algarvePLUS - December '22

MORE FESTIVE THAN YOU EVER IMAGINED

festive vibes

Vintage images, converted into digital paintings, each of a limited edition of ten, on archival watercolour paper, 61x43cm, €27.50, or stretched canvas, 56x38cm €32, ready to hang. artandprintworks.com

FRONT COVER

Enjoy the festive season and have a sparkling year ahead. You have made 2022 great for the AlgarvePLUS team. Thank you.

Vroom vroom. Handcrafted model Bantam Midget Red in mahogany, aluminium and brass, 48x22x18cm, €630 Casa da Bli Quinta Shopping

wish list

Gleaming brass Fulani earrings, €40, Alamaya’s new store in Moncarapacho. instagram.com/ alamaya.deco/

Outsized wooden ring, €15, designed and handcrafted by wood artist, Wesley Sacardi. louledesignlab.pt

festive vibes

Christmas tree cake – and different varieties of Christmas logs, can be ordered from l’Atelier Gourmet in Loulé. The cake makes a great gift to take to your hosts over the holidays. lateliergourmetloule@ gmail.com for details.

Cups candle holders, decorative stars and hearts. Seasonal delights, from €10 to €29, at Martina , Loulé. By the side of the municipal market

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Handcrafted Balmain hair barrete with the signature ‘B’ logo in 14K gold plate, and French clip. From €59, at Jim Hair Artists in Almancil.

Chunky cosy-up handknitted blanket, from Simple Taste, in Almancil and Albufeira. 150x125cm, €75. In grey or maroon and, hurray, snow white. simpletaste.pt 

This is the way to make a really big statement. Curvy metal whale sculpture on its own stand, burnished and gleaming with a copper and bronze patina. It measures 75x45cm, and can be found at Galeria Corte-Real in Paderne. POA. corterealarte.com

€€

Sunshine yellow leather shopper, with zippered purse. Lisboa by Osond, €450, Alquatro in Almancil. alquatro.pt

Pair of aged copper-effect metal reindeer table sculptures, 33cm and 26cm high. €95, Oliveira in Tavira. byoliveira.com

Watch clock, on leather stand, 26cm high, by Wunsch & Mann, €195, From a selection at Equilibrio in Almancil. equilibriointeriors.com

Kakoa is a collection based on the Japanese concept of WabiSabi – finding beauty in the imperfect. €35 louledesignlab.pt

Lush stuff. Meros Suzani silk embroidered cushion, 45x45cm,

207.57, from Sarah Nicollier Interiors, Albufeira. sarahnicollieruk.com

festive vibes

Santa soap, packed in a cracker by Castelbel, €10. at Ange Boutik in São Brás. angeboutik.com

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Design Lab gift voucher, €25, valid for all workshops and courses coordinated by Loulé Criativo, for one person for one year. loulecriativo.pt

Stunning plates with smile-making graphics. 19cm diameter, €38 each, from Luz Editions. luzeditions.com/collections/ceramics

Handknitted octopus in organic cotton, €30, from ovelhanegraknits.com

Cushions with nature influences. Sustainable, 100% sheep’s wool. 45x45cm, €135. Made in the traditional way by the Burel Factory in Serra da Estrela. burelfactory.com

Luxury candle, and not only for Christmas, from a selection of very special pieces from the house of Baobab, available at Dunas Lifestyle, in Quinta Shopping. They are simply beautiful. € € 84–€ 200. dunas-style.com

HOME TRUTHS

Words: SUSI ROGOL-GOODKIND

T COMES FROM the heart, and from years of discovering and collecting and loving that a design story unravels that has no comparison. High on a wild hillside above the tiny village of Monte Seco close to Paragil, between Loulé and Boliqueime, is a sprawling piece of farmland with a crumbling factory, where animals once roamed free and olives turned to oil in a giant press, and bread was baked in a huge outdoor wood oven. Today, it is the realisation of a dream – a place where the old is respected and restored and an incredible – and always growing – collection of favourite findings have a place to live. And there is space for everything, from the massive litter of Staffordshire china dogs, to a wealth of hand crafted pots and pans, to the latest finds in the Algarve’s flea markets.

Potter and baker Deborah Goodman from Zimbabwe and her partner, retired lawyer Andrew Dove from South Africa, discovered the property some years ago, through friends living in Loulé.

It was not the sort of place you walk into and unpack your belongings and call home. Far far from it. This is a project, a vast project, and a never-ending one.

An old hillside factory with splendid views down to the village has been reloved to create a home with a real difference

Everywhere you look there is something to see that is quite unlike anything you have seen before. The colours, the textures, the shapes and the detail – the charm is overwhelming

Deborah explains a bit of history: “The ruined factory, built in 1940, was originally an olive oil mill and press, O Lagar, and used by the olive and grape growers in the surrounding area. Overlooking the fertile valley of Algibre, it must have been a focal point in the area at that time. On the land, wheat was threshed in two eiras (wooden structures on stilts) close to the lagar. Parts of the building were also used to accommodate the farming family and the animals that did the vital work of pulling the heavy grinding stones that milled the olives into a paste, that was then mechanically passed into the vast metal press that we have preserved in our kitchen. The factory was probably still in use up until about 1980; when we bought it, there were barely a few stone walls standing.”

Currently Deborah and Andrew live, along with their three rescue animals, dog Percy and cats Daisy and Dusty, in the factory building which has been repurposed into a home, while preserving almost all its original configuration. The heart of the building is the kitchen, which overlooks the milling courtyard.

Walking around the land and the different areas of the one-time factory, you are faced with a multitude of vistas that never fail to enchant. It is that, and the sheer ingenuity of this adventurous couple, that make you understand and appreciate their passion for the place they call home. To many, a project of this size would be too great a challenge and far beyond their thinking. But Deborah and Andrew can think of nothing else.

The restoration has been undertaken by Andrew and a small team of people from Portugal, the Ukraine and the UK.

“It has been a long but mostly satisfying process but it definitely has had its ups and downs to be realistic,” says Deborah. “Andrew has mostly focused on the ups because he is eternally optimistic and very determined. He always knew that it would be a vast project.

“There is always ongoing restoration to do in an old building and it is something that is part of the day- today upkeep. The dry-stone terrace walls need to be constantly maintained to keep their strength because there are sheep and goats in the village who graze on the

In the kitchen, part of the original factory building, is the press that once turned the olive paste formed by the milling stones outside, into oil Outside, there are more collections to surprise and delight

terraced hillsides and come visiting.”

With sweeping views overlooking the village to the right and the valley to the left, the land is surrounded by olive groves, small vineyards, carob tree orchards, looking across to Rocha de Pena.

The property had a small butchery on site plus that traditional bread oven, which would have been in constant use in the years gone by. Baker Deborah has every intention of taking up this particular skill now that the long hot summer is behind us, and is already working on refining her firing techniques.

In the house, and her amazing kitchen, she bakes daily. A favourite of hers is a simple almond sponge cake using ground almonds, eggs, olive oil, sugar and flavoured with lemon or orange zest.

If you are an Instagram user, you will have seen photographs of her cakes, often adorned with graphics. “My photographs are a diary for myself,” she says, “a reference to seasonal produce – I am always making preserves – and a constant reminder of the fabulous artisan works that can be found here in the Algarve.” Her dog-walks with Percy also feature in her iPhone.

While many of us have one or two collections of things we regard as special, collecting is just an ordinary pastime for Deborah, part of her everyday life. Amongst other things – many other things, in fact – she collects Portuguese pottery bowls, alguidares, which are used to knead and prove dough, and café au lait bowls (for coffee and soup) from the various Sunday markets. “As a

potter, “ she says, “they are of particular interest because I love utilitarian artwork and even though the pottery may be crazed, or repaired with metal staples, or chipped, or stained with wine and coffee, I still find them hugely appealing. Enamelled kitchenware and ceramics probably make up my most prolific collections. I do find searching out and buying pieces irresistible, and for a great display one definitely needs to have more than one of the same thing! I don’t really have a favourite item but I guess the Staffordshire mantle dogs are something I will always continue to rescue.”

Everywhere you look in this dream home, there is something different to catch your attention, to spark your imagination. Outside, around every twist and turn of pathway there’s a low cobblestone building or a wooden hut – perhaps a little shed at one time – that has been lovingly worked on to provide an extra storage space, or somewhere quiet to sit and read. There are bottles on sticks replacing traditional plantings, and boxes spilling over with special finds. Inside, walls are adorned with pictures and hanging decorations, or strung with outsized metal stars. Chairs are stacked with handwoven blankets and cushions, or draped with lengths of intricatelyworked fabrics.

The whole place is, unquestionably, a work of art, but one that is not part of an established school. It is, rather, the realisation of a couple who have done and are doing their own thing, following their intuition and creating something truly unique. An amazing place, indeed.

Cool ways to stay warm

100% organic cotton brown sweatshirt, €41.94, Seapath. seapathclothing.com

Orange and yellow knitted chess sweater, €112 , and green flared corduroy trousers, €108, Mustique. mustiqueworld.com

Recycled wool and polyester oversize coat, €237.50, and green, high-waisted corduroy trousers, by Naz €139.50, naz.pt

100% organic cotton terry green sweater, €69 green terry shorts, €55, bucket hat, €45, by Lemel Apparel at Zé e Maria, Olhão. zeemaria.com

Handblock printed modal shirt, €76, and modal trousers, €76, from Kozii. koziishop.com

From London to Loulé to Lisbon

WRITER, LECTURER, ART CRITIC AND CURATOR, BEN AUSTIN IS THE MAN BEHIND THE NEWEST ADDITION TO THE ART SCENE IN THE CAPITAL. HERE HE TALKS ABOUT THE COUNTRY THAT IS NOW HIS HOMELAND, AND HIS NEW INITIATIVE, GALERIA AUGUSTINE

Words: SUSI ROGOL-GOODKIND

BEN AUSTIN, an expat and former Londoner who has been living in Loulé for the past five years where his mother Gillian Catto has her gallery, ArtCatto, talks of the Algarve with huge pride. “It has much to offer, the food, the weather and the sensational coastline plus all the sporting and recreational activities for all the family makes this an idyllic part of Portugal, and understandably a magnet for tourism in the high season.

“Culture can be found here, of course, in the historic cities like Faro, with its charming old town. As it is a student city, there is a burgeoning young art and music scene with a regular ‘Faro Open Studio’ weekend, where visitors can follow a map and discover artists’ studio, galleries, and pop-up exhibitions throughout the city.

“One exciting gallery is Gama Rama, which works as a creative incubator hosting cultural events and facilitating artistic collaboration. British artist Tom Leamon, who lives near Tavira, is involved with creative direction of the gallery and has his own artists residency programme and workshop retreat in Tavira, called Yucca Studios.”

But more on Tom Leamon’s wonderfully vibrant and expressive work later.

It’s a big, brave space, in the heart of Lisbon’s trendy Graça area where exciting conceptual pieces from Portuguese and young British artists are on show

What about the appeal of Lisbon to an international mover like Ben? “Lisbon is an attractive and picturesque city, the seven hills, the pastel-coloured houses, the Avenida Liberdade, the Marquis de Pombal Square,” he says.

“Those who know Lisbon delight in that every neighbourhood has a distinct character and charm, like Alfama, the birthplace of Fado music, or the teeming streets of the Bairro Alto, packed with bars where the youngsters party until the early hours. For culture, The National Museum of Ancient Art is a must see, as is the famous Gulbenkian collection.

“

The Belém area is where you will find the Gothic Jerónimos Monastery with the famed Pastéis de Belém patisserie nearby and the Berardo Collection, with its permanent collection and a good exhibition programme of contemporary art. The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT) is also located in the vicinity, a striking and streamline building on the banks of the Tagus next to the old Power Station, which is also worth a visit.

“There are also some excellent contemporary

Bespoke Architects of Carvoeiro puts sustainability as a priority

commercial galleries to visit, such as Vera Cortês, Balcony, Cristina Guerra and Carlos Carvalho, and for Urban art scene there is Underdogs Gallery. Dotted around the city are well-known mural pieces by urban artists such as Vhils, Add Fuel and Bordalo II.”

Something different

A newcomer to the scene is Ben’s Galeria Augustine, located just below trendy Graça in São Vicente. Ben had a gallery in the East End of London back in the early 2000s where he was the first person to show a relatively unknown urban artist called Banksy, alongside a painter called Antony Micallef. The show was called Perverse Pop and was a catalyst for the fledging urban art movement.

Ben has curated numerous exhibitions around the world, from London to New York and Miami. In the Algarve, he masterminded exhibitions for Fresco Gallery in Almancil, one of which was a solo exhibition entitled On the Spectrum by Tom Leamon, whose work Altitude Sickness can be found in the inaugural exhibition at Galeria Augustine.

Ben explains: “I also met Tom through Faro Open Studio and immediately recognised an eclectic and playful artist who riffs off and pays homage to some of the great Masters of the 20th Century. Earlier this year, when I was approached by Katya Bauval at VILA VITA Parc to create an art proposal to coincide with their 30th year celebrations, it seemed only natural that I should approach Tom to come up with inventive ideas for the project. One of which was his Chamber of Secrets series, which was successfully installed at the Bela Vita Brasserie at the resort.

“Another local artist, also an incredible talent who I had the pleasure of

working with on this project, is textile artist Vanessa Barragão, who has her studio in Albufeira. VILA VITA Parc commissioned her to create a stunning piece for its 2 Michelin starred restaurant, The Ocean. Bleached Coral is a muted mix of off-whites, creams and neutral colours, with arboreal corals forming into loose lifeless hanging down threads. Within the work, the dome-like coral contains individual dimmed LED lights, a total new technique for Vanessa and a technical challenge”

The inaugural exhibition at Galeria Augustine is entitled Carry-On Baggage & New Discoveries, which has a clever concept. As a result of Brexit, it is now bureaucratic and expensive for British artists to ship artwork to Europe, so in a cheeky gesture of resilience and conceptual tease, the gallery invited UK artists over to Lisbon and to pack a small piece of artwork into their ‘carry-on baggage’ to display. Currently there are works from 24 artists on display in the gallery. Prices range from €750 to €5,000.

The exhibition raises a number of important questions. We are invited to reflect on the emotional baggage we all carry around. What is the weight of this baggage? And how can we travel lighter? Solitary or accompanied, our journey with its chance encounters, existential waiting and physical movement through space and time leads us to an often-unpredictable destination.

Galeria Augustine presents a very different style of art exhibition, encouraging emerging names to step forward, get noticed and build a reputation

A statement of today

Carry-on Baggage also looks at the pace of contemporary life, the process and impact of transportation, for business and pleasure, in the post-COVID era. Mass tourism has an ambivalent social impact on historic European cities, such as Lisbon: a boost for aspects of the local economy, it equally hikes up property values for the benefit of wealthier foreigners, while forcing out local families as areas become gentrified. In Lisbon, the clatter of wheelie carry-on travel cases crossing cobblestones competes with the strains of Fado.

What is the price of our collective desire to explore, experience, document and share? After a European summer of heat waves, raging fires and drought, even in the UK, the exhibition asks serious questions about the future of fossil fuels, the environmental implications of air travel and our own responsibility towards the planet.

As Ben points out, Lisbon as a city has been, until relatively recently, dwarfed culturally by capitals such as London and Paris that had spearheaded the great Modernist movements of the early 20th century. From 1933 to 1974, Portugal lived under Salazar’s Estado Novo dictatorship. Artists, writers and intellectuals were viewed with suspicion at best, with culture censured by the state. On April 25, 1974, the Carnation Revolution in Lisbon peacefully put an end to the regime.

In the downstairs gallery space the New Discoveries exhibition features emerging Portuguese artists that will compliment and create a dialogue with

British artists exhibiting in the gallery. The title refers to the ‘Age of Discoveries’ (Era dos Descobrimentos), in the 15th and 16th centuries, when Portugal explored and colonised parts of Africa, the Americas, Middle and Far East. During this period, Portugal became one of the wealthiest countries in the world, a position of global power only ended by the 1775 Lisbon earthquake disaster.

Ben Austin, in pilot’s gear for the launch party, and Duda Garcez, co-pilot and gallery manager of Galeria Augustine, certainly have much to celebrate. There is every reason to believe that this new venture will be flying high among the art cognoscenti and getting new young talents on the map. And the lounge area downstairs – Augustine Easy – will be the weekly venue for a members’ cocktail bar with a resident mixologist, Tiago Smith, and DJ Tiago Tocha.

“In London and New York when I was younger, I was either in a bar or a gallery, so it makes perfect sense to combine two of my favourite things, art and drinking cocktails, in my new space in Lisbon.” Ben says with a cheeky smile.

GALERIA AUGUSTINE Rua Leite de Vasconcelos, 3A1150-303 Lisboa

OPEN: T uesday to F riday 10:00–18:00; S aturday 14:00–19:00 926 536 229 / galeria-augustine .com

Amor

NOW IS THE TIME FOR GETTING THE DETAIL SORTED AND FINDING THE ARTISTS AND CRAFTSPEOPLE WHOSE WORK WILL ADD THE FINISHING TOUCHES TO THE REBORN PENSION, WHICH IS EMERGING FAST AS CASA AMOR

Words: ELAINE JOYCE

N NOVEMBER, we left Jack and Walter on the rooftops of Olhão, the cubist city; this month, we found them first in the village of Santa Catarina to talk about terracotta with the company Alberto Rocha. Then in Ilhavo, to meet two ceramists who imagined the now famous mug of Casa Amor’s coffee shop. And finally in Lisbon, where the furniture makers Olaio are located. Between them, these wonderful talents will feature in the makeup of the boutique hotel that will emerge in 2023.

As it is traditional in the Algarve, terracotta tiles cover the terraces and will do so at Casa Amor. Together with their architect Tatiana Bento and their builder E-obras, Jack and Walter put their trust in Alberto Rocha, which has been producing terracotta tiles in Santa Catarina since 1964. “The business was created by Elisabete Rocha’s father with whom we had the opportunity to visit the site and we learned so much,” enthuses Walter. “It is real artisanal work in the respect of tradition,” says Jack, “The red clay is taken on site, each tile is then shaped by hand, then left to dry in the open air, on the ground. A man regularly ‘taps’ them with a wooden board to keep a flat shape. Every Friday, the woodfired oven is lit and the dried tiles are baked. It will take

While the rebuilding programme continues, the intrepid duo are on the look out for artisans who can created exclusive pieces, handmade, handfinished and with a special story

several days for the temperature to drop and for the 6,700 tiles to be completed and later installed. And future guests will be able to walk barefoot on the roof top and feel the softness of the porous material that never burns, a material as sensual as it is beautiful.”

Those who have discovered the pop-up store of Rua do Gaibéu have drunk their cappuccino in a mug painted by Milú and Jorge Saraiva in Ilhavo, south of Aveiro. This passionate couple launched Oficina da Formiga 30 years ago, with the aim of reproducing traditional drawings on their work that would otherwise have disappeared; today, you can find their collection in Japan, Australia, France ... and in Olhão.

“We met them thanks to Jean François (two-Michelinstarred Chef) and Elodie Piège, who chose their work for the dishes at Epi d’Or, one of their Parisian restaurants that we love so much,” says Jack. “Milú and Jorge are not only craftsmen but also artists, and above all two nice people. We are very proud to showcase their work at the store… and we are not the only ones: we had to sell the mugs and dishes that our clients asked for. The little red heart seduces. We also had to learn patience – craftsmanship takes time but the new delivery has just arrived and every

piece is a perfect Christmas gift”

Finally, it was Walter who spotted the company that will produce the furniture for the future restaurant in Casa Amor. Olaio has been part of the Portuguese heritage since the 30s. His furniture was found in public institutions, theatres, cafés and even... luxury hotels! It could have disappeared without the energy and will of João Olaio, grandson of the creator, and Renata Vieira, who revived the company in 2016.

It is with Renata that Jack and Walter chose to reproduce the Caravela chair and armchair as an obvious choice for the fishing town. This model was created in 1965 by Portuguese designer José Espinho. For Casa Amor, they abandoned the leather seat and chose one made of nordic cord... in Olhão: the circle is complete! The table will be the Behr model but with a top in white Portuguese marble from Estremoz, chosen for its softness, beauty and sensuality.

As Christmas approaches, Team Casa Amor continue their incredible job, giving a new life to an ancient building, while Jack and Walter talk about something other than concrete and architectural design. Three trips into Portuguese craftsmanship have proved to be inspirational and a vital contribution to the future.

LUIS BARRA

Festive bubbles

Words: LÍVIA MOKRI

MANY EXCITING sparkling wines await consumers on store shelves, so it’s only a matter of taste and budget as to which one you choose.

Portugal produces excellent sparkling wines – so let’s take a look at some of the offerings of the larger wineries.

First of all, it is worth highlighting the great sparkling wines of the Bairrada region, which produces about 80% of Portuguese sparkling wines, with ranges that include all kinds of bubbles – from white to red –at a good price/value ratio.

Let me first draw attention to the brands of Luis Pato and his daughter, Filipa, which are certainly worth considering.

Luis Pato, who is known as the ‘Baga rebel’, produces the excellent Luis Pato Baga Bruto from the Baga grape, which is the main variety of the Bairrada area. With no tannins, this bubbly harmonises well with fish, shellfish and roasted meats – favourites during the festive season, but will be appreciate year round by all sparkling lovers. luispato.com/vinhos/show.aspx?idcont=82&title=baga&idioma=en

And then there is Filipa’s multi-awarded 3B Rosé Sparkling, with its expressive aromas of strawberries, pomegranate and anise – a perfect aperitif to start a festive meal. patowouters.com/pt/vinhos/info/nossa-expressao-da-regiao_21/

Have you ever tasted a white bubbly produced from red grapes? Staying in Bairrada, let me recommend the Baga Blanc de Noirs sparkling wine from the Marquês de Marialva house, produced by the Adega de Cantanhede cooperative winery. This elegant, fruity sparkling, with its amber colour and very fine, long-lasting bubbles is impressive. cantanhede.com/pt/esp-mm-baga-blanc-de-noirs/

Another leading sparkling wine producer in Portugal is Vértice, located in the Douro region. One of its special wines, Vértice Gouveio, which is made exclusively from the Gouveio grape variety, is also highly valued by professionals. On the nose, it is young, with fresh white fruits and a touch of smokiness followed by deep flavour in the mouth. dourovertice.pt/en/go/sparkling-wines-doc-douro), Also produced in the Douro, at the Raposeira winery, is a wide range of fantastic sparkling wines, from white to red, and from dry to sweet. These bubblies are partly made from the traditional Douro red grapes, such as Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz, and the whites are made from the great Chardonnay, Malvasia Fina, and Cerceal grapes, in a lower price range. Their Super Reserve Brut bubbly, with its very harmonious fruity, intense and ripe aroma that gives it a fresh and unique taste, is an excellent choice for a lively festive dinner with friends. cavesdaraposeira.com/espumantes/

If you want to impress, consider the Murganheira Millésime Brut. Murganheira is one of the great Portuguese sparkling wine houses, located south of the Douro, in the Varosa Valley. The winery is famous for its blue granite caves that naturally maintain the same temperature all year round. Their Millésime wine is produced from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. There are mature tropical and white fruit notes on the nose with a touch of nuts; in the mouth, fine, very persistent bubbles and great acidity lead to a lingering and seductive finish. murganheira.com/specials/?lang=en

If you are a fan of the Alentejo region, you cannot be without sparkling during the holidays. The Cartuxa Reserve Brut Sparkling was the first, produced from the rigorously selected white grape Arinto, with a second fermentation in the bottle during five years in the cellars of the Cartuxa Monastery. cartuxa.pt/en/wine-portfolio/cartuxareserve-brut-sparkling-white-wine-docalentejo-evora/

But finally, let me ask you to accompany this year’s festive menu with any sparkling wine from our Algarve region. Many local wineries have produced excellent bubbly in the past few years. The first accolade goes to Adega do Cantor, then part-owned by Sir Cliff Richard, who made a sparkling wine named Cantor 75 to celebrate his 75th birthday. Unfortunately, this wine is no longer on the market, but the new owner also produces excellent, elegant, creamy and fruity, Brut Natur White. en.winesvidanova.com/shoponline?Range=Sparkling

Should you want a rosé sparkling, I highly recommend Quê Espumante from Quinta de Barranco Longo in Algoz . With its soft, yet intense bubbles, as well as its red berry fruity and strawberry flavours, it perfectly matches the festive mood. quintadobarrancolongo.com/pt/tipos-devinhos/vinhos-premium/que-espumante/ que-espumante-rose-reserva-bruto-natural

Maybe you already know that Negra Mole is a grape unique to the Algarve and a great range of wines can be found in the cellars of local wineries.

Make your celebration toasts with the really fresh and elegant Escolhido Negra Mole Brut Natural produced by Quinta dos Santos winery. And this bubbly is also very special because the Negra Mole grape is basically a red variety, but you will find a white sparkling in the bottle. winebit.pt/product/escolhido-negra-molebrut-natural-vinho-algarve

If you love this grape variety, open a bottle from the João Clara winery. Their Blanc de Noirs white Espumante, with its fine and persistent bubbles, fruity and citrus nose, good creaminess and persistence will enchant you.

winebit.pt/product/joao-clara-blanc-denoir-espumante-vinho-algarve

Fizzy festive cocktails

BLOOD ORANGE SPARKLING MULE

Serves 1

 juice of ½ medium blood orange  juice of ½ lime  30ml vodka  8 leaves of mint  60ml chilled ginger beer  chilled sparkling wine for topping

In a glass, combine the orange and lime juices and the vodka. Add the ginger beer and top with the sparkling wine. Garnish with blood orange slices and fresh mint.

CHRISTMAS PUNCH

Serves 20

 1 large bag of ice  1.2L 100% cranberry juice  2 bottles of very dry sparkling wine  500ml apple cider  350ml ginger ale  350ml dark rum or brandy  2 oranges thinly sliced into rounds  1 cup fresh cranberries

Make sure all of the ingredients are well chilled. Fill a large punch bowl with ice. Stir in cranberry juice, sparkling wine, apple cider, ginger ale and rum.Top with orange slices and fresh cranberries.

FIG SPARKLING COCKTAIL

Serves 2  2tsp granulated sugar  6 large mint leaves  21ml fig liqueur  21ml Amaretto  120ml sparkling wine

For garnish:  honey or simple syrup  gold sanding sugar  mint sprigs

Spread a bit of honey or simple syrup onto a plate and spread out sanding sugar on another. Dip the glass rims into the honey and then the sugar. In a cocktail shaker, muddle together the sugar and mint. Add in the fig liqueur and amaretto and muddle again. Let the mixture stand until

the sugar is melted. Strain the mixture into two glasses and top with the sparkling wine. Garnish with a fresh mint sprig to taste.

STRAWBERRY TEQUILA FIZZ Serves 2  ⅓ cup chopped strawberries  ½ tsp sugar  60 ml tequila  120ml chilled dry or semi-dry sparkling wine  Thinly sliced jalapeño pepper for garnish

Place the chopped strawberries on the bottom of a cocktail shaker and add the sugar. Let them sit for five minutes. Add the tequila and muddle the heck out of the strawberries or use a wooden spoon to mash them until they break down. Add an ice cube and shake the mixture well, then pour it evenly into two glasses. Top each glass off with sparkling wine. Drop in a jalapeño slice and serve!

REABILIT AÇÃ O REMODELA Ç ÕE S GRANDES P RO J ETOS - C ONSTR U ÇÃ O DE RAI Z LSF - OBR A S ESTRUTURAIS & PROJET O S ESPECI AIS

WHEN IT COMES TO A CRISIS, USCHI KUHN INVARIABLY RAISES HER HAND, BUT THE SOS FOR THE RIA FORMOSA’S DISAPPEARING SEAHORSES SENT HER INTO FULL BATTLE MODE

Rescue

restore and

Words: DEBBIE REYNOLDS

AS I STEP into Uschi’s intriguing Vale Telheiro home I get a delicate paper seahorse brooch pinned to my dress. It tells me she means business, but it also perfectly represents the precarious position of these little creatures, which were once more prolific in the Algarve’s Ria Formosa than anywhere else in the world.

Sadly, their existence here now hangs in the balance. The result of a census requested by the Oceano Azul Foundation and conducted by University of Algarve biologist Dr Jorge Palma found that in 2018 the Ria Formosa was home to only 100,000 seahorses compared to the two million recorded in 2001.

“This represents a decline of around 90%,” says Uschi. “To say the situation is critical is an understatement.”

Like most people who love this southern Algarve national park, one of Portugal’s seven natural wonders, Uschi was blissfully unaware that the Ria Formosa’s famous seahorses were facing extinction.

“I got involved through my Rotary Club when we were given a presentation by the Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences,” she says. “I realised immediately that we had to do something to help.”

Having been the first female president of the Almancil International Rotary Club and still a stalwart member, Uschi sprang into action, officially forming a special Seahorse Committee in 2021, along with Mo Gova, Klaus Ukens and Alan Wallis.

“All this started happening during Covid, so not only was it difficult to speak to people, but when I did, they weren’t that interested. The attitude was mostly that they had bigger things to worry about.”

While Uschi has been involved in various causes throughout her life, this one really grabbed her because it was a problem on her doorstep, and it meant doing something for the next generation.

“The main problem is that the sea grass in the lagoon is being destroyed by fishing and recreational boats, climate change, illegal fishing and poaching," she says. “Sea grass is the sea horses’ natural habitat, the only place they can live and breed.

“It’s all about the lagoon’s natural balance – if you take one piece out then the rest will start disappearing, too. No fish, no crabs, no octopus, no food, no nothing.”

about Uschi

A feisty, determined redhead, Uschi was born in Germany before moving to Cape Town, South Africa, when she was 19. Ten years later, with husband Rudolf and children Rudi and Nicole, she returned to Germany, opening a hairdressing salon.

“I’ve always been artistic and for me hair styling was all about being creative,” she says. “We entered competitions, and I was one of the first to start bodypainting back then.

“We also used to do shows and fundraisers for charity, because that has always been part of who I am.”

Missing the South African sun and sky, they decided that the Algarve was the next best thing and moved here 20 years ago, opening an art retreat in Loulé.

“I wanted to give something back to the country I had chosen to live in and so I joined the Almancil International Rotary Club, where I was the first female president in 2015 and then was president again in 2020.”

It was after the untimely death of her husband in 2013, that Uschi began painting again. “It was a healing process at first and then I became more serious, showing my work in a local art gallery and creating an art retreat.”

Today, however, she has dedicated herself to the Rotary cause – Service Above Self and One Profits Most Who Serves Best.

Raising vital funds

Working with the Centre of Marine Sciences, the University of the Algarve and the Institution of Nature Conservation, it transpired that there were plans to rehabilitate the Ria Formosa seahorses, but, as always, funding was crucial.

Holding fundraising events during Covid was impossible, so Uschi reached out to the global Rotary community initiating a Zoom meeting with the Inter Country Committee.

Here she met Elisabeth (Biffy) Danckwerts from a South African Rotary Club who suggested she asks for a Rotary Foundation Global Grant, which would fall under Rotary’s ‘protecting the environment’ focus area.

“We needed €45,000, but the way it works is that we had to show intention by raising money first and then the Foundation would add a percentage.” And so began the committee’s hardest task. “We were often so disillusioned that we nearly gave up,” says Uschi. “One of our Seahorse Committee members, Alan Wallis, even made a large personal donation to get us started. We kept motivating each other, made lots and lots of presentations and just kept going.”

Two years later, it is finally happening. The practical elements are in place with two ‘no go’ sanctuary areas having been created in the estuary between Faro and Olhão, where boats and people are strictly forbidden.

Research has found that in place of sea grass, seahorses respond well to artificial structures that have been developed to recreate their natural habitat. Because seahorses are not good swimmers, they need to be able to anchor themselves to something or they get washed out to sea.

Recently, seahorses born in the tanks of the Ramalhete Marine Station in Faro were released into these sanctuaries. Also, coming soon to provide extra protection for the sanctuaries are specialised navigation buoys, for which permission has just been granted and funds received. Once that’s done, Uschi will continue her mission to raise awareness about the plight of our seahorses.

DID YOU KNOW?

Seahorses are monogamous in that they mate for life. Females ‘plant’ the eggs in the male’s belly. The males carry and give birth to the babies.

They swim in pairs with their tails linked together. Each seahorse has unique identifying marks on their bony ‘crown’, so no two are the same.

They have no teeth or stomach so food passes through their digestive system so fast they need to eat constantly to stay alive. There are 47 recognised species of seahorses – two of these are found in the Ria Formosa – the Short-snouted seahorse and Long-snouted seahorse.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Do not catch or touch seahorses. Avoid anchoring your boat on seagrass meadows. Do not sail or anchor in the sanctuary areas. Share the story of the seahorses. Know that harvesting and commercialisation of seahorses is a crime, punishable by law. Support the fundraising drives.

Donate to the AIRC – Seahorse Project – PT50 0010 0000 5558 1140 00213. Swift code BBPIPTPL. Reference Seahorse Liebe Grube.

“Education is key to the conservation of these endangered little animals,” she says, explaining that much has been done, but that much more is needed.

You may already have noted the Proteja O Nosso Cavalo-Marinho posters which have gone up at various harbours and islands on the Ria Formosa. And there’s been a feature article about the project in the German Die Stern magazine and reports in various local media.

Uschi frequently visits schools, which she says are the main “breeding grounds” for getting the word out.

“The kids are fascinated and inspired by saving our seahorses and we’ve launched an art competition with the schools, which has resulted in some amazing work by the children.”

The children’s paintings, as well as work by other artists, including Boliqueime’s Jessica Dunn, will be displayed at an exhibition at the São Brás Museum on December 17.

Another coup was getting award-winning Portuguese underwater cinematographer João Rodrigues to allow use of his seahorse photographs for their projects.

“Fundraising will be ongoing and we are eternally grateful to all the people, from private individuals to established businesses, who have helped us make this dream come true,” says Uschi. “On behalf of Rotary, we’ll be overseeing the project for the next two years, during which time we will also be funding education divers to go into the sanctuaries to see if the project is working and the seahorse population is improving.”

Not content to leave it at that, Uschi is determined to work with Dr Palma to expand the current seahorse aquarium at the Ramalhete laboratory.

“Now the public can’t enter the seahorse facility. Our dream would be to make a laboratory with a big window so that people can see the seahorses rather than going diving to see them in the wild and destroying their habitat.”

Before I’m allowed to leave, Uschi insists that I make it clear that the SOS (Save the Seahorse) project is not about her.

“It’s about being connected to the world, being a Rotarian, the incredible team and all the people who have helped in their own way, big or small.”

It’s a fact that no man is an island, and in her desire to give back to the country which has nurtured her for 20 years, Uschi has certainly proven that.

She wrote in her story, Under the Star-Filled Sky (part of Alyson Sheldrake’s anthology A New Life in the Algarve Portugal): “I bow my head to this country.”

Well, there is no doubt the seahorses are bowing theirs to her.

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JEREMY SAUNDERS highly accomplished works of art are available at the delightful Galeria Corte-Real in Paderne. Achieving remarkable effects, the artist –who is new to the gallery – uses lavishly-applied oil paints that are shaped with fragments of plastic cards. These cards have qualities similar to a palette knife, allowing him to work with broad, flat strokes. In addition, their sharp edges and pointed corners offer the detail that the point of a brush provides.

His glorious paintings often portray blazing sunlight and sharpened shadows, similar to those seen in Edward Hopper’s urban landscapes. They are inspired by extensive travel, experiencing Mediterranean and tropical climates that he is able to accurately represent through the texture of his paintings.

The technique, known as ‘impasto’, involves layering the paints to create an uneven surface. When this mixture of oil paint on oil paint is reshaped, it makes light reflect in particular ways. It was a method used by Rembrandt to create folds in fabric; van Gogh used it to produce expression, while the Impressionists found it helped them to accurately represent colour and light. These artists must have found that paint brushes were sometimes

less effective than fingers, thumbs, pieces of cloth and sponges.

Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for artists to mark the ‘impasto’ mixture with any suitable object that might come to hand, a comb perhaps, a kitchen tool or some bubble wrap. Not all experimental work is as pleasing to the eye as Jeremy’s paintings, but art students are encouraged to take risks with untried materials.

Jeremy followed a distinguished period of training, including St Martin’s School of Art, graduating with a first class honours degree and winning a gold medal from the Prince’s Youth Business Trust. Subsequently, HRH King Charles III has personally acknowledged him and his mentoring work for the Prince’s Trust.

His paintings have featured widely on television programmes and fashion campaigns. He has completed commissions for NatWest Insurance, Saga Ruby, Tui and Cunard Cruises. He has conducted oil painting demonstrations on P&O cruise ships Arcadia and Oceana, at Art Societies and Colleges.

“I find these demonstrations a huge pleasure and a perfect complement to my solitary studio work,” he says. Light hearted and informal, producing vibrant paintings, his positivity is infectious.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

When did you first pick up a paint brush?

I started painting on my bedroom walls at the age of two. Fortunately, my mum didn’t seem to mind too much.

What was the subject of your first ever work?

I painted a little blue tit bird in a watercolour when I was seven, which my mother, my primary school teacher, still keeps in her handbag.

Your choice of medium – has it always been the same?

I pretty much painted in oils from my art college days.

What’s the largest painting you have completed?

3x3m. The largest were for Cunard and Saga cruise ships.

What would be your dream subject?

IMPASTO PAINTING… not as easy as it sounds

Be careful – choose a suitable canvas that will not sag, or use a wooden panel. Experiment – putting wet paint onto wet paint can result in mixed and muddy colours. Remember – tools make different marks depending on how hard they are pressed and the thickness of the paint.

Be confident – movements of no longer than two or three seconds are required.

A brand new foreign city that I visit for the first time.

Do you paint every day?

I try and paint or draw most days. It’s like breathing to me.

Ceramics make a

style st atement

ANNE-LAURE PILET, THE OWNER AND MENTOR OF ANALORA GALLERY IN LISBON, BRINGS TOGETHER SOME TRULY BEAUTIFUL PIECES FROM PORTUGUESE ARTISTS AND CERAMICISTS

Words: SANDRA GATO

ANNE-LAURE Pilet is the epitome of French style. And rightly so. For years, she worked in some of the biggest advertising agencies in Paris so, as she says, dressing fashionably was like a uniform for her for a great part of her life. But after two decades of intense and glamorous Parisian living, it was time for something completely different: China.

Initally, she went to accompany her husband, but she quickly found ways of nurturing her artistic side, including teaching in a fashion school and organising art residencies between France and China.

When the time came to return to Europe, Paris was not an option. After considering several possibilities, Portugal – and specifically Lisbon – was the final choice.

Arriving in a country where you feel welcomed but don’t know anyone would be a challenge for the best of us. For Anne-Laure was just another life change.

After getting settled, she decided she wanted to display and sell beautiful pieces, so her first project was a concept store. She rented and worked from an apartment but soon discovered that she needed to dive deeper in the art world. She found a property in the best possible street: rua de São Bento, in the area in Lisbon where you find many galleries and antique shops. And a year ago, she opened Analora, a Latin adaptativo of her own name.

Four years after arriving in Lisbon and one year after opening Analora, Anne-Laure doesn’t have any plans to leave. She finds Lisbon an inspiring city, with all its bright colours and white light, and through her gallery she wants to give back to a country that made her feel at home the minute she arrived.

Crossing Analora’s door is stepping into a magical world. She welcomes her visitors and if that’s what they want, a private tour follows in which she explains the story behind each of the pieces and a little of the artist’s background. You feel Analora is an extension of Anne-Laure’s home because, in a way, that is exactly what it is.

Anna-Laure handpicks the items she shows in her gallery, choosing always to feature works with a distinct personality

The first question everyone asks is: why ceramics? But there is is so much more than that. Anne-Laure also represents artists who do textile work or upcycle materials. Ceramics, however, is what you mostly see when you enter the gallery. She wants her place to be accessible – a meeting point for those who are looking for a big, special piece, as well as those just searching for a nice, not too expensive gift. That is why you can find a fabulous wallpiece alongside a simple cup for your coffee, and be assured that the cup in question is not a mass market object.

Anne-Laure proudly claims that 70% of the artists she represents are Portuguese – Vanessa Barragão, António Vasconcelos Lapa, Iva Viana, to mention a few. Working closely with each of them and helping them to show their work in fairs or other events is what she enjoys the most. That and discovering new talent and making it known in and outside the country. She feels that for her job to be well done she has to fully know her artists in order to take the best out of them.

Another line of work that interests her increasingly is an involvement with interior design, curating private or public spaces and finding the perfect piece ‘to live’ in a specific spot. Once again, she feels that ceramics can make a difference because they are so versatile and ideal for places that cannot (or should not) be inhabited by a painting or sculpture.

If you’re coming to Lisbon for Christmas and shopping, do accept Anne-Laure’s invitation and step into her gallery. Maybe you’ll find the perfect present for a special someone, but what you’ll take away with you for certain is the realisation of how incredible a piece of ceramic can be and how it can totally transform a space.

The enchanted ladies

To celebrate Galeria Analora’s first year, AnneLaure invited one of her ceramists to create a collection of exclusive pieces that are displayed and sold only at the gallery. Some of them were designed to hold a candle but all reflect the kind of feminism that Fabienne Auzolle defends: not politicized but having women as the central inspiration. Many of her pieces show a sacralized woman, almost like a saint, adorned with elements brought from nature: shells, flowers, leaves...

To present her beautiful ladies, the French artist recently visited Lisbon for a few days during which time Sandra Gato was one of the few lucky ones to have the privilege of gettig their hands into clay under Fabienne’s guidance. The task? To make a human hand! Simple, right? Not really. Molding a palm with five fingers was a challenge that only had a happy ending thanks to the artist’s help and magic touch. Said Sandra: “Watching Fabienne creating her delicate figures made us more in awe of the creative work involved. It is good to live in an era where arts and crafts have the respect they trully deserve.

GALERIA ANALORA Rua de São Bento, nº 388, Lisboa

Everywhere you look there is another surprise. The saint-like female figures by Fabienne Auzolle show different moods according to the adornments they carry

Open: Tuesday– Friday, 11:00–19:00, Saturday, Sunday and Monday by appointment only T: + 351 935 842 643 / analora.pt

www.mariasbeachalgarve.com Bookings: +351 289 358 675 or team@mariasbeachalgarve.com

Restaurant closed from 21st November and reopens 16th December 24th December lunch only 25th December closed 31st December open for lunch with dj Christian F. and dinner with The Brothers from 10pm to bring in the New Year 1st Jan - The Outsiders. @marias_algarve @Marias restaurant and beach

On Garrão beach, between Vale do Lobo and Quinta do Lago, drive past Dunas Douradas Beach Club, we are at the end of the road.

my life at Christmas and I do tend to go a bit overboard with the presents. This is great, until I see the pile of things that now need wrapping and part of me wishes I had just bought them a gift card!

Knowing how much the kids love a game of pass the parcel, I wrapped gifts accordingly to keep the surprises going. There are no rules here, so let your inner child loose. The only things you will need is a big enough box, several lengths

of wrapping paper (offcuts will come in handy here) and some sweets.

Endless possibilities and nicer than a box and ribbon

perfect hamper, first pick your theme. Whether the contents are vegan, boozy or pure Christmas, think about the size of basket you will need. A nice wooden vegetable or wine box is ideal – the benefits of upcycling can never be overlooked. Plain wooden veg boxes can be painted and decorated if you want to add in an extra personal touch.

check out @thefoldinglady for clever but easy pleats to hold cards!

to get the kids involved

Birth of the bica

Words: CAROLYN KAIN

Words: BRIAN REDMOND

HEN COFFEE was introduced in 1903 from Minas Gerais in Brazil, the Portuguese were cautious, never having tasted anything quite like it before. The owner of a grocery shop in Porto, specialising in importing produce from abroad – guava, tapioca, spices, tea and coffee – gave customers the opportunity to sample his unusual wares. An entrepreneur with an eye for increasing business, he ofereceu uma xícara de café, providing clients with a shot of coffee free of charge. His grocery store was probably Portugal’s original coffee shop.

The drink was found to be so stimulating that word travelled fast and a new enterprise was created, known as Café A Brasileira. But by then customers were expected to pay!

The owner didn’t miss the opportunity to devise a slogan: O melhor café é o d’A Brasileira. He founded a free newspaper

PORTUGAL’S MOST EMBLEMATIC COFFEE IS THE BICA. IT IS SAID THAT YOU SHOULD BEBA ISTO COM ACUÇAR – DRINK THIS WITH SUGAR

that advised consumers how their coffee should be drunk, suggesting they should add sugar to remove any bitter taste. And so the bica was born.

The café attracted a sophisticated clientele and the intellectual elite. Such was its success, that two years later he opened an additional Café Brasileira in Lisbon. Academics such as Fernando Pessoa, Mário de Sá-Carneiro and José de Almada Negeiros were regular clients. In the smoke-laced atmosphere they conducted lively discussion groups while drinking their bicas. Sometimes chased by absinthe and other local spirits, the debates were often animated! This small group formed an avant-garde movement, ‘modernismo’ and published the magazine Orpheu.

Debates at the cutting edge of contemporary thinking were centred around the views of Europe’s most celebrated philosophers, writers, artists and composers including Marcel Duchamp, Eric Satie, André Breton, Picabia and Freud.

It was fitting that when the café was newly decorated it should be in the most up-to-date Art Déco style. Lined with mirrors, brass fittings and featuring intimate wooden booths, the design continues to impress visitors today. It is a place of pilgrimage for enthusiasts of Art Déco.

Soon after the café’s make-over in 1922, artists who were regular customers began to display their paintings. Admired by and sometimes purchased by clients, eventually the venue became known as Lisbon’s first modern art museum.

Although surrealist art was late to appear in Portugal it was first seen in Café A Brasileira. The bizarre images became a way to challenge the conservatism of the Salazar regime.

The Grupo Surrealista de Lisboa adhered to the surrealist ideas of exploring the unconscious and freeing the mind. During the late 1950s and throughout the 60s, they promoted the notion that surrealism was anti-fascist and preached about the need for political and social liberation.

Every town had its own political hub; in Faro it was Café Aliança. Informal discussions and heated arguments were common in cafés across Portugal, most especially in Lisbon’s Café A Brasileira. It is recorded that chairs were sometimes thrown, cups were smashed and brawls occurred.

Surrealist paintings and sculptures from that time can be seen at Lisbon’s Contemporary Art Museum. There are other transient pieces of Portuguese surrealist art that could easily have been produced by artists sitting in Café A Brasileira. Collaborating to play a game of consequences the picture Cadavre Exquis still shows the lines where it was creased and folded. Drawn by António Pedro, Fernando de Azevedo, Marcelino Vespeira and José-Augusto França this small piece of paper was recently displayed at Tate Modern in London alongside other Portuguese surrealist works. Although these artists’ names are unfamiliar to most people, the café they frequented has become iconic.

Café A Brasileira of the Second World War is featured in a forthcoming comedy to be staged at São Brás Museum. Written entirely in rhyme, it uses some dramatic license but is mostly based on fact. It includes a wonderfully entertaining brawl at Café A Brasileira between Peggy Guggenheim, Salvador Dali and his eccentric wife.

The cast of 12 includes Sergio Veigas as Fernando Pessoa and Margaret de Araújo as the English surrealist Leonora Carrington.

Cinderella and The Surrealists is written and directed by Carolyn Kain.

At Lisbon’s Café

A Brasileira, chairs were thrown, cups were smashed and brawls occurred.

A total of five bedrooms, all ensuite, one on the ground floor, three on the pool level, one in the guest studio

Five bathrooms plus a sixth by the sauna

Entrance hall with cloakroom to one side, and that all-essential storage room

Large well-appointed kitchen with feature ceiling

Dining room, between the living room and kitchen, with a wood burning fireplace

Spacious, sun-filled lounge leading onto terrace with spectacular views

Air conditioning throughout

of the month...

Puff pastry PIBs & Christmas camembert

with speedy festive chutney

WE’VE RAMPED UP A TRADITIONAL BAKED CAMEMBERT WITH PASTRYWRAPPED PIGS IN BLANKETS FOR DIPPING. THERE IS ALSO A SUPER-SPEEDY, FULL-FLAVOURED FESTIVE CHUTNEY THAT CAN EASILY BE WHIPPED UP

WHILE YOUR CAMEMBERT AND SAUSAGES BAKE IN THE OVEN.

I WREATH

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE PIGS IN BLANKETS  20 chipolatas  20 slices of bacon

FOR THE WREATH  500g block of puff pastry

flour, for dusting

1 egg, lightly whisked

½ tbsp black sesame seeds

½ tbsp white sesame seeds

250g Camembert wheel, in wooden box

fresh rosemary, to serve

FOR THE CHUTNEY 

1 small red onion, finely diced

1 tbsp salted butter

1 tbsp dried mixed herbs

1 tbsp mixed spice

80g currants or raisins

50g dried apricots

100g dried figs

100ml balsamic vinegar

60g soft brown sugar

100ml water

METHOD

You will need a 20cm cake tin.

PREP : 10 MINUTES / COOK: 25 MINUTES

5 Place one pig in blanket diagonally on each pastry section and roll up towards the cake tin. Working your way round the clock, repeat until 12 sausages are wrapped in the puff pastry.

6 Brush each sausage roll with a little of the whisked egg. Sprinkle over the black and white sesame seeds.

7 Unwrap the Camembert and place it (still in its wooden casing) in the centre of the cake tin. Place the spare pigs in blankets in the cake tin around the cheese and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

8 In the meantime, make the chutney. Place the red onion in a heavy-bottomed saucepan along with the butter. Gently fry the onion over a medium heat for 4–5 minutes until it begins to soften.

9 Add the dried mixed herbs and mixed spice to the pan and continue to cook for a further 1 minute. Add the currants or raisins, apricots and figs to the pan and pour in the balsamic vinegar.

10 Sprinkle in the sugar and stir all the ingredients together. Pour in the water and bring to a simmer. Allow to gently simmer for 15–20 minutes until the fruit has softened and the liquid reduced. Once thickened, remove from the heat and allow the chutney to cool and further thicken.

11 Remove the cake tin from the oven and place it and the puff pastry pigs on a serving board.

12 Add the cooked spare pigs in blankets to the top of the Camembert. Spoon the cooled chutney into the cake tin around the edge of the baked Camembert. Finish with a little fresh rosemary and serve.

1 Role and wrap each chipolata in a slice of bacon.

2 Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.

3 Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut out a circle roughly 28cm in diameter.

Transfer to the lined baking tray.

4 Place a 20cm cake tin in the centre of the pastry and cut 12 lines from the edge of the cake tin to the edge of the circle to create 12 sections, like a clock.

The Pigs in Blankets cookbook (Ebury Press) from the Jolly Hog, with tasty photography by Josh Campbell, introduces flavoursome fun to the holiday season. When you’re cooking, invite us over!

therAPy centre

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Physiotherapy, Osteopathy, Massages and alternative therapies in the centre of Quarteira and Almancil

Our care starts with taking your personal history to find out where your problem started, from there we will suggest one, or a range of complementary treatments to get you back on your feet again. But if you just need pampering we can provide that too - oh! and the consultation and treatment fees will have you dancing with joy!

Physiotherapy

Osteopathy

Pre & Post Surgery

Lymphatic Drainage Medical massage

Relaxing massage

Sports massage Deep tissue massage Oriental massage

AlmAncil +351 911 579 283 | info@physioin.pt | Av. 5 de Outubro, Ed. Coral, Loja L R/C, 8135-102 Almancil QuArteirA +351 914 316 619 | info@physioin.pt | Rua Stuttgart, 8125-507 Quarteira

Av. 5 Outubro 137, 8135-100 Almancil

OPeninG timeS

Monday to Friday: 09:00 - 20:30 Saturday: 09:00 - 13:00

www.physioin.pt online agenda for bookings

Manuela, the highly experienced beautician from Germany employs the latest technology at her salon in Almancil.

After the EMS BodyCult which sculptures & tones Body Parts there is also now the 9D HIFU with the HIFU360 & LipoHIFU feature exclusive in her salon which gives amazing lasting results. Book your complimentary consultation now!

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In the nick of time

CHANGING YOUR LIFESTYLE AS DRAMATICALLY AS RELOCATING TO ANOTHER COUNTRY CAN BE INCREDIBLY DISRUPTIVE, BUT SUPER EXCITING AT THE SAME TIME. THE KEY IS YOUR MINDSET, SAYS NICK ROBINSON

WE’ VE ALL done it. Haven’t we?

You head out on a grand summer vacation and see the world at its best with no dirty dishes, no school runs, no boring dinners, no long meetings and deadlines to stress you out. It’ s all relaxing morning walks, cocktails at sundown and long, luxuriant days in the heat. Then you think to yourself, WOW! I could live here! This place is amazing! So you start to dream…

The biggest challenge to get over is that you’re not going to be on holiday all the time. You’re not going to be staying at the swanky hotel or the lush Airbnb, steps away from the beach. You’re going to be waking up early and working. You’re going to be shopping for groceries, cooking at home, finding people to help you renovate your home, to clean it and you’re going to be figuring out how to find all the support services you need. Back home, you know exactly where the shops that hold all those unique items are, but here in the Algarve where do you start?

If you look at every little detail as your exciting new adventure, you’ll be just fine. When those daily hiccups occur, do you butt your head against the wall, blaming the Portuguese and comparing the new challenges to how easily you could have overcome them back at home? Well then, you may want to consider the slippery slope of heading to that expat bar round the corner for a drink with all the other expats who love to grumble about their new life. But wouldn’t you prefer to be walking the dog at sunrise across a crisp and fresh beach? Wouldn’t you prefer to be jumping for joy that your newly-learned Portuguese phrase was understood by João at the chicken shack? Wouldn’t you prefer to be gliding across the Alentejo into a fortified hill town marvelling at the rich history unravelling before your very eyes?

The practicalities of moving your life over to another

country are considerable. You need to break it down before taking the big decision of commencing the grand relocation plan. Consider the following:

Immigration. Understand visas, residency and citizenship, and how it fits into your particular circumstances. Try and figure out the timeline, and triple it.

Where to live. Pick a town that works for you and start from there. Everyone has different needs, wants and desires. You may have kids of school age, you may want to be close to an international hospital, you may have a burning desire to be 15 minutes away from the airport, or right on the beach or in the countryside away from any neighbours. Whatever your circumstances are, figure them out and then put yourself in a frame of mind of living here, not holidaying here. Get a guide who has lived here for years and pay them to take you on a tour – it’s an invaluable experience.

Accommodation. Thinking about where to live is great, thinking about how you’re going to be able to live is important, too. Can you afford a threebedroomed villa in the country and do you want all the hassle and expense that comes along with it? Would you prefer a lock-up-and-go apartment in a town with all the conveniences of high speed internet, walkable grocery stores, coffee shops but with the noise of people and more traffic?

The details are different for everyone and you may have questions like: what do I do with my pet, how do I get a pet passport, where are the vets? How about my car, will my driver’s licence be valid, how do I buy, lease or rent a car. Can I get a mortgage? What’s the process of buying a property in Portugal? So many questions and there are so many different answers. Many people head directly to Facebook groups and ask others. These groups can be really helpful but remember, you should aim for a balanced opinion. Double the important issues up with advice from trustworthy professionals.

Enjoy your move! I’d love to hear your relocation stories.

Find Nick on YouTube / Join Algarve Addicts Facebook Group discover more at algarveaddicts.com

Thinking about how you’re going to be able to live is as important as where to live too.

Praia da Bordeira

DESCENDING down Praia da Bordeira’s meandering wooden steps, it is impossible not to be stunned by the immediate view of two contrasting waters meeting beyond a foreground of glistening sands. The lagoon instantly stands out, as its contrasting nature – still, shallow and more aquamarine in colour – is accentuated when it joins up with the cobalt-blue sea, in which surfers can be spotted among the large waves.

When reaching the final few steps down to the beach, an array of sand dunes cutting across the centre are clear to see. Yet another feature that adds to the scenery is the amount of vegetation on the surrounding cliffs – a mixture of wild reeds, standalone bushes and big, big hedges.

The majority of tourists flock to the popular resorts along the centre stretch of the coast, but those willing to venture further westwards can find a wealth of magnificent coastline and beaches. From the emerald cliffs encircling Praia da Ingrina and its rockpools, to the dizzying vertical backdrop at Praia do Beliche, the region has several paradisiacal settings. Praia da Bordeira, just over 100km northwest of Faro,

might well be the highlight.

While the features of Praia da Bordeira described here are shared with so many places, what makes it unique is the sheer size of the sand dunes, the opportunity to bathe in the lagoon, and the surfers riding waves that dwarf them.

However, easy as it is to get lost among this catalogue of attractions, bearings will always be restored by the lagoon. Its stillness and unexpected warmth also provide a relaxing and pleasant alternative to the sea, its serenity increased by the fact that the sand at the bottom is perfectly flat and claylike, with very few stones or crevasses.

No photos can capture the vastness of Praia da Bordeira. When standing in the lagoon, the golden landscape appears to stretch endlessly. Such parameters explain Bordeira’s popularity among surfers; the mammoth waves are paradoxical to the calm tranquillity of the lagoon.

In some ways, the high proportion of surfers highlights Bordeira’s underappreciated value more than the lack of visitors. Almost all guidebooks and online descriptions focus on the surfing opportunities rather than the beauty of the lagoon, let alone the sand dunes or the surrounding plant-laden cliffs.

That there is no major town or resort nearby might be one reason for this, despite the relatively straight-forward driving route along the N268. The nearby village of Carrapateira is not significantly greater than a hamlet in terms of size and population, offering just a few shops and amenities.

The lack of a beach bar and restaurant on Bordeira itself is another impracticality that presents a missed opportunity to attract visitors. However, this arguably has the benefit of keeping Bordeira unspoilt and relatively hidden.Among many concealed riches in the region, Praia da Bordeira must be one with the highest value.

WITH SAND DUNES AND AN IDYLLIC LAGOON, CARRAPATEIRA’S BEACH IS FAR MORE THAN A SURFER’S PARADISE. AND IT NEVER FAILS TO IMPRESS TRAVEL WRITER MATTHEW GRUBB

Discover

Advent wreath

WE ASKED FLOWER ARRANGER SUPREMO AUDE TOULY, WHOSE ATELIER IS IN OS AGOSTOS IN SANTA B Á RBARA, TO CREATE A FESTIVE DÉCOR PIECE FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO ADD PERSONALITY TO THEIR TABLE SETTING

What you’ll need

A beautiful plate

A small piece of chicken wire and a thin wire

4 taper candles

low candle holders

Fruits, such as dried oranges and dried pomegranates

Dried greeneries, such as eucalyptus

Dried flowers – a head of hydrangea, amaranths, gomphrena, strawflowers, poppy pods, bunny tails are favourites

Fresh greeneries – Aude uses local ones – pink pepper, myrtus and abelia

Star anise for a Christmas perfume

Here's how

01 02

Using gloves, carefully roll the chicken wire piece into a tube shape. Then tie both ends together with a thin wire to create a circle the same diameter as your plate. Sit the ring on the plate and place your candle holders and candles in the centre. The lower the candle holder the better it will be. Time to create!

Start with your hydrangea. Separate the small pieces from the head – you want some six or seven pieces. Then place them around the plate, sliding the stems in the wire. Complete with greeneries, then add the fruits. You can insert a wooden stick into the fruit, it will help position them in the wire.

03

Try to alternate greeneries, fruits and flowers, and work in relief and try to hide the wire. Add the smallest pieces at the end (gomphrena heads, strawflowers and anise). If you don’t plan to move your plate, just add those into the display, but if you think that your arrangement will be moved, use hot glue to secure them.

Don’t forget that your plants will not be hydrated, so choose varieties that will last if they are not dried. Easy-to-find here in the Algarve and that are weather resistant are bougainvillea flowers, dried carob tree leaves, citrus, small chilli peppers, pink pepper berries, resinous pine tree leaves, juniper fruits, eucalyptus, ferns, pomegranates, quinces, salsaparilla, lavender and rosemary.

Last but not least…. Never leave the candles burning unattended, especially with dried greeneries and flowers.

20 questions...

FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES, THE ASSOCIA Ç ÃO AMIGOS DE M Ú SICA DE SÃO LOUREN Ç O HAS ENSURED THAT THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC. PRESIDENT HELGA HAMPTON EXPLAINS HOW THEY WORK

1 When did you arrive in the Algarve, and where have you lived before? I first arrived in 1972 but was forced to leave as a result of the Revolution. I returned in 1991 and have lived in the Algarve ever since.

2 Were you involved in the music industry and in what way? No, I was a translator but I have been a passionate concert goer and opera fan all my life. I cannot live without classical music.

3 When and how did Amigos de Música start? 32 years ago, by Christine, Lady Vavasour, in cooperation with Marie and Volker Huber, at the Centro Cultural in São Lourenço. I became president of AAMSL in 1995. The gallery closed in 2015 and we moved to our new home in 2016.

4 Your chosen venue – what makes it special? Quinta Os Agostos is a special place, a stylishly restored 18th-century family estate in the hills above Sta. Bárbara. Its rustic original features contribute to the authentic atmosphere. There are great acoustics – a must for music performances.

5 Audience size – what number can attend? The auditorium, as we now call the Adega, offers seating for 100 people.

6 How many members do you have and what nationalities, and age group? Membership is currently limited to 120. Members come from the UK, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Belgium, Japan, Switzerland and Russia. And Portugal, too. The age group is 65 plus.

7 What are the advantages of membership? As an active member you receive early notification of all concerts, including fixed dates and confirmed artist participation, and regular newsletters.

8 What is the cost per year, and is there a cost per concert? Annual membership per person is €250. For this, members can attend all 18 concerts per concert season gratis. Non-members pay€ €30 per person.

9 Is there much socialising at events? We meet for wine and canapés before every concert on the garden terraces or in indoor hospitality rooms. After concerts there is the possibility to have a drink and a chat with the evening’s artist/s.

10 How many concerts do Amigos stage each year? We have 18 concerts.

(In July and August and January and February we take our breaks). Our musicians each give two concerts while here, with different programmes.

11 How do you source your performers? I am in charge of selecting top performers, and am able to benefit from good connections in the world of musical culture.

12 Do they have to audition in some way? NO! Their reputation precedes them.

13 Who decides on the content of each concert? Programming is mainly left to the performers.

14 What has proved to be the most popular programme? Solo piano, cello or guitar concerts. One of our outstanding pianists teamed up with a great violinist in 2019 when they world-premiered Algarvia, an original composition commissioned by the Amigos de Música.

15 And the favourite instrument? All told, it is probably the piano.

16 How do you communicate with existing and potential members? Regular newsletters and a lucid and illustrated website keep members updated and entertained.

17 Have you discovered young talents and helped establish them? Within our charitable arm, Young Portuguese Music Student Scholarship, we have helped needy Portuguese music students financially in their music studies abroad and also assisted in organising performances for them.

18 During lockdowns, did you stay in contact with members? Instead of full-house evening audiences, we added matinees so that we had four ‘half houses’, and morning performances.

19 Are there plans to make recordings of concerts. CDs to sell for example? No, we are very glad that most of our performers are recorded musicians who come with their CDs and the Amigos are very keen to buy them.

20 2023 - what’s lined up? There’s a packed programme at Amigos de Música

On 11 November, some 200 people gathered together at the Tivoli Hotel Conference Centre in Vilamoura to congratulate the finalists in the Algarve Business Awards

THE 18 CATEGORIES in the first edition of the Awards, set up to salute the top-performing companies and individuals in the region, attracted more than 150 submissions. Twenty judges worked independently of each other to initially shortlist the entries, and then the finalists – three per category –were selected according to points given. The standard was high, the judging job was demanding, and the results proof of the professionalism and talent here on the Algarve.

There was glitz, glitter and overwhelming enthusiasm on the night, a black-tie event hosted by organisers Carolyn McKeown and Kelly Harper, with Lorraine Robinson, compere, and DJ Mark Sebastian.

A 19th Award was added to the mix, to recognise the fund-raising work of young Darcie Blue Harper, who tirelessly collected bottle tops for worthwhile causes. And on the night, a total of €615 was collected from guests to show their appreciation of the work of Bombeiros, British Legion and Association Guarda Chuva.

And the winners are…

Algarve Business of the Year Award

WINNER IBC SECURITY Co-finalists: AlgarExperience Lazer Telecom

Employee of the Year Award

WINNER JULIA PERALTA Co-finalists: Suzanne Bawden Ruben Seromenho

Best Pandemic Recovery Award

WINNER ALMA SPIRITS Co-finalists: Bello Piatto Group HPA

Best New Business Award

WINNER WELL, VALE DO LOBO Co-finalists: Algarve Solar Pool Heating Pole with a View

Customer Excellence Award

WINNER LAZER TELECOM Co-finalists: Atlantic Bar, Vilamoura Tribulum Restaurant

Best Marketing Initiative Award

WINNER SANDY BLUE Co-finalists: Atlantic Bar, Vilamoura FTV Productions

Sustainability Award

WINNER ALGARVE SOLAR POOL HEATING Co-finalists: Power Clean, Algarve Tribulum Restaurant

Entrepreneur of the Year Award

WINNER SAL SPA LUZ Co-finalists: Lagos Digital Nomads The Fit Life

Lifetime Achievement Award

WINNER BEVERLY GIBBONS – PINETREES RIDING CENTRE Co-finalists: Claudia – Figueiral Restaurant Hannah Van Aldworth Toth

Team of the Year Award

WINNER IBC SECURITY Co-finalists: Atlantic Bar, Vilamoura Blevins Franks

Contribution

to Charitable Causes Award

WINNER SHELSIAN GROUP Co-finalists: Blevins Franks Julia Hammond Best Website Award

WINNER ALGARVE GOLF GURU Co-finalists: Pole with a View Soul Spectrum

Business Health & Wellbeing Award

Pride of the Algarve Award

WINNER SAFE COMMUNITIES Co-finalists: IBC Security Nuno Martins Emergency

Services Award

WINNER BOMBEIROS Co-finalists: GNR Group HPA

Innovation Award

WINNER ISPY Co-finalists: Pole with a View Susana Guerreiro Design

Contribution

to Tourism Award

WINNER MY GUIDE ALGARVE Co-finalists: AlgarExperience Pinetrees Riding Center

Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award

WINNER BIG SISTER SOCIAL MEDIA Co-finalists: Justine Buckley MM Media

WINNER TAVIRA WELLNESS VILLAGE Co-finalists: Justine Buckley The Fit Life

Special Recognition Award

WINNER DARCIE-BLUE HARPER

FULLY b ked

THIS MONTH, EVERY ONE OF DAWN ANNADALES’S BOOK CHOICES IS FIVESTAR RATED, AND TWO OF THEM ARE CHRISTMAS-RELATED. BOOKS MAKE A WONDERFUL GIFT, ESPECIALLY THOSE YOU PICK FOR YOURSELF!

Book of the month

AND THE LAND LAY STILL

By James Robertson Publisher: Penguin Genre: Fiction

An epic tale of politics inter-woven with social and economic history. Throw in a smattering of family, emotion and sex and the result is this incredible tale of Scotland from 1940 to 2008. The nationalist movement, the miners’ strike, the poverty, the affluence and the politicians of all sides who all just wanted a better Scotland for all.

This book is a masterpiece and I don’t use that expression lightly. I quickly became invested in the characters and really wanted to know what became of them and their connections to one another. I listened to a lecture by the author who explained that he considered presenting the story as a trilogy due to the book’s length. However, there are no natural breaks, which is a great testament to the continuity of this extremely accurate novel politically, historically and socially. Definitely in my top ten for the year.

KEEP TALKING

By David Dimbleby Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton Genre: Autobiography

David Dimbleby has interviewed prime ministers and presidents, made awardwinning documentaries, chaired Question Time for 25 years and anchored the BBC’s live coverage of historic national and world events. Keep Talking is his wry look at his own extraordinary career and the people, events and controversies he has encountered along the way.

As a broadcaster for the BBC, David had an obligation to appear a neutral observer. Now finally ‘off the leash’, he writes without inhibition but with his characteristic wit, clarity and insight about monarchy, politics and the state of Britain.

There are honest accounts of broadcasting from the inside – from commentating on Diana's funeral to ten successive General Election night results programmes. The faux pas, the secrets of the craft and what he was really thinking are shared for the first time. He reveals his own battles with politicians; queries the purpose and effect of political interviews; and considers the power of broadcasting – through programmes such as Question Time – to explore and amplify the public voice. Whilst profoundly British, the book ranges wider, in particular reflecting David's time in many countries, including South Africa and the United States.

THE CHRISTMASAURUS

By Tom Fletcher Publisher: Puffin Genre: Children’s

The Christmasaurus is a story about a boy named William Trundle, and a dinosaur, the Christmasaurus. It’s about how they meet one Christmas Eve and have a magical adventure. It's about friendship and families, sleigh bells and Santa, singing elves and flying reindeer, music and magic. It’s about discovering your heart's true desire, and learning that the impossible might just be possible.

THE SEVEN MOONS OF MAALI ALMEIDA

By Shehan Karunatilaka Publisher: Sorts of Books Genre: Fiction

Colombo, 1990. Maali Almeida; war photographer, gambler and closet queen. Maali has woken up dead in what seems like a celestial visa office. His dismembered body is sinking in the serene Beira Lake and he has no idea who killed him. In a country where scores are settled by death squads, suicide bombers and hired goons, the list of suspects is depressingly long, as the ghouls and ghosts with grudges who cluster round can attest. But, even in the afterlife, time is running out for Maali. He has seven moons to contact the man and woman he loves most and lead them to the photos that will rock Sri Lanka.

Booker Prize Winner 2022 and for that reason, a book I would normally avoid but I was persuaded by a friend with impeccable taste to at least give it a go. And I adored it.

THE COSY TRAVELLING CHRISTMAS SHOP

By Lilac Mills Publisher: Canelo Escape Genre: Romance

While bringing joy to others, can these two Christmas helpers also find some for themselves? Seren’s great aunt Nelly hates being in a care home, especially around Christmas when, Seren learns, Nelly and the other residents can’t enjoy the simple pleasure of browsing for gifts in the shops. So, what if Seren brings the shops to them?

Converting an ice cream van into a gift shop, Seren travels around Tinstone to help out the less mobile. On her journeys, she keeps bumping into a reluctant – and handsome – Father Christmas, who has been roped into helping out this festive season. But running her own business comes with risks and surprises that Seren’s not sure she’ s able to tackle. Has she bitten off more than she can chew, or will her travelling Christmas shop provide some much-needed festive cheer for the residents of Tinstone?

WITCH

By Mark Brownless Publisher: Spellbound Books Genre: Horror

The story follows Gabe and Tor Hooper who move to a house in Wales that overlooks a lake and surrounding woodlands. Unfortunately for the Hoopers, the house belongs – in spirit anyway – to Morvith, a Witch who died in horrible circumstances hundreds of years ago, and she has no intention of moving!

The change from London to this remote location follows the tragic loss of a child and is really the last-chance-saloon for Gabe and Tor’s relationship.That’s the surface reason, anyway but, as the story unfolds, so do the twists and turns that make this book so interesting.

There is a small village nearby, filled with suspicious locals who seem to be part of a conspiracy, and also a shadowy government agency embedded in the area that has more than a passing interest in Morvith and her activities.

Fans of folk horror will really enjoy this book. Whilst elements of this story bring The Wicker Man and Pet Semetary to mind, there’s a dreamlike, off-kilter feel to some of the chapters, and also a trip back in time to see what happened to Morvith when she was a living breathing person.

All in all a great read for lovers of dark magic, blood and the unquiet dead.

LET’S GET TO THE POINT...

Are you getting the best graphic and design services for your company? Does your website, reflect your presentation brochure, business card, and other brand collateral? do the images and words used in it, convey what you offer clearly, so that new clients understand and want to engage your company’s services?

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design@suzisteinhofel.com www.designworks.com.pt

The light fantastic

T’S THE LIGHT. The clean, clear, quality of light, and it’s sister, the breadth and depth of its shadow and shade. Olhão’s luxurious light has attracted sensitive artists to the town for many decades. When we first came here more than 20 years ago, our Lisbon friends were horrified: ‘The drugs! The pirates! The prostitution…’

It’s true that in those days many homes in downtown Olhão were all but abandoned, but we loved its rackety medina-like feel and the attendant glamorous dereliction. The town rather revelled in its bad-boy reputation (a bit like Milwall fans – No-one likes us / We don’t care) but we were only ever met with kindness, not to mention enough gaping curiosity to make the place feel thrillingly foreign, as much North Africa as Southern Europe.

Then as now, we’d be introduced to artists both Portuguese and international who would invite us into their homes, each house a shrine to their dedication to their art. Not one of them was hoping to be famous or was thinking much about how to market their ‘brand’. Rather, they were here for the light,

and the inspiration it would flood them with.

We’re older now, with greyer hair (and browner legs!), and have been fortunate enough to be part of the happy success at our restaurant Chá Chá Chá. Olhão is changing too, transforming itself into a quietly happening place. It’s still a working fishing town, and the big attraction remains that there’s no big attraction, but whilst swish new condo blocks sell out in days and there’s so much more expensively crumpled linen strolling its cobbled alleys under its cobalt skies, Olhão’s constant is its incredible light.

When we were offered the chance to take over a derelict parking garage a few minutes walk from Chá Chá Chá, we immediately felt that here was the chance to create a space that was clean, clear and light, a place to

be as inspired as we were when breathing Olhão’s bright and vibe-y atmosphere.

That’s how our new gallery Sala Simba came to be. Our friend Gonçalo Veloso was key to the gorgeous look of the place with its hand-cast concrete floors and mighty white walls. We’re dedicated to showing art and objects with the same depth and feel as the sumptuous light that floods the rooms.

Our opening exhibition is full of depth, drama and meaning, and is by reclusive Swiss artist Daniel Will. His work explores the view as much as the viewer and is highly collectible. We came across Daniel as he was persuading Olhão’s municipal pedreiros to let him have a few unused cobbles for him to sculpt into votive shrines. The second room shows a curated selection of meticulously restored vintage furniture and lighting.

KEVIN GOULD OF CH Á CH Á CH Á RESTAURANT ON LIFE IN OLH Ã O, AND HIS LATEST VENTURE… ONE DESIGNED TO DAZZLE

Our friend Gonçalo Veloso was key to the gorgeous look of the place with its hand-cast concrete floors and mighty white walls.

Words:

ALGARVE CROQUET CLUB Quinta de Benamor, Conceição

LET’S START with a bit of history. Association

Croquet was first played in 1856, with hoops made of willow rods and mallets made of broomsticks. It was an Olympic sport just once, in 1900 in Paris, and as virtually all the competitors were French, their homeland won every event, but the three women taking part failed to pick up any medals.

Golf Croquet was developed in 1910; it is played as either singles or doubles using four balls. The ball colours are: Primary, blue, red, black and yellow (in that order), and Secondary: green, pink, brown and white. The balls are paired as blue and black, red and yellow. According to aficionados of the sport, croquet is the only game where men and women are treated as equals. In 2013, Reg Bamford of South Africa became the first person to hold the Association and Golf Croquet World titles simultaneously.

And now, it’s played here on the Algarve. There are a few clubs across the region, but outstanding in its facilities, position in the market and reputation for professional excellence is the Algarve Croquet Club (ACC). Established in 2021 and based at the stunning Benamor Golf Club in Tavira, it is the only croquet club in Portugal to have two full size international standard lawns. And to compete internationally.

Members of ACC are themselves international, coming from the UK, Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, America and several other countries. As yet, there are only a couple of Portuguese members but the club is looking to encourage more to take

NEED TO KNOW

In golf croquet, Wikipedia explains, a hoop is won by the striker of the first ball to go through. Each player takes a stroke in turn, attempting to hit a ball through the same hoop. The sequence of play is blue, red, black, yellow. Blue and black balls play against red and yellow. The winner of the game is the player/team who wins the most hoops. Golf croquet is the fastest-growing version of the game, owing largely to its simplicity and competitiveness. It is easier to learn and play, but requires strategic skills and accuracy. In comparison with association croquet, play is faster and balls are more likely to be lifted off the ground.

up the sport, and join. Club Secretary Stephanie Shreeve welcomes all newcomers and is fast to explain the on-going programme. “Members play frequently,” she says. “We have a Ladies’ Day on a Wednesday morning and Men’s Day on Thursday morning. And every second Tuesday we have Sundowner in the afternoon. Competitions are on the ongoing agenda – we have just had the Benamor Open where one of the best croquet players ever, Stephen Mulliner, came to compete. It was a singles and doubles event.”

Open all year round, during daylight hours and even in the rain to meet the interests and demands of members, the Club willingly gives lessons to newcomers. A complete novice would be invited to visit and give croquet a try. Club mallets are available for beginners to use but once taking the sport seriously, members tend to buy their own.

That Benemor has a very good clubhouse with a restaurant and bar doubtless adds to the appeal of ACC membership; the opportunity to meet up with friends with whom one shares an interest is always attractive.

As with so many groups here, especially those with a shared interest, charity plays a part in activities. Every year Dusan Turcer and Stephanie did a 24-hour croquet marathon to raise money for the Bombeiros of Vila Real de Santo António. This year, they raised a big €€2,597. “The two of us play croquet for the full 24 hours,” Stephanie explains. “Members come to play us throughout the day and night. There’s a Christmas party on 10th December and a fun Christmas tournament on the 13th at which classic Christmas jumpers are worn.”

It is the only club with two full-size lawns and that competes internationally

An interview with

Carolina Santos

Words: SANDRA GATO

A brief version of your artistic background, please. I studied for a degree in architecture in Coimbra’s university, where I was also a member of TEUC, the university’s theatre group – first as an actress, prop and scenography person, and after as director. It was a very enriching period of my life that quickly made me understand that maybe my future was not in architecture after all.

After I graduated, I went to work in Évora where I took a master’s degree in theatre. I also trained with Cie Philipe Genty and was asked to be a part of the Ne m’oublies Pas project that took me on a tour around Europe and Asia that changed me forever. I felt I was working with giants! During that time I was living in Paris. After the tour I did the professional course of École Internationale de Thêatre Jacques Lecoq, and after that I came back to Portugal with my partner and we founded, in Loulé, Mákina de Cena, to share our experiences in our country and preferably away from the big city centres.

How did Samotracias came into your life and what did it take to make it real? When I was in Paris, in 2014, I found, in a small old bookshop, Nicole Calagaris’s romance Les Samothraces, about a group of migrants who don’t know where they came from or where they are going. At the front of the group, there are three women whose obscure life stories are unraveled in a tragic and, at the same time, funny way.

I immediately knew that one day I would take it to the stage. Those women had voiced what I, as an immigrant in Paris at the time, felt. I was drawn by the identification process and the multiple meanings that a journey can have. Making it an international, plurilingual project was an obvious decision for us: the meeting of different cultures, the linguistic obstacles, travel… The next step was to ask Iberescena (the support fund for iberoamerican scenic arts) for financial aid. That aid allowed us to work with Teatro Libre de Bogotá (Colômbia), Festival Santiago Off and Festival Chillán (both in Chile). And, of course, we have the unconditional support of Loulé’s council.

What did the audience get from the play and where was it on stage? I think the public was surprised by the beauty and depth in which the migration issue is treated. We wanted the public to travel with us, not only with their eyes but also with that corner of the memory where we are all migrants, emmigrants, immigrants, explorers, travellers, backpackers…

We started with some dates in October, in the Algarve, and then Lisbon last month.

The play centres on women – was the choice of theme influenced by the times we are living? In art, nothing is ever just for a group of people. This play is for everyone. Feminine migration is seldom talked about, even if numbers show us that the majority of migrants are women. This play was planned before the pandemic, but when the Ukraine war happened Europe faced another migratory crisis. Reality surpasses fiction showing us how big a responsibility it is to address this kind of subject.

What other artistic projects do you have planned for a near future? From 1 to 4 December, we will have Festival Contrapeso’s second edition, with jazz and theatre shows in Loulé. The theme will be From Paris with Love and it will be based on the contacts that Marco Martins, my partner, and I made while living there. Plexus Polaire will première Drácula,

After this one, what other themes do you feel like exploring? Ah, that would be a long conversation! I think this play opened the door for treating social and political issues in the theatre in a special way. Maternity is a theme I would like to explore in the future. But also the fragility of the masculine. And many, many others.

WE TALKED TO THE CREATIVE FORCE BEHIND SAMOTRACIAS, A PLAY THAT TAKES IMPORTANT CONTEMPORARY ISSUES TO THE STAGE

DARYL GABIN

TITLE OH SO GOOD

WHERE São Miguel, Azores

WHEN August 2022

WHAT’S SPECIAL Recollection of such a great meal and great food!

ADVICE TO OTHERS Don't be afraid to take photos using a mobile phone of items or subjects ‘as they are’.

CAMERA Mobile Phone One Plus 7T

LARS’S VIEW

“Quite contrary to appealing foodphotography, these veritable leftovers take us right to the middle of a past feast of joy. Impressive. ”

When we suggested Leftovers as a theme, we did think we would be inundated with the remains of Christmas lunches past. We were wrong… and delighted to be so.

Lars Hisenhofen ( hisenhofen.photography) chose his favourite submissions from members of algarvephotographersgroup.org Next month we start a new series – Portfolio – with individual collections of Portuguese imagery

Interpretations

EVELINE SAKKERS

WHERE

WHEN January 2015

WHAT’S SPECIAL The birds were very careful

ADVICE TO OTHERS Blur background and catch the light

CAMERA G15 Canon Powershot

LARS’S VIEW

“Not harvested and therefore ‘leftover’, but a source and symbol of the life cycle, captured in the shape of the pomegranate.”

TITLE FORGOTTEN HARVEST

Our garden in São Brás de Alportel

BART HAGEMAN

TITLE CATCHING THE LEFTOVERS

WHERE On a boat near Texel, the Netherlands

WHEN May 2016

WHAT’S SPECIAL Your attention is drawn to the breadcrumb by the gaze of all the seagulls

ADVICE TO OTHERS The right angle often makes the difference between a nice shot and a great shot.

CAMERA Pentax K3

LARS’S VIEW

“A well-known motif carried out with ambitious technology in the right moment.”

LUDMILA STIEBNER

TITLE OFF CUTS

WHERE Hairdresser Martine in Loulé

WHEN November 2022

WHAT’S SPECIAL Looks weird, to me anyway

ADVICE TO OTHERS Always look in all directions up, left, right and down.

CAMERA My trusted mobile phone Samsung S32

LARS’S VIEW

“A non-typical interpretation of ‘left-overs’, also with an unusual colour-gradient. Something to puzzle over.”

JAN TROMP

TITLE BEIRA TRAIN-STATION R.I.P.

WHERE At the leftovers of the Beira train station in the North Alentejo

WHEN November 2011

WHAT’S SPECIAL I’m always pleased to discover (industrial) leftover places; there are a lot of forgetten train stations

ADVICE TO OTHERS Go and look for forgotten places. Recapture lost memories about the not-so-far-away history.

CAMERA iPhone 14 ProMax

LARS’S VIEW

“Graphical line management underpins the impression of overgrown rails and rusting machinery.”

The family-run Amesbury Abbey Group offers an elegant retirement in country house style at Monte da Palhagueira.

For those who are looking for the reassurance of constant professional care, our nursing care may be the way forward. Alongside all the benefits of residential care, our nursing care adds the additional security of 24-hour care provision from qualified nursing professionals.

Our team spend a lot of time getting to know each resident as an individual, learning their preferences and understanding their concerns, working hand in hand with GPs and other associated care professionals to provide outstanding personalised nursing care. Our exceptional care team treat all our residents with respect, dignity and friendship, and our nursing home has a warm, family atmosphere. Each individual aspect of our nursing care is designed to give our residents the best possible quality of life and the highest standards of 24-hour care.

Christmas gadget gifts

Words: CHRIS PARTRIDGE

TOP CHOICE SMARTPHONE

Google Pixel 7 Pro

For those who regard their smartphone as a camera that can post images and videos to social media without delay, then the Pixel 7 Pro is the way to go. Its triple lens forward-facing camera features a 50MP main lens, a 48MP 5x zoom and a 12MP ultra-wide macro for those dramatic close-ups.

As you might expect from software giant Google, advanced AI makes the most of the images, with particularly impressive night mode and photo unblur options. What is really nice is that the Pixel 7 Pro consistently produces the photos you expect, rather than over-processed, unrealistic images.

The 6.7in OLED display is pin-sharp and features a 120Hz refresh rate which makes videos and games super smooth.

Other great features of the Pixel 7 Pro is the Android 13 operating system, presented without absurd bloatware. The powerful processor makes voice and handwriting recognition extremely accurate and fast, and it speeds up things like translation, too.

Google Pixel 7 Pro, €869, amazon.de

You don’t have to spend a small fortune to get one of the best bits of kit. The budget versions here have a lot to offer

BUDGET SMARTPHONE

Nokia G60 5G

Sustainability is the new big thing for Nokia. Its latest smartphones have casings made of recycled and recyclable metals and plastics, the packaging is all cardboard. The G60 5G uses 60 per cent recycled plastic – the back is a rather attractive mottled finish because of this – and the aluminium frame is recycled, too. Additional benefits include free replacement if your phone is accidentally damaged, lost or stolen. Best of all, however, is that the G60 5G is a great phone with 5G support, a big 6.58in screen, an excellent front-facing triple-lens camera with AI features, a decent selfie camera and a fingerprint scanner. And a 3.5mm audio socket.

Nokia G60 5G,€353, FNAC

IF YOUR NEAREST AND DEAREST ARE MORE INTO THE LATEST GADGETRY THAN THE TRADITIONAL PERFUMES AND SOCKS, CONSIDER THESE…

TOP GIFT TABLET

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra

I’ll come clean here, my personal plea to Santa this year is Samsung’s biggest, brightest and most powerful tablet yet. I am in love with my S7 Pro with its 12in screen but the S8 Ultra has a truly massive 15in screen that can rival a laptop. Watching video is a joy, it displays ebooks several pages at a time (or lets you enlarge the type size without forcing you to read one word at a time) and photo editing becomes so much easier.

The inclusion of Samsung’s marvellous S-pen is a big bonus, enabling digital art to professional standards.

I have recently become addicted to writing on screen rather than using the onscreen keyboard, which not only forces one to write legibly (believe me, a very good thing) but the handwriting recognition system has had so much practice it gets it right almost all the time.

The S8 Ultra has enough power and speed to give a fluid gaming experience. The front-facing camera is superb for video calls and the rearfacing cameras are excellent, though why anyone would want to use a tablet this size for snapping TikTok vids is a mystery.

The main drawback is the cost but it is worth it.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra €1,199 Worten

BUDGET TABLET

Nokia T10

Smaller tablets are becoming popular these days because they offer a significantly better viewing experience than a smartphone, but are small enough to slip into a bag or pocket.

The Nokia T10 has a bright 8in screen set in a stylish polycarbonate casing. The battery is big enough for all day use as long as you don’t watch back-to-back videos. One increasingly rare feature is a 3.5mm jack socket so you can listen on wired earphones – a bonus on long flights which can drain the batteries on Bluetooth pins.

The T10 runs Android 12 with Google Kids Space built-in, which gives children access to an enormous range of entertaining and even educational content, including apps, games, books and videos, guaranteed age-appropriate. Parents can set boundaries easily.

Travellers may consider the 4G version with GPS for more accurate navigation.

Nokia T10 €189.99, nokia.com

TOP GIFT HEADPHONES

Sony WH-1000XM5

Hifi buffs are raving about the new Sony headphones, citing incredible sound quality, comfort and ease of use. The sound is clear and punchy with a great bass. The noise cancellation is superb. Battery life is excellent.

Sony WH-1000XM5 €299 Worten

BUDGET HEADPHONES

Anker Space Q45

Anker has built up a solid reputation for quality audio at reasonable prices, and the Space Q45 bins are no exception. Noise cancelling is good, and sound quality decent. An unexpected strength is the dual microphones, which reject a lot of unpredictable background noise making them a great choice for work, especially if conference calls take up a lot of your time.

Soundcore Space Q45 €119.99, eu.soundcore.com

DEBBIE HARRY

Best known, of course, as the singer with Blondie, Debbie Harry was born in Florida but adopted at three months old and brought up in New Jersey. Before forming the group with her thenboyfriend Chris Stein, she worked as a waitress, Bunny girl and BBC secretary in New York.

Blondie was formed in 1974 and Debbie immediately became a punk/New Wave icon, turning bleached-blonde hair, men’s jackets and mini-skirts into the coolest look on the planet! The band’s hits worldwide included X Offender, Heart of Glass, Call Me and The Tide is High.

Debbie and Chris were very much part of the New York arts scene in addition to their music, and Debbie became a muse for Andy Warhol.

After her band split – mostly because of Chris Stein’s health problems – Debbie embarked on a successful solo career in both music and film. There was a band reunion in the late 90s with Debbie and Chris still friends (she is godmother to his daughters).

Debbie, who has said that she believes “you should always accept new things whatever age you are,” now lives between New York and New Jersey with her four dogs, and campaigns for the causes she believes in, including cancer research and women’s health issues such as endometriosis.

Words: JILL ECKERSLEY

ERIC IDLE

South Shields-born Eric Idle first met the rest of the Monty Python team when he joined the Cambridge Footlights drama group. He was studying English and fellow-Pythons John Cleese and Graham Chapman were just a year ahead of him. The Pythons – including of course Michael Palin and Terry Jones – worked on various TV comedy programmes until they got together with artist Terry Gilliam and launched Monty Python’s Flying Circus in 1969. The rest is comedy history.

Eric wrote most of his sketches on his own, including Nudge Nudge, where an obnoxious man in a pub questions a complete stranger about his sex life. Some of the Pythons’ most popular musical items were penned by him too, including Eric the Half a Bee and, of course Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life, which was used in the closing ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics.

Post-Python, Eric created the Beatles pastiche The Rutles and wrote the hugely successful Broadway musical Spamalot. As an actor, he appeared in many movies including Nuns on the Run with the late Robbie Coltrane. Most recently, he was seen on British TV as The Hedgehog in The Masked Singer.

In 2019 Eric was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, but it was successfully treated with surgery; he told the Guardian that he hadn't cried until he found out he was going to live! Eric is based in Los Angeles and says: “If you work in the circus you meet all the other clowns!”

50s

TRANSISTOR RADIOS

Remember the days when a ‘wireless’ was a serious piece of living-room furniture, carefully placed in one corner of the room and practically immovable? Of course that all changed after three American scientists came up with an invention called a ‘transistor’ (the name comes from a combination of ‘transfer’ and ‘resistance’) way back in 1947.

Transistors were much smaller than the valves used to power traditional radio sets, and far less likely to overheat during use. They also made it possible to use battery power in a radio, and so made radios portable.

The world’s first pocket transistor radio was produced in the States for Christmas 1954. The ‘Agency TR1’ was built in Texas and sold more than 100,000 copies in its first year. Japanese company Sony brought out the TR63 in 1957 and ‘trannies’ became the most popular electronic devices of the 1960s and 70s, mainly because they were so portable and could be played anywhere. The gadgets were so successful because they appealed to the teenagers of the era who had money to spend and a passion for the new rock ’n roll and pop music.

By the 1980s, transistor radios were beginning to be overtaken by newer devices like the Walkman (which played cassettes too), then portable CD players, MP3 players and eventually smartphones. Not surprisingly, early transistors including the novelty ones shaped like peanuts or tunafish have become collectors’ items….

2000s

E. L. JAMES

was

Of course steamy scenes in women’s fiction had appeared before, but the ‘Fifty Shades’ trilogy took the whole genre to another level and gave to world the expression ‘mummy porn’.

The story of the masterful, not to say bullying Christian Grey, with his ‘pain cellar’ and his innocent ‘victim’ Anastasia Steele, ran to three volumes. Its success astonished everyone, not least Erika herself. So far, her first book has sold over 125 million copies.

Erika was born in London, brought up in Buckinghamshire and attended the University of Kent. She began writing fanfic, heavily influenced by the vampire series Twilight, and started writing Fifty Shades in 2009. By 2013, she was topping the list of the world’s highest-earning authors – all the while living quietly with her husband, a novelist and screenwriter, and two sons, in West London.

She says of her success: “I always had dreams of writing stories readers would fall in love with…and now those dreams have come true!”

Her latest work, The Mister, was published in 2019 and features a romance between an aristocratic hero and a trafficked migrant – proving that there’s still a market for fantasies about rich, powerful men and much younger women.

The author, whose real name is Erika Mitchell, shot to fame in 2011 when her first erotic romantic novel Fifty Shades of Grey

published.

They became the most popular electronic devices of the 60s and 70s, mainly because they were portable.

MICHAEL JACK flickr.com/photos/transistor_radios/albums

If you are reading this article you are likely to be older than five and not expecting Father Christmas to deliver gifts on his sleigh to your living room. But you may be the one responsible for organising the presents and providing a festive atmosphere. As I am always scouting for unusual and local items here are a few ideas to please your eyes, your nose and your general happiness.

To get into that Christmas feeling, start by giving a festive atmosphere to your home. I have a range of tea light candle holders in glass and metal to decorate your tables. Or ornamental tree hangers in wood and brass, which are equally happy on door frames inside your house as on your palm tree outside.

Fill the air at home with scents like Honey and Tobacco, Fireside and Christmas spice. These fragrances are available as candles, wax melts and diffusers made of natural soy. They also come in sets, which make a thoughtful gift when invited around to your neighbours.

For the cosiest feeling ever, I still have a small range of the Alpaca sweaters and scarves from Ecuador which are hand

knitted with respect for nature, culture and people. Similar to fine merino sheep wool, alpaca wool is warmer, less prickly and contains no lanoline. Even people with sensitive skin who cannot wear wool will be comfy in a scarf or beanie in bright orange or sapphire blue.

And if it has to be the socks as a last-minute gift, than at least let it be funky ones. I have a range of socks for men and women, made in Portugal, with the most unusual patterns and colours, too cool to be hidden in your boots.

OPEn: Monday to Friday 10.00 -13.00; 15.00 -18.00; Saturday: 10.00 -14.00

cALL +351 964 222 612

inSTAGRAM :martina.loule/ WWW .martina-loule.com

Estate planning in Portugal

Succession law and ‘forced heirship’

The first step is deciding who to leave your assets to and in what amounts. Portugal, however, imposes restrictions on how freely you can distribute your wealth. Succession law determines that a fixed portion of your estate will automatically pass to your direct family (according to the state’s definition of family). This applies to your worldwide assets, with the exception of non-Portuguese real estate.

As a result, your spouse, children (biological and adopted) and direct ascendants (parents and grandparents) could get a minimum of half your estate, even if you intend otherwise. However, it is possible to ensure your wishes are fulfilled by establishing specific arrangements to override this rule.

EU succession regulation

Under the EU succession regulation ‘Brussels IV’, the succession law of your country of residence will apply by default on your death.

Foreign nationals, however, can elect for the succession law of their country of nationality to apply instead –therefore overriding local forced heirship. You must expressly state this in your will or similar legal document; your family cannot opt for this after your death.

This EU regulation applies to anyone who is resident and/or owns assets within participating countries in the bloc, regardless of EU nationality, so Brexit has not had an impact here.

Brussels IV only affects succession law; you cannot choose which country has taxing rights to your estate. That said, applying Brussels IV is complex and could have unwelcome tax implications, so explore all the available options to establish what would work best for you and your heirs.

Portuguese inheritance tax

Another key element of estate planning is understanding and reducing succession taxes. Portugal does not impose an ‘inheritance tax’ as we know it, but does apply a 10% ‘stamp duty’ when assets are passed on death or as a lifetime gift.

There are two key rules/exemptions:

• Spouses, descendants (children, grandchildren) and ascendants (parents) are exempt from this tax.

• T he tax only applies to Portuguese assets regardless of where the donor or beneficiary is resident.

Assets in the UK and elsewhere are exempt.

Stepchildren do not count as direct family and so will pay this tax (unless legally adopted). Likewise, partners who are neither married nor in a civil partnership could also be liable, though if you inform the Portuguese authorities after two years of living together you should be considered married for tax purposes.

Unlike the UK, where tax is generally paid by the estate, in Portugal tax is paid by the person receiving it.

Ownership of an asset cannot be transferred until the tax is paid – you cannot sell the asset to pay the tax. With stamp duty due within six months after death, some heirs may find it a difficult tax to pay, particularly on highervalue inheritances.

UK inheritance tax

Even after living in Portugal for years, UK nationals could still be considered UK domiciled by HM Revenue & Customs. This could result in UK inheritance taxes of 40% on your worldwide assets (above the thresholds). This is in addition to Portuguese stamp duty, but there are measures to avoid double taxation on the same asset.

Domicile law is extremely complex so take specialist advice to establish your position and plan accordingly.

Make life easier for your heirs

Ultimately, it is important to understand how Portuguese succession rules apply to your personal objectives and unique situation, and how they affect your UK liability.

Also consider how your legacy will be received by your heirs. Take action now so your assets can be passed to them as quickly and easily as possible – with some investment structures for example, the funds can be transferred to your nominated beneficiaries without the need for probate – and with as little tax as possible.

With careful planning and specialist, cross-border advice, you can get peace of mind that you have the most suitable estate plan in place, for yourself and your chosen heirs.

Tax rates, scope and reliefs may change. Any statements concerning taxation are based upon our understanding of current taxation laws and practices which are subject to change. Tax information has been summarised; individuals should seek personalised advice.

T: 289 350 150 / E: portugal@blevinsfranks.com / W: blevinsfranks.com

ESTATE PLANNING HERE MAY NOT BE AS COMPLEX AS IN SOME EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, BUT IT IS STILL IMPORTANT TO FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THE LOCAL REGIME, SAYS DAN HENDERSON , PARTNER, BLEVINS FRANKS

YOUR money

RICARDO CHAVES IS ON THE PLUS TEAM AND ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS ON THE ISSUES THAT AFFECT YOUR LIFESTYLE HERE. THIS MONTH, WE LOOK AT CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR BUSINESS CONTACTS, THE NEW RESIDENCE PERMIT, AND WAYS TO CUT BACK REGULAR EXPENSES

Christmas is coming! Can I buy gifts and charge them to my company as presents for clients and business contacts?

You can buy gifts for clients and staff, but you need to be aware of some limitations, both in terms of corporation tax and VAT. The gifts can be made up of your own products or they can be purchased elsewhere.

For VAT purposes, the value of the gift should not exceed € 5, and the total spent needs to be lower than 0.5% of your yearly turnover.

It’s also recommended that you register the clients or suppliers who receive a gift from you, so that in the case of a tax audit you can justify that these were necessary in the normal course of your business. That way, they can be fully deductible.

Although there is no written limits in terms of corporation tax, common sense should always prevail.

I live in the countryside in the Algarve, having bought land and built a house more than 30 years ago. I would very much like to build a separate small guest house for my children and grandchildren to use when they visit, just a two-bedroom, one bathroom cottage with a kitchenette. What permissions, if any, do I need, given there were few restrictions when we built our home? Should a new building be adjoined to our house? Alternatively, can I buy a ready-made wooden building, and set that up on my land? To be able to extend your property or install a readymade wooden building, you always need planning permission. It’s always advisable to contact an architect who is aware of the rulings in the area where your property is located.

If you go against the rules and build an extension or install a wooden house without planning permission, you risk that someone issues a complaint and you are forced to reinstate the building to it’s original plans. You will also be liable to heavy fines. And if you try to

sell the property that is not legal, not only will you have difficulty finding a buyer who is prepared to purchase it, but you will be offering leverage for the buyer to make a deal at a lower price.

So many people I know have formally applied for the new ID card to replace their paper residency. I have had no notification about this and wonder what I should do, and also what happens if I do nothing?

The new residence permit replaces the EU residence documents previously issued. SEF will contact you to book an appointment to provide your biometric data (photo, signature and fingerprints) for your new residence permit. On the SEF portal you can book an appointment within your area of residence but if there is no available date, you can select another available locations. When going to your appointment, you should take your British Passport and, if you are a holder, your NISS, NUS and NIF.

With prices spiralling everywhere, I need to work out a plan for my family to cut costs. What do you recommend?

First, do a budget and check which fixed expenses you can eliminate or reduce– you will always find some surprise. If you have a mortgage, talk to your bank about renegotiating the interest rate, extending the mortgage term, or consolidating some of the loans you have. Banks, incidentally, are forbidden to increase interest rates.

Then look to your insurances, especially the life insurance associated with your mortgage and try to find a lower premium for the same insurance.

Finally, try to renegotiate with your internet and TV providers – a lot of these companies will give you a discount, if you tell them that you are changing to another provider. They will obviously only do this if your contract has passed the initial two years, which is the maximum loyalty period by law.

Email your finance questions for Ricardo to martin@algarveplusmagazine.com for inclusion in the first available issue of AlgarvePLUS.

To consult directly with Ricardo Chaves, email ricardo@allfinancematters.pt

Political uncertainty in the UK

SINCE THE news of the ‘Partygate’ scandal first broke in late 2021, the ruling Conservative government in the UK has faced a tumultuous time. Johnson’s resignation kicked off a two-month leadership contest, which damaged the Tories’ credibility and stifled government activity as the country grappled with multiple crises.

The contest victor, Liz Truss, became the shortestserving Prime Minister in UK history after her calamitous mini-budget crashed markets, leading her to resign just 45 days after entering Number 10.

In late October, Rishi Sunak was crowned Prime Minister and markets rallied. Considered a ‘safe pair of hands’, the former Chancellor vowed to restore the UK’s financial credibility and unite the divided Conservative Party, with many hoping this would draw a line under the political uncertainty.

Stability under Sunak?

However, Sunak’s premiership is precarious. Firstly, he is not universally loved. Many Johnson loyalists believe Sunak stabbed the former PM in the back, as it was Sunak’s resignation as Chancellor that precipitated Johnson’s downfall.

Furthermore, he is attempting to unify a party that is suffering an identity crisis, as moderates and those on the right of the party wrestle for ideological control. Sunak has already faced criticism for reappointing Suella Braverman as Home Secretary, despite her having resigned for breaching the ministerial code just six days prior, amid allegations that he made a deal with her in exchange for support for his fleadership bid.

The new PM will come under increasing pressure from opposition MPs and the public as he attempts to get to grips with the UK’s cost-of-living crisis. So far, Sunak has managed to keep the government on an even keel. But these dangers to his premiership still lurk beneath the surface, and could have a significant impact on Sterling.

Managing volatility

The political chaos of the last few months caused

significant volatility in the pound/euro exchange rate. From August to October, GBP/EUR fluctuated between highs of €1.195 and lows of €€1.115. That eightcent difference can have a huge impact when you’re transferring money. On a £200,000 payment it amounts to a €16,000 difference.

Domestic political issues are likely to continue impacting the pound in the near future. In particular, Tory infighting, political scandal and the UK government’s upcoming fiscal statement could all drive movement.

If Sunak can shrug off complaints and allegations from his critics and forge ahead with a palatable and practical plan for fixing the public finances, GBP exchange rates will likely strengthen. On the other hand, if political controversies continue to plague the party, Sterling could slip.

The autumn budget is a big test for Sunak’s premiership. The tax hikes and spending cuts could worsen both the recession and the cost-of-living crisis.

Many Tory MPs oppose the tax rises, while the opposition may seek to use the PM’s £730m fortune, shared with his wife, as a line of attack. With so much uncertainty ahead, we could see more turbulence in GBP/EUR.

Protecting your money from volatility

Fortunately, there are ways you can protect yourself from currency volatility. With a specialist currency broker, such as Currencies Direct, you’ll have access to expert guidance along with a range of transfer tools to help you navigate the markets. In addition to our fee-free transfers and competitive exchange rates we can arrange a Forward Contract, which allows you to fix the current exchange rate for up to a year, in return for a small deposit.

Currencies Direct have helped over 325.000 individuals and businesses move money abroad since 1996. They have an ‘Excellent’ Trustscore on Trustpilot, over 20 global offices and a team of more than 500 currency experts. You can also move your money over the phone, or use their online service and app to check live rates and make 24/7 transfers. What’s more, Currencies Direct is authorised in the EU – this is crucial as any currency provider offering their services to customers in Portugal must be regulated by a relevant EU authority.

For more detailed information, please contact the local office T: 289 395 739 or register at currenciesdirect.com/portugal to get regular updates on the currency markets, (use AlgarvePLUS magazine as the reference).

FIVE PRIME MINISTERS SINCE 2016, AND THE THIRD THIS YEAR – THE POLITICAL VOLATILITY IS CAUSING CHAOS IN GBP EXCHANGE RATES, SAYS JOS É ALMEIDA

THE agenda

MUSIC

AMIGOS DE MÚSICA

Os Agostos, Sta. Bárbara de Nexe reservasconcertos@gmail.com amigosdemusica.org 13 and 15 December, 19:00

Portuguese pianist António Oliveira takes to the stage in the Auditorium of Os Agostos.

On Tuesday the 13th, he will play works by Mozart, Liszt and Schumann, and on the 15th by Debussy, Janáček, Rachmaninoff and Portuguese composers Antonio Fragoso and Telmo Marques.

Doors will open at 18:00 and wine, fruit juices and canapés will be served; the concert will begin at 19:00. There will be a short interval with refreshments. Entry donation including refreshments is €30 per person for guests and non-members.

ON STAGE

CINDERELLA AND THE SURREALISTS

Museu do Traje, São Brás Three performances 9, 10 and 11 December See page 45 for details

REPÚBLICA 14, OLHÃO

Reservas@re-criativarepublica14.pt Email for ticket prices, and to book.

Fernando Baggi in a great celebration of the national samba day, which is celebrated in Brazil on the 2nd.

2 December, 18:00–20:00 180 Days in Portugal. Inauguration of the exhibition by the Irish watercolorist Michael Greenlaw.

3 December, 18:00–22.00 Roda de Samba. Nani Medeiros, João Pita, Lucas Sousa, Juninho Ibituruna and

10 December, 19:00 and 21:30 Bluezão Blues with Ricardo Gordo on guitar, João Caeiro on bass and Ricardo Brito on drums.

17 December, 19:00 and 21:30

Francisco Sales in a trio concert with Sales on guitar, Sandra Martins on cello and vocals and Edu Mundo on drums and percussions.

WORKSHOPS

ANNIE SLOAN CHRISTMAS WORKSHOPS

Kit & Caboodle, Almancil 6 December, 10:00–13:30 kitandcaboodle.pt €35 – book via the website

Get into the festive spirit this Christmas with some Chalk Paint fun. Suitable for both those who have no experience or those who have already dabbled with Annie Sloan products.

This half day workshop will cover:

• Applying paint and layering

• Mark making

• Stencilling

• Applying waxes and understanding their versatility

SOUTH AFRICAN CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Museu do Traje, São Brás 3 December, 19:30

Reservations: 966 329 073

Tickets: €22

Performing will be Anne-Marie van Eeden and Fransien Scott, with much-loved seasonal songs and a selection from popular musicals.

• Creating your own unique gift wrap

• Learn to gild a wooden star which you will take home with you and more All equipment is provided plus tea, coffee, soft drinks, mulled wine and mince pies.

10% off all Annie Sloan painting products bought on the day.

IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE EMAIL susi@rogol-goodkind.com

QUIZ NIGHT

Museu do Traje, São Brás

13 December, 19:00, €3.50

How good is your general knowledge, especially on all things cultural? See how you measure up against others.

MARKETS

VALE DO LOBO CHRISTMAS MARKET

Vale do Lobo Auditorium, Parque do Golfe complex 3 December, 10:00–17:30

Luxury lifestyle Christmas gift market and a food and wine fair bringing together regional and traditional products and handicrafts. The Christmas market will help raise money for the Wolf Valley Charity Fund (WVCF) which provides support and finance to needy local causes.

EXPERIENCES

FEIRA

DA SERRA

Carnival warehouse next to Convent of Santo António, Loulé 10-11 December

The Câmara Municipal de Loulé aims to introduce visitors to the cultural riches of the Serra do Caldeirão, via their food products, handicrafts, gastronomy and culture.

MOUNTAIN BIKING

Vale do Lobo to Faro 289 353 307 experience@vdl.pt 21 December, 9:30–12:30 €5 (free for resort and gym members)

Meet at Vale do Lobo reception and take off!

QUINTA ART COLLECTIVE

Quinta Estrela Montes 925 605 270

maps.app.goo.gl/ uuJRre1gdmaipAZt5?g_st=iw 10–11 December, 12:00-18:30

This Christmas expo promises to be a delight, with guest artists and interior designers showcasing their works –perfect hunting ground for special Christmas gifts.

On the 35km off-road ride through beautiful landscapes along the Ria Formosa to Faro island, you’ll connect with nature and catch a glimpse of birdlife, salt pans and the harvesting of shellfish. Book, and don’t forget to bring a helmet, a bottle of water and sunscreen.

SOUTH AFRICAN CHRISTMAS MARKET

Museu do Traje, São Brás

3 December, 15:30–19:30

Excellent present ideas here – food specialities and beauty products among others.

NATIVITY SCENE

O MENINO DEUS

Palácio Gama Lobo Loulé

Until 6 January

This wonderful Nativity exhibition was created by two artists with different visions – Delfim Manuel adopts the traditional route while Margarida Palma Gomes takes a contemporary approach.

DINING OUT

There are some glorious festive meals being planned, but you do need to book, and for many, pre-payment is required. Check out these favourites

HENRIQUE LEIS

Vale Formosa, Loulé 289 393 438 resthenriqueleis@gmail.com henriqueleis.com

New Year’s Eve tasting menu, which promises to be spectactular. Around €140pp. And at midnight, see the fireworks along the coast from the terrace.

TRIBULUM

Almancil 289 397 784 tribulumalgarve.com Christmas Day, with the best turkey ever. €80pp New Year’s Eve, six courses with a choice of main... Jonnie Pratt at his best. €100pp

DIPLOM Á TICO

Quarteira 916 293 149 restaurantediplomatico@ gmail.com diplomatico-quarteira.com

Oh la la, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Lunch, six courses of fine French cooking under the direction of chef Herve. €58pp.

On New Year’s Eve, seven courses that include snails in puff pastry with Champagne sauce, a half lobster with herb butter and roasted fillet of lamb. Mmmmm. €72pp

MARIA ’ S

Praia do Garrão 289 358 675 team@mariasbeachalgarve.com mariasbeachalgarve.com

Open throughout the festive season and with its own, distinct offering of long standing favourites on the big and delicious menu.

CONRAD ALGARVE

Quinta do Lago 289 350 700 experiences.algarve@ conradhotels.com

Christmas Day Brunch Buffet in the Louro Restaurant includes a glass of LaurentPerrier Champagne and festive entertainment. €125pp, €70 for 6-12 year olds.

New Year’s Eve in the Ballroom, the theme is The Circus, with contortionists, acrobats, jugglers, dancers and much more. Five-course menu with wine pairing and a bottle of Laurent-Perrier Champagne per couple included. €350pp, €190 for 6-12 year olds. In the Louro, there’s a buffet menu, and in Michelin-star Gusto by Heinz Beck, an eight-course celebration with premium wine pairing. €400pp, €250 for 6-12 year olds.

VILA VITA PARC

Porches 282 310 100 customerservice@ vilavitaparc.com vilavitaparc.com

Celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at the restaurants within the resort, including the Ocean restaurant with a Gourmet Menu, €255pp plus wine pairing €155pp.

On the 31st, the Gala, €375pp, with entertainment. Welcome in the New Year with a firework display in the resort’s gardens and dance the night away at the V-Club Disco (table for five people, €365 with a bottle of Dom Pérignon included).

AND f inally

THROW DOWN YOUR CRUTCHES ANTHONY MARTIN . YOUR KNEE IS ON THE MEND AND YOU’VE HAD ENOUGH OF ELDERLY TV GAMESHOWS AND DISCUSSIONS OF THE RIGHTS AND WRONGS OF ROYALTY TODAY. TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT COMPETING IN STRICTLY 2023

THANKS TO those delightful people at Loulé hospital I have, for a period of time, been spared all activities that may exert the slightest strain on my already enfeebled body. Yet again I have been banished from the upper levels of my house and confined to the sofa in front of the television. To my absolute dismay, I am not allowed to visit the pumphouse in order to bleed the balloons on the water pumps or top up the salt in the water softener, while the blown high-level lightbulbs remain unchanged and, due to the door being left open, the car’s battery has been drained twice. Secretly of course, I’m quite pleased as this is proof positive that the house cannot run without me.

But I am following orders. I’m officially lying here doing the required exercises, but the reality is that as I hear someone walking into the room I raise my left leg, tighten the stomach muscles, breathe out hard and grimace with pain.

However, having now let the cat out of the bag, I need to find another reason to watch seriously crappy daytime television. I use the word ‘crappy’ for I choose the ‘normal’ channels, rather than the likes of Netflix, as I don’t want to get so involved in a programme that it stops me nodding off should I so choose. And I’m thinking of one channel in particular, the one that is purely devoted to gameshows presented by someone who has been dead for years, contestants sporting mullet hairstyles and padded shoulders who compete for prizes such as video recorders, cassette decks, film cameras, tanning beds and the occasional hostess trolley, presented by a lacquered-hair model standing in the required pose of hand on hip and fixed smile.

Who actually watches these 40-year-old programmes, apart from the likes of me, a prisoner of his sofa, who needs to take a break from rolling news delivered 24/7 by the talking heads?

But at least the heads are no longer talking about

Trussonomics. Instead, in the main, they discuss Charles III (good or bad), Queen Consort (liked or not), Harry’s memoir (wait for it) and the possibility of an exPrince Andrew. The republican faction of the UK must be chomping at the bits – if they can take time off from venting their spleen over the Prime Minister’s handmade suits and shoes.

I have never given it much thought, but I suppose I am a monarchist, for I see no reason why there should not be a head of state – one who is above politics and simply a figurehead to launch ships, cut ribbons and represent their country abroad. And so what if they and their homes cost a few bob as they recoup that amount in tourism many times over, and you have to admit noone does pomp and circumstance better than the Brits.

The UK has had a monarchy for one thousand years and, through the ages, in the main we, the subjects, have bowed our heads in respect to the crown. No-one had a problem when royalty was a shadowy entity, a mysterious, unknown but ever-present family with golden carriages, crowns and castles. We rarely saw them, the younger royals were tutored privately, married other royals and didn’t mix with their subjects, which was fine, it worked.

But change the mix, educate future royalty with us commoners, let them see that life is not flunkies at every door and turreted castles. And what do you get? You get our present renegade princes.

But then I could also argue the other side of the coin. Yes, the Royal Family is now too large and our present King has said for years that it needs trimming – fewer titles, fewer people on the balcony and fewer grace and favour homes – more like the Danish or Dutch model.

Queen Margrethe of Denmark has decided that as of next year the titles of Prince Joachim’s descendants will be downgraded from princes and princesses to counts and countesses of Monpezat. And Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and her daughter Queen Beatrix both could be found riding bicycles in the city. I like that.

I raise my left leg, tighten the stomach muscles, breathe out hard and grimace with pain.