Issue 271

8 PAGES
OF EXPERT
ADVICE…
Stay strong & healthy
Memory boosters + Diet recipes + Toning tips
Big-value fortnightly treat
YOURS.CO.UK
ISSUE 271
Love
your lunch
10 satisfying & speedy
midday meals
Make life easier…
✓ Save on pet-care costs
✓ Control menopausal
mood swings
✓ Comfy shoes from £10
✓ Find long-lost friends
WIN Lakeland hotel
break worth £500
Exclusive
Meryl Streep on
family, fame
and fears
MAY 9-22,
2017 £1.55
This Morning’s
Alison Hammond:
On flirting with
Hugh Jackman!
Anti-ageing
essentials
The only
skincare
buys you
need
Craft makes
9 clever recycling
garden projects

COVER PIC: TEVE SCHOFIELD/ BAFTA LA/ CONTOUR BY GETTY
Inside
Real life
9 Animal Magic
12 ‘My daughter would be proud’
16 ‘I love being in business
with my girls’
18 Sweet treats we loved
20 Wild swimming
22 ‘I live in a log cabin’
24 Time to end size confusion!
27 Royal garden parties
Star chat
10 COVER Meryl Streep
14 COVER Alison Hammond
138 Life lessons: Samantha Bond
Your best life now!
30 COVER Stronger, healthier,
younger!
33 COVER 1-inch recipe cards
36 COVER Get a better brain!
39 Ask the health experts
40 Fashion separates
43 COVER Fabulous flats
44 COVER Slimmed-down skincare
Good to know
61 Five free smartphone apps
62 COVER How to control anger
65 COVER Cut pet costs today
66 Yours Retirement Services
67 Watching the pennies
69 Be a savvy shopper
71 Your questions answered
73 Guides to send for
Nostalgia
54 Blast from the past: school reports
56 We lived ‘the good life’
Leisure time
81 COVER Cheerful garden projects
87 COVER Love your lunch!
93 Gardening
95 48 hours in Wells-next-the-Sea
96 Visit Sardinia
99 Chelsea Flower Show
102 Yours Travel Club
Your favourites
49 Meeting Place
59 Roy Hudd
75 Friends of Yours
101 Free scarf for every
reader
105 Carers in touch
113 COVER Puzzles & prizes to win
130 Short story
137 Horoscopes
£6,120
OF PRIZES
TO WIN
this fortnight...
40
Fashion
to dress
up and
dress
down!
Visit the
Norfolk coast
WEBSITE
Find us at
yours.co.uk
Free phone
apps to try
61
Welcome…
Are you fed up with boring old sandwiches for lunch?
We’ve got ten speedy and satisfying midday meals to
help you learn to love your lunch again (p87).
And, if inspiration is what you’re after, this issue
is packed with it! There are four pages of crafty
projects for the garden (p81), all made with recycled
household objects. Then there’s tempting fashion
buys (p40), beauty must-haves (p44) and eight
pages of health advice to motivate you – from
boosting your memory (p36) to tone-up tips that
will help you stay stronger for longer (p30).
Or why not be inspired by some of the wonderful
women who have changed lives for the better? Tricia
Cusden runs a beauty business with her daughters
(p16), Elizabeth Budd has taken up the challenge of
open-water swimming (p20) and Marjorie
Marks is trying to help gap-year
teens stay safe after the death of
her own daughter (p12).
See you next issue
95
How to
fight
the fury
62
Keep in touch...
We want to hear your news and views
Write to
Yours magazine,
Media House,
Peterborough Business Park,
Peterborough
PE2 6EA
Email
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Sharon Reid,
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Garden
makes
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buys
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122
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81
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‘I’m
having
a ball’

More tea
your Majesty?
As royal garden
party season gets
underway, we serve
up some fun facts
By Katharine Wootton
Queen Victoria started it!
Gatherings in royal gardens first
took place in the 1860s when Queen
Victoria hosted summer parties and
were called royal ‘breakfasts’. The
Queen would mingle with relatives,
courtiers, diplomats and other
members of British high society as
they quaffed the finest tea imported
from the colonies. Eligible young
debutantes were also presented into
society at these parties, a practice
that ended in 1958.
Invites to unsung heroes
The Palace invites people who have made an
impact on their community. They are nominated
by the church, local government, the civil service,
the Armed Forces, Lord Lieutenants and various
societies, charities and associations. Our own Care
Editor Rosie Sandall, was invited for her
tireless charity work. Handwritten
invites are sent out by an
organising team called the
Garden Party Ladies.
Extra parties
Every summer the Queen
hosts three garden parties
at Buckingham Palace
and one at the Palace of
Hollyroodhouse. She can
arrange extra parties, as
she did for the Territorial
Army’s 100th anniversary
in 2008 and for the WI
centenary in 2015.
Hats
at the ready!
There is a strict dress
code: gentlemen must
wear morning dress
or lounge suits, women
must wear a day dress,
usually with a hat
or fascinator
A lot of tea is involved!
At each party, 8,000 guests
consume 20,000 sandwiches,
20,000 slices of cake and 27,000
cups of tea. Sandwiches tend
to be cucumber and mint,
gammon, mustard and
vine tomatoes and egg
and mayonnaise (no
crusts) followed by
Victoria sponge
and strawberries
and cream.
It runs like clockwork
3pm: Palace gates open. 4pm: National Anthem. Then the
royal family circulate through ‘lanes’ to speak to as many
guests as possible. The Queen’s Senior Gentleman Usher
selects those to be introduced to Her Majesty – and they
will be briefed on royal etiquette first. 6pm: party ends.
EXTRA
FOR
YOU
n The Queen’s own recipe for drop scones is now available in a new cookbook compiled by chefs at Buckingham Palace. Royal
Teas is available for £12.95 at Royal Collections Trust and www.royalcollectionshop.co.uk or for £14.99 at other bookshops. We
have five copies to give away. To stand a chance of winning send a postcard marked Queen’s Recipe Book to PO Box 57, Coates
PE7 2FF by May 26. If you don’t wish to receive further information from Yours, write No Further Contact on your card.
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
27
PICS: ALAMY STOCK OPHOTO

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Inspiring
YOU
food
Vegetarian
OPEN SALMON TART
SERVES: 8 PREP: 30 MINS COOK: 25 MINS
400g (14oz) puff pastry
1 egg, beaten (for glazing)
300ml (10½fl oz) low-fat crème fraîche
3 tbsp low-fat mayonnaise
2 tbsp creamed horseradish
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
250g (9oz) hot smoked salmon flakes
1. Heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/
Gas Mark 6. Roll out the pastry on a
lightly floured surface and cut out
eight 10cm squares. Using a small
sharp knife, mark a square 1cm (½in)
in from the edge all the way around
(without cutting right through the
pastry) on each. Brush with egg and
bake for 20-25 mins until golden.
2. Meanwhile, beat together
the crème fraîche, mayonnaise,
horseradish and lemon juice. Chill
until required.
3. Remove the cooked squares from
the oven. Lift off the top few layers
of the inner squares of pastry and
discard. Return the cases to the oven
for 2 mins, then cool.
4. Spoon some crème fraîche mixture
into the hollow of each tart, top
with hot smoked salmon flakes and
garnish with fresh dill, lemon zest and
cracked black pepper.
Morrisons
Per serving: 297 cals, 3.6g sugars, 18g fat (7.3g sat fat)
SALMON IS A RICH SOURCE
OF OMEGA 3, WHICH
CAN HELP PROTECT AGAINST
HEART DISEASE, JOINT PAIN
AND LOWER CHOLESTEROL
AVOCADO ON SOURDOUGH TOAST
SERVES: 2 PREP: 5 MINS COOK: 6 MINS
Scoop out and mash the flesh of
2 avocados. Season to taste and
spread onto 4 slices of toasted
sourdough bread. Top each helping
with a poached egg and garnish with
watercress and black pepper.
Per serving: 708 cals, 3.5g sugars, 42g fat (9g sat fat)
Lakeland
TUNA SALAD
SERVES: 2 PREP: 5 MINS COOK: 2MINS
75g (3oz) trimmed fine green
beans, halved
400g (14oz) can cannellini beans,
drained and rinsed
2 plum tomatoes, cut into chunks
6cm (2½in) piece cucumber, cut
into chunks
50g (2oz) pitted black olives
2 tbsp French dressing
220g (8oz) tuna in spring water, drained
Handful parsley, chopped
1. Cook the green beans in boiling
water for 3 mins, drain and cool. Mix
in the cannellini beans, tomatoes,
cucumber and olives.
2. Stir in the dressing, tuna and parsley,
then season.
Per serving: 350 cals, 6.2g
sugars, 16.8g fat (3.3g sat fat)
Waitrose
recipe inspiration
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TACO SALAD
SERVES: 4 PREP: 15 MINS COOK: NONE
2 little gem lettuces, sliced
400g (14oz) can red kidney
beans, drained and rinsed
50g (2oz) pitted black
olives, sliced
100g (4oz) radishes, sliced
2 sticks celery, sliced
2 ripe avocados
150ml (5fl oz) carton
soured cream
2 tbsp pibil paste (or
other chilli paste)
Juice of 1 lime
1 pack of taco shells
Handful of coriander,
chopped
TOP YOUR TASTY TACOS
WITH A HANDFUL OF
GRATED CHEDDAR CHEESE
OR A FEW SPOONFULS OF
TOMATO SALSA
1. Mix together the little
gems, kidney beans,
olives, radishes, celery
and 1 diced avocado in a
large bowl.
2. Place the remaining
avocado, soured cream,
pibil paste and lime juice
in a small food processor
and blitz until smooth,
then season. Toss half of
this into the salad.
3. Spoon the salad into
the taco shells and
drizzle the remaining
dressing on top. Sprinkle
over the coriander
and serve.
Per serving: 378 cals,
Per serving: 378 cals,
5.5g sugars, 12g fat
(1g sat fat)
SUMMER GARDEN SANDWICH
SERVES: 1 PREP: 5 MINS COOK TIME: 2 MINS
2 slices of bread
1 small raw beetroot
1 radish
1 small carrot
½ small courgette
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1-2 tbsp green pesto
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1. Toast the bread and leave
to cool slightly, then spread
one side of each slice of
bread with pesto.
2. Use a vegetable
peeler to cut ribbons
of beetroot, radish,
carrot and courgette
directly onto the bread.
Scatter over the spring
onion, then top with the
other slice of bread.
Per serving: 300 cals
7g sugars, 9g fat
(0.5g sat fat)
Extract from Packed, published by
Nourish Books, £12.99
Cook’s tip:
Why not make a dressing
to drizzle over the sandwich?
Mix 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon
juice, ½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard,
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped,
3 tablespoons of olive
oil and salt and pepper
to taste
88 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT 89

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Inspiring
YOU
craft
fun to make
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Flowery drawers
Make a unique hanging basket using
an old wooden drawer
Time: 40 mins Skill level: Beginner
Materials:
Small wooden drawer (painted if desired)
Drill
Garden refuse bag
Very thick natural twine
Selection of bedding plants
HOMEMADE
PLANT
MARKERS
If you are
planting seeds,
make sure you
know what’s what
with these easyto-make
markers.
All you need are
either some used
lollipop sticks
or shop-bought
ones (available
from www.
docrafts.com).
Paint half the
stick with white
acrylic paint.
Leave to dry
before applying
a second coat.
Once the paint
is dry, either use
a stamp or write
the name of the
plant on the
stick. If you’re
feeling creative,
use pens to add
colour or a fancy
pattern. Place the
unpainted end in
your pot and wait
for your seeds
to sprout!
Gardener’s apron
Transform an old pair of jeans
into a handy tool pouch
Time:1 hour
Skill level: Intermediate
Materials:
Old pair of jeans
Scraps of pretty fabric
Patterned 25mm bias binding
Sharp pair of scissors
1. Begin by cutting your old
jeans in half, down both leg
seams.
2. Take the back half and cut a
curved edge around the bottom
to form your apron. Use the
photo as a guide.
3. Take the bias binding and sew
around the bottom raw edge of
your apron to make the edges
nice and neat.
4. Cut a strip of fabric to fit
across the width of one pocket.
On both long sides of your
strip turn a 5mm (¼in) seam
allowance to the wrong side of
the fabric and press. Fold in half
and sew all three open edges
close the edge.
5. Place your strip on top of
the pocket and sew just the
edges the pocket edges. Sew
the middle of your strip to the
jeans so that you create a handy
holder for secateurs.
6. If you want to add more
Re-cycle old clothes
decoration, cut out another
piece of fabric to cover
your pocket. Give a 5mm
seam allowance on all sides
then sew directly on to the
pocket. When you get the
top edge make sure you only
sew the fabric to the pocket
and not the apron otherwise
you will sew the pocket shut.
7. To make the apron ties,
cut two 80x7.5cm (30x3in)
pieces of denim from the legs
of your jeans. On both sides
of the length of the tie, turn
5mm (¼in) seam allowances
to the wrong side of the
fabric and press. Fold in half
lengthwise and sew all three
open edges close to the edge.
Sew the second apron tie the
same way.
8. Sew the ties to the edges of
your apron to finish.
1. Drill four holes in the bottom of your
drawer, one in each corner, for drainage
and hanging.
2. Using your bin bag, cut out a piece
big enough to line the drawer and mark
four holes in each corner.
3. Cut 2 x 1m (3ft) lengths of twine.
Thread one piece through one of
the holes and then through the hole
diagonally oppposite. Repeat this with
the other piece of string through the
4 of our favourite… garden-inspired gifts
remaining holes.
4. Fill your drawer with compost and
flowers. Gather together the four bits of
string, making sure they’re all roughly the
same size, and tie in a double knot.
5. Hang in your garden and enjoy!
Miniature salad garden
An ideal way to grow your own if you
have a small patio or balcony garden
Time: 30 mins Skill level: Beginner
Materials:
A large metal dish or pot
Drill
Compost
Young salad plants such as cos or
romaine lettuce, rocket, parsley, mint,
coriander
1. If there isn’t a hole in the bottom of
your dish you’ll need to make one with a
drill to let water can drain out.
2. Fill the dish with compost and add
plants. Allow enough growing space,
place in a sunny spot and water regularly.
From The Art of the Natural Home, Kyle Books
Wine glass, £1.50 and pitcher, £5, from Wilko (0800 032 9329); wire tealight holders,
£3.50 each, Wilko; gardener’s tin, £15, www.gardentrading.co.uk (0333 272 5506);
lemon print watering can, £15, Paperchase (0207 467 6200).
82 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT 83

fashion notes
Cropped trousers,
£25, 8-22, M&S
Collection | top,
£19.99, 6-28, Bon
Prix | navy wedge
sandals, £39.50, 3-8,
M&S | silver sandals,
£19.99, 3-8, New
Look | necklace,
£22, Laura Ashley |
sunglasses, £9.99,
JD Williams | navy
bag, £15, M&S | blue
suede bag, £60,
Laura Ashley
DRESS
DOWN
DRESS
UP
Dress, £55, 8-22,
Monsoon | jacket,
£95, 8-18, Laura
Ashley | necklace, £25,
Laura Ashley | clutch
bag, £12, Peacocks
£32, 10-30,
Julipa at
JD Williams
£39, 8-22, M&Co
£60, 8-20,
J by Jasper
Conran at
Debenhams
Dress
up
Choose a flattering dress that’s
comfortable and practical. This
style has a waist-cinching tie
belt and sleeves that hide lessthan-perfect
arms. This dress
would look just as good on the
beach as it would at a wedding
DRESS
UP
Cropped trousers,
£25, 8-22, M&S
Collection |
jacket, £49.50,
8-22, M&S
Collection |
shirt, £36, 6-22,
Next | black flat
shoes, £27, 3-9,
Accessorize |
necklace, £14,
M&Co | bag,
£8, Matalan
Coloured trousers are just
great for the warmer months.
Team them with colourco-ordinating
separates for
casual wear and smart neutrals
for dressier occasions
Adapt these staples to
suit any occasion and
get so much more from
your wardrobe, says Fashion
Editor Michelle Nightingale
£14, 8-22,
George at Asda
DRESS
DOWN
£14, 8-22,
F&F at Tesco
£22, 8-22,
M&Co
Stockists: Accessorize 0203
372 3053; Bon Prix 0871 275
6232; Debenhams 0344 800
8877; F&F at Tesco 0800 323
4050; George at Asda 0800
952 0101; JD Williams 0871
231 2000; Laura Ashley 0333
200 8009; M&Co 0333 202
0720; M&S 0333 014 8555;
Matalan 0333 004 4444;
Monsoon 0203 372 3053;
New Look 0344 499 6690;
Next 0333 777 8739;
Peacocks 0292 027 0944
Dress, £55, 8-22,
Monsoon | yellow
sandals, £19.50, 3-8,
M&S | black flat shoes,
£27, 3-9, Accessorize
| hat, £15, M&S |
sunglasses, £9.99,
JD Williams | necklace,
£15, M&S | silver bag,
£12, Peacocks | blue
bag, £29.50, M&S
DRESS
DOWN
PHOTOGRAPHY RUTH JENKINSON; STYLIST DANIELLE
ELMES-HUGHES; HAIR AND MAKE-UP ROISIN DONAGHY
40 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
41

feeling fit
CONSULT YOUR GP BEFORE STARTING ANY EXERCISE REGIME OR TAKING SUPPLEMENTS
STRONGER
Building your strength is vital for
good health and could even help
you stay younger for longer, says
health writer Karen Evennett
It’s a sobering fact
that past the age
of 25 you lose one
per cent of muscle
strength with every
year that passes.
“The best way to
describe it is as if
you’re trying to climb a
downward escalator,”
says physiotherapist
Sammy Margo. “Each
year you’ve got to keep
working harder to stay
on top.”
Doing resistance
exercises to tone
up isn’t just about
looking better and
getting slimmer
(although we’ll
admit that is an
added bonus), it
helps you move
healthier
& younger
better, gives you more energy
and helps with your balance –
some studies even suggest it
could help you live longer.
“Gaining and maintaining
muscle strength is crucial
to so many aspects of your
overall health and wellbeing,”
explains Sammy. “The
stronger your muscles, the
stronger your bones will be
too – and that lowers your
risk of osteoporosis. You
also protect your joints from
arthritis and reduce your risk
of a dangerous fall.”
We also know that
because muscle is
“metabolically active”,
the more you have, the
more calories you burn –
even when you’re resting
– and that has pay-offs in
preventing weight-related
conditions such as heart
disease and Type 2 diabetes.
“The latest research
even shows that stronger
muscles lower your risk of
dementia,” says Dr Marilyn
Glenville, author of Natural
Solutions for Dementia and
Alzheimer’s (£12.77, Lifestyle
Press). “Thirty minutes of
‘The stronger
your muscles,
the stronger
your bones will
be too – and that
lowers your risk
of osteoporosis’
exercise three times a week
could help to improve your
memory and processing
speed in just four weeks
– but including strength
training in your schedule
has more impact than just
doing aerobics,” she says.
“It’s thought the effects
are due to the fact that
building muscle could help
to increase the volume of
your hippocampus (the part
of your brain that deals with
long-term memories) by
two per cent. This matters
a lot because this is the
part of the brain that
shrinks as a symptom
of Alzheimer’s, and
the two per cent
increase is like reversing
the equivalent of one or two
years’ shrinkage.”
The good news is that
you can get stronger
muscles without going
anywhere near dumb-bells.
Here’s how…
Stand and
deliver
“Every time you stand up
from sitting down, do it ten
times,” says Sammy. “It will
take no time to do, but the
pay-offs to your leg muscles,
particularly your thigh
muscles, will be great.”
Make sure you plant your
feet firmly on the floor and
squeeze your legs and bottom
muscles to help you stand
up. Remember to do this
(with no hands) when
standing from the loo, too –
it’s the perfect height to be
rising from.
MUSCLE UP
Muscles need protein – but
don’t make the common
mistake of thinking that
means they don’t need
carbs, says nutritionist
Judy Watson.
“A low-carbohydrate
diet could cause your
muscle to break down
because you’re not
providing your body with
enough energy – so you
need some carbohydrate,
but not too much. The
perfect ratio would be two eggs
with one slice of bread or two
ramekins of turkey and vegetable
stir-fry with one ramekin of rice.
“Research has shown that
eating turkey three or four times a
week increases muscle mass more
than other forms of protein.”
STRENGTHEN THE
MUSCLES BETWEEN
YOUR SHOULDER
BLADES WITH THE
SUPERMAN EXERCISE
Start on all fours,
with your tummy
held in to support
your back. Then
lift one leg out
straight behind
you at the same
time as stretching
the opposite arm
out in front of
you. Lower back
down slowly,
then repeat on
the other side.
“This will stop you
from slumping
and that prevents
misalignment and
back and neck
problems,” says
Sammy. Do ten
on each side.
Work your behind
“Firm buttock muscles help prevent back, hip and knee
problems,” says Sammy. Try swimming on your front,
holding a float and kicking your legs. Or lie on your
back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the
floor, hip-width apart, underneath your knees. Raise
your hips to create a straight line from your knees to
your shoulders. As you come up, tighten your tummy
and bottom. Lower yourself and repeat ten times.
Tone your core
Strengthening your core muscles
is good for preventing back pain
and maintaining balance to
prevent falls. “Joining a Pilates
class is a good way to do
this,” says Sammy. “Or practise
modified plank exercises at
home.” Lie on your stomach,
resting on your forearms with your
elbows in line with your shoulders, lift
your hips off the floor, keeping your tummy muscles
tight. Your knees should be on the floor and your
body should be in a straight line from your knees to
your shoulders. The key is to keep your tummy and
pelvic floor sucked in and upwards to help protect
your back. Repeat eight to ten times.
▲Give this a try…
If you struggle to get enough protein in your diet or, like
59 per cent of us, you’re not sure if you’re getting enough,
you could try a nutritional shake such as Meritene Strength
and Vitality Shake (£6.99/seven servings). It provides 16g
of protein as well as a wide range of nutrients, including
B vitamins and iron to help maintain your energy levels.
PICS: ALAMY, SHUTTERSTOCK, MASTERFILE
30 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT 31

Heart to
heart
star chat
Insecure isn’t a word you’d usually
associate with Meryl Streep – global
superstar, Hollywood icon, actress
extraordinaire, yes. But in real life
the woman who’s delighted cinema
fans for almost 40 years is surprisingly
unsure of herself.
“I’ve had a long career, haven’t I?” she
agrees when we meet in a hotel near
her home in New York. “I don’t know
why – I just started working when I was
right out of drama school and I haven’t
stopped. I’ve been very lucky. I found
what I love to do and am good at doing,
and I found it early enough to make it
my life’s work, which makes me a very
lucky woman.”
‘I’m really happy when
scripts come along that
allow me to continue in
the profession. I’m always
expecting that people will
think ‘Ugh – not her again!’
– you know?’
But ask about her numerous awards
over the years – from Oscars to lifetime
achievement awards and she only
shrugs. “Oh, I’m sure that my career has
been wonderful, and people talk about
accolades and such, but somehow that
doesn’t register with me. My mother
used to say to me, ‘Why don’t you enjoy
it more? Some people would give an arm
In Manhattan with Woody
Allen in 1979. The film is
being re-released this month
‘I worry
people
will get
sick of me’
As an iconic film – that was to be
the last small role for Meryl Streep
– returns to the cinemas, we chat
exclusively to the lady herself about
family, fears and fame
By Gabrielle Donnelly
A glittering career: Meryl in The Deer Hunter, Kramer vs Kramer, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Sophie’s Choice and The Devil Wears Prada
and a leg to walk down the red carpet at
a movie premiere, why can’t you enjoy
it?’ But I just don’t get into it, I’m afraid.
I have my own doubts, worries and
insecurities and that’s what I fixate on.
“I’m really happy when scripts come
along that allow me to continue in the
profession, because there’s not a lot of
older women working, and I’m always
expecting that people will get sick of me.
‘Ugh – not her again!’ – you know?”
We’re chatting as the Woody Allen
film Manhattan is re-released in UK
cinemas. The 1979 hit featured a
young Meryl Streep, all soaring
cheekbones and swishy long blonde
hair, playing a small-ish role as
Woody’s ex-wife, who had left
him – in a shockingly daring
plot twist for the time – for
another woman.
It was the last small-ish
role that Meryl would
ever be offered. By the
time it hit the screens,
she had already
made a stir in the
Vietnam war
drama The
Deer Hunter,
followed,
in the next
three years,
by Kramer
vs Kramer,
The French
Lieutenant’s
Woman
and Sophie’s
Choice. The
roles cemented
her status on
Hollywood’s ‘A’ list,
but the fame has
never gone to
her head.
Thirty-eight years after Manhattan –
and with laughter lines around her eyes
– she both looks and acts far more like
the friendly neighbour next door than
someone who has won more
acting awards than many actors have
had hot dinners.
And despite her fears of not getting
film roles, the parts have continued to
roll in – we can’t wait to see her in Mary
Poppins Returns, the long-awaited
‘I’m quite conscious of
keeping my health, because
it doesn’t last forever and
we’re all of us lucky for as
long as we do have it. I try
to remember that’
sequel to the classic. Meanwhile at the
Golden Globes Awards earlier this year,
her fiery speech taking Donald Trump
to task for mocking a disabled reporter
earned her a standing ovation, both at
the ceremony then, and at the Academy
Awards ceremony later in the year.
So away from the spotlight what’s
life like in the Streep household?
She’s happily married to sculptor Don
Gummer and mother to four now grown
children. “My husband and I don’t seem
to fight about the things I’m told many
couples fight about,” she once told me,
thoughtfully. “Things like money, sex,
or children. Weirdly, our fights are about
the little things. ‘Why didn’t you service
the car?’ ‘But you said
you were going
to service the car
when the red light
came on!’ Things
like that...”
Clearly the fights
are not too
wounding,
as they will
have been married for 40 years this
September, and the children, Henry,
Mamie, Grace and Louisa, openly
adore them.
“I really like this part of life, now
that they’re all grown up,” she says.
“You wait so many years while they’re
growing up and you think, ‘What are
they going to be like?’ and now they are
all adults and what you find out is that
pretty much they’re the way they were
when they were three years old! I think
you are who you are from the start and
you just have to find it in yourself.
“All those years ago when I made
Kramer vs Kramer, I was playing a
mother before I was a mother in real
life, but in my heart I already knew the
sort of mother that I was going to be.
And I was right because that is the sort
of mother that I am.”
She admits that as she grows older,
she likes to be pampered from time
to time. “I love a massage. Failing
that, I cook. I do try to stay healthy.
Sometimes I let myself fall apart when
it’s appropriate, but generally I try to
swim a mile every day, because I like
the feeling and it gets me into my body.
“I’m quite conscious of keeping my
health, because it doesn’t last forever
and we’re all of us lucky for as long as
we do have it. I try to remember that.
And I’m pretty happy most of the time
and believe in the best in people.
“Of course nothing’s
perfect, but Leonard Cohen
has a great line which
is, “There’s a crack in
everything and that’s how
the light gets in.” And
that’s what I feel.”
n Manhattan
is at selected
cinemas from
Friday, May 12
With husband
of 40 years,
Don Gummer
11
PICS: STEVE SCHOFIELD BAFTA LA CONTOUR BY GETTY, REX/SHUTTERSTOCK, ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, GETTY IMAGES

we remember
As Fab ice-lollies celebrate 50 years, we look back
at some of the ‘cool’ treats of yesteryear we used to
beg our mums for!
Lolly good!
Above, the Fab ice-lolly
By Katharine Wootton
Whether your
ice-cream van
man played an
off-key tinkle of
Greensleeves, Pop
Goes the Weasel or something more
up-to-date, his arrival on our streets
was a highlight of any summer’s day.
Having dragged our poor mothers and
their purses out into the street before
he could drive off, we’d then spend five
minutes dawdling with indecision over
what to pick from his van of treats.
There was so much choice, from fruit
lollies to ice-creams that would end up
all over our hands and faces. One of our
favourites was the Fab ice lolly, which
– unbelievably – turns 50 this year. So
to mark the occasion, we’ve taken a trip
down memory lane to recall some of the
other iconic ices that provided the taste
of our childhood summers.
Ices were first sold on our
streets in the 1800s from
horse-drawn carts, and later
from bikes and trikes. In 1956 the
first ice-cream van emerged on
the streets of West Philadelphia
and by the Sixties, there were
30,000 ice-cream vans doing
the rounds in Britain. Sadly
there are just 5,000
today
Childhood delights: from
above, clockwise, three girls
enjoy their Lyons ice-cream;
one boy in 99 heaven and
children flocking round the
Mr Whippy van
Summer
on a stick
The name was
Fab and what was
inside really lived
up to its moniker.
Three coloured
stripes of fruity
lolly and the top
section sprinkled
in hundreds and
thousands which you
tried to make last as long as
possible (or devoured right
away depending on what
kind of child you were).
The lolly was launched in
1967 and soon tapped into
the popularity of Thunderbirds
and their love of saying ‘F-A-B’
by featuring a picture of Lady
Penelope and Parker on the front.
While Fab was all sugary and
sparkly, like Lady P’s pink suits,
Zoom was the boy’s equivalent,
featuring an edible rocket in
three colours with moulded
flanges flaring out at the
sides. Then who could
forget Funny Feet? The
novelty of biting off a pink
big toe never did quite
wear off.
Ice-pops were also a
big favourite for a cheap
and chilly pick-me-up after
school. Available in a rainbow
of e-numbers and demolished
We all scream for ice-cream
The first huge decision of any trip to the ice-cream man was… lolly or
ice-cream? If you went for ice-cream, you’d either find yourself with
a scoop of local dairy produce in a wafer cone or if your ice-cream
man was very ‘with it’, you may get a Mr Whippy made from specially
created soft ice-cream (which was basically more air and less icecream!).
And of course, with an added Flake to be a 99!
Then there were Mivvis made by Lyons Maid (who together with
Wall’s dominated the ice-cream industry). Fruity ice lolly on the
outside and soft, ice cream on the inside, they were a revelation to
our imaginations – and a shock to our teeth! The Strawberry Mivvi
particularly was a real favourite.
Choc ices and screwballs (with a ball of gum at the bottom that
could wrench out molars) were other popular choices.
in seconds, you just had to be
careful you weren’t over eager in
squeezing out your ice-pop as it
could shoot out pretty fast!
The best of the rest includes
Wall’s Woppa, Sky Ray, Haunted
House, Mini Milk and the juicy
Orange Maid.
The first edible
ice-cream cone was
invented in 1888 by Mrs
Agnes B Marshall. The cone was
wrapped in wax paper and sold by
the name of Hokey Pokey. Prior to
cones, ice-creams were served in
a reusable glass called a penny
lick which were later banned
by Government for
hygiene reasons
n Which were your favourites? Write to the address on page three to let us know
18 YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT
YOURS n EVERY FORTNIGHT 19
PICS: ALAMY STOCK PHOTO, GETTY IMAGES, ROBERT OPIE