February 2015 | Issue 2 | Priceless
The harcombe diet The truth about FAT
Pecan
CHICKEN 1
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THIS MONTH..
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, ealth h , y t u ni omm nd more c , s a pe Reci operties r p
FOOD AND DRINK
CHILDREN, PETS & EDUCATION
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Pecan Crusted Chicken Breast
...stuffed with roasted butternut squash and goats cheese served with a white wine and pancetta cream sauce. Deeeelish!
HOUSE AND GARDENS 8
Primroses
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Planning Matters
It won’t be long and these pretty signs that spring is springing will be appearing in our gardens!
Check out this months round up of planning applications in and around Gosport.
MOTORING 28
Toyota RAV 4
Tim Barnes-Clay says “Indeed, its all-wheel drive capability is more sophisticated than ever before”. Take a look at page 24 to find out why.
At the Circus
A full page of fun puzzles for the whole family to enjoy!
HEALTH, BEAUTY & LIFESTYLE 23
Health the Harcombe Way
Thought you knew about fats? Think again - let Zoe Harcombe give you some new insights.
BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL 14
The Savings Fountain
Martin Lewis gives us his top tips again this month.
COMMUNITY 19
Gosport Rugby Club
Get your kids involved too!
February issue 2015
BVD Publishing 01329 630630
Joint Editors Coralie Todd & Sean Middleton editor@bigvoicedirectories.co.uk
Advertising Sales sales@bigvoicedirectories.co.uk
Regular Contributors Martin Lewis, Holy Trinity Church, Tim Barnes-Clay, Anne Wilson
Distribution This Big Voice Bigazine is delivered to residents and businesses in Gosport, Elson and surrounding areas. For distribution enquiries please give us a call and speak to Sean. Four other editions are also published in Alverstoke, Stubbington & Hill Head, Lee on Solent and Whiteley, Titchfield Park and Burridge. Whilst Big Voice Directories aim to provide a quality publication for local reference, it cannot be held responsible for the services, reputation or cost of any of the advertisers, and content of adverts or editorial herein. Readers must make their own enquiries to establish the credentials of each entry. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without prior written permission from the Publishers. The magazines are produced on paper sourced from FSC approved paper mills and printed using vegetable based inks. They love being recycled but please pass to a friend first! Magazine, adverts, design, layout and content © Copyright BVD Publishing.
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“N
Smalalltalk Sm ltalk
ew year… New habits”
Whether it's forging new ones to enrich our lives or its creating ones to replace bad habits that are holding us back..... It's time to make a change. We recently came across these wise words in Huffpost and wanted to share them with you. Our minds and bodies are dependent on stimulants, actions and patterns that come to define who we are. Our habits are our security blankets, enveloping us in their consistent presence and comfort of familiarity. We do them unconsciously, sticking fingers and cigarettes in our mouths and cracking our knuckles only to find that we can’t remember when this habit began. Habits are not born, but created. Every bad, good or insignificant habit starts with a psychological pattern called a “habit loop.” The “habit loop” is a three-part process. The first step is the trigger that tells your brain to let a certain behavior unfold. The second step is the behavior itself, or the routine it creates. The third step is the reward, or “something that your brain likes that helps it remember the ‘habit loop’ in the future.” Once we’ve formed habits, they are hard to break because, many times, we forget we’re doing them. Because of the habit loop, we are able to do other things without thinking about our habit. If a habit does not include addictive additives or stimulants, which make the withdrawal and brain processes different, who’s to say it won’t take you 66 days to cut out all those nasty habits that have been overtaking your life? If you take the habit out of your life, the same way you put one into your life, you will find yourself free of the unconscious and, many times, detrimental patterns that habits cause. You could replace those old bad ones with new good ones. Instead of watching Netflix before bed, you make yourself read a book. Maybe instead of soda with dinner, you make yourself drink water for 66 days. The only way to solidify the end of an old habit or the birth of a new one is to celebrate it. Throw a party, have some champagne, shout it from your Coastal rooftop. Make a day of it or call up your friends and have a swanky dinner party. If it’s a habit people have been hoping you would break they will be more than willing to celebrate with you. Who knows, you can even make it a yearly tradition.
Coralie and Sean x
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PRIMROSE
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The primrose is a sign in the UK that spring is starting to sprung!
derives from the Latin word for ‘early’ so their name implies earliness.
Many varieties bloom in the spring or summer but the English Primrose makes a pretty choice for some winter colour, being one of the first perennials to bloom. Indeed the word Primula
Some species only have one flower per stem whilst others have dome shaped or rounded clusters of flowers on each stem. Most varieties need good drainage.
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Book Review Boa’s Bad Birthday by Jeanne Willis Illustrated by Tony Ross It was Boa’s birthday. All his friends came round to bring him presents so he was very excited. But as he started to open them it becomes apparent that his friends haven’t really thought about what he would like or indeed what might be suitable. Tony Ross’s illustrations are full of colour and movement (children will be familiar with his pictures from the Little Princess series) and older children will understand the absurdity of the situation Boa finds himself in. There’s also a nice moral to the story – that present you thought was awful might just turn out to be the best thing ever so always say thank you.
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Boa’s Bad Birthday
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P lanning Matters A monthly round up of planning applications submitted since 1 December 2014 mo y roun up an ng ap ons su nce r GOSPORT COUNCIL REF
LOCATION
PROPOSAL
STATUS
14/00612 131 Palmyra Road Erection Of Part Single Storey And Part Two Storey Rear Pending /FULL Gosport Hampshire Extension Consideration 14/00637 5 High Street Erection And Display Of 2 No. Internally Illuminated Pending /ADVT Gosport Hampshire Fascia Signs, 1 No. Internally Illuminated Projecting Sign Consideration 14/00619 Leesland C Of E /FULL Controlled Junior School Gordon Road Gosport Hampshire PO12
Erection Of Single Storey Day Nursery Building And Erection Of Acoustic Fence
Pending Consideration
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Have you got happy feet? We are looking for people who enjoy walking, come rain or shine, and who fancy earning some extra money by delivering the Big Voice Bigazine to their local community. If that’s you then give us a call on 01329 630630 ASAP and you might get first dibs on a round close to your home!
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OPERATION CYCLE SAFE Bikes continue to be stolen in the Borough. People with less expensive bikes can sometimes become complacent. Divisional commander, Chief Inspector Jim Pegler has deemed it to be one of the policing priorities for the area and appointed PC 3489 Celine Bowen (Gosport SNT) to take the lead in combating this issue, entitled ‘Operation Cycle Safe’. The aim is to target thieves and deal with them in a robust manner, in conjunction with raising awareness amongst cycle owners about the importance of adequate security measures. In the new year PC Bowen and her team aim to hold a number of events across the town, promoting Operation Cycle Safe. Dates and locations are yet to be confirmed. These events will entail the distribution of cycle safe packs containing information on ‘Immobilise’ (a website Hampshire police recommend for the registration of property), UV marker pens and stickers. It will also allow cycle owners the opportunity to purchase high quality cycle ‘D’ locks at a reduced price and have their cycles coded. Police urge people to ensure their property is kept secure at all times, including sheds and garages. Complacency is the number one issue in relation to burglary and theft. Once dates and locations are issued Gosport Neighbourhood Watch will advertise them on their facebook page and website.
Don’t forget to follow us on
www.gosportnhw.co.uk Tel: 023 92583637 To contact the Police phone 101 or in an emergency 999 15
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Naturally good.. Pecan crusted chicken breast stuffed with roasted butternut squash and goats cheese served with a white wine and pancetta cream sauce 1. Pre heat the oven to 380F/180c.
Ingredients for 4 servings: For the stuffed chicken 4 chicken breasts 170g butternut squash (peeled and diced) 1 tbsp freshly chopped thyme 100g soft goats cheese Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 250g toasted pecans, finely chopped 3 free range eggs, beaten 50ml olive oil For the sauce ¼ white onion (finely diced) 4 slices of pancetta or smoked streaky bacon, chopped 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme 1 clove garlic, crushed 180 ml double cream 120 ml dry white wine 4 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
2. Place the butternut squash onto a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place into the oven to bake until cooked through and starting to turn golden brown; this should take approximately 15 to 20 minutes. 3. Using a small knife, make an incision into the side of each chicken breast. Move the knife around horizontally inside the breast to create a pocket for the filling. Try to keep the incision no wider than an inch in length to keep the filling from spilling out when cooking. 4. Fill each breast with equal amounts of goats cheese and butternut squash by pushing them through the incision. Close the incision with a cocktail skewer. Save some roasted butternut squash to garnish the tops of the chicken breasts when they are cooked. 5. Sprinkle each filled breast with the chopped thyme and season generously with sea salt and black pepper. 6. To prepare the pecans take whole pecans and pulse them in a food processor until they resemble course breadcrumbs. 7. Beat the eggs with ¼ tsp of salt (which helps to break down the egg making it easier to dip the chicken in) and place the chopped pecans into a bowl. Then dip each cutlet into the egg mixture and then the pecans and make sure they are well coated. 8. Place the chicken breasts onto a tray drizzled with olive oil and then drizzle each breast generously with more olive oil and season once more. Place into the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown. 9. Garnish the escallops with the remaining caramelized onions and freshly chopped parsley, don’t forget to remove the cocktail skewers before serving! 10. To make the sauce start by sautéing the pancetta or bacon until crispy and then add the onions and cook through until softened. At this point add the garlic and thyme and continue to cook for another minute to release the flavors. 11. Add the white wine and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until almost all of the wine has evaporated. Then add the cream, parmesan and seasoning. Continue to simmer gently for 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
12. To serve, place each chicken breast onto a serving plate (don’t forget to remove the cocktail skewer) and spoon over the sauce. Top with some of the remaining butternut squash Ryan Turner, real food and low-carb and some roughly chopped pecans and a sprinkle of parsley. chef - www.thefoodbible.com
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Health
the Harcombe Way
The truth about fat
5) Dietary advisers don't know their fats from their elbow! How often are we told to consume olive oil and to avoid red meat? Olive oil is pure fat – it contains no water, protein or carbohydrate. In 100g of olive oil 73g is monounsaturated fat, 14g is saturated and 11g is polyunsaturated (trace elements make up the rest). Pork is 75g water, 21g protein, 1.8g monounsaturated fat, 1.5g saturated and 0.5g polyunsaturated fat. So, olive oil has 25 4) Only one food group contains more times the total fat of pork and over 9 times the saturated fat content. Bet saturated than unsaturated fat Dairy products are the only food group you didn't know that! with more saturated than unsaturated We are told to eat oily fish and avoid red meat. Mackerel has twice the fat. Meat, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds and even lard – all have more unsaturated overall fat of sirloin steak and one and than saturated fat. Not that any real fat a half times the saturated fat. 1) Fat is utterly life vital is better or worse than any other, but There are three fats: saturated; 6) Fat has not made us fat just to set the record straight. monounsaturated and The average UK person consumed polyunsaturated. We would die 51.7g per person per day of saturated If you think that Mother Nature is without these fats and we must fat in 1975 and 28.1g in 1999. Intake of trying to kill you – by all means avoid consume them in our diet. Fat provides dairy produce. But you have no reason all fat, butter, meat, whole milk and the two essential fats (omega-3 and to avoid any other real food – offal, red eggs fell. Dramatically in some cases – omega-6) and the four fat soluble meat, seafood, eggs etc. And you had the UK eats half the number of eggs vitamins A, D, E and K. From eyesight to better eat over 200g of fish (with that we used to and one fifth of the bone density to cell viability to blood bones) daily (or 39 eggs!) to get just the butter and whole milk. During this time health – every fat soluble vitamin is obesity increased from 2.7% for men vitamin D, let alone the calcium and and women in 1972 to 22.6% for men utterly vital for our survival. phosphorus, so vital for bone health. and 25.8% for women in 1999 – almost a tenfold increase in obesity, as 2) We need to eat more fat The UK government’s own data saturated fat intake all but halved. confirms that we are dangerously deficient in fat soluble vitamins. The UK 7) Saturated fat has never even been Recommended Daily Allowances on trial (RDAs) are inexplicably low compared In the 1984 document that first to American nutritional standards. The demonised saturated fat, the following average UK citizen is getting 2.78mcg confession is made: “There has been no controlled clinical trial of the effect of (micrograms) of vitamin D from household food. The UK RDA is a paltry decreasing dietary intake of saturated 5mcg. The USA upgraded their RDA fatty acids on the incidence of coronary from 10mcg to 15mcg in 2011. Hence heart disease nor is it likely that such a UK citizens are getting half the UK trial will be undertaken.” requirement for vitamin D, or one sixth They may be even more astonished to of a much wiser minimum. It’s no know that the trial has still not been wonder that the UK has seen a redone nearly 30 years later. The UK emergence of rickets in children. Food Standards Agency admitted in 2009: “The ideal controlled dietary trial for prevention of heart disease has not 3) Every food that contains fat contains all three fats... yet been done and it is unlikely ever to be done.” ... there are no exceptions. Meat, fish, Thirty years ago we demonised ‘fat’ – saturated fat especially. Only it wasn’t fat that we demonised. We called biscuits, cakes, confectionery, crisps, ice cream, pastries, pies, savoury snacks etc “saturated fat”. They are, of course, junk food; predominantly carbohydrate and, perhaps surprisingly, invariably containing more unsaturated than saturated fat. Nutritional gold mines – meat and dairy products – were put on the same list, rather like lumping Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker together. They could not be more different. So let’s state some facts about fat and I mean real fat – not processed food or carbohydrates or anything else that we have got terribly wrong...
eggs, dairy products, avocados, oils, nuts and seeds – all of these foods contain all three fats – saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. The only thing that varies is the proportion of each fat. It is therefore impossible to avoid one fat and consume another. This alone makes nonsense of the idea that saturated fat is bad and unsaturated fat is good – why would they always be found together, without exception?
“It is impossible to avoid one fat and consume another”
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Common sense should tell you that the experiment doesn’t need to be done. Nature didn’t provide food, containing all the essential fats, protein, vitamins and minerals that we need for survival and then lob in something harmful at the same time. Will biscuits, cakes, confectionery, pastries etc make you fat and sick? I have no doubt. But they are not fats – they are junk food carbohydrates. If you think that 60% of the few grams of fat in your steak are trying to save you while the other 40% is trying to kill you – may the force be with you!
Zoë’s books (“Stop Counting Calories & Start Losing Weight”, “The Harcombe Diet Recipe Book”, “The Harcombe Diet For Men”, Why do you overeat? When all you want is to be slim” and “The Obesity Epidemic: What caused it? How can we stop it”) are published by Columbus Publishing Ltd and are available: on Amazon; in all good book shops and online at www.theharcombedietclub.com Zoë writes regularly on her blog at www.zoeharcombe.com
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Use the savings fountain to boost your savings Savings rates are spit-worthily low; but it could get even worse as the UK base rate doesn't look likely to rise till late 2015 and 'swap rates' which influence fixed saving rates - have plummeted recently. Yet there are weapons in a saver's arsenal - most don't use them, it’s time to change that. As an aside, before you start saving, do pay off any expensive debts, as they’re costing you more than saving will pay you. This is often true for mortgage too – read my full www.mse.me/mortgageoverpay guide to see if it’s worth it. My savings fountain is designed to maximise your interest on every penny of your cash. It works because different types of savings have different rules on how much you can put in and when. Think of it like a champagne fountain put your cash into the best-paying savings vehicle possible, then when that's full and overflowing, fill up the next best, and so on. The top tier... earn up to 5% easy-access via 'bank account' savings. Some bank accounts' incredit rates now smash easy access savings accounts and ISAs. They're done as a loss leader to entice new banking customers - yet if you're prepared to switch account, you gain. Aim to cover
Martin Lewis @MoneySavingExpert
as much as possible at decent rates. - Earn 3% AER on £3,000-£20,000: With the www.santander.co.uk 123 account. There's a £2/mth fee, but this is usually more than covered as it also pays cashback on bills. - Earn 4% AER on £4,000-£5,000: With the www.lloydsbank.com Club bank account. - Earn 5% AER for a year on £2,500: With the www.nationwide.co.uk FlexDirect account. - Earn 5% AER on up to £2,000: With the www.tsb.co.uk/ Classic Plus bank account.
Saver pays 3.05% AER variable if you pay in £50 to £250 every month for a year. Got more? Pour it into a cash ISA 2.6% tax-free with access. Cash ISAs are just savings accounts where the interest isn't taxed (so you keep all of it). Anyone over 16 in the UK can put up to £15,000 in an ISA each tax year (6 April - 5 April) and once in, it stays tax-free year after year.
With fixed-rate cash ISAs, unlike normal savings, you can access the Next trickle into regular savings... save monthly cash within the to earn up to 6%. Regular savings accounts term - though often pay high interest as it's only on a small you'll lose some amount for a short time. While the top rate's interest in slightly more than bank accounts, because you penalties. Yet even need to put cash in each month, you'd need to if you withdraw trickle it across from your top savings account early, these can anyway - hence why it's second. still be winners. - Bank linked 6% regular savings. If you’re a First Direct bank customer, it offers a linked regular savings account at 6% AER fixed for a year - you need to put £25-£300 in per month and can vary that each month. The Lloyds current account has a similar linked account at 4%. - Anyone can earn 3.05%. The www.leedsbuildingsociety.co.uk Regular
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Auto biographies Toyota RAV 4 production volumes had to be doubled. To begin with, it was available only as a three-door with a 2.0litre petrol engine and either fivespeed manual or four-speed automatic transmission. Measuring just 3.96m long (little more than today’s Toyota Yaris), it was unlike anything else at the time.
FAST FACTS
PROS ‘N’ CONS
Max speed: 115mph
Max. power (bhp): 148 at 3600 rpm
CO2: 176 g/km
0-62 mph: 10.0 secs Combined mpg: 42.2 Engine: 2231cc 4 cylinder 16valve turbo diesel
Spacious √ Punchy √ Grip √ Driving Position √ Dated Interior X
Max. torque (Ib/ft): 250 at 2800 rpm Price: £29,305 on the road
The 1994 Geneva motor show signalled the arrival of a new kind of vehicle, one that would revolutionize the world motor market. At the time few people could have predicted the effect the Toyota RAV4 would make. The initial ecreational Activity Vehicle with 4-wheel drive (hence RAV4) opened up a new sector for compact, manoeuvrable sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Toyota had unpresumptuous aspirations for its new car, expecting worldwide sales of only around 4,500 models. When 8,000 orders swamped the Japanese automaker in the first four weeks alone,
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The public had an appetite for the new kid on the block, however, and in 1995 RAV4’s first full year on sale – almost 6,800 were sold, quickly establishing it as the fourth best-selling car in Toyota’s 14-strong British lineup. Twenty years on, and the RAV4 is almost unrecognisable. That’s because the compact SUV marketplace has evolved and matured in line with customers’ changing requirements and preferences.
manoeuvrability, ease of access, lofty view of the road ahead, ingenious packaging, versatility and reassuring capability, even when the going gets tough. As a result, 2014’s RAV4 points towards an even stronger focus on family use. The result is a car that is more refined with better exterior styling, a more airy cabin and loadspace, greater comfort and higher levels of safety. The only drawback with the current RAV4 is the old-fashioned interior. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a major issue – but it is noticeable all the same. The car is undoubtedly luxurious, especially in ‘Invincible’ 2.2 D4D Auto guise, but the cabin still looks at least a decade old. It’s not poor quality or anything. In fact it all looks very hard-wearing. It’s mainly the switchgear that looks really dated.
Behind the wheel, much of that is forgotten once the pure pleasure of driving takes over. The RAV4 is smooth and gracefully punchy. Generally speaking, two decades ago, this type of car was regarded as Indeed, its all-wheel drive capability a substitute to sporty hatchbacks and is more sophisticated than ever before. coupes. Today its popularity is among families wanting a more fun Toyota’s Integrated Active Drive car over multi-purpose vehicles (MPVs) and estates. System has been developed to offer a more engaging “sport” mode, with gadgetry to automatically adjust the Over the years, Toyota has worked hard to keep the model firmly at the amount of twisting power distributed between the front and rear axles. heart of its segment, without forfeiting the entertaining-to-drive It’s easy to see why the RAV4 was, quality that defined the original and is, such a hit. It is undoubtedly thanks to this car that the SUV RAV4. market developed from a niche to become a vital feature of the When it came to creating the latest motoring majority. model, Toyota talked to existing RAV4 customers around the globe to understand what was best about their car. They named its
By Tim Barnes-Clay, Motoring Writer
www.carwriteups.co.uk
P uzzle Answers Answers
SUDOKU
@carwriteups
KIDS PAGE
February 2015
HONEYCOMB
WORDSEARCH
CROSSWORD
STEP ON IT
SCRAMBLE
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Crossword
Across 8 Travel in a wind-driven boat (4) 9 Tied (5) 10 Flesh from animals (4) 11 Signal with a flag (6) 12 Plentiful (8) 13 Tame (8) 15 The circle of colour around a nipple (6) 17 Like a phantom (7) 19 Engraving (7) 22 An obvious truth (6) 24 Planning (8) 26 A large arboreal boa (8) 28 An affront (6) 30 Weight-loss program (4) 31 Submarine (5) 32 A language of Pakistan and India (4)
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Down 1 City in Italy (4) 2 Without fault or blemish (8) 3 Plague (6) 4 Rub (7) 5 A military assistant (8) 6 A tiny amount (6) 7 Sound an alarm (4) 14 Different (5) 16 Cloth made from flax (5) 18 Radiant (8) 20 Characteristic of country life (8) 21 Swordfish (7) 23 Motivate or prod (6) 25 Machines for lifting heavy objects (6) 27 French for "Black" (4) 29 Ore deposit (4)
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