Star Q&A: Toyah Willcox

Liz Nicholls

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Musician Toyah Willcox, who turns 64 this month, shares her excitement for a summer of festivals, including Let’s Rock where she is set to star…

Hello! Given the past two years, do you think 2022 could be the most joyous ever? “2022 will be joyous – the artists have missed the audience and the audience have missed the artists. It’s going to be one big party. Let’s Rock is very special because not only are there back-to-back acts all day who are brilliant and iconic, but also the atmosphere is so friendly and family-orientated. You can look out over an audience and sometimes see three generations of the same family. They are a joyous community with one thing in common – they all love the 1980s! I love performing with the Let’s Rock band (sensationally good musicians). We also get to see the friends we’ve been performing with for decades… for 40 years.”

Q. Are there any other performers you’re looking forward to seeing? “I always end up on the same plane and same hotel as Chesney Hawkes, all over the world… Somehow fate brings us together and we have a scream. Chesney lives in the States, I live in the UK, but we walk into the same room in the oddest places and say ‘What are you doing here?!”’

Q. Which musician, living or dead, would you most like to see perform? “Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Tim Buckley, Robert Plant (with me) and Talk Talk.”

Q. What is your strongest memory of appearing on Top Of The Pops? “Top Of The Pops was an event, every time. It’s a show I used to watch with my family and to be on it was an honour. On my first appearance there was a mini disaster when my costume didn’t arrive and I had to wear a dress I bought as a back-up. Ironically, I think it made me more approachable to the Top Of The Pops audience – less confrontational, image-wise.”

Q. Have you kept any souvenirs from the 1980s? “I have warehouses full of every on-stage costume/every acting costume I’ve ever worn, as well as every photoshoot. They are my life, a life I am immensely proud of.”

Q. What other plans do you have for 2022? “I have three sold-out tours this year, including Toyah & Lene Lovich’s Electric Ladies UK tour in June, followed by the Toyah Anthem Tour in autumn to celebrate of the re-release of my 1981 platinum album Anthem. I will also be making two albums – a reimagining of my 2019 album In The Court Of The Crimson Queen, whilst the second album will be recorded in September and is the follow-up to my 2021 no.1. album, Posh Pop. In the last two years I’ve had four Top 10 albums – Posh Pop out-sold Queen, Metallica and Justin Timberlake in its first week.”

Tickets & more at letsrockthemoor.com

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Lifelong learning and mental fitness

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You don’t have to run a four-minute mile…

…to follow in the footsteps of Roger Bannister.

On a windy day in May 1954, a 25-year-old medical student broke track and field’s most famous barrier – the four-minute mile. Roger Bannister won fame at Oxford’s Iffley Road track, with a time of 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds.

Bannister, who’d been born into a working-class family, showed promise in education as well as running. After retiring from athletics, he enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a neurologist. He made the Queen’s Honours list twice for his contributions to sport. Then, in his 70s, he returned to his studies – by taking short courses at Oxford University’s Department for Continuing Education.

Bannister knew that mental fitness carries many of the same benefits as physical fitness, including improved health, mental resilience and longevity. As a research neurologist, he would have understood brain plasticity – how a stimulated brain forms new synaptic connections at any age. Many studies (including one published in The Lancet in July 2017) cites educational attainment and lifelong learning as among the most important factors in preventing one-third of future dementia cases.

Among the topics Bannister explored as an adult learner were the philosophies of Hegel and Wittgenstein, the politics of Asia and America, the making of modern Europe, the history of the Cold War, and the archaeology of Roman Britain.

He went on to complete a longer course too – an Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing. Bannister joked with his poetry tutor that writing a villanelle was harder to achieve than breaking the four-minute mile.

For most of us, breaking a record in track and field is off the table – but lifelong learning is always well within reach. You can follow Sir Roger Bannister’s example at Oxford, choosing from more than 1000 short courses and longer programmes, taught both in Oxford and online.

Learn more: www.conted.ox.ac.uk

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April recipes: Feed your family

Round & About

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Say bye-bye to boring dinners with exciting recipes from Chefs In Schools, by Nicole Pisani & Joanna Weinberg

Nerissa’s butternut squash cake

Ingredients:

• 125g/4½oz unsalted butter
• 125g/4½oz golden caster sugar
• Two free range eggs
• 200g/7oz cooked butternut squash
• 250g/9oz self-raising flour
• One teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Edible flowers, to decorate

For the icing

• 100g/3½oz unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 100g/3½oz soft light brown sugar
• 85g/3oz maple syrup
• 220g/7¾oz cream cheese

Prep: 15 minutes | Cooking:  45 minutes | Serves: 8 people

“This recipe is one we share with every school we work with,” writes Nerissa Buckley, school chef trainer.

“It was developed out of necessity but became a hit. I was at a school one day and we needed a cake ASAP for lunch. We like to get as much fruit or vegetables to our cakes as we can and I was hunting around for some to put in, when I remembered we were baking butternut squash whole in the oven for the next day. It was a lightbulb moment… and what a yummy result.”

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and line a 20-cm/8-inch cake tin with reusable baking paper. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat again until pale and creamy.

Add the cooked squash, flour and spices and gently fold in to combine. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and bake in the oven for 45 minutes until lightly golden on top and a knife or skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Make the icing while the cake is cooling: beat the butter, sugar and maple syrup (an electric beater makes this easier) until light and airy, then add the cream cheese, a quarter at a time.

Continue to beat for about two minutes until smooth and thick.

When the cake is completely cool, smear all over the top and sides. Decorate with edible flowers.

Ingredients:

• 400g/14oz hummus
• 24 baby vegetables for “planting” e.g. radishes,  carrots (with leaves if possible), baby cucumber and  tenderstem broccoli, trimmed and peeled, with tops on, or cut into small spears
• Flatbread, to serve

For the ‘black soil’

• 75g/2¾oz stale, good-quality bread
• Olive oil
• 75g/2¾oz black olives, pitted
• 50g/1¾oz pumpkin seeds
• One teaspoon cumin seeds
• Generous pinch of chilli flakes

Prep: 5 hours (drying time) | Making: 10 minutes | Serves: 4-6 to nibble on

EDIBLE GARDEN

“he first time Oli and I made the Edible Garden, a Nopi classic, for Gayhurst School was just an epic moment for me – educational, beautiful, joyful, with the kids all eating vegetables. It was everything in one moment and I remember thinking that we were on to something here.” Nicole Pisani.

For this recipe you’ll need two small loaf tins or other vessels deep enough to “plant” the veg into – tumblers or squat mugs also work.

Method

First make the “black soil”: preheat the oven to 100°C fan/120°C/250°F/gas mark ½. Toss the stale bread in a little olive oil and arrange with the black olives on a baking try and pop into the oven (turned off) to dry out for four or five hours. Place a dry frying pan over a medium heat and toast the seeds and chilli flakes until fragrant. Transfer to a blender with the dried olives and bread and blitz together.

Tip the mixture back onto the baking tray and rub the soil together to feel if it is dry enough. If not, return to the low oven for an hour or until dry.

Divide the hummus between the loaf tins. Scatter over the black soil and plant in the veg. Serve with flatbread.

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Star Q&A: Steve Backshall

Liz Nicholls

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Explorer, naturalist, presenter & dad Steve Backshall MBE, 48, talks to Liz Nicholls ahead of his Ocean show at a venue near you.

Hi Steve. Can you tell us a bit about your Ocean show? “Yes! We’re bringing marine scenes to the stage, creating the undersea environment inside a theatre which is quite a challenge! Marine creatures will be brought to life through the use of props, life-size replicas of the largest animal ever known on our planet, footage on the giant screen, and interactivity. It’s going to be a blast.”

Q. Is the shark your favourite animal? “It’s up there. One of the things I find most fascinating is that even the sharks we have here in our seas we know little about. Even recently, people used to think basking sharks hibernated, lying on the sea bed for winter. But now we know about their fascinating mating and parenting lives. To me they are the most majestic prehistoric, but not primeval, predators on the planet. There are fewer than ten people every year killed by sharks, but we have this impression of them as malicious, man-eating monsters out to get us. And that’s simply not true.”

Q. You’ve been bitten by a caiman, crawled on by a redback and have only respect for animals. But has any experience scared you? “With animals it’s rare but one stands out. We were diving with crocodiles in Botswana and a hippo came out of the murk and approached within metres of us. I’d say you could have tossed a coin as to whether we lived or died in that situation.”

Q. Did growing up on a smallholding in Bagshot inspire your love of wildlife? “Yes. I had such a halcyon childhood surrounded by our old asthmatic donkey, psychotic ‘guard dog’ geese, guinea fowl, peacocks… Every one was a rescue animal that had been given a second chance of life with us. They were our friends, our housemates.”

Q. What was your favourite book growing up? “Call Of The Wild by Jack London. I still even now read it and get the hackles going up at the back of my neck. Once I got a little bit older Alfred Russell Wallace’s The Malay Archipelago took over.”

Q. Do you love your local wildlife in Marlow? “Absolutely! I now find my best wildlife encounters are not in the world’s most exotic places, they’re here. I’m seeing these things with fresh eyes through my kids. They’re very lucky with Helen [Glover] as their mum, a double gold-winning Olympic athlete who is amazing at everything, and from me they get a love of nature. About two months ago we saw otter spraint at the bottom of our garden and set a camera trap with the kids. We watched the swans, rats and foxes and when we got our first otter we practically blew the roof off this house. It was epic! It remains one of my fondest wildlife experiences ever. Even though I’ll probably never even see those otters with my own eyes, our world has become that little bit more exciting because we know they’re there.”

OCEAN SHOWS NEARBY

Guildford’s G Live on 7th April
Reading’s Hexagon on 14th April
Basingstoke’s Anvil on 19th April
Aylesbury Waterside Theatre on 29th April
New Theatre Oxford on 4th May

Many more shows available at various locations.

Visit stevebackshall.com for info & to book.

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Star Q&A: Kelly Jones

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Liz Nicholls chats to musician & dad Kelly Jones as the Stereophonics release their new album Oochya and hit the road for their UK tour

Hello Kelly! Great to have you playing live again. How does playing these big venues compare to the little clubs where you started out? “Yeah I mean the working men’s clubs, that was kind of our Hamburg I suppose <chuckle>, you know. It’s where we learned our chops, it’s where we lived it’s where we died. It’s where we learnt what was good what didn’t work. Um. I suppose it was the grounding of how we learned to build a set list, a skeleton of how to take people on a journey with different song choices. It’s the same tools you use playing a stadium it’s just people have been following a band and they have their favourites and we have our favourites. We piece together a show where you create a show people can’t forget really. You want them to walk out feeling better than they did when they walked in there. It’s the same mentality in many ways, it’s just on a much grander scale. We do the same thing we just try to make it all a bit… bigger.”

Q. What’s on your rider? Is it, like Keith Richards, a big snooker table and a shepherd’s pie? “Haha, no I think we’ve had the same rider for 20-odd years. It’s usually a couple of cases of beer, some Guinness. There’s usually red wine. Usually a couple of bottles of spirits. Everyone’s welcome really. We’ve got everything covered for anyone that wants in. I think we’ve been pretty lazy not changing that since the ’90s. It’s still all there. It still all gets done at some point or other. We come from where we come from so on our days off we like having a nice drink.”

Q. What’s your first memory of music? “Records in the house. I shared a bedroom with my brother Lee until I was about 14. He’d be playing Bob Seeger records and the eagles and ZZ Top and my other brother Kevin would be playing Bob Dylan and Neil Young. My dad would be playing Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book. I picked up a guitar about 10 or 11. I guess my first memory of performing was at the working men’s club at the end of my street when I was about 12. And there was always music around. Watching my dad playing the working men’s clubs I suppose and I would sit with my mother eating nuts. I’d carry his speakers for a fiver at the end of the night. I got to know his band and listen to other members of the band yabbering in the dressing room. My earliest memories of music were between six and 10 listening to them, they used to drink and smoke and have a good time in bingo halls and working men’s clubs.”

Q. You’ve worked with so many legends, but I have to ask you about Bowie..! “He was wonderful! We were lucky enough to tour with him on our fourth album. And he was on his last ever tour as it turned out which was the Reality album. He was an inspiration to watch every night. He was funny and he was artistic and very very casual because he wasn’t playing a character, he wasn’t playing Ziggy Stardust he wasn’t playing the Thin White Duke, he was playing David Bowie. He’s come and sit in the dressing room and chat, he would watch our sound takes. He’d take requests when we watched his sound checks. He was lovely. We learned a lot from him. We had a give a side football match with him. It’s just surreal when you look back at the pictures and stuff. I can’t quite believe it actually happened. That was an incredible experience. We were on a bit of a roll at that point. We’d just got off the U2 tour, we’d just gone on to the Bowie tour, went on to the Lenny Kravitz tour… it was just nuts. All the people we looked up to we were then getting asked to play with them, it was amazing.”

Q. Your lyrics are so observational. So who were your favourite writers growing up? “In our house there weren’t lots of books. I loved ghost stories and Roald Dahl, the Tales of The Unexpected and all that. I always used to like the way he wrote things with a twist in at the end y’know. And then I loved John Sullivan’s writing on TV, doing Only Fools and Horses, making people laugh always with these twists at the end. When I went to college I started reading Bukowski and Dylan Thomas.”

Q. What are your favourite films? “One of my favourite films is The Deer Hunter which sometimes gets overlooked by the godfather. The thing about the deer Hunter it’s like two or three films in one and the landscape of it reminds me a lot of Cwmaman where I grew up. The guys are drinking in the bar at the beginning and the factories and the wedding. The first part of the film reminds me a lot of the guys around my area where they all joined the army and had coming home parties after the Falklands. So I’ve got quite an affinity to The Deer Hunter. My older brothers were always playing movies I probably shouldn’t have been watching as a kid. I love Jack Nicholson and I love Stanley Kubrick all those kind of classics. Mike Nichols was always a good director as well.”

Q. Any dream collaborators? “I grew up loving ACDC and got quite friendly with Brian Johnson but we never played any shows with AC/DC. They would have been a dream as a kid. Most of the people I grew up with – I love Otis Redding – they’re all passed now. Going forward, I like a lot of people’s records by different producers. I’m probably on that page now, the age I’m at,working with people in the studio collaboration-wise.”

Q. Are you glad you started out when you did, instead of the age our teenage children are now? “It’s different. I’ve got four kids spanning from 17 down to 19 months and they’ve all got a very different experience in their life. I’ve got a 15 & a five-year-old in between and when I watch them and how they use the media and listen to music and watch films or dramas or series or games it’s just a very different culture and, um, the attention span is very different. They’re not sitting and listening to a whole album from begginging to end. And I think the way that people get discovered is different as well. I am glad the way we got found and built our fan base was very I guess traditional in many ways and possibly the last era to do it that way – basically driving round in a van playing pubs and bars, building up a traditional fan base that hopefully sticks to you for a long career. Because I don’t know how people have a long career these days if their stats and their algorithms aren’t working in line with what record companies want which I find a little bit sad. It kind of limits  moving forward and development for artists. I’m sure it might work out in other ways but they might get dropped. This is a bit sad because it takes people time to get to where they’re going to. It’s got amazing advantages as well. But that’s some of the disadvantages.”

Q. What practices help you keep you mentally healthy? “Mental health has become such an open conversation finally in everyone’s lives, everybody goes through different periods of struggles with anxieties and lows and highs, it’s natural I don’t know anyone who hasn’t. For me personally exercise is the best one for me running. And some quiet spaces in between all the hectic stuff that you do. Trying to put the silences between all the noise. I’m trying to pass stuff on to the kids and you’ve got to learn about yourself too. You don’t learn about yourself until you stay hitting some walls. And then you discover a lot about yourself. For me it’s about open space – that’s what gets me back to the ground. I guess that comes back to my roots – I’m from a very open place! But I live in London where it’s all on top of me. I do find the open space calms me down for sure.”

Q. Do you get a lot of hassle/ weird fan mail? “I live in a kind of village area really in London. All my kids go to school, we kind of know everyone in the area. I don’t get bandy fans coming up to me in the street. It’s normally just people being pretty friendly. Maybe 15 years ago we had some weird stuff in a different place where I was living and the police had to come and take care of that stuff. Very odd letters and stuff. But generally where I am everyone’s been great, especially when you have family everyone knows the kids. Everybody’s in the same boat really. I’m not living in the middle of a crazy city – it’s not dissimilar to where I was brought up. Just in a different kind of surrounding, you know.”

Q. You’ve spoken so movingly about your family, including your son Colby’s journey. How is he doing? “Colby’s doing great; in a new sixth form in a new environment with a lot more likeminded people. Thriving in the studies that he’s doing and getting loads of distinctions and feels at home. Which is great because coming from an all-girls school not wanting to be a girl was a very hard environment to be in. He did amazing in his exams and worked really hard and now he’s in a place where he wants to be. He’s been great it’s been a proper journey, for the family, for everybody involved in the family. And now Misty’s going through GCSEs so all the pressures on her now. They all go through different episodes. I like to be pretty hands on with the kids. And Jakki my wife is really brilliant with them all. We have our ups and downs we have our struggles and all want to kill each other at times but most of the time we just try to communicate as well as we can really. It is a brand new world and the kids are going through many different things we never experienced. I think you have to just listen to them. At first you carry a lot of prejudices or opinions and things you never had just from your own upbringing. It’s just trying to keep an open mind, listen to them see where they go try to guide them and steer them best you can really. It’s not easy by any stretch but if you’re in that position you’ve just go with it help them feel safe as they can really.”

Q. What format do you like to listen to music on? “I’ve been enjoying my vinyl again recently. I’ve got a couple of Sonos speakers rigged up to most rooms but my little one Marlie keeps kicking my turntable off, trying to put Peppa Pig on. Vinyl is my go-to and I’m looking forward to seeing the new album record sleeves.”

Q. What kind of music do you listen to? “I listen to mostly older stuff. This morning I was listening to The Cure. The day before that I was listening to Billie Eilish because I love some of the visual stuff she’s been doing in her videos. Misty, my 15 year old, is into that were going to see her in June. I just flick through whatever’s going on really, trying to keep my ear on everyone.”

Q. Have you missed live music? “Yes! It’s been two years, apart from recently a few shows for an anniversary tour. As a band it’s a strange thing not to be performing – I’ve been in a band since I was 12 so it’s where where my body naturally goes to, holding a guitar. Strange not having that outlet or release of the last two years. Been handling everything else that’s been going on but it’s a big part of who I am and what I do has been lacking so to be back on the ride is gonna be a great experience. And everybody in the entertainment industry – the lorry drivers caterers – there a lot of ppl involved.”

Q. How do you take care of your voice? “I do exercises all the time really. The thing I had was called a one-off trauma polyp. It could have been shouting at the football on the TV, it wasn’t really through singing – it could have been anything. But that whole episode taught me a lot really. Recovery and how much the voice means to me. Your voice is always  there and then suddenly it’s taken away from you. You can’t talk for a few weeks until it’s all sorted out, after surgery. I try to come to the studio to do singing every day. It’s just a muscle – you keep it going and do rehearsals with the band every week. I love trying to change it and do different things with it on every record. It’s something I’ve always done. So over the period of lockdown when I didn’t have anywhere to sing there’s a certain amount of adrenaline that’s not getting released really. It’s been good getting out with the boys and doing rehearsals.”

stereophonics.com

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March recipes: Dinners for winners

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We’re sharing three hearty recipes from The Hairy Bikers’ Everyday Winners by Si King and Dave Myers, published by Seven Dials, out now £22 hardback

Cumberland sausage pie

Ingredients:

• Eight Cumberland sausages (about 500g)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 15g butter
• One large onion, diced
• Two large carrots, diced
• Two celery sticks, diced
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 100ml red wine
• 400ml beef stock
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Two bay leaves
• One large thyme sprig
• 1–2 tbsp Cumberland sauce
• 1 tsp orange zest (optional)
• sea salt and black pepper

Topping

• 1kg floury potatoes, cut into chunks
• 30g butter
• One bunch of spring onions, cut into rounds
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (optional)
• 50ml single cream
• 100g Cheddar cheese, grated

Prep: 20 minutes | Cooking:  90 minutes | Serves: 4 people

Cumberland pie is similar to shepherd’s pie, so we thought: why not make a pie with Cumberland sausages for the full Cumberland experience? We’ve broken the sausages up into little balls so everyone gets a bite of banger satisfaction. Add the cheesy potato topping and this is a dish to be proud of.

Method

Skin the sausages. Divide each into four and roll each into a ball. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil and lightly fry until browned on all sides, then set aside.

Heat the remaining oil and butter in a large saucepan or a flameproof casserole dish. Add the veg and sauté for a few minutes, until well coated. Cover and leave to cook, stirring regularly, until tender – this will take at least 10 minutes.

Stir in the flour, then when it has disappeared, stir in the tomato purée. Turn up the heat and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, then pour in the red wine. Bring to the boil and continue to stir, then add the stock, sauce and herbs. Stir in the Cumberland sauce and orange zest, if using, then add the sausage balls. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook the sauce for 20 minutes, stirring to make sure it doesn’t catch on the bottom, until it has reduced a bit and thickened. Meanwhile, make the topping. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add potatoes, season and cook for 10–15 minutes until tender. Preheat oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Drain the potatoes and mash until smooth. Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the spring onions. Fry until they start to soften, then add the potatoes to the pan with the mustard, if using, and the cream. Beat together until well combined.

Put the filling into a pie dish or casserole dish. Spread the mashed potato over the top, then rough it up with a fork. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes until browned and piping hot.

If you’re a burgerholic like we are, you’re always on the look-out for something new. Here’s our latest incarnation of the veggie burger which has bags of flavour and a nice hit of chilli. Good served Mexican style with avocado and a dash of soured cream.

Ingredients:

• 2–3 tbsp olive oil
• One small onion, very finely chopped
• ½ red pepper, very finely chopped
• One small carrot, finely grated
• Two jalapeños, very finely chopped (include seeds)
• 3 tbsp coriander stems, finely chopped
• Four garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1-2 tsp chilli paste or hot sauce (such as chipotle)
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 400g can of black, pinto or kidney beans, drained
• 50g cooked brown rice
• 75g breadcrumbs
• One egg
• Sea salt and black pepper

To Serve

• One avocado
• Juice of one lime
• Cheese slices (optional)
• Four burger buns
• Four lettuce leaves
• Four slices of red onion
• Soured cream (optional)
• Coriander leaves, to garnish
• Hot sauce

Prep: 20 minutes + 1 hour chilling | Cooking: 15 minutes | Serves: Four

Chilli bean burger (vegetarian)

Method

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Add the onion, pepper and carrot and cook until the onion is soft and translucent and the vegetables collapsed down and glossy, but dry. Add the jalapeños, coriander stems and garlic and stir for another couple of minutes. Stir in the chilli paste or hot sauce, soy sauce, cumin and cinnamon and season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

Put the beans into a bowl and mash roughly – you want a mixture of textures. Add the rice, breadcrumbs, egg and the cooled vegetables. Season and mix.

Heat a little more oil in the frying pan, take a dessertspoonful of the mix and form it into a small patty. Fry on both sides and taste for heat and seasoning. Add more salt, pepper or chilli, if necessary. Form into four patties and chill them for at least an hour – this will help the flavour develop.

Remove patties from the fridge. Prep the avocado, toss in the lime juice and season with salt. Heat more oil in a frying pan and add the patties. Cook over a medium heat until a brown crust forms underneath. Carefully flip. If serving with cheese, add it to the burgers now and cover the pan to help the cheese melt. Lightly toast the buns, then layer up the lettuce leaves, onion, avocado slices, burgers, cheese, if using, and soured cream, if you like. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with extra hot sauce.

Barley & Beetroot Salad (Vegetarian)

Ingredients:

• 100g barley, well rinsed (or farro)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, grated or crushed
• 150g salad leaves
• 200g green beans, topped, tailed and blanched
• 2 large cooked beetroots, Peeled and diced
• Small bunch of dills, leaves only
• Small bunch of parsley, leaves only
• Small bunch of mint, leaves only
• 50g walnut pieces, lightly toasted
• Sea salt and black pepper

Dressing

• 50ml buttermilk
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice or
• white wine vinegar
• ½ garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 tsp honey

Prep: 10 minutes | Serves: 4 people

Barley is great in a salad like this or you can use farro – a super-healthy grain that has a similar nutty taste to barley and is quicker to cook. Whichever grain you use, this is a big earthy salad with plenty of flavour and texture. You could add some goat’s cheese, if you like.

Method

Put the barley in a saucepan, cover with cold water and leave to soak for half an hour. Drain and cover with fresh water, then season with salt and bring to the boil. Simmer for half an hour until the barley is cooked through – you want it quite al dente. Strain, drizzle with the olive oil and add the garlic. Leave to cool to room temperature.

If you prefer to use farro instead, cook according to the packet instructions, then dress with the olive oil and garlic.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together and season with salt And pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning or sweetness as necessary.

Arrange the salad leaves on a large platter. Add the beans and beetroots, then drizzle over some of the dressing. Sprinkle over the herbs, barley and walnuts, tossing everything very lightly so the top layers combine well. Drizzle over the remaining dressing and serve.

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The Year of the Tiger

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Top image photo credit: Vladimir Cech

Save Wild Tigers charity celebrate The Year of the Tiger with a gala and exhibition at Danesfield House in Marlow on Monday, 31st January

On Chinese New Year’s Eve (January 31st), Danesfield House Hotel and Save Wild Tigers will host a stunning black-tie gala to kick off The Chinese Year of the Tiger in aid of the conservation organisation.

Various Save Wild Tigers ambassadors will join the evening, including actress Jaime Winstone and All Saints singer Mel Blatt. This dazzling soiree will open the Save Wild Tigers 2022 Year of the Tiger campaign ending in Asia at the end of the year.

Picture below by Toshiji Fukuda

The hotel will also display some stunning wild tiger photography and tiger art, all to be auctioned during the evening.

Save Wild Tigers (SWT) is a global initiative that uses creativity to raise awareness of the plight of the wild tiger and based locally in Marlow. With as few as 3,900 tigers left in the wild, the clock is ticking, if action isn’t taken wild tigers could be extinct within a decade indeed, by the next year of the tiger in 2034. Working with high profile individuals from ambassadors to royalty to popular celebrities SWT develop inspiring campaigns that make a real impact.

Save Wild Tigers is a global marketing focussed charity initiative set up by Simon Clinton in 2011. Wild Tigers are being huntedfor their skins, bones and parts by the illegal poaching trade. The illegal trade in endangered species is worth around £12 billion every year. Additionally, the tigers’ natural habitat is being decimated by greedy developers, which increases the risk of human/animal conflict points. “Our mission is to raise awareness levels, targeting the public and all related stakeholders, whilst providing urgent and ongoing financial support for tiger conservation in a bid to combat and reverse the increasing threat of extinction that wild tigers face.” Simon Clinton, Founder, Save Wild Tigers. Save Wild Tigers also work in conjunction with leading global conservation charities such as the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), WCS in Malaysia and The Satpuda landscape tiger conservation programme (in conjunction with Born Free) in India. Working together our goal is to end the illegal trade in tiger parts and protect wild tigers in their natural habitat.With as few as 3,900 tigers left in the wild, time is runningout to save this majestic species from extinction. We want to inspire the public to join us and act to save, surely one of the planets’ most beautiful and captivating species for future generations.

Brimming with history, Danesfield House was once home to the Intelligence Section of the RAF, 1941-1947. It remained in the hands of the RAF until 1977. It first opened its doors as a hotel in 1991. As you approach the tree-lined drive that winds beneath the striking clock tower, the whitewashed exterior of Danesfield House sits overlooking the River Thames, among 65 acres of landscaped gardens.

Tickets are prices at £180 each. To find out more or to reserve tickets for the exclusive event visit savewildtigers.org

Picture below by Roger Hooper

Founder of Save Wild Tigers, Simon Clinton says: “If no action is taken the world’s most iconic and loved species could be extinct within a generation. Despite being a global initiative, our Save Wild Tigers’ head office is based in Marlow. Partnering once again with such a stunning venue, so close to our base is fantastic.”

Danesfield House Hotel general manager added: “We are delighted to be playing our part as co-host this important event for a critical global cause.”

Picture below by Kim Sullivan

Picture below by Anup Shah

For full details on the #InYourLifetime Gala email [email protected] or visit savewildtigers.org. Or email Gez Beatty on [email protected] or visit danesfieldhouse.co.uk/concierge/whats-on

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Star Q&A: Justin Fletcher

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TV megastar Justin Fletcher MBE tells us about his influences as he steps out to a venue near you for his all-singing and dancing live show Justin Live – The Big Tour!

Q. Hello! You’ve been a children’s TV star for more than 20 years. Who inspired you? “As a child I used to watch Playschool with Jonny Ball, Derek Griffiths and Floella Benjamin and loved acting out the stories. During my three-year drama course, I was inspired by Philip Schofield and Chris Jarvis in the CBBC Broom Cupboard. I put a show reel together, secured an audition for the Playdays theatre tour and I landed the part of Mr Jolly. That started my career.”

Q. The Big Tour will be full of slapstick. Who are your comedy heroes? “Slapstick comedy has such wide appeal. It’s great when children and their families laugh out loud watching routines by performers like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. It’s a timeless format and you can’t beat the sound of belly laughter from the audience. I was inspired by Laurel and Hardy. I used to watch their slapstick routines over and over. They had such amazing chemistry between them.”

Q. Do you think family entertainment has changed? “The choice on TV is now huge. When I was a child there were very limited programmes. However, having a good strong story-based script and engaging characters is still the key.”

Q. How important do you think live theatre is for children? “Creating many family theatre productions over the last two decades has been incredibly important to me and hugely enjoyable. There is nothing like performing on stage and meeting the families that support you and your TV shows. Children’s theatre is quite often their first live show experience. We are hoping to inspire the next generation of theatre-goers.”

Q. What do you enjoy about touring? “We have an amazing production team who work extremely hard to prepare the show before it goes out on the road. We are like one big family. From the performers to the lighting and sound operators, the catering team, and the back stage crew, we’re all working together. We also support each other out on the road, which is really important when you’re away from home for fairly long periods of time. Touring provides a fantastic opportunity to experience so many different towns and theatres across the country and to meet so many new friends along the way.”

Q. You have written this show. Tell us a little about this process… “It always starts with a storyline. Once you have that in place, I think about the music content. Music is a vital element and I try to write some original songs myself.”

Q. Any favourite songs in the show? “You can’t beat seeing the audience join in with Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes, If You’re Happy and You Know It and The Hokey Cokey. Then, in a heartbeat, all singing and signing Twinkle Twinkle.”

Q. It’s likely some parents who saw you on CBeebies now bring their children to see you live. How does that feel? “I feel very proud and flattered. This inspires me to continue entertaining generations to come. It’s been a very long time since we’ve been able to tour. I can’t wait to get on the road and meet all of our friends again.”

To book your tickets, please visit imaginetheatre.co.uk/justin-live-the-big-tour

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February recipes: Sweet dreams

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We share a taste of Nadiya’s Fast Flavours published by Penguin Michael Joseph (£22)

Banana thyme loaf

Ingredients:

• Four small bananas, three mashed (340g prepped weight), one sliced lengthways
• 50g salted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing the tin
• 175g caster sugar a pinch of salt
• a large sprig of fresh thyme leaves picked
• 120ml olive oil
• 75ml whole milk, at room temperature
• 300g self-raising flour, sifted
• 100g caster sugar 45g salted butter 60ml cream
• ½ teaspoon salt flakes

Prep: 25 minutes | Cooking:  1 hour | Serves: 8-10 people

Method

Put the mashed bananas in a bowl and leave out for half an hour to oxidise – this will make them browner and add to the colour. Or if you are in a rush, just mash the bananas and get to baking the loaf.

Line and grease a 900g loaf tin and preheat the oven to 180°C/ fan 160°C.
Add the butter and caster sugar to the banana and mix, then add the salt and thyme leaves, reserving a few to sprinkle at the end. Now pour in the olive oil and milk and mix through. Add the sifted flour and fold through until you have a smooth cake batter.

Pour into the tin and level off with a few sharp taps, add the two slices of banana, cut-side up, and bake for 50 minutes to an hour, covering loosely for the last 15 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when a skewer comes out clean.

Meanwhile, make the caramel by adding the sugar in an even layer into the base of a pan, on medium to low heat, and watch as the sugar turns to caramel, stirring it occasionally. As soon as the sugar melts, add the butter. If you find it seizing, don’t worry, just keep stirring over a very low heat and the caramel will come together. As soon as the butter has melted, add the cream. Cook on a low heat for two minutes till you have smooth caramel. Take off the heat.

Remove the cake from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then take out and leave to cool on a wire rack.

As soon as it has cooled enough, drizzle over the caramel. If it’s become too stiff, warm gently and then drizzle. You will have caramel left over but not to worry, because we all need a little extra caramel and it’s perfect served on the side for anyone who wants some more to pour over. Sprinkle with a few thyme leaves, if you like.

The simplest of all recipes, this set-custard-slash-mousse pot is creamy, zesty and entirely foolproof. Using very few ingredients, the syllabub is infused with thyme and set with lemon juice. Simply serve with sponge fingers and a good cup of coffee.

Ingredients:

• 150g raspberries
• One teaspoon rose extract
• A sprig of fresh lemon thyme, leaves picked
• 300ml double cream 50g caster sugar
• One lemon, zest and juice sponge fingers, to serve

Prep: 15 minutes + 1 hour chilling | Makes: Four

Lemon Syllabub

Method

Have four serving glasses or jam jars ready.

Mix the raspberries with the rose extract and lemon thyme leaves and mash a little to break up. Divide the mixture into the four glasses.

Add the cream and sugar to a mixing bowl and whip to soft peaks. Add the lemon zest and juice and fold through. Spoon on top of the raspberries. Ideally chill for an hour before serving, but you can eat it straight away!

Serve with sponge fingers.

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January recipes: Gut Reaction

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We’re serving up a taster from The Gut-Loving Cookbook by Alana & Lisa MacFarlane which is out this month, published by Pavilion Books

Baked salmon topped with sourdough crumbs

Ingredients:•

• One slice of day-old sourdough, or shop-bought sourdough loaf
• 1½ tbsp olive oil
• One lemon, quartered
• One fennel bulb, finely sliced
• One red onion, sliced
• Two handfuls of cherry tomatoes
• 100g jarred artichoke, drained
• Two salmon fillets
• Two garlic cloves, finely sliced
• Handful of stoned black olives
• Handful of fresh herbs, such
as basil or flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Salt and pepper

Prep: five minutes | Cooking: 30 minutes | Serves: two people

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Add the sourdough to a blender and pulse to breadcrumbs, then stir in the ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Place the fennel, onion, tomatoes and jarred artichokes in a mixing bowl, season well and coat with the remaining olive oil. Spread out over a medium baking tray and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove the tray from the oven, stir in the garlic and olives, add the salmon and cover the salmon and vegetables with the sourdough breadcrumbs. Return to the oven and cook for a further 15–20 minutes until the salmon is cooked through.

Serve garnished with the chopped fresh herbs and an extra squeeze of lemon juice.

Extract credit to: The Gut-Loving Cookbook by Alana and Lisa Macfarlane of The Gut Stuff (Pavilion Books). Image credit – Haarala Hamilton

Spiced green pancakes

Who said pancakes have gotta be sweet? I love these for a weekend brunch or a lazy late lunch. Excellent with a spicy Bloody Mary!

Ingredients:

Pancakes
• One garlic clove, peeled
• Handful of fresh coriander
• Handful of spinach
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 100ml (3½ fl oz) milk or oat milk, plus extra if needed
• 125g (4½ oz) spelt flour
• Two large eggs
• 1-2 tbsp butter
• Salt and pepper

Topping
• One avocado, cut into chunks
• Two spring onions, finely sliced
• Two handfuls of spinach
• 2 tbsp milk kefir (homemade, or shop-bought)
• One 200g (7oz) can of sweetcorn, drained
• ½ tbsp chilli flakes
• Squeeze of lemon juice

Prep: 22 minutes | Cooking: 50 minutes | Makes: Two

Method

Put the garlic, coriander, spinach, cumin and cardamom in a blender and blitz to a smooth green paste. Add a splash of the milk or oat milk to loosen if needed.

Add the flour to a large mixing bowl and create a well, then add the eggs, slowly whisking them into the flour. Add a pinch of salt and stir, then gradually add the milk, followed by the green paste and whisk to combine. Leave to rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Put all the topping ingredients in a mixing bowl, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Melt the butter in a 20cm (8 in) non-stick frying pan over a medium heat.

Once hot, whisk the batter, then ladle 60ml (4 tbsp) into the pan. Cook for two minutes, then flip and cook for a further minute. Transfer to a plate and repeat, serve with the mixed topping.

Store any leftover pancakes in an airtight container in the fridge for three or four days.

The topping is best prepared and served immediately.

We have two copies of  The Gut-Loving Cookbook by Alana & Lisa MacFarlane, published by Pavilion Books to giveaway

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