13.09.15

A sense of freedom

+ AUTUMN

FASHION

INSIDE:

+ HILARY MANTEL

Riding on the beach in

Cornwall

PLUS:

+ £50 ART

PRINT

WIN:

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33

6 THE WISHLISTThis week’s pick of lovely things to buy

8 DAMN YOU, TOY STORY!Our columnist struggles to de-clutter

9 JUST BETWEEN US...Sh! We have the latest gossip!

12 DEVON’S LITERARY DAMEMeet Wolf Hall author Hilary Mantel

16 WIN A £50 ART PRINT Sensational photography to be won

22 SUMMER FOREVERInteriors with year-round sunshine

26 ANNE SWITHINBANK For the very best garden advice

30 50 SHADES OF GREENWhat to wear this September

35 YOUR WEEK AHEADCassandra Nye looks into the stars

36 BOOST YOUR WELLBEING Great ways to feel your best this week

40 THE PERFECT ROAST DUCKTop chef Tim Maddams knows how

42 A WEEKEND AWAYExploring the very best of Salcombe

46 MAN AND BOYPhil Goodwin’s holiday memories

contents[ [Inside this week...

‘In between starting Wolf

Hall and now, a great deal

has happened in my life’’

Our exclusive interview

with Budleigh Salterton’s

Hilary Mantel, p 12

44 SECRET PLACESWhere to go, what to try

22 ETERNAL SUNSHINEInteriors with a year-round summery vibe

HOW TO WEAR ITThis season’s silhouette, sorted32

50 SHADES OF GREENThe new colour for autumn30

9 ALL THE GOSSIP Why Peter is (genuinely) eating glit-ter - and more!

40 EAT WELL, NOWTim Maddams on wild duck

Contents_Sept13.indd 3 09/09/2015 13:17:40

4

[[ [[welcome[ [

How lovely to have the added bonus of a little September sunshine, when you’re not really ex-pecting it. This week has seen some gorgeous weather, hasn’t it? One person who really ap-preciates the beauty of this part of the world is Jo Bradford, who lives with her young family on the edge of Dartmoor. Jo’s a photographer, and her pictures of women on horseback, galloping across Cornish beaches and through lush green fi elds, are completely stunning. Her latest project is to take a picture of Dartmoor every day for a year, and Jo’s Insta-gram pictures of the moor are viewed daily by 800,000 people – that’s quite a following. Find out

more on page 16 today, where you can even win one of Jo’s signed prints, too.

Elsewhere in the magazine, we have an exclu-sive interview with a Westcountry writer who is both fascinating and very famous indeed. Fran

McElhone meets Dame Hilary Mantel at the Booker prizewinner’s seaside home in Bud-leigh Salterton. Turn to page 12 to hear all about how her latest novel is coming on, plus much more.

Finally, if you’re thinking of good things to eat this week, look out for Tim Maddams’ advice on how to roast duck on page 40 today, well worth a read. Have a lovely Sunday.

CONTACT: westmag@westernmorningnews.co.ukTel: 01392 442250 Twitter @wmnwest

@StIvesBrewery

@beertoday @WMNWest

Cheers Darren. Our dreams

are coming true.

[ [Find out more on page

16, and you can win

one of her prints, too

Becky Sheaves, Editor

MEET THE TEAM

Becky Sheaves, Editor Sarah Pitt Kathryn Clarke-McLeod Catherine Barnes Phil Goodwin

Hooray for an Indian summer

Tweetof the week

[

SENSE OF FREEDOMBeautiful photographs from Cornish beaches 16

COVER IMAGE: Jo Bradford

Drink

Healey’s Cyder, which has just launched a new brand, Cornish Cloudy Farmhouse Cider

for M&S, is staging its Little Cyder and Music Festival next weekend, September 11-13, at its

Penhallow farm home near Newquay. As well as the cider, there’s live music to suit all tastes.

Find out more at cornwallciderfestival.co.uk

Back from the deadA barley variety from Victorian

times, Chevallier, has been

resurrected by maltsters Crisp

Malting. Crisp’s own maltster and

master brewer (the former Sharp’s

head brewer Carl Heron) has

used the variety to create a new

beer, Govinda, with the Cheshire

Brewhouse. More Chevallier, which

is incredibly disease resistant, is

now due to be sown.

IN CYDER INFORMATION

41

Darren Norbury

talks beerou’ve got to have a dream, if you

don’t have a dream, how you gonna

have a dream come true? For St

Ives’ Marco Amura the answer lies

next to the North Atlantic rather

than the South Pacifi c and it’s an ambitious

dream. But next year his St

Ives Brewery, currently a

cuckoo or gypsy (homeless)

brewery will fi nally have its

own base.As I write, Marco is recovering

from his second Summer Beer

and Cider Festival, staged

in the St Ives Guildhall. The

event was packed for three

days with drinkers sampling

60 or so beers, mostly from the

Westcountry, as well as several

ciders, including local tipples

from David Berwick’s St Ives

Cider.Marco told me: “The festival was a bigger

success than we could have dreamed. Over

2,000 people came through the door over

three days. The beer fl owed fantastically with

almost 30 selling out completely by the close on

Sunday. We had to re-stock cider twice just to

keep just to keep up with the demand.”

I was fascinated that there didn’t seem to be

much crossover in terms of audience with the

Cornwall CAMRA beer festival held in the same

venue at the start of summer. It seems the beer

audience is widening in west Cornwall, although

there were, undoubtedly, quite a

few holidaymakers too.

Standout beers included

American Pale Ale, from Dark

Star Brewery in Sussex, smooth

as an APA should be with

lovely fruity hops, and Exmoor

Brewery’s Fox, a 4.5% malt-

driven bitter with spicy and

citrusy hop notes. A festival

debut, too, for Penzance Brewing

Co’s smooth, malty, chocolatey

Liberty. By the time of next year’s

festival, Marco’s new brewery

in St Ives will be open, housing

a ten-barrel brewplant with spectacular views

over the port. It will be good to see the St Ives

beers fi nally come home.

Darren Norbury is editor of beertoday.co.uk

@beertoday

Y

I’ve always been a fan of

Harbour Brewing Co’s IPA but

at 5% ABV you can’t really treat

it as a session beer (despite

what other drinkers tell me).

Far better for my middle-aged

alcohol tolerance is their

Session IPA, coming in at 4.3%,

which was an unannounced

guest at the St Ives Festival. Big,

big hop aromas of grapefruit

and tropical fruit, although the

palate was more subdued and

balanced than I’d expected.

Perhaps a bit more bittering

hop next time? Ideal for late

summer sessioning, though.

Beer of the week

‘The festival was

a bigger success

than we could

have dreamed...

2,000 people

came over three days’ [[

EdsLetter_1thing_Sept13.indd 4 09/09/2015 13:20:13

55

We have two gi� packs of Madagascar chilli chocolate and Costa Rican chilli milk chocolate, each worth £8.50, to win. A prize of a meal for two in the South Devon Chilli Farm café is also on o� er to a lucky West reader. For

your chance to win one of these prizes, email your details to westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk with ‘South Devon Chilli Farm’ as the subject, by September 28. Normal terms apply.

Win

If you buyone thingthis week...

This chocolate from the South

Devon Chilli Farm is described

by actress Gillian Anderson as

“the best chilli chocolate I have

ever tasted”. Autumn is a spec-

tacular time to visit the farm,

with 150 colourful varieties of

chillies now ripening. There’s

also a great café, serving a sa-

voury cream tea with the farm’s

own chilli jam, plus a shopful

of spicy delights to browse -

including chocolate. Visit www.

southdevonchillifarm.co.uk

EdsLetter_1thing_Sept13.indd 5 09/09/2015 11:10:23

6

the

West’s picks for spending your time and money this week

wishlist

Tanya ClarkTanya, 31, is a project manager and

lives in Exmouth. She grew up in Omsk, Russia but moved to the UK ­ ve years

ago a� er meeting her husband.

Playsuit: Pinko (a shop in Italy) £200

Shoes: Lacoste £59

Bag: LK Bennett £165 (on sale recently)

Tanya says: “Karen Millen is de� nitely my favourite shop and my style inspiration is my mum. I always

like what my mum buys.“I dress far more casually here than I did at home in Russia. No one wears heels over here and you don’t wear

much make-up either. In Russia, everyone wears high heels.”

STREET STYLE STAR

SPO

TT

ED

BY

: AB

BIE

BR

AY

AN

D C

ON

NIE

CH

AM

PA

IN

Jane Asher ramekins, £1 for two, Poundland

Set of four copper coated measuring

spoons £5 Sainsbury’s

Leopard print ankle boots £24.99 New Look

Bargain

Cook!

Wall clock £38 Exit Interiors

Wild

Wishlist_Sept13.indd 6 08/09/2015 12:51:42

7

Wishlist

This interiors and gi� shop sells new-but-old looking distressed furniture, table lamps and clocks. There is also Annie Sloan chalk paint if you want to create a similar look with your own pieces of furniture. The shop is also known for its cosy and colourful throws and blankets, and sprays of extremely realistic-looking fake � owers, including magnolia and cherry blossom. With four rooms packed with things to discover, a browse here can take quite a while.Rural Urban, 1 Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, www.ruralurban.co.uk, 01208 812221

adoreStore weRural Urban, Wadebridge

British gastronomy map tea towel £10.50

www.lucylovesthis.co.uk

Copper wire pendant light Mia Fleur £45

M&S Collection coat with cashmere £120

COSY

Delicious

BRIGHT

Wishlist_Sept13.indd 7 08/09/2015 12:53:02

8

talking points

The Saturdays singer Una Healy added a bright touch to a chic but casual ensemble - and dispelled the myth that redheads can’t wear red - when she jetted in from Dublin recently, carrying a Cath Kidston Button Spot leather tote, £60 (www.cathkidston.com). Or ring the changes with your own version of a cheery holdall.

TOTE-ALLYgorgeous

OPTION BSassyDe Beauvoir tote £209 Radley

OPTION ASmartJuliane tote £150 Jaeger

stealherstyle

OR MAKE IT YOUR OWN

Spot bag £60 Cath Kidston

he great overhaul of the stuff continues – I have fl ung out a third to a half of my clothes,

including the Nicole Farhi blazer and the Michael Kors leather coat, neither of which have been worn in some time. Please don’t be disillusioned – those were two of the only recognisable labels in my wardrobe. Which obviously is why I have hung onto them all these years.

In case you missed it, the family is partway through “the process” as laid down by Marie Kondo in her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Unfortunately, most of my family now hate this book, and will complain about it loudly to anyone who listens. I am still loving the book, however, and aspire to a clean, clutter-free, liber-ated life with no “rebounds”.

Having gone through all our clothes, mine and the children’s, we were in slightly dangerous ter-ritory – toys. I took a big bag of Freddy’s old stuffed toys to the charity shop today, and I am still suffering separation anxiety. It’s like they have personalities. I feel like I’m betraying them. What will become of them? I’m envisioning landfi ll. Dammit Pixar’s Toy Story, did you KNOW you were disempowering a whole generation of mothers to EVER throw anything away??

In her book, Marie Kondo advises that you should do your clearing out and throwing away by yourself, or with an impartial

helper – NOT with your family. This is because of the emotional pressures associated with so much of what we own. You have to be able to say: “I don’t want this” without looking at a face with a trembly lip, saying “but I gave you that for Christmas!”

With mothers, there’s also the issue of return on investment. Our kids go through phases: Pokemon, Go-gos, Beanie Boos,

Bakugan, Puppy in my Pocket… or whatever plastic product it was they last saw on TV. They beg you for this stuff. They plead with you with real tears in their eyes. They want nothing else. All their friends have them. They will be social pariahs with-out them. So eventu-ally you give in, and

then eight months later they say: “You can get rid of these. I’m over them.”

There’s a parenting moment right there. On one hand, they’re doing what you told them to. On the other hand, you’re looking at £70 down the drain. You want to shake them by the shoulders and say: “You begged me to buy these? So PLAY with them!”

If we all make it to the end of this book intact it will be a miracle.

Story of my life...

Gillian Molesworth

Why saying goodbye is never easy

Gillian Molesworth is a journalist and mum-of-two who grew up in the USA and moved to north Cornwall when she met her husbandNext week: Fran McElhone on life with a new baby in east Devon

T

You have to be able to say: “I

don’t want this” without looking

at a face with a trembly lip

MoleyGossip_Sept13.indd 8 08/09/2015 17:46:23

9

Justbetween us!Gossip, news, trend setters and more – you

heard all the latest juicy stu here � rst!

13.09.15

THEY ALL WANT PETEROh dear. Apparently OLA JORDAN is mi ed that she didn’t get Peter Andre to be her dance partner in the new series of Strictly Come Dancing. Peter, who is married to Westcountry girl Emily Macdonagh, had said he’d only do it if he can dance with OLA JORDAN. He and the professional dancer had a “long-standing” joke

about him doing the show, he says. “I met her many times in the past and we always joked for years, it’s been going on for years, where I said ‘I’ll only ever do Strictly if you’re my partner.’”But it is not to be. And Peter is also having to contend with new wife Emily teasing him by putting edible glitter on his toast in the morning!

CHERYL FERNANDEZ-VERSINI and RITA ORA really have become best gal pals a� er bonding as X-Factor co-judges. Cheryl’s told The Sun she wants to work on new music with Rita - who could help bring a di erent � avour to her sound. The former Girls Aloud star revealed: “I miss working with the girls in the band, so would love to work with Rita now on some-thing. I know it’d be great. She’s so funny.“I am recording and let’s just say I’m loving RnB again,” the 32-year-old added.

Rita & Cheryl

THE MUM’S RACEThe mums’ race at school sports day is dreaded by many of us – and taken far too seriously by others. But spare a thought for the children of a school in east Devon who found themselves run-ning against Olympic runner JO PAVEY this summer – holder of the current European gold medal for the 10,000

metres. Jo, who has two small children, came second in the race. Apparently having to run with a pink ball under her chin hampered her performance somewhat – or was she just being kind? Hats o , though, to Jenny, mum of Lewis in Year 5, who won!

BEST OF

FRIENDS

MoleyGossip_Sept13.indd 9 08/09/2015 18:05:36

10

in pictures

Best friends: The Ships Tavern in Elburton, south Devon, held a fundraising family dog

show for The Cinnamon Trust

With a bang: Spectacular Dartmouth Regatta fireworks lit up the sky

Belly good:

The Belly Board championships

were fun at Chapel Porth, near St Agnes

Quick dip: Sadie Vincent-Bennett goes paddling at 45 beaches in a day to raise money for Penlee lifeboat

WIP_Lists_Sept13.indd 10 09/09/2015 13:22:05

10 types of ladybird:

1 Yellow 22 spot

2 Harlequin

3 Two-spot

4 Four spot harlequin

5 Cream spot

6 Pine

7 Seven spot

8 Ten spot

9 Orange

10 24 spot

10 unusual things you can add to your compost heap:

1 Pencil shavings

2 Beer

3 Tumble dryer lint

4 Old loofahs

5 Urine

6 Hair

7 Corks

8 Old leather

9 Cotton clothing

10 Seaweed

11

Fly away

talking points

In a heap

Sew good

10 embroidery stitches:

1 Herringbone

2 Raised rose

3 French knot

4 Couching

5 Cross

6 Lazy daisy

7 Satin

8 Ladder

9 Chain

10 Thorn

House in the country: Damon, 47, has a home on the cli� op near Hallsands beach that he bought 17 years ago. He says: “It’s not that big a house, but it’s in a beautiful location and that’s enough.”

Early years: Damon and sister Jessica were born in London, but were brought up in Oldham, Essex. Their bohemian parents were art school head Keith and theatrical set designer Hazel.

Family ties: Damon and Jessica and their children still spend time together in Devon. Damon says: “I o� en think that keeps the magic of our childhood alive.”

Family: Damon’s long-term partner is the painter Suzi Winstanley and the couple have a 15-year old daughter, Missy Violet.

Music: Devon life has played a part in Damon’s music. The title rack of his debut solo album Everyday Robots, released last year, includes lyrics inspired by an evening walk. “I was looking at the other side of a valley in Devon, at sunset. The shadows of

the cows became more and more elongated, to the point where it [looked] like a sort of stone circle.”

Environment: Debris on Hallsands Beach inspired Damon to pen the Gorillaz album Plastic Beach. “It is a very clean beach generally... I realised that there was an amount of very small particles that were not stone, not glass but plastic. It was the beginning of a meditation on the state of our oceans.”

Low key: Damon o� en gets around by bike. He opted not to have

a nanny when Missy was young and did up the Devon house himself with Suzi. He says: “OK, I’m famous but I live a fairly normal life.”

Party: Damon launched his 2006 music collaboration, The Good The Bad And The Queen, with a gig for 150 people at his local, The Pigs Nose Inn at East Prawle, south Devon. Among the songs was the Devon-themed Hallsands Waltz. The starry line-up also included Clash bassist Paul Simonon and the former Verve guitarist Simon Tong.

DID YOU KNOW?

The � rst ever music

concert Damon went

to was The Osmonds,

when he was only six

This week:

Famous faces with links to the Westcountry

ONE OF US

The Blur and Gorillaz frontman gets away from it all at his home in Hallsands, south Devon

Damon

Albarn

The happy list

10 things to make

you smile this week

1 Bramleys ripe on the tree

2 Sunsets simply amazing

3 The Full Monty Hall for Cornwall, Sept 28 - Oct 3

4 Rugby come on, England!

5 Alice in Wonderland 150 years old this year

6 Surf hello, September swells

7 Great Cornish Food Festival Truro, Sept 25-27

8 Shopping new autumn/winter collections - yippee

9 Doc Martin he’s back!

10 Long walks an autumnal pleasure

WIP_Lists_Sept13.indd 11 09/09/2015 13:26:26

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feature1.indd 12 09/09/2015 13:32:16

13

Interview

Somethingto say

HIlary Mantel

[[Dame Hilary Mantel has won not one but two Booker prizes for her novels. Fran

Mcelhone visits her Devon seaside apartment to hear all about Wolf Hall, the

Duchess of Cambridge and new york. not to mention her involvement in the

Budleigh Salterton literary Festival...

ilary Mantel has won the prestigious Man Booker Prize not once but twice, and was made a Dame in 2014 for her services to literature. But she tells me she is “much more likely” to be

recognised in central London than at home in Budleigh Salterton.

In the capital, Hilary is often followed around by people trying to take photos of her. In Bud-leigh Salterton, by contrast, where we meet in her apartment overlooking the sea, there appears to be mutual loyalty between Hilary and the townsfolk. Hilary has been hugely supportive of the town’s literary festival (which takes place this week) and is now its president. It was when she noticed a flyer about the inaugural festival on a lamppost that she promptly volunteered herself.

“This festival is my ideal of how a festival should be – as an author I’ve seen all shapes and sizes of literary festivals,” says Hilary, describ-ing the Budleigh event as “efficient, cohesive and friendly”, with an “enthusiastic” audience.

“As an author at Budleigh, you feel part of the festival,” she continues. “Because of its intimacy and the fact it is kept to a long weekend, with venues all within walking distance, it gives very busy writers the opportunity to meet up with old friends.

“The whole town is involved – we rely on townspeople and volunteers – so we very much

hope to keep a personal touch. And Budleigh is a place of very distinct character, and a very pleas-ant place to visit for the weekend.

“This event has brought prestige to the town and really put it on the map – in the best possible way.”

She’s too modest to say so, but her own appear-ance at the festival is, in no small part, contrib-uting to its prestige. The 63-year-old’s work is diverse but it is her books rec-reating the Tudor world of Thomas Cromwell which have won her greatest ac-claim. The first two parts of her yet-to-be-com-pleted trilogy, Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies, have both won the Booker, and she is talking at the festival next weekend about the third book in the series, called The Mirror and the Light

When I arrive at her seafront apartment, Hilary is on the phone to her agent, so I hear from her husband about how in demand his wife is. So far this year, she’s been to New York three times, the first a five week stint for rehearsals of

the Royal Shakespeare Company’s theatrical ver-sion of her books, showing at The Winter Garden Theater on Broadway.

“With writing, I ask myself where will I be in a year’s time, but with live theatre, you are pre-occupied with the next five minutes,” Hilary ex-plains, musing on the difference between being a playwright and a novelist. “So when I first came back, settled down and began to write my novel

again, I couldn’t get used to it. I was habituated to a crisis every day and I was used to asking, where’s the crisis? But there wasn’t one any-more, which felt quite sinister!”

Yes, Hilary is serene, but she has seen her fair share of con-troversy just recently. First, she ruffled feathers with her collection of short stories called, “The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher” and sec-ondly when she said in a talk that she found Kate Middleton “bland, plastic and machine-made”.

She tells me her words were “instantly twist-ed” and resulted in a group of tabloid journalists camping on her east Devon doorstep. “Things

‘Budleigh is a place of very

distinct character... people

here are very friendly and

also very discreet’[ [p

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feature1.indd 13 09/09/2015 13:32:47

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Interview

are distorted as soon as they’re repeated,” says Hilary. “But this was deliberate distortion to make a story. The lecture I’d given ended by me asking the media not to do to Kate what they’d done to Diana, so it was pro Kate not anti Kate, but this was turned on its head.

“It concerns me that there are journalists who behave so perversely. You do feel at a time like that how important it is to know your neigh-bours, and to feel that they will take all of this with a pinch of salt. People in this town are very friendly and also very discreet,” she says.

Light and the sea breeze stream into Hilary’s top floor home. It is her writing haven, where much of the Thomas Cromwell series has been penned since she started on Wolf Hall “in ear-nest” in 2006.

Her home is filled with books, of course, “eve-rything and anything”, history books, a whole wall on Henry VIII, the French Revolution, as well as science, psychology, “lots of poetry”, cricket and novels.

She somehow finds time to read three books a week, describing this as “part of the job”. “For a break,” she tends to read poetry.

I wonder if Cromwell’s up there reeling from all the publicity he’s getting four centuries on from this softly spoken lady with the extraordi-nary mind. And after living and breathing him for the last 11 years, Hilary promises me she is far from falling out of love with him, rather, she

feature1.indd 14 09/09/2015 13:33:02

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Festival timeA few highlights on the

Budleigh Salterton menu

Hilary Mantel: Booker prize winner talks on ‘My Life in Books’ at Temple Church Thursday September 17, at 7.30pm

Judith Kerr: Much-loved author of children’s books including The Tiger Who Came To Tea will be speaking at St Peter’s Church on Thursday September 17 at 4.15 pm

Paula Hawkins: Author of best-selling thriller The Girl On The Train will talk at Temple Church, Friday September 18, 4.30pm

Kaffe Fassett: Famous knitwear designer and author of Dreaming in Colour will speak in the Public Hall on Friday September 18, 12 noon

Margaret Drabble: Renowned literary novelist will talk on her book The Pure Gold Baby in St Peter’s Church on Saturday September 19 at 8pm

The Budleigh Salterton Literary Festival, 17-20 September. For more details and tickets visit www.budlitfest.org.uk or call 01395 445275

remains transfixed by his political rise to power. How did he become the right hand man of Henry VIII, she wonders?

“I’m more fascinated by the era and by the man than when I began,” she admits. “It’s end-lessly yielding up good material – the closer you get to the truth of a story, the more complex it be-comes and the more you want to explore. There are no easy answers.

“I’m a long-haul person. In the time between starting Wolf Hall and now, a great deal has hap-pened in my own life. But it is just a blink of an eye in writing terms. In terms of three really big novels, a decade isn’t a long time.

“Cromwell was a shaper of the nation. He was, I think, one of the cleverest operators in English politics ever. He’s been an enigma – how does one start out as the son of a blacksmith but become Earl of Wessex?”

Wolf Hall is an extraordinary feat. Anyone who is familiar with the 650-page epic will know how eloquently and originally she interweaves fact and imagination.

“You have to look at it in two ways,” she tells

me. “There are the day to day events, and as far as that’s concerned I follow historical record. But there are points when historical record runs out. A novelist just gives you a version, but that ver-sion has to be built on the best facts you can get. Where the record runs out, that’s where I start work.”

Hilary loved the TV drama series of Wolf Hall earlier this year, describing the production team as “brilliant”: “I had faith in them, and I knew I’d be confided in at every turn. It wasn’t as if

they confiscated Wolf Hall from me. I knew there were going to be compromises but you know you can arrive at agreements. You have to recog-nise when a work changes form. It’s a new work,

there’s no need to be possessive or precious.”In the past two years, she has also been busy

with literary journalism, the theatre versions of her books, and – of course – the Budleigh Lit-erary Festival. But from now on, Hilary will be in Budleigh, working on the hugely anticipated final book in her Thomas Cromwell trilogy.

It is a place that, I think, is her sanctuary as much as it is her home.

‘In between starting

Wolf Hall and now,

a great deal has

happened in my life’[ [

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feature1.indd 15 09/09/2015 13:33:48

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People

A sense offreedom

Jo BrAdford

[[

Feature_JoBradford_Sept13.indd 16 09/09/2015 13:38:05

17

Westcountry photographer

Jo Bradford specialises in

capturing the joy of life on

horseback, with beautiful results

o Bradford uses her skill as a pho-tographer to capture the freedom of wide open spaces and the joy of life on horseback. Landscape is impor-tant to her – she lives on the edge

of Dartmoor, and previously spent many years on the north Cornwall coast. Her childhood was spent in South Africa, in the aptly named Wild Coast on the Eastern Cape.

Jo’s photographs, which are licensed to Getty Images and used in prestigious websites and glossy magazines the world over, are all about re-capturing that sense of childhood freedom.

With her photographer’s eye, which is more important, she says, than any amount of fancy camera equipment, she creates nostalgic, summer holiday-tinged images of women riding on Cornish beaches and in lush summer coun-tryside.

To fi nd accomplished equestriennes to be models for the shots, Jo ropes in her photography students at Cornwall College near Camborne and her model friend, whom she persuaded to meet her with their horses a few miles away on the stunning sands near Godrevy.

“My student was always bringing in photo-graphs of her beautiful white horse to show me.

J

Jo shot these pictures of

her friends on Godrevy

Beach, west Cornwall

By Sarah Pitt

Feature_JoBradford_Sept13.indd 17 09/09/2015 13:38:52

18

She said her friend was a model who was keen to build up her portfolio. So I said to her, why don’t we meet up with your horses on the beach?

“I brought dresses for them to wear. I told them I wanted them to look like they were on their way to a brilliant party and that jumping on their horses was the quickest way to get there.

“The images were so lovely that I started to meet up with them on a regular basis. We also took pictures on the horses in a cornfield and some more on the beach.”

One shows a silhouette of a woman charging along a beach on her horse clutching a bunch of balloons. The image is called Summer Dreams and is hotly in demand as a print, as it radiates the joy of escaping from everyday life. It is part of a series, all shot on beaches, called Halcyon Days.

Another dreamy image shows two women on the back of a white horse leading another chest-nut horse across a field in the evening light. A third, which could be a fashion image in a glossy magazine, captures a woman in evening dress with her horse on the beach, blowing bubbles.

These pictures were very much inspired by her own South African childhood, Jo explains.

“Where I grew up, you would have a five mile long beach and if another human being walked onto the beach you would think it was crowded. I used to go riding with my friends on horses and would roam free. We used to go out and just take off.

“My work is all about capturing these feelings

of freedom. I try to convey the way a scene makes me feel when I’m standing in front of it and then I work with that to get the picture.”

Jo’s pictures have sparked other requests from women to take their portraits outside in the land-scape. “All the girls in my portraits are wonder-ful, outdoorsy, intelligent women. I want my

‘My work is

about women

being at one in

the landscape.

Women are just as

capable as men of

having adventures

outdoors’ [[Win

See page 20

for details

Feature_JoBradford_Sept13.indd 18 09/09/2015 13:40:35

19

People

Feature_JoBradford_Sept13.indd 19 09/09/2015 13:41:13

20

People

pictures to be about women and girls being at one in the landscape. Because women are just as capable as men of having adventures outdoors.”

Jo, 42, moved to the UK with her family when she was 15. She started her photography career in Birmingham. There she met her husband Paul, a born adventurer and outdoor pursuits instructor. It was Paul who first persuaded her to move with him to his home village of St Agnes in north Cornwall. They now have a young son and daughter together, Grace, two and a half, and Kade, 11 months, and live near Okehamp-ton.

In the Westcountry, over the past 15 years, Jo says she has “fallen in love” with the landscape here and seen her career flourish. She now has a Masters degree in Photography from University College Falmouth and spent a year as Artist in Residence at Plymouth College of Art.

She has also, on the empty beaches, rugged clifftops and open moorland, rediscovered the wildness of the landscape of her childhood. One of her bestselling photographs shows the sun glittering on miles of sand. “It is called Cape Dreams because it reminds me of life in South Africa, of the searing heat on the beach, and the emptiness,” she says. Luckily for us, she is here in the Westcountry now.

See www.jobradford.com. Jo Bradford is avail-

able for portraits and commissions

Insta-star

Jo’s leaving her high tech camera kit at home

for her latest project, taking a picture of Dart-

moor every day this year using just the iPhone

in her pocket. Her Instagram feed, A Love

Letter to Dartmoor, began with a single picture

taken on her daily walk with her children and

two dogs. After she posted it on the networking

site Instagram, it had 830,000 likes in 24 hours.

“There’s an old adage in photography that the

best camera is the one you have in your pock-

et,” says Jo. “I couldn’t take my big camera, it

was too much to manage with the children, so

it had to be the phone.” Someone contacted

me just the other day, and said ‘I’ve done it, I’ve

moved to Dartmoor’ all because of your blog’.

It has been amazing.”

See Jo’s Instagram feed at @greenislandstudios

greenislandstudios

Win!A signed picture

We have a signed and mounted high

quality giclée print of Jo’s seascape

Summer Dreams, worth £50, for one

lucky West reader to win. To be in with

a chance, email your name and address

and a phone number to westmag@

westernmorningnews.co.uk, with

‘Jo Bradford print’ as the subject, by

September 21. Normal terms apply.

Day 160/365

Feature_JoBradford_Sept13.indd 20 09/09/2015 15:40:34

21

interiors22 fashion 30

explore42 trend32

Intro.indd 21 09/09/2015 15:53:27

22

oon, autumn will be here - and yes, the warmer months always seem to slip away too fast.

But while the weather rules our lives outside, indoors at least, with a

few simple tweaks, it is easy to conjure up rooms where the sun shines on.

Scents like cut grass, mimosa or even lemon groves can instantly bring summer days to mind, even if the weather outside isn’t co-operating.

“Our home fragrance collection helps the home to feel fresh and light, making summer last that little bit longer,” says Nicola Elliot, founder of scented candle company Neom.

“Scent is all about triggering memories and creating atmosphere, and our Happiness Candle, by Jenny Packham, includes a cut grass note as well as mimosa, white neroli and lemon.”

Perfect blue skies and fl uffy white clouds could be an antidote to unwelcome showery, stormy weather.

Designers Guild’s new Cielo Sky wallpaper de-

picts a dreamy skyscape which is bound to make you feel heavenly. There are also complementary fl oral fabrics, whose designs are inspired by Pre-Raphaelite painters, with a palette as broad as that of the artists.

Alternatively, let that symbol of summer – the butterfl y – fl utter across your walls, with design-er Elli Popp’s Butterfl y Valley wallpaper, £199 a roll, from www.in-spaces.com.

Garden parties needn’t be seasonal if your landscape is always rich and colourful, inside and out.

Artifi cial grass is ‘growing’ in popularity for gardens, and now, hot on its heels, comes faux green living wall panels for indoors customisable with a mix of faux plants. These could look lush inside in a dining area, or be used outside to compensate when your plot’s lost its lustre.

“People want to use their gardens all year round

S

Sunny vibesto entertain, and a faux living wall is perfect for providing foliage when nature starts shutting down and borders are devoid of blooms,” says Harriet Thompson at Evergreen Direct, whose green wall panels include selections of plants clad on a timber backing.

The summer holidays may be over but memo-ries of happy days can stay fresh for you, with a display of photos taken on trips and days out.

“As an interior designer, I fi nd there’s no better starting point than taking a photo-graphic memory the client loves and designing a space around it, so it has

real meaning to them,” says Richard Randall, who runs WhiteWall, which specialises in con-verting home photography into works of art.

“One of the of most popular choices for wall

[[ ‘I compensate in dark rooms by adding

hints of nature’

It will soon be time to pack away those summer clothes, but that doesn’t mean the holiday sunshine can’t linger a little longer indoors, as Gabrielle Fagan reveals

Cielo wallpaper, £213 per roll, sofa in Caprifoglio linen

in sky, £74, both from www.designersguild.com

Interiors_Sept13.indd 22 08/09/2015 14:51:12

Interiors

23

Harlequin Paradise bedding, in Flamingo colourway,

double duvet £95, cushions £45, pillowcases £22, www.

bedeckhome.com

Interiors_Sept13.indd 23 08/09/2015 14:51:29

24

Interiors

displays are summer holiday photos, accord-ing to a recent survey, as they instantly lift people’s wellbe-ing and bring an informal free-spirited feel to a place, as well as injecting loads of personality.”

There’s still time to enjoy a sultry sanctuary in your bed-room, before you have to resort to layering on warm throws and covers for winter. Go for tropical print bedding – such as the Har-lequin Paradise bedding from www.bedeckhome.com – and add atmosphere with artifi cial silk plants and trees.

And a key way to make a home an inspirational space, which is always bright and welcoming whatever the season, is make the most of natural light and bring nature indoors, suggests leading textile de-signer, Clarissa Hulse.

“I compensate in dark rooms by adding colour and designs with hints of nature, combined with layered lighting and decorative mirrors to refl ect any available daylight back into the room,” she says. “Plants and fl owers are essential for me, and I think being surrounded by living things, especially as autumn draws in, is wonderfully cheering.

“I love succulents and have them dotted around my home in decorative pots. Orchids are

‘Plants and � owers are

essential for me, being

surrounded by living things is

wonderfully cheering’ [[

a labour of love but they last forever, and nothing beats the feeling of getting them to fl ower again the following year.”

Above all, don’t be afraid to be bold with colour. Adding a shot of colour is the easiest way to bright-en spirits on gloomy days, says Sachin Bagga, director of home-ware specialists, Sabichi.

“Colour’s such a wonderful tool, which can sway thinking and change moods, and it’s not diffi cult to update or simply redecorate one wall,” he says.

“I’ve used pinks, butter yellows and bright green, which are uplift-ing and have the effect of ‘turning up the heat’ because we associate

them with the colourful exteriors of Caribbean homes. If you prefer to stay with a neutral back-

drop, simply add colour in a statement chair or an accessory.”

Even small improvements – such as a lick of paint – can transform a room, and you’ll get a warm glow of satisfaction from being shipshape and ready for the change of the season this Sep-tember.

“Everyone wants to feel at home, yet often it’s the fi rst thing we neglect when busy schedules crowd our lives,” says Holly Becker, author of Decorate Workshop (Jacqui Small, £25), which is a complete guide to all aspects of transforming a home.

“Decorating is an art of creative self-expres-sion, and making something your own is the spice of life. This is the perfect time of year to start a room project, even a small one. Why not spend some time making a creative corner in your home, where you can relax or enjoy a hobby during the autumn.”

Compensate in dark rooms by adding colour and designs with hints of

nature, combined with layered lighting.

STYLE TIP:

Interiors_Sept13.indd 24 08/09/2015 14:51:49

25

Shop

GET THELOOK

Prolong the summer in your home with these top picks Artificial fern faux

living wall £69.95 a square metre, www.

evergreendirect.co.uk

Jenny Packham for Neom happiness

candle £80, www.neomorganics.com

Bailey chair £399, www.sabichi.co.uk

Fuchsia chenille throw £26, www.

sabichi.co.uk

Feather fern silk lampshade £75,

www.clarissahulse.co

Virginia Creeper silk cushion

£59, www.clarissahulse.com

Interiors_Sept13.indd 25 08/09/2015 14:52:21

26

ANNE SWITHINBANK

Givinga fi g

Gardens

Devon’s Anne Swithinbank, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time, says it has been a good year for � gs, even in the Westcountry climate

his has been a good year for fi gs, as early sunshine and warmth helped fruits swell. Normally, blackbirds make a feast of them but this year they were distracted by apricots

and blackberries. We had plenty of luscious purple fruits from our ‘Brown Turkey’, a variety well suited to the British climate and therefore one of the commonest over here. The red-fl eshed fruits are delicious when fully ripe but I’m the only member of my family who enjoys them. My brother came to stay with his tribe from Kingston and guess what? His proud gift was a box of fi gs because he, too, was the only one eating them. We looked at each other and silently blessed our di-gestive systems.

The curious thing about fi gs is that one never sees their fl owers, as these secretive organs are hidden deep within the fruitlets. They set with-out fertilization in the UK but, in the wild, the fi g wasp penetrates the fruit to lay its eggs, effecting pollination en route. All we see is the tiny fruit developing, or rather many, crammed together around seeds inside the outer skin.

During early autumn, plants generally require a good de-fi g-ging, because only the tiny, re-cently produced, pea-sized fruits at the tips are destined to ripen. It is best to remove all the rest and I fi ll half a bucket from ours every year. Some are green and some brown but they are all as hard as stones. Without having to hold onto these doomed fruits, the plant is ready to push all its energy into developing the pea-sized ones come spring. Without

this, some plants are locked into a cycle of dropping fruits early, then running out of time to set new ones. Wear gloves for the process, because sticky sap can irritate skin.

Of course, there are other va-

rieties than ‘Brown Turkey’ and the next choice for hardiness and reliability is large-fruited ‘Brunswick’ with a yellow-green skin and red fl esh. Pale-fruited ‘White Marseilles’ is also often recommended as a good doer but I haven’t grown it myself. I have planted ‘Madeleine des Deux Sai-sons’, mainly because I like the name (she’s also

T

I love sliced fi gs

with a tricolore

of tomato,

mozzarella

and avocado,

and a lemony

dressing [[Gardens_Sept13.indd 26 09/09/2015 13:55:15

I bought three young delphinium plants and set them in good soil, hoping for a fine display next year. Instead of growing properly, one is stunted with black spots

on leaves, an odd browning on the leaf backs and blackened flower stem and buds.

This could be bad news, as it sounds like delphinium black blotch, a bacterial disease spreading from the soil by splashes of water. Black blotches start on the leaves first but spread to stems, flower stalks and buds. I would remove the plant and dispose of it in the hope that it won’t spread to the others. It might even be worth lifting them and moving them further away.

27

My goji berry gave berries last year but has refused to flower or fruit this summer. What can I do to enjoy fruits next year?

The goji or Duke of Argyll’s tea tree to give it a more old fashioned common name, has been all the rage since its berries were hailed as a super food. As you’ve probably found, they are not exactly prolific. But it is good to grow something decorative, tolerant of salt-laden winds, good on poor sandy soil in our coastal regions and which produces edible fruit for garden foraging. Flowers and fruit are produced on stems that grew the previous year, so maybe you became annoyed with the long lax arms and carried out some heavy pruning? Tie in the growth made this summer and hopefully they will produce buds. A dose of potash-rich fertilizer in spring should help matters along. You can tame a wayward plant by shortening or removing some stems directly after fruiting, but only thin out one third of the plant at a time.

Q

Question time with AnneWest reader queries answered by Anne Swithinbank

Send your questions to Anne at westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk

This week’s

gardening tips

Anne’s advice for your garden

Q

• Begin to clear summer bedding plants out of the way. They may still be flowering but look like sad reminders of last season. Cleared, you can weed, condition soil and think about filling gaps with perennials, winter bedding or bulbs.

• For long stems of pretty irises to cut next June, plant cheap Dutch

iris in rows in the kitchen garden or allotment. They will come back and flower year after year.

• Bulbs planted into containers are a great plan, as you can move the display to where it is most needed to bring spring colour. Mine go by the door, on the patio or even in a border. White hyacinths are classy.

Treat

potted plants that regularly suffer from vine weevil larvae damage with biological control based on microscopic nematodes. This is applied as a drench and can help primula, cyclamen, fuchsia, saxifraga, heuchera and others.

Tidy

the compost heap and tubs, separating made compost from that still rotting and make room for all the material that will arise from autumn clearing. A separate wire corral for fallen leaves is a good idea to make leaf mould.

known as ‘Angelique’) but also because she was a great favourite at Versailles in the 17th centu-ry. However she seems to be pining for sunnier climes and has hardly put on 5cm/2in of growth in two years, let alone set any fruit. Though re-alistically, you would expect a plant to settle for three to four years before cropping. There are many others to try, including ‘Castle Kennedy’ whose fruits are greenish yellow to bronze, with amber flesh.

When planting a fig, choose a sheltered, sunny site but not the good, deep soil most trees would thrive in. On rich soils, they are famous for grow-ing up into massive specimens resplendent with luxuriant foliage but few fruits. This is why the roots of fig trees are usually restricted, often by digging a pit preferably 90cm/3ft square and deep but at least 60cm/2ft and lined with slabs. This is backfilled with decent soil mixed with John

Innes no 3 potting compost and the fig planted, some 20cm/8in away from a wall or fence. Al-though figs can be neatly fan-trained, ours just leans against the wooden wall of an out build-ing and we occasionally prune out older wood in spring. We don’t give our established ‘Brown Turkey’ any extra high potash food or water because it appears not to need it but I think I’d better start nourishing poor old ‘Madeleine’ in her raised bed.

Back to the excess of figs, I love sliced figs with a tricolore of tomato, mozzarella and avocado with basil and a good lemony dressing. They make delicious, simple pairings with parma ham and various cheeses and I need to experiment with fig jam, stuffing them with slightly sweet-ened mascarpone and simmering them in a va-riety of alcohol and spice-infused syrups. Next year’s fig season had better be another good one.

Gardens_Sept13.indd 27 09/09/2015 13:55:37

28

Beauty

Tried& tested

We present the beauty treats and cheats of the week, picked by West magazine’s

Catherine Barnes, with help from daughter Tilly, 18

Tried

AUTUMN SHADES

H&M’s eyeshadow palette’s nine-colour collection (£9.99) includes greens, greys and blue, as well asessential browns, in easy to wear muted shades.

GOOD VALUE

SMOOTH STUFFThis Lavender Apples Body Scrub (£31), is a global bestseller. It’s by Sabon, based in Israel, and newly available to buy in the UK at www.sabonuk.co.uk

SAVE FACEA primer makes your base last

longer. This one by Accessorize (£9.99) will help even out your

skin tone.

It’s buy one, get one free on autumn skincare essentials from the Korres Black Pine range, (£36 to

£39) at M&S this month. The serum, moisturisers and eye cream help maintain skin � rmness.

Beauty_Sept13.indd 28 09/09/2015 13:57:25

29

the review

Want a review? Send your request to westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk

It’s phenomenally popular and no wonder: Jo Malone’s Pomegranate Noir Cologne,

£85 for 100ml, is bold, succulent and unforgettable

(www.jomalone.co.uk)

HEAVEN SCENT

PUCKER UP!Vegan-friendly B. Kissable has put together nine

pretty lippies in this palette (£9.99 at Superdrug). A bargain way to try the brand, whose individual

lipsticks cost £7.99 a pop.

FLOWERY

A big hit in its native France, Melvita L’Or

Rose Firming Oil (£30) is a gorgeously scented

cellulite-targeting treatment, that’s been

� ying o� the shelves in the few months since it launched this side

of the channel www.melvita.com

Tress trendsThis week we try:

Katie Wright investigates the latest generation of hair treatments, which are all inspired by up-to-the-minute skincare technology

SUPER SERUM

PERFECT PRIMER

BEAUTIFUL BALM

Like the pre-moisturising step for your face, hair serums deliver repairing actives to your locks to leave them looking shiny and nourished.Try: Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Hair Serum, £16, a lightweight formula containing a blend of natural shine-enhancing oils, best used on dry hair (www.lookfantastic.com).

Make-up primers sit on the skin to create a smooth surface but hair primers are alcohol-based sprays that soak into the follicle, leaving hair ready to take on styling products. Try: Pantene

Paltinia Hair Strengthen-ing Primer, £14.99, which targets the scalp too, fortifying strands from roots.

BB or blemish balm creams have been phenomenally popular since they arrived in the UK from Asia, and now almost every major brand has a version.Obviously, hair doesn’t get blem-ishes, but BB styling creams per-form a similar multi-tasking use by smoothing cuticles, taming frizz and protecting against heat damage, so they can be used on damp or dry hair.Try: Dove Advanced Hair Youthful Vitality Hair BB Cream, currently reduced to £3.47 from £6.99, is formulated with a UV � lter for mature hair types (www.superdrug.com).

Katie Wright investigates

hair treatments, which are

Beauty_Sept13.indd 29 09/09/2015 16:05:03

Embellished top £79 East

Rhinestone cuff £8 Dorothy Perkins

30

ime’s marching on and here we are in mid-September already. Time, surely, for a wardrobe re-think, Indian summer or no Indian summer. There’s a trend around

now that we really like, based on softer tones of green than you’d wear in high summer. Forget neon pops of bright colour, these greens are subdued, making them fl attering to the complexion in the cooler light of autumn. Per-fect for an enviable September outfi t, we think.

T

Greenwithenvy

Coat £149 sweater £49 and skirt £69

all La Redoute

Fashion_Sept13.indd 30 09/09/2015 16:07:57

31

Trousers £49 jacket £49 all La Redoute

Slouchtote £24,

New Look

Cami£29.95

White Stuff

Feather pompom beanie, £10 Very

Woven silk scarf £240 Brendan Joseph

Jacket £370 Betty Barclay Winter coat

£119 Per Una M&S

Fashion

Sequin maxi dress £59 Very

Fashion_Sept13.indd 31 09/09/2015 16:06:51

he word ‘timeless’ gets bandied about an awful lot when we talk about style, and few things actually deserve the label. In my opinion the list of items worthy of this descrip-

tion is a short one, and all the better for its brev-ity. Denim jeans, crisp white shirts and cinched waists are my fashion royalty, never out of style. And the latter is having a real moment. The doy-enne of dresses, Roksanda Illincic (she’s Serbian, with VIP clients including Michelle Obama and Keira Knightley) included this classic silhouette in her AW15 show, showing once again that she was born to make women look good.

This season, ‘cinched’ has a variety of mean-ings. Waists can be belted, tied with a bow or even just a simple band in a block of colour will do the trick. Anything that draws a horizontal line across your midline curve gets a giant thumbs up. Versace chose extra wide belts buckled around high-necked jumpers and full-bodied blazers. Gorgeous, but not ex-actly ‘everyday’.

If you’re looking to make an addition to your wardrobe and you want it to be truly timeless then follow these guidelines for style that keeps on giving.

I’ll start with a ‘don’t’. Don’t buy one of these frocks in a psychedelic geometric print or in the most fl oral of fl owery bursts and expect it to be something you can turn to for an instant dose of chic. Think black, white or nudes. If you must buy something more jazzy, then be sure to choose a delicate and restrained option that won’t be seared onto peoples retinas for days to come. I’m not just being a snob. After all, what is the point of owning something ‘timeless’ if you can’t trot it out again and again. This can only be achieved by choosing basic colours that can be styled in a

variety of different ways.Length is also a key factor here. There is a

classiness and gentle allure to the nipped waist that must be protected. This means that your hemline stays knee length, low thigh at the cheekiest. It is amazing what a difference a few centimetres make to the message your outfi t radiates. There are a mere 100mm between ‘I’ve stepped off the pages of Elle’s anniver-sary edition’ and ‘I’ve just stepped off the stage of Cabaret’.

Also, heels are your friend. I can’t empha-sise this enough. It’s simple geometry. You have just increased the perceived angle of your centre point. So now you need to add length to ensure your overall outline has elegant pro-portions. Funnily enough, these proportions are the very reason the look is truly timeless. See, whoever said you didn’t need maths in the real world?All fashion in these pictures is from Princesshay Shopping Centre, Exeter, www.princesshay.co.uk

32

Trend

Don’t buy one

of these frocks

in a psychedelic

geometric print

and expect it to

be something

that delivers

instant chic

Kathryn Clarke-Mcleod tackles the

timeless silhouette

HOW TO WEAR IT:

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Dress, Karen

Millen,

Princesshay, £190

Shoes, Karen

Millen,

Princesshay, £130

Bag, Karen Millen,

Princesshay, £99

Cinched waists

Trend_CinchWaist_Sept13.indd 32 09/09/2015 15:11:09

33

GET THE

lookDEBENHAMS Betty

Jackson dress £55

NEW LOOK black tie-up waistcoat £22.99

DEBENHAMS H! by Henry Holland dress

£38

TOPSHOP playsuit £75

MONSOON Pippa patchwork tassel

cardigan £99

DEBENHAMS Debut dress £155

Trend_CinchWaist_Sept13.indd 33 09/09/2015 15:25:55

34

+

£169 Per Una M&S

£70 Tu at Sainsbury’s

£10 Accessorize

£120 White Stuff

£22.50 White Stuff

The editYour straight line to style: time to think winter warmers

£7.50 Deichmann

+

£135 Office

+ + +

+

£350 Jaeger

Fashion

£125 Dune

Grid_Stars_Sept13.indd 34 08/09/2015 14:24:49

3535

Stars

Your starsby Cassandra Nye

LIBRA (September 24 - October 23)The fi nancial boost that is due is not with you yet. Try not to overstretch

yourself in this direction. On romance and friendships, however, let your instincts guide you. Give attention to a loved one rather than spend lots of money. A slower pace next week allows you to recharge your batteries.

SCORPIO (October 24 - November 22)The line between friendship and ro-mance is blurred this week. Either you

or a friend are feeling confused in this area. Avoid leading someone astray romanti-cally as it could be embarrassing later. Speed ahead at work and give colleagues a hand when they are stuck, especially with technology.

SAGITTARIUS (November 23 - December 21)Changes can come thick and fast this week. Don’t let small things affect

your attitude. You are on the right track. Someone who admires you may give up if they don’t get a response soon. Perhaps you have not even noticed their interest? Imagine if you had a lot of money or the chance to speak your mind, what would you do differently?

CAPRICORN (December 22 - January 20)In a week when travel and secrets come together, life is far from dull. If you are

planning something special, midweek gives the best bargains and good negotia-tions. Drama and spiritual feelings rise at the

weekend. Break the ice with someone you have a longstanding disagreement with. Life is too short to hold grudges or bruised pride.

AQUARIUS (January 21 - February 19)It is a light-hearted kind of week, espe-cially when spending time with children

and friends. Those on holiday will fi nd travel inspires them creatively. Will you start that painting now, or even begin to write that novel? Something that gives you great satisfac-tion can stimulate on a daily basis.

PISCES (February 20 - March 20)The kind of passions and changes that affect you this week will rumble on. Do not

see this as a bad thing. Certain relationships need to change, and for the better. Perhaps at work you will be promoted or decide to move on. Either way, the impact on your fi nances is eventually for the better. Stay fi rm while the wind changes.

ARIES (March 21 - April 20)A fast-paced week sees you catching up with chores and getting in touch with

work colleagues. A piece of good news puts you in a bright and optimistic mood. Looking for some bargains? Don’t accept the fi rst offer that comes to hand - there may be better ones out there. Be lucky after midweek but keep a close eye on paperwork and anything legal.

TAURUS (April 21 - May 21)This is a dramatic and passionate week.

A loaded question put to you midweek needs careful consideration, but you don’t have to respond immediately. Take the time to think. You need to take a practical approach, although with affairs of the heart that is not always easy.

GEMINI (May 22 - June 21)Changes and disruptions are not necessarily bad. There is certainly

much excitement after midweek. Why does someone keep repeating themselves, could it be that you are not listening? It is so tempting to just switch off at times this week - you have heard it all before and are not inclined to be impressed.

CANCER (June 22 - July 22)For you this is a pretty smooth-run-ning week. But those around you may

be going through dramatic times. This is sure to affect you and your plans. Telling someone to get a grip won’t work. You really need to listen and then try and find out where it all started. You have an oasis of calm open to you that you don’t take up enough.

LEO (July 23 - August 23)The angels of activity and fun are smiling at you. There is nothing that

you like more than a happy, social time. Being in the spotlight, you find yourself being admired. Does this give you the chance to do something good? Yes. Don’t be shy about offer-ing your help where it is needed.

Stella McCartney

This week’s sign: Happy birthday to...Virgo is a very independent zodiac sign. They are very able to put their intelligence to use and get things done for themselves. People look up to Virgo as friends because they are straight thinkers and solve problems logically. They are truthful, loyal and determined but can be overly critical of themselves.

born September 13, 1971Fashion designer and daughter of Beatle Paul, Stella McCartney celebrates her 44th birthday today. Stella studied fashion in London 20 years ago, and celebrity friends Naomi Camp-bell and Kate Moss modelled at her graduation show. Just two years later, she was creative director of Parisian fashion house Chloe, and critics attributed her rapid rise to her famous name. But over time Stella has proved her worth as a designer, securing an OBE in the process. She is married to publisher Alasdhair Willis and the couple have four children.

VIRGO (August 24 - September 23)A strong change in the way you see

yourself comes about this week. There are things that you want to change. As long as you are doing it for yourself and not just for others, it can work. You should look after your health at this time. Someone leaving your area of infl uence, perhaps an adult child, gives you pause for thought. This is the start of a new phase in which you decide the outcome.

Grid_Stars_Sept13.indd 35 08/09/2015 14:25:15

36

Wellbeing

the boost

Life just got better. We’ve handpicked the latest wellness trends,

best-body secrets and expert advice to help you be your

best self, everyday

FITNESS

REWARDS

ALOE ALOE Drinking aloe juice comes with the promise of positively

radiant skin. Aloe is a natural anti-in� ammatory and high in vitamin

E. We suggest a high quality, organic � ltered versions free of additives and

sugars, known as aloe water.

RUN FOR FUN!

Scents have a huge power to li� our spirits, and fans of London-based Molton Brown’s gorgeous bath products

might be interested to know that they also have a new range of perfumes. We particularly love the Orange & Bergamot Eau de Toilette, an invigorating fragrance with an upli� ing

character, £39 for 50ml from www.moltonbrown.com

Upli� ing

Fancy giving running a try? Lace up your trainers and jog along to one of the friendly 5km Parkruns held on Saturday mornings at beauty spots across the region, including Lanhydrock near Bodmin, Parke on Dartmoor, the riverside in Exeter and the coast near Helston. It’s free and there’s a chance to join other runners for a co� ee a� erwards. Register at www.parkrun.org.uk

Stick with your � tness goals with the help of Earthmiles, an app

which rewards you with points for keep-� t sessions. It links to

tracking apps such as Fitbit and Mapmyrun, and you can redeem Earthmiles on o� ers from health,

� tness, nutrition, wellness, and sports companies. Find it on iTunes.

Welbeing_Sept13.indd 36 09/09/2015 16:08:58

37

What’s coming up? Tweet us your wellbeing diary dates @WMNWest or email westmag@westernmorningnews.co.uk

It can be di� cult to get to the opticians in a busy working week. So it’s great news that

high street chemist Superdrug has launched an online service for prescription sunglasses

and glasses. Prices start at £9 with more than 900 styles on o� er. Customers just log onto the website – opticians.superdrug.com – choose their frames and lenses, enter their prescription and chose where to have their

glasses delivered. Simple.

If a run sounds that bit too strenuous, why not join in with the South West Coast Path

Challenge in October? The event, backed by adventurer Monty Halls, aims to get people

walking anything between one mile and the entire 630-mile route, in a bid to set a record

for miles walked along the path in one month. Find out more at www.southwestcoastpath.

org.uk.

SPECS DIRECT

COAST PATH

CHALLENGE

Welbeing_Sept13.indd 37 09/09/2015 16:09:23

Wellbeing

My husband and I never used to let the sun go down on an argument –

and if I’m honest, a blazing row would clear the air. But since I’ve

returned to work, we seem to be constantly simmering. How can we

learn to kiss and make up like we used to do, again?

Tricia Moore, counsellor, replies: Two individu-als sharing the same space are bound to argue from time to time because they have differ-ent views and ideas. Ideally, arguing can be a lively and productive exchange of views, which can lead to a mutually agreed change. However, some arguments are stopped when they become uncomfortable, but are never resolved. Or issues are ignored, to ‘keep the peace’. So the issue and the argument inevitably returns, this time with added irritation that nothing has changed. There can also be unspoken thoughts fuelling the argument like, ‘He doesn’t care about me anymore,’ or ‘She doesn’t appre-ciate how hard I work,’ or ‘If he loved me he’d know…’This type of exchange comes loaded with barbed comments and instead of being productive, can damage the relationship. Perhaps those arguments you used to have were stopped with a kiss before bed, but were never resolved. Maybe you didn’t want to upset things by showing negative feelings. But an unresolved issue generally gets bigger and will come out eventually, this time

Q

more loaded with emotions which we ignore at our peril. The fact that the bad arguments started when you went back to work suggests that this change in your life has affected the ‘fi t’ of your relation-ship: the unspoken agreement about how your relationship works. You need to work together

to make a new agreement, but at the moment you are working against each other. Don’t be afraid to seek profes-sional help if it’s not working. A relationship counsellor will be able to give impartial and confi dential support.There will always be times of change and confl ict in a long relationship, but they only indicate another turn or junc-tion in the road you’re building together. There’s no time like the present to learn how to negotiate these junctions better and this skill will stand you in

good stead in the years to come. Good luck.Tricia Moore is a counsellor in Plymouth for the national charity Marriage Care.

38

Kiss and make up

An unresolved

issue gets bigger

and will come

out eventually,

this time more

loaded with

emotions [[

What to do when

you’re not getting on

Breaking the cycle:

• First: agree that things are bad and that you both want to put it right

• Make the time to talk without distraction

• Keep calm. You’ve both been angry, so it’s essential that you keep to the point, avoiding sarcasm or bringing up old hurts

• Take turns to speak, describing your feelings and the situations that cause them

• Listen, refl ecting back what you hear, without comment. It’s important that you hear and accept each other’s feelings

• Then: with your new understanding of what’s been happening, decide together how you can make changes to make your new situation work better. Make it a ‘win-win’ solution

Wellbeing_Ally_Sept13.indd 38 09/09/2015 16:10:30

39

Eat

Method:

Natural food expert Ally Mac lives and cooks in South Devon. Ally specialises in devising good-for-you recipes that are easy to prepare at home. She also sells several of her own delicious healthy products online at www.allyskitchenstories.co.uk

Combine the oats, almond milk, Maca powder, cinnamon and pinch of sea salt in a pan on medium heat and stir

Once the porridge has thickened slightly, add in half the mashed banana and the tbsp of coconut oil and stir it in. Allow your porridge to cook over a simmering heat for about fi ve minutes

Once the porridge is looking thick and creamy pour into a bowl

Make your porridge look pretty with your top-pings of desiccated coconut and the berries. Add maple syrup if you fancy it.

That’s it! Your bowl of creamy porridge goodness is ready to enjoy

You will need (serves one):Gluten-free oats – I use approximately one cup of oats but you can alter this depending on how much you fancy eatingOne cup of almond milk1 tbsp Maca powder1/4 tsp cinnamon1 tbsp coconut oil1 pinch of sea salt – pink Himalayan salt is the best but sea salt is also fi ne1 banana, which is mashed into the porridge while it is cooking1 tbsp desiccated coconut for topping (again op-tional)A handful of berries for topping (I used blueber-ries and a raspberry)If you want it a little sweeter you can add a tsp of maple syrup before serving

Ally says: Let’s face it, we haven’t had a super-hot summer and so I have been enjoying my winter porridge regularly over the summer. I decided to be more adventurous with my � avours when making this porridge and boy was it worth it! I can hold my hands up and say it is probably the creamiest, most moreish bowl of porridge I have ever made.I’ve called it ‘super food porridge’ because it is made with Maca powder, which gives it its green hue as well as making it super healthy. Maca powder is known as Peruvian ginseng because of its energy-giving properties and is bursting with goodness. It gives smoothies and porridge a delicious malty caramel � avour.

ally mac’s

@AKitchenStories@allyskitchenstories

Super food porridge

Wellbeing_Ally_Sept13.indd 39 09/09/2015 16:10:48

40

Eat

Tim Maddams is a Devon chef and author of Game: River Cottage Handbook no. 15 (Bloomsbury £14.99)

have recently published a book. For a man who left school with little more than a wing and a prayer, this has been quite a big thing for me. The book is all about game and

is part of the River Cottage handbook series. If you are familiar with these diminutive guides to all things foodie you will know what I’m on about, if you’re not, it matters little. I just wanted to lead in to this week’s ingredient, wild duck, on the understanding that game is a subject within cookery that I, perhaps, know a little more about than most.

I have thought long and hard about the ethics of shooting and hunting and there are strong ethical arguments both for and against. But what it all boils down to this, you either (rightly or wrongly) fi nd the very idea offensive or you don’t. It’s far more

complex than that, but this point is inevitably where the discussion ends up.

From a foodie point of view, if you like meat but don’t eat game then you are missing out and among the best of the treats to be found is

the meat of the wild duck tribe. Mallard will likely be the most common but look out also for teal, widgeon and pochard. If you get really lucky a gadwall is an absolute must.

From a sustainability point of view, we need to make sure we don’t take to many wild ducks, and we are a long way from the bounty of yesteryear when whole “paddlings” of wild fowl were taken on the decoys. But we can allow ourselves a few each year.

Treat wild duck carefully, they are not farmed ducks and so will

have better texture, and a deeper fl avour. But they will be tougher, requiring longer resting and stronger fl avoured accompaniments.

IRoast duck

Buy the ducks in an oven ready state if you can. This saves on all the faff of plucking and gutting, though they will cost a little more. Roast them hard and hot, then rest them for at least as long as you cooked them. Serve them up with some nice rich sauce made from the roasting juices and maybe a bit of gooseberry jam you put by and you will be on the right track. Look out for partridge if you’re not into duck, they are cheap now and very, very tasty.

Ingredient of the Week

Wild duckwith Tim Maddams

Look out also

for teal, widgeon

and pochard. If

you get really

lucky a gadwall

is an absolute

must [[TIM_BEER_Sept13.indd 40 09/09/2015 16:11:41

Drink

It’s the last day today of the Little Cyder and Music Festival at Healey’s Cornish Cyder Farm, Penhallow, near Truro. As well as family entertainment and live music acts, there’s a chance to try a range of traditional ciders - why not pop along?

Exe Valley open dayExe Valley Brewery, at Land Farm, Silverton, is throwing open its doors for an open day on Saturday (September 19), with a barbecue, live music and, of course, beer! Proceeds are in aid of Headway Devon. There’s no parking at the brewery, but there will be transport from Silverton Square to tie in with buses.

DOWN ON THE FARM

41

Darren Norburytalks beer

pecials and seasonals: most brewers can’t resist them. It’s an opportunity to step away from the day-to-day recipes that are their bread and butter and have a bit

of a play. And two events this month have been particularly challenging a number of brewers lately.On Friday, England kick off

against Fiji at Twickenham to get the 2015 Rugby World Cup under way. As people say, there’s a beer for that. In fact, there are several. The offi cial sponsor is Heineken, because, obviously, nothing says English rugby like a Dutch fi zzy lager. Sigh. But fear not, there are more imaginative options.Down my way, for instance,

Skinner’s has a new brew of its Splendid Tackle beer for the duration of the competition, golden amber with tropical and citrus fruit notes. It has also been involved in creating a beer for pub chain Nicholson’s Rugby World Cup Beer Festival. Several breweries were invited to submit beers for the event, but only after they had drawn (at

random) the style, hop-growing region and ABV strength from a number of options. Whose beer will be most popular with Nicholson’s drinkers? Will it be Skinner’s The All Blondes?The other big ‘fi xture’ this month is the 50th

anniversary of the malt variety Maris Otter. The event is being marked with a festival in Norfolk, organised by grain merchant H Banham Ltd and the Norfolk Brewhouse. It will feature 50 new beers brewed using Maris Otter malt. St Austell head brewer Roger Ryman swears by its quality and has submitted one of the brews, The Gribben, a special developed with the National Trust and named after Gribben Head in Cornwall.Other Westcountry brewers

taking part in the festival are Butcombe Brewery, from

Somerset, Dorset Brewing Company, and Devon’s Otter Brewery (with a name like that, how could they be left out?). Next up, it’ll be time for those once-a-year Halloween brews.Darren Norbury is editor of beertoday.co.uk @beertoday

S

I know it’s only September, but I’ve recently been drinking Gouden Carolus Christmas,

from Belgium. At 10.5% ABV it’s not for the faint-hearted, but it

doesn’t really pack an alcoholic punch, o� ering warm, rich roast

notes instead, with hints of co� ee and aniseed. It’s a Belgian

classic which is for life, not just for Christmas.

Beer of the week

The offi cial

sponsor is

Heineken because,

obviously, nothing

says English rugby

like Dutch fi zzy

lager. Sigh. [[

TIM_BEER_Sept13.indd 41 09/09/2015 16:12:38

42

Enjoy

f you want to feel as though you are abroad without the hassle of going, Salcombe is the perfect place to retreat for a weekend, says Connie Champain. The sweet sea breeze

followed by the enticing scent of fresh food and delicacies creates a comforting foreign feel only a drive from your doorstep.

Stay: Wake up to magnifi cent views of the estuary and stay in the Salcombe Harbour Hotel and Spa (www.salcombe-harbour-hotel.co.uk). If you want to make the most of your luxury surroundings, opt for the estuary view rooms (dinner, bed and breakfast in September is £265 per couple, per night). Even non-residents have the option of two restaurants to eat in at the hotel: The Jetty and The Terrace. If you want to travel inland slightly, stay at the pretty Tilly

I

A WEEKEND IN...

Cottage for £75 a night (double room). Call 01548 580377 to book a room.

Eat: Dick and Will’s on the waterside is the place to enjoy a superfood salad wrap or a portion of shellfi sh paella. Watch the sun set over the estuary while indulging in their “Famous Fish and Chips” for £16.95. Their wide variety of local produce makes this restaurant a popular place for everyone to enjoy. If you are a lover of seafood, pay a visit to The Crab Shed on the water’s edge. All the crab is local and fresh from the water.

Do: Sailing is the sport in Salcombe with the estuary providing a safe area for everyone to spend some time on the idyllic boats. With Salcombe Dinghy Sailing, you can experience a one to one tuition (£50 for 1½ hours) and learn the basics of sailing. However, if you already

Salcombe

The view from Overbeck’s

Fresh crab on the waterfront

A_Weekend_In_Sept13.indd 42 09/09/2015 16:13:15

43

know the ropes, you can hire a boat for a whole day from £75. Find out how to book at www.salcombedinghysailing.co.uk. Or why not pay a visit to the Maritime Museum in Market Street and be amazed by the sea-bed treasures from the South West coastline.

Walk: Enjoy walking? Follow the South West Coastal Path and stop in at the National Trust-owned Overbeck’s Garden and Museum. This is the seaside home of inventor and scientist Otto Overbeck. His beautiful house and gardens are high above the cliffs of Salcombe, with a spectacular view of the estuary.

Shop: Grab an ice cream at the Salcombe Dairy Ice Cream factory on Island Street; their award-winning ice cream comes in a variety of fl avours. From their sourdough loaves to their almond croissants, The Bake House produces hand-crafted breads and pastries inspired by French and British methods. Founder Jeremy Thompson moved to Salcombe with his family in 1973 and discovered his passion for baking. Now, Jeremy’s daughter Stephanie runs the shop alongside Ben Holt-Wilson. Find them on Fore Street near the tourist information centre.

Salcombe Harbour Hotel

Ice cream from Salcombe Dairy

A_Weekend_In_Sept13.indd 43 09/09/2015 16:13:39

44 45

People

My favourite...

Walk: The Hall Walk by the River Fowey is a particular favourite of mine as we were regu-larly taken on it as children. We used to holiday in Polruan so would start from there and walk around to the Bodinnick ferry, cross over to Fowey and then jump on the Polruan ferry home (via the pub). My brother lives in Golant now, so that’s another excuse to head over to such a pretty part of Cornwall.

Beach: That’s like asking me to choose my favourite child. Any beach on the North Cornwall coast - especially Mawgan Porth. It’s where I’ve probably spent the most time with the kids and where my husband Graham and I started our coffee business.

Festival: The North Cornwall Book Festival is a real hidden gem, held in beautiful St Endel-lion. There are small, intimate workshops and talks from some of Britain’s top authors. It’s full of eccentric characters too.

Activity: Camping, surfi ng or stand up pad-dleboarding... all with the kids in tow.

Food: Red Stuff Lemon and Lime Curd, made by Bedruthan Hotel chef Adam Clark. Bake

Rosie Hoppe

Rosie Hoppe co-founded The Laid Back Co� ee Co with husband Graham last year. They and daughters Elsie and Ivy live in Mawgan Porth, near Newquay, and have a shop in nearby Porth, as well as a vintage Morris Minor co� ee van called Bert. It’s also available to hire for special occasions.

My Secret Westcountry

For more details visit www.laidbackco� ee.co.uk

with it, slather it on toast or simply spoon it straight from the jar... it’s amazing and far less hassle than making your own!

Pub: The Ship Inn in Wadebridge is the local at the end of our road. We’re very lucky to have such a great independent pub on our doorstep.

Restaurant: Scott and Babs at Retorrick Mill in St Mawgan is a hidden gem of a place. Very relaxed, rustic and unpretentious with the most delicious food you could imagine.

Relaxation: Cooking and eating at home, with friends and family - out in the garden in summer or around the log burner in winter.

Weekend away: The Old Coastguard in Mousehole is a lovely place to visit. Beautiful rooms with views of Mounts Bay, a great menu, lovely gardens going down to the sea and comfy sofas in the bar surrounded by books. Perfect.

Shop: Roo’s Beach surf boutique in Porth is where I spend my days window shopping. Our coffee shop is attached to it, and I look in on this beautiful shop. So this is where I would defi nitely like someone to browse for me. Their SunnyLife radio in aqua would be lovely thanks...!

Treat: BinTwo in Padstow sells a brilliant selection of wine and spirits - all of which I’d be happy to name as my ‘treat’!

Stand Up Paddleboarding

Roo’s Beach boutique

The Old Coastguard, Mousehole

Red Stuff preserves

Mawgan Porth beach

Rosie and family enjoy life

on the beach in Cornwall

IMAGE: A

DA

M G

IBB

AR

D

MSW_Sept13.indd 44-45 09/09/2015 14:16:55Ad pages.indd 4 09/09/2015 16:20:53

44 45

People

My favourite...

Walk: The Hall Walk by the River Fowey is a particular favourite of mine as we were regu-larly taken on it as children. We used to holiday in Polruan so would start from there and walk around to the Bodinnick ferry, cross over to Fowey and then jump on the Polruan ferry home (via the pub). My brother lives in Golant now, so that’s another excuse to head over to such a pretty part of Cornwall.

Beach: That’s like asking me to choose my favourite child. Any beach on the North Cornwall coast - especially Mawgan Porth. It’s where I’ve probably spent the most time with the kids and where my husband Graham and I started our coffee business.

Festival: The North Cornwall Book Festival is a real hidden gem, held in beautiful St Endel-lion. There are small, intimate workshops and talks from some of Britain’s top authors. It’s full of eccentric characters too.

Activity: Camping, surfi ng or stand up pad-dleboarding... all with the kids in tow.

Food: Red Stuff Lemon and Lime Curd, made by Bedruthan Hotel chef Adam Clark. Bake

Rosie Hoppe

Rosie Hoppe co-founded The Laid Back Co� ee Co with husband Graham last year. They and daughters Elsie and Ivy live in Mawgan Porth, near Newquay, and have a shop in nearby Porth, as well as a vintage Morris Minor co� ee van called Bert. It’s also available to hire for special occasions.

My Secret Westcountry

For more details visit www.laidbackco� ee.co.uk

with it, slather it on toast or simply spoon it straight from the jar... it’s amazing and far less hassle than making your own!

Pub: The Ship Inn in Wadebridge is the local at the end of our road. We’re very lucky to have such a great independent pub on our doorstep.

Restaurant: Scott and Babs at Retorrick Mill in St Mawgan is a hidden gem of a place. Very relaxed, rustic and unpretentious with the most delicious food you could imagine.

Relaxation: Cooking and eating at home, with friends and family - out in the garden in summer or around the log burner in winter.

Weekend away: The Old Coastguard in Mousehole is a lovely place to visit. Beautiful rooms with views of Mounts Bay, a great menu, lovely gardens going down to the sea and comfy sofas in the bar surrounded by books. Perfect.

Shop: Roo’s Beach surf boutique in Porth is where I spend my days window shopping. Our coffee shop is attached to it, and I look in on this beautiful shop. So this is where I would defi nitely like someone to browse for me. Their SunnyLife radio in aqua would be lovely thanks...!

Treat: BinTwo in Padstow sells a brilliant selection of wine and spirits - all of which I’d be happy to name as my ‘treat’!

Stand Up Paddleboarding

Roo’s Beach boutique

The Old Coastguard, Mousehole

Red Stuff preserves

Mawgan Porth beach

Rosie and family enjoy life

on the beach in Cornwall

IMAGE: A

DA

M G

IBB

AR

D

MSW_Sept13.indd 44-45 09/09/2015 14:16:55Ad pages.indd 4 09/09/2015 16:21:32

46

man and boy

allchange [[

Phil Goodwin, father of James, five, finds his holiday home very altered

my life

on’t you just hate it when so-called progress screws up some of your fondest memories? Let me ex-plain. Our family usually spends late summer in the Black Sea

resort of Sochi, the pretty home town of my wife that was virtually unheard of until it was awarded the 2014 Winter Olympics. As Eng-land feels the autumn chill, we tend to bake in southern Russia, where temperatures this year remained in the 30s through August and into September. One of the nicest things to do there as the sun goes down and the heat subsides is stroll along the tree-lined promenade, swim in the sea – also a comfortable 28C – before eating in one of the open-air cafés which line the coast. Unfortunately, our favourite eaterie and one-time courting spot no longer exists, at least not where it used to be, thanks to the most ferocious of the Olympic events – the real estate land grab.

Sochi was first turned from a mosquito-infested swamp into a health resort by Joseph Stalin, who created a paradise of neo-classical sanatoriums, bathing beaches and open air theatres nestling among the palm trees. Its small-scale, Soviet-designed centre remained more or less unchanged into the 21st century. However, when the Olympic Committee enve-lope was opened in 2007 to reveal a card containing the word ‘Sochi’, the starting gun was fired on an almighty rush to build roads, apartments and railways – not to mention an entire Olympic park and ski resort up in the mountains. The place became pretty unpleasant as cement trucks criss-crossed the city and an army of migrant workers from the old Soviet states – places like Uzbekistan,

Tajikistan and Kyrgistan – were shipped in and put up in tin huts. If the place in which you live ever receives such an honour – unlikely in the South West, I admit – my advice is leave town until it is all over.

A year or two later, as huge seaside apart-ment towers began to spring up, our favourite Georgian restaurant, Vody Lagidze (Waters of Lagidze) was burnt down. There was no sugges-tion that it was anything other than an accident

but eyebrows were raised among some of our friends at the timing of the incident, just as property prices began to rise and such loca-tions were at a premium. This is Russia after all. It was a wonderfully quaint old wooden place, full of paintings of waterfalls – the kind of restaurant that guests were brought to in the old Soviet days, probably with the KGB guy sit-ting off in the corner.

When my wife and I met and I first went over there, it was a regular haunt of ours and the first time I ever tasted that amazing cuisine. I was gutted to hear it had been, well, gutted, whether by accident or design. Now that the dust has settled on the Games, things have re-turned to normality, Russian style. Train prices to the ski resort have increased massively and the initial excitement to see the various sites has subsided. In fact, the new ring roads and especially the tunnels though the mountains – 63 were excavated in around five years I am told – have made driving around much easier. So the $50 billion wasn’t badly spent.

Just the other day we were strolling through the gardens were the ‘Waters’ once stood, only to discover it had been replaced by a shiny wood and glass restaurant, serving Uzbeki cui-sine. It looked tempting, I admit. Open plan, high ceilings and state-of-the-art décor. And under normal circumstances we would have gone in and tried out the food. As we paused,

the maître d’ caught me eye and asked if we wanted a table. We looked at each

other. There was no way. This stood on sacred land; Vody Lagidze land. It would be sacrilege to enter. A matter of principle. So we just

walked on by.

Unfortunately, our

favourite eaterie and

one-time courting spot

no longer exists[ [

D

ManandBoy_Sept13.indd 46 09/09/2015 15:31:32

16 Fore Street Ivybridge PL21 9AB

www.jazinteriors.co.uk

01752 894012

inspired

accessories

French

interiors

and home

jazinteriors

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