Absolutely Sussex February 2023

EDITOR

MARK KEBBLE

ART DIRECTOR

PAWEL KUBA

SENIOR DESIGNERS MIKE ROBERTS SUZETTE SCOBLE

MIDWEIGHT DESIGNER CARMEN GRAHAM JUNIOR DESIGNER JOE MUNSEY

PRODUCTION MANAGER DANICA BRODIE

GROUP SALES MANAGER - SOUTH ABIGAIL GARDNER

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR JERRIE KOLECI

CREDIT CONTROL MANAGER ALEXANDRA HVID

DIRECTORS

CRAIG DAVIES, LEAH DAY, JAMES FUSCHILLO

NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR ALEXANDRA HUNTER

MANAGING DIRECTOR SHERIF SHALTOUT

LETTER Editor’s

THE EDITOR’S February issue highlights

So, what have I missed this month – something about a new book being released? Whatever side you are taking in the war of words between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family – and there's a very funny social media meme doing the rounds on what would happen if the former went to war against the Cambridges (basically, London would be raised to the ground) – all the hullabaloo actually tied in rather nicely with our education special this month.

I wasn't ever the most fastidious of students, but I loved history. More precisely, I loved reading about Henry VIII and his wives, and the English Civil War, and how Kings and Queens seemed to be at risk 24/7. The royals then were fascinating –and maybe, just maybe, this period of time will be pored over by keen history students in the future.

So thank you, Harry, for reminding me about what I loved to learn about at school. I wait with bated breath for the second volume...

MARK KEBBLE EDITOR

Events

The top dates for your diary that will have you jumping for joy (p12)

Education Special

A stellar line up of experts includes Dr Ranj Singh (p68)

Interiors Trend

The best ways to ensure you are sitting comfortably (p56)

The Shoot Pearl Lowe's latest collaboration (p38)

10 things we Absolutely love

FRILL SEEKER

The Molly Goddard Davina dress features all-over frills in varying sizes, cra ed from a Italian so tulle with a detachable contrasting cotton slip with a broderie anglaise trim. £2,400 mollygoddard.com

SET AND MATCH

Yawn pyjamas feature a relaxed fit, deep pockets, generous hems and a collar button for cooler nights. We love the Hounds of Love set in red. £95 loveyawn.com

LADY IN RED

Is this the ultimate red dress? It could be. Somerset by Alice Temperley satin maxi dress, £110 johnlewis.com

RED ALERT

The quest for the perfect red lip is complete. Gucci's Rouge de Beauté Brillant High-Shine Lipstick is here – and the packaging is lovely too. £36 gucci.com

gucci.com

BERRY RED

A warm glow for the hallway, this Stately Bouquet scented candle is designed to set the tone of your home with its calming aroma and notes of blackberries, musk and cashmere woods. £52 libertylondon.com

RED STRIPE

This red and pink cashmere cardigan by Cormio features ribbed detailing, a high round neck and flower buttons. £400 koibird.com

FOR ETERNITY

Seal the Valentine's deal with this 18ct Yellow Gold Ruby & Diamond Eternity Ring from Wakefields. £2,255 wakefieldsjewellers.co.uk

STITCH UP

Jess De Wahls' embroidered notebooks for Moleskin feature beautiful and delicate flowers. Her work merges contemporary social issues with botanical beauty. From £550 moleskine.com

ON THE SAUCE

For the person who has everything, and loves ketchup: Theo Fennell's silver tomato ketchup sleeve. £1,495 theofennell.com

RED HOT

Make a feminine statement with this gorgeous Marie Jo Nathy plunge bra and brief with beautiful floral embroidery. ameliesfollies.co.uk

A MILLION MILES

FROM EVERYDAY

The rural retreat. A twist on tradition. The clatter of hooves. The English countryside. The miles of possibility. The feeling of home. Coworth Park.

MAISIE ADAM

10 FEBRUARY, THE HAWTH CRAWLEY

Fresh from Live At The Apollo, A League of Their Own, Mock The Week, and The Last Leg, Best Newcomer nominee Maisie Adam is back with her new show. Rammed with witty observations, high-octane energy and some right good jokes, this high-energy show promises to be better than whatever else you had planned (unless you had plans to go dancing with Cher). parkwoodtheatres.co.uk

PHOTO: MATT CROCKETT

THE BEST EVENTS IN SUSSEX

The Agenda Spirit of the Dance

5-6 February

CONGRESS THEATRE

The international hit Spirit of the Dance celebrates 25 years as one of the most popular dance shows ever. This spellbinding high octane extravaganza takes dance to the next level with an explosive fusion of heart pounding Irish Dance and dazzling dance styles from around the world that have been specially choreographed for this anniversary show, including Flamenco, Salsa, Street Dance, Hip Hop, Can Can and American Tap. eastbournetheatres.co.uk

COMEDY

Lucy Porter

3 MARCH, KOMEDIA, BRIGHTON

Comedian, actress, writer, voiceover artist and podcaster Lucy Porter is set to embark on a national tour of her critically acclaimed show, ‘Wake Up Call’. This is a show about revelations, realisations and epiphanies. Subjects covered include bin collection schedules, the novels of Jean Rhys, cats, school fair booze tombolas, and the Scottish Enlightenment.

komedia.co.uk

Imagining Otherwise

17 February

PAVILION THEATRE, WORTHING

Imagining Otherwise is an immersive digital dance that explores the possibility of parallel experiences, and the multitude of choices that spring from it. Wendy Houstoun’s witty spoken text is interwoven with visually dynamic floor projections shaped by live performance. As the dancers move, their actions create visual traces that slowly slip into the background of the digital landscape. wtm.uk

DADA MASILO

21-22 February

DOME

UK

of The Sacrifice at Brighton Dome. Combining the European heritage of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring with the uniquely rhythmic and expressive movements of Tswana, the traditional dance of Botswana, an all-South African cast deliver an exhilarating performance rooted in storytelling and healing ritual. Centred around the struggle of the sacrificial victim, the dance explores the power of community in a ecting change. brightondome.org

HENRY V

This Month’s Must See E

28 FEBRUARY-4 MARCH

CONNAUGHT THEATRE, WORTHING

xperience Shakespeare’s unnervingly relevant Henry V in a production that o ers a di erent perspective on England’s 15th century hero. Henry, the young and newly crowned king, is impatient to assert control over the people of England. Having received a humiliating gift from overseas, his bruised ego leads him to a military invasion abroad in a bid to expand his land. But at what cost? wtm.uk

Mapping Gender

18 February

MUSEUM AND GALLERY, WORTHING

Maps carve borders through landscapes. Clothes are maps for the body. Both are arbitrary constructs, omnipresent in our society, and have a real impact on people. Mapping Gender is a multisensory exhibition of dance, image, scent, sound and research. It’s an invitation to explore the parallels between cartography and historical clothing through a lens of non-binary experiences. wtm.uk

PLANT POWER

Where to enjoy snowdrops in Sussex this month

What is it about snowdrops? Every year they reappear with unfailing regularity, popping up just as winter has got to the stage when we all long for it to end, to tell us that there really is something cheerful about February. And despite their apparent delicacy, small white flowers on short slender stems, they are unfailingly robust; often pushing through inches of snow and flowering for weeks on end, showing none of the weathera ected temperamentality that makes growing so many plants a nail-biting exercise.

They also provide one of the most memorable links between gardens and our natural landscape. Because of their ability to spread or ‘naturalise’ over large areas if left undisturbed, especially in favourable sites such as typical native English woodland, they can produce spectacular carpets of white that are made all the more enthralling by the starkness that surrounds them.

With such enticement, it is not surprising that people will put on hats, gloves and wellies and head out to enjoy such heart-warming pleasure at a time of year when often they have been confined indoors for weeks on end. Over the coming weeks there are National Garden Scheme gardens opening in West Sussex, which will welcome you and enable you to enjoy one of our great gardenvisiting treats. Highlights include The Old Vicarage, Washington; Demans Garden, Fontwell; Mitchemere Farm, Stoughton; and Pembury House. ngs.org.uk

BRIGHTON

South African choreographer Dada Masilo will stage the

premiere

PHOTO: LEIGH CLAPP

RAISING A GLASS

Writer, presenter and wine expert Olly Smith on his favourite chef, working with Gary Barlow and a love a air with his adopted home county of Sussex

By REBECCA PITCAIRN

hen Olly Smith pops up most weekends on Saturday morning television, he has that awe about him of someone who is buckets of fun –the type of guy you’d love to spend an afternoon with, down the pub.

Unfortunately for me, this interview didn’t take place in Olly’s favourite local (which, he tells me, happens to be The Swan in Lewes); nevertheless, with his jovial tales and bright outlook on life, it certainly reinforced the notion that Olly is great company.

As one of BBC’s Saturday Kitchen’s wine experts, Olly has been entertaining and educating viewers with his wine and food pairings for over a decade and has rubbed shoulders with celebrities including Bill Bailey and Stanley Tucci, and top chefs such as Sabrina Ghayour and, his personal favourite, Gennaro Contaldo.

W“He is just so full of warmth and passion, whenever I am in his company I always feel energized. Somehow, he radiates good cheer and I’m grateful for his friendship and kindness all these years,” says Olly, who travels from his home near Lewes to the Cactus studios in Clapham for the live show.

But the Saturday Kitchen set is not the only place Olly gets to mingle with the stars. Now in its 12th series, his podcast, A Glass With, has seen him interview global music stars, such as Sting and Pink, as well as Hollywood actors like Sam Neill and legendary British comedian Dawn French. “Dawn was a wonderful guest on A Glass With and she also invited me out for a curry afterwards, which was both delicious and a hoot in equal measure,” he says of the Vicar of Dibley star.

When Olly is not tickling the taste buds of TV viewers and podcast listeners with his celeb friends and infectious enthusiasm for food and wine, or researching and writing content for foodie magazines or his books – he’s written six including his latest chart-topper, Home Cocktail Bible – he likes

signing himself up to be a contestant on celeb versions of TV game shows, such as Michael McIntyre’sThe Wheel and Pointless.

“I love appearing on game shows. I managed to win Celebrity Mastermind with my specialist subject, Withnail and I, and I’m appearing on the 13th series of Tipping Point in support of local Sussex charity Rocking Horse, who do tremendous work supporting the healthcare of under 18s across the county,” he says.

The award-winning drinks writer also travels the globe in search of the world’s best tipples and as P&O Cruises’ resident wine expert, joining guests on board speciallyselected cruises to o er tasting masterclasses.

“This year has been rather extraordinary as I’ve been working with Gary Barlow on board,” the 48-year-old beams. “I even got to sing with him on stage… among the entire auditorium singing happy birthday to a guest on board, but still, I reckon it counts!”

Despite all his globetrotting and socialising in celebrity circles, Olly admits he is never happier than when he is

“Dawn French was wonderful and she invited me out for a curry”

PHOTO: CATHERINE BENSON

back in Sussex, where he has lived for over 20 years with his wife, Sophie.

“Sussex is indeed a place of deep love for me,” says Olly who is originally from Darlington in County Durham and grew up in Jersey. “Sophie was born and raised in Brighton and we met in our teenage years, so I spent a lot of time in the county until we moved back full time in 2000.”

The couple now live in a cottage on the fringes of Lewes with their two teenage daughters, Ruby and Lily, and their beloved dog, Busby. “There’s a bit of poetry to our eldest daughter, Ruby, being born in the same hospital as Sophie, The Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, and Lily arriving with great style on our kitchen floor in Lewes,” Olly says of two of the most memorable moments of his life.

This Valentine’s Day, Olly and Sophie celebrate 21 years since another milestone moment in their Sussex love story – the day they got engaged. “Yes, I proposed to Sophie on Valentine’s Day. Some may think it irredeemably na , I just knew she’d never

expect it and my surprise proposal paid o ,” explains Olly. “On Valentine’s Day, usually we open a cracking bottle of Sussex fizz. This year it’ll be my old favourite Breaky Bottom, which is grown and made near Rodmell: memorable name, unforgettable wine.”

The couple enjoy spending time in the kitchen together too – which is handy seeing as Olly has to test his food and wine pairings out for Saturday Kitchen ahead of the live show. “Thankfully Sophie is amazing in the kitchen and whenever I get my hands in a twist she is there to gently keep all my recipe testing on track,” says Olly. “Pairing the wines is great fun, never quite what you expect, but always instructive and when I find a real bargain I get particularly excited to share it with as wide an audience as possible.”

Visit ollysmith.com to listen to A Glass With. Olly’s next book, World Atlas of Cocktails: Travel the World of Drinks Without Leaving Home, will be published by Quadrille in September and is available to pre-order now RRP £20

Smith’s Sussex

The places Olly Smith raises a glass to

“Most Mondays I’m up on the Downs with my dog Busby, it’s a regular fixture in the diary.”

“In the winter it’s hard to beat a pint of Harvey’s Best by a pub fire. The Swan in Lewes is just bliss, especially while sipping from a dimpled jug.”

“I am gasping to go to The Crab Shack in Worthing, which I hear is o the chart, and I adore the beers at the Beak Brewery in Lewes. Sugrue South Downs wines are also a thing of beauty.”

“I’d love to raise a glass to the sad loss of Ciaráns’ in Hove, one the county’s greatest neighbourhood restaurants, which was forced to close. I hope Ciarán Nugent andCiaránJones rise again as their talent is remarkable.”

THE SWAN IN LEWES

SOUTH DOWNS

CRAB SHACK

WITH BUSBY

Connaught Theatre

Shakespeare returns to Worthing with a new production of Henry V

The unnervingly relevant story of HenryV is heading to Worthing Theatres and Museum this spring with a new and unique perspective on England’s fifteenth-century hero.

The story of Henry V’s reign is a significant one, and highlights his determination to gain a successful foreign policy. His war in France is notorious, coming just two years after his coronation. After years of military campaigns and treaty negotiations, Henry V was recognised as regent and heir apparent to the French throne, though he died just two years later.

Modern analyses of Henry’s reign vary from praise on his bravery and military genius to criticism of his cruel temperament and lack of focus on domestic a airs. Despite this, his military pursuits during the Hundred Years’ War created a strong sense of English nationalism and set the stage for Britain’s rise to global dominance.

Headlong’s production of Henry V highlights the civil unrest and trouble with Europe during this time, exploring Henry’s bombastic pursuit of power and questioning what it really means to be English.

The parallels between society now and five hundred years ago are prominent, and the execution of this play brings into question the ethics and morals of everything from love to war. To experience a slice of history and literature in this way is a privilege; you may find your ways of thinking totally changed by the time you exit the theatre.

Leeds Playhouse and Royal & Derngate, Northampton.

Get to know…

JACQUIE BLOESE

BRIGHTON AUTHOR OF THE FRENCH HOUSE

By DENISE TYLER

Q The eponymous French House is Hauteville House, Victor Hugo’s house on Guernsey where you grew up. How well did you know the house before you wrote the book?

A I was very familiar with it as I got a job there when I left school working as a tour guide, showing people around the house for a summer. I was doing tours in French and English and that’s how I became intimately acquainted with it. Victor Hugo himself was a really interesting character and the thing that piqued my imagination was the fact that his long term mistress, Juliette Drouet, joined him in Guernsey where he was exiled, and lived in a house across the street. There are lots of stories about the two of them and they were together for 50 years, until Juliette’s death. This intense relationship cemented ‘the French house’ as a very apt setting for my first novel.

Q The French House takes place during the Nazi occupation of Guernsey. How much did you hear about that growing up?

A My great-grandparents and grandparents lived through the occupation and I grew up listening to stories about what life had been like. I was a child of the 70s so it was the fairly recent past for them as it was only 30 years or so since the war ended. The physical landscape tells a story of its own – the lookout towers and bunkers all along the West coast were built as part of Hitler’s Atlantic Wall.

Q How much of the action in The French House is based on actual events – did the bombing of the harbour in the opening scenes happen for instance?

A Absolutely, yes. Every Friday, the local growers took their produce down to the harbour for export, and that was when it was bombed. Tragically, several people were killed. The deportation from Guernsey to Germany in 1942 of anybody born in Britain also happened, and the character of Leutnant Schreiber is loosely inspired by a newspaper censor called Kurt Goetmann.

THE REMNANTS OF THE GUERNSEY OCCUPATION

PHOTO: EMMA C

Q The French House is your debut novel and it was picked for the Richard and Judy Book Club in December. That’s quite an accolade.

A It was a big surprise, but I was thrilled obviously! As a debut novelist, I’m aware that it helps to manage your expectations; the main wins for me are people buying my book, reading it and enjoying it! So when I got an email from my editor entitled ‘some exciting news’ I couldn’t quite believe how exciting it would turn out to be.

Q What’s your writing day like?

A I’m at my best in the morning. I like to get up and try not to get too distracted by emails or anything of that nature and just get the

words down, often in my pyjamas! I think I’m quite a slow writer, compared to some, so I might do 300 words or so, after planning a scene. Then I’ll break for lunch and maybe a walk, then in the afternoon I’ll go and work somewhere else like the Jubilee Library to try and get up to a thousand words.

Q Have you always been interested in reading and writing historical fiction?

A Yes – I’ve always loved stories set in the past. I’m fascinated by human nature and that’s one thing that doesn’t change – and for me as a writer, going back in time to explore and re-create a period in history is incredibly stimulating. It’s another way of travelling; I can’t quite imagine writing a contemporary novel at the moment, anyway.

Q You moved to Brighton just before lockdown and you’re now busy with your second novel – have you had a chance to explore more widely yet?

A Yes, there are so many great places to discover in Sussex. We really like the

walk at Friston Forest and over to the Seven Sisters, that whole area is beautiful. We also love walking to Lewes across the Downs from Brighton. The Bayside Social in Worthing is another favourite, which is very chilled out with a nice community feel and right on the beach. Closer to home, Burnt Orange in central Brighton is a lovely treat, as is Med which opened during lockdown and serves a delicious set menu. We’re regulars for co ee and cinnamon buns at Marmalade on Sussex Square, and I love going to my local bookshop in Kemptown, which now has a café as well. One of my favourite times of year here is winter: I quite like it when the crowds have gone! You can walk down to the beach and watch these amazing sunsets. It’s really special.

jacquiebloese.com Twitter: @novelthesecond Instagram: @jb_writer

“Recreating a period in history is incredibly stimulating”

BUNS AT MARMALADE

THE BAYSIDE SOCIAL

This LITTLE GIRL

Absolutely goes behind the scenes at Matilda The Musical

Even as an adult, I’m excited to meet the cast of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical. The show has been playing in the West End since 2011 and its unforgettable songs are played on repeat in countless households. There’s hardly been an empty seat in the house since it opened, and now a new film is attracting even more fans – because it’s a timeless show that people of all ages return to again and again for its anarchic spirit and unique style.

Clearly, the show has a special energy behind the scenes as well. A new cast change brings Rakesh Boury and Amy Ellen Richardson to the roles of Mr and Mrs Wormwood, and they were both fans before they’d been cast. “I saw the orginal at Stratford and I remember thinking, there’s nothing else like this. I laughed, I cried,” says Richardson. We’re in the theatre’s Circle Bar in the afternoon, where tables are already set up for the children’s supper later. For them it’s a tight schedule – they spend the day at school, then rush to the theatre for the evening performance. “It’s a well-oiled machine,” says Boury.

There are currently three teams of children who perform in turns, and Boury and Richardson are blown away by their talent. “They’re so unbelievably good,” says Boury, who has four-year-old twin daughters who are deep into their Matilda fan phase. Richardson has been acting since she was 10, so seeing the children on stage reflects her own life. “What an experience it is for them,” she says. “And they’re so good that they make you up your game.”

For a long-running show, it’s unusual to have so many of the original team still involved, but Matilda The Musical is very much a passion project for pretty much

everybody. Writer Dennis Kelly, composer and lyricist Tim Minchin, director Matthew Warchus, musical director Laurie Perkins and choreographer Peter Darling have all been hands-on since the beginning, and the show adapts to each new wave of actors. “We were encouraged to bring our own interpretations to the roles,” says Richardson. “We do feel that they’re our roles, which is great when you’re taking on an existing role,” says Boury. “The team genuinely wanted us to find our own versions, which is great – I’ve done shows where they insist on you doing everything a certain way. But every Wormwood there’s ever been has been their own.”

Plainly, they both love the show and feel lucky to be part of it. “We’ve done 140 shows but we still feel like the new cast,” says Boury. And the energy comes from the audience too. “When I finish work, 1200 people applaud me. That feeling can keep you going. Just this week there was a 40-year-old man in a Matilda The Musical t-shirt standing up at the end, bawling his eyes out. It’s the power of the arts, isn’t it.” He’s right – this show stays with everyone it touches. Long may it continue.

matildathemusical.com

AMY ELLEN RICHARDSON AS MRS WORMWOOD

RAKESH BOURY AS MR WORMWOOD

“A timeless show with an anarchic spirit and unique style”

& DRINK

PERFECT PAIRING

RARE CHAMPAGNE

Announcing a new Rare Pairing series, Rare Champagne have enlisted top French chef, Mélanie Serre, to create new menus for the season. "I am delighted to explore, discover, create and compose menus for which I had a carte blanche," she says on the partnership. Turn to page 31 to discover what she created in the kitchen. rare-champagne.com

WHAT TO DRINK

TASTING

NOTES

The latest food news and most exciting openings in Sussex

By MARK KEBBLE

GRAPE

news

Wine recommendations for the month

Australia  £6

This smooth, fullbodied, sunshine-filled Aussie red wine is blended from Shiraz with a touch of Tempranillo, bringing you typical ripe black fruit flavours with a hint of cherry. It would pair excellently with sweet red stu ed peppers. coop.co.uk

Champagne Lanson Bio-Organic, France  £59

Le Green Label Organic is made with grapes from Domaine de la Malmaison, and is the only Champagne to have achieved every organic and biodynamic certification. It is the perfect expression of the terroir: direct, pure with a wonderful vitality. thechampagnecompany.com

Plum & Pepper Barossa Valley Shiraz, Australia  £14.99

This delicious Shiraz is rich and warming, with beautiful black fruit, leather and oak complexity. It is also brilliantly mature with layers of flavours opening out in the glass and would be perfect with a hearty winter vegetable casserole. majestic.co.uk

Warm glow

BURNT ORANGE

Set close to the seafront and just a few streets from the historic Brighton Lanes is Burnt Orange, Brighton’s hottest all-day and latenight drinking spot. Situated within a 16th century former coach house with an intimate courtyard, Burnt Orange o ers a relaxed, convivial setting to enjoy well-made cocktails and quality wines alongside hearty and warming wood-fire dishes from chef Peter Dantanus. Well worth a visit in 2023. burnt-orange.co.uk

Andrew Peace Signature Shiraz,

PHOTO: PAUL WINCH-FURNESS

Be my guest

PIZZA PILGRIMS

In celebration of Veganuary, Pizza Pilgrims launched a fresh plant-based guest pizza to accompany the other vegan classics that permanently sit on the menu. The limited-edition Vegan Caprese pizza features datterini tomatoes with vegan basil pesto, topped with plantbased creamy Stracciatella cheese. This dreamy vegan bite can be enjoyed across all Pizza Pilgrims branches, including their wonderful Brighton restaurant. pizzapilgrims.co.uk

FOOD OF LOVE

NIEDEREGGER

For Valentine’s Day food, you can’t beat Niederegger marzipan, established in Germany in 1806. Marzipan is thought to be an aphrodisiac, so a perfect little treat to gi your loved one. Stocked in John Lewis, Horsham. johnlewis.com

PLENTY TO SMILE ABOUT

GIGGLING SQUID

Whether you’re vegan, giving it a go for the new year or are flexi and simply go with the flow, Giggling Squid has unveiled an array of new tastebudtantalising vegan dishes. Examples include Pad Paak Bong Noodles, fine rice noodles with crushed garlic, topped with stir fried morning glory and soy beans, and Tamarind Mushrooms & Greens, served in a sweet tamarind sauce. gigglingsquid.com

Health kick

WAGAMAMA

wagamama also launched an iconic Veganuary dish with a special partnership allowing one million meals to be donated to low income families. Guests at wagamama Horsham and Chichester enjoyed a new vegan take on its much missed iconic kare lomen dish, adding a Veganuary flourish to the regular menu which is already more than 50% plant based. This will be launched alongside the new charity partnership with The Bread and Butter Thing. wagamama.com

BISCUITEERS

This Valentine’s Day, Biscuiteers has launched a new Art of Love collection. This vibrant and colourful collection is perfect for gi ing that special someone. Inspired by modern art, the eye-catching collection makes a gorgeous gi . biscuiteers.com

NEW BEGINNINGS

THE GREAT BRITISH PORRIDGE CO.

NOBLE & STACE

Using award-winning local ingredients from fellow artisan producers who share a passion for creating incredible products, Noble & Stace make many of their own fresh ganache and caramel fillings, carefully blended with just the right amount of top quality ingredients. nobleandstace.co.uk

The Great British Porridge Co., based in Sussex, has the perfect start to the day with its new Oatrageously Original Porridge. This is a brand new 100% natural, instant, plant-based porridge mix that focuses on the versatility of the humble oat. Each pack is bursting at the seams with great ingredients and combines wholesome British oats with smooth coconut and juicy dates to add a subtle natural sweetness to each bowl.

thegreatbritishporridgeco.co.uk

Valentine’s Day buys that will set the mood

“It’s exciting to find new local producers and build a great partnership with them”

BEN WILKINSON AT THE PASS

Special ingredients

By MARK KEBBLE

The Pass at South Lodge has only been open since last summer, but already it has left an indelible mark on the Sussex food scene. We have already enjoyed two restaurants at the iconic hotel – Camellia and Botanica

– but Ben Wilkinson’s 28-seater experience has taken the food o ering up a notch.

Just as we have quickly taken to The Pass, Ben has also been enjoying getting to know his surroundings. “It’s still very new to me down here, but I have found a couple of great local suppliers,” he smiles. “In particular, amazing fish landing in to Newhaven and some great venison from the South Downs. I’m hoping to find some more in the new year. It’s exciting to find new local producers and build a great partnership.”

Ben Wilkinson at The Pass, to give its full name, suggests how highly the chef is rated in the industry today. Sussex is just the latest county to be privy to his culinary talents. “At 15 I started out washing pots on the weekend at a little golf course in Derbyshire,” he recounts. “That got me hooked on the kitchen environment and led on to starting catering college after school. From there I moved to London for a couple of jobs including my first Michelin star job – that really opened my eyes to the world of fine dining and I knew that was the direction I wanted to go.

“Three years in the Netherlands was next,” he continues, “before returning to the UK. A good couple of years at Holbeck Ghyll in the Lake District, a year at Misummer House, then a return to Derbyshire to get some hotel and kitchen management experience before I took my first Head Chef job back up in the Lake District. That led to being o ered Head Chef of The Cottage in the Wood [in Malvern], where I was able to win a Michelin star of my own in my first year. I had nearly four years there, and now we are here at South Lodge.”

Of those experiences, does one in particular stand out for him? “Probably working for Henk Savelburg in the Netherlands,” he says. “This was o the scale hospitality, absolute luxury for the guests, but also the kitchen was the most well equipped, beautiful space I have ever worked in. You could see chef Henk’s love for his business in every aspect and was so inspirational. It was the first time I had seen what can be achieved when you take equal care of all aspects of the restaurant.”

The Pass has, of course, existed in a di erent incarnation, so why was Ben keen to take over it? “I think it has amazing

We talk to Ben Wilkinson, Head Chef of The Pass at South Lodge, about the many di erent facets that make it such a memorable experience

THE PASS IS AN INTIMATE EXPERIENCE

potential,” he says. “Small enough to o er a very high level of hospitality to guests with a small team, but the support of a much larger team within the hotel, and Exclusive Collection beyond that. The reputation of Exclusive and what other chefs have been able to achieve with them sealed the deal.

“The concept of sitting at the pass and being able to watch the chefs at work is a big part of the appeal of the restaurant,” he adds, “but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a crutch that we lean on. If we have guests that aren’t too interested in that side of things I want to make sure that they have a great time

anyway, make sure that we are a fantastic restaurant, with great hospitality and just a nice place to sit, relax and eat amazing food.”

On his style of cooking, he says: “I have a good base of classic French cooking, but we use quite a few more modern techniques to make the food lighter with clean and fresh flavours. Dishes are based o classic flavour combinations, just two or three main components and I make sure we don’t add unnecessary complications. The most important thing should be the quality of the products we use, not how clever we have been preparing it.”

The 28-seat restaurant ensures it’s an intimate experience, and there’s no

shortage in opportunities to sample Ben’s cooking. “It allows us to really do our best food,” he says on The Pass’s tasting menu approach. “We don’t waste any time or produce preparing options that guests might not choose on an a la carte menu. It suits our restaurant well, with guests joining us for a curated menu and experience in The Pass. It’s a very di erent concept to the other restaurants at South Lodge so we are able to complement each other and o er guests a choice across the resort.”

A new addition to the menu really does showcase Ben’s style of cooking. “It’s something served in two parts, but sharing the same ingredients: a little crisp tartlet of beef fillet tartar, dressed in smoked oil with pickled celeriac, and then a second little bowl of smooth celeriac royale with slow cooked beef cheek, bone marrow and fresh winter tru e. We follow this with a favourite of mine, very gently steamed wild turbot, with leeks, mushrooms and a classic ‘champagne sauce’ made with Ridgeview Blanc de Blanc, a lovely English sparkling wine from our friends at Ridgeview located just down the road at the foot of the South Downs.

“We have a few ideas we are working on at the moment to keep pushing forward with what we o er our guests,” he says on 2023 plans. “We have already started with plans for the kitchen garden so spring and summer are looking exciting.” Thou shalt Pass.

exclusive.co.uk/south-lodge/food

“The most important thing is the quality of the products we use, not how clever we prepare it”

THE TEAM ALLOW INGREDIENTS TO SHINE

THE HOUSE OF COLOUR

by Clarence Court

Each freshly laid Clarence Court egg is unique. These colourful treasures are patiently laid by traditional breed birds originating from rare breed ancestors. Their heritage gives them a unique hue and flavour reminiscent of a bygone era. For eggs how they should be, simply look for the crown.

A RARE BREED

Take one globally acclaimed chef, pair with Rare Champagne, and you have recipes that will dazzle and delight

Rare Champagne o ers carte blanche to chefs whose talent reveals a diamond in the rough, fresh and with an exceptional future ahead. Now, Rare Champagne has entrusted chef Mélanie Serre with their new Rare Pairings series.

In Megève, St. Barts, Monaco, and Paris, chef Serre approaches her work with a joyous heart, while creating tailormade dishes that show a deep respect for the terroir and nature. Because of her philosophy, Rare Champagne have entrusted chef Serre with this new Rare Pairings series. Rare Champagne allows her to explore her creativity, linked to each of the Rare Champagne Millésimes, for a unique sensory experience. Chef Serre, a Gault & Millau Young Talent Award winner, is also listed among the “1,000 Women Chefs who Count in the World” and is one of the six French female chefs recognized for their personality, as much as their culinary art, by Le Parisien magazine. Serre’s first position was as chef at Atelier Etoile Joël Robuchon, a two-star Michelin restaurant in Paris, where she became executive chef one year later. She now o ciates at Louis Vins restaurant, near Notre Dame in Paris.

Her Rare Rosé Millésime 2012 spring/ summer menu features: Razor clams in parsley sauce with pine nuts and basil for an amuse bouche; Fresh tomato soup with black cherry, goat's cheese ice-cream and crushed pistachios as a starter; a vegan course of salad of green beans with raspberries, almonds and date vinaigrette; fillet of red mullet with edible scales, young courgette and bouillabaisse sauce for mains; and a dessert course that is featured right.

rare-champagne.com

NAGE OF SPICED FOREST FRUIT A ND SPECULOOS BISCUITS

INGREDIENTS

• Water

• Sugar

• Vanilla

• Fresh basil cinnamon

• Speculoos biscuits

• Fresh forest fruit

PREPARATION

1 Prepare a syrup with water, sugar, basil and the stick of cinnamon;

2 Prepare the Speculoos biscuit paste and cook. While still hot, shape it as desired;

3 Wash, sort and prepare the forest fruit;

4 Place the forest fruit on a plate. Once cold, add the syrup and the basil;

5 Add some Speculoos biscuits to the side of the plate. Place the rest on the sliced forest fruit.

FOR THE LOVE OF

WAKEFIELDS JEWELLERS

Find the perfect fine jewellery gift for the one you love this Valentine’s Day, in store or online at Wakefields Jewellers. From one-ofa-kind bespoke creations, to timeless handselected designs, there is a piece of jewellery to suit all love stories and budgets. Visit their luxury Horsham showroom or begin by browsing online. wakefieldsjewellers.co.uk

Growing

TREND

Absolutely Sussex chats to Melanie Wakefield about lab grown diamonds, available now at Wakefields Jewellers in Horsham

Q The obvious place to start is what exactly are lab grown diamonds?

A They are quite a new thing for us, but lab grown diamonds are not new to the industry. Diamond producers have been making them industrially for many years, but they have now made them in a better quality.

Lab grown diamonds are graded now in the same way as a natural diamond is graded. You can buy a lab grown diamond with a certificate and it looks identical to the natural diamond certificate – they can be graded by weight, colour, clarity etc. That has given the industry confidence to be able to sell them.

There are mined diamonds and lab grown diamonds. Mined diamonds are so rare and that’s why they are expensive. If you go really big with lovely quality and clarity, it’s expensive. Whereas lab grown diamonds are created, so they are not limited, and they can produce larger diamonds as well. So actually you are getting the same diamond as it were – chemically, optically, physically identical to the natural diamond.

Q How are they actually created?

A They are grown from a tiny diamond plate or seed in a laboratory. They are grown under

“You are getting the same diamond as it were: chemically, optically and physically”

INSIDE WAKEFIELDS' STUNNING SHOWROOM

TOBY P PHOTOGRAPHY

intense heat and pressure, and it takes weeks to grow them in a machine that basically mimics the volcanic pressure and heat they were under within the ground. So what would have normally taken a thousand years, can be sped up and made within months. However, I will only buy lab grown diamonds that have been created from renewably sourced energy.

Q What convinced you to sell them at Wakefields?

A I have quite a lot of couples coming in looking for a real show for their money, who really do want to have something they can show o to their friends. Buying a lab grown diamond means that they can get a stone double the size. All of the other things about the diamond – the way we set them, its certification – means it will behave and look the same way as a natural

diamond. There are lots of people now who are on a strict budget, but they still want something that will look amazing. That’s why we sell them. For the same price you will get double the size of diamond in a lab grown. I have sold quite a few now and I am really pleased with the response.

Q What kind of lab grown diamonds do you have on sale at Wakefields?

A Everything I have chosen is really excellent quality. There will be a mix of diamonds in D, E and F colour, and all VVS or VS clarity. The collection ranges in weight starting from one carat, so they are all exceptional, show-stopping stones that I think everyone will love when they see them. The selection includes everything from rings and pendants, to earrings, but I am also designing a bracelet that is currently being made in the workshop. Interestingly I have even sourced some lab grown diamonds in shades of pink, which are really rare. In the natural diamond world, pink is almost unheard of, I have only ever seen three natural pink diamonds in my life. So I’m really excited about these pink stones. I have plenty of sketches for designs, which I am working on at the moment.

Q Are you often sketching designs?

A That’s what I do every day. I design every single day for di erent people and our own collection. I will do a CAD on the computer, so somebody can look at their ring 360 degrees, I can turn it upside down for them etc, and I can either use their stones or my stones, and they are getting something completely unique. It’s something we do a lot here. I had a client yesterday who came in to pick up a bangle and she burst into

tears with happiness. It was using gold that belonged to her mum and nan, and it was a really beautiful piece that she just loved.

Q What else do you have in store that's perfect for Valentine’s Day?

A I buy in quite a lot of pre-owned jewellery and tend to break it up to create more wearable designs, repurposing older jewellery is definitely proving to be popular. It does tend to be all about diamonds at this time of year, they are just a timeless choice for engagement rings. But many people are also looking for something completely unique, proposing with rings from our coloured gemstone collections too, there are no definitive rules when it comes to engagement rings.

WAKEFIELDS JEWELLERS

11 West Street, Horsham, RH12 1PF 01403 264001

wakefieldsjewellers.co.uk

A SELECTION OF LAB GROWN DIAMONDS

TOBY P PHOTOGRAPHY

It’s a sign

A zodiac piece for every personality

By RACHEL HOGG

CARRIE ELIZABETH

CECE JEWELLERY

Cancer Gold, Diamond & Enamel Signet Ring, £2,860 cecejewellery.com

Capricorn Gold Zodiac Pendant, £90 carrieelizabeth.co.uk

SCREAM PRETTY

MISSOMA

Leo Zodiac Bracelet, £95 uk.missoma.com

Taurus Zodiac Charm in Silver, £30 screampretty.com

AZLEE

WAKEFIELDS JEWELLERS

18ct Gold Diamond Constellation Stud Earrings, £1,950 wakefieldsjewellers.co.uk

Zodiac Diamond & Gold Necklace, £4,215 matchesfashion.com

THE ALKEMISTRY

Aries Yellow Gold & Diamond Ring, £695 thealkemistry.com

RACHEL JACKSON

Pisces Zodiac Art Coin Charm, £40 racheljacksonlondon.com

PDPAOLA

Aquarius Constellation Earrings, £57 pdpaola.com

Quite the BUZ Z

Driven by a shared fascination for the fashions of the 20s and 30s, Sussexbased Pearl Lowe and Bee&Sons have created the Tallulah collection

A RURAL OASIS

The picturesque parkland. The sense of serenity. A glamorous getaway. A moment of bliss. The Spa at Coworth Park.

& BEAUTY

SEEING RED

CHANEL

The ultimate symbol of beauty, red lipstick exemplifies Chanel’s passion for colour. Worn proudly, it speaks volumes about the power and freedom that Gabrielle Chanel wanted to give women when she created her first lipstick in 1924. New Rouge Allure Velvet is equal parts matte and luminous. chanel.com

Feeling GOOD

Words PENDLE HARTE

Wild swimming

If you’re not a wild swimming enthusiast, it won’t be because nobody has tried to convert you yet. Being able to jump into cold water, whatever the weather, has become a badge of honour among urban women who are looking to feel truly alive, as enthusiasts will tell you endlessly. It has become a cliche: outdoor spots in Sussex are visited daily, after school drop-o , by hordes of women in dryrobes seeking the endorphin rush that comes from plunging into unlikely temperatures and staying immersed for as long as you can without turning blue. If you haven’t got the bug yet, then maybe 2023 will be your time. And fashionwise, there’s a welcome improvement on the dryrobe in the shape of Wylding’s brilliant fleece-lined boilersuit, designed to wear over a swimsuit for ease of dressing and undressing in the cold. wylding.co.uk

Mushroom tea

Are mushrooms a cure for all ills? There’s still a lot for us to learn about the wide-ranging powers associated with mushrooms, but it’s plain that there’s a lot of potential uses for fungi. Dirtea is a new range of powders and super blends which

accentuate the healing and transformative powers of mushrooms to o er the future of natural, functional nutrition for tangible health and wellbeing benefits. Sold as powders to mix into any drink, the blends can help to naturally improve immunity, enhance focus, boost brain power and progress performance, as well as restore a sense of calm, with delicious daily drinks that optimise your health and wellbeing. Ingredients include some of the world’s most scientifically researched functional mushrooms including Chaga, Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps and Reishi, as well as adaptogens, and ayurvedic herbs to o er a wide range of benefits in an instant. We have been slipping a spoonfull of Lion’s Mane mushroom powder into our morning co ee for some weeks now and can report a boost in concentration and focus. The powder is said to stimulate growth of the brain cells and can boost your memory, improve focus, and enhance your mood, whilst supporting digestion with its strong anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-boosting abilities. What’s not to like? Let 2023 be the year of the mushroom. dirteaworld.com

Puppy yoga

Yes, this is a real thing. Yoga with animals is a growing trend, and it’s not just puppies. There’s also goat yoga, alpaca yoga and even horse yoga. The idea is to harness the positive e ects that interactions with animals have on our wellbeing. Interacting with animals – especially dogs and puppies – can provide stress-relieving physiological benefits and help us experience a more positive range

of emotions. Pawside Yoga o ers a variety of classes for all abilities, and it’s just what it says: a yoga class, with puppies, with events held all over the UK. Cute, soft, cuddly and energy-filled puppies that bound around enthusiastically, jump on you as you balance in Downward Dog or snuggle into you as you attempt your Sirasana. Because adding a dose of cute to your pose can’t be a bad thing.

pawsideyoga.co.uk

CBD

CBD is an appealing option for those who are looking for pain relief without the side e ects. Not only is CBD shown to relieve nerve pain and back pain, but it can have a positive e ect on anxiety, insomnia, PTSD and depression. Dawn Fable founded CBD range Press Pause for women, in response to what she sees as a female tendency to prioritse everything except themselves. Her range of CBD supplements focus on hormonal, mental, physical and sexual wellness.

presspauseproject.com

“It’s just what it says: a yoga class, with puppies”

PRESS PAUSE CBD

THE WYLDING BOILER SUIT

BEAUTY

NOTES

The latest in luxury makeup and skincare

By RACHEL HOGG

FARMACY

We’re buzzing about the new Honeymoon Glow Resurfacing Night Serum from the clean beauty brand Farmacy. Made from only the cleanest ingredients taken straight from nature, this powerful three-inone product will work to resurface, rehydrate, and clarify your skin while you sleep, £55. farmacybeauty.com

Sweet as HONEY NEW RANGE

ROC

Hyaluronic Acid is a miracle chemical that helps your skin stay plump and hydrated. It is naturally produced in our body, however as we age our natural production begins to slow, so in steps RoC’s new range. It’s made up of three products; a serum, a moisturiser and an eye cream, all formulated to replenish your skin’s natural levels of Hyaluronic Acid, from £24.99. rocskincare.co.uk

Soothe Yourself

BEAUTY KIN

A drop in temperature usually doesn’t bode well for those with eczema-prone skin, so Beauty Kin has created a new product to help them survive the winter months. Their Soothing Bar is made of natural moisturising ingredients, making it the perfect solution for anyone wanting to avoid harsh chemicals, £9.95. beautykin.com

STOP THE GRIND

Everybody holds stress in a di erent part of their body and for me, that place is my jaw. I’m not alone in this either: it’s estimated that around 10 million people in the UK alone struggle with Bruxism, which is the o cial term for teeth grinding. Constantly clenching your jaw can cause a menagerie of issues, including chronic headaches, face and neck pain, not to mention the damage you do to your teeth. There are several potential solutions, an increasingly popular and somewhat unexpected one being botox. I was lucky enough to pay a visit to one of the expert practitioners, Jennifer Doyle, at The Clinic in Holland Park, London, and try this out for myself. Jennifer explained how botox gets injected into a muscle in your jaw called the Masseter. It works by blocking the nerve transmission, telling the muscle to contract and therefore minimising movement. The idea is that the muscle will shrink and atrophy with time, similar to how your muscles get smaller if you stop going to the gym. She explained that the treatment will help minimise the stress I am putting on my jaw and will lessen the daily discomfort I experience as a result. It’s been a few weeks since then, and I’m pleased to say that she was right.

EDITOR’S PICK

This month we gave Masseter Botox a go

INTERIORS

BOLD SHADES

FARROW AND BALL

New colours in the Farrow and Ball palette include Bamboozle and Templeton Pink, pictured here looking fabulous together.

Templeton Pink is an earthy, terracotta shade – not quite pink, nor brown, while Bamboozle is a bold red that works in traditional as well as modern homes. farrow-ball.com

Make an ENTRANCE

By EMMA VANS AGNEW

Your hallway is the first thing that greets you as you open the door and the last thing you look at as you leave for the day. So much more than a transitional space that connects the outdoors to inside, it is often one of the most utilised parts of the house.

Painting your hallway is a relatively simple but e ective way of transforming your entranceway. Instantly giving tired interiors a lift, a fresh coat of paint not only makes it feel brighter, it is also a great way to accentuate beautiful features in your home. Decorative entrance tiles or a patterned rug are a great source of inspiration for building your colour scheme.

If you are looking to create an entrance way with a real wow factor, then addingwallpaperis an e ective decorative trick to add instantaneous character,

colour and pattern to your home. The joy of featuringfloral wallpaperin your hallway is that it connects it to the outdoors, breathing a fresh and airy feeling into your entranceway. From delicate botanical prints to bold blowsy blooms, floral wallpapers will each bring colour and pattern to your walls.

We couldn’t talk about hallway decor ideas without featuring our favourite: the stripe. The ultimate designer trick to add height and sense of space in the home, there is a huge range of striped wallpapers that can fit seamlessly into your existing interior scheme.

Smart and understated yet timelessly stylish, created to imitate the woven patterns of tapestries,Damask wallpaperalso looks wonderful in a hallway setting.One of the best known historical wallpaper patterns, they addgrandeur and elegance to your entranceway. Designed to overwhelm the wall on which they are hung, these beautiful ornate patterns are best suited to larger proportioned spaces. Rich and dark, there are designs on the market to honour all ages of home.

Adding personal touches will add character to your entranceway. Furnishings will add comfort as well as practical solutions, and are important for creating an entranceway that flows, guiding visitors through to the rest of your home.

Emma Vans Agnew is the Design Director F&P Interiors. See more at fabricsandpapers.com

“Adding wallpaper is an e ective decorative trick to add instantaneous character”

COLOUR CAN HELP OFFER A WARM WELCOME

FLORAL WALLPAPER BRINGS THE WOW FACTOR

ADD PERSONAL TOUCHES TO YOUR HALLWAY

By PENDLE HARTE

FERM LIVING

Desert Lounge Chair Cashmere Soil, £309 naken.co.uk

CULT FURNITURE

LA PENINSULA

Caacup é handstitched leather lounge chair, £520 la-peninsula.com

CULT FURNITURE

Chairs for all situations

By PENDLE HARTE

DANETTI

Clover

BOCONCEPT

Sussex and Yorkshire showroom by appointment only

SHEEP WELL THE WOOL ROOM

Wool is hypoallergenic and naturally temperature regulating, making it the ideal material for mattresses, duvets and pillows, as well as pyjamas. thewoolroom.com

WELSH WEAVE WELSH OTTER

This Welsh tapestry style blanket features a stunning geometric design based on the traditional and iconic Caernarfon pattern. It's luxurious and thick, but also super so and comforting to touch. welshotter.co.uk

LUXE LINEN BED THREADS

Once you've slept in linen sheets, you'll never look back. Bed Threads' duvet cover sets come in a huge range of colours for mixing and matching – and they're the so est we've found. bedthreads.com

WELL SPRUNG VISPRING

Vispring's hand-made mattresses are some of the best in the world – and they're designed to last at least 30 years, making them a worthwhile investment in decades of excellent sleep. vispring.com

DOWN UNDER FRENCH BEDROOM CO

Hungarian goose down is the world's fi nest duvet fi llling. With excellent bounce, marshmallow so ness and enduring warmth and comfort, there's nothing better for a good night's sleep. frenchbedroomcompany.com

Nature Heroes at Wakehurst will offer a unique opportunity for families to discover a new area of the biodiverse site for each adventure, from sweeping meadows to dramatic woodlands. Whilst Wakehurst’s iconic Elizabethan Mansion undergoes vital restoration work, visitors to the gardens will be encouraged to explore the wider landscape, ensuring no two visits are the same. Read more on page 78.

TOUGH LOVE

To open this month’s education special, one expert discusses the issue of independence and our children, and why it’s never a bad idea to say no on occasions

By SUE LAIDLAW

As I am writing this, a few days before Christmas (thanks to the quirks of early deadlines in the publishing world), I’m surrounded by wrapping paper for our children’s presents, looking forward to the prospect of watching Love Actually this evening, all five of us snuggled on the sofa and all the joy and warmth of family life abounding.

Fast forward to February and, again, we see the shops full of red hearts on cards and chocolates and inflated prices of red roses. Yes, Valentine’s Day is here, again.

In reality, every parent knows that being a Mum or Dad can never always be Instagram perfect or the promise of everyday being wonderful. We all know that parenthood comes with enormous responsibilities and a great many challenges along the way. We

agonise over decisions. What is best for each child? We worry, we want to keep them safe, but know that we can’t wrap them up forever; we feel guilty about whether we have made the right decision – but, above all, what we all want more than anything is for our children to be happy and fulfilled. It seems timely to reflect on a bit of tough love. Yes, tough love. I almost feel that I should be a little guilty for even suggesting such a thing. I’m sure we are all glad that we no longer live in the days of Victorian values and child rearing where they were seen and not heard. However, do you think perhaps, if one reflects, things have now swung a little too far the other way? Children are often given so many choices – often becoming the King, Queen or CEO of their own small worlds!

Of course, children should have opportunities to express their own thoughts

and ideas, to be involved, within reason, in appropriate decisions. It is right that, as they become older, gradual steps of independence should be taken, but letting the genie out of the bottle too quickly can create unsettled children, at the very least.

Drawing boundaries, where children know where the parameters exist, can o er children a sense of security. Far from feeling that children should be involved in every choice that is o ered to them, learning to make a decision within secure boundaries will create more secure children.

Don’t be afraid not to be your child’s best friend – you are the adult, the parent and you know what will be best for them, for the time being. With love, say no when you need to do so. Sometimes they don’t like us, but they always love us and that is perfectly okay.

Then, one day, as your older children stride out into the world on their own, perhaps in late teens and beyond, something rather amazing and transformative can happen. All the boundary laying, the “be in by x o’clock” and so on, begins to fall away quickly, there is a mutual sense of friendship and respect and you are into a new phase – a phase of truly unconditional friendship. It is wonderful!

We will always be their parents, but look forward to the wonderful relationships of the future. It is worth taking the time to pace things gradually

Sue Laidlaw is founder of Laidlaw Education LLP. For 30 years, Sue and her team have o ered educational advice, lessons and courses for children of all ages through their centres, including Laidlaw Hall, a specialist centre for children with Dyslexia and the Laidlaw Virtual Academy. For more information, call 020 8487 9517 or visit laidlaweducation.co.uk

“Letting the genie out of the bottle too quickly can create unsettled children”

“Little people often have big feelings, and the goal of baby signing isn’t to get rid of those feelings but to help them better communicate them”

TIME to SIGN

By RACHEL HOGG

Picture this, you are taking your baby to the park, and you tell them this by using the signs for ‘walk’ and ‘park’. Strangely, your baby keeps signing back to you the words ‘cat’ and ‘bed’ and at first you think they have misunderstood. But then you remember that this time last week when you were heading to the park along this very same road you saw a cat sleeping on a wall. You realise that your baby has remembered that encounter and wanted to share the memory with you. They started this conversation with you using baby signing. This was a real experience between a mum and a baby and illustrates just how useful and rewarding baby signing can be. The experts say this is a tool capable of opening up a rewarding dialogue between parents and children well before spoken conversation begins.

It is important to distinguish ‘baby signing’ from ‘sign language’, as they are two separate entities with di erent purposes. British Sign Language (BSL) is specific to the deaf community and is a complete language in its own right with an alphabet and grammatical structures. Baby signing, on the other hand, is the use of gestures with spoken language. It is not meant as a substitute for the spoken word, but rather as a means of supporting language and helping young children engage with their world. Baby signing involves parents

using a limited number of simple gestures to support words as they are spoken. This helps encourage communication and underpins the natural development of your child’s speech.

Baby signing today has its roots in the US and is generally acknowledged to have started with the work of Dr Joseph Garcia (then an American Sign Language interpreter). He noticed that children of deaf friends who used ASL communicated by six months old, whereas children in verbal households tend to start limited communication at 12 months plus. A similar concept was pursued by two University of California child development academics in the 1990s, Dr Linda Acredolo and Dr Susan Goodywn. They spent some 20 years developing an impressive body of

Baby signing is a way to open up conversation with your child well before they can talk – and with potential benefits that last from infancy into young adulthood

evidence and techniques for baby signing, also publishing books accessible to families. Here in the UK, baby signing has found many champions. Sasha Felix developed one of the first parent programmes, Sing and Sign, some 20 years ago – initially as a means to help her own young child’s development by combining baby signing with music. Sing and Sign has now introduced thousands of families to baby signing using music.

GETTING STARTED

While learning a language and teaching it to your child may seem daunting, baby signing does not require a huge investment of time – nor does it feel like an imposition. Gesturing when we speak is something most of us do instinctively, especially when we’re talking to children. Baby signing also acts as a natural extension of children’s own gestural stage, which is an important part of speech and language acquisition in early years.

The process of learning baby signing can be fun too. You can get started by reading books or watching online videos; however, a popular and social option is to attend in-person classes with your baby. Whatever route you choose, once you have started to pick up the basics it’s easy to implement these throughout your daily life. Armed with this new simple

language of gestures, you then pass on these communication tools to your child.

A popular age to start implementing baby signing is around six months – once an infant can sit up and use their hands to sign things out. Sasha Felix believes this is the best age to start, but some parents are keen to get going even earlier, and Sing and Sign has even introduced a class that caters for newborns. It’s important to note that baby signing does not interfere with your child’s natural speech development. Once your child becomes verbal, they will typically start to phase out their signing because it is quicker to speak than sign. That said, children may still continue to include a sign for emphasis, out of habit or when they are being particularly insistent.

FAMILY BENEFITS

The broader goal of baby signing is to help families to communicate, and the benefits are felt by parents and children alike. For parents it is a good way of learning how to speak clearly and communicate words and concepts at a level infants can understand. It also gives vital and fascinating insight into how children navigate the world. “It means they can communicate so much of what they are seeing, experiencing and feeling, so it’s a wonderful tool for bonding and getting to know your child,” says Sasha.

While communication is the first goal, when a child has the opportunity and means to express their thoughts, feelings and desires this does usually end up having a positive impact on behaviour. “I would never be so presumptuous as to say that it takes away the frustrations of a two-year-old,” says Sasha. “Little people often have big feelings, and the goal of baby signing isn’t to get rid of those feelings, but to help them better communicate them.”

So don’t expect a total absence of temper

tantrums or meltdowns. There is no such thing as a weak-willed two-year-old, and the goal of signing isn’t to turn your little one into an obedient robot. That said, arming them with extra communication skills does help with conflict de-escalation. Children are likely to pause to respond, and also feel more understood and listened to through the process of signing to you. Another big benefit is that baby signing naturally kickstarts the process of learning to recognise and label feelings, which is an important step in developing emotional intelligence.

While learning to hold a conversation with someone still in nappies may seem strange at first, baby signing is fun for both sides and establishes an environment of engagement and positive communication from the earliest years. Families that implement these simple language tools often continue to feel the benefits long after their little ones have moved on from signing and grown into talkative young people – and that’s got to be an idea worth investing in.

For more about baby signing classes and resources, visit singandsign.co.uk

CHILDREN TYPICALLY PHASE OUT SIGNING ONCE THEY BECOME VERBAL, BUT MAY STILL USE IT FOR EMPHASIS

M EDICINE

MAN

Dr Ranj Singh has won over the nation on breakfast TV, Strictly and CBeebies, yet he still puts in the hours as an NHS paediatrician. Absolutely Sussex finds out more

By LIBBY NORMAN

Dr Ranj Singh follows in a fine tradition of medics who also entertain the nation (Harry Hill, Graeme Garden, Jonathan Miller, to name just three). He can sing and dance really well, he acts and now he writes books. Yet he still finds time to be a doctor – these days part-time – working as an NHS clinician specialising in paediatric emergency medicine. It is, he says, a terrific ice breaker when worried families turn up at his London hospital to find ‘that man o Strictly’.

Dr Ranj doesn’t see media work and medicine as strange bedfellows. “A lot of medics – even though they are highly academic people in a very vocational job – are multifaceted. I went to university with people who had many di erent skills: writing, performing, music, dance, you name it. So, we are multifaceted, and that for me lends itself really well to paediatrics. You have to have that approach as you’re dealing with kids, families, communication and complex medicine.”

His desire to be a doctor started really young. Indeed, he settled on medicine shortly after the typical childhood astronaut phase. “Ever since I was a few years old I just had a fascination with the way things work. I used to take all my toys apart, much to my parents’ frustration,” he says. “Also, I always had this desire to help people – I wanted to make things better for people.”

While Dr Ranj was always dedicated to getting good grades – he says you have to be on such an academic pathway – he also had performing in his bones. “Music was the very first thing I was told I was good at,” he says. His singing got him picked for the school choir and he won second place at Kent Music Festival. “That was the first ever certificate I got, so music was always something that was special to me,” he says. “While I was a really creative kid, that was something

I put to one side and had as a hobby.”

His path into medical school was easier than the transition to real-world medicine.

“It was a complete culture shock. Studying medicine is very di erent to practising medicine and that first year was a baptism of fire,” he says. “I thought, ‘this is completely di erent to what I expected and I’m not sure this is the right thing for me. I’m not getting that sense of achievement and satisfaction that I thought I would’.”

Having decided on a six-month sabbatical, Dr Ranj was clearing his mind by redecorating his parents’ house when he was asked to interview for a paediatrician role. He got the job, which meant house decorating at

speed, but the payback came in the realisation he’d found his passion. “I suddenly got this sense of, ‘this is why I became a doctor’,” he says. “It was fascinating medicine – every day was interesting. I was working with amazing people – paediatric teams are just the best people – and all of a sudden, I felt reinspired. I was destined to be a paediatrician after that.”

Paediatrics was the perfect fit not least because there is a creative side when you are working with children. They may be frightened, and they often can’t tell you what’s wrong. For children lucky enough to encounter Dr Ranj at his London hospital, there’s a friendly and very empathetic manner. Little wonder then that his ability to engage with young people took him beyond hospital. CBeebies viewers learnt that doctors are there to help on Get Well Soon – a fun factual programme for very young children. He co-created this with Kindle Entertainment and it first aired in 2012, picking up a BAFTA in 2016.

Dr Ranj soon came to prominence for adult viewers too, as resident medic at ITV’s This Morning, and with a multitude of appearances over recent years on everything from Good Morning Britain and Inside Out to 5 News –even Cooking with the Stars, where he showed he’s no slouch in the kitchen. Other media work includes contributions and columns for NetDoctor, Al Jazeera and Attitude

He has become, in short, one of those doctors trusted to dispense sound advice to the nation. But his performing ability has been the secret surprise. While he hoofed like a pro on Strictly, the voice he revealed in ITV’s All Star Musicals in March 2021 was a revelation and led to a one-o West End show in aid of Make a Di erence Trust Theatre Fund. He has loved these opportunities. “It’s given me a chance, I guess, to be the fuller me!”

Books for young people have been a natural progression. “Kids and young people are who I work with. They’re the ones I know how

“It is a terrific ice breaker when worried families turn up at hospital to find ‘that man o Strictly’”

DR

IN NHS

PHOTO: DOMINIC TURNER

to communicate with. I thought to myself: ‘I want to write books that they find helpful and useful, that they can turn to for information or reassurance’.” Dr Ranj chose a subject close to his heart with How to Grow Up and Feel Amazing: The No Worries Guide for Boys. “There was a need for a modern, up-to-date guide for boys and young men going through a very challenging time in this world.”

Brainpower followed this and was written to help counter some of the mental health and wellbeing impacts of the pandemic. Then

came picture books for young readers. A Superhero Like You was written as a thank you to front-line workers. “Also, a reminder to little ones about all the joy and positivity out there, even in a pandemic-stricken world. A Superpower Like Mine is a step on from that and is designed to inspire little ones to think about themselves and their own inherent superpowers and human skills that they can discover, build on and nurture.”

He’s been open in the past with his own journey as a gay man from a Sikh background. His advice to parents of children who may be struggling with identity or confused about growing up

is straightforward: “Give them a space to explore who they are safely and be able to come to you when they are in trouble. Also, acknowledge the fact that children are very open minded and they get diversity – let them learn about it,” he says. “There are so many resources out there to help, and so many helplines for parents if they are panicking. But kids are pretty good at working out who they are and settling, eventually, on what they want to be. And we’ve just got to let them explore and discover for themselves.”

The doctor hasn’t hung up his stethoscope or his pen, nor indeed his mic and dancing shoes. With more books for children and young adults planned for next year, there’s also been a Celebrity Cruises gig this summer and he was in pantomime, “which I loved”. And he’s still pursuing his first-love career, putting in the hours in the emergency room of a London hospital and helping children. “I still get to exercise that part of my brain and do my bread and butter. It’s the thing that drives me, the bit that gives me a sense of purpose.”

A Superpower Like Mine is published by Hachette Children’s (£6.99)

“Kids are pretty good at working out who they are – we’ve got to let them explore and discover for themselves”

ALL DR RANJ BOOKS HELP CHILDREN TO FOCUS ON THEIR INHERENT STRENGTHS

Smart MONEY

A new book for young people sets out to demystify money and help them unlock their entrepreneurial flair - and the timing is spot on

By LIBBY NORMAN

Talking to young people about money is tricky. Schools usually shoehorn personal finance within PHSE. For parents, it’s even harder – we want our children to understand its value, its pitfalls and the importance of securing their own future financial stability without alarming them. Despite best intentions, often we approach the subject with our own baggage (guilt, cynicism and anxiety included). What makes it more complex today is that all bets are o on old certainties – safe career trajectory, job for life, cast-iron pension.

But money has leaped from business to front page news recently – so a good time for

a financial heart to heart. A new book, Max Your Money, makes a great starting point for honest conversations. The book takes an international perspective and is aimed squarely at ‘tweenies’ and teens, pitching content at a level young people relate to. Its authors are old hands in the world of high finance. Larry (Laurence) Hayes runs an investment fund when he’s not writing books for children (including How to Survive Without Grown-Ups), while Rachel Provest is a family o ce and private equity director based in Singapore, and with a special interest and expertise within education.

As the book reveals, there’s some good news. During their research, the two discovered a rich vein of optimism and entrepreneurial flair bubbling up among the young. “Larry and I were just amazed by the number of case studies we came across

of children in the target age group, from 11 upwards, who had started their own business and were running it brilliantly,” says Rachel. “Having really taken the time to do the groundwork on this area, we’re convinced – and quite blown away – by the power of children to build their own businesses without that adult cynicism.”

Rachel puts some of it down to the ease with which an internet connection enables young people to carry forward brilliant ideas, learning and researching as they go. “YouTube is the great educator these days,” she says. Rachel also believes young people see the business opportunities adults can’t spot. “Adults are almost in their shadow trying to keep up with the way they are thinking.” And thanks to crowdfunding and other new avenues of funding, the traditional barriers are down.

“Historically, you had to have money behind you otherwise it was impossible to catch up – you never had that advantage – so very few children could get beyond that and be successful o their own back. Whereas now, there’s really nothing stopping children as long as they have a good idea. With that, it’s more important than ever to make sure that they do have this basic understanding – how do you understand a profit and loss account, what’s the bottom line, how do you budget?” says Rachel.

This is where the book does a brilliant job. Divided into Earn it, Grow it, Use it, it o ers the kind of useful information every young person needs. For instance, it has

“With children there’s no cynicism there – no negativity – they just go into things with best and honest intentions”

a comparison of certain jobs and what they pay. Who knew a Lego Master Builder can make £19 an hour and an English League 2 footballer makes £25? Fascinating facts indeed, but the book goes deeper, including explanations about why some salaries are much higher than others, which jobs may disappear in the future and how to boost your earnings. There’s advice on how to work out what sort of job would suit you, and how to approach interviews. Also,

how to negotiate a pay rise and know your own worth – a section many parents may also find useful. The book covers savings and investment, spending money wisely, e ective charitable giving and – in the most exciting part – testing your own brilliant entrepreneurial ideas like a business pro to see if they could be winners and learning about other successful young entrepreneurs.

The authors got their own children involved as critical readers to ensure the text was clear and engaging. “If they didn’t understand what we were talking about, we’d go back and try and clarify it a bit more. So that helped us ensure we had a form of bulletproof book that was definitely child friendly,” says Rachel. One thing that amazed them both during their research was young people’s openness to business ideas and their ‘can-do’ spirit of optimism. “It’s wonderful because with children there’s no cynicism there – no negativity. They naturally don’t think that way, they just go into things with best and honest intentions.”

Read the book’s case studies of young entrepreneurs and you will agree that there’s something wonderful going on.

From the super earner Ryan (of YouTube channel Ryan’s World), who earned $29.5m in 2020 as an unboxer to the Argentinian

ethical hacker Santiago Lopez who netted a more modest $1million plus, young entrepreneurs around the globe outline how they have spotted opportunities and gone for it. The Max Your Money authors have a companion book on its way for young would-be millionaires and Rachel is looking to use some of their research so far as the basis for a curriculum to help young people unlock their entrepreneurial talents.

One side benefit of Max Your Money is that Rachel’s own daughter – one of the book’s critical readers – has taken its ideas to heart. Aged just 12, she is now running a startup that utilises her digital skills and creative spark. “She makes TikTok videos for companies,” says Rachel. “It started with a friend who needed help. It has gone from one to seven people. She sets their videos up for them, which is fantastic. I’m looking forward to retiring quite soon!”

“We were just amazed by the number of case studies we came across of children who had started their own business and were running it brilliantly”

Max Your Money by Laurence Hayes and Rachel Provest is published by Welbeck Children’s Books, price £14.99

RACHEL PROVEST

LARRY HAYES

MESSAGE OF HOPE

For young people, climate change is a tough subject. We adults present a set of challenges, not of their making, and focus on what seem like insurmountable problems. Too often this comes across as a vision of doom, of time running out. Little wonder then that some children become depressed, angry, even nihilistic when they think about their future and the world they will inherit.

Bright New World, a new book by Cindy Forde aimed at the 8+ age group, turns this narrative firmly on its head. With a big format, bold colours and wonderful illustrations by Bethany Lord, it o ers a set of inspiring real stories and ideas for fixing problems and creating a better environment. Hope was what inspired Cindy to write the book because she believes a lot of environmental information o ers only downbeat messages and design. "Children subliminally get the message that this is a di cult subject, a sad subject – even a dreary subject," she says.

"The world is bright and beautiful," adds Cindy. "We really wanted to have that in the book, so that instead of environment being associated with everything that's gone wrong and these very depressing images, the images inspire you both with the beauty of nature and with the fabulous creativity of humanity."

She is critical of the trend to talk about a future full of hair-shirt denial – believing the story should be one of evolution. "Earth is capable of sustaining large populations of humans and other creatures, it's just that we need to shift our distribution, if you like, and design things in the same way that natural systems are designed. The whole feeling now is that there's this opportunity to transform – crisis brings danger and opportunity."

Bright New World is big format in size and scope, and also rich in detail. It covers a lot of ground on environmental issues –from food choice challenges and circular economy principles, to the future of travel and rainforest and ocean regeneration. This is not pie-in-the-sky idealism, but supported by facts, figures and information, all underpinned by the United Nations'

Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). There are plenty of environmental heroes here. "We need to give young people the sense that there are relatively simple things that they can do. I don't want to put the onus on the individual because to really change this trajectory we need systemic change, but systems are guided by the individuals who live within them," says Cindy.

An uplifting book turns familiar climate change narratives on their head, showing a potential future built on innovation CINDY FORDE

Bright New world is by Cindy Forde (Welbeck Publishing, £18.99). To find out more about Planetari, visit planetari.world

Something SUPER

Wakehurst launches Nature Heroes – the new superhero team for young adventurers, with exciting missions every school holiday

Wakehurst, Kew’s wild botanic garden in Sussex, has launched a brand-new family programme to inspire budding young adventurers in its spectacular 535-acre biodiverse site. Over the upcoming half-term, Easter and summer holidays, children are invited to join Wakehurst’s Nature Heroes, an adventurous and ambitious superhero squad with a nature-saving mission. Taking part in a series of investigative activities, children will develop the practical skills they need to become active ambassadors for, and experts on, the natural world.

Launching in February half-term, young heroes will embark on an intrepid adventure every school holiday, with the option to sport their very own superhero cape, available for purchase online or at the Visitor Centre.

The self-led mission encourages young explorers to get hands-on and protect the environment, discovering the secrets that plants, wildlife, and fungi hold, with the chance to earn a beautifully embroidered badge. With each return visit to the gardens, children will be able to build on their achievements, adding a new badge to their bold cape, with Nature Heroes missions soon becoming an unmissable day-out in the family holiday calendar.

Alongside the main trail, there will be a daily drop-in activity, equipping enthusiastic young ecologists with skills ranging from creating a fungi log to planting a seed bomb. There will also be a selection of prebookable workshops, from learning how to build a wormery over the Easter holidays to designing a biodiverse terrarium in recognition of World Biodiversity Day in May.

Kicking things o in February half-term will be the Bird Buddy badge, as budding ornithologists can join an interactive trail to discover di erent bird species and their habits. Add-on activities include creating a bird feeder and learning how to talk to birds with a fun birdsong workshop. On 16-17 February, visitors will be able to watch a mesmerising birds of prey flying display from Horsham-based Huxley’s Birds of Prey Centre.

JIM HOLDEN

hope to inspire the next generation to join our mission to fight climate change”

Nature Heroes will o er a unique and great-value opportunity for families to discover a new area of the biodiverse site for each adventure. Whilst Wakehurst’s iconic Elizabethan Mansion undergoes vital restoration work, visitors to the gardens will be encouraged to explore the wider landscape.

Lorraine Lecourtois, Head of Public Programmes, says: “We are really excited to be able to o er a brand-new programme for Wakehurst, uniting all school holidays. With a di erent themed trail each time, we know that children will love collecting the di erent badges and uncovering something new. By connecting young visitors with plant and fungi science, we hope to inspire the next generation to join our mission to combat biodiversity loss and fight climate change.”

As part of RBG Kew’s aim to extend its reach and improve accessibility, the gardens introduced a Kew for One Pound o er in January 2022, welcoming visitors on Universal or Pension Credit. One year on, this low-cost ticket continues to welcome new audiences who would not otherwise be able to visit the gardens.

Alongside free entry for children under 16 years of age, and a discounted late entry ticket, Nature Heroes will be an accessible adventure for all.

“We

PHOTO:

Carefully

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With almost all of Calista’s apartments now sold our buyers are preparing to make Calista their home - waking up to glorious everchanging sea views, entertaining friends and family with al fresco dinners on their balconies and relaxing in their brand new opulent homes.

If you are searching for a relaxing, rejuvenating place to call home, get in touch with our New Homes team to make one of the remaining five apartments at Calista your new home.

Worthing Seafront

Anita’s Room

Brighton Dome has shared details of a dedicated creative space for artists as part of the refurbished Grade I and II listed Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre. The space has been made possible following a generous grant from The Roddick Foundation and will be called Anita’s Room, in memory of Dame Anita Roddick, the activist, entrepreneur and founder of The Body Shop.

As the major restoration of Brighton Dome’s historic buildings heads towards completion, Anita’s Room is revealed to be a space where local, national and international artists and organisations can research, experiment and create bold and courageous work. The space is also intended to o er opportunities for audiences to observe and learn first-hand about artistic practice.

Anita’s Room is fully equipped with a lighting grid, mixing desk and the latest 5G technology and can accommodate up to 40 people within its main space, o ce and kitchen areas. Supporting works in progress, small scale performances and events, Anita’s Room will be o ered free of charge to Brighton Dome associate artists, resident artists, visiting performing artists, community participation projects and creative learning activities. Time slots will be allocated through a simple application process, with applications then reviewed and considered by a team of local artists and creative practitioners working alongside the programming team at Brighton Dome and Brighton Festival.

The Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre refurbishment is the first phase in the Royal Pavilion Estate regeneration project, a long-term collaboration between Brighton

& Hove City Council, Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival and Brighton & Hove Museums (formerly the Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust). The long-term vision for the project is to reunite the historic estate as a major UK cultural destination, equipping it for a sustainable future and as a centre for heritage and the arts which reflects the unique spirit of Brighton.

The Corn Exchange and Studio Theatre refurbishment is realised with leadership support from Brighton & Hove City Council, Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, in conjunction with support from trusts and foundations and many individual donors.

Full details and updates about the Brighton Dome refurbishment project can be found at brightondome.org/our_future/

The refurbished Brighton Dome will include a new creative space for artists with support from The Roddick Foundation

why everyone is talking about…

DAME ANITA RODDICK

HOW ANITA'S ROOM WILL LOOK

PHOTO: HUGH FOX

PHOTO: SIMON PUNTER