vantagepointmag.co.uk
Godalming & Cranleigh • February 2014
VANTAGEPOINT YOUR COMMUNITY YOUR VIEW
MAGAZINE
EVERYTHING’S COMING UP
ROSES
Also inside: JOTTINGS COMPETITIONS GODALMING MUSIC FESTIVAL CRANLEIGH ARTS CENTRE
Behind the scenes at Seale Nursery
A Big Bard Year Ahead
For Surrey’s professional Shakespeare company, Guildford Shakespeare Company (GSC), February 2014 kicks off their most ambitious year to date. Co-founder Matt Pinches looks back to the beginning and ahead at what this year has in store.
2
013 proved to be the company’s most popular yet with 8,500 people attending the 72 performances produced, and 1,400 people, some as young as seven, enjoying classes, school workshops and talks delivered by the company throughout the year.
So how do you better that in 2014? Well, this year the company, which is a registered charity, will become a year round producer for the first time. To add to the winter and summer seasons a new third season will be introduced in the in the autumn. There will also be celebration events for Shakespeare’s 450th Birthday in April; the third Sonnet Walk Weekend; and an expansion in the education work the company already undertakes. This ambitious year kicks off in February with the company’s 20th production as they return to Holy Trinity Church on Guildford High Street with Shakespeare’s Othello. This is Shakespeare’s chilling psychological thriller of betrayal, jealousy and suspicion. Directed by Caroline Devlin (Macbeth, 2013), the play is set against the claustrophobic backdrop of 1950s Cold War paranoia. A talented cast has been assembled whose pedigree includes RSC, National Theatre, Shakespeare’s Globe, the West End, as well as performances with Montserrat Caballé and José Carreras. Actor David Carr will be taking the title role. Last year he understudied Adrian Lester in the National Theatre’s hit production, and Rosalind 8
Blessed, daughter of actor Brian Blessed, will be playing Emelia. Familiar faces also return to the company in the form of Chris Porter (A Midsummer Night’s Dream/Merry Wives 2012) as the villain Iago, and local actor and Guildford Dad James Chalmers (Richard III, 2012) as the Governor of Cyprus. To accompany the production there is an eclectic events programme which includes a talk and book-signing by award-winning writer Charles Nicholl on his book The Lodger which deals with the time Shakespeare was writing Othello. There is also a talk and debate about the character of Iago; a young actors’ workshop; a post-show discussion; and an audio-described performance for the blind. But how did GSC begin? The company was established in 2006 by two local actors, Matt Pinches and Sarah Gobran, with an objective to re-ignite people’s passion for Shakespeare and theatre-going by producing immersive, accessible and innovative home-grown theatre in interesting and unusual non-theatre spaces. Over the last eight years they have produced 19 site-responsive productions, given 324 performances, seen by over 37,800 people and created 190 jobs. In addition to this other achievements include two Sonnet Walk Weekends; two Best Cultural Event of the Year awards; twice Finalists at the Toast of Surrey Business Awards, and in 2013, the Mayor’s Award for Access Through the Arts. As Co-Founder and Producer, I feel that locally produced professional theatre is important. Our productions seek to place the audience right at the heart of the action, using each venue to its best advantage. In this way the whole area becomes the acting vantagepointmag.co.uk
STAGE
“
Over the last eight years they have produced 19 site-responsive productions, given 324 performances, seen by over 37,800 people and created 190 jobs.
space with actors performing in a spectrum of places in and around the audience, thus challenging their usually passive involvement in conventional theatre. With more and more people seemingly glued to tablets, mobile phones and home entertainment systems, the need for human contact and interaction has never been more important and theatre is perfectly placed to fill this need.
”
Live theatre is a perfect way for communities to come together and not only experience great performances, but also to share each other’s stories, lives and thoughts. Sadly, there are still pre-conceptions about the theatre - that is expensive or for an educated elite and our mandate is to challenge those perceptions and re-invigorate the simple act of theatre-going. GSC’s year continues in April as they join the national celebrations for Shakespeare’s 450th Birthday with a series of special events including The Other Shakespeare written by Roy Chatfield - a one-woman show about Shakespeare’s wife, starring GSC veteran actor Johanne Murdock, whilst I will be giving an illustrated talk (with birthday cake!) on the Bard’s life before the theatre and how life in Stratford influenced his writing. The celebrations culminate at the end of April with the third Sonnet Walk Weekend. The company’s other Co-founder and Producer Sarah summed up the ambitions of the year: “Our aim is to engage with over 12,000 people through professional theatre and education programmes created, delivered and performed right on their doorstep, giving more people a positive and sustainable experience of the world’s most famous playwright.” This aim is brought to the fore in their ninth Summer Season. Another open air double bill of audience favourites will see the company return to the Castle Gardens with the brilliantly funny Twelfth Night in June, followed in July by the rousing Henry V which is sure to entice and challenge audiences with a brand new venue; the iconic Guildford Cathedral. February 2014
The inaugural Autumn Season will bring the year to a close with a unique staging of Chaucer’s bawdy classic The Canterbury Tales at a venue yet to be announced. Sarah concludes: “Generations have studied Shakespeare’s work in school mainly from a literary perspective. When individuals have the opportunity to see the text live, the world of the play is opened up to them, the character’s circumstances and dilemmas are real and they are given an opportunity to engage directly with the story and the action. Suddenly it’s not “all Greek to me” but rather an event which they are part of. One of the most rewarding – and regular – comments we receive is “I never thought Shakespeare could be like that!” Add to this the three after-school primary Shakespeare clubs, Saturday morning Drama and Stage-Fighting Classes for teenagers and evening classes for adults, as well as the schools’ workshops for Year 5 up to university level which the company already delivers, and 2014 is certainly going to be one big Bard year for GSC. In As You Like It, the heroine Rosalind asks “Can one have too much of a good thing?” - to which GSC gives a resounding “Never!”. FIND OUT MORE
For Othello tickets, Annual Passes and more details about GSC and the work it does, visit www.guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01483 304384. Images taken from past productions.
GUILDFORD SHAKESPEARE COMPANY PRESENTS
Directed by CAROLINE DEVLIN Designed by NEIL IRISH Lighting by DECLAN RANDALL Sound by MATT EATON
5 - 22 FEB 2014 | HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, GUILDFORD HIGH STREET Box Office 01483 304384 | www.guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
9
Roses
EVERYTHING’S COMING UP
As St. Valentine’s Day approaches there’s one flower that fills our shops and restaurants. Yet roses are great to give and receive throughout the year, as Viv Micklefield discovers on a visit to specialist local grower, Seale Nurseries.
“Roses are what we are,” says Catherine May proudly. And you wouldn’t argue with this. The Silver Gilt Medal certificate, scooped at last summer’s Hampton Court Flower Show, hangs confidently beside the many other top awards that she and husband David have won over recent decades. In fact, wherever you turn at Seale Nurseries, near Farnham, it’s all about this perennially popular flower. The last thing you’ll find here, however, are buckets crammed with garishly dyed petals atop spindly stems that have been suffocated in cellophane. There are no cut flowers for sale. Instead, time it right and what you will see is a veritable feast of climbing roses, vigorously weaving through trellises, scaling walls and cascading over pergolas, as well as fragrant shrub roses, perfect for borders and tubs. There’s been a nursery on the site since 1948 when David’s father first opened Seale Rose Gardens in the midst of the nation’s 14
post-war austerity. As Catherine observes of her father-in law: “He was very enterprising, to set up on his own, with a young family to support. And David’s early memories as a child include watching his father propagating by grafting briers that he’d pull out of the local hedgerows.” Having once grown roses in open fields, these days, the second-generation of Mays now use a different system, within their four acres. As Catherine explains, at Seale gone are the so-called bare root roses that were once lifted and sold for planting out in the autumn. Today, thanks to the nursery’s patented Seale Super Rose Method, plants are grown directly in pots from the beginning. This enables a rose to be transplanted, at any time of year, with minimal disturbance straight to its final resting position in the customer’s garden. Here it will grow very quickly, so you no longer have to wait a couple of
“
Our gardens might also be smaller and most of us have less time available to spend in tending them, but what hasn’t changed is our love affair with fragrance, and roses still deliver this in abundance
”
years for significant growth. Additionally, if you‘re after an instant effect, there’s a great choice of big climbers - already tall and well established, that will suit all sorts of situations. Talking to Catherine, who’s a qualified horticulturalist, what’s interesting is discovering the fusion between the traditional and the contemporary lifestyle that roses allow you to enjoy. “People’s gardening habits have changed so much,” she says. “They want flowers that give them value
vantagepointmag.co.uk
Above left: Perennial Blue climbing rose. Above right: Morning Mist shrub rose. Below: Catherine May with Sorbet Fruite rose
for money, starting in June and flowering through to the first frosts. The day of the rose bed, 1950’s style, is over. Today’s garden has drifts of mixed planting with roses interspersed. It’s a more natural, romantic look.” Our gardens might also be smaller and most of us have less time available to spend in tending them, but what hasn’t changed is our love affair with fragrance, and roses still deliver this in abundance. Although they don’t grow a rose unless it has a good scent, as Catherine’s quick to point out, everyone’s sense of smell differs, which can on occasion lead to family disputes. Old favourites such as the highly scented, double bloomed climber Madame Alfred Carrière remains popular. While under a royalty system they also graft on to new roses grown by internationally respected breeders; these include David Austin, Harkness and Warner, which adds to the enormous variety currently on offer. Also important is colour. And here too you’re certainly spoilt for choice. From the exotic Sorbet Fruite, with its vibrantly striped orange and yellow flowers that fade to pink and cream, to the appropriately named deep crimson coloured, Love Knot. The ‘colourful’ names given to roses can certainly evoke some wonderful memories – unsurprisingly Warm Welcome is a popular gift for a new home, while Star Performer is perfect for a special achievement. The list goes on and on. >16 February 2014
Catherine May’s top tips for blooming good rose plants • Apply a regular liquid feed – tomato food works wonders during the summer months; • Roses need plenty of moisture, don’t forget to water when it’s dry; • Any rose should grow well as long as they receive at least ½ a day of sun; • Deadheading never stops if you want long-term flowering; • Soil conditions can be improved with a blended manure but this needs to be sterile; • If a rose has been heavily attacked by aphids, cut it right back, feed it and wait for re-growth. 15
Above: Madame Alfred Carrière rose
Tales of love and passion Roses have been symbolically linked to myth and folklore for centuries. • The Ancient Greek goddess Cybele ‘created’ the first rose in a fit of jealousy to ensure there was something on earth more beautiful than her arch rival Aphrodite; • According to Roman storytellers the red rose comes from the blushing Venus after Jupiter saw her bathing; • In Christianity the white rose of Eden turns a deep red when Eve kisses it; • 11th century Sufi poetry represents the rose as a symbol of life – its beauty perfection, its thorns the difficulties that need to be overcome to reach that perfection; • What’s in a colour? Traditionally: red roses mean love and respect, deep pink roses mean gratitude and appreciation, and white roses mean reverence and humility. Viv Micklefield is a freelance writer based in South West Surrey. She can be contacted at vivmicklefield@aol.com. 16
< 15 Of course, being specialists, Catherine and David have an almost encyclopedic knowledge when it comes to getting the best out of a rose. Whether it’s how to reduce the use of pesticides and other nasties while keeping plants healthy, pruning advice or simply realizing the look you want to achieve in your garden, there’s a ready answer available. They also offer a ‘rose rescue’ service, which might involve grafting a favourite rose on to new root stock. And, when not up to their elbows in plant care themselves, this busy duo happily give talks and demonstrations. With just Catherine and David running the nursery there’s no doubt it’s a full-time job. None more so than during the peak ‘show-time,’ when there are exhibits at both RHS Hampton Court and at the annual Loseley Park Garden Show to build. Over the years, they have also become familiar faces at local farmers’ markets. “We eat, sleep, and breathe it. It’s all consuming,” Catherine admits. And as she heads off, secateurs at the ready, closely followed by her aptly named spaniels Flora and Rosie, it’s hard to imagine her doing anything else. FIND OUT MORE
Seale Nurseries, Seale Lane, Seale, Farnham GU10 1LD Tel: 01252 782410, www.sealenurseries.co.uk Nursery opening hours: Tues to Sat 10am-4pm (other times by appointment) vantagepointmag.co.uk
You and Your Home
Farnham based Charlie Smith with her take on health, home and food and how small changes can create a wellness lifestyle in the home and in our lives.
I
t’s the beginning of a new and energising year so I am going to kick start my article with the subject of integrating ‘You and Your Home’. This is the wellness of us as individuals, teamed with the positive energy we can create in our homes, through food, fitness and taking care of ourselves. The Christmas indulgence has now passed and, like me, I am sure there are many of you who want to start the New Year with focus, achieve goals and aspire to change little things in our lives that will enable us to be healthier and happier people. Sometimes these things might be a change in our eating habits, our lifestyle, or our fitness levels, or it is about changing our homes and living spaces. Possibly all of them. These adjustments are all linked in some way to how we feel, so what better way to start the New Year with not only a new you, but also a new living space. I follow food and nutrition, healthy eating and exercise trends, the way we live and our different lifestyles with great interest. In the past I have trained as a personal trainer, I am a trained stylist on interiors and a health conscious cook. I have spent years in and around these industries so finally I now want to bring them all together to create a wellness lifestyle, both in the home and in our lives. YOUR HEALTH Running Got a lot on your mind? Take a run. It’s a great way to clear your head and sort out your thoughts, while getting good exercise. Long distance runs can help relieve tension, headaches and stress, while short, speed runs are great for releasing built up energy or anxiety. Three short distance runs per week seem to work for me, they really set me up for a positive day. If work does not permit running in the daytime, a short run in the evenings will help with sleep and relaxation.. 20
Hot Yoga
I have recently discovered the newly opened little Hot Spot, Pure Hot Yoga in Godalming. A fantastic hot yoga studio for all levels of enthusiasts,and a place that has calm energy and terrific teachers. I have tried yoga for years and years and just could not get on with it, until now! Hot Yoga has been enjoying a surge in popularity all around the world in recent years and with good reason, it works. A regular Hot Yoga practice brings all of the benefits you would expect from any yoga practice together with increased flexibility, dramatic weight loss and toning, total body detoxification, bright glowing skin and a feeling of deep mental relaxation.
A Hot Yoga class will systematically work every major muscle group in your body, providing deep stretching and lengthening of the muscles, calming of the nervous system and relaxation of the mind. The heat will cause your heart rate to rise, providing an exceptional cardio vascular workout, aiding dramatic weight loss and toning results. Practising yoga in the heat requires mental focus and mindful breath, this in turn will serve to calm your mind and allow the stresses of daily life to melt away. Then of course there is the sweat, lots of it, providing a deep detoxifying cleanse from inside to out that will leave you feeling lighter, brighter and inspired to extend healthy living beyond the yoga studio. The Studio will be running courses and workshops throughout the year so please check out the website www.purehotyoga. co.uk or email info@purehotyoga.co.uk. They often some great introductory offers. vantagepointmag.co.uk
LIFE
YOUR HOME
YOUR FOOD
Out with the old and in with the new Some easy things worth doing include de-cluttering, turning out kitchen cupboards and switching your foods, and putting fresh new colours on the walls for spring, but how about making an area designated for you in your home that is purely for relaxing?
Many people are seeking to take control of their inner health. One self-help strategy is to make changes to what we eat, as there is a growing interest in how food and nutrition can affect our emotional and mental wellness.
Imagine your very own designated chill area where you can hide out and chat with friend, watch movies and read or meditate. Here are some essential set-up tips that will help you create the lounge of your dreams.
Eat as much food that is natural; fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and pulses are always a good starting point. Removing sugar and wheat from our daily food intake is also a winner for seeing and feeling quick results.
Step 1: Find the Spot Every room has a corner just waiting to be cleared out and converted into a lounging-only zone. Scope out your space, rearrange furniture and make way for your cozy area. Wherever your magical spot may be, it’s got to have a certain level of privacy and separation from the rest of the house. Hang some fabric or light airy curtains strategically to keep it separated. Step 2: Reserved Seating Every seat must be equally comfy and lounge-worthy (think beanbag chair and, jumbo floor pillows). This is really important, as lounging tends to take place in a sprawl. A supersoft area rug is lovely on bare feet and good to stretch out on. Step 3: Mood Lighting Soft, low-wattage light sources are essential to the relaxing mood of the chill zone. Step 4: Go Low You’ll need a big, low-to-the-ground surface, like a low level coffee table, to provide a central point and hold all your mugs, books and magazines. Throw some of your jumbo pillows down and you have created a chill zone. Candles are of course essential February 2014
FIND OUT MORE
Check out The Flexi Foodie for delicious healthy options for snacking and energy boosting recipes at http://theflexifoodie.wordpress.com. Julie Montagu is an expert on food and transformational yoga. For more information on any of these suggested lifestyle changes please contact Charlie on 07770568307 or charlie@charliesmith.biz. All photography by David Spink Photography. Tel 07966 238341. www.davidspinkphotography.com.
21
“
One of the biggest arts events in Surrey
”
MUSIC
T
he Godalming Music Festival attracts over 3,000 participants from all over the south east of England, and has been running each year since 1947. They pride themselves on having classes to cater for most people and are very well represented by local talent from Surrey but others do enter from the London area, Sussex, and Hampshire. The Godalming Music Festival takes place in February and March 2014 at five different venues around Godalming. All of the performing arts disciplines are represented at the Festival, making it one of the most comprehensive in the region. The ages of those taking part in this festival range from five to 75 years, although most are under 21. While this is a very friendly festival, they do expect high standards of performance and presentation, and as a member of the British and International Federation of Festivals, they have very experienced adjudicators for each section.
The whole festival culminates in a Celebratory Concert in the Borough Hall on Saturday 22nd March at 7pm. Audiences are welcomed to all the classes and very modestly priced entry tickets are available on the door.
• Adult Choirs are performing at Charterhouse Chapel on Saturday 22nd February.
The idea of a music festival for Godalming was first proposed in 1947. Sir John Jarvis, the local MP, was elected as President and the first festival took place in November that year. It had the support of Ralph Vaughan Williams, who had been educated at Charterhouse and presented the certificates at the first festival. Some 67 years later it is still going strong.
• Music classes take place after school in the Borough Hall from Monday 3rd March to Thursday 20th March.
Programmes will be available from early February, so why not go along and enjoy listening to some of the most talented musicians and performers in our area?
• Dance is at Rodborough School from Monday 17th to Saturday 22nd February.
• Speech Drama and Musical Theatre is at Prior’s Field school over the weekend Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th March. February 2014
FIND OUT MORE
For more detailed information on venues and classes, please visit www.godalmingmusicfestival.org.uk or contact the Festival Director Joy Poulter on 01483 417051 or joy_poulter@sky.com. 25
Pets as therapy P
ets As Therapy is a national charity that works very much locally and is probably best known by the acronym of PAT, cleverly taking the initials of Pets As Therapy and thereby producing PAT Dogs, although they do have some PAT Cats too. This charity was set up 30 years ago and although still small they have about 5,000 visiting PAT Dogs and 100 PAT Cats that between them visit approximately seven million people every year. These animals bring a smile and joy to people in nursing and care homes, day centres, hospices and hospitals when working with stroke patients, phobic patients and people with depression. It’s surprising how having a dog or cat visit someone in these establishments can really make a difference to their lives - for instance, one lady in a care home said “that’s the best thing that’s happened to me since I’ve been here”. One volunteer was told to ignore a man in another care home as he never spoke to anyone - the volunteer ignored the instruction and the lonely man opened up and chatted to the dog - and then to the volunteer. Animals are also taken to visit mainstream and special needs schools offering with the new service to schools of Read 2 Dogs. The value of Read 2 Dogs is in its simplicity. Many children seem naturally comfortable in the presence of dogs. Parents and teachers can use this special relationship to enhance literary skills and encourage reading in a relaxed environment, with dog and child sitting together. This contact between dog and child encourages physical interaction which helps to put the child at ease. The dog acts as a non-judgemental listener and offers comfort to the child who may find reading difficult or stressful. 28
The local Voluntary Area Co-ordinator is Patricia Bland who looks after about 90 volunteers in and around the Godalming area but spreading out to Haslemere, Farnham and Cranleigh in Surrey and also Petworth, Midhurst and Billingshurst in West Sussex - and all points in-between. Each dog or cat is owned by a registered volunteer who makes regular visits into various establishments. Before any animal and volunteer are accepted as a Pets As Therapy visiting team, they must undergo an assessment which is carried out by one of the Charity’s nationwide team of assessors. Patricia is also the local Temperament Assessor of the potential dogs and this test ensures that the dogs are suitable as no jumping up or pawing is permitted and the owners need to be able to demonstrate control of their socially acceptable dogs, who love being stroked and handled by strangers. As the animal’s temperament is more important than its breed, size or shape, no breed is excluded and cross breeds and rescue dogs are welcomed - after all this is a Temperament Assessment not a Breed Assessment. Patricia then assists volunteers in finding a suitable place to visit, taking care that the owner and the dog are happy where they are taken to visit. Patricia regularly takes a team of volunteers with their very special dogs to local village fêtes during the summer and with their yellow and black uniforms the volunteers are easily recognisable, as are their canine friends in their yellow PAT coats. Information talks are also on her agenda and local Women’s Institutes, Rotary and Inner Wheel clubs as well as local schools and dog clubs have been lucky enough to hear all about the Charity and made generous donations to help with the good work that this hard working band of volunteers do. FIND OUT MORE
If this sounds of interest to you with your dog (or cat), do look up their website on www.petsastherapy.org or give Patricia Bland a call on 01428 685154 or contact her by email on p.bland@btconnect.com.
vantagepointmag.co.uk
There is nothing like a
Dame
With power cuts, high winds and possible flooding, the lead up to Christmas and New Year was rather challenging for many of us in this area. Even one of our best loved actors had to have sardines on toast for Christmas lunch, but she was all smiles a few days later when it was announced that she had been made a Dame Commander of the British Empire to her “delight and disbelief”.
P
enelope Keith said of her honour: “I found out six weeks ago but the way it works is that they send you a letter and then you have to eat it and keep quiet on pain of death,” she joked. “And I must admit that when the electricity went off I rather forgot about it.” Dame Penelope, who has lived in Milford for more than 25 years, is instantly recognisable to most of us as the fabulous snob Margot Leadbetter from The Good Life (pictured left) and the manipulative but kind-hearted Audrey fforbes-Hamilton in To The Manor Born. Both roles catapulted her into an enormously popular TV star. Cast as the (originally unseen) wife of Jerry in The Good Life, the role became more prominent as Keith’s brilliant acting and the comedy potential of Margot became quickly apparent. In 1977, that part earnt her the BAFTA for Best Light Entertainment Performance and later that year she appeared in the Morecambe and Wise Christmas Show. Another BAFTA winning performance came in 1978 for the television adaptation of the The Norman Conquests. Between 1979 and 1981, she took the lead in To the Manor Born, which saw a massive 23.95 million viewers tune in for its final episode. She appeared in a further six sitcoms in the 1990s. Penelope Keith began her career in repertory theatre before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1963 and was a mainstay in the success of the Chichester Festival Theatre. Her theatre credits include Michael Frayn’s The Norman Conquests in 1974 and Alan Ayckbourn’s Donkey’s Years in 1975, for which she won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance. She returned to the stage in earnest in the late 1990s, with performances which included Keith 32
Waterstone’s Good Grief (1998), Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit (2004), Richard Everett’s Entertaining Angels (2006) and as Lady Bracknell in Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest (2007). More recently she starred in Good Grief at the Yvonne Arnaud in 2012, in which she was excellent as ever. Of course, it is also for her charitable works that Dame Penelope has been honoured. She succeeded Lord Olivier as president of the Actors’ Benevolent Fund after his death in 1989 and she is also patron of a number of local charities such as Oakleaf, the mental health charity based in Guildford, the Surrey Hills AONB, Brooklands Museum in Weybridge, the Therapy Garden in Normandy, Surrey Gardens Trust and Godalming based Compassion in World Farming. In 2002, she began a one-year term as High Sheriff of Surrey, only the third woman to hold the post. Dating back to Anglo-Saxon times, the role of Sheriff is appointed by the Queen. It is mainly ceremonial, as the Queen’s legal representative in the county. She is also a Deputy Lieutenant of Surrey. Keith said: “It’s a recognition for not only my 54 years being an actress but also for all the charities with which I’m associated and I think they’ll be thrilled.” As of course are her legion of admirers both locally and nationally... SR vantagepointmag.co.uk
A Local Menu
This month we feature recipes from two of our local chefs, both well worth a try
Troels Bendix Troels Bendix founded The Hungry Guest in Petworth in 2011. Initially opening with a café in the town, the business now includes a café, artisan bakery and food shop. Troels originally trained at the Culinary Institute of Denmark before moving to London to train at the Sugar Club. He is a fully trained chef having worked up from an apprentice in Denmark. In 2001 he founded Breads Etcetera growing from a one man band to a bakery with its own shop and café suppling outlets in London. The Hungry Guest is unique in that it produces so many of its own products, all carefully developed by Troels and more often than not made by his own fair hands. He is very careful to select only the best ingredients and suppliers and provenance is something he is particularly passionate about. He is also renowned for his baking skills and real bread. The extensive range of sour dough that is sold through the Petworth outlet has won many national awards since its launch.
Soft Spiced Braised Lamb Shank Casserole Ingredients Sunflower oil 8 lamb shanks 2 onions 4 cloves of garlic 4 large carrots, sliced 4 parsnips, sliced Sprinkling of salt 1 tbsp turmeric 1 tsp ground ginger 1 dried red chilli pepper, crumbled or 1⁄4 tsp dried chilli flakes 2 tsps cinnamon 10 whole cardamom pods 1 tbsp tomato paste 4 cloves Black pepper 2 tbsps honey 80g flaked almonds Serves 6
The Hungry Guest, Lombard Street, Petworth. Tel: 01798 344564 46
1. Put 3 tablespoons of the oil into a very large, wide, heavy-bottomed pan and warm over medium heat. Brown the lamb shanks, in batches, in the pan and then remove to a roasting tin or whatever else you’ve got to hand to sit them in. 2. Peel the onions and garlic and process in a food processor or chop them finely by hand. Add the remaining oil to the pan, and fry the onions and garlic until soft, sprinkling salt over to stop it catching. Stir in the turmeric, ground ginger, chilli, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, tomato paste and season
with some ground pepper. Stir again and add the honey. 3. Put the shanks back into the pan, add cold water almost to cover, bring to the boil and then put a lid on the pan. Lower the heat and simmer very gently for 1-11⁄2 hours or until the meat is tender. 4. Add your sliced carrots and parsnips to the pan. Cook for about 20 minutes longer without the lid, until the juices have reduced and thickened slightly. Check for seasoning. 5. Toast the nuts by heating them for a few minutes in a dry frying pan, and sprinkle onto the lamb as you serve it. vantagepointmag.co.uk
FOOD
Jay Williams This recipe from Jay Williams, the rising star Head Chef of Wheatsheaf, of West Street, Farnham This is a parfait I love to make for Valentines evening. It is always very well received as it is simple, clean and has light flavours, and acts like a palette cleanser at the end of a meal, which always helps on such a night! My inspiration for this particular recipe came from my wife-to-be who is a big fan of lemoncello. It is not a difficult recipe to tackle, please give it a go and you will most certainly impress your partner, whether for Valentineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day or any other special occasion.
Chilled limoncello parfait with raspberry coulis Ingredients For the parfait: 1 large egg, plus 5 yolks 100g caster sugar Zest of 2 lemons 25ml lemon juice ½ sheet gelatine 60ml limoncello 300ml double cream For the coulis: 500g raspberries 100g caster sugar Makes 1 terrine, enough for 10 servings
The Wheatsheaf, 19 West Street, Farnham. Tel: 01252 717135 February 2014
1. Mix the egg, egg yolks, sugar and lemon zest in a heatproof bowl above a pan of barely simmering water and whisk the mixture until it reaches 80C. Remove from heat and continue to whisk until it reaches room temperature 2. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in a little water. 3. Gently heat the lemoncello in a small pan and add the squeezed out softened gelatine and stir in thoroughly. Gently whisk this into the cooled lemon mixture and set aside. 4. In a separate bowl whisk the cream
to a ribbon consistency, and gently fold into the lemon mixture with a metal spoon. Place the mix into a lined terrine mould and freeze for at least 3 hours. 5. For the coulis, take 300g of the raspberries and place in a food processor with the caster sugar. Pass through a fine sieve and set aside. 6. To serve, place a slice of the parfait on a chilled plate, decorate with the reserved raspberries and a spoonful of the coulis and garnish with fresh mint.
47
GARDEN
What to do in
February
With Matthew Pottage, Garden Manager at RHS Garden Wisley
F
ebruary is a time of year to do some good old-fashioned graft in the garden in readiness for the season ahead. While the ground is not frozen, it is a great time to dig over empty allotment plots and any borders you plan to renovate or replant in the spring. If you have a heavy soil with clay content then leaving upturned sods of earth for the frost to break apart can take some of the effort out of creating that wonderful tilth we all hear about when it comes to sowing seeds directly into vegetable plots in the spring. It is also a good time of year to apply a good thick mulch of organic matter to any borders where you have ornamental shrubs or perennials. Make sure you do this when the ground isn’t frozen, but by doing it now, you are sealing in the moisture and giving the worms time to start incorporating this goodness into the root zone before the plants wake up.
Winter Colour If you want a little more colour in your garden in the winter, now is a good time to take an amble round Wisley and pick up some ideas from what is looking good in the garden and plant centre. The colourful stemmed shrubs around the Seven Acres lake are in full glow (above right), including a couple of my favourites; Cornus ‘Magic Flame’ and the powdery white stemmed Rubus biflorus. There are flowers to enjoy too, and witch hazels with their spidery, highly fragrant flowers are always a real winter treat. Every year I rediscover my love for them
when I come across the first one in bloom. The smell is just heavenly and with colours ranging from flame shades of yellow and orange through to bright reds they provide a wonderful booster to any garden in winter. Come and see them at Wisley and choose your favourite but make sure you don’t miss bright yellow cultivar ‘Pallida’ (below right) which gets my vote as the best.
Taking stock after the storms It’s been a particularly stormy couple of months and many gardeners will have had to cope with a few sad losses amongst their trees. Mostly it tends to be older, declining trees that succumb to bad weather and while the loss of old trees is always sad, it’s inevitable and makes us think of the importance of planting succession trees for tomorrow. However I’ve noticed losses amongst some of the more recently planted trees in the gardens and streets around Surrey as well as older, more mature trees. Younger losses usually mean that the tree has failed to establish properly – a typical cause of this is poor planting technique. Buying pot bound trees that have been hanging around on the nursery for years isn’t necessarily time or money well spent. Unless they can be properly pulled apart, the circling roots often don’t spread out as they should and will continue to develop in a crowded, cage-like fashion, 50
depriving the young tree of anchorage as it grows and leaving it vulnerable to strong winds. Anyone whose garden has suffered a bit of damage and is in need of a refresher could do worse than coming along to Wisley where we deliver a course on the very latest thinking in tree planting. It’s a super session and people are always amazed to learn how bit of attention to proper root preparation and planting depths can prevent the quick death of their young trees. We always say don’t plant a £20 tree in a 20p hole so remember that correct planting methods are crucial if you want trees to enjoy for years to come. FIND OUT MORE
RHS Garden Wisley is the flagship garden of the Royal Horticultural Society, the world’s leading gardening charity. RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, Surrey, GU23 6QB. Visit rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley to find out more vantagepointmag.co.uk
Cranleigh walk Cranleigh is Surrey’s largest village and the locals are justly proud of it. This panhandle walk begins from near where the railway station once stood, but that sadly was lost to the village during the infamous Beeching cuts of 1965. Since then the track has been transformed; nowadays it leads a much quieter life and the old track bed forms a part of the Downs Link long-distance footpath, The days when steam trains rattled through here spewing out their smoke and hot cinders have long been forgotten. This route takes in almost two miles of the track bed, which has become an unofficial linear nature reserve. After leaving the track bed the way follows wide paths and quiet lanes as it loops through magnificent countryside before rejoining this wonderful path for the homeward journey.
The walk From the car park continue away from the High Street on a path beside the leisure centre to cross a small brook and reach a T-junction with a wide track. This track was once the railway line and you should now turn left along it and pass between a small car park and a sports fi eld. A few houses will be seen through the trees on your left and 90 yards after passing the last house, look out for a wire fenced bridge parapet. Turn left here and go down steps to reach a field where you should turn right along its edge. Enter a second field and follow a cart track uphill until 30 yards before its crest; seek out a narrow path that forks slightly right. Follow this path between trees as it shadows the old railway cutting. At the foot of a slope by a crossing track, with the railway track just 10 yards away to your right, press on ahead. The path finally ends at a stile by a track with a brick bridge on your right. Turn left here along a concrete farm track until it soon ends at a T-junction with a tarmac driveway. Turn right on the bridleway along this scenic drive and ignore a left fork that leads to 54
Vachery House. About 10 yards before meeting a second fork, turn left and follow the bridleway along a cart track and pass between buildings. After passing entrance gates, follow the bridleway left as it continues along the left-hand boundary of a large field. Press on as it follows the left side of a second field but, when the well-worn track turns left at a third field, keep ahead on a narrower path that you now follow until it passes a house and ends at a tarmac driveway. Turn right along the drive and pass by cottages and farm buildings. Ignore a footpath ahead at a bend and remain on the drive. At a terrace of half-tiled cottages, maintain direction ahead on a rising stony bridleway. The way meets with a concrete farm drive which you should follow between cottages and farm buildings and when this ends press on ahead along a track that soon meets with the old track bed of the defunct railway where a small private lake will be seen ahead of you. Turn right here along this glorious path inhabited by wildlife; without any further instruction, stuff this little book firmly into your pocket and follow the track for two miles until you reach Cranleigh where there are coffee shops and eateries available in the High Street for your delight. If real ales are required then 100 yards to the right of Village Way you will find the Three Horseshoes, while a short walk up Ewhurst Road from the mini roundabout brings you to the White Hart. vantagepointmag.co.uk
WALK
Winkworth by Sarah LemariĂŠ
Places of interest nearby Winkworth Arboretum north-west of Cranleigh at Hascombe, contains over 1,000 different trees and shrubs, many of them rare. It is an ideal place for the family to visit and maybe picnic. During the spring and early summer the massed rhododendrons and azaleas give a wonderful display of colour. Open all year round from dawn to dusk. Tel 01483 208477.
Cranleigh Walk 7
A wide field track along the route.
DISTANCE: 6 miles OS MAP: Landranger 187 GRID REFERENCE: GR 058389. TERRAIN: An easy walk through gently undulating countryside. GETTING THERE: Cranleigh is 8 miles south of Guildford on the B2128. Very limited roadside parking by the White Hart, so use the cheap pay and display car park (free on Sundays) in Village Way; turn oďŹ&#x20AC; by the village hall in the High Street.
This walk is taken from Pocket Pub Walks Surrey, published by Countryside Books. Visit countrysidebooks.co.uk for more information. Neither the publisher nor the author can accept any responsibility for any changes, errors or omissions in this route. Diversion orders can be made and permissions withdrawn at any time.
February 2014 a wide track. This track was once the railway line T-junction with and you should now turn left along it and pass between a small
55
PROFILE
Cranleigh Arts Centre C
ranleigh Arts Centre is a registerd charity operating on a not-for-profit basis, reinvesting income directly into our programme and facilities for the benefit of our local community. The centre and the many events are run mainly by volunteers. As a community arts centre we rely heavily on the support of local people to provide our wide range of activities and maintain our building for the future. This spring there is a packed programme of events, films and workshops. Here are a few things coming up in February; If you fancy an evening of comedy why not come and see Susan Calman on Tuesday February 11th at 8pm. Susan has her own Radio 4 series ‘Calman is Convicted’, is a regular on News Quiz and the Now Show and has made appearances on Have I got News For You and QI. Tickets are priced at £10. Or for something really different for all the family we have London Wrestling, a high octane sports pantomime show on Saturday February 15th 7.30pm. Boo the bad guys and cheer on your favourites. Get up close and personal with the riproaring action. Tickets are priced at £10 in advance, £12 on the day. If you like live music then Otis Grand’s Big Blues Band could be for you on Saturday 22nd February at 8.30pm. Otis Grand tops the bill at Blue’s festivals around the world, so don’t miss him at Cranleigh Arts Centre and wear your dancing shoes! Tickets are priced at £18 in advance, £20 on the day. We also offer lots to children including our regular Saturday February 2014
morning show ‘Little Sparks’ for the under 5’s. At 11am every Saturday bring your little one along for a fun filled theatre session featuring music, games, songs and stories, all for £4! We have a whole host of films on offer too. Coming in February we have Sunshine on Leith, Philomena, Rock & Roll’s greatest failure Otway the Movie, About Time, Gravity and much more… All our events can be booked on-line at www. cranleighartscentre.org or telephone the box office on 01483 278000. For a full list of our events visit our website www. cranleighartscentre.org . Your support is important to us… There are several ways you can play a role in helping us continue to provide quality arts and entertainment and ensure the centre offers enjoyment for future generations. • Volunteer – Volunteers make a real difference to our work and help the centre to thrive. If you have some spare time and an interest in what we do we’d love to hear from you. Join us for a coffee and a chat at our Volunteer monthly meetings on: Wednesdays – 5th Feb, 5th March, 2nd April from 7pm to 9pm; Fridays – 21st Feb and 21st March from 10.30am to 12.30pm. • Sponsor a seat – everyone has a different reason to name a seat, commemorate a special occasion, a loved one or perhaps the Centre has a special place in your heart. • Consider including us in your will – no matter how large or small a legacy gift will enable us to reach all ages and provide access to the arts for the whole community. • Become a friend – and support us and you will benefit from knowing that your contribution helps us to safeguard the future of the Centre.
FIND OUT MORE
For further information please contact Cranleigh Arts Centre on 01483 278000 or visit www.cranleighartscentre.org.
57