Dame Maggie – simply the best! She’s captivated us in Downton but Dame Maggie reveals her new film role as a vagrant is the one that really captured her heart By Alison James ust like the Dowager Countess of Grantham, the formidable character she’s played for six years in Downton Abbey, Dame Maggie Smith doesn’t sugar-coat her words. “I’m just surprised that I got to the end of Downton Abbey because just before it, I’d done about ten years with Harry Potter – the curious thing is, I’ve been doing things that go on and on,” she says matter-of-factly. “So I felt very old indeed by the time I got to the Dowager. I honestly am surprised that I got through it and I’m still here.” But thankfully she’s very
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What would the Dowager say! Dame Maggie having a ball with Alex Jennings in The Lady in the Van and below, in Downton
much still here. Dame Maggie may be 80 but she is as busy as she’s ever been. In addition to filming Downton this year, she also fitted in a feature film, The Lady in the Van, released on November 13, whose stellar cast also
includes Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent, Gwen Taylor and Frances de la Tour. It’s an adaptation of writer Alan Bennett’s memoir of the same name and tells the true story of a Miss Shepherd who, during the Seventies and Eighties, lived in a Bedford van opposite Bennett’s house in Camden Town.
❙ star chat ❙
Dame Maggie as down and out Miss Shepherd and the van she lived in
After a series of attacks on her van, he suggested she move, with her van, onto his front drive. Initially reluctant, she agreed – and Bennett landed himself with a tenancy that went on for 15 years. Dame Maggie plays Miss Shepherd, a role she originally played on stage 15 years ago. In true Maggie Smith style, she says she preferred playing Miss Shepherd to Downton’s Dowager Duchess. “While I don’t really feel close to either character, curiously I feel more at ease with The Lady in the Van than the lady with the hat on. “It was much easier, as an actor, to be Miss Shepherd because she didn’t mind about how she looked and that was such a relief. Lady Violet was forever in those corsets and things that Miss Shepherd would never dream of getting into. For comfort alone, it was better to be Miss Shepherd!” However playing the character did have its less comfy moments. “The van wasn’t the most comfortable of places but it was where I spent most of the time,” she reveals. “It was not very easy being constricted in a van – getting in and out was particularly difficult when it rained. The rest of the cast
were in luxury in a real house.” Playing a van-dwelling vagrant has made Dame Maggie really appreciate her own home. “Having had a practice at not living in a house, I’m just so glad I’ve got one,” she says. “There’s no way I could live like Miss Shepherd did – I know people do live in cars and the like but surely not for as long as 15 years. I’ve lived in my home for a very long time and I dread to think what life would be like without it. It means everything to me.” It’s highly likely Dame Maggie will be taking a well-earned break after publicising The Lady in the Van. Speaking recently she spoke of the demands of film making. “Wherever I got the idea that working on film or television would not be as stressful as the theatre I don’t know. Bette Davis was right – old age is not for sissies,” she said. But we’re hoping it won’t be too much into the distant future before we see Dame Maggie in another iconic role. And not too long before she is interviewed on television again about her amazing career. Unbelievably, her recent appearance on Graham Norton’s chat show was her first on British television in 42 years. And of course we will see her in the final Christmas episode of Downton Abbey!
How Dame Maggie came to my rescue! Actress Gwen Taylor chats about working with Dame Maggie – and her own battle with cancer wen Taylor has a career stretching back over 40 years. She’s starred in iconic TV shows like A Bit of a Do, Duty Free, Barbara, Heartbeat and Coronation Street, and has worked alongside such greats as Sir David Jason but, level-headed, down-to-earth individual that she is, even she felt slightly star-struck working with Dame Maggie Smith. “You have certain expectations of working with a Grande Dame like Maggie Smith,” says Gwen. “Maybe because you’ve seen so many scenes when, as a character, she simply cuts the floor away from people with a look or a word. I’d never worked with Dame Maggie before but it didn’t take long to realise it was the way I was reacting to her that was making me a bit intimidated, rather than
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✢ The last ever series of Downton Abbey is released on DVD and BluRay on November 16. For a chance to win the complete box set collection see our next issue out on November 24.
‘I feel easier with The Lady in the Van than that lady with the hat on’
Gwen Taylor, part of an all star cast in The Lady in the Van
TV food guru Lucy Jones
It’s easy to be fooled by the tricks of the food trade. We asked expert dietician Lucy Jones how we make better – and healthier – food choices
What’s really in our food?
By Katharine Wootton e’re always told to try and eat well. But once we’re in the supermarket to do our weekly shop it can be difficult to know if we’re really making the right choices. Labels can be misleading and then there are the food scandals, such as when horsemeat was found in burgers in 2013. The good news, though, is that there are some simple tactics you can use to get only the best-quality foods in your supermarket trolley. We asked dietician Lucy Jones, from the British Dietetic Association, and the BBC’s Eat Well for Less programme, to share the bestkept secrets of the food shop, and help you get back in control of what you eat.
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Learn the label lingo
Looking at labels, you should mainly compare salt, sugar, total fat and saturated fat. It can be useful to try to memorise or write down what’s low and high for each of these so you can spot the healthier product in the shops. Total fat: More than 17.5g of fat per 100g is high. 3g of fat or less per 100g is low Saturated fat: More than 5g of saturated fat per 100g is high. 1.5g of saturated fat or less per 100g is low Sugars: More than 22.5g of total sugars per 100g is high. 5g of total sugars or less per 100g is low Salt: More than 1.5g of salt per 100g (or 0.6g sodium) is high. 0.3g of salt or less per 100g (or 0.1g sodium) is low ✢ From NHS Choices http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/ Pages/food-labelling.aspx
Lucy recommends taking an extra-hard look at labels on socalled ‘diet’ foods. “During the Eat Well for Less series, we discovered many ‘diet’ biscuits were just a smaller size and, in some cases,
actually contained higher levels of sugar and fat. But because the portion was smaller, they were able to say they had lower fat per portion and so label it as a ‘diet’ product.”
❙ food standards ❙ Beware of ‘clean labelling’
Lots of us are cautious of foods containing E numbers and additives, but many companies get round this fear factor by calling them fancier names, in a process called ‘clean labelling’. So instead of listing a string of added ingredients, they give them a more a more harmless-sounding name, ‘rosemary extract’, for example. “It’s important to remember all E numbers and preservatives have been approved by the FSA for safety,” says Lucy. “However, renaming things with nastysounding names is a popular tactic. For example, sugar is often listed as organic honey, agave nectar or unrefined sugar, which is completely meaningless. At the end of the day they’re all just sugar. “Many companies also list generic names such as ‘flavourings’, because they aren’t legally obliged to say which exact flavourings they use. This means people with food allergies or intolerances haven’t a clue what these ‘flavourings’ could be and have to avoid them.”
‘Renaming products so they sound nicer is a popular tactic’
When to go organic
“Look for the organic stamp on foods, which means almost all – usually about 95 per cent – of ingredients have been approved as organic and certified by an organisation such as the Soil Association,” says Lucy. “I know it’s not always affordable to buy everything organic, but I’d definitely recommend buying meat and certain fruit and veg organic. “As a nutritionist, I try to encourage people to eat less meat but of a higher quality, and the best way to do that is to buy organic. These meats don’t contain routine antibiotics and the animal welfare standards are better, so there’s an ethical argument for organic meat, too. “Choose organic fruit and vegetables with thinner skins, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes, peaches and potatoes. These absorb more pesticides in nonorganic farming than hard-skinned produce such as mangoes and avocados.”
Watch out for fishy business
There have been rumblings in the press about certain tinned fish companies not delivering the ethical product they promise on their labels. “If you want to buy fish that’s been sustainably sourced, look for a label from the Marine Stewardship Council which guarantees sustainability.” Then there’s the question of whether this tinned fish is as healthy for us as fresh. “While tinned salmon keeps most of its nutrients, making it a really good, affordable option, tinned tuna loses its omega-3 fatty acids in the canning process. It’s then only useful as a low-fat protein food rather than as the nutritious meal you might expect from oily fish.”
Style notes
Carol-Ann (left) wears: Blue sequin top, £40, 8-20, J by Jasper Conran at Debenhams; earrings, £14, Red Herring at Debenhams Jacqui wears: Embroidered top, £40, 16-24, Yours Clothing; earrings, £15, ring, £10, both Next
FASHION EDITOR’S CHOICE
✢ Ivory embellished blouse, £28, 8-22, Bhs
✢ Sequin trim tunic top, £29, 8-22, M&Co
Party tops with sleeves
Look glamorous – whatever your shape or size – with these gorgeous tops By Fashion Editor, Michelle Nightingale
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✢ Black top with sheer overlay, £16, 6-22, F&F at Tesco
FLATTERS YOUR SHAPE
✢ Diamante-trim blouse, £26, 8-22, Bhs
✢ Laceembroidered sheer blouse, £35, 14-32, Evans
✢ Gold bubblehem top, £26, 8-22, M&Co
✢ Glitter lace top, £35, 8-22, M&Co
✢ Gathered top, £26, 8-22, M&Co
NECKLACE INCLUDED
✢ Lace-trim top, £26, 10-24, Bonmarché
✢ Blue pussybow blouse, £28, 6-22, Next
✢ Sequinembellished top, £29.50, 6-22, Autograph at M&S
DRESS IT UP OR DOWN ✢ Navy top, £22, 10-24, Bonmarché
✢ Diamante v-neck shell top, £28, 8-24, M&S Collection
✢ Cape top, £25, 8-22, Very
✢ Sequin stripe top, £35, 8-22, Very
✢ Red flared sleeve blouse, £30, xs-xl, Wallis
STOCKISTS: Bhs 0344 411 6000 www.bhs.co.uk; Bonmarché 0330 026 2728 www.bonmarche.co.uk; Debenhams 0344 561 6161 www.debenhams.com; Evans 0344 984 0262 www.evans.co.uk; F&F at Tesco 0800 323 4050 www.clothingattesco.com; M&Co 0800 031 7200 www.mandco.com; M&S 0333 014 8000 www.marksandspencer.com; Next 0333 777 8000 www.next.co.uk; Very 0844 822 2321 www.very.co.uk; Wallis 0344 984 0266 www.wallis.co.uk; Yours Clothing 0844 820 4204 www.yoursclothing.co.uk. Details correct at time of going to press
✢ Black and white tunic, £26, 10-24, Bonmarché
PHOTOGRAPHY RUTH JENKINSON; STYLIST JO WINCH; HAIR AND MAKE-UP SARAH JANE GREEN AND JENNIFER WATSON
CLASSIC CHOICE
✢ Lace top, £55, 6-22, Autograph at M&S
✢ NEXT ISSUE Christmas fashion ideas to suit every occasion YOURS
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HEALTH &
vitality
Sleep your way to
better health
We all feel better after a good night’s sleep, but did you know that quality shut-eye can help protect your health, too? Here’s how…
Meet our expert
Dr Nerina Ramlakhan is a physiologist and sleep therapist and is the sleep expert for Silentnight
By Charlotte Haigh MacNeil
Sleep to cut your risk of heart disease
leep is often underrated as a health-booster, but we should all be getting more of it, according sleep expert Dr Nerina Ramlakhan. “Good, restorative sleep helps your health as well as your mood,” she says. “It’s important to prioritise your sleep and protect its quality.” Doing this will not only give you more energy, but it could help you stay healthy and live longer too.
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Studies have found sleeping for at least seven hours a night could help to protect you from heart attacks and strokes – and getting enough sleep may be as beneficial for your heart as not smoking. In fact people who consistently wake up feeling groggy and unrested are at a whopping 63 per cent higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. So what’s the connection? A study by the American Heart Association found that sleeping for fewer than six hours a night causes inflammatory substances in your blood – which have been linked to
heart disease and Type 2 diabetes – to increase by 25 per cent. It could also raise your blood pressure and heart rate and affect your blood sugar levels.
Extra help for your ticker! If you’re taking pills to help your heart, whether that’s a statin or aspirin, you can further boost your heart health by taking the medicine at night. That gives aspirin time to work by the morning (the peak time for heart attacks) while statins are best taken before bed because the genes that drive cholesterol production are most active at night.
How much sleep do you really need?
A panel of experts from the National Sleep Foundation recently revised the guidelines on how much sleep we should all be getting. For adults under 65 between seven and nine hours of sleep is recommended. If you’re over 65 you should aim for seven to eight hours every night, but you may feel rested after as little as five or six hours. Don’t worry too much if you wake in the night. For some people it’s perfectly natural to sleep for around four hours and wake for an hour a two then go back to sleep. If you do wake in the night it’s important to stay relaxed and do something calming such as reading a book. If you feel anxious about being awake, you’re much less likely to get back to sleep. Having said all that try not to worry too much about how many hours you’ve slept. Instead measure how well you’ve slept by how rested and energised you feel when you get up.
Snooze yourself slimmer
Scientists have known for some time that those who miss out on kip are more likely to be overweight. Research from the University of Stanford, US, found that poor sleep leads to elevated levels of ghrelin, a hormone that makes you feel hungry, and lower levels of leptin, another hormone linked with feelings of fullness. So if you sleep badly, you are likely to feel hungrier the next day, and less able to tell when you’ve eaten enough. Getting quality sleep will help you have more control over what you eat. Have a nighttime snack Feeling peckish in the evening?
How to sleep well Try Nerina’s tips for a great night: ✢ Follow a regular wind-down routine Read a book, listen to relaxing music and have a bath using essential oils, such as lavender, to help promote sleepiness. Try to avoid screen time for 90 minutes before bed. ✢ Stay active It’s a very effective way of reducing stress hormone levels, helping you to sleep more deeply. Aim for a 30- minute walk every day.
✢ Create the perfect environment Making your bedroom tranquil, calm and free from clutter, junk and technology will help you become more relaxed and rested. Make sure it’s cool and dark to help you drift off quickly.
✢ Change your sleep mindset The more pressure you put on yourself to sleep, the less likely it is you will. If you have an early start the next day, focus on getting good quality rest, rather than sleep. This will take the ✢ Cut the caffeine pressure off and you The caffeine from a cup of coffee should find you fall What can take up to ten hours to about naps? asleep faster. leave your system and can There’s lots of evidence to severely affect sleep suggest a quick lunchtime nap could quality. Try switching to help to boost your brain power and herbal teas or decaff energy levels. But experts believe from mid-afternoon. that daytime napping could affect the quality of your sleep at night, ✢ Watch your diet causing you to have longer periods Avoid eating heavy of light sleep and making you more meals too late, as likely to wake up. If you feel like you they could cause really can’t get through the day without heartburn. a snooze, keep it short to make sure you’re not harming your nighttime sleep.
Zzzzzs make you happier
Don’t worry that eating too close to bedtime might encourage weight gain. In fact, research has found a healthy nighttime snack combining carbs and protein can actually boost metabolism by aiding muscle repair. Try having an oatcake with a little cream cheese and smoked salmon.
We all know that missing out on sleep can really affect your mood and stress can make it harder to sleep. “Deep sleep renews your body on every level, including reducing stress and boosting mood,” says Nerina. But, when you’re stressed your sleep is often affected, and this can become a vicious cycle. See your GP if stress or low mood is affecting your sleep. Breakfast is the key “If stress is keeping you up at night, make sure you eat breakfast within an hour of waking,” advises Nerina. “Otherwise, your body will run on adrenaline all day, and as adrenaline is a stress hormone it can stop you going into deep sleep the following evening.” YOURS
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Christmas
2015
£9.99
Gifts for home
GIFT GUIDE
Perfect pressies for all the family that won’t break the bank!
Dog peg bag DOGS TRUST
£4.99 each
£1
Squirrel and fox mugs THE RANGE
£8
Pink glass corked bottle
Printed deer hand towel
POUNDLAND
BHS
£2.99
EVERYTHING
UNDER
£20
£15
Glass bird tealight holder
La Maison de Senteurs spiced vanilla candle
HOMEBASE
M&S
3 £10.25 for set of
Christmas cheer lanterns LAKELAND
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❙ Christmas gift guide ❙ £7.95
£8
£8
Gifts for garden Umbra cat ring holder
Penguin doormat
Botanical garden trowel and fork set
LAKELAND
NEXT
TESCO
£14.95
£8
£12
Polka folk star candle
Isometric Bathroom tumbler
Bah Humbug cushion
Queen garden mug
RHS bulb box
EMMA BRIDGEWATER
HOUSE BY JOHN LEWIS
TESCO
M&S
SAINSBURY’S
£16.99
Yours
£4
£10
£8
£16
£15
£3.19 each
LOVES
Grand ribbed silver throw
Yoni Alter London unframed print 30x24cm
Linea festive double oven glove
THE RANGE
HOUSE BY JOHN LEWIS
HOUSE OF FRASER
£8
Kaleido trigger sprayer
Watering can
HOZELOCK
M&S
£3.50
£14.99
£14.99
Set of 4 snack boxes
Copper finish vase
Woodland scene cyclamen trough
Gardener’s notebook
PAPERCHASE
DOBBIES
DOBBIES
THE OAK ROOM
£6.99
£10
£4.99
£2.95
£9.99
Yours LOVES
Woven Fair Isle cushion
A year in the country tea towel
HOMEBASE
EMMA BRIDGEWATER
Yours Yearbook 2016
RESPONSABILITY (see p104 for more information)
Set of five jute garden ties
Fairtrade recycled paper birdhouse
DOTCOMGIFTSHOP
OXFAM
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❙ time for you ❙
Freeze-ahead festive foods
Get a head-start on Christmas cooking with our freezable recipes RED CABBAGE WITH ORANGE AND RAISINS A delicious vegetable side dish that you can make well in advance of Christmas Day Serves: 4-6 Preparation time: 15 mins Cooking time: 50 mins
• 1 medium red cabbage (approx 700g/1lb 8oz), trimmed and thinly sliced • 75g (2½oz) raisins • 2 oranges, grated rind and juice (made up to 200ml/ 7 fl oz with water) • 25g (1oz) sugar • ½ tsp salt • 1 tbsp redcurrant jelly
1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Put cabbage, raisins, orange rind and juice, sugar and salt into a large pan, then bring to the boil. 2. Pour into an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and cook in a preheated oven for 40-45 mins until tender. Stir in the redcurrant jelly and serve. This is a great vegetable dish to make in advance. Leave to cool, put in an air-tight container and refrigerate or freeze until required. Defrost if frozen and then reheat in the microwave or oven. Per serving: 111 cals, 0g Fat, (0g sat fat)
TR Y THIS...
REDCURRANT JELLY Give your red cabbage an extra kick with this tasty Redcurrant and Port Jelly. ✢ From Asda’s Extra Special range, £1.47/235g
ak e W he n re he at ing, m t sure fo od is piping ho be fore se rving
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