VICINITEE JULY 09

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JULY 2009 ART • INTERIORS • FASHION • MOTORING • BEAUTY • SHOPPING • BUSINESS • TECHNOLOGY • FOOD & DRINK • UK & INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY

R % E 35ATH

E LE V W A E S N ON

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You can now design your own leather sofa at a price you can't resist!

We have bought a quantity of good quality leather in white, brown and black that you can choose for your own customised sofa. You will save 35% compared to our cheapest leather from our standard collection. Offer subject to availability.

Now £1,8 83

Now £1,58 0

M e z z o s o f a, b r o w n l e a t h e r.

H 8 7 x W 2 0 6x D10 4 c m

Indivi 2 sofa with chaise lounge, b l a c k l e a t h e r. H 8 5x W 2 31 x D14 6 c m

N o r m a l p r i c e £2 , 8 97

SAVING AFRICA

The realiTy of an ideal

EXOTIC TRAVEL

BeTween heaven and The himalaya

DOMESTIC GODDESS

masTerclasses wiTh mich Turner

HOT PROPERTY

uK & inTernaTional

N o r m a l p r i c e £2 , 4 31

I S S U E

BoConcept TCR, 158 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7NH, Tel. 0207 388 2447 www.boconcept.co.uk

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JULY 2009

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contents 14 SAVING AFRICA The reality of an ideal 34 BETWEEN HEAVEN & HIMALAYA The Land of the Thunder Dragon 96 DOMESTIC GODDESS Masterclasses with Mich Turner

14 F E AT U R E S 18 YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS Meet the whizz kids 20 FIGHTING THE PANDEMIC The global reaction to Swine flu

48 FASHION Eighties hats

24 GOING FOR GOLD 2012 Games and new business opportunities

68 5 OF THE BEST...

Modern kitchen designs

27 BIG MOTHER GPS tracking and honey-traps set on cheating husbands

90 ARTSCENE Carol Cordrey checks out the Wildlife Artist of the Year

28 SPANISH GETAWAY Beverley Byrne explores Estepona

93 GROW YOUR OWN From allotments to window boxes: the organic lifestyle

31 24 HOURS IN...

Washington, DC

48

42 SCISSOR HAPPY Claire Adler meets the King of celebrity hairdressing

38 BIRTH STONES Kelly Green presents a sparkling selection

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contents 80

REGULARS 10

EDITOR’S LETTER

22

BUSINESS & FINANCE NEWS

72

GADGETS

75

MOTORING

87

COMPETITIONS

89

CULTURE

93

FOOD & DRINK

107

LIFE COACHING

109

MOTLEY FOOL

112

CITYLIFE RECOMMENDS

114

WHAT’S ON

119

PROPERTY

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CUTTING EDGE

medical research takes a turn

EASY AFRICA

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SUPERMAN RETURNS OBAMA’S FIRST 100 DAYS

CUTTING EDGE

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DO WE KNOW OUR CITY?

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editor’s letter Welcome to the July edition of Vicinitee Magazine – the luxury magazine dedicated to metropolitan living. This month’s issue is packed with compelling feature articles, interviews and the latest news on what’s happening in and around London this summer.

As the sporting season gets into full swing so does the Vicinitee Golf Weekender. Vicinitee have teamed up with Oceanico Group to bring you an exclusive golfing break at the Amendoeira golf resort; voted best golf resort in Europe. Take the opportunity to improve your swing and receive luxury VIP treatment in five star accommodation. Taking place from 15-18 October, this special Vicinitee offer includes hospitality tickets to the 2009 Portugal Masters. Places are limited so early booking is advised. For further information or to book please visit www.oceanicoresidenceclub.com/vicinitee Another exciting event being launched this month for our female readers is The City’s Top Model Entrepreneur. If you think you’ve got what it takes to be an entrepreneur or fancy yourself as London’s next top model, then now is the time to enter this unique competition dedicated to business and beauty. For more information and to download an application form please visit www.citytopmodel.com. With top prizes on offer (including a photographic campaign in our very own magazine and the chance to appear on TV), the search begins to find The City’s Top Model Entrepreneur – and it could be you!

Continuing with our entrepreneurial theme, this month sees the start of a three part mini-series dedicated to young entrepreneurs; we kick off by meeting Simon Hay and Joe Mathewson of Firefly Solutions and find out how they turned a school boy vision into a business success. Look out for our other exclusive interviews in next month’s edition where we feature the next generation of young entrepreneurs hitting the spotlight.

Don’t forget to register for your personal Vicinitee VIP card this summer, with exclusive discounts at hundreds of shops, bars, restaurants and services; you can now be a part of London’s most powerful network. Vicinitee members are already enjoying access to an exciting world of invitations, bar openings, parties and other sporting events happening this summer so don’t forget to register for yours. Visit www.vicinitee.com/vip to benefit from our special launch promotion.

As always, your opinion counts and your views are important to us – so if you have something you’d like to share with us, please e-mail us at Vicinitee@runwildmedia.com

JULY 2009 ART • INTERIORS • FASHION • MOTORING • BEAUTY • SHOPPING • BUSINESS • TECHNOLOGY • FOOD & DRINK • UK & INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY

Richard Fischer Marketing Director Vicinitee.com

VICINITEE

DESIGN Keep reading and we’ll bring you SOFAS closer to the space IN LEATHER. around you LOWEST PRICES EVER!

% ER 35ATH

VEW LE SA NE

Giles Ellwood Managing Director RunWild Media

ON

UR ES O IC TO PR D ER RE TH PA EA M O LL *C MA R NO

You can now design your own leather sofa at a price you can't resist!

We have bought a quantity of good quality leather in white, brown and black that you can choose for your own customised sofa. You will save 35% compared to our cheapest leather from our standard collection. Offer subject to availability.

Now £1,8 83

Now £1,580

M e z z o s o f a, b r o w n l e a t h e r.

H 8 7 x W 2 0 6x D10 4 c m

Indivi 2 sofa with chaise lounge, b l a c k l e a t h e r. H 8 5x W 2 31 x D14 6 c m

N o r m a l p r i c e £2 , 8 97

SAVING AFRICA

The realiTy of an ideal

EXOTIC TRAVEL

BeTween heaven and The himalaya

DOMESTIC GODDESS

masTerclasses wiTh mich Turner

HOT PROPERTY

uK & inTernaTional

N o r m a l p r i c e £2 , 4 31

VICINITEE

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BoConcept TCR, 158 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7NH, Tel. 0207 388 2447 www.boconcept.co.uk

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CITYLIFE MAGAZINES Editor: Lesley Ellwood Editorial Director: Kate Harrison Deputy Editor: Josephine O’Donoghue Arts Editor: Carol Cordrey Motoring Editor: Matthew Carter Beauty Editor: Kate Hughes Fashion Editor: Lucie Dodds Finance Executive: Kätlin Maasik Sales Director: Eren Ellwood P.A. to Sales Director: Ella Kilgarriff Graphic Designers: James Britton, Hiren Chandarana, Victoria Wren PR & Marketing Manager: Rebecca Walton Managing Director: Giles Ellwood P.A. to Managing Director: Charlotte Evans

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CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE: Claire Adler is a London based freelance journalist, specialising in jewellery, watches and luxury. Her work has appeared in the Financial Times, the Daily Mail, the Sunday Times, The Guardian, The Times, Spectator Business, Wallpaper*, Intelligent Life and House & Garden. She also writes for fashion news service WGSN, hotel magazine IN London and magazines published by Bentley, Harrods and Watches of Switzerland, amongst others.

Jamie Carter is a freelance journalist based in Cardiff. Specialising in gadgets and technology, Jamie has written for the likes of T3, Home Cinema Choice and The Guardian as well as a number of websites. He writes on flatscreen TVs for What Video and What Plasma magazines and away from technology is also a regular contributor to BBC History and Real Travel magazines.

Martin Bamford is one of the youngest and most successful financial planners in the UK. He runs his own firm of financial advisers – Informed Choice – and regularly contributes to various financial publications. His personal finance book The Money Tree, published in 2006, is a best seller.

Kate Hughes has an established reputation as one of the UK's leading celebrity hair and make-up artists. A regular guest beauty presenter on television, she has worked with a wide selection of actors, presenters, musicians and models.

Kate's hair and make-up consultancy, 'It's All About You', transforms women for weddings, special occasions and red carpet events.

Dr. David Kuo is one of the UK’s leading commentators on money matters. He is a Director at the popular investing website The Motley Fool – Fool.co.uk. As well as providing daily insight and financial news for BBC London’s (97.4FM) Breakfast Show , he also presents Money Talk – the Fool’s weekly podcasts where guests from the world of money thrash out the financial issues of the day.

Jamie’s Italian will be opening early August in Churchill Place, Canary Wharf www.jamiesitalian.com

The reality of an ideal

Katherine Eriksson looks at the realities of aid and development in Africa, and asks if there ever will be a miracle-solution for this beautiful but troubled continent?

M

y favourite story about Africa involves a variant on the “why did the chicken cross the road?” story. Why did a chicken cross Zambia on a bus? Probably to get to the other side. Most likely to be eaten for dinner. My second favourite experience was in Malawi where the bus we were on had to have everyone get off the bus before it could make it up the hill; inconvenient to say the least. I still wonder whether the brakes worked very well when going down the hill – something you just don’t ask. Every eighteen-year-old who goes to Africa has these kinds of stories to bring back. Cute kids, chickens, and mosquito bites. Maybe, if you’re ‘lucky’, you’ll have a run-in with a mild tropical disease with which to wow your friends at home. These bright-eyed bushytailed foreigners go home with dreams to “save Africa”. But how? Does Africa need saving from itself?

When we were little, we were told “eat everything on your plate, there are starving children in Africa”. Eventually every child catches on that eating everything on one’s plate will not make a difference to Africa – the end of poverty does not come from obeying your parents. This myth about development is obvious, but unfortunately there are many that are not and we are still trying to distinguish fact from fiction.

Development experts, economists, politicians, activists – we all think we have the answer. We say to increase aid, improve governance, end war, and send medication.

The G8 has continually pledged increased aid to Africa. George Bush started the Millennium Challenge Corporation, aimed at

giving aid to countries with good governance practices. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for some of Africa’s biggest warlords. These are lots of large-scale solutions to a big problem.

Jeffrey Sachs, author of The End of Poverty, started a series of Millennium Villages; villages where enormous amounts of money are invested with the theory that Africans just need enough money to escape a poverty trap of malnutrition, bad farming practices, and a failed health system. Bill Easterly, an economist at New York University, disagrees.

In a very spirited exchange in theWall Street Journal recently, Easterly argued that to think the end of poverty can be bought, is to oversimplify the problem.

Development economists, and policy makers in general, face a tough call. How do we bring enough attention to a problem without appearing condescending, or oversimplifying a complex issue? I’m sure Jeff Sachs wants to bring these people out of poverty – he believes that by getting enough attention to the idea of poverty traps, his theory about how to draw in resources for the fight against poverty will be recognized. A tourism organisation, unendorsed by Sachs, offers tours of the Rwandan Millennium Village. Their brochure asks visitors to avoid eating in public, as some of the villagers are still malnourished.

Easterly argues this is condescending – poor Africans are not monkeys in a zoo. The tour operators say that they have generated resources for the villages since they share 70 per cent of revenue, and that they have attracted attention. There are two sides to most development stories.

Sachs favours top-down solutions, but there are thousands of people on the ground all over the world determining what works on a small scale. The new craze in economics is randomised experiments – does randomly giving an anti-malarial bed net to someone reduce the probability of contracting malaria? Can that person pay for half of the net so we can reach twice as many people? Does reducing class size in primary school increase test scores? Does informing the

currentaffairs

community about failures in their health care or education system increase public involvement and therefore service delivery?

These projects are wide-spread across every developing and even developed country – and all programs have shown mixed success. There is some evidence that targeting microfinance to women improves the welfare of children, but some evidence says that men are better able to make use of small business credit.

Handing out textbooks to students

doesn’t seem to improve test scores, but making school uniforms available to middle-school students can increase school retention. Treating students for intestinal worms in Kenya improves attendance, but the effects fade to zero in the long run.

Ultimately, the goal is to answer enough small questions to create a tool-kit for policy-makers. When evaluating such projects, we always ask three questions: Is the project sustainable and do the effects persist in the long-run? Can it be scaled up to a large government programme? Is the institutional framework in place to implement the programme?

None of the small projects will work unless the political framework is in place.

If every other bed net is stolen and sold on the black market, these projects will never be sustainable. The tension between good governance and aid is growing.

Western governments at times have an

15

incentive to ‘move money’, no matter how efficient it is. Countries such as Uganda and Mozambique have government budgets funded almost as much by aid as by taxes.

While this money no doubt helps fund vital health and education services, roads, and agricultural reform, it also insulates the government from democratic processes.

The lack of transparency associated with so much money leads to corruption and cover-ups as outlined in Michela Wrong’s new book It’s Our Turn to Eat. The book follows John Githongo, a man who uncovered enough corruption in the Kenyan government to face death threats, and he was forced to leave the country.

Anti-corruption programs are common in Africa, but unfortunately they are often without teeth and the people running them are either part of the corrupt party or are discouraged to speak up.

Illustration © Mark Gray (www.bitspikey.com)

Governance in Africa has been steadily improving but obviously has a long way to go. South Africa has now had four peaceful elections. No matter what one thinks of Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s post-apartheid constitution is one of the strongest in the world. South Africa is also surrounded by a group of countries with strong economic growth and stable governments, Zimbabwe excluded of course. The ultimate test of any democracy is a peaceful transition from one party to another. Both Zambia and Malawi have had such transitions in the past five years. Mozambique has managed to pass power from one president to the next, even if it was within the same party. Botswana is known as one of the most boring countries in Africa among my friends, because of its stable political climate and steady growth.

For all of the grand schemes to ‘develop Africa’ and the small micro-projects aimed at the most vulnerable, sustainable growth will depend on the private sector – the ability of products to compete on the international market, public-private partnerships which can enhance the public sector’s reach, and, most importantly, the growth of tourism.

Until recently, most African countries weren’t able to trade freely with the European Union and the USA. More recently, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) opened up opportunities for trade between the USA and African countries. In 2007, the United States imported $3.4 billion in imports, twice what it did in 2001. The AGOA program is tied to good governance, but 40 countries were eligible for trade in 2007, more than ever. This act also includes a yearly forum for the private sector to discuss marketing and export opportunities.

Private provision of public services can also take pressure off governments. In Botswana, the Debswana mining company began providing anti-retroviral drugs for workers afflicted with AIDS. One recent study showed that the company recouped up to 50 per cent of the cost in fewer sick days by its workers, which is evidence that companies could pay part of the cost of medicines which improve productivity. This program has been replicated in Mexico as well.

currentaffairs

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South Africa as well as Botswana and other Tourism revenue is a major source of neighboring countries, offer the chance to growth in many African countries. In South see the “Big Five” – the five largest animals Africa, tourism accounts for over eight per cent of GDP, and the country hopes that will in Africa – while staying at a five star hotel.

Mozambique has recently also concentrated grow to 12 per cent in the next few years. its tourism investment towards the highWith the Soccer World Cup in 2010, South end traveller. There is Africa will have nothing more relaxing gained 650,000 new Development than a few days staring jobs between building at crystal blue water, new stadiums and experts, economists, soaking up the sun and hiring workers for politicians, activists eating delicious prawns. the World Cup itself.

– we all think we have Policy-makers have With the 2010 the answer. many options when it World Cup, the comes to aiding Africa, Southern African but the moral of the story is that there is no Development Community (SADC) is one answer. Ultimately, the private sector planning to require one visa for all visitors is what will drive long-term growth, but to countries neighbouring South Africa.

That means fewer restrictions on movement the government capability and will must be there. Small-scale development projects help and therefore more foreign visitors for the people they serve, but ultimately must be these countries. able to be scaled up to a larger population.

The World Cup gives tourism industries As long as idealistic young students continue across Southern Africa the chance to to travel around Africa on slightly rickety expand their business and contribute to buses, the West will continue to look for the economy. Luxury game reserves in solutions; hopefully more successful ones than we have tried so far. n Based at UCLA, Katherine Eriksson is currently studying for a PhD in Economics.

With an academic background in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Virginia Tech University and Oxford University, she has a keen interest in global economics, politics and third world development.

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business&finance

meet the

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS The first in a three part series, Josephine O’Donoghue meets the creators of Firefly Solutions and finds out more about the unusual beginning of their company

Y

oung entrepreneurs Simon Hay and Joe Mathewson were at school when they came up with the concept for Firefly Solutions. Firefly allows organisations or departments to set up an intranet or wiki site so that users can easily create, share and discuss content. It also lets companies maintain their own fresh and up to date websites. Eight years on and rebuilt for Microsoft’s enterprise level ASP.NET platform, Firefly.NET is used by dozens of schools and has a much wider and growing feature set. In 2008, realising the system could be just as useful in a business setting; Firefly took on its first non-academic client. While the team has grown, the two original partners remain – we met up with Simon and Joe to find out more.

What was the initial concept/idea behind Firefly Solutions?

Simon: When we were both still at school, we found it very difficult to find revision material on the school’s intranet. Building a website was still strictly for techies only, which meant that very little content was available.

Joe: We wanted to make it easy for anyone to post material to a website, and easy for the users to navigate it. We wanted to make things work more like a wiki, so anyone who could write an email could add a page without having to worry about the technical details.

When did you realise that your idea might be good enough to turn into a successful business?

Joe: We realised this early on when we were being pulled out of French lessons to fix or improve the software we had written! It had helped the intranet to grow from a few hundred pages to tens of thousands; it was clear that it was very useful for teachers and pupils alike at our school, and that it could equally well be applied to other organisations.

How long after the initial idea was the commercial company launched?

What are future plans for Firefly Solutions?

Joe: It took about two years between starting to write our product and our first external sales.

Joe: I have recently quit my job in the City to run Firefly Solutions full time. We are looking to expand to more schools, and also start to take on more small companies, who can also get a lot out of web based collaboration. I wonder how many readers regularly have to search through messy network drives or long e-mail trails to share and discuss documents with their colleagues? If you are, you should be using our product.

Simon: Once we started out as a commercial entity we found that as a very small business we could stay agile and deliver what our customers wanted faster than our competitors. Our reputation spread mostly through word of mouth and we started to grow quite quickly.

How did you turn ideas into a tangible product?

Joe: With a web based product it is a constant process of incremental improvement and feedback from your users.

As a small company, we can be close to our users to continue to integrate their feedback.

Were you taken seriously as a young entrepreneur or have you encountered difficulties?

Joe: I think early on we actually benefited a bit from the novelty of writing a piece of software at school that worked so well for schools. Of course some prospective buyers are nervous about purchasing from small organisations, regardless of the age of the owners, and we had to make sure we had things in place to reassure them that we were not going to disappear.

What is the unique element within Firefly Solutions?

Joe: The web is such a great platform for sharing and discussing information, but too many of the products out there for sharing within organisations are too geeky or complicated to use. Our passion is making it easy for regular people to share content on the web, yet allowing the product to integrate properly within an organisation’s workflow. Think the ease of use of Twitter or Facebook but plugged into your organisation’s corporate data.

Do you plan on running the company yourself, or managing some aspects of the business alongside another job?

Joe: At the start, both of us were part time through school, university and for me, a City job. I have now gone full time and I’m excited about the business. If you have a business idea, you can definitely test the water while you are doing your ‘day job’.

Simon: I’m dividing my time between Firefly and studying for a PhD in Computer Science. It is hard work but proving to be a good balance.

What would be your advice to other young people who want to turn their new ideas into business ventures?

Joe: Make sure you have a clear plan on how you are going to monetise your idea and ideally some revenue already coming in before leaving another job. Don’t get hung up about secretiveness – ask your friends and colleagues what they think about your idea. Would they buy it?

Content Needs Management

Content Needs Management

Content Needs Management

Content Needs Management

Content Needs Management

Content Needs Management

For more information on Firefly Solutions, visit www.fireflysolutions.co.uk Content Needs Management

Variations on ‘tick’

Preferred variation

Variations on paperclip and ‘i’

Content Needs Management

Content Needs Management

Content Needs Management

Content Needs Management

Meridian F80. Listen closely.

The Meridian F80, developed in collaboration with Ferrari, represents 30 years of audio research and manufacture condensed into a small and beautiful shell. It’s a complete system: a CD and DVD player with iPod connectivity and AM/FM/DAB digital radio.

You’ll be amazed that something so compact allows you to hear more of your music, recovering buried information from the recording and producing a sound full of detail and depth. But then it shares the same technologies as Meridian’s flagship components and loudspeakers: sound systems so advanced that if a microphone can detect it, the system can reproduce it.

Hearing really is believing.

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Produced under license of Ferrari SpA. FERRARI, the PRANCING HORSE device, all associated logos and distinctive designs are trademarks of Ferrari SpA. ‘iPod’ is a trademark of Apple Inc.

To arrange a demonstration of the F80 in the comfort, convenience and – most importantly – the actual acoustic environment of your own home, call 0800 242 5795 or email meridian@thomasfairchild.co.uk

www.thomasfairchild.co.uk • 0800 242 5795

FIGHTING THE

PANDEMIC Helen McInnes examines the global response to the swine flu pandemic and asks whether the world is seriously overreacting?

O

n 18 March 2009 the first diagnosis of swine flu in humans was made in Mexico City, leading to a five-day shut down of all non-essential activities across the country. As the outbreak spread to the USA and beyond, dramatic containment measures were taken. Mounting hysteria saw entire hotels quarantined, school closures and calls to shut down national borders. As a new strain of influenza, the global population has been exposed to a virus to which we have little or no immunity. Spreading across the globe, the virus has been deemed ‘unstoppable’, reaching Phase 6 of the UN’s World Health Organisation alert level – its highest level, and one not seen since 1968.

The global response has been one of panic, seen from the mass distribution of ineffectual face masks, to the ‘aggressive’ approach taken

by Britain (contributing to the relatively low rates of infection and mortality rates). Despite assurances from international health officials from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food and Agricultural Organisation

(FAO) that pork is safe to eat China, Russia and more than a dozen other countries were still banning pork imports from the USA. In late April, the Egyptian Government began to kill all 300,000 pigs in Egypt, despite a lack of evidence that the pigs had, or were even suspected of having, the virus.

Should the pandemic make a resurgence in the autumn, the Oxford Economics think-tank has forecast that world GDP would be cut by around US$2.5 trillion in that six month period, or 3.5 per cent of 2009.The virus could ‘prolong the rise in inflation, threaten already fragile businesses and put further strain on financial markets and fiscal balances’.

The report went on to warn that ‘there is a significant risk that the pandemic might trigger a set of unfavourable behavioural changes that tip the world into deflation’.The outlook for the UK is equally dire. In April, the Federation of Small Businesses claimed that absenteeism from swine flu could cost UK businesses £1.5bn per day should 25 per cent of the UK workforce be affected by the virus, as the Department of Health has predicted.

health

A vaccine doesn’t exist yet, but swine flu can be treated with antiviral medicines oseltamavir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). Currently there are 220 million treatments stockpiled worldwide. With current production capacity standing at 400 million, governments are clamouring for advanced supply guarantees. The UK already has sufficient vaccines to treat half the population, but has placed orders to increase its stockpiles to treat 50 million cases of swine flu. The US has already purchased H1N1 treatments from Novartis to the value of $28m.

These antivirals however, can only ease the symptoms, reduce the period of sickness by just one day and diminish the potential for serious complications, such as pneumonia. Certainly, these doomsday scenarios which have triggered a global panic refer to the rather mild symptoms which we experience with normal seasonal flu; fever, cough, headaches, sore throat.

Swine flu, or Influenza A (H1N1), mainly affects the 20-60 year age group which is indeed unusual. However, with only 44,000 cases of swine flu documented to date, the frightening scenarios depicted above lack credibility. Most people will be able to remember previous media-induced panics surrounding the alleged danger from first SARS and then from avian flu. According to the Asian Development Bank, the cost of SARS for East and Southeast Asia was approximately $18bn, a blip for countries

such as China, despite predictions of “severe macroeconomic consequences” made by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

The WHO has admitted that the pandemic has thus far been measured by its spread and not by its severity, which has to be

swine flu has reinforced one shameful truth; the startling inequity with which the developed world values human life relatively mild. Citing the devastating 1918 ‘Spanish Flu’ where 50 million succumbed to a particularity virulent strain of the H1N1 virus, many feel that the emergency lies in the potential severity of swine flu. There is no evidence to suggest that the current strain of H1N1 is likely to mutate into a more virulent strain of the flu, yet pharmaceutical companies race to develop a vaccine while simultaneously arranging ‘sleeper contracts’ with governments. These governments are desperate to appear prepared and in control of a situation of panic, which has been stoked by media attention.

Perhaps more worrying is that swine flu has reinforced one shameful truth; the startling inequity with which the developed world values human life. This point goes beyond the cursory attention paid to the inequitable distribution of limited anti-viral swine flu treatments. In the same time that swine flu has tragically claimed over 180 lives across the globe, thousands of lives have been lost to other, more enduring global pandemics.

Like swine flu, tuberculosis is contagious and spreads through the air. The current treatment for TB, which killed 1.7 million in 2006, is a product of the best scientific advances of the 1960s. It has been estimated that the need for TB research funding globally amounts to €1.4bn, although only about a fifth of this figure is actually being provided, according to Médecins Sans Frontières.

HIV has been classified as a pandemic for more than 30 years and has seen no

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substantial breakthroughs, despite the fact that 25 million people have died from AIDS related illness since 1981. Of the two million people that died from HIV/AIDS in 2007, most were under the age of 25. This equates to 5,700 people per day.

Malaria is an entirely preventable pandemic, eradicated in America during the 1950s. Increasingly drug resistant mosquito vectors kill more than one million people across 107 countries per year, according to the World Bank who estimates that malaria reduces GDP growth by approximately one per cent per year. Malaria disease management is recognised as an essential component of global health development by the World Bank, yet research and development into vaccinations is chronically underfunded.The UN’s Global Fund to fight malaria,TB and HIV, established to increase resources to treat the three pandemics, is facing severe cut backs from governments this year, leaving a $2.5bn gap for 2009.

“Malaria; drug-resistant tuberculosis; they are killing people every day,” said Dr. Sam Zaramba, Uganda’s chief medical officer at the World Health Assembly. “If all the emphasis that has been put on swine flu had been put on malaria and TB, we would have made a bigger impact on health.”

WHO spokesman Thomas Abraham admitted that issues focusing on certain diseases had to be dropped from their annual World Health Assembly meeting when the agency’s 193 member nations decided to focus on fighting the swine flu outbreak and efforts to produce a vaccine. Swine flu is significantly less virulent than other global health pandemics. The actuality of the devastating potential of swine flu is still largely unknown and even the how the virus will develop is still ambiguous. As we feel that a clearer picture emerges, we must be cautious; after all, avian flu did not mutate in the way that public health officials had anticipated.

There are current global pandemics which are taking millions of lives globally.

Surely it is these pandemics which should capture our attention and direct the allocation of our resources? n

BUSINESS&FINANCE

news

BLACKROCK’S OFFER FOR BGI ACCEPTED The Board of Barclays PLC announced last month that it has accepted BlackRock’s offer to purchase the Barclays Global Investors (BGI) business and has resolved to recommend it to shareholders for approval at a general meeting to be called for the purpose, which will be held in early August 2009. In connection with accepting the BlackRock offer, Blue Sparkle (the CVC Capital Partners vehicle formed in relation to the CVC funds’ proposed purchase of the iShares business), has agreed to terminate the transaction without exercising its right to propose an alternative proposal to the BlackRock offer. Barclays will pay Blue Sparkle fees of US$175 million (£106 million) under the agreement with Blue Sparkle signed on 9 April 2009.

HSBC SELL HMS HOLDING TO GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. HSBC Bank plc has sold its 49% holding in HSBC Merchant Services LLP (HMS), the card processing joint venture that serves its UK business clients, to its partner in the venture, Global Payments Inc., for a consideration of US$307.7 million in cash. The HMS joint venture was created in June 2008 when HSBC sold a 51% stake to Global Payments Inc., a leading processor of electronic transactions.

HSBC and Global Payments also have sale-and-referral agreements in the US and Canada along with a joint venture in Asia covering 11 countries and territories. A new 10 year marketing alliance agreement has also been signed, under which HSBC will continue to refer its UK customers to HMS. No staff will be affected by the change of ownership and HMS will continue to be based in Leicester.

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WOOLWORTHS RETURNS ONLINE The Woolworths brand has begun trading as an online store, over six months after the High Street giant went into administration. Shop Direct reportedly paid administrators between £5m ($8.24m) and £10m for the brand name. Goods available on www.woolworths. co.uk include toys, Ladybird clothing and the firm’s iconic pick ‘n’ mix confectionery. In December 2008, Woolworths’ 807 stores and distribution arm, EUK, went into administration, with £385m of debt. Shop Direct is part of the Littlewoods group which already runs Littlewoods Online, one of the largest UK web retailers. Within hours of the announcement that the brand was to return online, 20,000 customers were said to have registered. “Families wanted us to bring back Woolies as soon as possible, so that’s what we’ve done,” said Shop Direct Chief Executive, Mark Newton-Jones, “From acquiring the brand to launching it has only been 20 weeks; something you could never achieve with a High Street business but can do online”.

JOHN LEWIS PARTNERSHIP REPORTS INCREASE IN RETAIL SPENDING NATURAL RESOURCES TRADE HANDS Russia’s energy giant Gazprom has last month signed a $2.5bn (£1.53bn) deal with Nigeria’s state operated NNPC, to invest in a new joint venture. The new firm, to be called Nigaz, is set to build refineries, pipelines and gas power stations in Nigeria. The agreement comes during a four-day African tour by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. As well as forming Nigaz, Russia is keen on developing a trans-African pipeline to transport Nigerian gas to Europe. This could further reinforce Gazprom’s alreadystrong influence over Europe’s energy supplies. Also last month, Chinese oil refiner Sinopec has made a $7.2bn bid to acquire oil exploration and producing firm Addax, which focuses on Africa and the Middle East.

If the deal is approved by regulators it would be the biggest foreign takeover by a Chinese firm.

According to Reuters, John Lewis Partnership recorded their best performance of the first-half so far for the week to 20 June. The group said sales at its department stores increased 2.2 percent to £46.5 million. Fashion sales increased 10%, while sales of electrical products and home technology were up 3.7%. But sales in the home category fell 5.7 percent, handicapped by muted housing market activity. John Lewis also said that weekly sales at its chain of 213 Waitrose supermarkets increased 11.8% to £86.6 million.

NEW TAX RULES HIT THOUSANDS WITH HOLIDAY HOME BUSINESSES The introduction of new tax rules could hit many people who let holiday accommodation, says Helen Demuth, tax partner at accountants and business advisers, Smith & Williamson.

However, there is a brief window of opportunity before the rules take effect. If you need to make repairs to your holiday property, decorate it or buy new furniture, try to complete these works by 5 April 2010; this could save you money if the extra costs create or increase a loss.

If you let accommodation as short let, 2009/10 is the last year when you will be able to offset losses arising from your business against income from employment or investments. Similarly, if you are considering selling the property, try to exchange contracts by 5 April 2010. If you do, profit on the sale may qualify for a special tax concession so that you pay tax at just 10% on the profit, rather than the standard 18% capital gains tax rate. However, the change in tax rules is good news for people who let holiday property in the EU – while they also only have until 5 April 2010 to benefit from the rules; this is the first time that such properties have qualified for the tax breaks.

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politics

going for

GOLD

Annabel Trew checks out the business opportunities coming to London with the 2012 Olympic Games

T

he 2012 Olympics has become a bit of a dirty word. After the heady celebration back in 2005 with promises of redevelopment, regeneration and jobs – the resulting financial hangover is still leaving its mark.

The facts are pretty bleak. In 2007 the total costs mounted to four times the original budget; Christmas last year MPs were in crisis talks to raise emergency private funds; then the planned Olympic village was cut from 4,600 flats to just 2,800; and this year, failing to gain much needed private investment, the Olympics committee had to turn to contingency funds to bail out two of its already diminished projects. The final blow came in June, when polls carried out

by London Councils found that a third of Londoners claimed they have no idea what all this money was being spent on, let alone the positive effects of the regeneration.

But if you are fortunate enough

to have a business in one of the surrounding boroughs it’s not all financial doom and gloom.

The biggest boost is within the construction industry, just at a time when the industry is flailing.

With 4,500 workers already onsite, one in five of those workers is from one of the host boroughs – of those workers, one in ten were previously unemployed. At the height of construction (summer 2010) these numbers will double.

The London Development Agency also says that by 2012 there will have been 30,000 people involved in the work (despite the enthusiastic initial predictions being closer to 50,000). None of these jobs would have existed, they insist, if we weren‘t hosting the Games.

Again a large number of workers are locally sourced – out of the 500 businesses that have won contracts supplying the LDA, most of them are small and more than one in ten are based around the Olympic Park. Suppliers are

next biggest benefactors; with 9,000 construction workers on site, breakfast bars must being doing well.

New business initiatives are also kick-starting the area. In January 2008, the London 2012 Business network launched www.competefor.com – a business dating agency open to both international and local business. Once registered to the website, companies get bulletins informing them of the latest contracts up for grabs. Local businesses win brownie points for their proximity, and there is a helpline and meetings to coach companies through the application process. Competefor was designed to create a level playing field – Hackney Community Transport, a small local non-profit company, won the contract to provide transport for the Olympic Park beating major international competitors.

There have also been fears that the regeneration of these areas has dramatically increased house prices and is therefore muscling upstart businesses out of the picture – without the communication network and the contacts of larger companies, smaller businesses fear missing

out on opportunities. Business Link in London admit that “local small companies are yet to fully capitalise on new business opportunities, however more supplier opportunities will emerge as new infrastructure is constructed”. The ODA are in constant talks with the local councils, including providing three daily bus tours of the Olympic Park for locals and newsletters to tens of thousands of homes to keep locals updated.

The greatest benefit for local businesses is pitted to be the physical regeneration of the area.

With 75 pence of very pound spent put towards the Legacy project, the LDA are hoping to transform the five host boroughs.

However, the reality of this ‘help’ is still a hot topic. The debate about the logo may rumble on, Tessa Jowell may struggle with the increasing financial headache – but for some, in an economic downturn, the Olympics and its legacy may be a glimmer of hope on an unsteady horizon. n Visit www.competefor.com for more information and to register your business. For updates on business growth in the area, visit lda.gov.uk or visit your local borough council.

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BIG MOTHER Family men beware: here come a new generation of ‘Big Mothers’, resorting to any means possible to catch their husbands in the act, says Annabel Harrison

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oured into a short, clingy mini-dress to show off her figure, Claudia sashays over to the suited businessman having a postwork drink, and starts up a conversation by complimenting his shirt. Minutes later, they are exchanging numbers and she leaves, a wide smile on her face. He thinks he’s scored. But unsuspecting male, beware. She’s not interested. She’s a honeytrap; a professional seductress, and she’s out to ensnare you, hired by a partner who wants proof that their other half won’t jump into bed with another woman the moment she’s out of sight.

Statistically, this is more likely than not. Recent studies revealed that 55 per cent of married men engage in extramarital sex, so who can blame women for wondering what their partner is up to when they say they’re at the gym or working late? Unfortunately the truth isn’t usually what you want to hear. Google Street View was used as evidence in a divorce case for the first time this year, when a furious wife showed an image in court of her husband’s car outside a female friend’s house, at a time he claimed he was on a business trip.

Technology is making it increasingly easy to catch out those living double lives. Google Latitude and GPS tracking can be used innocently enough, but both are popular for spying on spouses. FollowGB’s ‘Smart Track’ device – yours for a mere £200 – locates and monitors a target and reports its location to your mobile (www. followgb.co.uk). Jane, a suspicious City lawyer, bought her husband a top-of-the-range new phone – unbeknown to him, whenever he sent a text or made a call to the honeytrapper she’d hired, the information was copied straight to Jane’s mobile.

Questionable though it is, honeytrapping is

growing in popularity. The website www.ukhoneytrap.co.uk has had 70,000 hits and it preys on that nagging voice in women’s heads: “So why do you think your partner is being unfaithful?” It offers reasons which range from the understandable (you know they have lied to you) to the vague (acting differently) to the downright paranoid (new tie). Some women simply want to find out if their husbands will be faithful enough to resist temptation; they don’t mind occasional flirting but they want to know if he will succumb, especially when the temptation in question is a hot, leggy blonde.

Distrustful husbands are starting to do the same thing – engaging male honeytrappers to reassure themselves that a wife who goes out with girlfriends or colleagues a lot is doing just that.

In any case, honeytrapping does not come cheap.

Persuasive phrases, such as “employing a private investigator is always a difficult decision, but not knowing is more difficult”, sugar-coat rates ranging from £180 for four hours of general surveillance to thousands for prolonged and tailored trapping.

Even the word ‘honeytrap’ sugar-coats the dubious nature of the business; the target is lured by sweet bait, only to be tricked into making a compromising statement or action. Although morally reprehensible, honeytrapping is not unlawful, even though sites declare openly that “the subject of the investigation will be completely oblivious of our actions”.

So the question remains: who’s more morally corrupt? The men who cheat on their wives, or the expert seductresses whose sole aim is to get them to cheat? “Basically, we’re setting a trap for these men to bite,” said one honeytrapper, “and 90 per cent of the time, they will”. n

SPANISH GETAWAY

surrounded by lush sub-tropical gardens

Beverley Byrne heads to southern Spain to experience the luxury (embracing three lagoon like swimming and culture of Estepona pools), I know I’ve found the perfect retreat.

F

ollowing the washout of last year’s summer, Britain’s descent into financial doom, and the coldest winter for decades, there has never been a more pressing need to find a haven from the storm. But where to go? Drawing up a list of ultimate necessities for my personal escape plan, I write ‘sun’ in bold letters at the top; followed by sea; sand; swimming pools; abject luxury; and finally, plenty of gourmet restaurants with waiters bearing a passing resemblance to Antonio Banderas. To tone down my guilt about damaging the planet, I’d prefer a holiday destination which won’t increase my carbon footprint too much (or

bore me by spending hours in the air).

The one place I can be sure of a holiday to remember is the Hotel Kempinski in Estepona on Spain’s Costa Del Sol. The Kempinski chain of hotels has gained a well deserved reputation for opulence and attention to detail, and Estepona is no exception. Located a short cab ride from Estepona, and with ritzy Marbella, Puerto Banus and the atmospheric town of Ronda a mere forty five minutes drive away, the Kempinski is perfect for adventure seekers and culture vultures alike. From the minute I step inside the imposing lobby and take in the Moorish-Andalusian style architecture

Recently refurbished, the hotel has spared no expense in creating a contemporary new look throughout, including each of its 132 elegant rooms and 15 luxury suites. Radiating refinement and luxury, my spacious room features a balcony topped by a window box filled with tropical plants and palm trees overlooking the fabulous pools, the award winning gardens and the glittering Mediterranean beyond. Contemporary yet classical in style, the en-suite room is a graceful combination of creams, dark woods and soft furnishings with a twist of Andalusian elegance and state of the art facilities, including flat screen televisions and high-speed internet. There is even a ‘pillow menu’ offering

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FACTBOX Kempinski Hotel Bahia Estepona Carretera De Cádiz 29680 Estepona, Spain (+34) 952 809 500 www.kempinski-spain.com Beverley Byrne travelled courtesy of Monarch Airlines. Monarch offers year round low cost flights to Malaga from Birmingham, London Luton and Gatwick and Manchester. For more information www.monarch.co.uk

a range of options from ‘hypo allergenic’ to ‘soft feather’ to ensure a great night’s sleep.

During my stay at The Kempinski, I methodically tick off the items written on my holiday escape plan list. As far as sunshine, sea, sand and swimming pool is concerned, the hotel remains resolutely on target. It even fits in with my attempt to go ‘green’ by using solar heated water, covering south facing windows with UV foil cover to keep out excessive sunlight thus reducing the energy of the sun and helping to keep rooms cool.There is also a vegetable garden where 100 per cent organic produce is grown for use in the hotel’s restaurants.

Which brings me to the ‘gourmet’ item on my list – located near the water’s edge in an extended section of the hotel gardens and surrounded by fruit trees, the produce is tended with environmental sensitivity by gardeners who harvest the vegetables in time for dinner in the hotel’s restaurant, Alminar. Here, Spanish dishes are cooked the old fashioned way, using recipes and methods that have been used in the villages of Andalusia for centuries.

Alminar is one of four restaurants offering varied dining opportunities. La Cabana del Mar, located on the beachfront, specialises in dishes bursting with Mediterranean flavours, whilst La Brisa offers romantic alfresco dining Italian style. And yet it’s difficult to think about lunch and dinner having sampled the epic buffet style breakfast on offer in El Mirador. Served with a chilled glass of Cava, the extensive range of fine fare guarantees a day spent supine by the pool.

Of course, there are plenty of activities on offer apart from eating and lounging. Families will appreciate the kids club for children aged 4-12 and the water sports area complete with the usual array of toys. A tennis court and

sand volleyball area will keep fitness freaks happy during the day. I indulged in a yoga lesson courtesy of German-born instructor Karen who taught me a series of asanas before returning me to the ‘relaxation pose’.

In the evening, the atmosphere throughout the hotel is reassuringly romantic and sedate. To soak up a little local colour, I hop in a taxi and within five minutes I’m in downtown Estepona. Unlike its uber glossy neighbours, Marbella and Puerto Banus, Estepona still thrums with the rhythms of old Spain. Wandering the back streets, I discover

classic white washed houses and flower bedecked squares where families sit round a tinkling fountain enjoying the cool evening air.

In El Alberro, a cosy bar on the Calle Real, I order tapas, a plate of ham and slices of manchego cheese, and watch the action.

Estepona is not a club destination so the youth seem content to wander in pull up a chair and watch the football on the television in the corner. This restaurant had been recommended to me by a woman who owns a tiny bar on the Calle de Caridad which seems to be a magnet for locals who nod a congenial ‘buenos noches’ in my direction.

A native of Estepona, this welcoming woman tells me she called the bar after her daughter who is sitting quietly beneath the ubiquitous blaring television doing her homework. When I leave, she bids me wait; stepping from behind the bar, she gives me a hand crafted bead bracelet – a gift which, in contrast to these dark days of recessional gloom, leaves me with a warm and rosy glow.

Escaping to The Kempinski not only ticked all my sybaritic boxes but also rekindled my love affair with Spain and left me with many happy memories. n

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HOURS IN....

WASHINGTON, DC Stephanie Baxter explores the political hub and capital city of the USA in just 24 hours

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arack Obama; Forrest Gump; The White House; and the smash hit movie Independence Day. There are many clichés to Washington, some of which just have to be embraced.

After all, what would a trip to Washington be without a trip to see the President’s house or Abe Lincoln sitting on his marble throne?

Yet despite the clichés, there is something surprising about DC. Welcome to America’s most cultured, beautiful and green city.

9am: UNION STATION AND CAPITOL BUILDING Look no further for a sample of DC’s most impressive architecture. Modelled on the Roman baths of Diocletian, Union Station is a beautiful structure that dates back to 1908, and well worth a look, even if it is only a train station. A short walk away is the Capitol building, the home of the US legislative government. Its façade alone is magnificently impressive, and it is possible to take a tour of the inside too. Queues, however, are almost always very long, so it’s probably not an option for a 24-hour visit to Washington.

10am: MUSEUM After a leisurely morning walk down Independence Avenue, the next stop should be to one of Washington’s numerous museums. And there’s certainly enough choice. The National Air & Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Gallery of Art and the US Holocaust Memorial Museum are among the ones most worth checking out.

12pm: LUNCH A lovely walk up 15th Street towards the White House brings you to Pershing Park, opposite which sits a charming French bistro, Café du Parc (www.cafeduparc. com). Ask for a table outside for a truly

idyllic lunch, enjoying their famous Moules à la Marinière whilst taking in the stunning views of the park.

2pm: THE WHITE HOUSE No visit to Washington would be complete without at least catching a glimpse of the White House from the outside. It’s a pleasant surprise to see that you can get quite close to the President’s home, and a walk around the outside gives you a chance to see it from all angles. It’s a very complicated business getting on a tour of the house itself, which takes months of liaising with the US Embassy here in the UK. If you don’t have the time or the patience, the visitors’ centre is always an option.

3.30pm: AFTERNOON TEA AT THE WILLARD INTERCONTINENTAL Your walk around the White House will bring you back to Pershing Park, providing the perfect opportunity for a spot of afternoon tea at Washington’s most famous hotel. The Willard InterContinental (www. washington.intercontinental.com) is where Martin Luther king wrote his ‘I have a dream’ speech, and was favoured by many literary greats such as Mark Twain, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson and Charles Dickens, as well as every American president since Franklin Pierce.You can almost smell the history.

5pm: LINCOLN MEMORIAL AND WASHINGTON MEMORIAL Going back towards the Mall and turning right on to Constitution Avenue, whilst being surprised just how green the city is, you will come to the most beautiful sight in all of Washington.

Nothing can prepare you

for just how awe-inspiring the statue of Lincoln and its spectacular views down the Mall towards Washington Memorial are – no matter how the guidebooks try to describe it.

7pm: DINNER IN GEORGETOWN After all that sightseeing and soaking up the culture, you’ll deserve a chilled evening hanging out in the trendiest part of town.

Georgetown is the Chelsea of Washington, and the presence of the university ensures that its frequenters are young and exciting.

1789 is the perfect choice for dinner, as it exudes the class and sophistication of its surroundings. And the food is delicious, of course (www.1789restaurant.com).

9.30pm: AFTER DINNER DRINKS Mie N Yu Lounge is the place to drink in Georgetown, with its sumptuous Asian feel and endless list of wines and cocktails (www. mienyu.com). It’s definitely the best spot to let your hair down after an absolutely packed day. Over a nice Martini you can rest easy in the knowledge that you’ve seen the best Washington has to offer. 

travel

Waterfront

Fields is a popular choice with the younger funkier crowd, who dance all night long under the stars. This year it will be to the tunes of Cream, Creamfields and Moby.

Blessed with a fabulous hot climate and a lively nightlife, Malta + Music = a far better time than a rainy UK festival.

Malta Music Week adds even more excitement and following last year’s success, the festival welcomes Lady GaGa, alongside the Black Eyed Peas and Roger Sanchez.

Performances are held across Malta’s best music venues and culminate in the free Isle of MTV concert in the town of Floriana, just outside the capital Valletta. Finish up with the Malta Chill-out Beach Party at Golden Bay for a totally chilled out musical environment.

For a change of scene, head to Paceville with friends, where countless clubs and bars cater for all-night parties and amazing DJs. If a hard night of partying has taken its toll, the new Wellness Rejuvenation Rooms at the five-star Fortina Spa Resort are the

perfect way in which to rejuvenate for the rest of the holiday. The Corinthia San Gorg Hotel is another luxurious option; the hotel is located at the entrance to St George’s Bay, right on the water’s edge and boasts a series of cascading pools that lead down to a private lido – the perfect day time chill out.

Also on the golden St Julian coast, the Hilton Malta offers an unparalleled location in the fashionable Portomaso, surrounded by stylish cafes, trendy bars and fantastic restaurants – the best of the Mediterranean joie de vivre.

The small but heavily populated island nation (actually consisting of seven islands) has a rare history dating back thousands of years, contributing to today’s Maltese cuisine and natural beauty. From Mediterranean basics, to local seafood, there are many unique and distinctive local dishes on offer. Strong influences from Sicilian cuisine preside, as well as gastronomic legacies from the Spanish and the Moors.This quirky island is brimming with independent character, as seen in the prehistoric temples and baroque architecture which provide such incredible surroundings.

Due to Malta’s small size, you are never far away from the sparkling sea and there are copious bays and coves for sunbathing, hanging out with friends, and swimming. Stunning rocky bays sit tucked away at Sliema and St Julian’s, and at the northern most point of the island, the young holiday makers take their pick along cool waterfront hangouts.

The origins of the word ‘Malta’ point towards the Greek for ‘honey’ or ‘honey-sweet’, and a sweet island she definitely is, offering the very best of the summer lifestyle.This year’s Maltese medley – from boats to bands, beaches to Bragjoli (that’s beef olives to you and me) – comprise an irresistible attraction for young pretty things in the know. n For more information on Malta, call 020 8877 6990 or visit www.visitmalta.com Flying time from London is around 3 hours and operators include Air Malta, Ryan Air, British Airways and Easy Jet

33

Rinpung Dzong under a dramatic early evening sky

Between Heaven & the Himalayas Sophie Cliffe-Roberts (Publishing Editor, Condé Nast Johansens) shares moments from her trip to an unforgettable land.

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ecreted between India and Tibet, high in the eastern Himalayas, is the world’s last remaining Himalayan Buddhist kingdom, Bhutan. While the tiny kingdom uniquely combines the medieval and the modern, its age-old rituals and traditions remain its dynamic force, underwriting every aspect of the Bhutanese way of life. Bhutan, “Land of the Thunderdragon”, is like nowhere else on earth; from its remote temples and monasteries and its mountain paths zigzagging beneath fluttering prayer flags, to its houses which are all built in the traditional Bhutanese style and its warm and welcoming people who proudly wear the national costume. The country receives fewer than 30,000 tourists a year; and for those lucky few it is a once in a lifetime experience.

DAY 1: 2300M UMA PARO; AN EXCLUSIVE AND UNIQUELY BHUTANESE RETREAT

Landing in Bhutan is a dramatic experience.

The Paro Valley is narrow, edged on all sides by mist-swathed peaks.The plane makes a series of sweeping turns and at times the tips of the wings seem to touch the mountainside. After years of hoping to visit Bhutan and weeks of planning our trip, we cannot believe we are finally here. Set above the Paro Valley amid towering pines, Uma Paro is an intimate retreat, offering panoramic views and an otherworldly calm, combining contemporary luxury with traditional Bhutanese style. My boyfriend Oliver and I are shown to our private villa, set into the hillside above the hotel, with a spacious terrace overlooking the valley.

Our butlerYangkit has already lit the bukhari, and its heat warms the inviting living room and our spacious, romantically decorated bedroom beyond. Before dinner, we treat ourselves to a traditional hot stone bath at Uma Paro’s COMO Shambhala spa and bath house and limber up for trekking with a deep tissue massage.

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Uma Paro, the stunning villa bedroom, leading to a palatial bathroom and private spa treatment room

Intricately carved and painted woodwork typifies Bhutan’s dzongs

Day 2: 2400m

the gateway to the dzong in a flash of crimson; one playfully poses with a stray puppy for my Set out from Uma for a moderate acclimatisation camera. Our Uma Paro guide, Kuenzang, talks us trek.The pure Himalayan air is cool and crisp through the intricate didactic paintings adorning and we take short, sharp breaths as our lungs the dzong’s walls in a captivating blaze of colour. adjust to the altitude.We cross the mountainside The Bhutanese are deeply spiritual people and to Ta Dzong, Bhutan’s National Museum, which Kuenzang speaks animatedly and proudly of the provides a fascinating insight into Bhutanese history of Bhutan, its monarchy and Buddhism. culture and history. Just below the museum, on After our first day of trekking, though a rocky outcrop, is the imposing Rinpung Dzong moderate, we feel we have earned the extensive (Temple on a Heap of Jewels), its red roof topped Bhutanese Set Menu at Uma Paro’s beautiful with intricate gold decorations.The resident circular Bukhari Restaurant, set around a roaring monks are preparing for the forthcoming Paro bukhari fireplace. tschechu (festival); the resonating droning of horns and steady drum beats echo from the Day 3: 3800m A cAmpsite Above the clouds courtyards.The younger monks, some as young as 7 or 8, race up the imposing steps and through Our trek begins from the Sang Choekor Buddhist A temple on A heAp of jewels

College, set high above Paro Valley.We set off eagerly at quite a pace, which is soon revised to a brisk walking speed as the effects of altitude and the steep ascent set in. Hiking up through surprisingly familiar woodland, densely set with bracken, fern and towering pines, whose bowers are festooned with prayer flags, we catch only tantalising glimpses of the magnificent heights we are achieving. On a rocky peninsula we pause for a picnic and savour breathtaking views of the valley stretching away beneath us to the soft blue-hued and snow-capped Himalayas beyond. From a tiny wooden hermitage on the site, the sounds of a solitary young woman’s meditations drift to us. After a steep two hour onward climb, in silently falling snow, we reach the Bumdra yak pasture, already enveloped in

Young monks sit enthralled by the colourful display of a local tshechu

SuggeSted reading There is an excellent Lonely Planet Guide to Bhutan. Treasures of the Thunderdragon: A Portrait of Bhutan is a touching personal account of the country’s history and culture

by Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, Her Majesty the Queen of Bhutan.

Buddha by Deepak Chopra gives a fascinating overview of the life of Buddha in an autobiographical style; a striking contrast is Hermann Hesse’s renowned work Siddhartha.

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cloud.With the snow continuing to fall, we enjoy a candlelit dinner of yak meat, rice and steamed vegetables before huddling around the crackling campfire clutching our hot water bottles and sipping steaming hot chocolate; in the darkness, the ponies’ bells occasionally ring out their movements. Once inside our tent, we pull on additional layers of clothing before hunkering down in two four-season sleeping bags….each.

During the night the temperature drops to -10.

Day 4: 4300m Building thighs of steel and the aweinspiring tiger’s nest Monastery

The morning brings two rewards: a hearty breakfast al fresco in the crisp mountain air and a spectacular view.The mountain’s thick shroud has melted away to reveal dramatically undulating ridges and snow-capped peaks and, clinging to a sheer rock face above our camp, a tiny weathered monastery. At over 3800m, this humble yak pasture must be one of the most impressive campsites in the world. Frequently looking back to wonder at our little tent’s spectacular setting, we set out on a steep and difficult climb on snow and ice to a sky burial point at 4300m.The rocky pinnacle is barely a few metres across, topped with a simple prayer flag bedecked stupa (simple stone monument). Bereaved parents trek for a full day to this barren summit bearing their child’s body before lashing it to the ground as an offering to the gods.The raptors release the child’s soul. In the overwhelming silence we marvel at the 360 degree views of Bhutan’s highest peaks which, as the domains of the gods, remain unclimbed.

Tears sting my cheeks in the icy wind. Following the monks’ zig-zagging trail down and across the mountainside, between rhododendron forests and ancient blue pines strung with tinsel-like moss, we venture upon the secluded Sangtopelri Monasteries (Heaven on Earth) where fluttering prayer flags bring blessings to the Paro Valley

stretched out far below and wet crimson robes draped on fence posts dry in the sunlight. Our guide Kuenzang sings all the way down the mountain and doesn’t even pretend to be puffed out; much to the shame of the two rather tired chilips (foreigners) following behind him. After a two hour descent, the pointed red and gold rooftops of the legendary Taktsang Goemba (Tiger’s Nest Monastery) appear beneath us; clinging to a sheer rock face 900m above the valley floor, it defies gravity and belief.

Day 5: 3150m the long and winding road; en route froM thiMphu to punakha.

Driving from Bhutan’s bustling capital, Thimphu, to Punakha we cross the famous Dochu-la Pass. Standing amidst 108 chortens (stone memorials) at the highest point on the pass, we savour a breathtaking panorama of the Himalayan range, forming Bhutan’s border with Tibet. The sky is a crystalline blue and the snowy peaks glisten in the sunlight. We feel as if we are sitting on the roof of the world. Our arrival in the warm, sundrenched Punakha valley is announced by the 17th century Punakha Dzong, standing imposingly at the confluence of two aquamarine glacial rivers. Groups of monks flood across the ornately decorated cantilever bridge and through the inner courtyards to a prayer hall at the dzong’s heart; here, sitting on the hard wood floor in orderly rows before a towering statue of Buddha, rocking gently backwards and forwards, they utter mantras in rhythmic unison.

Day 6: 1500m ritual and tradition; a local tshechu in a reMote Mountain village

We are excited to learn that a tshechu (festival) is taking place in a remote village perched above the Punakha valley.Tshechus are timeless Planning your visit to Bhutan, land of the thunderdragon Uma Paro’s specialist team will organise an all-inclusive package offering you a unique opportunity to experience the Bhutanese culture and the kingdom’s spectacular landscapes using Uma Paro as your base. The hotel will also arrange your visas and Druk Air flights into Bhutan. For more information on privately guided individual experiences as well as group adventure retreats, please visit the Uma Paro website www.uma.como.bz or email info.paro@uma.como.bz

exclusive uma Paro offer Book one room at uma Paro and get the second one at half price. This offer is valid for all stays from 1st June to 31st August 2009 and from 1st November to 20th December 2009. Also valid for Jan, Feb, March 2010 if booked by 1st October 2009. Valid for minimum stays of 5 nights. If a package is booked, the 50% reduction will only be applied to the room element of the booking and not to the entire package.Meals, activities, excursions, spa treatments, will be charged at the usual rates. Please note that for groups over and above three people, the FIT of 30 USD per person per day does not apply.

expressions of Buddhist and Bhutanese culture, held on auspicious days and eagerly anticipated by the locals who don their finest kiras and ghos (traditional dress for women and men respectively) for the occasion and arrive early to secure a good picnic spot; many have walked several miles to enjoy the dazzling displays. A cacophony of horns, drums and bells fills the still mountain air as masked dancers stamp, skip and whirl with increasing frenzy.

Day 7 2300m uMa paro; our hoMe froM hoMe

Our last day in Bhutan and at Uma Paro.We enjoy ginger tea on our villa terrace and watch the play of the soft early morning light on the mountains across the valley; it is a view and a peacefulness that we will never forget.We sadly say our goodbyes: to our guide Kuenzang, who has taken us to mountain peaks, hidden temples, archery tournaments and tshechus; to our driver Gopal, who patiently pulled over for every photo opportunity and played the BeeGees on long journeys; and to our butlerYangkit who always had a blazing log fire and pot of warm ginger tea ready for us in the villa, and looked terribly concerned when we couldn’t finish the copious Bhutanese Set Menu. As our plane climbs above the Paro valley, we catch final glimpses of tiny temples and homesteads dotted along the ridgelines. And one final spectacular sight; Everest rising majestically above a blanket of soft white cloud. n

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BEAUTIFUL O

ver thousands of years, a tradition has evolved which associates certain gemstones with times of the year. Pagan beliefs associated birth dates with certain characteristics and natural qualities. With the passing of time and fashions, different gemstones have been ascribed to different months and during the eighteenth century the connection between birthstones and particular months experienced a wave of popularity. The lists developed in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries are today the basis for modern interpretations of the tradition, which give a choice of high and low value gems for each month.

Today, rare and expensive coloured stones are experiencing another revival, and we present our twelve favourite items, one for each month of the year.

BIRTH STONES JANUARY

FEBRUARY

GaRNET - thought to improve productivity, intelligence and beauty as well as promoting love and healing

amETHyST - thought to be a healer or cleanser and protector from psychic attack

Garnet occurs in highly metamorphosed rocks, they form under the high temperatures or pressures that these types of rocks endure and therefore garnets are hard, have pretty colours, and are wonderfully transparent.

Amethyst is the purple variety of quartz, which the Greeks believed were able to ward off the effects of alcohol, due to their wine-like colour. It comes in a wide range of purple shades and can occur as long prismatic crystals, making a stunning purple sparkling cluster

18ct gold and orange garnet bracelet, £4,165,

www.astleyclarke.com

Amethyst Cocktail Ring with diamonds in 18ct white gold, £3,300,

www.astleyclarke.com

MARCH

APRIL

aquamaRINE - known as “The Sailors Stone” supposed to protect seafarers and promote mental calm and clarity

DIamOND - to absorb all good and bad energies, promotes generosity, boldness & optimism

Aquamarine is made of a bluegreen variety of beryl and the best quality Aquamarine has a sky-blue colour. The name means sea water and it is found most famously in Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Diamond is the ultimate gemstone, four times harder than the next hardest natural mineral, corundum. Diamond is not impervious, as a sharp blow in one of its four cleave directions will split it. A skilled jeweller will prevent the chance any of these directions being struck.

Aquamarine and Diamond Ring in 18ct white gold, £5,250,

www.cartier.com

Inde Mysterieuse diamond earrings, £POA,

www.astleyclarke.com

MAY

JUNE

EmERalD - thought to relieve stress and cure diseases

PEaRl - traditionally represents purity, innocence and integrity and supposed to improve fertility and ease the pain of childbirth

Emerald is the green variety of the mineral beryl. The colour is caused by small amounts of chromium and traces of iron.

Emerald stones usually have flaws and inclusions, but these flaws are not seen as negative aspects but more desirable for the character of the stone and assurance of its natural provenance.

Emerald ring and earrings, £POA,

Pearl is made from calcium carbonate in an oyster or mussel as a protective layer around an introduced foreign body. The most valuable pearls are natural, although the cultured varieties are by far the most common and reasonably priced. Wear next to the skin to keep in good condition.

www.tiffany.com/uk

Rococo Pearl Necklace, £POA, www.davidmarshalllondon.com

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Kelly Green and Josephine O’Donoghue present a selection of stunning birth stone pieces

JULY

AUGUST

RUBY - the choice in ancient India to improve spiritual creativity, cure illness and protect soldiers, are also supposed to improve the passion of marriage

PERIDOT - believed to protect from the terrors of the night if set in gold or to attract romance or wealth

Rubies are the red variety of corundum, the second hardest natural mineral known to man. Ruby can be any shade of red up to almost pink. Rubies come from all over the world, but the best are from Burma. Due to ethical reasons, many jewellers style pieces from rubelite as an alternative.

Peridot is the gem variety of olivine and it has been mined in Burma and Egypt for around 4,000 years. Pakistan now produces exceptional specimens and legend has it that peridot was the favourite gemstone of Cleopatra.

Citrine, peridot and lemon beryl earrings, £2,500, www.astleyclarke.com

Rubelite Bridge Ring, £21,000, www.theofennell.com

SEPTEMBER

OCTOBER

SAPPHIRE - reputed to protect wears from harm or envy and promote spirituality

OPAL - worn on the left hand or wrist to promote love to others bringing joy

Sapphire is the non-red variety of corundum, and the second hardest natural mineral. The red variety of corundum is Ruby. Sapphires are well known to most for being blue, but can be nearly any colour (although blue is the most popular colour). The best sapphires in the world come from Sri Lanka.

Opals have an unusual mineraloid structure, being not truly crystalline. Random chains of silicon and oxygen are packed into pockets of tiny spheres. Various wavelengths of light are diffracted creating colours and the most precious opal comes from Australia.

24ct Gold and Opal Bracelet, £11,000, www.astleyclarke.com

18ct White Gold Sapphire and Diamond Cradle Ring, £58,000, www.theofennell.com

NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

TOPAZ - associated by the ancient Greeks with strength

TANZANITE - thought to aid relaxation and balance while attracting prosperity

Topaz is golden brown to yellow colour with well formed and multifaceted crystals. Blue topaz, often confused with aquamarine, is produced by irradiating and heating clear crystals. Topaz is one of the hardest minerals and can reach several hundred pounds in size.

Topaz and diamond pendant, £POA, www.tiffany.com/uk

Tanzanite is an unusual gemstone, found in only one place in the world: the African country of Tanzania. It has a vivid violet-blue colour and some claim that tanzanite was discovered by Masai shepherds after a lightning fire scoured areas of northern Tanzania, transforming the brown zoisite into beautiful gems.

18ct White Gold Cabochon Tanzanite, Diamond and Enamel Orion Ring, £45,000, www.theofennell.com

“Where Business meets Beauty” Could you be London's Next Top Model?

PRIZES The winner will receive: £5000 worth of essential office supplies to start their own business A photographic campaign in The City Magazine Participate in a catwalk show by top London designer Private Business coaching worth £10,000 An exclusive TV interview A designer evening dress from a celebrity designer Make up and beauty products worth £500

Have you got what it takes to be an entrepreneur?

Do you want to be on TV?

Download an application form at www.citytopmodel.com and email your completed application form together with recent photos to info@citytopmodel.com.

Model and Entrepreneur Chelsey Baker is offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to enter this unique competition dedicated to beauty and business acumen.

The City's Top Model Entrepreneur, Runwild Media, 16 Heron Quay, Canary Wharf, London, E14 4JB

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Competition open to females only age 18-30 You must be resident or work in London You must be able to attend the semi final and grand final in London T&C's apply see website for more details

www.citytopmodel.com

RUNWILD M

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Baby gifts Timeless classics and perfect presents for new arrivals 1. Silver Frame

5. Silver SPooN

For that cherished photograph of mother and baby, Tiffany is well known for stunning silverware and this frame is a classic. www.tiffany.com

For those born into luxury, the Tiffany silver spoon is the ultimate keepsake. £80, www.tiffany.com/uk

2. BUNNY BaNK

6. delUxe BaBY alBUmS

A darling design, the Tiffany bunny bank is the perfect place for baby’s first pennies. £60 , www.tiffany.com/uk

A treasure that will last forever, keep your baby photographs pristine in one of Aspinal of London’s quality leather albums.

From £59, www.aspinaloflondon.com

3. Beatrix Potter ChriSteNiNg CUShioN

7. air PlaNe CoiN BaNK aNd raCe Car CoiN BaNK

To mark that special date, Aspen & Brown present the Christening Cushion with a timeless Beatrix Potter animal design. £38.95 , www.aspenandbrown.com

For the boy adventurer, choose from the airplane or race car for starting his savings. www.tiffany.com

4. PerSoNaliSed WaterColoUr

PaiNtiNg

The finishing touch to a stylish baby nursery, why not invest in a personalised painting especially for the new arrival. £49.95, www.aspenandbrown.com

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8. Noah’S arK WoodeN KeePSaKe An age old story and a firm favourite with children, you can’t go wrong with this beautiful wooden Noah’s Ark set. £64.95, www.aspenandbrown.com

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SCISSOR HAPPY G

TV presenter Claudia Winkleman has called him God and a high-profile psychotherapist routinely sends her clients to him to boost their self-esteem issues; Claire Adler meets Mayfair’s best kept secret, hairdresser to the stars Michael Charalambous

oing to the hairdresser can be an emotional experience. Think no further than Britney Spears who took clipping shears to her own scalp and shaved off all her hair during a visit to a California salon in 2007.

Perhaps that’s why hairdressers enjoy a reputation for being good listeners – most don’t dare risk being witness to emotional meltdowns such as these.

Not so, according to the vivacious Michael Charalambous. “The best hairdressers aren’t always the ones that listen,” he says frankly.

“I’ve told Saffron Aldridge to stop bullying me”. Michael tells me proudly of one of his longest standing clients, the beautiful Ralph Lauren muse and model, who has been loyal to him for a staggering two decades (throughout a marriage and a divorce).

“Saffron knows that in me she’s found a

man who supports her and always makes her look great,” he says. And she’s far from the only one it seems.

“I have clients who have been married up to five times, but I’ve been their hairdresser throughout it all,” says Michael whose tight roster sees him look after the locks of models, international royalty,TV presenters, barristers and socialites. Regulars include Claudia Schiffer, Kim Hersov, Liz Murdoch, Cheryl Cole, Claudia Winkleman and Shilpa Shetty. He has also styled hair for photo shoots for big name fashion brands Giorgio Armani,Tommy Hilfiger and La Perla, and Mayfair jewellers Graff, Bulgari, Ritz Fine Jewellery and David Morris.

Michael believes he is the best hairdresser in the world. Despite this ambitious claim (and the fact his prices are amongst the most expensive in Europe), his salon has defied the recession by remaining busy.

beauty

I first meet Michael in his Mount Street salon, Nyumba, late one evening seeking directions to a reception at a jeweller down the street – the exclusive and well hidden Belmacz. Michael is much more interested in who does my hair, and he is open, warm and full of life. As it turns out Michael later remembers he was actually responsible for the hairstyling in my favourite stunning Belmacz shots of a blonde model – adorned Renaissance style with a necklace worn as a bandeau head band – in a set of photographs designed to look like ageing paintings, taken by his friend, photographer Ram Shergill.

All this aside, two weeks later I find myself being ushered into Nyumba by a pair of uniformed doormen and welcomed by Nyumba’s husband and wife duo, Michael and world-class colourist Julia Zuccaroli.

During over a decade living in Italy, Julia was hairdresser to Sophia Loren.

I’m not a great fan of colouring and highlights, and ask for a look that is more natural than natural. Julia fulfils the brief perfectly. Michael encourages me to grow my hair long. I instinctively trust him. He loves styling hair and gives me natural looking waves and volume just where it’s needed. I leave the salon only feeling sorry I don’t have any super glamorous plans that evening.

Michael is fast and focussed as he cuts and shapes my hair, peppering the process with talk of his encounters with colourful clients.

There was the wealthy socialite who didn’t want to pay after having her hair done in her suite at The Dorchester. Michael told her that it wasn’t an option and that, what’s more, she needed to do something about her double chin. Some weeks later, she phoned Michael to cancel her appointment saying she wouldn’t be seeing him or anyone till two months were up as she was in Paris having her chin done. He might be the cheekiest hairdresser in town, but his clients just keep on coming back for more.

“You know women are getting divorced soon if they start coming in four times a week. It’s a way of upping the maintenance charges,” he quips.

Michael may claim listening isn’t a hairdresser’s most important quality, but it’s clear this place is oozing with gossip. As well as offering a choice of green peel or fresh caviar facials, Nyumba has a VIP treatment room and a separate paparazzi-proof entrance. Later that day, Michael is off to do Claudia Schiffer’s hair at home. On my second visit to the salon (I’m now having trouble letting anyone else

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touch my hair) I try not to reveal I’ve noticed Saffron Aldridge sitting two seats away.

“We sometimes have to switch people into different seats,” Michael tells me with a twinkle in his eye. “I’ve had ladies tell me they have spotted their husband’s ex wife, his mistress or their own former lover, and they’ve asked to be moved.”

A survivor of two brain tumours, Michael knows exactly what he wants out of life. “I’m a total professional and I can’t stand negative energy,” he says. “Ever since I was ill, I learned I had to stop being nice to people who weren’t good to me.”

All of which probably explains why Michael so values loyalty now. He sees his extremely low turnover of staff as one of his greatest achievements and routinely gives young people the chance to train with him and remain in the fold of this family-like, five-star salon long term.

There is an undeniable feel good factor about Nyumba, the Swahili word for home.

On balmy summer days, locals sit and drink coffee from the Nyumba bar outdoors, while all year round visitors sit at the salon’s indoor café/bar. A regular psychotherapist client sends her own clients to Michael to boost their self-confidence. It’s easy to see they’re learning inner belief from the master and will leave walking tall and feeling a million dollars.

As long as Michael doesn’t have to return the favour by sending clients with a bad hair day off to therapy, all will continue to be just fine at Mayfair’s Nyumba. n For more information, visit www.nyumbasalon.com

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INVESTMENT FASHION TANK BANDAGE DRESS, HERVÉ LÉGER, £543.19 www.net-a-porter.com

Kelly Green and Raina Linden go in search of the most lucrative fashion investments

W

hile most of the nation are tightening their pursestrings and struggling through tough economic times, guilt-free shopping splurges may seem nothing but distant memory. But the credit crunch doesn’t have to mean that your once fashionable wardrobe needs to suffer. Rather than splashing out on the latest high-fashion trends (which will no doubt fall out of fashion again within a season), go back to basics and invest in timeless pieces that can be reworn time and time again. By keeping your wardrobe as timeless as possible with quality wardrobe staples to mix and match, you can maintain a stylish and versatile wardrobe while still being wise with your money.

THE ‘LBD’ There is a simple reason why the classic little black dress remains so popular season after season –a good-fitting, high quality black dress is one of the most dependable items in any woman’s wardrobe. Investing in a ‘LBD’ means saying goodbye to last minute panics over what to wear for those special occasions; we love the figure-flattering Tank bandage dress from Hervé Léger’s bandage collection, for an investment piece that will keep turning heads, over and over again.

JEANS A pair of flattering jeans is an essential item of any capsule wardrobe. Spending money on a high quality pair of jeans can always be justified, as great-fitting jeans provide endless outfit potential! Go for a boot-cut style to balance the silhouette beautifully, instead of the trendier skinny or boy-style; although they’re not quite so high fashion now, you’ll never be judged for wearing a pair of classic bootcuts. Choose a darker wash of denim, such as the midnight blue Citizens of Humanity Kelly bootcut jeans, as although the faded styles may be popular this summer, they risk falling back out of fashion in seasons to come.

KELLY BOOTCUT JEANS, CITIZENS OF HUMANITY, £160 www.net-a-porter.com

100% COTTON TEES, OSCAR LONDON, £39.50 www.iwearoscar.com

BLACK CHOROZ TUXEDO JACKET, PAUL & JOE, £455 www.my-wardrobe.com

WHITE LONG SLEEVED SHIRT, THEORY, £132 www.my-wardrobe.com

NO. PRIVÉ 120 SLINGBACKS, CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, £495 www.net-a-porter.com

LUXURY T-SHIRT The t-shirt is one of those fabulously simple pieces that you find yourself wearing repeatedly. However, with lots of wear comes lots of washing, so a high-quality t-shirt is a must. Invest in high quality fabrics and brands, such as the luxury t-shirts from exciting new British brand Oscar London.

Oscar London’s luxury t-shirts are perfectly fitted but not tight to the body, and come in a longer than standard length to flatter any figure. They are made from luxurious lightweight cotton which is both soft to touch and durable, so your t-shirt will happily withstand lots of wearing and washing.

Oscar London t-shirts come in two classic neckline styles – the deep V-neck and the scoop neck – which compliment all shapes and sizes. Team your luxury t-shirt with jeans for a more casual look, or with a blazer or a high-waisted skirt for a more formal ensemble.

THE BLAZER The blazer is one of those timeless items that transcend the seasons and keep returning to the catwalk. A well-cut blazer, like Paul & Joe’s stylish Black Choroz Tuxedo Jacket, is easily transferable from outfit to outfit – it will look trendy with rolled-up sleeves over a t-shirt and jeans, or is the perfect cover-up worn over a dress.

THE CLASSIC WHITE SHIRT A crisp white shirt is an essential investment that will forever look effortless and sophisticated. We like Theory’s Ivy shirt, which is amazingly versatile – perfect as chic officewear, or worn with jeans and chunky accessories for an unfussy summer outfit.

HEELS Every fashionista should own at least one pair of sensational heels for the perfect finish to any outfit. Stick with classic black, such as Christian Louboutin’s No. Privé 120 slingbacks, to go with jeans, tailored trousers, or your ‘LBD’ for instant chic, day or night.

beauty

BOOT CAMP BODY Rebecca Walton spends a few days at The Grove, getting into shape for the beach

W

e all have good intentions once the last Easter egg of spring has been polished off; a new diet, a more rigorous gym regime, and no more afterwork drinks! But no matter how good our intentions, summer always seems to creep up without giving us nearly enough time to perfect our bikini bodies. If you’re one of the thousands of busy professionals in London, eager to get trim, but struggling to find time – we may just have a solution...

This summer it’s time to take action – dust off those trainers and head to The Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire, where Head of Fitness Mike Kitchen has created The Grove’s Bikini Boot Camp. Combining some serious hard

core fitness and nutrition training with that much needed luxurious twist, this really is the answer for those last minute holidays.

Designed to provide a fun, motivational kickstart to the summer months, participants are guaranteed to see results.

After a full fitness assessment on arrival, we were led to our West Wing rooms to relax before all the hard work started the next day.

Slightly daunted, I soon settled in, and in my room discovered a welcome pack including a fitness ball, protein fitness snacks and supplements, a special gift from ESPA and a new bikini to be enjoyed once the weekend finishes. Later that evening healthy but delicious pre-Boot Camp dinner was served to me and my friends in The Glasshouse

45

Restaurant – and we retired early, conserving our energy and avoiding the bar!

The 6:45am wake-up call was a bit of a shock, but a brisk walk along the picturesque Grand Union Canal and a nutritional breakfast soon had us awake, bright eyed and bushy tailed. In The Grove’s beautiful Walled Garden we started the ‘serious’ exercise with The Beach Blitz, otherwise known as circuit training. Feeling a little like we should be finishing for the day, we moved on to the Dare Dice, a giant dice allocating challenges to participants – these ranged from dancing the Macarena to jumping in the outdoor pool and provided us all with a good giggle!

The remainder of the day commences with inner core work using fitness balls, a health fuelled lunch and an hour’s cross country cycling through the surrounding woodland and countryside. The last task was especially taxing, but was an excellent way to tone the legs and buttocks ready for the beach – totally worth the pain!

By the time mid-afternoon comes around, it’s time for a more relaxing 45 minute stretch and relaxation class, followed

by Hydro Time in Sequoia Spa with free time to relax and unwind in the pool, Jacuzzi and Vitality Pool. At the end of the afternoon, participants can choose between a Detox Algae Wrap, a Detox Massage or a Stimulating Hip & Thigh Massage to brush away body toxins and clarify the skin.

Bikini Boot Camp at The Grove is just the beginning stage of a fitness regime designed to give you the perfect bikini body. Guests are joined by their trainer for breakfast on their last day in order to talk through a recommended exercise and dietary routine, before finally checking out. A tough but fun weekend away, the Bikini Boot Camp weekend can be a great getaway with friends; it not only helped improve our health and fitness in the short run but also encouraged us to develop a healthier lifestyle back at home.

Priced at £390 per person, The Grove’s Bikini Boot Camp includes two nights’ accommodation, all meals, refreshments, personal fitness training and a 90 minute Spa treatment. Bikini Boot Camp is available for groups of 2-8 people and programmes can be lengthened on request. n The Grove Hotel Chandler’s Cross Hertfordshire, WD3 4TG 01923 294 223 www.thegrove.co.uk

famous for business

fabulous with friends

OVER 200 SHOPS, CAFéS, BARS AND RESTAURANTS, ONE ICONIC LOCATION www.mycanarywharf.com

In the 80’s….

Photography by: Zownir Fashion Editor: Lucie Dodds

Black sleeveless jacket £339 Dice Kayek at Fenwick New Bond St W1 020 7629 9161. Jewelled earrings from a selection Butler & Wilson 20 South Molton St, W1, 020 7409 2955 www.butlerandwilson.co.uk Black velvet headband with netting £185 Karen Henriksen www.karenhenriksen.co.uk

Black and white dress to order ÂŁ1,420 Bruce Oldfield 27 Beauchamp Place SW3 020 7584 1363 www.bruceoldfield.com Yellow gold set with 300 diamonds and onyx earrings price on application Cartier 020 3147 4850 www.cartier.com Black heart pillbox with standing velvet bow and net ÂŁ546 Rachel Trevor Morgan 020 7839 8927 www.racheltrevormorgan.com

Cream silk bib-front sleeveless/backless waistcoat and tie and trousers Ralph Lauren 1 New Bond St, W1, 020 7535 4600. Black and cream pleated fan Yangtze hat ÂŁ525 Georgie Carss 07930 288677 www.georgiecarss.com

Grey collared dress Catherine Walker, to order, Catherine Walker 65 Sydney St SW3 020 7352 4626 www.catherinewalker.com Black and white check hat with arrow feathers, ÂŁ299 Justin Smith at Fenwick.

Pink pleated sleeve dress Catherine Walker as before. Pink jewelled earrings, Butler & Wilson as before. Pink sinamay silk organza pleated hat, ÂŁ250, Karen Henriksen as before

Pink and cream ruffle dress and jacket, to order Bruce Oldfield, as before.

Black and white beret with feather flower, £594, Rachel Trevor Morgan as before.

Model: Violet Budd at Premier Model Management. With thanks to Sissy.

Hair: Choccy at www.onemakeup.com Make-up: Ruth Warrior at www.onemakeup.com using Fake Bake, Faux Glow, Blush Highlighter – Legal Sunburn, Fauxbake – High Gloss, Pure – Black Kajal, Pure Blush – Lilac Rose, Pure Nail – Persion Red, Pure Terracotta Powder.

He’s in fashion

Kasha Van Sant discovers the elegant threads and sage advice of Jaeger’s multi-faceted front man

H

arold Tillman is a name that has resonated through the fashion industry for decades. Having graduated from the prestigious London College of Fashion in the sixties, Tillman has gone on to acquire and reinvent fashion brands such as Kilgour French & Stanbury and Jaeger. With the Clothes Show London around the corner, he talks of ‘Britishness’, entrepreneurship and the British Fashion Council.

Do you reflect the qualities of the Jaeger brand – are there any similarities between you and it?

The reason I bought the business was because I felt I had an empathy with the brand. I’ve grown up with it from a very small child with huge recognition for the ‘Britishness’ and quality that it

exudes, and that is something that I felt I could embellish as part of my lifestyle in something that I enjoy.

Do you think we are in danger of losing our ‘Britishness’?

I believe that we have the newest, very best designers coming out of our colleges so the ‘Britishness’ that they represent because of where they are taught, spreads throughout the world. If anything at all, the quality and the class of being British will actually give us an edge against the rest of the world.

What do you consider yourself to be, a businessman or fashion guru?

It’s a mixture. I benefited from the training I had at London College of Fashion, which taught me more than anything else how a garment is made and the amount of hard work

that goes into creating that garment.

In addition to my education at London College of Fashion I studied accountancy which was not something that drove me to my profession, but has enhanced my business skills.

Do many designers lack business acumen?

They need the right management. As an entrepreneur I have probably bought and sold more than 60 companies and I always say there is a difference. I call it the two Es. There is the employee and the entrepreneur or owner. The last two take risks. The employee is the person who has the skill set and works right through that company to get to the top and has superb management skills but doesn’t understand the meaning of risk.

fashion

What does your role as chairman of the British Fashion Council involve?

As chairman I don’t actually run the BFC. We have just strengthened our management team and we appointed two new CEOs because albeit, it is a non-profit making organisation. It is still the British Fashion Council and has a responsibility to our country and therefore it has got to be managed well. They come to me if they need an opinion, as the final person who will say, ‘that’s the way we should go’.

What are you most proud of career-wise?

Taking my very first company public at the age of twenty-four and being the youngest person to do so. Also, acquiring one of the most well-known Savile Row tailors, Kilgour French & Stanbury and, buying Jaeger.

What do you think about the dress sense of the city gent?

There’s a huge divide I think. You’ve got the city guys who are into the bespoke suits, the handmade shoes, the great ties and shirts and then you have the other guys who seem to think they can buy a suit and can

wear it without a tie, and I personally think that is the wrong way to go!

So you’re quite a purist as far as tailoring is concerned?

I am, and I think dress for the occasion. Be respectful. That is my advice. www.jaeger.co.uk www.britishfashioncouncil.com

55

health&beauty

57

Get in shape with our mind, body and soul fitness professionals, says Kate Hughes

WORKIT! HEATHER MASON AT YOGA FOR THE MIND Yoga for the mind is a unique yoga therapy combining yoga and meditation with the support of physiotherapy, helping participants to overcome stress, anxiety and depression.

Heather really enriches your quality of life and relaxes you through her fantastic mind and body tuition.

LOMAX BESPOKE HEALTH This bespoke company offers everything from the initial fitness and nutritional consultation through to personal training programmes tailored to the clients’ needs and timeframe.

In the home or at the office, this is your one stop fitness, nutrition and wellbeing service.

www.yogaforthemind.info 07988 821 323

www.lomaxpt.com

STEPHANIE MORGAN AT RAW & JUICY Stephanie is London’s top detox guru – she is dedicated to supporting good health by providing a unique home programme including juices, raw food, supplements, and advice personally tailored to your requirements. Your bespoke programme is delivered daily to your door making it easy to follow, and Stephanie offers support 24 hours a day. www.raw-and-juicy.com 07734 396 371

KAREN LARYEA AT KORKOI Karen is a fantastic health and lifestyle coach; she inspires you to lead a healthier and more fulfilled life. She is able to get to the heart of clients’ problems quickly so that they can move forward with confidence, clarity and selfcertainty, therefore learning the way to a happier future. www.korkoi.com 07770 475 794

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health&beauty

BODY CONFIDENCE Redefine your silhouette with these cellulite busting products and treatments, says Kate Hughes

SIX STEPS TO REDUCE CELLULITE:  Body brush and exfoliate morning and night  Have regular massages  Reduce caffeine and alcohol  Maintain a balanced diet  Plenty of exercise  Drink two litres of water everyday

TREATMENTS

PRODUCTS

ELEMIS The Body Sculpting Cellulite and Colon Therapy This relaxing treatment reduces the appearance of orange peel skin; it smoothes tones and refines the skin.

Aromatherapy Associates Revive Cellulite Gel, £22, www.aromatherapyassociates.com

£90 at the Elemis day spa www.elemis.com/dayspa 08704104210 THE LONDON MEDICAL AND AESTHETIC CLINIC Velashape Treatment Velashape is a new non-surgical treatment which involves infrared energy precisely targeting and heating fatty tissue using vacuum and tissue manipulation which smoothes and tightens the skin.

Treatments start at £100 www.lmaclinic.com 0208 342 1100 RICHARD WARD’S METROSPA The Body Luminosity Treatment This is a revitalising, pampering treatment using 100 per cent natural oils to boost your circulation and banish cellulite leaving your skin silky smooth. £100 at Metrospa www.richardward.co.uk 0207 730 1222

Adonia Legtone Serum, £59, www.adonialegtone.com Barefoot Botanicals Rosa Fina Cellulite Massage Cream, £26.95, www.barefootbotanicals.com

REBALANCE, HYDRATE AND REPAIR For flawless soft skin this summer, check out the limited edition facial oils from Molton Brown. As used in their professional spas, these oils will now be available to buy from July and will offer a nourishing treatment for dry, tired or combination skin. Housed in glass bottles, the three additions will be an indulgent accompaniment to any skincare regime.

Choose from the Tunisian Neroli Balancing Facial Oil (£39), Somalian Myrrh Hydrating Facial Oil (£39), and Hungarian Wild Carrot Repairing Facial Oil (£39).

Molton Brown 27 Royal Exchange 0207 621 0021 www.moltonbrown.co.uk

SUMMER in London SUNSHINE From picnics in the park to evening cocktails, the Royal Exchange has everything you need for a fabulous summer in the City

PERFECT PICNIC

TRAVEL CHIC

For the ultimate picnic in the City, Napket have revealed a glamorous new look and menu this summer. They have created a spectacular array of dishes to choose from including delicious layered salads such as the Healthy Tuna Nicoise Salad or the Bacon & Green Pea Picnic. The dessert du jour has to be the tiramisu packaged in an indulgent glass pot ensuring that your treasure stays at the optimum temperature and enables you to transport the little delight to your destination in perfect condition.

Whether carried on or off the shoulder, the gorgeous Cartier Marcello offers plenty of space to make it the perfect 24 hour bag, or travel bag for the city.

The Marcello is made from durable and water resistant canvas and white or taupe leather is used to highlight the edges, set in contrast against the structured canvas material.

The Cartier monogram in leather of two interlinked Cs is stitched onto the bag on both sides and the bag also provides inside pockets and a removable shoulder strap.

Napket 34 Royal Exchange 0207 621 1831 www.napket.com

Marcello Bag, £1,125 Cartier 1 Royal Exchange 0207 312 6923 www.cartier.com

CHILL OUT Enjoy the sun without the risk of rain this summer at the Royal Exchange. Spend the longer evenings in style in the Mezzanine Lounge and watch the world go by. The new cocktail list boasts classic summer cocktails including the Mojito and the Mint Julep alongside some very special new creations such as the Pineapple and Cardamom Martini and the Watermelon Margarita.

Book your summer get together now and benefit from their exclusively discounted packages.

The Courtyard Royal Exchange 0207 628 3500 rexevents@dandlondon.com

WITH LOVE FROM...

Smythson has a long-established history as the world’s foremost purveyor of luxury stationery and they are unbeatable on their range of hand-milled, watermarked cards and paper for any occasion. Perfect for summer, Smythson present a beautiful strawberry motif stamped in red ink on watermarked white wove cards – ideal for writing home from your travels or penning a summer love note.The cards are die-stamped from a hand engraved die and the envelopes are lined by hand in red tissue paper.

CONTEMPORARY ART Brighten up your home with limited editions and originals from the Artisan Gallery in the Royal Exchange this summer. Contemporary artist, Ge Feng, brings that summer feeling into the everyday urban environment: “My work has a raw, direct feel which can convey the charm and wit of the people I want to paint. When my graffiti people enter a very ordinary space, their presence brightens it up”.

Rose, £499 Artisan Fine Art 35 Royal Exchange 0207 929 5656 www.artisangalleries.com

Box of ten cards and envelopes, £28 Smythson 7 Royal Exchange London EC3V 3LL 0207 621 1037 www.smythson.com

THE ROYAL EXCHANGE SUMMER EVENT Get ready to celebrate the summer in style. On Thursday 16 July from 6pm-8pm, the Royal Exchange will be hosting the annual Summer Luxury Shopping Event.The event will have a ‘Summer Garden Party’ atmosphere and guests will have the chance to enjoy late night shopping, Pimms and canapés, and live music.We can’t think of a better way to unwind after a day in the office.

To receive your invitation to the Summer Luxury Shopping Event, please register your email address at www.theroyalexhange.com. We look forward to seeing you there.

OXYGEN BUBBLE Universal dynamics, forms, elements and living spaces, life and creativity, are the key messages present in the new Spring Summer Ladies’ Collection at Tateossian. Capturing the zeitgeist of consciousness of our planet and its resources, whilst trying to protect and celebrate them, the brand has produced a range which respects the colourful, organic, tactile nature of the materials used, still retaining an element of class and fun. And what could be more iconic to symbolise organic forms than spheres, from planets to pebbles.

Prices from £60 Tateossian 1 / 4 Royal Exchange 0207 283 3434 www.tateossian.com

AGENT PROVOCATUER || ARTISAN | BOODLES || BULGARI || CARTIER || CHURCH’S || CROCKETT & JONES || DE BEERS || GRAND CAFÉ AND BAR || GUCCI || HERMÈS || IMPERIAL CITY || JO MALONE || L’OCCITANE || LORO PIANA || LULU GUINNESS || MILLEPERLE || MOLTON BROWN || MONT BLANC || NAPKET || OMEGA || PAUL A. YOUNG FINE CHOCOLATES || PAUL SMITH || PAVAROTTI’S || PENHALIGON’S || PRETTY BALLERINAS || ROYAL EXCHANGE JEWELLERS || SAUTERELLE || SEARLE & CO || SMOKER’S PARADISE || SMYTHSON || TATEOSSIAN || THEO FENNELL || TIFFFANY & CO || VILEBREQUIN || WATCHES OF SWITZERLAND || WINT & KIDD

Royal Exchange, Bank, City of London, EC3V 3LR

www.theroyalexchange.co.uk

golf mini-break 15-18th OCTOBER 2009

in partnership with

ONL Y

Including tickets & transfers to the Portugal Masters

£35

0*

EAR L TOU Y BOO KI RNA MEN NG AD VIS 32 P T LIMI E TED D LAY ERS TO

Luxury accommodation at the Amendoeira Golf Resort voted best Golf Resort in Europe.

www.cavecreative.com

Weekend includes: • Airport transfers • Luxurious accommodation • 2 rounds of golf on the Oceânico Faldo and Oceânico O´Connor Jnr. courses • Fun tournament on the Par 3 Academy course • Gala dinner with prizes sponsored by Oceânico Prestige Residence Club • Tickets to the Portugal Masters with VIP hospitality • Access to all sporting facilities: Gym/Bowls/Tennis • Plus much more For further information or to book visit www.oceanicoresidenceclub.com/vicinitee or contact us on +351 289 320 525/7

NON G ALS OLFER OW S ELC OM E

ONL Y

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09/06/2009 16:28:13

lifestyle xxxxxxx 63 xx

YOGA MASTER Luxury lifestyle and travel brand Holistic Silk stock an entire range of beautifully crafted silk products and gifts; elegant investment pieces of a very high quality designed to enhance personal wellbeing and day-to-day lifestyle. For all the yoga enthusiasts out there, Holistic Silk has recently added two brand new yoga mats in Cream Leather and Embroidered Gold to their collection. Encompassing beautiful craftsmanship and thoughtful design, the mats have been designed with home asana, meditation or Pilates ritual in mind.

item

Sized like a yoga mat and filled with pure lavender, the Holistic Silk Yoga Mat emits a gentle fragrance as you practice. The fleece top gives comfort while stretching or holding your pose, and provides a restful surface for final relaxation. As with a standard mat, when rolled, it adds height, to give you more comfort while in lotus. The faux leather base enables you to use wooden or tiled floors without the mat moving and is equally useful outside on damp ground. Amazingly you can wash the mat at 30 degrees in a standard washing machine – they’ve thought of everything – perfect! 

Cream Leather Yoga Mat, £132.50 Embroidered Gold Yoga Mat, £155.00 www.holisticsilk.com

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jewellery

A HIDDEN Rebecca Walton discovers a treasure trove of beautiful jewellery hidden away in the streets of the City

A

s many people are aware, the City of London is a maze of small alleys and hidden passages concealing some of the most precious gems in London. It’s quite possible you could pass some of these hidden locations every day, without ever seeing or knowing about them.

Exploring the winding streets of the City, I walked up Cornhill with my eyes peeled for a small passage on the right; I’d heard about a tiny jeweller shop hidden from view, stocking the most beautiful rare and antique pieces. I located the turning by St Michael’s Church and headed down St Michael’s Alley in search of Castle Court; I must have passed this place a hundred times without realising, and as I drew closer I wondered just what I was about to find at number 4.

Nestled between two of the City of London’s oldest inns, The George andVulture and the JamaicaWine House, I found John Haynes Jewellers – a treasure trove of magnificent jewellery and silver. Opened in 1959 (by current Managing Director, John Haynes’s father Jack), this small business has been servicing the unique needs of the City’s population for over 50 years.

Today I was looking for some advice on what we should be buying for those really special occasions, and after a few minutes I knew I was in the right place. John Haynes really has something not only for every budget, but for every person, whether you are shopping for a husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, or even a mother or father.

With diamond princess cut studs from as little as £2,000 to an antique 1807 Georgian sterling silver shaving brush – the range is tremendous, and the service second to none.

Entering the store I was met by a glittering array of some of the most exquisite jewellery I have ever seen. My eye was instantly drawn to an amazing Tanzanite ring with

diamonds either side of the setting (£POA).

This stunning piece is the perfect gift for the gentleman who is looking for something totally unique to give the special woman in his life –perhaps for an anniversary or special birthday. If a ring is not quite what you’re looking for, a diamond bracelet is the perfect gift for any occasion. I tried on an incredible diamond encrusted chain link bracelet; the perfect accompaniment to any outfit and at £17,950 is more than worth the investment!

A jumbo diamond collet bracelet with over 36 individual stones (20 carats) was just another of the incredible pieces on display.

John Haynes not only stocks an amazing array of new jewellery, but also a selection of rare and beautiful antique pieces. With the big jewellers mass producing certain styles, this is a market that you must consider if you’re looking for a real investment piece.

A striking 1930s brilliant cut diamond ring caught my eye, and would have many a girl falling over themselves to be the recipient of this exquisite piece of jewellery.

For those looking for something a little different, there is so much at John Haynes Jewellers; I wouldn’t know where to begin.

One of the key pieces that warrant a mention is a handmade sterling silver jug modelled on a Georgian beer jug; at £3,950 it would make a wonderful gift, especially in the coming months where a jug or two of Pimms will always go down well.The piece de resistance on my visit were a pair of solid silver frog candle sticks; quirky and fun, these pieces carry detail that is just not found on similar items today.

John Haynes is more than just a jeweller and the small shop tucked amongst the alleys of the City of London has more to it than meets the eye; whether you are looking for a gift for a loved one or a present for yourself, you really must explore this shop if you are in search of hidden treasure. n

John Haynes & Co Ltd 6 Castle Court St Michaels Alley (off Cornhill) London, EC3V 9LD 020 7621 0358 www.johnhaynesthejewellers.co.uk

PHILLIP BODENHAM IS THE…

CITY style SPY

AGENT PROVOCATEUR Good weather evokes such mixed feelings for many. Good – outdoor drinks, BBQ’s, Pimm’s, Wimbledon and so on. Bad – the general baring of flesh unless, like me, you’re in the gym everyday at 5am. For women though, it is so much easier to make the most of what you have than men - a well cut, well structured swimsuit can go a long way to sucking in bits that should be smaller, and generously padding out and underwiring bits that should be bigger. I love this summer’s swimwear offering from Agent Provocateur, particularly this very clever one piece, which shows just the right amount of flesh to keep your beach look subtle and sexy. Of course on me it would look like an odd Borat-style-mankini, so I won’t be sporting this look, but I’m looking forward to seeing my most stylish women friends working the one piece in fuchsia, against a dark tan, in Ibiza this year. www.agentprovocateur.com

LIFEDRAWING

So now you know – Beach Blanket Babylon are having a free lifedrawing class each Tuesday 6.30pm – 8.30pm, packed with all the cool creative types having wine and cocktails whilst getting busy with their pencils. www.beachblanket.co.uk

SIMON CARTER Simon Carter’s new summer range of cufflinks are inspired by piracy and the high seas, and jolly good they are too.

They reference traditional tattoos and my favourite are the skull ones, namely because the general meaning behind the skull, “memento mori” – remember you must die – whilst at first seems depressing, on second thoughts actually reminds me that we must live life while you can, which surely 2009 is all about. www.simoncarter.net 020 7907 9170

PANAMA’S Sometimes it’s hard to get the summer headgear look right. American style caps can look ok, although for sure you will look like someone’s mad uncle if you’re over 35 and there are children about. The smartest men opt for panamas and straw trilbies, and my favourites this summer so far come from Bailey.

Check them out at asos.com and Selfridges. www.baileyhats.com

MARCO PIERRE WHITE

So Mr White has redone the former Lanes restaurant, a stone’s throw from Liverpool Street. We went one Tuesday night, and while not busy, there were enough people around to make the huge room not feel too hangar-like, and for us to chat away solidly without feeling listened to, whilst the in-offensive staff fussed about, like a united nations of waiters. The food was good, rich (duck pate was beyond rich, salty, and amazing) although slightly too wintry for summer – big on steaks, meat, cauliflower cheese that sort of thing. Not sure about the messy handwritten menus, nor the fact that everything had to be repeated three times to staff without decent English. But the food was good, and the place deserves to be busy, so give it a go.

East India House, 109 Middlesex St, E1 7JF 020 7247 5050 www. mpwsteakhouseandgrill.com

U R B A N I N T E R I O R . C O. U K

0207 739 4644

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LUXURIOUS B ATHROOMS | KITCHENS | I N T E R I O R S

O P E N I NG OFFER

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Present this advert to redeem. *Terms and Conditions. 1. 20% discount applies to the following brands only SieMatic, Villeroy & Boch, Bisazza, Gaggenau, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Miele. 2. Valid until Monday 31st August 2009. Orders must be made on or before this date to qualify. 3. This voucher cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. 4. Only one advert voucher per transaction.

interiors

67

A fantastic new concept...

Claire Rutter finds out more on BoConcept’s revolutionary free design service

I

n the industry, we all know BoConcept as one of the leading modern furniture suppliers and distributors in the world, with 240 stores over 45 counties.

Already the brand of choice to the discerning home-owner, BoConcept have just launched a unique interior design service, which will accommodate their customers idea's and goals, implemented and co-created with the professionalism and expertise of their renowned consultants.

It is attention to the little things that makes a house a home, each individual piece reflects your personality, transforming the home into your own haven of tranquility to unwind

FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE DISCERNING HOME-OWNER CAN CREATE A LOOK THAT IS UNIQUELY DESIGNED BY THEM, WITH THE ASSISTANCE AND SUPPORT OF A FIRST CLASS PROFESSIONAL CONSULTANT USING A VARIETY OF BO CONCEPTS BEAUTIFUL FURNITURE. after a long, hard day. From the non-stop city worker to the modern family we all have our own idea of how the design of a home should be. Sometimes it can be difficult to get your home looking just the way you want it, often there isn't enough hours in the day.

Finding the time to not only search out the

furnishings you like, but to implement each individual piece to a common theme or to serve a particular purpose is a task we have all struggled with. Although an enjoyable and exciting experience, the reality of structuring a design for your interior at home is usually an expensive and daunting task. 'How can I make a trend work throughout the room'. 'How can I create space in the room without compromising the furniture?' 'Why does it never look as good as it does in the magazines!' You know what you want, but you just need a little help to make it perfect.

To create that ideal look and desired living area BoConcept has created a revolutionary interior design service that will make it easier than ever for customers to create the perfect look for their home, completely free of charge! Priding themselves on their specialists, BoConcept will assign you a design professional who will come to your home personally by appointment. Whether you wish to revamp your home, (or a particular room) with a new colour scheme, optimize your space or completely transform the look of your home BoConcept’s specialists are there to help. With their fingers firmly on the pulse of what is hot in the world of interiors one would be hard pressed to find a more worthy consultant than a BoConcept designer.

After having a good chat about your needs, tastes and budget, your interior design consultant will measure your space and make suggestions that will maximise space and functionality to create your dream look. As

well as their professional expertise and lavish variety of functional furniture, BoConcept uniquely offer a '3d Interior Decorating' software kit. The consultant will draw a complete plan of your home, or particular room and give you complete creative control to plan the home of your dreams. For the first time, the discerning home-owner can create a look that is uniquely designed by them, with the assistance and support of a first class professional consultant using a variety of BoConcept’s beautiful furniture.

As well as saving the modern homeowner time, the service will also enable the customer to make informed and effective decisions on the design of their home to add value where it would not have originally been expected. For the first time, you will be able to achieve your dream home designed and provided by industry experts. Like any good investment, new furniture needs careful thought and consideration, so take your time and let BoConcept get it just right. 

BOLD CHOICE To add an interesting twist to a modern, streamlined kitchen, add a splash of colour with the GM Cucine Alexa range from Molten.

Available in seven vibrant colours including indigo blue, green, royal blue, orange, ivory, white and ruby red, as well as four wood finishes; beech, walnut, Daniela walnut, and light oak – you can create a bold and unique kitchen. Combined with matt finish laminate doors and an aluminium edging, this contemporary kitchen is sleek and daring.

The image here shows the Alexa range in ruby red combined with Daniela walnut.

GM Cucine Alexa range from Molten, prices from £8,000

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Molten London 15 Coda Centre 189 Munster Road Fulham, SW6 6AW 020 7835 5454 www.moltenlondon.co.uk

OF THE BEST… KITCHEN INTERIORS

Kelly Green presents the hottest new looks for the home kitchen

CHIC BLACK

This classy modern kitchen, from Go Modern’s collection of sophisticated Italian kitchens, beautifully mixes colours and textures. The chic blacks of the Black Gloss Laminate & Zebrano Kitchen are perfectly complemented by the natural Zebrano laminate and white Corian extending worktop/island; while the high gloss black surfaces contrast with the more natural Zebrano cupboards, creating a look that is both elegant and contemporary. Go Modern is fast becoming one of the UK’s leading contemporary furniture retailers, combining luxury with longevity, and affordability with functionality.

Black Gloss Laminate & Zebrano Kitchen, £13,500 Go Modern 132-134 Lots Road London SW10 0RJ 020 73497209 www.gomodern.co.uk

BRIGHT WHITE This striking white kitchen from Halcyon Interiors is the perfect choice for a modern space. Sleek lines flow uninterrupted around the glossy white lacquer kitchen, and white work surfaces, wall cladding, stools and lighting create a timeless look without feeling cold or clinical.The Alno Starline kitchen comes complete with a wealth of storage solutions and hidden appliances, creating a look of minimalistic elegance – the cooker hood retracts into the work surface when not in use and the hob sits flush on the work surface. Halcyon Interiors run the Alno Store – at the heart of kitchen design and with over 25 years of experience in the business, they have a full design and project managed installation service. All Alno kitchens are manufactured-to-order and are available from Alno premier kitchen retailers.

Prices from £15,000 for a medium sized kitchen (excluding fitting and appliances) The ALNO Store, 120 Wigmore Street, London W1 3LS Halcyon Interiors, 509 Uxbridge Road, Hatch End, Pinner, Middlesex, HA5 4JS 020 7486 3080 www.halcyoninteriors.co.uk

interiors

HIGH-TECH This high-tech kitchen, from luxury bathroom and kitchen retailer Urban Interior, has been designed to provide the perfect living environment within the contemporary domestic kitchen. The ‘S1’ kitchen, designed by leading German manufacturer SieMatic, combines cooking and social areas. The ‘S1’ kitchen uses a unique ‘Smart Board’ device that, using the most advanced technology, controls a complete multimedia system, so the user has total control. The ‘Smart Board’, which is located beneath the wall cabinets, contains touch controls that operate all electronic gadgets within the kitchen. These include the extractor hood, 17” flat screen LCD TV, the iPod docking system, internal and external temperature readings, and an advanced lighting system. As an extra, internet and email can be incorporated into the LCD TV. The ‘S1’ kitchen is available in a Truffle Grey gloss lacquer finish in addition to two wood tones (Velvet Oak and Sukupira Graphite) and Lotus White matt lacquer.

‘S1’ Kitchen from Urban Interior, prices from £100,000 Urban Interior 27-33 Bethnal Green Road London E1 6LA 020 7739 4644 www.urbaninterior.co.uk

BEST OF BRITISH Kitchens are a place to eat, relax and entertain family and friends; so it is essential that your kitchen is somewhere that you enjoy spending time. A traditional style kitchen helps to create a warm, inviting environment, and gives your home a truly British look.

The traditional country style can be created with high quality handmade furniture, such as this blue shaker breakfast pantry from Harvey Jones. Harvey Jones celebrates great British quality, creating stunning handmade kitchens here in the UK. The experienced designers and highly skilled craftsmen at Harvey Jones create kitchens to suit your individual needs, that are beautiful, unique and functional.

Harvey Jones Kitchens start from £17,000.

0800 389 7365 www.harveyjones.com

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interiors WATER LOUNGE A free standing bath and light with glass surround; dispense with your living room, throw away the sofa and discover ultimate modern bathroom luxury with CP Hart’s Waterlounge bath.

Prices start from £41,118 and the installation pack (including the power supply) retails at £4,950 0845 600 1950 www.cphart.co.uk

CUTTING EDGE DESIGN

BALANCE BLUELINE WASHBASIN Made from tantalising, smooth blue limestone, finished with a stainless steel Inox tap, this is a sleek classic.

Prices start from £1,363 C.P. Hart 0845 600 1950 www.cphart.co.uk

CASCADE BASIN MIXER CHROME EFFECT A stunning contemporary design with a tilt and turn temperature flow control.

Sublime, senuous style. £259, B&Q www.diy.com

Kelly Green checks out the latest interior design for the ultimate in bathroom luxury EPOCA BATH This cast iron bath is a modern twist on the traditional freestanding baths, with a high quality white enamel interior and a polished aluminium exterior. £3,678, Aston Matthews 020 7226 7220 www.astonmatthews.co.uk

THE ROMAN SCULPTURES THREESIDED ENCLOSURE Made up of two sidepanels, inline panels and the Roman Sculptures Hinged Door, the minimal framing gives this contemporary shower a bespoke look and feel.

Prices start from £1,635 www.roman-showers.com

EVITAVONNI BURG BATHROOM UNITS These modern, elegantly designed washstands create dramatic impact in any statement black bathroom, and fit perfectly with a monochrome trend.

Prices start from £997.05 each 0800 130 3180 www.evitavonni.co.uk

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G E T T I N G

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120 Wigmore Street, London, W1U 3LS 509 Uxbridge Road, Hatch End, Pinner, Middlesex HA5 4JS Telephone: 020 7486 3080 http://www.halcyon-interiors.co.uk email: info.@halcyon-interiors.co.uk

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G DGETS GADGETS JAMIE CARTER CHECKS OUT THIS MONTH’S TECHNOLOGICAL OFFERINGS

POD PIT STOP

A great accessory for the office if you spend most of your life glued to an iPod or iPhone, GEAR4’s ChargeDock can fuel your obsession and sync it with iTunes. Using mains power or USB, ChargeDock is ‘Made for iPod’ and ‘Works With iPhone’ certified, and while it’s aimed at all office workers, travellers especially will appreciate its optional EU plug.

GEAR4 ChargeDock for iPod& iPhone docking station £40 www.gear4store.com

OVER A BARREL

As well as being environmentally unfashionable, using virgin wood to make speakers can cause a harsh sound, something that Pioneer has gone to great lengths to avoid. Crafted from recycled 100-year-old white oak whiskey barrels no less, the hardness of these Pure Malt speakers prevents vibration and creates smooth and rich acoustics.

Pioneer Pure Malt Speakers £450 per pair www.pioneer.co.uk

PLUS POINTS

Does Freeview leave you non-plussed? A new system called Freeview+ lets you pause, play and rewind live TV – just like Sky+HD or Virgin Media – and LG’s latest upscaling DVD recorder is a great place to start. The perfect way to soup-up a HDTV, the RHT497H can record up to 477 hours of Freeview on its 160GB hard drive, including series links. In fact, as well as setting a series to record, you can burn it all to a DVD in super-fast time – a one hour show takes just 27 seconds.

LG RHT497H Freeview+ DVD recorder £230 www.lge.co.uk

HI-DEF IN YOUR HAND

Further proof that hi-def is outgrowing the living room comes from Samsung’s new i8910 HD mobile phone. As well as being a thoroughly modern smartphone, the i8910 HD can take pictures in six megapixel quality and even shoot video in HD. It can even be attached to a HD Ready TV to watch the pinsharp results. Out now on the Orange network.

Samsung i8910 HD mobile phone £500 www.samsung.co.uk

ZONING OUT

Once the reserve of the hugely wealthy, multi-room music and video is creeping down to affordable levels thanks to wireless tech. Highend custom installation brand Kaleidescape has just unleashed its Mini System, a complete multi-zone box that’s as easy to set-up as a DVD player. The Mini System can store around 225 DVDs or 2,500 CDs and makes it possible to watch a film in one room while music is played in two other rooms in the house. Its excellent interface is a joy to browse – it downloads cover art and even cross-references your collection to constantly suggest similar films, actors or bands.

Kaleidescape Mini System £6,695 www.kaleidescape.com

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REMOTE CONTROL

Those of us who travel a lot often find ourselves in hotel rooms pining after our favourite show or a football match taking place in another time zone. Using the World Wide Web to its fullest, SlingboxPRO puts your lounge’s home entertainment set-up in your hand by streaming everything to either your laptop or a Windows Mobile-based smartphone; Freeview, Blu-ray, DVD, whatever. It can even stream near-HD quality video around your home.

Slingbox PRO £200 www.slingmedia.com

CALLED TO THE BAR

With myriad wires and often tricky set-up, the masses are turning to more convenient soundbars for the home. Crystal Audio’s SSB-1 can be hooked-up to a TV, DVD player, PC, an iPod or MP3 player, even a games console. Its virtual surround soundfield, which uses eight separate speakers, is designed for movies while iPod owners will love the top’s universal charging dock.

Crystal Audio SSB-1 Surround Soundbar £200 www.crystalaudiovideo.com

SEE THE LIGHTS

With flatscreen TVs increasingly sold at discount prices, the availability of truly high-end LCD TVs is on the wane. Philips’ latest 9604 series TVs – which come in 32-inch and 37-inch sizes – changes that. Though hardly expensive, these high-end aluminium, charcoal grey framed Full HD TVs pack in the features; NetTV connects to the internet wirelessly, while Ambilight emits dynamic colours from the sides that match whatever is showing on the screen. With five HDMI inputs and Philips’ impressive Perfect Pixel HD engine, you’ve got one of the most innovative takes on HDTV yet.

BLU-RAY IN MINIATURE

Philips 9604 Series LCD TVs £999-£1299. www.philips.co.uk

It’s all very well having a Blu-ray player in your home, but what if your friends want to sample the delights of high definition? With this portable Blu-ray player – the only one on the market – you can not only take your discs out on the road and watch them on an 8.9-inch LCD screen (for around three hours on a full charge), but you can even hook it up to any HD Ready TV. As well as playing Blu-ray, DVD and CD, there’s an SD card slot for watching digital pictures and a headrest strap for in-car use – and you can even plug it into broadband to watch YouTube videos at home.

Panasonic DMP-BD15 portable Blu-ray player £500 www.panasonic.co.uk

SPINNING AROUND

Even vinyl junkies need to face reality – the world is turning to MP3 – but that doesn’t mean those wanting to transfer their LPs to an iPod must sit in front of a PC for weeks converting their entire collection.

Denon’s DP-200USB turntable comes with a built-in MP3 encoder, which converts songs to high quality 192 kbps MP3 files before saving them to a USB memory stick. If you do have a PC, all the better; software is included that scans each MP3 and searches for song names from the Internet.

Denon DP-200USB turntable £200 www.denon.co.uk

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THIS IS

SOUL The looks take some getting used to, says Matthew Carter, but beneath the skin Kia’s latest city carry-all ticks most of the right boxes

W

hen it comes to daft names for cars, Kia has cornered the market. Proof? How about the cee’d, its Ford Focus rival.

Or the sporty pro_cee’d (and yes, the lack of capitals, that apostrophe and underscore dash are all part of the naming, er, pro_ces’s).

Thing is, names aside, both those cars are pretty conventional to look at: which is not something that could be said of the new Kia Soul. On paper, the Soul is a school-run special, a five-seat squareback mini MPV with ample boot space for clobber. In reality its oddball looks and wild colours make it stand out from the crowd; if you want to make a statement – to bare your soul, so to spe – look no further.

With a pugnacious nose, heavy roof line and perpendicular tail, its boxy, blunt styling is far from pretty. In its defence, though, there’s nothing quite like it on the roads… at least, not until the aptly named Nissan Cube gets here later in the year.

That box-like shape makes it immensely practical inside.

There’s ample room for five plus a fair sized boot and plenty of oddment space in the front.

The plusher versions – ‘Originals’ as Kia likes to call them – can be identified by their 18 inch alloy wheels and their exterior colours. The Samba

is bright red, Shaker is a cool metallic white and Burner is metallic black with dashes of gofaster red on the grille. Burner also has a 315-watt stereo system as standard which includes door speakers that pulse red in time with the music. Burner, then, is the ‘yoof-model’.

Mechanically there are just two versions: a 1.6-litre petrol and a 1.6-litre diesel. The petrol is a puny thing, offering little in the

way of punch or panache. The diesel, while a little over-vocal, is altogether more satisfying and gives the Soul brisk performance at the same time as returning respectable fuel economy.

It develops 126 bhp and 260Nm of torque for plenty of low down grunt. The official performance figures – 10.7 sec to 60 mph, 113 max – don’t sound fantastic but in practice the diesel Soul thrums along well.

The handling has been fine tuned for UK roads by Lotus.

It’s in no way sporting but, given that tall cars such as this usually corner with all the aplomb of a dinghy in a gale, Lotus has done a fine job of taming excess body roll. At the same time Lotus has endowed the car with a reasonably supple ride: it’s not the best in class, but it’s more than competent.

Where the Soul is let down, perhaps, is inside. Although build quality is light years ahead of earlier Korean confections, the materials used inside the Soul lag behind the best – the plastics are hard and shiny and are all the same shade of dark grey.

But you do get plenty of kit.

Soul 2 has air conditioning, alloy wheels and iPod connectivity for the good sounding stereo. Move up to the Originals and as well as the bigger wheels, you get such items as privacy glass, a reversing camera with the display neatly integrated into the rear view mirror, a sunroof and lashings of exterior chrome. Prices start at £10,495 with the diesel Soul 2 at £12,495 and go up to £14,995 for the Burner.

After years producing blandmobiles, Kia’s latest offering shows the strides the Korean carmakers have being making. And yes, this urban warrior does have soul. n

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motoring

THE THINKING MAN’S

SUPERCAR Borrowing an awesome V10 engine from Lamborghini has moved the Audi R8 up a notch; and it was pretty good to start with, says Matthew Carter

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hichever way you look at it, the Audi R8 is an incredible bit of kit. It took Porsche years, nay decades, to turn the 911 into the machine it is today, yet Audi got its midengined sports car pretty much spot-on right from the start.

Head-turning looks (yes, I’ve got used to the contrasting ‘sideblade’ panel that splits the cockpit from the engine compartment), a beautiful interior, fabulous chassis and breathtaking performance: the R8 has it all.

Well, nearly all. Bigger isn’t necessarily better, but in the case of the new R8 V10 it most certainly is. If there was one thing

‘wrong’ with the original R8 it was that its quattro four-wheel drive chassis could clearly handle more power than the 4.2-litre V8 could deliver.

Audi’s answer has been to have a look-see what other engines are to be found in the Volkswagen Group parts bin, choose something suitable and pop it in the back of the R8. Given that the VW group embraces such marques as Skoda and SEAT it comes as something of a relief to reveal that Audi has ‘borrowed’ the 5.2-litre V10 that usually performs sterling service in the back of the Lamborghini Gallardo. And the result is explosive.

According the Audi, the R8 V10 has a top speed just 4mph

short of 200mph and it’ll sprint to 60mph in less than 3.9 seconds.Yes, I know, nobody needs that sort of performance in our camera strewn, speed humped island – but who cares?

It’s an intoxicating, legal drug that gets into your veins and delivers a real high. Of course, I never took it above 70mph…

If the original R8 targeted the 911, the V10 version is aimed squarely at the 911 Turbo. Not only does its performance match that of the Porsche, at a few quid short of £100,000 it’s right on Turbo money, too.

But the Audi R8 has something the Porsche will never have: exclusivity. For every ten 911s, SL63 AMG Mercs or even Aston Martin DB9s you see, you’ll be

lucky to spot one R8. In fact it’s probably rarer than its flighty Italian cousin, the Gallardo. And in circles where one-upmanship is key, that gives the Audi a huge advantage.

Fortunately the R8 V10 has considerable strength in depth.

The chassis might have fourwheel drive but most of the power goes to the rear wheels – the split is 30/70 front to rear.

This gives the car a rearward handling bias to keep the enthusiast driver happy, but gives the front wheels enough grip to pull the car through turns, no matter what the weather.

Best of all is the steering.

Perfectly weighted and gloriously direct, the steering will be a revelation for anyone used to the

xxxxxxx

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it too, which is why the R8 V10 over-light systems dulled by too take your breath away. Despite behaves just like an A3 when much power assistance found on the bigger engine and extra conditions demand. The huge most cars these days. The result levels of standard equipment, power output of the V10 engine is flatters even the most cackthe increase in weight over the matched by a great wall of torque handed of drivers into thinking V8-power version is just 31kg, – the engine’s pulling power – they’re something special. meaning that virtually none of meaning the Supercar R8 is happy to handling is Yes, I know, nobodY needs that sort of trickle through matched performance In our camera strewn, speed traffic with the by supercar humped Island – but who cares? best of them. performance.

The terms The ordinary R8 is no slouch but the extra 105hp the extra power is wasted hauling ‘usable’ and ‘supercar’ used to be mutually exclusive. The 911 provided by the Lamborghini about extra avoirdupois. changed that, but the Audi takes engine moves performance up That glorious engine will spin driveability to a new level. a level or two. Best of all, this is happily up its 8,700rpm red It doesn’t do too badly on the a naturally aspirated engine so line, providing a real punch in practicality front, either. With there’s no waiting for a turbo the back, and a spine tingling only two seats and a bloody great to spin up before power can be soundtrack as it does so. Mix engine filling the space where unleashed. in exceptional handling and Its performance really does exemplary braking power and the the rear seats and boot would usually go, it’s never going to be R8 V10 makes a mockery of UK as sensible as a Volvo estate. But speed limits: to get close to the new Audi’s potential you either the beautifully appointed cabin need your own race track or does have reasonable oddment should consider a second home in space and while the front luggage Germany close to an unrestricted compartment isn’t huge, it’ll take stretch of Autobahn. a couple of soft bags. Enough for The ride, too, is a revelation. a weekend away, in other words.

And then there’s the price. At Audi has fitted its advanced £100k it is nominally £20,000 magnetic ride dampers as more than the V8-powered standard: the system uses version, but around half of magnetic particles in the damper that is accounted for by extra fluid which alters the viscosity of the fluid when a voltage is passed standard equipment including through. This in turn stiffens a premium sound system, or softens the suspension as satellite navigation, electrically heated and adjustable seats, conditions demand. It works! the magnetic ride system, LED Perhaps the only fly in the headlights and a lighting system ointment is the transmission: that illuminates the engine bay. avoid the R-Tronic auto which is Very important that. not only a costly extra but also none too subtle in its shifts. Stick The R8 V8 remains a superb instead to the slick six-speed sports car, but the visually similar V10 version – different wheels, manual and click-clack the lever oval tailpipes and V10 badges is through the exposed gate like a about it – really does move Audi professional.

OK, so performance like this into the supercar league. It’s an is not necessary, and Audi knows awesome machine. n

GETTING BETTER ALL THE TIME Improving the Boxster S is a near impossible task, reckons Matthew Carter, yet Porsche has done just that.

But, please, don’t call it new

I

f there’s an overused word in the motoring world, it’s ‘new’. Every time a manufacturer changes a door handle or offers a different style of alloy wheel on an existing model, they proclaim the result to be new.

So it was with a slightly jaundiced eye that I drove the ‘new’ Porsche Boxster S. It’s been around since late 1996, the Boxster, with a mild facelift in 2005. This latest version, frankly, looks much the same as it ever did.

Search the 2009 version for changes and if you really know your stuff you’ll spot the different lights front and rear, the LED running lights, larger air intakes at the front and new alloy wheel designs. Not much new there, then.

But you’ve got to remember that Porsche is an engineering–led company and the real reason the latest Boxster and Boxster S model can claim ‘new’ status lies under the bonnet… er, bootlid.

In both cases, beneath the rear luggage compartments lie new engines. The six-cylinder unit in the Boxster has been increased in size to 2.9-litres, while that in the S grows to 3.4-litres and now features direct fuel injection.

In effect, the engine in the S is a scaled down version of the latest unit introduced to the 911 range last year. Power is up over the old S to 310hp, a rise of 15hp.

But while it doesn’t deliver much in the way of a performance gain – top speed is still around 170mph and 0-62mph takes 5.3 seconds – the new engine feels smoother, is more economical and

produces fewer emissions; the latter is down by around 16 per cent.

One of the other significant changes made to the car is the option of the PDK gearbox (that’s Porsche Doppelkupplungsgetribe to you). PDK is a fast shifting double clutch gearbox that works as an automatic or, via paddle shifts, as a manual. It’s good, but the standard six-speed manual is even better and puts you in total control. Save your money and spend it on the sat nav option instead.

But whichever transmission you opt for, it translates into a car that’s even better than it was before. Bury the throttle and the car surges away accompanied by a wild howl from that glorious flat-six engine. The handling and ride are every bit as good as you’d expect from a Porsche and the cabin, while broadly unchanged, remains a model of how it should be done. There’s just the right combination of comfort and purpose, functionality and fashion.

Even the hood is near perfect. Unlike rivals who have gone the folding hardtop route, Porsche has stuck with a fabric roof. It weighs less, can be lowered and raised more quickly and it steals less space when stowed away. Any potential loss of refinement over a tin lid is countered by the roof’s construction: it’s a triple-layered affair complete with a proper glass rear window.

As an every day car, the Boxster S delivers – unless you need something for the school run, of course. Although it’s only a two seater, in many ways it’s a more practical proposition than a 911. The luggage area in the nose is all but identical in both cars, but the Boxster also has a roomy boot at the rear

while the 911 owner has to turn the (frankly useless) rear seats into a makeshift parcel shelf if more luggage space is needed.

As far as I’m concerned the Boxster is a better drive, too. Heresy to some perhaps, but by being smaller and lighter it feels more nimble, more wieldy than its big brother. And it’s cheaper. The basic S costs virtually £40,500 and while you’ll want/ need to plunder the options list for a few desirable extras, you should be able to get away with a well specc’d car for around £45,000. You’ll need another £20k to get into a comparable 911.

It might not be new in the strictest sense, but the latest incarnation of the Boxster is the best yet. Now, Porsche, when can we see a really new Boxster? n

motoring

BACK TO THE FUTURE

I

t’s taken a number of years, but Citroën has finally remembered what it does best: developing interesting cars that don’t follow the herd.

Once upon a time Citroën was the most avant-garde car maker of them all. The stunning DS was still ahead of the rest when it died in 1976: when it arrived in 1955 it was like something from outer space.

Gradually, though, the need to survive saw the French company sink to badgeengineering Peugeots.

But the future is looking brighter. The GTbyCitroën (yes, all one word: blame the marketing people) is a stunning two-seater concept that’s a joint venture between Citroën and Polyphony, creators of the driving simulator game Gran Turismo5.

Only this is no digital dream but a real car that works. Nearly five metres long and just over a metre tall, the car is dominated by its huge windscreen and gullwing doors. After winning the prestigious Louis Vuitton Classic Concept Award last year, the GTbyCitroën has taken to the tracks. It completed laps of honour at the Nürburgring and Le Mans 24 Hour races and was one of the stars at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed weekend where it took part in the famed Sunday Times Supercar Run. So far so good. Now Citroën, how about putting the thing into production? n

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OUR

LOTUS

POSITION

We love our Lotus Exige but we’d like to get to know its big sister, the new Evora.

Eren Ellwood explains why.

P

lease don’t think we’re getting bored or frustrated by our Lotus Exige S, but we can’t wait to try the brand new Lotus, the Evora.

As regular readers will know, we’re running the Exige to see whether it’s possible to spend every day with what is a pretty hardcore machine. The supercharged Exige is a spartan, totally focused track car that can provide equal excitement on our country’s A and B roads.

And, we’ve done a lot of that, as the Exige turns every journey, no matter how mundane, into something of an event. It is not, however, a long distance cruiser so given the choice of a direct motorway run or a longer, winding route across country… well, there’s no contest.

The new Lotus, the one we’re dying to try, looks to be equally at home sprinting along a bumpy B-road as it would be crossing France on the A6 autoroute. It’s the Evora, the car launched

motoring

by Lotus to the world at last year’s London International Motor Show and now on sale.

Jeremy Clarkson hit the nail on the head when he said on Top Gear that Evora sounded like a ladies dress shop in Harrogate. In fact, Evora is also a Portuguese city, but the name more importantly falls in line with the Lotus tradition in starting with an E… think Elan, Elite, Europa, Elise, Exige, Esprit and so on.

Even the car’s development plan was called Project Eagle.

It’s the company’s first all new car since the Elise of 1996 (our Exige is effectively a coupé version of the Elise) and one aimed at a very different audience. For the first time in years, Lotus is targeting Porsche customers… more specifically the Cayman S and Carrera 911. And that’s quite an ask.

Can a Lotus really be a viable rival to Porsche? On paper, it most certainly can. The Evora uses traditional Lotus methods of construction, which means it

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has an aluminium chassis wearing bonded composite panels for lightness. The engine, like that in the Elise/Exige and, indeed, that in the Cayman, is mid-mounted and drives the rear wheels.

But that’s where the Evora and the Elise start to move apart and Evora starts to move closer to the Porsche. The Evora has been designed as a serious long-distance machine, a true GT, and comfort, pace and space were key design elements.

The cabin, for example, has been stretched sufficiently to make it a 2+2, and spacewise, while it’s small, fitting two people in the back comfortably isn’t impossible. Alternatively, it also makes for a good sized extra luggage space, Porsche 911 style. The bottom line is that the Evora does at least offer the possibility of carrying four people, which is something the Cayman cannot, no matter what.

And the cabin is unlike any Lotus we’ve seen for years. Trimmed in contrasting leather that wraps around swathes of aluminium, the cabin is positively sybaritic when compared with the Elise.

It’s a good deal more powerful, too. The 3.5-litre V6 engine from Toyota develops 276hp, a useful 50 or so more than the Exige, though it clearly has a quite different job to do. The supercharged four-cylinder unit in the Exige is all point and squirt, where the Evora’s smooth V6 has to combine urge with refinement. On paper the new Lotus gives away more than 40hp to the Cayman S, however… it’ll be interesting to see what that means in real world conditions.

It will also be interesting to see how the Evora handles. Lotus is a byword for race tuned handling and the Exige is just about as good as it gets. But Evora has a similar motor sport-derived chassis with double wishbone suspension front and rear, so we’re expecting great things.

Perhaps now you’ll appreciate why we’re getting impatient. We’re most certainly not bored with the Exige, but we can’t wait to try its big sister. 

sport

DREAM

TEAM Cat Hughes meets a team who are going for gold against the odds

T

he preparation for the London 2012 Olympics are well underway; billions are being spent on improving the City of London and funding GB athletes. However, for one Olympic team, going for gold will not be as simple.

In September this year another Olympic tournament is taking place in Taipei, Taiwan – the Deaf Olympics. Previously known as The International Silent Games, the Deaf Olympics began 1924 in Paris and precedes the Paralympics.

In fact, The International Silent Games were seen as the blue

print for the Paralympics. In the first games, nine countries and 148 athletes competed. Since then the tournament has gone from strength to strength and in Melbourne 2005, over sixty countries and 2,045 athletes competed – and even more are expected to participate in this year’s games.

As any athlete will tell you, it’s a rocky road to the beacon of sporting achievement, but for GB Deaf Women’s Football team, forget rocks – their obstacles are more like boulders.

This team has not just seen its funding slashed, but had it disappear all together.

In 2005, Team GB were given funding to participate in the 20th Deaf Olympics in Melbourne, but this year their funding has gone to the London Olympics, despite the team winning bronze by beating Denmark 2-1 in their first ever Olympic games and being awarded Team of the Year at the London Awards. The team now have the daunting prospect of raising £3000 each so they can compete in the event.

Esther Maycock, who you may have seen on TV as an invision signer for countless BBC programmes, is a defender for GB Deaf ladies Football team. She says, “I feel very disappointed. We are playing for our country and we should be respected.”

“We have been pushed aside, seen as second rate,” added Lydia Docker (another defender for GB Deaf Ladies football team and BBC in-vision signer) “They (UK Sport) should respect the Deaf Olympics and not put the Paralympics before the Deaf Olympics. We are not provided for; why is that?”

Maycock and Docker also play for the Fulham Deaf Ladies Team, who recently came at the

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top of their league and won two trophies; the Russell Cup and Sue Sharples cup. Several players from Fulham’s deaf ladies and men’s team will be making the journey to Taipei, and Fulham football club Chairman, Mohamed Al-Fayed has donated £10,000 to the Fulham team members competing in the Deaf Olympics.

But this is not enough to send all the players out to achieve their dream.

There is no doubt that the London 2012 Olympics will have a positive effect on the UK and the local population, but it is equally important that the UK sporting authorities recognise the equality of all the GB teams competing in international games.

The Olympic Games do, and should, inspire explains Docker, “I know children look up to me and they know I’m deaf. One deaf child who wanted to play football said “I’m deaf, I can’t”.

But you can; you just have to work hard”. n If you would like to help GB deaf ladies team achieve their dreams please go to www.britishdeaffootball.com

Feeling Scouring a cocktail menu list might seem like hard work for some. For others, a menu is surplus to requirements. But, if you are looking for something that is a little different, Claire Rutter says try a floral cocktail

D

aniele Umoette and Karolis Silkauskas from the Mint Leaf Lounge restaurant have created an exciting array of floral concoctions which are certain to get taste buds tingling. They rack up 10 years of experience behind the bar and with names such as Total Spring, Sweet Shanghai and Eden using elderflower, orchid guava liqueur and Wyborowa rose vodka, these cocktails cater for even fastidious connoisseurs. The selection includes long and short drinks, cocktails that are delicate and ones with a kick, but they all include floral essence.

For a light, refreshing delight Total Spring is a perfect choice; served in a wine glass, it is garnished with beautiful rose and orangette.

But, if you fancy a drink with a kick, then Eden is an unusual blend of chilli vodka and Tuaca. With a refreshing zing, this is a winner on a summer's day. Aphrodite is Umoette and Silkauskas' floral interpretation of a champagne Bellini. Presented in a champagne flute, it consists of an orchid guava liqueur and is topped up with rosĂŠ Champagne. The twist on a classic is divine. The Sweet Shanghai uses lychee and the mixologists believe this one will be popular with the ladies. Served in a Martini glass, a frozen rose petal is balanced delicately on the surface.

But, if you want a bespoke cocktail, try our favourite, Flamenco. This cocktail is served in

a frozen Martini glass and its exquisiteness is enhanced by the dainty glass. The concoction is made up of Finlandia vodka, Coquelicot liqueur and elderflower cordial is harnessed by a dash of cranberry juice with a hint of chocolate. The stunning cocktail harbours 5ml of caramel milk chocolate which sits at the bottom of the glass. In searching for the perfect ingredients, Umoette chose a distinct chocolate heart decorated with flowers.

The sweet Coquelicot liqueur originates from Dijon and is made from the flowers of poppies. As the cocktail is served in a frozen

Flamenco Glass: Martini Method: Stirred Garnish: Chocolate Heart Ingredients 40ml Finlandia 20ml Coquelicot 10ml Elderflower cordial 15ml Cranberry juice 5ml caramel milk chocolate Method Pour all ingredients into a martini glass and stir Garnish with chocolate heart.

Mint Leaf Lounge, Angel Court Lothbury, Bank, London EC2R 7HB 020 7600 0992 www.mintleafrestaurant.com

Martini glass it is supposed to be devoured in 10-15 minutes, as this gives the optimum flavour before the temperature increases.

There is no bite to each sip but just an understated sense of chocolate.

Earlier this year, the award winning mixologist, Gustavo Bertolucci, concocted an exquisite cocktail in honour of the Chelsea Flower Show. The Royal Horticultural Society gave the seal of approval for The RHS Chelsea Flower Show Cocktail to grace the bar of one of London’s most luxurious dining venues, Pearl Restaurant and Bar. n

food&drink

the royal chelsea flower show cocktail Ingredients 25 ml Tanqueray Gin 25 ml Kwai Feh lychee liqueur 25 ml cranberry juice 10 ml cranberry syrup Dash orange bitters Ruinart Rosé Champagne Method Shake the gin, lychee liqueur, cranberry juice, cranberry syrup and orange bitters in a Boston Shaker Double strain into a cocktail glass Top up with Ruinart Rosé Champagne Garnish with a Singapore Orchid Pearl Restaurant & Bar, 252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN 020 7829 7000 www.pearl-restaurant.com

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the light bar

If you fancied impressing your friends and family with a floral delight try this easy recipe from one of London’s Light Bar lavender and rose cobbler

Ingredients 1 Rose flower 15ml Lavender syrup (or 4 lavender leaves & 2 teaspoons white sugar) 5ml Rose syrup 50ml Fino Sherry (or even Oloroso) Method Bash flower into base of a Collins glass, add rest of ingredients & crushed ice, mix thoroughly.

Garnish with lavender and rose petal.

The Light Restaurant and Bar, 233 Shoreditch High Street, London 020 7247 8989 www.thelighte1.com

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YOUR CHANCE TO

WIN

competition

87

WIN A THRILLING LOTUS EXIGE DRIVING EXPERIENCE AT SILVERSTONE We’ve teamed up with Lotus Silverstone to offer five lucky readers the chance to win an exciting Lotus driving experience. Taking place on the 18 July 2009 at the legendary Silverstone Circuit, it will be your chance to get behind the wheel of some of the most exciting cars ever built by Lotus.

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An autotest consisting of a drive around a tight and twisty coned out course against the clock - with a prize at the end for the fastest time!

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The closing date for entries is the 14 July 2009. Full terms and conditions are available on request. * Winner will be drawn by 14 July and notified thereafter

culture

89

On

Screen

Cat Hughes and Chris Ellis previews the latest films

Ice Age: DAwn of the DInosAurs 3D

By Cat Hughes

This is the latest edition of the Ice Age franchise, but this time it’s in 3D, and they’ve done it again – it is a fantastic film!

It mixes a perfect cocktail of comedy and wit, which makes the film popular with both big kids and actual kids.

This time around, our ancient heroes find themselves in a lush underground world inhabited by dinosaurs. Sid the Sloth (John Leguizamo) lands himself in trouble with a mummy T-rex and is taken down to the world of the dinosaurs. The others – Manny

dvdreview

(Ray Romano), Diego (Denis Leary), Elle (Queen Latifah) and possums Crash and Eddie all band together to rescue Sid. Along the way, the team meet up with Buck, a swashbuckling weasel voiced by Simon Pegg, who helps them recover Sid. Of course, we cannot forget to mention Scrat; the hapless squirrel on a relentless quest for his acorn. But this time, the loveable creature finds something more than his nut – he finds Scratte, a female flying squirrel, who also wants the illusive acorn. Will Scrat find love and will he ever get his nut?

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a fun and enjoyable film; whether or not it’s better than the first two is a matter of debate, and I defnitely heard a couple of arguments at the end of the screening. I thought it was the best – but then that might have been because it was in 3D, which made the experience all the more real and colourful. This is the kind of film that makes it a joy to go to the cinema with your little ones – even if they do spill the popcorn everywhere.

Out 1 July

balance between the official rules and what must be done, the Atlantis team encounters another season of thrilling life threatening adventures, including

By Chris Ellis the Wraith, multiple dimensions, the Wraith, deadly infections, the Wraith, Replicators, alien attacks, a Series five of Stargate Atlantis leaps into action gripping romance and did I mention the Wraith?

But why buy the DVD? After all, with sky and from where the fourth the sci-fi channel repeating it every few hours, series left off, and it what’s the point? The wonderful behind-thelooks to be a promising scenes features and interviews with the cast give one. Good viewing for any sci-fi fan, as we see Jewel Staite (‘Kaylee’, from the cult series Firefly) the viewer more than just a box of episodes. And this season holds no bounds – commentary for continue her role as Dr Jenifer Keller and the sad most of the better episodes, extended versions departure of Amanda Tapping (‘Carter’, from the original series Stargate SG1) only to be replaced by of the final episodes, deleted scenes, special Robert Picardo as the unbearably rule abiding ‘Mr footage of behind the scenes – in particular the Woolsey’, (again from the original series of Stargate episode ‘Vegas’ – and much more will keep you entertained for what seems much longer than SG1). Star-Trek fans will remember him as the watching the episodes themselves. sarcastic and much loved, holographic ‘Dr’ (from This is an excellent buy. It holds good value for Star-Trek Voyager) who is now in place to lead the the amount of extras you receive and its one of the Atlantis team.

As Mr Woolsey takes command and finds a better written series yet. stArgAte AtlAntIs: serIes 5

Also on this month Public Enemies staring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale tells the story of John Dillinger (1 July).

Daniel Radcliffe, EmmaWatson and Rupert Grint are back as Harry, Hermione and Ron in the eagerly awaited Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (17 July). Based on the 1970s show, Land of the Lost tells the story of a man and his children who are trapped on an alien planet inhabited by dinosaurs; staring Will Ferrell and Anna Friel (31 July). Imagine That stars Eddie Murphy as a financial exec with ‘money-maker’s block’, and he finds the only way to lift it is to enter into the imaginary world of his daughter (31 July).

ArtScene

by CAROL CORDREY - carol@artalone.com

WILDLIFE ARTIST OF THE YEAR Animal interpretations cause a stir at the Mall Galleries

Chimpanzees, Reflections on Ageing

D

espite being one of London’s largest and smartest art spaces, the Mall Galleries could barely cope with the number of hungry buyers that were squeezing through its doors in early June to see the results of David Shepherd’s second international competition, Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009.

It was a glorious summer’s evening so the heat and excitement seemed all the more intense as the crowd of celebrities, artists and guests hovered around the winners and best entries of paintings, collages, ceramics and sculptures that crammed the walls and peppered the floor space. In all my trips to this gallery over the years I have never seen it quite so full, and as one of the competition’s judges, that was particularly pleasing. It was also very good news for the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation who organises this annual competition, as the frantic sales that night and since contributed heavily to funds for its marvellous work both saving and protecting wildlife.

While the competition may still be in its infancy – only launched by David Shepherd CBE last year – such is his passion for wildlife and his status within the art world that over 500 artists felt inspired to take part. From all corners of the globe work poured in, ranging across a wide variety of media, including discarded African cable wire. The originality and quality of many of the entries caused much lively debate amongst the judging panel but after a long and thorough process, the category winners and overall winner were decided on.

The overall winner of Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009 and winner of the Endangered Wildlife category is Australian artist, author and naturalist, Pamela Conder, for her striking, mixed-media portrait, Chimpanzees,

culture

Clockwise from above: Sir Michael Parkinson, David Shepherd, David Gower, courtesy Becky Thomas, Paul Bartlett, Fading Out, Wild Places winner and Overall runner-up Fiona Campbell, Dung Beetle and Ball, 3D winner Wildlife Artist of the Year Gallery 2009

Reflections on Ageing. As the top prize winner she received £10,000 for this sensitive depiction of a group of chimpanzees that she observed in Sydney’s Toronga Zoo. The richly toned and detailed full-face portrait in the bottom left is mesmerising. It is a face with life’s experiences etched across it and those sparse, wiry hairs picked out in white draw attention to the slumped head, wrinkled cheeks and sad eyes which silently say, “I’m weary of life”. It is a top quality, unforgettable image.

Pamela is an ideal example of the extraordinary success that talented artists can achieve, having added this international title to nine Australian awards for painting, drawing and sculpting wildlife. In addition, she has three Royal Zoological Society of New SouthWalesWhitley Awards; the Wildnerness

Society’s Environment Award for Children’s Literature; and she is the recipient of the Thomas Ramsay Science and Humanities Fellowship of the Museum of Victoria for her research on flying-foxes.

“It’s wonderful to know that my involvement in this competition will support endangered wildlife, it’s something very close to my heart”, said a delighted Pamela in response to becoming Wildlife Artist of the Year 2009.

Pamela has travelled extensively in her quest to study wildlife and to encourage its conservation – although, quite rightly, none of this information was made available to the judges – and it constitutes the perfect podium for a fitting winner of David Shepherd’s competition. The other awards went to Britain’s Paul Bartlett, overall

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runner-up and winner of Wild Places category (prize £1,000); Britain’s Fiona Campbell for Wildlife in 3D (prize £500), Britain’s Darren Rees for Wildlife in Action (prize £500) and Singapore’s Limei Shimmen for the Open category (prize £500).

Celebrity cricketer, David Gower OBE, spoke of his longstanding support of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation before inviting Sir Michael Parkinson to present the awards. Afterwards, I asked for their reactions to the whole exhibition. “It’s amazing…it’s a great tribute to David. Certain people you like because of what they do or who they are, and with David I like both,” said ‘Parky’ with characteristic directness.

“I love coming to this, it’s so uplifting!” beamed David Gower, “It started with David asking, ‘what can I do to help the profile of wildlife conservation?’ and adding, ‘let’s inspire others to carry on’. And so you have the perfect concept in this competition.”

As the evening wore on and ‘red dots’ denoting sold artwork peppered the exhibits, David Shepherd expressed his elation: “I think this evening proves that we have gained international credibility as an organisation for raising awareness and funds for wildlife”.

And feeling equally delighted to have played my small part in it all, I headed home with a happy heart and excited anticipation about the excellent, innovative work that I’ll be judging next year. n

Entries are being accepted now from professional and amateur artists over 17 yrs for Wildlife Artist of the Year 2010. For more information, visit www.wildlifeartistoftheyear.org The Mall Galleries exhibition ended on June 6 but all the sold and unsold art can be viewed or purchased from www.davidshepherd.org (01483 272 323)

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Every year, Dogs Trust cares for over 16,000 dogs in our 17 rehoming centres across the UK. We never destroy a healthy dog. By leaving a gift in your Will, your love of dogs can live on and help us make the world a better place for them.

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lifestyle

93

GROW

YOUR

OWN

National Trust Director General, Dame Fiona Reynolds with Chairman Simon Jenkins and Monty Don at the start of the Food Glorious Food campaign.

Kelly Green gets into the garden to find out more about organic living

A

s the UK found itself in the midst of a Second World War, the famous ‘Dig for Victory’ campaign encouraged families to grow their own food, in order to supplement rations and save shipping needed for war materials. Seventy years on, as supermarket prices of fruit and vegetables are on the rise and the recession is hitting the UK hard, we are once again being encouraged to live selfsufficiently in the search for cheap, healthy, sustainable alternatives to supermarket food.

This year the National Trust launched its grow-your-own food campaign ‘Food Glorious Food’ (www.foodgloriousfood.org. uk), seeking to equip the nation with the food knowledge and skills necessary to become self-sufficient food growers, while the mayor of London Boris Johnson announced plans to create public vegetable gardens on and around some of London’s most famous landmarks. Even the Queen ordered an area of her gardens at Buckingham Palace to be transformed into an environmentally friendly vegetable patch. It seems that nationwide, people are jumping on the grow-your-own bandwagon. But while those lucky ones with gardens or allotments can merrily embark on ‘The Good Life’ style living, city dwellers may be at a loss as to how they can benefit from some home-grown veggies in their more limited spaces.

Those hoping to acquire an allotment may be disappointed, especially in central London

where waiting lists are excessively long; however, there are still some sites around the perimeter of Greater London with vacant plots to let. The London Allotments Network (www.londonallotments.net) may be able to help in finding a plot, but as many allotment sites let only to residents of a specific Borough, neighbourhood or geographical area, you should start by contacting your Borough Council.

Without an allotment, and with limited outdoor space, you can still profit from growing your own food – and there are many profits to be had! Buying seeds and plants which will produce fruit or vegetables for an entire season is substantially more economical than buying fruit and vegetables from the supermarket (and also more convenient as they can be picked or dug up as and when you want them).

Growing and eating seasonal food is also a way of avoiding food miles and dramatically reduces your carbon footprint. By growing organically you do not expel pesticides or herbicides into the atmosphere whilst preserving vitamins and minerals, thus maintaining the nutritive value of your food. And if all this still hasn’t convinced you to join the movement, home-grown fruit and vegetables taste stronger, fresher and keep longer than shop-bought equivalents.

There are an abundance of fruits, vegetables, salads and herbs that can be grown indoors on sunny window sills – or

outside in window boxes, on patios, balconies and roof terraces in pots, grow bags and hanging baskets. These include lots of British favourites such as strawberries, tomatoes, potatoes, peas and salad.You could grow herbs such as parsley, basil or coriander indoors on a windowsill and strawberries can be grown in pots just about anywhere. For potatoes use grow bags or even an empty bin, and tomatoes can be grown inside or out in pots or hanging baskets, as long as they’re in the sun. Seeds and starter plants can be bought from local garden centres or farm shops, or ordered online, and most will come with instructions. n For hints, tips and guides for growing your own food visit www.foodgloriousfood.org.uk and www.thebiglunch.com.

STARTING OFF The JME Collection has some great starter packs for those wanting to get growing. The packs include packets of seeds and grow bags for growing herbs, and a selection of vouchers which can be redeemed for boxes brimming with baby organic vegetable plants. www.jamieoliver.com

S P O T C O L O U R PA N T O N E 2 6 2 3

CMYK VERSION 2623

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020 7345 0345 | reservations@dockmastershouse.com 1 hertsmere road | london e14 8jj | www.dockmastershouse.com • THE CUBE combines the elegance of natural stone and a generous glass frontage (30 capacity)

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Contact Mishalle on 020 7345 0345 or email mishalle@dockmastershouse.com Bespoke packages available on request

food&drink

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carluccio’s way Kasha Van Sant chats to Antonio Carluccio, the don of Italian cookery, about life and food

A

ntonio Carluccio has been a muchloved and familiar face on British television screens since 1984 and has dominated the cookery shelves of many a reputable bookseller.Warm and generous, he exudes a special charm that singlehandedly championed the cause of rustic Italian cuisine. But I soon discover that the engaging and exceedingly ‘huggable’ Mr Carluccio is a philosopher as well as a cook. Sitting in the foyer of the Lanesborough Hotel I see him walk through the doors, stand promptly in front of me to enquire if I am the young lady who has come to see him. I confirm that I am and we proceed to the breakfast room where a bacon sandwich and a pot of tea is produced.

I sit amongst his PR and press representative, like a third ‘Charlie’s Angel’, while he nibbles and chats away.We commence with his latest venture with the BBC. You are promoting the Southern Italian Feast DVD. Tell me more.

It is not new material, it’s a series that was produced from 1991-97. I received the prize for the best series in the world and I was very happy with that! The BBC had never done anything as spectacular as that and it’s a very nice programme. Above all, what is very interesting is that we focus on the southern region, we have done two series, one about the north and one about the south.

So you’re very busy then?

Extremely busy. It’s my work. I love it, so I do it. I should be coming into retirement, but retirement doesn’t come into my brain because retirement is death! So living is wonderful and doing what one likes to do is even better. That’s the point.

People enjoy your food, how do you feel about that?

Well I am proud to have done something good, and some people say that my food is some of the best in the world. When you know Italian food as I know it, you take care of researching and I worked very hard for the BBC doing the films. Usually when you talk to a chef or a cook they don’t take care of others.

If you had to choose a specific dish what would it be?

It would be the vegetables that are cooked in a certain way where you say ‘goodbye’

to meat and fish. They are really done with imagination, not just boiled. Not over-working them too much. That’s the point. I am proud that for the last 50 years I have been able to spread the gospel of Italian food in one way or another. Because I am not a chef, I am a cook, and I did it for at least 30 years in private, just poisoning friends!

I’m sure you weren’t.

But taking them as guinea pigs! I was a wine merchant before and I knew restaurants were a lot of work. It is about the love and satisfaction. Not for the amount of money that we make. For me the business of love, taking care of the customers and creating wonderful recipes, and to make sure the customers were very happy.

So what is your favourite recipe?

I would say a good risotto with some truffle and then some fish and some vegetables.

Something very simple. There is also a sort of chicory accompanied by a sauce of broad beans and tomato, which are stirred and stirred until they become a purée with lovely olive oil and that’s it. The combination of the two is amazing.

Do people get intimidated when they have to cook for you?

They say, ‘oh how can I cook for you?’ I say, ‘look if you want to invite me and you are worried, just produce a piece of salami, a piece of cheese and a glass of wine’, the rest is the company. But those please, those ingredients are the best.

As a boy did you think you would be a chef?

I wanted to be a diamond dealer! But frankly I would like to have been an anthropologist I like so much the discovery of what human beings are and what they are up to.

They fascinate you?

It also helps me to discover who I am. In fact my biography is more for discovering who I am, not mentioning the future.

I think biographies tend to do that, as part of a therapeutic process.

Yes! By my age you have a lot to tell.

What have you learnt about yourself so far?

You are what you are. And at a certain stage in life it comes out. And that is the best point to reach in life. Self realisation.You know what you are able to do and what you are not.

I enjoy watching your programmes... you seem very humble.

You see I don’t have protection. I learnt to deal with any sort of people from delinquents to ministers. And I discovered that everybody is the same; a human being is a human being.

We have human instincts whatever they are and that is interesting.

Antonio Carluccio’s Southern Italian Feast £19.56 www.carluccios.com www.lanesborough.com

RETURN DOMESTIC GODDESS OF THE

Bridget Caswell heads to The Langham Hotel for a master class in cake decoration from Little Venice Cake Company expert, Mich Turner

T

he return of the domestic goddess has been championed by many; the sensual Nigella Lawson, the ever-practical Delia Smith, etiquette master Martha Stewart, and even the Two Fat Ladies (obviously we use the term ‘goddess’ liberally).This is not a new concept either; ever since women upped the anty in the boardroom and started to spend

less time in the kitchen, there has been a general feeling that women must prove themselves in both areas – demonstrating to their adoring husbands and children that Mummy can still bake a delicious Victoria sponge whilst making partner at a major law firm.

Of course, in reality the Nigellas, Delias and Marthas of this world have made their fortunes from the art of home-

making because the roles have doubled up – it becomes much easier to demonstrate your flawless baking/cleaning/decorating skills when you’re paid to carry these tasks out in front of a television camera on a daily basis. As any working woman knows, it’s impossible to achieve perfection in both areas without a good deal of either hired help or time off work.

However, despite logic letting

Cakes by Bridget at the LVCC Masterclass

me off the hook, there was still a part of my mind niggling away and asking why I shouldn’t be able to make a beautiful selection of cupcakes for a birthday party this weekend, or a special wedding cake for a friend. Even though we no longer function as an old fashioned society with unrealistic expectations of women, I still felt I ought to have the traditional baking and cake decorating skills possessed by my mother, and my grandmother before her.

It’s definitely true that there is something uplifting about beautiful cakes. They’re

food&drink

reminiscent of a more civilised time complete with afternoon tea; careful hand-piping and tiny sugar-paste flowers indicate a precise skill honed simply to make a cake more enjoyable for the recipient; the variety of colours and textures make decorated cakes more like pieces of art; and the swirl of coloured icing saying ‘Happy Birthday’ reminds everyone of happy occasions. In fact, we use a cake to mark every significant event, milestone and celebration we experience – so perhaps it’s not so strange that I should want to develop my home baking and decorating skills, even as a modern woman.

With this in mind, I signed up to the prestigious Little Venice Cake Company Masterclass in hand-piping. Held at The Langham Hotel just off Regent Street, the surroundings were beautiful, all marble and chandeliers. I thought I was early but I was quickly ushered through to a small waiting area that was already filled with the other ‘pupils’, stunning iced creations by Mich Turner (‘Queen of Couture Cakes’ and the head of Little Venice Cake Company), and a rather excited atmosphere.

There were about twentyfour of us in total, with a surprising age range; many of the participants were younger than I had expected. There was a 16 year old girl, who attended with her Mum, most were in their late 20s or 30s and oldest was probably around 50. Perhaps the most surprising however, (or not when you consider Mich Turner’s reputation) was how far people had come; I spoke to somebody who had come all the way from Scotland, and there was even a woman who’d made the pilgrimage from Holland!

The conference room we used was impeccably set up, two students to a table, with every tool, piping bag and template you could possibly need for icing a cake – all we had to do was

bring the skills! I found the class to be a mix of professional and amateur bakers, some specialising in wedding cakes and wanting to hone their skills, or working on a particular cake based project and needing icing tips. A few were nervous, like myself, and it took us a while to get to grips with it all – comfortingly, there were a couple of older ladies who thought they knew best, but were soon put in their place when they saw the professionals at work!

on three prepared cakes we were given; one large chocolate truffle torte with chocolate ganache buttercream, and two smaller rich fruit celebration cakes with finest brandy.

The techniques themselves seemed quite straight forward during the demonstrations and I couldn’t wait to get going for myself. However, they weren’t as easy as I thought – everything needed a special knack to it, but once I got going the results

It’s defInItely true that there Is somethIng uplIftIng about beautIful cakes; we use a cake to mark every sIgnIfIcant event, mIlestone and celebratIon we experIence.

The class wasn’t particularly high pressure; it was very much a beginner’s lesson, but most informative and interesting nonetheless.

Despite the range of abilities of the class, everyone there learnt a great deal from Mich, so although we were taken through it with baby steps, I still felt like I was learning an awful lot. Mich demonstrated three different techniques for icing

were really pleasing. I have never been so proud to pipe a straight line in all my life!

There were so many handy hints and tips, and it was interesting to see how Mich had made up and adapted techniques over the years (for example, making sugar flowers with the aid of A4 plastic wallets and tracing letters on to icing). It did help that I had a bit of an arty background (with

97

an art foundation and art degree) as essentially, we were drawing onto cakes – but what you really need is patience, especially at the beginning. I really enjoyed learning to make sugar roses, and it is something I’ll definitely do again. Mich and her assistants were really attentive and gave lots of one-on-one tuition.

Towards the end of the class, afternoon tea was served – and my word, it was fancy! Seated in a beautiful dining room with gorgeous lighting and music played live on a grand piano, it was such a treat. We were each given a flute of champagne, but as I’m not a drinker I set up a deal with the lovely lady from Holland to swap it for a piece of delicious cake. A variety of teas were served, followed by tiny delicate sandwiches on a three tier stand, scones (with clotted cream, naturally) mini cakes (rich fruit cake, lemon meringue and chocolate truffle), shortbread and finally, éclairs. I knew I should have worn something with bigger pockets – or at least an elasticised waistband! Basically, I want all my meals to be afternoon tea from now on.

Back in the room all our iced cakes had been packed up for us; we said our goodbyes, and walked tentatively home with the boxes, carrying them gently like newborn children. After the Masterclass, I left The Langham Hotel with a renewed love of beautiful cakes. There is something extraordinary not only in the taste, but in the love, detail and skill that goes into decorating a special occasion cake; and thanks to Mich, I can’t wait to get started on my next one.

The LVCC Masterclasses are priced at £185 per person including VAT, all cakes and materials, and afternoon tea. Gift vouchers are available. n For more information, visit www.lvcc.co.uk

LONDON’S BEST

CORPORATE VENUES Kelly Green showcases the top corporate venues across the capital, for every event from client cocktails to annual conferences

East WintErgardEn

alExandra PalacE Alexandra Palace is one of the most elegant and unique venues in London; a beautiful historic building with an unrivalled setting of 196 acres of delightful parkland, offering breath-taking panoramic views of the City. The range of impressive halls and distinctive function rooms, totalling 13,000sq metres, can accommodate a range of party sizes from 10–8,250. Offering stylish and flexible facilities for major conferences, luxurious banquets, large-scale exhibitions, product launches, presentations, concerts, themed hospitality events, meetings and corporate fun-days it is a very versatile space. Alexandra Palace is able to comfortably seat 5,000 in one of London’s largest banqueting halls and is easily accessible to all forms of transport with free on-site parking for up to 2,000 cars.

For more information call 020 8365 2121, email sales@ alexandrapalace.com or visit www.alexandrapalace.com

East Wintergarden is a stunning events venue in the heart of Canary Wharf. The spectacular glass covered atrium is a unique event space boasting a light and elegant atmosphere – perfect for hosting exhibitions, cocktail parties, launches, receptions, fashion shows, dinners and press events. East Wintergarden features a 27 metre high arched glass roof structure, 682 sq metres of uninterrupted Italian marbl e floor, and steamed beech wooden wall panelling. The venue includes the Gallery, suspended above the main floor, which can accommodate up to 250 for receptions, and the Promenade Room, which is a multimedia, theatre style meeting room, large enough for 40 people. Whether your event is for 50 or 1,000, East Wintergarden provides the solution with flair, expertise and imagination.

For more information call 020 7418 2725/ 2782, fax 020 7512 9117, email eastwintergarden@canarywharf.com or visit www.eastwintergarden.com

thE sciEncE MusEuM The Science Museum, which celebrated its one hundredth anniversary as an independent organisation on 26 June, is a multi award-winning, unique London venue. It provides a variety of spaces for all events including conferences, award ceremonies, gala dinners, product launches, trade exhibitions, fashion shows, film screenings and music concerts.

Eight core galleries are available for hire before 10am or after 6pm daily, ranging from the ambient and traditional to the contemporary and highly interactive, covering a broad spectrum of subject matter.

In addition, there are two dedicated and completely contrasting daytime venues for up to 100 people, a 416-seat IMAX cinema and a selection of blank-canvas spaces ranging from 666-950 sq metres.

A rolling programme of special exhibitions and specialist subject galleries of varying size are also available.

For more information call 020 7942 4340, email science.eventsoffice@ nmsi.ac.uk or visit www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/functions

The Tower of London

The BarBican Located in the heart of the City of London, the Barbican is Europe’s largest Arts and Conference Centre, offering a range of event spaces for between 10 to 2,000 people. Its flagship concert hall, Barbican Hall, plays host to events ranging from graduations to AGM’s, whilst Barbican Theatre, with its excellent acoustics and production facilities, makes an ideal venue for corporate showcases and product launches. The Barbican also offers three smaller auditoriums and seven conference suites.

Entertaining is something that the Barbican does rather well. The arts programme supports a diverse repertoire of theatre, concert and dance performances, cinema screenings and art exhibitions and offers a unique opportunity to combine a visit to a performance or exhibition with private dining or drinks in the Conservatory.

For more information contact the corporate sales team on 020 73827043 or email conference@barbican.org.uk

The BriTish MuseuM The British Museum is the only conference venue where business needs are complimented by examples of the greatest civilisations, cultures and stories of human achievement that the world has ever seen. The museum houses one of the greatest collections of human cultural history in the world, from the beginnings of culture in Africa two million years ago, through ancient civilizations right up to the present day.

The unique Grade I listed galleries are complemented with a suite of conference facilities in the Clore Education Centre. Designed by Lord Foster, the space provides the perfect environment for everything from presentations and AGMs, to product launches and award ceremonies.

Surrounded by extraordinary examples of culture and history, your delegates and guests will not only enjoy state-of-the-art facilities but also, during gallery opening hours, will get access to the permanent collections and special exhibitions for inspiration, distraction and relaxation.

At the British Museum you will receive outstanding personal service that delivers exactly what clients want, right down to the very last detail.

Whether you need a 320 or 140 seat theatre, large open exhibition areas or smaller breakout spaces, the events team will handle the logistics at every stage. From site visit, and pre-planning through to managing the event itself, the Museum has dedicated staff on hand to assist with all your requirements.

For more information call 0207 323 8136 or email corporate@britihsmuseum.org quoting code M1

For over 900 years, the mighty Tower of London has shaped the City’s skyline. To this day it remains one of the capital’s most iconic landmarks, and one of its most fascinating event venues. 2009 marks the 500th anniversary of Henry VIII’s accession to the throne and so to celebrate Historic Royal Palaces have bought together the largest collection of surviving armour and weapons of the infamous King. Guests can host an event in the spectacular White Tower, the oldest medieval building at the Tower of London, and marvel at the world’s greatest collection of objects personally owned by the King.

Throughout its long history, the Tower has served as a royal residence, fortress, menagerie, jewel house and, most notoriously, as a place of execution for several of its more prominent ‘guests’. Whether you are dining in the King’s Great Hall, holding a conference in the New Armouries or hosting a drinks reception in one of the many iconic rooms, the Tower of London offers unique and unforgettable venues.

For more information visit www.hrp.org.uk or call 020 3166 6226

Restaurant listings

American

Italian

Dollar Grills anD Martinis 2 Exmouth Market Farringdon, EC1R 4PX 020 7278 0077

refettorio 19 New Bridge Street, EC4V 6BD 020 7438 8052

HawksMoor 157 Commercial Street, E1 6BJ 020 7247 7392

British Canteen 2 Crispin Place, E1 6DW 08456 861 122 BeaCH Blanket BaBylon 19-23 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA 020 7749 3540

French Coq D’arGent No.1 Poultry, EC2R 8EJ 020 7395 5000

lena 66 Great Eastern Street, EC2A 3JT 020 7739 5714 VoluPté 9 Norwich Street, EC4A 1EJ 020 7831 1622 or 020 7831 1677

Japanese

listings

Balls BrotHers 5-6 Carey Lane, EC2V 8AE 020 7600 2720 tHe BiG CHill Bar Dray Walk, off Brick Lane, E1 6QL 020 7392 9180 BonDs 5 Threadneedle Street, EC2R 8AY 020 7657 8088 Cellar GasCon 59 West Smithfield, EC1A 9DS 020 7796 0600

saki 4 West Smithfield, EC1A 9JX 020 7489 7033

CiCaDa 132-136 St John Street, EC1V 4JT 020 7608 1550

Mexican

fisHMarket CHaMPaGne Bar Great Eastern Hotel Liverpool Street, EC2M 7QN 020 7618 7215

Green & reD 51 Bethnal Green Road, E1 6LA 020 7749 9670

Middle Eastern

les trois GarCons 1 Club Row, E1 6JX 020 7613 1924

kenza 10 Devonshire Square, EC2M 4YP 020 7929 5533

sauterelle Royal Exchange, EC3V 3LR 020 7618 2483

Modern European

Gastropub

Bar

one loMBarD street 1 Lombard Street, EC3V 9AA 020 7929 6611

Duke of CaMBriDGe 30 St Peter’s Street, N1 8JT 020 7359 3066

rHoDes twenty four Tower 42 Old Broad Street, EC2N 1HQ 020 7877 7703

tHe Peasant 240 St. John Street, EC1V 4PH 020 7336 7726

sMitHs of sMitHfielD 67-77 Charterhouse Street, EC1M 6HJ 020 7251 7950

Greek

Spanish

MezeDoPolio 14 Hoxton Market, N1 6HG 020 7739 8212

Moro 34-36 Exmouth Street, EC1R 4QE 020 7833 8336

tHe GHerkin Bar & restaurant Levels 39 & 40 30 St Mary Axe, EC3A 5AA 020 7071 5009 GranD Café & Bar The Courtyard Royal Exchange, EC3V 3LR 020 7618 2480 Harry’s Bar 5 Abchurch Yard, EC4N 7BA 020 7623 2355 liGHt Bar 233 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6PJ 020 7247 8989 MatCH eC1 45-47 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5RS 020 7250 4002 orteGa 27 Leadenhall Market, EC3V 1LR 020 7623 1818 VertiGo 42 Tower 42 25 Old Broad St, EC2N 1HQ 020 7877 7842 tHe worsHiP Triton Court 14 Finsbury Square, EC2A 1BR 020 7330 0920

xxxxxxx

cucina italiana

Based in the heart of Shoreditch, Lena evokes traditional Italian concepts, executed in the unique style of the area.

Cocktail bar & lounge downstairs with live jazz Thursday, Friday & Saturday See website for set menus & seasonal offers Produce this advert on arrival to redeem free glass of prosecco Lena Restaurant | 66 Great Eastern St, London, EC2A 3JT | 0207 739 5714 | www.lenarestaurant.com

xx

Fine Dining in the city

KENZA

CrusE9

ThE hAT ANd fEAThErs PrivATE diNiNg rooMs

10 Devonshire Square London EC2M 4YP T: (020) 7929 5533 www.kenza-restaurant.com

62 Halliford Street, N1 3HF T: (020) 7354 8099 www.cruse9.com

1st Floor, 2 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M 5PQ T: (020) 7490 2371/2244 www.hatandfeathers.com

Signature Dish Muhammar – slow-roasted whole lamb shoulder Set Menu a selection of mezze starters to share Recommended Wine 2006 Reserve de Couvent, Chateau Ksara, Lebanon, £19.50 Opening Times Mon-Wed: 12:00-02:30, Thurs-Fri: 12:00-03:30 Sat: 18:00-03:30 OffeRS Check in branch Average price per head £35-40 per head, including wine.

Signature Dish Yaki Udon Assiette of Duck – an assiette of stuffed duck leg, duck breast, and seared foie gras on a bed of caramelised apple with a calvados and port sauce.

Set Menu 2 courses £19.50, 3 Courses £23.50 Recommended Wine Pinot Noir, Yering Station 2004, Yarra Valley, Victoia, Austrailan Opening Times Tues – Sat 12-30 – 23:30 Sun 12:30 – 22:30 Average price per head £26

Signature Dish Oven roasted pork tenderloin, smoked pomme puree, creamed, savoy cabbage, caramelised comice pear and apple Set Menu 3 courses £24.95 Recommended Wine Marlborough Hills Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand 2007 Opening Times Private dining only Monday – Saturday 12.00 – 15.00, 18.00 – 21.00 OffeRS 3 courses and glass of champagne £29.95 Average price per head £24.95

MAhoE CAfÉ - BAr 74 - 82 Queen Victoria Street, entrance Bow Lane, London, EC4N 4SJ 020 7489 9895 www.mahoecafe.com

ThE BowlEr 28-32 Bowling Green Lane, EC1R 0BJ T: (020) 7837 4141 www.thebowler.co.uk Signature Dish Dish:Pork Sausage with crushed new potatoes & caramelised onions. Homemade top side beef burger, hand cut chips, salad and red onion chutney.

Opening Times Food server Mon – Fri 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 9pm OffeRS Available for weekend functions (no charge) Average price per head £8.95

Signature Dish Jerk Red Snapper with Avocado Salsa Set Menu 2 course £17.50, 3 course £22.00 Recommended Wine R.H. Phillips Night Harvest Zinfandel Blush 2007 Opening Times Mon to Sat 11:45am - 00:30am, Sunday 11am - 17:00pm.

OffeRS Two-for-One cocktails Mon - Fri 17:30pm - 19:30pm, 1st Sunday of every month - all you can eat Caribbean Buffet £15 per head (children younger than 13 years £7.50 per head) Average price per head Including drinks and 3 courses £27.00

ThE lighT BAr ANd rEsTAurANT 233 Shoreditch High |Street, E1 6PJ 020 72478989 www.thelighte1.com Signature Dish Diver caught scallops, Jerusalem artichoke puree, crisp Pancetta, pea veloute £7.00 Set Menu From £12.00 for 2 courses Recommended Wine House wine £11.50, Taittinger champagne £35.00 Opening Times Noon - midnight Mon -Thurs, noon - 02.00am Thurs, Fri, 18.30 - 02.00 Sat, noon - 23.00 Sunday OffeRS Taste London cards 50% off a la carte food Average price per head £36

food&drink

103

The BuTTerfly effeCT Kasha Van Sant sees if Papillon in trendy Chelsea is a French kiss or a French kiss off

C

helsea dining is bound to be an elegant, sophisticated affair, and with this in mind I stepped into Papillon to see if it would live up to its classical French reputation. It did.

Décor is understated with fleur de lys style mirror etchings and soft sage furnishings. Light reflects everywhere brilliantly and, if the urge takes you, bask in the last rays of the sun by sitting in the window with the large open windows.

My companion and I surveyed the scene from a corner seat whilst unobtrusive staff took polite orders. Serena our waitress was an eager attendant bringing selections of walnut bread for nibbling, to take the edge off hunger. She needn’t have worried because service was prompt and the suggested wine, a glass of elegant, crisp Vigneti Delle Dolomiti (£9.50 per glass) did the trick nicely.

My starter, the Beetroot Carpaccio, roulade of salmon (cured, smoked, rilettes) pink peppercorn and dill (£9) was a well-balanced, albeit slightly too large, concoction. The peppercorns and the dill particularly make this dish stand out. Meanwhile my companion raved about the contrasting textured seared tuna with raw vegetables and black olive tapenade (£9.75).

My main course comprised of the beautifully dressed Monkfish meuniere with grilled polenta, pan fried cherry tomatoes, olives and pine nuts (£17.50).

Tender fish stood up well to potentially bullish black olives and pine nuts. The roast rack of lamb with gratin dauphinois and roast garlic (£22.50) was equally as impressive. Moist, juicy lamb, creamy, well seasoned potatoes and the accompanying spinach (£3.75), tied the whole dish together nicely.

Being of the notion that we have a separate stomach for dessert, I restrained myself from devouring everything. I chose the Belle Hélène poached pear, vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce (£7.50).

Delicious. My dinner date opted for the chocolate tart: Papillon aficionados chocolate (£8.50). The resulting rectangle of crisp base and ganache-like chocolate erred on the side of dangerously good!

Papillon was truly relaxing, the ambient noise was just at the right level, other diners chatting happily and the subtle tones of jazz without the pomp didn’t offend the eardrums.

If I was to have any criticism about Papillon, it would be that the portions were slightly too large for me and could be a problem for the ladies that inevitably lunch here! Oh and no sign of Steve McQueen, talking of which, Papillon is a definite, sexy, non brassy winner! n 96 Draycott Avenue, SW3 3AD 020 7225 2555 www.papillonchelsea.co.uk

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food&drink

best of bRITISH

Lesley Ellwood heads to St Paul’s Cathedral to sample the British gourmet cuisine causing a buzz in the City

S

t Paul’s Cathedral is one of the most enduring and iconic emblems of London; and now, with restoration work completed (returning it to its original Christopher Wren glory), it has never been more spectacular. The addition of a sparkling new restaurant situated in the cathedral’s crypt has created a stunning space; a destination eatery serving classic British food in landmark surroundings.

When we arrived for lunch the restaurant was already buzzing. The crypt is beautiful; the dining space is divided between a ground floor of earthenware tiles and a mezzanine of sea grass matting, flanked by an internal window that allows you to see right through to the kitchen. Clean lines combined with natural materials, highlights of sage, clever lighting, oak furniture, slate table settings and mismatched antique silver cutlery create a fresh and traditional dining room within the arching vaults.

The classic British theme continues in the

menu with much loved favourites. Prices written in the old-fashioned style add a nice touch. Settled at our table, everything on the menu was tempting and choosing from a range of great British classics was harder than anticipated. Eventually we started our meal with the wonderfully named Britain in a Glass – rhubarb and apple juice with Carter’s English sparkling wine, alongside homemade pork scratchings. Both were excellent, evoking flavours of childhood’s past.

Starters followed, and I chose the Montgomery Cheddar and Onion Pie – a rich treat made from the finest English cheddar and tangy onions – delicious. My dining partner had the Pressed Rabbit with Carrot Relish – the sweet carrot flavours complemented the strong flavoursome rabbit perfectly. After such a superb start, we eagerly anticipated the arrival of our main courses; I selected the Steamed Sea Trout with a wonderfully pungent Green Tomato Chutney and my companion chose the Trigger Farm

105

Barnsley Chop with homemade mint jelly and jersey royals. The trout was subtle and perfectly cooked, and the tender meat was complemented by the sharp mint and the tasty potatoes.

By the time dessert came around I was already seriously impressed with the restaurant – and the last course did not disappoint. I didn’t want to share my delicious Regent’s Park Honey Ice and Gingerbread Sandwich, but was glad I did after I tasted my friend’s Harbourne Blue Cheese and Peaches – sweet, succulent peach with strong Stilton.

Pricing is excellent with two courses for £16, and three for £19.You may choose to enjoy your dinner with a glass of something British too – try Carter’s sparkling Brut from East Anglia, Chapel Down Brut NV from Kent, or Three Choirs ‘Winchcombe Downs’ 2008 white and rosé wines from Gloucestershire. Look out for the non-alcoholic selection of drinks including Chegworth Valley Farm pressed juices, Fentiman’s traditionally brewed Ginger Beer and Dandelion & Burdock – reminiscent of summer walks and country hedgerows.

In these modern times it is wonderful to see dishes using ingredients such as rabbit, mullet, rhubarb, radishes, gooseberry cobbler and lemon posset on the menu.

This delicious British food is served with a real sense of ancient traditions and origins.

Complemented perfectly by stunning architectural surroundings, there is a real sense of history in the restaurant. This really is a monument to food and a monument to tradition; I have a feeling this is one tradition that is here to stay. n St Paul’s Cathedral St Paul’s Churchyard London EC4M 8AD 020 7248 2469 www.restaurantstpauls.co.uk

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lifestyle

107

CHAOS IS GOOD FOR YOU How chaos theory can help your career

by Raj Persaud, Consultant Psychiatrist

R

obert Pryor and Jim Bright (researchers based at the School of Education, Australian Catholic University) have recently published a fascinating paper entitled Applying Chaos Theory to Careers in the prestigious academic journal, The Journal of Vocational Behaviour. This is a journal specialising in publishing rigorous academic research into all aspects of careers and work life.

These Australian authors argue that an understanding of Chaos Theory might be particularly helpful when dealing with a career crisis like unemployment.

Chaos Theory asserts that the world around us is both complex and interconnected. One example, given by Pryor and Bright is that an outbreak of SARS in China eventually resulted in Australian career counsellors being inundated with flight attendant clients made redundant by the subsequent downturn in Australia’s tourism industry.

The credit crunch is also a harsh and brutal reminder of the twin pillars on which Chaos Theory rests – complexity combined with interconnection. It follows on from these basic foundations that small, apparently innocuous, changes can eventually produce catastrophic or enormous outcomes. An end result can be massive and not expected from a small change at the source.

Perhaps the most famous example in Chaos Theory is the argument that a butterfly fluttering its wings in one part of the world could lead to a hurricane in another. One of the essential aspects of this example, often repeated in Hollywood movies with pretensions to intellectual credibility, is that it is about the weather, which is (a) a complex system and (b) massively interconnected.

However, no matter how much we may grumble that the weather forecast has got it wrong yet again, it is also true there are general discernable patterns to the weather.

For example there are individual seasons and specific climates in different areas.

Pryor and Bright argue that the weather is a good example of a system where it is

useful to consider not that it is truly chaotic and random, or that it is entirely ordered and predictable; but rather that it lies in-between.

It is what is termed mathematically, ‘On the Edge of Chaos’.

The job market and your career is also ‘On the Edge of Chaos, rather than entirely predictable or random. The trouble is that our brains tend to either try hard to see pattern in the chaos (in which case we erroneously assume it’s much more ordered and predictable than it really is), or we do the opposite and assume it is much more random than genuinely reflects reality.

So if we lose a job because of events remote to our performance (as will be common in this recession), this knock-back with its massive emotional fallout means we can become disheartened. This is when it becomes easy to fall into the trap of deciding that given life is random anyway, why bother making an effort to get our careers back on track?

Conversely, those who tend to believe they have much more control over their destiny than they really do, are likely to overly castigate themselves for their perceived failure. They will take personal responsibility for their predicament, and are more likely to wrestle with the idea that if they took the credit for their career success before; then they should beat themselves up for the curret career failure.

Pryor and Bright argue that due to the multitude of interacting factors, the precise prediction of your career is unreliable; however, in time, emergent patterns of order can become discernible, just like the weather.

They contend that the best psychological approach to thinking about your career, particularly in the face of a setback like job loss, is to adopt a particular style of thinking and perception that is borrowed from mathematics around Chaos Theory. Therefore, the choices open to you when faced with the predicament of an unexpected event in your career are wide ranging.

Those who think in closed-system terms (likely to be generally successful people

because of their aligned perfectionism), tend to seek to gain almost total control over the functioning of the system. This is driven by the expectation that their careers, the job market and the work place all function in ways that are predictable and stable.

The alternative is referred to as ‘opensystem’ thinking and this accepts the limitations of our attempts to control the world around us and our futures. Opensystem thinking accepts the unexpected can and sometimes will happen. As a result we are frequently vulnerable to change over which we have no control. While we desire life to be fair, open-system thinking recognizes life came with no guarantees inside the box.

While we should indeed endeavor to control as much as we can around us, it’s also vital to grasp (according to open-system thinking) our limitations. Just because we may have experienced order, pattern and stability previously in a successful career, the reality of major transformation in our lives is forever present, according to Chaos Theory. It follows, then, that the past does not guarantee the present – or the present the future.

Since a small difference may result in very (non-linear) major reconfiguration of the system, it follows the unplanned and the unexpected are not simply exceptions to the stability and order we experienced before, but are in fact part of its nature. Once this is accepted, Pryor and Bright conclude, instead of being seen as a perpetual threat to be warded off or a spectre to be fled from, change can be seen instead as a reality to be created and influenced at best – and accepted and submitted to, at worst. n REFERENCE Robert G.L. Pryor, Jim E.H. Bright Applying Chaos Theory to Careers: Attraction and attractors Journal of Vocational Behavior 71 375–400 Dr Raj Persaud is a Harley St Consultant Psychiatrist who also works in the NHS www.drrajpersaud.com

TIME TO GET BULLISH ON NATURAL GAS Natural gas seems a good option for successful trading, but after analysis, is it really such a good buy?

O

ver the last few months I have received many calls about trading natural gas and how it is so cheap, particularly relative to crude oil prices.

This month I will analyse the natural gas (NG) market and describe a trade to be made here with a good potential return and strictly limited downside.

Firstly let’s define ‘cheap’. Stocks and commodities can remain cheap for a very long time and while the fundamentals may sound great, you could be locked into a trade that’s going nowhere (or against you) for months or even years. Many traders said the shares in Japan were cheap in 1999; ten years on, they’re still cheap and they’ve just wasted a decade!

The recent interest in NG has been brought about because of the price of oil hitting $70 a barrel, whereas NG is hovering at less than $4 per million British thermal units; so the logic of the trade is that NG is cheap compared to crude oil. However, before you go all in and bet your house on NG, who says that this relationship cannot continue for some time longer? Whilst this 17.5 ratio (1 barrel/1 MMBtu) sounds a bargain against the normal 10 to 12 ratio, we still need to dig a bit deeper.

NG does not have the same price controls as oil does with OPEC opening and closing the taps to keep prices higher. Whilst the gas drillers are cutting production, there still remains a glut of NG, stockpiles are 22 per cent larger than the five-year average according to the US Energy Department.

The last few years has also seen new technology making extracting NG from Shale viable.

The main users of NG are factories and power plants and they use around 58 per cent of all NG. As the economy and manufacturing weakened, so did demand for NG. Other uses for NG are heating and air conditioning, however, the big users remain heavy industry.

So whilst NG looks historically cheap especially in relation to oil we still have a large surplus; but here comes the positive – at anything lower than $3.50 per MMBtu then it’s just not worth drilling the stuff and in fact that’s what’s going on, rigs are being closed. The number of U.S. rigs plunged 56 per cent in nine months, the steepest drop in two decades, so we know that new supply is going to drop although this will take time to filter through.

Another positive for the NG bulls is that we are now entering into hurricane season in the US. For those that don’t know many oil and gas rigs are located in areas vulnerable to hurricanes which could disrupt supplies and see prices spike higher. Anyone doubting the potential for NG prices to rally in the wake of a major, rig damaging hurricane need only look at a price chart of NG for October 2005 in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina.

Whilst NG is a volatile market it does have a seasonal tendency to bottom around mid-July and then peaks out at the end of October, so we are entering this bullish period.

So am I buying natural gas?

Not yet, is the answer. Based on the current demand/supply I see no reason to own NG, even if it looks “cheap” as this could continue, but I am watching for any spikes in price or increase in hurricane

activity in July. If this is the case then, yes, I will start buying.

The easiest way would be the ETC NG for December 2009 which is priced in US cents currently 70.00 cents, however, you can spread bet in pounds, dollars or Euros per point.You can also buy the ETC via a stockbroker, the symbol is (LSE:NGAS).

For those looking for a bit more risk reward there is also a Leveraged NG (LSE:LNGA) which aims to move 2 x the daily price move of NG, less interest charges.

Staying with commodities my favourite commodities are the ones not making the big headlines including cotton, coffee and sugar. I also like the grains such as corn, wheat and soyabeans. I am not a fan of gold or silver short term as they are in a seasonal weak period and they seem to be featured heavily in most media. As we get towards the end of August I will take another look at both gold and silver.

One metal I have been steadily buying is palladium which is around $250 an ounce and up 35 per cent this year but I still see it as offering value compared to platinum.

Palladium can be used in jewellery and industrial applications, such as catalytic converters and is also purchased for investment purposes. You can easily spread bet palladium or buy the ETC which is backed by physical palladium (LSE: PHPD) n

Vince Stanzione has produced a new home study course to teach private investors how to profit from trading financial Spread Bets and Fixed odds. For more information please visit www.fintrader.info.

business&finance

109

InvestIng Lessons from monopoLy

by DR. DAVID KUO at the financial website the Motley fool – fool.co.uk

H

ave you ever played Monopoly?

Most of us have at some time or other. It’s one of those games you love to hate. You love it because it beats going outdoors on a wet winter’s day. But then, any enthusiasm you may have had for the game starts to wear a little thin after a few hours.

Some people do take Monopoly quite seriously, though. It seems that the players in one game took it so seriously that it lasted for 70 straight days or 1,680 hours.

Legendary investor Jim Slater even took time to analyse which of the properties on the Monopoly board produces the highest returns.

As an occasional player, I’ve noticed some remarkable similarities between Monopoly and investing. That’s not to say that picking shares should ever be decided by the throw of a dice, but merely that the similarities are noteworthy. Here are some of them.

Playing To Win

The primary object of Monopoly is to drive your opponents into the ground by bankrupting them. So, each decision you make should move you a step closer towards your goal of wiping out your opponents.

For example, if you own low-rent colour groups, it’s a good idea to build as many properties that you can comfortably afford.

This will restrict the availability of houses and hotels to owners of high-rent colour groups. So contrary to popular beliefs, Old Kent Road and Whitechapel Road do serve a purpose after all.

When you invest in shares it’s a good idea to set clear objectives too. Of course, you’re not out to grind other stock market investors to dust. Nevertheless you should still set achievable targets for yourself. A useful target may be to beat the market averages, which is the very least that you should be doing. If you can’t do that, then you are better off investing through an index tracker that will mimic the performance of a particular index. a STraTegy iS imPorTanT

It’s important to have a strategy from the outset if you are to achieve any objective. In the case of Monopoly, I’ve noticed some players like to buy up-market properties while others may prefer the less-expensive “orange” ones.

I have a soft spot for the railway stations, which I think represent good value for money. Interestingly, the stations have some of the highest hits, which mean they get landed on most. They may not deliver the highest paybacks, but they are slow and steady earners!

Successful stock pickers have clear investing strategies too. This helps them identify what shares to buy and which ones to avoid. Like Monopoly strategies, there are many investing strategies to choose from, and you have to find one that suits your personality best.

For instance, you might have a fondness for dividends, in which case a high-yield portfolio may be appropriate. This strategy involves picking a portfolio of shares that pays a dividend that is higher than the market average from a wide variety of different industries. The aim is to produce an annual

income from the fifteen or so shares that rises at more than the rate of inflation.

Others may be on the lookout for value shares. In other words, they are only interested in shares that have been undervalued by the market. The ideas behind value investing were first proposed

by Benjamin Graham at 1928. One of the greatest proponents of value investing is Warren Buffett who has successfully adapted Graham’s original idea to help him identify companies with long-term sustainable growth.

Skill vS. luck

Every Monopoly player knows that luck can play a big part in any game. But playing the percentages can improve your chances considerably. For example, it may be worth staying in ‘Jail’ when most of the properties between ‘Jail’ and the ‘Go to Jail’ space are fully developed. By staying in ‘Jail’ you avoid landing on these properties before an opponent lands on yours!

Luck also plays a part when picking shares. However, skill wins out in the end because luck will desert you one day. Sadly, it can take several years to discover whether you are any good. But don’t forget you can still make good long-term return from shares by just opting for an index tracker instead. That should leave you plenty of time to improve your Monopoly skills. n For further information on investing, visit The Motley Fool website at Fool.co.uk

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Vicinitee_VIP_DPS_JULY_09_revA.indd 1

EVENTS NOT TO BE MISSED! 22nd - 24th July Salon Privé, Hurlingham Club, Fulham, SW6.

Salon Privé is the UK’s ultimate Super Car Event and Concours d’Elégance. It offers a unique opportunity to see the most exotic modern and vintage super cars in the world, within the exquisite grounds of The Hurlingham Club. Enjoy the “Garden Party” atmosphere in the day, or the sumptuous dinner and dancing package through the evening. With its high profile guests and array of entertaining things to do, Salon Privé is one of only two daytime Hurlingham events per year, and the only evening event open to non-members, affording guests a unique experience and priceless backdrop to this stunning spectacle.

1st - 5th July The Royal Regatta, Henley, Oxfordshire.

For the ultimate English Summer Event, Boating, Boaters, Pimms, picnics, jazz bands and curious school ties. Now in its 170th year, this regatta is one of the pinnacles of the Summer Social Calendar. If you know nothing about boating, do not fear, you will most likely leave the event in the same light but having had a quintessentially ‘English’ day out.

16 - 19th July Veuve Clicquot Gold Cup, at Cowdray Park, W.Sussex.

Here is where Chelsea goes to watch Polo. Super exclusive and in the depth of beautiful Sussex. Fine Champagne, The Beautiful people and a beautiful sport.

26th July Cartier International Polo, Windsor Great Park.

The ultimate playboy’s sport provides the culmination of the Summer Social calendar in Her Majesty’s back yard. If you were to pick just one event that has the best array of all that is great about the English Summer, this is the one.

To view our event calender, see our forthcoming VIP parties or simply browse through our exclusive deals and concessions, visit www.vicinitee.com/vip

26/06/2009 18:48:45

citylife

recommends

Science Centenary

Work in Style

The Science Museum will celebrate its one hundredth anniversary as an independent organisation on 26 June. To commemorate this milestone for London’s most flexible and constantly evolving unique venue, three exciting new corporate event options will be launched.

The latest accessory for fashionistas this summer is this compact special edition notebook, designed by leading New York fashion designer Vivienne Tam. Its vibrant floral design represents prosperity, happiness and beauty, and it comes complete with a colour coordinated protective case and wrist strap for added security.

www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/ functions

Available exclusively at M&S stores, £449

Whale Wars

Suite Dreams

The planet’s population of beautiful whales is constantly under threat. The adrenaline fuelled Whale Wars is a series following Green Peace cofounder Captain Paul Watson and his eclectic crew of ‘eco-pirates’ as they struggle to protect these magnificent creatures.

Sample the luxury and comfort of the St James’s Hotel and Club. This special package includes a trip to the theatre, a private chauffeur driven car, a delicious English breakfast and champagne afternoon tea for two, and complimentary access to The Mayfair Gym nearby.

Available now on DVD, £29.99

£1,800 per room per night www.stjamesclubandhotel.co.uk

Gold & Peacock Havianas

The Big Lunch

The summer must-have flip flops are back in a beautifully elegant limited edition Gold and Peacock design. These iconic rubber Havianas are comfortable, bouncy and flexible, whilst being tough and versatile too; perfect for the city or the beach.

Sit down and have lunch with your neighbours on 19 July as the UK embarks on a nationwide street party. The project promotes getting to know your community and neighbours by sharing food, entertainment and decorations which you have either grown, cooked, or created yourself.

£19

www.thebiglunch.com

www.kuati.com

cityliferecommends

The Modern Gentleman Enjoy an evening of film, food and stylish cocktails to celebrate the leading modern gentlemen on the silver screen with SMIRNOFF BLACK®.

The screenings will take place every Wednesday from 15 July and includes entry, a Smirnoff Black cocktail, main course and dessert.

IT Butler Abu Dhabi’s lavish Emirates Palace resort is now offering a 24/7 IT butler for all of its guests. The IT butler services provides guests at the luxurious hotel with targeted IT assistance and support and technical expertise, perfect for travellers on business or conference trips. www.emiratespalace.com

To book call 020 7559 1000 Tickets £25

Simply Charming Eternal Silver has created a stunning new range of charm bracelets and jewellery made from Argentium, which makes them totally untarnishable. These beautiful and timeless bracelets make perfect gifts or year round accessories!

The Casting Suite If you’ve ever wanted quality photographs of you looking your natural best, The Casting Suite, is a great choice. For headshots and portraits for personal or business use, choose from a large 8” x 10” print to a full photo package including a CD of images, copyright, prints and display book. All the prints include professional retouching

Prices from £90 www.eternalsilverlondon.com

To book please call Caroline on 0207 534 5757 or email caroline@thecastingsuite.com

Only Roses

Number Ten

If in search of the perfect rose, look no further than OnlyRoses. Their roses are grown with love in the fertile volcanic soils of the Andes in Ecuador where the endlessly bright climate ensures thick, luscious and velvety petals in a selection of fabulous colours and those long, strong dark stems.

Lara Bohinc has teamed up with Tanqueray No.TEN to design a luxurious set of hand-crafted martini glasses made from the finest crystal, with a white-gold plated cuff fitted around the body of the glass.

Echoing the dynamics of Lara’s own designs whilst incorporating the sophistication of the Tanqueray No.TEN bottle, this martini boasts effortless style.

Visit www.only-roses.com, or pop in store at 257 Old Brompton Road, London SW5

£100, available exclusively from Harvey Nichols from 1 July

113

what'son

Our guide to this month’s top events

4 July

5 July

THEATRE

EVENT

Her Story

ANDy HAMILtoN’S HAt oF DooM

Her Story portrays the lives of four women in Indian mythology and literature – Kaikeyi, Devaki, Kannagi, and Andal. recounting pivotal moments in the lives of these women, the dancers explore how these characters transformed the worlds they lived in through their ability to love unconditionally.

Comedian Andy Hamilton (Have I got News For you and QI) is in Greenwich to perform his one man show brimming jokes, stories, gossip and trampolining.

Greenwich Theatre Crooms Hill, SE10 8ES 020 8858 7755 www.greenwichtheatre.org.uk

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan 4a Castletown Road West Kensington, W14 9HE 07899 844 869

7-19 July

9-18 July

DANCE

MUSIC

MAttHeW BoUrNe’S DorIAN GrAy

toSCA Puccini’s tosca is the ultimate role for a soprano. American diva Deborah Voigt takes on the part in the royal opera’s stunning production. there will be a pre-performance talk on the 14 June at 6pm.

Sadler’s Wells Theatre Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN www.sadlerswells.com 0844 412 4300

L

ondon’s Hyde Park will get an early taste of Olympic action to come when it hosts the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Series on 15-16 August.

All the top names in the world will be in action, including Helen Jenkins - Britain’s very own world champion and Alistair Brownlee, the Brit who has already won two legs of the $150,000 prize money event. The World´s top triathletes race on Saturday 15 August 2009 and will be covered live on BBC 1.

The great thing about this event is that everybody can have a go at the Olympic venue on 16 August in the Age Group Race over the Sprint Distance. The Mass Participation element of the event is a triathlon for all age groups and abilities delivered at world class standard. Entries are still available but registration ends soon (www.triathlon-wcs-london.org).

The City Magazine has teamed up with event organisers, Upsolut and the British Triathlon Federation, to offer readers some free entries to the event.

© Catherine Ashmore

Matthew Bourne’s dance theatre retelling of oscar Wilde’s gothic fable is set in the image-obsessed world of contemporary art and politics. this ‘black fairy tale’ tells the story of an exceptionally alluring young man who makes a pact with the devil.

Covent Garden, WC2E 9DD 020 7304 4000 www.roh.org.uk

TO ENTER: To be in with a chance of winning, answer the following question and send your name, telephone number and answer to competition@runwildgroup.com, stating “Triathlon competition” in the subject bar. The competition closes on 19 July and the Editor’s decision is final.

Question: Where is the 2009 Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship London being held on 15 August?

A. Lougborough B. Hyde Park, London C. Horseguards Parade, London The first 5 correct answers will be offered free entry to the event, and two seats in the VIP area to watch the elite race on 15 August.

11 July

17 July-12 September

COMEDY

EVENT

RED HOT EAST END COMEDY

BBC PROMS 2009

Celebrating the new wave of East End Comedy; hosted by Shazia Mirza; and featuring Paul Chowdhry, Imran Yusuf, Isma Almas and Ahir Shah.

Now in it’s 115th year the world greatest classical music festival returns to the Royal Albert Hall. With tickets costing as little as £5 you have no excuse not to join the fun!

© BBC - Chris Christodoulou

Royal Albert Hall Kensington Gore, SW7 2AP 020 7589 8212 www.bbc.co.uk/proms www.royalalberthall.com

12 July

Until 27 September

ARTS & EXHIBITIONS

EVENT

SHUT UP CHILD THIS AIN’T BINGO 2009

BUTTERFLY JUNGLE Take a magical journey this summer, as the Natural History Museum comes alive with the brand new Butterfly Jungle. Travel from the dark depths of the forest floor, to the heady heights of the tree canopy, and experience the magic and beauty of live butterflies and other rainforest creatures.

Lars Laumann presents his first Solo exhibition at Maureen Paley Gallery.

Shut up Child, This Ain’t Bingo 2009 is a video installation that tells the true story of the relationship between Norwegian artist Kjersti Andvig and her collaborative partner Carlton Turner a Texan death row inmate.

Herald Street, London E2 6JT 020 7729 4112

© NHM

courtesy Maureen Paley, London

Hackney Empire 291 Mare Street, E8 1EJ 02089852424

National History Museum Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD 020 7942 5000 www.nhm.ac.uk

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Launch your search for a new pad with Paper Rocket - The Buyer’s Agent Whenever we are asked “Who needs a buyer’s agent?”

Our answer is always “Anyone considering buying a property!”

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25 Canada Square Canary Wharf London E14 5LQ

July

Property

KnightFrank.co.uk/Lettings

The Penthouses, 28 Park Street SE1

Stunning, Penthouse apartments overlooking the River Thames New, duplex, air-conditioned Penthouses with terraces. London Bridge Station and Borough Market only 200m. Tate Modern/Bank of England - ten minutes. Private residential entrance hall; direct lift to 6th floor. Interior designed by the up and coming - Natalia Higgins of Natalia Design to tasteful contemporary standards. Double height ceilings and unrivalled panoramic terrace views of London skyline and River Thames. Complete with fully fitted kitchens and bedroom cupboards, stone flooring under-floor heating, individual air-conditioning, stunning bathrooms with TV’s automated lighting controlling systems. 24/7 security and CCTV security video access and surveillance and secure private drive.

Offered fully furnished from ÂŁ1300 pw

Knight Frank Wapping wapping@knightfrank.com 020 7480 6848

KnightFrank.co.uk/Lettings

Shearwater Court, St Katharine’s Dock E1W

Teal Court, St Katharine’s Dock E1W

Beautifully presented one bedroom third floor apartment based in this great 24 hour portered development moments from Tower Hill and The City. This lovely apartment has a reception room with double doors leading on to the terrace, fully fitted separate kitchen, good size double bedroom with access to the terrace, modern furnishings, wooden floors, underground parking and a large private balcony with south facing St Katharine’s Dock views.

Smart and well presented two double bedroom two bathroom apartment set in this 24 hour portered development. This lovely flat has a good size reception room with access to a private terrace, fully fitted separate kitchen, wooden floors, good storage, underground parking and great views of the Dock. This apartment is moments from Tower Hill underground and Tower Gateway DLR. Also a short walk in to the City.

£550 per week

£725 per week

Knight Frank Wapping Lettings 020 7480 6848 wapping@knightfrank.com

Knight Frank Wapping Lettings 020 7480 6848 wapping@knightfrank.com

Sanderling Lodge, City Quay E1W Spacious three double bedroom three bathroom apartment set in this attractive 24 hour portered development in St Katharine’s Dock. This large 3rd floor apartment is in excess of 1600 sq ft and boasts a good size reception room, three double bedrooms, fully fitted kitchen, three bathrooms and a fantastic roof terrace with stunning south facing views of St Katharine’s Dock. £1100 per week Knight Frank Wapping Lettings 020 7480 6848 wapping@knightfrank.com

Cormorant Lodge, City Quay E1W Lovely first floor two double bedroom two bathroom apartment set in this 24 hour portered development in St Katharine’s Dock, moments from Tower Hill and The City. This bright unfurnished apartment is over 1000 sq ft and boasts a dual aspect reception room with a wrap around balcony, separate fully fitted kitchen with dock views, two bathrooms with showers (one en-suite), additional balcony, wooden floors in the reception room and hallway, secure underground parking and great St Katharine’s Dock views. £725 per week Knight Frank Wapping Lettings 020 7480 6848 wapping@knightfrank.com

KnightFrank.co.uk

Dunbar Wharf, Limehouse E14 A spacious 2 bedroom flat with sweeping river views in superb order with plenty of outside space, reception room, kitchen, 2 bathrooms and 2 balconies.

106 sq m (1144 sq ft) Share of Freehold Guide price: £675,000 Knight Frank Wapping 020 7480 6848 sales@knightfrank.com

Spice Court, Wapping E1W A smart and sunny 2 bedroom duplex apartment in Quay 430 with a southerly aspect from the third and fourth floors. Reception with balcony, fully fitted kitchen, two en suite double bedrooms, guest cloaks & garage parking.

91 sq m (989 sq ft) Leasehold: 102 years Guide price: £459,950 Knight Frank Wapping 020 7480 6848 sales@knightfrank.com

New Crane Wharf, Wapping E1W A 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in good order on the 5th floor of a beautiful warehouse conversion. With original painted brick walls, exposed steel beams, wood floors and loading bay doors to the communal courtyard.

116 sq m (1249 sq ft) Leasehold: 104 years Guide price: £535,000 Knight Frank Wapping 020 7480 6848 sales@knightfrank.com

Bridewell Place, Wapping E1W 3 bedroom duplex in superb order having been substantially renovated, quietly situated in a pretty development situated around cobbled courtyards, a charming flat on the top two floors of a converted building. ‘L’ shaped reception room, separate kitchen, en suite shower room, bathroom, parking space 104 sq m (1124 sq ft) Leasehold: 102 years Guide price: £565,000 Knight Frank Wapping 020 7480 6848 sales@knightfrank.com

Tower Bridge Office 020 7407 3173 towerbridge@hamptons-int.com

www.hamptons.co.uk www.hamptons.co.uk

www.hamptons.co.uk

Curlew Street, SE1

£820,000 Freehold

St. Saviours Wharf, SE1

£795,000 Leasehold

A recently refurbished three bedroom townhouse located in central Shad Thames, having an en-suite and dressing room to the master, two further bedrooms, shower room and wc.

A 1,281 sq ft two double bedroom warehouse apartment, retaining exposed brickwork and boasting a covered terrace, accessed from the reception and both bedrooms.

Butlers & Colonial Wharf, SE1

Spice Quay, SE1

£685,000 Leasehold

A stunnning 979 sq ft 2 bed, 2 bath warehouse conversion set within the popular Butlers & Colonial Development. The property boasts 2 balconies, porter, private parking & new kitchen.

A third floor, one bedroom apartment located in a prestigious Shad Thames Building with balcony offering a view of the River Thames and Tower Bridge.

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Victor Wharf, SE1

towerbridge@hamptons-int.com

£629,000 Leasehold

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OfficeLondon London House Department 01403 262828 Office London House Department 01403Stunning 262828 views of Clink St are offered directly from the living area.

Email Emailhorshamcountryhouse@hamptons-int.com horshamcountryhouse@hamptons-int.com Email horshamcountryhouse@hamptons-int.com

£670,000 Leasehold

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Ginger Apartments, SE1

£449,000 Leasehold

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Tower Bridge Office 020 7407 3172 towerbridgelettings@hamptons-int.com

www.hamptons.co.uk www.hamptons.co.uk

Waterside,Heights, WappingSE16 E1W Riverview

£625 per week £725 per week A well presented two bedroom two bathroom contemporary An outstanding riverside duplex apartment within close proximity apartment boasting a private with with riverriver views and secure car to Shad Thames, boasting threebalcony roof terraces views, park space. Furnished. contemporary decor featuring a stylish glass staircase leading to spacious reception room and kitchen dining room. Allocated parking. Furnished.

Lion Court,Wharf, SE1 SE1 Tea Trade

£420 per week £800 per week A spacious two twodouble bedroom apartment with two apartment bathrooms A spacious bedroom two bathroom conveniently located moments from London Bridge Underground with balcony offered in excellent order and arranged within a Stations. Offered in excellent decorative order throughout boasting prestigious warehouse development. The apartment benefits wood floors and car parking space. Unfurnished. from 24 hour concierge and allocated secure parking. Furnished.

Boss House, SE1 £385 per week Springalls Wharf, SE1 £675 per week Tempus Wharf, SE16 £575 per week Caraway Apartments, SE1 £550 per week A one bedroom warehouse conversion arranged within a popular A superb two double bedroom three bathroom apartment set within A beautiful two bedroom two bathroom apartment offered in portered development in Shad Thames. This spacious apartment excellent orderfland boasting floors,and exposed brick, small features wood oors, exposedwood brickwork parking.

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Alaska Building, SE1 £695 per week Broadwall, SE1 £425 per week The Circle, SE1 two double bedroom apartment £380 per week A Merganser Court, E1W £475 per week A fabulous newly refurbished one bedroom apartment offered in immaculate order throughout

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Folgate Street, E1 Cliffords Inn, EC4

Upper ThamesEC3 Street, EC4 Mitre Street,

Folgate Street,Street, E1 Featherstone EC1

High Timber Garden Walk, Street, EC2 EC4

£850,000 £595,000Leasehold Leasehold highly desirable and rarely available four bedroom A superb 2 bedroom apartment in this popular block on the penthouse apartment in the popular St George western edge of the City, with a southerly aspectdevelopment and beautiful adjacent toSt Spitalfi elds market. views over Dunstan’s Church.

£370,000Leasehold Leasehold £395,000 A fabulous twoapartment bedroom apartment car parking in the An impressive within thiswith popular development popular St George development adjacent to fashionable offering stylish contemporary accommodation on one floor Spitalfi and within easy reachcar ofparking.

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£899,950Leasehold Leasehold £399,950 With views towards Shakespeare’s Globe andan theabundance Tate Modern, highly A stunning two bedroom apartment with of this natural sought rarely two bedroom at has direct river light onafter theand third flooravailable of this converted teaflwarehouse, awayviews from and beautifully presented accommodation in the heart of EC4. busyoffers traffic and adjacent to the Gherkin.

£360,000 £390,000 Leasehold Leasehold This larger than averageapartment one bedroom apartment is amongst A smart contemporary located in the heart of the most sought afterto inathis popular portered block and hasaccess Shoreditch.

Finished high standard the property enjoys access to a balcony looking over the atrium garden. to a private balcony and a communal roof terrace.

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Ludgate Square, Barbican, EC2 EC4 Price on application

£425,000Leasehold Leasehold £565,000 Located in Ludgate just around corner from new PriceaSquare, on application This duplex offers lovely view over thethe garden and the the lake.

The Freehold London Stock Exchange andGrade St Paul’s Cathedral is this smart, interior remains true to the II listed heritage, with a smart Freehold modern fi rst floor apartment. kitchen and 60’s bathroom suite.

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Temple Avenue, EC4 Middlesex Street, E1

Saffron Hill, EC1EC4 Ludgate Square,

£475 per week £330 per week A stunning two bedroom apartment in this classic development with A larger than average studio apartment with wood floors, offered concierge service. Situated in the historic Temple area in the West of on a fully furnished basis situated only minutes to Liverpool Street the City, minutes to Temple underground. station and Spitalfields market.

£695 per week £395 per week A two bedroom apartment in this fantastic warehouse A well situated one bedroom apartment in this small conversion in the heart of Clerkenwell. The property benefits development located in a quiet street, moments from St Paul’s from a private balcony, high ceilings and a bright aspect. and Blackfriars.

Commercial Road, E1 Folgate Street, E1

The Barbican, EC2 Barbican, EC2

£275 per week £460 per week A superb one bedroom apartment tastefully decorated and A two bedroom two bathroom apartment in this popular Spitalfields furnished. Benefiting from a 24 hour concierge service and a development benefitting from a 24 hour porter and a small communal roof terrace. communal gym.

£550 per week £550 per week A superb three bedroom apartment providing 1100 square feet of A stunning modernised two bedroom penthouse triplex spacious accommodation, featuring floor to ceiling windows and apartment in excellent condition with original kitchen and a cavernous master bedroom with a vaulted ceiling bathroom and a northwest facing terrace.

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Trinity Square, EC3 £600 per week High Timber Street, EC4 £320 per week Creechurch Lane, EC3 £595 per week Banner Street, EC1 per week An incredibly well located two double bedroom, two bathroom A refurbished one bedroom apartment in this popular£895 Riverside

A stunning in penthouse apartment situated the centre of The apartment this prestigious square, with in stunning views overCity. the This apartment been designed Tower of Londonhas and Tower Bridge.to the highest specification with a private terrace and views of The Gherkin.

A stunning 1800 sq benefi ft apartment in this converted tea warehouse, City Development, ting from a daytime concierge and finished an impeccable withfrom plenty of natural light, stunningto atrium.

Situated standard just minutes St Paul’s and the interior designed and bespoke kitchen.

Millennium Bridge.

network of offiofces local, and international.

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London's Finest Properties

Ontario Tower, E14

£260,000

• Stunning 23rd floor Suite • Unparalleled views to the river & Canary Wharf • Exceptional specification • Ultra contemporary riverside landmark building • 24 hr concierge/Spa centre/leisure facilities and room service available

The Watergardens, Canada Water SE16

£375,000

• 2 double bedroom/2 bathroom apartment • Beautiful ‘continental’ style development • Set within secluded courtyard around tranquil water gardens • Located right next to Canada Water tube and shopping mall • Due south aspect with panoramic views

LANDLORDS

We urgently require 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments for awaiting, company and professional tenants.

For all management properties we will take our fees on a monthly basis.

One West India Quay, Canary Wharf E14 £565,000 • Spectacular 1 bedroom/2 bathroom • Arguably Canary Wharf’s most prestigious development • Superior specification and highly contemporary fittings • Unparalleled views of Canary Wharf • Located next to DLR and shopping malls

New Providence Wharf, Canary Wharf E14

£210,000

• Great 8th floor studio apartment • Stunning development • Quality fixtures and fittings • Excellent condition • Close to tube and DLR

Sales | Lettings | Corporate Services | Property Management www.liferesidential.co.uk

Central London 020 7582 7989

West London 020 8896 9990

Docklands 020 7476 0125

Deptford & Greenwich 020 8692 2244

London's Finest Properties

Dakota Building, Deals Gateway SE13

£213 PW

• One Bedroom Apartment • Fully Furnished • 3rd Floor • Balcony • On-Site Leisure Centre • 24hr Concierge Service

Ontario Tower, Canary Wharf E14

£265 PW

• Studio Apartment • Fully Furnished • 12th Floor • Use of the Radisson Hotel Amenities • 24hr Concierge Service • Nr. Blackwall (DLR)

Ontario Tower, Canary Wharf E14

£440 PW

• Two Bedroom/Two Bathroom Apartment • Fully Furnished • 4th Floor • Stunning Riverside Views • Car Parking • 24hr Concierge Service

Alaska Building, Deals Gateway SE13

£277 PW

• Two Bedroom/Two Bathroom Apartment • Fully Furnished • 5th Floor • Balcony • Allocated parking • Nr. Deptford Bridge DLR

Warehouse W, Excel E16

£295 PW

• One Bedroom Apartment • Fully Furnished • 3rd Floor • Dock Views • Car Parking • Nr. Custom House DLR

New Providence Wharf, E14

£450 PW

• Two Bedroom/Two Bathroom Apartment • Fully Furnished • 4th Floor • Car Parking • On-Site Leisure Facilities • 24hr Concierge

Sales | Lettings | Corporate Services | Property Management www.liferesidential.co.uk

Central London 020 7582 7989

West London 020 8896 9990

Docklands 020 7476 0125

Deptford & Greenwich 020 8692 2244

It’s not business as usual... it’s better Stratford@MadisonBrook.com

020 8522 7100

Next issue...

August

I

n August, don’t miss our feature article on the ‘Eurosceptic’, looking at British attitudes towards the continent, the prospect of working abroad and the implications of a united Europe. We will also be meeting a group of young entrepreneurs to find out more about their cutting edge ideas; looking at the trend for nostalgic retro design; and talking to talented photographer Annette Habel about her recent exhibitions and stunning artwork. In addition to business and finance, international travel, interiors and fashion, we are also profiling Cuban watchmaker Cuervo y sobrinos, examining the decline of penmanship, checking out the latest film releases, and burning rubber with our Lotus column.

For this and much more be sure to pick up a copy!

Smart Contractors Choose Smarter Solutions

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28/04/2009 14:31:52

VICINITEE

DESIGN SOFAS IN LEATHER. LOWEST PRICES EVER!

JULY 2009 ART • INTERIORS • FASHION • MOTORING • BEAUTY • SHOPPING • BUSINESS • TECHNOLOGY • FOOD & DRINK • UK & INTERNATIONAL PROPERTY

R % E 35ATH

E LE V W A E S N ON

UR CES I TO PR R ED HE R T PA A M LE O L *C MA R NO O

You can now design your own leather sofa at a price you can't resist!

We have bought a quantity of good quality leather in white, brown and black that you can choose for your own customised sofa. You will save 35% compared to our cheapest leather from our standard collection. Offer subject to availability.

Now £1,8 83

Now £1,58 0

N o r m a l p r i c e £2 , 8 97

N o r m a l p r i c e £2 , 4 31

M e z z o s o f a, b r o w n l e a t h e r.

H 8 7 x W 2 0 6x D10 4 c m

Indivi 2 sofa with chaise lounge, b l a c k l e a t h e r. H 8 5x W 2 31 x D14 6 c m

I S S U E

BoConcept TCR, 158 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7NH, Tel. 0207 388 2447 www.boconcept.co.uk

21

32682 BoC_SaleleatherMezzo_CanWharf_1_1.indd 1

16/06/09 12:00:57

JULY 2009

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