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www.westendermagazine.com | 1<br />

JAN/FEB


2 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

Primary 1 Insight Morning<br />

Friday 2 February – 10.00 - 12.00 noon<br />

Come along to see why more parents are choosing KA than ever before?<br />

• See our P1 class teachers in action<br />

• Check out the small classes where every seat is a front row seat<br />

• Experience one of our Forest School sessions<br />

• See our pupils learn with specialist teachers in Music and PE<br />

• Learn why mindfulness sessions are so important<br />

To book a place call Lynda Andonovic, Admissions Registrar on 0141 357 3376<br />

Connect with /kelvinside1878<br />

www.kelvinside.org<br />

Charity number SCO 03962


www.westendermagazine.com | | 3<br />

Contents<br />

6 Fashion pages<br />

A good yarn<br />

14 West End Live<br />

with Greg Kane<br />

17 Valentine gifts<br />

18 Writers Reveal<br />

meets Alan Taylor<br />

22 NEW! Cover to cover<br />

24 Top Things<br />

26 Second chances at<br />

Street & Arrow<br />

29 Healthy New Year<br />

at Wudon<br />

30 Bar Review<br />

The Three Judges<br />

31 All new Square<br />

Bar & Restaurant<br />

32 WIN! At Rainbow<br />

Room International<br />

37 Restaurant Review<br />

at AvoAvo<br />

34 Sweet Liberty<br />

36 Business:<br />

A family affair<br />

41 20th Anniversary<br />

for Independent<br />

Mortgage Store<br />

42 Accountancy Matters<br />

with Murrison & Wilson<br />

43 Legal Matters with<br />

Mitchells Roberton<br />

44 Mindful movement<br />

51 Health Matters<br />

53 Mum’s Notebook<br />

54 Interiors article:<br />

Hygge in your home<br />

59 Hygge directory<br />

61 Atlas Kitchens reveals<br />

62 Hygge lighting<br />

66 Wee Kitchen Shop<br />

interview<br />

66<br />

CHeck out our behind the scenes video<br />

www.westender.com


4 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

contributors<br />

Suzanne Martin<br />

Editor<br />

Gregor Reid<br />

Photographer<br />

Jacki Clark<br />

Fashion Stylist<br />

Brian Toal<br />

Writer<br />

Roberto Parrucci<br />

Writer<br />

Hannah Westwater<br />

Writer<br />

Advertise today!<br />

Call 07905 897238<br />

Or email: info@westendermagazine.com<br />

for a media pack.<br />

Westender is on facebook and twitter<br />

Publisher: Westender Magazine<br />

Whilst every care has been taken to ensure that<br />

the data in this publication is accurate, neither the<br />

publisher nor its editorial contributors can accept, and<br />

hereby disclaim, any liability to any party to loss or<br />

damage caused by errors or omissions resulting from<br />

negligence, accident or any other cause.<br />

Westender Magazine does not officially endorse any<br />

advertising material included within this publication.<br />

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored<br />

in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any<br />

form – electronic, mechanical, photocopying,<br />

recording or otherwise – without prior permission of<br />

the publisher.


www.westendermagazine.com | 1<br />

www.westendermagazine.com | 1<br />

www.westendermagazine.com | 5<br />

WORK SMART IN 2018<br />

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS IN WESTENDER<br />

Book advertising space in the March/April 2018<br />

Westender by Friday 26th January.<br />

OUT IN WEST END LOCATIONS FROM MONDAY 19TH FEBRUARY<br />

// Glasgow’s brilliant FREE bi-monthly magazine<br />

// Great editorial features: fashion, dining out, health & beauty,<br />

what’s on, local authors & artists, interiors & more<br />

// Massive potential business audience<br />

// 12,000 copies per edition<br />

// Handy handbag size<br />

// FREE to pick up around the West End<br />

// Online presence with digital magazine<br />

www.westendermagazine.com | 1<br />

WESTENDER<br />

AUG/SEP 2017<br />

Christmas 2017<br />

westendermagazine.com<br />

For more info or to advertise<br />

email: suzanne@westendermagazine.com<br />

for a media flyer, or call: 07905 897238


6 | www.westendermagazine.com


www.westendermagazine.com | 7<br />

get cosy and enjoy<br />

a good<br />

Yarn<br />

Images Gregor Reid<br />

Stylist jacki clark<br />

jumper, solo<br />

scarf & slippers, pink poodle<br />

gloves & jewellery, liquorice tree


8 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

jumper, socks & jewellery<br />

nancy smillie


www.westendermagazine.com | 9<br />

jumper, yarn cake<br />

jewellery, nancy smillie<br />

gloves, island nation


10 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

Cardigan, solo. jewellery, jennifer lemon<br />

opposite page - jumper, solo. scarf, ashley holdsworth


www.westendermagazine.com | 11


12 | www.westendermagazine.com


www.westendermagazine.com | 13<br />

jumper, pink poodle. scarf, jasmine<br />

opposite page - jumper, solo. gloves & necklace, liquorice tree<br />

model erin Maia @ Coloursagency.com MUA terri craig, terricraig.co.uk<br />

stylist jacki clark, jackiclark-stylist.co.uk<br />

photography gregor reid, gregorreidphotography.com


14 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

LIVE<br />

January<br />

Celtic Connections<br />

Monday 18th Jan – Sunday 4th Feb<br />

Multiple Venues<br />

Celebrating it’s 25th Anniversary<br />

this year, the biggest and best world<br />

music festival on Earth descends<br />

upon Glasgow. Please check out their<br />

beautifully presented website for<br />

full listings.<br />

celticconnections.com<br />

Maxwell Quartet<br />

Thursday 18th January 1pm<br />

University of Glasgow Concert Hall<br />

gla.ac.uk/events<br />

One of Britain's finest string<br />

quartets and winners of the recent<br />

Trondheim International Chamber<br />

Music Competition, the Maxwell<br />

String Quartet play a lunchtime<br />

concert in the beautiful Concert<br />

Hall at Glasgow University. I spent<br />

a large part of this year composing<br />

and arranging for string quartet. It’s<br />

all consuming, at times incredibly<br />

frustrating, but ultimately extremely<br />

satisfying once you eventually get<br />

to the end of the process. So I have<br />

full respect for musicians of this<br />

calibre – ones that can emote with<br />

such accuracy and skill.<br />

There can’t be many more enjoyable<br />

things in life than attending an<br />

afternoon of chamber music in one of<br />

the most beautiful sounding rooms<br />

there is. Best off order now.<br />

Choice track: Maxwell Quartet<br />

‘Happiness’<br />

Ross Ainslie & The Sanctuary Band<br />

and Brighde Chaimbeul<br />

Saturday 20th January 7.30pm<br />

The Mitchell, celticconnections.com<br />

Mesmerising modern pipe music<br />

from two of Scotland’s best pipers.<br />

I do like the border pipes, to me<br />

they are much easier on the ear than<br />

traditional bagpipes, evoking a<br />

softer, more romantic image of Old<br />

Scotia and these two are two of the<br />

best exponents of the border pipes.<br />

Since winning the BBC Radio Young<br />

Folk Award in 2016, Skye piper<br />

Brighde Chaimbeul has captured the<br />

attention of audiences across the<br />

country with her fresh and versatile<br />

sound and with Ross Ainslie being<br />

one of the most in demand multi<br />

instrumentalists in the country, this<br />

should make for a wonderful night of<br />

contemporary Scottish folk music.<br />

Choice Track: Ross Ainslie & Brighde<br />

Chaimbeul ‘Green Light of the<br />

Lonely Souls’<br />

Lee Fields & The Expressions<br />

Monday 23rd January 7pm<br />

Òran Mór, oran-mor.co.uk<br />

Elmer 'Lee' Fields is an American<br />

soul artist, sometimes nicknamed<br />

'Little JB' for his physical and vocal<br />

resemblance with James Brown. At 65<br />

years old Lee is still sounding as<br />

funky and soulful as ever.<br />

Lee Fields’ extensive musical career<br />

began singing with an early iteration<br />

of Kool & The Gang to releasing many<br />

solo records through the 70’s & 80’s.<br />

Choice Track: Lee Fields & The<br />

Expressions 'Let Him In'


www.westendermagazine.com | 15<br />

by Greg Kane<br />

February<br />

Kendrick Lamar & James Blake<br />

Sunday 11th February 6.30pm<br />

SSE Hydro, thessehydro.com<br />

What a double header this is! Full<br />

marks to the promoter who put these<br />

two together on the one bill.<br />

I remember seeing Kendrick Lamar on<br />

the TV broadcast of The Grammy’s in<br />

2016 performing The Blacker The Berry<br />

live. It still takes your breath away<br />

watching that footage.<br />

Similarly watching James Blake doing<br />

Retrograde live on The Letterman<br />

Show in 2013 leaves you impressed<br />

at his poise, beauty of voice and the<br />

dexterity of his keyboard playing. This<br />

gig is a hugely anticipated return to<br />

the UK by Kendrick Lamar, one of the<br />

biggest stars in the world of music<br />

today with the huge success of his<br />

DAMN album emphasising that status.<br />

Mercury Prize winning James Blake’s<br />

live performances can be spellbinding<br />

but they’re not that frequent as he<br />

doesn’t tour that often. So this is a<br />

rare opportunity to see two leading<br />

artists at the cutting edge of their<br />

genres in the one place. Go early<br />

and expect a spectacular night of<br />

contemporary music!<br />

Choice track:<br />

Kendrick Lamar 'The Blacker The Berry'<br />

James Blake 'Retrograde'<br />

Irit<br />

Thursday 22nd February 7pm<br />

Òran Mór, oran-mor.co.uk<br />

Irit Dekel is quite an interesting<br />

musical proposition. There’s definitely<br />

some GaGa here (as in her levels of<br />

ability and elaborate self deprecating<br />

visuals). And she also appears to be<br />

the kind of singer that manages to get<br />

the best musicians to coalesce around<br />

her making the backing music to her<br />

unique style of singing wonderfully<br />

complex and beautifully executed.<br />

Nod to Eldad Zitrin who has been her<br />

keyboard playing sidekick for the past<br />

few years. But by all accounts she’s<br />

moved on to a more Latin guitar and<br />

accordion style for her new stuff. Her<br />

new album Hello has been produced<br />

by Jonathan Quarmby, (producer of<br />

Benjamin Clementine’s recent Mercury<br />

prize-winning debut album) with the<br />

results being no less compelling than<br />

her previous records and should help<br />

her attract a bigger audience. She’s<br />

good enough.<br />

Choice Track: Irit Dekel 'Your My Thrill'<br />

Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys<br />

Tuesday 27th February 7.30pm<br />

Kilbarchan Performing Arts Centre<br />

k-pac.org.uk<br />

Lindsay Lou is a very attractive,<br />

guitar wielding singer/songwriter from<br />

the Great Lakes State of Michigan,<br />

USA. She is backed by a trio of<br />

bluegrass musicians who skilfully<br />

leave just the right amount of room<br />

for Lindsay’s voice to command their<br />

intricate arrangements. She has such<br />

a beautiful voice too, with just enough<br />

of a hint of soul to really make this<br />

ensemble distinctive amongst their<br />

Bluegrass peers.<br />

They are out on an extensive UK tour<br />

supporting their recent album release,<br />

Ionia.<br />

Choice track: Lindsay Lou &<br />

The Flatbellys 'Old Song'


16 | www.westendermagazine.com


www.westendermagazine.com | 17<br />

valentine treats<br />

With so much choice on our doorstep it can be confusing to know<br />

which gift to buy for that very special someone. Be confused no<br />

longer as Westender Magazine has navigated the streets of the West<br />

End on your behalf to bring you the best gifts at great prices.<br />

Monaco Heart Bracelet in Stainless Steel<br />

and Rose Gold £32 each, Cassiopeia<br />

Small Heart Truffles<br />

£6.50, Spirito<br />

Wifey & Hubs Mugs<br />

£11.99 each, Liquorice Tree<br />

Red Red Rose Jar Candle in Gift Box<br />

£15, Shearer Candles<br />

Culinary Concepts Intertwined Champagne<br />

Flutes £74.95, Nancy Smillie<br />

West End Suppliers<br />

Cassiopeia, 165 Hyndland Road<br />

0141 357 7374 cassiopeiaonline.co.uk<br />

Liquorice Tree, 431 Great Western Road<br />

0141 339 0648 liquoricetree.com<br />

Nancy Smillie Shop, 53 Cresswell Street<br />

0141 334 4240 nancysmillieshop.com<br />

Shearer Candles, 388 Byres Road<br />

0141 357 1707 shearer-candles.com<br />

Spirito Gifts, 317-319 Crow Road<br />

0141 337 3307 spiritogifts.com


18 | www.westendermagazine.com


www.westendermagazine.com | 19<br />

Writer’s Reveal<br />

meets Alan Taylor<br />

WORDS LORAINE PATRICK<br />

What turns a journalist from Edinburgh into a self professed<br />

Glasgowphile and compile stories and anecdotes about our<br />

great city into a book? Intrigued, Loraine Patrick ventured into<br />

the Merchant City to find out more.<br />

Ilove Glasgow. It’s been my home for the<br />

last 20 years. I couldn’t imagine living<br />

anywhere else. It’s a city that has lived<br />

through many reputations – the gang ridden,<br />

hard drinking ‘No Mean City’, the cultural<br />

renaissance when it became ‘Miles Better’<br />

and nowadays ‘People Make Glasgow’. But<br />

do these slogans tell the whole story? Writer<br />

and commentator Alan Taylor doesn’t think<br />

so and in a new book on the dear green place<br />

he tells the city’s story through the eyes of<br />

those who have lived it.<br />

There were two reasons why the book came<br />

into being Alan explains, ‘I always felt that<br />

Glasgow was underrated and undersold,<br />

often by its own people but also it’s a city<br />

that is under appreciated by the rest of the<br />

country. Secondly I felt it was misrepresented<br />

– too many people think it is a dirty grimy<br />

working class city.’<br />

Originally from Edinburgh, Alan spent much<br />

of his career as a journalist, columnist and<br />

editor working at newspaper offices in the<br />

Merchant City. ‘I used to walk from Queen<br />

Street station to Albion Street and I felt like<br />

I was in Chicago. The Merchant City was an<br />

amazing place – it hadn’t been prettified as<br />

it is now. It had a real edge to it and had that<br />

tart Glasgow humour which I loved. You just<br />

couldn’t put a book like this together on any<br />

other city. Underpinning everything about<br />

Glasgow is a sense of humour. Edinburgh is<br />

boring by comparison,’ he says wryly.<br />

One of the more humorous anecdotes in the<br />

book comes from 1950s matinee idol Dirk<br />

Bogarde who was sent up to Glasgow to live<br />

with an aunt and go to school here. ‘This was<br />

in the thirties,’ Alan continues, ‘and he had a<br />

horrendous time here. Here was an English<br />

schoolboy with a very posh accent who was<br />

also (unbeknown to him at the time) gay. He<br />

regularly skipped school because he was<br />

given such a hard time and would go to the<br />

cinema. The episode in the book describes<br />

him being picked up by an older man – a<br />

medical student – and what happens when<br />

he is invited back to his flat. ’<br />

Such stories from people you don’t expect<br />

to have an association with the city give<br />

the book a different perspective. ‘It’s a real<br />

patchwork story told by a diverse range<br />

of people. Every class, every race, from<br />

artist to criminal – the whole gamut has<br />

been included,’ Alan says. ‘There is nothing<br />

wrong with working class Glasgow or<br />

militant Glasgow or industrial Glasgow –<br />

that’s all part of the story, but it is not the<br />

whole story.’


20 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

One difficulty in compiling the book was<br />

finding enough female voices. Catherine<br />

Cranston may be a well-known name in<br />

Glasgow lore, supporting Charles Rennie<br />

Mackintosh and establishing café culture,<br />

but it is only in recent times female voices<br />

have been heard. Alan picks up, ‘Many<br />

women had to cope with truly horrendous<br />

living conditions. Doctors wouldn’t even<br />

come to visit some of these overcrowded<br />

places families had to live in. The city has had<br />

periods where phenomenal wealth poured in<br />

– but not to the poorer communities.’<br />

One place was key to compiling the book:<br />

the Glasgow Room in the Mitchell Library.<br />

It is said to house every book ever written<br />

on the city. Condensing that knowledge into<br />

one book sounds like an overwhelming task<br />

but is one Alan relished. ‘It was an absolute<br />

joy to get immersed in it all – I am a reference<br />

librarian by trade so I know how to find<br />

things. Long before Google there was the<br />

Mitchell Library,’ he chuckles.<br />

So a lot went in to making the booking<br />

happen. ‘I think it took around a year and a<br />

half and there must be elements of two to<br />

three hundred books in it, as well as the other<br />

sources that information came from.’<br />

‘I think their eventual demolition is<br />

emblematic of Glasgow’s current revival,’<br />

Alan says. ‘But it was also incredible to find<br />

out about what it had been like living there.<br />

When residents moved in in the 1960s it was<br />

a fantastic place to stay, kids played football<br />

using the lifts as goals and practised heading<br />

the ball when it was thrown from different<br />

floors. On the 18th floor if it was a windy day<br />

– your bath water would lap right over the<br />

edge.’<br />

But the piece that really sums up Glasgow<br />

and its people for Alan was when the airport<br />

became the focus of a terrorist attack in<br />

2007 and baggage handler John Smeaton<br />

instinctively reacted by attacking back.<br />

He became an overnight sensation on news<br />

programmes around the world with his, this is<br />

Glasgow do not mess with us attitude.<br />

‘I really hope this book makes readers proud<br />

to be Glaswegian and it paints a picture of<br />

the city that people recognise,’ he concludes.<br />

‘It’s also a pointer to the future. If this is what<br />

Glasgow is like now where is it going to go<br />

next?’<br />

Glasgow The Autobiography, edited by<br />

Alan Taylor is out now published by Birlinn.<br />

The book’s closing chapter brings together<br />

accounts of the Red Road flats in the north<br />

east of the city. In 2015 the multi-storey tower<br />

blocks were finally demolished. This came<br />

a year after it had been suggested they be<br />

taken down during the opening ceremony of<br />

the Commonwealth Games.<br />

Competition!<br />

We have two copies of<br />

Glasgow The Autobiography<br />

to give away. Visit<br />

westendermagazine.com and<br />

click on competitions by the<br />

28th of February 2018.<br />

£2<br />

Glasgow<br />

OFF<br />

*<br />

RRP £9.99<br />

*Exclusive offer for WESTENDER readers<br />

at Waterstones 351-355 Byres Road<br />

branch only, by 28th February 2018.


www.westendermagazine.com | 21<br />

THERE ARE SO MANY<br />

WAYS TO LOVE<br />

JOIN // HOST // SHOP<br />

For more information:<br />

www.stelladot.co.uk/lorainepatrick lorainepatrick1@me.com


22 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

1<br />

BY BRIAN TOAL<br />

WESTENDER’s<br />

COVER TO COVER<br />

Angus McAllister worked as a solicitor and university<br />

professor and is now retired. He has lived in and<br />

around Glasgow for years, mostly in tenement flats<br />

and spending time in the West End in particular.<br />

Close Quarters<br />

by Angus McAllister<br />

In the West End he soaked up the<br />

culture, taking stock of the characters<br />

and clearly enjoying the environs of<br />

Byres Road at its cornucopia of shops,<br />

pubs and eateries. Drawing on these<br />

experiences, McAllister has written a<br />

book which manages to combine his<br />

love of university life, the West End<br />

of Glasgow and his knowledge of the<br />

legal profession, resulting in a book<br />

which is in many ways a ‘Tales of the<br />

City’ we can call our own.<br />

Like Armistead Maupin, McAllister<br />

chooses to focus on a different<br />

character in each section of the<br />

book, allowing us to gain valuable<br />

background knowledge of the<br />

characters in what seems like<br />

a typical Glasgow ‘wally’ close.<br />

Beginning with the murder of Walter<br />

Bain – the bane of everyone else<br />

who lives in the close – the rest of<br />

the satirical novel provides a potted<br />

history of the other tenants, allowing<br />

the reader to form their own opinion<br />

as to the likely killer of the Victor<br />

Meldrew-esque Walter Bain.<br />

McAllister is candid about the<br />

fact that this novel should be read<br />

primarily as a comedy, and indeed<br />

there are some laugh-out-loud<br />

moments in the book, in particular<br />

the sections which depict typical pub<br />

conversations in The Centurion, a pub<br />

which any Westender will recognise.<br />

The banter comes thick and fast<br />

at times, although the dialogue is<br />

often missing the gritty realism of<br />

James Kelman or Jeff Torrington.<br />

There are wee political jibes liberally scattered throughout the book<br />

and university life is satirised simply by detailing the machinations of<br />

committees and vice chancellors, with very little need for commentary<br />

to highlight the ridiculousness of bureaucracy, both in academia and<br />

in Glasgow City Council. I particularly enjoyed the nostalgic look at<br />

the Hillhead by-election when Roy Jenkins was elected, an event<br />

recounted through the prism of a cynical Westender and with a<br />

typical Glaswegian disdain for authority.<br />

Some characters are realised more effectively than others, as some<br />

seem to remain caricatures whilst others are given a much more<br />

detailed treatment. With such a disparate cast, this was always going<br />

to be the case. The English lecturer, for example, doesn’t seem to be<br />

clear on what acronyms are, and the nervous wreck that is Henrietta<br />

Quayle – who quails like a hen at the least wee thing – seems like a<br />

bit of a cliché, although if you spend enough time in the West End,<br />

as McAllister clearly has, you’re sure to meet almost all of these<br />

characters eventually, provided you know which pubs to drink in. As<br />

a comedy wrapped around a whodunit it’s an entertaining book and<br />

will be enjoyed especially by anyone familiar with the West End.


www.westendermagazine.com | 23<br />

Hag-seed<br />

by Margaret Atwood<br />

2<br />

To reimagine Shakespeare<br />

is no mean feat and not an<br />

undertaking which many<br />

authors are equal to.<br />

Over the years the BBC have<br />

produced clever adaptations<br />

of Shakespeare’s plays and<br />

Hollywood has produced modern<br />

versions of his famous tales<br />

with a mixture of aplomb and<br />

disaster. Atwood’s retelling of The<br />

Tempest is part of the Hogarth<br />

Shakespeare project which<br />

also includes work by Jeanette<br />

Winterson, Howard Jabobson,<br />

Tracy Chevalier and Jo Nesbo.<br />

The novels follows the story of<br />

Felix, once a famous director of<br />

the Makeshiweg Festival and his<br />

desire for revenge on his erstwhile<br />

colleagues from the bitter,<br />

backbiting world of the arts<br />

following his untimely removal<br />

which left him unemployed and<br />

adrift with only his ‘Miranda’ for<br />

company.<br />

He moves to the Canadian<br />

hinterland to lick his wounds,<br />

reinventing himself as a kindly<br />

retiree keen to help out the local<br />

prison with its theatre course.<br />

Before long, Felix manipulates<br />

his enemies into attending the<br />

annual prison production, which<br />

this year happens to be The<br />

Tempest, the very show he had<br />

been preparing before being<br />

ousted from his directorship of<br />

the festival. The finale is both<br />

hilarious and disturbing in equal<br />

measure.<br />

With a motley crew of characters<br />

from the prison – think of a male<br />

version of Orange is the New<br />

Black – enlisted in Felix’s quest for<br />

revenge, the action is fast-paced,<br />

funny and fantastical, all in a<br />

way which echoes the original<br />

beautifully, but with Atwood’s<br />

stamp indelibly printed on this<br />

reimagining.<br />

How refreshing to look at the<br />

history of the world not through<br />

the well-trodden roads of our<br />

own western perspective but<br />

through the exotic and often<br />

poorly understood silk roads of<br />

central Asia.<br />

Peter Frankopan takes the reader<br />

on a journey from the early<br />

Sogdian traders predating the<br />

birth of Islam, through the rise<br />

and spread of Islam, from the<br />

huge influence of the Mongol<br />

Empire to the Mughals, the Turks,<br />

the Russian Empire and the<br />

British Empire’s influence on this<br />

region. All global developments<br />

and conquests over the past<br />

two thousand years are viewed<br />

through this central Asian prism,<br />

allowing the reader to appreciate<br />

the influence and importance of<br />

this geographically crucial area in<br />

terms of world politics, but also<br />

in terms of the natural resources<br />

and trading routes which have<br />

underpinned this region for<br />

centuries.<br />

Replete with a series of maps<br />

and beautiful full colour pictures,<br />

this book really forces the reader<br />

to consider how well they know<br />

history and exactly what history<br />

we have been exposed to in our<br />

distant corner of Europe.<br />

Taking us right up to the recent<br />

wars over Iraq and Afghanistan,<br />

Frankopan carefully explains the<br />

importance of this region in the<br />

‘Great Game’ between competing<br />

global players and ends on a<br />

note of optimism for this region,<br />

as the recently outward looking<br />

Chinese government begins to<br />

show an increasing interest in<br />

the resources and connections<br />

which this area of the world has<br />

in abundance.<br />

The Silk Roads<br />

by Peter Frankopan<br />

3


24 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

Top Things To Do<br />

in the West End<br />

by Tracy Mukherjee<br />

Happy New Year to one and all! The merriment<br />

and excesses of the festive season have passed<br />

for another year. Scales all over the West End<br />

are confirming what we all knew before standing<br />

on them; it’s time for those health-kick New Year<br />

resolutions. In addition to some great ideas to<br />

get you feeling smugly healthy in the next few<br />

months, here is our guide to all that is happening<br />

over the winter months to come.<br />

Top for West End Wellbeing<br />

Getting back in the groove of a healthy lifestyle<br />

seems to be top for everyone at this time of<br />

year. Given that the dark, cold days and nights<br />

do little for one’s mood either, a great option to<br />

cover all bases is yoga. The Movement Studio<br />

focuses on the wellbeing of both mind and body.<br />

With a great range of yoga classes – Ashtanga,<br />

Hatha, Yoga Flow – to suit all preferences<br />

and abilities, the studio really focuses on<br />

overall health too. There is also a real focus on<br />

mindfulness and meditation to keep your mood<br />

uplifted during these dark months. With on-site<br />

rehab for injuries including physio, the centre<br />

is also a major proponent of Gyrotonic® and<br />

Gyrokinesis® exercise. With devotees such<br />

as Andy Murray swearing by it, Gyrotonic®<br />

movement maximizes your potential for<br />

stretching and strengthening muscles which is<br />

believed to relieve injury pain and improve joint<br />

mobility.<br />

If you are an individual who feels that you<br />

are only really working out if you break a<br />

sweat Bikram Yoga in Dowanside Lane will<br />

most definitely see you do just that! Bikram,<br />

the original 'hot' yoga, runs in the format of<br />

90 minute sessions suitable for beginners<br />

or advanced students. Evolving initially from<br />

the more moderate Hatha yoga, each session<br />

involves 26 postures in a hot, humid room. The<br />

highly skilled instructors will ensure you feel<br />

comfortable and that you go at your own pace.<br />

That sweat that you wanted to break? Better<br />

bring a bucket!<br />

The Movement Studio, 4 Ashton Lane G12 8SJ<br />

w:themovementstudio.co.uk<br />

Bikram Yoga, 1 Dowanside Lane G12 9BZ<br />

w:bikramglasgow.com<br />

Top for Healthy Diet<br />

In addition to your new exercise regime, what<br />

about addressing that post-festive diet? The<br />

downfall of every healthy eating plan – what<br />

happens when you go out for dinner? The answer<br />

lies amongst the tiny hub of establishments<br />

in Otago Lane. Tchai Ovna, a regular haunt of<br />

veggies and vegans for many a year, has a great<br />

selection of delicious healthy options for all.<br />

From their delectable red dahl served with warm<br />

pitta, to the award winning chipotle chilli, it’s a<br />

great meat free menu that certainly won’t leave<br />

you hungry. A tea house first and foremost, there<br />

are around 100 different kind of teas to choose<br />

from. Sampling aromatic oolong teas, to enjoying<br />

the rich health benefits of green and white teas,<br />

there is also a list of herbal teas to address a<br />

myriad of health problem. With the setting and<br />

aromas whisking you away to far flung lands,<br />

Tchai Ovna is a great venue for relaxing, enjoying<br />

the company of friends or even meditating. Now<br />

that will impress your yoga instructor.<br />

Tchai Ovna, 42 Otago Lane G12 8PB<br />

w: tchaiovna.com<br />

Top for Winter Festivals<br />

January. At least there is Burns Night<br />

suppers to look forward to. What else? I’m<br />

sure I’m forgetting something… why CELTIC<br />

CONNECTIONS of course! There is simply<br />

nothing like this glorious folk festival to brighten<br />

up the dismal days of January. Now in its 25th<br />

year, the festival showcases Scottish folk in


www.westendermagazine.com | 25<br />

Top Things To Do<br />

in the West End<br />

unison with world music from around the globe.<br />

With hundreds of concerts taking place during<br />

the 16 days of celtic celebrations, there’s no end<br />

of choices here in the West End. Main venues<br />

in the west include the Hug and Pint on Great<br />

Western Road, The Mackintosh Church, Queens<br />

Cross, Oran Mor on Byres Road and Partick<br />

Burgh Hall. The latter is hosting a whole range<br />

of ceilidh dances with live music, which are sure<br />

to sell out quickly – a great way to have a really<br />

fun night whilst exbounding some extra calories.<br />

There is NOTHING that works up a sweat like a<br />

ceilidh – ask any student who frequented The<br />

Riverside Club in the centre of town in the 1990s!<br />

Alongside music and ceilidhs, the festival also<br />

sees the return of the annual National Whisky<br />

Festival of Scotland at SWG3. With 2 sessions<br />

running on Sat 20th of January including<br />

masterclasses, food and live music, the day will<br />

be a true celebration of uisge beatha.<br />

Celtic Connections 18th Jan – 4th Feb, various<br />

venues. w:celticconnections.com<br />

Top for Film Theatre<br />

We are taking a break from our usual roundup<br />

of the top west end stage productions. From<br />

February 21st, the Glasgow Film Festival kicks<br />

off and we thought it only fitting to focus on<br />

the theatre of film for a little change. Now in its<br />

13th year, the festival has grown from strength<br />

to strength from its humble beginnings in 2005<br />

where the attendance was just 6000. Last year<br />

saw the largest festival yet with an incredible<br />

42,000 cinema goers attending screenings<br />

and events. The festival has broad ranging<br />

appeal due to its focus on promoting a huge<br />

spectrum of local and international film. Film<br />

buffs love the diversity of cinema on offer:<br />

from cult favourites to main stream staples,<br />

from art house masterpieces to immortal black<br />

and white classics. And alongside the cinema<br />

screenings, there are always some interesting<br />

fringe events. Join the audience for discussion<br />

panels, interactive workshops or to pose<br />

questions to directors and producers. Whilst<br />

this year’s programme is still being finalized, one<br />

particular film stands out in the 2018 festival. To<br />

celebrate 20 years since its release, there will be<br />

an anniversary showing of the Coen Brothers Big<br />

Lebowski. This classic cult comedy epitomizes<br />

the work of the Coens. In conjunction with the<br />

showing, there will be 'a night of bowling' at<br />

Hollywood Bowl Springfield Quay. And if the<br />

heady aromas of hired bowling shoes don’t evoke<br />

all that is great about the film, I’m sure a classic<br />

White Russian will. Drinking whilst bowling –<br />

is that a good idea? The dude abides…<br />

Glasgow Film Festival 21st Feb – 4th March,<br />

various venues w:glasgowfilm.org<br />

Top for…Broken Resolutions<br />

The yoga is going well and you’ve lost two<br />

pounds so far; only another stone to go. And yes,<br />

the juices are yum, but it’s been raining for 15<br />

consecutive days in a row and I’m sorry, a kale<br />

and pumpkin seed smoothie just isn’t going to do<br />

it today. The solution? A (one off, mind) trip to<br />

Tantrum Doughnuts in Yorkhill. The epitome of<br />

a hidden gem, this Old Dumbarton Road coffee<br />

shop has the best doughnuts around. With a<br />

regularly changing menu and unique flavours,<br />

each visit will see you finding something new.<br />

The actual doughnuts are unique too with<br />

two different types – yeast raised brioche<br />

and traditional, made from ingredients such<br />

as buttermilk and nutmeg. For toppings try<br />

pistachio and hibiscus, chocolate hazelnut<br />

crumble or what about savoury maple bacon old<br />

fashioned? And with sumptuous hot chocolate<br />

and coffees to accompany, falling off the wagon<br />

for one day will seem TOTALLY worth it. The<br />

venue is dog friendly too. And with free Wifi, you<br />

can always book in for an extra yoga session<br />

whilst chowing down on a salted honey ring.<br />

Tantrum Doughnuts, 27 Old Dumbarton Road,<br />

Yorkhill G3 8RD w:tantrumdoughnuts.com


26 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

SERVING UP<br />

second chances@street & arrow<br />

WORDS Hannah Westwater<br />

IMAGES Gregor Reid<br />

‘W<br />

e’re in a dark room, but we’re not<br />

flipping the light switch for them.<br />

We’re standing with them, side<br />

by side, shining a torch on the switch and<br />

saying: “go and get it”.’<br />

Inspector Iain Murray is the project leader<br />

at Street & Arrow, a social enterprise<br />

which employs and supports people with<br />

convictions. Launched by the Scottish<br />

Violence Reduction Unit and associated<br />

company Braveheart Industries (BHI), the<br />

programme operates out of a modern<br />

catering truck selling gourmet street food in<br />

Partick’s Mansfield Park.<br />

If it weren’t for today’s biting rain and the<br />

rumble of a Subway carriage underfoot,<br />

you’d be forgiven for sensing something<br />

transatlantic about the van (a 1972 vintage<br />

Californian Airstream, I’m told) and the chic<br />

environment built around it.


www.westendermagazine.com | 27<br />

That’s no coincidence – the project was<br />

inspired by Los Angeles company Homeboy<br />

Industries, which works to make streets safer<br />

by offering support and training to people<br />

with previous gang involvement. ‘We know<br />

through experience that these people who<br />

come from chaotic backgrounds lack hope<br />

and lack opportunity,’ Inspector Murray says.<br />

The demand is huge, he adds, and there’s no<br />

shortage of people who want the chance to<br />

turn their lives around.<br />

BHI won’t accept anyone who is mandated<br />

to be there, believing that the will has to be<br />

there before there’ll be a way. Referrals come<br />

from several directions – from third sector<br />

organisations and Jobcentre Plus to The<br />

Wise Group and the Celtic FC Foundation,<br />

as well as through outreach work done in<br />

prisons by Inspector Murray.<br />

Team members are employed on 12-month<br />

contracts for 35 hour weeks and paid the<br />

living wage. The job is only part of the<br />

package, though – they also have access<br />

to counselling, therapists and round-theclock<br />

support from mentors (known within<br />

the company as Navigators) who have lived<br />

experience of struggling with addiction and<br />

criminal behaviour.<br />

They’re also offered basic education<br />

skills and qualifications like SVQs, first<br />

aid certificates and barista training. Even<br />

parenting guidance is available – the majority<br />

of those currently employed have children<br />

of their own. BHI is all too aware that their<br />

employees may have fallen victim to a multigenerational<br />

cycle and require redirection<br />

in parts of life many of us might take for<br />

granted.<br />

Inspector Murray reflects on the recruitment<br />

process and says, ‘It wasn’t low lying fruit, we<br />

don’t choose the easiest people to get back<br />

into work. It’s those who are furthest from<br />

getting a job, those who people would turn<br />

their nose up at and say, “oh, too risky”.’<br />

The initiative is one of – if not the – first of<br />

its kind in the world to be operated by a<br />

police body. The programme appears to be<br />

founded on the kind of pragmatic idealism<br />

which Scots sometimes have a tendency to<br />

shy away from, which proves one of several<br />

valuable lessons learned from the company’s<br />

American partners. ‘You start to believe in<br />

them and they start to believe in themselves.<br />

There won’t be a more loyal person out<br />

there.’<br />

Callum (26) joined Street & Arrow in February.<br />

He was involved with ‘a lot of violence and<br />

crime’ and nearly lost his life in January<br />

before deciding he was going to make a<br />

change. ‘I’m coming up for a year sober, I’ve<br />

got custody of son, my wee girl’s in my life<br />

and I’m a partner to my girlfriend,’ Callum<br />

says, crediting the support and guidance<br />

of the BHI team. ‘This is the best thing that<br />

ever happened to me.’ He mentions that he<br />

lacked positive role models growing up and<br />

chuckles. ‘For me to get that from a police<br />

officer… That’s surreal after the life I used<br />

to lead.’<br />

There’s a strong focus on encouraging the<br />

team to be honest and vulnerable with their<br />

mentors, leaders and each other – many of<br />

the people with convictions carry trauma that<br />

manifested as destructive behaviour. “It’s not<br />

an excuse, it’s just been normalised chaotic<br />

behaviour. We want to take them away from<br />

that and equip them with the practical and<br />

emotional skills they need to be resilient.”<br />

Inspector Murray hopes that their work is<br />

the beginning of a viable alternative to the<br />

cycle of offence and incarceration, reducing<br />

the number of victims and benefiting<br />

communities in the long term. He points out<br />

that for every person involved in programmes<br />

like theirs rather than in custody, between<br />

£34-40,000 of public money is saved.<br />

There are three criteria BHI employees must<br />

meet to count as a programme success<br />

story: staying in full time work, refraining from<br />

reoffending, and complete abstinence from<br />

substances. Street & Arrow’s current success<br />

rate is 100%.<br />

The truck opens Monday-Friday as well as<br />

every second Saturday when the farmers’<br />

market runs. Inspector Murray hopes they<br />

can open a second location closer to the<br />

city centre soon and in the meantime, that<br />

the community joins them in giving second<br />

chances.<br />

actiononviolence.org.uk/projects/<br />

street-arrow


28 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

Gifts Jewellery Cards<br />

SPiRiTO<br />

Love is in the air<br />

317 - 319 Crow Road, G11 7BU<br />

0141 337 3307<br />

www.spiritogifts.com


Westender www.westendermagazine.com Magazine Promotion | 29<br />

Images I Gregor Reid<br />

fresh Pan Asian at<br />

Abrand new year is the perfect time to<br />

put the stodgy foods of the last<br />

month behind us and embrace the<br />

fresh and delicious little parcels of goodness<br />

that are sushi at Wudon.<br />

With so many varieties to try, and each<br />

ingredient carrying its own health benefits,<br />

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Or if you’re in for a quick lunch why not<br />

try the Wudon Bento Box range? With five<br />

options to choose from, including ‘The Spicy<br />

One’ and ‘The Vegetarion One’ – all at a very<br />

reasonable £6.95 – limp sarnies consumed<br />

at your desk will never hold the same appeal<br />

again (though did they ever?).<br />

Pan Asian dishes of Japanese Miso Soup,<br />

vegetable tempura, and warming broth<br />

noodle bowls of Katsu Ramen, either freshen<br />

the palate or gently spice your taste buds<br />

after a cold winter’s day. With a range of fresh<br />

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looking) teas to choose from to accompany<br />

your dish – your 2018 health kick starts here.<br />

Every piece of sushi, Bento Box item,<br />

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ingredients made to order, the talented chefs<br />

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staff love to welcome locals – both regulars<br />

and newbies. And with the delicious smells<br />

wafting up from the kitchen you should<br />

definitely go see what all the fuss is about.


30 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

@<br />

The Three<br />

Judges<br />

Reviewed by<br />

Emily Donoho<br />

Areal Glasgow West End challenge<br />

is to be walking down to the end of<br />

Byers Road and not go into the Three<br />

Judges for a cheeky pint. The golden script<br />

and enormous windows commanding the<br />

corner of Byers and Dumbarton Roads lure<br />

you in.<br />

You know what’s inside: eight real ale pumps<br />

and a cider pump, which change ever week,<br />

so you never quite know what you are going<br />

to find. You do know you will come across<br />

beer from some little brewery you have never<br />

heard of, beer from your favourite Scottish<br />

and English microbreweries, and you know<br />

that it will be good.<br />

The Judges has won numerous CAMRA<br />

awards and the staff are knowledgeable<br />

about their ales – most importantly that<br />

means they know how to care for the casks.<br />

The pub makes that CAMRA membership<br />

worthwhile because CAMRA members<br />

receive a ten percent discount.<br />

There is more to the Judges than just real<br />

ales. If ales aren’t up your alley, they have<br />

the usual suspects like Tennent’s, Guinness,<br />

Belhaven, and Peroni on tap. It’s a pub where<br />

you can still have a conversation without<br />

shouting over a PA turned up to 11. They<br />

have a TV, but it’s usually off unless there<br />

is rugby or live horse racing on. The pub’s<br />

affection for rugby is unmistakable, given the<br />

Six Nations flags decorating the ceiling along<br />

with badges commemorating the hundreds of<br />

beers that have passed through the pumps.<br />

If you fancy live music, they have jazz on<br />

Sundays or if the pub quiz is your thing, they<br />

have one of those on Mondays. I attempted<br />

the pub quiz and had the distinction of<br />

coming last, concluding that it’s a tough one,<br />

at least for people who are terrible at pub<br />

quizzes. The winner received a £30 voucher<br />

to the pub, which pays for about eight pints<br />

as the prices are competitive for the West<br />

End, averaging £3.50 for a pint.<br />

The Judges hasn’t gone the way of the<br />

gastropub; you can buy a pie there during<br />

the day and that’s it. Not a bad thing, as it’s<br />

a beer drinker’s pub and doesn’t need to be<br />

anything else.<br />

It has a warm ambiance inside, with old<br />

school dark wood panelling, a high Victorian<br />

ceiling, benches around the nooks and<br />

crannies on the edges, tables in centre, and<br />

loos so small you can’t swing a cat.<br />

The downside, of course, is that on a Friday<br />

or Saturday night, the pub gets rammed and<br />

you have to shout over everyone else who’s<br />

in there, but that’s to be expected in such a<br />

popular and well-regarded establishment.<br />

There is a vibrant mix of locals and students,<br />

not surprising as real ales are gaining appeal<br />

among more demographics than middleaged<br />

white males. West enders appreciate<br />

the Judges’ vibe: it’s not a football pub or<br />

a pub with a DJ, but rather one you visit<br />

to enjoy quality beer and catch up with<br />

your mates.<br />

The Three Judges<br />

141 Dumbarton Road G11 6PR<br />

0141 337 3055<br />

greatukpubs.co.uk/threejudges<br />

Image I Gregor Reid


www.westendermagazine.com | 31<br />

be SQUARE be there<br />

New kid on the block, or square, is The<br />

Square Bar and Restaurant in Broomhill<br />

– an independently owned and<br />

operated eatery.<br />

From morning coffee and breakfast to<br />

brunch, lunch and dinner, with an extensive<br />

wine, gin and drinks list on offer, The Square<br />

offer a genuine neighbourhood dining<br />

experience in the West End. Owner, Luke<br />

Tracey, and his team pride themselves in<br />

offering an environment with real warmth and<br />

professionalism whilst looking after all their<br />

diner’s needs.<br />

Using only fresh and local produce, The<br />

Square’s kitchen team prepare their dishes<br />

with skill and care. Offering home comfort<br />

favourites, such as confit pork belly, sage<br />

mashed potato and roasted vegetables, plus<br />

a mix of dishes and tastes from around the<br />

world. Menus change seasonally to make the<br />

most of the fabulous Scottish produce on<br />

our doorstep.<br />

‘I’m excited to be part of this neighbourhood,’<br />

says Luke. ‘We are providing something of<br />

quality that I believe the locals and those<br />

from farther afield are looking for when<br />

dining out. Hopefully we can bring some of<br />

the magic of the city centre and places like<br />

Finnieston to another part of the West End.’<br />

Special Offer! Enjoy 20% off your<br />

food bill at The Square Bar &<br />

Restaurant from the 4th of January<br />

to the 28th February 2018 (not<br />

valid 14th Feb’18)*. Simply quote<br />

Westender when you phone to book,<br />

or when ordering.<br />

*Discount excludes any drinks bill.<br />

The Square Bar and Restaurant<br />

6-8 Norby Road, Broomhill G11 7BN<br />

0141 337 6988<br />

thesquareglasgow.com<br />

Images I Gregor Reid


32 | Westender www.westendermagazine.com<br />

Magazine Promotion<br />

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@<br />

AVOAVO<br />

www.westendermagazine.com | 33<br />

Reviewed by<br />

Roberto Parrucci<br />

Exciting news for all those health<br />

conscious foodies around the city,<br />

AvoAvo, the first avocado bar in<br />

Glasgow has opened in Finnieston.<br />

I’m intrigued to discover what an avocado bar<br />

has to offer, and as I enter I’m a bit sceptical<br />

about what to expect. Recently, Avocado<br />

has made its way into the superfood world<br />

as a real icon. We know it’s healthy, tasty,<br />

and versatile. But for me, before this surge in<br />

popularity, Avocado was just an exotic fruit,<br />

main ingredient of guacamole, a dipping must<br />

at every party. What I discover at AVOAVO is<br />

that you can actually cook almost everything<br />

with avocado and it can add that extra punch<br />

to a meal. Glaswegians finally have their safe<br />

avocado space.<br />

Upon entering I am welcomed by colourful<br />

balloons and a warm atmosphere. Almost all<br />

the tables of this wee, snug place are full of<br />

people clearly enjoying their meals. Glasgow<br />

food lovers will be thrilled upon reading<br />

the menu – an entire selection of delicious<br />

avocado-based dishes that will match every<br />

taste from vegetarians/vegans to meat and<br />

fish lovers. If you think an avocado restaurant<br />

might not be your first choice, be assured<br />

that your taste buds will be tingled by some<br />

unexpected discoveries here.<br />

I was immediately struck by AvoAvo Fries:<br />

Panko coated avocado wedges fried or<br />

baked served with a choice of Chipolata,<br />

Balsamic glaze or Spicy Garlic Dip. The<br />

taste is reminiscent of my childhood in Italy<br />

and the mouth-watering taste of breaded<br />

deep-fried artichokes. AvoAvo fries are a<br />

delicious alternative to traditional fries and a<br />

good choice if you feel that raw avocado is<br />

too healthy for you. As a main I plumped for<br />

the Avocado Burger with salmon (would you<br />

believe?!). In this alternative to the traditional,<br />

the entire avocado serves as a bun for your<br />

preferred filling (salmon, beef, sausage or<br />

chicken). The selection is wide enough:<br />

Scottish/avocado breakfast, the alwayspresent<br />

soup (also avocado made but served<br />

cold) and several other intriguing options.<br />

Yet, I still had an appetite for a lavish<br />

sweet dessert. So, after a nice chat with<br />

the manager I accepted her suggestion of<br />

the avocado and lime cheesecake served<br />

with avocado ice-cream. Unconventionally<br />

delicious. If you feel all of this avocado is too<br />

healthy for you, and smoothies, teas or soft<br />

drinks are just too much, no worries! AVOAVO<br />

is B.Y.O.B. – you can bring in your favourite<br />

bottle of wine to match with your meal.<br />

Whether you’re looking for a lunch venue<br />

or enjoying Finnieston’s vibrant evenings,<br />

why not pop in and trying something<br />

original, tasty and served with that Scottish<br />

friendliness that Glaswegians put in what<br />

they love? Either way, AvoAvo, is your answer!<br />

AvoAvo<br />

946 Argyle Street G3 8JG<br />

0141 248 1741<br />

avoavo.co.uk<br />

Image I Gregor Reid


34 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

Guilty Pleasures from<br />

Westender’s American<br />

in Glasgow<br />

It's Christmas! Go<br />

completely nuts with the<br />

decoration - more is more,<br />

in this case. Mismatched<br />

glasses look especially<br />

Festive<br />

chag ga<br />

mushroom<br />

Image I Gregor Reid


y Liberty Vittert<br />

Chagga Cake<br />

www.westendermagazine.com | 35<br />

It’s cold, and dreary, and I’m fat from holiday<br />

eatin’. The flowery sundresses, dreaded bikinis, and<br />

impossibly short skirts loom ahead… wait a minute<br />

I live in Glasgow who am I kidding. I could probably<br />

wear a bulky sweater all year round. WOO HOO let’s<br />

eat cake! Or, why not try a cake with antioxidants<br />

in it? Cancels out the sugar and butter, right? Right.<br />

Maxime, the master forager found these chagga<br />

mushrooms for me which grow in Scotland and<br />

Siberia. Yes, Siberia. They have outrageous health<br />

properties and make this nutty, sweet, unbelievable<br />

cake have an earthy flavour that will leave even the<br />

most sophisticated palates in awe.<br />

Find Maxime on Twitter @MaximeWildHeart<br />

K<br />

Shopping List<br />

3 cans refrigerator<br />

croissant dough<br />

1 box filo dough<br />

330g unsalted butter<br />

400g dark brown sugar<br />

2 tbs cinnamon<br />

1.5 tbs nutmeg<br />

2 tsp cloves<br />

2 tbs chagga powder<br />

170g chopped pecans<br />

for the glaze:<br />

reserved butter/chagga<br />

from main cake recipe<br />

375g icing sugar<br />

150g cream cheese<br />

1 tbs vanilla<br />

7 tbs single cream (to<br />

consistency)<br />

L<br />

Method<br />

1. Melt unsalted butter over a low heat<br />

in a medium pot. Add the chagga powder.<br />

Let it simmer on low for 30 minutes.<br />

2. Grease a bundt pan liberally and<br />

preheat the oven to 175C.<br />

3. Keeping it as a roll, cut the croissant<br />

dough into 8 rounds and chop those into<br />

fourths (bitesize pieces). Cut the filo<br />

dough into 2 cm long strips.<br />

4. Place half of each dough in the bundt<br />

pan.<br />

5. Strain the butter and remove about<br />

80g of the chagga infused butter and set<br />

aside in a small bowl. Lightly mix the<br />

cream cheese into this set aside butter.<br />

6. Add the brown sugar, cinnamon,<br />

nutmeg and cloves to the larger amount<br />

of butter and melt for about 5 minutes<br />

over a low heat.<br />

7. Pour half of this sugar butter mixture<br />

over the dough in the bundt pan. Add the<br />

rest of the dough, and pour the rest of<br />

the sugar-butter mixture over the dough.<br />

8. Bake at 175C for 40 minutes.<br />

9. Meanwhile, whisk together the chagga<br />

butter/cream cheese mixture with the<br />

icing sugar, vanilla, and single cream to<br />

consistency.<br />

10. Remove the bundt from the oven,<br />

flip onto a cooling rack and immediately<br />

pour over the icing. Serve hot.<br />

PAPYRUS<br />

SPECIAL<br />

OFFER<br />

20%<br />

off*<br />

in the<br />

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Jan-Feb'18<br />

*Exclusive offer for<br />

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at Papyrus,<br />

374 Byres Road


36 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

keeping it in<br />

THE FAMILY<br />

What’s it like to work with your partner, your sibling<br />

or your parents? Are family businesses a haven of<br />

harmonious working relationships or full of tension,<br />

rivalry and feuding? Loraine Patrick talks to three West<br />

End companies to get an insight into what it’s like.


One of the oldest family run businesses<br />

in Glasgow, Shearer Candles was<br />

founded in 1897 by Mr Shearer and<br />

Mr Harvey who worked as chandlers in the<br />

Candleriggs district. When the last of the<br />

Shearers retired in the 1970s the Barnet<br />

family took over – and is now in its third<br />

generation.<br />

Marketing and product development manager<br />

Stephanie Barnet’s grandfather bought the<br />

business before she was born. ‘He owned<br />

hotels and restaurants and always found it<br />

hard to get candles. ‘He was an entrepreneur<br />

at heart and always on the look out for<br />

business opportunities,’ she says. ‘So when<br />

the candle factory came up for sale it was too<br />

good a chance to miss. My dad Ian came into<br />

the business and at 17 was sent to France to<br />

learn the craft.’<br />

Stephanie’s father has been MD of the<br />

company for 45 years and works alongside<br />

her mother, Rosey, who joined in the 1980s<br />

as candles moved from being a commodity<br />

to a fashionable luxury product. ‘She is<br />

very creative,’ Stephanie picks up, ‘and she<br />

saw lifestyle trends coming out of America<br />

and France so moved the company in the<br />

direction of fragranced candles. Our first<br />

www.westendermagazine.com | 37<br />

candles were very simple fragrances – we<br />

started with lemon candles and it has grown<br />

from there.<br />

‘I always said I wouldn’t work in the family<br />

business because growing up my sister<br />

and I were always in here earning our keep.<br />

At weekends and during the holidays we<br />

would pack candles. Infact, whenever there<br />

was a big job on we would get hauled in<br />

to help.’<br />

That all changed after university, and now<br />

both sisters head up different areas of the<br />

business. ‘It’s in your blood,’ Stephanie says.<br />

‘I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else.<br />

We are enthusiastic about what we produce<br />

here – I couldn’t work for a company I don’t<br />

have this kind of passion for.’<br />

And as for fall outs, sibling rivalry and family<br />

tensions – there are none she laughs. ‘It’s all<br />

very boring. We have family meetings and it’s<br />

all very calm. ‘Even the extended family work<br />

here, my auntie is helping in the shop just<br />

now, my cousins have worked here and some<br />

of our staff have become like family. Our shift<br />

leader has worked with us for 40 years and<br />

our head of purchasing for over 20 years –<br />

her daughters have worked here too.’<br />

Image I Gregor Reid


38 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

Offices/Studios To Let<br />

(150–250 Square Feet)<br />

Small friendly Business Centre<br />

in a West End Mews,<br />

close to local amenities.<br />

2 mins to Partick Underground<br />

and Train Station.<br />

Shared meeting, kitchen and<br />

toilet facilities<br />

Contact – Iain or Claire 0141 342 5440<br />

Email: iain@surface-id.com


www.westendermagazine.com | 39<br />

Image I Gregor Reid<br />

Over on Queen Margaret Drive Polish<br />

husband and wife Kamila and Radek Karski<br />

run their independent kitchen design studio,<br />

Atlas Kitchens.<br />

‘We have been in business together for six<br />

years,’ Kamila says, ‘and our backgrounds<br />

are very different. I came to Scotland as a<br />

translator and Radek was working here in<br />

the building trade. We set up the kitchen<br />

company as we have good connections in<br />

Poland and the quality of furniture produced<br />

over there is excellent.’<br />

Their different working styles make for a<br />

strong business. ‘He is tough and I am soft –<br />

it is like good cop bad cop. We have split the<br />

responsibilities so Radek is in charge of the<br />

on-site operations and I am the boss of the<br />

showroom. I do designs and sales and look<br />

after our clients.’<br />

Kamila is honest in the challenges they face,<br />

‘It is hard running a business together. We<br />

do fight as we both think we are the boss. If<br />

I ask any of his team to do anything they will<br />

always check with him first!<br />

‘We work all the time. I didn’t have maternity<br />

leave. Even in hospital after having my<br />

second child I was checking my emails and<br />

phoning the shop. But the flip side of that<br />

is our family life is flexible and we see each<br />

other more. Some of our friends hardly see<br />

their partners.’<br />

Working together can kill the romance Kamila<br />

says pragmatically ‘there are always money<br />

and work discussions at home. You do lose a<br />

bit of your normal life because you are always<br />

thinking about work and if we have a problem<br />

then we take turns at worrying about it. We<br />

are good support for each other.’<br />

But she wouldn’t have it any other way. For a<br />

time they ran their businesses separately but<br />

staff didn’t like it. ‘They think we work best<br />

together. We run this company as one family<br />

and one voice and we want something good<br />

for the business.’


40 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

Image I Gregor Reid<br />

Sisters Jennie and Anna Wu completely<br />

agree. They run Wudon Noodle and Sushi Bar<br />

on Great Western Road and say they are in<br />

business together for the benefit of the whole<br />

family.<br />

‘We are in this for the greater good,’ Anna<br />

says. ‘I hear of lots of friends who go into<br />

business together and it has torn them apart.<br />

We sisters, we have disagreements. Some<br />

fights you win, some you lose, but you have<br />

to let them go. We don’t compete with each<br />

other.’<br />

The girls grew up helping in their parents’<br />

Chinese restaurant. Jennie recalls helping<br />

out even when she had a full-time job in<br />

another industry. ‘I had a glamorous Monday<br />

to Friday job as an interior designer, but come<br />

Friday night I would roll up my sleeves, put an<br />

apron on and help out in the restaurant doing<br />

everything from washing glasses to serving<br />

customers.’<br />

The restaurant business is tough – long<br />

hours and hard work and seven years on<br />

from opening Wudon the girls have married<br />

and had children. Youngest sister Winnie<br />

now also helps out, covering whilst Anna is<br />

on maternity leave. Jennie remembers being<br />

pregnant at the same time as Anna and says<br />

their regulars found it confusing. ‘We were<br />

two wee Chinese girls with big bumps. We<br />

also sound very alike so customers were<br />

always mixing us up.’<br />

The girls enjoy knowing their regulars. Many<br />

come back at different stages in life. ‘We<br />

serve students who have gone travelling<br />

around the world then come back home and<br />

have their favourite dish in Wudon, and we<br />

have couples who marry, start a family then<br />

bring their children in to eat with us. It is<br />

lovely to be part of their lives’<br />

‘It takes an awful lot of nurturing to run our<br />

business together,’ Anna concludes, ‘but<br />

it’s an amazing feeling to see our customers<br />

happy.’ Jennie thinks it’s like having a child.<br />

‘I have one already she laughs but Wudon is<br />

my other child!’<br />

shearer-candles.com<br />

atlaskitchensglasgow.co.uk<br />

wudon-noodlebar.co.uk


www.westendermagazine.com | 41<br />

Happy 20th Anniversary<br />

Independent Mortgage Store<br />

Paul McGowan loves life on the ever<br />

changing Byres Road – lucky, since<br />

he’s been at No.93 since he set up the<br />

Independent Mortgage Store 20 years ago!<br />

‘We opened on the 28th April 1998,’ says<br />

Paul. ‘From the moment we opened the<br />

doors that week we have been busy. Laura<br />

Carson, my office manager, has worked with<br />

me the whole time which is very rare in this<br />

industry. So on our actual 20th anniversary<br />

we will be going out to celebrate with a<br />

Michelin starred meal.’<br />

Gerry Hughes joined the firm earlier this year<br />

as a Senior Mortgage and Protection Broker<br />

– bringing 35 years of industry expertise with<br />

him. Paul adds, ‘We are literally a small family<br />

unit that has bonded together. The benefit is<br />

that Laura has an encyclopaedic memory for<br />

client details and recalls everyone’s kids ages<br />

as well as all their mortgage details.<br />

‘The benefit to our clients is that they have<br />

had the same team looking after them over<br />

the decades and we are now assisting<br />

our original client’s kids obtain their first<br />

mortgages. In many cases when we meet<br />

clients to review their mortgage it’s like<br />

meeting up with an old friend and catching up<br />

with their news. It’s the overriding benefit to<br />

keeping the company small and strong with a<br />

great bond to our loyal clientele.’<br />

WIN! Independent Mortgage Store, in<br />

conjunction with Gin Spa & Cup Merchant<br />

City, are offering one reader a Spa<br />

Pamper Package for two with an hours<br />

treatment each, drinks from the gin and<br />

tonic trolley and afternoon tea. Email<br />

paul@independentmortgagestore.co.uk<br />

with your contact details and confirm<br />

what anniversary they are celebrating by<br />

the end February 2018*. *Ts&Cs apply.<br />

Independent Mortgage Store<br />

93 Byres Road G11 5HW<br />

0141 337 3393<br />

independent-mortgage-store.co.uk


42 | Westender www.westendermagazine.com<br />

Magazine Promotion<br />

Accountancy<br />

Matters<br />

by Bruce Wilson & Simon Murrison<br />

Success in business is a marathon<br />

not a sprint.<br />

My resolution this year is my biggest<br />

personal challenge to date –<br />

complete the London Marathon to<br />

raise funds for Action for Children.<br />

At Murrison & Wilson our business is about<br />

improving your business. Get in touch now to<br />

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My marathon journey has striking similarities<br />

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plan. To succeed you need a vision,<br />

objectives and a goal. To reach your goal and<br />

make your vision a reality you must develop a<br />

plan and stick to it.<br />

For a business this means a robust planning<br />

program, key milestones plus regularly<br />

reviewing performance to improve results.<br />

Likewise marathon training involves a training<br />

program, good daily habits and regularly<br />

reviewing progress.<br />

The best advice I can give is focus on one<br />

goal. For me the marathon. For you it might<br />

be expand your business, take on staff or new<br />

premises. To avoid injuring your business and<br />

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expert.<br />

Business owners approach me, much the<br />

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with healthy knowledge and experience but<br />

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next level. Running a business or training for<br />

a marathon is not easy. There are good days<br />

and bad days but with the right support and<br />

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Wishing you a happy and prosperous 2018.<br />

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P.S Follow my London Marathon progress<br />

by visiting muwca.co.uk/ blog/simonsmarathon-journey.<br />

For a free consultation, plus fixed and<br />

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Murrison & Wilson Chartered Accountants<br />

10 Newton Terrace G3 7PJ<br />

0141 290 0262<br />

info@muwca.co.uk<br />

muwca.co.uk


Westender www.westendermagazine.com Magazine Promotion | 43<br />

Legal Matters<br />

The Season of Bad Wills<br />

Words from Donald Reid, chairman at Mitchells Roberton:<br />

Lawyers can spoil most things. I write this in the run up to Christmas.<br />

Gifts and stuff and family happiness. Right?<br />

Iwas advising in a case a few Decembers<br />

ago where a father had given money to his<br />

son Bobby to help him start a business.<br />

Bobby explained that his dad was simply<br />

being kind to him and helping him out.<br />

No strings attached. But his jealous siblings<br />

weren’t convinced. Their widower father was<br />

elderly and they suspected his blue eyed boy<br />

had ‘encouraged’ his dad to be generous.<br />

Easy fix you might think. Just ask Dad what<br />

he intended. But there was a problem.<br />

Dad had died. Yes he had left a Will but this<br />

simply bequeathed everything to his children<br />

equally. The pot was a lot smaller because<br />

of the gift to Bobby. The family temperature<br />

was rising. So I had to ask if there was any<br />

paperwork I could see. There was nothing.<br />

It was all informal and loving said Bobby.<br />

It’s actually not as easy as it sounds to make<br />

a gift, particularly if it’s money. Especially if<br />

you go and die just after giving it. Unless you<br />

have made it very clear your intentions were<br />

pure and generous your executors may well<br />

try, indeed they will be obliged, to get the<br />

money back from your donee.<br />

The reasoning is that under Scots Law if<br />

there is any doubt as to the status of the<br />

transaction the presumption is that it is the<br />

one which is least damaging, financially, to<br />

the transferor. So I had to advise Bobby and<br />

the family that in the absence of evidence<br />

Dad was deemed to have lent the money to<br />

Bobby, and indeed lent to him at a market<br />

rate of interest and repayable on demand.<br />

Bobby was ‘disappointed’ with this outcome.<br />

On my advice he consulted another solicitor<br />

for himself, and got the same bad news. The<br />

siblings were cock-a-hoop. Bobby’s business<br />

went down. Long before Twelfth Night the<br />

Christmas tree was getting chewed up in the<br />

back of the bin lorry.<br />

So here’s my advice if you’re<br />

thinking of making a substantial gift:<br />

1. Consult a solicitor, and you all know<br />

by now who is the best solicitor to<br />

consult, don’t you?<br />

2. Get the arrangement properly drawn<br />

up and legal.<br />

3. Tell the rest of the family what you<br />

are doing, and why.<br />

4. Adjust your Will to make sure there’s<br />

no misunderstanding there.<br />

5. Don’t die.<br />

Mitchells Roberton Solicitors<br />

& Estate Agents<br />

George House<br />

36 North Hanover Street G1 2AD<br />

0141 552 3422<br />

www.mitchells-roberton.co.uk


44 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

mind<br />

body<br />

and<br />

stress<br />

WORDS<br />

SUZANNE MARTIN<br />

Daylight is in short supply and the dark<br />

ceaseless, or so it seems suffering<br />

from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)<br />

as I and so many others do. So what to do<br />

when the four walls start pressing in and<br />

outdoor activities are not such an enticing<br />

prospect? Is it possible to dig yourself out of<br />

the dark regions of your mind?<br />

Stress, anxiety and depression are often<br />

seen as symptomatic of our increasingly busy<br />

lifestyles – bandied about terms that belie<br />

their seriousness. Talking is proven to help, as<br />

is evidenced in the rise of ‘talking therapies’<br />

of the likes of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy<br />

(CBT). And so too is exercise.<br />

Surprisingly, exercise can be just as, if not<br />

more, beneficial to alleviating depression than<br />

medication – and without any of the harmful<br />

side effects. So which forms of exercise are<br />

most helpful? And are there any dos and<br />

don’ts? A top tip is simply, not right before<br />

bedtime as you’ll be too wired to sleep – not<br />

great if insomnia is also a symptom. But any<br />

exercise will definitely help you get your rest,<br />

which in turn helps your mood. I asked four<br />

different West End exercise experts for their<br />

advice and unearthed some interesting facts.<br />

Shanti Yoga – Sasha Ezzi Irani<br />

In terms of stressful lives I think Yoga has the<br />

ability to be an emotional clear-out every time<br />

we practice. Yoga helps us to become more<br />

aware, more present, it teaches not only to<br />

become comfortable in our own stillness<br />

but also Yoga is a moving meditation, so


www.westendermagazine.com | 45<br />

Image I Gregor Reid<br />

how to become more peaceful when we<br />

are challenged physically and mentally.<br />

I know, personally, Yoga has given me more<br />

contentment with my life, more peacefulness<br />

and more clarity, all things that are invaluable<br />

when you lead a busy life.<br />

We have such a range of genders, ages and<br />

people from different backgrounds that come<br />

to Shanti and that’s why I love our community<br />

so much. Everyone is just so friendly and<br />

welcoming and not just the teachers. In terms<br />

of the Yoga we teach there is so much you<br />

can take from the practice. Some people<br />

come to Yoga merely for the physical, to get<br />

more flexible or stronger, but I try and teach<br />

Yoga as something that can really exceed the<br />

physical as Yoga has so much more to give.<br />

I know many of our students come to Yoga as<br />

it can help you learn to slow your mind down.<br />

Yoga can also help release daily stresses and<br />

stuck emotions that might be weighing you<br />

down. Yoga is a whole body and mind affair<br />

and there’s so much you can take from one<br />

class, physically, mentally and emotionally.<br />

At Shanti Yoga we try not to get too bogged<br />

down with how perfect your practice is


46 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

or how good your poses are. Yoga isn’t a<br />

competitive practice, it’s not a race and it’s<br />

not about making shapes. It’s about you<br />

taking the time out, to work on yourself, no<br />

matter how your practice looks.<br />

For sure as a beginner it will take you a<br />

few classes before you become more<br />

comfortable with what you’re doing. Once<br />

this happens though you will start to really<br />

reap the relaxation and focussing benefits.<br />

Over the years perceptions are changing<br />

about Yoga. When I first starting teaching<br />

over nine years ago now, I used to have men<br />

asking me questions like: how many men<br />

come to class etc. Now I don’t really get<br />

those questions and there are lots of men<br />

that come along, sometimes there’s even<br />

more men than women!<br />

Yoga for children and teenagers is also a big<br />

thing now – there are many children’s Yoga<br />

classes around. Yoga for children is more<br />

about teaching them how to stretch and relax<br />

in a fun way. And Yoga for teenagers can be<br />

so beneficial. I started Yoga as a teenager<br />

and I now look back and see how much it<br />

helped me. It taught me how to control my<br />

emotions and how to relax. I wasn’t sure why<br />

I did it back then but knew it made me feel<br />

great so I kept going back. Life as a teenager<br />

is tough so Yoga can be a great way of<br />

dealing with that difficult stage of life.<br />

I also teach vulnerable young people<br />

and young offenders Yoga, and although<br />

challenging at times, it’s so rewarding to see<br />

how much some of them love practicing.<br />

shantiyogaglasgow.co.uk


www.westendermagazine.com | 47<br />

5X50 Challenge – Simon Murrison<br />

The concept is easy to understand: exercise<br />

every day for 30 minutes for 50 consecutive<br />

days. There are no rest days – just do it (injury<br />

permitting of course).<br />

I think people really like the discipline that<br />

they have to exercise every single day to<br />

complete the challenge. They are forced<br />

to find the time to exercise and now I don’t<br />

believe anyone who says they are too busy<br />

to exercise – its a mindset! If you do it you<br />

will find your productivity and sleep will<br />

dramatically improve.<br />

Co-founders of the challenge, Raymond<br />

Wallace and Kelly Houston, first ran the<br />

challenge back in January 2011 and found<br />

the fitness and mental benefits of exercising<br />

everyday to be massive. I was asked if I<br />

would be interested in helping them take<br />

it to the Glasgow public, with a vision to<br />

get about 500 people involved in the first<br />

‘proper’ challenge. Little did we know at that<br />

point that by September 2011, when the first<br />

challenge was kicking off, we would have<br />

5,111 people taking part from over 46 different<br />

countries. To say the challenge exploded was<br />

an understatement.<br />

The team that helped run that first challenge<br />

all had very different reasons for being<br />

involved – mine was based around raising<br />

some money for charity. My outlook on the<br />

challenge has really changed over time. Yes<br />

raising money for charity is important (we<br />

have probably helped raise over £250,000 to<br />

date) but I really started to be touched by the<br />

way the challenge changed peoples lives.<br />

On the first day of the first challenge I will<br />

never forget seeing our social media streams<br />

being overtaken by challengers all wanting<br />

to change the way they lived their lives. One<br />

picture of a family who clearly needed to<br />

change their ways will live with me forever.<br />

We had created a simple platform for them<br />

to do this – it was quite an emotional roller<br />

coaster watching it develop.<br />

To date about 25,000 people have taken<br />

part in the 5x50 Challenge and some of the<br />

stories we have received have been simply<br />

amazing. We have quite a few who have<br />

reported their dependance on traditional<br />

medicine has dropped significantly and<br />

their self confidence improved dramatically.<br />

Our usual challenger tends to be heading<br />

towards middle age and perhaps work and<br />

family have made them slip out of the routine<br />

of exercising. We provide the platform and<br />

community to get back to it. As our challenge<br />

has a significant online community it doesn’t<br />

matter where in the world you are – just sign<br />

up and take part. Even try and convince a<br />

friend, family member or colleague to do it<br />

with you!<br />

We are still finalising plans for 2018 but are<br />

going to run two challenges next year. The<br />

next one starts the day the clocks go forward<br />

on 25th March 2018 and the second one will<br />

begin 28th October 2018.<br />

We have tried to make the challenge as<br />

inclusive as possible with five types of<br />

challenge to choose from – so it doesn’t<br />

matter what your starting level of fitness is.<br />

You decide which works best for your needs.<br />

Once you have joined the challenge you can<br />

create teams and get a great group vibe<br />

going on. We are heavily focused on creating<br />

a community feel so on difficult days you<br />

know you are not alone.<br />

Simply find us at 5x50.org and sign up. We<br />

ask challengers to pay a minimum donation<br />

to us of £5 (we are a registered charity) to<br />

help with our running costs and then off<br />

they go.<br />

Pilates Glasgow – Kerry Stewart<br />

From an early age I felt exercise meant<br />

competition. I think we are all taught that<br />

and have fears of not being good enough<br />

when starting any form of exercise. Pilates<br />

has none of that pressure – it’s about making<br />

your body feel better so that you can enjoy<br />

your week.<br />

In Pilates you are so focused on going<br />

through the moves in class that you forget<br />

about stresses outside. Its a mental<br />

break. We think about our breathing too.<br />

Deep slow breaths calms down the body.<br />

It sounds weird but breathing can become<br />

fast paced and shallow if we don’t stop and<br />

practice deep breathing once in a while.


48 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

Image I Gregor Reid<br />

The intercostal muscles in-between the ribs<br />

can become tight and stiff and this can limit<br />

our ability to take deep breaths in older age.<br />

After a hard days chaos I can just lie on my<br />

mat and sort out my body. Then I can sit<br />

without aches and do whatever I want to<br />

do (like go running, lift my wee one or sit<br />

with friends) a lot better. Pilates mobilises<br />

commonly tight areas and strengthens those<br />

areas where we are usually weak.<br />

During pilates we look at how far we should<br />

raise our hips, am I stressing my shoulders<br />

and neck, or am I trying too hard? As a<br />

teacher of pilates these are things that I look<br />

out for and correct so that class members<br />

can walk out of class with a much better<br />

posture and feel less tight. We are used to<br />

similar movement patterns through our week<br />

using only certain muscles and with this we<br />

can feel like our energy has been zapped.<br />

With pilates, you will be taking your body<br />

through its other important planes of motion<br />

like back extension, side bending and hip<br />

extension. We feel more awake when those<br />

tight sluggish areas are oiled and warmed up.<br />

More importantly, instead of looking over<br />

your shoulder at others, pilates is about you<br />

– looking at where you are sore and need to<br />

work on.<br />

Pilates worked for me and I wanted to learn<br />

how it works. Now teaching, I love the variety<br />

of people who come through the door. You<br />

don’t have to be any age or level of fitness to<br />

start and I enjoy learning from each person<br />

I teach. Pilates fits everyone. I can’t think of<br />

one type of person who doesn’t benefit from<br />

its practice it seems to be contagious! People<br />

persuade colleagues, dads, wives, friends<br />

and their kids to try pilates so we are really<br />

not picky who comes and tries it out – we<br />

operate an open door policy.<br />

pilatesglasgow.com<br />

Living Mindfulness – Ratnadevi<br />

Typically, in a yoga class we don’t expect to<br />

share how we are getting on and whether<br />

we are actually experiencing the tranquillity<br />

and aliveness the brochure promised. While<br />

putting our bodies into different positions, we<br />

may be plagued by our usual ruminations and<br />

self-doubts, judging ourselves in comparison<br />

with others, going over past events in a<br />

blaming sort of way, or planning a shopping<br />

venture. Mindfulness programmes teach us<br />

how we can lessen this common, stressful<br />

self-talk and I find it very rewarding to engage<br />

directly and creatively with people in finding<br />

deeper peace.


www.westendermagazine.com | 49<br />

When we practice yoga as a form of mindful<br />

movement, we slow right down and pause<br />

frequently between poses to feel the effects<br />

in the body. After working with stretching<br />

only one leg for a while, for example, it may<br />

feel more in touch with the ground, longer<br />

or more alive than the other leg. This kind<br />

of curious investigation brings us more<br />

intimately into connection with the body,<br />

and out of automatic pilot. We ask: what’s<br />

happening right now, in this moment? We<br />

are encouraging attitudes of non-judgement<br />

and non-striving, so we enjoy the sensation<br />

of the body stretching and opening up,<br />

without constantly referring to a goal which<br />

we may or may not achieve. And if we do<br />

find ourselves in the grip of judgement, we<br />

embrace that in kindly awareness too.<br />

Working in this way soothes the stresssystem<br />

of the body, with its fight/ flight/freeze<br />

hormones exacerbated by anxious thinking.<br />

An important and potentially life-changing<br />

realisation is that we can relate to thoughts,<br />

rather than from them, and allowing body and<br />

mind to rest in Awareness.<br />

Another interesting area we can explore<br />

very effectively in mindful movement<br />

is our reaction to pain and discomfort.<br />

We instinctively brace ourselves against<br />

unpleasant experience, which adds to<br />

the pain and stress. In mindful yoga we<br />

experiment with consciously opening to<br />

the experience of intensity in the body and<br />

breathe into it, allowing it. This opens up<br />

more choice in our lives.<br />

On average I work for about eight weekly<br />

sessions with an individual, and some<br />

continue to see me for less frequent<br />

follow-up sessions. At the end of a course<br />

meditation and mindful movement will<br />

hopefully have become an integral part of the<br />

client’s life, leading to significantly reduced<br />

stress, anxiety and low mood, a clearer<br />

sense of direction and purpose, improved<br />

relationships as well as greater enjoyment of<br />

the small things in life.<br />

livingmindfulness.net<br />

To still a chaotic mind and reduce stress<br />

and its symptoms seems to be the modern<br />

day holy grail. Meditation and visualisation<br />

techniques helped me – eventually. Dedicate<br />

a space in your life to be kind to yourself and<br />

see what works for you.<br />

Image I Gregor Reid


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www.westendermagazine.com | 51<br />

Health Matters<br />

GP Dr. Pamela Leggate, of Glasgow West Medical Practice,<br />

discusses the link between exercise and good mental<br />

health. Starting small is key to helping your body<br />

and your mind feel lighter and less stressed.<br />

Those of you who know me, know that<br />

I’m always harping on about diet and<br />

exercise. It’s mainly because it has<br />

been shown to improve most physical<br />

health conditions, for example there is a lot<br />

of evidence that Type 2 Diabetes can be<br />

controlled or even reversed by weight loss, a<br />

healthy diet and regular exercise. What I think<br />

fewer of us realise is that exercise can also<br />

have a huge impact on mental health.<br />

Studies have shown that regular aerobic<br />

exercise (anything that gets your heart rate<br />

up and makes you slightly sweaty) can treat<br />

mild to moderate depression as effectively<br />

as medication but without the risk of side<br />

effects. Of course it takes a bit of effort and<br />

motivation to get out there and do something.<br />

Getting started might be a bit of a struggle,<br />

but if you can get into a routine of exercising,<br />

you will soon reap the rewards. Start slowly<br />

and build up gradually, join a class, enlist the<br />

support of a friend. Once you start to get a bit<br />

fitter, exercise becomes less of an effort and<br />

more enjoyable.<br />

Many people suffer from anxiety and panic<br />

attacks. If you think about it though, the<br />

symptoms of panic are very similar to normal<br />

exertion. Fast heart rate, breathlessness,<br />

sweating, tense muscles are all normal during<br />

a run. In fact it is virtually impossible to have<br />

a panic attack while running!<br />

You’ll have read about mindfulness and<br />

following those sorts of principles during<br />

exercise can help with anxiety, stress and<br />

panic. Focusing on how your feet hit the<br />

pavement, how your muscles feel and on your<br />

breathing promotes a sense of inner calm.<br />

Exercise has been shown to help with ADHD<br />

(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)


52 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

by improving focus and concentration in a<br />

similar way to medication like Ritalin. PTSD<br />

(post traumatic stress disorder) symptoms<br />

can be improved with moderate exertion. In<br />

many mental health conditions exercise is<br />

used a an adjunct to medication.<br />

For example, the main treatment for<br />

schizophrenia is medication +/- talking<br />

therapies, but people with a psychotic illness<br />

like schizophrenia are at higher risk of weight<br />

gain (side effect of many medications),<br />

tiredness and physical illnesses like heart<br />

disease, diabetes and even cancer. Engaging<br />

in an exercise programme will reduce risks of<br />

physical illness but can also reduce some of<br />

the negative symptoms of schizophrenia like<br />

apathy, lethargy and social withdrawal. Of<br />

course it goes without saying that you should<br />

never stop any prescribed medication without<br />

discussing it with your doctor.<br />

So how does it all work? Physical activity<br />

encourages the brain to release natural<br />

endorphins – serotonin, dopamine and<br />

noradrenaline, making you feel calmer, more<br />

positive and more focussed. Rather than<br />

tiring you out, a walk at lunchtime can give<br />

you the energy boost you need to get through<br />

the afternoon. People who exercise regularly<br />

have better concentration, better quality of<br />

sleep and higher self esteem.<br />

Of course getting out there and exercising<br />

is hard enough at the best of times. For<br />

someone with a mental health condition<br />

it can seem impossible. You might feel<br />

lethargic, overwhelmed, self conscious<br />

or scared. But there are lots of ways to<br />

overcome these problems.<br />

Start small. Anything is better than nothing. A<br />

walk round the shops can be just as good as<br />

a walk round the park. If you really can’t face<br />

going out, buy an exercise DVD, look up You<br />

tube for workouts to follow. You can even buy<br />

a cheap exercise bike on Amazon or eBay.<br />

Your GP, practice nurse or CPN can refer you<br />

to a local sports centre where a trainer will<br />

help you work out a programme that you can<br />

stick to (‘exercise on prescription’).<br />

The NHS couch to 5K programme gives you<br />

a step by step plan to improve your fitness.<br />

In just 9 weeks you could get from absolute<br />

beginner to running 5km without stopping.<br />

It’s available as an app so no excuses!<br />

Even if you can’t face the idea of running, you<br />

can still join in at your local parkrun where<br />

any level of fitness from walking the whole<br />

way round to Olympic athlete is encouraged<br />

in a supportive environment.


www.westendermagazine.com | 53<br />

Endmum’s<br />

West<br />

notebook<br />

by Michele Gordon thelanguagehub.co.uk<br />

Like many other activity providers, we used<br />

to hire space for our classes. We had tried<br />

several different venues before making<br />

Whiteinch our core location.<br />

Whiteinch Community Centre (1 Northinch<br />

Street) offers great space and runs as a social<br />

enterprise. It has a basic but nice café on<br />

site and a selection of different sized rooms<br />

with a car park in front of its door. They also<br />

have a large sports hall where they host an<br />

after school club, we hired it once for Ruby’s<br />

birthday. There are many community centres<br />

in the wider West End which are either run by<br />

community groups or the local authority that<br />

is Glasgow Life.<br />

Not far from Whiteinch you will find<br />

Knightswood Community Centre (201<br />

Alderman Road) which is one of the smaller<br />

centres but it does run a café and has a<br />

large hall with a proper stage. Also not far<br />

from Whiteinch is the Heart of Scotstoun<br />

Community Centre (64 Balmoral Street). This<br />

is a community co-operative led centre and<br />

receives no council funding. Currently it is<br />

fighting for survival as they are in need of<br />

additional funds to remain open. Different<br />

groups use the centre regularly, e.g. there is a<br />

dance class, a knitting club, a money advice<br />

team, a preschool play group to mention a<br />

few. It also runs a café, and the food seems<br />

popular.<br />

The advantage of the independent centres is<br />

that their prices are usually lower than council<br />

operated ones. From experience, I can also<br />

say that they are more flexible as they can<br />

make decisions themselves rather than<br />

having to report back to a centrally assigned<br />

head office. This can make life much easier<br />

especially if you use the centre as regularly<br />

and often as we have in the past.<br />

Either way, community centres are great<br />

venues whether you are in need of space for<br />

a special event, or a more regular activity.<br />

All of them offer a larger hall and several<br />

individual rooms you can hire at an hourly<br />

or daily rate. If they run a café on site they<br />

can also provide food for your event in case<br />

you need it. Some centres are equipped with<br />

only the basics but some, like the Whiteinch<br />

Community Centre, have lots of additional<br />

technical equipment to either accommodate<br />

a theatre play, stage and sound system<br />

or to host even a conference using smart<br />

boards, IT necessities and projectors. The<br />

more recently built centres are usually fully<br />

equipped with easy disabled access and<br />

facilities throughout the building, something<br />

older venues sometimes offer less of.<br />

On that note, I recommend the Annex in<br />

Partick (9 Stewartville St); I used to love their<br />

fresh scones with jam and cream. This centre<br />

now ‘run a richly varied programme of regular<br />

events and activities for older people’, I used<br />

to go there every week with Ruby and Leon to<br />

attend ‘Jo Jingles’ sessions. Not far from the<br />

Annex are the Partick Burgh Halls (9 Burgh<br />

Hall St) which is a Glasgow Life run building.<br />

It is the former council chambers for Partick,<br />

built in 1872, and now is a ‘B’ listed building.<br />

It hosts many community based events and<br />

is used regularly by political parties and<br />

community groups to inform about projects<br />

which are of general interest. The halls are<br />

one of the few centres that does not offer<br />

catering but you can bring your own.<br />

So, if you’re planning an event but don’t want<br />

to host it at home, check out any of the above<br />

centres. And if you only need a small space<br />

come to The Hub, we also hire out space on<br />

an hourly basis.


54 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

Homes & Interiors<br />

by Susan<br />

Robertson<br />

Bringing some<br />

hygge into<br />

your home<br />

The Scandinavian concept of hygge is often<br />

banded around and we talk of it freely, Susan<br />

Robertson finds out more about what it really is,<br />

and how we can bring this quality to our homes.


www.westendermagazine.com | 55<br />

Hygge (pronounced ‘hoo-ga’), is a term regularly<br />

used in talk of interiors, especially at this time of the<br />

year. It’s something I’ve touched on in these pages in<br />

previous years, and it’s become part of the regular<br />

conversation around seasonal and Scandinavian<br />

home influences.<br />

The term itself can’t be directly translated into English<br />

but it’s often loosely referred to as ‘cosiness’. I think<br />

however the concept is larger than that and seems to<br />

refer also to a sense of contentedness and wellbeing.<br />

Part of this is affected by your environment, but state<br />

of mind plays a big role too, bringing these positively<br />

together is what really contributes to hygge.<br />

So, looking at what makes us feel contented in any<br />

moment, is often a good place to start. At this time<br />

of year, and in Scotland, as well as Scandinavian<br />

countries – cosiness is a really big factor. Think of your<br />

ideal night in, for many (myself included) it would<br />

involve good company or welcome solitude, crackling<br />

fire in the grate, tidy home, and comfy clothes.<br />

This is what hygge is all about, it’s holistic in terms of<br />

accounting for all elements that make you feel that<br />

snuggly safe contentedness. Think about that feeling<br />

you get when you come in from the cold after a long<br />

hard day and ease into a piping hot bubble bath, or<br />

when you feel chilled to the bone and change into<br />

jammies fresh from the radiator and sit down with a<br />

sip of hot chocolate. That is the sense that hygge is all<br />

about and, finding ways to spend as much time in that<br />

state as possible becomes more and more appealing<br />

(but often trickier) for many of us every year.<br />

So – it’s not all simply about an interior decoration<br />

formula, it’s not something that can be forced or faked,<br />

but it can however be identified for you, and facilitated<br />

as much as possible. Our environment contributes<br />

greatly to the ‘atmosphere’ of our lives and therefore<br />

we can actively create more opportunities in our home<br />

to feel cosy and contented.<br />

Some key factors feature in bringing this feel to our<br />

homes.<br />

Firstly – removal of clutter is key. I am part of a<br />

notoriously messy family with ridiculously busy lives<br />

so this is a big obstacle for me, however I occasionally<br />

know how lovely it feels to have everything around<br />

you in order and I often clear out at this time of year<br />

when I’m forced to address the journey to the back of<br />

the cupboard for the Christmas decorations. So try<br />

and find ways to declutter your lives and create savvy<br />

storage solutions so that, where there are piles of toys,<br />

or cobwebs of electric cables – they may still exist but at<br />

least you can’t see them.


56 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

Homes & Interiors<br />

Make sure you’re warm and comfy – invest in good<br />

loungewear, you can’t beat soft woolly socks and<br />

comfy slippers or layers of luxurious wool, flannel<br />

or fleece. This is true both in your clothing and the<br />

textures around you. Think carefully about the<br />

material of your rugs and sofa, invest in quality<br />

cushions and pillows that you melt into and fabrics<br />

that feel great against your skin, not just the cheap<br />

foamy squares to fill a space.<br />

Balance these textures alongside influences of nature.<br />

Go for plenty of natural wood, rustic simplicity in<br />

flooring and furniture that values practicality and<br />

ease of living. Add the occasional touch of fresh green<br />

of a low-maintenance indoor plant. Use natural sticks<br />

and pebbles to create features and talking points.<br />

Stick to colours that make you feel calm, and clear<br />

your head. This will be different for everyone but<br />

often leans towards warm whites, soft blues or dusty<br />

roses.<br />

Then think carefully about every item on show in<br />

your home. William Morris said, 'Have nothing<br />

in your house that you do not know to be useful or<br />

believe to be beautiful.' Simple and easier said than<br />

done, but this is a good aspiration and closely aligned<br />

to the principles of hygge. Choose accessories based<br />

on things that make you feel happy and connect with<br />

positive thoughts or memories, whether that be a shell<br />

collected on a childhood holiday, or a little vase you<br />

have always liked – keep the happy things on display<br />

and get rid of the rest.<br />

Hygge also naturally connects deeply with restful<br />

activities and favourite pastimes, so play your<br />

favourite music, turn off the tv and put the radio on,<br />

bake a banana cake, get the guitar out the cupboard<br />

to be part of life again, and display it visibly when it’s<br />

not in use. The piles of old records or scruffy books<br />

that make you smile – get them out of hiding and find<br />

a fun place for them to live - on a shelf or a ladder<br />

or simply piled up at the edge of the stairs. You’re<br />

more likely to pick them up when they’re out too,<br />

connecting yourself at all times to positive things that<br />

make you relax and feel warm inside.<br />

There’s a deeply wholesome value to a hygge-inspired<br />

home because it’s more than just a ‘look’, it centres on<br />

knowing and loving yourself and your family first,<br />

and creating a space that nurtures and respects you to<br />

make you feel the best you can feel.


www.westendermagazine.com | 57<br />

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TheStore - HIS - Emma.indd 2 07/12/2017 09:48<br />

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Homes & Interiors<br />

Comfortable corners<br />

In line with the hygge theme of the season, our<br />

plethora of West End boutiques and retailers are well<br />

geared up for creating stylish pieces to complement<br />

a cosy home through the winter. Bold shapes and soft<br />

fabrics layer together well to create a calming, cosy<br />

retreat from the cold outside.<br />

www.westendermagazine.com | 59<br />

Grey/Blue Panel<br />

Tweed Cushion,<br />

£24.95,<br />

Nancy Smillie<br />

Malini Trina Cushion,<br />

£24.95,<br />

Concept 65<br />

Two Toned Faux Fur<br />

Throw - Alaska Fox,<br />

£165, Annie Mo's<br />

Linen Cushion,<br />

£45, Hoos<br />

Bronte Moon Throw,<br />

£72, The Store Interiors<br />

Annie Mo's, 212 Great Western Road, 0141 331 0333, anniemos.com<br />

Concept 65, 65 Hyndland Street, 0141 357 0268, trouva.com/boutique/concept-65-in-g115ps<br />

Hoos, 715 Great Western Road, 07788 480421, hoosglasgow.co.uk<br />

Nancy Smillie, 53 Cresswell Street, 0141 334 4240, nancysmillieshop.com<br />

The Store Interiors, 26 Munro Place, 0141 950 1333, thestoreinteriors.co.uk


60 | www.westendermagazine.com


Westender www.westendermagazine.com Magazine Promotion | 61<br />

Atlas designers are always hungry for<br />

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Every person has their own taste, however,<br />

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Earthy, muted backgrounds with splashes<br />

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appliances like a burgundy fridge or a zesty<br />

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accessories like picture frames, flower pots<br />

or a toaster in the same colour. This can work<br />

for both contemporary and more traditional<br />

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A design tip is to try to use some brass,<br />

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on taps, cooker hood or handles. Or why not<br />

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62 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

by Susan<br />

Robertson<br />

Homes & Interiors<br />

With hygge the topic of the season,<br />

Susan Robertson looks at some<br />

different ways to link the use of light to<br />

the deep sense of cosy wellbeing the<br />

Danish term encapsulates.<br />

Lighting<br />

for love<br />

At this time of year, the cold weather forces us<br />

indoors and the daylight hours are few and far<br />

between, so we naturally spend more time in our<br />

homes. This has plenty of positives – we spend more<br />

time with family and friends and we are often able<br />

to take the opportunity to hibernate a bit.<br />

Perhaps taking some well-needed rest and relaxation<br />

comes more naturally in this environment than<br />

it does when the sun is shining and the outdoors<br />

beckons us out of our slumber.<br />

The underlying key in much of this is light.<br />

Light affects greatly how we feel, and how much we<br />

rest or relax. The hygge term relates to a deep sense


www.westendermagazine.com | 63<br />

of contentedness, and interiors that are created to<br />

maximise this sense also have light as a core element.<br />

How can we use light to enhance this sense of cosy<br />

wellbeing? If you’ve ever walked into a cold office<br />

block and winced as the strip lighting flickers on you’ll<br />

be aware of the negative impact of light. Or how a<br />

normally warm room can feel cold and unwelcoming<br />

when you turn on the big central light switch but is<br />

totally transformed when you replace it with soft lamp<br />

lighting.<br />

The key is to light in pools rather than trying to<br />

illuminate a whole room at once. The Scandinavian<br />

design principles lean towards very simple, functional<br />

lighting in different areas. Strong anglepoise lamps<br />

that make a design statement, as well as having a<br />

practical purpose work well. And also a touch of the<br />

industrial feel, can blend well with the softness of<br />

layers of texture in simple styles. In general, mainland<br />

European design styles seem to use lighting boldly, the<br />

use of white lampshades and naked bulbs partnered<br />

with vibrant green plants works really well, and helps<br />

to create that link with nature that adds to our sense of<br />

warmth and wellbeing.<br />

Everything is about layering and cosiness. When you<br />

think hygge, we often firstly think of a crackling open<br />

fire in the grate and contented woolly toes wriggling<br />

away next to it. The light that comes from an open<br />

fire cannot be matched or beaten in my opinion and,<br />

unless you want to read or sew, you can enjoy snuggly<br />

evenings with only the fire for illumination. Maybe it<br />

goes back to caveman days but the combination of light<br />

and warmth coming from an open fire, adds a huge<br />

extra dimension to a room, and also to how we feel.<br />

And of course, there are tea-lights, the IKEA staple we<br />

always have hundreds of but hardly ever use. Little jars<br />

of light around the room add layers of feel-good factor<br />

as you snuggle in for the evening. If you have pets/kids<br />

to consider, go for the battery ones – they don’t have<br />

the fragrance or quite the same effect but most of them<br />

flicker nicely and they mean you don’t have the worry<br />

of putting them next to the curtains or being knocked<br />

off the coffee table.<br />

And then there are fairy lights. During the festive<br />

season they’re everywhere and it feels so empty when<br />

they all come down – we’ve kept a lot of ours up since<br />

last Christmas for that very reason. I love that parts of<br />

Glasgow have made that choice too, with Ashton Lane<br />

and Royal Exchange Square just being a couple of the<br />

twinkly-lit options we can enjoy here.<br />

The options are endless, from spelling out words<br />

to looking like leaves, there are so many fairy light<br />

options to enhance a room all year round. I love the<br />

plain white though, they enhance without intruding<br />

and there are such brilliant battery-operated options<br />

now that you don’t need to have straggly wires leading<br />

to a plug socket, just drape them over pot plants or<br />

mirrors to create a lovely twinkly evening.<br />

Second to that is candles. Some gentle flickers dotted<br />

about a room creating soft light pools just adds another<br />

layer of calmness to the hygge-inspired home. The<br />

opportunities for these are endless and you can create<br />

a variety of different effects through choice of candle.<br />

I personally like the great big chunky spherical ones<br />

that burn right down in the centre, meaning they<br />

create a big impact glow rather than just pools of<br />

melted wax on your mantelpiece.<br />

There are also the wonderful different fragranced<br />

options in candles to consider. Hygge will mean<br />

something different to everyone, but for me the<br />

fragrances I think of are fresh basil or pine; tangerine<br />

or fig; or crisp cotton and lavender.


64 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

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www.westendermagazine.com | 65<br />

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66 | Westender www.westendermagazine.com<br />

Magazine Promotion<br />

Image I Gregor Reid<br />

Wee Kitchen Shop<br />

Beautiful Custom Made Contemporary & Traditional Kitchens<br />

Greg Bowers of The WEE Kitchen<br />

Shop is celebrating a full 5 years<br />

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Shaker kitchens are king.<br />

‘I’ve realised that clients have been coming<br />

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As a result I have decided to dedicate all<br />

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With many original ideas on creative storage<br />

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bespoke solutions for the quirky shapes of<br />

West End kitchens. ‘Walls aren’t straight,<br />

there are odd nooks and crannies that used<br />

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continues. ‘It’s often these spaces where the<br />

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The WEE Kitchen Shop<br />

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www.westendermagazine.com | 67<br />

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46 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

68 | www.westendermagazine.com<br />

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