Sussex Style March 2015 by Sussex Style

SUSSEXst yle MAR 2O15

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CLASSIC CARS + FENCING + YACHTS DIAMONDS + HAUTE COUTURE + TRAVEL

AT H O ME ... We love the combination of our cabinets painted in Snow, walls painted in Lead Light and 310cm Harrogate Dining Table at ÂŁ1,295 Neptune Hailsham, BN27 1DQ, 01323 849 483, info@neptunehailsham.com

Excellent teachers are just the beginning

Come Come and and find find out out how how we we ensure ensure our our pupils pupils are are happy, happy, confident confident learners learners who who excel excel in in all all areas areas

Open Morning Saturday7th and Wednesday 11th March Entry at Reception, 7+ and 11+ Spaces may be available in other year groups

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contents

70 Daniel Raven

What does the word “banter” really mean?

73 Minxy

Making every moment count

77 Book Club

Pefect reads for spring

8 Editor’s letter

fashion & beauty

10 Damian Barr

28 Haute Couture

We talk Thatcher with the Brighton memoirist

Top Spanish designers

34 Inger Moss

14 Passion for speed

Effortless style from supermodel Kate Moss’ stepmother

The world of the classic car auction

18 Sussex Gentlemen

38 Diamonds are forever

Thrills of martial arts fencing

20 Paul Burston

A visit to Hastings’ Swan House

22 New Jerusalem

Kindertransport survivor, Hans Albrecht

How to choose the perfect gem

42 Beauty notebook

Powerful skin protectors

food & drink

home & garden

54 Food news

80 Laura de la Mare

56 Spice up your life

89 Fabric Lady

59 Cleo’s cocktails

90 Agony aunt

Sam Bilton on luxury Easter eggs

Hot and delicious dishes from Venice

Cut calories with these gorgeous drinks

life & style 62 Yachts Galore

46 Teeth whitening

We take a look at the ultimate millionaire’s toy

48 Health and fitness

66 Travelling to Success

Does it really work?

Our new columnist Ben Marshall debunks gym myths

Sussex’s first lady of cruising, Francesca Barone

68 Mum on the Run Six year olds knitting? Another dilemma for Laura Jandac

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The interior designer chats about chinoiserie

The competitive world of upcycling

Cleo Rocos comes to readers’ aid

inside

Damian Barr

Brighton resident Damian Barr is one of the country’s top journalists. He talks to Alex Hopkins about how former prime minister Margaret Thatcher inspired his best selling memoir Maggie and Me.

Diamonds are forever

Elizabeth Taylor couldn’t get enough of them and Marilyn Monroe said they were “a girl’s best friend”. But how do you go about choosing the perfect stone for the woman in your life? We talk to the diamond experts.

Haute couture

This month’s fashion shoot sees us visiting a palatial hotel in beautiful Seville, where we showcase the very finest Spanish designers, including the award winning Nicholas & Atienza.

In this issue...

Yachts galore

Yachts are the ultimate millionaires’ toy and Sussex boasts some of the best waters in the country for sailing and racing. But buying your first yacht isn’t easy. We navigate you through the choppy waters - and introduce you to your fantasy crew!

Fight like a gentleman A passion for speed

This March sees the first ever classic car auction at a Goodwood Members’ Meeting. Alex Hopkins chats to James Knight, group director of Bonhams motoring department, about the high octane world of classic car racing and a glamorous, record breaking career selling some of the finest vehichles in history.

Few sports are as exciting as martial arts fencing. We catch up with Andrew Feest, chief instructor at Sussex Sword Academy, to find out about the history of this dare devil pursuit - much celebrated by gentlemen - and to learn a few nifty moves.

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SUSSEXstyle

Get in touch! We’d love to hear your comments, views and suggestions: alex@sussexstyle. co.uk

EDITOR IN CHIEF ALEX HOPKINS

CREATIVE DIRECTOR BETH DONSON

interview

FOOD & DRINK EDITOR

riving over the Sussex Downs as the sun breaks through the clouds onto the dewy sparkly green fields, it is not hard to fathom why people love this county so much. The rolling hills call to mind the stirring words of William Blake’s Jerusalem and it is easy to see England’s green and pleasant land as a new Jerusalem and indeed it was for one of Sussex’s citizens. I was fortunate enough to meet Hans Albrecht on a sunny Monday morning after just such a drive down to the coastal city of Brighton, where he now lives in a nursing home for the elderly. His is a fascinating story of wartime survival and his family’s determination to flout the Nazis and seek sanctuary here, away from the atrocities of Austria. What makes this story so special is that Hans has what are now termed as mild to moderate learning difficulties, which made his existence under the Nazi occupation of Austria uncertain, as anyone deemed to be mentally or physically handicapped were among the first to be euthanised and as a Jew, it was doubly perilous for him.

A NEW

JERUSALEM

SAM BILTON

AT EIGHT YEARS OLD HANS ALBRECHT WAS ONE OF NEARLY 10,000 JEWISH CHILDREN RESCUED FROM EUROPE, BEFORE THE OUTBREAK OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, BY THE KINDERTRANSPORT MISSION. HE ENDED UP IN BRIGHTON. ALMOST 80 YEARS LATER SARAH MANN YEAGER MEETS HIM AND TRACES HIS EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY

Hans Albrecht was born on 27th April 1931 in the City of Linz on the Danube close to the Czech border. It is an elegant city with beautiful architecture, hometown to both Kepler the mathematician and the composer Bruckner, as well as the famous Linzer Torte, reputed to be the oldest cake in history. The family lived with Hans’ maternal grandfather happily in the village of Kleinmunchen just outside the city, and although Hans had some challenges, he was a bright boy and started school when he was six years old. Sadly this was not to last as on 13 March 1938 one of Linz’s citizens by birth, Adolph Hitler, decided to return and the Anschluss - annexation - of Austria began. On 21 May that year all Jewish children had to be removed from regular schools and were made to go to Jewish only schools, so Hans transferred to one in the main town of Linz. The children were crowded together with several forms being taught together and Hans can remember the name, age and which form each child was in. Classmates included the granddaughter of Dr Eduard Bloch, who had the dubious fortune of treating Hitler’s mother and who was granted special protection from the Gestapo until

HEALTH & FITNESS EDITOR BEN MARSHALL

SPICE UP YOUR LIFE

Chicken with Ginger, Saffron and Dates Serves 6

EUROPEAN CITIES DURING THE ONE OF THE MOST PROSPEROUS VENICE WAS A HUB FOR MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE PERIODS, THIS FRAGRANT LEGACY THE SPICE TRADE. SAM BILTON TRACES

HEAD OF FINANCE RICHARD JUDD

GRANT). IMAGES BY HELEN CATHCART. & GIANCARLO CALDESI (HARDE

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

JACQUELINE NICHOLSON

RECIPES FROM VENICE, BY KATIE

SEÁN KANE

COMMERCIAL MANAGER

Almond Milk Rice Pudding with Cardamom and Orange

½ tsp saffron strands to small bunch of parsley or coriander serve (optional) a handful of toasted almonds

2015 | 56 | SUSSEXSTYLE.COM MARCH

all over in Season the chicken all over then brown a medium a large frying pan in sunflower oil over together heat. Peel the ginger and garlic then pulse in a food processor until puréed. Alternatively a bowl. finely grate the ginger and garlic into all When the chicken is crispy and mid-golden Discard round, remove from the pan and set aside. the oil. In a large frying pan that has a lid, warm a medium the olive oil and butter together over until heat. Fry the onion for around 5 minutes garlic just becoming soft. Add the ginger and Transfer purée, bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves. through the chicken pieces into the pan and stir over the to coat the chicken in the spices. Pour the dates add almonds, ground and milk almond and scatter over the strands of saffron. the Once the milk has come to the boil, turn 1 hour with heat down and cook for 50 minutes to from the the lid on, or until the meat is falling necessary. bone. Taste and adjust the seasoning as chicken Either serve straight away or allow the with to cool and pull the meat from the bones the meat your fingers. Discard the bones and put are ready back into the sauce and reheat when you parsley or to serve. Decorate the plate with torn coriander, if using, and the toasted almonds.

& 5O

Above: main gates of Auschwitz concentration camp

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2 bay leaves 3 cm cinnamon stick 4 cloves 650 ml unsweetened almond milk 50g ground almonds 10 medjool dates, stoned and quartered

Serves 8

“Much of the food served in Venice [today] is simple... We love this simplicity, but what a contrast to the exotic, sensual spicefilled cooking that was once served..”

50g unsalted butter 35g caster sugar 150g Arborio rice 750ml unsweetened almond milk 450ml double cream pinch of salt 3 cardamom pods 1 cinnamon stick long 1 strip of orange zest, about 5cm chopped 30g shelled pistachios, roughly (optional) 2 tbsp clear honey (optional)

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FABULOUS

Inger Moss, stepmother supermodel Kate, could writetoa style bible. She talks to Alex Hopkins about modelling agencies, middle age and coming into her own

a medium Melt the butter in a large saucepan over in a bowl heat. Mix the sugar and rice together around and then add to the butter, stirring for the butter 5 minutes so the rice is well coated in the pan, and sugar. Add the milk and cream to and then add the salt, cardamom, cinnamon Cook orange zest, and stir through to combine. a thick, for around 25 minutes or until you have smooth rice pudding. Discard the flavourings. chill before Serve at room temperature or cool and a dash of serving. It will thicken on cooling so add as it is cream or milk to loosen it. Serve in glasses of honey. or decorate with pistachios and a swirl

eing able to visualise something has always been essential for Inger Moss. “Over my life I’ve done a bit of everything. I’ve been all over the place and done many different things,” the Lindfield resident tells me, “but my visual gift has been the one constant.” Moss, who came to the UK from her native Norway, and met her husband Peter Moss when she worked for Norwegian Rail 20 years ago, has never been deterred in her creative vision. “It’s taken a lot of trying things and then moving on to try something else to bring me to the place I am now,” she says. “Finally I have a really firm idea of what I want to do, and it’s a great place to be in.” As the stepmother to supermodel Kate and mother of Lottie Moss, who at just 16 has been signed up by model agency Storm, Moss has always had links to the fashion world. But, now in her 50s, she’s branching out on her own by establishing a Brighton based model agency with business partner and photographer Stef Kerswell. Like all of her previous projects, it’s something she feels passionately about. “We’ve done our research, spoken to the right people, got the right advice and feel that there’s a definite market and need for this kind of venture,” she tells me in her soft but determined voice. Moss’s experience of the major London-based agencies has, she explains,

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MAIN IMAGES BY STEF KERSWELL.

JESUS AMARILLO

food

MAIN IMAGE BY DEEPGREEN/SHUTTERSTOCK

FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER

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All rights reserved. except for normal review purposes, no part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission of the publishers. No artwork or editorial content may be used in any other form or publication without the publisher’s consent. Every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, but the contents are only meant as a guide to the readers. The proprietors of this publication ARE publishers, not agents or sub agents of those who advertise therein. They cannot be held liable for any loss suffered as a result of information gained from the publication. Copyright 2014 S and R Publishing Ltd - Sussex StyleTM

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Welcome... At last! The long, dark days are finally beginning to let in some much needed light. It’s time to dust off your outdoor gear and get exploring all that beautiful Sussex has to offer. We’ve made sure that our March issue is packed with everything you need to make your spring adventurous and - above all - chic. The Sussex coast is one of the best in the country for sailing. We take a detailed look at the ultimate millionaire’s toy: the yacht. Follow our easy buyers’ guide, don your Jackie O sunglasses, sip your Bolly and take to the high seas. Ultimate relaxation and perhaps more than a whiff of scandal beckons! For the gentlemen we immerse ourselves in the high octane world of classic car racing, with an interview with Bonhams’ James Knight. Or perhaps you fancy taking up a new sport? Football and running - boring.Think edgy and bucaneering: how about a bit of martial arts fencing? Our fashion shoot this month is all about haute couture. And while we’re talking elegance, who better to give us style tips than Inger Moss: Sussex resident, stepmother to supermodel Kate Moss, and genuine fashion icon in her own right? March 15 is Mothers’ Day. We explore the ultimate present: the diamond. If it’s good enough for Elizabeth Taylor, who are we to argue? We also celebrate some magnificent chinoiserie wallpaper and catch up with top journalist and memoirist, Brighton’s Damian Barr. Happy reading...

Alex Hopkins

THE LEADING AUCTIONEERS IN THE SOUTH EAST

FREE Antique Valuations Contact our experts on 0800 083 3689

Eduardo Rossi (1867-1926) An Art Deco ivory and gilt bronze figure ‘Oriental Dancer’ overall 16.5in. Estimate £2,000- £3,000

www.gorringes.co.uk 15 North Street ~ Lewes ~ BN7 2PD

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Brighton BOUND

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ere’s a wonderful moment in Damian Barr’s memoir Maggie and Me when the then 14 year old author is told by his teacher that he’ll be attending the national final of a quiz, in Brighton. Barr is ecstatic: “She might as well have said the Emerald City,” he writes. “Brighton exploded into my mind when I saw the bombed hotel on the News in black-and-white all those years ago… Brighton is a bad boy. If Brighton was a pupil at Brannock High it would hang out at smokers’ corner.” The “Maggie” the title refers to is, of course, the late Conservative prime minister, who narrowly escaped death in the 1984 IRA bombing of Brighton’s Grand Hotel. Barr’s 2013 memoir focuses on his childhood in small-town Scotland during the Thatcher years. It is a poignant tale of class, sexuality and politics: of a geeky steel miner’s son, who later comes out as gay, and his relationship with his mother and a wicked step-father, in a community reeling from the government’s closure of the mines. Barr was raised in Newarthill, a village in North Lanarkshire, Scotland. It was a tough, working class upbringing, centred round steel mining, in which Margaret Thatcher was universally despised. Barr soon made up his mind that he wanted to leave. Decades later he is a highly successful journalist and author, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, now living in Brighton, but also working in London, where he hosts an infamous literary salon at Shoreditch House. The boy has certainly done good. Yet without that first schoolboy trip to the Sussex city none of this may have happened. “I’d wanted to come to Brighton for a very long time,” remembers Barr. “It was represented as this wicked place for wicked people – something rather ephemeral. It held massive appeal for me and I got here as soon as I could.” After studying English literature and sociology at Lancaster University, Barr spent a year on scholarship at the University of Texas

AUTHOR IMAGES OF DAMIAN BARR BY JONATHAN RING

AUTHOR DAMIAN BARR ALWAYS DREAMT OF LIVING IN BRIGHTON. BUT, AS ALEX HOPKINS FINDS OUT, IT WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED WITHOUT THE CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE OF MARGARET THATCHER

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at Austin. He then completed a Masters degree in sociology back at Lancaster. A job as a journalist at the London-based Times followed. “But I knew I didn’t want to live in London,” he says. “I’d lived there before and hadn’t enjoyed it. I wanted to live in Brighton more than anything else in the world. We drove down with all my stuff in a van and it turned out that a friend of a friend was renting out a flat in Brunswick Square, so that’s where my love affair with the city started.” Barr’s first book Get It Together: How to Survive Your Quarterlife Crisis, was published in 2006 and was inspired by columns he’d written for the Times about graduate work and life. Beginning his memoir came about in a very different way. “I don’t suppose I decided that I was going to write a memoir,” he explains. “I had a lot of stuff in my head from childhood that kept coming back to me and what I wanted was to write things down as a means of just getting it out of my head. But the more I wrote the more I realised that perhaps a whole book was tenable.” As Barr amassed material lots of recurring themes appeared. He found that he was spending a lot of time in his past – the 1980s, which was, he admits, a strange experience. “Everyone has a story in them. The most ordinary people have the most extraordinary stories. I read memoirs by people the same age as me and thought that if they can do it then so could I. That gave me permission. “I didn’t actually write for an audience initially. Neither did I share my work with many people. It was very private. But I then thought that perhaps writing a book may be of some help to people, in that it could make them realise, in some way, that they’re not alone in what they’re dealing with in their lives.” Margaret Thatcher remains the most divisive prime minister in British history. Her controversial policies split the nation: you

A chicken obsession I’ve always had pet birds and wanted to keep chickens, but couldn’t until we got a house with a garden. On our street at least four other people keep chickens. It’s a Brighton thing! They’re very affectionate and interested in people. I am the chicken equivalent of the cat lady!

BARR’S BRIGHTON THE CHILLI PICKLE. Amazing Indian cuisine in the heart of Brighton. www.thechillipickle.com

CITY BOOKS Weston Road, Hove. A great book shop. www.city-books.co.uk MIDDLE FARM, Lewes Gorgeous food and drink. www.middlefarm.com CHARLESTON HOUSE, Lewes An artists’ home and garden. www.charleston.org.uk GORRINGES AUCTION HOUSE, Lewes Beautiful paintings and antiques. www.Goringes.co.uk

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CHICKEN IMAGE: CATALIN PETOLEA/SHUTTERSTOCK

BRIGHTON LIBRARY. New and huge.

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“Thatcher was blamed by my parents for everything that went wrong and I realised that she couldn’t possibly be responsible for all of those things”

were either with her or against her. As a child in a 1980s mining town, Barr was on the frontline. He had seen the devastating impact that the Conservative government’s policies had on the community. He was also conscious of the hatred and blame that is still directed towards Thatcher and felt that his book could, perhaps, help people come to terms with that. “Thatcher is the anchor of the entire narrative,” he explains. “She runs through it. The title came first. I always had that in my mind. Each section begins with a quote from her, so she’s always there, even when she’s not there. “Because of the way she completely shaped the era I grew up in, I realised that I couldn’t write about that without writing about her. She was quite genuinely blamed by my parents for everything that went wrong and I realised that actually she couldn’t possibly be responsible for all of those things.” Barr says that he has ambivalent feelings towards her, which are, in part, influenced by his own experiences as an outsider. “I think that as the gay boy who was bullied, and with everything else that has happened in my life, I felt sorry for a person who, in being so vilified, was also sort of bullied by everyone else,’ he admits. ‘My instinct was to think ‘does she deserve all of this?’”

Thatcher’s grit

So his relationship with Thatcher has changed over time, then? “Yes. I began to see that she did do some terrible things to me, to my family, to my parents. Section 28 [which outlawed the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a “pretended family relationship”] was a stupid and unforgivable piece of legislation, for example. “But she also did good things: she showed that a woman could run a country and she was not part of the establishment. She was a self-made woman and I think that is a very important thing. The establishment hated her. People called her the pound coin because they felt that she thought she was the sovereign. So they were really vile about her and she tackled a lot of that. Do I believe those were positive and important contributions? Do they outweigh the negatives? No, probably not.” And yet, after reading Barr’s memoir, it’s impossible not to conclude that without Margaret Thatcher this working class Scottish boy would never have made it to Brighton and marked himself out for success. For all her faults, the British leader’s independence of mind and grit inspired Barr’s escape: “Be strong, Maggie told us all. Get educated. Get away. That’s what she said. I listened,” Maggie and Me concludes.

TOP TIPS

FOR WRITING A MEMOIR It’s your story. There are other people in it, but ultimately it’s your story. Give yourself permission to write it. Understand the difference between reliving and remembering. The most authentic memoirs are the ones where the writer relives the experiences with the reader. Don’t compare your writing or your story to other people’s. Every story is unique.

SALON! My Literary Salon at London’s Shoreditch House is now celebrating its fifth year. It’s basically a room full of people who love stories. I wanted to create a literary event that wasn’t excluding people or snobby but was nevertheless exclusive. It features established and emerging writers reading new material. Authors love it as get to share and have a good time. It’s taken over my life: our recent podcast was listened to by 82,000 people. It’s like a book: you just put it out there and see where it goes.

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passion for speed AS THIS MONTH’S GOODWOOD MEMBERS’ MEETING PREPARES FOR ITS FIRST EVER CLASSIC CAR AUCTION, ALEX HOPKINS CHATS CLASSICS WITH BONHAMS’ JAMES KNIGHT

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James Knight at the wheel

o say that James Knight, group director of Bonhams Motoring Department, is excited about 21 March is an understatement. The date marks a milestone in both Bonhams and Goodwood’s illustrious history: it’s the first ever classic car auction at a Goodwood Members’ Meeting and will be the third Bonhams auction hosted at Goodwood, alongside the annual Festival of Speed Sale (26 June) and the Goodwood Revival Sale (12 September). Taking pride of place will be an ex-Kitty Maurice 1955 Frazer Nash Le Mans Coupé. Spotted racing at several Members’ Meetings in the period, the beautiful Sea Green coupé is offered with an estimate of £600,000-700,000. Knight can’t wait to get it under his hammer. “It’s a pretty rare car,” he explains. “Not many coupés were built. It’s very much what you would call a gentleman drivers’ type of car. A lot of people bought these cars with half an eye on getting them to go racing as well. “ Knight has been there since the very beginning of Bonhams’ excellent relationship with Goodwood. The firm he worked for, Brooks, was the founding sponsor of the Goodwood event, which started with the Festival of Speed, now over 20 years old. After reconfiguring parts of the race track, Goodwood’s Lord March began holding the Revival event. It was in the Revival’s first year that Lord March told Knight that he wanted to keep it predominantly pre-1966 in theme and therefore he didn’t think an auction would be appropriate. But he soon changed his mind and told Knight that it would be a good idea to hold an auction too. They have not looked back. “We were absolutely delighted that Lord March wanted us to get involved,” says Knight. “This year we’ll be in a different spot from the one we normally have with the Revival and we’ll be on the circuit, very close to the chicane. There’ll be a tent and anywhere between 80 and 100 cars in the sale. There will be a leaning towards sports cars and also a smattering of competition cars, whether they’re single seaters, racing cars or some touring cars too.” Knight’s own passion for cars started in a roundabout way. He was born in Brighton, the son of an antiques dealer and despite never planning to work in the motor trade, at nearly 51, he has become one of Europe’s most experienced and influential auctioneers. He sounds almost bemused as he recounts his story. “Unlike a lot of guys I work with at other auction houses and the motorcar industry, mine’s a fairly unusual story, in so far as I sort of fell into this business, rather than having a yearning for it in my younger days,” he admits. “I was very kindly asked to leave college for basically having too much fun and not working,” he laughs. “Dad said ‘you’re up the golf club everyday - you’re not going to be a professional golfer so you need to find something else to do’. I said that I didn’t really know what that was and he suggested the antiques trade and said the best way to get myself a job there was to go up to an auction house in London and serve an apprenticeship. More to keep him quiet than anything else I wrote to various auction houses in MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 15

Images from Goodwood Members’ meetings.

BUYING A CLASSIC:

AN EXPERT’S GUIDE One guy’s meat is another guy’s fowl. We all have a type and that’s what makes the collectors’ motorcar market so great. There’s no better place to go than an auction. Here you’ll see a tremendous spectrum of motorcars. You’re likely to be limited by budget, so you have to ask yourself some questions: what sort of period do you want? Do you prefer left or right hand drive? Automatic or manual? A four door saloon or a two-seater sports car? Do you want home grown British, some Italian flair or some French style? Then narrow down your shopping list from there. What makes a collectable car? 1. What condition is the car in? 2. How original is the vehicle? 3. Provenance (history) – has the car had a limited number of owners? What’s its mileage? Do you have lots of servicing records? It could be a car that’s done club racing or one that has been owned by a celebrity.

London, one of whom replied – Christies. “I had an interview with them just before my 18th birthday. They asked if I knew what hard work was and I said ‘yes, I do - I worked on a building site last summer to earn a few pounds’. I didn’t tell them that I quit after a week because it was so much hard work.” Knight started working for Christies as a porter. A few years later he was offered a position in the motoring department, doing automobilia (car mascots and painting). At this point, he had little knowledge of cars. “I loved cars, but only had a school boys’ interest in them. I certainly wasn’t the sort of guy who could ever tell you how many times Jaguar had won LeMons in the 1950s. In fairness, I wouldn’t have even been able to tell you that there was a race called LeMons.” Knight left Christies, along with Robert Brooks, who was head of cars, in 1989, when they set up their own company called Brooks, a specialist collectors’ motorcar auctioneers. In 2000 Brooks acquired Bonhams and it has been known as Bonhams ever since. There have been numerous, large sales. The most valuable car Knight has ever sold was the oldest surviving Rolls Royce, which dated from 1904. It sold for just over £3.5 million pounds, which was a then world record price for an auction of a Rolls, or any veteran car. But it’s some of the smaller sales that have been the highlight of Knight’s career. “There are a number of cars that have done it for me and it isn’t necessarily through value,” he says. “Like the proverbial nurse or doctor you do sometimes get involved with your patients – or in this case your sellers. If you don’t recognise that when you’re handling a car for a client it’s very often their most valuable asset after their house, then you’re not in the right job. It is a big responsibility. Sometimes people are selling for financial or emotional reasons and you do strike up these great relationships.” One particular sale sticks in Knight’s mind. In the early 1990s, he got a phone call from what was “evidentially a little old lady”, phoning from a caravan park in Bracknell. Her husband had recently passed away and had told her that there was a car in lock up, which would provide a good nest egg. Knight went to investigate. “It was very touching. She was a lady of incredibly modest means and you could tell that anything would make a change to her lifestyle. The car turned out to be a Lee Francis Hyper 1.5 litre super charged car. It was in pretty sorry but quite an important car and had been one of the team’s cars. One of the works drivers in 1930s was a chap called Green. We offered this car for sale, it did very well against estimate and we sold it to the son of Mr Green, the period works racing driver, for £25,000. The woman was so delighted. Sales like this really make this business a joy.”

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ALL IMAGES SUPPLIED BY BONHAMS

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Forthcoming Antiques & Interiors Auction 22nd, 23rd, 24th April We offer free valuations at our West Sussex Saleroom: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9.30am - 1pm 2pm - 4.30pm Home valuation visits by appointment

A mid-Victorian garnet necklace. SOLD for £2,800

A Cartier ruby and diamond set jabot pin, detailed Cartier 8057. SOLD for £1,600

Early 17th century English school miniature portrait, attributed to Isaac Oliver (c.1560-1617). SOLD for £6,500

An officer’s helmet of The Royal Horse Guards, c.1871. SOLD for £2,400 A gold and diamond set five stone ring, mounted with cushion shaped diamonds. SOLD for £3,600

A gold and diamond set brooch designed as a dancing figure, by Tsai Suileung. SOLD for £1,300

A chinoiserie decorated mantel clock, late 19th century, with inset plaque for Thos Garritt, London. SOLD for £1,600

A pair of gold and carbuncle garnet set pendant earrings, each in a folded drop shaped design. SOLD for £1,500

www.bellmans.co.uk • enquiries@bellmans.co.uk • 01403 700858 Newpound, Wisborough Green, West Sussex, RH14 0AZ

sussex gentlemen

A VERY GENTLEMANLY PASTIME ANDREW FEEST IS HEAD INSTRUCTOR OF THE SUSSEX SWORD ACADEMY. HE TALKS TO ALEX HOPKINS ABOUT THE ULTIMATE GENTLEMANLY PURSUIT: FENCING

Forget sports

The first thing people get confused about it the type of fencing we do. We’re not sport fencers, but practice sword fencing as a martial art. The simple definition of this is that you try not to get hit. In sports fencing it doesn’t matter if you get hit as long as you’re the second person to get hit. This changes your attitude and mind completely. Martial arts fencing is all about being safe and finding your opportunities, rather than attacking or athleticism.

Following the Victorians

The history of this type of martial arts fencing is relatively recent: the last 25 years. It’s a renaissance of sword play. In particular, it’s a counter to sports fencing, which people found wasn’t realistic anymore. All the foot work and more sophisticated gentlemanly ways of fencing were disappearing. We had to rediscover the historical methods to develop a modern system based around those. The martial arts method we now follow has grown exponentially. The last renaissance of martial arts fencing was in Victorian times. There were certain masters who started to rediscover the systems used and went to Italy and other places to ty and find the sources of those methods. Unfortunately, many of them got killed in the first word war and the art died out. We’re the next generation trying to create a renaissance of these skills and knowledge. It’s very exciting.

A changed person

The way we teach fencing changes a person’s whole deportment. It even gives you another inch of height because of the way you stand. The movements are very long and considered. With sports fencing there’s lots of athleticism, but what we do is much more precise. The last thing it does is make you aggressive; indeed, it does 18 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

the complete opposite. It teaches you to control your emotions and helps you relax under stress. It makes you consider the most effective way of dealing with a difficult situation. It can help with silly, little things like walking down the street and side stepping someone. You develop a kind of grace - and a good attitude and spirit. It really does follow the gentleman’s tradition in that sense. Your physical and mental confidence will certainly grow.

Not a quick fix

IMAGE CREDITS: CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT; SAMANTHA ACCIUFFI, VICTOR LERENA. HENRY LOCKYER

Pictures of Andrew Feest fencing.

“Martial arts fencing teaches you to control your emotions and helps you relax under stress”

Becoming a good martial arts fencer takes quite a long time. If you’re a sports fencer you can almost immediately throw yourself in and have a fight, but with martial arts fencing there’s a curriculum of understanding. It’s about measure and timing and developing your judgment to be able to fence and not be hit. You can’t cheat at that, so it’s a slower grow than sports fencing. But as you grow you become extremely good at it and you start to look more like the people in the films who have choreographed moves.

Competitions v Duels

We rarely have competitions. But we do practice a lot of duelling as a gentleman’s pastime. I’m not fond of competitions: I think they change your attitude – you’re always looking for the easiest way to win, the quickest way to hit someone before they can hit you. It becomes like a hunger or greed rather than a way to stay alive.

Simple rules

The rules are not really the most important thing. Other than saluting your opponent when you start, acknowledging them when you’re hit and being kind and pleasant when you’re killing them, there are few rules! You can hit them pretty much anywhere. The main thing is about control. You see people with long swords going hammer and tongs at each other, but there’s always control in the process. A lot of people fence for just a couple of weeks and tell their mates they’ve done fencing, but it takes practice. Many people want to try it. It’s their fantasy from childhood, but once they get going it can be tough getting them to stay and master it. You have to wait for the gems to come along, but it’s definitely worth it. MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 19

postcards from the coast

cunningly disguised as a bookshop. It also books irst, it was the central heating. The up early, so don’t leave it to chance. I did, and radiators didn’t arrive. The engineer AS WORK STALLS ON HIS ended up at Pomegranate, where I enjoyed a was called away on another job. Weeks went by without a word from NEW FLAT, PAUL BURSTON delicious dinner with local author VG Lee, otherwise known as Val and the person who first British Gas. A job that should have SWANS OFF FOR A NIGHT taken three days to complete turned OF LUXURY AT HASTINGS’ introduced me to Hastings. “So how’s the flat coming along?” she asked into a logistical nightmare. SWAN HOUSE over a fillet of locally sourced grey mullet on a Then there were delays finding a plasterer. bed of locally grown vegetables. The first guy wanted to tear all the walls and “Don’t!” I groaned through a mouthful of prawns so fresh they put ceilings down. The preparation alone would require three labourers working for four weeks, possibly more. “But we don’t want all the walls every prawn I’ve previously put in my mouth to shame. “That good, eh?” and ceilings taken down,” I protested. “It seems to be taking forever,” I sighed, then stopped myself. I didn’t He replied that it was his way or the high way. And just to make things more awkward, he wanted us to order all the materials and pay the want Val thinking I was fishing for yet another night in her spare room. Val sipped her wine. “You know you’re always welcome to stay at wages. How much would all this cost? He couldn’t say. By the time we found a plasterer who was willing to work for us and mine.” “I know,” I said. “Thanks. But I’ll be fine, really.” not the other way round, it was mid Winter and the flat was freezing. Back at Swan House we had a nightcap or two from the honesty bar. Which brings me to Swan House. I don’t mind roughing it a bit, but “It’s very nice,” Val said, relaxing with a large gin and tonic. after months of upheaval I was in dire need of a few home comforts. “It is.” Swan House is the best guest house in Hastings. That’s not just my “And do you plan to stay here until the work is done?” opinion. It’s the opinion of the various judging panels who’ve showered it “Possibly,” I replied. with awards, including “Best B&B” in the 2014 Beautiful South Awards. Val glanced in the direction of the honesty bar, then gave me a look The place is owned and run by Lionel Copley and Brendan McDonagh. There are four guest rooms and a suite, plus a communal that said she doubted my honesty. I must have blushed. living room, complete with two large sofas and a roaring fire. Copley is “Right,” she said. “I’ll be home by five o’clock tomorrow. Come an interior designer, and the attention to detail shows. There are period features everywhere you turn, and an “honesty bar” stocked with a range whenever you’re ready. I’ll be serving salmon for dinner.” I smiled, knowing this was her way of telling me I was staying over of wines, spirits and mixers. Swan House is located in the historic Old Town, within easy walking without giving me the opportunity to decline her kind offer. “Will the distance of several good restaurants. There’s Pomegranate, which Copley fish be locally sourced?” I asked. “Of course,” she replied. “From Marks and Spencer.” also designed. Or there’s the Thai bookshop, which is also a restaurant,

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IMAGES SUPPLIED BY SWAN HOUSE

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interview

A NEW

JERUSALEM AT EIGHT YEARS OLD HANS ALBRECHT WAS ONE OF NEARLY 10,000 JEWISH CHILDREN RESCUED FROM EUROPE, BEFORE THE OUTBREAK OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, BY THE KINDERTRANSPORT MISSION. HE ENDED UP IN BRIGHTON. ALMOST 80 YEARS LATER SARAH MANN YEAGER MEETS HIM AND TRACES HIS EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY

Above: main gates of Auschwitz concentration camp

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MAIN IMAGE BY DEEPGREEN/SHUTTERSTOCK

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interview

transport to the USA could be arranged for his family. During the long Summer holidays even more draconian measures were instated and Jews were no longer able to visit parks, cafes or swimming baths. Hans recalls spending a great deal of that Summer reading lots of books, practicing his handwriting and taking cool baths in the yard of the house. Hans remembers how difficult it was for Jews to go about their daily business during that Summer: “My mother had a very good friend living in the nearby town of Ebelsberg - a small market town and there lived a lady in a family called Postl. The youngest daughter was a schoolmistress called Theresa who was brought up in the Ursuline Convent in Linz. Later on she became a senior school teacher for girls and once in the tram she went and sat next to my mother. “My mother said ‘Don’t sit next to me Theresa, because this will put you into danger; if you sit next to a Jew it might cost you your job.’ Her reply was ‘I would rather lose my job than my faith in you.’ 24 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

All other people moved away when they saw a Jewish person in a train or a tram and Theresa Postl did exactly the opposite!” School started again in the Autumn but closed for good after barely five weeks. he awful events of Kristallnacht happened on the 9 and 10 November; a nationwide pogrom against the Jews where buildings, shops and synagogues were smashed and many people were rounded up, beaten and deported to forced labour camps or shot on sight. Within a few days edicts were issued and Jews were forced to leave Linz; it was Hitler’s birthplace which he intended to make a perfect Aryan city and the centre for Aryan culture. The Albrecht family were sad to leave their village as they had a good circle of friends there, but they packed up and moved to live with cousins in Vienna. Six months later, barely a year after Hitler had marched into Austria, Child No.1 left Austria on Saturday 13 May, never to return. Little Hans, just eight years old, was made to line up with the others in alphabetical

Left: Holocaust Memorial building in the Warsaw ghetto

MAIN IMAGE BY ANASTASIA PETROVA/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

made to feel welcome in Worthing and were treated as “enemy aliens”. Due to Worthing’s vulnerable position on the coast of England all “enemy aliens” were forced to leave so the family moved to Llandudno in Wales; hardly a target for the Luftwaffe. Then began a period of gypsy wandering, first to the Lake District and then Harpenden in Hertfordshire and then to Surrey so that Hans could attend Stoatley Rough School for refugee children in Haselmere, but Sussex and the South Coast were never far from their minds and the family moved back to Worthing, as soon as the war had ended. By this time Mr Albrecht had joined the family, he had been captaining ships in Egypt, and they lived happily in Worthing where Hans was employed as a greengrocer. From 1963 Hans lived in a Rudolf Steiner home for adults with learning difficulties in Botton Village in Yorkshire, but was unhappy there as it was too far away from his beloved Brighton and the Jewish community he had grown up in so he moved back home with his parents and then spent two years yo-yoing back and forth between different homes before settling in as a long time resident at Tikvah House in Brighton, where he spent more than 20 happy years being part of a family of adults with learning difficulties. There is a Austro-German concept called “Heimat” which sadly has no translation. It is defined in the dictionary as “...the relationship of a human being towards a certain spatial social unit. The term forms a contrast to social alienation and usually carries positive connotations.” It is here in Sussex that a small boy, without his family and with no commonality of language or culture, found his Heimat. A famous son of Sussex, Rudyard Kipling perfectly encapsulated the British equivalent of Heimat in these few lines:

order and was given his number on a manilla parcel tag with his name on the back. All his possessions were packed into a tiny sealed suitcase and he boarded a Kindertransport train under the care of a woman named Trude Frank. These transports were often hastily arranged and continued until war was declared in September 1939. Once on British soil Hans began the first of his many placements in the county that he now calls home. Three weeks in Brighton in early Summer sounds wonderful, but to a small boy who spoke no English and with learning difficulties it was less than ideal; because of his learning difficulties Hans was placed in a home for Jewish Refugee children in Margate for eight weeks, under the care of a nerve specialist Dr Liese Gelner, who specialised in children with disabilities. Fortunately for Hans, his aunt and uncle had escaped to England and were living in Worthing, so he went to live with them while they endured a tense period waiting for his mother to join them via Romania. Although they had escaped Nazi occupied Austria they were hardly

God gives all men all earth to love, But, since man’s heart is small, Ordains for each one spot shall prove Beloved over all. Each to his choice, and I rejoice The lot has fallen to me In a fair ground-in a fair ground — Yea, Sussex by the sea! This beautiful green county by the sea opened its arms and welcomed countless hundreds of refugee children from Nazi occupied territories and by doing so saved many lives. The kindness of the people of Sussex has enabled a small boy with many difficulties to grow up into a charming and happy individual who has reached his full potential, a future that would have been denied him had he stayed in Linz. MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 25

Book a styling appointment at 2 Victoria Street Brighton BN1 3FP Tel: 01273 757 258 Maudbysophiecorbett.com

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MAIN IMAGE BY JESUS AMARILLO

Hat by Fernándezz & Roche, £97; earrings by Maria Galán, £44; necklace by Maria Galán, £112; jacket by Jovonna, £93; shirt by Misura Costura; trousers by Panambi, £112.

Fashion & Beauty

We channel palatial opulence with the finest Spanish designers

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This page: Diadem by Lamágora, £56; belt by Lamágora, £112; blouse and skirt by Pilar Vera

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fashion

haute couture Spanish high fashion shot exclusively in a grand hotel in sun-drenched Seville. The perfect combination of architecture and clothes

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This page: Diadem by Lamágora £56; earrings by Cisco Romero, £215; dress by Nicholas & Atienza, £1,456.

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This page: Diadem by Lamágora, £41; blouse by Panambi, £119; skirt by Panambi £149; bracelets by Cisco Romero, £452 and £478. Opposite page: Headdress by Cherubina, £119; fur neck by Zara, £19; golden sequin top by Panambi (tailored); long skirt by Panambi (tailored); earrings by Maria Galan, £44.

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Photographer: Jesus Amarillo Stylist: Alejandro Nunez Model: Noelia Mรกrgoton MUA: Laura Morilla Hairdresser: Israel Pavon Special thanks to Hotel Ateneo Sevilla and Mordisco de Mujer

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5O profile

FABULOUS

Inger Moss, stepmother to supermodel Kate, could write a style bible. She talks to Alex Hopkins about modelling agencies, middle age and coming into her own

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MAIN IMAGES BY STEF KERSWELL.

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INGER’S TIPS FOR OVER 50S

Stop being dictated to. Forget about all of those people going around with a colour chart. Wear what you’re comfortable in and what you like to wear. Don’t be restricted by rules and regulations. Forget the technical things, such as advice to cover your arms and legs. That’s really rather boring. Go vintage! Vintage clothing and jewellery looks great on older women. If you’re going for the big designers then go for the female designers. They know what works best for women. Look to someone like Stella McCartney. Get shopping advice from another woman in her 50s. They know the issues you’re dealing with and which fabrics to choose to suit your changing body. A 20 year old shop assistant will say, “Oh, that looks great on you” about anything. To a 20 year old if you’re over 50 you’re almost dead anyway, so they don’t really care!

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MAIN IMAGES BY STEF KERSWELL.

profile

proven to her that quirky, trendy Brighton is the perfect place for such a business. “It’s what it’s lacking. It’s an obvious choice. At the moment Brighton doesn’t have a proper model agency with a bit of edge, so everyone goes to London for their models. When you look at magazines like W and i-D you see the type of models that you could easily find in Brighton. They’ve got a few tattoos or piercings and attitude and colour. We’ve got all of that down here.” I’m interested to know if she had this interest in fashion before her family link with Kate Moss. How has it evolved over the years, to the point that she is now set to become an entrepreneur? “It’s always been there,” she muses, “having an eye for something. I’ve always been good at dressing and have been complimented on it. People come to me for advice. Yes, it’s certainly been a strength, but until recently I didn’t know what to do with it.” All of this changed when Moss opened up The Toll House Store and Café, an independent retailer offering vintage home ware, women’s clothing, jewellery and artisan crafts in a beautiful 17th century toll house in the heart of historic Lindfield. Unfortunately, Moss found that there was no market for vintage goods in the village, but the experience showed her that she could muster the courage to strike out on her own. It was a revolutionary moment: “I realised I have more confidence than ever now that I am in my 50s,” she admits. Entering her fifth decade has, Moss believes, helped cement her creative ambitions. “I have a passion for being in my 50s and for other women of that age. I’m fascinated about how middle aged women dress, how they deal with the fact that their body is changing and how they respond to that stylishly. “At the moment there’s a big trend of model agencies using older models and I think that’s really cool, but I also think there’s a significant gap between that and ordinary people. You walk around and you see women in their 50s who clearly have no idea of where to shop. When I was younger I knew where to go and what suited me, but then I hit 50 and my body began to change: I didn’t fit into the same clothes anymore and I had no idea where to turn or even what makeup to wear, because your skin and colouring changes at that age too.” Moss’s personal experience of aging and her conviction that women can still look glorious no matter what age they are, has led her to establish a personal shopping service. “I’m really keen on developing that alongside the model agency and helping women of my generation,” she adds. “It’s not like it was in my mum’s day when a woman looked old when she was 50. Now you have people in their 70s who look like they’re 50. It’s great! I love helping people.”

INGER’S TOP SHOPS

Lewes is great for anything vintage. I also love the little shops in Hove. Seek out the charity shops for wonderful and unexpected finds. Beyond Retro, Brighton is fabulous. When I started The Toll House Store and Café I got lots of my stock from there. www.beyondretro.com Neilson boutique, Cuckfield. I love to treat myself here. www.neilsonboutique.co.uk

I comment on the disparity between the mainstream media’s representation of older men and older women. “Oh, yes, you see it everywhere,” Moss responds immediately. “Women have never been free to do or be in the way that men have been.” Will she be using older models in her own agency? “We’ve talked about that and absolutely would not dismiss it. In the big agencies you see male models looking super sexy in their 50s, with a bit of grey coming on, and they’re used a lot in campaigns. It’s a trend that should be taken on for women.” As for her own style, Moss describes it as being “a bit rock and roll” – and again something that has developed alongside her maturity and confidence. “I love to wear biker boots, or a leather jacket and over-sized jumper,” she says. “It’s perfectly possible to look cool without looking stupid. But it’s about women of my age finding out where to find these items, without necessarily having to go to an expensive designer. That’s where my service comes in.” While she enjoys living in sedate Lindfield, Moss has found herself increasingly drawn to Brighton for inspiration. “Lindfield is up and coming, but I quickly found that the reason there were no vintage shops there is because people don’t really wear vintage there,” she laughs. “It’s very middle class. I guess I felt a little restricted there. I love the seaside: you walk along Brighton’s front and you see such a mix of people – the guy on the bike with the stereo, next to the woman wearing Prada. But it all blends in. Being in that kind of environment – at the age I’m at now – has made me braver. “Women of my age have been mothers and wives for many years. They’re a bit lost. Everything has changed for them, but I think they have the benefit of a fantastic sense of humour. They’re stronger, they don’t care so much. They need to go out and be bold and believe in themselves -then anything is possible.” Looking at the glamorous, selfassured Inger Moss, it’s hard to disagree with this statement. MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 37

desire

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER The four Cs: choosing your diamond

Alexander Parnell FGA DGA, is a professionally qualified gemologist and diamond grading expert who started off travelling the world buying polished diamonds on behalf of the world’s largest retail jeweller – as well as rough diamonds from Africa. He has now been running his own business, Bespoke Diamonds, in Brighton for the past 10 years. He gives us the diamond essentials. Colour Diamonds are colourless, but impurities change the colour slightly of a colourless diamond. Most have a yellow tinge to them. Colour is graded from D to Z. The most expensive and the rarest are colourless and are graded from D to G. 38 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

Clarity This is what’s inside the diamond and how clean it is. Very few diamonds are flawless. Most have impurities in them, but these are microscopic and it takes an expert to see them. Cut This is one of most important criteria. It’s the way the diamond has been cut into the shape. The cut is the criteria of the stone that gives the light to it. A diamond is cut in specific angles so that when the light comes into the stone it bounces around it and comes back out to your eye. This is what gives it the brilliance. You can have really good clarity and colour, but if the cut is poor it will look poor. Carat This is the weight of the diamond. A Carat is a fifth of a gram. This is divided into 100 points, so half a carat is 50 points,

a quarter 25 points and so on. It’s important that the diamond is cut well because then the weight will be spread evenly. A one carat stone should be 6 mm round, but if it’s cut badly it could be 5 mm. There’s a lot of confusion between carat in weight and carat in gold: carat in gold is purity and carat in diamonds is weight. Certification Get your diamond certified. There are labs out there that will document colour, clarity, cut and carat for you and state, in writing, that a diamond fulfils this criteria. But the GIA diamond certificate is the certificate to get your diamond certified by. They inscribe the certificate number on the side of the diamond, stating that this is what this diamond is and what it’s worth.

MAIN IMAGE BY NADYA KOROBKOVA/SHUTTERSTOCK.

Diamonds: Shirley Bassey said they’re “forever” and Marilyn Monroe proclaimed that they were a “girl’s best friend”. Alex Hopkins looks at the ultimate luxury gift

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desire

If you’re not a sparkly, blingy person you probably don’t want to go for a round. Opt for something emerald instead, which is a lot more understated. More unusual cuts can be suited to pendants and bracelets. When diamond cutters get hold of rough diamonds they cut them into shapes that are going to give the most diamond at the end of it. Rough diamonds come in a variety of shapes. So if you have a very flat rough diamond you want to get as much polished diamond out of it as possible. Shape of the rough dictates the shape of the round.

prefers in a ring, one option is to purchase a loose diamond and decide on the mounting together later. Make sure you have the loose stone graded. Consider the alternatives Coloured diamonds and gemstones make unique and memorable alternatives for celebrating special occasions. Coloured diamonds and gemstones are increasingly popular in the engagement ring world. Consumers should look for independent reports for coloured diamonds, gemstones and pearls, also available through GIA.

Diamond rules

Established in 1931, GIA (www.gia. edu) is the world’s leading authority on diamonds, coloured stones and pearls. They gave us the rules that every diamond buyer must follow. Choose a qualified jeweller Select a jeweller as carefully as you would a doctor, lawyer or any other trained professional. Find someone who is credentialed, such as a GIA Graduate Gemologist. Take note of their affiliations with jewellery industry groups and professional associations. Ask for an independent diamond grading report A diamond grading report details the gemological quality of the diamond. It tells whether the stone is natural or synthetic, if it has been treated - and how, and its quality rankings in each of the 4Cs. Verification of information contained in any GIA diamond grading report can be attained by going to Report Check, GIA’s secure online database, or by accessing it directly through the GIA 4Cs app. Keep the purchase secure Have the diamond appraised and insured. A diamond grading report is the independent assessment of quality; while an appraisal gives a monetary value. A personal message or the report number can be laser-inscribed on the diamond’s outer edge, called the girdle, to help identify it if it’s ever lost or stolen Purchase the stone loose and have the ring set later. If you’re unsure what your future fiancé 40 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

“Elizabeth Taylor’s 33.19 carat diamond ring sold at auction for a staggering $8,818,500, after the star’s death” Father of diamonds

Before the 1930s diamonds were predominantly round. It was called the Old Mine Cut: they’d lop the top off the diamond and shape the rest of it around this. A lot of antique and Victorian jewellery has this Old Mine Cut. In the 30s, Marcel Tolkowsky, a member of a Polish family of diamond cutters and an engineer by education, created the modern Round Brilliant cut. He worked out that if you cut the round brilliant in a certain way it gives the maximum

amount of light back to you and gives you that special sparkle. This is when diamonds really took off. Ever since then the round brilliant has been the cut that every other diamond aspires to be. It’s the diamond-cutting benchmark in North America.

Cursed: the most famous diamond in the world

The Hope Diamond, or “Le Bijou du Roi” (the King’s Jewel) is a 45.52 carat deep-blue diamond, now housed at the Smithsonian Institution’s Natural History Museum in Washington D.C. The jewel has passed hands numerous times over the years, travelling from India to France to Britain and to the U.S. The diamond has long been surrounded with mythology that says misfortune and tragedy will befall its owners. This press got much mileage from this supposed “curse”, leading to articles such as the Washington Post’s 1908 piece, entitled “Hope Diamond Has Brought Trouble To All Who Have Owned it”. The jury is out on whether it’s all media hype or if there’s some truth in this, but certainly a quick read of the catalogue of disasters that have befallen the diamond’s owners (including suicide, hanging, torture and being torn to death by wild dogs) is enough to make any would-be buyer a tad nervous…

Queen of diamonds

Screen legend and the world’s most beautiful woman, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, amassed one of the largest and finest collections of jewellery over her tumultuous life. This included countless priceless diamonds, many of which were given to her by the men in her life. Her most famous piece, a 33.19 carat white diamond ring, was given to her by Richard Burton, who she married twice. Burton acquired it at auction in 1968 for $300,000. At an auction of Taylor’s jewellery, after her death in March 2013, the ring sold for a staggering $8,818,500. Taylor’s majestic collection included diamonds by Cartier, Van Cleef and Arpels and Chopard. Other prize items included a diamond and sapphire ring, a gift from singer Michael Jackson (which sold for $600,000) and a ruby and diamond Cartier jewellery set, a present from Taylor’s third husband, the film producer Mike Todd.

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What shape to go for

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• No scars Cooden Veins offer a range of other treatments for varicose veins, which include sclerotherapy, spider and thread veins removal. The underlying cause of your varicose veins determines which treatment is best suited for you, which is why we offer a FREE Doppler Ultrasound, normally worth £300 as part of your in-depth consultation.

Little Common Road, Bexhill-on-Sea. TN394SB Telephone 01424 846190 info@coodenmedicalgroup.com www.coodenmedicalgroup.com A Care Quality Commission Registered Clinic.

health update

Farewell to pouting YEARS OF SMOKING HAD TAKEN THEIR TOLL ON ALEX HOPKINS’ MOUTH. TEETH WHITENING SEEMED LIKE THE ONLY OPTION – BUT DOES IT WORK?

hy don’t you ever smile?” I was asked the same question every time I stood in front of an iPhone, preparing to be papped at some media event, under the unforgiving lighting. My response was always the same: absolute silence, pursed lips, chin tilted stare (carefully judging the lighting) and a pout that would make Victoria Beckham look positively amiable. The truth was that I was too embarrassed to open my mouth and expose my teeth. Over a decade of smoking had taken its toll on my teeth. In my head, my teeth had been reduced to rancid yellow tombstones, which would made even a 60 Rothmans-a-day Pat Butcher look like the epitome of dental hygiene. Action had to be taken, so I headed to my dentist. Miraculously, I needed no work done and decided to use the money I’d saved for fillings on teeth whitening. There were, my dentist explained, three options: laser whitening in the surgery, a home kit or the combination or both. I went for the homekit, Zoom Whitening by Philips, which is pretty much the only clinically proven treatment and the one favoured by dentists. Always on the lookout for a bargain, I questioned the price (which had been reduced to £200). I’d passed countless beauticians’ windows offering whitening for as little as £70. My dentist warned me that these establishments were using chemicals that simply did not work. They’re sharks who are only after your teeth and you should only trust a dental professional with teeth whitening. The home kit was easy to use. The dentist made a mould of my gums to create a custom tray that would fit snugly over my teeth. I picked it up a week later, along with gel – the bleaching agent – which is inserted into the tray. For the next two weeks I put this on

every night. Each morning I’d obsessively examine the colour of my teeth, monitoring the results in my diary like the control freak I am, while taking narcissism to an altogether different level by taking close-up selfies, under every conceivable shade of lighting, while grinning like Jack Nicholson in Batman. Yes, I know, I know… All dentists will warn you to be realistic about teeth whitening: individual results will vary and are based on your initial tooth colour and the nature of your tooth staining. After 10 days of applications there was a marked improvement. After 14 days I stopped the process, with enough gel left over for a repeat performance. The joy with home whitening is that once you have the mould you simply purchase more gel and top up at your leisure. The results revolutionised my social life: I now flashed by gnashers compulsively in photos, to the extent that people thought I’d undergone some sort of personality transplant. Sadly, however, there was one thing teeth whitening hadn’t remedied: my will power. When I started the process I’d vowed to give up smoking. Six months later, I’m back on the fags. Well, you can’t win them all... So it looks like I’ll be popping along to my dentist for yet another top up very soon. Dentiq Implant Centre in Eastbourne offers a range of bespoke dental solutions for all budgets. dentiq.co.uk Philips also offers various proven teeth whitening options. Go to zoomwhitening.com for more information.

“... my teeth were like yellow tombstones, which would make even Pat Butcher look like the epitome of dental hygiene” 46 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

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5 REASONS TO WEIGHT TRAIN 1. It makes things interesting Seriously, if you are interested and involved with what you are doing you are far more likely to keep doing it 2. It makes you strong Things that were hard will suddenly be easy. Oh, and ladies, please don’t worry about bulking out. Unless you are using steroids it won’t happen. The worst is you’ll end up with a figure like Jessica Ennis 3. It helps lose fat Lean muscle is more metabolically active than fat, meaning you will be burning calories even when you are sitting about doing nothing! 4. It can dramatically reduce arthritis pain Recent studies have shown that building muscle helps to cushion the joints, reducing pain. 5. It increases balance, stability and flexibility When we don’t preserve muscle mass with strength training, what happens when we grow older? We lose muscle mass and that’s often what leads to weight gain and loss of balance and flexibility. Lifting weights can help you work your joints through a full range of motion. 48 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

health & fitness

GYMorRAT GYM CHEAT

MAIN IMAGE BY ARENA CREATIVE/SHUTTERSTOCK

IN A FIT OF POSTCHRISTMAS-GLUTTONY GUILT YOU’VE JOINED THE GYM AND EVEN STARTED TO GO. BUT HOW DO YOU KEEP UP THE MOMENTUM? BEN MARSHALL DEBUNKS THE GYM MYTHS

ood news. You’ve joined the gym. Bravo! Now for the bad news… Statistics say most people who join in January, start attending in March and never, ever go back after May. On average gym memberships cost around £50 a month. If you join one of the posher gyms – David Lloyd, Virgin Active, or one of those insanely expensive London health clubs – this can jump to anywhere between £100 and £200 pounds a month. Most people sign a year’s contract, some in a fit of optimism sign up for two years. Since getting out of a gym contract is as tough as leaving the Mafia (you have essentially signed a loan agreement) this is a big financial commitment. To break it down, over the course of a two year contract you might pay as much as £4,800 – a lot even when you treat the place as a second home. If however you do what most people do, and only ever go seven times, each visit will cost you £685. Yep, almost £700 quid a visit. Even if you are slumming it at LA Fitness or Sports Direct and only signed for a year, you could still end up paying over £170 a visit. Worth it for a meal and Heston Blumenthals Fat Duck I grant you, but not to schlep around on a cross trainer for three quarters of an hour.

Myth: the buff, ripped gym goer

The ideal gym member is not the buff, ripped health fanatic pictured on the posters of the big gym chains. Far from it, since such people are in the gym five or six times a week – they are the ones most likely to complain when the showers are cold, or the equipment is broken. In

commercial terms they are an occupational hazard. The preferred member then is one who is neither seen nor heard but pays his fees promptly, a bit like the gluttonous murder victim in Seven. Luckily for the gyms, that’s most members. In 2013 the US based International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) estimated that almost 58 million Americans are now members of gyms or health clubs, with a further 8.3 million paying for non-member patron status. The US fitness industry’s revenue is now in excess of $21.8 billion. Yet despite the expense it is thought that 80 per cent of those Americans who have a gym membership do not use the gym. Equivalent statistics are hard to come by for the UK but are likely to be similar. A branch of LA fitness near my home in Brighton has almost 5,000 members – however most of the door staff, gym instructors and personal trainers I spoke to reckon that the regular gym goers amount to no more than around 400. That’s less than 10% who are actually using the product they bought.

Myth: run to slim

So how do you avoid falling into this trap? Well to begin with steer clear of running machines. Most of you will be joining the gym to lose weight, or more accurately to lose fat. It is almost impossible to run your way to fat loss. In fact Time Magazine recently found that many people who spend time on running machines actually put on weight, since they reward themselves afterwards. Normally with something monstrously tasty like a blueberry muffin and a frappuccino. Running is arduous and for most people hugely boring. The MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 49

health & fitness

brutal facts are these: a light 5,000 pace jog will burn about 200 calories, or two bananas. To lose two stone in weight one would have to run 25 miles a day, every day for two solid months. Of course you may say that you don’t need to lose weight that quickly, but actually most people do want very quick results from a gym.

The path to least resistance

The only sensible way to tackle weight loss is by diet and by resistance training (what most people call weight training). You have to start with diet and that doesn’t mean going on a diet, it means permanently changing your diet. • Avoid any food that comes with a free gift or a Pixar movie tie in. • Avoid sugar, fizzy drinks and diet drinks. • Avoid starchy carbs (potatoes, rice pasta etc) after lunch. • No potatoes in the evening if all you do is veg out in front of the telly. A friend of mine recently dropped three dress sizes just by doing what I recommend above.

Get a personal trainer

This is where a good Personal Trainer comes in. Yes they are expensive, starting in Sussex at about £40 an hour, but you should really only need four or five sessions. All evidence shows that a PT is about the only thing standing between you and a wasted gym membership. How so? Well if, like many people, you regard gyms as intimidating or even hostile, then the first and most obvious service a PT performs is as a guide. He or she will know the gym inside out and will have no qualms about grabbing a bench or a weight, or marking out a workout area. Secondly, messing about with weights is great but it can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. A PT will show you proper form. You’ll get a program and dietary advice. Look at is as speculating to accumulate.

Get real

It is astonishing how many people come into the gym hoping to be able to get the perfect body in just a few weeks. This is understandable given that there is a whole industry promising you a wash board tummy in six weeks. They are lying to you. Think about it, if it really were possible to, say, add With your diet sorted you now need to know how four inches to your biceps in a month then by to use a gym. Most people don’t have a clue, and WHY the end of the year you would have 48 inch why should they? No one is born knowing RUNNING SUCKS biceps. Getting your perfect body, takes how to do a deadlift or a squat. Last year, time. A friend with a beer belly the size of the UK sports equipment manufacturer Running is good for the heart and a Victorian bay window recently asked me Kettler questioned 2,000 gym members lungs and sprinting is good for muscle how long it would take him to get into about their habits and workouts. The development. The most effective way to run is shape. I told him, with hard work, between answers were startling. More than half of in short bursts. Sprint for 30 seconds then walk 3 and six months. “That’s way too long!” he those polled said they don’t do extensive for a minute. Long distance running is hard exclaimed indignantly. It was only when I workouts and 29 per cent said they never on the joints and is NOT a good way to try pointed out that it had taken him 45 years to break a sweat. More than one in ten said and lose weight. A 10km run burns get into this state, so six months was actually they were too self-conscious to do a proper about 800 calories (calculated very fast indeed, that he decided the gym might workout and didn’t want others looking at them. for someone weighing be worth it. But an amazing 39 per cent said they weren’t sure 70kg). And if none of what I have said has motivated you about how to use some equipment and didn’t want to then think on this: if you waste your gym membership you are look stupid by asking. A spokesman for Kettler told the Daily Telegraph: “It’s understandable people feel self-conscious at the gym, essentially subsidising my membership. Every penny you spend and especially if you have joined up to lose a large amount of weight. It can don’t use goes to keeping down the fees for the six day a week, superbe intimidating standing next to really toned bodies or hardcore fitness buff gym rat. Email your fitness questions to ben@sussexstyle.co.uk fans, especially if you are unsure of how to operate equipment.” 50 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

MAIN IMAGE BY ROB WILSON/SHUTTERSTOCK

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MAIN IMAGE BY HELEN CATHCART FROM VENICE, BY KATIE & GIANCARLO CALDESI (HARDE GRANT)

Food & Drink

Sumptuous food from Venice, luxury chocolate eggs and slimming cocktails

MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 53

food news

WHAT’S COOKING EASTER IS UPON US AND SAM BILTON TAKES A LOOK AT THE VERY BEST IN LUXURY CHOCOLATE EGGS

WIN!

COFFEE BREAK BOLNEY ESTATE VINEYARD CAFÉ

Vineyards in South Africa have got the right idea. In amongst the vast swathes of vines you will invariably find a restaurant or cafe selling decent grub as well as top notch wines. This idea finally appears to be catching on in Sussex, with wine estates like Bolney, in Haywards Heath, opening a café on site. The coffee supplied by Monmouth is naturally good with mellow roasted hazelnut notes. Or go for the Estate’s award winning wine. bolneywineestate.com

The Salt Room The team behind the Coal Shed in Brighton have recently unveiled their new seafood restaurant. Situated on the seafront opposite the West Pier, The Salt Room offers a wide selection of sustainably sourced seafood dishes including their signature bouillabaisse (Provencal fish stew). 35 day dry aged Scottish steaks are also available. saltroom-restaurant.co.uk

Luxury Ea ster Egg s

1. Maison du Chocolat Aviator Egg 170g, £35 Filled with praline eggs this egg combines dark, milk and white chocolate. lamaisonduchocolat.co.uk 2. The Giant Golden Lattice Egg £40 1.5kg delicious smooth milk chocolate delicately hand-piped and lustred with gold. marksandspencer.com 3. Solid Chocolate Egg 700g £25. 700g of solid chocolate for you to enjoy. solidchocolateco.co.uk

In Season...

Scallops One of the perks of the cooler months is that many shellfish are in their prime. Oysters get some people hot under the collar but my preference is for the scallop. Frequently found in residence on gastro pub menus across the county, this meaty shellfish is best pan-fried briefly in butter or a touch of olive oil. Serve scallops simply with a squeeze of lemon and a little salt and pepper, although they are robust enough to withstand stronger porky flavours like black pudding or chorizo. Don’t be tempted, like so many restaurants, to discard the peach coloured coral. This makes equally delicious eating in itself and livens up the appearance of what can be an insipid looking creature. Blood Oranges While the days are still grey and chilly inject a bit of brightness into your life in the form of blood oranges. If you’re quick you should still be able to find these juicy globes in the shops before they disappear for another season. Preferring warmer climes, this citrus fruit grows around the Mediterranean, but is also cultivated as far afield as Australia. Unlike their slightly sour cousin, the Seville orange, they are naturally sweet. Externally they look like any other orange but the flesh inside is a deep, intoxicating crimson (hence the name). In culinary terms they can be used like a regular orange, from a simple juice through to classic French dishes like duck à la orange or crêpes suzettes. Try my recipe for Blood Orange Tart on my blog comfortablyhungry.com

ALSO IN SEASON... Cabbage, Cauliflower, Jerusalem Artichokes, Kale, Leeks, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Radishes 54 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

IMAGE CREDITS: QUEEN SCALLOP, SEAFISH IMAGE, WWW.SEAFISH. ORG; BLOOD ORANGES IMAGE, VOLOSINA/SHUTTERSTOCK

Win a copy of Spoonfuls of Honey by Hattie Ellis. We have three copies of this local author’s book to give away. To enter the competition email your name and address to comps@sussexstyle.co.uk

WEDDINGS / RESTAURANT / BEDROOMS / MEETINGS

Dining at Pelham House ~ Delicious and seasonal Pelham House focuses on simple and delicious food, using good quality seasonal and locally sourced produce. We offer a variety of regularly changing menus. The restaurant is the perfect setting for a special lunch or dinner. We also have several additional dining rooms which seat between 4 and 120 guests private dining. Pelham House has a carefully selected list of wines and cocktails to complement our menus. Diners can choose the historic Panelled Room, the charming Garden End Room or to dine alfresco on the stunning south facing Terrace. Our Gallery menu is available from 10:00 until 22:00 for brunch, bar snacks, light meals and pre-dinner drinks and afternoon tea between 3pm and 5pm.

The Restaurant is open daily from 12:00 for lunch, and 18:00 for dinner.

To Book, or for any enquires please contact Pelham House: p: 01273 488600 e: reception @pelhamhouse.com

SPICE food

UP YOUR LIFE

ONE OF THE MOST PROSPEROUS EUROPEAN CITIES DURING THE MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE PERIODS, VENICE WAS A HUB FOR THE SPICE TRADE. SAM BILTON TRACES THIS FRAGRANT LEGACY

56 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

Chicken with Ginger, Saffron and Dates Serves 6

RECIPES FROM VENICE, BY KATIE & GIANCARLO CALDESI (HARDE GRANT). IMAGES BY HELEN CATHCART.

salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 medium chicken, jointed, or 6 chicken thighs 4 tbsp sunflower oil 100 g fresh ginger 3 garlic cloves 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 knob salted butter 1 large white onion, finely chopped 2 bay leaves 3 cm cinnamon stick 4 cloves 650 ml unsweetened almond milk 50g ground almonds 10 medjool dates, stoned and quartered ½ tsp saffron strands small bunch of parsley or coriander to serve (optional) a handful of toasted almonds Season the chicken all over then brown all over in a large frying pan in sunflower oil over a medium heat. Peel the ginger and garlic then pulse together in a food processor until puréed. Alternatively finely grate the ginger and garlic into a bowl. When the chicken is crispy and mid-golden all round, remove from the pan and set aside. Discard the oil. In a large frying pan that has a lid, warm the olive oil and butter together over a medium heat. Fry the onion for around 5 minutes until just becoming soft. Add the ginger and garlic purée, bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves. Transfer the chicken pieces into the pan and stir through to coat the chicken in the spices. Pour over the almond milk and ground almonds, add the dates and scatter over the strands of saffron. Once the milk has come to the boil, turn the heat down and cook for 50 minutes to 1 hour with the lid on, or until the meat is falling from the bone. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Either serve straight away or allow the chicken to cool and pull the meat from the bones with your fingers. Discard the bones and put the meat back into the sauce and reheat when you are ready to serve. Decorate the plate with torn parsley or coriander, if using, and the toasted almonds.

Almond Milk Rice Pudding with Cardamom and Orange Serves 8

“Much of the food served in Venice [today] is simple... We love this simplicity, but what a contrast to the exotic, sensual spicefilled cooking that was once served..”

50g unsalted butter 35g caster sugar 150g Arborio rice 750ml unsweetened almond milk 450ml double cream pinch of salt 3 cardamom pods 1 cinnamon stick 1 strip of orange zest, about 5cm long 30g shelled pistachios, roughly chopped (optional) 2 tbsp clear honey (optional) Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Mix the sugar and rice together in a bowl and then add to the butter, stirring for around 5 minutes so the rice is well coated in the butter and sugar. Add the milk and cream to the pan, then add the salt, cardamom, cinnamon and orange zest, and stir through to combine. Cook for around 25 minutes or until you have a thick, smooth rice pudding. Discard the flavourings. Serve at room temperature or cool and chill before serving. It will thicken on cooling so add a dash of cream or milk to loosen it. Serve in glasses as it is or decorate with pistachios and a swirl of honey. MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 57

likE drinking your firsT day of Holiday Tequila evangelist Cleo Rocos created AquaRiva® Premium Tequila and Organic Agave Syrup in 2011 after working with a Master Blender in Mexico for 10 months. Being featured in the Virgin Atlantic inaugural flight to Mexico in 2012 with Richard Branson, we are proud that AquaRiva® is now available in Virgin Clubhouses. AquaRiva® Tequila is a double gold medal winner in the UK and voted ‘Best of the Best’ in the USA. Available in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, on-line; DrinkUpNY, thedrinkshop.com, Amazon and in clubs and bars nationwide.

THE PErfEcT MargariTa rEciPE:

aquariva.co.uk

35 mls AquaRiva®Tequila

25 mls fresh squeezed lime juice (juice of one lime)

15 mls AquaRiva® organic agave syrup

Shake with plenty of ice and serve in a rocks glass with more ice. Garnish with an orange zest.

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cleo’s cocktails

Cartwheeling cocktails IS YOUR GORGEOUS BODY LOOKING A BIT BLOBBY? YOUR SKIN NOT QUITE AS FLAWLESS AS IT ONCE WAS? CUT OUT THE CHAMPERS AND WINE AND REDUCE THE CALORIES. CLEO ROCOS SHOWS YOU HOW

FAKE PINK GIN (non-alcoholic) For one: One small bottle of tonic water (Fever Tree is a good one) 3 dashes of Angostura Bitters

Serve in a tall glass with ice and garnish with a slice of lime or lemon.

GUAVARITA 35mls AquaRiva 100% agave Tequila Reposado 25mls of Freshly Squeezed lime Juice = 1Lime 10mls Organic agave syrup 20mls Rubicon Guava Juice Half a passion fruit

Shake or stir well over ice and serve in rocks glass with lots of ice. Garnish with half a passion fruit.

much sugar and how many additives are added to a lot of wines/ Champagne/spirits and especially mixers. Here are a few extremely easy and divine recipes that will allow you to socialise in proper trim and be the favourite version of yourself in 2015, without drinking any hidden calories. Follow my easy recipes and you will notice a most welcome difference.

VODKA & LEMON ZEST WITH TONIC 35mls SKKY Vodka Four drops of Grapefruit Bitters Waitrose sugar-free tonic water

Line a tall/Highball glass with a single long piece of lemon peel then add all the ingredients and stir with ice.

STRAWBERRY BLUSH GIN 50 mls Edgerton Pink Gin 200 mls Fever Tree tonic water 2 Dashes of Angostura Bitters 20 mls Funkin Strawberry Puree

Add Gin, Angostura Bitters and Strawberry puree in a shaker with ice and shake. Pour into a tall glass with ice and add the tonic water stirring as you pour.

JOLLY GIMLET 25 mls of freshly squeezed lime juice = 1 lime Dash of Organic agave syrup 50mls Flor de Can Extra Dry White Rum Lime wedge to garish

Stir all the ingredients well OR shake the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Serve in a rocks glass full of ice and garnish with a lime wedge.

CHOCOPRESSO MARTINI 50 mls Chase Vodka 10 mls Organic agave syrup 1 shot of espresso coffee 2 Dashes of Chocolate Bitters

Put all the ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake. Strain and serve in a Martini glass.

MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 59

IMAGE CREDIT: PAUL WEBB

artwheels of major glee…! 2015 arrived and we celebrated in style, looking ravishing and with our glasses charged to the brim while managing to find just a little more room for that irresistible array of culinary naughties. But it’s now time for a few changes, starting with your drinks cabinet. You will be amazed how

Live-in care & companionship in the comfort of your own home.

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0844 209 2646

www.country-cousins.co.uk Country Cousins Est 1959 Countrycousins5 Country Cousins 60 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

MAIN IMAGE: SMOKE HUTS AND BATHERS, OIL ON BOARD BY KATHRYN MATTHEWS, £2400, AVAILABLE FROM TWO KATS AND A COW GALLERY, WWW.TWOKATSANDACOW.COM

Life & Style sponsored by Two Kats and a Cow Gallery, Brighton

Life & Style

MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 61

achting is synonymous with glamour and money. It conjures up images of perfect beauty and unruffled elegance. We think of Jackie Onassis lounging on the world’s first super yacht, The Christina, in the Ionian sea, or in more recent times, the lonesome figure of a doomed Princess Diana, legs dangling from Mohammed Al-Fayed’s yacht, the Jonikal. The world’s finest yachts are floating palaces, decked out with bowling alleys, gyms, Jacuzzis, swimming pools and sumptuous guest suites. They’re the ultimate status symbol: the scene of legendary parties, massive personalities and, of course, scandal. The waters off the coast of Sussex are some of the best in the country, whether for sailing or racing. But if you’re new to this swashbuckling world, where do you start? We spoke to the British Marine Federation (BMF), the trade association for the boating industry, who gave us the

62 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

essential questions that you should be asking a broker when purchasing a new or second-hand yacht.

Before buying your yacht

• Is the broker/dealer a member of an association which operates a Code of Practice/Conduct that its members must adhere to: the British Marine Federation (BMF), Boat Retailers and Brokers Association (BRBA) – (a group association within the BMF), or the Association of Brokers and Yacht Agents (ABYA)? • If you are buying a second hand boat, does your broker operate a properly administered designated client account, and will your purchase monies be kept in this account during the brokerage transaction? • If you are buying a new boat either through a dealer or from stock, what are the payment arrangements, what stage payments, if any, are required and when does title in the boat pass to you?

MAIN IMAGES BY FRAN TISEKHOJDYSZ/SHUTTERSTOCK

desire

Yachts galore!

The yacht. It’s the ultimate millionaire’s toy. But how do you choose one? And where in Sussex do you play with it? Alex Hopkins navigates you through those choppy waters

• Is there marine finance on the boat and if so what are the detailed arrangements for payment and discharge of it prior to completion? • Will the contract contain a specification/inventory? • At what stage does the boat become yours and when do you become responsible for insuring the boat, paying mooring fees etc?

After buying your yacht

• If the boat is registered, will your broker/dealer arrange for transfer of the registration to your name? • If the boat is not registered, will your broker/dealer take care of registration on your behalf? • Consider specific training courses to help you get the most out of your boat. Visit www.rya.org.uk or www.marineleisure.co.uk to find RYA registered training providers.

Look for a British Marine Federation member

When looking where to buy look for a BMF member to buy with the assurance of high quality and reputability. The BMF also has a member association called BMF Boat Retailers and Brokers. This contains over 200 marine businesses operating boat brokers and retailers.

Visit a Boat Show

A Boat Show is the only place where you can see and get on-board a range of boats and speak to a variety of experts in one place. The BMF run the two biggest Boat Show’s in the UK – London Boat Show (January) and Southampton Boat Show (September). These Shows are the easiest way to really get an understanding of what is out there – the London Show exhibits around 400 boats, whereas the Southampton Boat Show exhibits over 600. Also, the businesses will make sure their

desire

top experts are on hand to help you with making your mind up and offer you the opportunity to book a future demo. “It’s very big and pretty, but where am I going to put it…?”

Anchors Awards. Discover the wildlife along The Salterns Way, choose one of the many quiet anchorages or take a trek along the canal path to elegant Chichester. A thoroughly tranquil experience awaits you.

Brighton Marina

Port Solent

The big boy of Marinas! This is the UK’s largest marina, offering unrivalled access to the open water and the perfect starting point for your exploration of the south coast or a leisurely voyage to France. It offers a variety of berthing and boatyard services, ideal for large yachts or motorboats. The site boasts an intoxicating array of restaurants and sumptuous cocktail bars.

Chichester Marina

Soak up the stunning natural beauty of the harbour before you head out to the Solent. Nestled in the picturesque countryside of Chichester, this marina is the recipient of the Yacht Harbour Association’s Five Gold 64 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

Yes, it’s just across the border in Portsmouth, Hampshire, but no round-up of top local marinas would be complete without the stunning Port Solent Marina and Boatyard. A winner of The Yacht Harbour Associations’ Five Gold Anchors Award, this marina offers 24-hour access to the Solent and new luxury Berth Holder facilities. Sip a cocktail in one of the many restaurants before you take to the high seas.

Littlehampton Marina

This small, family owned marina really is a lesser known gem. It’s situated on the West bank of the River Arun in the middle of the West Sussex

MAIN IMAGE BY ANGELO PICCOLO/SHUTTERSTOCK

“With its many creeks and harbours, the Solent has been a beautiful cruising ground area, enjoyed by yachting enthusiasts, for generations. You’ll find yachts from all over the world here”

The annual Cowes week is the highlight on the Solent calendar. It’s the longest-running regular regatta in the world, with 40 daily races, up to 1000 boats and 8000 competitors. It started in 1826 and is run by Cowes Week Limited, in the small town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

What a motley crew

Sussex is full of intriguing characters. Imagine what would happen if they all got together on a yacht. Calm or carnage? You decide…

The geriatric millionaire

Bernard of Chichester is 84 and has had a tough year. Everything changed when his nagging wife of 30 years, Margaret, mysteriously carked it. His friends were deeply worried about him: how on earth was he going to cope? But the life insurance policy seems to have provided a modicum of solace – and who would have thought it would be worth MILLIONS? Bernard’s been getting out and about like nobody’s business. And what better way to celebrate his new life – and libido than hopping on a yacht? And who better to take along than that lovely young thing he bumped into down that Brighton casino?

The 22 year old floozy

Laycee-Mae-Pinot simply had to get off that Moulsecoomb estate. It really was not her. It’s been a tumultuous journey from pre-fab council house to reality TV star, feted for boobs bigger than the Downs. With husband number four binned (he didn’t measure up in any respect), all lovely Laycee really cares about is that the yacht has a pool, plenty of Sambuca and some very hot Latino waiters to cater to her every need…

The Russian oligarch coast and is just a few minutes walk from the railway station. There are a range of mooring options available, and while this marina can’t offer some of the major services provided by its bigger neighbours, it’s exceptionally welcoming and friendly. And there’s the bonus that it’s very close to Arundel and Amberley for that scenic family day out.

Shenanigans on the Solent

The Solent – 20 miles long and one to four miles wide - is the strait that separates the Isle of Wight from mainland Europe. With its many creeks and harbours, the Solent has been a beautiful cruising ground area, enjoyed by yachting enthusiasts, for generations. It’s particularly busy on fine weekends in the summer and great sailing can be enjoyed in the week, even out of season. You’ll find yacht owners who have sailed to Brittany and Holland and, of course, all those who keep their boats in the Mediterranean.

Mikhail is worth more than anyone can possibly imagine. In fact, even he’s not sure he can imagine how much he could be worth – particularly since the mysterious disappearance of his business partner – you know, that intensely secretive bloke, rumoured to be ex-KGB, who was last seen sipping a cup of Green tea on the balcony of that top Brighton hotel…Anyway, this voyage is going to be a nice break from him and he needs to let off steam since that very costly divorce from that former Miss Vladivostok 1986. Bring on rampant champagne fuelled parties, with lots of pretty girls with very big assets!

The Trust fund girl

Prudence Chasity-Chambers, former head girl at Roedean Independent School, was always going to end up on a yacht. It was only a matter of time. Luxury, you see, is in her genes. Father, who now runs the family estate just outside Arundel, has arranged it all. And it’s going to be the perfect break after the tiresome rigours of that Swiss finishing school. All she needs now is to find herself an obscenely rich man who can keep her in the style to which she has become accustomed… MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 65

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Travelling to success You’ve worked in the travel industry for other 30 years, arranging people’s holidays for them, when did you know that this was the career for you? I was never one of those people that went and did the whole travelling thing as a youngster. I left college and went to work. We never really did “holidays”, in the package holiday, booking with an agent sense. My father was Italian but as a family, because my father hated driving, my mother would drive us overland to Italy, to different areas, and we would rent a villa somewhere. Mum would make the driving easy: we’d do it in three days. We’d stop overnight in a couple of different places on the way down but she would drive it - there and back - every year. This was in the late 60s/ early 70s. My brother and sister-in-law have a business out in Tuscany so I do still travel out there - though not by car! The beginning of the 1980s is when I first went into travel properly and, aside from a couple of times out of it, I’ve been in it ever since. The travel-bug does kind of get you; it’s a lovely industry to be in - it’s a nice thing to be doing, you know, it’s a lovely thing in all our lives to go on holiday and to travel.

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You set up you own business in 2006, what is the best piece of advice you can give to readers who might be thinking of taking the same step? Hang onto your sense of humour and be able to be self-effacing. At the end of day, some people are always going to try and make problems for you and I think it’s important to remain grounded and to be able to laugh at yourself. That’s how I get through the day! It’s the most important thing ever to keep your sense of humour. Sometimes life can be really stressful and, if you can find a funny side to it, that will help you through. The recession has had a massive impact on small businesses. How did you make sure you survived? At the upper end of the market the recession doesn’t really hurt people. They may have taken a hit on some of their investments where the interest rate is low and they may tweak things a little bit, but they’re not going to go without

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SUSSEX’S FIRST LADY OF TRAVEL SPEAKS TO OLENKA COGIAS ABOUT SURVIVING THE RECESSION, HER SECRET ESCAPES AND THE NEW LOVE IN HER LIFE

a holiday. Even with the people that don’t have such deep pockets, they all work so hard, they like to have something, a time of the year, even if it’s just one holiday, that they can focus on and look forward to as their treat and their time to just kick-back and not think about work. So I think even though things are tough out there for some people, even those people will still take a holiday of some shape or form. It may not be what they used to take, but they do tend to find the money to do something, even if it’s cut-back from what they’d normally do. What would be your dream holiday? One place that I haven’t been that I’ve been dying to go to and that I actually am going to in May this year is Dubai; so, that will be another one I can check off the list. Funnily enough, also in the Middle-East, I also quite fancy going to Oman. I’ve had a number of clients that I’ve sent over there and it just sounds amazing. I’d love to go there too. If I could forget about the distance of flights; because, although I’m a travel agent and I’m not frightened of flying, I do get so board on flights, I’d love to go and do South Africa: go down to Cape Town, do the Winelands, do a bit of safari. South Africa would be amazing.

You travel so much as part of your work, would you ever live abroad? I do have a bit of wanderlust actually. In 2010 I rented a beautiful house in south-west France. I put my business, my clothes and whatever I needed in my car and I drove down there and spent two months living and working there. Fortunately, I can take my business anywhere: I can work sitting in Costa coffee or sitting on a beach somewhere. As long as I’ve got a wi-fi connection, I can work! I have had times of aspiring to live overseas but I’ve got this new little four-legged friend in my life these days. He’s just an absolute joy but also a responsibility. He’s a bit of a Heinz 57, a cross between a Staffie and a Westie. I’ve had him just over a year now and that’s changed my life beyond my expectation - in a positive way, I hasten to add. So much of your life is spent thinking about places overseas. What is your favourite travel destination in England? Honestly, I’m really rubbish about travelling in the UK, I guess partly because of what I do: if I want to go somewhere, I feel it needs to involve an aeroplane! I think, as Brits, we are really lucky: we have a beautiful part of the world on our doorstep. I particularly love the South Downs; Ditchling Beacon. One of the places I really like is Stanmore Park. I love to go down there for a walk through the lovely woods and then walk on to the place itself and sit and have a coffee. It’s just perfect. MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 67

mum on the run

Prematurely old

“I came downstairs one morning only to be told by my young son that my skirt was too short” 68 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

IMAGE CREDIT: JOHN ROMAN IMAGES/SHUTTERSTOCK

y son and his friends HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO record, I was yet to put on my jeans and I was seem to be morphing SIX YEAR OLDS TAKING UP merely wearing a long top, but immediately I was taken back to my teenage years, standing on into a group of old age KNITTING AND WEARING the stairs being told by my father that I certainly pensioners right in front CARPET SLIPPERS? WHAT was “not going out in that!” of my eyes and I am ON EARTH IS GOING ON? But other mums also seem to be having the fearless to do anything same experience with their kids: a very good about it. He and his friends wouldn’t be out of IT’S ANOTHER PARENTAL place on the Loose Women panel with all their DILEMMA FOR LAURA JANDAC friend of mine has been teaching her son how to knit almost every weekend. He loves it. views and opinions on current affairs. Flitting Addicted to his slippers and always from a conversation about lego to five minutes later discussing world war one, these six year olds seem to be growing requiring warm milk before he goes to bed, my son has prematurely aged. There is something quite adorable though. So innocent. As I tuck up eerily fast. Whilst having a friend over for tea my son was discussing a him in bed, all dressed up in his plaid pyjamas, he tells me he is tired classmate, Adam*. Said friend joined in stating, “I don’t know what because he has “had a hell of a day”. I am realising though that your children are simply a reflection you. happened to Adam, he used to be such a lovely boy”. I quite expected So perhaps it is me who is old before my time? After all, I have certainly him to ask for a cup of tea and a slice of Victoria sponge. When my son asked me why the police in America shot a black been known to tut at teenagers riding their bikes on the pavement and I teenager I panicked and looked for the door. How can you explain such complain at the rising cost of utility bills on a daily basis. So as I snuggle big issues to such small people? Years ago we all dreaded the birds and on the sofa with a hot chocolate and Midsomer Murders, I will just remind myself that getting old isn’t so bad – all the kids are doing it. the bees chat, but I would have traded quite happily that day. *Names have been changed to protect the innocent and save face I’m not lying when I say that a few weeks ago I came downstairs one morning only to be told by my son that my skirt was too short. For the in the playground.

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daniel raven

here’s an old episode of Frasier in DAN RAVEN TAKES A LOOK characteristics were banality and insincerity. which the titular psychoanalyst AT THE HISTORY OF BANTER. What it very definitely wasn’t was something nurses an ambition to do the TV IS IT REALLY JUST HARMLESS you’d go around claiming to be the master of. But what a difference five years, several commentary for a big Macy’s FUN OR SOMETHING A BIT million episodes of Top Gear and an abortive Day-style parade on the streets of his town. He eventually MORE SERIOUS? OR ARE WE Dapper Laugh make – because, as I’m sure I need ALL JUST LOSING OUR hardly tell you, banter is all the rage in this day lands the job but of course manages to screw and age. Sadly, though, this is not due to any it up royally on the day, and is left feeling SENSE OF HUMOUR? general consensus that it’s just too good a word depressed and humiliated... until he runs into not to use (which it is, btw), but rather to its the legendary local broadcaster who used to do the commentary for the same parade when Frasier was a boy. “You newfound function as a blanket excuse for almost any kind of appalling did some real nice work out there today,” says the legend, and Frasier’s behaviour. Upset your mother-in-law with a remark about her weight? face lights up like a star-struck child’s; they have a short chat and the Banter. Reduced your wife to tears by telling her you never really loved crestfallen egghead is much reassured, but still cannot restrain himself her and then snogging her terminally ill sister? That’ll be the banter too. from holding up the heavy script of “spontaneous” remarks he’d planned Hounded a schoolgirl to suicide over the internet, for no other reason to exchange with his co-host that day and shyly asking, “Is there any than that you simply didn’t like her face? TOP BANTS!! I can’t really pretend that this is a 21st century phenomenon, because chance that... you’d like to join me in a little banter?” I know, right? Not all that funny now. But when that episode first I used to see pretty much the same thing going on as far back as the aired, it totally was, because in those days “banter” was the sort of word eighties – only, back then, the clarion call was not “It’s just banter” but – like “shindig” or “miscreant” – that no normal person would ever really “You’ve got no sense of humour”... Same difference, I suppose, but let’s use unless they were trying to be sarcastic. Banter was a small thing that at least do all we can to reclaim this lovely word from the barbarians. small people did, usually because they were trying to get something News reaches me that Mike Stuchbery, an English teacher at Lynn Grove out of you. It was what used to happen when a smarmy local radio DJ High School in Great Yarmouth, has banned his pupils from using it in suddenly found himself in a position to interview a smarmy proper DJ, class; we could all do worse than to follow his example (it doesn’t have to or a PR consultant found herself in a lift full of other PR consultants, be a free speech issue if we just treat it as a really bad swear word...!). And or a Delboyesque market trader tried to lure an unsuspecting rube into the next time someone tells you “It’s just banter”, look them straight in buying a wizened Moulinex: a dunce’s idea of wit, whose chief defining the eye and say, “Oh, right – I wondered why it wasn’t funny”. 70 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

IMAGE CREDIT: PIO3/SHUTTERSTOCK

Bit of banter

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WONDER WALL

HOW DO WE PREPARE CHILDREN FOR AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE? IT IS BECOMING A CLICHÉ TO POINT OUT THAT MANY OF THEM WILL WORK IN JOBS THAT DON’T YET EXIST, SO WHAT CAN SCHOOLS AND PARENTS DO TO GIVE OUR CHILDREN THE BEST POSSIBLE START?

t Pennthorpe School, near Horsham, we believe that the key is to inspire children with a passion for learning; to nurture curiosity and wonder in students who are not afraid to take risks, to fail and to try again. Pupils are encouraged to be reflective; to understand their own learning style and use it as a platform for creativity. They take timetabled lessons in Learning 2 Learn, helping them to build up a toolkit of study skills and encouraging them to think and express themselves. Pennthorpe pupils learn to work together, to develop resilience and to stretch themselves beyond the confines of a standard curriculum. Wandering through the classroom block here, you may find Year 6 creating huge models of Joule Islands in order to learn about energy conservation in our laboratories; Year 2 exploring our woodlands on a Polar Bear hunt as part of their creative writing and Year 8 using netbooks and tablets in the library to research History projects. It is no wonder that children here speak with such enthusiasm about what they are learning. (It shows in their results too; in the last two years our leavers have won a total of 43 scholarships to their senior school in a breadth of areas, ranging from Art to Academic and from Music to Sport. Perhaps most gratifyingly we always achieve a healthy number of all-rounder awards, recognising the breadth and variety of the curriculum that all our pupils enjoy.) Truly successful learners don’t just answer questions they learn to ask their own. Our Wonder Wall is a testament to this, with children of all ages quick to pose or respond to teasers, such as: Will robots ever make better doctors than humans or What makes something Art? By Friday afternoons our weekly Big Questions noticeboard is a sea of writing. Head of Lower School, Nicky Goddard, puts the creative thinking of the children down to excellent teaching. “We are so lucky here,” she says, “to work with such a committed and passionate group of teachers and to be able to be more imaginative in what we teach and have higher expectations than most schools. So many pupils join us further up the school who don’t lack for knowledge but do demonstrate a limited understanding. They might be able to do the sum or recognise the grammar but they simply can’t apply this to different scenarios. A narrowing curriculum can narrow horizons and create a fear of failure that inhibits growth and curiosity. As our prospectus states: we know there are few limits to what can be achieved when you tap the source of a child’s wonder.” Pennthorpe is helping children to become adaptable learners ready to succeed in a changing world. If you would like to come and see us in action please call Fiona Long on 01403 822391 to book a personal tour.

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minxy mann yeager

of your life. o there I was, busily not minding A CHANCE ENCOUNTER, I am reliably informed that we sleep for an my own business at the fabulous VIA FACEBOOK, WITH A PILE average of 8,477 days; never have I been more cocktail party for one that is OF JELLY BEANS, LEAVES grateful for the curse of insomnia and decent Facebook on a Wednesday night, THE IRREPRESSIBLE MINXY espresso. I slowly absorb the litany of figures, and after all the grown-ups have gone PONDERING HOW MUCH I work out that what is left over is less than 3000 to bed. Among the chit-chat, salacious gossip and amusing memes that make TIME WE ALL WASTE. WHAT’S days...This really got me thinking so I grabbed up my cyber salon, I was suddenly arrested by a THE BEST WAY TO FIND THE a calculator: actually I grabbed my mobile phone, and worked out that I have already used particular post that had me clicking through to MEANING IN LIFE AND BE up 17,805 days! I do not feel or look old, yet the link in two sips of a Sloe gin. TRUE TO OURSELVES? according to this jolly little epic, almost two Just what was it that made me sit up on thirds of my life is already over. In the last few the sofa and re-adjust my reading specs? It was a pile of jelly beans. Now I am as partial to a sweetie as you, but these years I have seen contemporaries fall ill, some die and some robbed of weren’t just ordinary run-of-the-mill, stuff em in your gob, 79 synthetic their ability to do what they truly love. All of this should depress me, yet it doesn’t. We have one chance flavours of sugar, no; they were my J Alfred Prufrock moment. Instead of measuring “out my life with coffee spoons”, as Elliott said, mine were in this life and we must make of it what we want; ever mindful of that fact I look back at the figures and realise that many of us spend our being measured out in jelly beans! The video starts with a giant pile of shiny multi-coloured candies; lives working in jobs we are shoehorned into for economic reasons, approximately 28,835 of them which represent the lifespan of a typical which makes those 3000 days even more important. We need to seek human being. More to the point, they represented MY life, spilled about the happiness and fulfilment we all deserve; to be enriched by art, music, the floor in a random and haphazard fashion: no direction, no pattern literature and science. Many well-worn platitudes spring to mind: carpe diem, feel the fear and no clear path. To say my mortal coil was unwound would be an and do it anyway…etc… ad infinitum. Yet they are all true, they all understatement! A single bean is picked up; this is “Day One”, the very first day; your exhort us to make the most of every day and to really live our lives, not birthday. Add another 364 and you’ve already completed your first year. just exist. J Alfred Prufrock asks “Do I dare disturb the universe?...Do I The film moves forward and collects together 5,475 beans, your mid- dare to eat a peach?” I say yes, bang your drum, sing your song, blend the teens and the scariest fact is that you’ve already frittered away an eighth peach into a Bellini and suck the juice out of life’s jelly beans. MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 73

IMAGE CREDIT: BRIAN A JACKSON/SHUTTERSTOCK

Counting the jelly beans

Languages at

in a world which is getting ever smaller

On the cliffs looking across the English Channel to the continent, there can be no doubt that Roedean is looking outward. When the Lawrence sisters founded the school in 1885, it was to prepare young women for entry to two newly opened Cambridge colleges for girls, and thereafter to play a meaningful and leading role in society. Today, Oliver Blond, the Headmaster, is determined that girls will develop the skills to be future leaders – if you can “get encouragement and self-confidence right, with the school ‘a platform for women to go out and feel that anything is possible,’ good exam results will be the by-product.” (Good Schools’ Guide 2014). Academically, the girls at Roedean are increasingly successful, and last year’s GCSE were the best in the school’s history, with 75% of results awarded A*-A, including excellent grades in languages. Girls can choose from over twenty curriculum subjects in the Sixth Form, currently including four modern and classical languages. Lower down the school, the pre-eminence of French as the first foreign language has been superseded by a free choice of two Modern Foreign Languages from four. Spanish is very popular, but, in addition to the main western European languages and Latin, Russian has been introduced as an option in Year 9 this year. Nearly a third of the year-group made the brave decision to choose this language with no previous experience of it, and almost all have recently decided to continue with it to GCSE level. Russia is a world-player in the 21st century, and, given the current conflict between Russia and the Ukraine, an understanding of the language and culture of the region would help young people to understand the situation there. Experience of using a different alphabet would certainly be a useful stepping-stone

for students who hope to learn an Oriental or Middle Eastern language in the future, but a knowledge of Russian will also give access to the former Soviet republics. There is little chance, for example, that we will learn Azeri or Kazakh or Georgian, but the peoples of these countries will speak Russian fluently for another generation. Considering the commercial potential and vast oil reserves in these countries, an ability for us to be able to communicate well with them would be a huge asset in the future. Individual tuition in other languages is also available at Roedean, and there are a number of girls in the more senior years who are learning Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Ancient Greek, and Italian. Roedean’s community benefits hugely from the diversity which comes from the combination of girls from the immediate local area (82% of girls in KS3), international students, and British girls from ex-pat families; the world view and cultural tolerance which this affords the girls is valued highly. In the latest edition of the girls’ magazine, the Boudicca Bulletin, they have written articles about Indian politics, FGM, and Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution, highlighting their understanding of international issues. Thanks to globalisation and the ease of travel nowadays, the world is becoming a smaller and smaller place, where the ability to communicate well is paramount. Gone are the days when people go abroad and speak English slowly and loudly; in stark contrast to Britain’s notorious apparent inability to learn languages, girls at Roedean are encouraged to buck the national trend and be successful language-learners. For further information please visit: www.roedean.co.uk Open Day: Bank Holiday Monday 4 May 2015

book club

b u l c k o

SPRING IS HERE! BUY YOURSELF A BUNCH OF DAFFODILS AND SETTLE DOWN WITH A CUP OF TEA AND SLICE OF CAKE TO ENJOY A NEW BOOK. HERE’S LAURA LOCKINGTON’S SELECTION

THE AMBER KEEPER by Freda Lightfoot (Lake Union Publishing) A young girl, Millie, who is a maid in a large house in The Lake District, witnesses a visiting Russian Countess indulging in a secret rendezvous with a gardener in the summer house. The Countess, to her immense surprise, offers her a job as governess to her two unruly children. Soon, she is on her way to St Petersburg. The Russian empire in 1911 is a world away from Millie’s normal life, and the arrival of Stefan in it causes her heart to beat a little faster than it should. Generations later, Abbie seeks out her grandmother, Millie, by now an old woman, and gradually teases out her life story. This is a wonderful sweeping saga of a book.

by David Nicholls (Hodder & Stoughton) This is a deeply felt book written by the master of the light hand. It covers the long forgotten joys and upsets of a marriage. I can think of no other writer other than William Nicholson, who writes with such warmth, understanding and affection of married love. It also helps, of course, that it’s very funny indeed. Connie and Douglas are going through a bad patch in their marriage, but a grand European holiday has been long booked. Connie decides that they should go ahead with it, so they embark on a family Grand Tour. Expect joy, sadness, laughter and tears.

WIN!

LOVE LETTERS OF GREAT MEN & WOMEN edited by Ursula Doyle (Pan) It’s usually books that inspire films. But in this case it was the scene in Sex and the City where Carrie is in bed with Mr Big, having borrowed his reading glasses, reading a book, wistfully asking, “Why does no-one write love letters anymore?” Well, of course we do, but they are in the form of texts and e-mails and are long deleted. Thank goodness a publisher had a bright idea of making this fictional volume a reality, as this is a romantic kiss of a book. There are letters here from a huge range of figures, including from King Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn. Romantic lines of yearning and raw naked passion sing out from every page.

We have three copies of The Amber Keeper up for grabs, just email comps@sussexstyle.co.uk MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 77

Your LocaL Independent KItchen StudIo

the Kitchen people 61 the high Street, Lindfield West Sussex rh16 2hn tel: 01444 484 868 email: paul@kitchenpeople.co.uk 78 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

www.facebook.com/kitchenpeople @kitchenpsarah

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Home & Garden Interior design with beautiful chinoiserie wallpaper, and upcyling

MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 79

IT’S LIKE BUYING A TAILORED

Laura De La Mare’s name is synonymous with interior style amongst the privileged and wealthy

SUIT THAT FITS THE ROOM EXACTLY.

80 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

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on’t mention interior design to Laura De La Mare. “I can’t bear the idea of interior decorating. My house has evolved over the last 20 years, I didn’t sit down and decide to do this that and the other - I’m allergic to that in my own house. I have to work like that if I’m working with a decorator but it’s just not me - I’m not an interior decorator.” This isn’t affectation: it only takes one look at De La Mare’s work to see that her talent and interest go far beyond colourwheels and light-fittings. Her privileged clientele certainly think so; she has built up an international business based on word-of-mouth recommendation alone. So how would she describe herself? “I’m a decorative artist, I’m not an interior decorator and I’d never pretend to be because I’m not interested in door-handles.” She breaks off with a puckish chuckle. “I get really impatient when I have to think about lampshades and stuff like that. I will help someone. I’ve advised on colour for rooms, helped people choose colours. If someone’s having problems I’ll help them, it’s just not my main interest. I’m more painterly.” This candid response, typical of De La Mare, exhibits her personality perfectly. Intelligent, focused and direct; and yet, she is also the most convivial woman you could hope to meet. Keen to please, her roguish sense of humour and intense passion for decor, combine to make her very charismatic indeed. It is little wonder that her affluent clients continue to recommend her within their privileged circles. Despite her obvious talent, design was not De La Mare’s first calling; she studied Fine Art at St Martins College then “when I

left St Martins I went and worked for a studio in London where they taught restoration, gilding, lacquering, painted furniture, murals. I worked there for about three or four years and it sort of expanded.” When she had her children she “side-stepped into the more decorative arts because it was easier to do - it didn’t require shutting yourself off for three days in a studio.” Those lucky enough to be able to commission De La Mare’s services will be glad she made the move into design. Her knowledge and creativity make her a singularly formidable talent. However, she has no plans to take her designs to the massmarket: “it’s more lucrative in a way to do say two jobs with the bespoke thing in a year than to try and sell wallpaper rolls for thirty quid. I’m not really a sales-person” she laughs. It’s hard to imagine De La Mare, whose attention to detail and methodical commitment to a project are emblematic, being satisfied enough with anything a factory could produce to put her name to it. The surviving art of handpainted wallpaper is testament to the enduring appeal of the bespoke over the mass-produced and formed the nucleus of De La Mare’s last major project. “I did these wallpaper panels [see photographs opposite], with the peonies and the birds, which was based on an eighteenth-century design. That was inspired. I did quite a lot of research, the clients wanted their own spin on it, they wanted certain birds and insects that were important to them. It was for a wedding venue in Buckinghamshire, a beautiful Strawberry-Hill Gothic house. Twenty-nine three metre high panels.” De La Mare gives another laugh, “so that took quite a long time to hand-paint each one! It took four months to paint

“I’m a decorative artist, not an interior decorator. I’d never pretend to be interested in door-handles”

MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 81

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the panels; and that was not including the design, a month into the kind of Kelly Hoppen neutrals at all. For me - more of just working out logistics. There’s actually quite a lot of maths, is more! Colour is very important to me so my house is very geometry, involved in working out the designs: how they’re going colourful. There’s a lot of colour! the house is the canvas - I could to fit into the spaces, how they repeat. Actually, another interesting paint a room blue one day and think ‘no, actually I’ll paint it thing about this project was that each panel was different so, rather pink’. It’s about not being too precious about it.” Objects are a major source of inspiration too. “I collect a than a wallpaper, each panel was like an individual painting in a lot of French China - we used to sense.” have a house in Normandy so I De La Mare’s own character used to just go to all the markets is as visible in her work as the and buy this French china that I client’s brief and she comes CAPTURING CHINOISERIE suspect is 1920s or 1930s. I used alive when discussing her own one of the rose patterns as one influences and passions in design. Chinoiserie: “A decorative or fine art object of the patterns on my wallpaper. She fondly describes her own in a style of design or decoration that uses I collect vintage overalls or home of 21 years as a collection or copies Chinese motifs or methods” [The pinnies and dresses, some of of inspiring objects: a living Chambers Dictionary 11th Edition] the prints on them are brilliant. monument to her artistic milieu. I’ve got cupboards full of 1940s Her knowledge of art and design “It was a sign of how rich you were if you had and 1950s dresses - just for is profound and history is an Chinese wallpaper in your boudoir in the late the fabrics, not because I wear imaginative resource she draws seventeenth and the eighteenth-century. Most them! My house is actually like on substantially: particularly, the stately homes of the time would have a Chinese a big collection of all the textiles, eighteenth-century when “things room: lacquered and gilded furniture, Chinese china and books and paintings were properly and beautifully wallpaper, beds draped in embroideries and I’ve collected over the years.” made”. The Scottish Adams silk. Funnily enough the Chinoiserie things, To De La Mare, these are the brothers are favourites (Robert, certainly the wallpapers, were not usually in the ingredients you need to make a John and James: in Sussex, they state rooms, it was very much in the women’s house a home: “comfort, colour, were responsible for the entrance boudoirs and where ladies would entertain, eclectic, mixing the old with the lodges at Ashburnham Place take tea and gossip. new.” We bemoan the modern [1785] and the remodelling of obsession with minimalism Marlborough House, Brighton, Soon, people who couldn’t afford the handin design. “No one’s got any [1786]) Their influence is painted stuff wanted to have their own imagination,” she sighs. Not apparent in her enthusiastic wallpaper, as it was a status symbol.” quite no one, I smile to myself. enjoyment of colour: “I’m not

LAURA’S SUSSEX “I love Charleston in East Sussex, you know the Bloomsbury place where every square inch is painted and decorated. I would have enjoyed working with Vanessa Bell, anyone at Charleston House actually: Charleston is sort of twentiethcentury but it’s just wonderful. I do love Petworth House as well; that’s amazing, that’s seventeenth-century. Some of the rooms in there are just

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stunning: the Carved Room, the big murals in the main hall and the marble hall, and all the Turner’s built into what was the dining-room, actually built into the panels in the wall. Then there’s the library where Turner painted, which is occasionally opened up to the public, which is really lovely. I’m very lucky because, from my house, I get to look at the same views that probably Turner looked at: they haven’t changed really. It’s just a lovely place to be.”

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had always thought that competitiveness UPCYCLING IS THE TREND raised and the admiration and respect greater. between men far surpassed that of THAT REFUSES TO GO AWAY. One friend who will certainly remain nameless stole a chair from a restaurant. It takes pride women. It starts young with who can AND NOW IT IS STARTING of place in her bedroom duly painted and rethrow the furthest or who can build the TO PUSH LAURA JANDAC’S upholstered. It’s verging on being her most biggest Lego house and as they get older it FEMALE FRIENDS TO EVER favourite possession and there is not a scrap of turns into who can drink the most or pee the highest. The tables may be turning though. COMPETITIVE AND BIZARRE remorse. Distance travelled also earns the explorer Upcycling - the not-so-new phenomenon EXTREMES points. Anyone can pick something up from that refuses to go away - seems to have sent within their own postcode but if you have girlfriends of mine into competitive overdrive. It used to be that we would all ooh and ah over bargain buys from travelled to Cornwall for that elusive chair or to a small village outside charity shops and jumble sales, congratulating our fellow bargain Accrington for that table – all hail. Even I’ve undertaken a four hour hunters on their purchases and subsequent achievements, but it would round trip to pick up a 99p chair from Ebay. Admittedly, once I’d appear that the need to find a piece of furniture in the most unlikely of calculated the fuel costs it wasn’t the bargain it initially hinted at being, places has turned into the sport itself. Not content with finding things but I leave some information out when telling the story. So it appears that without war wounds, huge fuel receipts or even just any old where, we now have to search the weird and the wonderful a criminal record, upcycling has lost its appeal. It seems to be the to outdo the rest of the sisterhood. I have a friend who spends most Sunday mornings at the local tip. adventure we are after, the risk taking. The fact you come home with a She is on first name terms with the men in yellow jackets and even bedside table at the end of it is neither here nor there. Some sports are has a sprained ankle to prove her dedication to the cause when she fell for spectating, so I think I am going take early retirement and watch from the sidelines as my friends try and out-do each other. It certainly literally climbing over rubbish. If there is the possibility of a custodial sentence the stakes are beats hair pulling and scratching.

“With upcycling if there is the possibility of a custodial sentence the stakes are raised and the respect greater” MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 89

IMAGE CREDIT: ZASTOLSKIY VICTOR/SHUTTERSTOCK

War wounds

dear cleo

A problem shared Q

baby needs feeding then you must feed her. If I am a 40 year old happily married man. BREASTFEEDING, you make an effort to be discreet, you have no Recently, I have discovered I have a very UNREASONABLE SEXUAL reason to feel self-conscious. You are a mother embarrassing itch on what I can only call “an DEMANDS AND AN and breast feeding is what most mothers do. You intimate part of my anatomy”. I have applied EMBARRASSING ITCH. JUST should not be made to feel that you are doing various moisturisers to it, but it simply won’t ASK CLEO ROCOS anything wrong. budge. I really have no idea what to do and do not wish to talk to people about it - my wife included, for fear they may jump to the wrong conclusion. My husband and I have been married for 10 years. Recently, Darling, moisturisers may improve the appearance and plump up any I was on the family computer and the browser history came creases of your intimate affected area but they are absolutely not the up with a number of links to porn sites. I investigated and was answer. They are not medicated and therefore not a cure. Anything that shocked by what my husband had clearly been watching. He is now itches of course, demands to be scratched and you run a great risk of demanding that we indulge in similar types of sexual behaviour in getting an infection around your prized intimate region when doing so. bed. These are very new to me and I feel really uncomfortable about If you look under a microscope at even the smallest specks of dirt that this. What should I do? I don’t want him to go off and seek pleasure can live under the fingernails, the amount of throbbing bacteria heaving elsewhere... with vile germs will, I am sure, astonish you. There is a chance that it Oh, how tedious of him. He obviously has too much time on his hands. may be a sign of something a lot more serious than just an itch too. It It all sounds rather unsavoury and tacky. You say in your letter that he is may also be contagious and I can assure you that if your wife becomes now “demanding” that you indulge in similar sexual acts. No person has the recipient of some unidentified gusset rash, you may soon not remain a right to demand sexual acts of any sort from another person. From your quite as happily married as you are now. If this is worrying you to the letter, he sounds capable of being overbearing and selfish. point of writing to me then you should definitely be seeing your doctor. Well, it seems to me that you have some clear choices. Firstly, you may It is something that you need to deal with. You are a grown man. Be find that you might like to try something new and therefore you must responsible and get it properly seen to. Think how you will cartwheel decide what you are willing to indulge in and not be forced into anything with glee and how wonderful you will feel when your bothersome itch you are not happy to do. Secondly, if you are unsure but think that you is cured. might try something because you love him, then he needs to recognise this and make an effort by giving you something in return. Think of I have recently given birth to my first adorable child. There’s something that you really want or that he can do for you and come to an been so much in the press about breastfeeding, which is understanding. Think big…!!! If you both get the things you want then at something I do do at home. Recently, I was in Waitrose and my baby least that works on some level. Thirdly, if you are not comfortable and don’t began screaming uncontrollably, demanding to be fed. I had to feed want to try any of his new, porny, sex moves, then don’t. Fourthly, nowhere in your letter do you mention being “happily her in public and I felt very self-conscious about this. This wasn’t helped by a number of people who gave me really nasty looks. How married” or indeed “in love”. Perhaps this is an oversight on your part but it just might be an indication that now is a good opportunity for should I handle this situation if it happens again? Firstly, huge congratulations on the birth of your much cherished baby you both to re-evaluate how you do feel about each other. Your husband girl. As a new mother you obviously want to take the best possible care certainly seems to possess a great capacity to care for his own happiness, of your baby and make sure that she is fed when she needs to be. You no matter how uncomfortable his demands make you feel. Just because are clearly self-conscious about breast feeding in public but sometimes you are married doesn’t automatically mean it’s still a good idea for you there is no way around that. If you are somewhere in public and your both.

“An itch demands to be scratched and you run a risk of getting an infection on your prized intimate region” 90 | S US S E X S T Y L E . C OM | MAR CH 2 0 1 5

IMAGE CREDIT: HURST PHOTO/SHUTTERSTOCK

MARC H 2015 | SUSSEXST YL E . CO M | 91