Roasted savoy cabbage

Roasted savoy cabbage with Harissa yoghurt and chilli crumbs

“Looking at the heart of a savoy cabbage wrapped up in its jacket of winter leaves just makes you think of cold days and hearty meals. One of the most cold-hardy of winter vegetables, ‘savoys’ are just as much about texture as taste; its name comes from the ‘crumpled’ or ‘savoyed’ leaves and it’s this structure that gives it its distinctive crunch when cooked. Incredibly versatile, we love to serve these harissa-spiked roasted wedges with stewed meat or as a plant-based main.”

Full recipe online at styleofwight.co.uk

– Will Steward, from family-owned, Soil Association certified Organic farm Living Larder

Vip Valentine

DINING CLUB EXPERIENCE

SMOKING LOBSTER, COWES SATURDAY 12TH FEBRUARY

Exquisite Valentines Tasting Menu created by Chef/Owner GC Giancovich and team at Smoking Lobster, GOLD WINNERS 2020-21 Red Funnel Best Restuarant Stunning live saxophone performance ...plus surpises to delight your senses

£120pp

~ limited spaces, early booking essential ~

SMOKING LOBSTER TASTING MENU

Hibiscus Martini Welcome Drink ~ King prawn, chilli & lobster crystal dumplings ~ Charsui roast monkfish, tempura broccoli ~ Chinese turnip & kombu dashi cake, sweet & sour grilled octopus ~ Tempura Langoustine, hijiki seaweed & pickled watermelon rind tacos ~ Sous vide aged koji beef fillet, red nasu dengaku, pak choy, crispy rice ~ Dark chocolate & peanut mochi, dark chocolate mousse, torched miso marshmallow, lychee, vanilla & raspberry tart

BOOKINGS & ENQUIRIES

email: hannah@blackswanevent.co.uk to apply for the Style of Wight Dining Club email office@styleofwight.co.uk

People with style NATURAL BEAUTY

By Jo Macauley Picture Megan Clarke

When meeting with Cris Arago Pedley, the first thing you notice is her beautiful skin, which isn’t surprising when you learn that she makes and uses all the skin and beauty products which she sells at her shop Metier Ingenuity. There are no chemicals in any of the products, and Cris utilises her experience helping in her father’s pharmaceutical lab in the Philippines to create the lines. “My father taught me all about the use of natural, organic ingredients. I learnt blending from him when I was a child,” she recalls fondly. Cris’s father, Pio B Arago, a chemist and herbalist, invented many herbal products back in her home in the Philippines in 1952. “One of his famous products Arago Tonico Robusto, a health supplement that you drink, is found in most households in the Philippines,” says Cris. Cris’s first business venture was a small pub, which is where she met her business partner Roche, and Cris went on to open a number of further pubs and restaurants. “When I finished my degrees in Psychology and Business, I stayed away from this kind of business,” she adds. In 2000 Cris started a travel agency in the Philippines, and she was the British visa assessor for eight years. But in 2008 she sold up and came to the Isle of Wight with her two young sons (whose father originated from the Island). “I worked as a Healthcare Assistant, but a friend pestered me to create a bath bomb. I was inspired by Cleopatra and made the bath bomb with shea butter and buttermilk. But it wouldn’t bind. That interested me, I love a challenge, and eventually with the right measurements we got it to bind. “I began selling to friends and colleagues and word got out on Facebook. Then we did a trade fair in Northwood House last summer.” Opening a small shop in Holyrood Street in October 2020, they moved to their current location at the end of June 2021. Nestled in St Thomas’s Square, in the cut through to Pyle Street, her shop Metier Ingenuity has grown through word of mouth. None of Cris’s products have preservatives or added water and they contain no chemicals. The style of packaging is clean, white and simple. Bath bombs are wrapped in palm waste wax paper, which is sustainable and recycled. “Through the pandemic people have still supported us – it’s been overwhelming. We wanted to give something back to the community, so I asked people if they wanted to put their home-made products in our shop for free. Our company ethos is “Luxury at the most affordable cost.” Cris kept the premises in Holyrood Street and Metier give facials, massages and beauty treatments at both locations. Style is? For me style is very personal and individual.

Money equals success? No.

What does Island living mean to you? It means home.

Icons or inspirations? My father. Blunders and what you learned? Many through my life: some have taught me about trust, some about love, some about where my focus should be; every one has to be taken as a learning experience. Top tips? Perseverance, hard work and being resilient, determination, passion and self-discipline. Facing the future? With a smile, ready for new opportunities.