December 2009 issue
Transcription
December 2009 issue
01 VIEWDECHANTS:augustCOVER 19/11/09 17:17 Page 1 Hampshire THE COUNTY’S FREE INDEPENDENT MAGAZINE December 09 WIN dinner, bed and breakfast for two at the Legacy Rose & Crown Hotel FASHION • FOOD • HOME • GARDENING • WINE • DESIGN GOING OUT • HEALTH • EDUCATION • BOOKS • SHORT STORY See the whole magazine online at www.viewmagazines.co.uk 2 VIEW DEC HANTS:Layout 1 23/11/09 10:01 Page 2 3 VIEW DEC:noveditors 21/11/09 15:56 Page 3 editor’s View elcome to the December issue of View. Let the festive season begin. In truth, this hasn’t been the easiest of years. Much of the news that has made it memorable has been bad or sad, although, as often happens in the face of adversity, we’ve also seen the best of the best as the nation has responded to hard times. This year’s Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal, for instance, clearly resonated with the people, perhaps drawing in younger supporters in a way that hasn’t been experienced in recent years. Though the Legion says it is too early to say whether a record amount has been donated, early indications are looking very positive. Collectors in my area said they found themselves knocking on open doors. Hopefully, other charities have also benefited. View magazine has sent a donation to Naomi House in lieu of sending Christmas cards, so if you’re expecting to receive one, and don’t, you’ll understand why. Let me take this opportunity, then, to wish all readers and advertisers a truly happy Christmas. And those whose celebrations will be muted should know that the thoughts of the nation are with them. W Heidi See the whole magazine online at www.viewmagazines.co.uk Editorial Editor: Heidi King [email protected] Editorial contributors Regulars: Annie Bullen, Sally Easton, Rachel Heathcote, Hilaire Walden This issue: Esther Apodaca, Jacky Hutchins, Margaret Langley, Gordon Ramsay Advertising Senior account manager: (Wiltshire) Stephanie Duffy [email protected] 07811 170960 Account manager: (Hampshire) Michael Rynne [email protected] 07917 772431 View Magazines, View House, 10 The Ventry, Salisbury, Wilts SP1 3ES Tel: 01722 502464 Fax: 01722 502408 [email protected] Origination: PKmediaworks Ltd, Cranborne View Magazines is published by Power Publishing Ltd Publisher and managing director: Lt Col (Retd) Peter Hughes MBE [email protected] Company secretary: Barbara Hughes [email protected] Publishing consultant: Nick Farr ©View Magazines 2009. Reproduction of any material, in whole or in part, is prohibited without the written permission of the publisher. ESTABLISHED 2003 www.viewmagazines.co.uk A TA S T E O F S O U T H E R N I N D I A 1 5 5 F I S H E RTO N S T R E E T, S A L I S B U RY 01722 341600 w w w. h ox b ra s s e ri e . c o . u k Season’s Greetings f rom all of us at HOX BRASSERIE 4 and 5 VIEW DEC:august contents 19/11/09 16:43 Page 4 6 Contents 6 Positive Vetting New Forest vet Luke Gamble treats creatures great and small, near and far, but occasionally the knives are out for him 10 Fashion Putting on the Ritz Dressing up for perfect parties 10 13 Fashion Taking Silk Pretty presents for someone you love 14 It’s a Gift A few ideas to get you started 13 17 View Competition WIN dinner, bed and breakfast for two at the Legacy Rose & Crown Hotel 19 Branching Out The Enchanted Tree, Sarah Montague’s new shop in Weyhill, seeks to bring joy to children, and help a few of the world’s poorest communities 20 20 Cookery Fast Friends Gordon Ramsay’s entertaining menu for a fast drinks party 23 Cookery Be Prepared Hilare Walden has tips for a stress-free Christmas Day 23 25 The View Review Esther Apodaca visits the Mulberry, Bishopstrow House Hotel 27 Wine Wisdom Out with the Old Sally Easton suggests a brave new world Christmas The January 2010 issue of View will be av View is available free at t Bradbeers • New Milton • Romsey Waitrose: • Andover • Chandlers Ford • Gosport • Havant • Hythe • Lymington • Marlborough Waitrose: • Petersfield • Ringwood • Salisbury • Southsea • Southampton • Waterlooville • Winchester See the whole magazine online 4 and 5 VIEW DEC:august contents 19/11/09 16:43 Page 5 25 29 The Waitrose Page Spice is Nice A meaty mince pie with a difference and ice-cream that sings of the season 31 The Head’s View Spotlight on Rookwood School 29 32 School News From the region’s top schools 34 Places to go … things to do. A seasonal pick ‘n’ mix 36 View Points News Digest (1) 34 39 Interior View Top Tables A few little helpers for Santa’s special day 43 View Points News Digest (2) 44 44 Gardening In Want of a Garden Annie Bullen takes a turn in the shrubbery at Jane Austen’s Chawton home 49 Health A Rosy Future Rachel Heathcote sings the praises of the remarkable rosehip 50 50 Short Story Silly Superstitions The oily Cecil is Enid’s exit from the shelf, but his motives are suspect and the portents are not promising… by Jacky Hutchins e available from Wednesday, 23 December 54 Books Waterstone’s gift selection at the following locations: M&S • Andover • Fareham • Hedge End • Portsmouth (Commercial Rd) • Salisbury • Southampton (WestQuay) • Winchester Waterstone's: • Andover • Fareham • Lymington • Petersfield • Portsmouth Waterstone's: • Salisbury • Southampton (Above Bar) • Southampton (WestQuay) • Winchester (High Street) • Winchester (The Brooks) ne at www.viewmagazines.co.uk 19/11/09 14:08 Page 6 v 6-8 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG View outlook Troops in Afghanistan administering flea and tick treatments Positive vetting New Forest vet Luke Gamble treats creatures great and small, near and far, but occasionally the knives are out for him have a mixed practice on the edge of the New Forest,’ says 33-year-old Luke Gamble who, though born in Guildford, moved with his family to Hampshire when he was three years old. ‘The practice is small, but nice,’ he adds. This sounds like every young vet’s dream scenario, the successful conclusion to many years of study. Luke says he wants to make a difference, and the owners of his patients would undoubtedly say that he does. But he sought more, and found it. Luke now treats animals not just in his corner of England, but all over the world, often facing difficulties, occasionally facing danger but always fulfilling a great and sometimes desperate need for the animals and their owners. ‘When you first qualify, your ideals can become a little eroded,’ admits Luke, who trained at Bristol University. ‘I wanted to do something that was pure veterinary work, yet non-commercial, to use my veterinary skills without economic constraints. I wanted to combine challenge, variety and the passion for doing what I love. I wanted to champion animals where they had no-one else to stand up for them.’ In late 2002, Luke formed Worldwide Veterinary Service (WVS), registered as a charity in 2003. Based in Cranborne, WVS is committed to improving the treatment and welfare of all animal species throughout the world, supplying veterinary resources in the form of volunteer teams, drugs, equipment and advice to help animal charities and nonprofit organisations around the world. It’s a ‘I ‘I wanted to champion animals where they had noone else to stand up for them’ 6 6-8 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG 19/11/09 14:08 Page 7 v outlook ‘Someone in Zambia threatened to stab me’ Individuals can also prove tricky. ‘Someone in Zambia threatened to stab me when we were trying to get some birds off him,’ recalls Luke. ‘We just have to be professional, polite and firm, stand our ground. And sometimes it’s the animals that are dangerous. Many of them are not used to being handled and I’ve been bitten and nipped many times: in Malawi I was bitten by a community dog. But the animals we treat are often very frightened so we just have to be super careful. Many are feral, not nurtured pets. But generally, the people who bring animals to us are very grateful for our help. Often the animals are their livelihood. We work with communities, we get on with people and we’re working for them, as guests in their country. It’s a privilege to go and help them, and the charities. We want to carry on visiting, so it’s not in our interest to have conflict.’ View huge remit, thirsty for cash and volunteers. WVS teams comprise both veterinary and nonveterinary volunteers who have in common the desire to work proactively in the field of animal welfare. ‘We provide a resource that others can tap into when they need,’ explains Luke. ‘Last year WVS sent 45 UK-based teams of vets and nurses all over the world, from Europe and Africa to South America, for periods ranging from one week to a couple of months. In a refugee camp in Kenya last year we treated 9,000 animals in 11 days. We run major vaccination programmes, and have a disaster and emergency response team whose work is quite hard-core. And we run lots of cat trips, looking after the neglected feral cat populations in holiday resorts.’ Among this year’s trips, Luke has spent time in Malawi working with the Lilongwe SPCA and the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, followed by a trip to Grenada. An urgent request from Afghanistan for dog flea-and-tick treatments to help treat local animals resulted in a generous donation of ProMeris from Fort Dodge Animal Health, which was quickly on its way and administered on arrival by troops. Occasionally, though, helping is less than straightforward. While authorities, charities and individuals are usually pleased to accept the services of WVS, some countries are less welcoming than others. The most difficult, Luke says, is Greece. ‘It is often harder in Europe than in developing countries because there’s more regulation. The Greek authorities don’t like interference. It’s difficult getting any foreigners into Greece to work. But their guys don’t do the job. A large proportion of Greeks are not into animal welfare, and the authorities are difficult. It takes six months to get approval.’ Luke treating cattle and dogs last year at a Kenyan camp for displaced people. In many cases their cattle were all they had left. WVS treated 9,000 animals in 11 days An abandoned puppy, rescued by a WVS team in a slum in India. The puppy was treated by WVS then eventually passed to a re-homing charity WVS veterinary volunteer Clive Munns at an elephant orphanage in Kenya 7 19/11/09 14:09 Page 8 v 6-8 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG View outlook ‘If 4,000 people join WVS I can set up this centre and help thousands of animals and the people who depend on them’ Injured and rescued wildlife arriving at the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre in Malawi are health-checked and treated by WVS WVS veterinary volunteer Jo Barratt neutering dogs in Malawi 8 Luke recalls an occasion when, working with a charity trying to stop street trading of puppies, he came across a boy dangling a puppy by the leg at the roadside. The police became involved and the situation began to deteriorate. Luke intervened: ‘I got the boy to help out. He worked with me for a day; we treated over 600 animals and he was my assistant throughout. He turned out to be such a nice lad and in the end got a job working for a dog charity, which made a big difference to him. It’s all positive. It’s not about issues with people, it’s about doing what you can.’ Luke admits that spending so much time abroad, away from his home in the Hampshire village of Martin, is tough on his wife Cordelia (who is expecting their second child in February) and toddler Noah. ‘But the work is something that we both really believe in and Cordelia is very supportive,’ he says. ‘It would be impossible to run the charity without her support, even though it’s a huge sacrifice for her.’ Of course, the struggle for funds to meet the huge demands on WVS is a constant worry. ‘I’m desperate,’ Luke admits. ‘It’s increasingly difficult for us to provide veterinary teams to the many charities that need help. There are now 350 regularly contacting us for help and advice. ‘I want to set up a centre in India to train Indian vets, and people who run shelters, to carry out neutering on cats and dogs and run courses on animal welfare,’ he continues. ‘It costs £2.75 a month or £30 a year to become a WVS member. If 4,000 people join WVS I can set up this centre and help thousands of animals and the people who depend on them. The work has a strong human emphasis. Animals are often the economic mainstay of communities, so we’re not just helping animals, we’re also helping the people who depend on them.’ Luke explains that there is huge need in India, and that the government approves of his project. ‘But I need £125,000 a year. I need that commitment, members who will stick with it. Just 4,000 people and it’s done.’ V Anyone keen to support the work or volunteer is invited to contact WVS 01725 551123 www.wvs.org.uk 9 VIEW dec:Layout 1 22/11/09 08:00 Page 9 19/11/09 14:11 Page 10 v 10-11 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG View fashion V-neck short-sleeve top £18, trousers £20 Edinburgh Woollen Mill Timbuktu Tuareg sterling silver and ebony engraved bracelet £105 Alkina John Charles cocktail dress £339 Fab Frocks Wave bangle designed by Laura Strand £380 CRED Jewellery Putting on the Dressing up for perfect parties Halter-neck dress £59 Vivien of Holloway Linea green stone cuff £15 House of Fraser Leopard-print four-piece gold bangle set £6.99 I Kandi Amber peacock feather bangle £7.99 I Kandi 10 Stefanel gold asymmetric dress £130, Linea black and gold bow clutch £35, Kenneth Cole mixed long chain necklace (worn as a bracelet) £45 House of Fraser Timeless shoeboot £35 Oli 10-11 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG 19/11/09 14:13 Page 11 v fashion View Dress £79.50, cape £35 Per Una M&S Black oneshouldered dress £45 M&S STOCKISTS Alkina 020 8563 1319 www.alkinacollection.com CRED Jewellery 01243 773588 www.credjewellery.com Edinburgh Woollen Mill 01387 382952 www.ewm.co.uk Fab Frocks 01202 765352 www.fabfrocks.co.uk M&S Andover 01264 352541 Fareham 01329 285621 Hedge End 01489 798844 Commercial Road Portsmouth 02392 825241 Salisbury 01722 328888 West Quay Southampton 023 8022 9435 Winchester 01962 866344 www.marksandspencer.com House of Fraser www.houseoffraser.co.uk Oli 08445 565654 www.oli.co.uk I Kandi 0870 770 7201 www.ikandi4u.com Vivien of Holloway 020 7284 2074 www.vivienofholloway.com 12 VIEW DEC:Layout 1 23/11/09 10:05 Page 12 For a wonderful selection of Womenswear for that special occasion, visit Magpie Fashions mother of the bride or groom daywear Finest Silks prom dresses and Millinery cruisewear for the Most hats to hire Special bags and accessories Occasions Ispirato 1 High Street, Hythe Southampton SO45 6AG Phone & Fax: 02380 848829 Twenty One B website: www.magpie-shop.co.uk email: [email protected] 21b Milford Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 2AP Tel: 01722 410522 Normal opening Hours: Monday - Friday, 10am - 5pm. Saturday 9am-5pm. Out of hours appointments by prior arrangement www.twentyonebsalisbury.co.uk www.paulevasseursalisbury.co.uk Open: Mondays to Saturdays - 10:00am-4:00pm Wednesdays - 10:00am-1:00pm Huge Range of Prom Gowns and Evening Gowns now in stock CHRISTOPHER STEPHENS J EWELLERS 57 HIGH STREET, LYNDHURST, HAMPSHIRE • TELEPHONE 023 8028 3777 13 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG 19/11/09 14:15 Page 13 v fashion View Taking silk Pretty presents for someone you love Reger by Janet Reger silk teddy £25 Debenhams Bra £14, shorts £6, bracelet £7.50 M&S Autograph DD+ bra £18, brief £8 M&S Babydoll and briefs set £14, socks £6 New Look STOCKISTS Cerise Poppi print bra £35, brief £20 Monsoon Debenhams 08445 616161 www.debenhams.com M&S 0845 302 1234 www.marksandspencer.com Monsoon 020 372 3000 www.monsoon.co.uk New Look 0500 454094 www.newlook.co.uk 13 19/11/09 16:02 Page 14 v Xmas Gifts:Want one August View gifts promotion Nutcase helmets £40 each Common Assault It’s a gift Scandinavian heart-shaped tealight holder £9 each Gigi Home A few ideas to get you started Bronze hares by Michael Story from £54 each Fisherton Mill Autumn range of reduction stoneware from £15 per item Jennie Gilbert/Project Workshops Handmade ceramic cufflinks by Alison Wiffen £45 per pair Fisherton Mill 9ct rose and white gold ring, set with a peridot, rhodolite garnet and pink sapphire by Elinor Cambray £295 Fisherton Mill STOCKISTS Common Assault 01425 482797 www.commonassault.com Fisherton Mill 01722 415121 www.fishertonmill.co.uk Cedar roasting plank (also in oak, cherry or beech) £34.99 The Roasting Plank Company Gigi Home 01722 417835 www.gigionline.co.uk Helkatdesign 01380 722216 www.helkatdesign.co.uk/stockists Jennie Gilbert 01264 889966 www.jenniegilbert.com or www.project-workshop.co.uk The Roasting Plank Company www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk The Strawberry Fox 07971 446942 www.thestrawberryfox.com 14 Christmas toy sacks £22 each Helkatdesign Silver, 18ct gold and enamel Alan Ardiff Jumping Fish kinetic jewellery (move the chain and the fish jumps) £230 The Strawberry Fox 14 VIEW DEC:Want one August 23/11/09 11:14 Page 15 NOW OPEN Are you looking for an original Christmas present or a stocking filling for a foodie? Roasting Planks for the family chef BBQ Planks for the barbecue enthusiast Wood Paper for the creative cook. Sublime leather handbags to luxurious knits, handmade accessories and original designs. Stockists for RADLEY, LULU GUINNESS, MULBERRY, Mandarina Duck, SAC Games and much more. Laugh, live, love and be Foxy The Strawberry Fox, 14 Cross Keys Chequer Queen Street Salisbury SP1 1EY 01722 33 14 14 [email protected] • www.thestrawberryfox.co.uk Nothing could be more fun, tasty or easy as cooking on Oak, Cedar, Beech or Cherry wood. When wood is soaked in water it returns to its fresh just-cut flavour and the moisture and smoky aroma is released, in an oven or on a BBQ, to steam cook your meat, poultry, fish, seafood, vegetables and fruit. For our online shop or to find your nearest stockist please visit our website www.theroastingplankcompany.co.uk The best choice, top value and superb service. That’s Lambert and Wiltshire. At Lambert and Wiltshire you’ll find a superb collection of the finest shooting accessories and clothing for ladies and gentlemen from the leading brands. Oxbow clothing for men and women, Sundog sunglasses, Oakley sunglasses and a range of continental leather handbags from Sacco. Other clothing brands include Barbour, Le Chameau, Sasta, Deerhunter, Laksen and Chrysalis. We also stock a fine range of Christmas Gifts. GARMIN Handheld GPS from £85 For the man who has everything this Christmas? Lambert & Wiltshire Gunsmiths 16 Market Place, Ringwood Hampshire BH24 1AW Tel: 01425 473223 Fax: 01425 47322 www.lambertandwiltshire.com Contact us for information and best prices • Speed Dial: 0700 Gunsmiths “The Cycle Shop” We offer a range of bikes for all the family. We also carry a comprehensive range of clothing, parts and accessories. Cycle to Work bikes available through CycleScheme and Bikes for the NHS 0% FINANCE available Contact us to reserve your bike for Christmas. Christmas gifts and Gift Vouchers available 8/12 Lynes Lane, Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 1BT 01425 482797 www.commonassault.com 15 16 VIEW DEC:Layout 1 23/11/09 11:01 Page 16 Gigi Home Toys and books that inspire and teach your children about the world Fairtrade and locally sourced, sustainable toys, books and much, much more... The Old Post Office, Weyhill Rd, Weyhill, Hants SP11 OPP Tel: 01264 773698 www.the-enchanted-tree.co.uk Gigi Home now open at 50 High Street, Salisbury Come and visit us during December and discover a wealth of beautiful design at an affordable price. Cushions, Lamps, table linen and masses more waiting for you and your friends to discover! Bring this advert with you to gain 10% off any Christmas decorations in our extensive range of Scandinavian style tree and table decs! www.gigionline.co.uk 17 VIEW DEC:Life changer aug 20/11/09 09:16 Page 17 v competition View WIN dinner, bed and breakfast for two at the Legacy Rose & Crown Hotel COMPETITION The prize includes dinner in the Pavilion Restaurant with overnight accommodation and full English breakfast for two at the Legacy Rose & Crown Hotel et in a beautiful riverside location in the elegant city of Salisbury, the Legacy Rose & Crown Hotel is an original 13thcentury coaching inn. The many original features retained and lovingly refurbished include the old wooden beams and log fire located in the traditional Oak Bar. The hotel’s beautiful views embrace award-winning flowerbeds set against the backdrop of the River Avon. S The hotel’s Pavilion Restaurant has views of Salisbury’s famous cathedral, while chef John Tobin’s fresh, seasonal English menu makes use, whenever possible, of quality locally sourced ingredients. A refurbishment of the Avon Bar, one of two bars in the hotel, has recently been completed, bringing a touch of contemporary chic to the traditional 13th-century building. The hotel’s 29 fully refurbished bedrooms include feature and river-view rooms. Lounge areas offer free wi-fi on the Legacy network, and there are two meeting rooms with capacity for 80 and ample free parking. Licensed for civil wedding and civil partnership ceremonies, the Legacy Rose & Crown is a superb romantic venue for weddings. Whether you visit in the winter and snuggle up in the glow of the log fire, or enjoy the glorious gardens and sun-dappled river during the summer months, the Legacy Rose & Crown Hotel offers fine English dining and the warmest of welcomes. The Legacy Rose & Crown, Harnham Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP2 8JQ 0844 411 9046 www.legacy-hotels.co.uk WIN dinner, bed and breakfast for two at the Legacy Rose & Crown. Terms and conditions apply. The winner must book directly with the hotel. Prize subject to availability, valid Monday to Friday, excluding Christmas, New Year and bank holidays. To be in with a chance of winning this wonderful prize, answer this question: Q What is the name of the bar at the Legacy Rose & Crown, recently refurbished in a chic, contemporary style? Enter the Legacy Rose & Crown Hotel competition either via our website www.viewmagazines.co.uk or write the answer to the question on a postcard or the back of an envelope, add your name, address and daytime contact number, and send your entry to: The Legacy Rose & Crown Hotel Competition, View Magazines, 10 The Ventry, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 3ES. Closing date for entries: Thursday 31 December 2009 The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. This competition is not open to employees of View Magazines or the competition promoter or their families. View Magazines and the competition promoter will not make your details known to any third party. 17 18 view dec:Layout 1 21/11/09 16:15 Page 18 Enchanted TreeS:cookery AUG 19/11/09 14:28 Page 19 v outlook Branching out The Enchanted Tree, Sarah Montague’s new shop in Weyhill, seeks to bring joy to children, and help a few of the world’s poorest communities arah Montague’s errand seemed simple enough. ‘I was looking locally for presents for my daughter and her friends,’ she explains. ‘Affordable toys, books and gifts that were both inspiring and ethical… I found very few. So I resolved to do something about it.’ When a shop became available, just around the corner from Sarah’s home in Weyhill, she used her disappointment as inspiration. With just three weeks from being handed the keys, to opening the doors of The Enchanted Tree to customers, Sarah rose to the challenge. ‘I had to decorate and fit the shop, and order and receive stock, all from scratch. But I opened at Michaelmas, as planned. It was a steep learning curve.’ Born on the Isle of Sheppey, Sarah first moved to Wiltshire at around three years of age, before moving away again, living in several other southern counties before arriving back. A career in customer services for large companies, and redundancy from a telecoms company, led to her working as a receptionist at a local veterinary surgery. ‘I found that I enjoyed the face-to-face contact with people S Popular this Christmas, Lanka Kade rag dolls, made in Sri Lanka rather than just talking to them on the phone,’ she recalls. A further post in a school, which she loved, became ultimately unsatisfying due to the enormous amount of paperwork. ‘It detracted from working with the children,’ she says. ‘When the shop became vacant I knew I could do everything I wanted in one place. It had to be fair trade, organic and recyclable and I would be working with people.’ While this sounds fine in theory, times are tough for many businesses, especially new ones. The usual sorts of problems – a delay on the lease and a broken shop front thanks to a reversing lorry – were taken in her stride. ‘I’ve had great feedback,’ reports a happy Sarah. ‘I wasn’t expecting so many people to come in. There’s a real sense of community spirit here and people have been incredibly welcoming.’ Sarah sources her stock of toys and gifts both in the UK and abroad. ‘Many of my suppliers are either individuals, or husbandand-wife teams,’ she explains. ‘We actively search for smaller organisations and family run businesses, which allows us to offer a range of products not found in mainstream toyshops and superstores.’ Hot off the shelves at the moment, she says, are colourful wooden jigsaws and rag dolls made in Sri Lanka for Lanka Kade, a company set up by a husband-and-wife team, and push-along-penguins (‘… about a foot tall, fluffy with rubber feet’) from Creations in Wood, whose solid, old-fashioned wooden toys are made from sustainable wood bought from the Welsh Forestry Commission. ‘We stock lots of small, inexpensive items, but I wanted to have one large, more expensive item in the shop, something that perhaps grandparents will buy, and Creations in Wood rocking horses are wonderful,’ she adds. Although she hasn’t been in business for long, Sarah intends to stay in contact with her manufacturers and co-operatives in poorer communities to see what effect the trade is having on their lives: ‘Eventually we would like to visit these people and bring back photographs and information to display in the shop, to show our customers the good they are doing by buying our products.’ V www.the-enchanted-tree.co.uk 19 View Sarah Montague behind the counter at The Enchanted Tree 19/11/09 14:30 Page 20 v 20-21 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG cookery View Fast friends Gordon Ramsay’s entertaining menu for a fast drinks party e love having friends over for drinks and often find ourselves in the kitchen beforehand, hastily assembling finger foods to serve with Champagne, cocktails or wine. All of the nibbles on this menu are unbelievably easy and foolproof, but together they are infinitely more impressive than bowls of salty nuts and crisps. V W Menu Crispy Parma ham with asparagus Cherry tomato and feta kebabs Olives wrapped in anchovies Smoked salmon and horseradish cream on pumpernickel Minty mojito Blueberry and pomegranate fizz (All recipes serve 10) Planning your menu Soften the blueberries and prise out the seeds from the pomegranate Blanch and refresh the asparagus, then roll in the Parma ham Make the tomato and feta kebabs. Wrap the olives in anchovies Assemble the salmon and horseradish cream on pumpernickel Make the minty mojito cocktail Fry the wrapped asparagus spears and keep warm Make the fizz and serve the drinks with the nibbles Crispy Parma ham with asparagus These asparagus rolls are sophisticated enough for a drinks party, but they are just as popular with children. Tana even puts them in the kids’ lunchboxes. 30 asparagus spears, trimmed sea salt and black pepper 15 slices Parma ham 3-4 tbsp olive oil Blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes until bright green and just tender. Drain and refresh under cold running water, then drain again and pat dry. Cut each Parma ham slice in half lengthways and wrap around an asparagus spear. Fry the asparagus rolls in a hot pan with a little olive oil, turning frequently, for 2-3 minutes until the ham is crisp. Grind over a little pepper and serve. 20 20-21 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG 19/11/09 14:37 Page 21 v cookery Minty mojito These are so easy you could get young children to make them. Try drizzling a little balsamic vinegar over the kebabs as you serve them. I tend to make my cocktails fairly strong, but you could always add more soda water… or less if you prefer. View Cherry tomato and feta kebabs plenty of crushed ice 150g caster sugar 6-8 limes, halved 1 large bunch of mint 250ml white or light rum about 500ml soda water 300g feta cheese 30 cherry tomatoes 30 small basil leaves extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle black pepper Cut the feta into 2cm cubes and halve the cherry tomatoes. Thread them onto cocktail sticks, sandwiching a feta cube between two tomato halves. Thread a basil leaf onto each and arrange the kebabs on a serving plate. Just before serving, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the kebabs and sprinkle with a little freshly ground pepper. Olives wrapped in anchovies Fresh marinated anchovies from the supermarket chiller cabinet are perfect for this nibble. Otherwise use good quality canned anchovy fillets in olive oil. 30 marinated anchovies or anchovy fillets in olive oil 30 Kalamata olives Wrap an anchovy fillet around each olive and secure with a cocktail stick. Arrange on a platter. Smoked salmon and horseradish cream on pumpernickel Dark pumpernickel bread with its nutty flavour sets off savoury smoked salmon and creamy horseradish to delicious effect. 120ml crème fraîche 2-3 tbsp creamed horseradish sauce sea salt and black pepper 10 thin slices pumpernickel, toasted 400g smoked salmon slices Mix the crème fraîche and horseradish sauce together and season with salt and pepper to taste, then spread on top of each slice of toasted pumpernickel. Lay the smoked salmon slices on top and trim the edges to neaten. Cut into bite-sized pieces and arrange on a serving platter. Half-fill a large jug with crushed ice and sprinkle in the sugar. Grate the zest from one of the limes into the jug, then squeeze the juice from all of the limes and add to the jug. Drop in the spent lime halves that haven’t been zested. Snip the leaves from the bunch of mint into the jug and gently crush against the ice with a spoon. Pour in the rum and add soda water to taste. Stir well and pour into chilled glasses to serve. Blueberry and pomegranate fizz I love this fruity Champagne cocktail. For a milder tipple, dilute the fizz with some blueberry and pomegranate juice. Spoon the blueberries and pomegranate seeds into each glass, one-third fill with the fruit juice and top up with Champagne. 150g blueberries 2 tsp caster sugar 1 pomegranate 1 bottle Champagne, well chilled Heat a frying pan until hot, then tip in the blueberries and sugar and add a little splash of water. Place over a medium heat for a minute to slightly soften the berries. Tip onto a plate and leave to cool. Meanwhile, carefully prise out the seeds from the pomegranate avoiding the bitter membrane. Put a spoonful of blueberries and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds into 10 champagne flutes. Pour over the chilled Champagne and serve at once. Recipes from Fast Food by Gordon Ramsay (Quadrille £12.99). Photographs by Jill Mead KITCHENS, BEDROOMS AND BATHROOM FURNITURE Weyhill Farm, Weyhill, Andover (01264) 773333 www.saxondesigns.co.uk AFFORDABLE BESPOKE QUALITY – VISIT OUR SHOWROOM 21 22 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG 20/11/09 17:53 Page 22 The Fish Inn 01425 473185 Guzel Meze Bar www.thefishinn.net The Bridges Ringwood Hampshire BH24 2AA Bistro Authentic Turkish Cuisine Book now for Christmas Menu A 3 course meal, coffee and turkish delight £25.95 Pre-order and booking essential Menu B Choice of 3 dishes (meze or desert) £17.95 Choice of 4 dishes (meze or desert) £21.95 A la carte also available Belly dancing available on request .. For menu choices please see our website www.guzelbistro.co.uk Guzel Bistro For reservations please call 023 8064 7996 1c High Street, Eastleigh, SO50 5LB “We care & it shows” House & Hound is a family run business specialising in the care of your home and pets whilst you are away whether it be a weekend break, holiday or business trip. Feel happy and relaxed knowing your best friends are being loved and cared for as you would love and care for them yourself. House & Hound Sitters have cared for many different pets and are CRB checked and fully insured. We also offer a house sitting service without pets. Visit our website or ring Dave or Sue for more information 07830313591 / 07873553120 [email protected] www.houseandhound.co.uk 22 Christmas menu BOOKINGS NOW AVAILABLE 3 COURSES + COFFEE 2 COURSES + COFFEE £19.95 £15.95 The Bear &Ragged Staff.. Located on the A3057 Stockbridge to Romsey Rd at Stonymarsh Michelmersh Romsey SO51 0LB 01794 368602 www.thebearandraggedstaff.net 3 COURSE LUNCH FOR £15.00 in Stag Restaurant at New Park Manor Hotel HEAVENLY MUD SPA ESCAPE The day includes full use of the Bath House Spa facilities, a Rasul Mud Therapy treatment to illuminate your skin. £75.00 per person includes two course lunch, £45.00 per person half day. Offers valid until 31/03/2010. Subject to availability. Booking essential. New Park Manor Hotel & Bath House Spa Lyndhurst Road, Brockenhurst, New Forest, Hampshire SO42 7QH t: 01590 623467 www.newparkmanorhotel.co.uk 23 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG 19/11/09 14:38 Page 23 v cookery View Be prepared Hilare Walden has tips for a stress-free Christmas Day nless you’re going away for Christmas or spending it quietly on your own, it’s that time of year when you should begin to seriously get yourself organized to reduce last-minute panic, stress and bad temper. The first thing is to decide what meals you are planning to serve and how many people there will be for each one. Then sit down with recipe books and leaflets or look through websites and choose what dishes you would like to serve, taking into account any particular dislikes or special diets. Next, study them carefully to make sure that the combination(s) are practical: for example, not all the vegetables to be served for the Christmas meal have to be cooked at the last minute; instead, include something that can be left to cook happily in the oven (and perhaps cooked in advance then simply reheated), such as braised red cabbage, and a puréed vegetable that can be made ahead and reheated. Carrots or peas can be braised with just a little water and a knob of butter in a pan with the lid jammed tightly on, so they don’t need to be strained after cooking. Include in your menus a dish or dishes, parts of which can be made in advance and frozen. Even small things such as making the breadcrumbs for bread sauce can be done at leisure in advance. Stuffings can also be made ahead and frozen, perhaps formed into balls. U Good-quality sausages can be removed from their skins, formed into patties and wrapped in slices of bacon that have been stretched. Clear space in the freezer and store cupboards. Write shopping lists, grouping not only items that come from different shops, areas within shops, or websites, but also dividing them into days when they should be bought; for example, all storecupboard items can be purchased weeks in advance, fruits such as oranges and apples can be bought a few days ahead whereas you’d have to get green vegetables and salads just the day before. To ease the burden of last-minute shopping, consider which things can be frozen, such as milk and bread. Include foil, kitchen roll, clingfilm, bin liners, plastic bags, etc, in your advance shopping. Time plans are invaluable and if you write them when still calm, you’re more likely to remember things that are easily forgotten when you’re becoming flustered: it will take much longer to prepare vegetables, for example, for a crowd than it does for the family; a large saucepan of water takes longer to come to the boil, and then return to the boil once the vegetables have been added, than one you would use when cooking for two people. When you put a large, cold turkey into the oven, the temperature will drop and take a while to regain its set level. With so much cooking being done at the ‘Stuffings can also be made ahead and frozen, perhaps formed into balls’ same time across the country, power supplies tend to drop and ovens struggle to keep to the correct temperature, so food takes longer to cook. Check that you have enough cooking dishes, tins and pans of the right sizes and plenty of serving dishes, crockery, cutlery and glassware. Buy any shortfalls well ahead. If you’ll be seating a crowd, sort out the seating arrangements. If you’re having a fresh turkey or goose, order it in plenty of time; if you’ve decided to have a frozen bird, note when it should be removed from the freezer to start its thawing time (don’t forget to remove the giblets as soon as possible). A turkey will stay warm enough for 30-45 minutes after it has been removed from the oven. This ‘resting’ time also makes it easier to carve as well as freeing up oven space. The main thing, though, is just to relax and enjoy yourself. It comes but once a year, after all. V 23 24 VIEW DEC:Layout 1 23/11/09 11:33 Page 24 Pembroke Arms Fovant We wish all our customers Festive Cheer! Ministry of Spice MAGIC NIGHT EVERY SATURDAY Book your table online and get 10% off Join us at the Pembroke Arms for a meal and drinks and we’ll collect you and drop you home, completely free of charge! Call Helen or Mike for more details. • Warm friendly environment with something for everyone • Open for lunch and evening meals with extensive seafood menu • Home cooked Sunday roasts • En suite accomodation Pembroke Arms Fovant Shaftesbury Road, Fovant, Wiltshire, SP3 5JH Tel 01722 714201 email [email protected] Open from 12 - 2 lunchtimes 5 till 11.30 evenings Ministry of Spice Tel 01980 843210 01980 847325 2 Zouch Market Tidworth Wiltshire SP9 7ET ² See us online www.ministryofspice.net Awarded 5##### by the Environmental Health from Wiltshire Council (the only indian restaurant in Tidworth to do so) 3 Course Festive Lunch & Coffee £17.50pp (Monday-Saturday) Festive Dinner & Live Entertainment £30.00pp (Sunday-Wednesday) Christmas Day Traditional Lunch £40.00pp New Year’s Eve Dinner & Cabaret £55.00pp 25 VIEW DEC:Bruce Parker AUG 19/11/09 14:41 Page 25 v food View The View review Esther Apodaca fast forwards from classical elegance to 21st-century chic The Mulberry • Bishopstrow House Hotel • Warminster • Wiltshire 01985 212312 • www.vonessenhotels.com dark and drizzly drive eventually heralded the welcoming vista of Bishopstrow House. Built by Squire William Temple in 1817, this ivy-clad Georgian mansion with a pair of handsome ionic columns flanking its entrance is now a hotel, spa and restaurant. We studied the menu in the traditional library furnished with comfortable sofas, handsome tartan cushions and bookshelves stuffed with hardbacks. Starters included two vegetarian dishes (including an excitingsounding cauliflower panna cotta with Parmesan jellies under the heading cauliflower cheese), a poached salmon with accompanying jelly and a marinated beef fillet carpaccio. The choice of six mains looked punchy and included game, a vegetarian dish and seafood. The general theme is modern British, but, as with the slow-cooked pork belly and loin with mustard foam, there are clearly some sophisticated influences at work. A Bishopstrow’s Mulberry restaurant is the recipient of a recent refurbishment, with the result that en route from library to dining room we travelled H G Wells-style from the 19th century into a tawny colour scheme and laid-back minimalism of the 21st century. My starter of pressed chicken, cured foie gras and ham terrine served with warm brioche and fine cress with mustard sauce was an agreeable threesome of sweetness, meatiness and tang. Meanwhile, my companion had perked up with a nice glass of Argentine red and was making favourable sounds about his twice-baked mature cheddar soufflé, and toasted hazelnut salad with orange. He’s constantly braying about soufflés, and to be honest I always thought his bark was worse than his bite, but true to his word he ordered one and it disappeared in its entirety. Very sweet it looked, too, on its salad, replete with crunchy hazelnuts. His main course, was a triumph of pan- A slice of contemporary style in the newly refurbished restaurant • BA12 9HH Bishopstrow’s comfortable library roasted mature sirloin steak served with fondant potato, braised carrot and young spinach with sautéed girolles. It was juicy, tender and goodlooking. I was jealous, because my seared scallops, nero pasta with roasted pepper jam and lemon chilli dressing was a mixed bag. The scallops were succulent, impeccably cooked delights. They were served with a small mound of inky Nero tagliatelli and the whole ensemble came on a rectangle of the same. While it looked graphic and classy against the white plate, it was a little too much pasta for me. The pudding list included a crumble and cheeses and after much deliberation it was iced nougatine parfait, poached apricot with sharp raspberry sauce for him, Seville orange cheesecake, macerated oranges with Grand Marnier sabayon for me. Unnecessary, maybe; greedy, certainly; but enjoyable, definitely. Our compliments to chef Ben Streak. I only wish we could have stayed for the night, lounging in the cosy sitting room with brandy and petit fours. V Our meal without drinks came to £95 25 26 VIEW DEC:Layout 1 23/11/09 17:15 Page 26 50 staff s happy to look after yo you ou in good company 45 ho-ho-hos h compan ny service 4 stars stars for outstanding servic ce One On ne of a kind 2 fantastic hotels for all your festive celebrations The Hampshire Court Hotel Basingstoke, Basiingstoke, Hampshire Nor rton Park Norton Winchester, Win nchester, Hampshire Sparkling with Christmas spir spirit rit The Hampshire Hampshire Court Court Hotel and d Norton perfect N orton Park Park are are the the p erfect vvenues enues to to ccelebrate elebrate tthis his ffestive estive season.. Whatever Whatever your your occasion occassion you you can be sure sure of a warm welcome, w elcome, superb food food o and friendly friendly service. service. £22 £ 22 2.0..000 New Year’s Eve Celebration £ £45 45.0.000 Christmas Party Nights ROM FR perr person per rson FROM perr person per rson Seasonal Lunches £19 £ 19.5.500 00 £65 £ 6 .0.00 65 ROM FR per per adult adult Accommodation Packages OM RO FR peer per rroom oom To T o book or ffor or o fur further ther inf information formation o please contact us Norton Tel: 01962 Norton Park Park k –T el: e 0196 62 763000 or [email protected] email: nor tonpark [email protected] The Hampshir e Court Court Hotel – T eel: 01256 319700 o Hampshire Tel: orr email: hampshir ecourte [email protected] [email protected] www w.QHotels.co . .uk www.QHotels.co.uk Hotel Gr Group oup of the Y Year ear e 2008 - 2009 Barnards Restaurant Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our customers NV Restaurant & Lounge 129 High Street, Southampton, SO14 2BR Tel: 023 8033 2255 www.nvsouthampton.com Open Tuesday–Friday for Morning coffee and breakfast from 9.30am DECEMBER 2009 Lunches from 12.00pm Dinner from 7.00pm 3 Course Festive Lunch & Coffee £17.50pp (Monday-Saturday) Saturdays Dinner only from 6.30pm Festive Dinner & Live Entertainment £30.00pp (Sunday-Wednesday) Telephone 023 9225 7788 Christmas Day Traditional Lunch £40.00pp Hambledon Road, Denmead, Hampshire PO7 6NU www.barnardsrestaurant.co.uk New Year’s Eve Dinner & Cabaret £55.00pp 26 27 VIEW DEC:May.05 pg. 26-49-q5 19/11/09 14:43 Page 27 v wine wisdom View Out with the old Sally Easton suggests a brave new-world Christmas he French wine classics usually get an extra mention at the end of the year as many of us fall into the comfort zone of traditional Christmas fare. But this year I’m striking a pose for the new world. In my recommendations this month there’s not a cabernet sauvignon/merlot (Bordeaux) or chardonnay (Burgundy) in sight. Just some really good new-world wines to go with the festive food and mood. For a wine that packs a great-value, flavoursome punch of intense and pure lime zest-and-pith fruit, go no further than the dry Chilean riesling. This is a super allrounder. Have a bottle in the fridge to wow unexpected guests with an impromptu glass. Pair it happily with nibbles and crudités as well as fishy dishes and the odd turkey-leftovers quiche. The sauvignon blanc is a little more serious, steely, zingy in that grassy, grapefruity, stand-up-straight-with properdeportment spectrum. Try this instead of Marlborough sauvignon blanc. It’s definitely one for salmon or goat’s cheese starters, with roast vegetables, and would be fine with such things as pumpkin soup. T Outside of Burgundy, Central Otago makes some of the best pinot noir around the world, though the best are already becoming comparable in (high) price. It may still be a viticulturally young landscape, but good examples have a wonderful purity and sweetness of redberry fruit – strawberries, raspberries, crunchy cranberries, and fine-grained tannins that seem to accentuate and cradle the fruit. The one recommended had just 20 per cent new oak, so nothing to interfere with the fruit/acid balance that’s critical for pinot noir. This’ll be good with the turkey, though with all the dense trimmings, the richer Aussie wine would also do well. Finally, for real depth, punch and chew factor, go for the Aussie Barossa Valley job. As you’d expect from the Barossa, with 16 per cent alcohol it’s not a shy and retiring little number, but this is fully integrated in lush, sweet-spicy fruit, and a spicy, mouthfilling and warming structure. Half of the blend is from old-vine grenache (over 70 years), which adds density and concentration; the rest from shiraz and mourvèdre, also with some old vines. V White M&S: Sterhuis sauvignon blanc 2009, South Africa £9.99 Majestic: Costero Riesling 2009, Chile £8.69 or buy two save 20 per cent - £6.95 each (until 1 February, 2010) Red ‘Have a bottle in the fridge to wow unexpected guests with an impromptu glass’ M&S: Saddleback pinot noir 2008, Central Otago, New Zealand £14.99 Waitrose: Kaesler Avignon 2007, Barossa Valley, Australia £12.99 Sally Easton MW (Master of Wine) is a wine educator and freelance writer. She teaches consumer classes and runs corporate seminars via her wine school. www.winewisdom.com 27 28 DEC VIEW:cookery AUG 23/11/09 10:40 Page 28 Christmas at The New Forest Farm Shop Beautiful Free Range New Forest Bronze Turkeys. Every New Forest Turkey bought entitles you to receive a Hamptworth 5ft–6ft Christmas Tree at Half price (Deposit required at time of booking) Join the Rose & Crown this December..... 70's & 80's Nights from £26 per person The Farm Shop is situated on the Hamptworth Estate half way between Southampton and Salisbury just off the A36 (follow signs to Hamptworth Golf Course from the A36) Superb quality locally sourced Free range meats, a selection of smoked goods and traditional New Forest Produce. Disco Party Nights Dinner & Disco £29 per person Festive Sunday Lunch £20 per person £12 per child (5-12 years) Christmas Eve Dinner Dinner & Entertainment £24 per person Christmas Day 5 course Luncheon £60 per person Tel: 01794 399 817 Kate Good Pottery Boxing Day Luncheon £22 per person £12 per child (5-12 years) Buffet Disco evening £24 per person New Year's Eve 6 course Gala Dinner £68.95 per person Residential 3 Night Christmas Package From the 24th til 27th December £380 per person Residential New Years Eve gala Dinner £250 per couple Presents for all occasions Fine household & decorative stoneware pottery Commissions & original designs undertaken Commemorative items a speciality Bantam and Goose Egg Cups Available NEW SHOWROOM NOW OPEN ALL VISITORS WELCOME Harnham Road, Salisbury, SP2 8JQ Tel: 0844 411 9046 Fax 0870 832 9947 [email protected] www.legacy-hotels.co.uk 28 Kate High Good Pottery Street, Tisbury Tel: 01747 870367 29 VIEW DEC:May.05 pg. 26-49-q5 19/11/09 14:46 Page 29 v the waitrose page View Spice is nice A venison version of the mince pie hristmas is a time to embrace culinary traditions, but some of the classic seasonal recipes we all know and love have undergone changes over the years. Mince pies are always a festive favourite, served piping hot from the oven with some cool brandy cream or a sprinkling of icing sugar. This year, however, Waitrose is taking this seasonal staple back in time to show customers how it was originally eaten. The origins of the mince pie date back as far as the 15th century when meat was preserved using herbs and spices and eaten in pies as a main meal. Waitrose’s Executive Chef Neil Nugent has developed a venison version inspired by a Victorian recipe even Rudolph might be proud of. ‘People only think of mincemeat as being the sweet combination of dried fruits and spices,’ says Neil, ‘but the fact is that a traditional mince pie from Victorian times was made using meat. We’ve come up with a recipe using delicious ingredients such as juniper berries, black spiced vinegar and fresh minced venison, which I believe are the very best flavours of the winter season, to emulate the real heritage of this dish.’ The Waitrose Venison Mince Pie uses venison supplied by Round Green Deer Farm, C This Christmas, Waitrose introduces a meaty mince pie with a difference and ice-cream that sings of the season the home of deer for over 25 years. Combined with a delicious base of onion, celery and carrot, the spiced meat is then slowly cooked with red wine, beef stock and thyme. Juniper berries are added to impart a sharp, clear flavour that perfectly complements the gamey flavours of the meat. Waitrose Reserve Shiraz, St Hallett, Barossa Valley Australia (£8.99) is recommended as an accompaniment, a vibrant and rich red made from 100 per cent Shiraz grapes by Waitrose in partnership with Barossa Valley winery St Hallett. It has ripe red and black fruit flavours, hints of spice and a smooth chocolately, oaky finish. For the sweet toothed, Waitrose is introducing an ice-cream with a seasonal twist. If you only indulge in one Christmas dessert this year, make it the brand-new Waitrose Mince Pie Ice Cream. Made with West Country milk and cream, with sweet crumbly pastry pieces, and deliciously fruity mincemeat, it’s the perfect pudding for Christmas day. V Waitrose As Good As Going Out Venison Mince Pie (£3.99), Waitrose Mince Pie Ice Cream £3.29 A sweet treat for Christmas 29 31 VIEW DEC:May.05 pg. 26-49-q5 23/11/09 11:37 Page 30 West W est e H Hill ill Park Park Co-educational Da Day ay and Boarding Boarding School School for fo or children children 2½ to 13 years years fulfil your potential Founded 1553 www.kes.hants.sch.uk Independent Co-Educational Day School Academic Excellence Strong Pastoral Support Extensive Range of Extra Curricular Opportunities Outstanding Facilities Own Bus Service Covering South Hampshire and Salisbury Financial Assistance and Scholarships are available JLYLQJFKLOGUHQVSDFHWRÁRXULVK www www.westhillpark.com w..westhillpark.com 01329 824356 8 Leehurst Swan Salisburyʼs only Independent Day School for Children aged 2 – 16 ‘Learning and Laughter is an essential part of the School Day’ King Edward VI School Wilton Road, Southampton SO15 5UQ email: [email protected] telephone: 023 8079 9216 SCHOLARSHIPS • ACADEMIC • value up to 100% This is an opportunity to benefit from the excellent opportunities offered by Leehurst Swan to a child whose parents could never ordinarily contemplate private education on financial grounds (subject to means testing). also • MUSIC • SPORT • ART • for entry into Year 7 in September 2010 and • ACADEMIC • MUSIC • for entry into Year 3 in September 2010 Scholarships and Entrance Examinations for entry into the Senior School will be held on Saturday 16 January 2010 For further information on scholarships or the entrance exam please contact Mrs Beverley Smith - Registrar Telephone 01722 333094 or email [email protected] One community......One family Leehurst Swan, Campbell Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 3BQ www.leehurstswan.org.uk 31 VIEW DEC:May.05 pg. 26-49-q5 19/11/09 14:47 Page 31 v education View THE HEAD’S VIEW A series that asks head teachers to explain what it is that sets their school apart from others This month, Margaret Langley of Rookwood School Real ‘value added’ hen people mention ‘value added’ in respect of schools, one immediately thinks of league tables and rankings measuring a school’s academic rating against its peers. There is no disputing the importance of academic qualifications and at Rookwood School we achieve excellent results. This year’s GCSEs produced 93.3 per cent of candidates gaining at least 5 A*-C grades, with 92 per cent of all subjects taken awarded A*-C. Forty-five per cent of all grades were A*or A and, as a result, all our Year 11 leavers gained places of first choice at their sixth forms. Every subject area had a positive value-added score and our candidates gained an average of one-grade above their predicted, taken over all subject entries. However, there are many facets to education, and academic success in examinations is just one of them. At Rookwood School we offer our children so much more, truly adding value to each of our pupils and providing them with the opportunities to develop their individual talents. Music and drama flourish throughout the school, with youngest to oldest pupils having the chance to perform on stage in concerts and plays during the year. The Nursery and Pre-Prep Christmas and Easter concerts are a joy to watch and bring out an enormous amount of talent and confidence in the pupils from such a young age. The Prep School stages an annual spring musical, while in the senior school there are performances throughout the year. With a variety of ensembles including a rock group, Junior and Senior choirs and a Senior band there is a wide choice. Sport is offered to the children from Nursery onwards and as pupils move up through the school there are an increasing number of sporting options and the chance to play in matches against teams from other schools. The school’s commitment to sport is being further consolidated with an exciting new building project to consist of a W ‘Rookwood pupils leave us with a confidence in what they do and a real sense of purpose for the future’ £2m sports hall and classroom complex which will open in April 2010. This will provide indoor netball, hockey, basketball, football and gymnastics facilities with changing areas for both home and visiting teams. The school also has two all-weather tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool and rugby and football pitches on its site, so there is plenty of opportunity for sport for all ages. For the artistic, Rookwood has wonderful art rooms in the new building, which was opened in 2005. It is always a pleasure to visit the art department and see the pupils’ work displayed. Design technology offers far more than the normal curriculum; whether it is wood-turning, pen-making, jewellery making or creating stained glass, there is something for everyone. Particularly in the current economic climate, parents can find it hard to justify paying for a private education, not always seeing the ‘added value’. A child’s formative school years cannot be replaced and our pupils thrive in an environment of small classes, individual attention and the chance for each to shine. This is often lost in a large school environment, which is what makes Rookwood a very special place. I have seen many children over the years who have come to us with little confidence in their abilities. With the dedication of excellent staff, individual attention and really taking the time to discover where a child’s strengths lie, Rookwood pupils leave us with a confidence in what they do and a real sense of purpose for the future, whether that be in academic study, sport or the arts. I believe that this is the unique added value of a Rookwood education – it is an education for life. V Rookwood School • Weyhill Road • Andover • Hampshire • SP10 3AL 01264 325900 • www.rookwood.hants.sch.uk 31 23/11/09 10:08 Page 32 v 32-33 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG View education Portsmouth High Junior Department School Rookwood pupil achieves award for highest national GCSE grades The Portsmouth High School Nursery and Reception Class have been judged by Ofsted as “Outstanding” in every category (OFSTED, 2008). Come and see the Junior School in action Visit us and find out how to get your daughter’s education off to a flying start... An independent day school for girls aged 3 to 18 www.portsmouthhigh.co.uk 023 9282 6714 Part of the Girls’ Day School Trust, a family of 29 schools "# A former pupil from Rookwood School, Andover, has been awarded a prestigious prize for achieving the highest GCSE grades in the UK from ISA member schools. The Independent Schools Association (ISA) represents over 300 independent schools across the UK and awards the Whitbread Memorial Prize each year for the candidate gaining the best marks at GCSE. This year, Jamie Roberts achieved 12 A* grades and 2 As to become the top student, with 125 points. Hilary Corden came fourth with 11 A* grades and 1 A, with 110 points. This year’s GCSE results at Rookwood were once again excellent. Thirty candidates sat the examinations, with 92 per cent of subject entries awarded grades A*-C and 45 per cent of all entries awarded either A* or A. A 100 per cent pass rate was achieved at grades A-G, with 93.3 per cent of candidates gaining five or more passes at grades A*-C. Jamie and Hilary were also jointly awarded Rookwood School’s Brammah Shield for all-round achievement. ‘To be the top student at GCSE from ISA member schools across the UK is a truly remarkable feat and we are all extremely proud of Jamie’s success,’ comments Mrs Margaret Langley, Headmistress. ‘To have two Rookwood pupils in the top four is outstanding and I congratulate both Jamie and Hilary on their exceptional achievement.’ Hilary Corden and Jamie Roberts receive the Brammah Shield at Rookwood’s senior prizegiving Ballard School GCSE drama group - Twelfth Night OPEN MORNING & ENTRANCE EXAM DAY (for registered Year 7 and Year 9 pupils) Saturday 16 January 2010 9.00am - 12.00 noon You are cordially invited to... • View our impressive facilities • Meet the Principal • Talk to pupils and teachers (No appointment necessary) # # ! 32 Clearly a lot of time, hard work and fun went into rehearsals for the production of Twelfth Night performed by the GCSE drama students of Ballard School, New Milton. The cast rose admirably to the challenge of performing a fulllength Shakespeare play. The main characters spoke their lines with feeling and conviction and clearly had an excellent understanding of the meaning. Chris Ward gave a heartfelt portrayal as the rejected Duke Orsino, Florence Simpkin was commanding on stage as Olivia and Nicole Baker performed Viola’s ring soliloquy particularly well as it dawns on her what a tangled mess she has got herself into. Alex Edwards and Christian Clark were well cast as Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, assisted by Isabelle Breslin as Maria and Max Doohan as Feste the Fool. Ted Linsley was excellent in the role of Malvolio: stage lighting was used very creatively to depict his imprisonment. The character himself was out of sight, leaving an enlarged shadow of the anguished man pleading with the Fool. Overall this was a fun and successful production. The students will undoubtedly have much to write about in their GCSE drama exam in the summer. 32-33 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG 21/11/09 17:01 Page 33 v News education View Ofsted says Forres Sandle Manor is ‘Outstanding’ Fordingbridge prep school Forres Sandle Manor scored a universal ‘Outstanding’ in every aspect of its boarding provision last week and there were no recommendations for improvement. The school is now entitled to use ‘Outstanding’ on all its literature, an accolade few achieve. ‘Not that we were in any doubt that we are the best boarding house in the world (probably), but we are thrilled to get top marks from Ofsted,’ says headmaster Dick Moore. ‘They reflect the quality and commitment of our superb staff and the whole school ethos being that of an extended family where everyone looks out and cares for each other. FSM is a place where children feel happy and secure so they can flourish and realise their talents to the full. I am very proud of them and our staff.’ The report concluded that Forres Sandle Manor ‘provides an outstanding pastoral care for its boarders within a very child-centred environment where they are extremely happy and feel entirely safe. There is a strong sense of community at the school with boarding a central and integral element’. Salisbury Cathedral pupils visit American Museum As part of their history curriculum, Year 5 from Salisbury Cathedral School recently spent an exciting day at The American Museum, near Bath. The museum’s knowledgeable guides organized excellent activities for the children. They started with a tour of the museum and the children gazed in wonder at the varied Native American exhibits. The displays of the many beautiful artefacts, including intricate beadwork and Navaho jewellery, were fascinating. The children were then fortunate enough to handle, draw and discuss native artefacts, like masks, arrows, buffalo horn cups, Inuit fishing rods for use on ice, and querns for grinding corn. Alex and Isabella tried on the native dress of the plains woman and chief, the role-play completed with a baby in papoose on a cradleboard. The day finished with an exciting visit to the museum shop. Pupils and staff of Leehurst Swan School, Salisbury, donated over 60 shoe boxes to the Trussell Trust appeal for those in extreme poverty in Bulgaria, some of whom have never before received a Christmas gift. The Trussell Trust has been working with marginalized Bulgarian communities since 1997, restoring dignity and reviving hope. ROOKWOOD SCHOOL Co-educational day and boarding for children aged 3-16 Excellent results 93.3% gained 5 or more A*-C passes at GCSE 2009 achieved in small classes with individual attention and first rate teaching OPEN MORNING Friday 22nd January 2010 9:30am-12:30pm 11+ Scholarship 28th January 2010 7+ Scholarship 12th March 2010 Telephone: 01264 325900 www.rookwood.hants.sch.uk Weyhill Road, Andover, Hampshire SP10 3AL 33 19/11/09 14:55 Page 34 v 34 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG View leisure and pleasure Places to go . . . … things to do. A pick ‘n’ mix of festive fun Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at Ferneham Hall, Fareham (11 Dec-10 Jan), with a live band and Sue Holderness as the Wicked Queen 01329 231942 www.fernehamhall.co.uk The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (4 Dec-2 Jan) at The Haymarket, Basingstoke, produced by Anvil Arts. Four children find their way through a wardrobe to a magical land, ruled over by the evil White Witch 01256 844244 www.anvilarts.org.uk Michael Morpurgo narrates On Angel Wings (Winchester Cathedral 14 Dec), the story of how a shepherd became the first visitor to the stable on Christmas night. With Juliet Stevenson, a range of musicians and farm animals. Many other events and services www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk Winchester Community Choir will be playing a leading role in the Wessex Cancer Trust’s carol concert in Romsey Abbey (2 Dec), and holding their own Christmas concert (8 Dec) at the United Church, Jewry Street, Winchester, as well as singing outside the cathedral (12 Dec) as part of the Winchester Christmas market www.winchestercommunitychoir.co.uk St Agnes Fountain at St Mary’s Church, Marlborough (10 Dec) www.marlboroughfolk-roots.co.uk Handel’s Messiah at Salisbury Cathedral (16 Dec) performed by the Salisbury Cathedral Choir and Sarum Orchestra. Tickets from Salisbury Playhouse box office 01722 320333 Portsmouth-based orchestra Kaleidoscope, whose musicians have performed for Her Majesty the Queen, the late Princess of Wales and President Bill Clinton are bringing their music to Southsea (6&7 Dec) at the Royal Marines Museum, Eastney, Portsmouth 0800 298 5499 www.kmusic.co.uk Christmas at Winchester Discovery Centre includes selling exhibitions Making Merry (until 3 Jan) and Crafted (until 10 Jan), the Winchester Area Community Action Christmas Fair (5 Dec), Christmas wreath workshop (5 Dec) and more 0845 603 5631 www3.hants.gov.uk 34 Potterne Christmas Market (6.30pm 4 Dec) with a full programme of events, a wide selection of stalls, live entertainment, and hot food and drinks. Entertainment includes The Will Blake Band and carols from the children of Five Lanes School. Also a light display and Santa in his grotto. The fifth Decorated Christmas Tree Festival (1-6 Dec) at St Tomas’ Church, Salisbury. Over 100 trees, decorated by local charities, businesses, community organisations, churches and individuals. Live music and refreshments. Free entry www.stthomassalisbury.co.uk Naomi House Santa Fun Run, Winchester Rugby Club (6 Dec), the first of its kind for Naomi House. Entries for sponsored, energetic, fundraisers dressed as Santa close on 30 November, but all are welcome to go along and support. Entrants contact 01962 843513 [email protected] The National Trust’s Hampshire properties are hosting lots of Christmas events. Mottisfont will be dressed for a 1930s house party, with a Christmas trail to Santa’s secret grotto for children. Winchester City Mill will be holding milling demonstrations, mill races, a quiz trail and hands-on activities for children – with perhaps a visit from the mill’s otters thrown in. A beautifully decorated Hinton Ampner will be alive with the merry sounds of Christmas bells thanks to the Owlesbury handbell ringers and The Vyne’s Dining Parlour will be set for an Edwardian Christmas, with workshops offering children the chance to make cards and crowns among other things. Delicious food and gifts shops are all part of the mix www.nationaltrust.org.uk Warminster Philharmonic Orchestra’s The Christmas Cracker Concert (12 Dec 7.30pm) complete with audience participation carols at The Athenaeum Centre box office 01985 213891 Nick Harper and Glowglobes (19 Dec), part of the Acoustic Café season at Salisbury Arts Centre in partnership with Larmer Tree Festival. Salisbury Arts Centre box office 01722 321744 Hinton Ampner Christmas table decoration 35 VIEW dec:Layout 1 21/11/09 17:37 Page 35 UNLIMITED is an outdoor therapy centre situated in the heart of Salisbury Plain, 5 minutes from Stonehenge. We offer various activities including supervised riding at our Riding Centre, cycling, climbing, walking, camping and Equine Assisted Therapy. We're not huge, in fact we are a small celtic christian community from the village of Shrewton. Being small, we can provide ‘Made-tomeasure’ assistance and therapies. If you would like to come and enjoy yourself while discussing Christianity or your beliefs we would love to hear from and meet you. GOD NEW this term Wild Club - learn all about beasts and bugs! PLUS diet and exercise groups for weight loss, AND cycling out on the Plain! Christmas fundraising concert coming up in Shrewton on December 15th in the evening – please contact the office for more details / tickets We like talking to people! If you want to talk to us, we'll gladly have a little chat on the phone. Tel: 01980 621712 Still got a fax? So do we! Fax: 01980 621712 Or email us on [email protected] GUL, Gateways House London Road, Shrewton, Wiltshire SP3 4DL www.god-unlimited.org Charity number 1116934 view 36 red:May.05 pg. 26-49-q5 19/11/09 16:56 Page 36 points Calling small businesses: Marlborough Cancer Research spring fair The Marlborough Cancer Research fundraising group is planning a new event for 2010, the Marlborough Spring Fair. ‘We’re particularly keen to encourage small businesses in Wiltshire to use this event as a shop window for their products,’ says organizer Anne Deuchar. ‘It really is an excellent yet inexpensive marketing opportunity for small businesses producing high-quality specialist products, so we’d like to encourage small businesses to apply for a stand. We will then be able to live up to our aim of focusing on wonderful Wiltshire businesses.’ For the public, the fundraising fair aims to offer great products ‘for the home, for the garden, for you’, in a celebration of spring and summer. It will be held in Norwood Hall, Marlborough College, on 10 April. For details, contact Anne on 07887 924539 or email [email protected] www.marlboroughcancerresearch.org The awards just keep coming … Winchester Discovery Centre unveils a new look Children’s Library Thirty children from Western Primary School, Winchester, were among guests recently invited to the unveiling of the new-look Children’s Library at Winchester Discovery Centre. Their response to the colourful world map mural and giant cuckoo clock was one of delight, with one child commenting: ‘It’s really good because you can see all the countries and I like the bright colours and animals.’ The design was commissioned from local company Peagreen who also created the frieze around the mezzanine in the main part of the building as part of the renovation in 2007. The brightly coloured world map was inspired by the idea that children are able to explore the world through books. While the cuckoo clock incorporates quotes from children’s literature chosen by youngsters in Winchester to feature on the walls of their library. The project was made possible by sponsorship from the University of Winchester and commenting on the success of the launch Pro Vice Chancellor Professor Elizabeth Stuart said: ‘The university was delighted to sponsor the extraordinary clock and the magnificent map in the Children’s Library. There are two ways to travel the world – by transport and through the imagination – and books provide the vehicles for young minds to travel across the universe. The university is delighted to work with the Discovery Centre to help develop the imagination and intellectual curiosity of the young people who visit the Children’s Library.’ As well as launching the children’s library, Assistant Director – Libraries and Information, Nicola Horsey, was proud to tell the assembled crowd that Hampshire County Council’s Winchester Discovery Centre has won the prestigious Public Library Building Award for the category of Architecture meets Practicality 2009, the premier building award in the public library profession of the UK and Ireland. Congratulations to Bishopstrow House, recently awarded Most Excellent Country House Hotel at the Condé Nast Johansens 2010 Annual Awards for Excellence. Special congratulations are due to Jason Thorley, General Manager at Bishopstrow House, and his team, who successfully launched the halcyon Spa earlier this year and, in October, the fabulous new Mulberry restaurant. The Condé Nast Johansens Awards for Excellence are made annually to those properties worldwide that represent the finest standards and best value for money in luxury and independent accommodation. Bishopstrow House is part of the von Essen group; other recent awards to the group include AA Hotel Group of the Year 2009/10, and a Gold Award for Hotel Chain of the Year at British Travel Awards 2009. Sarum Decorative and Fine Arts Society paid for the sculptress Charlotte Moreton to spend two sessions with Year 7 at St Edmund’s CE Girls School in Salisbury. The children learnt how to make giant insects from willow and other natural materials; the results were most impressive and ultimately put on display in the school gallery. Left to right: Sarum Decorative and Fine Arts Society Chairman Julia Tibbs and Charlotte Moreton, with the girls. Stroke victim funds specialist rehabilitation centre David Million, wealthy property developer, suffered a huge stroke in 2008. Fortunately, thanks to the excellent level of specialist treatment received from a physiotherapy unit in Hampshire, David has been able to make huge progress with his recovery. Since his stroke, David has been horrified to discover that no such equivalent treatment exists in Somerset, and so decided to open a brand-new physiotherapy and occupational therapy centre in Evercreech. After receiving what he felt was an excellent level of care from Hobbs Rehabilitation in Winchester, Million invited the directors to open a centre in Somerset, which he will fund. ‘We want to work with the NHS and PCTs and they are keen to get involved, too,’ he says. ‘We are trying to bring help and hope to everyone in Somerset.’ Hobbs offers a comprehensive assessment, treatment and specialist advice that help with a wide range of conditions. All staff are specialists in their field and are state-registered. They accept referrals from a variety of sources that include consultants, general practitioners, other health care professionals as well as self referrals. 36 21/11/09 17:39 Page 37 ON THE RETAIL CERAMIC TILE SPECIALISTS The south’s largest collection of ceramic floor & wall tiles NEW OM O R W O SH W OPEN AT NO 0 GATE 2 K C O D E AVENU FIRST OOK MILLBR www.onthetiles.co.uk 37 VIEW DEC:Layout 1 Mosaic • Porcelain • Terracotta • Glass Limestone • Quarry • Marble • Metal • Slate Mary Catherine House First Avenue, Millbrook, Southampton, SO15 0LJ (Behind Harley Davidson) 02380 322300 38 VIEW DEC:Layout 1 22/11/09 11:13 Page 38 Shutters open up a whole new world... ...of stylishly simple window dressings JOLLY property services VISIT OUR SHOWROOM OR CALL US ON 01722 320200 01425 623624 FOR A FREE HOME VISIT 163 Fisherton Street, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP2 7RP Unit 8, Elm Court, 27 Old Milton Road, New Milton, Hampshire, BH25 6DY www.apollo-blinds.co.uk boteler contemporary arts high quality limited edition signed giclée fine art prints Visit our website to view our Gallery of exclusive limited edition fine art prints. We are a Member of the Fine Art Trade Guild. Home Farm Road Wilton Salisbury SP2 8PJ Tenant finding and professional management of quality homes for absent landlords 01722 741188 www.jolly.co.uk Strictly Come Dancing returns wearing autumnal colours Prints are supplied mounted ready for framing 01722 323 652 www.boteler.co.uk Fisherton Mill 108 Fisherton Street Salisbury Wiltshire SP2 7QY 39 VIEW DEC:Want one August 19/11/09 15:41 Page 39 v interior view Walnut place card holders set of four £38 Cox & Cox View Christmas reindeer polished aluminium bottle stop £9.99 and set of four napkin rings £10.99 Redwings Horse Sanctuary Top tables A few little helpers for Santa’s special day Nuance ice bucket and tongs £123.81 Amaroni Kiwi lacquerware bowl large £35, small £12.50 Bambu Boutique Bossa Nova martini/starter/ dessert cup £20 per pair Wineware STOCKISTS Amaroni 01205 260384 www.amaroni.com Bambu Boutique 01380 818515 www.bambuboutique.co.uk Giant snowflake cookie cutter £14 Cox & Cox Christmas pudding salt and pepper set £5.99 The Contemporary Home Cox & Cox 0844 858 0744 www.coxandcox.co.uk Redwings Horse Sanctuary 01508 481010 www.redwings.co.uk The Contemporary Home 02392 469400 www.tch.net Waitrose 0800 188884 www.waitrose.com Red berry wreath £9.99 Waitrose Wineware 01903 786148 www.wineware.co.uk 45 40 VIEW DEC:Layout 1 23/11/09 10:25 Page 40 GREEN KING RECLAMATION Architectural & Garden Salvage Cabinet makers specialising in reclaimed furniture. Carpentry and Home Projects undertaken Visit our workshop at Weyhill Farm, Weyhill, Andover, Hampshire to view our eclectic range of furniture So much to see Ponds, Pots, Ironwork, Gates, Garden Art, Barrels... ‘An Aladins Cave’ Please call Terry or Harry on 0791 993 1828 or 0793 369 0453 Email: [email protected] Come and have a look round Weyhill Farm, Weyhill, Andover, Hants or call Robert on 07881 777313 re 55 Furniture YEARS Interiors Monthly Inte Month 2009 09 winte w winter nter 20 2 2010 Merry Christmas Retailer of the Y Year e ear SALE SA ALE LE starts Boxi Boxing ing Day 26th December December www.petergreen.co.uk www .petergreen n.co.uk School Lane Ford Chandlers For d Hampshire Hampshir e SO53 4DG T : 023 8026 901 11 9011 42 41 VIEW DEC:Layout 1 23/11/09 10:37 Page 41 We Sell... Unit 7 Stanton Industrial Estate, Mill Road, Regents Park Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 4JA Quality Branded Carpets including Wilton Royal • Vinyl & Karndean Tile Flooring • Natural Flooring Seagrass, Coir, Sisal & Jute • Wood, Laminate & Real Wood Floors • All products professionally fitted by our own fitters • FREE fitting, measuring and estimating service QUALITY AT AFFORDABLE PRICES • Free surveys & quotations for: All types of blinds • Curtains • Soft furnishings Curtain tracks & poles • Window film Awnings • Insect screens Call us today quoting reference ʻSB59ʼ Tel: 023 8051 0333 Visit: www.solentblinds.co.uk Email: [email protected] Fax: 023 8051 0101 86-88 Southampton Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP12LE Tel: 01722 329520 Fax: 01722 338625 Lifestyle Creations… Folding/sliding doors from Dreamcatcher, a versatile and superbly engineered system - our experience makes the difference. • Suitable for both interior and exterior application • Custom made in timber or aluminium • Available in a wide range of colours • Severe weather tested and highly secure Enhance your home and maximise your living space with folding/sliding doors from Dreamcatcher. Visit our new showroom at Buckland Manor Farm, Sway Road, Lymington to view and test our range of folding/sliding doors or call 01590 677200. www.dreamcatcherhomes.co.uk Dreamcatcher The Lifestyle Studio, Buckland Manor Farm, Sway Road, Lymington SO41 8NN n SO41 8NN 41 42 VIEW DEC:Layout 1 22/11/09 10:49 Page 42 Creative CURTAINS Carpetwise 1st Floor Showroom Curtain And Fabric Specialists Creative Curtains, on Southampton Road has an extensive curtain fabric gallery, with hundreds of designs, textures and ideas, readymade and made-to-measure blinds, soft furnishings, window dressings, pelmets, vertical, venetian blinds and wooden blinds, valances and headboards. We will also undertake alterations and make up items in customers own fabric. Nikki and Lyn have 20 years experience between them and are happy to help with ideas and will visit your home to provide a free measuring service. 1st Floor Showroom (above Carpetwise) 86-88 Southampton Road, Salisbury 01722 410850 Natural & Alternative flooring 355 Winchester Road 4 St Thomas Street Basset, Southampton Winchester SO16 7DJ SO23 9HE 02380 786303 01962 890583 www.triadcarpets.co.uk view 36 red:May.05 pg. 26-49-q5 19/11/09 16:57 Page 43 points Hampshire Food Festival winners plan to grow their own Philippa Helsig, winner of a kitchen redesign at the Hampshire Food Festival Philippa and Dirk Helsig from Sholing in Southampton have won a Hampshire Food Festival competition worth £1,500 to have their own kitchen garden designed by a top Hampshire landscape designer. The food festival prize draw was launched during the 2009 Hampshire Food Festival by Durley-based company Françoise Murat Garden & Landscape Design, to encourage more people to consider growing their own food for the kitchen. The prize also includes a cookery workshop at the award-winning Newlyns Cookery School near Hook, so that Philippa and Dirk will be able to learn how to turn their crops into delicious dishes. ‘Philippa and Dirk’s garden is a long thin plot in a row of Victorian terraced houses,’ explains Françoise. ‘They have tried growing vegetables in pots and grow bags, and admit that they have very little knowledge about gardening. This makes an exciting challenge, and I will tailor the design to make it easy to maintain. They are both thrilled to have won the competition as they are keen to grow their own produce, and both love cooking – in fact Dirk is a chef on a cruise ship.’ ‘The Hampshire Food Festival is a celebration of local food and drink, aiming to encourage people to learn more about where food comes from and how it is produced here in Hampshire,’ says Sophie Boxall of Hampshire Fare, organisers of The Hampshire Food Festival. ‘What could be more local than growing your own food?’ Françoise Murat is planning to run a series of workshops on designing kitchen gardens and growing fruit and veg, as well as children’s workshops, during the 2010 Hampshire Food Festival, which runs throughout July. To find out more about The 2010 Hampshire Food Festival, supported by Hampshire County Council, click on the food festival pages at www.hampshirefare.co.uk View October competition winner Congratulations to Cathy Cherry of Eastleigh, Hampshire, winner of the Mercure White Hart Hotel competition, winning dinner, bed and breakfast for two. Hampshire-born poet one of ‘Faber’s Fab Four’ On the day my mother Mary died, I opened The Guardian to find her name alive on the pages of the review section, writes View gardening correspondent, Annie Bullen. In one of those extraordinary juxtapositions of circumstance that happen seemingly randomly, my son Toby’s poetry collection, just published by Faber, was reviewed. The reviewer chose to quote, from Toby Martinez de las Rivas the hundreds of words, the few referring to my son’s two grandmothers: ‘I pray for the ghost of Rene & the living ghost of Mary in the final blank stages of Alzheimer’s’. It was taken from a long work, entitled Twenty-One Prayers for Weak or Fabulous Things. Four days later, sitting in an ancient Oxford college hall, listening to Toby and the three other new Faber poets – dubbed ‘Faber’s Fab Four’ – reading their work, there were tears in my eyes again as the power of words woven into patterns defined by rhythm and ideas, forced new thought. I’m proud that my son has never compromised his need to write poetry. He teaches English to refugees and asylum seekers and writes, sometimes late at night, when his two young boys are in bed. Occasionally, he has taken to the road, walking the tracks and mountains of the Pilgrims’ Way across France and Spain, and finding space to think along the wild stretches of Hadrian’s Wall. His pockets are full of notebooks and words or phrases and ideas scribbled on tatty pieces of paper. I mention that dragonflies are known as ‘chasers’ – there’s a broad-bodied chaser and a scarce chaser, I say. That is jotted down. Faber, with the help of the Arts Council, scoured the country for new talent and found Toby, Heather Phillipson, Fiona Benson and Jack Underwood. They’ve nurtured them, printed their work in four elegantly produced pamphlets and taken them on a two-week publicity and reading tour. Toby’s work has a spiritual quality (Guardian reviewer, poet Sean O’Brien, called it ‘fascinating and exciting, attaining a strange exalted power by which the everyday world is not ignored but enlisted as it were under new colours’), which is powerful and hard to ignore. Faber New Poets, 1-4, by Fiona Benson, Toby Martinez de las Rivas, Heather Phillipson and Jack Underwood (Faber £5 each). The winning breakfast Four New Forest accommodation businesses are among the first to receive a new Breakfast Award from the national tourism body VisitEngland, sponsored by Kellogg’s. ‘This new award recognises those hotels and B&Bs that offer their guests a quality and choice of breakfast, service and hospitality that exceeds what would be expected at their star rating,’ says Jeremy Brinkworth, Head of Quality at VisitEngland. ‘It will help visitors find those places where the owners, managers, chefs and staff have gone the extra mile to ensure the breakfast will exceed expectations.’ The winning businesses, all concentrated in the southwest corner of the New Forest, range from the five-star hotel Chewton Glen to Taverners Cottage B&B at nearby Bashley, with Sway’s Nurse’s Cottage Restaurant with Rooms, and The Mill at Gordleton completing the quartet. Fresh, local and organic produce is high on these establishments’ list of priorities, as well as providing healthy options, vegetarian and other choices. The Nurse’s Cottage classic grill, a breakfast treat for New Forest visitors 43 19/11/09 15:35 Page 44 v 44-45 VIEW DEC:October gardens View gardening In want of a ga Annie Bullen takes a turn in the shrubbery at Jane Austen’s Chawton home hen Jane Austen and her sister Cassandra, coming to terms with their father’s death and their own reduced circumstances, moved to Southampton from Bath, it is said that they were delighted to be living once more in a house with a garden. For six years, since leaving the country rectory at Steventon, where Jane had been brought up, she had endured, rather than enjoyed, life in Bath. The journey to Southampton, to live with brother Frank and his new wife, came early in 1807, but the two sisters, their mother and their friend Martha Lloyd were finally settled in a home of their own two years later, when they moved to a goodsized brick ‘cottage’, the gift of another brother, Edward, in the pretty village of Chawton in northeast Hampshire. Now they had a garden of their own and it was a fair size, with an orchard and a vegetable garden, flower borders, a fashionable ‘wilderness’ and trees, including twin yews, an oak and hornbeams. The house and part of the original W Annie Bullen is a nurserywoman and gardening journalist living in north Hampshire ‘Miss Bennet, there seemed to be a prettyish kind of a little wilderness on one side of your lawn. I should be glad to take a turn in it...’ Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Pride and Prejudice 44 garden still stands and is visited by thousands each year, eager to see the place that nurtured an extraordinary talent, allowing Jane, finally, to prepare existing work for publication and write again in earnest, completing Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion. The garden is now much smaller than it was in the days of the Austen women but the yew trees still guard the house while the oak is a seedling from the original tree. Part of the garden has given way to an innovative new learning centre where you can see a film, listen to talks – and play snakes and ladders the Jane Austen way. A bed full of plants that are used in the dyeing process is on display, with speculation that the family might have treated their garments with similar herbs. As in the garden, the house reminds us that Jane’s short life was lived on a domestic scale. The creaking door that warned of an approach, so that she had time to hide unfinished work from prying eyes. The cup and ball, a game at which she excelled. Her 44-45 VIEW DEC:October gardens 19/11/09 15:37 Page 45 v gardening View Jane Austen’s house and garden at Chawton The new learning centre can be glimpsed through the trees Twin yews still dominate part of the garden garden Jane Austen’s tiny writing table ‘Our young Piony at the foot of the Fir tree has just blown away and looks very handsome; & the whole of the Shrubbery Border will soon be very gay with Pinks and Sweet Williams, in addition to the Columbines already in bloom. The Syringas too are coming out...’ From a letter written on 29 May 1811 by Jane Austen to her sister, Cassandra. tiny writing table. The two topaz crosses given to Cassandra and Jane by their sailor brother Charles, bought with prize money won during the Napoleonic Wars, which must be the inspiration for the scene in Mansfield Park, in which Fanny Price receives an amber cross from her brother, William. There are letters from Jane on display – an excited one to Cassandra: ‘I want to tell you that I have got my own darling child from London...’ written when she finally held a copy of the first edition of Pride and Prejudice. The saddest letter of all is displayed upstairs, not far from the small bedroom that Jane shared with her sister. It was written by Cassandra to their niece Fanny Knight, two days after Jane’s death at the age of 41 in July 1817 in Winchester: ‘She was the sun of my life, the gilder of every pleasure, the soother of every sorrow... it is as if I had lost a part of myself...’ V Jane Austen’s House Museum and garden is open throughout December, apart from Christmas Day and Boxing Day. See www.jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk ‘Mr. Rushworth,’ said Lady Bertram, ‘if I were you, I would have a very pretty shrubbery. One likes to get out into a shrubbery in fine weather.’ Mansfield Park ‘I would have everything as complete as possible in the country, shrubberies and flower gardens and rustic seats innumerable…’ Mary Crawford, Mansfield Park Annie Bullen’s anthology Jane Austen in Her Own Words will be published (Pitkin £4.99) early in the new year. 45 46 VIEW dec:Layout 1 22/11/09 10:12 Page 46 Salisbury Garden Machinery Ltd Home & Garden Maintenance Services Covering all aspects of home and garden maintenance to the highest of standards For a reliable & friendly service please contact Jason on (01722) 326707 Mobile: 07765255040 [email protected] www.d2eonline.co.uk 46 47-VIEWDEC:Layout 1 22/11/09 07:57 Page 47 MAINTENANCE FREE INTERIOR DOORS M IRACLE WORKERS AGENCY LIMITED CARE IN THE HOME 8 doors for £1500 Including VAT and fitting SPECIALISTS IN LIVE IN CARE Miracle Workers provides live-in carers so that you are able to live your life in your own home and with your family and friends around you. A carer provides support, practical assistance and companionship. The help given includes personal care and hygiene, household duties, shopping, cooking and laundry. Simply telephone the office and we will arrange an assessor to visit your home so that we can draw up a personal care plan to meet your needs. 1-2 Waddington House, Llanover Business Centre, Llanover, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 9HA Telephone: 01873 881306 Fax: 01873 882989 www.miracle-workers.co.uk [email protected] Any Domestic or Commercial Cleaning at its best • All cleaning tasks • Dependable laundry and ironing service • After party clean ups • Domestic blitz Our staff are carefully selected, trained and continuously monitored Call Abiclean head office. 0844 4996330 Or alternatively your area office details are T: 01722 343981 E: [email protected] www.abicare.co.uk The in~door range of internal doors are manufactured from high impact resistant PVCu plastic skins, offering a virtually maintenance free door that requires no painting, just wipe it down to keep as beautiful as new. The In-door PVCu skins contain an anti-microbial, which is effective in reducing and preventing the growth of micro organisms on the door surface. With a choice of styles, sizes and colours, there is a door to suit your taste and create the perfect addition to compliment every room in your home. Each door has a robust medium density ¿EUHERDUGVXEIUDPHWRSUHYHQWZDUSLQJDQG bowing. The ivory and white embossed wood grain texture gives an authentic appeal while WKHIRLOHGRDN¿QLVKRIIHUVDWUDGLWLRQDOORRNWR compliment any style of home. Visit our new showroom to view our wide range of doors available Open: 8am - 5pm Mon to Fri 8.30am -12 noon Sat AB Low Maintenance Products, 5 Regents Court, South Way, Walworth Industrial Estate, Andover, SP10 5NX or call us to arrange your no obligation home visit TEL: 01264 339643 www.abproducts.co.uk Winner of the 2007 small business awards for the Test Valley area. 48 VIEW DEC:Layout 1 21/11/09 17:55 Page 48 Pattern Imprinted Concrete Paving Commercial and Domestic ISO 9001 ISO 18001 registered quality approved Does not fade, better value than block paving, totally weed free, many patterns and colours to choose from, new or refurbished drive. Call OFD in Lymington on 01590 676056 or 07773 777403 It’s not just about enhancing your smile, it’s about restoring your confidence. It’s not just about enhancing your smile, it’s about restoring your confidence. Call now for a personal smile make-over consultation with Dr Jeff O’Carroll (B.D.S.) Call now for a personal smile make-over consultation with Dr Jeff O’Carroll (B.D.S.) Come to our Cosmetic Dental presentation evening on Friday 31st July 2009 and recieve a free consultation (please call for details). Free prize draw on the night to win Tooth Whitening kit or Sonicare electric toothbrush (worth £230) Please call for a free consultation 48 49 VIEW DEC:Life changer aug 22/11/09 15:30 Page 49 v health The Dove Clinic combines best of conventional medicine with innovative treatments and complimentary therapies such as Acupuncture Homeopathy and Nutritional Advice Private Consultations are available with our medical team at our newly refurbished clinic for: • Angina and Chronic Heart Disease • Depression and Anxiety • Life Threatening Illnesses • Chronic fatigue Syndrome • Nutritional disorders and diabetes • Allergies • Musculoskeletal Pain • Rheumatoid Arthritis The Dove Clinic, The Old Brewery, High Street, Twyford, SO21 1RG T: 01962 712226 F: 01962717060 E: [email protected] www.doveclinic.com www.eecp.co.uk " %" %" # ! ! &!! $ &!! ! ###" " A rosy future Rachel Heathcote sings the praises of the remarkable rosehip utumn’s gorgeous show of red, yellow and orange is now just a memory but the display leaves us with an abundance of hedgerow fruits such as sloes, hawthorn and hips. Nature provides us with a plentiful supply to prepare us for the winter months and the ailments that the colder weather may bring. One of these autumn gifts, the rosehip, the fruit of the dog rose, is easy to spot with its glossy, bright-red jacket. Botanically known as Rosa canina fruit, rosehips are collected in the autumn and used medicinally in many different ways, for the immune system, arthritis, the skin, and much more. The fruit provides us with one of the best sources of natural vitamin C, being especially useful to help the body’s immune system defend against infections such as colds and flu. It also makes a good tonic after an infection, for general debility and exhaustion. This herb can be taken as a tincture, 2-4ml diluted in hot or cold water up to three times daily. It is also lovely as a dried herb; make a tea with equal parts rosehip and elderberry (another brilliant antiviral) and drink 1-3 cups daily throughout the winter months. A ‘More recently, studies from Denmark and Norway talk about the anti-inflammatory properties of rosehip powder in cases of osteo-arthritis’ More recently, studies from Denmark and Norway talk about the anti-inflammatory properties of rosehip powder in cases of osteo-arthritis. In one study, they found a reduction in pain and stiffness after as little as three weeks, and more than a 50 per cent reduction in use of pain medication such as paracetamol. The research identified that it was not just the vitamin C content that was responsible but a galacto-lipid which is present in high quantities in the Rosa canina hip and seed powder. If you suffer with pain and inflammation due to arthritis I would recommend a good-quality supplement like Viridian 700mg Rose Hip capsules taken 1-3 times daily with food. The seeds inside the fleshy fruit are cold pressed to make the oil that could become your skin’s best friend. The oil has a high content of essential fatty acids, which are important to regenerate and repair skin tissue. A small amount applied to the face after cleansing day or night is fantastic for dry and sensitive skins. The oil is also rich in vitamin A and anti-oxidants and is therefore brilliant for skin damage such as scars, stretch marks, pigmentation spots, and sun damage such as fine lines or wrinkles. It’s definitely worth adding to your nighttime routine to help maintain youthful skin. I love to use the Neal’s Yard Remedies Wild Rose Beauty Balm, which contains rosehip seed oil, shea nut butter, and frankincense to hydrate, repair, and stimulate collagen in the skin. It does everything; you can use it to cleanse, moisturise, or as a deep, nourishing mask leaving the skin feeling and looking fresh and radiant. There’s more to the hip of the dog rose than meets the eye. Use it inside and out to keep yourself healthy and looking gorgeous over the winter. V If you are taking prescribed medication, have a chronic health problem or are pregnant please consult a medical herbalist or GP before taking natural remedies. Rachel Heathcote BSc Phytotherapy MNIMH, Neal’s Yard Remedies, 27 Market Place, Salisbury (01722 340736) 49 View The Dove Clinic for Integrated Medicine 19/11/09 15:54 Page 50 v 50 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG View short story The oily Cecil is Enid’s exit from the shelf, but his motives are suspect and the portents are not promising. When Chesney misbehaves and disaster strikes, Enid’s dreams are shattered… by Jacky Hutchins N o one in the family – not even Chesney, our cat – ever liked Enid’s fiancé, Cecil. There was much to dislike. He was too smug, and too vain. He sneered at our small villa in a quiet, unfashionable part of Southampton, and what he pretended to see in dear, plain, simple Enid we couldn’t begin to guess. Father – who 12 years before, in 1876, had rejected nice Joe Hawkins from Bishop’s Waltham as ‘not nearly good enough for Enid’ – had believed his eldest daughter was, even then, destined to be left on the shelf. He had made such generous provision for her spinsterhood that he might have suspected Cecil’s motives in proposing to Enid, but, as it was, Father did not live long enough to meet the gentleman. Mother, luckily, was able to hide her feelings, for when a daughter, more homely than handsome, reaches the age of 37 still unmarried, she thought it unwise to be overfussy if someone was prepared to propose. On one occasion, I did hear her mutter, ‘It’ll all end in tears’, but then Mother had always been prone to pronouncements of doom and superstition, something she had inherited from her mother, and grandmother before her. It was sometimes said that greatgrandmother had been a gypsy, and could tell 50 50 VIEW DEC:cookery AUG 19/11/09 15:55 Page 51 v short story ‘… we must never walk under a ladder, nor break a mirror, nor make a present of a simple purse without adding a coin to avert some catastrophe’ hold hands in the parlour for an hour or so. Mother watched him closely all the time he was in the house, for he was completely heedless of what he called her ‘silly superstitions’: he would casually open his umbrella in the hallway, he was even seen to look at the new moon through glass, and would think nothing of sitting down to make 13 at table. I recall that last Sunday in June, which began with his arrival laden with several packages tied up in brown paper and string. These he placed on the one comfortable chair, having first, and rather briskly, removed Chesney. He and Enid then left for their musical interlude. When at last they returned from the park, he pounced on the packages, looking as pleased as Punch, and unwrapped them to display their contents, bought the day before in the High Street. From one cardboard box he produced a pair of the shiniest black patent shoes I had ever seen, in another was a green silk cravat, and, in a third, a pair of green kid gloves he intended to wear at the wedding. Mother gasped at this but was even more horrified to hear Cecil suggest that Enid wear matching green ribbons on her best straw bonnet. Green? At a wedding? The marriage was doomed from the start. Looking distinctly gloomy, Mother left the room to prepare and serve tea. Meanwhile, chairs were drawn up to the tea table, a fine lace tablecloth was smoothed over the chenille drape, and the best, flowered china was set out. Cold ham and thin slices of bread and butter, a seed cake and the last of the strawberries were brought in from the kitchen and placed in position, and we prepared to gather for tea. Knowing Chesney’s predilection for thieving, I watched him prowl about with his eye on the table. I knew he would try to get at the cream dish, and the ham, too, if he could, so I took it upon myself to keep him amused with a ball of wool while we waited. Cecil was still droning on, full of enthusiasm for his new clothes, and boasting that he expected to outshine the bride, when suddenly we all heard Mother shriek. Cecil had put his new shoes down upon the tea table. Not only was this the height of bad manners, but they were new shoes. One should never put new shoes upon a table. At Mother’s cry, of course, we all looked up and I was momentarily distracted from minding Chesney, but we all saw what happened next. Chesney had leapt up on the table only to find his reflection shining back at him, distorted in the silver teapot and in the gloss of the patent shoes. With a yowl of fright, he tumbled back down again, swearing furiously and entangling his claws in the lacework, so managing to pull the tablecloth and everything it bore crashing down View fortunes: Mother could apparently only read teacups, but according to her, bad luck lurked forever at our shoulders, waiting only for the slightest slip to bring misfortune upon us. Heaven forbid that someone else should stir our tea – ‘stirring up trouble’ – and of course we must never walk under a ladder, nor break a mirror, nor make a present of a simple purse without adding a coin to avert some catastrophe that was never specified. Mother did believe, however, that black cats were lucky rather than unlucky, otherwise Chesney would never have joined the family (and what a greedy thieving animal that adorable kitten turned out to be). We all loved Chesney, however, and were not surprised when he, like us, disdained to be won over when Cecil pretended to make much of him. Still, Enid could not believe her luck – at her age! – and would not hear a word against vain, smug Cecil. The rest of us thought him insufferable, and laughed at his appearance: his black hair so full of pomade that he resembled a puppet, with a coiffure that could have been painted onto his round cannonball of a skull. Sometimes (though only of course when Enid was absent from the room) Cecil’s name would drift into the conversation. The younger members of the family would bemoan the fact that he would one day become one of us, and we swore we would go out of our way to avoid him, even if it meant seeing less of our much-loved sister. Enid, however, seemed bedazzled; she could not see past the stiff wing-collar, the white cravat pinned precisely at his throat and the sharp creases in his checked suit trousers. It seemed unbelievable to us that she could ignore Cecil’s faults and our antipathy, but that was how it was. And who were we to spoil her chance of happiness? That summer, as the engagement progressed, it was Cecil’ s custom to arrive at the house every Sunday very promptly at two o’clock, to escort Enid to Palmerston Park where they would sit and listen to the music from the new bandstand. Every Sunday afternoon at half-past four they would return to take tea and we would then be treated to Cecil’s insufferable opinions on the world in general before the family escaped to leave him and Enid alone, to ‘Mother stooped for the other shoe, which was dripping milk, and shied it at his head’ behind him: the blackcurrant jam, the cream, the strawberries, the ham, the teapot, Mother’s best tea service and the black shiny shoes. It was hard to know by this time who was shrieking the loudest. The cat, however, clearly using one of his nine lives, merely swung on the tablecloth, unhurt and unscalded, and then, with a slice of ham in his mouth, scooted under the table. Cecil exploded. Flinging imprecations, he kicked out at Chesney and, showing his true colours at last, shouted at Mother, accusing her of spoiling the filthy brute of an animal; it wasn’t fit to be in the house; it had ruined his new shoes and his gloves; and, in fact, in his opinion, she appeared to have brought up her family just as badly. He actually mentioned me by name, which was unkind and unfair, and then said he wasn’t sure that even Enid’s dowry was worth suffering so much for. Enid, of course, could scarcely believe her ears. She stared at him for a few hushed moments, and then picking up one of the new shoes from the chaos on the floor, hurled it at her soon-to-be-ex fiancé. He ducked and fled to the far side of the table, to stand cowering in front of the hearth, whereupon Mother stooped for the other shoe, which was dripping milk, and shied it at his head. Unfortunately, Mother’s aim was not true. With a resounding crack, the shoe smashed into the mirror hanging above the mantelpiece, the mirror swung shuddering for a moment, then shattered into a million pieces – and down came the frame upon Cecil’s painted head. We did not see him again after his visit to the doctor’s surgery but for seven years now dear Enid has been happily married to Joe Hawkins. Superstition or no superstition, mirror or no mirror, she considers herself the luckiest woman in Bishop’s Waltham. V View readers who would like to see their own work published in the magazine are invited to submit a short story of no more than 1,500 words that refers to Wiltshire or Hampshire. Work should be previously unpublished and should be sent to: [email protected]. Stories submitted by post must be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope. 51 52 VIEW DEC:Layout 1 20/11/09 17:20 Page 52 WVS WORLDWIDE VETERINARY SERVICE MAKING A DIFFERENCE “Committed to improving the treatment and welfare of all animal species throughout the world” Worldwide Veterinary Service is a registered UK charity (no. 1100485) that supplies veterinary resources, in the form of volunteer teams, drugs, equipment and advice to help animal charities and non-profit organisations around the world. Our projects involve teams of WVS volunteers who help our associated charities around the world. Our teams are comprised of both veterinary and non-veterinary volunteers who want to work proactively in the field of animal welfare. We currently send, on average, 3 teams a month to destinations worldwide. Support us: If you would like to support us or volunteer to help in one of our projects, then you are welcome to join us. Full details at www.wvs.org.uk CHARITY BOOK SHOP Please come and visit our new charity book shop in the delightful setting of Cranborne. We have a wide selection of good quality second-hand books for sale, including many current bestsellers and some beautiful antiquarian books covering many different topics Open 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday 14 Wimborne Street, Cranborne BH21 5PP Tel: 01725 551123 53 VIEW DEC:May.05 pg. 26-49-q5 23/11/09 11:49 Page 53 Classified d e i f i s s Cla The Terracotta Pot Shop 22 Grosvenor Road Highfield Southampton SO17 1RT Email: [email protected] For free brochure please ring 023 8058 2245 • MacTimoney Chiropractic • Colonic Hydrotherapy Counselling & Psychotherapy Acupuncture and many more www.grovetherapy.com Wood burning stoves Traditional range cookers www.t heterracottapotshop.co.uk WONDERFUL FROST PROOF POTS FROM GREECE Split log boilers • Pellet boilers and stoves • Full installation service CCTV chimney inspection • Chimney sweeping and appliance servicing Great Gift Ideas Eastoke Corner (Sea Front) Hayling Island Tel: 023 9263 7590 Closed Mondays except School Holidays Sarsen Stoves, 17–21 Tidworth Road Ludgershall, Andover, Hampshire SP11 9QD T: 01264 790033 F: 01264 790672 [email protected] www.sarsenstoves.co.uk Need help with the Garage Door ? Get the Garage Door Specialist to help! . 9 Repairs to single & double Garage Doors m 9 Locks & Defenders 9 New Doors 9 Automatic Operators Broken Members of Hampshire Trading Standards ‘Buy with Confidence’ Scheme Fix quick are a reliable independent family business serving the Hampshire & Wiltshire area. We offer an environmentally friendly, efficient, value for money service in all aspects of garage door engineering. fix quick garage doors Please call or email for further information Andover Fixed 01264 337711 Winchester 01962 715200 www.fix my garage door.co.uk See www.teedtools.co.uk • Curtains • Blinds • Awnings • Upholstery • Selection of Wallpapers • Advice Service-Measuring and Fitting What can we help you with? 6 Latimer Street, Romsey, Hampshire SO51 8DG Tel: 01794 519819 www.curtainsandblinds.co.uk [email protected] Your D.I.Y. & Tools 19/11/09 15:50 Page 54 W v 54 VIEW DEC:May.05 pg. 50-82-q5 View books Waterstone’s christmas gift guide TOP TEN family hardback titles FOR GRANDADS The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown Bantam £18.99 Follow-up to the international bestseller The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol is a brilliantly composed tapestry of veiled histories, arcane icons and enigmatic codes, an intelligent, lightning-paced thriller that offers surprises at every turn. For, as symbologist Robert Langdon will discover, there is nothing more extraordinary or shocking than the secret that hides in plain sight... FOR GRANDMAS Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother by William Shawcross Macmillan £25 Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes Lyon, the youngest daughter of the Earl of Strathmore, was born on 4 August, 1900. It might reasonably have been expected that she would lead a life of ease and privilege but few could have imagined the profound effect she would have on Britain and its people. Her life spanned the whole of the 20th century and this official biography tells not only her story but, through it, that of the country she loved so devotedly. FOR DADS Driven To Distraction by Jeremy Clarkson Michael Joseph £20 Brace yourself, Clarkson’s back. And he’d like to tell you what he thinks about some of the most awe-inspiring, earth-shatteringly fast and jaw-droppingly gorgeous cars in the world (alongside a few irredeemable disasters ...). Or he would, if there weren’t so many other things competing for his attention. More hilarious ranting from the popular Top Gear presenter. FOR MUMS Knave Of Spades by Alan Titchmarsh Hodder & Stoughton £20 From his first faltering steps in radio and television, to a career in broadcasting and writing, Knave of Spades is a wonderfully warm and self-deprecatingly honest memoir from Britain’s favourite gardener. 54 FOR AUNTIES Rifling Through My Drawers by Clarissa Dickson Wright Hodder £19.99 With her inimitable wit and outspoken views, Clarissa Dickson Wright opens her diary and takes us on a journey around Britain with this unrivalled collection of stories and anecdotes from her ever-eventful life. Criss-crossing the country, she introduces us to long-forgotten traditions and colourful local festivals as she meets up with extraordinary characters and friends old and new. FOR UNCLES Spoken From The Front by Andy McNab Bantam £18.99 Spoken from the Front recounts the courage and hardship of British servicemen and support staff as they face the unique difficulties posed by the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan. Edited by bestselling author and ex-SAS man Andy McNab, the interwoven stories are told by those serving on the front line, in their own words. Their action-packed, dramatic, moving and often humorous testimonies are told through interviews and diaries, and letters and emails written to family, friends and loved ones. FOR SONS Where’s Stig? by Top Gear BBC £8.99 Stig, Top Gear‘s resident racing driver and one of the most popular members of the TG team, has finally got a book of his own. But you’ll have to work hard to find him, as he’s been cleverly concealed in a series of brilliantly drawn scenes. You might spot him singing with the kids at a rock festival, or overseeing his workforce in his secret underground lair. He could be one of the spectators lining the route of Bonneville Salt Flats Speed Week; or soaking up the sun on the Costa del Stig. Filled with visual jokes and references to the TV series, and with extra credits for spotting his colleagues at Top Gear and a few other hidden gems, Where’s Stig? will give Top Gear fans hours of fun. Waterstone’s Enjoy more good books at Waterstone’s • • • • • • • • • • Andover Eastleigh Fareham Lymington Petersfield Portsmouth Salisbury Southampton (Above Bar) Southampton (West Quay) Winchester (High Street) • Winchester (The Brooks) 01264 358927 02380 618930 01329 825693 01590 671409 01730 261415 02392 821255 01722 415596 02380 633130 02380 232118 01962 840379 01962 866206 www.waterstones.com FOR DAUGHTERS Ooh! What A Lovely Pair: Our Story by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly Michael Joseph £20 Britain’s most successful television duo, Ant and Dec invite their millions of fans into their world. From youth clubs to schools for the blind, from pubs to jungles, there’s a wealth of behind-the-scenes anecdotes that have never been told until now. An insight into the genuine intimacy and refreshing sense of humour shared by the two television icons. FOR BOYS Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus Egmont £12.99 Over 80 years since Winnie-thePooh first delighted readers, David Benedictus takes us back to the Hundred Acre Wood for more adventures, allowing readers to spend a few more treasured hours with the Best Bear in All the World. This is the authorized sequel to A A Milne’s original Winnie-the-Pooh stories, with illustrations by Mark Burgess in the style of E H Shepard’s originals. FOR GIRLS Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson Doubleday £12.99 Jacqueline Wilson will surprise and delight old fans and new with this utterly original take on a historical novel. Set in Victorian times and featuring a brand new feisty heroine, Hetty Feather, this is a Tracy Beaker-esque tale that will thrill young readers. Warm, moving, funny and totally fascinating, it’s the perfect gift for girls of eight and older. V 55-VIEWDECHANTS:Layout 1 21/11/09 17:43 Page 55 THE COURT - EAST HILL HOUSE O F F E R I N G L O N G T E R M C A R E PA C K A G E S & WINTER RESPITE BREAKS The Court is a small residential retirement property located on the outskirts of the beautiful village of Liss. The Court is part of the East Hill House retirement complex, so has the added advantage of permanent care staff being on hand 24hours a day, but also ideal for those wishing to retain their independence and lead active and fulfilling lifestyles. Each apartment is attractively decorated and provides self- • • • • Single En-suite Rooms Village Location Hairdressing & Chiropody Superior 'Home Cooked' Food contained living accommodation, including a lounge area, bathroom and bedroom and some even have a kitchenette, which allows residents to self cater or join fellow residents in the dining areas of the house. The Court is ideal for someone who still wants their independence but the security of having someone on hand should they need it. If you would like more information then please contact Clare Hall on 0808 166 1320 • Blend of Purpose Built & Traditional Accommodation • Lovely Large Gardens • Personalised Care Planning Freephone 0808 166 1320 East Hill Drive, Hillbrow Road, Liss, Hampshire GU33 7RR www.caringhomes.org email [email protected] 60 view dec wilts:Layout 1 20/11/09 11:12 Page 60