An initiative launched by The Outdoor Guide Foundation is helping provide Waterproofs and Wellies to state primary schools to allow pupils to enjoy their childhood
As a child, there’s nothing like the simple pleasure of splashing in a puddle. But to do this without being told off and getting too wet, you need the right clothing.
Sadly many children in state primary schools do not have these basic “tools” – Wellington boots, a hooded waterproof jacket and over trousers – to enable them to get out and enjoy this most innocent of pastimes.
However, thanks to The Outdoor Guide Foundation many are now being given this opportunity through the Waterproofs and Wellies Project, the first of what it is hoped will be several similar schemes from the foundation to help disadvantaged children make the most of the natural world around them.
The Outdoor Guide Foundation is the charitable arm of The Outdoor Guide, a free walking tool founded by TV presenter Julia Bradbury and her sister Gina, which aims to make the outdoors more accessible for all.
Waterproofs and Wellies splashed onto the scene in March 2021 with CBeebies presenter Gemma Hunt launching the initiative alongside Gina. Gemma said: “I am thrilled to be supporting this wonderful initiative and encouraging more children to get outside. The kits provide the basic gear that will allow children to have wonderful outdoor experiences when at school, whatever the weather!”
The goal is to donate 10 sets of wellies and waterproofs to every state primary school in the UK – a whopping 20,000 – to make the outdoors more accessible for all, allowing youngsters to experience, understand and protect nature. The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns proved the benefits of being able to get outside: educational, social interaction and empathy, enhancing wellbeing, reduction in anger, stress and anxiety, improved physical fitness and community engagement.
The Children’s Society says spending time outdoors and in nature enhances a young person’s short and long-term wellbeing. It is also known to improve mental development and personal fulfilment, all of which is endorsed by Mind, advocates of the health benefits of outdoor activities in all age ranges including a reduction in anger, stress, anxiety and an increase in physical fitness as well as a sense of balance and personal awareness.
Waterproofs and Wellies is the result of working with reputable suppliers to source the best value kit with the sale cost for the whole kit just £30. The not-for-profit project donates 10 various-sized kits to a school for them to decide how to distribute at their discretion. Schools and parents can buy extra kits at the same cost.
Julia says: “I am thrilled to be supporting this and encouraging more children to get outside in all weathers! These packs have been sourced as the basic gear that will allow children to have wonderful outdoor experiences, whatever the weather.”
Waterproofs and Wellies are calling on businesses to help support the project too – every business which donates £300 to the initiative will receive a certificate thanking them for their gift for putting something back into the community and will be able to choose which schools they support.
Thanks to the generous donations so far, The Outdoor Guide Foundation has been able to help more than 200 schools since the launch. Businesses interested in getting involved in Waterproof and Wellies should email Gina at [email protected] or call 0203 393 5084.
Lelita Baldock is a web-developer by day, fiction author by night. Part-time nutritionist, full-time foodie. She says: “I love food. But I am also very busy. So for me, healthy, satisfying meals that are quick and easy to prepare, that also come in on a tight budget are essential” Follow her tips & recipes here
It’s the new year, a time of renewal, resolutions and looking forward to the future. And if you are anything like me, a time to focus on healthy choices. The festive season is delightful, but it can often come with over-indulgence. And that’s all part of the fun. But by January our bodies can be crying out for simpler, more nourishing meals.
Luckily for us in the UK, January is also a time of hearty, healthy seasonal produce: think root vegetables and leafy greens. Perfect food to nourish our bodies and come in on a budget too.
The cost of living has been rising, and many of us are feeling the pinch. So it is natural that we are looking for savings everywhere, including on our grocery bill.
But budget doesn’t mean meals can’t be delicious too!
To help us all incorporate healthy, nourishing meals into our routine, while also being budget conscious, I have put together a series of tips and recipes to guide your choices. And have fun with food!
Let’s start with the basics of nutrition. We all know we want to be eating a minimum of 5 servings of fruit and vegetables a day. This baseline ensures our intake of fibre, vitamins and minerals. Also fruits and vegetables are some of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet. Low in calories, high in nutrition. The perfect bang for your buck!
So, the first focus is to increase your intake of fruits and vegetables. Add berries or chopped fruit to breakfast cereals or toast. Add spinach or kale to smoothies. Include vegetables with lunch and dinner.
And my biggest tip? Include a serve of beans/pulses everyday. Beans are a nutrition powerhouse. Packed with fibre and plant-based protein, they are filling and great for digestion. Including them is easy. Spread hummus on wraps or sandwiches, add lentils to soups and stews, mix white beans into salads.
Aim for 30 different plants a week. Time and time again, research is showing the importance of fibre and consuming a variety or different plants. The fibre and variety supports the development of a healthy microbiome. Don’t get hung up though, 30 is just a positive goal.
Other tips to round out your nutrition basics are:
Enjoy dairy twice a day. Top porridge with yogurt, snack on a slice of cheese, add milk to coffee and tea. If you are plant-based or doing veganuary, swap your animal products for plant alternatives, just be sure to choose calcium fortified options (see more veganuary tips below). Base each meal on whole grains or starches. Grains and starches are rich sources of soluble fibre, that type of fibre that adds bulk to our stool and helps waste move smoothly through our digestive tract. Full of nutrition and filling, these foods should form the base of each meal. Snack on fruit, dairy or nuts. An easy way to reach your five a day. Keep red meat to a maximum of two serves per week. Red meat is a great source of iron and protein, but we don’t need huge quantities. Enjoy up to twice a week. Enjoy fish. Fish is a lean, healthy protein that also boosts our intake of healthy omega 3 fats. Aim for two serves per week.
So how do we keep to a budget?
With the rising cost of living many of us are looking to save where we can. And our food budget is a great place to look for bargains.
Healthy eating does not have to be expensive. Here are some tips to fill your plate with nourishing food at a low price.
Buy in season Use what you have: stew, soup, roast veggies – don’t let anything go to waste, it can all be made into a meal Use fresh first so thing’s don’t go off Add bulk: cabbage, kale, spinach will add nutrition and satiety to meals for low cost Halve meat and add beans/ pulses to make it go further Cook in bulk Buy in bulk. Purchase large bags of staples like rice/pasta/potatoes. If you have time to prep them, choose dried beans/ pulses and soak, rinse and cook. With meat/poultry/fish buy large amounts when on special and portion and freeze Focus on starches. Cheap and filling Use herbs and spices for flavour, rather than buying packaged food Buy the fruit that is on sale. If apples are 6 for £1, buy apples, if oranges are on special, buy oranges Purchase essentials then add extras according to budget: fresh herbs, out of season veg (eg salad items for sandwiches/ wraps)
So what’s in season in January?
Think hearty roots and filling greens: Potato Swede Parsnip Carrot Beetroot (can cook and eat leaves too!) Cabbage Kale Onion Leek
Another budget tip is to include frozen fruits and vegetables. Frozen is great. Produce is snap-frozen as soon as possible after picking, which ensures that the nutrients are kept. You can buy frozen food at a lower cost and in bulk to save money. Great for fruit and meal bulking veggies.
Putting it all together
As an example, I have created a 2 week meal plan that will provide all your nutritional needs, with all meals coming in at under 30p per serve (most even less).
This menu is what I call a ‘base shop’. It is a plant-based menu that will cover all your nutritional needs, for around 30 pounds.
Potatoes x6 Carrots x4 Parsnip Swede Pumpkin Cabbage Onion Leek x2 Avocado (if you enjoy them, buy the large bags much better value) Apples x3 Pears x3 Frozen mixed berries Frozen peas Frozen ratatouille mix Frozen spinach Peanut butter Bread mix Canned tomatoes x2 Canned chickpeas x2 Canned cannellini beans x2 Canned red kidney Canned lentils Basmati rice Porridge oats Pasta Almond milk (traditional milk is fine, this is just personal preference)
You can take this base menu and then add meat and dairy as per your taste, preference and budget. To keep the cost of these additional lower, go for bulk:
Dairy
Buy litre tubs of yogurt for breakfast topping and snacks Choose large cheese blocks for sandwiches and grated on meals
Meat/ fish/ poultry
Halve your meat portion and mix with beans/pulses to make it go further Look for bargains, choose cheaper options such as: beef chunk, chicken drumsticks, fish pie mix
All meals are quick and easy to make, simply peal, wash and chop the produce, put it in a pot, cover with water and cook. All can be cooked in a slow cooker or on a stove top. You can sauté or fry the onion first if desired. But I am a lazy cook, so I just put it all into a pot and cook!
All herbs are optional. Fresh or dried is fine. Add according to preference and availability
Breakfasts:
Oats, berries, linseed Toast peanut butter apple slices
Lunches:
Leftovers Sandwich topped with bean spread and lettuce/ grated carrot/ spinach/ tomato/ cucumber Soup – I have chosen pumpkin, leek and white bean soup
Dinners:
Pumpkin, pea, spinach, thyme risotto White bean, carrot, onion (sage optional) stew over baked spud Slow-cooker root stew (beef optional) Ratatouille and lentil pasta Shepards pie with lentils carrots, peas, onion (mince optional) Cabbage and red lentil dahl over rice (fish optional) Chickpea, spinach, tomato stew over rice or pasta (chicken optional)
Other budget meal ideas:
Muesli and milk/ yogurt Corn and potato chowder with peppers Goan fish curry Fish pie Beef stew Pea and ham soup Tuna and corn in baked spud Baked beans on toast with cheese Potato and spinach pie Sardines on toast with spinach and tomato slices Chicken drumsticks with rice and steamed veggies (great in air-fryer) Red lentil, chickpea, can tomatoes, onion, pepper and chipotle Red lentil, grated carrot, onion, gammon soup Peas, onion, bacon soup Salmon, pea, spinach risotto with fresh dill
Time-saving tips:
I like to bulk cook on the weekend, portion and freeze. Great time saver.
I will cook up the following on a Sunday to enjoy through the week:
Soup for lunches Bean spread (e.g. hummus) for sandwiches/ wraps Stew for dinner Pasta sauce to top pasta or baked potatoes Curry to top rice A bake/ pie
Some Veganuary swaps for healthy plant-based eating
Veganuary is a fun way to focus on getting more plants on your plate, and do something for the environment and animals. If you are vegan, or looking to eat more plant-based, here are some tips to ensure you are still getting all the nutrition you need:
Plant-based swaps:
Beef – lentils Chicken – chickpeas/ tofu Fish – white beans Milk – oat milk Iron – eat plant foods rich in iron with foods high in vitamin c, this helps iron absorption Calcium – fortified plant milks such as almond, oat, soy If you eat vegan long term, add in a high quality vitamin b12 supplement
Whole grain swaps
It is not essential to choose whole grain options. If you are getting a variety of fruits and veggies you will cover your fibre needs. But whole grains are more nutritious and higher in fibre than their more processed equivalents. Experiment and find some you like.
Bread – grainy/ whole grain bread White rice – brown rice Pasta – whole grain pasta/ bean based pasta White wraps – corn tortillas
Herbs and spices
Herbs and spices add flavour and variety to your meals. The initial cost to purchase them can be high, but a little goes a long way. They will last you for many meals. My tip would be to stock up your spices over time, purchasing something new each week as you build up your selection.
The essentials I swear by for versatility and taste are:
Dried thyme Paprika Cumin
From just these three options alone you can create all manner of Mexican, Indian and European dishes.
Condiments
Mustard – a little goes a long way Mayo – buy in bulk for dressings Ketchup – if you like Hot sauce – great for extra flavour and affordable
By focusing on eating a variety of in season fruits and vegetables, basing meals on grains and starches and adding small portions of meat/ fish/ poultry and dairy, you can build a tasty, health-promoting meal plan that is also affordable.
Experiment with different recipes, use what you have, and most of all, enjoy your food!
Toast bread. Spread with peanut butter. Top with chopped banana (Tip: experiment with different nut butters and fruit combinations. I love almond butter and blueberries)
Bean-spread open sandwich
Serves 2
· 4 slices whole grain bread · 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed · 1 avocado · 1 cup salad vegetables of choice, eg chopped tomato, cucumber, lettuce, spinach
Place beans and avocado in a bowl. Mash together until mixed like a chunky spread Toast bread. Top with bean spread and salad vegetables. enjoy.
Pumpkin and white bean soup
Serves 4-6
· 1 whole pumpkin (technically out of season, but always a cheap staple at the supermarket) · 1 can cannellini beans – drained and well rinsed · 1 leek – green part discarded. Washed and chopped · 1 litre chicken stock or water and salt to taste · Dried thyme
Chop pumpkin and leek. Add all ingredients into a saucepan. Cover with chicken stock. Cook until pumpkin is soft. Allow to cool. Blend with stick blender. Sprinkle with dried thyme. Serve warm with thick slice of whole grain toast.
Pumpkin, pea, spinach, thyme risotto
Serves 4-6
· 1 cup basmati rice · 1 cup chopped pumpkin · 4 rounds of frozen spinach (or 2 cups fresh) · 1 brown onion, finely chopped · 1 cup frozen green peas · 2 cups chicken stock, or water and salt to taste
Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until rice is cooked and vegetables are soft. Serve warm. Optional – top with grated cheese
Slow-cooker root stew
Serves 6-8
· 1 swede · 2 potatoes · 2 carrots · 2 celery stalks · 1 brown onion · 1 parsnip · 200 grams chunk beef (optional) · Chicken stock to cover · Black pepper to taste
Peal and chop all vegetables into large chunks. Place in a saucepan with beef if using. Cover with stock and cook on medium to low heat until cooked. Serve warm.
White bean, carrot, onion (sage optional) stew over baked spud
Serves 3-4
· 1 can white beans, drained and well-rinsed · 2 carrots · 2 stalks celery · 1 brown onion · 4 sage leaves, chopped finely · 1 potato per person
Peal and chop carrot, celery and onion. Place in a saucepan with white beans. Add chopped sage. Cover with water. Cook on medium heat until all vegetables are soft. While cooking, wrap potatoes in foil and bake in the oven until soft. Serve potatoes cut open with bean mix as filling. Optional – sprinkle with grated cheese.
Ratatouille and lentil pasta
Serves 4-6
· 1 packet of mixed Mediterranean vegetable: eg. courgettes, aubergines, peppers, tomatoes · 1 can lentils, drained and well rinsed · Chicken stock · Pasta for number of people you are feeding
Place vegetable mix and beans in a saucepan. Cover with chicken stock. Cook until soft and soupy. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Serve vegetable mix over pasta. Optional – add a sprinkle of grated cheese
Shepards pie with lentils carrots, peas, onion (mince optional)
Serves 6-8
· 1 can lentils, drained and well rinsed · 1 cup frozen pea · 2 carrots, pealed and chopped · 1 can chopped tomatoes · 4 rounds frozen spinach · 250 grams lean beef mince (optional) · 2 large potatoes · 1/2 cup grated cheese (optional)
Place all ingredients except potato into a pot. Cover with water and cook until vegetables are just soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. While cooking. Boil and then mash potatoes. Pour vegetable and beef mix into a baking dish. Cover with mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with grated cheese (optional). Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for around 20 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Serve hot.
Cabbage and red lentil dahl over rice (fish optional)
Serves 3-4
· 1/2 green cabbage, washed and chopped · 1 cup dried red lentils · 1 carrot grated · 250 grams fish pie mix · 1 can diced tomatoes · 1 cup water · 2 teaspoons curry powder (or, if you have them, a teaspoon each of: turmeric, cumin, chilli flakes) · Salt and pepper to taste · Rice for each person
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and cook until lentils are soft. Cook rice according to package instructions Serve over a portion of rice Top with fresh herbs like coriander (optional)
Chickpea, spinach, tomato stew over rice or pasta (chicken optional)
Serves 3-4
· 1 can chickpeas, drained and well rinsed · 4 rounds frozen spinach · 1 can diced tomatoes · Salt and pepper to taste · 250 grams chicken thighs, diced (optional)
Rice or pasta for number of people Place all ingredients in a saucepan and cook until soft. Cook rice or pasta according to package instructions Serve vegetables over rice or pasta
Award-winning comedian takes to the stage with tales of his weird travel adventures
Despite being a highly successful, multi-award winning comedian, Dom Joly have never been a stand-up. His work always been on television or on the written page.
Under pressure to tour he finally gave it a go in 2011 and was given a severe kicking by the comedy elite and press. This put him off for years.
Then 10 years later, he had an idea for a show about his weird travel adventures.
He was immediately told by several promoters that such a show would never interest more than a handful of people. Dom decided to prove them wrong.
He put the show together and then set off on a mammoth tour around every tiny UK venue that would have him. Slowly he learned how to handle an audience, how to perform live.
After 199 shows he is finally ready. Dom wants to end the tour with a big one and sell out the New Theatre in Oxford and prove everybody wrong, but will he?
Dom has also never done radio before. He joined JACKfm as the main station voiceover in July 2022 and also hosts the weekly show Dom Joly’s Sunday Session every Sunday afternoon, where he gets to play his own songs and chats to some of the singers who performed them.
JACKfm have booked the New Theatre Oxford for 20th January for his Holiday Snaps show.
Dom and the show are finely honed. All he needs now is for everybody to come and enjoy the end results.
Dom Joly’s Sunday Session can be heard every Sunday from 12 to 2pm on JACKfm. Listen on 106 FM in Oxfordshire, smartspeakers (“play JACK fm”), online at https://www.jackfm.co.uk/ and on the JACK Radio App in mobile app stores.
Quaglino’s, the iconic restaurant in the heart of St James’s, has created a delicious menu specially for Christmas Day, as well as an all-day swing extravaganza for New Year’s Eve.
Where better to celebrate the festive season than the first restaurant the late HM Queen Elizabeth ll ever visited? The historic and stylish vibe is the perfect backdrop to enjoy contemporary European cuisine, vibrant cocktails, champagne and live entertainment.
Christmas Day
Guests will revel the season spirit in a relaxed manner and glamorous style, feasting on four courses (£150pp) whilst listening to the sounds of live music from the wonderful String Infusion from 12pm – 8pm. The lavish meal begins with starters such as Wild mushroom tortelloni, winter truffle, aged parmesan or Duck liver parfait, clementine, candied walnuts, toasted brioche. Sumptuous mains includes dishes such as the classic Roasted bronze turkey breast, venison sausage roll, pigs in blankets, potato fondant, cranberry & red wine jus or Gnocchi, roasted Delicata pumpkin, oyster mushrooms, kale crisps. Desserts include delicate crowd pleasers such as Christmas pudding, hot butter rum sauce, redcurrants and Chocolate, raspberry & pistachio. This comes to a satisfying conclusion with a seasonal mince pie.
New Year’s Eve:
See out 2022 with an all day swing extravaganza in the heart of London’s West End, with the theme of ‘All That Glitters Is Gold.” Live entertainment starts with the swing brunch at 12pm, followed by early dinner seatings from 6:30pm (£150pp) or there’s the option to choose the late dinner seatings (£280pp), meaning guests can keep their tables right up until 3am. Britain’s Got Talent winner’s Jack Pack will create a memorable atmosphere to welcome in the new year before a DJ sees the evening off. Guests can raise a glass of champagne, carefully curated cocktails and dance the night away with the incredible acts on the grand stage.
Quaglino’s, is the ideal place to indulge in contemporary European food, legendary cocktails and live music. Founded in 1929 by Giovanni Quaglino, the iconic restaurant became famous for its fashionably late supper followed by music and dancing. In addition to Quaglino’s own charm and grace, the venue struck exactly the tone which glamorous society favoured. Some of the restaurant’s most famous visitors include The Queen in 1956 as well as a number of royals, including Princess Margaret, who enjoyed a permanently reserved table. Quaglino’s was the first public restaurant the late HM Queen Elizabeth ll visited after her coronation in 1952 and this made it the first public restaurant a reigning monarch had ever eaten in.
After Quaglino’s retirement, the restaurant was opened in 1993 by Conran Restaurant, once again creating excitement amongst Royals and celebrities alike. It is even rumoured that Princess Diana was known to sneak through the kitchen to access her table unseen by paparazzi.
in 2014, Quaglino’s relaunched again, now as part of D&D London, with a brand-new look and glittering stage. The venue’s famous staircase remains, making one’s entrance to the restaurant a truly glamorous affair and the rest of the interior is brimming with elegance, boasting mirrored walls, black and gold décor and a grand bar in the centre of the space. With its iconic history and unique dining experience, Quaglino’s maintains its reputation as the ultimate evening hotspot. With entertainment seven nights a week, the venue is always alive with conversation and live music.
The European menu offers exciting, vibrant dishes and much-loved classics using seasonal ingredients. Complementing the live music and a decadent dining experience, the talented bar team at Quaglino’s offer a new depth to the drinking experience and have a created an innovative list of cocktails that reflect the style and elegance of the venue.
Titilolami Bello is the inspiring founder of ethical haircare brand Ori Lifestyle. We caught up with her & teamed up to offer a luxe set as a prize…
Q. Hello Titilolami! Can you tell me a bit about how & why you founded Ori Lifestyle & why it fills a gap in the market?
“In 2015, I was horrified to discover that my hair had been damaged from excessive styling and heat. Not only was it thinning, but I had lost all the hair around my edges (temple). If I didn’t stop my bad hair care practices, I knew it would get worse and I would be locked in a vicious circle of camouflaging with the exact hair practices that led to my hair loss. I decided to immerse myself in caring for my own hair. However, I was not accustomed to wearing my own natural hair, as it grew out of my head – but I was determined, no wigs, no weaves, no extensions, no braids.
For those outside of my culture of my culture this may be hard to understand. But I belong to that generation that completely subscribed to the beauty standards we saw in magazines, on TV and I was complicit in the erroneous messaging that our hair is hard to manage. Worse still I internalised messaging that our hair is not as desirable. The decision to wear only my own hair forced me to confront these biases. And in the three years that followed, I learnt exactly how to care for my Afro, how to grow it longer and I underwent a mindset shift – I embraced my own beauty and stopped trying to turn my hair into what it was not. A lot of people in my circle started asking for advice because they saw the transformation in my hair and this led to the course and the products followed.
“My brand fills a gap in the market because it is rooted in education, we adopt a holistic approach that considers our client/customer’s lifestyle. So while we sell hair care products, we are constantly educating on the role of nutrition, stress and sleep management.”
Q. Can you tell us about ethical & charity element of the business?
“We donate 50p from every product purchased from us to the UK registered charity, Path to Possibilities. Path to Possibilities sponsors disadvantaged children through secondary school in Nigeria, and in 2017 it established a resource centre in the slum area of Ikota in Lagos, Nigeria. Children in the slum community have access to the charity’s free library and computer centre. Path to Possibilities is close to my heart because I grew up in poverty in Nigeria. I was able to obtain my first degree in law and my master’s degree in public policy because my mother benefited from charitable donations in my early years.
“We pride ourself on being ethical and so we don’t partake in fear mongering marketing or make wild claims about hair growth products which simply do not exist nor do we demonize ingredients such as sulphates, parabens or silicones.”
Q. We’re focusing on education in our upcoming January special. Can you tell us your experience of school?
“I was expelled from school at 14 and I generally didn’t like any of the schools I went to. Given that I went to four girls-only secondary schools, that says a lot. I found that there was a poverty of aspiration for many black children from the type of background I came from in the 1990s. I was forced to finish my education in Nigeria which was a mixed blessing. On one hand, I was surrounded by seemingly engaged and ambitious peers, but I struggled with authority and the excessively controlled environment there too.”
Q. What is your favourite way to learn, and what changes should be made to the system?”
“I do love learning alone or though group discussions, sharing big ideas. When I was in university, I really struggled with traditional lecturers and found the atmosphere extremely stifling and boring. I did really well by studying alone and by attending smaller tutorials. I still believe lectures should be optional in some settings, in favour of something else for people like we who just wouldn’t learn in these environments.”
Q. What’s been the most rewarding part of the journey so far?
“The most rewarding aspect of my business is helping women and mums unlock the potential of theirs or their children’s hair. Unfortunately, many black women have internalised hair discrimination which has hampered them from understanding their hair, or even hindered them from wearing it out in public. When women tell me my work has helped them to reconsider or helped them to start taking better care of their hair, it makes me very happy.”
Q. What advice would you give to anyone who wants to start their own business?
“Just do the thing. Start and refine as you go along. There will never be a perfect time, you will never be ready.”
Q. Who would be your dream star or celebrity to champion your brand?
“Chimamanda Adiche, the writer. Not only does she have a fabulous head of hair, she is a vocal feminist who continues to shine a light on very many important issues of our time. Her multifaceted interests and commentary embody precisely what an Ori Lifestyle person is.”
Q. If you could make one wish for the world what would it be?
“My one wish for the world would be for us all to realise that there is an imbalance in the value we place on money. And this imbalance is the root cause of many of the atrocities we are facing as humanity, including endangering our environment.”
Q. Are you a New Year’s Resolution person, and if so what are your wishes for 2023?
“I am not a New Year’s Resolution person, I have not had any in many years. But I do have a New Year’s resolution for 2023, my resolution is to pay a little more attention to my writing, which has been on the back burner since I started my business. In 2023, I want to move closer towards marrying both the business and the writing.”
Q. Can you tell us your favourite places to hang out in the South East?
“I particularly love South Lodge Hotel in Horsham, the restaurants and Spa and the hotel itself is a delight, the service and the food are absolutely divine.”
One lucky winner can win a Drip 2 luxe hair care gift set containing Ori Lifestyle’s two-year bestselling khalila oil, cold-pressed Leccino olive oil, as well as our super-fluffy antimicrobial organic bamboo hair towel.
Michelin-starred chef’s festive meal for the same price as the average school lunch in the UK
Michelin starred chef Tom Kerridge has created a festive Full Time Meals Christmas recipe for four with plenty of Boxing day leftovers for under £10.
Tom’s Turkey Meatloaf Tray Bake uses turkey mince, sausage meat and stuffing to create a tasty festive treat alongside roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sprouts and Savoy cabbage topped with a rich gravy and all for just £9.88.
Follow Tom’s step-by-step guide on how to create this dish on Full Time Meals.
Tom and The Food Foundation, supported by Bloomsbury Publishing, are highlighting the situation of more than 800,000 schoolchildren who slip through the eligibility net and go hungry at school. These children do not meet the Free School Meals criteria despite household income being so low they are classed as living in poverty.
He has produced the tasty meal for £2.47 – the average price of a hot meal.
He says: “No child should be hungry at school. I wanted to highlight this critical situation the best way I know how – with food, so I created a Full Time Christmas meal for the same price as an average school lunch in the UK. Christmas is a stark reminder to look after each other, and it shouldn’t be just over the festive period, it should be all the time.
“No child should be hungry at school”
“There are kids going to school with empty lunch boxes, hiding from the dining room because they are so embarrassed. It’s a national crisis and truly a heart-breaking one, that the Government can change. So, I am asking the Great British Public to write to your MP to ask for a change in policy, we need to make our voices heard, for our children, and make it clear that enough is enough.”
The Full Time Meals campaign supports FareShare, the UK’s largest charity fighting hunger and food waste. The average cost of a school meal is £2.47 – that’s less than the price of a high street coffee. Please help by making a donation – just £5 will cover the cost of two school meals. A donation of £12.34 could help buy a week’s worth of school meals for a hungry child.
To donate £5, simply text 5FULL to 70580. Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network message. To donate £12.34, or whatever you can afford, head over to fareshare.org.uk/fulltime
Oxfordshire charity Yellow Submarine has won a national independent award run by Not On The High Street founder Holly Tucker to continue its great work helping people with learning disabilities and autism live life to the full
Many people with learning disabilities leave school with limited life skills and as a result poor life chances. This often leads to isolation and being marginalised. Yellow Submarine’s project start working with young people in the community settings from the age of 11 onwards, to build their social skills, confidence, independence and ultimately their employability. At the same time, Yellow Submarine supports families and carers with respite.
The team are celebrating their win in The Independent Awards 2022 represent best-in-class examples of UK small businesses. Both the public and expert judges chose Yellow Submarine’s life changing café as the High Street Shop Award winner.
Yellow Submarine has been overwhelmed by the support for the nomination. The votes from customers and supporters led them to be a High Street Shop Award finalist, but never could they have imagined bringing home the top prize on Thursday evening.
Enterprise development manager, Sophie Bradley watched the awards ceremony live from her home with her two young children and was delighted to discover Yellow Submarine had won the £10,000 prize fund after being announced as category winners. On the live awards feed run by Holly Tucker, founder of Not On The High Street, an emotional Sophie said: “The café team have worked so hard over the past 10 years changing the lives of people with learning disabilities and autism as well as providing our customers with delicious coffee and home-made food. To receive this recognition and prize fund will have such a huge impact on our social enterprise!”
The café opened in 2013 to provide a stepping stone into employment for individuals with learning disabilities and autism. Over the years the café has grown and they now bake their own cakes and have an online store to send them across the country. The cafes have now supported over 50 trainees through traineeships and training programmes, graduates have gone on to achieve wonderful volunteering and paid roles within the Oxfordshire community.
The Independent Awards finalists were voted for in a nationwide vote and the winner were chosen by a panel of esteemed judges who are experts in the small business field. On Yellow Submarine winning the High Street Shop Award Jo Fairley, founder of Green & Black said “Yellow Submarine makes me feel proud of how the world really is changing in positive ways – contrary to what newspaper headlines might lead us to feel. I truly wish I lived closer, because I’d be getting my coffee there EVERY DAY.”
Yellow Submarine will be taking their win proudly into 2023 as they celebrate the cafe’s 10th birthday and support more trainees with their journey to employment.
You’re sure of a friendly welcome & fantastic food at The Crown in Church Enstone which has lots of December delights on the menu…
This year the news has been mainly doom gloom, debt and rising prices. But the good news is that nothing feels as though it’s in short supply at The Crown in Church Enstone.
From the moment you step inside the flagstone bar you feel your shoulders dropping, especially once you’ve cosied yourself up next to the roaring fire with a perfectly mixed cocktail in your hand.
There are many easy excuses you can make for making a night of it and booking into one of the five lavishly appointed rooms (from £130 a night on a B&B basis). For one thing, the hearty breakfast served up by the friendly team are legendary, with Cacklebean eggs (any way you like) given a starring role, as well as incredible local sausages and bacon. As this pretty Cotswold village is perfect walking territory, a breakfast like this is the perfect fuel for a stroll across the fields to Soho Farm House at Great Tew.
The Crown, a picture-perfect honey-hued pub dating back to the 17th century, is as charming and gorgeous as a tourist’s dream but it’s been lavished in modern luxury, with all mod cons and stunning details. It it now under the new ownership of Matt and Kate Beamish, who also run the two acclaimed dining pubs with rooms The Kingham Plough and The Hare at Milton-under-Wychwood.
As you’d expect from these gastro geniuses The Crown’s food offering is top-notch, featuring a monthly changing seasonal and locally sourced a la carte menu offering modern British dishes with innovate twists and re-imagined pub classics.
To whet your appetite, here are some of the December delights from the menu… How about a starter of oysters with apple and horseradish dressing (healthy and punchy) or else chicken liver parfait, cranberry, fig marmalade, with chef Mark’s brioche?
If you can tear yourself away from the very tempting rib-eye steak (with peppercorn, red wine or chimichurri sauce) other main course specials for this month include turkey pie with mash, greens and red wine jus or else, a rare vegetarian treat, beetroot wellington with chestnut puree, greens.
Pudding fans… The desserts are too tempting, so here’s a head start to mull over. French lemon tart with meringue; Christmas pudding with brandy sauce; chocolate tart with double cream; sticky toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce & vanilla ice cream; Greek yoghurt with white chocolate ganache, passionfruit pulp; Baked Alaska; affogato with vanilla ice cream & espresso; Black bomber mature cheddar, house chutney, Membrillo & crackers; chocolate, vanilla, mint choc chip, or pistachio ice cream or mango, lemon or raspberry sorbet.
I’ll leave that conundrum with you.. Or maybe make a few return trips?
Celebrate the true meaning of Christmas at a service in one of Abingdon’s churches
The Church in Abingdon has several venues at which you can enjoy a traditional service or carol concert this month, details here and more at www.church-in-abingdon.org.uk.
Abingdon Baptist Church
Ock Street, OX14 5AG
Sunday 11th December, 6:30pm – Carols by candlelight
Sunday 18th December, 10:30am – Nativity service with special guest ‘Donkey’
Henley-based art publisher Hypergallery welcomes browsers and buyers to an exhibition of signed, limited-edition prints by music’s most extraordinary visual artists
A collection of exquisite limited edition prints and affordable works by a collection of talented artists who have worked with some of the most iconic musicians from the 20th Century will be on display at Hypergallery in Henley from November 26th.
Celebrating the Golden Years of rock music through the album cover art that put a face on it, visitors can view pieces featuring David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, King Crimson, T.Rex, Peter Gabriel, 10cc, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Beatles, Elton John, Genesis, Donovan, The Hollies, Cream, Pentangle.
The featured artists exhibiting include:
Vincent McEvoy was the art director of Polydor in the 1970s. As such, he had unique access to some of the biggest names in Rock, including The Who, Bob Marley and Eric Clapton. In recent years he has rekindled his passion for silkscreens, producing powerful pop-artworks based on some of the wonderful and iconic memorabilia that he accumulated throughout his career.
Karl Ferris is the man behind some of the most recognisable images of Jimi Hendrix. The originator of psychedelic and infrared photography worked closely with Hendrix on his image, styling and of course the photographs. With subjects including Cream, The Hollies, The Beatles and Donovan, Ferris was right at the epicentre of the psychedelic revolution.
Terry Pastor is a graphic artist who has worked for clients all across the world, creating iconic imagery with masterful flourishes of his airbrush. Pastor is best known for two images that jump-started the career of a young David Bowie, Hunky Dory and Ziggy Stardust. He has revisited and ‘remastered‘ his original source material in the creation of his stunningly sympathetic editions.
Barry Godber was a friend of King Crimson lyricist Peter Sinfield and a regular visitor to the group‘s rehearsal room in the basement of the Fulham Palace Road Cafe. Using watercolours, Godber gazed into a shaving mirror and constructed one of the most fearful self-portraits ever to grace a record sleeve.
Hipgnosis created some of the most innovative and surreal record cover art of the 1960s, 70s and 80s for the biggest bands and musicians of the era including Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and 10cc. For fifteen years Hipgnosis (Storm Thorgerson, Aubrey Powell and Peter Christopherson) thrived as one of the best known photo design companies and latterly movie makers, creating timeless rock iconography.
Alan Aldridge created imaginative designs and intoxicating colour-rich images that captured the dreams and hallucinations of a generation; in The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics, on album covers for The Who, Cream and Elton John, and on the notorious Chelsea Girls poster for Andy Warhol.
Richard Evans began his rock’n’roll career as a shoe designer in the early 70s, putting multi-coloured platforms under the feet of Elton John, Roxy Music and The Osmonds. It was at this time that he met Aubrey Powell and Storm Thorgerson and later worked at Hipgnosis with them as their graphic designer for several years. Eventually, he set up his own design studio, working with many big names in the music industry. Since 1976 he has worked closely with The Who, designing tour visuals, merchandise and, of course, album covers.
Sir Peter Blake was elected RA in 1981, awarded a CBE in 1983, and was knighted in 2002. His seminal art for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is probably the world’s best-known album cover, but Peter’s connections with pop music led to many other ventures in album packaging, including The Who, Live Aid, Paul Weller, Oasis, Ian Dury, Eric Clapton and Brian Wilson.
If you would like to visit, just drop Hypergallery a line at [email protected] or call on 01491 637021 to ensure someone will be at the gallery to welcome you.
