Coldplay’s manager after joining the management team between 2000-2006 and is now using her expertise to help young people across Wales and the UK thinking about working in the industry.

Said Wilkinson: “I’m incredibly fortunate to have had a good career in the music industry and have got to know a lot of people on my journey. I see time and

time again young people fighting to get into the industry and I just want to do my small part to help.

“I hope that these sessions will educate young people in Wales about the diverse roles that exist within the music industry and inspire them to just go for it.”

Anyone who signs up will get the opportunity to win tickets for Coldplay’s gig that very night (12 July) at the Principality Stadium.

Thought that might stir you out of your seat...

To book tickets, see talksontour.eventbrite.co.uk

£83.7m THE BIG NUMBER

Building work on the new International Convention Centre Wales – an £83.7m joint venture between Celtic Manor Resort and the Welsh Government – has now begun, and was celebrated by a ground breaking ceremony on the site at Celtic Manor.

When completed, ICC Wales will accommodate 5,000 delegates, and will include a 4,000 squaremetre, pillar-free main hall and a 1,500-seater auditorium.

Impressive!

For more: iccwales.com

Got a business news story for us? Email vel.ilic@mediaclash.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 71

BREAKING NEWS

TRIPLE WHAMMY

Our pick of the most exciting, intriguing and important local business stories happening right now…

FIZZING AND BAKING With festival season in full swing, Cardiff entrepreneurs Liz IafrateCampbell and Louisa Rose Mallett have set up businesses to sell the accessories that they want to be seen in over the summer months.

Liz set up Fizz Goes Pop to sell her flamboyant, handmade floral headdresses, crafted from beautiful flowers, sequins and pompoms, while Louisa started Baked By Lou to sell her colourful, oven-baked jewellery and accessories. Once set up on Etsy, they struck up a friendship through Instagram, when both realised that they were relative neighbours, living and working in the same area of Cardiff.

“I’m really pleased to have met a like-minded soul in Liz,” said Louisa. “We’re having fun developing new ideas and I’m really looking forward to collaborating in the future.”

“Louisa and I both work full-time in other jobs, so it’s been fantastic to get creative outside of that,” added Liz. “The response to our work has been so positive. It’s still so exciting when a new order arrives in our inboxes!”

1

Hats the way to do it...

For more, see bakedbylou.etsy.com and fizzgoespop.etsy.com

SPORT FOR ALL

New start-up? Then you’ll definitely want to read on...

BRAND VALUES Based in Cardiff Bay, progressive brand design agency designdough has launched Brand Labs, a competition that gives young start-up businesses the chance to win a full brand package, including strategy, visual identity, brand guidelines and fully responsive website to help them further their entrepreneurial dreams.

“We know that starting a business is hard, and we admire each and every person that puts himself or herself out there in order to sculpt their own path to success,” said designdough’s MD, Joe Brown, who started the agency from a small back bedroom in Grangetown.

2

“We’re doing this because we’ve been there and know that with a little encouragement or a push in the right direction, any business can be a success. We do this every day with our clients, so thought it was time to give a little something back to the Welsh economy that we’ve grown from.”

Start-ups can apply through the Brand Labs website (ddbrandlabs. co.uk), but be quick – applications close on Friday 14 July. A shortlist will then be picked, and representatives invited to the designdough studio to present their case and say why they should win.

For more: ddbrandlabs.co.uk

72 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Community groups, clubs, businesses and volunteers are being urged to take advantage of a multi-million pound fund to grow activity in every corner of Wales. Up to £3 million of National Lottery funds have been made available by Sport Wales to go to the heart of sport and activities, with the aim of growing the number of opportunities and getting people participating. With the public able to apply directly to two different grant schemes, full take-up of the money on

3

The Baywatch auditions were going swimmingly

offer will mean a significant boost for activity across Wales.

“I see first-hand how we can help build togetherness, give people new skills, help them get fitter and healthier and change people’s lives,” said Sport Wales chair, Lawrence Conway. “Setting aside such a sizeable chunk of our budget, exclusively for communities, is just one of the ways that we can help our grassroots thrive.”

For more: sport.wales/funding--support

BUSINESS INSIDER

MOVERS, SHAKERS, ETC DONE DEAL Organisers of the Iris Prize have announced a new sponsorship deal with Cardiff BID. The new partnership will allow the annual LGBT film festival to highlight Cardiff as a vibrant centre for LGBT creativity.

Said Carolyn Brownell, Cardiff BID’s marketing and communications manager: “Iris is the world’s largest LGBT film festival and we’re delighted that this award-winning event continues to take place in Cardiff.” irisprize.org

FORWARD THINKING THE TWEET GOES ON Don’t underestimate the true power of social media, says ANDREA CALLANAN, voice expert and founder of inspireMe A lifestyle entrepreneur asked me how she could use social media to promote her business without spending any money.

The simple answer is, I don’t think you can.

There are loads of people who support entrepreneurs with digital marketing and social media. For very little investment (or even for free), you can take courses in compelling copywriting and how to use social media to generate income. Best-selling business author, entrepreneur and speaker Shaa Wasmund’s Facebook bootcamps are super-reasonable, and Gary Vaynerchuk is considered to be the best social media expert out there – search for his books and training courses online (try udemy.com).

Last year, I held daily Facebook Live sessions, which dramatically increased my reach as a voice expert and confidence coach. By raising my profile, inspireMe enjoyed an upturn in sales. The Facebook Live sessions didn’t cost me any money, but did eat into my family time. People love authenticity and love to connect, so anything you do on social media needs to do this. Don’t directly sell at people – they hate it. They want to get to know you so they can relate to you.

People buy people, so make sure your brand voice is tip-top, and that you shine through as an individual – be yourself. I favour Facebook, YouTube and Instagram for building relationships, and LinkedIn for business contacts.

And we’re going to be ramping up our Snapchat later this year.

Whichever medium you engage with on social media, have targets, measure what you do and have fun. Create and nurture relationships, and you won’t go far wrong. inspireMe are a Cardiff-based engagement and selfdevelopment company that offer UK-wide team-building and training. For more, see andinspireme.com

GREEN DAY

Patek Philippe’s beautifully-designed watches will be on display at Watches of Switzerland in Cardiff

ON THE FACE OF IT Fancy getting up-close with some of Patek Philippe’s latest timepieces? Well, now you can – Watches of Switzerland in Cardiff is offering the rare opportunity to see more than 90 Patek watches (from 20-22 July), including the sought-after new Basel designs. Visitors can speak to in-house watch specialists and find out more about the stories behind the individual Patek designs. watches-of-switzerland.co.uk

The Greenaway Scott Group has launched a new corporate finance boutique (Verde) as part of a joint venture with Lime Finance, at their headquarters in Cardiff. Verde Corporate Finance will offer vital expert advice to a niche, fast-growth business sector in Wales, from start-ups right through to established brands,” said lead advisor Tom O’Brien. greenawayscott.com

BERRY GOOD Two forward-thinking law firms, Cardiff-based Berry Smith LLP and GruendelPartner in Leipzig, have combined their resources and formed a new collaborative partnership. The new concept will provide a ‘one-stop shop’ approach for UK clients looking to deal in Germany, and German companies operating in the UK. berrysmith.com

PROPERTY

SHOWCASE

TREWALLTER FAWR Set in a quiet location, this imposing and characterful Grade II-listed Welsh longhouse boasts around an acre of secluded gardens

By K AT I E K I SSOON

76 112I I CARDIFF CLIFTONLIFE LIFE I I www.mediaclash.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk

SHOWCASE

PROPERTY

www.mediaclash.co.ukI I CLIFTON CARDIFFLIFE LIFE I I 113 77 www.mediaclash.co.uk

PROPERTY

SHOWCASE

T

his Grade II-listed gentry farmhouse is located in the farming hamlet of Walterston in the Vale of Glamorgan. A small community, comprising just 13 houses and a handful of farms, it lies five miles northwest of Barry, and 13 miles from Cardiff.

Trewallter Fawr, which is thought to date back to the early 17th century, stands in around an acre of pristine gardens, expertly maintained and cultivated. The extensive lawned area is bordered by mature trees and features shrubs, a kitchen garden and an al fresco dining area (with red telephone box!).

Entry to the house is via a magnificent, iron-studded oak door, leading to the principal reception room; once part of the hallway, it now forms a spacious and comfortable sitting/dining area. A grand fireplace, with a large, original, stone ‘beehive’ bake-oven, dominates one end of the room, which you could easily imagine full of revellers on a cold winter’s evening.

There are a further three reception rooms, including a light and airy stone conservatory which provides access to the rear garden. The quirky kitchen, meanwhile, is well-equipped and features a distinctive curved wall, adding masses of character. There’s a storage room and downstairs loo on the ground floor, too.

The first floor is accessed by a distinctive stone turning staircase, providing access to three bedrooms and a family bathroom. The master bedroom is very grand, with richly patinated wooden floors and a striking four-poster bed (one might have to argue for that to be included in the asking price!). The second floor, situated in the roof, is home to a further two bedrooms plus a hobby room, with potential for conversion to another bedroom.

78 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Trewallter Fawr has a wealth of lovely period features

HOUSE NUMBERS Trewallter Fawr, Walterston, Vale of Glamorgan

5/6

bedrooms

3

reception rooms

1

kitchen

1

Back outside, a stone-built outhouse comprises a stable and three former animal shelters, and there’s also a twostorey coach house located at the front of the property.

With its wealth of period features and characterful architecture, it’s easy to see why Trewallter Fawr is a listed building, but it’s also an ideal family property, with ample room to host friends and relatives – the best of both worlds, you might say.

acre garden

£950,000 guide price

For more info, contact Savills, 12 Windsor Place, Cardiff CF10 3BY; Tel: 02920 368920, savills.co.uk

Pembroke House St Mellons Pembroke House is a spectacular newly built five bedroom executive country home set within an acre of very private level gardens and grounds, screened along three sides by high trees to afford maximum privacy and security. Set back from Old Began Road with wonderful front views across open green fields and woodland this contemporary bespoke newly built family residence boasts high quality fittings and generous well-proportioned rooms throughout. Constructed in cavity brick and block, finished externally in alpine render, and inset with dual colour grey and white composite PVC double glazed windows this stunning home would prove ideal for a large family with its semi-rural setting, just ten minutesš drive from an exit onto Eastern Avenue and the M4. Rustic features include solid stone window sills, relief’s of natural stone to the front of the property and a traditional pitched slate roof. Further features include Cat 5 and satellite/TV aerial points strategically placed in each room throughout the accommodation, contemporary modern panelled doors with chrome handles. Ceilings with spotlights, Spanish porcelain full size tiled floors, and luxurious underfloor heating throughout. The generous living space includes a large and relaxing main lounge with patio doors that open onto a sun terrace and front views that extend across to open fields, a capacious open plan fully fitted Italian kitchen with open sitting room and dining room and contemporary log burning stove. There are extensive integrated appliances including an induction hob, an integrated dishwasher, a full size larder fridge and separate freezer, two fan assisted Caple ovens, a combination microwave oven and an integrated wine cooler. All work surfaces are solid quartz, and there are two sets of PVC double glazed patio doors within this fantastic living space that both open onto sun terraces in the front and rear gardens. A useful ground floor utility room and downstairs cloakroom are also positioned off the main hall. The first and second floors comprise five large double sized bedrooms, three with white bespoke ensuites and a large family bathroom. There is an additional fully self-contained home office approached from the master bedroom, and equipped with an independent staircase that leads into the integral double garage. Features include a fully sophisticated intruder alarm and CCTV surveillance cameras.

A unique and distinctive newly built country residence available with immediate possession.

For sale with PA Black Rumney Branch 02920 792888 ÂŁ1,495,000

Woodvale Avenue, Cyncoed A most impressive detached double fronted four bedroom modern house, built in 1972, extended in 1983 and occupying a distinctive position, tucked away with a long private 45 yard block paved entrance drive with shrub and tree borders. This substantial family home enjoys the benefit of a large and sheltered enclosed rear garden and a particularly deep lawned front garden, landscaped and chiefly laid to lawn, interesting and good for Children to play on, with pretty ornate borders, and inset with an open fronted veranda porch ideal as a seating area with a pleasing front outlook. The impressive driveway leads to a wide parking area ideal for access to the house, allowing the opportunity to park up close and approach the main porch undercover with little hindrance from the weather. In addition the drive provides extra parking for family and friends, and the quiet location is screened by the front lawn adding a higher level of privacy. Woodvale Avenue is a well-established residential cul de sac, comprising detached properties and providing a quiet and private ambience, yet still well placed within a short walking distance of Cyncoed Village and Cyncoed Golf club. This well designed property includes PVC double glazed replacement windows, gas heating, an intruder alarm, PVC French shutters, rainwater goods and fascia, Rock wool cavity wall insulation installed at construction stage, a modern electric consumer unit added in 2014, and a Sigma 3 kitchen upgraded in 2005. Further improvements include Sigma fitted wardrobes within the master bedroom, Sharps fitted wardrobes within bedroom two and four, a stylish and contemporary ensuite shower installed in 2007, and a re-modelled family white bathroom and downstairs cloak room installed in 2004. The generous living space briefly comprises an entrance porch, a spacious central hall, a large open plan lounge and sitting room (19’7 x 18’7) inset with a PVC picture window with garden views, a versatile formal dining room (17’5 x 7’10), a study (11’0 x 8’10), a fitted kitchen (21’11 in length) equipped with integrated appliances and a small breakfast bar, whilst the first floor comprises four double bedrooms and two modern white bathroom, one ensuite. Outside a 30 Ft. long garage was added in 1974, and the delightful rear gardens include two lawns, a paved sun terrace block paved and added in 2012, a kitchen garden, a second patio sheltered by trees, a compost area, a Green house, and water butts fed by rain water. Within this private garden there are also fruit trees including Cooking and eating apples trees and Gooseberry, Blackcurrent and Raspberry bushes. A very impressive detached family home set back in a special location and available with NO CHAIN!

For sale with PA Black Llanishen Branch 02920 618552

£479,950

CARDIFF LIVES

Q&A

A

s the owner of Gems Agency in Penarth, one of the largest and longest-established crewing agencies in the film industry, Jayne Gregory has been supplying film crew to major TV and feature films worldwide for the last 20 years. As you can imagine, she has plenty of good tales to tell...

Where’s home, and what makes it special?

Penarth. What makes it so special is the sea, its esplanade, pier, restaurants and bars, and living so close to family and friends.

You own and run Gems Agency, but what’s your background?

I started in the music industry, styling bands – it was the height of MTV and every artiste wanted to play dress-up, so those days were great fun. I moved into film and TV as a costume designer; it was a natural progression, and by optimising my contacts of 20-plus years, I was able to grow Gems into the agency it is today.

What might be a typical day for you?

I get my son up and off to school while answering emails from LA, take early calls from production and make a green juice concoction that starts my day. I walk to the office with the dog, chatting all the way. I tend to spend most of the day talking and then get home around 7pm to cook dinner for the family. I will then collapse on the sofa and watch something that we’ve had crew on if I’m not out at a ‘do’, and head to bed around 11pm.

I always try to be available, so unless I’m asleep I’m regularly talking calls from productions around the world.

You’ve worked on some pretty major film and TV productions over the years – what’s been your favourite?

Actually, it’s happening right now; we’ve just secured the costume designer on the longawaited feature Bohemian Rhapsody. I’m thrilled about this, as it takes me back to my early years as a stylist, when I dressed Queen in their last six videos before Freddie [Mercury] died.

What are you working on at the moment?

We’ve recently taken over Creative Casting, an agency for SAs (supporting artistes/extras), to support the growing industry in Wales, so we are furiously signing up as many enthusiastic extras as we can.

How do you relax?

I keep bees, so I like to spend time with them.

And at Christmas, when the agency shuts, I tend to travel to south Goa for some quiet time with my son and pack in as much yoga as I can.

Proudest moment so far?

Having my son, the light in my life.

JAYNE GREGORY The founder of film crew agency Gems talks dressing up, Bohemian Rhapsody and keeping bees If you could get up on your soapbox about a particular issue, what would it be?

The under-representation of the boxer dog.

addicted to Erin Kelly right now. I’m also in a book club so must consider other’s choices (sometimes not so easy!).

When did you last cry?

Over the awful news about the Grenfell Tower block fire. It’s an area and a community I know so well as I lived close by for 18 years.

Must-watch television programme?

I’m loving Genius, and Line Of Duty was amazing – mostly because we had crew on both.

Dream dinner party guests?

Stanley Kubrick, Pablo Escobar, Barbara Windsor, Michael Caine and my grandmother.

If push came to shove, what would be your final meal of choice?

Roast chicken with lemon and thyme – the family love it – and I’d start with Ottolenghi’s ‘Etti’s herb salad’. I don’t have a sweet tooth, so I’d finish with some strong and smelly Welsh cheeses.

How would your nearest and dearest describe you?

My partner would say I was ambitious, delicious and very vicious.

Who would play you in a film about your life?

Jennifer Saunders.

Guiltiest pleasure?

Disco-dancing on a Friday night in the kitchen.

Which piece of music always sends a shiver down your spine?

You Send Me by Roy Ayers.

Best thing about Cardiff?

Love, love, love watching Wales play rugby at the Principality Stadium.

Favourite shops in Cardiff?

Cardiff Market. It takes me back to my childhood, when I used to go there with my mother and sister and we would visit the pets upstairs.

Cardiff Life is ten this year – what were you doing ten years ago?

Building my empire!

Locally, where do you like to eat and drink?

Anywhere in easy walking distance, so for me that’s Bar 44, The Pilot, Etc... or Mint & Mustard.

Secret or favourite Cardiff spot?

The Guinness bar outside the Holiday Inn on match days.

Finally, surprise us with a little-known fact about yourself…

I dressed David Bowie.

Karaoke choice?

Guilty by Barbara Streisand.

What’s on your bookshelf at the moment?

I’ve recently discovered Audible and I’m a bit

82 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

Time travel.

For more: gemsagency.co.uk

www.icebodysculpting.co.uk - info@icebodysculpting.co.uk 02921 202 190. 122 Cowbridge Road West, Cardiff, CF5 5BT