Luxe sept oct 2013

luxe magazine £5.00

ISSUE 24 SEP/OCT13

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ISSUE 24 SEP/OCT13

a n t & d e c’ s h o m e run. St ove-s i d e w i t h St eve Harmison. Eat with L ay b o u r n e . Grow n-up f as hi o n. G et to gr ip s w ith game. Little Luxe. seyc h e lle s ch i c . Part y peo p l e. Wr iter s in th e knoW. Cultural life.

M a s t e rc h e f ’ s n ew p l ace. Luxe l aps. h ip h otels . Big names. Lu xe.

WHeRE SOLD

welcome

contents 10>> Do This ISSUE 24 SEP/OCT13 Here we are, new term at school. New shoes, pencil case, hat and coat. Holidays a distant memory, shoulders still hanging on to a dusting of tan.

It’s not been an emphatic change of season has it? Darker nights, yes, but still wearing flip-flops to look at winter boots in the shops; all a bit confusing.

A case in point: our feature on game in FQ. Blazing sunshine as we talk comforting casseroles and winter-warming pies. Ditto fashion on the roof terrace at The Vermont in Newcastle. Too much sunshine, waiting for the clouds, how very dare we?

I’ll wager that we’ll be in our polo necks by the time this comes through the door. By then you’ll have switched from your glass of chilled rose to a warming merlot and be covered in a cosy blanket rather than suncream.

Unlike our cover boys Ant and Dec - for they will always be boys to us won’t they - most of us won’t be heading to Australia for a spot of seasonal work down under.

We met up with them during the summer when they spent a hectic and hearty few days back home, leaving behind a legacy of many thousands of pounds raised for the charities they support up here. It was a non-stop session of cuddling babies and making everyone smile - a touch of magic any politcian would envy.

And while we’re on the subject of TV - don’t forget to cheer on actor Mark Benton, former Luxe cover star - as he shimmies his way through Strictly Come Dancing.

Don’t forget. We’re with you every week now in email format with our Luxe Loves The Weekend bulletin every Thursday; it’s required reading folks!

Sign up at www.luxe-magazine.co.uk/theweekend Follow us on Twitter @TheLuxeMagaxine

Spriggy retro fashion exhibition Ant & Dec on home ground

29>> Food Quarter Mouth-watering seasonal food

32>> Game On Getting to grips with feather and fur

36>> Harmy at the hob Curry classroom with bowler Steve

38>> Laybourne Masterclass On everybody’s radar, singer Kathryn Williams performs specially commissioned pieces for Durham Book Festival in October.

Her luxe things in life include: Shopping for posh moisturiser at Fenwick or Neal’s Yard, scampering around St Mary’s Lighthouse with the kids or a meal at Broad Chare.

Getting to grips with turbot

48>> Fashion view Shape up to stunning autumn looks

58>> Sounds good Bowled over by a new therapy

70>> River view luxe Waterside home with deck appeal

74>> Luxe Local We check out Rothbury for remote living

80>> Seychelles style Sun and sand on a holiday of contrasts

82>> Hip Hotels Debrah D rocks with the yacht crowd

84>> Little Luxe Wonderful onesie-making with Nina

86>> Luxe Lads Fashion with a bit of fogey attitude

87>> Tee Off

Kathryn Armstrong, Editor kathryn@room501.co.uk

Christopher March managing director chris@room501.co.uk Currently Kevin Bridges’ ghostie sketch

18>> Loving Laura 22>> Here come the boys

Kathryn

The 501 team Who or what makes you laugh?

Cultural musts for autumn

Tips for the tee. Places to play and kit to buy Dan Robinson divides his time between Hartlepool and New York, as you do. Hence, his luxe things have a global reference point and include; Hanging out in Central Park and a NY brunch with friends.

Hanging out in North Yorkshire and a great pub. A tailored suit is his retail treat.

88>> Va Va Vroom Luxe laps. Insightful words from petrolheads

92>> Luxe Looks Our must-read people-spotting social diary

98>> Parting Shot

Bryan Hoare sales and marketing director bryan@room501.co.uk Family Guy - the Star Wars episode when they are trying to get the sofa on Millennium Falcon Editorial Kathryn Armstrong editor kathryn@room501.co.uk ‘Royale with cheese’ in Pulp Fiction or anything Woody Allen Fiona McLain fashion styist New Girl - hysterical, love Schmidt in it Katharine Capocci Dara O’ Briain. Makes me laugh before he even speaks Design David Stubbs davids@room501.co.uk Ron Burgundy Sarah MacNeil sarah@room501.co.uk My kids when they get the giggles Photography Kevin Gibson info@kgphotoraphy.co.uk Mickey Flanagan Nicky Rogerson nicky@nrphotography.co.uk French & Saunders every time. Best female comedians ever

For advertising call the sales team on 0191 426 6300.

Interior designer Jill Molnar from Yarm styled the riverside home in our interiors section.

Her luxe things in life include: Jo Malone candles - especially at this time of year. Eating lobster at Harry’s Bar in Whitby and luxing it in a bath scented by Coco Noir, reading the latest copy of luxe!

room501 Ltd, Spectrum 6, Spectrum Business Park, Seaham, SR7 7TT www.room501.co.uk room501 was formed from a partnership of directors who, combined, have many years of experience in contract publishing, print, marketing, sales and advertising and distribution. We are a passionate, dedicated company that strives to help you to meet your overall business needs and requirements. All contents copyright ©2013 room501 Ltd. All rights reserved. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies, howsoever caused. No liability can be accepted for illustrations, photographs, artwork or advertising materials while in transmission or with the publisher or their agents. All information is correct at time of going to print, September 2013.

Sales Lisa Anderson senior sales executive lisa@room501.co.uk Usually my Mam, she is mad Debi Coldwell senior sales executive debi@room501.co.uk My 90-year-old grandma and her twin sister with childhood stories

luxe is published bi-monthly by room501 Ltd.

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LUXE LOVES

LUXE LOVES A clutch too much Snow leopard under your arm? The animal print of choice for winter chic. In touchy-feely calf hair, Lulu Guinness Leila clutch is ÂŁ375 at House of Fraser and www.luluguiness.com

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lUXe liFe

DAN ROBINSON

dan robinson took over the reins at gus robinson developments following the sad death of his father two years ago and is now steering the company and its 150-plus workforce into a new era.

The 36-year-old spends his time between his homes in hartlepool and new york and despite his hectic workload the former fighter pilot loves nothing more than to travel, explore and take part in the sport of Brazilian jiu jitsu. lUXe PeoPle >> Over the past couple of years I could not have been without a handful of my closest friends. As I’m constantly between New York and the UK it’s difficult to catch up with them all so when I do get the opportunity, it’s a rare treat! lUXe PlaCes >> For a weekend > I’m in love with Italy. My grandmother is actually Italian and so I guess I have a natural affinity for the country. My favourite is Rome. I love the blend of cosmopolitan sophistication and style, juxtaposed with the history and architecture that spans two and a half thousand years. I plan to live in Rome at some point in my life! a long holiday > I’m generally terrible at long holidays. If I’m going to go on a long holiday, it has to be activity based including lots of travelling and opportunities to challenge myself culturally. I spent a month traveling the spine of India from Delhi to Bengaluru which was truly fascinating. I finished up with a week of scuba diving in the Maldives. As I said, I need to keep busy.

For a treat > Actually just having some time alone to think and decompress is a real treat for me. I’m a big fan of the being outside and I absolutely love being in North Yorkshire. I’d go for a long day outside followed by a night in a good pub in the middle of nowhere with great food and a few beers. I also love going to the cinema by myself. lUXe relaX >> Best food > I’m pretty simple really. It would be rib-eye steak cooked outside on the barbeque along with goat’s cheese and chive mash potatoes and a bottle of good red (not that I’ve thought about this much).

Best wine > I have two favourites. The first is a 2008 Malbec called Trapiche that I discovered in Mendoza, Argentina. The second is a wine called The Prisoner. It’s a blend from Napa Valley, California.

Favourite restaurant > Again, I have two. The courtyard of Francis Mallmann in Mendoza and Eleven Madison Park, New York City.

Both are amazing.

Perfect weekend > For me perfect weekends only happen after a satisfying, hard week of work during which I’ve achieved lots. I love warm spring weekends in New York City. The weekend would be spent with friends. The evenings consisting of sitting outdoors, eating, drinking and talking, and the days would be spent training Brazilian jiu jitsu, hanging out in Central Park and enjoying long, lazy New York brunches.

Best TV > I don’t watch much but I’m addicted to news and politics. I love Newsnight and Question Time in particular. The only other show I watch is Family Guy. Seth Macfarlane is a genius!

Best book > I always forget which books I’ve read but most recently, I really enjoyed the 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene and The Book of Five Rings by Musashi. Both great books!

Best sounds > I’ve got some weird ones… I love the sound of silence immediately after turning the car engine off. I love the background noise of jet engines on an aircraft (something so familiar that it sends me to sleep quickly). I also find the sound of trickling water relaxing. lUXe shoP >> Best shopping city > A one that has free personal shoppers so I don’t have to go anywhere near shops. I have the attention span of an impatient three-year-old. luxe retail treat > Tailored suits.

Best buy > I prefer to buy gifts for people than something for myself. I really don’t like owning ‘stuff’. lUXe ParTy >> a memorable night out > May 10th 2012. This one I’ll keep to myself.

Perfect party > Outdoors by the ocean. Good friends, good food, warm weather, great music. dinner date > I’d surround myself with those people that are closest to me, take a big table at a favourite restaurant and stay for hours. yoUr lUXe Thing in liFe >> The opportunities I’ve had to lead a full and rewarding life.

A life full of adventure.

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LUXE LOVES

LUXE LOVES Jet setting Sleek, simple and stylish is how we like our morning wake-up call from a showerhead with a bit of thrust.

Simpsons/Crosswater ‘Design View’ fits the bill in terms of the latest in bathroom luxe. Cubicles are the new wet room.

One of a number of new ranges available at Tecaz. www.tecaz.com

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DO THIS

ART! with Godfrey Worsdale

Stay in >> go out >> enjoy Your sofa-side view of cultural and seasonal happenings in the region by Imogen Nicholson 6 September – 20 November

The Biscuit Factory presents an exhibition of stunning and technically astounding still lives by Catalan artist Raquel Alvarez Sardinia. Sardinia is a modern-day master of the representational, still life genre. Having undertaken years of disciplined and intense drawing classes, Sardinia combines a traditional painterly skill with a contemporary sense of mood and composition. Everyday fruits and flowers are brought to life with careful accumulation of detail and dynamic expression.

0191 261 1103 www.thebiscuitfactory.com

17-21 September Be dazzled and thoroughly entertained by Northern Ballet’s magical version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

A treat of a fairytale night with Bottom, Puck, Titania and Oberon. It’s a lavish show with stunning costumes and beautiful music from the Northern Ballet Sinfonia. www.theatreroyal.co.uk.

18 For readers who have never been to visit the National Glass Centre in Sunderland, it is one of the region’s must-see art gallery destinations. For those who have, now is the time for a return visit as the entire building has just been the subject of a hugely successful, £2.25 million refurbishment that has transformed the visitor experience and made it a much better place to exhibit and experience art, and to learn more about the astonishing qualities of glass.

It is believed that glass has been in use in Sunderland since at least the 7th Century, courtesy of its introduction

by Benedict Biscop, patron saint of Sunderland.

Industrially and creatively, it forms a rich part of the city’s past, and with the rejuvenation of the National Glass Centre under the auspices of the University of Sunderland, it looks set for an important part in its future.

The opening show presents the wide-ranging practice of senior German artist Erwin Eisch, whose mastery of an array of technical disciplines extends well beyond his inventive use of glass. Eisch’s retrospective Clouds Have Been My Foothold All Along features drawings, prints, paintings and glass from the 1950s onwards charting the artist’s career and his significant influence on the international studio glass movement.

Eisch’s work is given further context by the presentation of 75 works loaned from the collection of Dan Klein and Alan J Poole, which presents the work of some of the leading names in British Studio Glass; outlining the progression of the movement from the 60s through to the present day. This particular space will provide a changing exhibition of noted glass and ceramics collections on an annual basis.

One of the National Glass Centre’s special offers is that it not only presents works in glass it also demonstrates how glass is blown and worked, and gives visitors the chance to try it out for themselves. If that’s not enough glass experience for you, you can always take a walk on the glass roof and look into the building from on-high. www.nationalglasscentre.com FREE Admission Open Daily: 10.00 – 17.00 Godfrey Worsdale is Director, BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art

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September

Jenny Eclair is the sparky speaker at the annual North East Ladies Day at Hardwick Hall. The self-confessed ‘Grumpy Old Woman’ is often seen on shows such as This Morning and Loose Women. Expect much wit and side-splitting humour. The ladies’ day organised by NELD(North East Ladies Day) is well established as one of the leading events in the region’s social calendar, having raised more than £200,000 for over 83 North of England charities.

Tickets, £45.

Tickets: 07542 153457, Email: nlunch@btinternet.com http://www.neladiesday.moonfruit.com

20 September

21 September – 11 May Calling all dapper dressers! Henry Poole & Co, the company that created the dinner jacket and established Savile Row as the forefront of British tailoring will be the subject of the inaugural exhibition of men’s tailoring and craftsmanship at The Bowes Museum. The exhibition, to be displayed in The Bowes Museum’s internationally renowned Fashion and Textile Gallery, will include highlights such as contemporary dinner jackets, a single-breasted jacket in Churchill stripe and a sports blazer which bears the Napoleonic Eagle. The exhibition will be a celebration of the art of bespoke tailoring and a look at the history of high-end British tailoring and the use of wool in fine clothing.

01833 690606 www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk

21 Organisers of the North East Oyster Festival are hoping guests will shell out the cash in aid of charity. The tenth festival takes place at Hardwick Hall Hotel on Friday 20 September and will be raising much-needed funds for local charity Daisy Chain charity which does fantastic work supporting autistic children and their families in the North East. The 10th annual North East Oyster Festival has proved itself to be one of the most popular and glamorous events in the region. Guests will be treated to a superb three-course Fruits de Mer menu and oyster stalls with festival highlights including live music from Kev Orkian, Diane Shaw and the Wildcats of Kilkenny.

01740 620253 or email dawn.coates@hardwickhallhotel.co.uk

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September

Vintage lovers mark your diaries!

The first national Festival of Thrift curated by award-winning designers Wayne Hemingway MBE and Gerardine Hemingway MBE will take place at Darlington’s Lingfield Point. The Festival of Thrift is a chic celebration of creative common-sense living featuring upcycling, recycling and finding the fun in sustainable living. Wayne and Gerardine are leading that celebration and are delighted the first national Festival of Thrift is taking place in the North East. The festival will feature scores of hands-on activities from exciting innovations in art and technology, to discovering the magic in vintage items through upcycling. It will be held on outdoor and indoor sites at Lingfield Point with pop-up artworks, allotments, performances, exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations, talks, market stalls and foraging tours.

Launched from Darlington town centre with a mass bike ride, the thriftiest of transport, the festival will be a must for everyone who knows or wants to learn new skills and have fun doing it! www.festivalofthrift.co.uk

September

Durham Gala is the perfect setting for staged, costumed highlights from Puccini’s masterpiece Madama Butterfly, accompanied by a chamber ensemble. The tale of an American naval officer and a young Japanese geisha girl, the opera contains some of Puccini’s most heart-rending music. Part two of the evening features popular arias and ensembles from the operas of Mozart, Rossini and Gilbert & Sullivan. www.galadurham.co.uk 03000 266600

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do This

WEALTH MANAGEMENT WITH anTonia simPson

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If you love fashion visit Jesmond Dene House for an evening of glitz and glam with gorgeous designer fashion in the Great Hall, featuring the limited edition collection ‘NICHE’ by Nisha Vedhara. Preview the Love NICHE collection, with a trend and style presentation by the designer herself. There will also be a pop-up boutique - giving you a chance to buy the clothes straight off the catwalk!

0191 212 3000 www.jesmonddenehouse.co.uk

REAP WHAT YOU SOW: BEWARE OF THE LONG-TERM TAX CONSEQUENCES OF FARM DIVERSIFICATION A recent survey by the Prince’s Countryside Fund has suggested that farmers will suffer the effects of the “brutal” start to 2013 for many years to come.

After heavy snowfall at the start of the year followed by the recent prolonged dry spell, farmers are still counting the cost of losing livestock and reduced yields.

With such diminishing returns and short-term problems, farmers might be more tempted than ever to diversify. Turning to unconventional activities outside the sphere of traditional farming has become increasingly commonplace as farmers seek alternative forms of income using their farming assets.

Alongside the more established farm shops and farm tourism all manner of cottage industries are popping up. Everything from fancy cheese making, catching and smoking your own fish, quad bike safaris and golf driving ranges to farming alternative livestock such as llamas and even worms - the list, it would seem, is endless.

Some of these ventures are so successful they have overtaken the farming income on some farms. However, farm diversification doesn’t always succeed. Think carefully about the project you want to undertake before committing to anything too concrete.

on-going Rock and Roll Icon in Northumberland Square, North Shields, presents a 50-year retrospective of the work of Gered Mankowitz, the world’s foremost rock photographer. In 1963, Gered met and photographed the singing duo Chad and Jeremy, who had just signed with Ember records. One of these photographs was used as the cover of the duo’s first album ‘Yesterday’s Gone’ catapulting Gered in to the world of music photography, at a time when the music industry was on the lookout for new, mould-breaking images. This was the start of a long and successful career for Gered who has photographed icons such as Jimi Hendrix, the Experience and even toured with the Rolling Stones 1966/67. The show features 150 images of legends such as The Stones, Clapton, Kate Bush and many more. It runs for a year culminating in the re-opening of the Club A’Gogo, with exhibitions including rock and roll memorabilia and ‘evening with’ industry experts. www.rockandrollicon.com

PLAN BEYOND THE CURRENT GENERATION Any diversification project must be carefully researched and planned out. Tax is just one of a number of factors that need to be taken into consideration.

There is no end of information and guidance available for farmers who are thinking of diversifying by adding new business activities to traditional farming. Whilst a business plan is likely to consider the aims and challenges of the potential business venture including taxes such as Income, Capital Gains, Stamp Duty and VAT, it is important not to lose sight of the longer-term succession plan.

There are several valuable tax reliefs available to farmers, some of which are unique to farming. The loss of these could be the difference between the next generation inheriting your business intact or having to break the business up to pay the Inheritance Tax (IHT).

Agricultural Property Relief (APR) Owners of agricultural land and property can qualify for 100% relief from IHT. It is a complicated tax and certain qualifications must be met in order to qualify for the relief.

For example, if a farmer did not continue to farm enough land to justify the main residence as a farm house, this valuable relief could be lost.

Any diversification project needs to take into account not just the effect on the core business but also the possible effect on APR and, as a result, IHT. Business Property Relief (BPR) BPR can easily be lost unless you know what to do and what to avoid.

A farming business with a bit of letting on the side will qualify for BPR. If the letting business expands, that relief may well be lost for the whole of the business including the farming.

The problem is that there are no neon lights that start flashing when your farm stops qualifying for APR or BPR. Many farmers will be surprised to realise that action they take on a day-to-day basis could have very significant IHT implications. These problems may not come to light until after the key individual has passed away leaving few opportunities to put things right.

Before adding any new business activities to traditional farming, it is vital that you take professional advice not just from a commercial point of view but also from a tax perspective.

For more information about tax reliefs and planning for diversification on your own farm, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our private wealth team.

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The Duckworth Lewis Method - Thomas Walsh (Duckworth) and Neil Hannon (Lewis) - are breaking boundaries on a UK tour and will leave no wicket unturned as they step out for their first live shows in four years. The follow-up to their acclaimed Ivor Novello nominated 2009 debut, ‘Sticky Wickets’ was written and produced by Neil Hannon and Thomas Walsh and recorded and mixed by Guy Massey. It features the next-level talents of Henry Blofeld, Daniel Radcliffe, Stephen Fry, David Lloyd and Matt Berry and was released on Divine Comedy Records.

0191 443 4661 www.sagegateshead.com

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The Festive Season 2013 with compliments

Relax, unwind and enjoy festive indulgence Wynyard Hotel & Spa Wynyard Hall, Tees at Valley, TS22 5NF, Hall Tel: 01740 644 811 reception@wynyardhall.co.uk

www.wynyardhall.co.uk

Festive Shopping Fayre Friday 15th November 10-5pm | Saturday 16th November 10-5pm | Sunday 17th November 10-4pm Tickets £5pp or £4 if booked in advance online Find all you need for Christmas at our annual fayre, with over 140 exhibitors, plus entertainment and Wynyard Hall hospitality.

Festive Cookery Class Thursday 5th December | £40pp Prepare for the greatest culinary challenge of the year, Christmas Dinner with our festive cookery class, followed b y a two course lunch and a glass of wine.

Blooms & Bubbly Thursday 28th November | £35pp Add a touch of fizz and floristry to your festive season by learning how to create your own displays with a floral demonstration and special guest appearance from Christine Taylor of Choccywoccydoodah. Welcome drink and afternoon tea included.

Christmas Parties £40pp | Available on selected dates Enjoy a reception drink on arrival, a delicious 4 course dinner and then dance the night away with Karen Harding and Livewire band.

Christmas Day £100 adult £60 child Following a Champagne reception, experience an indulgent 5 course Christmas Day lunch with the family at Wynyard Hall.

Santa claus will also be making an appearance with gifts for the young guests. 2 or 3 night residential packages available.

New years eve Gala ball £115pp | New year’s eve gourmet dinner in the Wellington Restaurant £150pp Our annual black tie ball is a guaranteed sell out. Join us for a 6 course dinner and live entertainment.

2 or 3 night residential packages available.

Boxing Day/New year’s day family lunch £36 adult/ £18 child Continue the celebrations with a three course family lunch at Wynyard Hall

Wynyard Hall, Tees Valley, TS22 5NF ı Tel: 01740 644 811 ı www.wynyardhall.co.uk

do This

25 – 26 sePTemBer Following a smash-hit UK Tour in 2012, this ground-breaking new stage production of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show Live comes to the Sunderland Empire.

A radio show like you’ve never seen before, join Simon Jones as Arthur Dent alongside Hitchhiker’s favourites from the legendary Radio and TV casts who will act as VIP guest voices of The Book.

0191 566 1040 www.sunderlandempire.org.uk

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Comedy fans have another incredible treat ahead, when Middlesbrough’s hugelypopular Big Mouth Comedy Club celebrates its fifth birthday with an all-star Charity Gala at the Town Hall Crypt.

Hebburn star and huge Teesside favourite Jason Cook is MC for what promises to be a night full of surprises, with Justin Moorhouse and Matt Reed also confirmed so far. More top comics will be announced over the coming weeks, with all profits from the night benefiting The South Cleveland Heart Fund and teenage cancer charity Butterfly Giving.

01642 729 729 www.middlesbroughtownhallonline.co.uk

24 sePTemBer – 29 oCToBer The dUrham BooK FesTiVal has grown in size and scope this year with an extensive programme including a dynamic mix of leading writers, speakers, home-grown talent and a remarkable programme of new commissions from writers, filmmakers and musicians, where leading artists have been invited to produce work just for the festival.

These are some of our picks:

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Make sure to visit The Sage to delight in the bewitching vocals of Laura Marling, who has just released her fourth album ‘Once I was An Eagle’ which became her highest charting album so far, reaching number three, an achievement in itself for a 23-yearold. Since her 2007 debut ‘Alas I Cannot Swim’ Laura has received a Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist (2011), NME Award for Best Solo Artist and two Mercury Music Prize nominations.

0191 443 4661 www.sagegateshead.com

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Rod Stewart has announced a five-date UK arena tour in celebration of his first No.1 album in 34 years. ‘Time’ sees Rod as a writer and producer on 11 of the 12 tracks, which he will perform when he visits Newcastle Metro Radio Arena in September. www.aeglive.co.uk

27 sePTemBer Britain’s biggest burlesque extravaganza arrives direct from London’s West End, unveiling a fresh cast of burlesque all-stars. Join a riotous romp into the bizarre world of burlesque and cutting-edge variety. Heralded as the slickest, wittiest, most delightfully choreographed cabaret extravaganza of the year. Dress up and join the cabaret.

0191 566 1040 www.sunderlandempire.org.uk

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Sunderland Empire will be the home to international sell-out, West Side Story the Musical, wowing audiences with ground-breaking choreography and an unforgettable score. Based on Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’, this vibrant stage production of the classic dance musical features the famous songs, ‘Maria’, ‘Tonight’, ‘Somewhere’, ‘America’ and ‘I Feel Pretty’. www.westsidestorytheshow.co.uk

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A new, exciting and funny evening to get you giggling at Jesmond Dene House, where the Great Hall is transformed into a comedy store for the night. Great local comedians will be showcasing their style of humour in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. Although now best known for his regular appearances with Johnny Vegas in BBC’s ‘Ideal’ Seymour Mace is a stand-up performer of some renown. Having worked around the world in street theatre Seymour also trained as a circus clown before finally taking the plunge into stand-up.

0191 212 3000 www.jesmonddenehouse.co.uk

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A stupendous double bill comes to ARC in Stockton-onTees with two of the fastest-rising stars of the UK jazz scene, Roller Trio and Go Go Penguin, appearing together. Mercury Music Prize-nominated Roller Trio have already cemented themselves as prodigiously talented twenty-somethings at the forefront of the new British jazz scene, combing melodic saxophone-led beauty with startling electronica and a powerful sonic drive. Whilst Go Go Penguin, an equally youthful trio have been heralded as bringing some thrilling sonic experimentation to the jazz world.

01642 525199 www.arconline.co.uk

Make sure not to miss the inaugural Ashington Music and Arts Festival where some of Britain’s leading names in folk, blues and roots music will playing during the first week in October, with a line-up including Mercury nominees The Unthanks, left, jazz award-winning Dr Martin Taylor and renowned guitarist Martin Simpson.

The festival will also include a presentation from internationally renowned photographer Steve Gosling in partnership with Ashington Co-op Camera Club, a comedy night featuring Simon Donald, the co-founder of the comic Viz, and a radical theatre performance from the Banner Theatre Company. www.ashingtontowncouncil.gov.uk.

Make sure to take your little ones to Durham Town Hall, to delight in Carina Rodney’s adaptation of Val McDermid’s charming picture book ‘My Granny is a Pirate’ featuring well-loved performers from The Sage Gateshead’s ensemble, that promises to be a rip-roaring show. Val McDermid will sign copies of the book after the event.

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The Gala Theatre will be playing host to the Queen of crime thrillers, Lynda La Plante, as part of the festival.

As well as being a best-selling crime novelist, Lynda has created some of the best-known crime dramas on television. Meet the woman behind Trial and Retribution, Above Suspicion and Prime Suspect. This is an evening guaranteed to be full of revelations and stories about your favourite crime dramas and one not to be missed.

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Jeremy Vine, one of Britain’s most popular broadcasters, looks back on his 25 years at the BBC. A graduate of Durham University, Jeremy will be returning to the city to reflect on his career so far at the Gala Theatre, including his award-winning crossexamination of Gordon Brown in 2010 and the often amusing vitriol directed towards him while working as a Newsnight presenter.

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Join much-loved writer, broadcaster and journalist Stuart Maconie as he takes you on a journey through a soundtrack of our nation in The People’s Songs: The Story of Modern Britain in 50 Records. From Vera Lynn to Dizzee Rascal, Stuart talks about the songs that have shaped post-war Britain.

These are not the greatest songs ever recorded, but the records that tell us something about how we feel and have felt about work, war, class, leisure, race, family, sport, drugs, sex, spirituality, politics, patriotism and more. www.durhambookfestival.com 03000266600

SEP/OCT13

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DO THIS

10 – 20 October

06 OCTOBER

World-renowned musical icon Alison Moyet, has achieved sales of more than 20 million, both as a solo artist and half of influential duo Yazoo. Witness Alison perform songs from her latest album ‘The Minutes’, arguably her most creatively-brimming album ever.

It has subtle parallels to her synth-pop past, but is also bang up-to-date, taking in elements of high-end pop smashes, R&B, modern club sounds and electronic experimentation.

0191 443 4661 www.sagegateshead.com

4 – 6 October Golf aficionados listen up! Last played in 2007 at St Mellion, the English Senior Open will return this year, taking place at Rockliffe Hall from Friday 4-6 October 2013.

01325 729999 www.rockliffehall.com

07 OCTOBER

Visit Rockliffe Hall’s flagship restaurant The Orangery for an evening of live jazz music from the renowned Phil Lyons New Vintage band as well as a beautiful three course dinner to enjoy.

Put a swing in your step with this great Jazz night.

01325 729999 www.rockliffehall.com

9-10 October Broadcaster and writer Edward Stourton will be opening the 25th Durham Shopping Extravaganza at Wynyard Rooms, Wynyard Park. Over 70 handpicked stalls from all over the country will be selling inspirational and stylish goods. A shopping experience with a difference as all monies raised go to local charities. Edward Stourton will also be signing his books on the first day. Live entertainment, refreshments, ample free parking. Entrance £4 Weds, 10–6pm, Thurs 10–4. www.durhamshoppingextravaganza.co.uk

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Previously known as the ‘Design Event Festival’, the biennial Northern Design Festival is back this year and taking place from the 10 – 20 October in venues across the North East, celebrating creativity and design from across the region, country and globe. This year the Northern Design Festival has chosen to focus on an issue very topical within the industry at the moment; the ever-increasing prevalence of digital technologies within the design industry and the impact this is having. Therefore running under the theme Create:Digital, this year’s festival features a whole host of events, exhibitions, talks and workshops exploring these issues. The exhibition will include innovative pieces from designers including Dominic Wilcox, Interaction Research Studio, Michele Gauler, Silvia Weidenbach and Timorous Beasties.

0191 265 3537 www.design-event.co.uk

October

In 1903 a murder took place at Lumley Castle. This villainous act was the result of a master criminal mind, however a mistake was made, a clue the police overlooked!

Guests are invited to attend a re-enactment of the murder, to see if you can play detective and solve this hideous crime.

Was it the ambitious land owner Jack Horner or cunning Lady Lily or the scheming Sir Ralph or perhaps the plotting maid Dinah?

Can you guess whodunnit and why? All budding detectives are invited to visit Lumley Castle for a three-course dinner and murder mystery evening.

0191 389 1111 www.lumleycastle.com

14 – 19 October

The Mousetrap is famous around the world for being the longest running show of any kind in the history of theatre, with over 25,000 performances so far. To celebrate 60 incredible years on stage it’s on tour for the first time, with a star cast visiting the Sunderland Empire, telling Agatha Christie’s suspense-filled tale of murder and intrigue around every corner. The scene is set when a group of people gathered in a country house cut off by the snow discover, to their horror, that there is a murderer in their midst. Who can it be?

One by one, the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts until at the last, nerve-shredding moment the identity and the motives are revealed.

0191 566 1040 www.sunderlandempire.org.uk

October See and hear a rare performance by one of Britain’s most celebrated composers live in concert with the Michael Nyman Band as they return to Sage Gateshead.

Hear some of Michael Nyman’s most familiar compositions from film scores, as well as new compositions to accompany a selection of films that he has himself made over the last five years.

This show will feature music from the Greenaway soundtracks, and films directed and scored by Michael Nyman.

This will be the first time the films will be performed live in the UK to a live soundtrack. Featuring music from ‘The Draughtsman’s Contract’, ‘The Cook, The Thief, his Wife and her Lover’, including a special 20th anniversary performance of music from ‘The Piano’. www.sagegateshead.com

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October

Described as the godfather of UK indie music, Lloyd Cole comes to ARC in Stockton-on-Tees for an intimate evening with one of rock’s most razor-sharp wits. Since bursting on to the indie scene in 1984 with his classic debut album Rattlesnakes, Lloyd Cole has embarked on a career of wild and almost reckless eclecticism. He’s swung from lyrical indie to full-on rock to stripped-down acoustica. His recent album ‘Selected Studies Vol 1’ was a collection of gentle, experimental electronic sounds!

01642 525199 www.arconline.co.uk

24 – 26 October

With a classical score by Tchaikovsky and original choreography by Marius Petipa, The Sleeping Beauty is considered one of the greatest ballets from Imperial Russia. This thrilling production by Birmingham Royal Ballet’s former director Sir Peter Wright, creator of the company’s popular production of The Nutcracker, visits the Sunderland Empire this October. With its romantic finale packed with every fairytale character imaginable, The Sleeping Beauty Ballet is as magical now as when she first fell asleep, over a hundred years ago.

0191 566 1040 www.sunderlandempire.org.uk

OCTOBER

19 October – 12 January This autumn The Biscuit Factory will play host to an exclusive body of work by one of the UK’s finest watercolour painters, Ashley Jackson. A Yorkshire man through and through, Jackson’s work reveals a dedicated passion for the powerful and alluring Yorkshire Moors. He has spent his career emulating the beauty of his surroundings, earning him a reputation as ‘The Twentieth Century Turner.’ Jackson’s work can be found in international collections including President Bill Clinton and the late L S Lowry.

0191 261 1103 www.thebiscuitfactory.com

Paloma Faith and the Guy Barker Orchestra will present full-blown orchestral arrangements of Paloma’s Brit-nominated Fall to Grace album, including the hits Picking Up The Pieces and 30 Minute Love Affair, intermingled with classic jazz ballads. With a 42-piece orchestra, backing singers and fabulous costumes, the concert promises to show Paloma Faith at her most epic.

0191 443 4661 www.sagegateshead.com

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If you want your daughter to go far, then go no further.

Newcastle High School for Girls is the only name you need to know for exceptional education in the North East. Join us for one of our Open Mornings to find out more.

Junior School Open Morning 5th October 10am –1pm Senior School Open Morning 9th November 10am–1pm

Newcastle High School for Girls T 0191 201 6511 E j.howe@cnh.gdst.net newcastlehigh.gdst.net Leading girls’ education Registered charity no. 306983

9646 NHSfG Open Day LUXE 251x348mm.indd 1

30/08/2013 10:52

Fashion heroine sign of the times >> Flounce-free Laura Ashley collection winter 2013

Loving Laura She brought rustic to the city streets and life’s never been the same since.

A new exhibition at Bowes Museum charts the rise of Laura Ashley. Kathryn Armstrong has a wardrobe moment

There can be few people or places that haven’t been touched by the floral sprig of Laura Ashley over the years.

The glory of the dropped-waist sailor dress, the rustle of graduation ball taffeta or my own very real memory – the Viyella Black Watch tartan skirt bought with one of my first pay packets as a journalist. A week’s wages at that!

Then as my friends and I began homemaking there we were falling in love with the Laura Ashley swatch bundle and houses covered in paisley prints and Brighton Rock stripey wallpaper (is it all coming back?).

My Laura Ashley days were closer to the eighties and nineties and with something of a nod to Princess Di - but Caroline Peacock was there right from the start.

She went from mini-skirted London girl to County Durham-dwelling, long-skirted earth mum in her flowing, sprigged Laura Ashley dresses. The era she remembers and the one that marked a fashion change for the nation is recognised in a new exhibition at Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle.

Caroline, chairman of the Friends of Bowes Museum, has donated five of her Laura Ashley originals to the museum and they form part of a new exhibition; Laura Ashley, The Romantic Heroine, which opens on September 21.

It marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of Laura Ashley Ltd and is the first major retrospective of this iconic designer.

A selection of 70 dresses from the 1960s and 1970s - on loan from the Laura Ashley archive in Wales - will be displayed. The exhibition will also include loans from the Fashion Museum, Bath; private collections, and Carolyn’s dresses.

She remembers, “I lived in Laura Ashley during this period. The dresses had real charm, these huge skirts and sleeves, I enjoyed them very much.”

Carolyn, from Wolsingham, came to County Durham some 40 years ago – bringing her ‘exotic’ southern ways and fashion with her she recalls.

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“I think I was perceived as this exotic creature in long skirts. It was a very idealised look – at the time we had been going though protests about Vietnam and the world was politicised. I think these clothes were an example of an idealised view of the world that we wanted.

“I was a student in the 70s and had been wearing mini skirts – I wasn’t a kaftan, hippy type so these clothes really appealed!”

She brought up her children at Ravensford Farm – some of them with their own Laura Ashley outfits – and was married

simple distinctive printed designs; a style which was inspired by a notion of life in a rural golden past, away from the city. In so doing she set a particular trend in the 1970s, which enabled countless women and girls to dress in a thoroughly modern way which combined romance and femininity whilst rooted in a nostalgic view of the past.

No other designer or retailer was making or distributing the long Victorian-style dress which was suitable for parties in the evening and could also be worn during the day. The Daily Mirror described the look as ‘soft-core

IN CAROLINE’S RETRO WARDROBE Turquoise and white full-length cotton with a Ram and Pelican pattern, puffed long sleeves, stand-up collar, tie belt, flounce at hem, dating from the early 1970s. Caroline says; “This was a summer dress which I remember wearing to an afternoon lunch party. Laura Ashley dresses were fun to wear and then they just went in the wash – they were a pain to iron though!”

A corduroy brown full-length winter dress, with floral sprig pattern and long sleeves, stand-up collar and flounce at hem. Early 1970s. Caroline wore this dress with Biba boots. “It was a great evening dress as it swept along the floor as I walked.”

>> Laura Ashley originals from the exhibition at Bowes Museum. Copyright Laura Ashley Ltd in a Laura Ashley dress.

Her dresses in the exhibition include one she had adapted – very Kirsty Allsop - with a velvet belt to make it more formal as well as a corduroy dress and soft cotton one.

As the exhibition explains, in the late 1960s knee-length shifts and mini-dress styles were dominating fashion; Laura Ashley decided to create something that was completely different.

The exhibition charts just how she changed the look of fashion in the 1970s and gave rise to a new term, the ‘Laura Ashley’ dress.

Drawing on the past for inspiration, she gave the world the chaste full-length cotton frock in earth-hewn natural colours with

femininity’ and ‘Victorian-type demureness’, a sentiment echoed throughout the fashion press in the early 1970s.

Curator Annabel Talbot says, “It’s really great to be staging this Laura Ashley exhibition, which is representative of so many people’s lives in the 1970s.

“Everyone has their own tale about Laura Ashley and we’d be delighted if they would share their stories on our Facebook, Twitter (#LauraAshleyRH), Instagram and Pinterest pages.

The Bowes museum, Barnard Castle, County durham, dl12 8nP www.thebowesmuseum.org.uk

A pale green and white full-length cotton, with a large floral and fruit print.

The tie belt in pale green silk velvet and covered buttons from neck to waist were added by Caroline.

“This dress was bought slightly later than the other dresses,” she said. “I decided to add the velvet buttons and ribbon belt because I wanted to wear it to formal evening occasions.”

SEP/OCT13

Discover the autumn collection

PANDORA 32 High Friars Eldon Square, Newcastle NE1 7XF, 0191 232 3266

36 Hill Street Centre Middlesbrough, TS1 1SU 01642 909261

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LUXE LIFE

KATHRYN WILLIAMS Newcastle-based singer-songwriter Kathryn Williams, a former Northumbria University student, made her first album in 1999 for £80. She’s now making big noises with her latest album, Crown Electric.

She’s on tour in the North East in September and October and will premiere songs specially commissioned by Durham Book Festival to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first publication of The Bell Jar at an event at Durham Town Hall.

Luxe people >> Family. Spending time with my boys is the best luxury. I’m going on tour for three months and feeling sick at the thought of not being there. Of course I come home on days off but it’s a hard balancing act.

Luxe places >> For a weekend > Somewhere in the countryside, Holy Island or North Wales.

Beautiful sunsets and space and big skies.

A long holiday > I haven’t had a holiday abroad in years!

A treat > Being away with friends and family. Sitting round a table eating chatting, kids running about.

Luxe relax >> A bath or the Turkish Baths at the old City Pool, Newcastle.

Best food > Food cooked with love. My husband has the Settledown cafe and the Sugardown Bakery in Newcastle - simple good ingredients. I also love Broad Chare at the Quayside for a posh date!

Best wine > Prosecco... feels like you’re celebrating something Favourite restaurant > Broad Chare and Adriano’s, Gosforth.

Perfect weekend > Walking with the kids, swimming, rockpooling at St Mary’s Lighthouse Downtime means > Not juggling work and family and wishing there were a few more hours in a day.

Best telly > Great British Bake Off, New Girl, Wallander.

Best book > Perfume by Patrick Suskind, Talk Pretty by David Sedaris.

Best sounds > Laura Viers, Gillian Welch, Beck, Bjork, Fleet Foxes, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Flight of the Conchords, Joni Mitchell.

Luxe shop >> Urban Outfitters Best shopping city > Newcastle, London and Leeds.

Favourite shop > I like Tynemouth market.

Luxe retail treat > Buying a nice moisturiser from a posh shop... Fenwick’s or Neal’s Yard Best buy > Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream and my husband’s sourdough bread.

Luxe party >> Getting to meet your heroes is a gamble but always interesting.

A memorable night out > I prefer nights in! But always have a good night with my friend Sarah in Newcastle.

Perfect party > Is there such a thing?

Best dress > I’ve got a lovely retro dress with lots of vibrant flowers on that always makes me feel happy.

Dinner date > I like meeting friends for dinner. Tacos, sushi, nibbly things to talk, eat, talk, eat!

Your luxe thing in life >> Time. It’s the most precious thing we have.

Kathryn’s book festival performance will be at Durham Town Hall on Sunday 13 October, 5pm-6.30pm Tickets: £10/£8. For more info go to www.durhambookfestival.com

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SEP/OCT13

DURHAM SCHOOL Independent day & boarding school Girls and Boys . Age 3-18 . Founded 1414

OPEN DAY

19 T H OCTOBER 2013 Celebrating 600 years of outstanding education

Years

18 carat gold, diamond and jade snuff box Sold for £3,000

9.30 AM TO 1.00 PM

600

ol 1414

am Scho urh

Outstanding Prices Achieved in our Summer sale of Fine Art, Antiques & Jewellery

2014

D Swiss rosewood and inlaid music box Sold for £2,500

Russian 14 carat gold and enamel Faber type pocket watch Sold for £2,800

Fine sapphire and diamond ring Sold for £6,000

Our Autumn sale will be held on the 19th November.

Deadline for entries Monday, 21st October.

To arrange a no obligation free pre-sale appraisal with our auctioneer and valuer David Elstob MA call us on 01325 462559 or e-mail info@thomaswatson.com

COME AND JOIN US For further information Tel 0191 3864783 Durham School Quarryheads Lane, Durham City, DH1 4SZ

www.durhamschool.co.uk enquiries@durhamschool.co.uk Durham School (1414 - present)

@dunelmia

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SEP/OCT13

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home thoughts

Hearts in the right place They might be all grown up but it’s cheering to hear that the region’s favourite export, the collective ‘Ant&Dec’, haven’t really left home yet. They talk home ties and golf tees with Luxe’s Kathryn Armstrong

You expect an entourage with Ant and Dec. You know, the ‘people’ who surround other people who are very big. The minders, the PRs, the blondes with clipboards and an air of hurried rush about them, checking their phones every 30 seconds and being soo busy.

We’ve arranged to meet Ant and Dec, or as their Sunday names go, Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donelly, at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle where we’ve been allocated 15 minutes in their schedule which, to be fair, is pretty packed – and which we’ve been trying to broker for a not inconsiderable amount of time. No pressure there then.

We sit and wait in a small, grey meeting room in the hospital, camera lights set up and three office chairs neatly set. The land of the cosy-chat armchair it is not.

The pair turn up and take a seat, no visible signs of an entourage, hurrah. Just a pleasant PR with an eye on her watch who nips in and out of the room. They clearly don’t need ‘minding’.

The scenario is bizarre. They are so famous that they feel like your relatives walking in the door, it’s odd. This pair own two of the most famous faces in Britain. They are telly royalty, ‘national treasures’, every endearment you can think of. It’s still like sharing the room with people you’ve known all your life. Well it is and it isn’t – because in the next nervy moment you’re thinking, hey these guys are as famous as it gets. Even my kids were impressed by this day’s work, which is a first.

The boys, for even at 37 they are boys, say their hellos in a lovely well-mannered way that their mums would be proud of. They are charming, engaging and open, professionally

perfect. While weary Ant slumps in his chair after their full-on day, Dec has a Tigger-bounce about him, albeit very polished in crisp jeans, sharp jacket and fine tan brogues, easy company, full of smiles.

Minutes in their company and it is so apparent why they are the best in the business at what they do, naturally warm and sociable, comfortable with everyone.

The day a case in point. Politician-like, it has involved cuddling a lot of babies and small children, as well as charming their parents and grandparents to bits. One imagines Ant and Dec get a much more favourable response than your average MP. They survived it all like true pros after a heavy night before.

Now, as they ease into these less-than-comfy chairs and relax back a bit they even charm; saying nice things about Luxe to their PR which is pleasing – they like to get their hands on the magazine when they’re at the airport and scour the pages they say – thanks guys, you get our vote.

In our formal room the mood is instantly and easily relaxed.

Which from my side is a good thing. Doesn’t always happen this way – TV’s most affable can turn grumpy and hostile faced with a poised notebook and camera.

With Ant and Dec, men who need no surname, the adage ‘what you see is what you get’, rings true. They genuinely are those happy guys standing stage-side at Britain’s Got Talent, reassuring the teary, hugging the effusive, dodging the angry and consoling the unfortunate. They are masters of diplomacy, great people-readers, able to handle any situation, all human life.

Ant sinks down into his chair and yawns; yes, he’s knackered. Last night they were at Close House for the glitzy dinner that followed a good-humoured golf day in aid of >>

They genuinely are those guys standing stage-side poised to reassure the teary, hug the effusive, dodge the angry and console the unfortunate

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home thoughts

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home thoughts

If we can do something that raises the profile of what is going on here, then happy to help the children’s heart charity, the Children’s Heart Unit Fund, CHUF, organised by businessman Graham Wylie.

He’s become a good friend over the years and the chaps are regular visitors to Close House to support his charity events.

Keen golfers, they partnered Alan Shearer and Lee Westwood for the day’s celebrity golf event.

No pressure there then?

Dec raises his eyes. “I was really worried about it – Shearer is really competitive and Lee is Lee Westwood! I was having nightmares about it for ages beforehand.”

Needlessly – the boys acquitted themselves well on the course and were among a number of stars who joined the dinner afterwards – and stayed into the night. Hence the yawns now. They are a pull at such things, guaranteeing tickets sales for those who hanker after some starry shoulder-rubbing. It works – more than £200,000 was raised at the golf day with one lucky bidder heading off to Augusta with Ant, Dec and Shearer for next year’s Open golf.

The charity day also marked the announcement of Ant and Dec as patrons of the CHUF appeal. It’s a role they are happy to take on – they love giving back to their home area in any way they can. The appeal is currently raising £1 million to fund an accommodation block for parents to be able to stay near their children in hospital.

This afternoon at the Freeman Ant and Dec have been meeting families and patients at the heart unit.

They have visited the unit before and It goes without saying that they are filled with admiration for all that goes on within the hospital wards and beyond.

It’s wrong to say that the pair live in a ‘bubble’ in their mighty TV/showbiz world but they admit that coming back and getting involved in causes can’t fail to give them some perspective.

“It really does make you think – these kids are amazing –

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going through so much – we saw a baby just days old – and to see what their parents are going through does make you think,” says Ant. “The whole unit is amazing – we are happy to come and support the place. We have been here before and the whole unit is fantastic – for the whole country not just the North East.

Dec adds: “If we can do something that raises the profile of what is going on here and help, then happy to do it – places like this put everything into perspective – they are doing amazing work here and we’re proud to be involved.”

They sit down with us having toured the Freeman’s Heart Unit. They’ve been in town for a few days and have packed in a raft of appearances for charities and organisations close to their hearts.

They famously live in the same street in London – just one house separates them – but Dec comes back to his mam for a bit of TLC. “Nothing in the fridge at my house – wonderful to come back and wake up and smell the bacon,” he laughs.

“Really, although we went to London after Byker, we haven’t left, Newcastle is home, it’s a cliché but coming over the bridge or flying and seeing the coast...”

The summer gave them a break from a schedule that sees them on screen with Saturday Night Takeaway, Britain’s Got Talent and I’m a Celebrity. They don’t take for granted a winter in the sunshine of Oz.

>> ant and Dec on stage at a charity lunch at Newcastle Civic Centre this summer

They are thrilled to bits that Takeaway has been recommissioned for a series in spring. The family-favourite variety show was created by them and ran for nine series from 2002 to 2009. A hugely popular show of quips, sketches and competitions.

Bringing it back was a gamble.

“We were very nervous about it when it came back – whether it would work and would people like it,” says Dec. Of course people did. And as for the now legendary Ready to Rhumble re-visited and subsequent Number 1 hit?

“Ooh takes it out on the old joints now, it’s a lot tougher when you’re 37 than it was at 19,” they laugh.

They make their shows look so effortless that Ant has said in the past; “Most people assume that we turn up on a Saturday and make it up as we go along. That’s quite a compliment, in a way.”

Like Westwood and the golf, It only looks easy because they are good at it. Their own production company makes Takeaway and the boys are integral to it.

“We just observe people, watch, sit round with the team and talk – we might go to a hotel or on an awayday; the ideas come,” says Dec, as though there’s not a moment’s pressure to get the ratings millions.

Our meeting draws to a close because early evening the pair are heading off to hand out certificates at a mini-graduation at a Tyneside school – how inspiring for the students.

The people-pleasing pair smile, gather themselves for the next audience and definitely walk away with joint honours. www.chuf.org.uk

seP/OCT13

Tickets are on sale now, please call 03000 26 26 26 or visit www.thisisdurham.co.uk

www.fashionindurham.co.uk

LUXE LIFE

Daisy de Villeneuve Best known for her eye-catching designs for the likes of the V&A, Nike, Moet & Chandon and Topshop, designer and illustrator Daisy de Villeneuve is creating a series of portraits in her distinctive colourful style to mark the Northern Design Festival in October. Daisy is working with Great North Run Culture 2013 on an exhibition ‘Run Colour Run’ taking place at Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle. The festival is taking place in venues across Newcastle, Gateshead and Sunderland from the 10 – 20 Oct

Luxe people >> Family - Jan, Justin & Poppy de Villeneuve.

Friends that have inspired me and have been very supportive include fashion designer Zac Posen, artist Sir Peter Blake and the photographer Valerie Philips.

Luxe places >> For a weekend > Whitstable, Kent A long holiday > Mexico City A treat > Soho House, Berlin Luxe relax >> Best food > Steak and mashed potatoes

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Best wine > Red wine, Bordeaux Favourite restaurant > The Wolseley in London Perfect weekend > Lazy weekend seeing friends, going to the flea market and watching a movie Downtime means > A glass of wine with my best friends Best telly > True Blood series Best book > The Andy Warhol Diaries Best sounds > The Rolling Stones Luxe ShoP >> Best shopping city > Paris Favourite shop > Merci, in Paris Luxe retail treat > A pedicure

Luxe party >> A memorable night out > The Anglomania Met Ball in New York Perfect party > Musee de la Chasse et de la Nature in Paris Best dress > A pink Zac Posen dress Dinner date > A tall, dark, handsome man, obviously!

Your luxe thing in life >> Taking the Eurostar between London and Paris Daisy is also doing an artist talk and Q&A as part of the festival on 17 Oct from 6–7.30pm at Northumbria University.

For more details on the festival: www.design-event.co.uk

SEP/OCT13

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LUXE LIFE

John Orchard John is the director of Marchday which owns Lingfield Point, the former Patons and Baldwins wool factory in Darlington. The old factory will host Festival of Thrift on September 21&22, a collaboration with designers Wayne and Geraldine Hemingway Luxe people >> I love having my family and friends around me. I’m also lucky enough to work with lots of inspiring people.

Luxe places >> For a weekend > Stockholm. I love the Scandinavian way of life, the food and the Swedish landscape.

A long holiday > A tour around Britain in the camper with the family, a surfboard and a box of paints.

A treat > There’s nothing that can beat a really good massage. Near my home there’s a boutique hotel, The White Cliffs, and Ben, the masseur there, is one of the best.

Luxe relax >> Best food > Spider crab linguine. I’m a big seafood fan and love to cook. I live on the Kent coast between Deal and Dover so there’s no shortage of great fish around here.

Best wine > A nice chilled Prosecco or a fruity, full-bodied red from Puglia.

Favourite restaurant > Le Vaudeville, Rue Vivienne, Paris.

Old-fashioned Paris at its best.

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Perfect weekend > Sunshine, swimming in the sea, a barbecue on the beach. Twice.

Downtime means > Getting on my bike and climbing some hills.

Best telly > Deadwood or Breaking Bad. Best book > Moby Dick. There’s advice for life’s every eventuality in this Herman Melville 1851 classic. Reading even a chapter is like taking a voyage.

Best sounds > I’m a big Nick Cave fan, especially the album ‘No More Shall We Part’.

Luxe shop >> Best shopping city > I’d have to say New York, but only when the pound is up against the dollar!

Favourite shop > The Rapha shop on Brewer St in London’s Soho. Expensive but worth it! They also happen to serve the best latte in town. I’m a keen cyclist and this is close to cycling heaven.

Luxe retail treat > It has to be getting a suit made. It’s a real treat but generally a handmade suit will last for years and years and it makes you feel great.

Best buy > Some very beautiful two-tone Grenson brogues

that I picked up in a sale a few years ago. They have the ability to transform the most dowdy of outfits!

Luxe party >> A memorable night out > We were on holiday in Pyla-sur-Mer last summer when we stumbled on an impromptu steel band concert on top of the sand dune. The organisers had set up a cocktail bar and we all danced in the sand while the sun set over the Atlantic.

Perfect party > Any party where the music makes me want to dance (that’s most parties.)

Best outfit > I have quite a few suits. My favourite is a vintage, shot silk, purple number by Aquascutum. I wish I’d discovered earlier in my life that wearing a suit to a party is quite a good idea.

Dinner date > A dinner date with my wife Maggie.

We have young children so this is always a treat.

Your luxe thing in life >> Probably my bikes. They’re a bit of an indulgence but compared to more expensive hobbies like sailing or motor racing they’re cheap – and they keep me fit!

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www.fq-magazine.co.uk

THE BEST OF NORTH EAST FOOD & DRINK SEP/OCT 2013

GAME ON

No need to be scared of feather & fur says Northumberland cook Emma Whittingham

CREATING KOFTAS AND CRICKET WITH HARMISON DINING OFF TO TEESSIDE’S NEWEST BRASSERIE EATING FESTIVALS ON THE WAY FEASTING GOING GOURMET AT THE CHEF’S POD COOKING LAYBOURNE’S TURBOT TEACH-IN GARDEN MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR HARVEST DINING NEWCASTLE’S NEWEST RESTAURANT WITH MASTERCHEF MAN seP/OCT13

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Liking the sound of... Drink New places, flavours and diary dates for gastros and gourmets

with Robin Winterschladen

Such a frenzied food scene in the region at the moment – you can’t move for a food festival, a pop-up or a tasting menu. Meals on rooftops, in fields, seaside shacks and warehouses, the region is definitely in the mood for food. These are some of the things on our radar in coming weeks YORK FEASTS York Food Festival is worth a visit – nice markets to wander and inventive events – this was one of the first food festivals in the region. It’s on from 20 September – see Sophie Grigson and Andrew Pern at the demo tent, make chocolate, eat chocolate and recreate Georgian and Victorian menus. www.yorkfoodfestival.com

making delicious seasonal dishes. Also, you’ll learn how to exploit nature’s food resources to create delicious flavoursome combinations. Try the finest ingredients from duck, pheasant to pumpkin and chestnuts. At the end of the evening indulge in a cheese board accompanied by prime wines. £50. www.nationalglasscentre.com

Left to right: David Harker and Chris Powell

GOSSET CHAMPAGNE Gosset is the oldest wine house in Champagne. It is based in Ay where some of the best vineyards in Champagne, particularly for the Pinot Noir grape, are situated.

Gosset Grande Reserve Brut NV, £45 Grande Reserve is a blend of three good vintages. It is a generous, full-bodied wine with concentrated flavours. It is mature, fruity, smooth and balanced with fine bubbles and a fresh crisp finish.

CHEERS GUYS Bottoms up to David Harker, who has spent 13 years as chief executive of Durham Country Cricket Club (DCCC ), as he takes the helm of Newcastle Wine School.

The school was founded by Jesmondbased wine-lover and businessman Chris Powell in 2000, and was the first location for the successful localwineschool.com franchise – a UK-wide network of independent wine schools providing entertaining tastings and courses for people who want to learn more about wine.

David is a long-term wine enthusiast who has completed the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Diploma, and will offer evening tastings, Saturday events and four and eight-week courses.

Details on www.newcastlewineschool. com, email info@newcastlewineschool. com or call David on 0191 7042161 or 07974 106767.

SLURP ALONG A session of art-meets-wine ticks the slurpy cultural box for us. Head for BALTIC, get glass in hand and a VIP cultural tour. Wine specialists Carruthers & Kent host an Evening of Art & Wine on 4 October. Claire Carruthers will guide guests through seven specially chosen wines accompanied by delicious canapés, created by the chefs of Six restaurant. The tasting will be followed by a private guided tour of the major two-floor Thomas Scheibitz exhibition with BALTIC Curator, Emma Dean. The evening will conclude with a glass of fizz in Six’s Viewing Lounge, where you can relax and enjoy the amazing views of the city at night. A special three-course late supper will be served in Six. £34.95 wine and tour.

Tickets, www.balticmill.com/shop

EAT DURHAM

CHOCOLATE MADNESS A sweet one for the diary – chocolate genius Christine Taylor, the creator of one of TV’s most exciting food shows is heading to Wynyard Hall.

The outrageous edible creations made

by Brighton-based Choccywoccydoodah have not only been enjoyed by celebrities ranging from Whoopi Goldberg to Julien Macdonald but have also seen the eccentric team become stars in their own right.

Christine Taylor, the woman who created the company, will be sharing her chocolate secrets at the Blooms and Bubbly event on November 28.

Christine’s top secret techniques for working with chocolate allows it to be moulded it as if it was plasticine and then carved.

Tickets for the event – which starts at 3pm – are £35. Call 01740 644811 www.wynyardhall.co.uk

ALNWICK EATS

GLASS CLASS

Alnwick’s Food Festival is always a popular one – easing the foodie into autumn.

Jean-Christophe Novelli is the ‘name’ at this event on September 21/22. The festival fills the streets with great smells, tastes and demos. www.alnwickfoodfestival.co.uk

Sunderland Glass Centre Brasserie chefs will be passing on tricks of the trade and autumn inspiration on October 10 - with a one-off masterclass passing on the arts of foraging and charcuterie. You’ll find yourself learning the best recipes for preparing locally supplied game and

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Just because summer’s gone doesn’t mean the nights have to lack sparkle – these are a few of my fizz favourites

September is TasteDurham Month with eateries from across the county highlighting a unique ‘Durham’ inspired dish or drink to tempt diners’ taste buds.

These include seared loin of Teesdale lamb, an ale brewed in honour of the Lindisfarne Gospels and a lead miner’s pasty.

Some 21 dishes will be produced by TasteDurham award-winners, with some special deals for saving on dining out during September.

In Middleton-in-Teesdale, Cafe 1618 will audaciously be breaking Cornwall’s longstanding monopoly on pastry-encased meals with the ‘Durham Leadminer’s Pasty’. In the lead mines of the Durham Dales in the late eighteenth Century, the dense, folded pastry of a pasty would stay warm for several hours, and could easily be reheated on a shovel over a candle.

The current incarnation, which uses locally-reared lamb and vegetables, is a strong link to Teesdale’s lead-mining heritage.

Head to Beamish for dripping chips at Davy’s Fried Fish Shop in the pit village.

Fried in period Nuttalls and Mabbott ranges, in real beef dripping, then wrapped in specially printed newspaper.

The Weardale Leek Pudding is a moist and delicious vegetable alternative to a ‘Wellington’ dish. Bishop Auckland Cheese Cakes are fascinating dessert tarts, sweet with sugar, currants and rum, but using potato as the main ingredient!

Well worth a taste are Stanhope Firefighters, a tray-bake dish similar to flapjack and the beautiful Durham Apple Cake, rich with mixed spice, fruits and peels. www.thisisdurham.com/tastedurhammonth for information on the 21 special dishes and dining offers

MIGUEL TORRES CHILEAN

SPARKLING WINE In 1979 the Spanish wine family of Torres acquired a small winery in Curico in the Chilean central valley at the foot of the Andes mountains.

Santa Digna Estelado Sparkling Rose £11.99 Torres has produced this distinctive sparkling wine from 100% Pais grapes using the traditional method of production where the wine, like Champagne, undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle. The result is a lovely pale rose colour with fine and persistent bubbles. The wine has a wonderful aroma of ripe, red fruits and is fresh and lively on the palate.

CAVIT WINE CO-OPERATIVE Cavit is a modern, forward-thinking co-operative group in the mountainous district of Trentino in Italy.

Lunetta Prosecco Spumante £8.49 This gently sparkling wine is made exclusively from Prosecco grapes and has fragrant aromas of apple and peach.

On the palate it is fresh and harmonious with crisp, ripe fruit flavours and a clear finish. It is delicious on its own or try it in an Aperol spritz, a classic Italian cocktail. Aperol, available in the Wine Shop for £13.49, is an Italian aperitif made from an infusion of herbs, fruits and roots that include bitter oranges and nuts. Mix three parts Prosecco with two parts Aperol and one part soda water over ice and finish with a slice of orange for a refreshing, low alcohol drink.

Robin Winterschladen is wine buyer for the Wine Shop at Fenwick Newcastle.

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dining

Quay places The eating out scene in Middesbrough just got a little bit brighter.

Kathryn Armstrong heads to the Quay I know someone who has to entertain ‘the man from Gucci’ in Middlesbrough sometimes and to say that’s a challenge is an understatement.

I’m not going to diss the place – Boro takes some beating on the ethnic food mile – but moving up a notch, you do struggle in what has been something of a gourmet hinterland.

No wonder then that there have been some happy faces heralding the arriving of a grown-up eating house in the town – with many a mutter of ‘not before time’.

Brasserie Hudson Quay rocks up at the Middlehaven area of Middlesbrough on the outskirts of town. You skirt around the centre and head for the bits of Middlesbrough that everyone can see on the skyline. Notably – and depending on your cultural references, The Transporter Bridge, Anish Kapoor’s sculptural gem, Temenos and the Riverside Stadium, home of Middlesbrough FC. It’s the shiny new bit of town, Middlehaven, based around the river with a head towards the future – with striking architecture in the form of the swoopy, shiny Middlesbrough College building and the Scandi-chic ‘Community in Cube’ housing development. Mostly, until now, an area you didn’t have real cause to visit unless you were footie fan, student or architecture buff.

Brasserie Hudson Quay changes that for the better. From the outside its modest frontage sits at the base of an office block.

Inside though it’s a pleasant surprise. Sleek, modern and sharp in terms of the dark wood fittings, low seating and splashes of colour from bespoke glass panels. All seems very grown-up and polished – literally and metaphorically – the glasses gleam and waiters wear white gloves to place your smear-free cutlery. The sweeping back window overlooks the water and the drama of an industrial landscape dominated by The Transporter Bridge.

The food has however taken a different direction, inspired by the Mediterranean – hence one wall’s mural of a Tuscan landscape to gaze at if the Teesside vista begins to tire.

It’s an all-day kind of place – tapping into the business breakfaster, the lunch-meeting and after-work ‘quick-one’ crowd with appealing loungey areas and all-day snacks.

We ate early evening with the sun setting near our waterfront table. We were seeking out the seals that find their way to this inlet from time to time but they didn’t make an appearance for us.

The restaurant soon became buzzy and busy with familiar faces – some diners who work in the town centre but in the past might have headed home to their country pub environs, kind of proving that it you create

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Textures of delicate fish flakes against the crunch of a chorizo nugget or a snap of seasidey samphire something good ‘they will come’.

The food was pretty much a success. It’d be easy to do ‘grill-slash-steakhouse’ but there’s some thought going on in the kitchen from a team headed up by head chef Joe Taylor which strives to bring that Med sunshine to the table.

My starter of Hudson Quay bresola, £7.95, was a delicate affair – a bit on the prim side. I like a good chewy mouthful of the rare meat but this was sliced super-super thinly and thus overwhelmed by strong accompaniments of pickled apple and roquette (rocket please) pesto.

My husband raved about his ‘Taste of Boudin Noir’, £6.95. Black pudding in a variety of guises. A herby and hearty combo, nicely paired with the punch of homemade ketchup.

Med mains deliver some tasty offerings, many using local

– but this was a touch timid, I’d have liked a bit more fire in its guts.

Husband fished out a main course of whole baked lemon sole with home-made lemon gnocchi, samphire and chorizo, £18.50. Great to get a dish that sums up its ingredients so well – the essence of its parts – fish juices melding with peppery chorizo oils and the textures of delicate fish flakes against the crunch of a chorizo nugget or a snap of samphire. The soft bite of the hand-made gnocchi gave an indulgent melting taste buzz against the other warm ingredients, a really memorable mix. It felt like ‘happy’, sunshiney food – which is I guess, the effect they’re going for in this bit of Tees-by-the-Sea. Helped along by a bottle of fresh and zesty white Rioja from a neat and well-priced wine list.

I liked the cheese menu that came with the desserts –

fresh fish and intriguing and inventive combinations.

French brasserie basics include confit duck leg, boeuf Bourguignon.

My main course of roast cod and shellfish bouillabaisse, £14.95, was really good. A hefty chunk of well-cooked white, flaky fish with crispy skin on top of a tomato and saffron broth packed with juicy little extras – clams, mussels, sweet prawns and soft, fresh tomatoes. It had a good balance of flavour and sweetness to it – and I loved the touch of fresh samphire to add the green, seasidey ‘bite’. A ‘homage’ to the famous French seafood dish that made the journey well – essential too, lots of crusty bread for mopping those juices – and a spoon when our friendly waiter saw it was needed. It came with a rouille sauce too

select three, £6.95, four or five. Blacksticks Blue and manchego among the choices and served up with nice fruit and oatcakes.

Baked vanilla rice pudding, £5.50, is said already to be achieving after-dinner legend status in these parts.

The pud they’re coming back for. Rightly so, agreed my fellow diner. It arrived in a cast iron pot with a sticky fig compote alongside. A sweet and unctuous pairing if ever there was one.

Good times for the dining scene on Teesside, long overdue really, but looking like they’re set to last.

Brasserie Hudson Quay, Winward Way, Middlesbrough www.brasseriehudsonquay.co.uk

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people

Game on for Emma Autumn means the lavish flavours of game – and Northumberland is one of the best places to find it. Emma Whittingham is an expert – and recipes from her new book show you really don’t need to be scared of the feathers and fur We’re no longer squeamish about the feather and fur when it comes to food – in fact it’s fair to say we’ve almost gone the opposite way – foraging and feathers, rustic as you like, are what ‘real’ food is all about.

Hands dirty for definite. Bloodied and messy, better still. And someone who knows just what to do with that rabbit, hare, partridge or pigeon is Emma Whittingham.

Emma has written a recipe book to help us understand the growing popularity of game – and de-mystify cooking with game.

Game On Northumberland is a collection of easy-to-follow recipes featuring the very best of Northumberland game, including pheasant, venison, rabbit, grouse, mallard and partridge.

Emma, a born and bred Northumbrian, who now manages the Newton Hall venue near Alnwick, grew up stalking and eating game.

Her father was a keen shooting man and her mother an excellent cook so Emma learned the benefits of cooking and eating game from a young age.

Emma managed Alnwick Farmers’ Market for three years and has been helping to promote Northumberland Estates’ Game since 2007.

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“Apart from having a distinct flavour, game is a natural, free-range product, low in fat and cholesterol and provides a healthy meat option. It is chemical and drug free, cleanly shot and provides a much tastier, economic alternative to some supermarket meats.

“Northumberland game is also 100% traceable so people know exactly what they’re getting and where it’s come from,” she says.

This is the message Emma hopes to instill with her book.

Aware Northumberland didn’t have its own definitive game cook book and after hours of educating shoppers on the benefits of game and emailing them recipes, Emma decided to publish Game On. Despite, ironically, never owning a cook book, Game On is a collection of recipes from friends, family and game enthusiasts encouraging readers to look afresh at the abundance of richly flavoured, high quality game available on their doorstep.

“My mother is an excellent cook and a true inspiration and has taught me everything I know. She never used weights and measures and neither do I. It was an interesting experience measuring out the ingredients for the recipes in Game On!” laughs Emma. “You won’t find a recipe for

Loving game The word ‘game’ refers to wild animals and birds, hunted and caught for food and until the 1700s game was Britain’s main source of meat. Once considered a diet assigned to the pauper, it’s no secret Britain is falling in love with game again.

Between 2010 and 2011 Marks & Spencer increased their sales of venison by 340% and in August 2013 became the first retailer to stock whole wild red grouse in an oven-ready dish for £10.

Northumbelrand and Yorkshire grouse are being sold as part of a new M&S ‘game’ range to include rabbit, venison, partridge, pheasant and wood pigeon on sale from October in Kensington and Marble Arch stores.

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Pigeon Risotto This recipe is from Vicky Gallon. She runs the Pilgrims Coffee Shop on Holy Island and is a great fan of locally-sourced ingredients.

Serves 4 Ingredients

You won’t find a recipe for jugged hare but you will find a venison curry jugged hare in this cook book. Game On offers a modern twist on traditional dishes such as pigeon risotto, rabbit pie and venison curry.

“Game is so versatile and there are so many dishes you can create beyond roasting.” Some of the recipes are Emma’s own, developed through trial and error over many years (without weights and measures) including her favourite; pheasant with orange, red wine and haggis.

Emma’s passion for game has been welcomed in her new role at Newton Hall - Northumberland’s coolest, luxury hotel and wedding venue.

Jack Brown, food and beverage manager, says that locally sourced food is a huge part of that for guests.

“Food is hugely important to us. We specialise in providing the tastefully traditional paralleled with the daringly different, resulting in an amazing array of fabulous feasts and exquisite food – all locally sourced.

Game plays an important role on our menu during the season and we welcome Emma’s input in creating some mouth-watering dishes.”

Game On is available online from www.abebooks.co.uk, from www.barterbooks.co.uk in Alnwick and farm shops and butchers throughout Northumberland including http://www. ridleysfishandgame.co.uk/, www.farmtofreeze.co.uk in Wooler, www.theblagdonfarmshop.co.uk, www.turnbullsofalnwick.co.uk, www.moorhousefarmshop.co.uk, www.thecountrybarn. co.uk. To find a farmers’ market near you selling game visit: http://www.neefm.org.uk.

For more information on food and drink in Northumberland visit: www.visitnorthumberland.com/eat

500g 1 ltr

2 I 3 1/2 200g

2 tbsp

risotto rice chicken stock Handful of dried wild mushrooms (reconstituted in water for half an hour then drained) pigeons or four pigeon breasts large onion, finely chopped garlic cloves, finely chopped glass Madeira or sherry mushrooms of choice – chestnut preferred Two handfuls of peas, fresh or frozen, cooked separately Parmesan

Method Remove the pigeon breasts and in a hot pan, fry skin side down for a few minutes to get good colour on the meat. If you like yours rare then remove from heat, if not, pop into a hot oven for a further five minutes.

Using the same pan, fry the risotto rice in olive oil until the rice begins to turn translucent (about three mins) then add the onions, garlic and mushrooms and fry for a further five minutes. Splosh in the wine and stir. Add stock a bit at a time, stirring until the liquid in the pan is absorbed. This will take about 20 minutes. Season to taste then add the peas and Parmesan. Take the pigeon breast and place in a frying pan to reheat for a minute then slice roughly.

Place the meat on top of the risotto. Serve with rocket, parsley and glass of Rioja.

Eat, drink and be merry at Rockliffe Hall Celebrate the festive season at 5-star Rockliffe Hall in Hurworth, County Durham with stunning surroundings and award-winning food.

Indulge in our delicious festive afternoon tea, featuring all the traditional treats you would expect but with a modern twist, or enjoy our tempting tasting menu in the 3AA Rosette Orangery restaurant or festive fayre in The Brasserie or Clubhouse throughout December 2013.

Guests are also invited to sit back and let our chefs do the hard work this Christmas day with a delicious festive banquet, where we will also be joined by some very special visitors in the form of Mr & Mrs Claus.

Rockliffe Hall... a taste for life.

www.rockliffehall.com Hurworth-on-Tees Darlington County Durham DL2 2DU +44 (0)1325 729999 enquiries@rockliffehall.com

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people

Field to fork

Dinner in a chef’s pod with veggies courtesy of Ken Holland and Michelin-starred chef James Close at the stove, is one to savour, says Katharine Capocci

Sat in the middle of a veggie plot in the cosy environs of a shepherd’s hut-comerustic den, a group of diners are savouring the most fantastic field-to-fork dining experience.

Veggie grower Ken Holland, a legend in his own lunchtime, whose said plot it is, Vallum Kitchen Garden, at Peter and Vicky Moffitt’s Vallum Farm off the Military Road in Northumberland – is busy picking veg to order for our dishes.

He is in turn supplying Michelin-star chef James Close with the most flavoursome garnishes and sides for his exquisite fine dining offerings.

The views across the farm from our communal reclaimed timber table are idyllic: raised beds, cane wigwams, the early-evening blue sky spattered with a

crisped-up kale or his clamped beetroots with their exquisite sweetness.

James, the only Michelin-star chef in the North East, has left his stove at The Raby Hunt at Summerhouse, near Darlington, to take charge of a two-ring electric burner and assorted water baths inside the chef’s pod.

He’s joined by sous chef Ryan Bunker and his trusty restaurant manager Craig Malcolm, who all put in a sterling night’s work.

Craig, with his smooth-as-silk service, does confide though, it’s been two days of prep in the making!

The idea for the chef’s pod was germinated in Ken’s head. His North Country Growers’ family veg business is renowned nationwide for its top-notch

Fresh-from-the-earth offerings include Tokyo Cross turnips and pansies few clouds… And those delectable courses just keep on coming.

Made with reclaimed timber, the chef’s pod seats 12 people at any one time and has a small, fully functioning kitchen for chefs to work their magic.

The chef’s pod dining experience is certainly a unique one and the mood is convivial. There are 10 of us diners tonight, including Peter and Vicky and James’ mum Helene, tucking in to six delicious courses, paired with wines.

Each dish is enhanced by Ken’s fresh-fromthe-earth offerings, whether that be Tokyo Cross turnips, fennel, pansies, courgettes,

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heritage and micro varieties.

He supplies Michelin-star restaurants around the country and acclaimed eateries in our region, including Jesmond Dene House, Terry Laybourne’s restaurants, Tony Binks at the Barrasford Arms and The Feathers Inn at Hedley on the Hill, to name a few, as well as closer to home, the Tea Room at Vallum and David Kennedy at Vallum restaurant, both situated on the same artisanal food hub.

Ken also farms at Little Harle walled garden and is growing director at Simon Rogan’s Michelin-starred L’Enclume at Cartmel in Cumbria.

The cosy pod, the location for the cool pop-ups, is made from reclaimed timber by the clever folk at Trunk Reclaimed in Bellingham.

Ken explains: “It was my idea and I talked to Trunk Reclaimed about it and it has developed from there. It tunes in with what I’m doing here and champions this and the

Plotting a course to foodie heaven

James Close’s chef’s pod delights at Vallum Kitchen Garden included: Canapes of ox tongue, barbecued courgette, cod skin and suckling pig.

Followed by six courses, paired with wines: Lindisfarne oyster, leaf, beer batter Fresh-water eel, textures of beetroot, cherry Razor clam, pea puree, almond, girolles Squab pigeon breast and confit leg, artichoke, peach Spring lamb rack, anchovy, kale Strawberry, cream, vanilla and almond

produce that we grow.

“It really encapsulates what we do and I had this idea in my head of some sort of shed for a chef’s pod.”

Ken’s plot with its poly tunnels and raised beds of micro-veg and herbs is a dream of a setting for chefs that love seasonal and local. Fresh for the picking are cresses,

sorrels, pea shoots, kale, Jerusalem artichokes, fennels and beetroot, to name a few varieties. Acclaimed chefs, including Terry Laybourne, and David Kennedy have already hosted pop-ups and a host of big names are signed up for future events including Gleneagles’ Andrew Fairlie and Simon Rogan.

Prices too are very reasonable. Terry’s lunches were priced at £25 per person and David Kennedy’s £35 a head.

The idea, says Ken, is to plough on with the pop-ups into the cooler months. “We don’t want to stop doing it. I think autumn will be really good.”

Between courses and on a quick toilet run back to the tea shop, Vicky adds: “It’s brilliant. We are wholly behind the venture.

People are so interested in food and to

actually eat what people are picking; it’s that real field-to-fork experience. Or even veg patch to fork!”

At the end of a hectic but really satisfying service, chef James is in agreement. “It’s been great to be one of the first in the North East to do it. I’ve really enjoyed the whole experience.

“It’s a little bit out of our comfort zone.

That was our restaurant food but linked in with Ken’s produce. I’d like to do another one in the autumn with game like wild hares. I’ve liked the fact that you could call out and get something from the farm picking it from a few yards away.”

Vallum Kitchen Garden, Vallum Farm, Military Road, East Wallhouses, NE18 0LL. Tel: 01434 672 822.

Twitter: @northcountryken For more info on the venture and future bookings visit: chefspod.wordpress.com

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Tasting the wild Food foraging with Chris Bax the gills of poisonous fungi’ are just not true and can cause serious problems.

You need an expert to go out with. A good place to start is your local Mycological Society www.britmycolsoc.org.uk Alternatively, look on naturalist society or Forestry Commission sites for fungal forays, or come and join us on a course.

Rose and I are often asked if we have ever poisoned ourselves, and hand on heart we

Wild mushrooms Autumn is here again and it is always a busy time for us - teaching people how to identify wild edible fungi.

For years most of the UK population eschewed wild varieties and just went for the plain white button mushrooms from the supermarket.

I meet a lot of ‘twentysomethings’ who describe mushrooms as slimy and tasteless and frankly hate them.

However, in recent years the popularity of wild mushrooms has grown considerably.

Ceps, Chanterelles and Morels have become quintessential luxury ingredients and the British public seem to be keen to learn about the many more edible species growing in the wild in the UK. The range of tastes and textures is huge; wild mushrooms are so drastically different from the dreaded button variety that

cooked with skill they can convert even the most ardent mushroom sceptic.

But before you rush out into the woods and fields picking, BEWARE! Finding and eating wild fungi is not a good idea for the inexperienced forager; in fact it can be life-threateningly dangerous if you do not know what you are doing.

There are some delicious looking mushrooms out there that are incredibly poisonous and without knowledge you can be playing fungi Russian roulette. People often ask us how you tell the difference between an edible and a poisonous mushroom. Some people assume that there must be a simple test to tell them apart. Unfortunately there is not.

There are many ‘old wives’ tales that all must be taken as inaccurate and dangerous. Things like ‘the cap of edible fungi peels easily’ or salt turns yellow on

can say that we never have. We are very careful and have spent many years learning about fungi. Our advice to anyone is to never eat anything that you cannot absolutely positively identify. If in doubt buy some! Try your local deli or www. smithymushrooms.co.uk. The recipe below is a delicious alternative to risotto. www.tastethewild.co.uk

Wild mushroom Orsotto Serves 4 as a main or 8 as a starter Ingredients onion, chopped finely cloves of garlic, chopped finely 200g (7 oz) wild mushrooms chopped 500g (1 lb 2 oz) pearl barley 1 glass white wine stock 100g (4 oz) butter cut into small cubes 100g (4 oz) parmesan or similar, grated finely 1 3

Method Put a glug of olive oil into a large pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook gently until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook these down until soft. Add the pearl barley to the mix and stir until each grain is shiny with oil.

Now pour on enough stock to cover the rest of the ingredients, cover and cook on a medium heat for about 30 mins.

You should check the pot regularly to make sure it does not go dry, adding more stock if necessary. Check that the grains are cooked, then stir in the butter and parmesan and season. Serve with flat leaf parsley and a drizzle of oil.

HOTEL, DURHAM

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www.radissonblu.co.uk/hotel-durham twitter@radissondurham facebook.com/radissondurham

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Steve’s Food Life A childhood food memory: Christmas dinner at home – I have a big family – there were five of us kids - and at Christmas the food just kept coming and coming – I don’t know how my mam did it!

Mam’s mince and dumplings is pretty good too – crispy dumplings!

The last meal you ate: Last night in the canteen at Sky TV studios – lamb dinner – on a plastic tray with plastic knives and forks – very classy!

A restaurant you return to time and again: Verdi’s in Bedlington. The kids love it, the owner makes a fuss of them and we all love the food.

I went to The Ivy recently for an appearance – I’d been really unwell so I only had bread and water which was very disappointing!

A memorable meal: In Mumbai I was taken for a meal by the wicket-keeper Farouk Engineer. He took us to what was basically a Portakabin in a back street - and it was one of the most fantastic meals I have ever eaten.

I also remember never liking sushi or wanting to try it – Andrew Flintoff would take the mick and say I was a backward Northerner for not liking it – we played ‘blind sushi’ – eventually I got to like it!

Inspirational chef: Probably Ramsay – he’s amusing – a man with a bit of power.

Best wine? I am a lager drinker – but I like a glass of Cloudy Bay. Favourite food: Sticky toffee pudding – my Uncle Mel runs the Anglers Arms up near Guide Post. He makes the best STP and it’s a great pub!

Last meal: Fish and chips, mushy peas, a pint, sticky toffee pud.

Curry classroom Hotshot bowler Steve Harmison boasts that he’s the only player who put on weight on tour. No stranger to spice, he gets to grips with the craft of the kofta When it comes to food, cricketer Steve Harmison makes no apologies for bingeing on a burger and a few pints in the midst of a Test series.

The body of a fast bowler is a different kind of temple to that of a finely-honed sprinter or dedicated gymnast.

Quite simply theirs is a gruelling job, standing on a cricket pitch for hours.

“You need fuel. Pizzas. burgers, steaks, protein. I’m not saying that wasn’t frowned upon but you’re standing in a field from 8.30am ‘til 8pm in 40 degree heat for six days at push – you regulate what you eat and you know what you need – you burn it

36

off and you need the fuel, we’re grown men.

“I’ll have a big breakfast and will eat lunch – not everyone does that, but you find out what works for you.”

Durham bowler, Harmy, aka, the Ashington Express, is set to retire from cricket at the end of this season and is currently in the midst of a successful benefit year. As a twotimes Ashes winner, the now 35-year-old Harmy was first included in the England set-up in 1998 and went on to make 121 international appearances, including 63 Test Matches. His most memorable haul took place at Sabina Park in Jamaica, where he took 7-12 in 2004. After being ranked number one bowler in the world he was also named as one of the five Wisden

Cricketers of the Year in 2005.

Harmy has represented Durham County Cricket Club in 171 limited overs matches and over 200 first class matches. His most memorable moments came in 2008 and 2009 when, after summers of outstanding performances, he went on to clinch the final wicket both times Durham won their County Championship titles.

So this summer, with the Ashes glory on home turf, has been a memorable one in many respects.

“It was great cricket between great sides and for the players it was one of the most enjoyable games because it was a great spectacle. It was brilliant for the North East and something to really be built on.

“The crowd was amazing. They drag you up – footballers from Newcastle and Sunderland will always say this about a North East crowd and it is so true. When things are not going your way, the atmosphere a crowd can generate is really electric, really phenomenal.”

There’s no question of Steve not being involved in the game – he’s got as many years ahead of him as he has had playing and is relishing what comes next.

He’s done his coaching badges and is a regular on television and radio which he really enjoys. “I can talk and talk about cricket, it’s what I know.

“In terms of coaching – it isn’t a given that because you play well you can be a good coach or that you have a right to be one. “ He rocks up to Sachins for our cooking session after a delayed flight from London where he’d been taking part in a Sky Sports show with Sarah-Jane Mee alongside Greg Rusedski, Ollie Holt and golfer Mickey Walker.

He’s comfortable in the TV spotlight and unfazed by the limelight – even if it’s at one of the cooking demos he does with Bob. His summer has been a busy one in the role of Dad as much as cricketing hero, ferrying about his daughters Emily, 15, Abbie, ten, Isabel, seven and little Charlie, five.

“I hear the word Dad and I just pick up the car keys and wallet,” he laughs.

Cricketing life has seen him spend long spells away from the family home – a renovated listed building at Woodhorn near Ashington – up to four months at a time during overseas tours. He’s seen the world – and eaten a fair bit of it.

“Stick to local food – that’s the one thing I

SEP/OCT13

learned – pie and chips in India is never going to work – I will eat what the locals are eating. You never escape the odd dodgy stomach but I love eating and have had some great food – I am the one who goes on tour and puts on weight - I love food. It’s like Guinness in Ireland – Indian food is fantastic in India.

He has some good food stories – how a trip to McDonald’s in Lahore, Pakistan for five of the squad literally became a military operation – the restaurant was closed down because of security fears and the players were taken in their armoured coach – with a full armed police entourage. The restaurant stayed closed for several hours so the players could satisfy their Big Mac needs.

On tour members of the squad were also

called on to make visits to charity projects – which Steve loved.

“Sometimes you will go along to an orphanage and have a game of cricket with the kids and the smiles on their faces are amazing – I love that – so simple but memorable. I really struggle though going to hospitals in the aftermath of the earthquake in Pakistan and seeing injured children. I was in bits – you can do your bit, help shift some rubble or whatever but seeing the kids without basic equipment was tough. “ Details of events for Steve’s benefit year are on www.harmy611benefit.co.uk Bob Arora owns Sachins, Forth Banks, Newcastle. www.sachins.co.uk

On the menu: Kofta Harmi Masala

I go on tour and put on weight - Indian food in India is fantastic, like Guinness in Ireland!

What it’s got going for it: A blend of yellow lentils and poppy seeds give these lamb meatballs a great texture and distinctive flavour.

The trick: Dry fry the lentils and seeds to give a smoky edge to the flavour.

Ingredients Serves four (two meatballs each) 500g 3 tbsp 4 tbsp 2

1 tsp 3/4 tsp 1 1/4 tsp

lamb mince yellow lentils poppy seeds large onions, diced Oil for frying garlic/ginger paste turmeric chilli powder

1 1/4 tsp

1 1/2 tsp

200ml 50 ml

Pinch cracked black peppercorns garam masala Pinch salt tomato puree Fresh coriander, chopped water single cream

Method Koftas Dry fry the lentils for a couple of minutes in a pan – be careful not to burn – then add the poppy seeds for another minute.

Remove from heat and then blend to a fine powder.

Place the mince in a bowl and add the powder mixture and mix. Add 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala and a pinch of salt.

Mix the ingredients thoroughly then shape into small balls.

Add some oil to a frying pan and brown off the koftas. Turn the heat down and put a lid on the pan, let them cook gently for about ten minutes.

Masala Sweat the onions in a frying pan and add the dry ingredients. Let the onions caramelise and once soft add the tomato puree and some water to the mixture.

Add water to the mixture gradually and let the sauce cook for about ten minutes.

Once the sauce is cooked remove from the heat and add the cream – you can make the sauce as thick or thin as you prefer. Blend the sauce in a blender then add it to the pan with koftas in it.

Move the koftas and sauce to a serving dish and sprinkle with coriander. Serve with rice and naan bread.

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37

Masterclass

with Terry Laybourne An autumn challenge for you - filleting a turbot. Masterclass gets tough! It’s less tricky than you think but there’s a get-out if you need it. The right tool is the key - a super-sharp knife

Pan-roasted Turbot I’m sure that for some the prospect of dealing with a whole fish is somewhat daunting. But, in reality, filleting flat fish isn’t such a huge challenge. All you need is a very sharp, flexible knife and a little patience. The process can be enormously rewarding. However if you feel the need to buy pre-filleted fish, simply omit steps 2 – 7. Halibut, sea bass and cod work equally well cooked in this fashion.

Ingredients Whole turbot at around 1.5kg Garlic cloves Thyme sprigs Unsalted butter Salt and pepper

1 2 2 100g

1

2

Remove four fillets from the turbot by first making an incision around the head and then directly down the centre of the fish to the tail

6

7 Heat the butter, garlic and thyme in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Once the butter foams, season the fish lightly with salt and pepper and add to the pan

Cut the fillet into neat, generous portions

5

4

Remove the first fillet. Turn the fish if it makes it easier to guide your knife

Then remove the remaining three fillets using the same technique

8

9

Reduce the heat slightly and continue cooking gently for around eight minutes; basting regularly with the foaming butter

Lift the fish from the pan and finish seasoning with a squeeze of lemon

Red Wine Butter Sauce

Ingredients

Ingredients

Waxy potatoes Shallot, thinly sliced Thyme leaves, chopped Chicken stock Butter Salt and pepper

Slice the potatoes into 3mm thick discs Butter a 100mm non-stick tartlet mould quite heavily Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and then toss together with the sliced shallots and thyme Arrange in the tartlet mould in an overlapping circle, then repeat the process, ending up with two layers of sliced potatoes Pour the chicken stock over and place remaining butter on top in small pieces Bake in an over at 180°C for around 12 minutes until tender, golden and the stock has been absorbed Leave to cool for 5 minutes before inverting onto a warm plate

1tbls 25ml 100ml 125g

Chopped Shallot Port Red wine Unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small dice

Remove the skin by sliding the knife between the skin and the flesh whilst at the same time holding tightly with thumb and forefinger

10

Boulangere Potatoes 200g 1

Pinch

120ml 8g

38

Angle the blade and apply a little pressure to flex the blade, sliding it along the bones of the fish, lifting the fillet as you go

3

Serve very simply with boiled potatoes and green vegetables or on Boulangere potatoes with a little red wine sauce

Put the shallot, port and red wine into a small, thick-bottomed pan and simmer over a low heat until the wine has reduced to about threequarters of its original volume and the shallots have become a moist puree Reduce the heat to very low and whisk in the butter a little at a time until fully absorbed Season with salt and pepper then strain through a fine sieve Serve immediately or keep warm at 60°C in a bain marie

SEP/OCT13

Taking Indian food to a global stage Spicy pleasures with Maunika Gowardhan Maunika with presenter Cherry Healey

across the board vying to replicate traditional recipes, spice blends and family secrets at home.

Spreading the love for Indian cooking globally; nothing makes me happier to watch people embrace it. A series of classes are planned in Mumbai, India later this year at a brand new cook school. I will be hosting five sessions with a master class for the novice cook and those who are looking for alternative ideas on regional curries. The good news is the sessions are all booked up with a huge buzz surrounding the launch of the class.

I will make sure to post more food images from my trip across the shores

across the world which are sourced to lend a diversity to cook up a variety of meals.

A spice guide on where you can stock up your favourite ingredients and places to check out is available on the diary pages of my website with tips on how to use each spice and how to use them while cooking a curry.

Its that time of the year again where I’m busy planning the hugely anticipated return of the nocturnal street food market Urban Night Feast to Newcastle. After the fantastic response it received last year the line-up this year is looking phenomenal with street food stars including Big Apple Hot Dogs, The Travelling Gin Company

I am busy planning the return of the Urban Night Feast in October with street food stars I have spent the early part of this year travelling across Dubai, Mauritius, London and back to Newcastle. Cooking and eating my way through some fantastic meals and also sharing amazing recipes of authentic Indian cooking.

BBC presenter Cherry Healey launched her brand new series of ‘Britain’s Favourite Supermarket Foods’ with emphasis on ingredients the nation loves and insight into the benefits of boosting your diet with them. Undoubtedly super spice turmeric

made that coveted list, alongside the benefits of including it in your diet. I shared my recipe for an Easy Chicken Korma with Cherry for the series. The recipe is simple but full of the goodness of Curcuma Longa, a cancer-busting super food.

I have spent a lot of time over the summer testing recipes and running Indian cookery classes in London and Newcastle. To say there is a demand for authentic flavours is an understatement with curry lovers

on my website.

I was recently sent over some brilliant spiced powders from Seasoned Pioneers.

Most people would know the brand for their spice blends although there is an array of lesser-known spices that they stock including caraway seeds, dried fenugreek leaves and chilli powders of various grades. With fans like Nigel Slater and Delia Smith, Seasoned Pioneers stocks over 250 spices, chillies and herbs from

(serving gin on a bike!) Mexican street food legends Luardos, The Broad Chare, Pla’s Asian Kitchen and Mark Hix’s street cart Fish Dogs. This year it will be back 3rd-5th October 2013 from 6pm onwards until midnight at the Boiler Shop behind Central Station.

Check out www.urbannightfeast.co.uk and www.maunikagowardhan.co.uk See you there! M x

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SEP/OCT13

39

Veg patch with Karen Phillips Thanks to a wonderful summer and the use of a greenhouse, the gluttonous harvest continues throughout autumn (for growing in the garden) or M27 rootstocks (for growing in pots/or even window boxes) and then pick the variety you fancy; avoid any triploid varieties as these have extra chromosomes since these are too vigorous in both growth and size of apples e.g. Bramley’s seedling. From November onwards bareroot trees can be ordered economically from my favourite supplier, Deacon’s nursery www. deaconsnurseryfruits.co.uk/ Will it be ‘Oaken Pin’: egg-shaped fruit with a crisp, sweet flavour; ‘Pitmaston Pineapple’: russeted fruit tasting of (you guessed it) pineapple; or ‘Star of Devon’: a small, pretty red apple, the perfect size for children? The choice between these another 300 varieties is yours!

Jobs outside Hard to believe, but now is the perfect time to sow broad bean ‘Aquadulce Claudia’, in the veg plot. They’ll come up at the same time as if you sowed some in

Rich pickings...

Chillies: A cousin recently visited with his lovely Thai wife and it was with great pleasure that I offloaded my Wenk’s Yellow Hot Chillies. So hot - a mere nibble had rendered my tastebuds out of action for an hour. She duly told me that she ate a few on the journey home and used the rest on mushrooms for breakfast! Another newcomer this year to my growing stable of chillies is the Lemon Drop Chilli; these delightful chillies defy gravity to grow vertically upwards on the plant: decorative as well as tasty.

Aubergines: This was the first vegetable I ever grew 20 years ago and I still have the proud photo of my (stunted) aubergine plant with its lone fruit displayed. I didn’t have a greenhouse back then so one fruit was all I got but when grown in the greenhouse each plant can produce many fruits – they fruit quite late so pick an early cropping variety and be prepared to provide a little heat in the greenhouse to extend the season. My favourite use is burnt aubergine dip – a little smoky heaven.

Tomatillos: Phew! Finally, I can write that these members of the Physalis family have performed well – they seem to like copious amounts of water (next year I’ll grow them in the ground) and took ages for the

flowers to set but once fruiting they are prolific - salsa anyone? Luckily, I gave chef, Andy Snell, two spare plants back in May and they must have got his creative juices flowing because he’s been devising recipes ever since: www.papaya-catering.co.uk/ papaya-magazine/ Pumpkins: Since pumpkins need about four months of sunshine it’s always touch and go as to whether they’ll ripen this far North without the use of a polytunnel, but this year has proved to be fantastic. Each plant has been allowed a maximum of three fruits and ripening fruit has been placed on old slates to keep them off the wet ground. Once fingernails cannot penetrate the skin they are hard enough to store well. Spinach, coconut & pumpkin soup is a favourite in our household; the sweet and sour pickled pumpkin recipe I discovered last year is not!

Apples: Last year there was barely an apple to be seen in the garden, this year trees have had to be propped up as the weight of fruit threatens to snap the branches. Dwarfing rootstocks have enabled fruit trees to be grown in even the smallest of gardens. I have a ‘Belgian Fence’: a very posh name for a hedge of dwarf apples grown in a narrow line; they are prolific in their fruiting habit whilst occupying minimum space. Choose M26

Pumpkins: once fingernails cannot penetrate the skin, they are hard enough to store well

40

pots indoors in February/March but they’ll crop much better since they will have formed a greater root run than any that you’ll transplant. Garlic can also be sown now; buy virus-free bulbs and plant away from leeks otherwise rust can afflict them.

Jobs in the greenhouse Set those mousetraps, otherwise seeds, bulbs and anything that can be used for bedding will be chewed.

Clean, clean, clean – having had a real battle with glasshouse red spider mite this year I think it’s time for a good disinfection of the greenhouse; benches, pots, trays and windows will be scoured in preparation for next season.

Looking ahead Next time we’ll be choosing Christmas presents for the avid gardener, ordering veg seed for the coming year and making the most of those ‘winter greens’ in the kitchen.

Upcoming events @Widehaugh House Annual Bulb Sale - Fri 27 & Sat 28 September Spend a relaxing morning over coffee and cake at Widehaugh House whilst choosing which beautiful bulbs will adorn your garden this spring: will it be stripy tulips, delicate narcissi or towering alliums. Planting advice on bulb choice and colour combinations is readily available. Time: 9.30am – 1pm.

Email info@widehaughhouse.co.uk for further details.

Bulbs, Glorious Bulbs - Tuesday 1 October 2013 Pots of stripy parrot tulips, snowdrops in the depths of winter, geranium-scented daffs, a narcissus named ‘poeticus’, deep blue camassia cut for the table, alliums exploding like fireworks, snakeshead frittilaries, dramatic lilies, shocking pink nerines – bulbs span the seasons and no matter what your soil type there are varieties suitable for your garden that will add interest at any time of year.

Bring along a favourite pot/container on this day workshop and you’ll depart with it fully planted, ready for a stunning spring display.

Time: 10am – 3.30pm. Including morning coffee/cakes and a two-course lunch. £75

Bread Basics - Wednesday 2 October 2013 This hands-on course discovers the pleasures of breadmaking from sourdough through to focaccia, via quick breads and the perfect baps for bacon and egg butties!

Depart with recipes, your own warm, hand-made breads and your very own sourdough starter.

Time: 8.30am - 3.30pm. Includes morning coffee and two-course lunch. £95

Perfect Pink Flower Minicakes Wednesday 16 October 2013 Join us on this one=day workshop with Bernadett Szucs: Gold Award winner from ‘Dreamworld Cakes’. Under Bernadett’s careful guidance you will learn how to cover a minicake with sugar paste and make sugar flowers to decorate it, whilst gathering tips along the way on how to achieve a smooth, clean and perfect finish.

Time: 10am – 4pm. Including morning coffee/cakes and a two-course lunch. £110

The Town Gardener - Thursday 17 October 2013 Small plot – big ideas! Don’t let the size of your plot limit your creativity. Choose plants that earn their keep and learn low-maintenance ideas to create colour and impact in a small place. Discover the multitude of plants and methods of ringing the changes in even the smallest garden.

Time: 10am – 3.30pm. Including morning coffee/cakes and a two-course lunch £75.

SEP/OCT13

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08/09/2013

02:01

Jea n-C hristop he No velli

in the mix With Alnwick Food Festival approaching, celebrate the arrival of the autumn food festival harvest with a mett-up with of celebrity chef, Jean-Christophe Novelli! The 5AA Rosette award-winning chef will be designing a meal for a lucky 100 guests. Here, he lets Bethan Andrews into a few of his own fond food thoughts. www.alnwickfoodfestival.co.uk a childhood food memory: My mother’s stuffed baked tomatoes a favourite family dish: My mother’s caramelised apple tart a wine that inspires you: A South African merlot. It’s called Spice Route a restaurant/wine list you return to time and again: The Manoir, a restaurant in Oxford an inspirational chef: Or chefs! Both Keith Floyd and Marco Pierre White the last wine you drank: As I no longer drink, it was some time ago, but I remember it was a Michel Arnoux wine your last food and wine would be: A nice serving of fish and chips and sticky toffee pudding.

Oh, and my mother’s stuffed tomatoes Favourite food and wine city: Arras, my home town in France.

Favourite ingredient: Definitely vanilla the wine or dish you would pass on to your children: My mother’s stuffed tomatoes

ar” he Yeears T f o ds. uranotr four consecuteivrreioyt Flavours Awar a t s e “R ds f he H

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seP/OCT13

41

Meet the chef

The people behind the region’s favourite restaurants share their kitchen secrets and culinary inspiration

Pau l O’H ara Exe cutive Chef - Rockliffe Hall

in the mix Childhood food memory: My first childhood memory of food is blue cheese; sat on a Sunday with my Granddad, pretending I liked it. But at 6 years of age, it was impossible and all I could think was ‘how can anyone eat it’!

Over time palates change and now I love blue cheese.

Favourite family dish: Corned beef hash with dumplings – the warm feeling of all the family sat around the dinner table, sharing from the big Le Creuset pot on a winter’s evening - talking about nothing, but all together.

A meal that inspires you: Ham hock & foie gras terrine with pease pudding – it’s just your typically northern dish of ham & pease pudding, but by adding the foie gras it lifts it to a totally new level. It is nice to take something so ordinary yet tasty and transform it into a really classy version.

A wine that inspires you: Chateauneuf du Pape. In its beginning it was classed as a very rustic wine, but as it grew in popularity it’s now classed as a major fine wine. The development of this wine is a bit like my own story - coming from a humble upbringing in a pit village to now working at a prestigious five-star resort.

A restaurant wine list you return to time and time again: When I dine out I really put my trust in the sommelier or waiter as to what wine, and let them decide; after all, that’s what they are good at. Grace Matterson, the sommelier in The Orangery at Rockliffe Hall is fantastic.

Inspirational chef: Terry Laybourne – I can honestly say that without him being in my life, I would not have got to where I am now in my career. He not only taught me how to be a cook and become a chef, but how to be a businessman and owner as well - the fundamental elements that these days seems to be missed within a chef’s career.

Last meal: A mixed Indian curry from my local Indian restaurant. I have eaten there every week now for nearly 7 years due to the atmosphere and the great quality of cooking.

Your last food and wine would be: Ham hock & foie gras terrine with pease pudding and a bottle of Dom Perignon because it’s my lasting memory of the first real cooking I did with a great man, and as for the reason for the champagne – why not!

Favourite food and wine city: France – no individual city as everywhere in France produces great wine, whether it’s easy drinking or heavy and bold drinking, and as for food, there is no better place.

Favourite ingredients: Butter, salt and aromat (an old Swiss seasoning powder that can change the taste of food dramatically without using salt).

42

Gavin Leng

Vince Puddu

Chef and owner MARTINO’S SEABURN

Chef LUCIA’S

Your favourite autumn ingredient: Beetroot. It’s so versatile and can be put in sweet or savoury dishes.

Current favourite dish: Finochio pappardelle pasta with pork meat balls, sundried tomatoes, onion, cream, tomato and toasted fennel seeds.

GB Bake Off – love it or hate it: Hate it. It’s good that people are wanting to bake, but there’s a little too much of it on TV now.

The last meal you ate: Lamb Karahi from Monsoon restaurant in Sunderland.

A holiday food memory: That’s easy – a green Thai curry in Bangkok.

Your favourite autumn ingredient: You can’t go wrong with butternut squash at this time of year; our fabulous pizza is definitely one to try.

Current favourite dish: I have to say I do love salmon, king prawn and fresh mussels linguine, so easy to cook and to eat!

GB Bake off - love it or hate it: I love to bake - so love it!

The last meal you ate: My mum’s homemade ravioli is always the best.

A holiday food memory: I love homemade pizza with a seafood topping

Tel: 0191 529 5295 www.martinosgroup.com

Tel: 01642 782 242 www.luciasitaliankitchen.co.uk

Sam Wilkinson Commis Chef HOTEL INDIGO

Victoria Vassallo Head Chef CHAPTERS HOTEL & RESTAURANT Your favourite autumn ingredient: Jerusalem artichokes – one of my favourite ingredients Current favourite dish: To eat and cook, Beverley free-range duck breast with jasmine tea & white raisin sauce.

GB Bake Off - love it or hate it: Love it The last meal you ate: Fillet of beef in a local restaurant.

A holiday food memory: Malta’s fruit and vegetables have so much flavour and remind me of my childhood.

Tel: 01642 711 888 www.chaptershotel.co.uk

Your favourite autumn ingredient: The change of seasons brings new menus, we do some great dishes with venison, wild duck, wild trout and seabass.

Current favourite dish: Spring lamb is at its best - an assiette of lamb maybe using the shoulder for slow braising and the loin for quick frying.

GB Bake Off - love it or hate it: Who doesn’t love homemade brandy snaps filled with Chantilly cream, dipped in chocolate?

The last meal you ate: Freshly made pasta, chicken and chorizo sausage A holiday food memory: Rhodes – the food was amazing and I can’t wait to go back.

Tel: 0191 300 9222 www.hotelindigonewcastle.co.uk

David Henry Clubhouse Head Chef, ROCKLIFFE HALL

Martin Moore Head Chef LOTUS LOUNGE RESTAURANT DURHAM & YARM

Your favourite autumn ingredient: I love game so this would have to be snipe/woodcock as you can eat the whole bird and use its innards to make a really gamey paté.

Current favourite dish: I’m a typical Northern guy so I like a good curry.

GB Bake Off - love it or hate it: I’ve never watched one episode as I find it quite hard to watch cooking shows now after appearing on Masterchef.

Last meal you ate: Fish and chips at Trenchers in Whitby.

A holiday food memory: In my childhood we used to have a caravan in Scotland and often had a bowl of tomato soup and a ham roll in a floured white bap - simple but so warming after a swim in the sea.

your favourite autumn ingredient: Seasonal vegetables like cauliflower, celeriac & artichokes, so versatile in dishes and strong earthy flavours. current favourite dish: Clay pot cooked hake fillet ginger, chilli & star anise; a moist, full-flavoured, cheap cut of fish turned into a wonderful dish. gB Bake off - love it or hate it: Should love it but don’t love it; wish they would show more cooking/baking not just the personalities taking part, the one-liners and innuendoes are good. the last meal you ate: Hakkasan, Hanway Place & Spice Market, W Hotel, London a holiday food memory: Great fish & chips on Whitby pier

Tel: 01325 729 999 www.rockliffehall.com

Tel: 0191 384 1999 www.lotus-lounge.co.uk

seP/OCT13

ramside hall HOTEL & GOLF CLUB

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SEP/OCT13

www.wynyardhall.co.uk

43

mix it With Chris Swinney

people

Sofa, so good

A seasonal berry drink for an autumn pep-up

Autumn Blush Recipe 5ml 10ml 10ml 25ml

Grenadine Lemon juice St Germaine elderflower liqueur Tanqueray gin Splash of lemonade Mixed berries

Method Pour into a cocktail shaker the lemon juice, St Germaine liqueur and the gin, and shake.

Take a highball glass and fill with crushed ice, strain the shaken mixture over the ice, add the mixed berries and top with a splash of lemonade. Finish it off with a drizzle of grenadine.

The food that made Dave Coulson shine on TV’s MasterChef is about to burst on to the Tyneside restaurant scene. Kathryn Armstrong finds out more Chef Dave Coulson has furniture restoration on his mind at the moment.

You might think the opening of a new restaurant is all about the food, but that, he is confident, will take care of itself, comfortable in the knowledge of his “twelve years of cooking to fall back on.”

Instead, playing on the mind of the bearded one are the other ingredients that make up any new restaurant, from light fittings to cutlery, from bar tops to tiles from bare walls to bums-on-seats. Which brings us neatly to the salvaged sofa.

While not quite heaved out of a skip, the restored sofa with its aged leather panels in a multitude of colours is his pride and joy – and it’s the starting point for the look of his exciting new food canteen venture, Peace & Loaf at Cradlewell in Jesmond.

The restaurant, which was formerly the Al Forno Italian restaurant in an old warehouse-style building over three floors, opens up in October and is a collaboration between Dave and Tyneside restaurateur Bob Arora, who everyone knows as the man behind Sachins Punjabi restaurant in Newcastle.

interior design of the space. Hence Bob was keen to move on with Peace & Loaf after getting to know Dave at cookery demos on the region’s food festival scene.

You won’t find a naan bread or a hint of tikka masala on the Peace & Loaf menu however. Dave is heading up the food side of things, bringing his reputation for all things quirky to the table for all to enjoy – from the ladies who lunch to the ’men who munch’.

I once was party to Dave’s creation, Plate of Pig when he cooked at the Castle Eden Inn. It was a pork-fest delivered on a wooden slab and in no particular order, featured: pork belly and crackling, pork pie, Scotch egg, a black pudding fritter, pork loin, alongside a crispy mound of cabbage and some Bywell pancetta. It was an astonishing feast with an eye for perfection with every component. This was inventive stuff in the days before pork belly became the new scallop.

Press Dave, 28, on the food he’s currently creating and his eyes go skywards. “Just the stuff I do,” he says modestly.

That ‘stuff’ however, is the stuff of the

show his spark. Or beef fillet with oxtail and potato spring roll, a great composition.

Well worthy of his MasterChef reputation.

Dave reached the last three of the TV finals in 2010 and his reward was a stage as chef de partie in the kitchens of La Gavroche with Michel Roux himself.

Dave admits he ‘couldn’t settle’ in London so he headed back North – he’s from Wingate in County Durham – and made his name at the Castle Eden Inn where he brought Michelin pub guide accolades to the pub-restaurant.

But the ‘pub-grub’ side of things got him down – and his hope is that the Peace & Loaf food will truly reflect his cooking, bringing his quirky blend of not-tooserious food to diners who appreciate his take on seasonal produce.

“I am going to have a bit of fun with the food and I want people to come in with an open heart and be happy.”

Talking about his impetus for entering MasterChef, he says, “I always knew I could get to the final. I wouldn’t have put myself through it if I hadn’t thought it.

“Nobody knew I could cook food well but after that programme they did.”

Dave comes across as a ‘heart on his tattooed sleeve’ kind of man. Looking back at his appearances during Masterchef he is a bundle of emotions – nerves didn’t always get the better of him but he had a few wobbles. He excelled though in a showcase of food prepared for his own heroes, among them Michael Caines and Tom Kitchin.

In the MasterChef final, his best-known dish was a pie. But obviously MORE than a pie. He served up deconstructed chicken and mushroom pie on a roasted mushroom topped with puff pastry served with a sweet sticky chicken wing, poached chicken breast, crispy skin and mashed potato.

More than good enough for Msr Roux who exclaimed at the time; “Wow, I’ve never seen that before. This guy’s got imagination. It’s fun. I love it when that happens. It’s a clever dish. And I want a plateful of those wings.”

This playfulness mixed with skill is what Dave wants to bring to the Peace & Loaf party. That pie will be there too.

“Natural food, Northern portions not London portions.”

“Everyday stuff with a twist,” is how Dave puts it. Fish and chips – but not as you know it.” Prepare for some surprises.

Peace & Loaf, 217 Jesmond Road, Newcastle www.peaceandloaf.co.uk

On the menu: fillet of beef with oxtail and potato spring roll, bone marrow & beetroot sauce or how about lamb & leek cannelloni with mint & nettle jelly, fennel salad?

www.hotelindigonewcastle.co.uk

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Bob is a man who gets bored easily and always likes to have a new project on the go, laughs his wife Neeta, who with her sister Geeta Ral is taking care of the

professional MasterChef finals, the ultimate in high-pressure food scenarios.

Pictured right are first tasters - lamb and leek cannelloni with mint and nettle jelly

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dining

In a Como Crab Manor near Thirsk is famous for its ‘round-the-world’ room journey. Kathryn Armstrong checked in to its newest destination I am in Lake Como. Sadly there’s no lake to speak of but tiled floors, a lavish marble bathroom and Venetian-inspired furnishings suggest the opulence of a grand Italian villa.

Como is of course, George Clooney’s hunting ground - not going to happen in this neck of North Yorkshire is it?

Still, with glass of champagne in hand, husband in a hot tub will have to do.

Home for the evening is Villa Serbelloni, one of the newest garden rooms to open up at Crab Manor near Thirsk. The latest ‘themed’ suite in a hotel that is a

The bathroom is really striking with its period sink and more of that Venetian decor – a super size shower and roll top both add a definite touch of luxe – and we like the Molton Brown toiletries.

Before dinner we walk the gravel path back up to Crab Manor for drinks and canapés – and see guests with beer glass in hand on the hunt for the secret beer-tap.

It is a Tuesday night and the restaurant is surprisingly busy – almost a Saturday night atmosphere.

We really struggle to make food decisions.

Famed for fish and awarded Seafood Pub

definite round-the-world journey.

Folks from the North East are probably familiar with this well-loved hotel, the Crab&Lobster pub is pretty legendary with its eccentric furnishings and acclaimed food. It continues to win good pub accolades and is as popular as ever.

The hotel is an on-going project with lavish landscaped gardens and the development of new rooms in the grounds. The rooms are based on those in landmark hotels across the globe – and hotel regulars get their own ‘passport’ to tick off their global travels through stays in different rooms.

From the outside our villa doesn’t look like one – it’s more chic country cottage in mellow Yorkshire stone with an outside courtyard housing the hot tub.

In our part of the globe we’re next door to Las Vegas’s Bellagio while the more tropical Bora Bora and Taj Mahal are upstairs.

I like my piece of Italy, it’s very Venetian OTT but it works with the lavish gilt and marble furniture contrasting against the muted plasterwork paint effects on the wall, stone tiles floor and aged ceiling beams. Only complaint was a lack of air-con. Thick walls and low ceilings make it super-cosy and so well insulated – but then we get a heatwave summer – who knew?

of the Year, the lobster is an obvious choice but is it a cop-out? Then again, you don’t get the chance to have lobster that often do you?

We really dither. It is a seafood lover’s dream menu really. Specials include lemon sole, sea bass with fennel and halibut.

Bet the fish pie isn’t bad either – and someone on the next table has a huge platter of the best-looking prawns...

In the end I choose a starter of Loch Fyne smoked salmon, lured by the accompaniment of pea and leek pancakes and crème fraiche. It’s a lovely combination and the little blini-style pancakes freshly cooked and warm for me.

Husband has six oysters – Carlingford Bay these – rich and creamy, served with caper and shallot vinegar. We’re also munching on a bread basket filled with home-made focaccia and dark fruit and walnut – with lovely butter in a pot.

For mains we do the lobster. Mine in thermidor mode is deliciously rich. The sauce’s flavour blend of cream, cheese and mustard is just right – light on cheese and perky on mustard. The lobster tails are filled with an abundance of scallops and prawns, it is one indulgent dish – I only needed a half but ordered a whole and didn’t really get near the pot of chunky chips alongside. Managed the neat bottle

On the menu

Oysters, £13 Loch Fyne salmon, £13 Whole lobster, £44

SEP/OCT13

of Georges Du Boeuf house white though, an easy, crisp chardonnay, a fine partner for this rich dish.

Our other choice was more lobster with garlic butter – a bit of a classic. This place is keeping the lobster traders of the North Sea in business – notably Mr Hodgson of Hartlepool I think. Very nice lobster – a sweet-flavoured, luxurious chewy mouthful. Fresh food that does the talking.

No way were we able to attack the dessert menu after this – sorry to fluff on that one.

Nor, next morning could we manage the ribeye steak, hash browns and fried egg that’s on the impressive breakfast menu.

Poached smoked haddock and soft egg was lovely though.

It has the air of an occasion place – there were birthday celebrations going on, groups of friends together and a convivial atmosphere. The restaurant and breakfast room are eclectic in the truest sense of the words – a Vera Lynn wartime album on a shelf one side of us, a skeleton hanging from a hammock on the other. Bunting, mis-matched antique furniture and an abundance of quirky finds means you’d never be short of conversation.

Loads of outdoor space with heaters make this a nice pub stop off on autumn evenings – a bowl of fish soup from the bar menu a cheeky treat. www.crabandlobster.com

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Almost 200 years ago on 2nd January 1815 the famous poet Lord Byron married Lady Annabella Milbanke at her family home, Seaham Hall, on the rugged North East coast. In celebration of his wedding – and knowing his Royal friend’s preferences – Lord Byron sent a cask of whisky, believed to be Spey, to King George III, who was living in Kew Palace at the time.

This gift began a royal relationship that continues today with Spey’s support of two Royal charities – Historic Royal Palaces and the Prince’s School of Traditional Arts – and the creation of the exclusive Royal Choice brand.

Royal Choice single malt scotch whisky is produced in Spey’s boutique distillery, which nestles at the foot of the Cairngorm Mountains in Aviemore, under licence from Historic Royal Palaces, the organisation which looks after the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House, Kensington Palace and Kew Palace.

Managing Director of Harvey’s of Edinburgh – the company behind Spey Whisky – is John McDonough. John said: “Our relationship with Historic Royal Palaces is unique and extremely important to us. As well as keeping the Spey brand true to its original roots, it enables us to bring to market one of the best single malt whiskies in the world today. Although Royal Choice is only available from six outlets in the UK, we urge people to try it if they get the chance. They certainly won’t be disappointed.”

Everything about Spey Royal Choice exudes quality. Made from the finest locally-sourced ingredients, using traditional, handcrafted distilling methods, Spey Royal Choice is aged in sherry casks from Spain, giving it a smooth, silky flavour with lingering notes that reminds you of biting into butterscotch candy. And each bottle comes in a beautifully hand-crafted wooden box with a certificate of authenticity.

Currently Spey Royal Choice, which retails at £86, is only available to purchase through Historic Royal Palaces at the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Banqueting House, Kensington Palace and Kew Palace and in the North East at Seaham Hall.

For more information contact Historic Royal Palaces direct on 020 3166 6848 or visit www.historicroyalpalaces.com.

Alternatively contact Seaham Hall on 0191 5161400 or email info@seaham-hall.co.uk.

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TASTING NOTES>> Hue >> brilliant golden colour Aroma >> light toffee with subtle hints of gooseberry Taste >> smooth silky wheat and lingering dense creamy flavour Aftertaste >> warm lingering notes

SEP/OCT13

LADY LOVE

AUTUMN SHAPE UP PLUMMY HUES AND CHEEKY CHECKS. HURRAH FOR SOME GROWN-UP AUTUMN GLORY IN THE WARDROBE

Panel dress, Victoria Beckham, £1,425, Cruise. LK bennett suede heels, £195, Fenwick.

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SEP/OCT13

189

Park free after 5pm in Newcastle.

Park free after 5pm Mon-Sat in the Council multi-storey car parks Shop late ’til 8pm Mon-Fri and 7pm Sat

For further information on participating shops and car parks visit:

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lady love

Paul Smith dress, £198.99, Ted Baker purple clutch, £98.99, Michael Kors cream courts, £128.99. All Psyche.

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SEP/OCT13

juice-it

LIVE TO SHOP with WENDY GIBSON

Post-St Tropez, no hiding under baggy clothes for autumn with top tips for getting fit and toned with minimal effort!

,

Bikini ready, arguably two of the most chilling words in the English language. This summer though, for the first time in more years than records stretch back, I managed it. Not least thanks to Australian entrepreneur-turned-juicing evangelist, Joe Cross, yoga, and my magic Mama Mio “Get Waisted” tummy serum!

I stumbled across Joe Cross quite by chance one night, and his documentary with the slightly scary title of Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead in which he transformed himself from an overweight guy, taking a shed load of pills for multiple medical conditions, to fit, trim, medication-free.

He transformed the lives of others in Australia and America he met along the way, while filming his documentary. His method – taking raw, healthy fruit and vegetables, and juicing them, and sticking with them for a number of days, as a nutrient-rich way of losing weight, and getting healthier.

The bigger your target, the longer the juice experience. Some people just do a weekend, others a week to ten days. And in his case – under medical supervision – a marathon sixty days. And even if like me, you just want to shed a few pounds – or especially if you just want to do that – it’s a format which is quick, pleasurable, uplifting and gives you bags of energy.

During the fantastic hot spell I invested in a new juicer and for around a week before my holiday made my own carrot, apple and ginger juices for breakfast and lunch – delicious, and, more filling than you’d think. Then I followed with a normal, healthy supper. I alternated the carrot juice, with others of Joe’s recipes, including the Mean Green, a mixture of green fruit and veg – curly kale, cucumber, celery, spinach leaves, and apple – which has now won fans around the world. Bloating vanishes, energy levels lift and your tightest jeans and holiday bikinis are suddenly your new best friends. www.rebootwithjoe.com St Tropez is a regular summer destination for me – and despite its bling connotations, it’s surprisingly egalitarian. Boutique owners don’t bat an eye whether you’re someone famous just stepped off a private yacht, and papped for the Sunday mags, or one of the loyal North East contingent who migrate there each July.

St Tropez is still one of the most stylish and fun places to shop – if not the cheapest, and constantly reinventing itself. Pop-up stores keep things fresh – Chanel and Dior are summer favourites. And Cavalli has just opened a new store this year – just down from Dior, with his own restaurant out front – so you can totally live the experience!

Not to be outdone, virtually opposite, Louis Vuitton has now opened a courtyard for dining, behind its chic boutique, called Garden after Dark, with all sorts of delicious nibbles, and champagne.

And while you can – if your budget stretches – buy the most beautiful diamond jewellery in St Tropez, we fans of costume jewellery are still well served by boutiques like Gas – with limited offerings online also. The big theme for Gas jewellery this year is feathers – from necklaces and bracelets, to beautiful enamelled earrings, that will totally make an outfit.

Think Hiawatha meets Sienna Miller!

One of the most exciting new developments is that one of St Tropez’ most famous boutiques for sexy beach wear has gone online. Sunday, St Tropez features gorgeous signature linen dresses, the tiniest shorts, and beach minis, and boots and beach bags with attitude. Up to now you had to be there!

Back in the real world, post-holiday, and I’m finding yoga is keeping me in the zone, as ever.

And yogawear now has grown into big business. Sweaty Betty have added to their collection, with new dance and spa gear that can also double as weekend wear. Lululemon does fab, figure-hugging leggings. And my latest discovery – with the well cool name of Wellicious – in Westbourne Grove, London, is also available online. Star performers of its new collections are the Kerstin Linnatz signature Ganesh print T-shirt, and hot pink leggings. Celeb fans include Gwyneth Paltrow, and it’s shipped around the globe.

Happy shopping fashionistas.

As well as being a shopping supremo, shoe-a-holic and general lover of all things luxe, Wendy Gibson is a broadcaster, presenter and event host in the North East

NEW AUTUMN/WINTER STOCK NOW INSTORE AND ONLINE

MICHAEL KORS JERSEY WRAP DRESS WITH PIN £170

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BOSS BLACK CASUAL BIKER LEATHER JKT £580

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ARMANI JEANS - BOSS ACCESSORIES - BOSS BLACK CASUAL - BOSS BLACK LABEL BOSS BODYWEAR - BOSS GREEN LABEL - BOSS ORANGE - ETON SHIRTS PAUL SMITH ACCESSORIES - PAUL SMITH JEANS - PAUL SMITH SHOES POLO RALPH LAUREN - PS PAUL SMITH - REMUS UOMO - VIVIENNE WESTWOOD

BERNSHAW - BETTY BARCLAY - BOSS BLACK LABEL - BOSS ORANGE BOSS GREEN LABEL - FROCK ART - DENIM AND SUPPLY RALPH LAUREN - DKNY FENN WRIGHT MANSON - OUI MOMENTS - PAUL SMITH ACCESSORIES PAUL SMITH BLACK LABEL - PAUL BY PAUL SMITH - PAUL SMITH SHOES VIVIENNE WESTWOOD - UGG BOOTS - MICHAEL KORS - TED BAKER - VERA MONT

www.thehousedesignerwear.co.uk 69 THE HIGH STREET, YARM TEL: 01642 790852

SEP/OCT13

MONDAY TO FRIDAY 9.30-5.30 SATURDAY 9.00-5.30 SUNDAY 10:30-4:30

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LADY LOVE

TREND WATCH WITH CATHERINE NEWTON

The start of autumn always seems to herald a seasonlong love affair with denim.

There’s no better feeling than finding the perfect denim item for your shape, lifestyle and wardrobe. Yet is there anything harder than finding the ideal pair of jeans?

Finding your perfect fit usually involves tirelessly trying on countless different styles, cuts and colours but brands are wising up and trying to make it easier by developing styles and fabrics used. Gone are the days when rough denim would dig into your waist or rub behind your knees, this is the beginning of a new era of jeans that are so comfortable you can sleep in them.

Your first port of call should be the experts over at Levi’s.

The heritage and marketing expertise of this super-brand has had their ranges for men, women and children flying off the shelves for years. However, their ladies’ jeans are now entering into unchartered, but very interesting, territory. Levi’s has surveyed thousands of women and found, unsurprisingly, that we are all very different shapes.

This means that two ladies who both want the same size jean could find they need completely different fits. Take the Curve ID range, whereby two measurements are taken and it is the differentials of your curves that determine your jean – not your size! These measurements translate into one of three ‘fits’ of jean. If you’re straight from the waist to hips you’re a Slight Curve and need a straighter jean that doesn’t gape around the thigh. If you’re elegantly hourglass you’re a Demi Curve and need a jean roomier around the middle with a smaller waist. If you’re beautifully curvy you’re a Bold Curve and need a jean with extra room around the rear that shows off your waist. Prices start from £85. JBrand have launched their newest fabrication – Photo Ready Denim.

This product has slimming, stretch technology that lifts and contours your body to make a picture-perfect silhouette.

Check out the fab slim, grey denim (£260).

For an edgier look, the coated jean is back and this season has brought a whole new spectrum of colours, from burgundy to petrol (AG Jeans, £199) and from glitter to classic black (JBrand, £240). Perfect for day time with biker boots or dressed up at night with a glam heel.

The boyfriend jean look of the moment is rolled up with your favourite ankle boot, showing off a tiny bit of ankle.

Visit the Premium Denim Department on the First Floor, Fenwick

Armani sculpted jacket, £595, Armani skirt, £250, LK Bennett Sledge patent heels, £195, Mulberry Bayswater twin zip bag, £1500, all Fenwick.

Catherine Newton is Head of Womenswear at Fenwick, Newcastle

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Gucci Prince of Wales check dress, £1,040, Cruise. LK Bennett Rosamund Pike bag, £350, Fenwick.

SEP/OCT13

53

LADY LOVE

(TOP) Sportmax leather jacket, £450, Sportmax jeans, £149, DVF blouse (just seen), £265. LK Bennett Dionne boots, £450.

Clemy Mulberry suede clutch, £595. All Fenwick.

Credits: Photography: Kevin Gibson www.kgphotography.co.uk model: Emma Pottinger, Tyne Tees Models, www.tyneteesmodels.co.uk Location: V Sky Lounge, The Vermont Hotel, Newcastle.

The outdoor Sky lounge, 200ft above the city centre, has stunning views across the city and quayside. It is licensed for weddings and private hire for special events. For bookings email: events@vermonthotel.com Castle Garth, Newcastle, Tyne and Wear.

0191 233 1010 www.vermont-hotel.com

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(LEFT) French Connection cowl sweater, £83.99, FC Judy Jegs coated cotton leggings, £68.99, all Psyche.

Stockists: Cruise, Princess Square, Newcastle upon Tyne 0191 260 2601 www.cruisefashion.co.uk Fenwick, Northumberland Street, Newcastle 0191 232 5100 www.fenwick.co.uk Psyche, Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough 01642 888333 www.psyche.co.uk Styling: Fiona McLain Hair&Make-up: Victoria Forshaw www.pinspetalspowder.co.uk

SEP/OCT13

Discover the autumn collection

Bramwells

the silver shop

72 saddler street 24 Post house Wynd Durham, Dl1 3nt Darlington, Dl3 7lP 0191 3866706 01325 464 175 www.bramwellsjewellers.co.uk

Be inspired at pandora.net

SEASONAL SWOOSH

Bye bye blondie

Time to break out the coppery, gold and brown tones for autumn 56

With the summer drawing to a close we can at least for this year look back at some lovely sunny days enjoying Pimm’s in the garden. The blonde summer rush is also coming to an end with everyone starting to think of warmer autumnal shades. Rather than opt for a complete change it’s better to start evolving your colour on every salon visit. This way it’s an easier transition and you’re not left feeling shocked with a total colour change.

The introduction of warmer, darker shades will gradually change your look until the optimum colour is achieved. The key to getting the look right is to opt for natural shades, so think burnt orange, antique gold and rich brown.

Blonde tones sit perfectly within this colour palette so your existing blonde will blend in perfectly with the new shades. Be aware of your make-up, as a hair colour change will often require a tweak to your make-up bag, and if like us, you prefer a winter wardrobe this could be the perfect time to go and get yourself a total new look. michael young and Gary Hooker run award-winning Hooker & young, with six salons regionwide.

See www.hookerandyoung.co.uk for salon details.

SEP/OCT13

Cosmetic and General Dentistry in

DURHAM CITY

We treat all our patients with COMPASSION. We are AWARE that this is not everyone’s favourite place, so at all times we try to RESPECT our patient’s wishes and fully involve them in all treatments decisions.

And in everything we do we strive for EXCELLENCE in our practice, and our patient’s experience of it.

• CROWNS • VENEERS • IMPLANTS • SMILE CREATION • TOOTH WHITENING

VISIT OUR FULLY QUALIFIED HYGENIENISTS, NATALIE AND MELANIE

by Graeme Dentith The Crossgate Centre, Crossgate, Durham DH1 4HF Tel 0191 384 4447 www.durhamcitysmiles.co.uk

Luxe

RING OuT

BEAUTY WATCH WITH VIcTORIA LEES

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty - all you need to know about exfoliation.

It’s fairly common knowledge that regular exfoliation is an inexpensive way to make skin glow, make it look more youthful and help products absorb better. But with a dizzying array of options available, which is the best for you?

LOOFAHS, DRY BODY BRUSHES AND EXFOLIATING MITTS Pros: These are the cheapest option as you can use them again and again. They’re also very convenient as you can keep them in the shower which will remind you to use them more often and they boost circulation and lymph drainage. cons: Only to be used on the body, results can be less even than other methods and they can harbour bacteria so a definite no-no for those prone to body acne.

BODY POLISHES Pros: These are lotions containing perfectly spherical partials suspended in a lotion or gel base. These are your best option if you are self-tanning as they give the most even result and only remove surface dead skin cells so self-tans can still develop (too deep an exfoliation will result in a paler, uneven self tan) cons: Polishes only give a superficial result so for deeper exfoliation choose products with added AHAs and BHAs.

Let the bowls ring out A new Tibetan Sound Massage guarantees good vibrations.

Kathryn Armstrong tries it

ALPHA HYDROXY ACIDS AND BETA HYDROXY ACIDS (AHAS AND BHAS) Pros: Not as scary as they sound! These are acids derived from natural sources such as fruit, sugar and milk. Cleopatra was ahead of her time bathing in asses’ milk. Products containing AHAs and BHAs provide deep, safe exfoliation removing layer upon layer of dead skin cells, erasing fine lines, hydrating the skin and creating an even radiant skin. You will find AHAs and BHAs in products for both the face and the body. cons: Some skin types cannot tolerate AHAs and BHAs, although some people are put off by the tingling sensation believing they are having a reaction when it is a normal reaction that can mean the product is working.

ENZYME MASKS Pros: Suitable for almost all skin types even the most sensitive. Enzyme masks work by harmlessly ‘digesting’ the dead skin cells. Skin Resonance Peeling by Comfort Zone, £25.95, is our biggest seller as it is the therapists’ favourite. cons: More time-consuming, you generally have to leave these masks on for 5-10 minutes. I’ve yet to find a body exfoliating product with enzymes as I think this would be a good exfoliation choice to prep clients for tanning who have body acne.

Victoria is based at The Spa, Rockliffe Hall.

58

Three brass bowls are lined up the length of my body as I lie on a treatment table. At home they wouldn’t look out of place filled with anything from posh vegetable crisps to pot pourri.

They are dull, metal coloured and nicely aged. There is a definite sense of anticipation as I lie still. Moments later therapist Tracy gives them a tap – well more than a tap; the bowls begin to ‘sing’ and the vibrations from them shoot through my body.

It is a very odd sensation – not at all unpleasant – in fact, just the opposite – but an unusual sensation nevertheless as the soundwaves ripple through your body to the tips of your fingers and your toes.

This bit signals the end of the Tibetan Sound treatment which I am having at The Spa at Rockliffe Hall. I want to say, ‘again, again’ and have another bash but that’s not how it works. Still, I emerge feeling super-energised I have to say (I’m writing this at 7am the next morning, full of beans).

The therapy is a new one at Rockliffe, devised by Italian skincare company Comfort Zone. Therapists travelled to the country for special training in the eastern therapy, which is based on traditional Tibetan rituals.

It is a 90-minute treatment and all about balancing the energies with those sound vibrations. Tracy says that if affects different people in different ways – energising or relaxing – giving your body the chance to ‘re-tune’ if it’s stressed out or a wake-up call if you need an energy boost.

You may or may not buy in to the whole ‘energies’ thing but as a treatment I definitely emerged with a burst of energy – and the promise that I would feel better still days later with all the negative energies dispelled.

The treatment starts with the bowls being hit to release the sound waves in the room. Then there is a thorough facial massage and nourishing hot oils are drizzled through your hair (you’re asked if you want this bit). Massage is done with a combination of lovely aromatic Comfort Zone Sacred Nature body oils.

The whole body is thoroughly ‘buttered’ and afterwards mine was intensely smooth – this makes it a good post-holiday treatment too, getting your skin into great condition.

Hot oils and hot stones are a key part of the treatment, placed on warm towels that envelop the body. Half-way through the treatment, one of the bowls is placed on my chest and when it is hit, the sensation of the travelling vibrations feels amazing – tingling to fingers and toes.

Lying on my front, Tracy then turns her attention to my spine which is gently tapped 21 times. The sides of the spine are massaged with hot oils; it’s a nice, relaxing feeling.

Then, warm oil is poured into my tummy button – the place of ‘connection’ – and my front is massaged.

It all feels like a very nurturing and nourishing treatment. The use of the sound vibrations is something very different and adds an intensity to the experience without doubt.

The concept of having big bowls balanced on your body then bashed until they ‘sing’ might get lost in translation but it is a ritual and practice that lies in age-old Tibetan traditional.

Best to give in to it and let the bowls ring out. But don’t try it at home!

The Tibetan Sound Ritual treatment is exclusive to Rockliffe Hall. The treatment is £115 or as a package with a spa lunch for £135.

Details www.rockliffehall.co.uk/spa

SEP/OCT13

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Like our Facebook page for latest trends and special offers Darlington 01325 468 994 Gosforth 0191 217 0217 Jesmond 0191 281 6714 Wynyard 01740 644 690

www.hookerandyoung.co.uk Facebook/hooker&young Twitter @hookerandyoung

CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF TRUSTED DENTAL SOLOUTIONS Here at Olivers Dental Studio we are proud to be celebrating 30 years of fabulous treatment services right here in the North East. Our award winning team are at your service 6 days a week to help you. From missing teeth, twisted crooked teeth, painful teeth and discoloured teeth we have the dental solution that will restore your confidence and make you smile again. To help us celebrate we are giving away free smile consultations. You can contact us 24/7 and even Sundays on 0191 0191 543 7513 to secure your appointment – it could be the first step that will change your life. Step into our world, we want to make you smile!

THE TEAM – OLIVERS DENTALOWNER www.oliverdental.com

• TOOTH WHITENING • INVISIBLE BRACES • DENTAL IMPLANTS • SMILE MAKEOVERS • PORCELAIN VENEERS • SMOOTH SKIN TREATMENTS AND FILLERS • CHILDREN’S CARE

Olivers Dental, STUDIO 27 Durham Road, East Herrington, Sunderland SR3 3NQ

tel: 0191 543 7513

I can’t quite believe 30 years has passed by so quickly. It almost feels like yesterday since I graduated from Newcastle Dental School in 1983. My vision was to develop a first class dental facility that now serves the whole of the North East Region. I have been so fortunate to have by my side a 30 strong dedicated team who have helped me shape and achieve 30 years of fabulous award winning service.

I am tremendously grateful for the loyalty of our patients who have supported us they have been amazing and we count many as friends now not simply patients.

I would like to take the opportunity to say a massive thankyou to all our patients, for recommending so many friends and family to us over the years and we look forward to welcoming more in the future, recommendations reflect how delighted our existing clients are with our services and have helped our practice grow.

MICHAEL OLIVER - STUDIO OWNER

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EYES AND TEETH!

MOUTHING OFF! WITH GRAEME DENTITH

To quote Bob Dylan “the times, they are a changing”.

It appears we are on the eve of a great new breakthrough in dental care within the NHS dental service with a new dental contract being piloted around the country and due to be rolled out soon.

Now there have been several “new” NHS dental contracts since I qualified in 1985, and frankly, none of them have been ideal, with the last one, instituted in 2006 being by far the worst of the lot.

This led to a crisis in the NHS dental service the likes of which we had never seen, with queues around the block to register with a practice, and “patients and patient care” being replaced with “units of dental activity.”

Whether this new contract will be an improvement I sincerely doubt. If the politicians would have the courage to say honestly that the NHS can’t afford to pay for everything available to dental patients with the advances in modern materials and technology, and instead say that the NHS will provide a core service, but any more than that will be payable by the patient, I for one would still have an NHS contract, and I suspect many of my private dental colleagues would be the same.

An example of this is the quality of crown and bridge work available. We use a dental laboratory in Durham and patients can visit, and have an input into their treatment. We also provide certificates of authenticity for all our work, as it is now not uncommon for some crowns and bridges to be made in China. This keeps costs down for the dentist but without those necessary controls over material quality.

As the saying goes, “if you pay peanuts..!” I would suggest patients ask their dentist where their work is being made and for a certificate to that effect, as it is a legal requirement for the lab to provide it for the patient. If the lab fee for a crown is going to be £30, it’s a pretty safe bet that the quality is not going to be the same as a crown costing £180-200.

I really do wish the new NHS dental contract all the best for a great future, but I’m afraid I’m old enough to have seen too much fall by the wayside before, and it is my personal opinion that this and the rise in corporate dentistry has not had a very beneficial effect on dental care.

Yes, there are some very talented and caring professionals in the dental profession, but I don’t believe the current system encourages the growth of caring family-orientated practices.

In some things small is best, and, in my opinion and experience from talking to patients, the large corporate dental practices are providing a service, but not necessarily the caring attitude valued by a long-established family dental practice.

Patients like to see the same person more than twice and like to know that there will be some stability in their dental care.

If you value that care as a patient, and want it for your family, it is my belief that you should seek out the smaller, established family-orientated practices, and yes, I have a vested interest as I include my practice at Durham City Smiles in that.

Graeme’s practice is Durham City Smiles, The Crossgate Centre, Crossgate, Durham. www.durhamcitysmiles.co.uk

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Beauty:update New season, new beauty regimes - or at least some new products to go at in pursuit of perfection...

BEAUTY AND THE BOY>> Mikey Phillips is the new darling of the beauty world, a regular on TV’s This Morning and a regular visitor to Wynyard Hall where he holds fabulous masterclasses.

Mikey recently launched the new range of CID cosmetics at a beauty evening at the hall – he also promotes them on QVC. Luxe editor Kathryn was a makeover guinea pig. Going make-up-less for an audience not for the faint-hearted but she emerged ten years’ younger of course (!), with renewed eyebrows and impressed by the CID range – which lays emphasis on prep products – like pre-foundation primer and good concealer.

The CID range is well-priced and has some hero products worth a mention – the i-lips colour is a lippy with a light attached – loved it! I-prime is the award-winner primer that makes a great base for foundation or tinted moisturiser – the range includes i-tint and i-perfection which leave a lovely dewy glow on the skin.

Mikey raves about the pigments in the eyeshadow products which, he says, sets them aside. The depth of pigment in eye colours means they have staying power and are great for red-carpet events and weddings.

MIKEY’S TOP TIPS>> • Remember that good eyebrows make an instant facelift. They should be thick but defined. Use a gel or wax to make them look groomed.

• Loving jewelled-coloured eyeshadows for autumn – aubergine and smoky deep blue in particular. Add some deep blue or plum mascara for a look that’s a bit more edgy.

• Strong lips for autumn – go with a good liner – no-one has a good lipline without one. Use layers of lippy to build the colour – blot then reapply.

• Two-tone products are fun for autumn – tread carefully but the effect they can have is to define and lift the face.

• Get the foundation right – you can use a bit more in winter – try an air-brush gun for an even coverage. And try a primer – it really is your new best friend.

• Mikey’s loving Collagen Shots – these £1-a-day drinks claim to be anti-ageing and skin smoothing. They’re getting rave reviews and he says, really work. “They are amazing – I have really noticed a difference – my skin really glows.”

• CID cosmetics are available from the Spa shop at Wynyard Hall Spa and online at www.newcidcosmetics.com

SERUM SENSE>> Autumn’s beauty world is full of serious serums.

Mikey Phillips declares them the beauty ‘must’ and personally raves about the new-formula Night Repair from Estee Lauder, from £44 on Lauder counters. Already a beauty legend, it has been re-formulated and is getting really rave reviews.

It’s one of a number of new formula serums with almost frighteningly scientific claims – well frightening to those of us who didn’t do A-level biology – they do appear to deliver the goods for those who take skincare seriously. Here’s our round-up of some of the newbies.

FIRMING UP>> Ole Henriksen’s new launch, Ultimate Lift Firming Serum helps visibly lift and restructure skin while triggering immediate tightening for sculpted facial contours.

Powered by a gravity-defying complex of copper tripeptide and botanical collagen stimulators to rebuild firmness and elasticity. £49, Harvey Nichols, Leeds.

BLUE VELVET>> Biotherm’s Blue Therapy Serum is a serum and oil in one – don’t be scared of the word ‘oil’, the preparation means this serum-in-oil combines with electrolytes found naturally in the skin to transform the gel into oil allowing instant diffusion into the skin. Ultimately skin is left smooth and radiant without feeling greasy. £44, from Boots www.boots.co.uk

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banish the bloat

FITNESS! with Leila Bramwell

There’s the rub>>

Summer is over and all we have to show for it is holiday snaps, good memories and most likely an expanded waist line. Most of my clients come back from their summer break stressing about putting on a few pounds. Usually when I ask where do they feel like they have gained weight they always say their “stomach”. This is mainly because they feel bloated on the inside as well and having a few extra pounds on the outside.

So here are a few ways to banish the bloat and the extra unwanted pounds quicky so you can get out and about feeling great in your fading tan and flatter stomach.

CUT OUT SUGAR FROM YOUR DIET One of the main reasons that fat stores in our bodies is that insulin in our blood peaks when we have sugar. It also crashes quick leaving you feeling hungry and more likely to snack on sugary foods. Summer holidays are mostly more sugar for breakfast, then same for lunch or an ice cream and maybe alcohol. Followed by sugary food and more alcohol on an evening. That, coupled with lying around soaking up the sun and being less active is why fat stores build up in our bodies. So cut out alcohol, processed food, sweets, crisps, and takeaways to clean up your diet.

BALANCE YOUR DIET Try and balance all your meals and snacks with protein and good carbohydrates. Good carbs are fruit and vegetables. So for a snack have half an apple and five or six walnuts or fruit and a small piece of cheese. Always have meat or fish with vegetables. Try to eat every 3-5 hrs.

SLEEP If you are tired you are much more likely to crave bad carbohydrates, you are also less likely to exercise. So make sure you get good quality sleep; try and relax 30 minutes before bed.

INTERVAL TRAINING There is nothing better than interval training to get rid of belly fat. Try sprinting 20-40 seconds then jog or walk 10-20 seconds. Try doing this for 10-20 minutes. This type of training shocks your body into boosting its metabolism therefore burning fat. If you exercise in a steady state such as a jog it can increase a hormone in your body called ‘cortisol” which is a fat-storing hormone brought on by continuous stress on the body.

STRENGTHEN YOUR CORE Core is the building block to all exercise. If you have a strong core you are stronger, quicker, have more endurance and in your specific sport you can perform to your highest ability. Sports men and women across the world are training in pilates to increase their core strength. It teaches you how to engage your inner muscles such as your pelvic floor and ‘psoas’. Your ‘multifidus’ is also part of your core which is a muscle in your back.

Strengthening core also helps alleviate back problems. Pilates also teaches you to breathe efficiently by opening your lungs and breathing out the sides of your lungs. which helps in lifting weights and cardio and sport where cardio fitness is paramount, such as tennis and football.

SLOW DOWN YOUR WORKOUT Any exercise performed slower is harder, people often forget this and you see them trying to perform 200 crunches in a minute. They would be better off slowing right down and doing good quality crunches 1 rep up and down every 8-10 seconds (4-5 seconds up and 4-5 seconds down). Going slower requires more muscle fibres, making the body work harder producing better results. The same for lifting weights, push-ups etc. Slow it down and feel your body working.

In health and happiness Leila Bramwell X

Aromatherapy Associates know how to nourish our post-summer skin – new Enrich Body Butter combines butters of cocoa, murumuru and shea to completely nourish skin in desperate need of some TLC. Exotic scents of sweet jasmine, patchouli and tonka bean leave a wonderful aroma on the skin, £46. They’re also about to launch a Polishing Essential Enzyme Peel, containing fruit acids of pineapple, passion flower and grape, which work together to break down dead skin cells - whilst carrot oil rich in vitamin E and anti-oxidants, help to diminish the signs of ageing in a gentle, yet effective peel, which allows a deep exfoliation without the use of harsh abrasives, £39. www.aromatherapyassociates.com

<<sweet lips Pucker up with pride. Lanolips LemonAid uses organic lemon oil to naturally exfoliate dry lips, leaving them completely soft and smooth. Containing over 70% of Lanolips’ exclusive Ultra Medical Grade Lanolin, it is also a high gloss with a hint of shimmer for a healthy sheen, £8.99. www.victoriahealth.com

pucker pink>> To boost funds in Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Origins will donate £3 from each sale of Drink Up lip balm in pink guava in October. The limited edition gloss has a subtle colour and hydrating jojoba oil and kernel oil. £16 from Origins counters.

<<Bright spot Elemis Pro-radiance Illuminating Flash balm is a newgeneration ‘hybrid moisturiser’ from the tried and trusted British brand. The balm, £32, brightens and tightens, giving skin a lovely sheen and a super-hydrated finish without leaving it tacky. Available from www.timetospa.co.uk John Lewis and Debenhams stores.

If you’re after a quick anti-ageing skin-refresher, treat yourself to a rejuvenating turn-back-time facial from Elemis. ProCollagen Quartz Lift facial plumped up skin beautifully and left the complexion aglow. We particularly liked the moment with the soothing Cellular Recovery Skin Bliss capsule with delicious rose aroma. The 30-minute facial costs £45. John Lewis Beauty Retreat, Newcastle. Tel: 0191 2113440.

Eyes have it>> Nivea’s Vital Multi Active Anti-Age skincare range is especially designed for mature skin. The hero ingredient in the new range is nourishing soy extract, which is also found in Nivea Vital Multi Active Anti-Age Eye Cream. It’s a great one for the delicate eye area, reducing the appearance of lines and banishing puffiness. £12.99 from Boots.

<<More pink pleasers In Health and Happiness Leila Bramwell www.shapingfutures.co.uk Pilates and Fitness Studio, Durham City

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Estee Lauder’s Liz Hurley Dream Collection features a clutch bag with Pure Colour Lipstock in Rubellite and Sheer Roller Gloss in Hot Pink. £28 on Lauder counters with a £5 donation to Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

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creative flow in association with

www.greatlook.co.uk

Art of looking good When the GP diary isn’t overflowing, Poornima Nair lets her creative juices flow, making delicate jewellery pieces and designing an inspirational home

Step inside Poornima Nair’s Wynyard home and an air of calm washes over you.

You could be in a spa retreat as you take in a room of floor-to-ceiling windows with soft, white muslin drapes, low capacious seating and white walls.

There’s a definite feeling of ‘away-from-it-all’ calm. Certainly a place to come home to, slip the shoes off and... breathe!

The house, built two years ago, is on a leafy plot surrounded by mature trees which enclose the home without compromising the light.

It is home to Poornima, a GP in Bishop Auckland, her bariatric surgeon husband Shlok Balupuri, their son and Shlok’s mother.

The property is contemporary in style and furnished with traditional pieces which Poornima has picked up on

her many visits to India.

She is shortly heading back to the country for a holiday and on her ‘to do’ list is sourcing a dining table. On the existing one are hooks, hangings and holders that are waiting to find their place in the house – which is an ‘in progress’ project, she admits.

“I always take an extra suitcase with me,” she admits.

“I like to pick up pieces that fit with the house, that reflect its style and that are unique. In Delhi and Bangalore there are no real chains like there are here – all the shops are individual.”

Poornima has made much of the outside space with extensive garden landscaping and features and the lighting in the trees.

Upstairs there are four en suite bedrooms and a large cinema suite.

As you enter the house from the sandstone portico hall there is a striking Indianinfluenced staircase, designed by Poornima

Muslin drapes, serene white walls and marble floors create a sense of peace in this light-filled home and her mother-in-law with beautiful traditional wrought iron detail. It was made to their design by a blacksmith at Leven Wrought Iron and is one of Poornima’s favourite aspects of the house, leading as it does to that peaceful white sitting room.

To the right of the hallway is a smaller lounge area which has a bar, sofas and

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SEP/OCT13

creative flow

low tables. It is here that Poornima delves into another passion of hers as she shows us the jewellery she has made from her own collection.

Though a GP by day – as well as a practitioner at the Touch-ups facial aesthetics clinic in Wynyard – Poornima loves designing and making jewellery.

Her collection is extensive but also bespoke.

She has a customer base of clients who will contact her if they want a set of jewellery to match an outfit – be that a beach, wedding or race-day outfit.

The designs are intricate and eye-catching

- often using bright coloured stones on ornate silver fittings.

A collection which intertwines a brooch and a scarf has been a particular favourite when Poornima sells at craft fairs and at the twice-yearly collections she shows in her home.

“I source the stones from all over the world - the fittings are silver and I get beads from Indonesia. I love eye-catching pieces and can make a set of necklace, bracelet and earrings to suit someone’s outfit for a special occasion – I did a set using bright yellow beads for someone

recently to go with a beach outfit.

“I love to wear silver and I have made a collection of watches as well which have been popular. Coin and seed pearls feature a lot in my work as well.

“I sit at my desk in the workroom and concentrate and lose myself in making the jewellery. I really love it,” she admits.

Certainly the creative streak is a world away from her day job of scribbling prescriptions and smoothing furrowed foreheads. A labour of love – just what this doctor ordered. see poornima’s jewellery at www.wavesonline.co.uk www.touch-ups.co.uk

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67

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luxe developers in association with

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Tales of the riverbank

Property developers Paul Divine and Chris Richardson have created a breath-taking home for a millionaire with a passion for riverside living There might be a giant TV on the wall of the family room at White House Farm but it’s the striking views that you want to sit and watch.

This riverside home by the banks of the River Tees looks towards fields and riverbank trees in its unrivalled position.

It’s the home of millionaire developer Chris Morgan and his wife Louise who clearly have a thing about living near water – their main house is a mansion in Henley on Thames.

But when work calls the couple to Teesside, where Chris is regularly based, they can put their feet up on the waterside deck, take in the views and enjoy their contemporary new home.

It’s only been finished a few weeks but already they have had approaches from people to ‘name their price’ to buy it off them. But it is a unique spot.

The house replicates the former 19th Century farmhouse on the site and the old stables will form a quadrangle of four new-build luxury three and four-bedroom barn conversion-style homes, They back on to the sprawl of the Ingleby Barwick housing estate – which house owner Chris first developed years ago – yet their unique position and outlook means that they seem to be in a rural hideaway all their own.

The property has two lounges – one running the length of the house with a dramatic inset wall fire. The second lounge, more of a family room, is the one with bi-fold doors that leads to the huge balcony overlooking the river and steps down to the water.

On the same floor, the adjoining state-of-the art kitchen in aubergine gloss shares the full-length balcony – making an enviable spot to sit with that first coffee of the day.

The property was designed by Paul Divine and Chris Richardson who own PF Developments and have an interesting story themselves – a ‘journey’ in TV show parlance.

They ran an IT company and planned to relocate their business to farm buildings that they could renovate and work from as well use for training sessions.

They enjoyed the process of this and when good friend North East businessman Graham Wylie offered to buy their IT business, they realised they relished the idea of continuing with their property development project.

They bought more farm buildings including a drying shed and grain store on Preston Farm near Yarm. Keen to preserve the character of the buildings, they used innovative design and eco-materials with the result that their first project won them a number of awards. And they liked the properties so much that they each moved into one!

“We work really closely with planners – and they liked what we did,” says Chris.

“We use the best materials and attention to detail is something we are passionate about, our USP really. When we found this development we knew we could create something special.”

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Cool views >> The house is built on a plot with sweeping coutryside views and a river frontage. Below, the full-length bathroom window.

The White House Farm riverside plot had been the site of a farm so they were able to replace the buildings. They have kept bricks and timbers to use in the design of the new properties where they can reference the site’s history.

The house that has just been completed features some gasp-worthy design details, notably that bi-fold glass wall that melts away to really bring the outside in. But also pretty spectacular is the full-length clear glass window in the main suite’s bathroom!

Granted, there will be no such thing as a passer-by so it means you can start the day with a wash-with-a-view. It’s not a shower for the modest! But it is made for luxury with aerated water – bubbles that hug, not splash apparently – and a rainmaker shower

head for a morning monsoon if you need an effective wake-up call.

The interior of the house was designed by Jill Molnar from Monsoon Interiors in Yarm.

“The brief was a contemporary interior but reflecting the fact that it is a family home.”

The colour palette is soft and muted – colour comes from the green landscape outside through the huge windows.

Walls are painted in Little Green’s Portland Stone Pale and oak floors, stairs

and doors add warmth.

In the main lounges Louise chose Natuzzi taupe leather sofas from Barker & Stonehouse. She found the driftwood and glass console tables in a shop in Devon.

The wall-width fire was from The Fire Centre in Stockton. All the lighting in the house is spotlights rather than centre lights.

In the hallway there’s an oak and glass staircase with ‘floating treads’. The wall is papered in a Today Interior’s Glocker – the

SEP/OCT13

Your journey to achieve a perfectly designed bathroom starts here...

A full-length window in the shower room is not a feature for the modest two-tone paper is shaded and seems to move as light and shadows hit it.

Upstairs the entire floor has been carpeted in a soft Westex carpet in a two-tone coffee and cream shade to work with rooms painted in soft grey and taupe colours.

The master suite – with that dramatic shower room – runs the length of the house, again making the most of the river views with full-length windows.

The bathroom was originally meant to have a dramatic round bath as its centrepiece.

When it arrived it weighed 40 stone – nearly three times heavier than expected. It would have gone through the floor at that weight so the room had to be completely redesigned – and the bath returned.

Jill had the furniture hand-made to fit the

SEP/OCT13

bedrooms, including a very boutique-hotel headboard. There’s a bit of subtle Hollywood glam going on – diamante-handle doors in the dressing room, a hint of sparkle in a crystal trim on the Zinc Fabrics curtains and a gentle sparkle on the flock of the wallpaper, another design by Today Interiors.

In the dressing room, the drawer tops have marble tops and glass-mirrored plinths on the furniture adds light to the area.

In the guest rooms and grandchildren’s room – all ensuite – all the furniture was designed

by Jill and handmade and painted in soft muted shades.

The house certainly has the wow-factor – landscaping down to the river is underway to create a private jetty. Tales from the riverbank indeed.

PF Developments www.pfgroup.co.uk Monsoon Interiors www.monsooninteriors.co.uk Flowers by Nicola from The Flower Room, High Street, Yarm

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prepare to HiBerNate

TREND WATCH with Bryan Middleton Here we go a-gathering... time to collect a harvest for the home

>> Squirrel pose wallpaper by Amelia Eady, £139/10m roll. www.mitasandco.com

>> A subtle pheasant design embroidered cushion, £30, sits on Donna armchair, £799 on Crucial Trading Masai Eclipse carpet, £92 per sq/m. John Lewis.

>> Linea Woodland squirrel cushion, £30, House of Fraser

You can’t miss the autumnal nod to nature in home finds at the moment – squirrels, nuts and all things forestation are accessories du jour.

It’s all a bit of a nod to a folksy, foraging, huntergatherer vibe that follows on from the antler overdrive that took hold last year. Real-deal antlers will always have their place – the ‘hunting lodge’ look is always in – but this autumn attention turns to the cute creatures – owls, squirrels, roaming pheasants, you name it, they’re turning up everywhere.

It’s always a case of ‘less is more’. Squirrel theme is fine if you’re six but back off if it’s for a grown-up room.

It’s all about a ‘hint’ of a look.

There are some witty takes on the theme with wallpaper that twists tradition. The look is rustic and rural but we all know about the urban fox – he’ll find his way to a chic abode somehow.

Here’s our take on foxy luxe.

>> out of the woods: Industrial-style chest of drawers handmade from reclaimed boat wood. The wood has been seasoned over many years at sea, proving its strength and resilience. The planks of wood are kiln dried for 15 days to remove all of the moisture. £895. www.littletreefurniture.co.uk

>> Magpie has collaborated with illustrator Nicholas John Frith to produce “Fauna”, a series of prints.

Hedgehogs, stoats, muntjac and woodpeckers, these forest-dwellers get everywhere. Cushions, £20. www.magpieline.com

>> Sanderson squirrel and dove cushion, £40, John Lewis

>> Jane Churchill Brightwood wallpaper in grey, £42 a roll. www.janechurchill.com

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Unique designer furniture on display • Kitchens • Bedrooms • Interior design service www.greatlook.co.uk

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10th Avenue West | Team Valley | Gateshead | NE11 0HL | Opposite Retail World

luxe local

Rothbury and its riches

Scenic, wild and wonderful. Off the beaten track it may be, but Rothbury is nevertheless a thriving little village with plenty going on – and a very impressive neighbour

Properties >> A lovely part of the world. Rothbury is set in a deep valley and facing the Simonside hills. The village has the amenities of a small town and the bustle of summer and year-round visitors.

Historically, Rothbury has been closely linked with the Percy family since the 14th century. In the 19th century Sir William Armstrong transformed the Cragside Estate and the arrival of the Newcastle Central Railway led to the economic growth of the town.

You can bag a smashing piece of Northumberland in these parts. Beautiful estates, grand houses or idyllic choc-box properties. Choose from nice stone properties in remote locations, terraced homes and barn conversions.

Connected >> It’s not a commute for the faint-hearted. The middle of

Stroll >> This is perfect walking country and the Coquet Valley something of a hidden gem. As you continue up the valley from the town, the hills become higher and wilder, the scenery even more beautiful than before. You can travel right up to Coquet Head and the aptly named Roman fort of Ad Fines, passing small villages en-route - Thropton, Sharperton, Holystone, Harbottle and Alwinton, Netherton, Glanton and Whittingham.

The Simonside Ridge Walk takes you to the top of the crags for outstanding views to the sea and the Cheviots.

Top-of-the-world stuff and gorgeous when the heather is out.

A must-visit is neighbouring Cragside estate where Lord Armstrong famously pioneered the use of electricity – today it is a thriving National Trust enterprise with regular events – and Alnwick and Wallington Hall are close by.

Eat and drink >> Queen’s Head Hotel for gastro food such as the speciality Lindisfarne Chicken made with a sauce of Lindisfarne Mead, cream and shallots. For a traditional afternoon tea, head for Harley’s Tearoom. Tomlinson’s is a newish cafe and bunkhouse with a modern, relaxed contemporary feel. A good glampy kind of place to stay to explore the areas, hire bikes and that kind of thing. They use lots of local produce on the bistro-style menu such as fish from the coast and Northumberland meat.

nowhere isn’t a bad description. That’s why people love living there of course. It’s about 25 miles north of Newcastle on the A697 and a few miles further to get to the A1 for easy access everywhere – including that trusty East Coast mainline calling in at Morpeth and Alnmouth to get you to London or Edinburgh and places in between.

Shop >> Plenty of artisan shops and galleries in the town that offer a pull for the visitor. The Crown Studio Gallery is run by Linda and Graham Taylor, both artists who use it as a studio and exhibition space. Coccuveda Crafts and Gift Shop is one of those shops that’s great for one-off artworks by Northumbrian artists as well as selling treats like gifts. chocolates, glass, cards and jewellery. You’ll find a great wine shop and butcher’s too. Buy your shoes at Thomas Rogerson’s and there’s even a taxidermist in town!

The transformation of the Cragside estate in the 19th Century led to the economic growth of the town 74

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luxe local

my local Jon Monks runs Shepherds Walks. With over 3,500 people out a year on guided walks, courses, holidays and walking events he has chosen to base his business in Rothbury.

Three good things about living here >> There are so many reasons it is hard to list just three, but here I go.

1. What countryside – as someone who runs the largest walking provider in the North East, I believe that Rothbury has some of the best walking from the doorstep. There are not many places you can leave your door and walk into such stunning countryside such as the Simonside Hills and my secret favourite, the higher ground to the North of the village.

2. The people – I suspect everybody will say this - Rothbury village has a true community spirit. Everybody has time to talk and I often joke that people in Northumberland are so friendly because we see so few people!

3. Because we are here. We moved our business, Shepherds Walks, into Rothbury earlier this year. Before then we had been based 17 miles away but when the opportunity came up to open the old information centre in Rothbury (which had been closed) as Shepherds Walks, incorporating a Northumberland National Park information point, it was a must. A stunning location to run a walking business from.

Three places to take visitors >> As a walker I have chosen three special places to visit on foot in and around Rothbury.

1. Windy Gyle – my all-time favourite walk in Northumberland. It is further up the Coquet Valley from Rothbury and at just over the magical 2000 feet (when a hill becomes a mountain). On the border between Northumberland and Scotland it is a truly special place.

2. River Coquet – it runs through the heart of the village and a must for anybody visiting the area. With a recently upgraded path it is a great way to relax and unwind at the end of the day, a beautiful and peaceful section of the river.

3. Lordenshaws Iron Age Hillfort – nestled just under Simonside, it is a 30-minute walk from the village centre. The ‘original’ Rothbury that was inhabited before man descended into the valley bottoms. The area is peppered with cup and ring markings and treats you to some stunning views of the village below.

property: three to choose Contemporary cottage

Star House is a spacious and light four-bedroomed house, stylishly decorated. Super-thick walls keep it cosy and it has four bedrooms, a private patio-style garden terrace. Lovely features like an Inglenook fireplace and wood-burning stove, kitchen with an informal snug for cosy chats with a cuppa. £325,000 www.fineandcountry.co.uk

Bit of a project

Walby Hill has got what you call potential.

Former offices with planning permission to develop into a four-bedroom home.

The building, made from locally quarried stone has attractive original features. It is situated opposite the Armstrong cottages built in 1896 as almshouses - Walby Hill was built as tied accommodation for the professionals employed at Cragside Estate. £250,000 www.georgefwhite.co.uk

Anvil envy

The stuff of country cottage dreams.

Bridge End Cottage dates back to the late 18th century and was the original village blacksmith’s. Accommodation has lashings of character with features such as Minton & Hollins tiles in the vestibule, kitchen and bathroom and leaded windows throughout. A ‘secret’ terraced garden with stunning views and stone seating, perfect for a sunset G&T. £249,950 www.georgefwhite.co.uk SEP/OCT13

property watch with DUNCAN YOUNG

HOUSE PRICE RISES – FACT OR FICTION? A lot has been made recently about the national press indicating that house prices are once more on the rise. National statistics can be misleading when looking at a regional market place, and although most estate agents will support the fact that the housing market has stabilised and is gradually improving, few of us will actually report significant house price increases.

So far the trading performance of 2013 has certainly been our best year in estate agency in the North East since 2006. Gradual improvements were seen last year when the market began to react to the quantitative easing and financial incentives offered by the Government. Support is available for those buying up to £500,000, with special ‘one off’ measures, and interest rates are clearly fixed at very low levels for the near future.

The City of London appears to be a different country within the UK, and has for many years seen continued growth and demand from international buyers, often looking to secure their assets within a country which has historically performed very well. London estate agents have for some time been talking about investments from wealthy Greeks, Spaniards, Italians and other European countries where concerns have led to investors putting their money off shore, into what is perceived to be a much safer economy.

The ripple effect of that has led to the southern counties surrounding London also prospering in recent times; however, the country is far from ‘fixed’ and there is no doubt that the UK also carries a heavy burden of debt, which must be reduced from lower spending and eventually taxation from profitable companies. Individual and company prosperity can only be borne and thrive from prosperity and there are clear signs now, not only in the second-hand homes industry, but also in the new homes industry, that housing is becoming a priority for the Government.

Sanderson Young has, in recent times, appraised a number of exciting new homes sites.

We look forward to working with some of our partners in releasing these sites to the market over the next 6/12 months; there are some fabulous new schemes which will provide outstanding, much-needed housing.

Some hot spots for the North East, including the popular suburbs of Newcastle, Gosforth and Jesmond, have seen house prices increase for two-bedroom apartments, 1930s semis and four-bedroom Edwardian terraces. We have had a number of houses recently receiving multiple viewings and “Best and Final” offers, with some of those offers reaching 10%-12% above the asking price. This is not the norm however; for the majority of people house prices have stabilised and if the values are correctly guided we can sell within a reasonable period of time. There are still prime examples of some estate agents being wildly ambitious, and there really is no point in buying in houses on to their books which are wholly unsaleable at unrealistic prices and, in some cases, with ridiculous low level of fees, which can’t enable that agent to prosper whatsoever.

We, at Sanderson Young, believe in guiding our clients with the best possible advice, giving factual evidence of properties that have sold rather than those that are offered for sale, giving factual evidence about the number of buyers who are active and are wanting to move very soon and, most importantly, giving factual advice about what needs to be done to that property to help it sell in the market place which is showing clear signs of improvement.

I believe the current market represents the time when good estate agents need to work very hard and they can be worth every penny of their fee in achieving a fair sale price in a reasonable period of time, one which proceeds with professional advice, guidance and direction, smoothly through to exchange and completion.

Methods of selling property have changed dramatically over the last 10 years. Current values reflect a similar price to those that we achieved in 2003, and the need for good professional advice and sensible appraisals is paramount. With many agents seeing a lift of over 20% in enquiry levels, buyers registering and viewings, we should soon be able to soak up some of the surplus stock we have and then we will see prices rising.

It is fair to reflect that we often see the confidence from London and the Home Counties come up to the North and there have been many articles recently where comparable house prices between the North and South highlight the extremely good value that we provide and the magnificent quality of life available in this beautiful hidden region. We look forward with enthusiasm to what we hope will be an excellent autumn and a brisk period for selling our clients homes.

If we can help you in any way please do not hesitate to contact me on my email: duncan.young@sandersonyoung.co.uk

Duncan G Young Dip.Est.Man.FNAEA, Managing Director, Sanderson Young duncan.young@sandersonyoung.co.uk 0191 223 3500

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SELLING THE REGION’S

FINEST HOMES

VIEWLY GRANGE FARM Pity Me, Durham A highly impressive 17th Century, Grade II listed farmhouse contrasting contemporary accommodation with period styling. In a very special setting, this five double bedroomed property is set within circa 7 acres and has a stunning leisure/cinema area, magnificent orangery and a leisure wing with large swimming pool. It has the benefit of a one bedroomed cottage and is well located on the outskirts of Durham with ease of access to Durham train station and Newcastle via the A1M.

Price Guide: £1.85 Million

WESTERN WAY Darras Hall, Ponteland Believed to have been originally constructed circa 1903 and occupying a magnificent garden site set back from Western Way, is this fabulous detached family home. With many interesting architectural characteristics such as marble fireplaces and decorative cornicing, this very fine property has four bedrooms, three stunning reception rooms and a purpose built billiard room. Externally, the grounds extend to circa 1.25 acres with open lawned areas, a terrace and patio, and a small burn.

Price Guide: £1.2 Million

From Sanderson Young

ALL CONFIDENTIAL ENQUIRIES TO 0191 223 3500 or email: duncan.young@sandersonyoung.co.uk

SELLING THE REGION’S

FINEST HOMES

SHIREWATER Low Mill, Embleton A substantial 1920s country residence set within stunning mature landscaped grounds extending to approximately 3 acres. is beautiful, four bedroom family home has an elevated position with stunning views and grounds which include formal gardens, mature woodland and a burn.

Benefiting from a two bedroom, single storey self-contained annexe and with a total floor area in excess of 4000 sq  the property offers versatile accommodation on the fabulous north Northumbrian coast.

Price Guide: £895,000

HAWKWELL FARMHOUSE Hawkwell Hawkwell Farmhouse is a fine example of a 17th Century Grade II Listed Northumbrian Farmhouse which combines period features with modern comforts. e internal four bedroom accommodation offers flexible characterful space with beamed ceilings, pretty window seats, deep skirting boards and versatile reception rooms overlooking the gardens.

Externally there is a south facing walled garden, a patio area ideal for al fresco dining, a timber stable block, 1.5 acre paddock and a double garage.

Price Guide: £875,000

From Sanderson Young

ALL CONFIDENTIAL ENQUIRIES TO 0191 223 3500 or email: duncan.young@sandersonyoung.co.uk

Fine & Country iPhone App Download the Fine & Country iPhone App today to browse some of the finest properties worldwide. Featuring our unique lifestyle video technology, stunning imagery and a ‘near you’ search facility.

Download it now at www.fineandcountry.com

local, regional, national and international specialists in property marketing THORPE BULMER COTTAGES, HART VILLAGE HARTLEPOOL Thorpe Bulmer Farm Cottage is a journey to true rural living. This is a seldom available opportunity to acquire a magnificent dwelling which has been transformed by its current owners. A haven of tranquillity, it is set in a peaceful and idyllic hamlet with panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and close to an ancient forest that has an abundance of wildlife. Stunning rural walks and bridleways are on the doorstep with trails leading through fields and woodland. Within the pretty cottage garden, there are raised vegetable beds, a chicken run for a ready supply of eggs and fruit trees amid the extensive lawns to the front, side and rear that are enclosed by hedging and post and rail fence. Having harvested the foraged fruits and home grown produce, the country-style kitchen is the perfect place for cooking and entertaining, with its large range, Belfast sink, granite workshops, and practical and stylish slate floor. There is a large pleasant lounge on the lower ground floor with an oak beamed ceiling and oak double doors to the garden. A staircase leads to magnificent elevated viewing lounge with large picture windows providing stunning, panoramic views over fields and woodland, two large skylights and a wood burner for cosy nights in. A further first floor room accessed via the viewing lounge currently provides spacious study space but could be a fourth bedroom or playroom. There is a lovely formal dining room that is dual aspect and has a wood burning stove set in an inglenook fireplace.

Contact: 01740 645 444

THE WYND WYNYARD NEW PRICE • The Wynd is a property on a grand scale that stands as a symbol of success and achievement.

• Completed in 1998, it boasts 7,000 square feet over two extensive floors.

• Prime location on a superior plot in this exclusive development.

• The property is reached through electric gates and along a private drive.

• The South facing modern mansion enjoys a Set in substantial grounds.

• EER C70

Contact: 01740 645 444

£425,000

THE LODGE, GREAT STAINTON STOCKTON-ON-TEES • The Lodge is a brand new property offering its first owners the chance to make a wonderful • Set back off the road along a private cobbled drive with planted borders.

• The four-bedroom house is enclosed by an attractive brick wall overlooking the village green.

• The layout provides substantial open plan reception space that is bathed in light • Built from aged brick, it is a property of character yet thoroughly modern • EER B85

£1,075,000 Contact: 01740 645 444 Wynyard 01740 645 444

Tyne Valley 0845 459 6000

£465,000

Newcastle 0845 459 6000

Durham 0191 384 2277

Cumbria 0845 872 5453

residing@fineandcountry.com

info@durhamfineandcountry.co.uk info@wynyardfineandcountry.co.uk residing@fineandcountry.com cumbria@fineandcountry.com

Sales & Lettings North East creative and intelligent marketing of individual and country property

...300 offices worldwide LANGLEY OLD HALL, LANGLEY MOOR DURHAM NEW

Langley Old Hall is not only a well known and historic property locally but was also deemed to be of such significance as to be included as a notable building in the esteemed Pevsner Architectural Guide to County Durham, published in 1953. Grade II listed and dating back to around 1700, today it offers a unique and special three storey home in which to lay down long term roots. Built in an era when rooms were of grand proportions, the property has been carefully restored and refurbished to enhance the original features that are complemented by high quality fixtures and fittings, lighting and flooring to ensure the building works perfectly as a modern family home. From the outside, the hall is extremely attractive with Georgian sash windows and a beautiful stone surround to the front door. Inside, it is surprisingly contemporary. Among the 21st century features are under floor heating, exceptional bathrooms and hand crafted cabinets in the kitchen, which is a large, modern open plan space.

Incorporating cooking, dining and a relaxation area, as well as a practical utility room next door and French doors leading outside, the kitchen is clearly the hub of family life. With both tiled and timber flooring to give differentiation to the space, the glamorous kitchen is very light with beautiful units and a centre island, a gas Aga and modern appliances. Also on the ground floor are two formal reception rooms: a dining room with fireplace and stone hearth, and a comfortable lounge with wood burning stove set in an inglenook where original brick work has been exposed.

Contact: 0191 384 2277

WOODLEA MANOR, LANCHESTER DURHAM NEW

£585,000

THE POPLARS, BEAMISH DURHAM NEW

• Woodlea Manor is an exceptional country residence set in a stunning landscape.

• Spacious family home from an exceptional period building that is packed with original features.

• A leisure wing incorporating a swimming pool, an annexe with separate living accommodation.

• A extensive area of garden, again with hedges to provide privacy

• Five bedrooms, three of which have en-suites, and two boast a balcony.

• Located on a considerable plot in Beamish, was a former colliery manager’s home

• South and east facing gardens that include lawns, trees and a natural pond.

• Approached via a central path running between the two poplar trees

• All of this is complemented by with fabulous views to the front and woodland at the rear.

• Combining extensive accommodation with a solid building and fabulous outdoor space

• EER D66

• EER F35

Contact: 0191 384 2277

£1,250,000 Contact: 0191 384 2277

Lakes 01539 733 500

Northumberland 0845 459 6000

sales@fineandcountry-lakes.co.ul

info@durhamfineandcountry.co.uk

£395,000

www.fineandcountry.com Head office: 121 Park Lane, Mayfair, London WIK 7AG.

shore things

A different beat

Direct flights from Newcastle to Dubai bring the dazzling Seychelles closer to home too – Kathryn Armstrong experiences a two-centre holiday of definite contrasts

On the ridiculously white sandy beaches of the island of Curieuse I am tickling the chin of a genial giant Aldabra tortoise - he’s made the approach I might add sociable creatures these.

His head is about the size of a coconut and that very inquisitive neck feels thick and crinkly. The characterful face of my new hero in a hard shell seems to offer up a smile and the twinkle of an eye.

The island is a nature reserve dedicated to the preservation of these slow-motion creatures. There is no development on the island other than a building that served as the doctor’s house when the island became a leper colony in the 1800s and is now a museum.

We’ve taken a boat to the island of Curieuse from Praslin, a neighbouring island in the Seychelles where our base is the Raffles resort.

The landscape is lush and green – and in a moment can change from blazing sunshine to grey storms. We experience just this as we’re about to depart in our boat back to the hotel.

A tropical storm hits and our beach towels become (ultimately useless) cover-ups as we make the low-visibility journey across the choppy waters back to our home shore.

Still, who cares, when stepping back into the room there’s a hot bath strewn with rose petals waiting to soothe our soaked limbs.

This is what Raffles is all about. Definite touches of luxe in a lavish and memorable landscape.

The island of Praslin became our base for four nights on a two-centre holiday which kicked off with three nights at Raffles, Dubai.

The journey to Dubai from Newcastle with Emirates is anything but arduous. We travelled business class and the ‘turn left’ moment was unashamedly satisfying.

In your own luxurious capsule of comfort, the seven-ish-hour journey to Dubai is real switch-off time. Champagne in your hand pre-take-off sets the tone and the journey literally flew by in a blissful state of rom-com, fizz and food. It was a holiday in itself – I will never be one of those ‘just water and socks’ flyers.

Touch down in Dubai – my first time – and you are in a very different world. From the air it all seems space-agey as you eye the flat, grid landscape, water and sand.

On dry land it still seems like another planet. I am reminded of Vegas. Concrete, high-rise buildings and no people on the streets. It is blisteringly hot of course so they are all being cooled and air-conditioned somewhere.

Raffles hotel in Dubai is lavish. The pyramid building a

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Blissed out > Spa rooms with a view, above, at Raffles Praslin. Below, restaurant and pool, and top, paradise beach

landmark on the landscape, surrounded by the concrete jungle of motorways and malls.

Inside it is as opulent, glamorous and OTT as you would expect. The foyer houses giant shimmering pillars, marble floors, water features and a lounge where we will later feast on a Carrie-to-the-extreme ‘Fashion Afternoon Tea’ where the cakes are in the shape of handbags and high heels.

We feast on this while entranced by an ex-pat baby shower in full swing featuring glossy women with and without beautiful bumps, arms filled with flamboyant gifts and pink and blue balloons everywhere.

The hotel has a touch of escape with its rooftop pool –

more shimmering pillars – and spa. It is here we have Raffles signature body treatments – from eastern therapists who perform some spectacularly good massages – and you can even have a gold facial.

The hotel houses a range of restaurants featuring a range of cuisine – from Middle Eastern specialities to the Fire & Ice grill to the renowned Japanese restaurant with its spectacular food and breathtaking views.

At the peak of the hotel’s pyramid is the nightclub. We’re talking seriously decadent. Apparently ‘the place’ to be seen. I am not a clubber but in terms of people-watching it was a ‘must’, albeit a surreal must. I was far happier with

SEP/OCT13

shore things

Bling central > The lavish lights, sights and sounds of Dubai from Raffles Hotel, above, are a huge contrast to the Seychelles

On Praslin the island’s emblem is the fruit of the coco de mer tree, shaped like a woman’s bottom - and highly prized. What can we say?

Factbox >> Kathryn Armstrong travelled to Seychelles via Dubai with Emirates from Newcastle. Emirates offers two-centre luxury holidays with Raffles.

Elite Vacations has 4 nights at Raffles Praslin Seychelles in a Bay View Pool Villa and 2 nights at Raffles Dubai in a Signature Room from £2049 per person, saving £800 per couple.

Based on 2 people sharing on a B&B basis. Price based on stays 10 January to 30 March 2014. Includes 1 night free at Raffles Seychelles and an early booking discount of 15% if booked at least 15 days before arrival; this offer also available for other dates.

Includes economy class return flights with Emirates from Newcastle, inter-island flights in Seychelles and private car transfers in Seychelles and Dubai.

01707 371000 www.elitevacations.com

the multi-flavoured shisha pipe in the bar by the botanic gardens below!

In Dubai you shop. The hotel has an entrance to Wafi Mall which has pretty much got the lot. The famous opulent Mall of the Emirates is a sumptuous shopping centre with polished marble floors, spacious avenues and a stunning skylight. It boasts the best selection of shops including swish Harvey Nichols, dozens of chic boutiques, exclusive designer stores, cinemas, art galleries, Ski Dubai (yes, that huge indoor ski slope) and restaurants including Emporio Armani Caffe and Almaz by Momo.

But we also enjoyed a more traditional visit to the bustling souks. The Deira covered market was once the Arabian

SEP/OCT13

Gulf’s largest, recalling Dubai’s trading port history. The city’s souks are atmospheric and fun – and where real people shop for everyday things. Girls shop for fake YSL scarves - you can find great gold bargains, bags and scarves.

We discovered the sandy side of Dubai too – with a dune safari in a 4x4 which was brilliant fun, followed by the inevitable camel ride and then dinner at a traditional camp with fires, flames, dancing and kebabs!

Yes, Dubai equals full-on which is why the calm of the Seychelles – just a four-hour flight from Dubai seemed such a contrast. The same day we immersed our toes in white sand, turquoise water and were cooled by the breeze of beach-hugging palm trees. Paradise.

Sitting on the beach of Anse Lazio on the island of Praslin it’s very hard not to keep pinching yourself. Yes, you’re on the beach that spells perfection. End of.

The water is warm and welcoming but, this being the Indian Ocean, it has a bit of kick to it too – so it invigorates and livens you up before you hop back to your own personal sunbathing rock.

You won’t find row upon row of sunloungers here which is nice; there’s an ‘in the know’ quietness about the beach even though it is the One Direction of paradise beaches – always in the top ten and with many, many fans. Unlike the boys though, it’s never mobbed.

Praslin is one of the archipelago of six islands that make up this famously beautiful country. It is lush, green and welcoming, something of another world with its very own rainforest hidden within.

The Raffles resort lies on a hillside and hidden within trees are 86 luxury villas. They are the perfect hideaway with their own super-private outside terrace, infinity pool, outdoor shower and the best bathroom view you could wish for.

Service at the hotel is impeccable. You can dine at home on

your terrace or head for the hotel with its selection of bars and dine at restaurants where the freshest seafood is a fabulous speciality.

We loved the idea of evening dining on the beach and experienced the set-up of a waterside candlelit dinner with the exquisite setting on the sand between the palm trees, the water just feet away and the moonlight dancing on the waves. Incomparable.

The resort’s beach is stunning – you really don’t get blasé about that white sand and perfectly blue water. A gorgeous pool and pool bar will keep you cool and relaxed as will easy access to equipment to snorkel, sail or kayak.

However, there is plenty to keep you busy on this and the surrounding islands which really deserve a visit. On Praslin learn about the island’s emblem, the fruit of the coco de mer tree. It’s a prized object – roughly the size of a football and shaped like a woman’s bottom – what can we say?

William and Kate honeymooned in the Seychelles and were presented with one of them by the Seychelles government after their visit.

The Vallee de Mai is probably the most visited tourist spot in the Seychelles. People flock here to see the coco de mer, partly because it is the biggest seed in the world - a true botanical curiosity - and partly because of its shape – there’s a giant one at the airport on arrival too!

It’s worth making a trip to the neighbouring island of La Digue which has a craggy and dramatic rocky landscape. It’s a gorgeous spot with some stylish oceanside restaurants for lunching - flat pathways and little traffic make it easy to hop on a bike and explore the island too.

If r&r is definitely on the menu then the Raffles spa is a place to make your home. The place is world-famous for its facilities, location and signature massages and treatments.

There are ocean views from the treatment pavilions as well as twin treatment rooms for couples. Inspired by the famous Black Pearls from the island of Praslin, localised spa treatments use therapeutic grade pearl powder renowned for calming the spirit, stabilising emotions and rejuvenating the complexion.

Another unique treatment is the Seashell Therapy, which uses smooth heated seashells for an invigorating massage.

Fitness itineraries can include rise-and-shine jogs, morning beach stretches, group fitness classes, sunset yoga or Pilates sessions on the beach.

If that sounds like too much exertion, then just meander down to those surfy waves, run your fingers through that soft sand... and make a vow to come back next year to tickle a tortoise under the chin.

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Caribbean Queen

GLITZY DAYS Hip hotels with Debrah Dhugga Just as our dark nights set in Deb transports us to the Caribbean and the place where the rock gods hang out…

The partying Caribbean yacht crowd make Antigua their home – especially for the annual Sailing Week in spring.

This is a very luxe tropical playground but with a laid-back, easy-going vibe.

ThE INN aT ENGLISh haRBOUR whO gOeS there >> English Harbour is the most sophisticated area right in the heart of the Caribbean and therefore attracts the world’s most glamorous and fabulous crowd. Rock royalty Rod Stewart is a fan of the place – now I love a little bit of Rod, such a great shame we weren’t there at the same time!

Also glanced on these smart shores, Hollywood heart-throb, Colin Farrell and European royalty such as Prince Albert of Monaco. During the winter season it is a mecca for sailors from around the world attracted by the great sailing waters around Antigua and the great natural harbour recognised by Admiral Lord Nelson centuries ago.

COupleS and hOneymOOnerS >> This 28-bedroom boutique hotel is an adult haven ideal for couples wanting special times together - it is a truly tranquil experience. The Inn at English Harbour is also the epitome of romance with its own private beach, perfect for lazy days in a hammock. New this year is also Pontoon Dining where couples can enjoy their own private, personally-chosen evening meal under the stars; aah, the stuff of dreams romance like never before.

Spotted in this laid-back island paradise, Hollywood heart-throb Colin Farrell, Rod Stewart and Prince Albert of Monaco

SailOrS & yaChterati >> The Inn at English Harbour is the hottest hotel in town during Antigua’s world famous Sailing Week, held annually in April. Situated on the actual English Harbour where some of the world’s most beautiful and impressive yachts are parked up during this hotly anticipated regatta, guests at The Inn at English Harbour could not be closer to all the action. lOCatiOn >> The Inn is set in 19 acres of tropical woodland and located on the captivating island of Antigua – one of the many islands dotting the Caribbean Sea. The hotel nestles between the gently undulating slopes of the English Harbour coastline, which extends along the south western coastal tip of Antigua.

The Inn is perfectly positioned on a beautiful wooded headland and on a white sandy bay with historic Nelson’s Dockyard and English Harbour just around a headland. what tO dO rOund and abOut >> The Inn is located a few minutes away by taxi or the Inn’s private complimentary water taxi from Nelson’s Dockyard and English Harbour, which is the most sophisticated area in Antigua with the best boutique shopping, restaurants and bars.

By day, sipping espressos or spritzers is the pastime of choice: watching the world go by or chatting with new acquaintances, and by night, guests can choose from a multitude of fantastic dining options, including The Terrace Restaurant at the Inn – one of the finest on the island – or casual dining at one of the many excellent restaurants nearby. But to just chill and relax in the very special property is enough! uSp >> The Inn at English Harbour is like no other hotel on the island – it is laid-back luxury at its finest, with just 28 bedrooms nestled right in the heart of the Caribbean. Adults only, private beach, the hotel is Caribbean living at the most luxurious level, offering gourmet cuisine in its restaurants.

The hotel is owned by an Italian couple who have put their very special touch on the hotel design – Colonial style twinned with Italian chic. The Italian theme continues into The Terrace Restaurant where a superb chef from Naples

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FACTBox >> The Inn at English Harbour, Freemans Bay, English Harbour, PO Box 187 St. John’s, Antigua & Barbuda www.theinnantigua.com neareSt airpOrt >> Saint John’s International Airport, Antigua & Barbuda fly from London

reigns the kitchen and guests can eat al fresco surrounded by the beautiful Antiguan scenery. Guests can also choose The Reef Bar & Restaurant by the pier, where drinks and lunch are for a more casual affair.

Dina de Brozzi is The Inn at English Harbour’s resident artist whose work is exhibited throughout the hotel and shows typically Caribbean scenes.

The Inn is very much part of the very special local community and guests need merely mention that they are staying at The Inn to be guaranteed the best table available in local restaurants. In shops and boutiques, their purchases will be brought to the quayside in time for their return to the hotel, rather than guests having to carry their bags with them.

SEP/OCT13

COurgette king

PLOT with Will Quarmby, Hampton Court Flower Show gold winner It’s been a fabulous summer in the garden – now time to get to grips with berries and seasonal squashes

We have had a “true summer” this year - and how refreshing to see a proper season at last.

For the past years a bitter winter has rolled into a wet spring, with a flash of excellent weather soon drowned out by a wet and miserable summer. This year has been “like the good old days”, I’m told by my wife - because of course I’m far too young to recollect the summer of ’76.

I’m relieved to see that we have managed to avoid a hose pipe ban, despite the sunshine. It has been greatly appreciated by gardeners that it has rained at night, quenching the thirsty soil and refreshing its parched greenery. The result has been a ridiculously abundant crop of enormous cucumbers and courgettes that are growing like triffids and taking over a quarter of the vegetable plot. We have learnt a great deal in our vegetable garden this year: • Always overestimate how much room each variety that you plant will need • Courgettes are rampant so take heed of the previous point and double the space again!

• Brassicas are a magnet to all types of insect, cabbage whitefly being one of the less severe as they tend not to damage the edible parts but keep a strict eye. I suggest fine netting them on sowing to try and protect them as ours have been nearly decimated.

• Do stagger the planting and leave a bigger time period between planting out as a glut of any vegetable is a terrible waste if the produce does not find a timely home • Weeds must be dealt with regularly; keeping on top of them when they are tiny is far easier than trying to deal with established root systems. Buy yourself a good hoe and use it frequently.

• If you live in a rural setting rabbit-proof your vegetable plot

Courgettes are rampant so always over-estimate how much space they need - and double it!

I am currently recapturing my childhood blackberry picking as we have been spoilt with a bumper crop of wild blackberries in our hedgerows. Each dog walk has become a personal mission to scavenge this elusive fruit. As I stroll along, one eye on the dog and one eye is scanning the hedges for the jewel-like studs that have escaped the birds thus far! Please note black Labradors like blackberries nearly as much as small toddlers so watch your trug carefully – my crop was plundered by both whilst my back was turned!

The rolling mists of autumn mornings are starting to appear, the nights a little easier for being cooler, and this reminds us of the jobs we should be doing in preparation for autumn.

If you remembered to water your pumpkin seeds then you should be rewarded with one of my most coveted vegetables. This thoroughly underrated vegetable should be decorating the vegetable plot around now, taunting the children who are excitedly awaiting Halloween.

Forget ye not that these vibrant coloured vegetables are not only good for decoration but they taste amazing if enlivened by roasting with a pinch of chilli and a grind of sea salt.

Nigel Slater likes to crisp their skins too which means that not one bit of a squash need be wasted – apologies to the compost heap!

I do have to admit that however hard I try I still cannot get excited by a pumpkin pie, it’s ill-seasoned blandness and sludgy coloured filling is, I’m sure, to blame.

SEP/OCT13

abundant > Will’s garden has yielded cucumbers and courgettes growing ‘like triffids’

WHAT To Do >> IN OcTOBER greenhOuSe >> • As the tomatoes will now need to go into green tomato chutney, clear the later crops and organise your space.

• Clean the windows thoroughly.

• Bring in the tender plants.

• Sow sweet peas under glass in deep pots to overwinter. garden >> • Brighten up the garden by planting out autumn flowering cyclamen whilst they are still in bloom – miniature cyclamen look very pretty when used to underplant larger shrubs/hedges.

• Divide and replant any herbaceous perennials to take root before winter makes them too vulnerable.

• Keep on top of weeds in the borders.

Veg plOt >> • Harvest your maincrop of potatoes.

• Give your compost a good turn and cover in preparation of winter.

• Enrich future carrot and root veg beds with last year’s leaf mould.

IN NOVEMBER glaSShOuSe >> • Bring potted bulbs inside to encourage early flowering.

• On fine days do remember to ventilate so as to help prevent the build-up of pests and diseases. garden • Remove rotting plants and leaves from ponds.

• Check your hedges and smaller trees for branches that may be vulnerable to wind and storms that are typical of this time of year.

• Sweep up the leaves and compost to make leafmould and compost to enrich light soils.

Veg plOt >> • Plant garlic so over-winter chilling encourages bulb formation.

• Dig over next year’s runner bean trench.

• Net brassicas before the pigeons find them – if they haven’t already been decimated by insects (like ours!).

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1522

OneSie direCtiOn

HELLO! with Nina Robinson

The big people at luxe have decided to give us little people a space of our own

playtime with your disney buddies

WIN Win a family ticket to Disney On Ice and be part of the show as the two children from the winning family will be able to join in and sing Heigh-ho when they take a spin on the ice, in the Seven Dwarfs’ Mine Cart!

Join your favourite Disney princesses in a celebration of 75 years of Disney princess stories when Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream at the Metro Radio Arena in October.

Experience hilarious hair-raising escapades with Rapunzel, Flynn and Maximus. Travel to the enchanted forest with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Fanciful dreams become reality as Cinderella meets her Prince Charming.

Boogie to the beat of the bayou with Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. Experience the beauty, sparkle, and spirit when Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream!

The lucky winner of our competition will receive a family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) to this amazing icetravaganza on Sunday 13th October at 11am.

To enter our competition to win a VIP family ticket at Metro Radio Arena email your full contact details to: luxeprizedraw@gmail.com Disney On Ice presents Dare to Dream Tickets from £13.50 - £38.00 Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle Tuesday 8th – Sunday 13th October 2013 Box Office: 0844 493 6666 www.metroradioarena.co.uk T&C’s: Prize is for a family pass consisting of two adult and two children’s tickets. The prize is for Sunday 13th October show at 11.00 am.

Competition closes 4th October 2013. Only 4 children in the boat and must be aged 4-10 yrs old. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

Winners must agree to attend the performance allocated to them

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Nina:loves

design-your-own onesie It’s no secret that I’m not keen on going to bed. I’ve never been fond of tidying away my toys, brushing my teeth, washing my hands and face, and worst of all is closing my eyes – oh, and my little chatterbox mouth.

But occasionally the larger luxes in my house will come up with a bright idea to make bedtime more appealing. Until recently their winning formula was using an app mum got for her phone called Sleep Pillow which offers a choice of cute and rhythmic sounds to help me on my journey to the Land of Nod. Now there’s a new super snuggly reason for me to feel more love for bedtime – my gorgeous new onesie that I designed all by myself! I’m so pleased the warm summer nights are over so I can jump inside of it and cosy my way through the night.

Like all little luxes, I love anything I can design myself and then proudly use or wear and I couldn’t believe it when mum told me some clever people round the corner in Northumberland had come up with the awesome idea of making you the onesie of your own imaginings.

From their website you can create your own masterpiece using a personalised onesie builder. There are loads of gorgeous fabrics and patterns to choose from, as well as fun add-ons including hoods, animal ears and tails, pockets for your i-pod, mittens and feet with non-slip soles. Once you’ve designed it, your onesie can be personalised with your name, slogan or a message. you can even create a matching onesie for a bedtime bear!

I tried all kinds of combinations before I finally settled on my final design. I tested out candy cane hearts mixed with pink camouflage, Jolly Roger skulls and polka dots. I added dinosaur spikes, then antennae, then elephant ears. I tried a fox tail, a piglet tail and an elephant tail but it was only when I came across the fluffy bunny rabbit tail that I had the idea for my final design. It was really easy to go back over my choices and pick new ones and you can see a picture of your new design taking shape. I loved the idea of using pink cuddle fleece for the body and arms and raspberry petal for the ears, feet and pockets. I added a big fluffy rainbow tail at the back.

It was really exciting when mum asked if I was happy with my final design and we pressed the button on the laptop to ask the nice people at The All-in-One Company workshop to start putting together our design. We imagined them taking down the rolls of fluffy fabric and carefully cutting out a Nina-shaped and Nina-sized onesie! We pictured them lovingly stitching on the ears and the hood and then creating a gorgeous matching teddy.

It was possibly the hottest day of the year when my cosy onesie arrived but that didn’t stop me from wearing it that night for bed! I did have to leave the hood down and the zip open but nothing was going to stop me from getting inside my own creation. Now that the nights are getting cooler and winter is on its way, I plan on spending a lot more time in my onesie and mum hopes a lot less time getting ready for bed. She had her eye on the Scandinavian-style prints and I think she could soon be onesie-ing with me round the Christmas tree this year. Prices from approx £46 for age five, depending on design. www.the-all-in-one-company.co.uk

SEP/OCT13

15229 Fenwick Luxe Mag Ad_Layout 1 30/08/2013 11:41 Page 1

Visit the new Mamas and Papas department on the Third Floor for the widest range of nursery furniture, prams and accessories

Northumberland Street, Newcastle upon Tyne

warming up

GEEK CHIC >> Hackett kicks it off with signature clubby traveller style

Ted Baker holdall, £155, House of Fraser, Metrocentre.

Chapwear is eminently sensible this season – layered up, cosy and a touch geeky. Warm knits that granny would be proud to see you sporting to keep your chest healthy and the chills at bay

Barbour Dragh, wax jacket, £348.99 www.barbour.com

Full-on fogey

WARM UP>> Hudson Hemming lace-up boots, £134.99 www.julesb.co.uk

Original Penguin cardigan, £108, www.psyche.co.uk

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SEP/OCT13

playtime

golf:kit

Stay, play & party on in crazy kit...

Prop up the bar

Undoubtedly mad trousers give you the edge over the rest when it comes to hot shots but dare you bare animal-print? Just one of the loud and proud designs from the people at Royal&Awesome, for, as they say, the ‘pars and the bars’. Trousers, £49.99 a pair.

Order at www.royalandawesome.co.uk/mens /golf-trousers

Shoe-be-do super-luxe style

If you like your golf to have a touch of party pleasure and a gang of mates involved too then be wowed by this very cool party pad in Vale de Lobo overlooking the pristine Algarve coast in Portugal. Vale de Lobo was recently awarded Best Golf Resort in Portugal for 2013. Villa Felicity is a swoony four-bedroom villa with high-spec electronics throughout, a 19m lap pool, table tennis table, mountain bikes, home cinema and entertainment room with surround sound. Bedrooms have wall-mounted flat screen TV and his ‘n’ her sinks. Prices start from £2,621 per week.

Sun-hat Villas 01522 889450 or www.sun-hat-villas.com

PLAY & STAY >> Alternatively, if cool design hotels and the attractions of Amsterdam do it for you then it might to be time to think again about the city as a golf destination.

The super-classy Dylan hotel is giving guests the opportunity to play on one of the most prestigious private golf courses in the Netherlands whilst staying slap bang in the city centre – an easy hop from the North East.

The hotel will arrange an 18-hole game at an exclusive course on the outskirts of the city – such as the Kennemer Golf & Country Club, right. Then, after a day on the fairway head to the hotel for some Michelin dining – the hotel boasts the Michelin-star restaurant Vinkeles; and Vinkeles on the Water, a unique Michelin dining concept aboard a specially built canal boat. The Dylan’s Golf & City package, from £319 per person. www.dylanamsterdam.com

SEP/OCT13

If you’re heading to St Andrews, up the game in the golf shoe stakes with a look at the new Royal Albartross collection in the Old Course pro shop. St Andrews Links is hallowed ground for the golfing world, with 600 years of the game’s history played out on its legendary course.

Now, the club has adopted Royal Albartross’ modern spin on a classic, with a new golf shoe collection branded especially for its pro shop.

The collection includes two styles for men and two for women, and features a mix of traditional St Andrews colours and their chosen palette for this season’s golf wear.

For men, the collection will feature the Connoisseur Nero: a beautiful Oxford brogue in black with red detailing.

The St Andrews Links collection will be available from the club’s pro shop, standrews.org.uk/shop.

GOLF coach with John Harrison

Busy times in the Harrison household over the past few months packing for The Berenberg Masters in Germany and then off for the Senior Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. For those of you who I’ve not met I’m John Harrison, Matfen Hall’s head professional and European senior tour player. I’ve been at Matfen Hall before the first ball was hit off the first tee and, as with most golfers it’s a passion that lies deep.

With autumn now approaching and the nights drawing in, the leaves are starting to turn and it is a cracking time of year to play golf.

Autumn/winter golf on the right day and course can be just as enjoyable as playing in the glorious sunshine as it also gives you time to review your game and look at the areas you can improve. Here are a few tips that have served me well.

Conquer those nerves How many times do you hit it great on the range and play perfect golf when it doesn’t really matter only to be let down on those big occasions when you are desperate to play well. Nerves, fear and negative thoughts rear their ugly head at the wrong times. To eliminate these bad feelings try working at a good pre-shot routine. GASP is the magical word. Grip, Aim, Stance, Positive.

Tiger Woods said he could tell when his opponents were going to crack when their routine broke down or started to change. So get your routine nailed on over the autumn and winter to eliminate those nerves.

Windy Conditions Place the ball slightly further back in your stance, take more club than you would normally use, swinging slightly easier, which will impact less spin on the ball and be affected less in the wind!

Wind can also affect your putts Nothing to change in your technique, just bear the wind in mind when you are reading your putt. If it is really windy take a slightly wider stance to give you extra stability to enable you to keep your body as still as possible.

Stay Flexible Invariably when we work with a player their flexibility limits the swing changes we can make, so why not put together a routine that will help your body adapt to these swing changes. Visit the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) website where you can get some great information on exercises, drills and warm-up routines which will really help your game.

Winter MOT Your clubs are like cars - they need a little TLC so why not take the opportunity in the autumn and winter breaks to get your clubs checked, during the season, as constant use can change the loft and lies, especially the mid-short irons. The grips get worn and can be shiny and so difficult to control the clubface at impact. Call in at the golf shop to book your winter MOT. Well that’s it from ‘The Old Golf Codger’ for now – I’m off to the Russian Open then the French Riviera next month - I promise it’s harder work than it sounds!

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LUXE LAPS

JAMES CALVERT

James Calvert runs Lovedub Cars, a fleet of VW vans and cabriolets hired out across the North East for weddings and events. He lives near Yarm with wife Rachel and daughter Poppy First love >> I don’t think I could call my first car a love, but I was quite proud of it. It was an A-registered Ford Fiesta in red; my friends would argue that it was orange but I knew the truth, Sunburst Red. Having owned it for a couple of months I sent it for an MOT and the garage offered me £25 scrap; apparently it had bigger holes in the floor than Fred Flintstone’s family runaround!

Modern beetle cabriolet A general workhorse of a Black Land Rover Freelander as a daily driver.

Childhood car crush >> As a boy I loved the movie ‘The Cannonball Run’ - still do.

The black Lamborghini Diablo really looked amazing, my brother and I would talk about that Lamborghini all the time, also the red Ferrari that Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr drove in that movie. Outstanding. Our ownership stretched to our Dad buying us the toy versions.

Road trip >> A few years back my wife and I ventured across the width of Bulgaria and back in a small hire car; all was going swimmingly until I hit a pot hole that was roughly the size of Cheddar Gorge. We had two tyres blow out and only one spare, miles away from the tourist traps, no hire car documents and a mobile phone without signal. We drove for miles on three wheels leaving sparks and burning rubber behind us. My road trip days started and finished that day.

Captain Slow or Jeremy >> In days gone by I was a bit of a speed nut, but when I explain what is in the garage now you will understand that it’s all about the style and less about the speed these days.

In the Garage now >> Being the owner of the coolest wedding fleet around I have a big garage! At this moment the garage has in it: 1965 VW Splitscreen campervan 1975 VW Splitscreen campervan (a very strange thing as built years after production finished) 1969 VW Baywindow campervan 1978 VW Baywindow pick up van 1974 VW Karmann Beetle cabriolet 1303 1975 VW Karmann Beetle cabriolet 1303 1974 VW Karmann Beetle cabriolet 1302

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If I could own anything >> I kind of think I have everything I could want right now. I have heard it said that if you love your job you never need to work another day in your life.

Shared with >> My road trips would always be shared with my lovely wife Rachel. We have had some crazy adventures, before the children came along anyway! But in a fantasy world you couldn’t go wrong with having someone funny in the vehicle, how about Sarah Millican, Peter Kaye or Sean Lock, all very funny people.

Tracks of my tyres >> I like a strange eclectic mix of music, everything from the modern charts to music from the 50s, and Spanish guitar is great so Rodriguez & Gabriella or Carlos Santana. I like old swing from the Rat Pack era with all those guys like Bobby Darin and most of everything in between. I do enjoy a bit of

Mumford & Sons, Jack Johnson or Newton Faulkner when I’m driving a VW Camper, though, that just seems to fit.

How clean is your car >> Very clean. I am obsessive compulsive with the VWs, unfortunately the Land Rover is possibly held together with mud.

Glove box revelations >> No revelations, just lots of rubbish; my glove box appears to be the overspill from that kitchen drawer at home that holds junk. I have no idea why I keep that stuff in there, where it came from or where it’s going. The glove box and I ignore each other and it’s working out fine that way. Other than for missing Peppa Pig toys, I don’t need to know.

Scary moments >> I used to ride a motorbike when I was in my early 20s, that came with a user guide on scary moments. I once hit some ice on a country lane and the last thing I remembered was seeing a tractor coming towards me as I skidded across the road under the bike. I must have blacked out as the next thing I remember was looking up to people stood over me and the tractor wheels either side of me and the bike.

Stupidly, I got up, picked the bike up and was off. I couldn’t move by the time I got home. The bike was sold soon after.

Could I be the stig >> I would love to say, ‘Oh yeah of course I could’, but let’s be honest here, no, not this fella. I’ll stick to cruising in a VW campervan, thanks. www.lovedubcars.co.uk

SEP/OCT13

savvy styling

Rush with hush

Keep the tax man on side and still raise a smile at the wheel, says Graham Courtney

Lexus is producing a car that’s aimed at a customer who wants luxury motoring, loads of kit, style and performance, but doesn’t want to get hammered at the pumps or by HM Tax Inspectorate.

The IS 300h mates a 4-cylinder 2.5 litre engine to an electric motor. Working together, they produce around 220bhp.

0-60mph takes just over 8 seconds. The top speed is 125mph. It’s not going to worry any P1 drivers, but this Lexus is no slouch.

Here’s the best bit. This is one of the most economical and eco-friendly cars around. It makes huge sense as a company

car because it is the first vehicle in its class to have carbon emissions of less than 100g/km. That means you have a nice round figure when it comes to road tax. £0. Zilch.

With an official fuel return of just over 65mpg, Lexus reckons that, thanks to the car’s best-in-class tax rating starting from just 11%, the IS 300h will save business users up to £3,000 over 3 years when compared to the competition.

As with most hybrids, the IS 300h is eerily quiet at times.

Some owners may prefer the sound and additional grunt of a traditional V6. In that case, the IS 250 will be perfect for you.

Prices? The IS250 starts at £26,495, while the IS300h comes in at £29,495.

Everything else about the new IS is pure Lexus. It’s crafted from granite. The interior is beautifully constructed with

high-end materials. Even the entry level models are comprehensively equipped with kit like climate control, DAB radio, cruise control, keyless smart entry, Bluetooth and some natty xenon headlights with really cool LED running lights. As with every Lexus, there is a brilliant list of standard safety equipment too.

And, you get peerless reliability. Their dealer network is renowned for tremendous service too.

The Lexus IS 300h strikes me as being a car from the traditional category of GT. It really comes into its own when you want to cover some miles and cruise long distances in wonderful comfort and style.

The IS has a presence about it.

If a top-quality, tax efficient, fuel efficient, comfortable and quiet saloon is what you fancy, this car should be high on your list of test drives.

BMW i

The Ultimate Driving Machine

LEAD THE CHARGE AT LLOYD NEWCASTLE.

Some people follow. Others like to lead. If that’s you, you might be interested in the electric BMW i3. Designed to combine the benefits of an electric car with ultimate driving pleasure, it launches in November. And, if you sign up for a test drive* now, you might even be one of the first people in Britain to drive it.

For more information or to arrange a test drive*, call us on 0191 2617366 or visit www.lloydnewcastlebmw.co.uk.

ASK THE BMW i GENIUS. TEXT 84737

TEST DRIVE 0191 2617366

Lloyd Newcastle

Fenham Barracks, Newcastle Upon Tyne Tyne & Wear NE2 4LE 0191 2617366 www.lloydnewcastlebmw.co.uk Official fuel economy figures for the BMW i3: mpg N/A, CO2 emissions 0 g/km, power output (electric motor) 125/170 KW/hp, total average energy consumption per 62 miles/100 km (combined cycle) 12.9kWh, customer orientated range 80–100 miles, total range (combined cycle) 118 miles. Official fuel economy figures for the BMW i3 with Range Extender: mpg 470.8, CO2 emissions 13 g/km, power output (electric motor) 125/170 KW/hp, total average energy consumption per 62 miles/100 km (weighted combined cycle) 11.5kWh, customer orientated range 150–186 miles, total range (weighted combined cycle) 211 miles. Data subject to confirmation.

The battery’s charge derives from mains electricity. *Test drive subject to applicant status and availability.

SEP/OCT13

89

THUNDER RIDE

Get ready for lift off So far 250 have been sold and 125 are up for grabs. McLaren P1 on your list? Why not?

Hybrid models are all the rage. Take one petrol engine, add an electric motor, ensure that they can both work in tandem and, bingo, you have a car that can one minute be riding along in silence producing zero emissions, and then the next it can be thundering along with both power units giving everything they’ve got to hurl you towards the horizon.

But… well... it’s nearly here. Probably the most eagerly awaited car of the year is almost ready to begin delivery to customers.

The McLaren P1 has got Ferrari, Porsche… indeed any supercar manufacturer… in a state of panic. All you have to do is study the stats.

0-60 takes less than 3 seconds. 0-125 mph takes under 7

seconds. 190 mph arrives in under 17 seconds. Top speed is 218 mph. Power comes from a 727bhp 3.8-litre V8 petrol engine mated to a 176bhp electric motor. It costs £866,000.

Oh, and it’ll do 30mpg if you go easy.

There are four settings in terms of how you want the car to behave. Normal mode keeps things remarkably civilised for every-day motoring. E mode means the car uses the electric motor alone and therefore wanders along in silence. Sport mode drops the suspension and raises the rear wing. Race mode means that all Hell breaks loose.

Surprisingly, McLaren dumped the idea of a 4WD system.

Instead, all of the power goes via a 7-speed automatic gearbox to the rear wheels only. Don’t worry; McLaren has got sufficient experience from Formula One to make sure that they know how to develop a car that will still hurtle around corners without the

need for all-wheel drive.

Both inside and outside, there’s carbon fibre everywhere.

This is done to not only make the car look incredibly cool, but it also keeps down the weight.

Of course, only a handful of McLaren P1 cars will ever get close to using all of their power or needing to summon their vast array of safety gadgets. Most will be used as a Sunday play thing by the uber rich. Some will be parked in a garage alongside dozens of other super cars and hardly ever turn a wheel.

So why buy one? Simple; you end up with one of the world’s most advanced cars that few can aspire to. It has the ‘I want one’ factor in bucket-loads. This is not a supercar... it’s a hypercar.

250 have already been sold; 125 are still up for grabs.

Start saving.

So why buy one? Simple; you end up with one of the world’s most advanced cars that few can aspire to. It has the ‘I want one’ factor in bucket-loads

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SEP/OCT13

Founders’ Club Strictly limited to the first 2975 applicants worldwide.

This is a never to be repeated opportunity to be part of something unique and very, very special.

Own a part of whisky history

We are going to set aside the first 100 casks of The Lakes Malt produced at the Lakes Distillery and, each year, we will bottle the maturing whisky exclusively for Founders’ Club members.

Each year for 10 years you will receive one 70cl bottle giving you a collectable set of the distillery's first ever production, all with limited edition labels.

You will also receive two miniatures each year, offering the rare opportunity to taste the spirit as it develops over time into a wonderful, single malt whisky. Delivery of the first bottle will be in 2015.

These casks will not be available to the general public - only to Founders’ Club members who can enjoy a wide range of additional benefits for a life membership of £595.

Become a Founders’ Club member and take your place in whisky history.

Founders’ club life membership

£595 APPLICATION FORM

Please go to lakesdistillery.com to sign up as a member or fill in this form and send it to us at the lakes distillery

Number of Founders’ Club Memberships required

Buying as a gift? We’ll make sure the membership is in their name

Payment details

Name:

Name:

Card Number

Address:

Address:

Security Number Start Date

Postcode

Postcode

Issue Number

Tel:

Tel:

Cardholder Name

Email:*

Email:*

Signature

*Please let us know your email address, this will be your online username for our website.

Visa

Mastercard

Cheque

(the last 3 digits on the back of your card)

Expiry Date

Please make cheques payable to: The Lakes Distillery Company Ltd.

SEND TO: The Lakes Distillery Company Limited. The Lakes Distillery, Bassenthwaite Lake, Cumbria CA13 9SJ Tel: 01768 776916

social life

In association with:

North East

luxe:looks

Break out the fizz. Time to get down to some people-spotting as we bring you our social snapshot of happenings across the North East. Eyes and teeth time!

Kuly Ral Memorial Fund Street Spice Cheque Presentation, Sachins, Newcastle

Cash for Kids Charity Lunch, Civic Centre, Newcastle

Right > Katie Gibson, Alfie Gibson, Neil Gibson, Harry Gibson

Above > Bob Arora

Above > Chris March, Debi Coldwell and Bryan Hoare

Above > Emily Brown, Lorraine Dodge Above > Ant McPartlin, Declan Donnelly

Above > Richard Atkinson, Leslie Kerrison Above > Matthew Collins, Fiona Collins, Luke Collins, Francesca Towson

Above > Francesca Towson, Jackie Marston

Above > Charles Penn, Francesca Towson, Alan Dawson

Above > Jerry Arneja, Geeta Ral, Sherry Arneja, Neeta Arora, Jess Arneja and Bob Arora

Above > Dee McDonald, Pam Allan

Above > Dawn Gibson, Alexis Bovington, Janet Pennington

Above > Lorraine Peacock, Karen Morgan

Above > Chris Pegg, Dom Haynes, Tom Haynes

Carluccioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Launch Party, Newcastle

Above > Alastair Gibson, Teri Henaghan, Liz Hands

Above > Kari Owers, Alex Donaldson, Amy Jackson, Lauren Hedley, Frances Ratcliff

Above > Judy McPherson, Claire Mitchell

Above > Simone Buchanon, Margi Franckeiss

Above > Sally Clark, Tony Hordon

Above > Laura Walker, Maureen Jackson, Tim Aisbitt, Dan Brown

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Above > Sarah Hanley, Richard Hanley

Above > Tony McShane, Alan Robson, Jennifer Clarke, Julie Hewitson

SEP/OCT13

social life

Durham School Summer Ball

Above > Elif Cumen, Nese Hobson, Su Kuyucu

Above > Julie Tabone, Julie Bee & Melanie Pears

Above > George Bee, Gary Tabone, Graham Pears

Above > Jane Ford, James Ford, Martin George, Anna Knight

Hotel Indigo 1st Anniversary Party, Newcastle

Above > Mel Wood, Andrew Wood, Christine Balford

Above > Mick Mimuta, Hiroyuki Kamata, Yuichi Todakoro

Above > Sarah Peart-Bentham, Robbie Peart-Bentham

Above > Derek Humphries, Higoshi Satanami, Atgushi Satol Above > Mark Winter, Sarah Williams

Above > Seona Whitfield, Steve Whitfield

Above > Naomi Fordyce, Colin Fordyce

Above > Deborah Bewick, Alan Bewick

Above > Tonia Crawford, Dawn Simpson, Janet Richardson Above > Dave Graham, Jackie Graham

Above > Martin George, Max George

Above > Sue Langthorne, Stuart Langthorne, Lisa Pearson Geoff Pearson

Above > Katie Keenan, Max George, Georgia Foulkes-Hartley, Rachel Langthorne, Su Kuyucu

Elliotts Associates 25-year Anniversary, Hudson Quay

Above > Damian Southworth, Nic Roberts, Roger Maier

Above > Dylan Lindsay, Nick Elliott

Above > Laura James, Louise Storey, Natalie Turner, Laura Murphy, Jillian Comelly

Above > Emma Hallington, Cariad Robert, Adam Munday

John Whaite Book Launch, Vallum Farm, Northumberland

Above > John Whaite, Vicky Moffitt

Above > Lorraine Dodd, Mina Dodd, Nancy Dodd, Phoebe Dodd

Above > David Pearson, Alison Thain

Above > Harriet Morse, Felicity Bexton

Above > Guests mingle at Brasserie Hudson Quay

SEP/OCT13

Above > Celebrating the landmark anniversary

Above > Bill Eltringham, David Pearson, John Townsend, Tony Stafford, James Turnbull, Lesley Paterson, Denis Collins, Helen Jobling, Nic Roberts, Nick Elliott, John Shearsmith

Above > John Whaite, Fiona Grugeon, Jenny Billinghurst

Left > Janice Torpy, Sara Torpy In association with:

North East 93

social life

Adderstone Foundation Tennis Event, Northumberland Tennis, Jesmond

Above > Nick Gianfreda, Oliver Wickham, Lee Baker, James Atkinson, Charlotte Prenelle

Above > Sarah Dudgeon, Ian Baggett, Chris Avery and James Agar

Above > Rachel McNutt, David Alprovich, Amy Riley Above > Andrew Castle

Cystic Fibrosis Trust Ball, Radisson Blu Hotel, Durham

Above > Janine Lartey, Jenny Lynch, Pearl Gunn

Above > Tracey Gibson, Tine Hamilton Above > Angela Dent, Paul Dent

Above > Andrew Castle, Martin Clark

Above > Carl Salt, Jeremy Charles, Allison Harrison, Alan Sokolowski, Jon Avant

Above > Michelle Dent, Simon Dent

Above > Seonaid Doig, Jennifer Addis, Peter Fleming, Di Frost, Emma Howarth

Pam Royleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 30 years at ITV Celebration Dinner, Marriott Gosforth Park Hotel, Newcastle

Above > Bob Gladwin, Daphne Thornton, Tony Thornton

Above > Tony Thornton, Pam Royle, Ian Pearce and Jackie Marston

Above > Laura Fell, Amy Roocroft, Poppy Mansfield, Harriet Povey

County Durham Community Foundation Summer Drinks Party, Brancepeth

Above > Anne Elliott, John Pratt, Karen Pratt, Andrea Tobin

Above > Barbara Gubbins, Lesley Fairclough, Andrew Oxenham

Above > Helen Dunipace, Roger Tames

Above > Mayoress Carol Johnson, Cllr Charles Johnson, Mayor of Darlington

Above > Chris Higgins, David Watson, Sir Paul Nicholson

Above > Joe McElderry, Jackie Marston

Above > David Gosling, Christine Gosling

Above > Ian Pennock, Dianne Pennock, Barbara Hungin, Professor Pali Hungin

Above > Ian Payne

Above > Joanne Mitchell, Jean Cole, Bob Gladwin, Gillian Farnell, Catherine Middleton

Above > Steven Thompson, Rachel Thompson, Peter Grant

Above > Joe McElderry

Above > Steve Walls, Duncan Bannatyne

In association with:

North East 94

If you would like your event featured on our Luxe:Looks pages please supply images on disk with full captions and your contact details to: luxe Magazine, room501 Ltd, Spectrum 6, Spectrum Business Park, Seaham, SR7 7TT

SEP/OCT13

social life

Dragonfly Day, Kids 1st, Wynyard

Trilby Tour Golf Tournament, Rockliffe Hall, Hurworth

Above > William Hunt, Seb Carmichael-Brown

Above > Millie Burdon

Above > Faye Tozer

Above > Davy Cuthbertson, Andrew Verity, Nick Holmes, Warwick Brindle and Pete Newton Above > Susan Hill, David Hill

Above > Richard Francis, Ian Lenihan, Simon Hudd

Above > Steps star Faye Tozer visited Kids 1st Above > Steve Hinchcliffe, David Hill

Cash for Kids Charity Lunch, Hilton Hotel, Gateshead

Above > Ant McPartlin, Declan Donelly

Above > Pam Royle, Charlie Cookson, Sarah Cookson

Above > Farshad Nikzhad, Helen Nikzhad

Above > Amy Wryte, Ian Wryte

Above > Stephen Miller

Above > Alma Devine-Littondphils, Bill Midgley, Kevan Carrick

Above > Pam Wray, Denise Vann

Above > John Davis, Karen Davis, Karen Robinson, Ellie Szumko

Above > Tom Cafferty, Jane Morland

CHUF Gala Dinner, Close House

Above > Scott Telford, Adee Phelan, Graham Wylie, John Beresford, Adam Munday

Above > Jackie Boylan, Andrea Wylie, Trevor Erskine Mead, Sue Graham, Pauline Sieve Wright

Above > Alan Shearer, Tracy Botham, Peter Davidson, Mike Brown, Dee Howe, Mel Wanness, Dave Fulton

Above > Ant and Dec

Above > Doddy Weir, Eric Porter

Above > Ron Brown, Sonia Brown, Above > Lorraine Embleton, Susan Andrea Thompson, Geoff Thompson Jackson, Elain Dodds

Above > Allister Hogg, Will Welsh, Chester Robinson

North East

The all new Audi A3. From only £17,905. www.northeastaudi.co.uk

Official fuel figures for the new Audi A3 range in mpg (1/100km): Urban 40.4 (7.0) – 61.4 (4.6), Extra Urban 58.9 (4.8) – 85.6 (3.3), Combined 50.4 (5.6) – 74.3 (3.8). CO2 emissions: 130 – 99g/km.

SEP/OCT13

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dOing gOOd

Charity cheer A fund-raising flourish in the region...

rOCk the ShOw >> A fabulous one for your lunching calendar – the second Ladies Who Rock event in aid of The Prince’s Trust takes place on Friday October 18.

Headed up by North East patron, Alison Morgan, this year the ladies go contemporary working with the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. Experience the art of fine wine, exceptional dining and outstanding entertainment with all of the glitz and glamour associated with Ladies Who Rock. Tickets are £100 per person and include: cocktail reception, three-course lunch with wine, handmade petit fours with coffee, cheese selection and port, live auction including money-can’t-buy auction prizes and live entertainment throughout the day to be a part of this fab day or for further information regarding tickets and sponsorship please visit: www.ladieswho.org or contact lynn bushell on tel: 0191 384 1118 or email lynn@portlandgroupuk.com

gO deb! >> Luxe queen of the hip hotel, Debrah Dhugga took part in the Great North Run for a charity close to her heart.

She ran in support of The Toma fund, a charity close to her heart. Her son’s friend Jordan who played for NUFC academy was diagnosed with cancer and died shortly after finding out. His mum set up the charity to support children like Jordan and work with the teenage cancer wards.

It was Deb’s first ever half-marathon and she was brave even to swap those designer heels for running shoes to support the children and families supported by the fund.

She says: “Toma fund is an amazing charity and I hope you are able to help me support this great cause. The charity aims to ease the financial burden of families supporting their children and strives to provide items that will give these brave children and young people a boost and aid with their recovery.” www.justgiving.com/debd

green gOOdneSS >> The Committee behind the annual Gosforth Ball have handed over a cheque for £6000 to St Oswald’s Hospice to help fund a garden makeover. The donation, raised at last year’s Gosforth Ball, will fund a specially adapted greenhouse and raised flower beds which are wheelchair accessible and provide horticultural activities to patients at the hospice. Rob Hurren, a member of the committee, says: “We aim to raise £25,000 in total to fund the garden, and this year’s Ball held at the Gosforth Marriott Hotel in October will have a garden theme.”

The annual Gosforth Ball will take place on 5th October 2013. A table of ten costs £650 including a champagne reception, fourcourse meal, live entertainment from T’Pau’s Carol Decker and disco. For more information and to buy tickets please contact thegosforthball@gmail.com or call Michelle Hilling on 07979 752 451.

pedal FOr a CauSe >>

Two-times Ashes winner Steve Harmison enjoyed a tee-off in support of the North East’s largest disability charity.

The former England cricketer, known locally as the Ashington Express, played at Longhirst Hall Golf Course in the inaugural Percy Hedley Cup. The charity golf day raised vital funds for the Percy Hedley Foundation, a charity supporting more than 1,000 disabled children, young people, adults and their families.

Simon Bibby from Minster Cleaning Services organised the event along with Richard Atthey from IJP Design, who said: “We were delighted Steve Harmison agreed to support the Percy Hedley Cup and the response to the event has really blown us away.” www.percyhedley.org.uk

FiZZ-taStiC >> ONE OF the North East’s most popular charity balls returns in autumn – with a tropical twist. The Divas and Diamonds event held annually at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead Hotel is now in its fourth year, a women-only evening of fun and fund-raising which has grown in popularity every year. This year the plan is to take guests down a totally tropical route, with a Club Tropicana style evening of live entertainment, music and shopping. The event, which includes drinks reception and three-course dinner with wine, is being held on October 25 with tickets at £65 or £700 for a table of 12.

Divas and Diamonds is run by Girls Up Town, a committee of business women from across the region who set up the event to raise money for charity and offer an evening of everything girly.

This year’s ball is in aid of Cash for Kids and The Hilton Foundation. For further information, tickets or to book a stand in the shopping area call 07513 473 811 or email

reSult! >> Organisers of Street Spice @ Life food festival handed over a whopping £20,480.50 to The Brain Tumour Charity.

The funds were raised by the Kuly Ral Memorial Fund, which is an official supporter group of The Brain Tumour Charity and is raising money for the charity’s brain tumour research.

Street Spice @ Life was organised by Bob and Neeta Arora, of the city’s Indian restaurant Sachins, and Neeta’s sister, Geeta Ral, who wanted to do something special to help raise funds for The Brain Tumour Charity. Geeta’s husband, Kuly Ral, died in May last year at just 35 after losing his battle with cancer.

Super SailOr >> Richard Dawson is taking on the challenge of a lifetime as he joins the crews of The Clipper Round the World yacht Race, in aid of St Oswald’s Hospice. The race, which takes place over 11 months will see Richard cover 40,000 miles, including visits to France, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Singapore, China, USA, Jamaica, Ireland and Holland.

He says: “I was nearing retirement, having worked in corporate life for approximately 40 years and I’d reached a stage in my life when I wanted to do something really challenging, well outside my comfort zone.”

Richard, who retired in 2011 from his role as Executive Vice President of IT for Etihad Airways, is hoping to raise £20,000 for St Oswald’s Hospice.

“I’ve been very lucky in my career and one of the things I have consistently said is that when I retired, I’d like to give something back. I chose St Oswald’s Gosforth because it is a local charity and having spent some time at the hospice I was moved by the remarkable work they do.”

Richard can be sponsored via justgiving.com/Richard-Dawson

dreamS On >> AGA people Walter Dix & Co, who celebrate their 125th birthday this year, have devoted the next twelve months to supporting children’s charity Dreamflight.

Dreamflight strives to change young lives by taking seriously ill and disabled children on the holiday of a lifetime to Orlando, Florida.

Leaving behind their families and worries, the children are taken away to enjoy 10 magical days supported by a host of medical volunteers.

Each year, 16 children from the North East make up part of the 192 nationally that are taken to DisneyWorld, which means that all of the money that Walter Dix & Co manages to raise will go towards funding the holiday of a lifetime for deserving, local children.

Walter Dix & Co will be holding a number of fundraising activities over the coming months, as well as providing generous customers with the opportunity to donate to the cause in store.

info@girlsuptownnewcastle.co.uk

OFF they gO>>

Rockliffe Hall’s intrepid team of cyclists were back in the saddle to raise much-needed funds for the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS).

Some 20 staff cycled the terrain from Cumbria to North yorkshire, covering a total of 171 miles. The route took the ‘Rockliffe Riders’, who have been training since the start of the year, from Walney near Barrow-in-Furness, across to Sedburgh in Cumbria, on to Brompton in North yorkshire and finishing at Whitby.

Last year the team raised over £2000 for Rockliffe Hall’s chosen charity, the GNAAS. As well as the Coast to Coast, the 5-star resort supports the charity by organising staff fundraising activities, making prize donations and offering the resort as a venue for GNAAS’s corporate events. anyone interested in making a donation can visit https://www.createanddonate. co.uk/to/rocklifferiders-coast-tocoast-2013/#.ud1p-g2O5QQ

www.wdix.co.uk

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parting SHOT

Room to grow>> Dark nights and the autumn veg harvest mean the comfort of a steaming bowl of soup. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a luxey leek to inspire you. Photo by Kevin Gibson www.kgphotography.co.uk

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SEP/OCT13

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