Big Voice in Stubbington March 2015 by Big Voice Directories

March 2015 | Issue 3 | Priceless

apricot F lan de de queso Body brushing

Mitsubishi Outlander

THIS MONTH..

624 h, healt , y t i un e comm and mor , s e p s i Rec opertie pr

FOOD AND DRINK

BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL

Apricot and passion fruit...

...flan de queso with spiced, roasted pears. A perfect dish to complete a meal on a cold, frosty Sunday!

HOUSE AND GARDENS 14

Planning Matters

Check out this months round up of planning applications in and around Stubbington.

MOTORING 6

Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

Another fabulous review by Tim Barnes-Clay on a great family car that’s worth a read up on.

CHILDREN, PETS & EDUCATION 27

Sensei Says

Sensei Rob Wood looks at what you should look for when considering which dojo to train in.

Martins Money Tips

Some canny advice fro Mr Lewis as he shows us how to get cheaper car insurance.

COMMUNITY 17

Mother’s Day in Hampshire

Gosport Rugby Club

Things to do with your mummies across the area on Mothering Sunday.

Loads of kids from Stubbington enjoy this amazing activity - take a look and get yours involved too!

If you’ve got a local Good News story we’d love to hear about it! Whether it’s kindly friends or neighbours going out of their way to help each other, children doing fab activities that make them smile, winning awards or just doing a good turn we’d love to know! Email your stories to us at editor@bigvoicedirectories.co.uk

march 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, Amy Levin, Tim Barnes-Clay, Anne Wilson

Distribution This Big Voice Bigazine is delivered to residents and businesses in Stubbington & Hill Head. For distribution enquiries please give us a call and speak to Sean. Four other editions are also published in Alverstoke, Gosport, 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.

“I

Smalalltalk Sm ltalk

t’s snowing still... … said Eeyore gloomily

“and freezing”. But what’s not to love about the snow? Sean and I got super excited because, on the day of the Big Cover Selection for the magazines (which is always a fun day in the office because I always pick the covers and Sean has to agree with them) it started snowing. So we grabbed the camera, woolly hats and boots and after we dropped the kids off at school started our mission to get a fabulous snowy picture. First stop was Whiteley. What a beautiful blanket of white, strewn across the fields, the golf course and even settling on the roads so you couldn’t see that nasty streak of black spoiling our pictures. Then we dashed back to Stubbington to get the next batch of shots. Well, we might as well have popped to another country because where was all the snow? There was a rather miserable smattering on the grass in the village which by this time resembled a load of tissue that had gone through the washing machine in one of our kids pockets and not a lot else to show for the wintry skies that morning. So we resorted to a rather pleasant, albeit unsnowy picture of a route we take every day on our way to school. Hopefully you’ll all recognise it and if not, take a walk out to find the path and look out for the carved tree! Until next month, much love

Coralie and Sean x Advertise with us! Reliably delivered by our local teams, reaching over 25000 homes each issue, five editions of Big Voice provide exceptional monthly coverage of our area every single month. Call our friendly team now on 01329 630630, jump on our website and have a chat or link up with us on Facebook. Visit our Facebook page Big Voice Directories

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Auto biographies Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV drain to less than 30 per cent of its charge, a 2.0-litre petrol engine kicks in to life. It acts as a generator to help the PHEV accomplish a total driving range of approximately 500 miles on a full tank.

average, so at least there’s plenty of clarity in the quiet cabin.

The Outlander PHEV isn’t rapid from a standing start, but tremendous pulling The Outlander PHEV is also the power makes up for it once most fuel efficient four-wheel you get going. Initial drive. That’s astounding for a acceleration suffers simply family-size car that tips the scales because of the heavy jumble at a bulky 1810kg, and seats five. of battery and electric motors that the standard As a global first, the Outlander Outlander doesn’t possess. FAST FACTS PROS ‘N’ CONS PHEV also has no direct Cheap to run √ adversary. The closest is the When you need to recharge  Max speed: 106mph Pulling power √ Lexus RX450h, though it can’t be on the move, all you need to 0-62 mph: 11 secs  recharged via a powerpoint and do is hit the ‘Charge’ switch Lots of kit √  Combined mpg: 148.7 cannot run on electricity alone. behind the joystick, which fires up  Engine: 2.0 litre petrol plus two Safe √ the four-cylinder engine to replenish electric motors Initial acceleration X Befitting its first-class status in the battery. A single charge via a  Max. power (bhp): 119 at 4500 rpm the Outlander range, the PHEV is powerpoint takes five hours, which  Max. torque (Ib/ft): 140 at 4500 very well stacked with kit. It has could cost you next to nothing rpm 18 inch alloy wheels, duskdepending on the hours you choose  CO2: 44 g/km sensing auto headlamps, touchto plug in to the grid.  Price: £40,054 on the road screen with satellite navigation and reversing camera, climate Inside, it’s pretty much standard control, parking sensors and seven Outlander layout apart from the The Mitsubishi PHEV may look like a airbags. joystick-style gearstick and electric normal Outlander, but hiding behind charging buttons. The tachometer the mask is the most technologically The flagship GX4hs was driven for has also been replaced by a power advanced Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) this review and the model comes meter, which shows when you’re with additional features such as on the car market. charging-up the battery, using the adaptive cruise control and lane battery, or running the engine. ‘PHEV’ stands for Plug-in Hybrid departure warning. The latter squeals at you if it detects you’ve Electric Vehicle. It means the SUV Behind the wheel, body control is drifted across the road’s white can be fed by electricity from a good for an SUV of this weight as the domestic socket to power electric dividing lines. Outlander PHEV profits from motors that are supported by a Mitsubishi’s Super All-Wheel Control If you’re used to a standard car, it’s petrol engine. (S-AWC). This is a system that going to be a peculiar experience the ensures maximum stability when first time you gently push the Two electric motors drive the front cornering. gearstick over to the right into ‘D’ and rear axle separately while and drive off in silence. Even sharp batteries allow electricity-only Indeed, for its green, yet powerful driving at up to 75mph. Beyond that jabs of the throttle produce the same talents, Mitsubishi’s PHEV is an SUV amount of hush, though that has its that many British families will take to pace, or should the battery pack rewards – the audio unit is only their hearts.

By Tim Barnes-Clay, Motoring Writer

www.carwriteups.co.uk

@carwriteups

P uzzle Answers Answers March 2015

KIDS PAGE

WORDSEARCH

Remarkable relationships Follow your heart Your mind will follow!

Have you ever wondered why the decisions you made a while no longer seem right? There is a good reason for this. The decisions we make at 23 are made with a 23 year olds perspective and mind, and life experience. What was right for us then isn’t necessarily right for us as we get older in life. Problem is that sometimes we try to hang onto what we have created. Why? Because it is too scary to ‘start again’.

is to see that it is not about getting all these things yesterday, but just as the previous ten years were about creating our life up to now; the next ten years can evolve and include all the things we want.

The first step is to start allowing yourself to see these missing bits of you and what you have denied yourself. To really touch in with your It is about starting somewhere – even with a small step. The first step heart and find out what it longs for. is to learn about yourself a bit better. And then to start moving towards creating that for yourself in your life. Try out a few things that shift how you see yourself and your world. Be As I said to a client recently – don’t kind to yourself so the world can be wait for your head and ego to say yes to what your heart wants – follow kind to you. It will help soften the your heart now and let your mind ground for new things to come into your life. We can soften the ground and ego catch up! to receive whatever we want by beginning to give it to ourselves first.

So how about instead of seeing it as starting again – seeing it as moving forward. Learning from our life experience and letting go of what we If it is your career you could begin by don’t want and refining and putting just allowing yourself to think big in place what we do want. Finally about what you’d like or even simply listening to our heart. admit to yourself once and for all that you have no heart in your job I was recently working with a client and you have to take that who wanted to review the past ten courageous step to find out what years and focus the next ten. What your true passions are in life. To do was interesting about our that you do need to learn more conversation was that as many about yourself. people do, she had not acknowledged the things she had done and only focused on the things How well do you know yourself? she hadn’t. So using this as a starting What are you wanting in your life? point it was good to actually list out Are you giving it to yourself? and acknowledge the things she had Are you even letting yourself know achieved. And then, as with all good what you truly want – especially if it means changing your life? foundations, build upon them. Once we know what we do not want it is much easier to discover what we do. Looking back can be useful as we begin to see what was missing and what we would really like to have in our life from now on. The next part

don’t know’ to be an answer because the consequence of knowing is too scary.

So many people have that crisis of realising that they are not living the life they want, or even maybe just part of their life is not as they’d like, and then they bury the feeling for fear of what it means. They allow ‘I

Jessica McGregor Johnson, an international speaker, guide & mentor and author of “The Right T-Shirt, Write Your Own Rules and Live the Life You Want” and “Remembering Perfection – Everyday Inspiration for Living Your Spiritually”. She helps people who are at a crossroads in their life, knowing that there must be more meaning than they currently feel, discover themselves anew, identify their true passions, and live them, whether it be in their work or personal life. You can read the first two chapter of her book here http:// www.jessicamcgregorjohnson.com

Health Boss DRY SKIN BRUSHING THE FAST EFFECTIVE MORNING DETOX This is nothing new. The Japanese and Scandinavians have been doing it for decades and it’s a well know Ayurvedic cleansing philosophy. A simple, fast, and uber effective daily detoxification technique, that helps the body inside and out. Dry skin brushing is the perfect start to your busy day.

3. Cleans the pores of the skin so they can absorb more oxygen and essential nutrients Strengthens the Immune system… under stress? You need this. 4. It stimulates nerve endings in the skin to revive out nervous system

How to incorporate it into your daily life: If you only get 5 minutes to yourself, Select a natural fiber body brush. this is the best way to spend it. Prior to your morning cleanse i.e. bath, shower, steam, sauna brush Top 5 health benefits: your whole body using long stroking 1. Stimulates the skin to increase movements in the direction of your blood circulation and rejuvenate heart. You want to follow the cells, for better muscle tone and pathway of the lymphatic system. distribution of fat deposits Work left to right, lower body to 2. Detoxifies the body by stimulating upper body, feet, legs, hands, arms, the lymphatic system to eliminate back, stomach (use a clockwise toxins circular motion here to follow the

movement of your digestive system), chest, then neck. Pay particular attention to the areas of the major lymph nodes: groin, under arms, base of neck. Use light pressure in more sensitive areas and avoid broken or sensitive skin areas. After 3-5 minutes follow with a bath or shower. It is now the perfect time to moisturize. For a super immune boost brush twice a day and for longer intervals. Don’t under estimate your skins role in daily detoxification. Kristin is based in sunny Australia and is the creator of Health Boss and designer of Salad As The Main Meal. She shares her expertise on how you can become your own health boss whilst living a high-paced, time poor lifestyle. She is a firm believer that despite how successful you are, you will never truly feel it unless you have the health to match it.

Car Insurance

Martin Lewis @MoneySavingExpert

Car insurance prices have fallen 40% over the past two years, according to the AA. But with a rise in fraudulent claims, its latest index predicts an increase of up to 8% in 2015; others think 10% is possible. So to help you drive down costs, let me answer your most common questions…

cover the same insurers, so combining a number of sites is the best way to really make a meaningful saving. My current top picks for a typical driver are www.moneysupermarket.com, www.confused.com, and www.comparethemarket.com Check insurers that comparisons miss. Q. Is this only something you can do if Comparison sites let you compare 100s of you’re at renewal? insurers quickly but they don’t capture A. No, everyone should be checking their the entire market. The biggies, including price right now, even if you only signed up Aviva, www.directline.com and to a new deal a few months ago. Unless www.zurich.co.uk only offer their you’ve claimed, you can usually cancel a products directly. policy for a fee of around £50 and get a More than one car at home? Comparison refund for the rest of the year (though sites can only cope with one car at once you won’t earn no claims for that so don’t include multi-car year). It’s worth checking if it’s worth it. discounts. Therefore you should always manually check those that offer it. The big Q. My renewal’s only six weeks away, one is www.admiral.com multi-car, but should I just wait? www.churchill.com, www.directline.com A. It’s likely if you did try and cancel and and www.privilege.com also offer it. I’m get a new policy now, the cancellation fee not saying they’ll win, but that you should will diminish any savings – so that’s a bit check. futile. Yet there is another trick – Difficult to insure? Use a broker. If you’ve www.aviva.co.uk, www.postoffice.co.uk difficult circumstances (eg, past bans or and www.lv.com quotes last 60 days, so big accidents) that make getting insurance why not grab them now and you’re difficult, a comparison site is less likely to effectively locking in those prices in case help as these are mainly focused on they rise in the meantime. ‘normal’ policies. You may be better off finding a local Q. Are the savings that great? Can’t you broker - see the British Insurance Brokers’ just auto-renew? Association website (www.biba.org.uk), as A. Never just auto-renew without these can sometimes find a cheaper deal checking elsewhere, often it just lets for you. insurers smack a price rise on you, as it knows apathy means many will keep Q. So it’s all pretty paying more and more. straightforward? I’m not saying auto-renewing will never A. Ah if only. Common-sense be your cheapest option just that it should doesn't always do the job… never be done without checking and - Third party's not always comparing elsewhere first. cheapest. Merely selecting Q. So it’s just a question of getting on a comprehensive makes some comparison site? insurers see you as a lower risk. A. That’s the route many use, but there So always check both. are steps to really kick it up. It’s important - Adding a responsible second to understand that there’s no one driver can cut your costs. This cheapest provider, so it’s a case of can bring down your risk following a system. average and price ― of course, it must be someone who may Never just do one comparison, you need a drive your car. As Mazzyb5 benchmark of a few comparisons to find tweeted: "Took your advice and out where’s cheapest. There’s a system to added mum ― saved £500." follow fully explained at www.mse.me/ - Tweaking your job description carinsurance. In a nutshell… can cut costs. I'm not saying lap Combine comparison sites. They don’t all dancers should call themselves

cabinet ministers (or vice versa, heaven forbid). But these days many people have such specific job descriptions car insurers don't list them, as Fabsternation tweeted: "Thanks. Changing from creative director to marketing manager saved £300." See my fun car insurance job picker tool www.mse.me/jobpicker. - Beware paying monthly. A monthly payment plan for your insurance is essentially a high-interest loan. For example, if your premium is £1,000 but you’re paying an APR of 25%, your insurance will actually cost £1,140 once you factor in the interest. So either pay in full, or if you can't afford it, use a credit card with a lower APR or better still, a 0% credit card for spending, ensuring your repayments are big enough to clear it within a year. Q. And any special tips for young drivers? A. With the average premium for a 17-22year-old at an eye-watering £1,194 per year, young car drivers can be priced out ― all the techniques above will help, but if you’re not getting there, check ‘pay how you drive’ (telematics) this involves a device being fitted inside your car that monitors your actions behind the wheel. Full info in www.mse.me/youngdrivers.

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Consumer Champion The annual rise in rail fares, coupled with engineering work travel chaos over Christmas period has put the cost of train travel under closer scrutiny than ever before. But while the government is putting a positive spin on rail fare increases – saying that the 2.5% rise is the lowest for five years – we’re still saddled with an incredibly complex and confusing system of rail fares in the UK. And this week we’ve been finding out just how tricky children's’ fares can be.

Train Fares

stressful enough without the complications of tricky fare structures. The way some train operating companies approach pricing for families blatantly unfair and almost seems to be deliberately confusing. At resolver, we’ve found out that families could well be paying unnecessary train fares for their children. Here’s what we discovered.

Children under 10 can travel free within Greater London, yet when Travelling with your kids – you buy a child’s ticket from a whether it’s for a fun day out or a station outside zone 6, they will necessary journey – can be often give the option of

‘bundling’ in a travelcard for an extra cost – extra cost for travel that ought to be free. In our example, we found that a child’s return ticket from Winchester into Waterloo cost an extra £2.35 when you added a one-day travelcard. Train companies do not make you aware of this loophole, and are happy instead to sell you a ticket. Outside of the capital, incredibly complicated fare structures can mean there similar pitfalls for unwary families out on day trips into cities with urban and suburban rail networks – here are

just a few examples: Newcastle: An anytime child return from York to Newcastle costs £30, or £32 if you want travel anywhere within the Tyne and Wear Metro network. Which is fine, except that a child’s day pass for the Metro network costs just £1.10 Glasgow: An anytime child return from Edinburgh to Partick, just west of Glasgow, costs £11.65. Yet if you hop off at Glasgow Central and head to Partick on the SPT subway you’ll save £5.45 if you use SPT’s Smartcard system. Manchester: It’s not all bad news, mind you – we looked up the cost for a child travelling from Liverpool Lime St

to Gorton in south-east Manchester, and it cost the same as the return ticket to the city centre station Manchester Piccadilly.

Consumer Champion James Walker – the man who helps you resolve your consumer complaints! www.resolver.co.uk/

“outside of the capital, incredibly complicated fare structures mean there are pitfalls….”

P lanning Matters A monthly round up of planning applications submitted since 1 January 2015 FAREHAM COUNCIL REF

LOCATION

PROPOSAL

STATUS

P/15/009 5 St Marys Road 0/FP Stubbington Fareham PO14 2HP

Proposed Conservatory To Rear Of Property

Undecided

P/08/089 78 Titchfield Road 3/MA/A Stubbington PO14 2JE

Erection Of Single Storey Front And Rear Extensions Amendment To The Design Of The Roof Over The Front Porch Approved Under Planning Permission P/08/0893/ Fp

Approve

P/15/001 Land At Stubbington 4/FP Lane, Daedalus Waterfront Stubbington Lane Fareham PO13 9YA

Construction Of A Signalised Junction And Formation Of A New Access Onto Stubbington Road, New Access Arrangements To Ross House And All Associated Works.

Undecided

P/15/007 22 Haven Crescent Hill 5/FP Head Fareham PO14 3LA

Single Storey Front Extension Replacing Existing Sun Lounge

Undecided

By Nig el M ais ey

GIG GUIDE All gigs start at 9pm unless otherwise stated.

February Febru ary

Friday 13th Friday 13th Saturday 14th Sunday 15th Friday 20th Friday 20th Saturday 21st Saturday 21st Sunday 22nd Friday 27th Friday 27th Saturday 28th

arch ch Mar Sunday 1st Friday 6th Saturday 7th Sunday 8th Friday 13th Friday 13th Saturday 14th Saturday 14th Sunday 15th Friday 20th Friday 20th Saturday 21st Saturday 21st Sunday 22nd Friday 27th Friday 27th Saturday 28th Saturday 28th Sunday 29th

Monkey Butlers The Mighty Fly TBA Scarlet Ghost Pond Life Hazzard County Amy Winehouse Tribute Louise (Blondie Tribute) Punk Pirates Four Play Carnage Ian Hunt

The Bird The Carisbrooke The Carisbrooke The Bird The Bird The Carisbrooke The Carisbrooke The Hoeford The Bird The Bird The Carisbrooke The Carisbrooke

Fareham Gosport Gosport Fareham 6pm Fareham Gosport Gosport Fareham Fareham 6pm Fareham Gosport Gosport

Lewis Creaven One Fret Away The Business Sly Hardy Diesel Poets Rock Hoppers Bone Idol Absolute Zero Life o Riley Higher Ground Mighty Shrimp Groove Monster Roy Peplow The Business Mike Fry Band Diana Ross Tribute Somethin Else STATE 6 Bemis

The Bird The Bird The Carisbrooke The Bird The Bird The Carisbrooke The Carisbrooke The Hoeford The Bird The Bird The Carisbrooke The Carisbrooke The Hoeford The Bird The Bird The Carisbrooke The Carisbrooke The Hoeford The Bird

Fareham 6pm Fareham Gosport Fareham 6pm Fareham Gosport Gosport Fareham Fareham 6pm Fareham Gosport Gosport Fareham Fareham 6pm Fareham Gosport Gosport Fareham Fareham 6pm

ÂŠ Tim Stephens

Across 1 Satiny (6) 4 Agricultural (8) 10 Discharge (9) 11 Rounded subdivisions of an organ (5) 12 River deposits (5) 13 Permissible (9) 14 Put in place (7) 16 Anglo-Saxon slave (4) 19 Partly open (4) 21 South African mongoose-like animal (7) 24 Astonished (9) 25 Disrobe (5) 26 Follow up on (2 words) (5) 27 Truce (9) 28 Genetic endowment (8) 29 Lines up (6)

Down 1 Skid (8) 2 Showing no enthusiasm (8) 3 Poems of heroism (5) 5 A region in northern Israel (7) 6 A weekly gift of money to your children (9) 7 Drink (6) 8 Imbedded (6) 9 Attack (6) 15 Ended a meeting (9) 17 Making a shrill sound (as in bagpipes) (8) 18 Machines used to fasten papers together (8) 20 Glowing (7) 21 Women of refinement (6) 22 A tomb or shrine (6) 23 Stationary part of a motor (6) 25 A plant used to make rope (5)

Crossword

National Trust

Mother’s day in Hampshire These days, we often celebrate Mothering Sunday with shop bought gifts of chocolates and flowers, but traditionally, children gave their mothers fresh posies, gathered from the hedgerows as they walked the long journey home from their working environments.

cream teas and freshly baked cakes.

riverside gardens, where you can see ancient trees, bubbling brooks and rolling Glorious spring colour lawns. Take in drifts of daffodils and other March is the perfect time to visit this springtime bulbs, or pop into Mottisfont’s tranquil Tudor country estate, which is celebrated art gallery to experience awash with spectacular daffodils. Follow Lightworks – a breathtaking collection of one of several trails through the woods, as contemporary artwork by international This year, recapture a little of this floral they reveal canopies of fresh green foliage photographers, whose explosive, eery and tradition and give mothers a day out at a and delicate woodland wildflowers. dream-like images focus on the effects of beautiful National Trust garden in light. Hampshire. Enjoy spring colour and scent, Fun for kids delicious lunch- and tea-time treats, craft There’s loads of fun for children at The Fun for kids fairs, art exhibitions and outdoor trails. If Vyne, with plenty of opportunities to tick The gardens and wider estate are great you fancy something a little different, visit off ’50 things to do before you’re 11¼’ locations for young explorers hoping to one of the oldest working mills in the activities, from bug hunting and den take up more ’50 things to do before region, for some great Mothering Sunday building to bird watching. Explore the you’re 11¼’ challenges. Race Pooh Sticks baking tips! Here are our top Mothering Hobbit-like tunnels of the Hidden Realm from the bridges, roll down the hill in front Sunday spots in Hampshire: play area, or set out on a geocaching of the house, or look for animal tracks in adventure to find hidden treasure. the woods, as you follow a self-guided The Vyne, Sherborne St John, near trail. Basingstoke, 01256 883858 Winchester City Mill SO23 0EJ, tel: 01926 Marvellous Mothering Sunday Craft Fair, 870057 Hinton Ampner, near Bramdean, 01962 15 March, 10am – 4pm, normal admission Themed baking demonstrations and 771305 charge only tastings Glorious spring colour Back by popular demand, The Vyne’s bijou Bring the whole family along to this A quintessentially English country house craft fair treats mums to a lovely day of atmospheric medieval mill and find out set in undulating gardens with views over delectable gifts, from jewellery to how to make delicious Mothering Sunday- the South Downs, Hinton Ampner comes skincare. Younger visitors can join in with themed baked treats. The baking team at into its own in spring, with cheery colour craft-making activities and create the Mill are using their own freshly milled from hundreds of daffodils. The gardens, something really specials for mums. Don’t stone-ground flour, combined with local with terraced lawns and quirky topiary, forget to visit the 16th-century Brewhouse produce to make pretty biscuits and buns. are dotted with the deliciously scented restaurant for edible treats, including Taste the results after the demonstrations pink and white heads of Vibernum, whilst and collect free recipe cards the pretty Kitchen Garden is full of forgetso that you can treat mum me-nots, perfumed narcissi and tulip when you get home! blooms. Its fresh produce is used in Hinton’s little tea room; try savoury The Thrill of the Mill scones, comforting one-pot lunches, and Whilst you’re at the mill delectable cakes. watch the millers in action as they operate the machinery Fun for kids to make flour, then go Discover secret places you’ve never seen downstairs to experience the before on one of Hinton’s free family Thrill of the Mill – the power trails. Pick one up from Reception or of the river Test as it roars download a copy before you leave home – through the mill, turning the www.nationaltrust.org.uk/hinton-ampner. huge wheel. You can also Hinton’s woods and parkland are the catch up on the latest CCTV perfect place to tick den-building and kite footage of the mill’s resident flying off our ‘50 things to do before otters. you’re 11¼’ list! Mothering Sunday baking demonstration: 15 March, 11am – 3pm, normal admission charge only. Mottisfont, near Romsey, 01794 340757 Glorious spring colour and dream-like photography This romantic house and gallery is set in beautiful

The National Trust looks after more than 250,000 hectares of countryside, 710 miles of coastline and hundreds of special places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. For more information and ideas for great value family days out go to: www.nationaltrust.org.uk

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Ginger

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26 26

Sensei Says I’ve been asked on many occasions what people should look for when thinking of enrolling their child or indeed themselves into a karate club for the first time. Although I don’t have much insight into the way all other clubs are run, I do have some philosophies that I’ve always adopted in my teaching career that I think are morally correct and proven. Let’s start by saying that I believe a dojo must be run with discipline and respect throughout otherwise the whole ethos of the activity dies in the very first instance. I’m not saying that it should be run with an iron fist but it has to be a welcoming environment where all students are treated equally whist retaining the traditional dojo mentality. A friendly atmosphere is always going to be a better place to encourage and nurture students to fulfil their potential whereas a dojo that has a clique mentality does nothing but segregate the willingness to learn. Some dojos I have trained at whilst a lower grade were horrendous! Black belts refusing to talk to beginners, expecting “newbies” to carry out tasks they felt were above them was simply unacceptable (then and now). Way back then, although I always imagined running a dojo (probably as a pipe-dream) it was something I swore I’d never let happen in MY club. Respect is something that’s earned in my world and just because an individual wears a coloured band around their waist does not immediately make it a given.

Sensei Rob Wood is a Fourth Dan in Goju-Ryu Karate and has taught children and adults for over 20 years in his dojo in the UK South Coast.

“try-out” lesson first to see if it’s an activity that suits the individual, after all, karate is not for everyone but if it was the world would be a lovely place! A first lesson will absolutely install confidence in knowing if the instructor can actually teach. There are no laws, qualifications or licenses governing who can teach and let’s face it, not everyone is a born leader, Managing Director or indeed Karate Instructor. In my opinion, you can either teach or you can’t and being instructed first hand rather than observing a class will display their qualities as a teacher (if they have any of course). If they can’t teach clearly, safely and practically then find someone who can and don’t settle just for convenience sake.

Classes need to be tailored to suit the age of the students. Infants need to have an exciting and enjoyable time if we are to keep their interest. These kids are the future of all dojos and retaining them is difficult enough what with all the other activities out there for them to do, so an enjoyable class where the total focus may not be entirely set on Martial Arts per se is essential . To add clarity, infants of between 4 years – 8 years approximately, still require elements in physical development that they essentially need for Karate fundamentals. Hand/eye coordination, balance etc are skills we take for granted as they get older but for little ones these can be difficult at times. Adopting exercises, karate “games” that increase their awareness and proficiency Occasionally I do see a small divide in of these motor skills allows me to students where grades become insular in relatively quickly get the Karate basics their groups. It’s not an intentional one installed and allow them to progress and and in fairness, can be caused by long graduate into the Junior class whilst periods of training hard and little room for knowing they won’t get awestruck or left social interaction with a partner. All the behind in the process. same, if I notice it then it needs correcting. Solution when this happens? Juniors and Cadets are a different The syllabus is set aside for the week and audience all together. The age group can be quite vast (sometimes 7 years to 15 the focus is on ensuring all students are years) so classes need to be structured in introduced to one another with a forfeit for those not being able to name a way that keeps them all fired up and keen. Giving older students roles that everyone in class. This absolutely breaks down barriers that students have relating allows for their personal development can often lead to the respect I spoke of earlier to grade. After all, young students have immense respect for older black belts so becoming evident. Additionally it also why destroy perceptions with ignorance?! offers a chance for those born leaders to shine. I look back on the students that have become excellent Sempai (Assistant Other advice I offer is to go and have a

Instructor) and ALL of them have that special something that makes them exceptionally great Instructors in their own right. I like to give all students an opportunity to be a Sempai in the dojo but in my experience, there are those that can teach and those that it doesn’t fit quite as well with. Seniors are like sponges! They recall almost everything that’s taught albeit they need repetitive training for it to become second nature but all the same, classes need to be physically demanding but also technically challenging. Unfortunately many adults do not want to get a sweat on these days and many new comers have a trial lesson, complain that they ache like crazy in the following couple of days and never return. I completely understand that levels of fitness are a personal challenge but working students to their maximum in class is part of my job. Over time, physical development levels improve and as a byproduct, their mental states mind changes from one that screams “I CAN’T do this” to one that says “ I WILL do this”. It’s an excellent philosophy to have in life, knowing that challenges are always there but with a positive mental attitude and physical ability – almost anything can be achieved. So what makes a good dojo? Lots of things… a disciplined, safe & enjoyable class, a good Instructor that can teach, a dojo with no barriers amongst its students and most of all, a Sensei that has an awareness of all his students and their development needs.

Lucy’s recipe corner

Raspberry Raspber ry Ic Icee Cream INGREDIENTS 300g frozen raspberries 100g sugar 150ml cream You don’t need an ice cream maker for this easy recipe and if you fancy substituting the raspberries for another berry then you can! METHOD Put the frozen raspberries and sugar into a blender. Whilst it’s running, slowly pour in the cream and mix it up until it’s really well combined. You can serve it immediately or freeze it. The mixture lasts for up to one week. 29

Naturally good.. Apricot and passion fruit â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;flan de Quesoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with spiced roasted pears

1. Preheat the oven to 300F/150c.

Ingredients for 4-6 servings: For the flan 120ml full fat milk 240ml double cream 100g full fat cream cheese 2 free range eggs 8 large moist dried apricots 1 tbsp honey One passion fruit 2 tbsp lemon juice

For the roasted pears 2 pears Pinch ground cinnamon Pinch ground ginger 1 tbsp unsalted butter

2. Place the milk and dried apricots into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Then remove from the heat and leave to rest for 20 minutes to let the apricots soak up some moisture and become plump. 3. Prepare the passion fruit by scraping out the seeds into a sieve above a bowl, use a metal spoon to scrape the seeds against the sieve to remove as much of the juice as possible, discard the seeds and add the juice to the mixture. 4. Place all of the ingredients for the flan into a blender and blitz on full speed for 2 minutes until all of the ingredients are well combined and smooth, pass this mixture through a sieve into a jug and then use this to fill 4 ramekins (or 6 ramekins if you want smaller portions). 5. Place the ramekins into a large roasting tray and pour in enough hot, but not boiling, water to come halfway up their outsides. (This is called a bain-marie or water bath). 6. Place the bain-marie onto the center shelf of the oven being careful not to spill any water into the ramekins which will ruin the flans (a tip to make life easier is to place the baking dish with the ramekins halfway into the oven before adding the water to the dish). 7. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the custards are just set but still a bit wobbly in the middle. Remove the ramekins from the water and set aside to cool to room temperature. Chill until needed for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight. 8. When you are ready to serve the flans, prepare the roasted pears. Peel, core and slice the pears and place onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle the pears with the ground ginger and cinnamon and add the butter. Place into a preheated oven at 350F/180c for approximately 20 minutes until the pears are soft and the edges are turning golden brown and caramelized. 9. Spoon the roasted pears on top of the flans and serve.

Ryan Turner, real food and low-carb chef - www.thefoodbible.com

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