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O C T O B E R 2 0 1 8<br />
J’AIME<br />
Y O U R L O C A L L U X U R Y L I F E S T Y L E M A G A Z I N E<br />
WIN<br />
A BIRMINGHAM<br />
AUTHOR’S CITY<br />
CRIME THRIILERS<br />
A PAMPERING SPA<br />
PACKAGE WORTH<br />
£150<br />
Interior style blooms with<br />
a dark edge for autumn
Welcome to J’AIME<br />
We just love this time of year here at<br />
J’AIME; it’s a time for cosy nights by the<br />
fire sipping a glass or two of full-bodied red<br />
or an indulgent hot chocolate, and a time<br />
where the celebrations come thick and fast<br />
with Halloween just around the corner,<br />
swiftly followed by Bonfire Night and - dare<br />
we whisper it already? - Christmas! If you’re<br />
planning a Halloween bash then check out<br />
our Halloween decor feature from some<br />
stylishly spooky ideas.<br />
This month we also introduce our new<br />
columnist Jack Regan, whose ‘action<br />
man’ lifestyle will see him cover an array<br />
of adrenaline-fuelled activities over the<br />
coming months, starting with a hair-raising<br />
charity abseil in Birmingham for his first<br />
contribution.<br />
We’ve got some fantastic competitions<br />
lined up for you this month, with a bespoke<br />
pampering package at the Hart Spa,<br />
Middleton, and a hair makeover worth up<br />
to £150 at Lewis Moore Salons both up for<br />
grabs.<br />
If you’re game for a laugh then get yourself<br />
down to one of the many great shows at<br />
this year’s Birmingham Improv Festival,<br />
which is in its third year and going from<br />
strength to strength; we’ve also got a pair of<br />
tickets for one of the headline events, the<br />
Olivier Award-winning Showstopper! The<br />
Improvised Musical to give away to one<br />
lucky reader.<br />
Speaking of competitions, congratulations<br />
are in order for our latest winners; Kate<br />
Carr of Streetly scooped the Hampton<br />
Manor stay, Mary Wheeler of Streetly won<br />
the Francesco hair makeover, Suzanne<br />
Herriotts of Lichfield won the Dolphin<br />
Swimware goodies and Michael Kilduff of<br />
Sutton Coldfield was our Yoshi bag winner.<br />
We hope you all enjoy your prizes!<br />
EDITOR: AMY NORBURY<br />
EDITOR@JAIMEMAGAZINE.COM<br />
ADVERTISING: JAN ASHLEY<br />
ADVERTISING@JAIMEMAGAZINE.COM<br />
07388 335 931<br />
DESIGN: DESIGN@JAIMEMAGAZINE.COM<br />
CONTRIBUTORS: MARTIN PLOWMAN, OLIVER<br />
BROAD, LISA PIDDINGTON, PATRICK GAUNT, JACK<br />
REGAN, JILL HARTLEY, LIAM DILLON, TOM LINDSEY<br />
AND RORY MCKERRELL<br />
J’AIME IS PUBLISHED BY ASHBURY<br />
PUBLICATIONS LIMITED AND PRINTED<br />
BY KEP LIMITED, TAMWORTH.<br />
Check us out online at:<br />
WWW.JAIMEMAGAZINE.COM<br />
Find us on<br />
/JAIMEMAGAZINE<br />
@JAIMEMAGAZINE<br />
@JAIMEMAGAZINE<br />
3
CONTENTS<br />
InsideJ’aime this month...<br />
6 AA Abbott - The crime thriller author with a<br />
love of all things Birmingham<br />
12 Property - Property of the month<br />
14 Interiors - Kitchen drama<br />
18 Interiors - Moody blooms<br />
22 Interiors - Spiced Honey<br />
26 Interiors - Spooky style for Halloween<br />
30 Interiors - A new brand in town<br />
32 Food & drink - Reviewing The Wilderness x Liam<br />
Dillon at Sauce Supper Club<br />
34 Food & drink - Cocktail of the month from<br />
Lichfield’s The Spirit Works<br />
36 Food & drink - Venison delights from The<br />
Boat Inn<br />
38 Food & drink - Autumnal wine picks from<br />
Ital Sardo<br />
40 Man on the edge - J’AIME’s new columnist Jack<br />
Regan gets a head for heights<br />
42 Travel - Spanish gems for all year round<br />
46 What’s On - Our pick of events around our<br />
area this month<br />
50 What’s On - The hottest tickets around<br />
Birmingham<br />
52 Competition - Win tickets to Birmingham<br />
Improv Festival<br />
54 Fashion - Seventies style<br />
56 Fashion - A new season round-up from<br />
Nero e Bianco<br />
60 Competition - Win a hair makeover courtesy of<br />
Lewis Moore Salons<br />
62 Beauty - Crowning glory from Harvey Nichols<br />
Birmingham<br />
63 Competition - Win a pamper package at the<br />
Hart Spa<br />
64 In the news - A local businessman tackles<br />
The Italian Job<br />
65 Motors - Martin Plowman’s memories of<br />
racing with a legend<br />
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FEATURE<br />
On the crime trail<br />
THE STREETS OF BIRMINGHAM PROVIDE PLENTY OF INSPIRATION FOR CRIME WRITER AA ABBOTT’S<br />
GRIPPING NOVELS - AND HER LATEST TOME IS DUE TO BE LAUNCHED IN THE CITY THIS MONTH.<br />
AMY NORBURY DISCOVERS MORE<br />
BIRMINGHAM’S CANALS<br />
PROVIDE A SETTING FOR<br />
HELEN’S NOVELS<br />
From the leafy environs of the Jewellery Quarter to<br />
the dark and mysterious canalside, the vibrant city<br />
heartland with its independent coffee shops, fantastic<br />
real ale pubs and cocktail bars to secret tunnels<br />
which run under the city centre, Birmingham has a<br />
starring role in AA Abbott’s crime thrillers.<br />
So what better place for the author - better known<br />
to her family and friends as Helen Blenkinsop - to<br />
launch her latest thrilling tome this month.<br />
The Revenge Trail is the fourth book in Helen’s<br />
popular ‘Trail’ series, which sees most of the action<br />
taking place in and around Birmingham including<br />
city centre pub the Craven Arms, Edgbaston<br />
Reservoir, Digbeth, and St Paul’s Square in the city’s<br />
famous Jewellery Quarter.<br />
The book will be launched in Birmingham at a<br />
‘cocktails and crime’ themed event at The Alchemist<br />
in the city centre on Monday, October 1.<br />
The Revenge Trail sees Brummie businessman<br />
Marty Bridges (who loves his Two Towers beer)<br />
become rich selling vodka, but he faces ruin when he<br />
finds poison in his supplies. Glamorous Kat White<br />
can save his business – but she’s the last person Marty<br />
wants to trust.<br />
Meanwhile, Shaun Halloran, the London crime boss<br />
jailed through Kat’s evidence, is still determined to<br />
escape from Belmarsh prison and kill the beautiful<br />
blonde – slowly.<br />
Kat, besotted with Marty’s son, Tim, treads a<br />
tightrope between her relationship and her plans to<br />
make the best vodka in the world. Can she keep her<br />
dreams alive – or is it enough just to keep her life?<br />
The Revenge Trail comes hot on the heels of The<br />
Bride’s Trail, The Vodka Trail and The Grass Trail,<br />
which introduce the characters of Marty, Kat and<br />
Shaun and follow their stories through the murky<br />
underworld of East End London, to Birmingham<br />
and a fictional Soviet Union country.<br />
When we first meet young Kat, she’s living in<br />
London’s smart Fitzrovia and working as a croupier<br />
in Shaun Halloran’s casino while making the extra<br />
money needed to live in the city through sham<br />
marriages to illegal immigrants. And it was this<br />
struggle that sewed the initial seed of inspiration for<br />
6
Helen.<br />
“I worked in London on and<br />
off, and I felt it was quite<br />
fascinating that I was working in<br />
a city where there’s clearly loads<br />
of money, but young people<br />
were having to work really,<br />
really hard and not much of the<br />
money was finding its way to<br />
them,” explains Helen.<br />
“I thought ‘how on earth do<br />
they afford to live in places like<br />
central London’, and the answer<br />
in The Bride’s Trail is that they<br />
do it by going in for all kinds<br />
of side hustles and ending up<br />
on the wrong side of the law, and the wrong side of<br />
some dodgy characters.”<br />
Although not a Brummie by birth - she’s originally<br />
from Luton and now calls Bristol home - the Second<br />
City holds a special place in Helen’s heart.<br />
“I came here to be a student, studying physics at<br />
Birmingham University - which didn’t really work<br />
out because me and physics didn’t get on! - and met<br />
my husband Ian here, so I stayed,” Helen explains.<br />
“Birmingham’s the place that I feel I really did grow<br />
up; it’s the first place I had some money in my pocket<br />
and began to make my own way in the world.”<br />
AUTHOR HELEN BLENKINSOP,<br />
AKA AA ABBOTT<br />
HELEN BLENKINSOP<br />
IN BIRMINGHAM’S<br />
JEWELLERY QUARTER<br />
Helen lived in the Midlands for nearly 20 years; her<br />
son was born in Birmingham and she trained as an<br />
accountant at Price Waterhouse in the city.<br />
“When I was training at Price Waterhouse they<br />
send me to audit a company based just off Holloway<br />
Head, and that little web of streets - Ernest Street<br />
and Florence Street - are quite fascinating because<br />
they’re less than a ten-minute walk from the railway<br />
station but it’s an industrial zone. And it’s one that’s<br />
changing as people realise it’s close to the city centre<br />
and you can build housing and hotels there.<br />
“I decided to set Marty’s business in Florence Street<br />
because I thought it was exactly the kind of place<br />
where a sharp businessman like him would have<br />
bought a cheap property at auction and be sitting on<br />
it for its development potential.<br />
“Then, having set his business there in The Bride’s<br />
Trail in 2013, it turned out that having cheap<br />
property there was attractive to West Midlands Police<br />
and MI5, who were conducting a sting on jihadists in<br />
Birmingham and had set up a fake courier business<br />
in Florence Street!<br />
“Being able to set the story in Birmingham for the<br />
most part was really important to me because I really<br />
love the city and seize any excuse I can to come<br />
back,” adds Helen.<br />
It’s buzzy and dynamic, and there are areas of<br />
beauty; in my books I refer to the hidden beauty of<br />
the Jewellery Quarter.”<br />
Storytelling has been a part of Helen’s life for as long<br />
as she can remember. She grew up in a large family<br />
and, as a child, used her stories to entertain her<br />
siblings.<br />
“Since before I could read, when I was really tiny,<br />
I used to make up little stories,” says Helen. “I’m<br />
the eldest of five kids - my parents had five children<br />
in five years - and I spent my childhood making up<br />
7
stories for my brothers and<br />
sister. I got a lot of kudos<br />
out of it; they loved being<br />
entertained and my parents<br />
loved it because it gave them a<br />
bit of a rest!”<br />
Since self-publishing her first<br />
novel in 2013 - Up In Smoke,<br />
a gripping thriller which looks<br />
at corruption in the cigarette<br />
industry - Helen has been<br />
prolific in her writing, penning<br />
a book a year.<br />
“When I’ve written a crime<br />
thriller I get a minimum of 20<br />
people to read the draft and<br />
give me feedback, and quite<br />
honestly they’re much better books because so many<br />
people have helped me.<br />
“Then there’s a professional edit, and again it makes<br />
for a much better book because my editor is polite,<br />
but savage with it!”<br />
Her readers often compare Helen’s work to the<br />
novels of Ruth Rendell, John Grisham and Jeffery<br />
Archer, to name a few. Another comparison which<br />
often crops up is Robert Galbraith, the nom de<br />
plume used by JK Rowling to publish her very un-<br />
Harry Potter-like contemporary crime fiction series<br />
Cormoran Strike.<br />
And like JK Rowling, whose publishers insisted she<br />
go by two initials rather than her full name, Joanne,<br />
so as not to put off her anticipated target audience<br />
of young boys who might not want to read a book<br />
written by a woman, Helen chose to publish under<br />
the rather anonymous pen name AA Abbott.<br />
“Men do read and enjoy my books,” says Helen. “I<br />
did think using my name might put male readers off,<br />
and studies have shown than men are far less likely to<br />
read a female writer’s work.<br />
“Having said that, although I did come up with a<br />
gender-neutral name, people buy people so I’ve had<br />
to admit to being me! It’s not so much of a secret any<br />
more.”<br />
Helen’s varied career - she’s had some 35 paid jobs<br />
in many different industries - have given her a rich<br />
vein of material for her novels. But there have been<br />
elements which have required more digging to get<br />
right.<br />
Helen says: “Research is vital when I’m writing<br />
about something I don’t know. The Grass Trail<br />
features an obsessive killer desperate to escape from<br />
prison. Luckily, although I’ve never been jailed - that<br />
would be taking research too far! - I had help with<br />
the book from a family friend who is a prison officer.<br />
I also saw a TV film about HMP Belmarsh and read<br />
autobiographies by prisoners who had served time<br />
there, including three former MPs.”<br />
Vodka also plays a starring role in Helen’s novels,<br />
and researching the spirit’s manufacturing process<br />
proved to be much more fun.<br />
“I went on a tour around the Chase Vodka distillery<br />
in Herefordshire, which was a great day out,” says<br />
Helen. “They were really helpful and a lot of what<br />
they told me ended up in the books.”<br />
While the locations in Helen’s novels are familiar, the<br />
rich and vibrant characters are drawn purely from<br />
her imagination.<br />
“I’m really careful because I don’t think it’s fair to<br />
stick my family and friends into books,” explains<br />
Helen.<br />
“Although there occasionally times where something<br />
so unusual happens that it just has to make it into<br />
a book. I can think of two situations, one involving<br />
drinking real ale in the White Horse pub in<br />
Harborne which made it into The Vodka Trail.<br />
“The other situation hasn’t made it into print yet<br />
because it got cut from the draft of The Revenge<br />
Trail so it’ll have to go into the next book.<br />
“When I was working in London there was a sudden<br />
crisis where the defibrillator was needed because a<br />
guy working at another company on the floor above<br />
was having a heart attack. One of the junior lawyers,<br />
James, came to find the first aider, who sat near me<br />
and who had only been trained in first aid the week<br />
before.<br />
“They’ve just found the defibrillator when James’<br />
boss comes storming out of his office asking about<br />
a report. James runs off with the defibrillator, as you<br />
8
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would, and his boss is just standing there.<br />
“I said to him ‘they’re taking the defibrillator to a<br />
heart attack victim to save his life’, and the guy looks<br />
at me and says, ‘what’s that got to do with James, I<br />
want my report!’”<br />
Helen combines writing with her career as an<br />
accountant. After a long stint in the finance industry<br />
working in both Birmingham and London, she now<br />
takes ad hoc freelance contracts to fit around her<br />
writing.<br />
“It’s quite handy because it keeps me connected<br />
to the workplace, and most of my books are set<br />
in the business world. I do sometimes write down<br />
inspiration for situations, but when it comes to<br />
putting them into the books I disguise the situations<br />
so you’d never know what they were based on.<br />
“And it gives me something totally different to do;<br />
writing this latest book was so hard, I was desperate<br />
to get back to some accounting!”<br />
Helen’s books are available in e-book and paperback<br />
formats on Amazon, who have recently seen a five<br />
per cent overall increase in print editions.<br />
Further statistics show that 10 per cent of adults<br />
are dyslexic and traditional publishers won’t print<br />
books for them. Although she is not dyslexic, many<br />
of Helen’s relatives are, which is why - as a selfpublisher<br />
- she has also made her crime thrillers<br />
available in a large print, dyslexia-friendly format.<br />
Dyslexia Awareness Week takes place from October<br />
1 to 7 and provides the opportunity to raise<br />
awareness and understanding of dyslexia and help<br />
to bring about positive change. World Dyslexia<br />
Awareness Day takes place on October 4.<br />
Helen continued: “I’m<br />
so pleased that I can<br />
get to launch The<br />
Revenge Trail during<br />
National Dyslexia<br />
Awareness Week.<br />
This can only help to<br />
highlight the need for a<br />
more dyslexia-friendly<br />
format to cater for all<br />
readers.”<br />
Helen is now working<br />
on the final installment<br />
of the Trail series,<br />
and once she’s put the<br />
characters of Marty,<br />
Kat and Shaun to<br />
bed, she hopes to get<br />
cracking on a new,<br />
standalone novel - once again set in Birmingham.<br />
“For about 30 years I’ve wanted to write a standalone<br />
crime thriller set in the Digbeth area; I had the idea<br />
before Digbeth became trendy, but I think it’ll still<br />
work!<br />
“It’s a book about a serial killer set in Digbeth, so it’s<br />
much darker than anything else I’ve written. There<br />
are murders in all of my books but the body count<br />
isn’t all that high, I think three is about the most I’ve<br />
had so far, whereas this one will be a lot higher.<br />
“And once I’ve got that out of my system, I want to<br />
write some stories about a female private detective.<br />
I’m definitely sticking with the crime thriller genre - a<br />
bit of murder really spices up a book, I think!”<br />
When it comes to reading, crime thrillers are,<br />
unsurprisingly, a particular favourite of Helen’s.<br />
“My guilty pleasure is the blockbusters of the 1980s<br />
like Jackie Collins, so I like something which is pacey,<br />
with a bit of sex and murder in it!” laughs Helen.<br />
“And I enjoy the classics, particularly Thomas Hardy.<br />
His characters go on a journey and they always have<br />
flaws, and it’s their flaws that lead them into sticky<br />
situations and make the stories interesting.<br />
“I realise he was paid by the word so he’d always<br />
use 20 words where one would do, whereas I use as<br />
few words as I can get away with, but I believe in<br />
the same philosophy, that it’s the flaws in a character<br />
which make them interesting and lead to the plot<br />
unfolding.”<br />
The Revenge Trail will be available to buy from<br />
Amazon from October 1. For more details and news of<br />
AA Abbott’s latest releases visit www.aaabbott.co.uk<br />
10
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PROPERTY<br />
Property of the Month<br />
WE TAKE A SNEAKY PEEK AT SOME OF THE HOTTEST PROPERTIES ON THE MARKET<br />
IN THE AREA EACH MONTH. THIS MONTH’S SELECTION IS A AMERICAN-INFLUENCED<br />
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HANDLES, DOWSING AND REYNOLDS.<br />
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LUND LONDON LUXE STAINLESS<br />
STEEL TUMBLERS SET, AMARA.<br />
WWW.AMARA.COM<br />
HAMMONDS GIBSON LIVERTON<br />
KITCHEN, COOKES FURNITURE.<br />
WWW.COOKESFURNITURE.CO.UK<br />
THE ORGANIC COMPANY<br />
ORGANIC COTTON TEA TOWEL.<br />
£7.50, WHITE BLACK GREY.<br />
WWW.WHITEBLACKGREY.CO.UK
SIEMENS STUDIOLINE APPLIANCES AND<br />
CERAMIC WORKTOPS, WENTWORTH DESIGNS<br />
AND INTERIORS SUTTON COLDFIELD.<br />
WWW.WENTWORTHDESIGNS.CO.UK<br />
SIEMATIC KITCHEN AT KITCHEN GALLERY<br />
IN MAILBOX BIRMINGHAM, SOLIHULL<br />
AND STRATFORD UPON AVON.<br />
WWW.KITCHENGALLERY.CO.UK<br />
RUST CERAMIC AND SMOOTH PAINTED<br />
LIGHT GREY KITCHEN BY TIPPERS OF LICHFIELD.<br />
WWW.TIPPERS.COM<br />
FURORE HANDLELESS KITCHEN FINISHED<br />
IN MIDNIGHT BLUE. AVAILABLE FROM IKON<br />
KITCHENS OF SUTTON COLDFIELD.<br />
WWW.IKONKITCHENS.NET<br />
CHELTENHAM KITCHEN HANDCRAFTED I<br />
N THE COTSWOLDS BY BENCHWOOD.<br />
WWW.BENCHWOOD.CO.UK
I N T E R I O R S<br />
FLORAL ON ZEBRA CANVAS BY KIRSTEN<br />
STAR, £25, ART WOW. WWW.ARTWOW.CO<br />
Moody<br />
blooms<br />
DARK and moody hues and fabulous florals have<br />
been two of this year’s predominant interiors trends,<br />
and for autumn the two pair together to create a<br />
richly dramatic look dominated by intense hues of<br />
berries, bark and bramble which perfectly encapsulates<br />
the shift in seasons, as the colours of the landscape<br />
changes.<br />
Dramatic and eye-catching, the trend sees nature going<br />
rogue as dark florals bring an exciting edge to your<br />
home style. Lush, romantic and moody in the best way<br />
possible, these are florals that don’t hold back.<br />
Look out for big blousy designs that have a pre-<br />
Raphaelite style; you’ll find them on cushions, bedding<br />
and on walls as wallpaper and even murals. In contrast<br />
to summer’s botanical prints, the tones are dark and<br />
rich rather than bold and vibrant, creating a cosy,<br />
cosseted feel. Keep the rest of the look simple, and<br />
suitably dark, so the florals become the star and pick<br />
out key colours to accessorise with.<br />
£19.50<br />
£12<br />
£30<br />
AUBURN FLORAL VELVET<br />
CUSHION, DUNELM.<br />
WWW.DUNELM.COM<br />
LARGE FLORENCE FLORAL VASE,<br />
MARKS AND SPENCER.<br />
WWW.MARKSANDSPENCER.COM<br />
INKY FLORAL CLOCK BY<br />
ELEANOR SOPER, ART WOW.<br />
WWW.ARTWOW.CO<br />
18
£8<br />
£55<br />
£1,940<br />
BURLEIGH CALICO<br />
TEAPOT, SOHO HOUSE.<br />
WWW.SOHOHOME.COM<br />
KATIE ALICE WILD APRICITY NAVY<br />
FLORAL DINNER PLATE, CREATIVE TOPS.<br />
WWW.CREATIVE-TOPS.COM<br />
SELF ARMCHAIR, RUME.<br />
WWW.RUME.CO.UK<br />
£110<br />
£35<br />
FLORENTINA TEAL TIGERS EYE CUSHION,<br />
JOHN LEWIS. WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM<br />
£270<br />
MOMOKA FLORAL<br />
SCREEN, ARTHOUSE.<br />
WWW.ARTHOUSE.COM<br />
£4.99<br />
SOMERS MIDNIGHT RUG,<br />
LAURA ASHLEY.<br />
WWW.LAURAASHLEY.COM<br />
POPPY CERAMIC DOOR KNOB,<br />
IAN SNOW. WWW.IANSNOW.COM<br />
ROMULUS DAYBED, £1,650, RUME.<br />
WWW.RUME.CO.UK
RENAISSANCE FLORAL CUSHION, £45,<br />
THE FRENCH BEDROOM CO.<br />
WWW.FRENCHBEDROOMCOMPANY.CO.UK<br />
MOMOKA VELVET CUSHION, £15,<br />
ARTHOUSE. WWW.ARTHOUSE.COM<br />
RENAISSANCE FLORAL CUSHION, £45,<br />
THE FRENCH BEDROOM CO.<br />
WWW.FRENCHBEDROOMCOMPANY.CO.UK<br />
FLORAL ART PRINT, £5, ABSTRACT HOUSE.<br />
WWW.ABSTRACTHOUSE.COM<br />
AVA MARIKA SUPERSIZED MOODY FLORAL<br />
WALLPAPER, £75, WOODCHIP AND MAGNOLIA.<br />
WWW.WOODCHIPANDMAGNOLIA.CO.UK<br />
BLUEBELLGRAY PEGGY MIDNIGHT<br />
DUVET COVER AND PILLOWCASE SET,<br />
£135, HURN & HURN.<br />
WWW.HURNANDHURN.COM
I N T E R I O R S<br />
DULUX HAS NAMED<br />
SPICED HONEY AS ITS<br />
COLOUR OF THE YEAR<br />
FOR 2019.<br />
A touch<br />
of spice<br />
DULUX has named ‘Spiced Honey’ as its Colour<br />
of the Year for 2019, described as being “perfect for<br />
creating a relaxed, cosy atmosphere in places where we<br />
like to think, dream, love and act”.<br />
A welcome contrast to the cool greys which have<br />
dominated the neutrals palette in recent years, Spiced<br />
Honey is a warm blend of rich caramel and amber<br />
tones which is the ideal backdrop for an inviting<br />
living space. The contemporary hue works well with<br />
a broad spectrum of complementary colours and can<br />
be calm and nourishing or stimulating and energising,<br />
depending on the palette and light surrounding it.<br />
Marianne Shillingford, creative director for Dulux<br />
UK, says Spiced Honey has a ‘raw, natural quality<br />
that works like a warm neutral,’ making it adaptable<br />
to pairing with different materials and styles of<br />
decoration.<br />
To emphasise the warmth of the tone, team with brass<br />
or gold metallics, natural woods and rich leathers and<br />
velvets in tan or caramel hues to create a luxuriously<br />
cosy space. A splash of white or off-white adds to the<br />
contemporary feel.<br />
£POA<br />
AMBER TUMBLER, ABODE LIVING.<br />
WWW.ABODELIVING.CO.UK<br />
£10<br />
ARDECHE 1 LIGHT LARGE PENDANT,<br />
DAR LIGHTING. WWW.DARLIGHTING.CO.UK<br />
DALYAN DINING CHAIR,<br />
COVET HOUSE.<br />
WWW.COVETHOUSE.EU<br />
DULUX SPICED<br />
HONEY 2.5L.<br />
WWW.DULUX.CO.UK<br />
£27.56<br />
£138<br />
22
When you buy a complete bathroom<br />
during October. *<br />
(That’ll keep you toasty)<br />
*Terms apply, see in-store for details<br />
Ripples Birmingham c/o Cookes Furniture, 28 Goosemoor Lane,<br />
Erdington, Birmingham B23 5PN Tel: 0121 2505056<br />
Ripples Solihull, 1693-1695 High Street,<br />
Knowle, Solihull B93 0LN Tel: 01564 730223<br />
www.ripplesbathrooms.com
SANDOWN LEATHER CARVER<br />
CHAIR, PEPPERMILL INTERIORS,<br />
BURNTWOOD BUSINESS PARK.<br />
WWW.PEPPERMILLINTERIORS.COM<br />
£179<br />
£POA<br />
MALAY SUSY ARMCHAIR,<br />
RUG’SOCIETY.<br />
WWW.RUGSOCIETY.EU<br />
£260<br />
URBAN AVENUE SUNDAY<br />
SQUARES THROW,<br />
WWW.URBANAVENUE.CO.UK<br />
£45<br />
SLOAN TAUPE RUG, MODERN RUGS.<br />
WWW.MODERN-RUGS.CO.UK<br />
£POA<br />
OLSSON & JENSEN<br />
TALL STONEWARE JUG,<br />
ECLECT DESIGN.<br />
WWW.ECLECTDESIGN.COM<br />
£59<br />
LAUTNER COFFEE TABLE, ESSENTIAL HOME.<br />
WWW.ESSENTIALHOME.EU<br />
DULUX SPICED HONEY HAS A RAW,<br />
NATURAL QUALITY THAT WORKS LIKE<br />
A WARM NEUTRAL<br />
24
BROADWAY KITCHENS<br />
MANUFACTURER OF LUXURY BESPOKE KITCHENS<br />
Visit our Birmingham showroom to see and feel the quality.<br />
Call to discuss your kitchen project and book a FREE,<br />
no-obligation design consultation today!<br />
SUTTON COLDFIELD 0121 353 4999<br />
www.bespokekitchensbybroadway.com
I N T E R I O R S<br />
Fright night<br />
PRE LIT BLACK TREE, £22, GLASS SKULL<br />
TEALIGHT HOLDER, £5, HALLOWEEN<br />
HANGING DECORATIONS 12 PACK, £8,<br />
HD BAT SEQUIN HANGING DECORATION,<br />
£2.50, 10 GLITTER SPIDERS IN MESH, £4,<br />
ALL JOHN LEWIS.<br />
WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM<br />
style<br />
WHETHER you’re planning a Halloween bash or just<br />
want to add a spooky touch to your home decor as the<br />
nights draw in, it’s the time of year when pumpkins,<br />
skulls and spiders take centre stage.<br />
Not a fan of orange and purple? Bypass Halloween’s<br />
tendency toward the cheesy by embracing a matte<br />
black palette - so on trend for <strong>2018</strong>. The decorations<br />
can be as subtle (think classy decanters labeled as<br />
poison that you can re-use) or obvious (hello, spider<br />
web placemats!) as you wish.<br />
And who says Halloween has to be all dust and<br />
cobwebs? For a more polished approach, incorporate<br />
pops of silver, gold, copper, and brass. Or opt for a<br />
natural style, pairing fresh pumpkins in an array of<br />
colours and sizes with foliage and subtle lighting to<br />
create stylish table centrepieces or fireplace displays.<br />
Happy haunting!<br />
METAL HOUSE TEALIGHT<br />
HOLDER, JOHN LEWIS.<br />
WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM<br />
£15<br />
£8<br />
BLACK OWL, JOHN LEWIS.<br />
WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM<br />
£65<br />
FELT SPIDER WEB PLACEMATS.<br />
JOHN LEWIS. WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM<br />
£18<br />
GOLD GLITTER PUMPKIN,<br />
HOMESENSE.<br />
WWW.HOMESENSE.COM<br />
£9.99<br />
CERAMIC HANGING<br />
PUMPKIN TEALIGHT<br />
HOLDERS, £6.60 EACH,<br />
GISELA GRAHAM.<br />
WWW.GISELAGRAHAM.CO.UK<br />
26
£139<br />
£45<br />
SPIDER WEB CANDLE HOLDER,<br />
TK MAXX. WWW.TKMAXX.COM<br />
£9.99<br />
PUMPKIN SERVING DISH,<br />
LAURA ASHLEY.<br />
WWW.LAURAASHLEY.COM<br />
AUTUMN ABUNDANCE WREATH,<br />
BALSAM HILL. WWW.BALSAMHILL.CO.UK<br />
GLITTER HANGING SKULL, SAINSBURY’S.<br />
WWW.SAINSBURYS.CO.UK<br />
BOO HALLOWEEN NEON<br />
LIGHT, LIGHTS4FUN.<br />
WWW.LIGHTS4FUN.CO.UK<br />
£14.99<br />
£3<br />
PUMPKIN FELT BUNTING.<br />
LAURA ASHLEY.<br />
WWW.LAURAASHLEY.COM<br />
£16<br />
BLACK LIT PUMPKIN, JOHN LEWIS.<br />
WWW.JOHNLEWIS.COM<br />
SILVER PUMPKINS.<br />
TK MAXX.<br />
WWW.TKMAXX.COM<br />
£4.99<br />
£25<br />
HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS<br />
FROM A SELECTION<br />
AT SAINSBURY’S.<br />
WWW.SAINSBURYS.CO.UK<br />
TRICK OR TREAT HALLOWEEN<br />
RANGE, FROM £2.99, GINGER RAY.<br />
WWW.GINGERRAY.CO.UK
J'Aime Ad 190x138_Sept <strong>2018</strong>.indd 1 11/09/<strong>2018</strong> 17:02<br />
Fine Jewellery<br />
Silver • Watches<br />
Ceramics • Glass<br />
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Works Of Art • Cigars<br />
Port • Wine • Whisky<br />
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Teddies, Toys & Tech<br />
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arrange a free home visit<br />
SPECIALIST SALES | HOUSE CLEARANCES<br />
PROBATE SERVICES | INSURANCE VALUATIONS<br />
A local family business, synonymous with<br />
auctioneering in Staffordshire since 1864<br />
01543 251081<br />
www.richardwinterton.co.uk<br />
office@richardwinterton.co.uk<br />
THE LICHFIELD AUCTION CENTRE<br />
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I N T E R I O R S<br />
Sumptuous style<br />
It’s not easy to transform your home into<br />
something you love. It’s about creating spaces<br />
your family and friends will adore to be in,<br />
spaces that reflect your lifestyle and taste.<br />
And a luxurious new furniture range which has<br />
just launched at Blackbrook Interiors, combining<br />
sumptuous styling with the utmost in comfort,<br />
will certainly help you make a style statement.<br />
Spink & Edgar Upholstery has launched a<br />
completely new range based on glamorous<br />
modern classics with an art deco twist. Designed<br />
and manufactured at the Tetrad factory, the<br />
collection features GP & J Baker printed fabrics<br />
and sumptuous Italian velvet, combined with the<br />
award-winning Spink & Edgar pocket springs<br />
cleverly placed in the seat and arms providing<br />
unrivalled comfort and support.<br />
The brand new range is exclusively available in<br />
the Midlands at Blackbrook Interiors, one of just<br />
a handful of stockists around the country.<br />
Mike Rowan, owner of Blackbrook Interiors,<br />
said: “This is a brand new furniture range<br />
which has only been available for the last three<br />
months and we are one of less than 30 stockists<br />
throughout the UK where it can be purchased.”<br />
Every piece is meticulously made by hand in<br />
Preston, Lancashire. The seat cushion interiors<br />
contain pocket springs with a feather wrap<br />
along with small HD springs skillfully placed in<br />
arms, back and seat platforms. The result is an<br />
outstandingly supportive and comfortable sit<br />
which retains its shape for years and negates the<br />
need for constant maintenance and plumping.<br />
The collection curates design, taste and style,<br />
bringing a touch of luxury to a space and<br />
boasting a classic contemporary tone with lasting<br />
elegance.<br />
To check out the stunning new range, head over<br />
to Blackbrook Interiors, situated off the A38 at<br />
Weeford, just outside Lichfield.<br />
For more details call 01543 481010 or visit<br />
www.blackbrook-interiors.co.uk<br />
30
OUR NEW BROCHURE IS NOW AVAILABLE<br />
P R E N T I C E<br />
Quality Furniture<br />
01827 287387<br />
enquiry@prentice.co.uk<br />
www.prentice.co.uk
F O O D & D R I N K<br />
Wild and wonderful<br />
INNOVATIVE MEETS CLASSIC AS TWO MIDLANDS HEAVYWEIGHTS JOIN<br />
FORCES FOR A DINING EXPERIENCE TO REMEMBER, SAYS AMY NORBURY<br />
Alex Claridge may not be one of the<br />
most familiar names on the Midlands<br />
dining scene, but he is surely one of the<br />
most exciting. The brains behind The<br />
Wilderness, one of the most innovative<br />
eateries to hit the city in recent memory,<br />
Alex brings a playful, provocative - and<br />
completely delicious - edge to modern<br />
British cuisine.<br />
Influenced by the cultural melting pot<br />
that is the Second City, he pilfers spices,<br />
styles and ingredients from around the<br />
world to create a unique take on fine<br />
dining. Starched linen and gleaming<br />
silverware it ain’t, but The Wilderness<br />
promises a foodie experience unlike<br />
anything else in the Midlands.<br />
So when Sauce Supper Club hit on the idea<br />
of pairing Alex with Lichfield’s very own chef<br />
extraordinaire Liam Dillon - chef patron of The<br />
Boat Inn, who has recently been named Best Chef<br />
at the Midlands Food, Drink and Hospitality Awards<br />
ahead of stalwarts including Andy Waters, Aktar<br />
Islam and Nottingham’s two Michelin-starred Sat<br />
Bains - it promised to be an explosive evening of<br />
flavour.<br />
The sell-out event, held on Liam’s home turf at The<br />
Boat, welcomed some 60 diners for a six-course feast<br />
marrying intense flavours, playful ideas and some<br />
seriously off-the-wall presentation.<br />
On arrival, we were greeted with a popcorn<br />
piña colada - a luminous green prosecco-topped<br />
concoction which did indeed have an aroma of<br />
popcorn and taste like a piña colada - and shown to<br />
our table in the dining room which offered a great<br />
view into The Boat’s open kitchen.<br />
First up was a duo of snacks from Liam; his<br />
signature pig’s head and burnt apple cube, followed<br />
by a rather delightful polenta cracker topped<br />
with cod roe and fish skin. Now, while the little<br />
cracker was a wonderful morsel, its puffed, crispy<br />
texture mimicking that of the fish skin, it was the<br />
presentation which really wowed,<br />
as it came balanced atop a bowl<br />
containing a swimming fish - ‘this<br />
is Ronnie’, exclaimed our waiter.<br />
The Wilderness’ yuk sung bun - a<br />
tiny brioche bun filled with quail<br />
yuk sung, scattered with chicken<br />
skin and yeast flakes with a dab of<br />
hoisin sauce - completed a tasty<br />
trio, while a miniature beer-soaked<br />
spelt loaf with whipped chicken<br />
butter was another delight.<br />
So far, so tasty, and we really hadn’t<br />
yet got going.<br />
An amuse bouche from The Boat<br />
of set cheese custard with spiced<br />
carrot and mushroom was a little<br />
32
lacking for me personally - I found the texture a bit<br />
thin, although the carrots were beautifully sweet and<br />
nicely spiced.<br />
But The Wilderness’ tomato and ricotta dish<br />
which followed was simply sublime. Fresh ricotta<br />
paired with an array of tomatoey goodness - a<br />
stunning tomato crisp, incredible ‘sweet and sour’<br />
tomatoes and a tomato version of a Japanese ponzu<br />
citrus sauce - took the humble cheese and tomato<br />
combination to dizzying heights, while an elderflower<br />
granita added a layer of floral sweetness. Clever<br />
cooking indeed.<br />
And from this flavour punch, it was onto a perfectly<br />
executed fish course from The Boat. A ballotine of<br />
sole fillet with brown shrimp, lemon, fish sauce and<br />
oyster emulsion, it was elegant, refined and a real joy<br />
to eat.<br />
The meat course was the intriguingly titled N.A.F.B<br />
from The Wilderness, an explosive combination of<br />
succulent quail breast with butter curry sauce, date<br />
and tamarind puree and dhal samosa with cucumber<br />
foam and powder, and crispy wild rice.<br />
The tongue-in-cheek acronym, our waiter informed<br />
us, stands for Not Another F’ing Balti - something<br />
regular Wilderness diners might be familiar with,<br />
or so said my friend and fellow Supper Club diner<br />
who counts The Wilderness as her favourite dining<br />
experience and has had the dish a time or two before.<br />
And to be perfectly honest, I’d be ecstatic to eat<br />
that glorious anti-balti plateful again, and again.<br />
The quail was a beautifully tender, the butter sauce<br />
silky and rich, with the sweet sharpness from the<br />
puree and the palate-cleansing freshness from the<br />
cucumber providing a wonderful sense of flavour<br />
balance. Add in some crunch from the samosa and<br />
rice - which was rather like a scattering of wild Rice<br />
Krispies - and a decent kick of spice, and it made for<br />
a truly mouth-watering experience.<br />
Desserts were a little slice of heaven; the only<br />
complaint I’d have about Liam’s moreish carrot cake,<br />
with it’s caramelised top and creamy<br />
rum and raisin ice cream would be<br />
that it was far too small a portion.<br />
I could have eaten the marvellous<br />
morsel several times over, but that’s<br />
just being greedy.<br />
The finale was a salty, malty,<br />
chocolatey extravaganza, with a fine<br />
sable biscuit, salted milk sorbet - far<br />
more delicious than it sounds - and<br />
a shard of dried chocolate mousse<br />
which melted on the tongue.<br />
And if that wasn’t enough to leave a<br />
smile on your face, a tray of sweets<br />
appeared to finish off the meal. But<br />
these weren’t any ordinary sweets; the<br />
Turkish Delight was, well, delightful<br />
but it was the rummy gummy bear, made with a<br />
full shot of rum, which was the real punch in the<br />
chops. In an oh-so-good way, of course. Given the<br />
opportunity I wouldn’t stop at just one, hell no, but<br />
too many of those sweet little bears would leave you<br />
floored, I’m sure.<br />
After starting life as a pop-up called Nomad before<br />
a skirmish with a New York hotel of the same<br />
moniker forced a chance of name, The Wilderness<br />
finally settled in its permanent home in the Jewellery<br />
Quarter earlier this year. A cult-like following among<br />
foodie fanatics means that tables are increasingly<br />
difficult to come by, but if you can score a coveted<br />
seat then do. You won’t regret it. Just don’t go if you<br />
fancy a balti.<br />
33
F O O D & D R I N K<br />
Cocktail of the month<br />
TOM LINDSEY AND RORY MCKERRELL, FOUNDERS OF FIFTH SPIRE GIN AND OWNERS OF THE<br />
SPIRIT WORKS BAR IN LICHFIELD, SHARE THEIR PERFECT SERVE OF A TIMELESS CLASSIC<br />
The perfect<br />
Old Fashioned<br />
The Old Fashioned cocktail’s<br />
history stretches back to the<br />
1800s, and its simple formula has<br />
been tinkered with a lot along<br />
the way, but the best ones are<br />
the simple ones, consisting of just<br />
whiskey (other aged spirits also<br />
work), sugar, and bitters. The key<br />
thing is to use solid choices for the<br />
whiskey components as they will<br />
really shine through… and do not<br />
ruin it with loads of sugar!<br />
We used the following:<br />
25ml Willett’s Pot Still Reserve<br />
Bourbon<br />
25ml Millstone 100 Dutch Rye<br />
5 dashes Bokers Aromatic Bitters<br />
2 Dashes Regans’ Orange Bitters<br />
7.5ml Sugar Syrup<br />
Orange ribbon with pith<br />
removed to garnish<br />
Combine the Willett’s bourbon<br />
with a small amount of ice straight<br />
out of the freezer into mixing<br />
glass and stir to chill. Add the rest<br />
of the ingredients to the mixing<br />
glass along with more ice and stir<br />
to chill once again. If there’s still<br />
room, add more ice and continue<br />
to stir down.<br />
Once suitably chilled, strain into<br />
a rocks glass full of ice, or better<br />
still, one giant ice ball or cube<br />
if you can get them. Crease the<br />
orange ribbon over the drink to<br />
express its oils onto the drinks<br />
surface.<br />
Rub the outside of the orange<br />
onto the rim of the glass and then<br />
place in the drink. Sit down and<br />
enjoy!<br />
34
F O O D & D R I N K<br />
A taste of autumn<br />
LIAM DILLON, AWARD-WINNING CHEF PATRON AT THE BOAT INN, LICHFIELD,<br />
SHARES A RECIPE WHICH MAKES THE MOST OF AN AUTUMNAL HERO INGREDIENT - VENISON<br />
Liam says: “The main element for this dish is the<br />
venison, a beautiful ingredient that I love to work<br />
with at this time of year. This recipe below is only<br />
for the marinade that we use in the restaurant to add<br />
as much flavour to the meat as possible. It helps to<br />
season the meat due to the ingredients used.<br />
“This method of seasoning meat before cooking is<br />
quite common but mainly for secondary cuts of meat<br />
before stewing, to add flavour and tenderise. This<br />
technique is also used for such dishes as a coq au vin,<br />
where the wine is used to marinade the chicken and<br />
then used back to make the sauce.<br />
“This venison marinade is used in a similar vein to<br />
season the sauce, but is reduced heavily first.”<br />
Venison marinade<br />
Ingredients<br />
15g juniper berries<br />
25g orange peel<br />
2g rosemary<br />
2g thyme<br />
400g sliced onions<br />
15g garlic<br />
10 x black peppercorns<br />
3 x bay leaves<br />
750ml red wine<br />
Place the red wine into a pan and bring to the boil.<br />
Once it is up to the boil pour over the remaining<br />
ingredients.<br />
This marinade should be left to cool before it is used.<br />
The venison loin should be left in the marinade for<br />
one hour and then removed and patted dry. Once this<br />
process has been completed it should be cut to the<br />
desired size and then preserved until it is ready to be<br />
cooked.<br />
We have a number of different components that come<br />
together to create the dish at the restaurant. A potato<br />
terrine that has been built with red cabbage running<br />
through it; pickled mushrooms and roasted baby<br />
onions, kale, yeasted cauliflower puree and venison<br />
sausage. Once this is on the plate with the roasted<br />
saddle of venison we finish the sauce with elderberries<br />
which have been pickled and help lift the sauce with a<br />
slight sharpness which brings the dish together.<br />
36
Join in the Festive Celebrations<br />
The<br />
Boat Inn<br />
Christmas Murder<br />
Mystery Evenings<br />
Tue 4th, Tue 11th, Mon 17th<br />
& Tue 18th December<br />
Family Lunch<br />
with Santa<br />
Sun 2nd, 9th, 16th, Sat 22nd,<br />
Sun 23rd & Mon 24th Dec<br />
Christmas Carols<br />
& Afternoon Tea<br />
Tue 27th Nov, Tue 4th, Tue<br />
11th, Mon17th & Tue 18th Dec<br />
Starlight Christmas<br />
Party Nights<br />
Various dates in November,<br />
December & January<br />
Michelin recommended<br />
Liam Dillon, chef owner of The Boat Inn was<br />
recently awarded “Best Chef” in the Midlands.<br />
Modern British Food with an open kitchen.<br />
Newly refurbished with a view into the kitchen.<br />
Tables suitable for large parties<br />
with set menus to choose from.<br />
Book your christmas party at the boat<br />
Moor Hall Drive, Four Oaks, Sutton Coldfield B75 6LN<br />
0121 308 3751 www.moorhallhotel.co.uk<br />
Join in the Festive Celebrations<br />
Starters<br />
• Locally shot pigeon, courgette & chestnut<br />
• Roasted scallops, squash, toasted seeds<br />
• Celeriac & artichoke veloute<br />
Mains<br />
• Turkey breast, rolled leg, sprout top,<br />
cranberry & parsnip puree<br />
• Beef rump medallions, watercress, shallot & roasted<br />
celeriac(served with hand cut chips & peppercorn sauce)<br />
• Hake, potato, cauliflower stems, sea herbs & fish sauce<br />
• Roast courgette, artichokes & spiced yellow split peas<br />
Sides<br />
• Cauliflower & Westcombe cheese<br />
• Parmesan & truffle chips<br />
• Sprouts & pancetta<br />
• Heritage carrots and Caraway butter<br />
• Pickled red cabbage<br />
Desserts<br />
• Winter eton mess<br />
• Set cream, clementine & granola<br />
• Lemon sponge, honeycomb, bee pollen & yoghurt sorbet<br />
• British cheese selection (£5 supplement)<br />
Festive<br />
Set<br />
Menu<br />
Christmas Wreath<br />
Making Workshops<br />
Monday 26th &<br />
Tuesday 27th November<br />
Santa<br />
Sunday Lunch<br />
Sunday 9th &<br />
Sunday 23rd December<br />
Christmas Carols<br />
& Afternoon Tea<br />
Friday 7th &<br />
Friday 14th December<br />
Christmas Party<br />
Nights<br />
Various dates in November,<br />
December & January<br />
Premium<br />
Festive<br />
Set<br />
Menu<br />
2 courses £25<br />
3 courses £30<br />
Starters<br />
• Dorset crab, charred leeks & toasted bread<br />
• Rock oysters, red wine reduction & lemon<br />
• Scottish mackerel, gooseberry chutney, black olive & runner beans<br />
• Celeriac & artichoke veloute<br />
Mains<br />
• Venison, yeasted cauliflower, mushrooms, red cabbage potato terrine<br />
• Turkey breast, rolled leg, sprout top, cranberry & parsnip puree<br />
• Chalkstem trout, squash gnocchi, salsify, hollandaise & sauce vierge<br />
• Roast courgette, artichokes & spiced yellow split peas<br />
Sides<br />
• Cauliflower & Westcombe cheese<br />
• Parmesan & truffle chips<br />
• Sprouts & pancetta<br />
• Heritage carrots and Caraway butter<br />
• Pickled red cabbage<br />
Desserts<br />
• Carrot cake, almond tuille, butter icing & Christmas pudding ice cream<br />
• Hot chocolate cake, prune & hazelnut granola<br />
• Warm rice pudding, caramel streusel crumb, clementine & chocolate<br />
• British cheese selection (£5 supplement)<br />
2 courses £35<br />
3 courses £40<br />
Please notify us of any allergies as some ingredients are not mentioned in dish title<br />
Bird Street, Lichfield WS13 6PR<br />
01543 414822 www.thegeorgelichfield.co.uk<br />
Call for details • 01543 361692<br />
Open Wednesday • Sunday<br />
Open Tuesday • Sunday during December and now taking Christmas bookings<br />
www.theboatinnlichfield.com • Walsall Road, Lichfield WS14 0BU
F O O D & D R I N K<br />
An autumnal pick<br />
PATRICK GAUNT, OPERATIONS MANAGER FOR SPECIALIST WINE COMPANY<br />
ITAL SARDO, TAKES A LOOK AT THE BEST WINES FOR AUTUMN<br />
With the temperatures dropping, we are looking to provide our clients with a welcoming warmth of wine.<br />
Ital Sardo invites you to share our great selection of wine, pairing perfectly with those crisp autumn evenings.<br />
With plenty of fine wines available, here are our recommendations for the forthcoming month:<br />
Barbera d’Asti<br />
This is a wine that is recognised<br />
by many consumers of Italian<br />
wines. As with many of our more<br />
recognisable wines, we believe that<br />
we have found the best example<br />
of this style. With autumnal notes<br />
of blackberry, a hint of cinnamon<br />
and a slight finish of cracked<br />
black pepper, this is, all in all, a<br />
great wine for a<br />
fantastic price.<br />
This is highly<br />
recommended<br />
by us.<br />
Irilai<br />
This wine is from our most recent<br />
shipment, in which we focused<br />
on our most exclusive range<br />
from Sardinia. The sketch of the<br />
town of Oliena pronounces the<br />
important sense of ‘source’ with<br />
this wine. A great example of a<br />
Sardinian red wine, strong yet<br />
smooth, Irilai has a great sense<br />
of warmth, all<br />
softened with an<br />
even balance of<br />
red cherry and<br />
aromatic herbs.<br />
This is a red<br />
wine that can<br />
be consumed<br />
on its own,<br />
however, does<br />
pair well with<br />
roasts - lamb<br />
in particular.<br />
Le Giare<br />
Understanding that not everyone<br />
is a red wine drinker, we have a<br />
recommendation from our range<br />
of white wines. This is a fantastic<br />
example of how we are providing<br />
our clients with something new.<br />
Sourced from the island of<br />
Sardinia, this young Vermentino<br />
is one of our most versatile wines.<br />
The soft, fruity notes allow this<br />
refreshing white<br />
to be consumed<br />
on its own.<br />
Interestingly,<br />
with the addition<br />
of a unique<br />
savoury finish<br />
of almond<br />
and thyme, the<br />
opportunity to<br />
taste this wine<br />
with cured meats<br />
or a vegetable<br />
ragout should<br />
not be missed.<br />
Our full range of wines are available to view on our website at www.italsardo.com<br />
As a small company, we believe in offering a personal and professional service to all of customers.<br />
Therefore, we welcome any requests and look forward to hearing from you. You can contact us via<br />
email wine@italsardo.com or call our office 01283 711588<br />
38
MONDAY 15 - SATURDAY 20 OCT<br />
POP UP MICHELIN STAR FINE DINING<br />
IN A KITCHEN NEAR YOU!<br />
Delivering exciting and new dining experiences to your doorstep through a series<br />
of pop up kitchen events, where chefs from Michelin starred restaurants and highly<br />
commended chefs showcase their food and talents.<br />
TOM<br />
SHEPHERD<br />
HEAD CHEF,<br />
1 MICHELIN STAR<br />
RESTAURANT ADAMS<br />
15 <strong>OCTOBER</strong> 18<br />
THE BOAT INN<br />
LICHFIELD<br />
6 COURSES | £85<br />
MATT<br />
CHEAL<br />
CHEF, OWNER OF<br />
CHEALS OF HENLEY<br />
19 NOVEMBER 18<br />
THE WINEHOUSE<br />
LICHFIELD<br />
6 COURSES | £75<br />
@saucesupperclub<br />
@saucesupperclub<br />
www.saucesupperclub.co.uk
F E AT U R E<br />
Into the abyss<br />
IN A NEW SERIES FOR J’AIME, JACK REGAN, A CREATIVE AT TITAN. THE ADVERTISING AGENCY<br />
IN BIRMINGHAM, TAKES A MORE ADRENALINE-FUELLED APPROACH TO LIFE. THIS MONTH,<br />
HE UNDERTAKES A HAIR-RAISING CHARITY ABSEIL IN BIRMINGHAM<br />
JACK REGAN LIVING LIFE<br />
ON THE EDGE - LITERALLY<br />
I am about to die. I’m certain of that and of that<br />
alone.<br />
Probably not from the shattering impact of a 250ft<br />
fall, but almost certainly from catastrophic shame<br />
and humiliation. Be assured, this will not be a hero’s<br />
death. No mournful obits, no flags at half whatsit.<br />
To be fair, this is not how I’d imagined my morning<br />
ending. I’d had the highest of hopes for this, my<br />
very first ever abseil. And from Birmingham’s tallest<br />
building* no less.<br />
In my head I was going to swagger through the entire<br />
experience, doing this stunt with two very glamorous<br />
ladies, raising funds for Emmaus UK, a brilliant<br />
charity that’s helping homeless people - so, y’know,<br />
carpe diem etc.<br />
I’d had the most devilish self image too - Man From<br />
Milk Tray cool with slick hair, polo neck, incredibly<br />
tight jeans and an insatiable mistress in every port.<br />
I’d envisioned myself majestic, all in black, whizzing<br />
down the wall in the style of elite troops storming<br />
embassies, y’know, chomping a cigar, wolfish grin - I<br />
was, quite literally, gonna go commando.<br />
And it had all seemed so positive and realistic in<br />
those great moments going up to the roof too. So<br />
awash with hope and possibilities. But then reality set<br />
in like a thunderclap from the gods.<br />
Twenty one storeys up atop the Snow Hill Holiday<br />
Inn I decided I’d take a nonchalant peek over the<br />
side. A wretched mistake, I’ll admit. For the instant I<br />
did so the blood drained from my face like a flushing<br />
toilet. Heart hammering in my chest.<br />
I stood there, ashen faced, terrified, gargling<br />
incoherently, shaking, my nerve totally gone. This<br />
was... I just had no contingency for terror.<br />
So, desperately trying to regain my cool, I asked the<br />
climbing expert guy how far up we were. He nodded,<br />
“Don’t worry about landing with a splat, son, it’s<br />
so bloody far to the bottom you’ll die of starvation<br />
first!”<br />
Which did not help.<br />
40
Then he started with the strapping and ropes and<br />
harnesses and trussing me up and pinning in my<br />
unmentionables and pinching and teasing and...<br />
good God! The Marquess de Sade himself would’ve<br />
been blushing like a wee schoolgirl with all this<br />
bondage and self inflicted agony!<br />
But much worse was to come.<br />
After a few instructions the climbing dude had me<br />
and my glamour girl mate, Donna, clamber clumsily<br />
onto the ledge high above Birmingham and I’m on<br />
the verge of vomiting with fear. Then he tells us to<br />
simultaneously push ourselves off...<br />
Which is when I had an epiphany. A soft voice inside<br />
me said, Don’t worry, mate, it’ll be fine. Just push off,<br />
hard as you can.<br />
Which somehow settled me down. I immediately felt<br />
exquisitely calm. Serene. I decided, what the hell,<br />
dude, just do it. Just do it for the homeless! And so I<br />
did.<br />
I thrust myself off that roof with proper abandon,<br />
pushing my backside mightily into the air with a<br />
force few men could ever muster... and... and I<br />
immediately rrrripped the arse of my jeans wide<br />
open to the world!<br />
I mean this was a freakish tear. The entire<br />
garment split in half. The Full Monty of rips. Two<br />
hundred feet up, suspended by a daft rope and I’m<br />
experiencing a unique new level of<br />
mortifying full exposure.<br />
Now, let me take you back a few<br />
paragraphs to what must’ve seemed<br />
like a throwaway line. The bit where I<br />
said I was gonna go commando. Okay,<br />
so I wasn’t actually joking, you see. I<br />
genuinely had gone full commando and<br />
was now going full frontal. And full rear<br />
admiral too.<br />
On the plus side, I wasn’t so ashen faced<br />
now.<br />
Of course you panic. Who wouldn’t?<br />
My glam mate Donna’s shouting over,<br />
asking about a tearing noise? I mutter<br />
incoherently, my mind racing - how to<br />
hell to now stay ahead of her descent so<br />
she can’t see my shortcomings?<br />
Panic and shame utterly broil inside me<br />
as Donna is clearly about to overtake me<br />
- a disaster from which few friendships<br />
could recover.<br />
So I try to abseil faster, my feet on the<br />
hotel’s windows, but I know if I make<br />
big strides down that “everything” will<br />
fall out of what’s left of my jeans and I<br />
cannot adjust “anything” because I’m<br />
175 feet up, gripping this bloody rope for<br />
grim death!<br />
So I do the best I can and keep my feet very close<br />
together and start, quite literally, mincing my way<br />
down a building, my face utterly aflame with shame.<br />
Now, to be clear, this isn’t a situation where, were<br />
you look closely you could see what’s going on. This<br />
is a man on obvious display to the world. And a<br />
manhood.<br />
A fact verified by the dozen overjoyed builders up on<br />
the scaffolds of the 3 Snow Hill construction tower<br />
immediately across the street. The builders, bless<br />
‘em, offered their raucous “encouragement” to me<br />
all the way down.<br />
Don’t even ask me about the double deckers on the<br />
street below. Don’t ask!<br />
What followed were three agonising minutes of<br />
breathtaking humiliation and shame. But, despite it<br />
all, I managed to stay those few crucial yards ahead<br />
of Donna and reached the bottom first, furiously tore<br />
off my constraints before scampering desperately to<br />
the sanctuary of a nearby portaloo.<br />
Where I’m still sat now, sweating, stammering and<br />
waiting till my mum arrives to rescue me with a fresh<br />
pair of trousers.<br />
*Yes, yes, we know there’s a taller building in<br />
Birmingham now but, before you write in, think<br />
about how cool that’ll make you feel about yourself.<br />
Please.<br />
THE ABSEIL WAS TO<br />
RAISE FUNDS FOR<br />
BIRMINGHAM-BASED<br />
HOMELESS CHARITY<br />
EMMAUS UK<br />
41
T R AV E L<br />
Spain’s hidden year-round<br />
mountain gems<br />
RB COLLECTION DIRECTOR OLIVER EXPLAINS WHY WE SHOULD TAKE A SERIOUS LOOK<br />
AT SPAIN’S SUMMER AND WINTER MOUNTAIN HOLIDAY OFFERINGS<br />
EXPERIENCE SOME OF<br />
EUROPE’S FINEST SKIING<br />
IN BAQUEIRA BERET<br />
The mountain ranges of Switzerland, Austria, Italy<br />
and France are some of Europe’s most popular<br />
to explore during the summer months, with<br />
breathtaking scenery, easy driving routes, plenty of<br />
alpine activities for all ages and good quality cuisine<br />
and culture to take in. There is, however, a European<br />
country that isn’t quite as synonymous with winter<br />
ski and summer lake and mountain holidays, and<br />
one which is one of the easiest to get to from many<br />
airports in the UK.<br />
Spain has always been the Brits’ favourite destination<br />
for a summer beach holiday and has been since the<br />
OLIVER, LEFT, AND HIS<br />
BROTHER JAMES HIT<br />
THE SLOPES<br />
1950s. But it is also home to ski resorts described by<br />
the experts as the true ‘hidden gems’, frequented by<br />
Spanish royalty and featuring an abundance of runs<br />
with very few queues and excellent quality facilities.<br />
In the summer months, driving to Spain’s Pyrenees<br />
is a dream; the country’s road network is vast and,<br />
unlike the UK, as soon as you leave a major city the<br />
numbers of cars competing for space on the road<br />
dramatically drops.<br />
I’ve had holidays in the two regions in both winter<br />
and summer and can’t sing their praises high enough.<br />
Here’s my brief guide and hopefully it will inspire<br />
you to go too.<br />
Skiing in Spain<br />
There are a number of good quality resorts; my<br />
favourite are Formigal and Baqueira Beret. I took a<br />
week to experience both resorts and, having skied all<br />
my life around Europe and North America, I was a<br />
little dubious to be honest. Luckily, I was pleasantly<br />
surprised.<br />
Our first stop was Formigal, an easy four-hour drive<br />
from Barcelona, and a beautiful one at that. Unlike<br />
some of the other European ski resorts, the lack of<br />
non-Spanish tourists means there are far less people<br />
driving to the resorts, and these two are a little<br />
42
further away from the main cities meaning a<br />
day trip is more challenging.<br />
Formigal has a vast number of runs and<br />
we never queued once. A fresh snow storm<br />
arrived on day two, which added further<br />
challenges to some of the already difficult<br />
black runs; but this also made for a really<br />
adventurous skiing experience. Rarely, during<br />
peak skiing months in Europe can you be the<br />
only two enjoying a run in the midday sun!<br />
While my brother would push me to try some<br />
of the harder runs, I should mention that<br />
Formigal has a great selection of lower level<br />
runs for families and beginners. With less<br />
people there, the kids seemed to be getting<br />
more of a personal learning experience too.<br />
Après-ski isn’t at its strongest in Formigal,<br />
but there were a few good quality local<br />
restaurants which offered an enjoyable<br />
selection of Spanish/French fusion mountain<br />
cooking. I would recommend two to three<br />
days as we did and then move on to your next stop;<br />
for us this was the royalty-ready Baqueira Beret.<br />
The drive from Formigal took around three-and-ahalf<br />
hours as we travelled as close as you can drive<br />
parallel along the mountain range. Again, the lack<br />
of fellow drivers made it a pleasurable journey as we<br />
snaked between the peaks along the modern roads.<br />
Beret is very well known in Spain as their best ski<br />
resort, and many ski journalists class it as the best<br />
in Europe. There is a certain quality in the air<br />
and, while it doesn’t have a traditional main street<br />
or commercial centre as you find in the North<br />
American resorts, it does offer some of the most<br />
THE PICTURESQUE<br />
MONT-REBEI GORGE<br />
MONT-REBEI GORGE<br />
MAKES FOR A SCENIC<br />
HIKE<br />
expensive and exclusive accommodations. But where<br />
Beret excels is with what is the most important thing<br />
for any ski holiday - extremely high quality ski runs<br />
for all levels, and excellent swift lifts where, just like<br />
Formigal, very little time is spent queuing.<br />
My brother often insists we ski pretty much every<br />
run in every resort we visit, and this was certainly<br />
a major challenge here as there were so many. The<br />
challenging by far are on the Tuc deth Dossau, the<br />
resort’s highest peak. On our last day we enjoyed a<br />
well-deserved drink just in time to be the last to ski<br />
down. There is always something special about being<br />
one of the last down a run in the afternoon, having it<br />
all to oneself is a real treat!<br />
Cuisine is the major highlight of the aprèsski<br />
scene here. You won’t find any nightclubs<br />
here, but you will find fine dining and I can<br />
definitely recommend Ticolet as the spot to<br />
catch a special meal - but do book ahead!<br />
While there are other Spanish ski resorts,<br />
Formigal and Baqueira Beret are the two<br />
which I would head for first and I am sure<br />
you won’t be disappointed.<br />
Lakes and mountains in Spain<br />
In the same mountain range, and again<br />
driving from Barcelona we headed towards<br />
the Parador Biesla, a unique historic hotel<br />
perched high in the Pyrenees, just over Mt<br />
Pertido from France. The journey was a<br />
great experience in itself. We soon left the<br />
motorway behind and stopped at The Mont<br />
Rebei Gorge for lunch and a small hike.<br />
These were scenes you would expect only to<br />
43
see when visiting the Great Lakes in North America.<br />
The bold green-blue of the water perfectly mirrored<br />
the rocky surrounding, engulfed by silence as we<br />
turned off the engine. Very few foreign visitors know<br />
about this unique spot in Spain and I must urge you<br />
to try it out, especially as it is only a couple of hours’<br />
drive from Barcelona. To experience the full six-hour<br />
round trip hike you need to stop over nearby. Or<br />
there is a shorter three-and-a-half hour round trip<br />
but it is not for the faint hearted. with sheer drops<br />
along the way. Alternatively, you can board the boat<br />
or self-canoe for a more serene experience. The<br />
scenery was breathtaking.<br />
We continued on our journey along the locally<br />
famous N230 road, winding through the hills past<br />
small villages, more lakes and flat plains - a landscape<br />
for each season. Soon we turned off this scenic route<br />
and headed up into the mountains, through villages<br />
specialising in adventure pursuits such as mountain<br />
biking, hiking and climbing. We eventually arrived<br />
at Parador Biesla, located as the final stop of the<br />
road and surrounded by towering rocky peaks with<br />
natural waterfalls bursting through, roaring in the<br />
background. While we were staying for just one night<br />
before our onward journey down into France and<br />
onto the Basque Country, we could easily see why<br />
our fellow visitors were booked in for a few nights.<br />
The remoteness, peace and quiet and opportunities<br />
for exploration were soon apparent.<br />
The journey time direct from Barcelona to Biesla<br />
would be just around four hours. My top tip for this<br />
journey would be to hire a decent size automatic<br />
SUV; it gives you extra height to see the scenery and<br />
also allows the driver to relax a little more and take it<br />
all in.<br />
To plan and book your holiday to the Spanish<br />
Pyrenees, call RB Collection on 01543 258631<br />
or email vip@rbcollection.com<br />
J’aime<br />
reader offer<br />
FREE CAR HIRE CATEGORY UPGRADE<br />
WHEN BOOKING A FLIGHT INCLUSIVE<br />
HOLIDAY WITH ACCOMMODATION<br />
TO THE SPANISH PYRENEES WITH RB<br />
COLLECTION BEFORE NOVEMBER 30,<br />
<strong>2018</strong>. APPLICABLE TO NEW BOOKINGS<br />
ONLY, MENTION J’AIME TO QUALIFY.<br />
CONTACT RB COLLECTION ON<br />
01543 261550, OR EMAIL VIP@RBCOLLECTION.<br />
COM. VISIT THEIR OFFICE ONLY ON BOLEY<br />
PARK, LICHFIELD (NEXT DOOR TO THE CO-<br />
OP WITH FREE PARKING). BROWSE EXAMPLE<br />
HOLIDAYS AT WWW.RBCOLLECTION.COM.<br />
PARADOR BIESLA<br />
IS A UNIQUE HOTEL<br />
44
B E S P O K E S O F A M A N U F A C T U R E<br />
& R E - U P H O L S T E R Y S P E C I A L I S T<br />
Our team of highly skilled professional craftsmen, create and manufacture<br />
sofa’s from design, for a living space that is truly unique. Coupled with our huge<br />
selection of fabrics we have the ability to create almost any type of bespoke design.<br />
Using traditional skills, we can also strip down your old suite or sofa and re-create the original<br />
design with our superior re-upholstery which is highly renowned for its finish and meticulous detail.<br />
‘For a truly unique and individual lounge setting we welcome<br />
you to our factory showroom to see what we can create for you.’<br />
Unit 19, Martindale, Hawks Green, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 7XN<br />
Contact Simon Edwards or Chris Edwards on 01543 505539<br />
Email: sales@ralvernupholstery.co.uk - www.ralvernupholstery.co.uk
LO CA L A R E A<br />
What’s On Local<br />
YOUR GUIDE TO THE BEST OF WHAT’S ON IN AND AROUND<br />
SUTTON COLDFIELD, LICHFIELD, WALSALL AND BEYOND<br />
WHAT: The All<br />
New Scummy<br />
Mummies Show<br />
WHERE:<br />
Sutton Coldfield<br />
Town Hall<br />
WHEN:<br />
October 10<br />
Following their sell-out UK tour, the Scummy<br />
Mummies are back with a brand new comedy show.<br />
New songs! New sketches! New catsuits! And even<br />
some new jokes!<br />
Join Ellie and Helen as they celebrate the scummier<br />
side of parenting, from drinking wine at teatime to<br />
hiding from the PTA. Bring your friends and make it a<br />
Mums’ (or Dads’!) night out! Based on the hit Scummy<br />
Mummies podcast and best-selling book, as heard on<br />
Radio 4 and featured by The Guardian, The Sunday<br />
Times and The Telegraph, this hilariously funny show<br />
captures the scummier side of parenting. For more<br />
details call the box office on 0121 296 9543 or visit<br />
www.townhallsuttoncoldfield.co.uk<br />
WHAT: Screamfest<br />
WHERE: National<br />
Forest Adventure Farm<br />
WHEN: Selected dates<br />
from October 11 to<br />
November 3<br />
Prepare to be scared this Halloween season as Screamfest is<br />
back and more terrifying than ever, with five thrilling scare<br />
attractions to chill your bones. New for <strong>2018</strong> is Insomnia.<br />
Be prepared to enter a child’s nightmare - what if she could<br />
drag you into it? What if you could not wake up?<br />
In Love Hurts Professor Heart wants you to find your<br />
soulmate at one of his famous speed dating nights. Just<br />
pray you’re not one of the rejected… Roll up, roll up and<br />
enter Freakout, full of crazy clown antics, frightful freaks<br />
and terrorising terrors. For a truly terrifying experience in<br />
the pitch black, are you brave enough to step through the<br />
portal and risk your soul in the realm of Demonica?<br />
And finally find Dia de los Muertos in the maize maze. Will<br />
you escape the maze without suffering a terrible fate?<br />
Between scare attractions, enjoy the live entertainment<br />
including extreme performers, live DJ, zombie paintball<br />
and street theatre.But don’t enjoy yourself too much; you<br />
never know what’s around the next corner. For more details<br />
visit www.screamfest.co.uk.<br />
WHAT: The Case of the Frightened Lady<br />
WHERE: Lichfield Garrick<br />
WHEN: October 15 to 20<br />
When Inspector Tanner is called in to investigate<br />
a ruthless murder at Mark’s Priory, the grand<br />
ancestral home of the Lebanon family, he quickly<br />
discovers that nothing is quite as it seems. The<br />
household is controlled by the family physician,<br />
the footmen behave more like guests than servants<br />
and the secretary Isla is afraid for her life. As<br />
Tanner moves closer to the heart of the mystery<br />
he uncovers a shocking and closely guarded<br />
secret…<br />
The Classic Thriller Company returns with a<br />
brand new adaption from the legendary ‘King of<br />
the detective thriller’ Edgar Wallace. Adapted for<br />
film several times, this is your chance to catch this<br />
chilling, captivating and complex thriller live on<br />
stage. For more details call the box office on 01543<br />
412121 or visit www.lichfieldgarrick.com<br />
46
Ben Jeffery Exhibition on Saturday 20th October<br />
Artist in attendance, come along and meet Ben between 1-4pm<br />
RSVP Bluebird Fine Art<br />
Mercia Marina, Findern Lane, Willington DE65 6DW<br />
Open: Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 5pm,<br />
Sunday 10.30am - 4.30pm, Monday closed.<br />
T: 01283 204753 info@bluebirdfineart.co.uk www.bluebirdfineart.co.uk<br />
Woodburning &<br />
multifuel stoves<br />
Work also available from:<br />
Craig Davison, Caroline Shotton, Paul James,<br />
John Wilson, Nic Jolly, Paul Oz, Peter Smith, Stuart<br />
McAlpine-Miller, Simon Claridge, Alex Echo,<br />
Jeff Rowland, Ronnie Wood & Bob Dylan<br />
t he heart of t he home...<br />
Visit our showroom to be amazed by the choice -<br />
from traditional to modern<br />
With such a wide range of fires, fireplaces and stoves<br />
there is sure to be a style to suit you & your home<br />
WE OF F ER<br />
A C OMP LE T E<br />
INST ALLA T ION<br />
SERV ICE<br />
Visit our showroom and be amazed by the choice! With such a wide range from traditional to modern, there’s sure to be a style to suit you!<br />
5 Stafford Road, Lichfield WS13 7BZ - Tel: 01543 263 383 • www.thefireplacelichfield.co.uk • Email: sales@thefireplacelichfield.co.uk<br />
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 9.30am - 4.30pm • Sat 10am - 4pm. Closed Sundays and bank holidays. FREE ON-SITE PARKING.
WHAT: Ben Jeffery<br />
WHERE: Bluebird Fine Art Gallery, Mercia Marina<br />
WHEN: October 20<br />
Art lovers will get the chance to meet acclaimed artist<br />
Ben Jeffrey at an open event at Bluebird Fine Art Gallery<br />
this month, one of a series of ‘meet the artist’ events<br />
running throughout the year. The event accompanies an<br />
exhibition of Ben’s work.<br />
Ben’s portfolio is fairly diverse, ranging from portraits to<br />
landscapes in both pencil and oils. He loves working with<br />
vivid, bright colours to create a unique and modern style.<br />
Ben is a huge sci-fi movie fan and loves special effects,<br />
elements of which can be seen throughout his work. He<br />
also takes a lot of inspiration from concept artwork.<br />
Bluebird is an independent gallery selecting artwork from<br />
local and internationally acclaimed artists; they have a<br />
vast portfolio of artists available to them and are working<br />
with some of the country’s leading publishers.<br />
The gallery opened its doors at the end of March based<br />
in the new landmark Piazza building at Mercia Marina,<br />
Willington. Taking one of the largest units with 1,248<br />
square feet the gallery offers a range of fine art including<br />
original oils, limited editions and sculpture covering all<br />
genres from landscape painting, figurative, cityscapes to<br />
quirky pieces.<br />
Bluebird Fine Art is run by Maxine Pincher. Maxine has<br />
more than eight years’ experience running an art gallery<br />
and was previously involved in interior design, planning<br />
kitchens and bathrooms and working for Laura Ashley.<br />
She says: “I love<br />
buying the art for<br />
the gallery and<br />
I love the selling<br />
part too; seeing<br />
the joy on people’s<br />
faces. It can be a<br />
real investment for<br />
some people and<br />
buying a piece<br />
of art is a very<br />
individual choice.<br />
“As we are an<br />
independent<br />
gallery we have<br />
an extensive<br />
portfolio and we<br />
have prices to suit<br />
all denominations<br />
and a range of<br />
genres including landscapes, portraits, figurative, abstract<br />
and cityscapes with the mediums ranging from original<br />
oil painting to signed limited editions. We also have a<br />
fabulous selection of sculptures.”<br />
Artists which Maxine showcases include Ronnie Wood,<br />
Peter Smith, Alex Echo, Caroline Shotton, Sarah<br />
Graham, Paul Kenton, JJ Adams, Craig Davison,<br />
Hamish Blakely, Jeff Rowland and Richard Rowan.<br />
The gallery is open six days a week and welcomes<br />
everyone to come along and enjoy browsing the gallery<br />
in a relaxed atmosphere. For more details visit<br />
www.bluebirdfineart.co.uk<br />
48
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by 15,000 selected homes each month?<br />
15,000 COPIES OF J’AIME MAGAZINE<br />
ARE DELIVERED FREE OF CHARGE<br />
EACH MONTH TO SELECTED HOMES<br />
IN SUTTON COLDFIELD, LICHFIELD AND THE<br />
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COPIES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE FROM LOCAL<br />
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IF YOU DON’T LIVE IN THE AREAS THAT WE<br />
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Open: Mon - Sat 9.30am - 5pm. Sun 11am - 5pm.
LO CA L A R E A<br />
What’s on Second City<br />
A LOOK AT SOME OF THE BIGGEST AND BEST<br />
EVENTS TO COME TO BIRMINGHAM THIS MONTH<br />
WHAT: Cirque du<br />
Soleil presents OVO<br />
WHERE:<br />
Arena Birmingham<br />
WHEN:<br />
October 3 to 7<br />
Cirque du Soleil’s brand new UK arena tour, OVO, is a<br />
celebration of nature and co-existence which makes for a<br />
fun-filled production for the whole family.<br />
OVO, meaning ‘egg’ in Portuguese, is a headlong rush into<br />
a colourful ecosystem teeming with life, where insects work,<br />
eat, crawl, flutter, play, fight and look for love in a non-stop<br />
riot of energy and movement.<br />
When a mysterious egg appears in their midst, the insects<br />
are awestruck and intensely curious about this iconic object<br />
that represents the enigma and cycles of their lives. It is<br />
love at first sight when a gawky, quirky insect arrives in this<br />
bustling community and a fabulous ladybug catches his eye<br />
– and the feeling is mutual.<br />
Having thrilled more than five million people worldwide<br />
since the show premiered in Montreal in 2009 as a Big<br />
Top show, OVO embarks on a journey, offering the same<br />
captivating production as the Big Top performances, but<br />
on a larger scale. For more details visit<br />
www.arenabham.co.uk<br />
WHAT: War Horse<br />
WHERE: Birmingham<br />
Hippodrome<br />
WHEN: October 10<br />
to November 3<br />
Following eight recordbreaking<br />
years in<br />
London’s West End and having played in 11 countries<br />
around the world to over seven million people, the<br />
National Theatre’s acclaimed play War Horse returns to<br />
Birmingham Hippodrome this month.<br />
At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert’s<br />
beloved horse, is sold to the Cavalry and shipped to France.<br />
He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an<br />
extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding<br />
himself alone in no man’s land. Albert, who remained<br />
on his parents’ Devon farm, cannot forget Joey. Though<br />
still not old enough to enlist he embarks on a treacherous<br />
mission to find him and bring him home.<br />
Based on the beloved novel by Michael Morpurgo, War<br />
Horse is an unforgettable theatrical event which takes<br />
audiences on an extraordinary journey from the fields of<br />
rural Devon to the trenches of First World War France. For<br />
more details visit www.birminghamhippodrome.com<br />
WHAT: Sarah Millican - Control Enthusiast<br />
WHERE: Birmingham Symphony Hall<br />
WHEN: October 24 to 26<br />
Sarah Millican is not a control freak, she's a<br />
control enthusiast. She even controls her own<br />
insults, see? Do you arrange the nights out?<br />
Are you in charge of passports on holiday?<br />
Then so are you!<br />
Whether you’re sorting the tickets for this show<br />
or turning up when you’re told to, welcome.<br />
You’ll learn about Rescue Men, farting in<br />
hospital pants, what can happen at a bra<br />
fitting, the benefits of casserole, plus tips on<br />
how to talk to shop assistants and the correct<br />
way to eat a biscuit.<br />
Funny, frank and unapologetically filthy, this<br />
is Sarah Millican at her riotous best. For more<br />
details visit www.thsh.co.uk<br />
50
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products. Thanks<br />
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Suppliers of: Contura, Jotul, Gazco, Paragon, Scan, Town<br />
& Country Fires, ACR Heat Products and many more<br />
Installers and suppliers of gas fires, bespoke limestone<br />
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R E C L a M a T I O N<br />
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LO CA L A R E A<br />
Game for a laugh<br />
BIRMINGHAM IMPROV FESTIVAL RETURNS TO THE SECOND CITY THIS MONTH WITH<br />
A STELLAR LINE-UP OF COMEDY EVENTS - AND YOU COULD WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS TO<br />
ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT-AFTER SHOWS<br />
Tickets are now on sale for all performances at this<br />
year’s Birmingham Improv Festival which returns<br />
to the city for nine days offering the very best in<br />
improvisation from Friday October 26 to Saturday<br />
November 3.<br />
Now firmly on the festival map and included in this<br />
year’s ‘Best UK Comedy Festivals Worth Booking<br />
a Holiday For!’ on Tripadvisor, <strong>2018</strong> sees a range<br />
of performers visit the city from across the UK and<br />
internationally including New York, Edinburgh,<br />
London, Bristol, Ireland, Nottingham and many<br />
home-grown troupes from Birmingham – now seen<br />
as a seedbed for improv talent.<br />
Over the nine days audiences can expect a variety<br />
of themes and an abundance of made-up popular,<br />
hilarious, energetic and breaking-the-boundary<br />
performances featuring Star Wars, Shakespeare, Enid<br />
Blyton adventures, hip hop, Halloween spookiness,<br />
soap opera, musicals and more.<br />
Improvisation just wouldn’t exist without input from<br />
the audience. Each night audiences will be invited<br />
to throw out suggestions and themes to performers<br />
which will guide how the night will go – expect<br />
the unexpected, lots of laughs and a slight bit of<br />
madness!<br />
The festival, which celebrates its third year in the city,<br />
has proved a real hit with Birmingham audiences<br />
growing year on year. As well as the popular Blue<br />
Orange Theatre, who will be hosting the majority<br />
of performances, the festival is excited to welcome<br />
on board Birmingham Repertory Theatre as a new<br />
venue partner for <strong>2018</strong>.<br />
For full listings and to book tickets go to<br />
www.birminghamimprovfestival.com<br />
The competition<br />
To celebrate Birmingham REP coming on board for <strong>2018</strong> we have two tickets to giveaway to the Olivier<br />
Award winning Showstopper! The Improvised Musical. Spontaneous musical comedy at its absolute finest<br />
- direct from the West End and now heading to The REP. With ten years as an Edinburgh Fringe mustsee<br />
phenomenon, a BBC Radio 4 series, a critically acclaimed West End run and an Olivier Award to their<br />
name, The Showstoppers have delighted audiences across the globe with their ingenious blend of comedy,<br />
musical theatre and spontaneity. A brand-new musical comedy is created from scratch at each performance<br />
of this award-winning show which returns to Birmingham following a sell-out at the festival last year. Tickets<br />
are valid for the show on Saturday, November 3 at 7.45pm at the Birmingham REP Studio.<br />
To be in with a chance of winning, simply answer the following question:<br />
For how many years has Birmingham Improv Festival been running?<br />
Send your answer, along with with your name, email address and postcode by email to<br />
competitions@jaimemagazine.com with Birmingham Improv Festival competition as the email subject.<br />
Entries must be received by 5pm on Wednesday, October 24, and our winner will be notified by<br />
Friday, October 26. Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.jaimemagazine.com for further details.<br />
52
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J’AIME TO SELECTED HOMES IN YOXALL,<br />
BRANSTON AND CANNOCK ONCE A MONTH.<br />
MUST BE RELIABLE.<br />
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Quote ADJAIME25 on booking. Skin Allergy Test required 48 hours prior to colour appointment. Appointments are subject to availability.
FA S H I O N<br />
Seventies chic<br />
AUTUMN’S HOTTEST TRENDS TAKES A BLAST FROM THE PAST, AS THE SEVENTIES<br />
PROVIDE INSPIRATION FOR YOUR NEW SEASON WARDROBE, SAYS AMY NORBURY<br />
THE fashion time machine is in full force for<br />
AW18, and the decade most designers plundered<br />
this season? It was without doubt the Seventies,<br />
specifically the collars, coats and colours.<br />
Collars were long and sharp at Louis Vuitton and<br />
Chloé. Coats were big and fluffy (Vuitton again)<br />
or suede at Tory Burch and Coach, and the<br />
Seventies penchant for shearling and crochet was<br />
seen at designers all over the catwalks. A shearling<br />
aviator jacket, as seen at Chloé, is a super-luxe<br />
buy which will see you through the season and<br />
beyond.<br />
Fabrics play a key role in bringing the decade<br />
back to life and are an easy way to inject a<br />
little 1970s swing into your wardrobe. Rich,<br />
luxuriously soft velvets and corduroys come into<br />
their own, particularly for the trouser shape of<br />
the season - the kick flare. The silhouette most<br />
synonymous with the decade, the flare is quickly<br />
overtaking the drainpipe skinny as the style of<br />
choice. Cropped or to the ground, the mantra is<br />
the bigger, the better.<br />
There were some more literal takes on Seventies<br />
fashion on the AW18 runways, but the way it<br />
will affect your personal style is via colour. Hues<br />
of beige, mustard, chestnut were everywhere,<br />
particularly the cosy layers at Roksanda and Miu<br />
Miu, but it is brown in a full spectrum of shades<br />
which has proved to be the colour du jour.<br />
From Fendi's beige-and-chocolate monogrammed<br />
clothes and accessories through to Chloé's entire<br />
ode to every possible shade in this spectrum -<br />
often all worn within one look - it’s fair to say that<br />
brown is definitely the new black.<br />
If you want to add a little sex appeal to those<br />
sepia tones, don’t fret; those chestnut Chloé<br />
dresses, for instance, all come slashed to the waist.<br />
Look out for slashed necklines, raised hemlines<br />
and seriously sheer shirts to prove that chestnut,<br />
chocolate, tan and taupe are there to fawn over.<br />
CHECK COAT, £110,<br />
AND TINTED SHADES,<br />
£14, RIVER ISLAND<br />
54
TEDDY COAT, PRINCIPLES<br />
AT DEBENHAMS<br />
£795<br />
OCHRE JACQUARD BLOUSE,<br />
DOROTHY PERKINS<br />
£28<br />
£89<br />
M&S COLLECTION JUMPER,<br />
MARKS AND SPENCER<br />
JONATHAN SIMKHAI<br />
BURNT ORANGE SATIN<br />
MIDI DRESS,<br />
HARVEY NICHOLS<br />
FAITH BOOTS,<br />
DEBENHAMS<br />
£1,280<br />
£39.50<br />
FAYE MEDIUM LEATHER<br />
SHOULDER BAG, CHLOÉ<br />
AT HARVEY NICHOLS<br />
£120<br />
VELVET JUMPSUIT,<br />
£70, OASIS.<br />
M&S COLLECTION<br />
DRESS, £55,<br />
MARKS AND<br />
SPENCER<br />
CHUNKY YELLOW KNIT, £26, CHECK<br />
TROUSERS, £28, AND TEDDY BIKER<br />
JACKET, £55, DOROTHY PERKINS
FA S H I O N<br />
Fall in love with fashion<br />
JILL HARTLEY, CO-FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF NERO E BIANCO EXCLUSIVE FASHION AND BRIDAL<br />
BOUTIQUE AT BARTON MARINA, TAKES A LOOK AT SOME OF THIS SEASON’S HOTTEST TRENDS<br />
Summer sunshine has been amazing this year and<br />
while we’re sad to see the end of it, we are are getting<br />
rather excited about the fabulous trends coming<br />
through for cooler autumn days. As always, at Nero<br />
e Bianco our mission is to help women look amazing<br />
and feel empowered. So, looking at autumn colours<br />
and trends that are crucial to that end. Here’s a<br />
selection of styles and colours that will put you in the<br />
lead for on trend style in the coming months.<br />
Cut the mustard<br />
Mustard tones are perfect for the autumn and fine<br />
knits are versatile to wear casual over skirts, trousers<br />
and are the best transitional pieces. We’ve added<br />
detachable faux fur cuffs to add a little drama. The<br />
tulle skirt is one of our favourites, and this season we<br />
have added the embroidery with the autumn colours<br />
which we love. The ankle boot gives the look and<br />
edge, sassy and sophisticated comes together.<br />
Black magic<br />
Continuing with the mustard colour trend, this<br />
delicately embroidered top is an amazing piece to<br />
bring a simple black outfit up to date. The top can be<br />
worn elegantly with a black cami and black trousers;<br />
alternatively pop the top over a sleeveless plain black<br />
or mustard dress to completely change the look. This<br />
wouldn’t be out of place at any evening function.<br />
56
www.neroebianco.co.uk<br />
Nero e Bianco Exclusive Fashion & Bridal<br />
Barton Marina Burton upon Trent DE13 8AS<br />
01283 346704
Classic twist<br />
Camel coats will never go out of style, and we have<br />
brought a twist to that with this totally gorgeous<br />
trench. Simple but so effective, it will take you from<br />
day to night with ease. Here we have teamed with a<br />
stunning pencil skirt and top with a cheeky spot tulle<br />
trim - feminine with a sense of empowerment!<br />
Silver linings<br />
Metallics are a firm favourite on the catwalk this<br />
season. All the designers are working with metallic<br />
in some form, with silver being the top choice. So we<br />
have a fun silver metallic jacket that steps into this<br />
trend but remains elegant and charming. The jacket<br />
is the key piece here so no fuss is the way to wear it<br />
well. The ankle boots add another dimension and<br />
bring the outfit together - a totally modern look.<br />
58
アパート<br />
夀 䔀 䄀 刀 匀 伀 䘀<br />
䈀 䔀 匀 倀 伀 䬀 䔀 䘀 䤀 一 䔀 䨀 䔀 圀 䔀 䰀 䰀 䔀 刀 夀 ꀀ<br />
伀 渀 攀 漀 昀 琀 栀 攀 氀 愀 爀 最 攀 猀 琀 挀 漀 氀 氀 攀 挀 琀 椀 漀 渀 猀 漀 昀<br />
挀 漀 渀 琀 攀 洀 瀀 漀 爀 愀 爀 礀 ǻ 渀 攀 樀 攀 眀 攀 氀 氀 攀 爀 礀 椀 渀 琀 栀 攀 唀 䬀<br />
匀 瀀 攀 挀 椀 愀 氀 椀 猀 琀 猀 椀 渀 搀 攀 猀 椀 最 渀 椀 渀 最 愀 渀 搀 洀 愀 欀 椀 渀 最 Ⰰ<br />
爀 攀 洀 漀 搀 攀 氀 氀 椀 渀 最 愀 渀 搀 爀 攀 昀 甀 爀 戀 椀 猀 栀 椀 渀 最 昀 漀 爀 アパート 礀 攀 愀 爀 猀<br />
䄀 䰀 䰀 䔀 一 䈀 刀 伀 圀 一 䨀 䔀 圀 䔀 䰀 䰀 䔀 刀 夀<br />
䠀 攀 愀 爀 琀 漀 昀 吀 栀 攀 䌀 漀 甀 渀 琀 爀 礀 匀 栀 漀 瀀 瀀 椀 渀 最 嘀 椀 氀 氀 愀 最 攀<br />
匀 眀 椀 渀 昀 攀 渀 Ⰰ 䰀 椀 挀 栀 ǻ 攀 氀 搀 Ⰰ<br />
匀 琀 愀 昀 昀 漀 爀 搀 猀 栀 椀 爀 攀 圀 匀 㐀 㤀 儀 刀<br />
㔀 㐀 アパート 㐀 㠀 㤀 㐀 㠀<br />
眀 眀 眀 ⸀ 愀 氀 氀 攀 渀 戀 爀 漀 眀 渀 樀 攀 眀 攀 氀 氀 攀 爀 礀 ⸀ 挀 漀 ⸀ 甀 欀<br />
昀 椀 琀<br />
sophisticated<br />
URBAN SALONS<br />
£10 OFF<br />
A CUT AND FINISH<br />
FOR NEW CLIENTS<br />
sophisticated<br />
Lewis Moore Salons<br />
URBAN SALONS<br />
Sutton Coldfield<br />
4 Coleshill Street<br />
Sutton Coldfield<br />
Birmingham B72 1SD<br />
Phone: 0121 354 7907<br />
HALF PRICE<br />
Lewis Moore Salons<br />
Streetly<br />
41 Boundary Road<br />
Hundred Acre Estate<br />
Streetly<br />
West Midlands B74 2JR<br />
Phone: 0121 353 2875<br />
COLOUR<br />
T H R O U G H O U T<br />
JANUARY <strong>2018</strong><br />
WITH EVERY FULL PRICE CUT AND FINISH*<br />
www.lewismooresalons.co.uk<br />
Midlands Hairdresser<br />
of the Year<br />
WINNER 2010<br />
FINALIST 2014<br />
Lewi<br />
Lewis Moor<br />
Sutton Cold<br />
5 Coleshill St<br />
Sutton Coldf<br />
Birmingham B<br />
Phone: 0121<br />
Lewis Moor<br />
Streetly<br />
41 Boundary<br />
Hundred Acr<br />
Streetly<br />
West Midlan<br />
Phone: 0121<br />
www.lewism<br />
*Terms and conditions *Terms and apply. conditions A skin allergy apply. test will be required 48 hours prior<br />
A skin allergy test will be required 48 hours prior to any colour service.
CO M P E T I T I O N<br />
Good hair days<br />
LEWIS MOORE SALONS ARE CELEBRATING SUCCESS AT A NATIONAL LEVEL - AND ONE LUCKY<br />
READER WILL WIN A HAIR MAKEOVER BY THE TALENTED TEAM WORTH UP TO £150<br />
LEWIS Moore Salons is a group which<br />
has, for the last five years, shown that<br />
growth within independent businesses<br />
is still very much possible in the 21st<br />
century. From providing excellent<br />
customer service and beautiful hair<br />
within salon, to gracing the stage with<br />
quirky, artistic creation, and even<br />
receiving intentional recognition for<br />
what they do, it is safe to say that this<br />
team has had its hands full.<br />
Lewis Moore first started his business<br />
with his oldest salon in Sutton Coldfield<br />
with the premise of presenting quality<br />
and beautiful hair to the public. Due to<br />
this success he has since branched out to<br />
the local area of Streetly and Cannock,<br />
with the same strong ideas that good<br />
hair matters. As well as working within<br />
salon, Lewis has been fortunate enough<br />
to be taken around the world with his<br />
craft, teaching others and presenting<br />
his knowledge and representing<br />
British hairdressing. He has also been<br />
the prestigious winner of Midlands<br />
Hairdresser of the Year, as well as<br />
finalising multiple times.<br />
However, it is not just Lewis that carries<br />
achievement within the team. Within<br />
the last five years the Lewis Moore team<br />
has had regional finalists, and indeed<br />
two UK finalists, within the Wella Trend Vision<br />
hair competition, presented multiple times for the<br />
fellowship of British hairdressing and finalised for<br />
multiple competitions across the hairdressing industry.<br />
Lewis says: “Here at Lewis Moore Salons we strive<br />
constantly to achieve the highest in the hairdressing<br />
world, whether it be on the shop floor, on the stage or<br />
even in the industry’s most competitive competitions.<br />
“This year has been quite the celebration as we praise<br />
one of our best team players, Phillip Underhill. He<br />
has surpassed both ours and his wildest dreams in<br />
becoming a UK finalist in the Wella Trend Vision<br />
hair competition. Not only has he been whittled down<br />
to the Midlands final five, he is now competing to be<br />
the country’s best, with the help and support with all<br />
PHILLIP UNDERHILL,<br />
SALON DIRECTOR OF<br />
LEWIS MOORE STREETLY,<br />
HAS BEEN NAMED A UK<br />
FINALIST AT THE WELLA<br />
TREND VISION HAIR<br />
COMPETITION<br />
of us from the Lewis Moore team.”<br />
Phil joined the group 12 months ago as a senior stylist<br />
and from there he has bloomed. He has since moved<br />
to and is running the Lewis Moore Streetly salon<br />
as salon director, as well as all of his achievements<br />
outside of the group. From his amazing achievement<br />
in Wella Trend Vision, to being a finalist in the Wella<br />
Cult Team, his skills know no bounds. Even with<br />
more than 10 years’ experience in the industry, he<br />
is constantly working on his art to gain 100 per cent<br />
confidence in his clients and with his team mates with<br />
whatever endeavour he so chooses.<br />
For more details or to book an appointment call<br />
Lewis Moore Sutton Coldfield on 0121 354 7907,<br />
Lewis Moore Streetly on 0121 353 2875 or visit<br />
www.lewismooresalons.co.uk<br />
60
The competition<br />
J’AIME HAS TEAMED UP WITH LEWIS MOORE SALONS TO OFFER READERS THE CHANCE<br />
TO WIN A HAIR MAKEOVER WORTH UP TO £150. OUR LUCKY WINNER WILL RECEIVE A<br />
STYLISH NEW CUT AND COLOUR, COURTESY OF THE TALENTED LEWIS MOORE TEAM.<br />
FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN, SIMPLY ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:<br />
WHICH LEWIS MOORE TEAM MEMBER HAS BEEN NAMED A UK FINALIST IN THE<br />
WELLA TREND VISION HAIR COMPETITION?<br />
SEND YOUR ANSWER, ALONG WITH WITH YOUR NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS AND POSTCODE<br />
BY EMAIL TO COMPETITIONS@JAIMEMAGAZINE.COM WITH LEWIS MOORE SALONS<br />
COMPETITION AS THE EMAIL SUBJECT. ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY 5PM ON FRIDAY,<br />
<strong>OCTOBER</strong> 26, AND OUR WINNER WILL BE NOTIFIED BY WEDNESDAY, <strong>OCTOBER</strong> 31. TERMS<br />
AND CONDITIONS APPLY. VISIT WWW.JAIMEMAGAZINE.COM FOR FURTHER DETAILS.<br />
61
B E AU T Y<br />
Crowning glory<br />
GIVE YOUR BARNET SOME MUCH NEEDED TLC WITH OUR FAVOURITE HAIR-CARE ESSENTIALS FROM<br />
HARVEY NICHOLS BIRMINGHAM. FROM INTENSIVE TREATMENTS TO THE BEST DAILY-USE FORMULAS,<br />
LISA PIDDINGTON REVEALS THE MUST-HAVES THAT WILL OUTSHINE THE COMPETITION<br />
With its nutrient-rich blend of<br />
oceanic plant proteins, GHD<br />
Advanced Split End Therapy<br />
(£20) helps replenish, restore and<br />
protect overworked hair, bringing<br />
damaged ends back to life. It is<br />
activated by the heat of your styler,<br />
smoothing and replenishing for soft,<br />
sleek ends that shine.<br />
For when your locks need<br />
some loving, R+Co’s<br />
Skyline Dry Shampoo<br />
Powder (£32) is exactly<br />
what you need to get that<br />
fresh, elevated feeling.<br />
It dramatically refreshes<br />
second-day or postworkout<br />
hair in an<br />
instant.<br />
OUAI’s Rose Hair & Body Oil<br />
(£26) is a smoothing hair oil and<br />
hydrating moisturiser for top-to-toe<br />
gloss. A fusion of absinthium, Shea<br />
and rosehip oils work to nourish<br />
and protect strands, lock in moisture<br />
and give a radiant glow. The perfect<br />
multi-tasker for girls on the go.<br />
SHOW Beauty's<br />
rejuvenating Pure<br />
Treatment Elixir (£51)<br />
restores lustre and shine,<br />
leaving your hair strengthened<br />
and nourished. Dubbed “liquid<br />
gold” by beauty experts, argan<br />
oil penetrates the cuticle to<br />
strengthen and<br />
enhance elasticity<br />
of. And the bottle<br />
is worthy of any<br />
bathroom cabinet.<br />
Cloud Nine's<br />
Magical<br />
Quick Dry<br />
Portion<br />
(£19) helps to<br />
tame unmanageable locks<br />
for easier styling while<br />
strengthening weak ends.<br />
This little miracle reduces<br />
drying time by up to 50%,<br />
as well as providing heat<br />
protection, a weightless<br />
leave-in conditioner and a<br />
UV filter.<br />
Packed full of nourishing ingredients, Coco and Eve’s Like A<br />
Virgin Nourishing Coconut & Fig Hair Masque (£34.50)<br />
promises to strengthen, repair, tame, treat and condition. An<br />
Instagram favourite, it contains raw virgin coconut to prevent<br />
breakage while argan oil treats split ends and tames frizz.<br />
HAIR-CARE PRODUCTS FEATURED ARE AVAILABLE FROM THE BEAUTY HALL<br />
AT HARVEY NICHOLS BIRMINGHAM OR ONLINE AT HARVEYNICHOLS.COM.<br />
62
CO M P E T I T I O N<br />
A tranquil hideaway<br />
THE HART SPA IS A HIDDEN COUNTRYSIDE RETREAT WHERE YOU CAN EXPERIENCE THE ULTIMATE IN<br />
HOLISTIC RELAXATION - AND YOU COULD WIN A BESPOKE PAMPER PACKAGE WORTH UP TO £150<br />
Nestled amongst the plants and flowers, the Hart Spa is a<br />
holistic retreat based within the Coppice Garden Centre<br />
at Middleton. It’s a perfect location for a spa dedicated<br />
to natural wellness and wellbeing inspired by the best of<br />
nature combined with the results delivered by technology.<br />
J’AIME has teamed up with the Hart Spa to offer<br />
readers the chance to win an exclusive pamper package<br />
worth up to £150. The holistic experience will combine<br />
a full body treatment and facial with scalp massage, all<br />
carried out using bespoke products and tailored to the<br />
winner’s exact requirements.<br />
Founded by Monique Hart, the log cabin dry spa has<br />
been thoughtfully designed with light and spacious<br />
treatment rooms and coloured mood lighting, or<br />
chromotherapy, for a totally personalised experience.<br />
Chromotherapy is both incredibly calming and has<br />
amazing health benefits.<br />
The spa facilities include two treatment rooms, one of<br />
which is a magnificent double treatment room with a<br />
large wet room, two pedicure thrones with garden views<br />
and two manicure stations, as well as a boutique hair<br />
studio.<br />
The Hart Spa instils a sense of calm, wellbeing and<br />
serenity. The spa’s own signature candles are lit<br />
throughout the spa, hair studio and treatment rooms<br />
with a delicate and beautiful aroma, along with a regular<br />
spritz of the bespoke Bleeding Heart mist.<br />
Exclusive treatment experiences are carried out using<br />
the Hart Spa’s very own range of products. Created by<br />
owner Monique Hart using the very best ingredients,<br />
the spa’s products are certified organic. The signature<br />
products contain the hero ingredients of Bleeding Heart<br />
essence and hyaluronic acid blended with essential<br />
oils of lavender, rose, cedarwood and geranium, while<br />
new additions to the products include the uplifting and<br />
energising Joie de Vivre range and the therapeutic and<br />
serene Bonne Nuit. The products and scents used are<br />
personalised for each client to reflect their mood and<br />
aims of treatment, whether that is to be relaxed or<br />
energised.<br />
Holistic treatments such as Chinese fire cupping, hopi<br />
ear candles and lava shell massage are offered alongside<br />
results-driven technical facials using microdermabrasion<br />
and derma rollers, as well as essential maintenance<br />
treatments including waxing, St Tropez tanning,<br />
threading, lashes, brows and bespoke manicures and<br />
pedicures and, of course, hairdressing.<br />
If you’re not lucky enough to be our winner, you can<br />
take advantage of a special offer for all J’AIME readers<br />
and receive a fantastic 50 per cent off your first treatment<br />
at The Hart Spa. Dates and treatments are subject to<br />
availability and terms and conditions apply.<br />
For more details visit www.thehartspa.com or call<br />
0121 308 6052 to book your treatment.<br />
The competition<br />
J’AIME HAS TEAMED UP WITH THE HART SPA<br />
TO OFFER READERS THE CHANCE TO WIN A<br />
BESPOKE PAMPER PACKAGE WORTH UP TO £150.<br />
OUR LUCKY WINNER WILL EXPERIENCE A FULL<br />
BODY TREATMENT AND A RELAXING FACIAL WITH<br />
SCALP MASSAGE USING BESPOKE PRODUCTS.<br />
THE PACKAGE WILL BE TAILORED TO SUIT THE<br />
WINNER’S REQUIREMENTS.<br />
FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN THIS FANTASTIC<br />
PRIZE, SIMPLY ANSWER<br />
THE FOLLOWING QUESTION:<br />
WHERE IS THE HART SPA BASED?<br />
SEND YOUR ANSWER, ALONG WITH WITH YOUR<br />
NAME, EMAIL ADDRESS AND POSTCODE BY<br />
EMAIL TO COMPETITIONS@JAIMEMAGAZINE.COM<br />
WITH THE HART SPA COMPETITION AS THE EMAIL<br />
SUBJECT. ENTRIES MUST BE RECEIVED BY 5PM ON<br />
FRIDAY, <strong>OCTOBER</strong> 26, AND OUR WINNER WILL BE<br />
NOTIFIED BY WEDNESDAY, <strong>OCTOBER</strong> 31. TERMS<br />
AND CONDITIONS APPLY. VISIT<br />
WWW.JAIMEMAGAZINE.COM FOR FURTHER DETAILS.<br />
63
I N T H E N E W S<br />
A Mini adventure for charity<br />
A local businessman is undertaking an epic journey<br />
across Europe behind the wheel of a classic car to<br />
raise funds for a children’s charity.<br />
Scott Humphreys, managing director of Peppermill<br />
Interiors, is taking on The Italian Job at the end of<br />
October to raise money for children’s charity Buttle<br />
UK. Scott and his brother Brian, along with friends<br />
Dom and Ian are squeezing into two vintage Minis<br />
- one 1998 and one 1971 - and driving from the<br />
Midlands to Turin, Italy.<br />
The team will drive to France, via Dover, then on to<br />
Germany, Switzerland, and into Italy where they will<br />
begin The Italian Job 2019 in Imola with 50 to 100<br />
other Minis.<br />
The Minis and the trip are self-funded. Any money<br />
raised will go to support children in need throughout<br />
the UK, and Scott is hoping they will be able to<br />
reach their target of £20,000.<br />
Scott said: “We’ve set a steep target, but we’re<br />
confident that we can achieve it. The Italian Job<br />
event has been running since 1990 and has so far<br />
raised more than £2.5million for children’s charities,<br />
projects and foundations across the world. The<br />
money will go towards a worthy cause, and every<br />
penny donated is greatly appreciated.”<br />
Buttle UK provide essentials to children across the<br />
UK. As little as £10 will provide a swimming lesson<br />
for a child who needs an escape from witnessing<br />
domestic abuse, £150 will provide a bed for a child<br />
previously sleeping on the floor, and £1,000 will<br />
enable a student estranged from their family to<br />
study at college or university and help realise their<br />
aspirations.<br />
In a rerun of the famous 1969 film, the troop of<br />
Minis will spend the week travelling to various iconic<br />
destinations, including the Dino Ferrari racing circuit<br />
and the Lingotto rooftop track, as featured in the<br />
original movie. As part of the trip, the team will also<br />
be visiting a children’s home in Turin and are taking<br />
gifts with them to donate.<br />
If you would like to sponsor Scott, Brian, Dom and<br />
Ian, head over to their JustGiving page at www.<br />
justgiving.com/fundraising/scott-dom-the-italianjob.<br />
For a donation of £100+ businesses can have<br />
their logos displayed on one of the Minis; please<br />
contact aimee@peppermillinteriors.com for<br />
more information.<br />
The trip begins on October 27 and finishes on<br />
November 2; you can follow their progress in the<br />
lead up to, during, and after the trip on Peppermill<br />
Interiors’ blog page and on their social media<br />
channels.<br />
Buttle UK is a registered charity. To find out more<br />
visit www.buttleuk.org<br />
64
M OTO R S<br />
Life in the fast lane<br />
THIS MONTH, J’AIME’S MOTORING EXPERT AND RESIDENT RACING DRIVER MARTIN PLOWMAN<br />
TAKES A LOOK BACK AT HIS TIME RACING WITH ONE OF MOTORSPORT’S ALL-TIME GREATS<br />
The <strong>2018</strong> F1 battle between Ferrari and Mercedes,<br />
Hamilton and Vettel is what the sport has been<br />
craving for quite a while. Two four-time world<br />
champions going head to head.<br />
Love him or hate him, Lewis Hamilton will go down<br />
in history as one of greatest drivers of all time, if<br />
not the greatest - which pains me to say as an Ayrton<br />
Senna fan. Some of his performances this year, such<br />
as his qualifying lap at Singapore, will only help to<br />
cement his cult-like status as a driver.<br />
I was lucky enough to have seen Lewis in his very<br />
early years of racing and, for a short few years, even<br />
raced on the same kart team as him. Life for Lewis<br />
these days consists of private jets, fashion shows<br />
and VIP parties, yet life for Lewis wasn't always so<br />
glamorous. I fondly remember a very different time,<br />
travelling on hundreds of dreaded Ryanair flights<br />
with Lewis, but more on that later.<br />
Lewis is a couple of years older than me, and for<br />
the majority of my junior racing career he was in<br />
the next age-class above, so thankfully I never had<br />
to go up against him! That was with the exception<br />
of my very first year of racing at the tender age of<br />
eight. I had just completed my novice licence, and<br />
my parents entered me into a local club race at the<br />
Birmingham Wheels kart track. I was nervous and<br />
excited about my first big race without novice plates.<br />
There would even be some 'big' name drivers who<br />
raced in the British Championships there, including<br />
an 11-year-old kid called Lewis who had just been<br />
signed by Mclaren-Mercedes as a karting prodigy.<br />
The only time I overtook Lewis<br />
I knew the track very well as it was where I had<br />
learnt how to drive, but going up against some of the<br />
best under 12s in the country as an eight-year-old<br />
was daunting! Practice seemed to be going well, I was<br />
keeping up with the karts around me until one lap<br />
I was passed by the famous yellow helmet of Lewis.<br />
He instantly became a target for me, and I got my<br />
head down determined to race him! After a few laps<br />
of following him and learning his lines, I slowly got<br />
closer and closer until I slipped by on the straight<br />
to overtake him. The following lap I found myself<br />
2000 WAS THE YEAR<br />
MARTIN JOINED<br />
DINO’S KART TEAM<br />
AND THIS IS HOW<br />
HE REMEMBERS<br />
NICO AND LEWIS<br />
BEFORE THEY BOTH<br />
BECAME F1 WORLD<br />
CHAMPIONS AND<br />
REACHED SUPER-<br />
STARDOM<br />
face first in the tyre barrier. Apparently, 11-year-old<br />
super-stars in the making don't like being passed<br />
by scrawny eight-year-olds fresh off of their novice<br />
plates!<br />
Soon after the session was over, my on-track antics<br />
had attracted the curiosity of Lewis' father Anthony,<br />
who I presume had come to see the 'amazing talent'<br />
who had just passed his son. After eyeing my kart<br />
up and down and a few polite, inquisitive questions<br />
to my parents about how long I had been racing,<br />
he turned to my dad and said: "Do you realise that<br />
you have an 80cc Comer engine?" To clarify, the<br />
Cadet class in England for eight-to-11-year-olds<br />
used SIXTY cc Comer engines. The rest of Europe<br />
at that time used EIGHTY cc Engines. My dad<br />
had unknowingly been sold an illegal engine by<br />
some karting father con-artist who had offloaded an<br />
unusable engine to an unsuspecting novice karting<br />
parent. No wonder I passed Lewis; I had 25 per cent<br />
more power than the rest of the field!<br />
After that weekend, my parents stayed in contact<br />
with Anthony and our families becoming good<br />
friends. Over the years, Anthony became sort of<br />
a career advisor to me and my parents, helping us<br />
to navigate through the treacherous web of junior<br />
karting and helping us to make the right career<br />
moves up the motorsport ladder. Back in 2000, I<br />
had just won the British Open Championship in<br />
Formula Yamaha for 12-16-year-olds in my first<br />
65
year in the class. But the racing that year was pretty<br />
miserable as English karting was becoming rife<br />
with corruption, cheating and the overall driving<br />
standards were becoming dangerous, more akin to<br />
destruction derby with a lack of law and order from<br />
the race stewards. It's hard to believe, but as a family,<br />
we almost walked away from the sport entirely that<br />
year, so disillusioned by how bad things got. That<br />
was until Anthony called to convince my parents that<br />
sending me to race in Europe would be the best thing<br />
for me. The best young drivers in the world raced in<br />
Europe, so if I was to get ahead in the sport, I had to<br />
compete against the best.<br />
Ryanair flights and late night gelato<br />
Lewis was racing in the Senior karting World<br />
Championships at the time in a team run by karting<br />
guru Dino Chiesa, funded by Mclaren. Lewis' team<br />
mate was a kid called Nico Rosberg, son of 1985<br />
F1 World Champion Keke. Reluctantly my parents<br />
agreed. They were terrified as it meant I would be<br />
travelling more and more abroad, but also financially<br />
they had to work extra overtime to find the money to<br />
support that move, as sponsorship for 13-year-olds is<br />
next to impossible to find.<br />
My first year of racing in Europe involved weekly<br />
trips to Stansted airport with my dad, where we<br />
would meet Anthony and Lewis. I was not yet old<br />
enough to legally travel by myself so my dad would<br />
accompany me to Italy with Lewis to where Dino's<br />
karting team was based. Anthony, entrusting the care<br />
of his son to my dad, was to make sure that Lewis<br />
arrived at the hotel fed and in bed before 11pm to be<br />
ready for the big race weekend.<br />
I still remember the very first trip with my dad<br />
and Lewis like it was yesterday. Landing in Italy,<br />
we picked up the rental car armed with only<br />
printed directions. Portable sat-navs were not yet<br />
commonplace, so here we were in a foreign country,<br />
and little old me was given the task of following the<br />
instructions from four A4 pieces of paper. Needless<br />
LEWIS HAMILTON (1)<br />
DIRECTLY IN FRONT<br />
OF EIGHT-YEAR-OLD<br />
MARTIN (UNION JACK<br />
HELMET)<br />
LEWIS WAS WIDELY<br />
KNOWN AS A SUPER-<br />
STAR IN THE MAKING<br />
FROM DAY ONE<br />
to say, my dad was (and still is) hopeless at following<br />
directions and so we eventually set off on our way to<br />
the hotel in the 'Zona Industriale' in Padova. It was<br />
on that car trip that I learnt what a prostitute was,<br />
after Lewis and my dad had to awkwardly explain<br />
why I saw a dozen or more scantily-clad ladies<br />
standing on street corners of the industrial zone in<br />
the middle of winter. I had lived a very sheltered<br />
Church of England life until then!<br />
We finally got to the hotel after 11pm, tired and<br />
starving. Dozens of wrong turns, and with the help<br />
of some broken-English instructions from drunk<br />
locals at a bar, we made it. Since we got to the hotel<br />
so late, all of the restaurants had already shut up<br />
shop for the night. My dad had already failed to get<br />
Lewis in bed by 11pm and was about to fail at the<br />
feeding him (and me) part too! In a panic, he asked if<br />
there was anywhere open that served food. The lady<br />
at the reception replied that there was a gelateria<br />
open just down the road. The three of us trundled<br />
down the street in search of anything to get my dad<br />
out of trouble.<br />
And so we found the gelateria, neon lights<br />
shining like heaven's pearly gates - my dad<br />
would be saved. Pulling out all of the stops<br />
to put things right and make sure Lewis<br />
wouldn't grass to his father, my dad let us<br />
order literally anything we wanted from the<br />
store. Lewis' choice? A 2kg styrofoam bathtub<br />
of stracciatella gelato. We slowly walked our<br />
way back to the hotel eating our body weight<br />
in Italian ice cream. "This is the best dinner<br />
ever," exclaimed Lewis. "Don't you dare tell<br />
your Dad anything!" warned my dad.<br />
Thankfully Lewis went on to win that<br />
weekend, despite the extra kilo of ice cream<br />
he was carrying.<br />
66
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