The Guide 2 Surrey - Rich Lee

Foraging with Fernando Stovell’s in Chobham has to be one of the most exciting restaurants in Surrey thanks to the visionary talent of chef co-owners, husband and wife Fernando and Kristy Stovell.

Part of what makes their dishes so extraordinary are the natural, native ingredients that they forage from the countryside around them.

Rich Lee joined them for a walk on the wild side to experience some of these astonishing flavours in their natural habitat…

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ernando Stovell hands me a sprig of something, a frilly white flower no bigger than a match head. I pinch it between my fingers, place it on my tongue and… nothing happens. Until about three seconds later when I’m hit by the most intense taste of onion. Full-bodied and sweet, it’s remarkable that such a bold flavour can come from the tiniest part of a plant. Fernando tells me it belongs to the allium family so I shouldn’t be surprised by its character. I’m surprised all the same.

Next he passes me a small, bulbous leaf from an alpine plant, held between the ends of the long tweezers he keeps clasped to the breast of his chef’s jacket. Obediently, I pop the leaf in my mouth and crunch down. It has the crisp, watery freshness of cucumber and as Fernando assures me, blends extremely well with fish.

Over the next few minutes I sample Tree Spinach (tastes like spinach); the lemony tang of wild Sorrel; a cress-like plant they use for garnish called, somewhat obnoxiously, ‘mind your own business’ and an intensely peppery and floral herb called Stonecrop. All will find themselves on a plate in Stovell’s dining room in one form or another, whether lending the colour

Zealander Kristy opened Stovell’s (formerly the Cloche Hat) in Chobham, bringing together their fierce talent for progressive European cuisine and a love for natural, local ingredients. Since then they have overtaken many of the region’s most established restaurants, being named Best South East Restaurant in the Good Food Guide alongside many other accolades.

“OVER THE NEXT FEW MINUTES I SAMPLE

THE LEMONY TANG OF WILD SORREL AND PEPPERY AND FLORAL HERB CALLED of their flowers or their utterly unique flavours and textures to the Stovell’s already unique approach to food. An approach that has made them two of the most exciting chefs currently working in the South East, if not the UK. Fernando and Kristy Stovell first met at Westminster catering college, before working in famous London kitchens such as the Wellington, Cuckoo and a series of prestigious private clubs and clients. In 2012, the half-Mexican, halfEnglish Fernando and New

After two years spent making Stovell’s the success that it has become, Fernando and Kristy both appear tired but determined to continue taking their restaurant to the very top. When they do get to enjoy a welcome break – visiting the finest restaurants other countries have to offer for inspiration – their work is never far from their minds.

Indeed, Fernando keeps a close eye on his kitchen via several webcams streamed to his iPhone.

And while few chefs would complain when acclaim does

find them, for the Stovells it’s still all about the food. “The most important thing is being consistent and keeping the customers happy,” explains Fernando.

“We try to focus on earthy appearances and flavours, but we don’t like to touch the food too much; we prefer to concentrate on the method and the ingredients,” says Kristy.

Ingredients such as Yarrow.

Fernando crouches by a grassy bank, parts a few blades and plucks out a clump of the little white flowers with his tweezers for me to try. The taste is virtually indescribable, something between citrus and old churchyard (seriously). It can be found on their current menu imparting its idiosyncratic flavour to a dish of nose-to-tail rabbit alongside fermented turnips, stonecrop and daisy leaf puree.

“Our real love for foraging kicked in when we visited

TREE SPINACH, AN INTENSELY STONECROP

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our friend, the renowned chef Victor Arguinzoniz, at his restaurant in Spain,” he explains. “He took us foraging in the woods to pick sorrel and wild chamomile. A light went on and I thought that this was something I could really enjoy cooking with.”

Back home, the Stovells recruited Miles Irving, the man who literally wrote the book on foraging in the UK, to help them identify and source edible plants to incorporate into their food.

But when time allows, Fernando takes a keen interest in discovering his

own natural ingredients. “I tend to go out as often as I can. I’ll try to go for a solid week, almost daily, just to see what is coming out, what’s sprouting. As soon as you get out of your house you can find food everywhere; it’s tremendous.”

For anyone interested in foraging for themselves, Fernando strongly advises

Stovell’s Restaurant

learning from a professional.

And to never touch mushrooms. “If you don’t know what it is, don’t touch it. You don’t want to play Russian Roulette with strange ingredients.” In pursuit of ever more intriguing new flavours for their kitchen, you can’t help but suspect that it’s a game he’s willing to play regardless.

125 Windsor Road, Chobham, GU24 8QS www.stovells.com Tel: 01276 858000

THE RAW FOOD REVOLUTION Thought an organic, vegetarian or vegan diet was the apex of healthy eating?

Think again…

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or what it’s worth, let me just say that I don’t need meat on my plate to have a good time - but I find it helps. Variety is the spice of life, but I usually prefer mine sprinkled over something meaty.

Were I to ascribe exclusively to an increasingly popular Raw Food Diet though, I guess I’d have to kiss goodbye to any hint of sizzle or succulence in my life. And that thought makes me sad.

Of course, no one’s asking me to –although my GP might- but as a lifestyle and a movement, raw food is rapidly growing in popularity.

Temperature is what allows raw food to release its full nutritional potential. As Raw Lifestyle Coach Natalie Heath explains, when food gets above 47°c, the vitamin and mineral content is reduced dramatically.

Each food has a set of enzymes in them that help your body digest that particular food.

The problem is that they don’t survive the heat; your body then

has to draw on its own enzyme stores. Unfortunately, we have a finite amount, which can cause problems for our bodies down the line. That’s where the anti-aging benefits of raw food come in to play.

“I show people all the possibilities; that even if you bring only a little bit more of this food into your diet you’re going to reap the benefits.”

Natalie concedes: “A raw food diet can be expensive; but there are ways around it – nuts can be expensive for example, but you can substitute nuts for seeds which can be cheaper and good for your digestion.”

Natalie herself errs on the side of moderation. “I don’t necessarily advocate eating a 100% raw diet either. I’m about 70% raw - I’ve had periods when I’ve been 100% raw for about six months. It’s difficult

by Rich Lee when you go to other people’s houses or go travelling.”

As if to prove how delicious raw food can be, Natalie prepared a fresh, vibrant and flavoursome pate made from olives, kale and sundried tomatoes which we enjoyed in nori wraps with strips of vegetables. And for dessert, an apple and pear crumble with a whipped ‘cream’ made only from soaked,blended cashews and a splash of vanilla.

As for me, while I will continue to enjoy some sizzle in my diet, the substance and style inherent in Natalie’s mastery of raw food should provide a persuasive argument…

To read this article in full, visit theguide2surrey.com.

For more on Natalie and how to enjoy a raw food diet, visit www.rawlifestylecoach.co.uk.

LOVE BITES Let your food set the mood this Valentine’s day with these five potent – and proven – love bites.

Basil Ancient Romans considered basil a symbol of love. It’s clean, bright fragrance is almost enough to lift the mood itself but it’s the flavonoids in basil that are said to be antiinflammatory and that combat erectile dysfunction and low libido.

Chocolate You can’t really go wrong with chocolate.

Apart from its exquisite taste and texture, chocolate contains a number of unsexy sounding chemicals that produce sexy feelings, chemicals such as penylethylamine and andandamine which stimulate dopamine and serotonin in the brain’s pleasure centres, producing feelings of well-being and excitement.

Garlic We know. Pungent garlic seems like a bad choice if you’re trying to get in the mood.

But, strong smell aside, among garlic’s many healthy properties it is well known that it improves blood circulation, which in turn aids arousal. Don’t fancy the funky breath?

Consider taking supplements.

Oysters Oysters have been claimed as potent aphrodisiacs for centuries. That infamous 18th century ladies’ man, Casanova, was said to eat 50 a day for breakfast to fuel his rampant libido. These days, science seems to agree with these claims. The shellfish are packed with zinc, a mineral that cranks up the production of testosterone, which has been linked to a higher sex drive.

For the best oysters sold locally visit The Chelsea Fishmonger in Guildford.

01483 458244

Chillis The fiery peppers are a brazen invitation to turn up the heat, but it’s a chemical they contain called capsaicin which, when consumed, increases heart rate, induces sweating and increases the sensitivity of nerve endings. They also stimulate the release of endorphins that provide a natural high in the same way that intercourse does.

RECIPES: A VALENTINE’S MENU

by Rich Lee

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ooking your loved one a romantic dinner is one of the simplest ways to show them how much you care.

And it really can be simple to cook a delicious three course meal, as this menu demonstrates. These dishes are so easy to prepare and to cook and will win the heart of any date without you even breaking a sweat (save that for later). Make the mousse a day before to take the pressure off on the night and you’re good to go.

You Will Need: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

100g round of goat’s cheese 1 apple, preferably Braeburn or Cox Loaf of white bread Jar of quality honey Small bag of rocket leaves Small packet of walnuts 2 large sweet potatoes Sesame seeds 2 rib eye steaks Pack of butter (salted) 10 tomatoes on the vine 284ml pot of double cream 6 free range eggs 100g bar of dark chocolate

From your Kitchen Cupboard • • • • • • •

Olive oil Paprika Extra virgin olive oil Balsamic vinegar Sea salt & black pepper Beef stock Caster sugar

Goat’s Cheese, Apple and Walnut salad Serves two • 100g round of goat’s cheese • 1 apple, preferably Braeburn or Cox • 2 slices of white bread • 2 tsps honey • 2 handfuls of rocket leaves • 30g walnuts, roughly chopped • 2 tsps extra virgin olive oil • 1 tsp aged balsamic vinegar • Black pepper

1. Cut the goat’s cheese round into halves to make two discs. Core the apple and cut two half centimetre discs from the middle. Using scissors or a biscuit cutter around the same size as the apple slices, cut two circles from the slices of bread.

2. Lightly toast the bread then top each with a slice of apple and a half of goat’s cheese. Drizzle a teaspoon of honey over the top of each goat’s cheese, add a twist of black pepper and put under a medium hot grill until the cheese starts to bubble and brown slightly.

3. Lightly dress the rocket leaves in the olive oil and vinegar, add some of the chopped walnuts then divide between two plates. Place a circle of goat’s cheese, apple and toast on top of the leaves, drizzle a little balsamic over and scatter a few more walnuts to serve.

Rib Eye Steak, Sweet Potato Wedges and Easy Pepper Sauce • 2 large sweet potatoes • 1 olive oil • 2 tbsp sesame seeds • 1 tbsp paprika • Salt and pepper to taste • 2 thick rib eye steaks • 40g butter • 10 tomatoes on the vine • 30g butter • 1 tbsp olive oil • Salt and pepper • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar • 250 ml beef stock • 4 heaped tbsp extra thick double cream • Black pepper

Chocolate Salted Caramel Mousse

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Peel the potatoes then cut into wedges and place them in a large bowl. Using your hands, coat the wedges all over in the oil, sesame seeds, paprika and salt and pepper.

Place on a baking tray in the oven for 25-30 minutes until they brown and crisp at the edges 2. Meanwhile, season the steaks with salt and cracked black pepper on both sides and heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the seasoned steaks and the butter and fry for 2-4 minutes spooning the melted butter over the steaks as you go. Turn the steaks and add the tomatoes –keep on the vinecontinuing to baste both the steaks and the tomatoes for 2-4 minutes.

Remove the steaks and tomatoes and allow to rest on a warm plate, pouring the remaining pan juices over them.

3. For the sauce, add the red wine vinegar to the same pan and cook for about a minute until reduced by half, then add the stock and boil until reduced by a third. Stir in the cream and add as much pepper as required. Boil rapidly for one minute then pour over the steak to serve.

Serves two • 60g caster sugar • 1.5 tbsp. water • 25g salted butter • 100g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces • 2 eggs, separated • 120ml double cream • Pinch of sea salt

1. Put sugar and water into a heavy bottomed saucepan and cook over a medium heat until it turns a dark amber colour, then set aside. Never stir the caramel while it is cooking, instead swirl the pan a little to distribute evenly over the pan’s surface.

2. Heat the cream on the hob until hot –not boiling- or in a microwave for one minute el, and then stir into the caram a th fro l wil it as e taking car bit. d 3. Stir in the butter followe by the chocolate until the combined and then stir in two egg yolks. stiff 4. Whisk the egg whites to peaks and then incorporate bit into the chocolate caramel, go. you as ing by bit, fold s, 5. Pour the mixture into cup es acl ept rec er glasses or oth four and chill in the fridge for g. vin ser ore bef rs to six hou

broccoli, a broccoli cream, slices of wafer-thin broccoli in an almond vinaigrette, raw slices of green strawberries. Then slices of caper berry which give acidity and saltiness… It sounds complicated but it’s actually very simple.” Actually, it just sounds complicated, but he insists: “Technically there’s a lot going on, but we always have to make sure that it tastes of broccoli.”

TALKING TO…

Steve Drake One of the few Michelin-starred chefs to call Surrey home, Steve Drake celebrates ten years at his renowned restaurant in Ripley. Rich Lee met him to find out more about his fascinating journey to the top and the creative process behind his astonishing dishes…

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aving just sailed past the anniversary of his eponymous restaurant’s tenth year, Steve Drake is in high spirits. It can’t hurt that Drake’s in Ripley has just been awarded a star in the 2015 Michelin guide. That’s a star for every year since the restaurant opened for business back in 2004.

If he wanted to set a precedent for himself early on, winning that star alongside three AA Rosettes and being named

Newcomer of the Year by the Good Food Guide in that first year would have done the trick. But for Drake, success means the freedom to indulge an instinct that has carried him through some of the finest kitchens in the UK. “It’s about being able to be yourself. For me, success is happiness and being creative; being able to do things my own way.”

Steve Drake’s ‘own way’ manifests itself in his much talked about flavour ‘Journey’ and ‘Discovery’ menus.

This is all, of course, a long way to have come from his teens, slinging bacon sandwiches in a trucker’s café in Essex. “I wasn’t brilliant at school but I used to love home economics. There was only me and my mate and the rest were girls - which was great. But I knew from about fifteen that I would go into the kitchen.” His tutor at catering college would dazzle him with stories of the top London kitchens and so, on his 17th birthday, lured by the big city lights, Drake began working at the Ritz Hotel.

Unrestrained by the a la carte options of old, these menus are Drake’s invitation to explore flavours and combinations of an exquisite level of detail, technique and presentation, while remaining a celebration of the pure ingredients at the heart of his dishes.

Like broccoli. He takes out a worn notebook, rifles through pages of arcane sketches and recipes until he arrives at a blank page. With a pencil, he demonstrates how he takes the humble brassica as a base flavour and transforms it into something truly astonishing.

“I’ll group together all the flavours that go well with broccoli: blue cheese, capers, nuts, buerre noisette...” He scribbles the names of other flavours around the word broccoli until a spider’s web of ideas begins to appear.

“Then I’ll think ‘what could be more unusual?’ Perhaps green tomatoes or poppy seeds.

So we’ll make a poppy seed ‘leather’ that sits with the

But as the early 90s recession hit, shrinking the team of chefs by half, it meant Drake began his apprenticeship right in the trenches. “When I messed up six tournedos rossinis they absolutely crucified me!

But I learned the discipline and structure of the kitchen.

I couldn’t be as good as I wanted to be, though.

I was a bit of a perfectionist, even at that age.”

With the resilience and hunger that marks a true chef in the making, he soldiered on eventually working for the legendary chef Nico Ladenis on Great Portland Street. “I thought I knew attention to detail from the Ritz but at Nico’s it was just a completely different level.”

the heat and noise and retook his GCSEs and a GNVQ in Business Studies. “I think I had a chip on my shoulder that I hadn’t got any qualifications.”

Perhaps it also marked his intention to strike out on his own later in his career, but a few more years working at the three star kitchens of Nico Ladenis, Marco Pierre White, Gordon Ramsay’s successor and William Drabble at Aubergine, lay ahead.

Moving to the idyllic Surrey Hills for his first head chef role at Drake’s on the Pond at Abinger Hammer brought little

This finally led to him and Serina Drake opening their award-winning restaurant at Ripley in 2004. “Looking back now I think of how unprepared we were. But I was driven; it was all about the food on the plate. We were just learning as we were going along.”

It’s clear Drake is not one to shy away from risk, both in business and when it comes to his food. “I’ve always been one for thinking that it’s good to get into something that you don’t know about. To get into the unknown where you’re not quite sure how you’re going to react.” Even in his downtime, he’d prefer running the marathon des sables over putting his feet up. I force the question anyway: what is Steve Drake’s ultimate comfort food – to enjoy at rest with no demands or adventures pulling him away? He beams and says, “Rice Pudding. Tinned. Just as it is. It’s amazing.” I’m left wondering what a real rice pudding a la Drake’s would be like. Pretty complicated, I suspect, but something pretty amazing too.

For me, success is being able to do things my own way.

At 19, Drake took a break from

respite though, as he worked every hour by himself while he refined his own unique approach to food. What it did bring him, though, was the prestigious Roux Scholarship in 2001 and his first Michelin star in 2002. “This sounds really arrogant, but I kind of expected to get it because I was so driven towards achieving that. I probably didn’t really appreciate it much at the time; I certainly appreciate it now.”

DRAKE’S ARE AT THE CLOCK HOUSE, HIGH STREET, RIPLEY, SURREY, GU23 6AQ. 01483 224777 | WWW.DRAKESRESTAURANT.CO.UK

FOOD & DRINK

APRIL 2014

Hans Sloane Chocolates, Byfleet FOR CHOCOLATE DRINKERS

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ontinuing the legacy left by 17th century physicist and collector, Sir Hans Sloane, the company that takes his name produces the finest drinking chocolate inspired by the recipe he refined in Jamaica in 1687.

Made from purest chocolate beads and available in 9 flavours, this is Hot Chocolate as it was meant to be enjoyed.

We recommend: Madagascar 67% drinking chocolate with hints of blueberry, liquorice and coffee.

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hether want t it, give it, drink eat it, Surrey’s c lovers are spoil e Here’s our guide of the finest ch within our bo

For more info visit sirhanssloane.com

Squires Kitchen International School, Farnham THE CHOCOLATE TEACHER

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erhaps the only thing better than eating chocolate is knowing how to make it yourself. For sweet-tooths wishing to hone their skills in the dark and creamy arts of chocolate making, Squire’s International Kitchen School in Farnham boasts a multi UK Chocolate Master (2006-2010) winner for a tutor.

Mark Tilling teaches all sorts of chocolate courses at Squires including 1, 3 and 5 day chocolate schools, wedding cakes, truffles and even a course for professional showpieces.

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We recommend: A one day chocolate school with Mark should give any beginner some serious skills when it comes to making chocolate.

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For more info visit squires-school.co.uk FO R

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Kokoh Chocolate, Ewhurst

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We recommend: Kokoh’s Himalayan Pink Salt bar.

For more info call 01483 275196

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ndependent chocolatier Joanna Marshall is taking chocolate into bold, exciting new territory.

Crafting chocolate of such astonishing character, purity and goodness it’s little wonder her company Kokoh Chocolate is the talk of farmers markets and artisanal food shops across the region. Using essential oils and natural ingredients, her flavours explore exotic combinations such as wattleseed and coffee, lemon and black pepper and deep, complex blends of dark chocolate.

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FOOD & DRINK

TheGuide2Surrey.com/Food-and-Drink

William Curley, Richmond THE MASTER

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erhaps the most celebrated chocolatier currently working in the UK, Fife-born William Curley’s career has seen him work for Raymond Blanc and Marco Pierre White among others. Voted ‘Britain’s Best Chocolatier’ by the Academy of Chocolate four times, he set up his original patisserie in Richmond in 2008 and a second in London’s Belgravia shortly after, along with a concession at Harrods. His chocolaterie and patisseries are Mecca for chocolate worshippers and regularly serve up delicious events and courses for the hopelessly converted.

by Rich Lee r you to make k it or just chocolate We recommend: If you want to know what genius tastes like then try the House 70 dark ed for choice. chocolate bar. e to some For more info visit williamcurley.com hocolatiers orders…

RICHMOND

Bachmann’s, Thames Ditton & Weybridge THE GOURMET PATISSERIE

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stablished in 1989 by Swiss-trained Ernst Bachmann, one of the UK’s finest patissiers, Bachmann’s is the award-winning patisserie and chocolaterie. Chocoholics are spoiled at either shop but Bachmann’s range EPS OM of cakes, pastries and other patisserie are also the stuff of legend – sumptuous desserts and sweet treats that are as good on the eye as they are on the palate.

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We recommend: A personalised chocolate cake or gateaux from Bachmann’s will be the highlight of any occasion.

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For more info visit bachmanns.co.uk

Sara Jane Chocolates, Epsom

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FOR CHOCOLATE PARTIES!

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ara Jane Chocolates excel at turning chocolate into an event. Working with only the finest belgian chocolate, Sara Chapman and her team specialise in hosting adult workshops, parties and childrens’ events where guests create their own chocolate treats to Sara’s delicious recipes. A winner at any event, the company also produce a stunning range of chocolate selections and gifts.

We recommend: What about a fabulously stylish chocolate shoe with contrasting chocolate inside and heel. Too good to wear, too good to eat?

For more info visit sarajanechocolates.co.uk or call 07794 584608

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FOOD & DRINK

AUGUST 2014

TheGuide2Surrey.com/Food-and-Drink

r u o l r a P Tricks

FOOD & DRINK

by Rich Lee

Whether it’s warm outside or not, there’s just nothing like ice cream.

And for when you want to make an occasion of it, there’s a great choice of ice cream parlours scattered around Surrey, all offering handmade ice creams in astounding flavours. We hit the road for a frozen fix of our own and found four top parlours ready to help you keep your cool this summer.

Crockford Bridge Farm New Haw Road, Addlestone As much fun as pick-your-own season can be, everyone knows that it can be hot and tiring work.

Which is why the Ice Cream Parlour at Crockford Bridge Farm is yet another genius stroke from the pick-your-own pioneers, allowing visitors to cool off with some of the best ice cream for miles.

Selling 24 unique flavours from the award winning Gelateria Danieli – a small Italian family business based in Richmond, the parlour offers silky smooth, low fat ice cream and sorbets in mouth-watering varieties like salted caramel, bakewell tart, Dulce de leche and a heavenly strawberry ice cream made with Crockford Bridge Farm’s own fresh and flavoursome fruit. www.crockfordbridgefarm.co.uk

Loseley Ice Cream It’s perhaps worth mentioning that one of the most established brands of Surrey ice cream continues to be a favourite and is still found in shops and venues around the county. Although, as we discovered, Loseley Ice Cream hasn’t actually been made here for fifteen years. It’s now produced in High Wycombe by Beechdean Bakery. Regardless, it remains a delicious treat wherever it can be found.

Shere Delights 1 Middle St, Shere Perhaps all that picture-perfect Shere needed to complete its idyllic image was a quaint olde sweet shop and possibly an ice cream parlour.

Well, thanks to Gillian Akroyd that’s exactly what they got when she opened up both under the name of Shere Delights. “My daughter and I were feeding the ducks in Shere just after Christmas 2011,” she says. “We were standing facing the empty flower shop, which now houses Shere Delights, wondering what I would do if the shop were mine. It was literally a light bulb moment and 2 months later, Shere Delights opened its door to the public.”

So it was and so the shop has become a favourite of locals and visitors to Shere drawn to its ice cream counter and fantastic selection of flavours.

The shelves above hold jars of every sweet your inner child fondly remembers, and for your inner grown up they also sell some of the finest artisan chocolates available. This year, the emporium have also gone mobile with their first vintage, 1940s style ice cream bicycles that can be hired for weddings, parties and corporate functions. www.sheredelights.co.uk

Creams – Woking

Dylan’s Ice Cream Barn – Haslemere

19-21 Chertsey Road, Woking

1 Junction Place, Wey Hill, Haslemere

A departure from your traditional ice cream parlour, Creams instead boasts a neo-soaked, nightclub interior, glinting surfaces, booths and al fresco seating – and more ice cream than you can shake a cornetto at. Seriously; one look at their gleaming display offers a selection of flavours as tantalising as they are –occasionally – bewildering (looking at you, Red Bull).

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Dylan is the eponymous mastermind behind Dylan’s Ice Cream, but that would actually be Ben Govier who mastered the gelato arts while at University in 2007 and then sold his creations from an ice cream van back home in Liphook.

And while you could go down the cone route, their sundaes are truly unmissable: towering glass glories packed with scoops of whatever flavour you like, spiked with wafers, fruit and drizzled with sweet syrups. I get brain-freeze just thinking about them. It’s no wonder Creams have become popular for kids’ birthdays as well as adults indulging their inner child along with their sweet tooth. www.creamscafe.com

They proved such a hit that Ben has since opened Dylan’s Milk Barn in Haslemere, a fresh, cheery ice cream diner offering his uber-cool recipes made with milk from dairy cows down the road in Petersfield. They include distinctive and unique flavours such as malt, honeycomb, plum crumble and, um, brown bread.

Oh, and Dylan himself? That’ll be Ben’s black Labrador. Everyone needs a mascot, right? www.dylansicecream.co.uk

FOOD

WHERE TO EAT

RICH LEE VISITS THE THREE CROWNS INN, WISBOROUGH GREEN Tim and his team don’t do ‘friendly’ for show, their ease and good cheer comes from a sincere desire to see their customers enjoying themselves… .

The Three Crowns in Wisborough Green is a 500 year old Inn hauled into the 21st century thanks to owner Tim Skinner and his family who bought the place two years

ago and set about transforming it into a favourite destination for anybody that loves a traditional pub with truly modern standards of quality.

And a very warm welcome.

Which is the first thing you get upon arriving at this gorgeous pub on the Billingshurst Road in the pretty Sussex village of Wisborough Green.

Tim and his team don’t do ‘friendly’ for show, their ease and good cheer comes from a sincere desire to see their customers enjoying themselves.

And they’ve made sure that the Three Crowns is just the place for them to do so.

A gorgeous, wood-panelled interior crammed with tasteful flourishes and a stirring dose of Britannia threads through it all, it’s also a perfect place to catch the last days of summer in their

colourful pub garden.

exquisite.

“Food is really important, definitely,” says Tim, “but we’re also just a village pub. You can come in in muddy boots and grab a beer –we know your name, what you’re havingor sit in the dining room and get full table service. But at the end of the day if you’re up for fish and chips and just want to enjoy yourself in the garden with a beer, that’s what you’ll get.”

For mains, we had a plate of smooth, rich mash generously topped with venison, the meat cooked to a perfect blush and studded with generous hunks of black pudding and apricot, all in a stunning peppercorn sauce. We couldn’t help ordering one of their famous fish pies too, having heard that Jamie Oliver and his crew had rolled through for lunch earlier and devoured nearly a dozen of the things.

We could see why.

Crisp, cheesy, golden crust sat atop a steaming, aromatic dish of silky white sauce and the freshest prawns and salmon.

About that food, though. Achingly fresh and seasonal and made from local ingredients, this is pub food cooked at its highest level thanks to chef, Melissa.

We chose her herbed liver pate terrine from the everchanging specials board to start with that was coarse and chunky, deeply flavoured from the herbs and matched with caramelised red onions and thick toast. Hearty, simple,

Open: Mon-Weds 11am-3pm; Thurs-Sat 11am-11pm; Sun noon-8pm Telephone: 01403 700239 Email: frontofhouse@thethreecrownsinn.com www.thethreecrownsinn.com

For desserts, a sticky toffee pudding with rich, oozing, toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream came drenched in caramel flavours, while a glass of zingy, bursting red summer berries in compote on creamy white chocolate mousse topped with a nutty crumble sent us away smiling.

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WHERE TO EAT

Rich Lee visits Scoff and Banter, Guildford

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Scoff and Banter

hen the four-star hotel, the Radisson Edwardian Blu, opened its doors over two years ago, Guildford diners were treated to a plush new restaurant, Relish, at the same time. Now renamed Scoff and Banter, the restaurant has retained the luxurious décor and easy ambience but now offers food that more closely resembles its ‘Best of British’ philosophy than ever before.

celebrate Britain’s best native ingredients, all at great value too. And while the menu reads a bit like a greatest hits of UK favourites (think rarebit, shepherd’s pie, ham and eggs) the dishes are treated with reverence and flair at Scoff and Banter.

Our starters, for instance - Individual skewers of English tea-smoked duck wrapped around favourite flavour partner, orange, made As a dining space for a very attractive Scoff and Banter may –and very tastywell be one of the plate while a dish most stylish around of perfectly cooked with soft drapes, warm king scallops sat on tones of chocolate and creamed potatoes cream and sparkling with a gentle mustard chandeliers lending sauce managed to be the place an upmarket, both fresh-tasting and Parisian bistro air comforting. across the dining area and lounge. Servers For mains, a silky, are friendly and wellsmoky fish pie was informed; the wine list a big hit of flavour, carefully selected and a hug in a hotpot, extensive. served with sweet, cheesy leeks.

The menu at Scoff and Intrigued, I’d ordered Banter is concise but vintage cheddar and genuinely offers diners shallot turnovers a variety of dishes that and received a

cheery plate of two of the golden pasties perched on a rustic champ with a rich cheese sauce on the side. Filled with creamed spinach and sweet, roasted shallot, the flavours inside the turnovers more than elevated what was, on the surface, a fairly unshowy dish. We also shared a side of wild boar sausages with spiced crispy shallots that was all earthy, smoky game flavours and pure indulgence.

Finishing with a selection of fine cheeses and a decadent flourless chocolate, orange and hazelnut cake topped with a blob of thick clotted cream, we came away eager to return again. Few restaurants manage to combine elegant surroundings with prices as friendly as the staff, and food that manages to be both refined and fun.

Scoff and Banter, fortunately, nails it all.

3 Alexandra Terrace, High Street, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3DA Tel: 01483 792305 ---------------------English tea smoked duck, crispy dried duck skin and bitter orange £4.75 Seared king scallops, creamed Desiree potatoes and English mustard sauce £8.00 Warm Artisan Breads with flavoured butters £5.50 ---------Cornish smoked and organic classic fish pie with braised Wensleydale cheese leeks £11.00 Green’s mature cheddar and shallot turnovers, champ potato and creamed spinach £10.00 Wild Boar and Apple Sausage £4.50 ---------Flourless Chocolate and Hazelnut Cake £4.25 Cheese selection £8.75 ---------Food Total: £56.75

OPENING HOURS | BREAKFAST: MON - SAT 7.30am - 10.30am SUN & BANK HOLIDAYS 7.30am - 11am LUNCH: MON - SUN 12.30pm - 2.30pm DINNER: MON - SAT 5.30pm - 11pm SUN & BANK HOLIDAYS 5.30pm - 10pm

FOOD & DRINK

TheGuide2Surrey.com/Food-and-Drink

WHERE TO EAT The White Hart Pub White Hart Lane Wood Street Village Guildford Surrey GU3 3DZ Tel: 01483 235939 www.thewhitehartpub.com

---------------------Roasted Beetroot ‘Borscht’ Soup

£4.95

Feuilleté of Roasted Mushroom £7.50 ----------

Rich Lee visits The White Hart, Wood Street

T

ucked away and all but out of sight in Wood Street Village just outside of Guildford, you’d be forgiven for thinking the White Hart pub might be a secret of the well-kept variety. Surrey’s foodies know better however and have been flocking here since the 200 year old Inn was taken on by head chef Paul Scott and transformed into arguably one of the finest gastropubs in Surrey.

Arriving at the smartly modern pub, it still retains enough of its country roots to put you at ease straight away. Veer left from the bar and you come to a long dining room that’s all soft lighting, polished wooden tables and comfy leather chairs.

The room’s spacious enough for groups yet intimate enough for couples.

The menu is diverse with nods towards Asian, Lebanese and Italian cuisine alongside classic British and European pub fare.

For our starters, a roasted beetroot ‘borscht’ soup was disarmingly fresh and light yet full of earthy, root flavour.

Delicately spiced and with a dollop of crème fraiche, it was a dish perfect for the season. Another starter presented a roasted mushroom with grilled goats cheese oozing into luscious red onion jam, sat between crisp, pillowy layers of pastry and swirled with rocket pesto. So good, I expect I’ll be boring people about it for weeks to come.

For mains, a handsome rack of tender roasted lamb came with sautéed cabbage and bacon and fondant potato.

With a sweet, red wine jus to soak it all, this was hearty pub food of the first order.

A dish of fillet of gilt head bream, though, was absolutely astonishing. A perfectly cooked piece of fish atop decadent, buttery mash potato with a velvety, piquant white wine, tomato and herb sauce would have almost been enough. But the chefs go further with samphire, watercress, mussels and sweet pepper tapenade; a whole rainbow of perfectly balanced flavours.

To finish the meal we had a mighty wedge of rich lemon cheesecake, served with tuille biscuit and citrus compote. A chocolate orange

Pan-roasted rack of Irish Lamb With garlic & herb fondant potato, sauteed savoy cabbage & bacon, red wine jus £17.50 Pan-roasted Fillet of Gilt Head Bream £15.95 ---------Chocolate orange bread & butter pudding £5.95 Lemon Cheesecake, St. Clements compote & tuille biscuit £6.25 ---------------------Food total: £58.10

bread and butter pudding was almost an indulgence too far, but the crisp, buttery dessert proved impossible not to finish and still be left wanting more.

So much more than just a pub (although if that’s all you’re after, the fine cask ales, wines and lagers available should more than satisfy), it’s the exceptional food and service on offer at the White Hart that truly sets it apart and should ensure its reputation as a destination for many years.

OPENING TIMES MONDAY – THURSDAY | DOORS OPEN 12:00 – 23:00 | FOOD SERVED 12:00 – 14:30 / 18:00 – 22:00 FRIDAY | DOORS OPEN 12:00 – 24:00 | FOOD SERVED 12:00 – 14:30 / 18:00 – 22:00 SATURDAY | DOORS OPEN 12:00 – 24:00 | FOOD SERVED 12:00 – 22:00 SUNDAY | DOORS OPEN 12:00 – 23:00 | FOOD SERVED 12:00 – 21:00

35

30

FOOD & DRINK

OCTOBER 2013

WHERE TO EAT

Rich Lee visits Kinghams, Shere This year Kinghams celebrates its 20th anniversary, and chef and proprietor, Paul Baker has hardly left his kitchen in all that time ..

T

he gorgeous village of Shere, popular with tourists, film crews and anyone seeking a slice of quintessential English village life also boasts one of Surrey’s best little

restaurants and one of its longest established.

This year Kinghams celebrates its 20th anniversary, and chef and proprietor, Paul Baker has hardly left his kitchen in all that time. “We had a big celebration this April to celebrate 20 years in business,” says Paul, “and people who have been coming to the restaurant for twenty years came on the night; it was great to see old friends.”

Having trained at the Royal Lancaster (now the Lancaster Hotel in London) and then ran his own catering business, Paul took a gamble in 1993 and opened Kinghams in Shere.

“I had everything on the line for this place, put my house up for security and so did my father. After about year three, things really took off. It’s been hard work for a lot of years to build up a good customer base. We now have people who come from all over the place, some from London, Epsom, Guildford obviously and locals, but we’d never survive on local business alone.”

we’re so successful,” agrees Paul, “it’s always someone’s birthday!”

It’s evident from our fabulous meal tonight that Kinghams’ reputation for outstanding ‘modern English’ cuisine is well founded, but here all the frills and thrills are mainly found in the flavours on offer although the kitchen makes a little presentation go a long way.

To start with, a simple, classic goat’s cheese and caramelised onion tart on dressed leaves sang with a swirl of rosemary and crème fraîche dressing.

Another starter, a trio of crab came with a Thai crab cake, crab and avocado timbale and crab bisque sweetened with brandy. Three fantastically tasty crab concoctions on one dish.

Win.

Having never seen a mains of pork belly I didn’t like the look of, I couldn’t resist ordering the dish from the set menu. More than just a square of gorgeously tender, succulent pork, The place seems to be a it was the extra layer big draw for anyone after of sweet, smoky flavour a place to celebrate: from the spiced apple “that’s one of the reason’s and chorizo that sent me

to a very happy place, all of it sat on a rich pea puree and dark, silky jus with a vulgar arch of wicked crisp crackling on top.

Our other mains was a moist breast and thigh of guinea fowl on an –unusual- mash of sweet potato and coconut that worked beautifully by itself and with a fresh, vibrant, chorizo, red pepper and coriander dressing.

We finished off with a decadent, smooth mint chocolate truffle torte and a peach and raspberry crumble, a dessert as homely and comforting as Kinghams’ cottage interior: a space of low, wooden beams, an inglenook fireplace, soft lighting and intimate seating that feels like nothing less than a piece of Shere brought inside.

Outstanding food, a first class wine list, a charming setting, friendly front-of-house team –many of whom are an extended family; some have even grown up at Kinghams- makes this little restaurant a fantastic destination and whose success seems assured for another twenty years, at least.

OPENING HOURS | LUNCH : Tue -Sun 12pm onwards | DINNER : Tue - Sat 7pm onwards All bookings must be made by telephone on 01483 202168 | WEBSITE : kinghams-restaurant.co.uk

WHERE TO EAT Rich Lee visits The Beano Restaurant, Guildford It seems curious that Guildford has only one dedicated vegetarian restaurant but then there is a lot that’s curious, and wonderful, about the Beano Restaurant.

F

irstly, it’s probably the longest running restaurant in the area.

Seriously. When an average 59% of UK restaurants close after just three years, the Beano has been happily doing business for over 28 years at the Guildford Institute on North Street.

Secondly, you may well have never heard of the Beano before.

“We’ve always been known as Guildford’s best kept secret and we’ve always worked by word of mouth which is the best kind of publicity for us,” says Leonie who has operated and cooked at the restaurant for most of those 28 years, with the help of her daughter Emma, Friday cook Maija and friends like the charming Celia.

That neither Leonie or her daughter are vegetarian themselves comes as a third surprise,

but it was an obvious choice for them when it came to running the restaurant their way. “It’s always been vegetarian. I come from South Africa where we eat a lot of salads and fresh food. So the idea was always to introduce people to more fresh vegetables. We make sure there’s always something for everyone.”

That means that on any given day, diners at the Beano can expect homemade soup, several main courses and a vegetable curry, four or more side salads and up to six dessert options all freshly made on the day and all absolutely delicious.

To start we had, for instance, a healthy, hearty lentil loaf with sweet chunks of mango, celery and cheese; just the thing to lift the spirits on a cold day. A spinach,

goats cheese and onion pie was a slice of pure comfort with the airiest, flakiest pastry encasing luscious spinach, delicately perfumed with fresh dill.

Our next round of food consisted of a snappy salad of beetroot, apple and sunflower seeds was all kinds of sweet and crunchy while the vegetable curry was another heartwarming, aromatic plate of steaming soft veg, perfectly spiced with an easy heat, served with fluffy white rice.

The desserts are as diverse and as tempting in their choices as the mains, but a gluten-free chocolate and cherry roulade, oozing with sweet compote and whipped cream, managed to be both light and decadent.

It’s little wonder that this ‘little institution

in the Institute’ has won such a loyal following over the years; the expertly made vegetarian dishes are a wonderfully tasty and healthy alternative to Guildford’s usual offerings.

However, it’s the refreshingly informal and communal atmosphere of the Institute itself that imbues the Beano restaurant with a uniqueness all of its own.

The Beano

Restaurant Guildford Ins titute, Ward Street, Guildford, GU1 4LH. Tel: 01483 562 142 ---------------

-------

Lentil Loaf wit h Mango £4.75 Spinach, Cheese and Onion Pie £4.75 Vegetable Cur ry £4.75 Beetroot, App le and Sunflower See d Salad £1.00 ----------

The Beano Restaurant is on the 1st floor of the Guildford Institute, Ward Street, Guildford, GU1 4LH.

Gluten-free Cho colate & Cherry Roulad e £3.10

CONTACT: 01483 562142 | info@guildford-institute.org.uk

---------------

OPENING HOURS: 10:30am to 2:00pm Monday to Saturday during term time.

-------

Food Total: £18 .60

WHERE TO EAT: Britten’s, Guildford

WHERE TO EAT: Cau, Guildford

by Rich Lee

by Rich Lee

Britten’s Restaurant 1C Sydenham Road, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3RT

B

ritten’s is Chef Daniel Britten’s first restaurant and his tight, focussed menu, demonstrates a chef brimming with creativity and the freedom to explore food in his own way. The former decorator-turned Masterchef contestantnow chef-proprietor has spent the last few years working in some of the best kitchens around his native Surrey. And it shows.

The décor at Britten’s is minimal and relaxed and ideal for any occasion, be it a group or couple. Soft spot lighting and comfy banquette seating are an invitation to enjoy a long, easy evening of it.

A starter of smoked mackerel fillet– skin crisped in the pan;

Tel: 01483 302888

the flesh tender and flavoursome- was lifted with a scattering of micro-herbs and beetroot and a silky smoked eel mousse laced with lime.

Another plate of wood pigeon and pheasant terrine was a seasonal taste of the countryside jacked up with smart flavours from the pickled grapes and pecans.

Locally sourced meat is butchered onsite, and this craftsmanship extends to the cooking, as proved by a glorious mains of pork, cooked three ways.

Two coffee-rubbed fillets cooked to a moist, juicy blush were crowned with meltingly tender cheek and a rude spike of crispy pig’s ear: a tastier celebration of pork I’ve not had for ages. The other mains of perfectly

moist chicken breast –the seasoned skin cracked and slightly charred over the grill- was exceptional with a fragrant curried truffle sauce and buttery potato gratin.

This is comfort food given some real polish, and the desserts were no different. There was a comforting sticky toffee banana pudding that was lighter and far more refined than you’d expect. Similarly, a rich warm chocolate cake managed to be both light and decadent especially when paired with an exquisite salted caramel ice cream.

Four months in and Britten’s is already pulling them in, and with food this confident we can see why.

www.brittensrestaurant.com

---------------------Chargrilled South Coast Mackerel, Smoked Eel, Beetroot £8.00 Wood Pigeon & Pheasant Terrine, Pickled Grapes, Candied Pecans, Toast £6.00 ---------Roasted Pork Fillet, Braised Cheek,Buttery Potato, Apples, Crispy Ear £17.00 Free range Banham chicken breast, potato gratin, truffled curry broth, swiss chard £16.00 ---------Sticky Toffee Banana Pudding, Toffee Sauce, Yoghurt Ice Cream £7.00 Warm Chocolate Cake, Beetroot, Salted Caramel Ice Cream £7.00 ---------------------Food total : £61.00

C

au makes little effort to disguise itself as anything other than a temple to meat, especially as they serve some of the best in the world: Argentinian, grass-fed beef. Which is probably why it’s packed most evenings with diners unleashing their ancient ancestral urge to eat something animal.

Cau offers plenty of other dishes that wear the diverse Latin and Asian influences of Buenos Aries cuisine, so vegetarians and even pescetarians are just as welcome here.

Although I’m not sure they’d see the point.

That primal pull is offset with striking modern design: white ribbed metal walls, black

Cau

panelling and bold lighting. Wall prints conjure the endless grass and skies of the company’s spiritual home.

We enjoyed starters of succulent swordfish skewers with a fragrant Asian dip and spicy, smoky sausages of lamb merguez and Spanish chorizo. And then the serious meat arrived.

Crowned the ‘king of steaks’, the Tira De Ancho might require a king’s ransom to afford it, but the half-kilo cut of rib-eye, about 10” long and as thick as my wrist, certainly tasted good enough for royalty. Slow-grilled and lightly dressed in herby, vinegary chimichurri, this was buttery soft steak cooked to medium-rare

Make a meal of Valentine’s Day? Rural Romance in Gorgeous Shere

Rumwong, Guildford Invite your besties along to the sumptuous Rumwong and enjoy fine Thai cuisine together while reclining, Northern Thailand style, at floor level tables in their gorgeous Kan Tok Room.

One of Hollywood’s most romantic locations happens to be on our very doorstep. The picturesque village of Shere and go-to set for rom-coms makes for a perfect couple’s getaway. We suggest dinner at the award-winning Kingham’s restaurant and a night spent at the charming Rookery Nook B&B.

01483 536092 | rumwong.com

kinghams-restaurant.co.uk | rookerynook.info

Best for a Double Date

perfection, oozing juice and caressing your teeth with every rapturous bite. There’s no room for pretension with food such as this– steak this good demands Cau’s moreish thrice-cooked chunky chips and a pungent garlic aioli or their rich, dark pepper sauce.

Restaurant 274 High Street, Guildford GU1 3JL Tel: 01483 459 777 www.caurestaurants.com ---------------------Sausages x2 £6.50 Anticuchos- Swordfish with soy, wasabi & ginger £6.50

Playful puddings such as cornflake ice cream sundaes and brownies are great to round off a meal like this, but I loved the crisp and soft and cinnamon-y churros: light doughnut fingers with dulche de leche dipping sauce.

It’s little wonder Cau has proven so popular with Guildford’s diners.

The winning formula of buzzy atmosphere, brisk, friendly service, sharp décor and seriously good food at prices (my steak aside) to suit all budgets is an easy choice.

---------Sirloin, 260g £17.50 Tira De Ancho, 500g £32.95 ---------Churros with Dulche de Leche £4.95 Corn Flake Ice Cream Sundae £4.95 ---------------------Food Total: £73.35

Keeping it indoors?

Best for an intimate meal Al Vicolo – Swan Lane, Guildford This small, cosy restaurant perched above Swan Lane is an ideal destination to enjoy authentic Sardinian cooking in a relaxed space evocative that evokes the Mediterranean.

Perfect for couples who want to re-enact that scene from the Lady and the Tramp.

01483 506306 | alvicolo.co.uk

Prefer the intimacy of your own home on the night but with restaurant quality food that you don’t have to slave over yourself? Bramley-based Private Chef Lucy Prince caters for all manner of events, and romantic meals for two are no exception. Let Lucy serve you beautiful food, leaving you to set the mood just how you’d like.

07785 746394 | lucyclairecatering.co.uk

FOOD & DRINK

TheGuide2Surrey.com/Food-and-Drink

WHERE TO EAT:

Pie Night at the Keystone, Guildford

by Rich Lee

The Keystone

T

he fortunes of the Keystone, at the foot of Guildford High Street, seem to have risen and fallen in recent years as much as the River Wey has in the last few months.

Never less than a cheery place, with a reputation for great food and ales that stretches back years, the pub has arguably suffered from an image problem, a lack of identity that served to confuse an otherwise loyal clientele, if not attracting a new one.

The Keystone that we arrived at, however, revealed nothing less than an astonishing return to form from the beloved pub, its corners and crannies filled with smiling punters, a happy clamour rolling out the door proclaiming a pub that’s finally got its groove back. And that can be largely attributed to the Keystone’s energetic new manager, Rich Jaehme.

The Bristolian only arrived at the Keystone last Boxing Day but fell in love with the place from the start. “Guildford felt like home, instantly,” Rich told us, during a quick break from

running the kitchen.

“I’m so lucky. I’ve inherited cracking staff, a brilliant chef and great customers.”

Under Rich’s enthusiastic new leadership, the Keystone has clearly found a renewed focus, with one eye on the kind of place it wants to be and the other on those things that already made it great.

Hence the now more popular than ever Pie Night (every Thursday) and the reason we came to the Keystone, to experience it for ourselves.

Back in 2009, the pub won the British Pie Week award for their legendary Game Pie, and have continued to serve outstanding pies since the previous owners moved on.

“But we’ve tweaked the fillings a bit since,” said Rich, “and got the pastry just right so now they’re better than ever! Pies are a classic British dish.

They’re also a social thing as well,” he said motioning towards tables of diners bantering merrily while sharing from deep pies and bowls of towering sides dishes. “We sell between 60 and 100 pies every Thursday

night,” Rich buzzed.

“They just fly out.”

‘Generous’. That’s the word that comes to mind when you’re served a Keystone pie.

We chose a lamb and stilton and a chicken, ham and leek pie, and received plates that nearly spilled over with huge hunks of succulent meat, rich sauce and topped with thick wedges of crisp pastry, the texture of shortbread and the homey taste of heaven.

We added chunky roasted veg, darkgolden sweet potato wedges, salty/sweet red cabbage and bacon and mashed potato as epic as its name, for a feast that was as delicious as it was hearty. When you figure that each pie only costs a fiver on Pie Night, with sides for a miniscule £1.50 each, generous really is the only word.

As the Keystone continues to celebrate what makes British pub food great, refining the menu as they go, Rich is a fountain of ideas for pushing the pub forward.

Already boasting the bohemian vibe of his Bristol pub roots – just ogle the artfully

3 Portsmouth Rd Guildford Surrey GU2 4BL Tel: 01483 575089 ----------------------

Pie

Night

---------------------Lamb and Stilton Pie £5.00 Chicken, Ham & Leek Pie £5.00 Epic Mashed Potato £1.50 Red Cabbage and Bacon £1.50 Roasted Vegetables £1.50 Twice Cooked Chips £1.50 Sweet Potato Wedges £1.50 Green Beans £1.50 ---------------------Food Total = £19.00

daubed doors that hang along one wall – Rich is revamping the entertainment schedule to include open-mic nights, Jazz brunches and stimulating evenings with renowned explorers and scientists.

Frankly, the Keystone could host nothing more than a tiddlywink tournament every Thursday; so long as they keep serving their famous pies, the hungry punters are sure to keep coming back.

27

WHERE TO EAT: Matahari, Guildford

by Rich Lee

I

’ve never been to the Far East although many people I know have done. Too many, if I’m honest. Not that I’d ever begrudge my backpacking buddies any of their travels to distant golden beaches, ‘lost’ jungle temples, hot, neon-drenched street markets and giddy full moon parties. They sound great, really. Just less so after about the sixtieth telling. I could regale them with tales of my exploits in deepest, darkest Runnymede that would make them rip up their Rough Guides, if they’d ever let me get a word in...

Not that I’m bitter, but my own Asian odyssey still looks a few years off. In the meantime, it’s highly fortunate, for me and other Surrey foodies, that the Matahari restaurant offers an astonishingly authentic taste of the Far East just off Guildford High Street.

Owner Selkie Khoo’s vision was for a restaurant that brought together the cuisines of China, Japan, Thailand and India, all blended into the unique traditions of Malaysian cooking; a fusionconcept of flavours that has been successful enough to make her restaurant a favourite of Guildford diners for eleven years and a winner of ‘Best Overall Restaurant’ at the Guildford Dining Awards.

The scope is evident in a menu crammed with enticing dishes from all corners of Asia.

Fortunately, Selkie makes a charming and thorough tour guide, talking us through the various options and the influences therein. We start –at her suggestion- with a plate of ethereally tender steamed scallops with ginger and garlic and a splash of soy. Next, Selkie promised some wonderful tofu made fresh on-site, and when the delicately fried, silky soft golden cubes arrived, garnished with spring onion and chilli, this tofu cynic quietly converted.

A pit stop before mains saw Matahari’s dedicated sushi chef show off his chops with an exquisite Japanese paradise roll: expertly rolled ‘inside out’, lightly topped with tempura prawns and jewelled with fish roe, the whole thing lifted with flavours from pickled ginger and a daring dot of hot wasabi.

Our mains presented a dish of perfectly cooked skate wings that fell off the bone into a rich spicy bean sauce, a bamboo platter spilling with nasi-gorengsambal (sticky fried rice, prawns, egg and shredded chicken) and a showstopper chef’s special coriander beef curry served simmering in a lacquered clay pot. Deeply fragrant from herbs and coconut and with a little floral note from lotus leaf, this was meltingly tender meat bathed in all the warming Thai flavours we

know and love.

That the meal was enjoyed in the winningly rustic –yet elegantinterior of the restaurant’s 500 year old listed building just added to its overall charm, making the Matahari a culinary crossroads of fantastic eastern cuisine right here in the home counties.

And Lonely Planet can quote me on that.

The Matahari Restaurant 10 Chapel Street Guildford GU1 3UH Tel: 01483 457886

www.matahariguildford.co.uk

---------------------Steamed Scallops with Minced Ginger & Garlic £6.90 House Steamed Skate Wings £14.90 Nasi-goreng-sambal (fried rice) £8.90 Sushi Paradise Roll £8.90 Chef’s Special Claypot Coriander Beef Curry £12.90 ---------------------Food total = £42.60

FOOD & DRINK

TheGuide2Surrey.com/Food-and-Drink

WHERE TO EAT: Carlo’s Trattoria

by Rich Lee

CARLo’s trattoria newlands corner guildford surrey gu4 8se tel: 01483 224180

W

hen Carlo Crosta bought a beat-up roadside café just below the lip of Newlands Corner in 1986, it didn’t take him long to carve out a little corner of his native Italy. The Trattoria that sprung up on the site of that humble little café has gone on to become one of Guildford’s most beloved family-run restaurants, winning a loyal clientele along with plenty of awards for its authentic cibo and warm welcome in the process.

And warmly welcomed we were tonight, by the man himself, Carlo, and head-waiter, Carr-r-r-melo (attempt a good-natured ‘R’ trilling contest with him at your peril). The restaurant itself exudes the relaxed, Italian Riviera feel you’d hope for; nothing’s for show except the humble pride and effortless charm of the Trattoria’s owner, his family and his team.

A glance at the menu and specials reveals classic, rustic Italian dishes with – mercifully – not a pizza in sight.

At Carlo’s, they go for the good stuff, and the good stuff starts

with proper, handmade pasta.

I have a pasta machine of my own, but there’s a reason why some foodies like me flinch when it comes to homemade pasta: it’s a right faff. Far better to come for the real thing at a place like Carlo’s. I ordered ravioli of porcini, cream and white truffle and received a plate of perfect pasta parcels swimming in rich sauce with the earthy flavour of mushroom and a subtle perfume of truffle. Elegantly simple: my pasta machine won’t be coming down from its shelf any time soon.

Across from this, another starter –I’m sorry: primi – was a neat plate of glistening avocado and luscious white crab meat. A squeeze of lemon, a dab of marie-rose sauce was all it needed - and all it got.

Secondi beckoned and the arrival of a breast of chicken supressa was all it took to confirm a happy suspicion that had been forming on my mind and palate.

This is a kitchen, led by a man, who knows exactly what a dish

www.carlostrattoria.com

needs to make it sing, to make it make wonderful sense and to do no more to it than that. A chicken breast stuffed with salty parma ham and mozzarella may be tried and true, but cooked as perfectly as this was, with ham and cheese that –shock! actually had flavour, on a smoky paprika sauce with perhaps a swirl of buttery mash here and a few greens there, well: food rarely gets better, or simpler, than this.

So too was a classic Scaloppine Funghi e Crema: tender-thin veal escalopes drenched in more cream and mushrooms – a happy hum of garlic suffusing another simple yet deeply satisfying dish.

For desserts, an Affogato al Caffé offered a tall glass layered with whipped, cinnamon laced cream and crunchy-chewy meringue; it allowed me to forego my usual post meal espresso on account of the pool of strong, dark coffee that bubbled up from its depths.

Across from this, a very pretty mascarpone cheesecake was silky and rich and bursting with zesty flavour.

---------------------garlic bread

£2.10

--porcini, cream & white truffle ravioli £10.40 avocado & white crab meat £8.80 --breast of chicken supressa £13.80 scaloppine funghie crema - escalopes of veal, white wine, cream, field & porcini mushrooms £11.90 --affogato al Caffé vanilla ice cream, espresso coffee, topped with whipped cream and cinnamon £4.80 Torta di mascarpone allo zest di limone fresh lemon and mascarpone cheesecake £5.60 ---------------------food total: £57.40

Carlo’s Trattoria is that elusive real deal: achingly authentic Italian cuisine that lets the ingredients do the talking, in a feel-good, family-run restaurant that can be as intimate or open as you want it to be.

‘Buon cibo, buoni amici, bei momenti!’

29

WHERE TO EAT: Stovell’s, Chobham

by Rich Lee

I

t’s pretty easy to walk into a place like Stovell’s with every intention of eating a meal with a normal degree of self-possession and composure. It’s just a meal after all, right?

Sure, the pleasant cottage exterior feels right at home in the countryside around Chobham and the dining room’s crisp, linen elegance belies the easy moves of the waiting staff and the happy noise of its happy clientele.

We took our seats, prepared for what was bound to be just an enjoyable meal in nice surroundings. But probably nothing to lose our minds over…

In February 2012, they opened Stovell’s (formerly the Cloche Hat) in Chobham, bringing together their fierce talent for progressive European cuisine and a love for natural, local ingredients.

A few hours later, as we emerged back into the night, it was clear from our goofy, blissed out grins that we might have just enjoyed one of the best meals we’d ever had. Seriously.

The culinary thrill ride begins even before you receive your starters. Gorgeous home-made breads with smoked butters; a wonderful ‘crystal bread’ and fermented chorizo; canapés of pickled white beans and a soup of smoked white bean; delicate infused crisps and – simply a mandatory experience at Stovell’s- wafer thin slices of heavenly dark and fatty Iberico ham, sliced from a

Chefs Fernando and Kristy Stovell met at Westminster catering college, and went on to become veterans of famous London kitchens from the Wellington to Cuckoo and beyond.

Since then the restaurant has garnered two rosettes, with a third imminent and a Michelin star or two firmly in their crosshairs. It’s fair to say that the Stovell’s star is rising and that, of course, can only be down to the sheer quality and flair found in the kind of dishes we got to try this evening.

haunch that gets wheeled among the tables of diners like a slightly inebriated and over-friendly relative.

Somehow we made it through all that and arrived at our actual starter: some of the most luxuriously buttery foie gras I’d ever tasted, drizzled with its own pan juices and complemented by roasted cobnuts and toasted brioche.

A surprise premain course of a pearlescent fillet of roast halibut came garnished with the bounty of one of Stovell’s favourite pursuits: foraging.

Little sprigs of wild garlic and borage flower brought a sweep of unfamiliar yet intriguing flavours to the dish.

A main course was a handsome medallion of meltingly tender pulled pork, puffy, aerated crackling with more wild herbs, all in a heady moat of sherry vinegar jus and macerated prunes; the sharpness cutting through the meat like a rapier.

Stovell’s 125 Windsor Road, Chobham, gu25 8qs tel: 01276 858000 www.stovells.com ---------------------foie gras, toasted cobnuts, burnt silverskin onions, hay tea dressing * pennywort --roasted halibut --pressed suckling pig, prunes, sherry vinegar, apple & cauliflower cream --dark chocolate mousse, salted caramel ---------------------£38 per person for three courses

Dessert was a sumptuous, sexy dark chocolate mousse on a stripe of salted caramel: a decadent finale to a dinner that was a dazzling adventure in tastes, textures and techniques that left us more than a little punch-drunk.

And very grateful that not all the UK’s most talented chefs reside in a place called London.

WHERE TO EAT: The Richard Onslow, Cranleigh

by Rich Lee Richard Onslow 113 - 117 High St Cranleigh Village, Surrey, GU6 8AU Tel: 01483 274922 www.therichardonslow.co.uk

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f the Richard Onslow pub in Cranleigh has been quietly redefining itself over the years to become the fine, friendly, olde/ modern establishment it is now, it’s with the arrival this year of new Head Chef Kevin Webb that this transformation finally seems complete. A local lad who made his bones at some seriously highend restaurants in London before returning to his Surrey roots, with Kevin settled into the kitchen, the Richard Onslow pub can now boast of a menu as inviting as its dining room.

A smart, cosy, soft-lit, greenpanelled space, the dining room has a touch of the old fashioned tea room about it which really suits the location. Presenting the menus and the specials board, the front of house team evidently know their new spring menu and specials inside out and are proud of them too. A good sign.

To start with, a humble dish of panfried mackerel on grilled sourdough turned out to be something rather more special: the salad it came with was flecked with pearly pink strands of rhubarb. Poaching the fruit was a canny move here – the natural sharpness replaced by a softer, mellower flavour that floated above the stronger flavour of the fish. Seasonal but not the sake of it; this was a smart, simple and delicious dish to kick things off with.

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Main course brought a juicy pork fillet cooked to a cheeky blush with curls of crispy crackling to give the teeth a good workout; it was a fine display of how to treat simple, traditional ingredients with more care and less fuss.

Where there’s pork, there’s usually apple and so a thyme and apple puree brought a fruity/herby hit while buttery soft fondant potato and silky braised leeks offered sides of vegetables with more luxury than most veg are used to.

Line Caught Mackerel, grilled sourdough and poached rhubarb

Ever had a rice pudding fritter?

Nope, neither had I. But what might have been a bowl of overpriced comfort stodge in other establishments was a much classier affair here: a neat golden square with a lightly crisp fried crust holding together creamy rice - cooked to just a bite. The whole thing gave off a happy aroma of jam doughnut, although the fruity syrup the fritter sat in was infused with just enough star anise and other exoticness to make this kid’s classic one for the grownups.

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Across the table another dessert, an artfully plated Valrhona chocolate millionaire’s shortbread, was one more sign that the chef likes his desserts decadent with more than a pinch of nostalgia thrown in. Shamefully rich, you could easily build a wall with the deliciously thick, dark ganache.

£5.50 Double baked Souffle & spring onion salad £6.50 -------------------------Pan Fried Salmon Pave, wild mushrooms, pea shoot salad £15.50 Pork Fillet, Braised Leeks, Fondant Potato, Apple Purée & Thyme Sauce £16.50

Valrhona Chocolate Millionaires Shortbread & Jude’s Salted Caramel Ice Cream £6.00 Rice Pudding Fritter & Spiced Berry Compote £5.50 -------------------------Food Total = £55.50

As a country pub, the Richard Onslow already ticks all the boxes, but as a restaurant it’s clear that Kevin Webb is a chef champing at the bit to bring a little fine-dining flair to hearty, cheery pub food.

And that can only be a good thing. Fortunately, the fine dining prices have stayed in the city which means that dining at the Richard Onslow is as good value as it is a refreshing experience of what pub food can be.

WHERE TO EAT: Jeitta, Woking

by Rich

Lee

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his May marks annual National Vegetarian Week (19th to the 25th), when the whole country is invited to enjoy the wholesome, tasty delights of a veggie diet for one week. Only seven days? Pfft. Without meaning to brag, I’ve found it fairly painless to commit to a vegetarian lifestyle before, so long as it’s very parttime, mostly involves side dishes and never asks me to eat celery.

Or cauliflower.

But since I had to review a restaurant for this month’s Where to Eat solely on its meatfree offerings, my first choice of cuisine was an easy one: Lebanese food, which in my view offers one of the most sumptuous and satisfying eating experiences of the kind that doesn’t involve a shred of animal protein.

Which is why we found ourselves at Jeitta, a modest yet charming Lebanese restaurant tucked down Church Street in Woking; it’s been a favourite of locals for well over a year now. With its sandstone walls, grass-thatched ceiling and brazier lampshades, the restaurant’s interior manages to evoke a true Mid-East flavour beyond the food on offer.

From the aromas drifting over from the open kitchen, it was clear that they do fantastic things to lamb, pork, chicken and even fish at Jeitta. But alas, they weren’t why we were here.

Fortunately, their offerings of fresh, authentic mezze and assorted veggie-friendly options were.

With not a little assistance from Jeitta’s immensely likeable manager Ma jed, it didn’t take long for our table to be filled with bowls and plates, each dish as tempting as its neighbour.

Hot and cold mezze, warm flatbreads, zingy, herby tabouleh and silky, creamy hummus; it was impossible to pick a winner

from the feast before us, and a little pointless to try. Although the mouhamara, a dish of mixed, crushed nuts served with hot sauce and olive oil came close to stealing the prize for ‘best scooped up with flatbread and rammed greedily into mouth’ from the excellent Hommus Beiruty, a more fiery take on the delicious chickpea puree.

Right behind those were some lovely salty halloumi, balls of fragrant falafel and Fatyer: baked pastry parcels of herby spinach, lemon and pine nuts.

Sadly, this decadent spread left our main courses rather in the shade, but the stews of French bean Loubieh and the okra and coriander Bamia B’Zeit still managed to satisfy without showing off.

With such varied and delicious vegetarian options, I’m happy to say that the meat wasn’t missed, at least on this visit.

It should also be said that the restaurant’s bring-your-own-bottle policy certainly simplifies the experience, allowing their unique alcohol free cocktails and juices to shine through.

Veggie or not, Jeitta offers the warmest of welcomes and is a great place to explore the flavours of the Mediterranean Middle East without overly bothering your bank account.

Next month’s Where to Eat, however, should be all about National Meat Week. Although I’ll probably have to invent that first.

Jeitta 9 Church Path, Woking, GU21 6EJ Tel: 01483 730745 www.jeitta.com ---------------------Flatbreads Hommos Beiruty Mousakaa B’Zeit Hindbeh Falafel Halloumi Cheese Fatayer Spinach Bazenjal Al-Rahib Mouhamara ----

£1.00 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £4.00 £4.50 £4.50 £4.50 £6.00

Loubieh with Rice & French Beans £8.00 Bamia B’Zeit with Rice Stew £8.00 ---------------------Food Total for tWO: £54.00

For more information on National Vegetarian Week visit nationalvegetarianweek and for ideas, try our recipes on pages 42 and 43.

WHERE TO EAT: Sands at Bleak House

by Rich Lee

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here’s a certain romance to the setting that Sands at Bleak House enjoys. Perhaps it’s the proximity to the lovely heath and forest surrounding Horsell Common, or maybe it’s just the stylish yet homey interior; a space of snug corners, warm woods, cool grey tones and gently glinting glass and tableware. In any case, sat as it is along the leafy Chertsey Road, Sands could have been a highwayman’s inn in another time; a thought that pleases me if no one else.

But anyway, this pub, restaurant and inn has long had a reputation as a better-than-many destination for people who like to eat and drink and to have a relaxed time while doing so. But what drew us tonight was the new menu and the new chef behind it.

A Guildford lad and industry veteran, Ben Parris has worked at some of the finest kitchens in the UK including the Savoy and the Oxo Tower, and has cooked for royals and heads of state. Here, in a rather more modest kitchen, he looks relaxed and happy despite the brisk business his new menu is pulling in and tells us: “It’s just good to be behind the stove again. Here I can use great ingredients at their very best, simply and with very little fuss.

Just as it should be.”

Not that he’s afraid to turn on the technique. Take the mackerel starter: Cooked escabèche style – that is, where the fish is slowly bathed in an citrus/vinegar marinade – this exquisite fillet, frilled with delicately pickled vegetables, swapped mackerel’s usual smoky punch for a sharper, tangy flavour. A quick swipe through a swirl of horseradish

cream brought a little bold fire and made this an utterly beguiling dish of contrasts to kick things off.

alongside a trim blood orange cheesecake with a sharp, sweet lemon sorbet.

A black pudding scotch egg proved a rustic yet altogether more refined affair than you’d expect given the earthy, mousselike filling, runny egg centre and crisp panko crumb crust. A genius stroke of apple puree and this dish was done.

Service here walks an easy line between mannered charm and winking informality. So with a chef of Parris’ skill in the kitchen, and a tight, focussed menu, the future for Sands at Bleak House looks anything but bleak.

Mains brought a plate of pan fried chicken breast –the bird cooked to tender, juicy perfectionscattered with golden new potatoes, flecks of tarragon and tomato and a cauliflower puree so silky and butter-rich it hurt. In a nice way.

Sands at Bleak House

The true star, for me, was a dish of spring lamb, cooked pink and dripping, laid over a heap of French style peas. Little slivers of crispy bacon help, of course, as do sweet roasted button onions and a gentle hum of wild garlic.

But when it’s all sat on a russet cream sauce enriched with chicken jus such as this was, well: after the meal’s finished you’ll find it impossible not to steal swipes of it with your fingertip when you think no one’s watching.

Desserts at Sands are every bit as deft: a dangerously glossy and rich chocolate tart demonstrating Chef Parris’ skill with sweet things

Chertsey Rd, Woking, Surrey GU21 5NL Tel: 01483 756988 sandsatbleakhouse.co.uk -------------------------Set 3 Course Menu – £25.50 -------------------------Mackerel Escabeche, Beetroot, Horseradish & Watercress Pan Seared Breast of Chicken, roasted cauliflower puree, new potatoes Chocolate & Coconut Tart, chocolate crunch, coconut cream -------------------------Black Pudding Scotch Egg, Apple Puree, Mixed Leaf Salad £8.50 Roasted Rump of Lamb, French Style Peas, Roasted Garlic Aioli £18.75 Blood Orange Cheesecake, Lemon Sorbet £6.50

FOOD & DRINK

TheGuide2Surrey.com/Food-and-Drink

WHERE TO EAT: The Anchor in Ripley

by Rich Lee

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hile The Anchor in Ripley doesn’t claim to be a ‘GastroPub’, hewing closer in spirit to a friendly, family-orientated village pub, you’d be lucky (if that’s even the word) to find neither a single breaded scampi or, at the other end of the chronically overdone pub food spectrum, pork belly.

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ut you’d expect no less since the pub was taken over last year by one of Ripley’s best known residents, Michelin-starred Chef Steve Drake and his wife Serina, owners of the eponymous Drake’s restaurant over the road, who along with friends Chris and Lisanne Mealing, breathed new life into the Grade II listed building with a crisp, white paintjob inside and a talented new team including one of Drake’s best young chefs Michael WallPalmer handling cooking duties.

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heirs is a summer menu that fully embraces the season, with tantalising pairings of soft fruits with fish and meat that sing with intriguing flavours

and textures. Such was the case with a starter of delicately pan-fried grey mullet spiked with sweet, sharp raspberries and mellowed with softer beetroot. Perched on top of charred watermelon, the smokier-than-usual flavour of the fruit complemented the fish subtly and superbly.

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ts fellow starter, a generous salad of salty and succulent air-dried ham, tumbled with juicy, fragrant peaches and even more aromatic pecorino cheese and basil was a delight, given a little micro crunch from black poppy seeds.

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ains upped the ante with a simply decorated dish of lamb, softly-braised finger of fennel and a rich mash; the meaty, mouth-watering puck oozing flavour with that little kiss of anchovy that lamb loves so well. My own cep casserole with truffle marinated potatoes defied expectation; it came wrapped in a silky spinach parcel and a rich cream sauce that hummed with exquisite notes from garlic and truffle. It was as

musky and heady as a woodland stroll and just as enchanting.

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esserts brought an exceptional dish of strawberries and balsamic marshmallows, blobbed with a little balsamic reduction, the whole set off wonderfully by a lemon thyme cream in between crisp pastry that brought the scent of a cottage garden indoors. So too did a frozen lavender mousse, scattered with blueberries, coulis and given some crunch from a ginger granola. If lavender as an ingredient isn’t to everyone’s taste, a dessert like this is good place to turn them around.

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t’s thanks to restaurants like Drakes and wonderful coffee shops like Nest and Pinnock’s that Ripley has long been one of the jewels in Surrey’s food scene. Now, with The Anchor serving such enticing food alongside some seriously good wines and ales, the village’s top-heavy crown just got a little heavier.

The Anchor High Street Ripley Surrey GU23 6AE Tel: 01483 211866 www.ripleyanchor.co.uk --Grey Mullet, Charred Watermelon, Raspberry & Beetroot Dressing £8.00 British air-dried Ham & Peach salad, Basil & Pecorino cheese £7.50 --Slow-cooked Lamb Shoulder, Fennel, Broad Beans & Anchovy £17.00 Truffle marinated potatoes & Cep Mushroom casserole £12.00 Carrots & parsley butter £3.50 Hand-cut chips £3.50 --Frozen lavender mousse, blueberries & ginger granola £6.00 Strawberries, lemon thyme cream, balsamic marshmallow & yoghurt sorbet £6.00 Food Total = £63.50

TheGuide2Surrey.com/Food-and-Drink

FOOD & DRINK

WHERE TO EAT: Olivo

1997 was the year that Fulvio and Nicky Bertani opened their love letter to little Italy halfway up Quarry Street, giving birth to a cherished foodie spot in the process.

Indeed, for we that have lived and worked in Guildford for many years, it’s hard to imagine the town without good ol’ Olivo.

pink blush in the middle, this handsome slab of fish would put a rib eye to shame in the heartiness stakes.

Cosy as a cottage thanks to low, timber beams that date the building back to its 1660’s origins, yet hardly lacking in style, Olivo is a warm, friendly place that can be enjoyed for any kind of meal, be it a quick bite over business or a long, languid afternoon outside on the terrace. But it’s a place that feels custom-fit for romantics seeking intimate dining in a restaurant oozing with character.

Sat on a bed of crushed potatoes, a liberal dusting of crumbed pistachios, parsley and dill really perfumed the dish.

Olivo is most popular, of course, with those seeking authentic, delicious Italian food.

So it was with two starters that exemplified this cuisine’s unfussy fondness for great ingredients and flavours. There were skewers of meaty swordfish and juicy prawns drizzled in herby olive oil and a plate of cured, sliced and salty duck breast over a salad of roasted vegetables. Good, simple, clean flavours to kick off a meal.

But where the starters were light and nimble, mains were generous to the point of being intimidating – in a good way. Take the tuna steak. Chargrilled to a nice

Across from this a Tagliata di Manzo – a 10oz scotch sirloin steak – was all chunks of beefy loveliness, juicy pink and dripping and tumbled over an olive wood board. An absolutely outstanding onion, mushroom and mustard sauce, when dribbled over the meat and running into the juices, was too good for words. Apart from one: utterly delicious.

Okay that was two.

Desserts don’t deviate from the expected and that’s fine. There are gelatos by the scoopful, but a lovely pear and almond tart was a pre-emptive autumn hug and a pannacotta spiked with limoncello was silky smooth and simply spot on.

The secret of Olivo’s success and longevity is clear: 17 years serving unpretentious yet superb Italian food with warm, easy service in a dining space as homey and inviting as they come, all at great value to the customer... well, how do you say ‘no-brainer’ in Italian?

Olivo 53 Quarry St Guildford Surrey GU1 3UA www.olivo.co.uk 01483 303 535 --Spiedini di Mare Swordfish and prawn skewers £7.90 Insalate D’Anatra Duck breast salad £7.50 --Tonno al Balsamico Char grill tuna steak, pistachio & aromatic herb crust £14.95 Tagliata di Manzo 10oz Char-grilled scotch sirloin steak, mushroom, onion & mustard sauce £20.95 --Pear & almond tart £5.50 Pannacotta £6.00 --Food Total = £62.80

TheGuide2Surrey.com/Food-and-Drink

FOOD & DRINK

WHERE TO EAT: Oisi, West Byfleet

By Rich Lee Five years can be a long time in the restaurant game. Unless you’re in the business of crowd-pleasing curries and takeaway Chinese, that is, of which Byfleet is hardly lacking.

But for something as relatively niche as Japanese cuisine (niche here in the ‘burbs that is), a restaurant like Oisi that has been serving authentic Japanese food for half a decade stands out as a welcome success.

The smiling photographs that line the walls of this restaurant certainly attest to the many friends that Oisi has won over those years, with a few famous faces among them. It’s easy to see why, simply from the exotic yet homely charm of the dining room. Leave the Old Woking Road, descend the spiral staircase and you’ll find yourself in a soothing, intimate space of reds, blacks and brick walls, Japanese prints, soft lighting and the gentle music of a water fountain.

Owned and run by the Kwon family, many of the dishes here have arrived by way of Mrs Kwon’s father, a celebrated chef back in Japan. We chose a set course menu to explore a broad sample of Oisi’s offerings, beginning with a bowl of intensely savoury miso soup, followed by a house salad with a vibrant and tangy dressing, bursting with Eastern flavours.

Next were chicken gyoja; exquisite little dumplings of meat and vegetables. So far, so light and tasty, we thought, but it became clear that Oisi like to start your meal off gently before building towards something resembling a small banquet. Things got serious when the sashimi arrived; delicate, almost translucent slices

of achingly fresh raw sea bass, tuna and salmon. If the idea of ‘raw’ fish such as this is one you avoid, consider it an acquired taste that you must acquire as soon as possible. With a little curl of pickled ginger, a dab of fiery wasabi and a quick swipe through some soy sauce; this becomes food to make you glow.

Light and crispy tempura vegetables and prawns followed and then mains; another generous selection of sashimi and expertly rolled sushi jewelled with roe and a steaming, fragrant bowl of beef tobanyaki; a rich, salty and earthy dish swimming with tender ribbons of meat and vegetables.

Desserts are few but an ice cream fried in a tempura shell was a pleasing novelty to round off one of the most satisfying meals we have enjoyed for some time.

It’s heartening that Oisi are so confident in their brand that they have their sights set on expanding into franchises, and for those keen to sharpen their own sushi skills they already run a popular cookery school. But for any casual diner seeking one of the healthiest, delicious and enticing cuisines around they’ll find it at this wonderful family restaurant.

Oisi Japanese Restaurant 41 Old Woking Rd West Byfleet Surrey KT14 6LG Tel: 01932 351357 www.oisi.co.uk --Set course B: Starters Miso Soup Oisi House Salad Chicken Gyoza Saki and Akami Sashimi Tempura Moriawase Main Beef Tobanyaki with Rice --Dessert Tempura Ice Cream Coffee £48.00 per person

WHERE TO EAT: L’Aroma, Woking

By Rich Lee An Italian eatery has stood on this quiet spot along the quiet east end of Woking’s High Street for almost three decades. But it was with the arrival of Michael Vicidomme and Antonio Assante twelve years ago that L’Aroma became Woking’s favourite Italian restaurant.

That authentic sense of an unpretentious, family-friendly Neapolitan restaurant can be felt in every nook and cranny at L’Aroma; it’s a space of bright woods, rustic brick arches and Italian vistas realised in ceramic mosaics. Greeted warmly, we took our seats and were presented with a very attractive wine list, an a la carte menu and an outrageously good value Quick Lunch menu (2 courses for £7!).

We began with a simple caprese tricolore – a salad of vine tomatoes, mozzarella and avocado that was simple, light and elegant while a funghi al dolcelatte was its heavy, indulgent opposite: fat, juicy mushrooms atop toasted focaccia smothered in a creamy sauce humming with garlic.

A quick diversion before the main course brought a handsome disc of fine and fragrant goat’s cheese, melting above a bed

of roasted red peppers over a focaccia crostini, with a very pleasant whiff of basil and a splash of balsamic cutting through the richness.

Next, a generous bowl of steaming-fresh, amber coloured egg Tagliatelle, with salmon, brought a hit of the sea and the herb garden with the perfume of tarragon. Across from this, I enjoyed an achingly authentic saltimbocca; that classic marriage of tenderised veal rolled in prosciutto and cooked in white wine, sage and butter; aromatic, hearty and perfect with golden roasted vegetables.

To finish, we bypassed the obvious tiramisu and pannacotta and chose a fonduta di cioccolato; an artfully presented slate of warm dark chocolate, playfully surrounded by things to dip into it: marshmallows, cut strawberries, cocoa-dusted bananas, and the fluffiest profiteroles. Great to eat and fun to share. L’Aroma likes you to have fun…

Too many small Italian restaurants, in my experience, seem content to coast by on standard, tried and true dishes, giving them little polish, thought or flair and relying only on customers’ vague notion of ‘authenticity’ to do the heavy lifting for them. Not so at L’Aroma though, where the chef’s pride is clear, the service is sincere and value for money rarely tastes so good.

L’Aroma 16 High Street Woking GU21 6BW Tel: 01483 770742 www.laromarestaurants.com ---Caprese Tricolore Vine Tomato, sliced Mozzarella and Avocado Tagliatelle al Salmone Quick Lunch Menu: two Courses £7 --Funghi al DolceLatte Sauteed mushrooms in dolcelatte sauce £ 6.45 --Crostino di Formaggio Caprino Warm Goats Cheese Crumble, red peppers and toasted focaccia £ 6.50 Involitini di Vitello Saltimbocca Rolled veal escalopes cooked in a white wine, butter and sage sauce £ 14.50 --Fonduta di cioccolato Dark Chocolate with Strawberries, bananas & vanilla ice cream profiteroles £4.50 Food Total = £38.95

WHERE TO EAT:

The Angel Dining Rooms

By Rich Lee

Cast your minds back to the heady days of, oh – about six weeks ago. The leaves had begun to turn as summer was coming to a gentle end. We’d eaten well, us foodies, and lo we were thankful. The light, bright dishes of summer had made their point and made it well, but now our thoughts and appetites were turning to the dark and hearty delights of autumn. Fortunately, Chris Connor at the Angel Dining Rooms and the historic Angel Hotel, was one of the first Guildford chefs out of the gate with his seasonal menu.

It looked good. So we went.

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eneath the long arched ceiling of what used to be the hotel’s ballroom, we found a restaurant radiating easy class and an echo of glitzy times gone by. It’s clear why the place is popular for functions; but even without them, the Angel Dining Rooms has proven a draw for diners, seeking modern British cuisine that remains stubbornly authentic and independent in the face of a tide of chain restaurants elsewhere in town.

Lunch began with a delicately seared pigeon breast on black pudding with a swirl of Cumberland sauce; a delicious reminder of the earthy sweet flavour of this underused bird. No dainty quail egg was damaged in the making of this dish; instead a gorgeous, oozing duck egg in a crisp, light batter lent its golden loveliness to the plate.

For mains, a bavette of Surrey Farms beef had clearly enjoyed every minute of its eight-hour, 58° soak in the sous vide machine, and emerged soft, pink and

meltingly tender. A handsome fondant potato soaked up a sweet jus magnificently, but a fantastic flourish came in the form of an ox cheek ‘tarte tatin’ perched jauntily on top: a happy crown of deeply salty ox cheek in a halo of puff pastry.

A warm autumn fruit crumble, ripe with apples, pears and blackberries, neither too tart or too sweet, and layered in sweet, crunchy golden topping with a gentle hum of cinnamon - made us grateful to bid farewell to summer (providing we could eat this every night until it returns).

If you haven’t been before, know that there’s some seriously good cooking to be found at the Angel Dining Rooms. Many chefs spout tired old lines about how they love to “Put the ingredients and the flavours first.”

Chris Connor does precisely that but without feeling need to beat you round the head with it. His food simply speaks for itself, and very eloquently too.

The Angel Dining Rooms The Angel Hotel 91 High Street Guildford Surrey, GU1 3DP T: 01483 533537 www.angeldiningrooms.co.uk

South Downs Pigeon Breast Crispy duck egg, black pudding £7.50 Rabbit & Game Terrine Fig & cranberry chutney, brioche £7.25 --Surrey Farms ‘sous vide’ bavette of beef Confit potato, ox cheek £17.95 South Downs Venison Haunch Anna potatoes, carrots, berries £18.75 --Autumn Crumble Vanilla apple ice cream, cinnamon £6.25 Muscat poached pears & granola Gorgonzola, lavender milk, white lion walk honey £6.25 Food Total = £63.95

Talking to...Tony

Law

By Rich Lee

What do you most like about British Culture and what do you like the least?

It’s hard to define a British culture. I love most everything about these islands. The things I hate are prevalent everywhere, like sexism, so I guess I find it hard to singularly love or hate large groups of people lumped together. The music has been both the best and the worst in the world for sure. Remember the opening ceremony at the last Olympics?

Then remember the closing?

How is that scamp, Cartridge Davison, your time travelling sausage dog (from Tony’s ‘Dog of Time’ tour)?

Poor bugger has gone blind now. Blind scamp.

What jobs did you have prior to stand-up comedy and what was the worst?

Shedloads. Worst, easily working in the pork abattoir sorting guts. Oh and at the royal parks clearing up rubbish.

Tony Law has become one of the most talked about comics in the country in the last few years, thanks to his storming success at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2011 (with show, ‘Got Mr Tony Go!’, winner of the Amused Hi Tony.

Don’t mean to be rude Moose Laughter but what are you exactly?

Award).

His appearance on Nevermind the Buzzcocks shortly after won him a whole new army of fans, rallied by his demented brand of surreal lunacy.

And awesome face fuzz.

Canadian? Irish? Scottish?

Your accent’s a little all over the place…

Well see, what does it even mean? Where are any of us from? My first 19 years were mostly in Canada but also Trinidad. My Dads from Norn Iron, my mum’s Trini. Then I moved to London 23 years ago but I’ve spent about 3 years of that abroad in various places.

So I’ve lived longer in London than anywhere else. So now I am from London I guess.

Or all of those places.

Do you find it hard to turn off after a gig? Do you ever call family or friends after and just blurt crazy at them?

Nope. I’m really buzzing and happy and then I phone my wife for a lovely chat. If it’s been a tough one she teases me which reminds me of reality.

Tony Law performs his Enter the Tonezone show at Aldershot’s West End Centre on Wednesday 22nd October.

Tickets are available from the box office at

www3.hants.gov.uk/ westendcentre Visit Tony’s website

www.mrtonylaw.com

Talking to... CARDINAL BURNS

By Rich Lee Now into their second series on Channel Four, the anarchic comedy duo of Seb Cardinal and Dustin Demri-Burns are taking their deliriously funny sketch show on tour with an appearance at G Live on 1st November…

How did you two first meet and when did you realise you had a great comedic connection?

us and asked (begged) us to develop a sketch show originally for E4.

We met as film students in Edinburgh and pretty much clicked straight away. We spent a large amount of time impersonating lecturers and creating odd characters together, and started recording characters on a dictaphone and making up weird scenes.

That was the origins of lots of characters that made it into our show like the Office Flirt, Rachel and Yumi, Phil and Terry, Banksy etc.

Have you found TV comedy to be liberating in ways live work comedy is not?

Was it difficult to pitch a sketch show to TV executives originally?

Sketch shows can be a tough sell as commissioners are often scared off by the hit and miss nature of them. We didn’t exactly have to pitch the show cold as we were already performing a live sketch/ character show as part of the Edinburgh Festival when Shane Allen –then head of comedy at Channel 4 – came to watch

It works both ways. The filming process itself can be very liberating as often there’s room for improvisation, varying each take and finding new jokes within a scene. On a live night you can’t exactly ask the audience if you can go again if the joke didn’t quite land.

But live work can be incredibly liberating in its simplicity. It’s about the two of us on stage in front of an audience.

Who have been your favourite characters to play over the TV series and live shows?

They’re all fun to play but at the moment I particularly enjoy playing Jonesy and Metcalf in the live shows as we get to ‘banter’ with the audience. I also particularly enjoyed playing Curtis in the second series.

What would you say is the Cardinal Rule of sketch comedy?

We see what you’ve done there.

There is no hard and fast rule. A few rules we do go by though: to always be very honest with an idea and to make sure that we both find it funny and original.

It’s good to consider all the ways and possible routes it can go so that we’re not taking the easy option but the funniest.

Could we see a feature length film from you two in the near future?

That is certainly something we’ve always harboured ambitions for and would eventually love to achieve. Don’t worry, we’re busy scribbling.

Cardinal Burns

are performing at G Live on Saturday 1st November.

Tickets available from the box office online at

www.glive.co.uk or 0844 7701 797

Talking to ADELE PARKS With fourteen best-selling novels to her name, Guildford-based author Adele Parks has been a passionate supporter of the Guildford Book Festival as well as patron for the last four years.

Here she tells us about her love affair with the written word…

By Rich Lee What are your earliest memories of reading?

I was lucky enough to grow up in a house where reading was encouraged, for which I’m eternally grateful. It was definitely seen as a form of entertainment, alongside playing with toys and watching TV. My parents pitched the habit brilliantly; often children are put off reading if they associate it with work, rather than play. I’m so grateful to my parents for making reading fun.

Is there a book or author that you have returned to again and again over the course of your life?

I have re-read Pride and Prejudice several times; I’m aware that’s not a particularly unique thing! I also enjoy revisiting anything by Rosamond Lehmann or Evelyn Waugh. Of course, to be able to return to something again and again demands that it’s discovered quite early - I’m more interested in discovering new books than re-reading.

What has you most excited about this year’s Book Festival?

It’s very tricky to choose; our festival is attracting a wonderful calibre of author. If forced to pick the one thing I’m most excited about I think I would say that it’s attending Reader’s Day on Saturday 18th. The Reader’s Day is a mini festival all in one. John Boyne (author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas), Elizabeth

Fremantle and Esther Freud are amongst this year’s line-up. Brilliant!

How did you get involved with the festival?

I first appeared at Guildford Book Festival about 12 years ago, on a panel event with two other authors; we were all just beginning our careers. Nine years ago we moved to Guildford and I started to get more closely involved with the festival. I was invited to be an official patron of the festival four years ago and I take the role very seriously.

Although best known for women’s fiction, this year you offer your perspective on WWI at the festival. What do you find most compelling about the war as a writer?

lived in London but as our son was reaching school age we were keen to recreate the sort of childhoods we’d had. We wanted to offer him a more rural environment and a close community; however I didn’t want to feel cut off. Guildford offers the best of both worlds; we have the most beautiful countryside on our doorstep but our town is buzzy and vibrant.

Have you surrendered to a Kindle yet?

Kindles are convenient and do have advantages but I like paper copies of books. I think they are objects of beauty and inspiration.

Our house is full of them, as you’d imagine!

WWI is fascinating to me. There are endless stories of courage, bravery, mistakes and tragedies.

In Spare Brides I wanted to tell the stories of a generation of women who endured the unimaginable with such beautiful dignity. I’m thrilled my first historical novel has been so well received and I look forward to talking about it at the festival.

What drew you to Guildford and what do you enjoy about the town and the area?

My husband, Jim, has lived in Guildford since he was eighteen.

When we first married we

Adele Parks latest novel Spare Brides was published in February 2014 by Headline.

ENTERTAINMENT

SEPTEMBER 2014

Talking to... ROBERT NEWMAN

by Rich Lee On Friday 19th and Saturday 20th September, Robert Newman brings his critically acclaimed New Theory of Evolution show to G-Live. Rich Lee caught up with the comic to discuss taking back Darwin and giant, floating slugs...

Your successful 2006 stage show, the History of Oil, explored geopolitics and the looming threat of peak oil. With your New Theory of Evolution, how do you manage to make such dense and serious subjects funny?

I think the difficult thing is to get laughs out of the usual stale, trite fare. When you tackle complexity then there is a wealth of detail, oodles of oddity which lend themselves to comedy.

And natural history is so full of freaky facts, such as the communities of social amoeba that come together in times of food shortage to form a giant slug which then turns into a sticky bit which then releases a balloon that flies to where there is more food, which, in their case, is decaying bark full of bacteria…

Do you think contemporary comedians could be doing more to address important issues?

The great pity is that they do. They address important issues from a deplorably reactionary point of view.

Robert Newman performs his ‘New Theory of Evolution’ show at Guildford’s G Live on Friday 19th September and Saturday 20th September. Tickets available from the box office at www.3.hants.gov.uk/westendcentre.

Visit www.robnewman.com for more Newman news.

Does your New Theory of Evolution have a specific target in mind?

The show is, on one level, an anti-Dawkins polemic.

One plank of my New Theory of Evolution is that there’s as much cooperation as competition in nature.

Darwin thought so too.

But Darwin’s theory of evolution has been hijacked by a reductive ideology that has left people with a narrow, pessimistic view of human nature and of society.

There’s a strong Vaudevillian aesthetic that weaves through much of your image and material. Where does your affinity for that particular era come from?

Yes, the show has got a few Victorian references, or at least late nineteenth century ones. There’s Darwin of course, and a bit set in the 1880s about the Russian geologist Prince Kropotkin -a dead ringer for the singer from Fleet Foxes- who escaped from a Tsarist prison and wrote Mutual Aid a Factor In Evolution.

You play a mean ukulele.

Ever thought of becoming a musical recording artist?

As Joe Strummer once said, ‘Know Your Limits.’

Talking to…

Paul Merton

By Rich Lee

P

aul Merton has been a legendary wit on screen and stage for nearly 30 years. With the release of his autobiography, Only When I Laugh, he will be closing out the Guildford Book Festival on 19th October with an appearance at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre. We caught up with one of Britain’s finest comic minds ahead of this unmissable event…

How did you decide that this was the right time to write your autobiography?

It goes back to when I was in my late teens, just starting out in comedy. Showbusiness biographies were my favourite reading, so I reckoned that if the career I hoped for materialised, and I was still known by my mid50s, then perhaps my story might be worth writing about. At this age you’ve still got the energy and recollection of those early days and, hopefully, still got a bit of road ahead of you, so it felt like a good time to do it.

As a performer, how did you adapt to the rather solitary act of writing the book?

I write by hand, which as you imagine slows things down a bit. I could learn to type of course, but I don’t have a computer or even a mobile phone.

And to

make it even more pre 1947 I only write in pencil! But it can be solitary of course, so when asked ‘how do you write 100,000 words?’ then it’s the old P.G Wodehouse advice: you do it by securing the seat of your trousers to the seat of the chair and you do it every day.

Were there moments of your life that you were reluctant to write about in Only When I Laugh?

In most circumstances I write about my own feelings with honesty, but when you’re writing about other people, there’s only so much you want to say. There are no unflattering portraits about other people in there – I’d be absolutely furious if that happened to me in someone else’s book!

When you were young, did you see comedy as an escape from your working class background?

I knew that for the working class, the traditional route to find success was either sport or showbusiness. But for me it was less an escape from class, more of an escape from the boring life of 1970s Morden. I just wanted to do exciting stuff.

Did you want to be a comic for the sake of the craft alone, or did you want the fame along with it?

The ‘fame’ is a very ego thing and when I was a kid playing on my own, I’d imagine myself entertaining an audience of children forever. But now I’m older, I do see it [comedy] as a craft and I would be just as fulfilled directing something I’d written with actors that I wouldn’t be in. The little direction I have done in the past I’ve absolutely loved.

So what film projects do you have in your sights?

Now that the hard work in terms of the book is out of the way, film is the next thing for me.

There’s a real thirst for British comedy films at the moment – the recent Inbetweeners film was enormously successful, for example. So I’ve got a script that I’m two thirds through with my wife Suki (Webster). If I get that right on paper then I’m really up and running and hope it’ll come to fruition over the next 18 months.

What would you say, if you could go back, to the young Paul Martin that you write about in Only When I Laugh?

I’d say to him, “You’re never going to believe this…” (laughs). “Just keep going, I know it seems impossible at the moment, keep practising your writing and don’t give up. You’ll be amazed.”

ENTERTAINMENT

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Interview: HARDEEP SINGH KOHLI

you’re never that far from that immature, excitable teenager that constantly resides within....

F

Surely your kitchen skills are a major weapon in your arsenal of love?

by Rich Lee

Arsenal? We make love sound like war! Sure, it’s great to be able to cook and feed but I reckon the decisions are made long before she comes round to try my food! I’d struggle to date a vegetarian, I have to say. A love of food, the desire to embrace and celebrate food is so much part of who I am...

You moved back to your native Scotland last year. What are your views on the upcoming referendum on independence and how do you plan to vote?

ollowing a run at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the comedian, broadcaster, journalist, and chef brings his hilarious hour of stand-up to Guildford…

Hi Hardeep. Here we are, firmly in 2014. What are you looking forward to in the year ahead?

It’s a big year for Scotland and for me! My first pure stand up show. No cooking, no kitchen, just me and a mic.

Aside from your current tour, what else are you working on?

I have a few Radio 4 programmes to make. I do love broadcasting. I’ve just been signed up by the Huffington Post which is great. I’m still very much involved with food and food writing. I’ve just joined the team at a great gastropub in London, The Truscott Arms, where I’m doing quizzes and events and cooking food.

Author, broadcaster, comedian, journalist. Do you have a favourite?

I am all about telling stories, connecting with people.

However I can do that, I’m happy. If I wasn’t doing the work I am I’d be that bloke propping up the bar, boring everyone with his stories. They all have much to recommend.

Live shows are special because it’s all about the moment.

I’m very much in favour of independence. There’s a new generation of Scots, like me, who love England and the English. We will always have a very special relationship between our countries; you can’t destroy centuries of history. I just feel that the relationship will be stronger, more vibrant and better balanced if Scotland runs its own affairs. Of course I always want Scotland to beat England at any sport (highly unlikely though that may be) but as someone who has lived half my life in England l also want them to do well. This is the future. But not at all funny...

In 2006 you reached the final in the first series of BBC One’s Celebrity MasterChef. Would you Haggis or Curry? take on Celebrity Great British Haggis curry... I’ve cooked it Bakeoff? How’s your Victoria many times!

Sponge?

How well do you know I do enjoy the Bake Off but Guildford?

I’m no baker! I love a Victoria Sponge but am fairly certain there are myriad better sponge bakers out there! In fact, there’s a chapter in my first book devoted to an incident in my childhood centred around a stolen Victoria Sponge....still many painful memories...

Your current show examines romance in middle age. Do you think age brings certain advantages when it comes to love?

At 45 one has definitely lived more of life. Hopefully that makes a person more interesting, more balanced, a more rounded individual. On the other hand you can get set in your ways, unadventurous and frankly dull! As a man though,

My son is at college in Guildford so it takes on a greater significance to me. I have friends and family in the area.

I’m really looking forward to the show!

What can your audience expect to see at your show?

It’s very personal, perhaps a little surprising. Love and sex and romance are both beautiful and basic... Ultimately my hope is that we share an evening of familiar and new experiences...

Hardeep is performing at G Live on Friday 7th March. Tickets cost £12 and are available from glive.co.uk

09

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ENTERTAINMENT Is he as cool as the Fonz in real life?

He is! Well, he is the Fonz as an older man.

There are mannerisms of his that belong to the Fonz. It was great to meet him and to work with him. He’s so genuine and down to earth.

What is it like to star with the legend that is Bucks Fizz singer Cheryl Baker?

H

appy days is the new musical from the creator of the original hit television series comes to Woking’s New Victoria Theatre from March 31st to April 5th. Starring Emmerdale’s Ben Freeman as the epitome of cool, the Fonz, and Bucks Fizz’ Cheryl Baker as Mrs Cunningham, this rocking new show brings 50’s Americana to life like never before.

We spoke to Fonzie’s feisty love interest, Pinky Tuscadero, played by singer and actress Heidi Range, best known as the longest serving member of pop band the Sugababes…

Hi Heidi. How would you describe your character, Pinky Tuscadero?

She’s kind of a female version of Fonzie in a way. She’s older than the other girls and they all look up to her. She’s a motorbike chick who puts Fonzie in his place!

Why do you think productions like Happy Days, Grease and Jersey Boys remain so popular?

I think there’s a nostalgia to it and it’s so different to anything we’re used to. It takes you to a different place and I love the style of the songs. And with all these types of shows, there’s an innocence to them that we don’t get to see a lot of these days.

She’s fabulous. I get on with her so well and have made a really good friend in Cheryl.

She’s great playing Mrs Cunningham and backstage she’s such a laugh. She’s like a mother figure to everyone. One of my favourite numbers in the show is one that I do with her and Emma who plays Joanie.

Has leaving the Sugababes liberated you to explore new projects that are close to your heart such as Happy Days: the New Musical?

Completely! I was lucky enough to have eleven years in Sugababes which is an amazing amount of time for a pop band.

I’ve seen the world and done some amazing things but it was time to move on. Now I just want to be me and do what I want to do. I’ve done theatre before, but it’s been a long time.

I’m learning things all over again but I’m loving it!

What can audiences expect to get out of Happy Days: the New Musical?

Just a really fun night out, something that’s uplifting. It’s funny, the dancing and music is amazing and the sets are brilliant.

It takes you back to a different time!

The original Fonzie, Henry Winkler, has been a creative consultant on the musical.

PHOTO CREDIT: PAUL COLTAS

17

What do you do?

‘Me’

Nigel Wilkinson SPECIAL EFFECTS WIZARD ON

I work in physical special effects for TV and Film, designing, creating and building whatever it takes to fulfil the director’s vision. It can be anything from a rainy day to a big action disaster scene and some very strange things in between.

How did your career get started?

I started at Pinewood Studios working for a small SFX company, learning the business as a trainee from the ground up. We specialised in commercials and pop videos: anything from full size rotating rooms for Jamiroquai videos to splashing water over shampoo bottles for adverts. I once sat in a tree for several hours just dropping leaves…

What do you most enjoy about your work?

I love the creativity and the challenge of making the impossible possible. A film crew is like a big family, so the camaraderie is great and it’s good fun to be around each other. There’s never a dull moment and every day is a new challenge. We go to amazing locations from beaches to boats to slums (we once built a slum set next to a real slum only for the locals to move in after we left).

What are the most essential tools in your box of tricks?

An adjustable spanner, a Leatherman, WD40 and a roll of gaffer tape. Never go on a job without them!

LOCA L P E O PLE , E X T R AO R DI NARY L I VE S .

Which iconic special effect in cinema history do you wish you could have worked on?

The streaks of fire left by the DeLorean time machine from Back to the Future. I’d love to say that one was mine!

How does it feel to watch your efforts on the screen?

It’s great to see the end product of months of hard work coming together and a great surprise as it’s sometimes a year later that we get to see our work in its full context. We won the Emmy for special effects last year for Game of Thrones, which was a real testament to the hard work of the crew.

You’ve worked alongside some of the biggest actors and directors in TV and film. Do you still get starstruck?

It’s strange but I don’t really. I find actors never quite look how you imagine them to in real life. I often find myself not recognising them in the dinner queue or something. Although my wife was very excited to be behind Jon Snow on the plane to Belfast once!

Which character from Game of Thrones do you share the most similarities with?

As a special effects crew we are probably most like the Spider. We do loads of things behind the scenes that no one sees or probably realises that we do.

Special effects aren’t just the big bangs but the atmosphere, the rain in the background, a fire in a grate, a leaf blowing by, the snow on the floor.

Go on – reveal something juicy that’s coming up in this season of Game of Thrones…

That would be telling! The show just keeps getting bigger and better every year so all I can say is don’t miss it, and if you haven’t seen it, do – you won’t regret it. Im a big fan of GoT so working on the production is such a privilege. I’ve been involved since the start so feel hugely proud of the show and its success.

Your work sends you all around the world. What do you most look forward to about coming home to Surrey?

Its family first, of course; I can be away for months at a time. I love Guildford. It’s a great place to live and so relaxing to come back to. I think some people think it’s a busy place but I always slow down when I’m home.

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ENTERTAINMENT

Talking to... JAMIE LENMA N

PHOTO CREDIT: Ben Morse

Jamie Lenman is a singer, guitarist, songwriter and illustrator whose band Reuben formed in Camberley in 1998 and became one of the leading lights of the UK’s underground rock scene until they parted ways a decade later. In late 2013 he embarked on his first solo album, Muscle Memory, and tour.

Jamie tells us about his approach to music and his experiences of the Surrey scene…

How would you describe your music?

I’d call it aggressive, intelligent, guitar music. I think that’s about as concise as I can be; it tells everyone everything they need to know about it. It always has been, and even though it’s still evolving, it still falls within those boundaries of intelligent, aggressive and guitar based music.

What is your approach to songwriting?

It’s remained largely the same since Rueben. There’s a little trick I used to try quite a lot, where I would imagine listening

to the radio and think about what I’d like to hear when I turned it on, and that was often quite a good way to get a good idea!

What has been your experience of the Surrey music scene over your career?

When my band were coming up we had tonnes of great bands – particularly Hundred Reasons and Vex Red who went on to make a big splash in the scene.

Often we’d have to go to Farnborough and Aldershot in the old days to get hold of any gigs. In Camberley we have the Agincourt which I always thought of as a nightclub more than a music venue although we did play there a couple of times back in the day. For a long time it was just the West End Centre in Aldershot, but the Boileroom in Guildford is really coming up now as the premier music venue in the area so now it would appear that the crown has passed back to Surrey.

I still mourn the loss of the Tumbledown Dick in Farnborough. For all its faults it was a fantastic live venue. They had live bands on most nights – usually us! But as much as I love

the Tumbledown Dick I also love McDonalds…

If you had to pick one, what has been the most memorable show of your career so far?

It would have to be when Reuben played on the main stage at Download festival; that remains a highlight. There are lots of highlights but that’s the one that springs to mind. It was just so nice to be able to drive through the main gates and go ‘Thanks Dave, mate!’ to the guy on security. And I still have a poster in my living room that says ‘Rueben: Main Stage’.

Where’s your favourite hang-out spot in Surrey?

Well, there’s a curry house near where I live. And I’m often down the Boileroom for shows. Live music is still very much a part of my life – most of my friends are involved in live music in some way.

To keep up to date and to find out more about Jamie Lenman visit his website jamielenman.com and download his latest album ‘Muscle Memory’ from Itunes and Amazon.

10

ENTERTAINMENT

MARCH 2014

NEWTON FAULKNER:

by Rich Lee

R

eigate born Newton Faulkner became one of the brightest stars to emerge from Guildford’s Academy of Contemporary Music, when he released his 2007 debut album, Hand Built by Robots. With his distinctive guitar style and rich, soulful voice he has gone on to sell millions of records around the world and his four studio albums to date have all made the UK top ten.

Currently on a UK tour, we caught up with Newton on the eve of his March 6th performance at G Live to find out more about the red-dreaded maestro…

Last year, you recorded your fourth album, Studio Zoo, live before an online audience via web streams direct from the studio. No one had ever done this before so what gave you the idea?

It started out as wanting to stream parts of the process and it kind of just snowballed into being… 4 cameras, 5 weeks, 24 hours a day which was insane. But there were so many pluses; you couldn’t really not do it. Obviously the way I play is very visual, the way I record is very performance based, so it just made sense.

Describe some of the themes and inspirations that you explore on this album.

It’s definitely darker than my previous material. I just wanted to do things that I hadn’t done before. Every album had been very different but there were certain things that were the same so I wanted to see what would happen if I changed those. I just kind of broke a whole load of my own rules to see what would happen.

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I just broke a whole load of my own rules to see what would happen

ENTERTAINMENT me cello lessons at the moment. It’s really interesting; I’ve never actually bowed anything before…

Not even to pose like (Led Zeppelin guitarist) Jimmy Page?

No… that’s been done. I’m looking for new things.

Since your career took off with the 2007 release of Hand Built by Robots, what have you learned about the music industry and how much has it changed since?

It’s kind of changed beyond recognition.

The internet thing was mildly important when I was kicking off and it was Myspace and stuff, and now it’s apparently the most important thing so it’s… very strange. Although I just do music. I like strings and guitars and interesting, musical things, so that’s what I try and focus on more than anything.

Your son, Beau, was born in 2012. What has fatherhood meant to you?

Fatherhood changes everything, instantly. It’s probably the most healthy thing you can do for yourself mentally as well. It seems to just turn off all the most annoying switches that you carry around with you up to that point.

You gave an unforgettable performance at GuilFest back in 2007. With the beloved Guildford music festival set to return this year, what are your memories of GuilFest and of your time in and around Guildford?

Has your current live act grown to encompass more musicians than yourself, or are you still the ‘one-man band’ that audiences are familiar with?

I’ve got my brother Toby, Sam Brooks and Beth Porter on cello. It’s a very strange mixture of sounds. There’s a track where I’ve got a string section on vinyl for instance. There are loads of big, very strange toys that are used for one song, which are so massively impractical but it makes me very happy.

Is there an instrument that you can’t play but dearly wish you could?

Ah, there are loads! I’d love to play f*****g everything if I could. Although Beth’s giving

I had an incredible time. ACM was a huge part of my musical makeup, because we had Eric Roche and so many amazing tutors and musicians.

GuilFest I’ve been to so many times, they all seem to mould into one giant GuilFest, but I know I had a great time at all of them.

What are your plans for 2014?

It’s just all gigs and festivals this year.

You hardly ever seem to take a holiday…

I don’t do holidays. I can have a day off but by the end of that day I’m a bit twitchy and I feel like I need to do something. I don’t know what else I’d do! So I love it. Everything’s fine.

Fatherhood changes everything, instantly. It’s probably the most healthy thing you can do for yourself

11

Wild Talk with BRIAN MAY

Y

ou know him as the shaggy-maned rock star and guitarist with Queen. But Brian May also happens to be one of the most vocal animal rights campaigners in the UK. Rich Lee spoke to him ahead of his appearance at Wildlife Rocks at Guildford Cathedral on 5th May… How did you get involved with Wildlife Rocks?

Where does your interest in animals and conservation come from?

It’s all Anne Brummer’s (CEO) fault, really. Anne has run a wildlife rescue, Harper Asprey in Camberley, for many years and has rescued hundreds if not thousands of animals. So I got involved when she asked if she could use some of my land for the soft release of some of her animals.

It goes back a long way but I think I just had a growing feeling throughout my life that things weren’t right with the way human beings treated other species on this planet. I’m an astronomer and to astronomers the idea that human beings are somehow, in evolutionary or cosmological terms, more important than the rest of the planet’s species is quite laughable.

The idea behind Wildlife Rocks is to generate more interest and awareness of what’s going on and about how fast our wildlife is disappearing. It’s about what kind of world we want for our children.

There’s only been one before, so this is the second one. I was just staggered by what Anne and her team achieved last time and this year’s Wildlife Rocks will be even more astonishing!

What will you be playing at the event and who are you playing with?

I’ll be playing some acoustic songs with (West End singer and actress) Kerry Adams. I’ll be plugging in the guitar as well – there may be a Queen song in there, you never know!

We do have the Troggs playing which is making me very excited.

‘Wild Thing’ is of course a very appropriate anthem for what we do. We have the legendary Hawkwind, Shirley Higton, the wonderful founder of Born Free, Virginia McKenna, live poetry and all sorts of wonderful stalls.

It’s all very positive. Wildlife Rocks is not preachy, it’s not showing you images of animals being tortured to try and persuade you to our cause. It’s all about celebrating what we are on this planet and enjoying the freedom of animals and our own.

When did you decide to get political about issues of animal welfare?

I put my sword on, I suppose, in the run-up to the last general election, when I suddenly realised that what David Cameron and his buddies stood for was the return of blood sports. In the beginning I couldn’t really believe it; I thought he seemed a decent enough chap. But the more I looked into it I realised that these issues are incredibly important to that clique of people. That’s when we set up the Save Me project (www. save-me.org.uk) to fight for the creatures that don’t have a voice.

But the advocacy swings both ways?

Well they are definitely vocal about it; in the cause of animal cruelty you are up against people who are absolutely fighting you every inch of the way for the right to abuse animals. If that’s a part of human nature that’s rooted there then it ought to be rooted out! I think it’s a defect of human nature.

Is a repeal of the hunting ban still a threat?

Well, assuming a recent report that suggests that Cameron has given up on the idea of a free vote on repealing the act is true, it’s very welcome news to us. But

it’s important to remember that Cameron would be reluctantly abandoning this case.

Rock star, composer, writer, astronomer, activist: how do you balance all of your diverse pursuits?

With great difficulty! It’s on the borders of insanity what I do.

I’ve learned, over the years to delegate to people that I trust and that’s a big part of it. I love to create and to make things happen and if I’m not part of a process like that then I start to feel very odd, like something’s gone wrong.

I’m not a person who likes sitting around on a beach doing nothing.

Not for very long, anyway!

What next for the mighty Queen?

Well, we’re gearing up to do a very big tour. When you press that button, life starts to move very fast again. We’re touring with (American pop star) Adam Lambert and going to the USA, Japan, Korea and probably Australia as well. It’s turned into something comparable to what Queen were doing back in the glory days. It’s a great feeling to gear up and do things at that level, just one more time. Maybe...

For more information visit save-me.org.uk and wildliferocks.me

Talking to... ROBERT CRAY to do something new with stuff we already know.

The success of Strong Persuader in the 1980’s was due, in part, to MTV. With such a different landscape, do you think it’s harder for acts to find that kind of success nowadays?

Yes, it is. It’s a lot harder. The whole thing has changed along with the mood and the atmosphere and what people consider success is. MTV was great for us, but we’d already been a band for ten years before that. We got a lucky break but we still had to do the work.

You’re in that elite club of guitarists who are identified with the iconic Fender Stratocaster guitar. What keeps you coming back to the Strat?

The Strat to me is just like the ultimate workhorse. It covers all the bases. I love playing rhythm on it, you can beat the hell out of it. It’s very simply made and it gives me what I want when I play solos. It does it all.

What were your first memories of music and what led you to pick up the guitar in the first place?

by Rich Lee

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onsidered one of the finest blues guitarists of his generation, Robert Cray helped reinvigorate blues music in the 1980’s when the Robert Cray Band stormed the charts with the album Strong Persuader and single Smoking Gun. His music also explores rhythm & blues and soul music, no more so than on his latest album, In My Soul: a record full of sunshine grooves, heartfelt ballads and his unmistakable guitar playing and singing.

With his current tour bringing him to Guildford’s G Live on May 18th we caught up with the five times Grammy winner…

Your new album In My Soul –your seventeenth studio album-is heavily influenced by 60’s and 70’s soul. Was that a conscious decision on your part?

No it wasn’t actually. We wanted to work with Steve Jordan (producer). Steve had a couple of ideas that he suggested to me before going into the studio, and one of them was the Otis Redding song Nobody’s Fault but Mine. He said ‘Robert, I know you’d kill this song, what do you think of it?’ and I loved that song!

The rest of the material came from the band and me. We didn’t know what one and the other had

until a week prior to the studio.

And then it all fell into sync, you know?

You recorded it in December 2013 and now here you are, in April, touring the album. Is that working pace normal for you?

Yeah, you know we don’t spend a lot of time in the studio, trying to perfect something that can’t be perfected. Just get a really good attempt at it.

I prefer live performance, though.

Going on stage is a challenge that I welcome, to try to make music and have fun at it and yet still try

It was the Beatles, and the excitement of when they were coming to the States. After that, me and my friends wanted guitars, wanted to be Beatles. I started playing guitar just like all my friends, but unlike them I never quit.

When did you discover the blues?

A couple of friends in high school had been listening to BB King, Magic Sam, Buddy Guy and I fell into that gang. My parents had a bunch of those records at their house. So pretty soon their records started disappearing!

It was so interesting and so different from everything else that we’d been listening to.

Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson and his so-called association with the devil, all those double-entendres in the songs.

We’re like fifteen years old and thinking ‘man, this is cool!’

Finally, what do you plan to do after this tour?

Well, this year’s going to see us on the road quite a bit. There’s a couple of US and European tours to take us up until the fall. So we probably won’t take a break until the winter!

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ENTERTAINMENT

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MARCH 2014

fter forty years in the music business, The Stranglers celebrate their ruby anniversary with a UK tour. Appearing at G Live on 12 March, we spoke to the band’s drummer and founder, Jet Black, to learn the secret behind their endless appeal and longevity…

As the ‘Guildford Stranglers’, you played your first gigs at the Star Inn on Quarry Street in 1974. Do you recall that first show?

I certainly do. It was pretty disastrous (laughs). Everything went wrong that could’ve gone wrong. It wasn’t Guildford’s fault, it was our fault.

What are your thoughts on the music industry today?

Well it’s just unrecognisable. It’s totally changed. The collapse of the record business and the availability of records is almost non-existent.

It’s just a totally different industry. I mean, if we were starting today we wouldn’t know where to begin. We’d have no idea, it’s so alien.

Do you still get a thrill from performing and touring?

Yeah, I love the gigs but, you know, all the rest of it is becoming much less attractive as you get older. But if you want to play music, you have to tour.

You have one of the most devoted fanbases of any UK band. How might you describe a typical Stranglers fan?

They’re cosmopolitan. They’re all sorts really, I don’t know if there is a typical one. But if you’re talking stereotypes, they’re all there! They’re in the audience: everyone from kids up to bank managers.

How would you say your music has evolved over the years?

Didn’t you once tape a journalist to the Eiffel Tower and leave him there?

It’s got more sophisticated. We were a one-style band that started off doing aggressive music. We still do aggressive music but that’s not all we do now. It’s expanded; we’ve experimented with all kinds of music and tried to make it our own. So I suppose it’s become more eclectic, more diverse.

Yeah, that’s true…

You were identified with the early punk movement even though the same scene often rejected you. Did you ever feel there was a music genre that you truly belonged to?

What did he say?

Well he was just totally dismissive of what we did…

What would you say has been the secret to the Stranglers’ longevity?

In a word: determination. You have to be determined if you want to succeed in music because it’s a very difficult thing to get established in.

We just seized every opportunity we had. But if we’d been faint-hearted we’d have given up years ago.

Absolutely not, we always felt we were different. We never subscribed to any one thing. We were lumped in with the punk thing because of our name and our aggressive music at the time, but we had nothing in common. Although we never felt we had anything to do with it, the media described us that way and it was good publicity in the end.

What’s the shape of the current live act and what can audiences expect at your G Live show?

You used to have a difficult relationship with the media earlier in your career…

Will we see a Stranglers golden anniversary album and tour in another ten years?

They didn’t like us - with a few exceptions. They’d be reading the tabloid press with a preconceived notion of what we were. When they put idiot questions to us, we’d just give idiot answers.

What are you listening to?

Well with over a thousand songs it’s going to be a mixture. The one thing we were always good at was live performance and we’ve kind of perfected that. We can deliver a kind of excitement that other bands can’t emulate.

Well I’ve never been good with the old crystal ball so your guess is as good as mine. It’s possible. I may not be alive and kicking but the rest of the band may still want to play the music. The fact that so many people still like what we do and want to come and see what we do, is very satisfying.

Rosalie Carter | Press Officer at G Live, Guildford Roz works behind the scenes at G Live; corresponding with management and their artists that come to perform here in Guildford whilst ensuring happy faces all round when it comes to stage time.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST RECORD YOU EVER BOUGHT? Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park – I think my dad was quite happy that I got into metal rather than generic dance music.

WHAT RECORD HAS HAD THE MOST SIGNIFICANCE IN YOUR LIFE? If Ever I Stray by Frank Turner. When I was doing unpaid internships and applying for every arts job under the sun, this song kept my spirits high and gave me a kick up the backside.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO AT THE MOMENT? Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip, Boy George and Vivaldi. One of the great things about working at G Live is being exposed to so many different types of music. I never thought I’d be into classical music but being able to hear the orchestras warm up backstage is something really special.

Talking to...

by Rich Lee

After Glastonbury in 2008, and many festivals since, why do you think young people have taken Chas & Dave to heart?

They see the honesty in what we do. We’ve always been there but they’ve discovered us for themselves. I can’t think of a single gig we’ve done where they haven’t been shouting for an encore. And it’s just us, me and Dave. We pride ourselves on being excellent musicians, and we love playing live, so it’s a winning combination.

Last year’s album That’s What Happens is an intimate and diverse homage to the rock and roll and skiffle you grew up playing. How did the album come about?

CHAS & DAVE Chas Hodges and Dave Peacock need no introduction.

Veteran session musicians in the 60’s and 70’s, the pair struck gold as ‘Rockney’ duo Chas & Last year was your 50th year in the music business and 40 years Dave. Stirring together as Chas & Dave. What do you put pop and rock n roll, your astonishing longevity down to? music hall sing-a-longs I met Dave 50 years ago but and country music into we knew each other for 8 or 9 one feel-good musical years before we got together professionally. We struck up not phenomenon, they just a friendship but a musical continue to appeal to friendship as well. On our days off we’d go see bands, but we audiences young also had a love for the old music and old. hall songs – which was unusual As they celebrate 40 years in music together with their latest album That’s What Happens, Rich Lee spoke with Chas ahead of their 31st October appearance at Aldershot’s Princes Hall.

for us at that age as it was our parent’s music. When we got together we knew it would be for life.

After so many tours over your career, what do you still enjoy about life on the road?

It’s become part of my life, like eating and sleeping. If I don’t do at least a gig a week, I feel like I’ve missed out on a day’s food or a night’s kip. But it’s nice to be able to pick and choose what we want to do now. In the early days you grabbed absolutely everything, but then it was all worth doing in the end.

As they say in the business: what comes first is the phone call. Which was Warner Brothers asking if we’d do a record. So we went into the studio with a rough idea of what we wanted to do, ended up only doing a few and lot of those other songs were done off the cuff. That’s how magic happens in studio. It was producer Joe Henry who helped create the relaxed atmosphere that really comes across.

You clearly love what you do but are there any plans to retire yet?

Blimey, no! You only retire from things you don’t like doing, and the older I get the more I enjoy what I do. It’s part of me life.

What can the audience expect from your show at Aldershot?

In the first half we take you back to the days when we started out, when we were doing the pubs and clubs. One or two of our own songs, the odd obscure rock and roll song and then into the 70s with ‘Gertcha’. Then in the second half it’s Chas & Dave in the 80s with songs like ‘Rabbit’, ‘Ain’t no Pleasing You’ and ‘Snooker Loopy’, interspersed with some of the new songs from the new album.

Finally, which of your songs gets the biggest reaction live?

They all do. The audience drowns us out, singing our songs at the top of their voices. We have to stop half way and let them take over. It’s absolutely fantastic to think we wrote all those songs that they want to then learn and sing along to.

ENTERTAINMENT

SEPTEMBER 2014

Welcome to As community radio pioneers Kane FM 103.7 begin broadcasting from their new home at the University of Surrey’s Student Union this month, we spoke to Mr Fame himself, Ian Handy, about his station’s journey from pirate crew to the latest kids on campus…

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ane FM’s roots reach back to the late 1980s but truly began life as pirate radio station N Joi FM in the late 90s, broadcasting out of a tiny garden shed in Guildford. In 2011 they were awarded legal status as a not-for-profit community radio station, one of only three pirate stations in the UK to be approved by regulators Ofcom.

Since then Kane FM 103.7 has been broadcasting independent, underground bass music to Surrey and Hampshire while gaining a devoted following far beyond the borders of those two

ENTERTAINMENT

TheGuide2Surrey.com/Entertainment

103.7

counties. “You can’t go anywhere in the country where someone hasn’t heard of Kane FM,” says Director Ian Handy, aka Mr Fame, with pride.

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rior to the station’s relocation, Kane FM had been operating out of property owned by the Lockwood Centre in Slyfield, Guildford. But when the premises began to fall short of the station’s requirements, an opportunity presented itself from an idea hatched between Ian and the University of Surrey’s Student Union CEO, Alan Sutherland.

Centre have made to Kane FM, they have been the most incredible allies and friends to us and without them Kane FM wouldn’t be here today. But this new move lifts everybody involved with the project. We’ve gone from a shed, to a glorified shed to a real building with a shiny new studio, professionally built with everything we’ve learnt, on a campus surrounded by

that Kane FM are coming to the University; it’s a natural fit,” says Alan Sutherland. “But Kane FM and Stag Radio are two very different things. We know they’ll co-exist and we’ll have students get involved with both. They’ll rub along very well together.”

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n their new home, Ian plans to continue Kane FM’s commitment to serving the community, particularly youth. “We have over 150 volunteers so we’re one of the largest voluntary organisations in Surrey, although we don’t shout about that much. Last year twenty-two kids from all sorts of backgrounds passed through Kane FM, where they have the opportunity to get a certificate from the Arts Awards

with as many young people as possible and make sure music is represented fairly across the FM spectrum. We don’t just serve Guildford; we serve a music community, people who like independent music, who are slightly against the grain. We represent the little guy.”

W “Our only ambition is to engage with as many young people as possible and make sure music KANE FM ON THE ROAD... is represented fairly across the fm spectrum’’.

“I’ve known Alan for over fifteen years,” explains Ian. “He had an itch he wanted to scratch and he came to check out the project which had been going for just over two years. He wanted the Union and Kane FM to connect directly, to give young people a megaphone with which to speak their voice. We asked, ‘how could this University on the Hill connect with the community and young people?’

“We can’t understate the contribution that the Lockwood

young minds. This is taking it to the next level.”

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ut what of the Union’s current student station? Stag Radio was one of the first student radio stations to be given a license over forty years ago, so it was important for both parties to establish Kane FM as an independent station on the campus. “We’re really pleased

ith the new Kane FM studio above the campus’ Chancellors bar, Ian is relishing

the new opportunities the location offers. “We’d already installed a live connection between the Rubix club and Kane FM studio, so this will mean far more live broadcasts from the venue in future with more big label events. We hope it would also mean people coming from outside to visit the Union, which has traditionally been quite a closed campus.”

Visit www.kanefm.com for all things bass in the community.

6TH SEPTEMBER - House Of Kane @ Thirty3hz (our monthly house night kicks off here.

First Saturday of every month with Kane Residents)

Scheme that enables them to pursue higher education whereFM in the Living Room 29TH SEPTEMBER - Kane many might not haveat been able (Freshers event Guildford University) to.”

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4TH OCTOBER - Phylum @ The Keystone

ut what of the future for Feat Micall Parkinsun & Durrty Goodz (After 14 years Guildfod’s Kane FM as they begin this and surreys #1 hip hop event is still going strong and launching new chapter in their story? Do on the 1st Saturday of each month at The Keystone) they have national ambitions beyond Surrey and Hampshire?

4TH OCTOBER - House of Kane @ Thirty3Hz “Our only ambition is to engage

(First Saturday of every month with Kane Residents)

What do you do?

My days are always full-on. I could be on the tractor, working in the office or making music. I try to make Ewhurst, where I’ve been for over 27 years, a better place and try to do things to help around here locally. But I’m a musician first and foremost, from the moment I go to bed to the moment I wake up.

‘Me’

Kenney Jones ROCK STAR DRUMMER. POLO PLAYER.

How would you have turned out if you’d never picked up the drum sticks?

As soon as I think of that, I dismiss it! I believe that life is kind of pre-ordained and I really think I’ve ended up in the place I was meant to be.

LOCAL PEOPLE, EXTRAORDINARY LIVES.

You’ve been in three of the biggest British rock bands of all time.

How do you feel about rock music in the UK now?

There are a lot of great players out there, certainly a lot of fantastic drummers. When drum machines came along it made drummers work a little bit harder and fight for their cause. But I really like the Strypes at the moment; they remind me of us back in the Small Faces days.

As a businessman, what do you consider to be the key to success?

The secret to success is to never give up. I can always see the end result: my imagination can see it finished and I won’t rest until it’s done. I’ve lost money over the years, but when it’s gone, I get out there and make some more. It’s the Eastender in me.

What attracted a boy from bombed out, post-war Stepney to the ‘king’s game’ of Polo?

It’s quite bizarre isn’t it? But for me it’s the game. Not the poncy side of it, just the game; the sportsmanship of it.

I used to show jump so it was inevitable that I’d take up polo. There’s a perceived idea of it being a bit la-de-da, which is a stigma that’s going away slowly but it’s a very challenging and rewarding game to play.

What’s the idea behind Rock ‘n’ Horsepower at Hurtwood Polo Club on June 14th?

We started it last year when we had the opportunity to do this gig here at Hurtwood and combine it with polo, supercars and music. This year it’s in aid of Prostate Cancer UK. I was diagnosed with it last year. I’m just over three months since brachytherapy to contain it and am recovering well despite a few side effects.

So, it’s about spreading the word and the best way, I believe, to raise awareness and reach out to men is through music, motors and sport. That’s what Rock ‘n’ Horsepower is all about.

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enney Jones has been a member of the Small Faces, the Faces and the Who and has drummed with everyone from Chuck Berry to the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney. Here, the rock legend and owner of Hurtwood Polo Club in Ewhurst gives us a glimpse into his fascinating life…

How do you plan to celebrate the imminent 50th anniversary of the Small Faces?

If something comes up it’ll be great, but I’m probably more excited about getting the Faces back together. We have been talking about it and the demand is definitely out there for it. But I am writing a script for an animated film of (seminal Small Faces concept album) Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake that I’ve taken to Los Angeles. It’s not a musical; it’s a fantastic story about Happiness Stan who goes in search of the other half of the moon and all the characters he meets.

Finally, what’s the best drummer joke you’ve ever heard?

Ha! I’ve heard loads but can’t think of one off the top of my head. As far as funny drummers go, no one comes close to Keith Moon (the Who drummer). Keith and I were great friends. He’d take the piss out of everyone – except me. I think it was because we were fellow drummers. But if he wasn’t the centre of attention – in a pub say – he’d just pour his drink over himself to make people notice him. He was a total clown.

GUILFEST RETURNS!

The Stages

Tickets

July 18th, 19th & 20th!

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ll up to date ticket information is available online at www.GuilFest.co.uk.

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he beloved music festival returns to its spiritual home at Stoke Park this July, for three days of awesome sights and sounds featuring an amazing line up of over 200 music, comedy and theatre acts, spread over a variety of stages. Let’s break it down…

Who’s Playing?

THE BOOMTOWN RATS Friday 18th July

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ob Geldof and the boys exploded onto the scene in 1976, and were at the forefront of the burgeoning punk scene, becoming the first Irish band to score a UK No 1. hit with ‘Rat Trap’. Best-selling albums, singles and awards followed and, for Geldof, a little gig called Live Aid in 1985. But it’s the sound and fury of the original Boomtown Rats that started it all and promises to be an unmissable Friday headline performance.

KOOL AND THE GANG Saturday 19th July

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he High Priests of Disco, R&B and funk, Kool and The Gang take the Main Stage honours on Saturday to play their classic hits such as ‘Jungle Boogie’, ‘Celebration’, ‘Get Down On It’, ‘Ladies Night’, ‘Cherish and ‘Hollywood Swinging’.

THE HUMAN LEAGUE Sunday 20th July

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eturning to GuilFest to close out the weekend are those icons of 80’s Electro-Pop and f-f-fashion, The Human League. The trio that helped define the New Wave synth sound, that in turn inspired countless hits of the decade, remain as thrilling as ever. A great finale to the weekend!

Also Confirmed…

X factor winner Sam Bailey, the Sugar Hill Gang, Sham 69, the Buzzcocks, Sigma, RUTS D.C., Shadow Child, Fred V & Grafix with loads more sets to be announced over the coming weeks!

For the first time at the event, you can upgrade your weekend ticket to VIP status for £50. This will give you the use of the luxury toilets, access to exclusive Back Stage Bar area and the chance of bumping into some of the celebrities!

GUILFEST MAIN STAGE

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he biggest shows from the highest profile acts all happen here. Previous years have seen such giants as Pulp, Brian Ferry, Paul Weller, the Darkness and Blondie rock the park and this year is set to put the GuilFest’s main stage back on the map!

THE GOOD TIME GUIDE STAGE

Get involved. Be a Steward!

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e’re a little bit proud of this one – well, it does have one of our products in the name! A ‘second stage’ that never plays second fiddle, this stage will feature both established performers and rising stars.

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VIVE LE ROCK PUNK STAGE

he home for all things Punk and Ska at GuilFest, the Vive Le Rock stage –which has hosted such seminal noisemakers as the Buzzcocks and the Undertones - features a typically excellent line up of some of the best punk/ska acts in the UK today.

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THE ACOUSTIC STAGE

he Acoustic Stage embodies the mellow spirit of the festival and is, for a great many, one of the highlights of the three days. If the sun is shining and the weather is sweet, grab some shade here and get blissful.

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THE BIG CHEESE ROCK CAVE

his is where you go to turn your GuilFest experience up to eleven: the Cave is the stage for some of Britain's sickest Rock, Metal and Alternative bands. An institution at GuilFest since 2005!

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KANE FM PRESENTS THE FUNKY END DANCE TENT

hose rascals of community radio, Kane FM, are calling the Funky End Dance Tent home once again and are inviting everyone to join them for an awesome programme of cutting edge dance music.

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tewarding means a lot more than just the chance to enjoy a festival on the cheap. Of course, if a weekend camping ticket costs around £100 (current Early Bird Price), then for fifteen hours work you effectively get a weekend ticket, a free meal a day and a complimentary festival programme. Stewarding is a great way to meet new people – to have fun with friends and make new ones.

For over 21 years, stewards at GuilFest have enjoyed a unique role in making the festival what it is: a fun, family friendly festival.

If you have any questions about stewarding at Guilfest just get in touch with the Steward Coordinator on 01483 454159 or email: stewards@ guilfest.co.uk

GuilFest Playlist

THE COSMIC COMEDY TENT

o prizes for guessing what happens here. Only the top talent of the UK’s comedy circuit walk through these tent flaps. Everyone else just falls about laughing (with them).

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THE THEATRE STAGE

very bit as compelling as the musical acts on offer, The Man in the Moon Theatre Tent returns with a feast of plays, musicals, dance, cabaret and poetry to entertain all over the weekend.

Get your kicks with this killer GuilFest 2014 music mix Kool & the Gang – Jungle Boogie Human League – Don’t You Want Me Sugar Hill Gang – Rapper’s Delight Boomtown Rats – Rat Trap Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen in Love Sam Bailey - Skyscraper Sham 69 - If the Kids are United Sigma - Lassitude Ruts D.C. - Babylon’s Burning

Talking to... PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING W

eaving samples of public information films and radio with guitars, banjos, drums and electronics, Public Service Broadcasting are the innovative London based duo that have set critics and audiences alight since the release of their 2013 album Inform, Educate, Entertain and single, Spitfire. Bringing their dazzling live show to the Good Time Guide Stage at GuilFest on Friday 13th, here we speak to J. Willgoose, Esq. about their unique fusion of sound and imagery…

and... SAM BAILEY

by Rich Lee

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hen Sam Bailey won the X Factor in 2013, it was the realisation of a dream the singer had spent twenty years pursuing.

Now, with a best-selling album and UK tour behind her, Sam is bringing her incredible voice to the Good Time Guide Stage at GuilFest on Saturday 19th July…

You said you’d have been happy just getting through to the final of X Factor. How does it feel to have exceeded your own goals so spectacularly?

It’s been amazing. When I was on the live shows my target was just to get through that week, I never set myself goals beyond that. I’m a realist and I think that’s what kept me calm.

by Rich Lee Where did the concept behind PBS come from?

It came from listening to radio one day and hearing a programme about the British Film Institute who had just released their films to the public for the first time. I’d made some songs with samples before but thought I’d make an album where every song was based on public information films. And then I thought I was a terrible, pretentious idea and definitely shouldn’t do it. But I kind of did it anyway.

But the music goes beyond mere nostalgia…

From my point of view it’s about very much more than just nostalgia. When you look at how our live show is constructed it’s about using today’s technology with messages from the past and drawing links between the two.

And that’s what I find interesting about it. If it was purely nostalgia I wouldn’t find it engaging.

So it’s not just an excuse to wear corduroy?

Well, corduroy is the ‘Cloth of the King’, literally! Not for nothing is it called that…

Was there a moment when you realised that people were really starting to take notice?

Probably the first time I thought this was going somewhere was when we played the Bull and Gate in Kentish Town in July 2012. It just felt different: it had sold out, the atmosphere was great and it was one of the hottest gigs we’d ever played. It just seemed people were connecting with our music.

And it was the first time I’d seen someone walking up the street wearing one of our t-shirts!

And you’ve had a very busy couple of years since...

Yeah, we’ve done over 220 gigs since then. We released the album and toured all over the shop: in America this year and we’re in Europe at the moment and writing new music in between, so it’s kind of been relentless but very exciting.

Do you prefer live performance over recording or elements of both?

I think it’s somewhere in the middle. The most rewarding part of the whole chain is when you’ve been working on a recording for ages and then you finally play it live and you get a good reaction

from it. It’s a great feeling.

What does a band like yours do on tour, after the shows?

You can probably guess from our image that we’re not going to be rock and roll hellraisers. It would be a bit jarring if we were.

When you’ve toured as much as we have in the last year then you learn that you have to really take care of yourselves. If we’re feeling especially rock and roll we might have a couple of whiskeys but that’s about it.

Finally, what can GuilFest audiences expect from your headline show on Friday 18th July?

Well, they can expect to see a lot of corduroy for one thing! But they’ll see the two of us making music as well as a whole world of visual distraction at the same time. We love playing festivals – they’re the ultimate as you’re playing to audiences that are there for you and want to have a good time with you. It’s a privilege.

To find out more visit publicservicebroadcasting.net and for more about GuilFest 2014 visit guilfest.co.uk

You’ll be heavily pregnant with your third child when you take to the stage at GuilFest – most mothers would take it easy but you release an album and embark on a UK tour. When do you plan to take a break?

It has been pretty tough with regards to appearances and singing and it has been quite tiring. The process is something you have to get used to and I think I have, now. I’m loving it.

I am taking some time off around August. I’ve got pretty good people around me, a great support network so if those other celebrity mums can take time off then I can too!

Your debut album, the Power of Love, has been the fastest selling album of 2014 so far and went to number one on its release. How do you feel about its success?

It’s been great; it was coming out for Mothers’ Day so I was expecting it to sell quite well.

But my album’s still going strong which is nice to realise that people are still talking about it, still buying it.

On the album, you duet with Michael Bolton and Nicole Scherzinger – who else would be your dream duet partner?

Definitely Freddie Mercury. Alive?

I’d love to sing a song with Leona Lewis – only because I think that could be realistic – or Celine Dion!

What would you say to young artists who seek to emulate your success through X Factor?

Without X Factor I wouldn’t be here now. It’s a tough process; it’s not a normal process to go through. I have a lot of gratitude to the X Factor. But it was different for me as I’d been trying for twenty years; this was a last chance saloon. But young artists still need to get out there, to sing and learn their craft and get confidence that way.

How do you like festivals and performing outdoors?

To be honest I’ve never been to a festival before so it’s all pretty new to me. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve done fetes, though! (laughs)

What can audiences expect from your show at GuilFest?

It’s just good music with real musicians. I’m very much looking forward to the live aspect of performing and being able to walk freely around the stage and

not be choreographed! I’ll be a fat elephant when I do, but that’s okay!

Have you made any plans for a second album yet?

Well I’ve still got a record in the charts at the moment so I don’t want to run before I can walk.

The next one’s going to be a bit more personal with some original songs, but I just want to enjoy what I’m doing at the minute.

We’ll see what happens after the tour…

Finally, our TG2 Pop Quiz: First record you bought and the last record you bought?

I think it was ‘I just called to say I love you’ by Stevie Wonder or ‘When the going gets tough’ by Billie Ocean. I had them on vinyl and was very proud. The last record I bought was Michael Bolton’s album - because I’m on it!

To find out more visit sam-bailey. com and for more about GuilFest 2014 visit guilfest.co.uk

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an you have too much great live music? Never – but when you do want a break, GuilFest has a ton of other activities & attractions to indulge in.

SURREY SPORTS PARK SPORTS ZONE The Surrey Sports Park will be hosting all sorts of mini sporting challenges at their Sports Zone, where festival-goers can test their skills in badminton, netball, basketball, football, lacrosse, rugby and fitness. There’ll also be free goodie bags and prizes up for grabs including match tickets to see Harlequins, Surrey Storm, Surrey United and Surrey Smashers plus free memberships to try the facilities at Surrey Sports Park.

CHURROS It seems that every year festival food just gets better and more diverse. And while we could shout about all the great food stands coming to GuilFest this year (and we will) we’re particularly looking forward to getting our hands on Churros. If you haven’t had them before, think sweet doughnut fingers with a crisp, cinnamon edge.

Delicious and a good energy hit to keep you going at the festy.

THE MAN IN THE MOON THEATRE TENT Grab a hay bale and enjoy a host of local groups performing fantastic plays, musicals, dance, cabaret and poetry throughout the weekend.

SPACED INN From the organisers of Ambient Picnic festival comes the Spaced Inn, a community arts area that’ll be landing at GuilFest for the whole weekend. The Inn is a space dedicated to –well- space and technology, and will feature poetry slams, open mic performances, comedy acts and workshops and local artists. True to its ’inn’ roots, there will also be hot food and drinks.

KIDSZONE GuilFest’s reputation as the UK’s best family festival is no more evident than at the Kidszone, with tonnes of activities to keep the kids entertained troughout the weekend.

These will include special VIP visits from favourite TV characters, theatre productions of famous tales, clowns, acrobats, circus skills, art and music workshops and a fancy dress parade on Sunday.

URBAN SITTERS So you want to enjoy GuilFest but you’re worried about finding the right childcare to look after the kids while you do so. Well worry not, because Urban Sitters are the Guildford based childcare service that has your back. Becky Nash and Caroline Reeves took a successful format developed in Canada and set up Urban Sitters, offering dependable, affordable and trustworthy childcare. Their sitters and nannies are carefully recruited and matched to your family’s needs and bookings are handled via phone, text, email or through the website.

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e couldn’t be more proud to have our beloved offer card sponsor the second stage once again, and the Good Time Guide Stage will feature some truly amazing acts this year. But that’s not all we’re doing, not by a long shot. Your friendly neighborhood media team, TG Media, will be out at GuilFest in force bringing you the best coverage from around the festival.

Look out for our signing tent next to the Good Time Guide Stage where you’ll get the chance to meet the stars – (and maybe take some gratuitous selfies with them!)

awesome stuff around Surrey straight from your smartphone.

And don’t forget to pick up GuilFest’s hottest fashion accessory: a funky pair of TG brand orange wayfairer sunglasses, available for free at the entrance.

Once you’ve got your specs on, head over to our photobooth where we’ll have prizes for the best posers and post the photos online!

So, to stay ahead of all the action at GuilFest, be sure to check in with theguide2surrey.com and our facebook and twitter.

Our roving film crew will be recording all the GuilFest goodness as well as filming interviews with the biggest acts. We’ll be posting them online on our website and across our social media alongside stunning photo galleries and live blogs to capture all that’s great about Guildford’s favourite festival.

That weekend also sees the launch of our brand new Good Time Guide App which means you’ll be able to enjoy all of our fabulous offers and money off

facebook.com/theguide2guildford

twitter.com/TG2Surrey

Talking to... WARD THOMAS

Talking to... THE BOOMTOWN RATS

that night! (So basically glamping!)

What drew you towards Country Music?

When we watched the film “Walk the Line” we fell in love with ‘Johnny Cash’ and ‘June Carter’.

We were completely sold in what we wanted for our future when we heard the Dixie Chicks. Their music inspired us a great deal.

How do you manage to transpose country music themes to your life growing up in Hampshire?

We write about what we know.

We love the aspects of country music that are about home, land and family and that area of country is not dissimilar from our upbringing in rural Hampshire.

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resh from recording their debut album in Nashville, the Country singing sisters from Hampshire, Catherine and Lizzy, will be whipping up a storm at GuilFest…

by Rich Lee Are you excited to be playing at GuilFest this year?

We are so excited to play Guilfest!

Having grown up in Petersfield, we have known about the festival for a while and known many people that have gone and loved it!

‘Glamping’ or camping?

If we had the choice, we would camp of course! However, living nearby means we will be sleeping in our beds

With so many tour dates across the US and the UK this year, how do you find life on the road?

We discovered after our first UK tour that the lifestyle suited us! We love being on the road and meeting people on the way and cannot wait to do it again in the summer!

What can the GuilFest audiences expect from your show on Sunday 20th July?

We cannot wait to play and have a great time with our band and with everyone coming to watch.

We have a lot of stories of our time in Nashville and can’t wait to share them with everyone!

by Rich Lee

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ob Geldof and the boys are back as the first headliners on GuilFest’s main stage.

We spoke to the Boomtown Rat’s drummer Simon Crowe about the band’s storming return to live music…

What was the catalyst behind the reformation of the Boomtown Rats in 2013?

It was just a natural progression: me and Garry (Roberts – original guitarist) had been going out and doing a few gigs as The Rats a few years ago. Bob came along to a gig of ours in London, and perhaps the thought of somebody else fronting the band playing the songs he’d written might have lured him back in. Bob doesn’t have to do anything for the money anymore, so to speak, so I think he just wanted to go out and prove that the band is a good live act still.

How did it feel to reconnect with your devoted fan-base after 27 years?

Really weird at first. At our first show at the Isle of Wight Festival last year, we didn’t know if people were there for us or just because they were there. But it wasn’t until we did the tour last autumn that we proved that there was still the fan-base. It was an amazing, sell-out tour. It was pretty arduous though, I have to say. Playing Boomtown Rat’s music is arduous

enough, but to do a tour almost night after night was quite heavy going, for me and especially Bob who still jumps around the stage.

When you first broke into the spotlight in the mid-70s you were frequently cast as a punk or a new wave band. Did you ever feel somewhat misunderstood?

I think so; more misrepresented by the media perhaps. We weren’t part of the punk movement; we were more an R ‘n’ B band like the Stones and the Small Faces. The whole punk thing didn’t really hang on us well. We did Top of the Pops for one thing, which a lot of the punk bands wouldn’t touch.

We just thought: bring it on, sell more records and reach a wider audience. Why else do it? For all the stigma about bands selling out, musicians have to work and earn our living making music.

Given the awful tragedy that befell Bob Geldof ’s family this year, was there a moment when the band’s new momentum was cast into doubt?

Well, it’s one of the risks of being in a band: if anything were to

happen to any one of us it could stop us in our tracks. But we’ve worked so hard at putting this together now over the last two years, it would take a hell of a lot to replace any of us so it hasn’t stopped the band. We’re still steaming along.

Are there any plans for a new Rats record?

Well we’ve got a new E.P. out called Rat Life, which you can buy at the gig. In terms of an album, there’s always talk buzzing around but nothing concrete.

It’s always fun to do new music, though.

What do you most enjoy about playing at festivals?

I have to say that I think the whole festival culture is absolutely brilliant. I’m really proud to be a part of the band culture that I grew up in and the festival thing is a real progression of that. In this modern world where we’re plugged into everything at all times, it’s a situation where none of that matters. And I take my hat off to all the people that put on these festivals. Some of them are risking enormous amounts of money, only to just break even, if they’re lucky.

The Boomtown Rats are performing on the Main Stage at GuilFest on Friday 18th July. For more about the Boomtown Rats visit www.boomtownrats.co.uk

Talking to... ASHLEY ROBERTS

by Rich Lee

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former member of the hugely successful Pussycat Dolls, Ashley Roberts has won over UK audiences after her appearances on Ant & Dec’s Takeaway, ‘I’m a Celebrity’ and Dancing on Ice. But with her newly released single, ‘Clockwork’ and imminent solo album, Ashley’s returning to what she does best: Music.

Is England is something of a second home for you now?

Yeah, 100 percent! If anything it is home at the moment. And I love London in the summer, I just feel like the city comes alive.

Did it feel like a huge gamble leaving the Pussycat Dolls when you did?

It was bittersweet because it was time to go our separate ways for a while, and as much as I loved what I do, I was really excited about living my own life for a little bit. There was some fear of the unknown, but I think you have to take those gambles in life.

You’ve said that your experience in the jungle in ‘I’m a Celebrity…’ changed you. How so?

I faced a lot of fears and it showed that me I could do things I thought I couldn’t and it helped me be more confident in myself. And the response that I got from the UK viewers afterwards was so amazing.

What was the motivation behind recording your solo album?

It’s definitely been a huge goal of mine, to prove to myself that I could do it on my own and write about my own stories. The timing is right and it feels right and I’m just grateful to have the platform here in the UK to launch it. But I wanted to come out with Clockwork first to show that I’ve grown as an artist and as a human being. I just really wanted to showcase all the different facets of my personality.

So what can GuilFest-goers expect from your performance on Saturday 19th July?

I just want them to have a good time, so I’m planning on having a good time too and bringing a lot of energy and getting up there and doing what I love. I’m looking forward to seeing all the GuilFest peeps!

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Talking to... RONI SIZE

his year GuilFest welcomes another Guildford institution with the brand new ACM Presents Stage. The Academy of Contemporary Music, alongside GuilFest, has helped put Guildford on the musical map for many years now and so festy-goers are in for a sonic treat this year when the ACM showcase the best up and coming talent as well as top acts including Drum & Bass and Jungle legend, Roni Size.

What do you most enjoy about playing festivals like GuilFest?

What I enjoy is what I call the ‘Glasto experience’, where you go with no preconceptions and you end up seeing the best bands you never knew existed. I also like the fact that you can hear music travelling on the wind. You’ll hear bass and think, what’s that? And then run over and discover there’s like four people in a marquee. But it’s great though.

What have you been working on lately?

This year we’ve got an album coming out called ‘Take Control’ which is geared more to the dancefloor and features a lot of up and coming vocalists I’ve been working with. And then early next year there’ll be a new Reprazent album with more vocals and a lot of good songs with quite close-tohome topics.

Do you appreciate the nostalgia people feel for your earlier work or do you feel restricted by it?

Not at all. It’s great to have made my mark in history; there are a lot of great artists who never get to see the light of day. So it’s an honour and a blessing.

What can you say about the state of Drum & Bass in 2014?

I’m really happy it’s still here, right? It’s kind of crazy though, I remember when the music just belonged in its own realm, in the dark, dingy underground

by Rich Lee of places like Bristol, London and Manchester. But it’s now a worldwide phenomenon with its own community. It’s got its little brother Dub Step; its little sister Trap music; its older brother Hip Hop; first cousin Techno; second cousin electro: it’s a family, it’s all bass and it’s all related.

It must be gratifying to have played such a role in it?

It wasn’t something that was really a matter of choice. When we won the Mercury prize, we had to take the bull by the horns and run with it but we billed and name-checked as many as people as we could. So we did a humble job of it is the way I look at it.

You’ve worked with Method Man, Zach de la Rocha and Beverley Knight, among others. Who else would you love to collaborate with?

I’ll be honest with you, it’s got to that stage that whoever walks through my doors I’ll collaborate with. I’m open for business in that sense. I did all those things because I could and it was a great wish list to have, but now I’m in the position where I want people to say “I want to work with Roni.” So I look forward to those scenarios happening.

Roni Size isn’t your real name of course, so what’s the story behind your moniker?

Basically I used to hang out with a friend of mine and, you know, boys will be boys. We’d scope the area, see what the girls were like and he’d say “what about her over there?” No, no she’s too small. “Her over there?” Nah, she’s too big. “What about her?” Ah yeah, she’s ‘Roni’s Size’! Ha ha, you had to be there but it stuck!

Talking to... DREADZONE

Talking to... GALLOWS Canada, and our bass player manages bands in LA. But we got together this year to start writing new songs - originally an EP for the summer but it’s turned into an album now which is great.

You’ve played all over the world – what countries have surprised you the most?

First time going over to Japan was really strange, when we were new on the scene in 2007. We’ve never portrayed ourselves as rock stars or poster boys but there were fans waiting for us at the airport with CDs. I’d be playing a massive Gallows show in London and still kind of blend into the crowd, but in the backstreets of Osaka, we were rushed by Gallows fans taking pictures of everything we did. It was very strange, but a really good feeling.

The genre’s survived dilution by new wave, grunge, emo and pop-punk, so what’s the secret behind Punk Rock’s longevity and continued relevance as a force in music today?

by Rich Lee

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uilFest favourites Dreadzone return this year on Sunday 20th July. We spoke to drummer and founding member Greg Dread about the band’s 20 year career…

Dreadzone have appeared at GuilFest since 1997. Do you have fond memories of the festival?

I do indeed. I always remember how great the crowd were and how well we went down with them. The blend of a normal festival along with the family atmosphere of the place makes it a bit special.

What do you enjoy most about performing at festivals?

How has Dreadzone kept going for over 20 years?

I guess the experience of doing so many over the years means we can give our best during the short allotted time we have. We always hit the ground running and our songs and energetic rhythm driven sound seems so suited to the outdoors.

It’s down to being musicians first and foremost. Dance music artists can have a short lifespan thanks to the DJ led genre; but we have a wide range of influences and ways of writing new material. That and the roots of the band, myself and Leo being a rhythm section for 30 years, and a changing line-up has kept it fresh. And of course we just love what we do.

You’ve been called pioneers of dub and bass music. Did you feel like trailblazers at the beginning, like you were making music that hadn’t been heard before?

It didn’t really at the time; we were just hoping people liked it.

We had the belief that it was vital to mix up the music that we love.

With our taste for dub combined with the emerging dance music scene it felt natural to combine them from a band perspective and sound like no one else.

What can GuilFest-goers expect from your show at Stoke Park this July?

Top tunes from our 20 year history and our new album ‘Escapades’: heavy bass, fat beats, sweet melodies, lots of happy bouncing people, smiling, dancing, and a celebration of the best summer festival!

Dreadzone will be playing the Good Time Guide Stage on Sunday 20th July. See guilfest.co.uk for more details.

by Rich Lee

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ringing the sound and fury to the Big Cheese Cave tent at GuilFest on 20th July are headliners Gallows, one of the UK’s most eminent hardcore punk bands who burst onto the scene in 2006 with their storming debut album, Orchestras of Wolves. We spoke to guitarist Laurent ‘Lags’ Barnard about the band’s journey…

Back in 2011, Gallows were booked to headline at GuilFest but you had to cancel. What happened?

We had to cancel a bunch of festivals because (then singer) Frank was ill. It was a shame but we’re full steam ahead and really looking forward to coming back!

What do you most enjoy about playing festivals?

When it comes to festivals I always feel it’s best to play in a tent; it’s more of a club vibe and a better atmosphere, which is what Gallows are used to.

Original singer Frank Carter left the band in 2011 followed by his brother,

guitarist Steph Carter. How have Gallows thrived when other bands might have sunk after the loss of such key members?

We’ve always tried to make Gallows about the music and focus on the music side of things.

We never lost that; things change but we’ve stuck to our guns and stayed true to the music. We’re just lucky we’re still getting away with it!

I think it’s just the attitude and the fact that people can connect with punk rock a lot easier than they can with other genres, perhaps.

It’s the community and the sense of togetherness. At a punk rock show, there’s no separation between band and audience.

We’re all in it together.

Has singer Wade McNeil, a Canadian, managed to convert you all to Ice Hockey yet?

It’s funny because I’m always seeing Wade on Canadian TV, on Hockey panel shows. But he hasn’t managed to convert me yet, no.

You’ve been called the Angriest Band in the UK. Has time mellowed you?

It definitely has. When Gallows started there was a real sense of urgency, to just hammer the music into people’s brains as hard as possible. I didn’t really sit back and enjoy myself. I still like to have that energy live but it’s a lot more fun now.

What can audience members who’ve never seen a Gallows show expect at GuilFest on 20th July?

What have you and the band been up to lately?

Well, you might get a kick in the teeth but you’ll leave with a smile on your face!

We’ve all been doing different things. I’ve been recording with my metal band Crocodile, Wade’s (singer) gone back to school in

Find out more about Gallows at www.gallows.co.uk

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SEPTEMBER 2013

COMMUNITY

LEGAL HIGHS: LOCAL PEOPLE, LOTS OF PROBLEMS...

Rich Lee Investigates How Legal Highs Hurting Guildford...

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hen a senior social worker wistfully recalls the days when crack cocaine and heroin were her main concerns, you know something has gone very wrong. “I’ve worked with drug users for fifteen years,” says Joanne Tester, chief executive of Guildford Action, “but this is the worst stuff I’ve ever come across.

I have never seen such a downward spiral among so many people in such a small space of time.”

The “stuff” in question belongs to a broad range of substances known as ‘legal highs’; psychoactive chemicals that have been flooding the market ever since the controversial legal street drug, mephedrone, was banned in 2010 after widespread reports of serious health scares. Before then, however, few would have ascribed a lifestyle to legal highs in the same way as cannabis, coke or ecstasy, but the new products are so effective that they have fast become the substance of choice for many users.

Users such as those treated by Guildford Action in Leapale Lane, a charity drop-in centre for the most disadvantaged people in the community. Helping the homeless or those with low-income and addiction problems, Joanne and her team have dedicated themselves to supporting those who live on the fringes of society.

But recently they have seen their work with addicts severely compromised ever since the 2011 arrival of UK Skunkworks, just around the corner from the centre. Skunkwork’s stock of cheap and legally available ‘highs’ are sold alongside ‘lifestyle accessories’ such as pipes, incense and rolling papers traditionally sold by head shops. These substances, available in smokeable, pill and powder form and called any number of exotic names like Banshee Dust

or Ching are now, according to Joanne and her team, wreaking havoc among their clientele.

“The problem is that people don’t know what they’re taking,” said Debbie Hayter, the drop-in centre Project Team Leader, “and we don’t know what’s going on with them physically. We can see something is wrong visually, but we often don’t know what to do to help them. We’ve had people trip and try to jump off the roof before. The level of violence and anti-social behaviour has changed. It’s not even in the same league as it used to be.”

The team have had to call for an ambulance on nearly twenty occasions over the last year.

“Ambulance callouts should be fairly rare these days,” said Joanne. “They used to be frequent with the older alcoholic guys, the street sleepers. But many have since moved on or passed away. Then Skunkworks came along and now the legal highs represent 99% of our calls to the emergency services.”

While all substances are banned within GA’s walls, Debbie says that many users now feel free to use out on the street with impunity.

“With pot or heroin, there would be far more discretion involved. Now they blow it in your face. It doesn’t help that the shop gives out free samples, to get them all trying it.”

We visited UK Skunkworks anonymously to experience the sale of these legal highs. Asked what would most likely simulate the effects of regular cannabis, the young shop worker was reluctant to recommend any, saying they were all far more potent than the illegal products we might be used to. After several enquiries, management at UK Skunkworks, Guildford, have been unavailable to comment.

COMMUNITY

The level of violence and anti-social behaviour has changed. It’s not even in the same league as it used to be Pandora’s Box Haydn Morris, CEO of Surrey Addictions Advisory Service (SADAS) takes a broad view of the problem of legal highs. “It seems to be right across the board and not just younger people but older people too.

“I think Pandora’s Box has been opened and people are used to experimenting with these chemicals now.

“In the same way you have a ‘drink responsibly’ campaign then maybe there ought to be a ‘drug responsibly’ campaign or similar at the national level.”

sheer diversity of legal highs now available is Not Fit for Human The staggering. 125 new products have emerged in the last years, and more varieties continue to appear. These Consumption two products circumvent the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 by being branded as ‘plant food’, ‘research chemicals’ or ‘bath salts’ and virtually all carry the warning ‘Not fit for human consumption’. Mr Morris also voiced concerns at what he perceived to be a lack of adequate testing of these products, neatly side-stepped by the warning.

Association of Chief Police Officers drugs spokesman Tim Hollis told the BBC this year that, “Kids are sending around party invites with a link on where to buy your drugs. The Home Office and police find that extremely difficult to get our heads around and we are flat footed.”

Surrey Police say they are working with communities to gather information about current trends.

When pharmaceutical companies spend millions on their products and test them in every way possible before they even get near a human body, what then should be done with the hundreds of unidentified and untested substances that fall under the banner of legal highs?

With no easy answer on the horizon only the debate remains and it is one likely to play out for many years to come, all while the health and social costs of legal highs continue to mount.

You can’t just separate what’s illegal and what’s legal because on the street that really doesn’t make much difference anyway

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COMMUNITY

OCTOBER 2013

GUILDFORD: WHY DOES THE TOWN HAVE THREE FOOD BANKS? t’s a common perception Ithat Surrey’s county town, Guildford, stands as a monument to well-heeled and comfortable middle England. Only last month, the town was named “the most luxurious shopping capital in the UK” in the Telegraph after research conducted by Experian put Guildford ahead of other affluent places like Kingston and Harrogate as a thriving town centre resilient to the recession that has suffocated so many other high streets, cobbled or otherwise.

And while that may be true, Guildford’s prosperous reputation disguises a worrying number of households for whom three square meals a day represents more luxury than any number of Armani or Hugo Boss outlets.

Since the coalition government’s welfare reforms back in April this year, many individuals and families have seen their benefits severely reduced or cut entirely. Living, disability and jobseekers allowance have all seen heavy sanctions, stranding many at the distressing juncture of choosing between using what little income they have left to pay the rent or to feed themselves.

To help those most in need, an ever growing number of Food Banks have sprung up; cooperatively run

of y c n e equ The fr s begun to nts ha e summer e i l c new e over th hows s d s n a a e incr s of n g i s no g. . n i w o l s

COMMUNITY

TheGuide2Surrey.com/Community

community projects and drop-in centres that provide desperately needed food packages to families and individuals who are struggling.

Ann Mather runs the North Guildford Food Bank (NGFB) at St. Claire’s church in Park Barn. She set up the food bank in December 2012 with a grant from the Council after growing concerned for the welfare of some of the people in the area. “I felt called upon by God to do something and we did a survey of people’s needs in this area and found that loneliness and debt were the two big problems.

“The result of debt was that people weren’t feeding their families properly, they were going without food themselves and their children were going without. It seemed obvious to open a food bank. We checked with a lot of local agencies and they agred and so we started.”

These agencies comprise of GPs, social services, the Citizen’s Advice Bureau, churches and charities among others. People who cannot afford to buy food can visit these agencies and receive a voucher which they can present to a food bank such as NGFB for three days’ worth of nonperishable food. Their food is donated from sources such as churches, charities, the local Tesco’s store and from local businesses.

Ann and her team have

fed four hundred people since opening, half of them children, although she expresses concern as the frequency of new clients has begun to increase over the summer and shows no signs of slowing. “We saw it increase about two months ago. Benefit cuts are significant in this and also the bedroom tax. It catches up with people; one minute they don’t see it then suddenly they’re in arrears and debts are sky high.

Sadly, I think it is going to get worse.”

One client I spoke to at NGFB, a disabled mother of four children, also with disabilities, told me: “If it wasn’t for this food bank, I don’t know what we’d do.

We’d probably live on thin air.” She had lost her income support earlier in the year and has had to live off the food that the volunteers provide while she waits for a tribunal to reinstate her living allowance. “I’m not holding my breath,” she says, “I don’t want to be on benefits, I’d love to work but with disabled kids and hospital visits and everything it’s impossible.”

Guildford Citizen’s Advice Bureau have issued 49 vouchers over June, July and August this year, more than treble the amount issued in 2012.

“The main reasons are problems with benefits administration,” explains Ursula Quinlan from

Guildford CAB. “I think people who’ve got the most difficult time are not necessarily those on benefits but those termed the ‘working poor’, people who have worked hard but are on minimum wage. We haven’t yet seen the full impact of the benefit cuts and bedroom tax. We can’t predict how it is going to pan out.”

The charity Oxfam reports that the number of people using food banks throughout the UK has risen from 70,000 last year to half a million in 2013. Both Oxfam and the Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest food bank operator, take the position that the introduction of welfare reforms is directly responsible for the increase in popularity of food banks, something the Conservative Minister for Welfare, Lord Freud, denies.

So for all that Guildford enjoys a reputation for apparent luxury and comfort, the rise in the number of food banks and the numbers of people now dependent upon their service remains a sobering reminder that too many at risk in our community live at the mercy of draconian welfare rules, where the simple ability to feed themselves and their families comes not from the government but from the charity and kindness of others.

GUILDFORD’S FOOD BANKS: WHERE TO FIND THEM North Guildford Food Bank St Clare’s Church, Cabell Road, Park Barn, Guildford, GU2 8JW Email: northguildfordfoodbank@gmail.com www. www.northguildfordfoodbank.co.uk Salvation Army Food Bank and Drop-in Centre Woodbridge Rd, Guildford, GU1 4QQ Tel: 01483 506763 www.salvationarmy.org.uk/sou/Guildford Guildford Action Guildford Action Drop-in Centre, The Community Centre, 3 Leapale Lane, Guildford, GU1 4LY Tel: 01483 533942

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COMMUNITY

18

DECEMBER 2013

HOMELESS AT CHRISTMAS

by Rich Lee

B

eyond the glow of Christmas lights and the radiance of shop fronts, a sadder truth lies at the hidden heart of Guildford and surrounding communities.

Homelessness - a problem that seems to never truly disappear, despite ever-changing initiatives by central and local government appears to be on the rise.

Since 2011 there has been a 25% increase in statutory homelessness, and a 24% increase in households in temporary accommodation.

Statutory homelessness is granted to those households or individuals that meet specific criteria, and to whom a homelessness duty has been accepted by the council.

According to data compiled by the charity Shelter, the number of Surrey families with children accepted as statutory homeless has risen from 45 at the start of 2012 to 78 by the middle of 2013.

But the statistics only reveal those who have approached their local authority for support; many more exist off the radar.

Mental health, debt, isolation, housing and employment exacerbated by the recent economic climate - are just some of the reasons that the unfortunate end up on the streets.

Professionals working to support the homeless will tell you that drugs and alcohol are merely an ‘emotional anaesthetic’ to the main issues.

“You can’t really put a stereotype on it,” says Neale Redmond who runs the Number Five Project, a shelter on Guildford’s York Road. “Most people in the public

realm would have the image of a drinker - sixty plus - who’s slightly unhygienic, but that’s not a homeless person anymore. Sure those guys still exist but most of them past 55 get looked after in sheltered accommodation.

“If there is such thing as a stereotype now, it’s the under 25’s who might have drug problems or lack of support from family or carers. Another demographic we’re seeing a lot of now is the 50-plus guy who’s very low needs but has never found himself in a situation where he’s lost his job, or goes to an online moneylender. He may be slightly in denial about his situation, build up debt and lose his family.

Maybe a bit of depression, drink soon follows and he finds himself on the streets. It’s a very sad situation.”

It is, however, a situation helped significantly by the efforts of local agencies, shelters and hostels like Neale’s. There are five hostels in Guildford alone with over 100 beds, including the Number Five Night Shelter, Vaughn House, Mulberry House (a women only hostel), Cyrenian House and The YMCA. Supporting these are bodies like Guildford Action, HOST and Woking’s York Road Project. Indeed, the supporting organisations and charities represent a confluence of compassionate agencies, charities, churches, general public and the Borough Council.

“There’s certainly no ‘NIMBYS’

around here,” says Neale. “Our building, provided by the Council, could be a million pound house, but they choose to give it to us, in a residential neighbourhood.

We’re not hidden, we’re part of the community and our clients and neighbours react to that and respect each other. That is down to GBC being proactive on the problem of homelessness.”

The Number Five Project opens its doors at 6pm every day of the year and is a direct access shelter, meaning that any client can request a bed. Here, they receive a meal, a hot shower, have their laundry done, sleep in a bed and receive breakfast before the shelter closes at 10am the next day.

But with the mercury already diving, the shelter prepares to make their basement available on an emergency basis. Called the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol, they meet the increased demand during winter with extra camp beds, hot soup and rolls.

For all of the town’s affluence, Guildford can at least claim a position as one of the most forward thinking, proactive boroughs when it comes to homelessness and poverty. And never more so than at this time of year, when the most vulnerable in the community face a Christmas without a home to call their own.

COMMUNITY

TheGuide2Surrey.com/Community

Local Homeless Support:

A Homeless Life

If you have concerns about anyone who is homeless or are experiencing issues around homelessness yourself, the following organisations can help:

en is 55 and a regular client at the Guildford Action Drop-in Centre on Leapale Road. He has been homeless for ten years.

He has had his benefits sanctioned for the last eight months, due to petty crimes, forcing him to rely on the services of places like GA and Number 5. He still finds himself sleeping rough on occasion.

HOMELESS OUTREACH & SUPPORT TEAM 01483 302495 (24 hour answerphone)

“What’s it like? It’s not nice; it’s hostile, everyone’s against you, the police move you on, and other homeless have a go at you.

You get wet and you get cold.

GUILDFORD ACTION DROP-IN CENTRE Guildford Community Centre Leapale Lane Guildford 01483 533942 Open Monday –Friday 10:00am –3:00pm NUMBER FIVE (Night Shelter) 3/5 York Road Guildford 01483 303646 GUILDFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL Housing Advice Centre 01483 444244

K

“Before I came here I kept myself to myself. We do try and look out for each other, though. The services are good here. I’ve been homeless every Christmas since I lost my house ten years ago. It’s nice to get a Christmas dinner [at Number 5] but to me, Christmas Day’s just another day.”

“February’s the worst. If you’re on the streets for a period of time, it gets in your bones, you get bad circulation. The first few years I was on the street, I was happy with it but as I got older, I got more knackered, got the shakes, shivers, I got septic feet. I had to sleep with one eye open in case I got beaten up.”

“To the public, I’m an alien. They look down on you, never in the eye. I wouldn’t hurt them but to them I’m ‘different’.”

Does he ever see an escape from homelessness?

“For me it’s too late; by the time I get a house I’ll probably be dead. I’ve got no chance. What happens will happen.”

KOKO Hair

14 Tunsgate, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 3QT 01483 459059 | kokohaircompany@gmail.com | www.koko-hair.com

Koko Hair Guildford

Koko Hair

19

LEAVES AS BIOFUEL? When leaves and other vegetable matter biodegrade, the actions of the microbes feeding on the cellulose produce sugars that can be turned into ethanol which can potentially be used as fuel for industry, agriculture and even specially converted road vehicles. So could we be sitting on a renewable supply of cheap biofuel?

Microbiologist at the University of Surrey, Dr Claudio Avignone-Rossa, studies the production of energy using microbes and had this to say:

ALL THE LEAVES...

“There is energy in leaves, the same kind that you find in wood or the trunk of a tree. The problem is how expensive it would be to extract the energy from the leaves. One broad leaf weighs approx. two grams. Assuming everything is converted into sugar, the maximum yield of ethanol from the sugars would be one gram. You’d probably have to collect all the leaves in the country to produce an amount of ethanol that could replace the use of fossil fuels. We could burn the leaves to produce a significant amount of energy, of course, but you’d have to dry the leaves first and, again, that would take more energy than you’d produce.

So from my point of view, leaves would be better used for composting and mulching for your garden. Economically it’s not feasible. Biologically and technically it’s feasible, but economically it doesn’t work. Which is a pity.”

by Rich Lee

As the autumn leaves colour and curl, dropping from the trees to

LEAVES AS FUEL!

blanket our streets and gardens, we’re provided with a bountiful supply of nitrogen-rich lawn fertiliser and compost to nourish our gardens over the winter and supercharge them come the spring. Here are just three easy ways to put all that fallen foliage to good use.

But all is not entirely lost, as one handy little gadget does hold the potential for turning your autumn leaves and other garden waste into dirt cheap fuel with which to heat a stove, chimnea or firepit. It’s called the Log Maker.

Composting

It’s comprised of a simple outer tube and an inner plunger, both made from recycled materials. All you have to do is to wrap the tube in newspaper, then take your leaves -damp or dry- and pack them into the tube, pressing down with the plunger as you go until the compressed leaves fill the newspaper.

Once full, just twist the ends to seal the ‘log’ and allow to dry out if necessary. You could even crumble a cinnamon stick or add some essential oils to the mix to create a sweet smelling, long burning log for your fire.

Small quantities of leaves, mixed with other green material such as grass clippings make fantastic compost. Let it sit over in your compost heap over winter, turning over the pile to aerate them occasionally and by spring you’ll have nitrogen-rich compost ready to supercharge your beds and borders with.

Leaf mulch Leaves make ideal mulch to cover borders, vegetable beds and the bases of trees and shrubs. This helps retain moisture in the soil, supress weeds and can make the garden bed look more attractive.

It helps to shred your leaves first either with a garden shredder or simply by going over them with a lawn mower. Add about five centimetres to your beds taking care to keep the mulch from touching the stems of any shrubs or other low plants. The decaying leaves will then add much needed nutrients to the soil over winter.

And of course the best part is the logs are completely carbon-neutral, i.e. they burn only the same amount of carbon as they absorbed in the first place, whereas the logs you might buy to burn during winter would have been cut, transported, and collected, producing a much larger carbon footprint.

Leafmould As a soil conditioner, leafmould greatly improves the structure and water-holding capacity of soil and the best quality leafmould is produced from the leaves of oak, beech or hornbeam. You just need to make a simple container –four stakes one metre apart bound in plastic meshing should do it. Add the leaves over the autumn and just leave it (sorry) to do its thing. Over a year, the microorganisms in the vegetable matter should break it all down into nice, crumbly soil conditioner your garden will love you for when it comes to spring planting.

image credit - www.nigelsecostore.com

The Logmaker is available from www.nigelsecostore.com for £24.99 inc. vat.

Inside... THE LIVING PLANET CENTRE

by Rich Lee

And there’s plenty of work to do. Among WWF’s countless projects, there is currently the campaign to raise awareness of the plight of Africa’s oldest national park, Virunga. This World Heritage Site is under threat from oil company Soco who are seeking to drill inside a natural habitat that supports thousands of endangered species and it’s the WWF here in Woking that are working hard to prevent this happening.

To help WWF protect Virunga visit wwf.org.uk/how_you_can_help/ Virunga

Since its grand opening at the start of the year, the Living Planet Centre, the visionary new Woking HQ of the World Wide Fund for Nature UK has quickly become a symbol of the town’s environmentally friendly credentials. We took a look inside and found a building that represents both a revolution in green architecture and a model for a true 21st century approach to work…

T

he WWF (formerly World Wildlife Fund) may be one of the most recognised conservation organisations around the world, but it was only last year that the NGO took up residence in a building that finally reflected their values.

That building is the Living Planet Centre, one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in the UK. A cathedral to modern, sustainable values, it is a realisation of a dream nurtured over the 26 years the WWF spent at their previous site at Panda House in Godalming.

BUILDING THE LIVING PLANET CENTRE “We considered retrofitting the old building with sustainable and environmentally features, but it was just not a viable option, financially,” says Head of Human Resources at WWF UK, Karen Gravestock. “Because of what we wanted to achieve it was actually easier to have those features installed in a building that was designed from scratch.”

It took a £5million donation from the Rufford Foundation to kick-

start the project, with further funds sourced through a capital appeal rather than from public donations. But that left one vital question: where to build the new HQ? “Woking fitted the bill perfectly because of its excellent transport links, reducing the need for people to drive to work and it would also provide the footfall for the visitor experience we were planning.”

Convincing 300 staff to move took a little persuasion, admits Karen, but as the building took shape, their enthusiasm grew.

It’s no accident that Woking’s resurgent appeal as a destination helped sway them also. “We’ve got theatres, cinema, a local food market, sports centres, shops, the library, cafes; you name it Woking’s got it.”

Work began in spring 2012 and the structure that sprang up alongside the Basingstoke Canal, opposite The Lightbox gallery, was built to the highest green standards. Staff walked through the doors officially in October 2012, but the building was unveiled to the public on January 25th this year with no less than Sir David Attenborough on ribboncutting duties.

HOW GREEN IS THE LIVING PLANET CENTRE?

constantly changing according to the workers’ priorities on any given day.

A NEW WAY TO WORK The Living Planet Centre’s forward-thinking design may be what turns the most heads, but it’s what goes on inside that is also drawing attention. “We want this building to be an exemplar for others, to show other people how we’re operating our sustainable features but also the way in which we work,” says Karen.

“One of the first things we did was introduce new tools. We allocated everyone a laptop and softphone to replace their old desktop PCs and landlines. This building is flooded with Wi-Fi points so you’re always connected.” Tech used at the Olympics 2012 was gifted to WWF by Cisco which enabled further connectivity throughout the organisation, not to mention a lavish auditorium bearing the networking giant’s name, an addition that helps make the LPC a very attractive place for local businesses to hire.

And while the idea of hot-desking is nothing new, here it’s realised to grand effect with rows of desks, ‘quiet spots’ and sofas laid out across the two-tiered, open plan indoor galleries making for a bright, dynamic workspace that’s

BRINGING CONSERVATION TO LIFE It’s all part of WWF’s global mission to protect the world’s natural environments, a mission that’s captured at the hi-tech ‘WWF Experience’ that greets visitors in the lobby - four interactive zones, each focusing on one key theme: forests, rivers, oceans and wildlife. Young people are invited to discover even more about WWF’s work at the Learning Zone, which teaches them about wildlife and ecosystems around the world.

“Before we moved in in October 2012, we came up with a ballpark figure of 25,000 visitors a year,” says Karen. “We had no real way of knowing if that was a realistic goal. But since opening we’ve had over 7,000 people come through the door, so we’re actually well on track!”

It’s the accessibility and engagement with the community that is one reason why the WWF’s Living Planet Centre offers so much more than just an attractive addition to Woking’s landscape.

Most significant of all is that the building offers a glimpse into an exciting, sustainable future, one where both the working and natural environments are in harmony with one another.

The free WWF Experience is open to visitors Monday – Friday from 9am – 5pm. On Fridays they offer a tour around the building for a purely discretionary donation. For more information about the WWF visit wwf. org.uk.

• • • • • •

Air ducts and heat pumps tap into the temperatures beneath the ground to heat or cool the building The roof optimises natural light throughout the building Solar panels on the roof provide electricity Rainwater is collected, along with reused ‘grey water’ from showers and basins, to flush toilets and water plants Most of the timber in the building comes from recycled materials and responsibly managed forests By planting shrubs, trees and flowers, and putting up boxes to attract birds and bats the building brings the natural world to its doorstep

SEEDS FOR DEVELOPMENT:

PLANTING HOPE IN UGANDA

By Rich Lee

How Alison Hall, a single mother from Shalford, took a journey into the unknown and empowered 16,000 of the poorest farming families in Uganda…

‘W

ouldn’t it be great if…’ is a question that Alison Hall has often found ending in a mad flight into adventure and discovery. It was the catalyst behind her founding her charity Seeds for Development in 2007 and it has taken her from being a marketing executive for IBM to helping some of the poorest communities in Uganda with her unique model of microfinancing.

It began at a conference for women in Oslo in 2007. “It was all very inspiring but I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to spend four days with 500 women in Oslo in October. My manager said ‘Go! It might change your life!’ Famous last words.” It was during a talk

by Ugandan businesswoman Josephine Okot that Alison heard about the plight of the country’s poorest farmers, families so poor that they couldn’t afford the seeds to feed themselves much less become commercial farmers.

She thought: “Wouldn’t it

be great if I could sponsor a Ugandan farmer?” She took the idea to Josephine Okot after her speech. “She looked me up and down and said, “You want to help one farmer? There are 5 million that need help.” That was like a red rag to a bull.”

More than a Charity A few months later, Alison found herself in the Ugandan bush, in the back of a pickup truck surrounded by four strangers, without phone reception, or the first idea about charity work or farming – other than growing her own tomatoes back home in Shalford. Nonetheless, she began her first pilot project with a £2500 donation, microfinancing 84 farmers AND allowing them to purchase 35 kilos of seeds each. They each earned £300 from their first crop, while paying back the money loaned by Alison’s Seeds for Development organisation.

“We didn’t want to give them hand-outs, and they weren’t asking for them. So we decided that instead of giving them the money to buy seeds we would work with them as a group so they could be in the position to buy enough seed for every member. And when they sold the crop there would be enough money left over to buy the seeds for the next crop.

They can use that pot either as they’re own credit scheme, or they can borrow against it and charge interest or they can use it to buy more seeds for the next season or they can buy some different seeds.”

during and after the ‘Silent War’.

“We started with two groups in this camp. One group suffered from HIV and AIDS- they were in a really pathetic place, they’d given up. The other was a group of women, child mothers who had been abducted during the war and had been child soldiers and sex slaves.” With Alison’s help, many of these refugees began to return to their former homes and sew their own crops, beginning their journey away from poverty and towards economic empowerment.

Happy Coffee Bean “Wouldn’t it be great if the coffee I was drinking was grown by our farmers?” That idea came to Alison back home in 2011, after having returned from Uganda and a meeting with a coffee company there.

On her next visit, she set about establishing a cooperative of farmers to grow Arabica coffee

beans. With donations given to Seeds for Development, their spinoff charity Happy Coffee Bean intends to import the farmers’ coffee over to the UK. “We’ve since grown 28,000 coffee seedlings from 280 farmers from the camps. For the first time the farmers were looking beyond the season and towards diversification. They believe in their future.”

Now that Seeds for Development supports over 1600 farming families in Uganda, no one is more surprised than Alison that an idea she had in 2007 has grown into something sustainable, assisted by her two fellow trustees in Guildford, Sally Varley and Penny Peters. “In the next five years, my dream is that this problem has gone away. That there’s no threat of war and only happy communities with bicycles and phones and kids in schools. I just have to be careful whenever I say ‘Wouldn’t it great if’ because I never know where it’s going to lead me next!”

The project was so successful that the group of farmers helped by Alison and her charity grew to 200. Impressed, Josephine Okot took her to the north of the country to see the refugee camps left by nearly two decades of war. “It was just mud hut after mud hut – where the straw from one touches the other. For years they’ve done nothing – they’d wake up in the morning, collect a once a day hand-out from the World Food Programme and just sit. Someone from every family had been abducted or murdered. They all felt as if the whole world had forgotten them

To learn more and to donate to Alison Hall’s great cause visit www.seedsfordevelopment.org and www.happycoffeebean.com.

SPORT

TheGuide2Surrey.com/Sport

PUMPING IRON AT THE SPA GYM CANDIDATE:

Rich Lee – Journalist

2

1 days to embark on a habit forming journey to lose fat and build muscle was a tall order, so I knew I needed a pro. Loukas Beardwood is a rising star among Surrey’s fitness professionals and has helped hundreds of clients at the Spa Gym at Guildford’s Radisson hotel to achieve radical changes to their lifestyles and physiques. Happy to guide me on my journey to a better self, we went to work.

After 7 days Loukas prescribed a high protein/low carb diet to promote muscle repair and growth and to keep my energy levels up as well as supplements to take with every meal. Three high intensity cardio sessions in the mornings helped to keep my engine running while burning fat. For five days each week at the Spa Gym we targeted each muscle group to build strength for the workouts to follow.

I enjoyed the clean diet but the early starts on the treadmill were challenging –hey, I like my sleep- and my body had to adjust to a new routine, so I did feel tired initially. But I found the workouts with Loukas invigorating and felt spurred

The Typical Diet

THE 21 DAY CHALLENGE to see how far I could push myself.

After 14 days Loukas added exercises that isolated individual muscles to the compound exercises that worked several at a time.

I was lifting heavier weights than before and recovering faster.

I was allowed a couple of cheat days on the food front, but with a growing appreciation for the healthier stuff, I chose to steer clear of junk. Now the diet and supplements were really working; I never felt the need to snack and I had a lot more energy.

After 21 days By now Loukas was really working me hard in the gym,

LATE AFTERNOON SNACK: (approx. 2hrs before evening gym session) Chicken (1 breast) BREAKFAST OPTIONS: sweet potato mash Venison Burger with (2 table spoons) almonds or cashews PRE WORKOUT: (30g) Whey protein shake Post workout shake MID-MORNING SNACK: EVENING MEAL: Tin of tuna Pan fried fish with boiled Apple or steamed greens LUNCH: 1HR PRIOR TO SLEEP: Chicken (2 small breasts) Total Greek yogurt with Broccoli, Kale, spinach or teaspoon of peanut Green Beans butter.

loading up on the weights while incorporating more aerobic exercises to really work on losing fat at the same time as building muscle. I’d ditched my grudge against the early morning cardio sessions and enjoyed the energy boost they gave me.

How do you feel?

Brand new! Thanks to Loukas’ expert guidance and instruction, I feel stronger, trimmer and more energised than I have for years. It took some work but I think I’m now truly hooked on healthy habits.

TG2 Guildford would like to thank Loukas Beardwood at www.labpt.co.uk - Telephone 07875 017 122 - and the Spa Gym at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel in Guildford.

The Results Start

After 21 Days

Body Fat %

16.8

15.2

Fat Weight kg

13.5

11.8

Lean Muscle % 83.2

84.8

Hips inches

36.5

35.5

Chest inches

38

38

Legs inches

L 21

Arms inches

L 12.5 R 12.5

L 13 R 13

Waist inches

35.5

33.5

R 21

L 22 R 22

39

ME

APRIL 2014

‘Me’

LOCAL PEOPLE, EXTRAORDINARY LIVES.

62

Peter Molyneux GAMES DESIGNER • GOD COMPLEX

What do you do?

One of my jobs is to be a CEO of a little company [22 Cans]. I’ve been a CEO for years, of companies as small as five people to as big as three hundred. My other job is Creative Designer; to think of an idea for a game and start it off. It used to be thinking up all the ideas; nowadays its thinking of an idea or getting one from the community or from someone on the team, and then putting that idea into a form that everyone can understand.

How did you start?

I started back in 1987, running a tiny company called Taurus, exporting and importing baked beans to the Middle East. One day we got a call from a computer company called Commodore who said: “We’ve heard about your company and we’d really like to invite you out for lunch and talk to you.” So they brought us over and gave us all this free computer equipment and it turned out that they’d got the wrong company, another one called Taurus!

But I had all this computer equipment and I’d always wanted to make a computer game.

So I started to work on this crazy idea for a game called ‘Populous’. It came out (on PC) in 1989 and it was just a massive, runaway success. To this day, I still think I’m going to wake up and be that bloke shifting baked beans!

What’s been your greatest achievement?

It’s just an amazing feeling to start something from nothing, from just an idea, to form a company and to share its success with a team and to have that incredible feeling of achievement.

Tell us about the current game you’re developing, Godus.

It’s a ‘god game’ which is the first game I stumbled upon with Populous. I give you this little world and allow you to be a god in it and allow you to feel what it is like to take these little people from the most primitive times up to modern day times.

It’s very multi-player, so is everyone a rival god?

Well, that’s an interesting point. I’m letting you decide if you’re a rival god or not. I love giving people the opportunity to choose whether they’re good or bad from the style of their play.

So what makes Surrey such a hotspot for the games industry?

When I started I was one of the first. There’s about fifteen here now. But it’s close to London, it has a university, it’s not too expensive (we all wish it was a bit cheaper): it’s got all the ingredients you need. So it has a lot going for it. And there’s been some amazing games made here.

What do you most enjoy about Surrey?

It’s just that blend between town and country which is so great.

How do you use your free time?

I enjoy cooking, having a drink on a Monday night and that kind of thing. But I love my work too much, so I rarely stop.

For more information about Godus, visit 22cans.com

JON DIBBEN JEWELLERY We meet the renowned jewellery designer, Jon Dibben, who has been producing exquisite pieces at his shop and studio at Smithbrook Kilns for nearly 25 years…

most wonderful, creative period I can remember.”

The success of Jon Dibben Jewellery since has meant he has been joined by his brother Paul and a small team of expert goldsmiths and gemmologists to help him achieve his distinctive, intricate and very beautiful designs. “We’re pretty established now but it never ceases to amaze me when people walk through the door and buy our stuff. The hardest part, for me still, is getting that initial idea and vision into a realistic, working piece of jewellery. That’s where the pain and hard work comes in: the actual craft. But you’ve got to stick with it.

“E

ven now, if I ever feel uncertain about the business, I just head to the workshop and start making things.” Not that jewellery designer Jon Dibben has much to be uncertain about. Having spent nearly 25 years creating his astonishing jewellery at his shop and studio at Smithbrook Kilns, Jon has been voted an ‘Inspiring Independent’ and ‘trend setter’ by the industry press. As a passionate advocate of Fairtrade and Fairmined gold and platinum, his debut FTFM design was recognised by the British Jewellers’ Association as a landmark piece of the past 125 years.

But Jon’s future as one of the UK’s leading independent jewellers was hardly set in stone. It took a drifting, nomadic youth and a summer spent on a Greek nudist beach for Jon to realise his talents. “I could turn my hand to most things but didn’t really

know what I wanted to do. Then I went away travelling at nineteen and I came to a beach in Greece where about a thousand people lived in bamboo huts. I met really hardcore travellers there who would visit India in the winter, buy cheap stones there and sell jewellery they’d make back on the beaches in Greece.”

Jon followed their example and began creating jewellery from stones and shells to earn some money to fund his travels. After more adventures around Europe and the Middle East, Jon arrived back home in Guildford and began selling pieces at market stalls, craft fairs and festivals.

Then a jewellery designer friend offered him the lease on her workshop at Smithbrook Kilns near Cranleigh. “I didn’t feel ready for it; I was 23, but I took a leap of faith and took it on. I sat in the workshop terrified for a couple of months and then I just got on with making stuff. It was probably the

I asked him where his inspiration come from. “I feel connected to and inspired by nature, although I don’t feel the need to recreate it in my jewellery. But it’s in the way that nature is functional as well as beautiful that inspires me to make jewellery that is as functional as it is beautiful too.”

“When I finish a piece that I’m really pleased with, I genuinely struggle to sell it. I get really attached to it.” He still gets a little misty at the recent theft of a necklace from the shop, the stones of which he had carefully collected over years.

So what does he attribute his success to? “I have a really split personality. I have an entrepreneurial, ambitious side which has helped get us to where we are, but I also have a rather obsessive, perfectionist streak.

Which is a useful thing to have when you make fine jewellery!”

For more information visit jondibben.co.uk or visit the shop at 40a Smithbrook Kilns Cranleigh, Surrey, GU6 8JJ

Talking to... RAY MORGAN CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF WOKING BOROUGH COUNCIL There’s now a ‘richness of place’, a whole range of things that are championed by the community but they’d always been kept just below the surface. It’s confidence that makes places work and now I think people are proud to say they’re from Woking.

The rejuvenation of central Woking has been, in part, due to your willingness to raise capital through the Public Works Loan Board. Why are other local authorities reluctant to borrow in a similar fashion to realise their goals?

After the Second World War, with nationalisation and over-centralisation in Westminster, people lost confidence in their places. We saw the diminution of the role of local municipalities. All the legal powers are there to enable them to do this – it’s a lack of self-belief. With the culture around risk-management, their way to manage a risk is to avoid it. From where I come from we say: “See the opportunity in the risk, manage the upside and try to avoid the downside.”

But a lot of those public works began at the same time as the recession hit…

Best time to do it, in my view. Our view of public sector investment is that you should be there when the private sector isn’t. Hopefully then you can step back and let them step in, hoping you’ve created the right opportunity for them.

Ray Morgan was appointed Chief Executive of Woking Borough Council in April 2008 and in that time has led some of the most transformative developments and policies in the town’s history. We spoke to him about Woking’s remarkable journey over the last few years…

What has been your proudest achievement as Chief Executive of WBC? Survival? (Laughs). For me, it’s having continued through all the difficulties to maintain public services without cutting them. I don’t know if there’s been one thing. There have been some great moments: getting McLaren, WWF, and some of the social policies that help vulnerable people in the community.

How is Woking a better place now than, say, four years ago?

Many people in Woking didn’t believe in themselves and held themselves as a town in low-esteem. But I think there’s an increasing self-belief in Woking.

You’ve spearheaded many initiatives that have built Woking’s reputation as an environmental leader. What plans are WBC working on to push sustainable practices even further?

I’m a bit geeky about it, I admit. Currently, we’re looking to serve the Victoria Square development through a district heating scheme. Not one fired by gas like the current one, but with total renewable energy. We’ll use ground source heat pumps, similar to the WWF but we’ll extend that to the whole district. The planning application is in now; with consent we’ll have it done by 2018.

While you are passionate about conservation haven’t you also been vocal about the need to reduce the greenbelt zone to build more homes?

60% of Woking is greenbelt. If the area can be reduced to meet further demand it would only be reduced by a few percent. But even if you reduce the greenbelt zone to 50% it would not be a disaster, so long as we build green strips through it and increase access to green space. It’s a question, though, of how do you balance the needs of current generations with the needs of future ones, and there’s no right answer.

It’s a very emotional issue.

What lessons could other towns learn from Woking?

You need to have the courage to do what’s in the long term interest of your community. We shouldn’t focus just on the interests of the people that are here now; we have a duty to look out for future generations.

PHYLLIS TUCKWELL: A Patient’s Story

“I didn’t want this, of course.

I’m a happy person who loves her family absolutely ultimately. But my Christian beliefs have been paramount, so instead of asking ‘how could God let this happen?’ it was more like: ‘why not?’ So I felt it was under control. I found peace. I have so much support, from my family and from my church, my friends and, of course, from this hospice.”

When deciding on the kind of care she would need, Susan says it was barely a decision at all. “From the very beginning I said I do not want to go to hospital. Hospitals are wonderful, but they are not hospices.”

Her daughter Vanessa explained how Phyllis Tuckwell has been with them from the very start. “We had regular visits from the clinical nurse specialist who assessed our needs and requirements and who organised everything with the doctors and home care teams. She told us about what would happen and what

This year TG media are supporting the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham, a charity dedicated improving the quality of life for their patients and their families. Rich Lee spoke to one patient, Susan Swayne, to learn about her experience coping with terminal lung cancer and of the invaluable care provide by the hospice…

I

meet Susan Swayne at the Phyllis Tuckwell in her bright and comfortable bedroom at the Phyllis Tuckwell hospice. With her is her daughter Vanessa - or ‘nurse’ as her mother jokingly calls her- and more relatives, including her brother and her husband David, drop in

to say hello. Despite being propped on her side in bed to relieve her discomfort, the 70-year old mother of two and grandmother of five is as animated and jovial as if she were holding court around her family table back home.

Because, to Susan and her family, the Phyllis Tuckwell

hospice really is like home.

Before she was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in June 2013, Susan was a bereavement counsellor and worked with many patients and families including those at Phyllis Tuckwell. “As a counsellor, I never wanted or expected to know this side of it. I was a coward,” she says, with a streak of humour. “But it prepared me for it in some ways.”

She recalls her feelings when she first learnt of her cancer. “I believe I knew there was something wrong for a long time before it was only officially diagnosed last year.

You just know your own body.

Did it come as a surprise?

No, not totally. Was I scared?

Not overly. Of course, I didn’t like it; I didn’t want to have cancer. I’ve got far, far too much to live for. But was I scared? Not outrageously, no.

to expect.

“It was hard for my dad at first, when he was looking after Mum from home,” she says, “and it was a relief when the nurses would come to see them. She became quite anxious at home for the last few days, she was uncomfortable and was having trouble breathing and was quite scared. But as soon as she came to Phyllis Tuckwell it was just an instant relief, for her and for us.”

“The hospice is absolutely amazing,” continues Susan.

“Every single person, whether they are volunteers or staff, they are angels. I just couldn’t wish for any better treatment.

The food is unbelievable – if I rang the bell for jelly, jelly will appear in my hand! (One has very simple tastes). But the people here are kindness itself.”

The hospice employs 200 staff who are supported by an army of volunteers, 800 strong, all of whom are involved at every level, from

administration to treatment to therapy.

“There’s a tremendous amount of complimentary therapy, here, so they come and massage my feet, for example, which is wonderful,” Susan buzzes. Such activities are also extended to the patient’s relatives, and Susan’s husband David admits that he’s enjoyed a little hand massage and aromatherapy himself. “Many of these people are volunteers and you get so much from their skills. They are absolutely priceless.”

Did Susan, like many people, have her own msconceptions about hospices? “Of course I did, before I started working here. They were terrifying!

They were ‘a place to die’.

Well, we’re all going to die.

But hey, dying’s not so bad.

So far, it has been… easy.

Really, it’s okay, thanks to the support I receive from family and friends and from the staff and volunteers at Phyllis Tuckwell.”

COMMUNITY

TheGuide2Surrey.com/Community

Phyllis Tuckwell: A DOCTOR’S STORY

by Rich Lee

I

n February, TG2 Guildford spoke with Susan Swayne, a patient at the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham, to learn about her experiences with a lifelimiting illness and of her treatment at the celebrated hospice. This month we got to speak to Dr Nick Dando, a consultant specialist in palliative medicine at Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice and Frimley Park Hospital… we’re dealing with people at a very difficult time of their lives.

They’re facing a great deal of uncertainty. And it’s not just about the patients; it’s about the family as well. That’s where the teamwork is so important, to share the responsibility of caring for that patient and their family.

What do you enjoy the most about your job?

Hi Dr Nick… So what is palliative medicine?

What palliative medicine is really about is the very detailed and expert assessment of symptoms, alleviating pain, suffering and distress for patients. As a doctor I’m predominantly concerned with complex pain control and complex symptom management.

Palliative medicine is a relatively new specialty. It’s really only been around for about thirty years. It grew out of the visionary work of Dame Cicely Saunders; a really inspirational figure who led the modern hospice movement.

What drew you to this particular field of medicine?

As a junior doctor, I took a cancer job at Southampton General Hospital and was inspired by the palliative team there; in the quality of care they were delivering to those patients. I was impressed with the time they had and with the communication skills they used to talk to patients

at a really challenging time in their lives. And it’s clinically interesting and challenging work. Everybody’s an individual and drugs and symptoms all interact differently, so to have an understanding and to ultimately improve the quality of life for those patients is really very rewarding.

How did you get involved with Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice?

I was lucky enough to be allocated a rotation here. I did one year here over 2009 and 2010 as a registrar, so I got to work with the team here and got to know the Hospice. Now, my job is split with Frimley Park Hospital and Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, which is really good for patients as I can follow them through their different environments. This can be a challenging new environment for a patient if they’ve not been here, so to see a familiar face is helpful for them.

What do you find most challenging about the job?

Anyone working in palliative care would recognise that

I really enjoy the quality of care that we are able to deliver here.

Being able to control complex pain or manage distressing symptoms for a patient and to see the difference to their quality of life, is really rewarding.

It’s a very inspirational environment. It’s a really fantastic hospice to work at with a great culture of collaborative working. And of course, in the voluntary environment, the volunteers are essential. They really help us deliver that little bit extra.

They are are able to sit with the patients to help support them while we focus on the clinical side.

Do people have pre-conceived ideas about hospices?

I suppose there’s a stigma attached to a hospice; that you go there for the last few days of life.

People think about the hospice and the inpatient beds, but 75% of the vital care we deliver happens outside the hospice. Of course some people do choose to die here and we’re delighted to provide that care for them.

But there’s a lot more that we do.

21

Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice

told her and we both fell apart.

A PATIENT’S STORY

By Rich Lee Diagnosed with a brain tumour at 37, Tim Clarke came close to losing hope. Here he tells us how he recovered thanks to the care and support of the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham…

I

n 2010, everything in Timothy Clarke’s life seemed to be on course. Having moved from Stilton to Fleet for his job at a national car rental company, Tim, his wife Lucy and their two young children were finally settling into their new life. With only the house to fix up, a demanding new role to manage at work and two kids to bring up, the 37-year old relished the challenges ahead.

Then came the day in September that Tim lost his voice, and everything changed.

“I

was still able to walk, look around, move and do everything as normal but I just couldn’t talk, for several minutes at a time. I put it all off and got on with work but saw a doctor about it who said there was nothing wrong with me.”

But the problem refused to go away. Tim tried to hide it from those around him, until a fateful phone call saw his speech crumble into incoherent rambling. After some minutes the voice at the other end of the line simply said: “Tim. You need to get this sorted out.”

Seeking a second medical opinion, Tim asked for a referral for a CT scan at Frimley Park Hospital. They confirmed his problem two days later. A glioblastoma malignant brain tumour. Brain cancer.

“I just thought ‘what am I going to do now?’ I stayed there, in the waiting room, had a cup of tea, and thought about my kids. My wife came to pick me up (my license was revoked) and I didn’t want to tell her why I was there until we got home. I’d never lied to her before.

Once we parked in the driveway I

“We spent the weekend wondering and worrying.

Although the tumour was diagnosed as static, the doctors couldn’t say how the cancer might progress.” Results from another hospital later revealed that the cancer had progressed to its severest phase: stage four. Surgeons then removed 35% of the tumour on Tim’s brain. “I was able to talk after the operation but then I started radiotherapy for six weeks followed by chemotherapy. I deteriorated physically in every way after that.

Then came the day in September that Tim lost his voice, and everything changed.

“The worst part was the feeling of negativity. It [the tumour] was getting worse along with my attitude. I got weaker and weaker. I struggled to walk upstairs. I didn’t want the kids to see me when they came home, even though I badly wanted to see them. I was spending hours asleep during the day and then I’d just wake up and cry.” His depression meant a fiveweek stay at the Priory Hospital in Woking. He returned home with a measure of courage again and the willingness to do “Whatever it took.” That’s when the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice called and set Tim on the path to reclaiming his life back from cancer.

I deteriorated physically in every way.

“We just had a chat at first. I said I was open to anything; that I wasn’t ready to give up. They suggested I visit the day centre and I agreed. I was picked up by a volunteer once there was given a comfy chair among a group of other clients. I was by far the youngest and was still very negative and didn’t know what to do. But it was meeting other people, just chatting, that turned everything around. After two weeks, I completely chilled out.

“There was a guy who was close to my age who was in agony from his condition and was very negative - as was I still. But as the weeks went on, we got to know each other and talked a lot, until we were just taking the mick out of each other. We’d draw together and make things out of clay and laugh our heads off.”

When his friend passed away at the Hospice, Tim understood how fortunate he had been. With his health returning, he knew it was time for his visits to the Hospice to come to an end. “I wanted to

keep going but I was positive to move on so someone else could take my place. A volunteer I knew got in touch with me a few months after just to ask how I was. I can’t express how much I appreciated that.”

used to work eleven hours every day. Now I walk my kids to school and know them better for having so much time with them.”

To help the organisation that supported him, Tim pours his efforts into raising money for the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice, whether it means working in their shop in

A volunteer I knew got in touch with me a few months after just to ask how I was. I can’t express how much I appreciated that.

F

our years since his diagnosis, Tim Clarke’s life seems to be on course once more, although in ways he had never expected. His cancer remains static and stable and his MRI visits have dropped from every three months to six months as a result. Thanks to the compassion of his employers, he enjoys financial peace of mind, although he suspects he will not be able to work at his old job as before.

“I need something more now,” he says. “Now I focus on each day. I

Fleet, raising £5000 in funds for a sponsored walk or throwing himself out of a plane for a sponsored skydive.

“I can do anything now. Within reason…” and he smiles at the thought.

For more information about the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice visit phyllistuckwellhospice.org or call 01252 729 400

Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice

THE FUNDRAISE R

By Rich Lee When his father passed away from liver cancer, Charlie Vaughan-Griffith wanted a way to thank the Hospice that had cared for him so well during his final weeks. He found it at the end of a gruelling yet lifeaffirming 1500 mile bicycle ride from London to Gibraltar, raising £13,500 along the way…

How did you come into contact with Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice?

It all began when my father was diagnosed with liver cancer. Dad was given two weeks to live and we didn’t know what to do. We were devastated. Then our doctor recommended Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice who sounded terrific as we just wanted Dad to be comfortable.

How did you find the Hospice?

We were absolutely blown away by the friendliness of the staff and their caring nature. The environment and level of care was unbelievable and we were put at ease straight away. Dad had his own room where he received fantastic treatment. It picked his spirits up so much that he was able to come home for his last few weeks.

It had an enormous impact on my father and us. Just seeing him relax and be able to come to terms with the situation he was in was a huge relief for us and we’re eternally grateful to the staff there for getting us to that point.

When did you get the idea to ride from London to Gibraltar in aid of the Hospice?

I was looking for something I could do to support the Hospice after all they’d done for us. I do quite a lot of cycling so it occurred to me that a bike ride in honour of his memory would be a project that everyone could buy into and support. When my father was young he’d attempted a similar ride but was knocked off his bike in Spain and never completed the route. So I knew that’s what I need to do: finish his journey.

How long did it take?

It ended up taking me and my friend, Humphrey Butler, about two and a half months but we took the long route. It was the middle of summer as well and perfect cycling. On the way, I participated in a road race in the Alps in aid of Help for Heroes, as my father was in the army.

Was it a very tough challenge?

We didn’t really get in too much trouble apart from a few mechanical issues along the way. It did get very arduous though, especially doing 120 kilometres a day, carrying around 30kg in our panniers. And France gets bloody hot in August.

It must have been a very emotional journey to undertake, to follow your father’s route like that…

Definitely. I remember when we crossed the Pyrenees and arrived at a little town called San Feliu de Guixols in Spain. It was where Dad had finished his ride in his youth.

There was an old monastery there and I lit a candle and left a photo of the both of us. It was a very special moment for me. The ride gave me lots of time, to think and to grieve, and I ended the journey in a really positive frame of mind. I felt we had achieved a wonderful goal and raised £13,500 for the Hospice.

Who else should fundraise and how?

We need to galvanise people, particularly younger people. It’s the younger people who are fit enough to attempt fantastic challenges like mine, to raise money for charities like Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice and have some seminal experiences in the process. But they don’t all have to have to involve cycling to Gibraltar!

Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice provides palliative care across West Surrey and North East Hampshire and supports over 140 families, patients and carers. With only 15% of their costs covered by the NHS, they need to raise £15,000 a day to operate. If you would like to support the amazing work that they do call or 01252 729400visit www.pth.org.uk to find out more.

£17 HELP THE £93 HOSPICE THIS £115 CHRISTMAS £125 £127 £154 £647 £942 £2,371 £18,000 £7m

For the Hospice Care at Home team to care for a patient for 1 hour in their own home

Our Year with

to provide Day Hospice care for 1 patient for a day

By Rich Lee As anyone who visits our website www.theguide2surrey.com will know, we are hugely proud to have supported a great many local charities on our Charity Spot page since we launched the site in 2012. But with the publication of our first print magazine, The Guide 2 Guildford last September, we saw an opportunity to hitch our TG Media wagon to one charity in particular in order to draw what attention we could to the invaluable work that they do over the course of the year. Choosing one wasn’t easy; Surrey boasts hundreds of charities. But Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham resonated with us deeply, when we considered what their expertise and compassion brings to their patients at the most profound moment of their lives.

Over the year, we have been privileged almost beyond words to meet the people that make the Hospice the special place that it is. As the writer responsible for interviewing them, I have been honoured to help tell the stories of ordinary people who do something extraordinary every day at the Hospice, be they medical or support staff, charity shop workers, volunteers, fundraisers or patients.

Early in the year we met Dr Nick Dando, a consultant specialist in palliative medicine at the Hospice and at Frimley Park Hospital. Beneath his friendly yet professional demeanour his passion for his work shone brightly: “Being able to control complex pain or manage distressing symptoms for a patient, and to see the difference to their quality of life, is really rewarding.”

The Hospice Care at Home Team extend the charity’s care outside the Hospice, to give support to patients in their own homes. Team leader Debbie Phillips summed up their work succinctly: “The most important thing is keeping people out of hospital when they don’t need to be there and when they don’t want to be there. It’s not so much about the dying process but living with the disease.”

Mandi Garwood, who has nursed patients at the Hospice since 2002, shared about the toll that the work can sometimes take. “It can be emotionally draining. There may be some patients that come in and then go so quickly,

G2G_COM_Pyliss TUCKWELL.indd All Pages

you don’t get the chance to build a relationship with them. It can be upsetting, but the support of the team is essential.” But, she explained, the rewards of the job were more than worth it. “I never get out of bed in the morning and wish I didn’t have to go to work. I love the patients and everybody I work with. It’s an honour to work with them.”

As we discovered, volunteers make up a crucial force for the hospice, providing invaluable skills and support to the staff and patients. June Sherry, who has given up her time to assist patients visiting the Hospice’s Day Centre for nearly a decade told me: “Volunteering at Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice is both humbling and uplifting.”

Just visiting the Hospice for The Guide 2 Guildford had left me feeling both humbled by the work of the staff and the volunteers and uplifted by the incredible passion and humour that permeates the Hospice.

But if anyone truly brought home to me the value of the work that the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice does, it was Susan Swayne. She was the first of my interviews at the Hospice, in January, and the one who has stuck with me the most since.

When I met the 70 year-old mother and grandmother, she was propped up in bed in her private room at the Hospice, surrounded by her family. Susan was dying from lung cancer, but it was near impossible to perceive it given how animated and sunny she was that day. She told me all about the emotions her diagnosis

had brought, and how she had accepted her condition and found peace through her Christian faith. Freed from undue suffering through the care of the Hospice, Susan could experience her last days with a measure of comfort, enjoying the company of her family, the staff… and the occasional foot massage.

“We’re all going to die,” she told me serenely, and a couple of weeks later, sadly, Susan did. “But hey,” she’d continued, “dying’s not so bad. So far it has been easy; thanks to the support I receive from the staff and volunteers at Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice.”

to provide complementary therapies for a day To provide the services of a nurse for a day who cares for up to 5 patients To provide the services a physiotherapist for a day, improving the quality of life for patients

The Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice is an organisation that runs almost exclusively on money raised by fundraising and from its many charity shops scattered around the county.

But with only 15% of their costs being covered by the NHS – which is under half the national average for hospices - the Hospice must raise 85p of every pound the Hospice needs to operate.

And this is never more felt than at Christmas time; just operating over Christmas Day and Boxing Day costs the Hospice over £36,000, of which £11,500 is required just to run the Inpatient Unit.

To provide the services of an Occupational Therapist for a day, helping patients to continue day-today life as normally as possible To provide care for an In-Patient for a day To provide the services of one full-time Clinical Nurse Specialist for a week To provide all our Hospice Care at Home services for a day

But there are many fantastic opportunities to help Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice raise the funds they need, for Christmas and beyond:

To run the whole Hospice and associated services for just a day

To provide all our services for one year!

• Donate to the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Christmas Appeal at www.pth.org/wishes • Shop for wonderful Christmas gifts for friends and family at the Hospice’s many charity shops across Surrey or through their online shop at www.pth.org.uk/our-shop

The Epic Fundraiser Charlie Vaughan-Griffith

The Hospice Care at Home Nurse - Noreen Baggott

The IPU Nurse Mandi Garwood

The Patient Susan Swayne

• Visit www.pth.org.uk to donate online • Call 01252 729446 to donate over the phone The Charity Shop Worker - Shirley Granger

• Get involved in the many fun events held in aid of the Hospice. These have included everything from fashion shows, beer and food pairing evenings, sponsored runs and golf tournaments and so much more. Visit www.pth.org.uk for all the events.

• Volunteer! If you have the skills or just the time to give the Hospice, you’ll find it the one of the most rewarding experience. Just call 01252 729431.

The Consultant - Dr Nick Dando

The Survivor - Tim Clarke The Volunteer - June Sherry

14/10/2014 11:25