www.the-weekender.net Going Green
TheWeekender ‘EAST KENT LIFE AT ITS BEST’ www.the-weekender.net ISSUE TWO WINTER/SPRING 2012 FREE
We♥Local Food On Yer Bike! Great Escapes for Cyclists 10 Tips for Hard Times PLUS
Designer Living in Dungeness
Win a ‘Seaside A-Z’ Art Poster!
The Weekender
Issue Two
Winter/Spring 2012
Hattie Jacques’s Margate
Going Green: Kent’s most bizarre folk festivals
TheWeekender CONTRIBUTORS This issue’s contributors tell us how to enjoy the perfect winter weekend
Andy Merriman pays tribute to the great Hattie Jacques in Local Hero (page 18). His play about Margaret Rutherford, A Monstrous Vitality, was recently aired on Radio 4. He is currently writing the history of ENSA, a radio series for June Whitfield and a screenplay with East Enders actor, Nitin Ganatra. What’s your perfect weekend? Live jazz, Thai food, taking the family to see Spurs win, curling up with a Jack Daniels and watching Guys and Dolls. What’s normally in your weekender bag? If we’re off to our weekend cottage, it’s lots of woollen socks, fleeces and scarves – that’s just in the summer! What’s the best thing about winter? Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. That reminds me! Must get some chestnuts. And an open fire. Sara Hannant has just completed a book and exhibition (on at the Horniman Museum in London until September 2012) about the English ritual year (page 7). What’s your perfect weekend? A day the country and a night in the city. It would involve walking in wild places, taking photographs, eating curry then listening to live music. What’s normally in your weekender bag? It contains waterproof covering for me and my camera, sunglasses (ever optimistic!), notebook, compass and something for the evening. What’s the best thing about winter? The best thing about midwinter is the return of the sun. Winter light is extraordinarily beautiful.
H AV E S O M E YO U T I M E T H I S Y E A R !
BE INSPIRED
EXPERIENCE SOMETHING NEW WITH US Get away from it all with Kent Adult Education when you choose from our exciting range of courses. Be inspired in 2012 and try something new! For more information and to enrol go to www.kentadulteducation.co.uk or call 0845 606 5606 today!
Sean Preston is preparing for a wildlife photography exhibition. For this issue, the Deal-based photographer shot the gorgeous-looking food on offer at The Goods Shed (page 29) and bravely stepped into Port Lympne’s monkey enclosure for Just The Job (page 48). What’s your perfect weekend? One that revolves around playing cricket or tennis, riding motorbikes and eating good seafood. What’s normally in your weekender bag? A clean shirt, some wash things and ear plugs. What’s the best thing about winter? Sitting around a real log fire with friends. On the cover: The Holly Man, Twelfth Night Celebrations photographed by Sara Hannant
EDITOR’S LETTER
H
ello and welcome to our second issue. The launch issue which was conceived, produced and delivered over the summer of 2011 (so that’s where it went!), seems a distant memory now, but thanks again to all our new readers and distributors who have responded so positively to The Weekender. Now that we are either struggling to hand in our tax returns or lost in M&S holding an unwanted lilac turtle neck jumper, this issue offers up yet more East Kent-centric stories, all of which aim to inform, entertain and inspire you. I’ve always thought that the first few months of the year were the quietest in our calendar, but try telling that to photographer Sara Hannant who has captured the many and varied folk customs which continue to take place almost on a weekly basis all over the country. Don’t miss her amazing photos on page 7. It may be cold outside now, but looking at Folkestone artist Andy Tuohy’s prints featured on page 20 will have you thinking of summer already. East Kent’s tourist landmarks have never looked this good! And, if you were one of those lucky people who were given a new bicycle for Christmas, you’ll find that our guide to the area’s best cycle routes (page 40) is essential reading. Talking of the great outdoors, spring is not as far away as we might think, and the farmyards and their surrounding fields will soon be bursting with local produce; much of it ends up in bustling farmer’s markets like The Goods Shed in Canterbury (featured on page 29) which celebrates its 10 year anniversary in 2012. To cap this feast of fine Kentish fayre, we’ve got a stunning architectdesigned property in Dungeness, alternative recession-busting tips and a tribute to Hythe-born funny lady and erstwhile Carry On star Hattie Jacques. As usual, The Weekender likes to go that little bit extra for a story. This time, we practically squeeze on a wetsuit and dive to the bottom of the sea to find a World War Two bomber which crashed into the English Channel circa 1940. Soon it will be salvaged from the deep and restored as a major museum exhibit. Read all about it on page 24. Well if that lot doesn’t give 2012 a friendly shove in the right direction, I don’t know what will! Your weekend starts right here. Editor
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Issue Two, Winter/Spring 2012 with her tips on how to survive VIEW POINT the recession 6 Your comments on issue one LOCAL HERO 18 OUT & ABOUT Comedy legend Hattie Jacques 7-15 by author Andy Merriman Photo Story: Sara Hannant journeys through the English PEOPLE ritual year 20-23 Folkestone’s adventures in Folkestone artist Andy Tuohy regeneration on his favourite local landmarks Vintage cars at Chillenden and the prints that are helping to Top Trumps for dog lovers revive the seaside poster genre Brand Apart: Vitra Plus: Win a free ‘Seaside A-Z’ It’s a Numbers Game: Waste poster Cult Shopping: RG Scott If you are going to do 5 things TALE this winter… 24-27 A World War Two German OPINION bomber has been lying on the 17 sea bed off The Goodwin Sands Columnist Jane Wenham-Jones
34 04 The Weekender
for over 70 years. Now a salvage operation to restore the plane is about to get the go ahead. The Weekender investigates
ACTIVITY 40-47 Whatever the weather, there are some fantastic rural and coastal bike rides waiting to be discovered. The Weekender gets back in the saddle to explore them Let’s Go: Cycling The coolest kit on two wheels
FOOD & DRINK 29-33 The Goods Shed farmer’s market in Canterbury celebrates its tenth birthday this year. We toast the occasion with a glass of organic Kentish cider and hail its contribution to the local food movement The List: Made in Kent
JUST THE JOB 48 Heather Dorsett on the ins and outs of being a wild animal keeper at Port Lympne
SPACE 34-39 A ground-breaking, architectdesigned seaside retreat brings the wow factor to the wilds of Dungeness. Plus: Making the most out of modern
MY EAST KENT LIFE 50 TV chef and Thackeray’s restaurateur Richard Phillips reveals his favourite local spots and tells us why Kent is number one for food
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www.the-weekender.net
www.facebook.com/theweekendermag Publisher and editor Dan Synge dan@the-weekender.net Art Editor Malvin Van Gelderen www.idesigntraining.co.uk www.dtponsite.co.uk 020 89895208 07957322671
Contributors Ben Dickson, Andy Merriman, Sean Preston, Jane Wenham-Jones, Sara Hannant, Andy Tuohy For advertising or editorial enquires please contact: info@the-weekender.net
13
The Weekender 05
OUT & ABOUT
VIEW POINT
Emails and letters
Your comments on issue one
THE RIGHT STUFF I loved reading The Weekender. There’s some really great stuff in there. As a Thanet resident I found it really enjoyable to read and found some things I didn't know about. Bryony, Margate
the reasonable house prices, but that's no reason for this sort of gloating. I've got to know locals and other DFLs since I've been here; creative people, people with a businesses or a shop, even plain old ordinary locals who've worked for years in schools or offices. Having worked here for 10 years, I can confirm that there actually some people who aren’t Editor Dan Synge says: from London who do know their LambrThanks! Your reaction is exactly the kind usco from their Sangiovese. we were hoping for when the magazine Not everyone can run fluffy boutiques, was conceived last year. not that I have anything against them. Margate is a better place for the small MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE I WAS A shops and businesses that have opened up LONDONER around the Turner, but they are just a start I must extend thanks to Jane Wenhamand it's hugely simplistic and patronising Jones for single-handedly rescuing East to seriously say that Kent from its imthe only hope of poverished roots. “There are actually some Sorry, I couldn't people who aren’t from London prosperity is to apto Jane and her resist a little who do know their Lambrusco peal DFL buddies. sarcasm. I moved from their Sangiovese” Mick, Whitstable to Whitstable from London 10 Columnist Jane Wenham-Jones replies: years ago. It didn't smell of wee then. It I really do appreciate your taking the was a charming old-fashioned town and I loved it. It has changed a bit, and that may trouble to write to The Weekender, even if you have rather spectacularly missed the well be down in part to the the Londonpoint! ers moving down to take advantage of
News, views and must-do events I can only imagine that my article made you so cross (I take this as a compliment) that you failed to take in the detail. I haven't done a thing to rescue East Kent as I am not a DFL, having lived here my entire life. As someone who grew up in Kent, I have been well-positioned to observe the effects of Londoners moving into the area and my assertion was simply that we should applaud their input, not carp about it. So, I was not congratulating myself, but those who have taken a risk and brought their businesses here. I maintain we all are the richer for it. I hope that you will continue reading the column!
Mummer We’re All Crazy Now
F
or those who remain unconvinced that England is a slightly odd country peopled largely by eccentrics who are overly wedded to tradition and past rituals, simply turn the
pages of Mummers, Maypoles and Milkmaids: A Journey Through the English Ritual Year. From Kent to Cornwall, Somerset to Staffordshire and beyond, photographer Sara Hannant spent a year attend-
If you have anything you want to say about this issue of The Weekender, please write to info@the-weekender.net You can also become a fan of the magazine on Facebook – go to www.facebook.com/theweekendermag
Sat 11th February 7.30pm £18.50 & £13.50
Hailed as the originators of British folk-rock music, Fairport Convention is celebrating its forty-fifth anniversary as one of the most entertaining bands on the live music scene. This year's Winter Tour will feature songs from Fairport's most recent studio album, the critically acclaimed Festival Bell, favourites chosen by audiences as well as the new material.
BOOK ONLINE www.theatreroyalmargate.com BOX OFFICE 0845 130 1786 or 01227 787 787
The Weekender 07
OUT & ABOUT ing centuries-old processions, ceremonies and folk dances capturing along the way a nation that is surprisingly at ease with the old ways. “It all started when I discovered a Jack-in-the-Green festival in Deptford, south east London in 2006,” she explains. “The event was great fun and there was a real mixture of people there from Morris dancers and local residents to theatrical types and jazz and folk musicians, who were all making this terrible racket. I then thought: ‘Is there anything else like this?’” Kent and the south east of England offered the London-based photographer a rich and colourful source of local customs, many of which are historically tied to the changing of the seasons. In St Nicholas-at-Wade in Thanet for instance, she witnessed the east Kent Hoodeners perform a rather ramshackle December play involving a man in sackcloth mounted on a crude wooden horse. Says Sara: “There are a whole range of hobby horse displays in England, which are often linked to Halloween. But the Kent tradition is connected to agriculture and the onset of wintertime, and the hoodeners of old used to dress up to entertain in order to get money to survive the winter. The play is amazing, and it’s performed in rhyming couplets. A lot drinking goes on. That’s a recurring theme throughout the book.” Further up the A2 in Rochester she discovered the revived May Day Sweeps Festival where every year around 50 practising chimney sweeps parade around town in full traditional costume. The festival had died out completely following the 1875 Climbing Boys Act forbidding children to work as sweeps, but a local historian revived its fortunes in the 1980s and it hasn’t looked back since. “Many local traditions faded after the industrial revolution and some were banned by the Victorians and were reinvented as more gentle pageants,” Sara explains. “Now people are trying to reclaim their original energy and enjoy the collective atmosphere of them.” One of most highly-charged events that she witnessed during the project was the night of Flaming Tar Barrels in Ottery St Mary in Devon. “It was so outrageously fun and dangerous,” she recalls. “Some the festivals like the bonfire society in Lewes, Sussex are pretty wild too.” Perhaps her most unusual discovery was an archaic custom from the village of Biddenden near Ashford, where every Easter from around 1775, the locals have made cakes representing wealthy cojoined twins Elisa and Mary Chulkhurst who are believed to have lived in the 12th century. Biddenden cakes like the one pictured here are made from flour and water and are purely symbolic. They are not meant to be eaten. 08 The Weekender
What, if anything, did Sara learn from her sometimes bizarre journey through England’s long lost festivals? “That this country is a lot more exciting that I thought it was!” she laughs. “I realise now that there is a certain exoticism about England that we should continue to celebrate. And that we should take far more notice of the changing seasons.” Mummers, Maypoles and Milkmaids: A Journey Through the English Ritual Year is published by Merrell www.merrellpublishers.com
Sara will be giving a special talk/presentation at The Weekender’s Talking Books evening at the Astor Theatre, Deal on February 17th. For more information on this event please call the Astor’s box office on 01304 370220
The Weekender 09
OUT & ABOUT
Putting Their Art Into It
W
ritten by Nick Ewbank, a founding director of Folkestone’s Creative Foundation, this fascinating and illuminating book charts the first ten years of the town’s ongoing regeneration and draws on the experience of a number of the project’s leading players including Saga Chairman and publicity-shy philanthropist Roger De Haan. The story is as good a blueprint as any for injecting life into an ailing, socially-deprived town, and shows how vast sums of money allied to art, education and health initiatives have put Folkestone back on the map after years in the doldrums. “I thought there was a great story to tell and it’s a wonderful example of the difference that local people can make to the communities they live in,” says Ewbank. “Of course the economic climate is tough at the moment, but what I hope to convey in the book is that determination, resilience and a joined-up approach can unlock solutions from unexpected quarters.”
So how does he see the future for the creatively-revived town? “The past ten years of positive action have made a huge difference already,” he adds, “but there’s still a long way to go. I’m confident that by the end of another decade of regeneration, Folkestone will have come into its own as one of the most desirable coastal towns in the south east.” Adventures in Regeneration by Nick Ewbank (NEA Publishing) www.nickewbank.co.uk
On Your Marques Go Should the names Alvis, Sunbeam, Riley and Rover evoke for you a long-lost golden era of string-backed driving gloves and roaring V8 engines, then why not join the growing number of vintage car devotees who meet at The Griffin’s Head in Chillenden every first Sunday of the month? A fine selection of vehicles from pre-war Austin Sevens to sleek 1970s Aston Martins are guaranteed whatever the weather, and the owners are usually more than happy to show you what lurks beneath their buffed up bonnets. www.griffinsheadchillenden.co.uk
A View to a Quay Living stylishly by the sea is something we all aspire to at The Weekender, and so a handy-sized illustrated book containing colour images of over 30 to-die-for seaside retreats is something that totally floats our boat. The featured properties range from the traditional and natural to the unusual and contemporary, and the locations are as mouth-wateringly exotic as Norway, Ibiza, Mexico, Mozambique and, erm, Dungeness. Laugh not. Simon Conder’s spectacular El Ray on Dungeness beach (also featured in this issue’s Space section on page 34) joins an impressive selection, which only goes to show that dream homes are closer than you think. Houses by the Sea is published by Thames & Hudson, www.thamesandhudson.com
Margate Gallery Ad 10x15cm.pdf
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12:54:31
GALLERY
with
whether you are looking to place
15/12/11
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Y
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MY
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CMY
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MARGATE GALLERY has an exciting array of contemporary artists bringing you a diverse collection of fine art, crafts and gifts. Alongside monthly fine art exhibitions, the gallery showcases a superb collection of UK designer-makers who create stunning work in ceramics, glass, metals, textiles and much more.
Own Art lets you spread the cost of contemporary art with an interest free loan. Subject to status. Terms and conditions apply. Applicants must be at least 18 years old. Margate Gallery is a licensed broker of Own Art loans. Registered address: 2 Lombard St Margate CT9 1EJ.
Margate (Detail) ©Andy Tuohy 2011
www.margategallery.co.uk Tel: 01843 292 779 Margate Gallery, 2 Lombard St, Margate, Kent, CT9 1TJ Open: Monday to Saturday 11- 5pm / Sunday 12 - 4pm
OUT & ABOUT
Brand Apart: Vitra
Bringing you the best of everything.
Who are they? They’re the Swiss-based office and home design specialists founded in 1950 who are licensed to manufacture furniture and accessories by 20th century design legends such as Charles and Ray Eames and George Nelson. Their head office near Basel is a
Frank Gehry creation, while the destinational Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein across the border in Germany features their very own design museum, shop and Vitrahaus show home plus a Jasper Morrison bus shelter and a fire station by Zaha Hadid.
Why should we like them? Because Vitra isn’t all about tasteful executive seating and matt white conference tables, and their colourful home interiors range includes the playfully timeless RAR and Panton chairs while an illuminated desk or wall-mounted clock by George Nelson (pictured left) is certain to brighten up any room. What next for Vitra? Yet more commissions for public spaces including the lobby area fit out for Citizen M, a new chain of boutique budget hotels. Vitra products are available at Papillon Interiors, Margate www.papilloninteriors.co.uk
Top Dogs Recommend Popular playground card game Top Trumps gets a welcome creative makeover with Dogs: Best in Show. The 32 game cards depicting some of our best-loved pooches are illustrated by Rye-based artist Polly Horner, and each competes against the pack for ‘top speed’, ‘ease of training’ or ‘grooming required’. Well, it makes a change at least from footballers, ponies or super cars. “I am a dog person and have grown up with them, but at the moment I live with two cats and so my house is very much a cat house,” admits Polly, who worked alongside a dog obedience instructor to get her drawings just right. Her Best in Show dogs are also available as an instructive wall chart and on a limited edition shopping bag.
Swallows And Amazons TUE 3 - SAT 7 APR
The classic family adventure
Grease
Yes, Prime Minister TUE 10 – SAT 14 APR
TUE 6 - SAT 17 MAR
www.magmabooks.com
ste
: Wa e m a G s r e b It’s a Num
8.3 million
tonnes of food waste produced by UK households annually
158,127 tonnes of food waste sent for recycling from UK households in 2010 £12 billion
the value of avoidable food and drink waste per household
15% Avenue Q
MON 16 – SAT 21 APR
percentage of food and drink purchases wasted each year
Midnight Tango MON 7 – SAT 12 MAY
Legally Blonde TUE 5 – SAT 16 JUN
6,200 million
the annual water footprint of avoidable household waste (in cubic metres)
8%
share of total household food waste that is home composted or fed to pets
Box Office: 01227 787787
(bkg fee)
marlowetheatre.com
(bkg fee)
Source: Office for National Statistics The Weekender 13
OUT & ABOUT
Cult Shopping: RG Scott
T SUPPORTED BY:
• An exciting 3 day ride from Liege, Belgium to London. • Watch the Tour de France prologue - a fantastic time trial stage where the pro-riders race a 6km route around Liege. • 2 Days cycling through Belgium and France before entering the beautiful british countryside, through Kent ‘The Garden of England’ and up to Olympic Park in London. • An optional loop to include the olympic road race at box hill on day 3 for those who want an extra challenge. • An iconic finish in London with the post-ride party at our exclusive venue next to the Olympic Park. • A charity bike ride for everyone, from beginners looking for a challenge to experienced cyclists looking for a ride with a difference. Sign up now and help change children’s lives.
REGISTRATION FEE: £150 FUNDRAISING TARGET: £1,000 OR £850 FOR RETURNERS FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER: RIGHTTOPLAY.ORG.UK/CYCLE CYCLING@RIGHTTOPLAY.COM 020 7812 0635
EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO PLAY REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1112404
racy Emin once said that Scott’s was the best place to head for on a rainy day in Margate. Who knows what the world-renowned artist found there, but were she looking for an old door handle, some vintage postcards, a wall clock, a radiator, some chimney pots, an army jerry can or an Edwardian oak sideboard, she would not have returned home disappointed. Established in 1979 at the current Old Ice Works warehouse near Trinity Square, the 16,000 sq ft premises run by Ron Scott and his family continue to supply anything from “screws that cost tuppence each to a corner cabinet for £2,500”. “Victorian stuff like this used to be naff, and in the 1970s you could buy it for any money you liked,” explains Ron, who began the business exporting his junk to the USA and is never seen without his trademark Stetson hat. Today’s customers, who are largely locals and traders but increasingly from all corners of the world, are a choosier bunch and according to Ron want stuff that is “really flashy or just plain and chunky – nothing much in between”. “One customer told me that this is where she comes to find the things she thought she never needed,” he recalls. Items that are in demand right now include watering cans, wooden farmers’ crates and other vintage garden ephemera. Although business is brisk in the crammed, museum-like store that spans three floors, two yards and warehouse upon warehouse of overspill stock, Scott’s continue to observe the tradition of closing for an hour at one o’clock for lunch, which they eat at home around the corner. “We have to throw people out at lunchtime,” says Ron. “Sometimes there’s a queue outside when we come back at two o’clock, especially on a Saturday!” Ron’s taste for junk has been passed down to his two sons and his grandson who also work for the business alongside him and his wife and “general dog’s body” Sue. “When the shop’s closed, I’m off sourcing stuff. And when I get out of bed, I’m always up for it. My trouble is that as soon as I sell something, I want to go and buy something else.” RG Scott, The Old Ice Works, Bath Place, Margate 01843 220653 www.scottsmargate.co.uk
If you are only going to do 5 things this winter… 1 Go on an interactive Dickens Tour
It is the great writer’s bicentenary this year, so why not head to Rochester for a 90-minute tour around the places that inspired the tales? Footsteps in Time tours, Rochester, £4 per person 016348 18630 www.footstepsintimerochester.co.uk
2 Catch Fairport Convention live The archetypal English folkies have been going strong since 1967 and have a new album, Festive Bell, to showcase.
Theatre Royal Margate, 11 February, tickets £18.50 and £13.50 www.theatreroyalmargate.com
3 See Stewart Lee at the Marlowe
The thinking person’s funny man goes live with his Carpet Remnant World tour. The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, Friday 24 February, Tickets £18.50 www.marlowetheatre.com
4 Join the Medieval Quest at Dover Castle
Help find the little lost knights and squires in the grounds of historic Dover Castle and claim your reward. Swashbuckling half term fun for all the family. Dover Castle, 11-19 February, normal admission prices apply www.english-heritage.org.uk
5 Dig vintage vinyl grooves
Let local DJ collective Club RPM help shake away the winter blues with their seasoned style of funk and psychedelic soul. Nice! Club RPM, The Farmhouse, Canterbury, third Saturday of every month (free before 10pm) www.clubrpm.co.uk The Weekender 15
OPINION
Jane WenhamJones
Yours Frugally
T
imes are hard – it’s official. I’m not entirely sure if we’re now calling it a credit crunch, a recession or a double dip, but I do know that nobody has any dosh. And it can only, they tell us, get worse. While the failing economy has us in its merciless squeeze, there is plenty of advice on how to cut one’s cloth to match one’s increasingly-stretched budget. Financial gurus invariably suggest changing how one pays one’s gas bills, switching telephone companies or going to a new internet provider. A recent newspaper article offered a dozen such cost-cutters, claiming that spending just one day putting its ideas into practice could save thousands of pounds a year. It could also give you a nervous breakdown. If you’re already stressed by the credit card bill now, imagine how you’ll feel by the time you’ve been left dangling on the line all morning, having listened to three hours of Vivaldi, been put through to the wrong person and failed to come up with the password you didn’t even know you had! You can lose a week of your life dealing with one of the utilities, never mind doing them all. So instead, why not try my tips (below) for saving those all-important pennies?
nounce breezily that you’ve got that list of dates they asked you for and you’re really looking forward to dinner. They’ll be too embarrassed to put you off. Obviously don’t return the invitation until things have improved. Buy one of those gadgets that squeezes the last drop of toothpaste out of the tube. It’ll set you back £9.99 and take seven years to save enough paste for you to recoup your money but at least you’re being pro-active. Alternatively stop cleaning your teeth altogether. When they’ve all fallen out you won’t have to worry about the fact that there are no free dentists left. Fall out with as many relatives as you can. This cuts phone bills and saves a fortune on birthday presents. And if you’ve got no teeth left, they’ll probably be embarrassed by you anyway. Avoid expensive cleaning products. Wash windows with vinegar, ovens with bicarb of soda and clean your shoes with a fresh banana skin, like your great-grandmother did. Now you know why she died young and looked so bloody miserable in the photos. Sell anything you don’t want on eBay. Recently a man offered his ex-wife. Do you really need all those relations you’ve fallen out with? Don’t waste money on aftershave, perfume and make-up. Hang around the testers at beauty counters and ask the assistant with the orange face if she can give you a new look. Accept free samples
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“Clean your shoes with a fresh banana skin, like your great-grandmother did. Now you know why she died young and looked so bloody miserable in photos”
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Eat less. Now is the time to start that diet you’ve been on about for years. If you live on lettuce and mung beans you’ll soon slash the shopping bills. Eat somewhere else. When you are collapsing from malnutrition, phone a friend with a dodgy memory, and an-
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while you make up your mind to buy. Switch the electricity off at the mains and tell the kids there’s a power cut. If they start whinging about the TV and computer remind them that making one’s own entertainment by singing in the dark is ‘character-building’. Hide your car keys and leave your wallet/purse behind when you go out. That way you can’t use petrol or buy anything at all. If the family complains there’s no food in the house, tell them they’re on a diet too. Get sent to prison. Where else can you get a bed for the night and three free meals a day?
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And if all else fails, become a financial guru and earn a fortune advising others how to save. It’s simple. Just set aside a week, and start with the gas bills… Jane’s latest novel, Prime Time, is published by Xcite Books and is available on Kindle for £5.99 (www.amazon.co.uk) www.janewenham-jones.com The Weekender 17
LOCAL HERO
#2 Hattie Jacques
sequently moved to Margate (25 Trinity Square) in a house that Hattie had bought for her. It was a beautiful old cottage in an idyllic setting and it had spectacular views of the sea. Because of her links with the town, Hattie also devoted time in raising money for the Theatre Royal Margate. Although the marriage had been considered one of the most stable in show business, Hattie’s personal life was, in fact, far from conventional. In 1963, whilst doing charitable work for the Leukaemia Society, Hattie fell in love with John Schofield, a good-looking, fast-talking, used car dealer. At first, the ever-diffident John Le Mesurier was unaware of the affair but even he couldn’t fail to notice something was amiss when
“When you’re my size, you have to learn to make them laugh with rather than at you”
I
t was in one of Sandgate’s more imposing town houses that, on the 7th February 1922, Hattie Jacques, arguably Britain’s best-loved comedienne, made her first public appearance. Hattie wasn’t known as ‘Hattie’ at this stage of her life, and she was given the affectionate nickname over two decades later. Her real name was Josephine Edwina Jaques. The more familiar surname ‘Jacques’, by which Hattie eventually became known, was adopted later. The family had not been in Kent very long when they were uprooted. Hattie’s father, RAF pilot Robin Jaques was posted the following year to East Anglia and so Hattie, her brother Robin and mother Mary swapped their comfortable Sandgate home for a village in Lincolnshire. Tragically, Jaques was killed in a flying accident when Hattie was just eighteen months old and the family were thus forced to move yet again – this time to The King’s Road, Chelsea where Hattie’s grandparents owned a pawnbroker’s and jewellery shop. On leaving school Hattie worked briefly as a hairdresser, and during the war as a nurse, and then as an arc welder in a north London factory. It was in this unlikely job that she discovered a talent for making her workmates laugh. As she herself said: “When you’re my size, you’re conditioned from childhood to
18The Weekender
people making jokes against you. You have to learn to make them laugh with rather than at you.” Hattie decided that the best way of doing this was as a professional performer and she was duly employed at the Players’ Theatre where she appeared in a variety of roles in late night reviews, performing music hall songs, cheeky monologues and was regularly cast in the role of Antedota, an ‘outsize’ fairy Queen. Hattie gained parts in several now legendary radio shows including Educating Archie and Hancock’s Half Hour, in which she found fame as Hancock’s long-suffering secretary, Miss Grizelda Pugh. Soon after, television stardom was guaranteed with the BBC situation comedy series Sykes. In a film career spanning nearly four decades, she was usually cast as the quintessential figure of female authority and most famously the starchy matron in the Carry On films. But the character who was to play an even more significant part in Hattie‘s life was the actor, John Le Mesurier, who was immediately struck by Hattie’s “ebullience, kindness, warmth and anarchic sense of fun”. They started to live together, which was rather daring for the period, but married in 1949 and had two sons, Robin and Kim. Hattie’s links with Kent remained strong, however, as her mother Mary sub-
Schofield actually moved into their house and the Dad’s Army star was forced to occupy a bed-sit in the marital home! Eventually the couple divorced amicably and Hattie and her new John lived very happily for a couple of years until Schofield dumped Hattie for another woman while she was filming The Bobo in Rome with Peter Sellers. She was utterly distraught and took comfort in eating, resulting in her weight ballooning dangerously. Although enjoying a hugely successful professional life, continually cast in the role of the ‘plump figure of fun’ caused Hattie much distress. She never really came to terms with her size and hid her feelings behind self-deprecation; not just from her public but also from her closest friends. She died from a heart attack on October 5th 1980. Hattie Jacques is a legend of British comedy whose contribution to stage, radio, television and cinema remains unparalleled. She was a consummate professional, loved by the public and fellow actors and whose enduring appeal remains deep in the psyche of the nation thirty years after her death. ANDY MERRIMAN Andy Merriman’s biography of Hattie Jacques, Hattie is published by Aurum books. His latest, Dreadnought with Good Manners charts the life of Margaret Rutherford. Illustration by Ben Dickson, www.flyingrobert.com
Home of exciting and inspirational furniture and design pieces
New Year - Classic Designs Furniture, Homeware, Toys and Gifts
Come and see us opposite The Turner Contemporary 40 Fort Hill, Margate Old Town, Kent CT9 1HD or visit www.papilloninteriors.co.uk
PEOPLE
Poster Boy Inspired by the quirky landmarks all around him, artist Andy Tuohy leads a revival of the classic British travel poster
W
hen graphic designer Andy Tuohy swapped London’s East End for Kent’s East coast back in 2004, little did he realise the impact that the area’s diverse architectural styles would have on his work. Mainline railway termini, fairground rides and Art Deco bus shelters, lidos and beach huts quickly became the focus of Andy’s sometimes nostalgic, yet never-overly-quaint viewpoint and his subsequent output is a celebration of the obvious and not-so-obvious landmarks around the county. Today his iconic, retro-inspired prints and poster designs adorn living room walls all across the country and his work can be found in the Margate Gallery, Tate Liverpool, De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill
20 The Weekender
“Why not bring the classic poster genre kicking and screaming into the 21st century?”
Top: Andy in front of his favourite modernist-style beach huts in Folkestone. Right: The huts as they appear in his design.
and the Turner Contemporary, Margate. The Weekender met the artist/illustrator in his home town of Folkestone to find out which local attractions have made the biggest impression.
Who or what influences your work? You wouldn’t need to look too hard to find references to the strong, bold designs of Tom Purvis, Frank Newbould and Norman Wilkinson. Artists whose job it was to create posters that attracted the urbanites to the British sea and countryside between the wars. It’s no surprise therefore that people are frequently commenting on my work’s similarity to the classic British travel post-
ers. I’d like to think of them as contemporary with a retro underside.
Do you think that your work is helping to revive the classic travel poster?
My images work like a poster in reverse, in that they are primarily bought as a reminder of somewhere a person has been, as opposed to the poster’s remit of enticing someone to spend a day by the seaside, for instance. It would be extremely flattering to think that a tourist authority might come knocking on my door thinking it was a good idea to bring the classic poster genre kicking and screaming into the 21st century. Why not? The style resonates
with a wide range of people and I think it would stand out amongst the plethora of photographic campaigns.
How do you compose your images? Every image starts with plenty of rough sketches and research before going on location with a camera to gather as much photographic material in as many different angles as possible. So when I return home, I can make a decision as to
what angle works the best. Quite often what works as a photograph doesn’t necessarily translate well into an illustrative format.
Don’t your images offer a sometimes absurdly romantic view?
I think we all know about the vagaries of the British weather system. Who hasn’t spent a drizzly day down by the seaside on the promise of beautiful weather only
to be royally drenched or stuck inside a car looking out to sea – the classic image of the gloomy Brit staring out of a misted up window. However, the job of my pictures is to make people feel good about a location and if that means representing it in a nostalgic and romantic manner then I make no apologies. We are quite sentimental creatures and those that buy my pictures do so because it reminds them of somewhere they have been to or live. Hopefully, it gives them a warm glow and brightens up a room. As an example, I’d cite a buyer who The Weekender 21
PEOPLE
vation Society. Off the back of this, the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway asked to sell it as a souvenir poster in their shops and I have, on a number of occasions, had people writing to say how much they love the picture – even from as far away as Cromarty in Scotland – and how it reminds them of a really lovely holiday. That’s a huge vindication of what I try to achieve in any work. I love Dungeness and I go there all the time although it is often brass monkeys for being so flat and exposed, and I’d recommend dressing in your woolly warmers, particularly at this time of year.
How would you feel if someone planned a special visit around one of your images? I’d be delighted, and you know what, I’d consider it a case of a job well done! www.andytuohy.co.uk
wrote that the picture he’d bought of Mawgan Porth in Cornwall evoked the memory of his proposal of marriage to his wife. That’s what I call romantic, but definitely not absurd.
Pics from bottom left (clockwise): Christ Church Gateway, Canterbury; Deal shelter; Dreamland, Margate; Leas Lift, Folkestone; Dungeness scene.
How do you source new locations and landmarks?
they’ve been influenced by the period’s fascination with space travel. The angle I produced it at makes it look a bit like the Starship Enterprise even though it probably pre-dates the Star Trek series by a good decade or so.
Anywhere that floats my boat. If I enjoy the subject matter I firmly believe it will shine through and will transmit to the general public. One image I have been meaning to do for ages and have finally got stuck into is the Flamingo arcade on Margate’s seafront. It is an amazing shop front with kitsch Las Vegas-style lighting. If you look at it more carefully you can really start to appreciate the design and execution as being quite brilliant. It is a piece of work that is as good, if not better, than a lot of sculptors or artists working out there and it looks amazing at night. It should be a listed structure. I am also drawn to industrial buildings and I have the Richborough Power Station’s cooling towers near Sandwich firmly in my sites. I also absolutely love the 1950s Deal shelters that look like 22 The Weekender
What do you like about living in Folkestone? Whilst I certainly plough my own furrow and wouldn’t live or die by the tag ‘Folkestone artist’, being in Folkestone provided me with the opportunity and environment from which to develop my current work style. There is a thriving artistic community here, whether you choose to be a central part of it or not, and for me there is a good network of friends that I couldn’t imagine having to build up again by moving elsewhere. There is a definite community spirit, which is harder to find in a place like London. It’s so small in comparison.
It sounds like a cliché, but I do find the expanse of sea the perfect way to clear the head; maybe more so during the winter. Even on a cold and blustery day with the sea crashing around you it’s an interesting place to be. The Leas and the coastal park below with its zig-zag path down to the sea are just gems that can’t be beaten, and I really don’t think it is over stretching the point to say that on a bright summer’s day it feels very Mediterranean.
What attracted you to the old Dreamland cinema in Margate?
I love the old Deco cinemas, which were built as cathedrals to the motion picture; places that gave you a sense of theatre before you’d even stepped into the auditorium. Something, sadly missing from the homogenous zones that are modern multiplexes. I think people love the Dreamland
print because of the nostalgic air it evokes of the funfair that used to be there and the memories that are associated with those times which represent Margate’s heyday in the sun. For some, it was their first seaside holiday with Mum and Dad and/or their first taste of freedom as teenagers. My version of Dreamland has a yellow sky and very clean-cut lines – it’s a good example of my re-imagining a building from around the time it was built, and it uses the original style of typography. The
Dreamland Trust has plans to turn it into a heritage site and I’m really looking forward to it being given a new lease of life.
Win a Free Seaside A-Z Poster!
How did the Dungeness poster come about?
The Weekender has three Andy Tuohy ‘Seaside A-Z’ posters to give away. To win one (each is currently worth £15) simply be the first to answer the following question correctly. Please send your entry to info@the-weekender.net
Coast magazine asked seven artists to pick a seaside resort and produce a poster advertising the area. The pictures were auctioned off in aid of the Marine Conser-
Answers by February 20th please. Q. In which town is The Flamingo amusement arcade?
TALE
Shot by Both Sides
F
or a generation who are fast approaching the end of their lives, The Battle of Britain lives on in the memory, and in this corner of England especially, the physical scars of a war fought to preserve our freedom from the tyranny of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi ideology remain visible for all to see. Take Dover town, the focal point of ‘Hellfire Corner’, which took the brunt of the German bombardment (of over 1,000 shells a week at it height) and has never quite recovered, or the once bucolic RAF Manston and Hawkinge aerodromes, where brave young fighter pilots responded round-the-clock to wave-upon-wave of Hermann Goering’s mighty Luftwaffe. For the rest of us, who fortunately weren’t around to see the carnage, we can at least visit the memorials and heritage centres and discover the truth about what actually happened. And, even better, we are lucky enough to see the very planes that our forebears climbed into to do battle in the skies with the enemy. When we observe these age-old exhibits in the setting of a museum, we are shocked at how basic, uncomfortable, and let’s face it, how damned dangerous they look in comparison with the aeronautical standards of today. ‘Did granddad really
Pic left: An unidentified crew with their Dornier 17Z-1 (Chris Goss Collection) Above: A Dornier opens its bomb hatch
24 The Weekender
A World War Two bomber lies on the seabed off the coast of East Kent. Now, more than 70 years after it crash landed, there’s a bold and daring plan to salvage its remains and preserve them for the nation survive the war in one of those?’ you ask yourself as you admire the smooth contours a single-engined Spitfire or marvel at the lumbering technical ambition of an Avro Lancaster bomber. Experts can bang on for hours about their beautiful design and impressive on-board weaponry, but to the men encased in their bolted steel bodies, these now legendary aircraft were less instruments of war, more high-altitude death traps.
An Unusual Find
It hardly surprising therefore, that the recent discovery of a German Dornier 17 bomber which currently lies in the shallow sea water off the Goodwin Sands and remains largely intact more than 70 years after it was shot down, has triggered an almost unstoppable wave of interest. It is the only surviving Dornier 17 in the world, and realising its rarity and value, curators at the RAF Museum in Hendon have been leading a project involving maritime archaeologists from Wessex Archaeology, The Ministry of Defence, The Port of London Authority, English Heritage and others to return the aircraft from the deep. Following important restoration works, they eventually plan to exhibit it at their north London museum, which is already home to a number of important World War Two planes. Air Vice-Marshal Peter Dye, Director General of the museum said: “The discovery of the Dornier is of national and international importance. The aircraft is a unique and unprecedented survivor from The Battle of Britain. It is particularly significant because, as a bomber, it formed the heart of the Luftwaffe assault and the subsequent Blitz.” The museum’s curator Ian Thirsk, who has suggested that the plane will be conserved rather than restored as a perfect replica, was even more adamant about the importance of the discovery.“It is one of the most significant aeronauti- The Weekender 25
TALE
cal finds of the century,” he announced back in the summer. “It is not only linked to an iconic event in British history, but it enables us to tell the wider story of the Battle of Britain and to interpret the battle in a much more powerful way.” The museum launched a public appeal in August to raise the £600,000 needed to complete the recovery and restoration project. The campaign is endorsed by Sir Richard Branson who argued that the plane’s restoration will be a “tribute to the loss of life on both sides of the Battle of Britain”.
Battle in the Skies
So far so good, but how did this twin-engined über-bomber, so much an important 26 The Weekender
part of the Luftwaffe’s early assault on these isles, end up in the murky depths of the Channel? The start of August 1940 heralded some of the most intense periods of the aerial battle, with Goering throwing all he could at aerodromes in and around the south coast. On Monday 26th August, the Dornier 17, manned by a crew of four, set off from an airfield in Belgium to attack targets in the Medway area. One of a number of Dorniers loaded with 2,000lb bombs destined for RAF bases, it is thought to have lost its way in the air and become separated from the rest of its formation. Unluckily for the young men positioned inside, it soon became engaged in
a deadly gunfight with a group of Boulton Paul Defiant fighters in the sky somewhere above the coast. Having already accounted for six Dorniers that day, RAF fighter planes from 264 squadron fired their rounds directly at the Dornier hitting both engines and the all-important cockpit. Attacking a formation of low-flying bombers coming in from behind the sun was no easy task for the RAF pilots and the Dorniers were often accompanied by a significant fighter escort of Messerschmitt 109’s. As the late Squadron Leader Peter Townsend recalled: “I brought the squadron round steadily in a wide turn, moving into echelon as we levelled out about two miles ahead on a collision course. Ease the throttle to reduce the closing speed – which anyway allowed only a few seconds’ fire. Get a bead on them right away, hold it, and never mind the streams of tracer darting overhead. Just keep on pressing on the button until you think you’re going to collide – then stick hard forward.” Realising that the game was up for this particular Dornier, the pilot, Flight Sergeant Willi Effmert, who appears to have been a brave and skilful servant of the Luftwaffe, attempted a wheel-less landing on the Goodwin Sands. Incredibly, his plane touched down safely, but his wireless operator and bombardier were killed. He and his surviving observer were later captured and sent to Prisoner of War camps in Canada. The unlucky Dornier wasn’t the only victim of this late summer shoot-’em-up in the sky; for all their apparent strength and advantage, by the end of the month the Germans had seen 669 of their planes destroyed with the loss of 463 pilots. Of course the RAF suffered heavy losses too, but lost only half the number of planes with 139 of their pilots killed. Was this the decisive period of the battle, one in which the Luftwaffe high command learnt only too quickly that numbers alone wouldn’t be enough to crush its enemy?
All at Sea
Today, every school boy or girl knows the final outcome of the Battle of Britain, but
after the war ended, no-one seemed to be too bothered about old German bombers, least of all the Germans who in defeat either scrapped what remained of their force or passed them onto the Finnish military who flew them up until the 1950s. And it wasn’t until the turn of the 21st century, some 60 years after that fateful day, when a local fisherman snagged his nets on something sharp and metallic and reported it to a diving enthusiast who later confirmed the find, reporting that the plane’s structure was largely intact, despite the fact that its body had become completely inverted on the shifting sands of The Goodwins. Over the years, the notorious tenmile stretch of sandbanks located in The Downs, just five miles off shore have revealed a number of ghostly old wrecks, most notably the first world war German U-boat submarine which re-appeared briefly in 1921 and again in 1972. Likewise, the ill-fated South Goodwin light vessel which sank in a fierce storm in 1954 killing her entire crew, continued to be seen up until the 1990s – a ghostly reminder to all of what a treacherous
stretch of water this is. In the past, several World War Two aircraft immersed in water for long periods have been successfully recovered, notably in 1973 when a Halifax bomber emerged from Lake Hoklingen in Norway, and in the same year when a Hurricane fighter plane was retrieved from the Thames Estuary. Recovering the shot down Dornier in such an extreme maritime environment, is no easy task however. Despite its location just 16 metres or so below the surface, underwater visibility is usually no more than one metre, while the fast-changing tides limited diving time to a maximum of 90 minutes a day. And while geophysical sonar and bathymetric surveys – which use sound pulses to detect shipwrecks – prove that the plane’s body work is surprisingly free of damage, the wreck has completely turned over itself and has bent its propellers from the landing. The hatch from where its deadly bombs were unleashed remains open from its final flight, and all sorts of debris from the plane may be lying on the sea bed nearby including flaps and doors, which would have been ripped off on landing. Graham Scott, a marine archaeologist for Wessex Archaeology, who conducted the initial dive in May 2010, suggests that there may be “hundreds if not thousands of aircraft wrecks” around the English coastline. “We think that it [the Dornier] made a forced landing and ditched,” he explains. “That would have been pretty traumatic for the aircraft, but it gave it a chance of staying in one piece. I had to swim around it to get the whole picture but it is a largely intact aircraft. I saw right inside and it is clear that the aircraft’s glazed nose, the cockpit canopy and parts of the cockpit are missing and that the bomb bay doors were ripped of on contact. The wheels are in a retracted
Pics (from left): Diver Graham Scott takes the plunge; images based on sound pulses show an intact wreck
position, and despite the marine growth everywhere, you can still see the original paintwork. It’s a remarkable find, and it really does feel brilliant to be down there. It’s all very well seeing films, newsreel and documentaries of the Battle of Britain, but when you put your hand on something that was actually part of it, it all comes to life.”
Return from the Deep?
The moment for finally salvaging this unique slice of history couldn’t arrive sooner; experts say that the wreck is at risk from both tidal forces and the effects of salt water corrosion. Even though it’s illegal to interfere with the aircraft, there also remains the risk of looting from souvenir hunters who are attracted to the plane and its parts for their collectability; there’s always a chance too that another fishing boat might snag a net on it. Incidentally, for any individuals considering an exploratory dive around the Goodwin Sands, the plane is legally the property of the Ministry of Defence and divers face prosecution if caught on the site. Providing that the funds are fully in place (they are currently on course to receive the remaining £200,000 shortfall), the museum hopes to finally deliver this truly historic find later this year. The sight of this old war plane re-emerging from the sea, more than 70 years after it crash landed, will be yet another good reason to head to the Kent coast. And if it re-ignites memories of a past struggle which is arguably as important to this island’s tale as Hastings, Trafalgar or Waterloo, then that is no bad thing either. If you would like to donate to the Dornier appeal, visit www.rafmuseum.org.uk
Fact File: Dornier 17
Known as ‘The Flying Pencil’ because of its slim-looking fuselage It was originally designed in 1934 to carry passengers For a bomber it was fast for its time, with a top speed of 230mph About 1,700 were built in total The Dornier 17 Z had a wingspan of 59ft (18m), and a length of 52ft (15.8m) The maximum bomb load of the Dornier 17 Z-2 was slightly over 2,000lbs Some continued to fly with the Finnish air force until the early 1950s, but they too were eventually scrapped The Weekender 27
FOOD & DRINK
A small but significant local food revolution began almost 10 years ago. The Weekender popped over to Canterbury to sample the many flavours of The Goods Shed market. Photos by Sean Preston
Broadstairs 14 Albion Street, Broadstairs Tel: 01843 601133
Our restaurants boast a combination of fresh seafood, rustic pasta dishes and gourmet pizzas cooked in our handmade Neopolitan pizza ovens. We offer a family friendly and warm atmosphere where the emphasis lies on great food and amazing wines and to ensure the finest quality all our seafood and meats are sourced locally. Visit our web site shop to purchase gift vouchers for family occasions and ‘thank you’s’.
For further information please visit our website at www.posillipo.co.uk or join us on Facebook and Twitter.
Faversham Provender Mill, Belvedere Road, Faversham Tel: 01795 590580
Canterbury 16 The Borough, Canterbury Tel: 01227 761471
Coming W Up With The Goods
ay back in August 2002, a brave new food enterprise began just a stone’s throw from the old city walls of Canterbury. The venue was a derelict former railway warehouse which was infested with pigeons and asbestos, but was quickly transformed into an attractive, bustling and exotic-smelling food hall where chefs, butchers, bakers, fruit and veg sellers and other independent stall holders all came together to satisfy an increasing local desire for more diverse and better quality produce. If the nearby supermarkets weren’t exactly quaking in their boots, the subsequent success of daily farmer’s markets such as The Goods Shed, which is located right by West Canterbury rail station, have shown how the high street has had to catch up fast with our changing attitudes to food and our growing knowledge of what’s on our plate and where it comes from. “I love the fact that local people now
Go on, you know you
Wantsum !
Celebrate Kent’s rich History in 2012 with a pint or two of Wantsum! Available in pubs across Kent
Pics (from left): Lee at Murray’s General Store decants olive oil; the market’s doors open six days a week; these peppers are grown just a few miles away
come here to buy their daily bread,” says the market’s owner and manager Susanna Sait, who decided to set up The Goods Shed after years spent running a café in Whitstable. Of the impact that the market has had so far on Canterbury’s shoppers, she adds: “We’ve created our own mini high street here, a place where the customers can see clearly everything that goes on with the food. It’s also been a great platform for many people to start their own businesses and the restaurant’s kitchen has inspired lots of chefs to open their own restaurants.” Just five minutes spent wandering around chatting to the various stall holders and sampling their produce is enough to convince any visitor that this has been worthy and successful venture. It is also a place where you are certain to leave with the freshest and tastiest produce that can be found for miles. The onsite butcher not only offers sides of locally-reared beef and cuts of lamb but also venison, widgeon, teal and offal, while the fishmonger next door does a great line in Dover sole, sea bass and seasonal shell fish.
Elsewhere, there are Kentish beers and wines, chutneys and jams, piles of seasonal fruit and vegetables, delicious bespoke pastries, hand made Kentish cheeses and a spacious upper level restaurant that gets its inspiration daily from the merchandise all around it. From a small kitchen to the side of the exposed brick building emerges chef Raphael Lopez, who despite his southern Spanish origins is happy to espouse the virtues of the local produce. He explains: “Today we are cooking braised lamb from Herne Bay; it has a soft and salty taste from the salt marshes it has been reared on. We also have some lovely mushrooms which have just been picked from the woods near Blean. Our menu changes every day according to what’s in season. It’s a system that goes right back to the origins of home cooking and it’s re-opening the important connection between the food producer and the chef.” Indeed the county that has long been dubbed ‘the garden of England’ and one that has consistently put food on dining tables in London for centuries, is proving to be a key player in our nation’s ongoing food revolution. From the hop fields of the Weald to the root vegetable-growing flatlands of Thanet, this part of Kent is alive with home-grown produce and it’s not just the old staples that are finding their way to market. Witness the rise in the number of local organic breweries, ice cream makers, boutique bakeries and even cheese producers – hardly the kind of
“You are certain to leave with the freshest and tastiest produce that can be found for miles”
produce you would have expected to find in abundance ten or more years ago. “Why shouldn’t we do cheese in Kent?” says Susanna, sitting on her regular perch in the middle of The Goods Shed. “We’ve been conditioned into thinking that it’s only the French that do it, but that’s just not true.” Is she content with the way her pioneering food enterprise has developed since it opened nearly 10 years ago? “There remains a healthy chaos about the market, which I like,” she says. “I’d really like to have carcasses hanging from the roof, like in a 17th century castle kitchen, and I’d love to have a micro brewery in the roof, but we must consider environmental health rules and logistical ways of moving customers safely around the space. “It was really great to get in the Good Food Guide and have articles written about us in the Sunday papers, but to be honest I’m more interested in getting the people over the road to shop here. The best thing about this place is that lots of produce is literally rolling down the hill and it is eaten by the people who live here, not just food tourists from elsewhere.” With the weekend crowds now descending on The Goods Shed in large numbers, the next ten years for this buzzing gastro haven look promising to say the least.
Or drink at home - our bottled beers include Imperial Russian Porter - Black Pig, Golden Ale - Dynamo, Best Bitter - Imperium and double Award Winning Pale Ale - Hengist.
Available to purchase from The Goods Shed, Tiddly Pomme at Brogdale, Borough Wines, Beer Brothers, Hercules Wine Warehouse, Gibsons Farm Shop, Lower Hardres Farm Shop, Mama Feelgoods. See website for full list of stockists & pubs
wantsumbrewery@googlemail.com madeinkent
8/10/09
www.wantsumbrewery.co.uk 0845 0405980
14:34
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FOOD TOURISM DAYS OUT IN THE ‘GARDEN OF ENGLAND’
PRODUCED IN KENT OPENS THE GATE TO THE ‘GARDEN OF ENGLAND’ A decade ago a small but passionate not-for-profit organisation began beating a little drum in the county of Kent to encourage people to buy regionally and seasonally grown food and drink from the ‘Garden of England’. Ten years on, Produced in Kent represents farmers, producers, vineyards, retailers and restaurants who between them are serving up some of the most innovative, environmentallyfriendly food and drink – from buzzing Kentish honey, through to original hand-made cheese, chutney and chocolate, and delicious, creative wines, ciders and fruit juices. RECOGNISING KENT’S FOOD & DRINK HEROES – THE TASTE OF KENT AWARDS In recognition of the food and drink excellence and innovation in Kent, Produced in Kent have run the Taste of Kent awards for the last 5 years. These awards recognise producers, retailers, restaurants and pubs through a public voting and independent judging process. The awards have grown in popularity with the Kent public and are widely recognised as the premier food and drink awards in the county. The Restaurant and Pub of the Year awards focus
directly on our local sourcing ethos and the judging criteria requires nominees to actively use locally sourced products when available and demonstrate this commitment on their menus. MAKING A DIFFERENCE Produced in Kent’s team are dedicated to promoting the very best Kent has to offer and when you buy locally the benefits are there for all to see, says Julie Monkman: “Not only are you getting fresher, healthier produce and better value for money in a tough economic climate, you’ll be doing your bit for the planet by reducing food miles and packaging. So Produced in Kent produce will not only taste good, you’ll feel good about yourself too!” Visit www.producedinkent.co.uk
For more information contact: Julie Monkman T: 01732 853170 E: julie.monkman@producedinkent.co.uk www.producedinkent.co.uk
30 The Weekender Supported by Kent County Council and Hadlow College. Images provided by WAC PR and Marketing.
Visit www.producedinkent.co.uk Produced in Kent has created a stunning series of days out to help city dwellers experience the delights of the county and its coastline with its FREE ‘trail’ series. There are six fascinating trail guides covering Kent’s most historic and thriving food and drink industries entitled: APPLE SOURCE CHERRY RIPE NEW HOPS & DOWNS RED,WHITE & BRUT SHEEP AHOY SOUL TO SOLE NEW Each trail features details of the best producers, retailers and restaurants in each sector, with the guide including a stunning walk or bike ride, the fascinating social and local history and a delicious recipe to try when you get back home. As Produced in Kent manager Julie Monkman said,“This is what we call ‘Food Tourism’, but it’s much greener than jumping on a plane to experience a tropical fruit salad! If you pay a visit to Kent this summer you’ll be contributing to the local economy in the beautiful ‘Garden of England’. Every £10 you spend in the county with a local producer or farm shop, is worth £25 to the local area compared to just £14, when spent in the supermarket. Added to that you’ll be helping to sustain the rural economy and keep the countryside flourishing in Kent.”
Available from Tourist Offices across Kent, you can also download the free guides from www.producedinkent.co.uk
Not just a meeting place for car enthusiasts, The Griffin’s Head offers a unique country pub experience. Whether you are soaking up the sun in the garden at a barbecue or warming yourself up in front of the log fire, you are sure to fall in love with this traditional Kentish pub. The Griffins Head, Chillenden, Nr Canterbury, Kent CT3 1PS Tel. 01304 840 325, www.griffinsheadchillenden.co.uk Directions: A2 from Canterbury-Dover then B2046. Village is on the right
Made in East Kent From the hop fields of the Weald to the root vegetable-growing flatlands of Thanet, East Kent is alive with home-grown produce Here are some the best producers and suppliers Dairy Products
Simply Ice Cream Each small batch of Simply Ice Cream is hand-made in the heart of the Kent countryside, using only the very best and freshest local ingredients. www.simplyicecream.co.uk 01233 720922
Gadds’ Brewery A micro brewery in the heart of Thanet. The brewery produce quality cask and bottled Gadds’ ale for sale to pubs, restaurants, off licenses and the public. www.ramsgatebrewery.co.uk 01843 868453 32 The Weekender
Soft Drinks
Moor Organic Juice The Moor family have been growing apples and pears at Nichol Farm, near Sittingbourne for 75 years. Their organic ranges are produced entirely from their hand-picked fruit and pressed and bottled at the farm. www.moororganicjuice.co.uk 01795 521341
Fish and Seafood Wantsum Brewery Canterbury’s only micro brewery was established in 2009. All the brews are named after either characters or events in Kent’s history. www.wantsumbrewery.co.uk 0845 0405980 Nelson Brewery Based in Chatham’s historic dockyard, the brewery makes fine traditional ales made with real Kentish hops. ‘England expects every man to drink our beer’ is their motto. We’ll have a go! www.nelsonbrewingcompany.co.uk 01634 832828
Beer, Wine and Cider
Shepherd Neame Visitor Centre For those who wish to learn about the Faversham brewery’s history and see how beer is made. Join a guided tour to see how English malt, natural mineral water and Kentish hops combine to produce traditional ales and speciality lagers. 17 Court Street, Faversham www.shepherdneame.co.uk 01795 542016
Little Stour Orchard Apple juice, cider and vinegar all hail from this 10-acre family-run orchard in West Stourmouth. www.littlestourorchard.co.uk 07771 711252
The Cheesemakers of Canterbury Ashmore Kentish cheese is made from unpasteurised cows’ milk at Lamberhurst Farm near Faversham. This artisan cheese is made by hand using an old smallholder’s recipe that has been perfected over the last 25 years. Also available at Waitrose. www.cheesemakersofcanterbury.co.uk 01227 751741 Solley’s Farms Ice Cream Solley’s in Ripple near Deal have produced award-winning ice cream since 1985 and offer over 23 delicious locally-sourced, real dairy flavours. www.solleysicecream.co.uk 01304 374100
THE LIST
Biddenden Vineyard Kent’s oldest commercial vineyard spanning 22 acres. They produce white, red, rosé and sparkling English wines, also a strong, still cider produced from a blend of Kentish culinary and desert apples. Open to visitors all year round and admission/ tastings are free. www.biddendenvineyards.com 01580 291726 The Chapel Down Winery Chapel Down offer tastings of their award-winning home-grown wines plus the chance to dine at Richard Phillips at Chapel Down restaurant
with its locally-sourced menu. www.englishwinesgroup.com 01580 766111 Harbourne Vineyard A small Tenterden vineyard owned and run by Laurence Williams. All the wines produced are grown, made and bottled by Laurence himself. www.harbournevineyard.co.uk 01797 270420 Rough Old Wife This Canterbury cidery produces four dry-to-medium traditional hand pressed ciders from their 250-tree orchard. They support the CAMRA campaign for real cider and were 2010 winners of the Kent Environmental Award. www.rougholdwife.com 01227 700757
Eddie Gilbert’s The Ramsgate fishmonger’s specialise in quality local fish. Their produce is caught largely by their own 10-metre fishing boat from Ramsgate harbour. www.eddiegilberts.com 01843 581221 Chapmans Restaurant A dedicated fish restaurant whose stock is collected daily from boats in Kent and Sussex and is 100% traceable from well-managed sources. www.chapmansofsevenoaks.co.uk 01227 780749
Meat, Poultry and Game Godmersham Game A family-run business providing top quality game sourced largely from
within Kent. The range includes pheasant, partridge, wood pigeon, wild rabbit, hare and venison. Upper Mystole Park Farm, Pennypot Lane, Mystole (Canterbury) 07870 656967 J C Rook and Sons Rooks supply high quality meat at fair prices and have been working with Kent farmers and suppliers for years. They produce their own beef on land near Fowlmead Country Park near Deal. www.rooksonline.co.uk 01843 591929 Gibsons Farm Shop Founded in 1970 to sell apples and pears direct from the farm gate, the Wingham farm now offers locallyreared meat including Aberdeen Angus beef, lamb and pork. They also sell a wide range of fresh fruit and vegetables, local preserves and chutneys, game, cheese, breads and a range of grocery products. www.gibsonsfarmshop.com 01227 720262 Snoad Farm Meats This small family-run farm near Faversham breeds and rears pedigree Romney lamb, Oxford, sandy and black free range pigs, shorthorn cows, and Norfolk free range turkeys. www.snoadfarm.com 01795 890700 Lower Hardres Farm Shop The shop outside Canterbury offers meat prepared on site by a master butcher with more than 40 years experience. The range includes rare breed saddleback pigs, hung beef and meat-packed sausages plus game, lamb and poultry. www.lowerhardresfarmshop.co.uk 01227 700947
Fruit and Vegetables Pluckley Farm Shop Situated in the heart of Darling Buds of May countryside, this farm and fine foods shop provides at least 80% Kent produce and supplies vegetable boxes and hampers on-line. www.pluckleyfarmshop.co.uk 01233 840400 The Kent Potato Company Limited Run by Thanet growers who supply a wide range of fine Kentish potatoes all year round. Varieties include Desiree, King Edward, Maris Piper, Estima, Saxon, Maris Peer and others. www.kentpotato.co.uk 01843 847269
Walmestone Growers Established by the late John Aspinall to grow crops for both Howlett’s and Port Lympne zoos, they grow a wide range of crops including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, beans, courgettes, lettuce and salad leaves. All the produce comes from its Wingham nursery and is sold within a 30 mile radius. 01227 721020 Brogdale Collections Brogdale Farm’s 150-acre orchards are abundant with apples, pears, plums, cherries, cobnuts and quinces. An ideal family day out with demonstrations, tastings and displays. www.brogdalecollections.co.uk 01795 536250 Peters Produce This Herne Bay greengrocer’s specialise in locally-grown produce sourced from a select network of local farms, orchards and producers. They offer a free delivery service and have a veg box scheme. www.petersproduce.co.uk 01227 741548
Bread and Cakes Cloudberry Cafe Owner Joanna Hunt is known for her meringues, cup cakes and cheese straws, and she bakes only with local flour, free range eggs and Fair Trade sugar. Attend one of her workshops in her Whitstable Harbour cafe and get advice on how to bake the perfect cup cake. www.cloudberrycafe.co.uk 07841 602892 Seaside Cake Co. This Margate institution is great for homemade cupcakes, muffins, scones, brownies etc. Ingredients are all locally-sourced and organic including free range eggs, Fair Trade sugar and organic butter. Any occasion catered for. 1 Westbury Road, Westgate-on-Sea (Margate) 07885 986597 For a more comprehensive list of Kent growers and producers, visit www.producedinkent.co.uk The Weekender 33
SPACE
The Last House in England
This pic: Sustainable wood clads the curved bell-shaped home Below: At night with the old lighthouse behind
A prize-winning architectdesigned home awaits a buyer who is at one with the epic and unfamiliar landscape of Dungeness. Traditional twoup, two-down lovers, please turn away now
D
ungeness is not your average neighbourhood. But then those who choose to live in this vast expanse of shingle beach on the east Kent coast probably wouldn’t want to be seen as average. Completed in 2008 by the awardwinning architectural practice Simon Conder Associates, the curved, timberclad El Ray seems to fit effortlessly into the surrounding landscape and boasts architecturally-eminent neighbours such as the late Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage (and its world-renowned garden), two lighthouses and a giant nuclear power station which has been part of the scenery here since the 1950s. This is England depicted as a frontier town; wild plants, ramshackle fishing huts, abandoned rowing boats and hastilybuilt shacks dot an epic and unfamiliar setting that could easily double as Western film set. Budding directors take note: it even has its own steam railway, the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch, which takes day trippers and engine buffs through the 34 The Weekender
open terrain of Dungeness to more orthodox settlements further along the coast. El Ray’s current owner, a businessman who uses the house largely as a weekend retreat with his artist wife, is quick to espouse the unique virtues of both his home and the area. “It’s a remote, other-worldly place with amazing natural light,” he says. “There are two pubs nearby, The Britannia and The Pilot, and you can walk to the fishing boats to buy fresh fish. Looking out of the window you can see all sorts of people from day trippers to fishermen, and out at sea there are the various forms of Channel traffic. We’ve even seen dolphins and porpoises swimming past.” The two-bedroom house was originally designed by the architects to respond to the drama of the landscape (Conder’s distinctive Rubber House is also in the vicinity, and is worth a peek too) and from its flat roof there is with an impressive 360 degree view of the beach and sea. Strong winds are an everyday consideration for living in Dungeness, and with this clearly in mind, the house has two internal
“The walls are filled with insulation made from churned up telephone directories”
court yards that provide both a respite from sea breezes and a pleasant suntrap. Good insulation allied to the excellent use of natural light and heat plus a small wind turbine located outside make El Ray almost “a zero emission building”. “It can get cold in winter,” admits the owner, “but the building is very well insulated.” Indeed the cavity walls are 40cm thick and filled with an insulation material called Warmcel, which is made from churned up old telephone directories. The aluminiumframed windows are filled with heat loss-reducing Argon gas, which performs better than conventional double glazing. And when the sliding doors facing the sea are closed, you can’t even hear the ubiqui-
SPACE
Pics (from left): In the dining room/living area; the kitchen is housed in an old railway carriage Below: the flat roof provides 360 degree views
tous drone from the nearby power station. Added to the house’s unique bellshaped design and gorgeous sustainable wooden surfaces, it is no wonder that the house has picked up awards including the RIBA-presented Stephen Lawrence Prize and World Architecture News International House of the Year. The house’s main focus – or if you were an estate agent – its key selling point, is the kitchen which occupies the centre of the main living area. This is not so much because of the smooth lines of the bespoke plywood surfaces and the state-of-the-art appliances, but for the fact that is housed in a 19th century railway carriage that once served as a less salubrious home on the site. “We decided to place it in the middle of the open plan space,” adds 36 The Weekender
the owner. “Standing in it, you are slightly higher than usual, almost hovering. You can look at the ocean while you cook your evening meal.” When the house was first built, the untreated Brazilian timber exterior had a deep brownish tinge which has gradually turned a less distinctive silvery colour over time. If you should take a trip down to Dungeness you may even miss the house completely as, despite its relatively remote setting, the house is quite likely to have blended in completely with the beach. “You either like Dungeness or you hate it,” El Ray’s owner concludes, “but you cannot doubt the uniqueness of living here.” Indeed. El Ray may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it is a stunning and
Making the most Owning a 20th or 21st century architect-designed home is a dream for many house-buyers, but what is it like to live in one? Consider these points before trading in your Victorian semi for a Le Corbusier-inspired shell.
PROS
♦ You get the cachet of owning a one-off architect-designed home, which is hard to beat. ♦ Modern homes are designed to make maximum use of natural light. ♦ The architect ensures that the
out of modern inside and outside work together in harmony. You can therefore live indoors and outdoors simultaneously.
CONS
♦ You are restricted by the architect’s original design. For instance, how do you hang a painting onto a curved wall? ♦ Big glass windows look great in the estate agent’s details or in a glossy magazine such as this, but in reality they can be an assault on your privacy. ♦ Flat roofs on many modern builds are expensive to maintain and have a natural lifespan of only 25 years. The Weekender 37
HAWKINGE,FOLKESTONE, KENT CT18 7GW
SPACE
“You can look at the ocean while you cook your evening meal”
a room with a view…
The Lincoln and The Stirling - spacious 3 bedroom homes in a contemporary style. The interiors have been imaginatively designed to make the best use of the light from the large south facing windows. The upper floors provide outstanding views over the Kent countryside to the sea… entirely original modern house that has become one with the landscape while 37 species of wild plants grow immediately outside its front door. How many average neighbourhoods can claim that? El Ray is currently on the market for £450,000. For further details contact The Modern House on 08456 344 068 or visit www.themodernhouse.net Pics from top: The vast shingle beach outside; side detail of the kitchen; a sliding glass door makes access easy
n
Arranged over three floors PV panels for energy efficiency Underfloor heating to ground floor 3 double bedrooms 2 ensuites plus family bathroom (The Lincoln only)
£249,950
First Time Buyers Stamp Duty holiday runs out 25th March 2012 so buy now and save money on homes up to £250,000! Also available at Bayeuxfields: 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes from £169,000 to £309,000 All interior photographs are from The Stirling showhome. The exterior photograph shows The Lincoln (right) and The Stirling (left)
Sales Office open 7 days a week 10am - 5pm
01303 893080 www.pentlandhomes.co.uk
38 The Weekender
n n n n n
ACTIVITY
Revolutionary Roads Buoyed by rising fuel costs, better cycle ways and our growing taste for healthier lifestyles, cycling is experiencing a boom unseen since the Victorian era. Where to do it? Here in East Kent of course!
Left: A cyclist takes a trip around Bewl Water Above: Taking it easy in Chilham
commodation waiting at the end of a long, hard ride, it is no wonder that this corner of the country is an increasingly popular choice for either short cycling trips or fully-blown cycling holidays. It may be cold outside, but spring is around the corner, so there’s every reason to get on that saddle and discover the pleasure and freedom of two chain-driven wheels.
Endless natural beauty, buzzing coastal towns and impressive historic landmarks all await the keen cyclist and their gang. Try these suggested routes and locations and enjoy a ride that you won’t forget.
“Get on that saddle and discover the pleasure and freedom of two chain-driven wheels”
Location: Dover to Canterbury Distance: Dover to Canterbury 21 miles, Canterbury to Folkestone 17 miles, Folkestone to Dover 12 miles Terrain: Tarmac roads, surfaced and non surfaced bridleways, some climbs Parking: Dover seafront car parks Refreshments & facilities: Cafes, pubs and restaurants en route OS Landranger map: 179
at Elham where you can visit Park Gate Down Nature Reserve, a popular grassland site that has two orchid reserves. Entrance is free and it is open all year round. Perfect, therefore, for that afternoon stop. If you don’t feel like taking on the whole route in a day, good en-route signage enables cyclists to join the journey
The Wheel Deal
H
ow do you explain cycling’s new found popularity? Is it because of our obsession with fitness and fashion, or because it is an easy, affordable and familyfriendly activity that can play a big part in our increasingly eco aware lives? 40 The Weekender
It’s likely to be a combination of all these factors, but when it comes right down to it, riding a bike is just one of those fundamentally enjoyable life experiences, and one that can be shared by the smallest toddler and the most bandylegged veteran. And whether you choose to go hard on the off-road trail, or prefer to cut a
dash through urban traffic, riding a bike is sure to both boost the heart rate and help lower carbon emissions. From a cyclist’s point-ofview, East Kent and around is blessed with the ideal topography and landscape, which ranges from undulating countryside to flat coastal paths and dramatic cliffs. It
may be hardly surprising to learn, therefore, that Kent was chosen to host the first stage of the 2007’s Tour de France or that Beijing Olympic gold winner and Ashford-born Jamie Staff learnt his sport in the area. With local train stations serving all the best routes and a choice of high quality ac-
Cycle the path of pilgrims along a 50mile circular ride using Regional Routes 16 and 17 that link Dover, Canterbury and Folkestone. Enjoy the view of the magnificent Dover Castle as you climb from Dover via Route 16. The route takes in quiet country lanes and meanders through old villages to Patrixbourne, where the North Downs Way leads to Canterbury. The return leg offers a chance to stop
1 Coast to Cathedral
at any point. One-way day riders can let the train take the strain on the return leg thanks to convenient stations at Folkestone, Dover and Canterbury.
2 Historic Hythe and the Royal Military Canal
Location: Hythe to Cliff End Distance: 28 miles, allow 4 hours Terrain: Following the tow path, mostly flat, surfaced path Parking: West Hythe car park Refreshments & facilities: Cafes, pubs and restaurants along the route OS Landranger maps: 179 and 189 The Royal Military Canal is a unique military monument that stretches for 28 miles along the old cliff line that borders the Romney Marsh from Hythe to Cliff End. It was built between 1804 and 1809 as a third line of defence against Napoleon. The corridor along the length of the canal from Seabrook to West Hythe Dam offers a wonderfully easy and relaxing route. Do take some time to stop and enjoy the views on one of the many picnic tables and benches all along the canal. As well as being an important military monument, the canal is an excellent habitat for wildlife. During the summer months the canal comes alive with patrolling dragonflies and noisy Marsh Frogs The Weekender 41
ACTIVITY
Pics from left: Botany Bay and its chalk stack; a map of the area’s main cycle routes; the whole family can enjoy life in the saddle
and Kingfishers. Hythe, one of the Cinque Ports, is an attractive coastal market town. It has medieval and Georgian buildings, as well as a Saxon/Norman church on the hill and a seafront promenade. Hythe was once defended by two castles, Saltwood and Lympne, which are well worth a visit if you have time. Another must see is the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway which is the world’s smallest public railway. If you want to pick up some fresh local produce to enjoy along the way, a Farmers’ Market takes place in the Methodist Church Hall on the second and fourth Saturday of every month.
3 The Oyster Bay Trail
Location: Swalecliffe to Reculver Distance: 7 miles, allow 1 hour Terrain: Mostly flat, surfaced path Parking: At Reculver Country Park, Herne Bay and Swalecliffe Refreshments & facilities: Visitor Centre, toilets and refreshments at Reculver Country Park, refreshments also available en route at Swalecliffe and Herne Bay. OS Landranger map: 179 42 The Weekender
If you enjoy great sea views, big skies and historic landscapes then visit the seven-mile-long Oyster Bay Trail. The first phase of this new cycle route comprises of around five miles of promenade, new traffic-free cycle paths and lightly trafficked residential roads. The Oyster Bay Trail is signed Regional Route 15 and takes visitors from the sea wall at Swalecliffe towards Hampton. The route then follows the traffic-calmed Herne Bay sea front and rejoins the promenade at the eastern end of Herne Bay. At Bishopstone it goes around woodland
and on towards Reculver Country Park where visitors can enjoy panoramic views of the sea – a delight at sunset. Reculver Country Park is internationally important for wildlife as a Special Protection Area and Special Site of Scientific Interest. The cliff top grassland provides a pleasant walk and cycle ride for visitors between Reculver and Bishopstone. Sand Martins nest in the cliffs and the grassland on top is a wildflower meadow, home to butterflies and skylarks. The Reculver Towers are a landmark that can be seen across the coastline from Herne Bay to Birchington, and the Kentish Flats offshore wind farm can also be seen from afar. Reculver Visitor Centre is a great place to stop and rest or to find out more about the area and convenient cycle parking and public toilets are also provided. For those wishing to cycle further, continue east along the Viking Coastal Trail towards Margate via the slip way and numerous bays.
4 The Viking Coastal Trail
Location: Reculver to Pegwell Bay Distance: 27 miles, allow 4 hours Terrain: Level traffic free promenades,
broad sea walls, tarmac roads and surfaced and non-surfaced bridleways Parking: Reculver Country Park, fees apply Refreshments & facilities: Cafes, pubs and restaurants en route OS Landranger map: 179 A true adventure through historic Thanet from ancient churches and architecture to idyllic beaches and bays. This 27-mile, family-friendly route takes in mostly traffic free promenades, sea walls and some leisurely country lanes. With so many choice destinations to stop at, this route would make an ideal cycling holiday. The inland loop of this route is on quiet lanes, taking in pretty Kentish villages with ancient churches such as St Nicholas-at-Wade and passing Minster Abbey, one of England’s oldest inhabited buildings. For wildlife enthusiasts, a short detour leads you to the 16-acre Monkton Nature Reserve, an important resource for the protection of wild flowers. A stop in one of the many cafés and restaurants overlooking the harbour in Ramsgate is a must. It’s a perfect spot to people watch.
For a shorter version of the route, why not try the nine mile (almost traffic-free) stretch that follows the sea wall from Margate to Reculver via Westgate-on-Sea and Birchington? You can join this wellsigned route directly opposite Margate train station. As you cycle from Broadstairs to Margate you pass Kent’s most established surfing school at Joss Bay and see the picturesque Botany Bay with its famous
chalk stack. Minnis Bay is popular with swimmers, as well as sailors, windsurfers and sea canoeists. From here, the scenery changes with striking views of the flat marshland as you approach the twin towers of Reculver Church, a few miles east
5 Fowlmead Off Road Cycling Centre
Location: Fowlmead Country Park, Sholden (Deal) Size: 200 acres Terrain: Mixture of Tarmac paths, grassy slopes, flat surfaced paths and short sharp hills Parking: Fowlmead Country Park, fee applies Refreshments & facilities: Visitor Centre, café and cycle hire Opening hours: Park 8am to 5.30pm; Café 9.30am to 4pm; Bike hire 9.30am to 5pm. Telephone 01304 615390 for details Fowlmead is a relatively new leisure park regenerated from the site of the former Betteshanger Colliery. The park offers a range of activities to suit the whole family including walking trails, geocaching, archery, and orienteering and of course, the safe off-road cycle tracks. The Weekender 43
ACTIVITY
A GREAT SELECTION OF CYCLES AND ACCESSORIES IN STORE HIGH QUALITY WORKSHOP REPAIR FACILITY 103-105 HIGH STREET WHITSTABLE, KENT, CT5 1AY 01227 272072 workshop@herbertscycles.co.uk There is a 2.1-mile tarmac road cycling track, perfect for the whole family to get out and explore, and miles of leisure paths which lead through the established woodland. Take some time to enjoy the many species of wildlife that are now reclaiming the former coal heaps. For more of a challenge, why not try the many mountain biking trails dotted around the site including grassy slopes, undulating single tracks and short sharp climbs to test skills and endurance? Don’t own a bike? Or can’t fit it in the car? You can hire the bikes, helmets and any other kit needed such as trailers and bike seats for children at the cycle hire centre.
“The harbour in Ramsgate is a must. It’s a perfect spot to people watch” Contact Explore Kent
Your one stop shop for Kent’s best walks, bike rides, horse rides and parks. With inspirational videos, a free iPhone/Android app, maps, ideas for days out and much more, you can explore and enjoy Kent’s countryside and coast all year round. You
Above: Whitstable makes a welcome break Bottom left: Get your kicks; route 17 links Dover and Folkestone to Canterbury
will also find a list of all the bike hire and repair shops in Kent as well as cycle clubs and useful links. www.kent.gov.uk/explorekent 08458 247600 (Monday-Friday, 8am8pm) Scan this code to download Explore Kent’s free iPhone/Android app for maps and route descriptions of the best cycle routes in Kent or search for Explore Kent on the App store.
How to cycle safely and securely way to walkers and horse Carry a map of the route Give riders Look where you are going at all times sensible about your capabili Be ties; don’t over-do it Wear bright clothing, especially in winter Make sure you drink plenty of water en route off and walk where you need Get Carry a mobile phone in case of to emergency Follow the Highway Code, even on traffic free routes Take a cycle lock for security 44 The Weekender
Locks of Sandwich
Cycles 28 King Street, Sandwich. CT13 9BT
FAST REPAIR
Full Fitting & Servicing on all Cycles
MASSIVE STOCKS OF NEW BIKES FOR SALE
BIKE HIRE INCLUDING HELMETS & LOCK
ATB's - HYBRID'S - TANDEM HOURLY - ALL DAY - WEEKEND or WEEKLY Rates available please give us a call for more info.
01304 617161
FOR ALL YOUR CYCLING NEEDS! www.locksofsandwichcycles.co.uk
A Victorian Cyclist
Rambling through East Kent in 1886 by Stephen & Shirley Channing
125 years ago, a gentleman from Margate was one of the first to join the new cycling craze. Having completed nine long ‘rambles’ around East Kent on his ‘velocipede’, he documented his routes, and the people, buildings, fauna & flora (and pubs!) he encountered, in fascinating detail. Yet his words lay undiscovered for over a century until rediscovered by local historian Stephen Channing (author of Turner’s Margate Through Contemporary Eyes and The Margate Tales). With the aid of his wife Shirley, Stephen then retraced the routes and added modern directions to create A Victorian Cyclist. The book also contains a special chapter on Lady Cyclists in the era before female emancipation, and an unintentionally humorous section on “how to make your cycle and then ride it”. It features over 200 illustrations, and is complemented by a fully updated website. Published 1/12/2011 ISBN 978-0-9559219-7-1 Royal Octavo hardback 300 pages, £19.99
A VICTORIAN CYCLIST Rambling through Kent in 1886
Available from all good bookshops or direct from: Ōzaru Books, Street Acre, St Nicholas-at-Wade, Birchington, CT7 0NG (tel: 01843 847701) http://ozaru.net/books.aspx
STEPHEN & SHIRLEY CHANNING
ACTIVITY
FOR HIM
Holdsworth Professional £2,500 This unique limited edition bike (only 150 have been made) harks back to the glory days of British road racing yet promises to keep up with any modern machine.
S
o which bike or style of riding are you going to choose? Keith Spencer of Herbert’s Cycles, Whitstable offers the following advice: “Think about what you really want to get out of your bike and what kind of time frame you have available to ride it. It’s easier to grab and go with leisure and road cycling, but off road riding will require a few trips to the woods. Then you must consider what type of riding you’ll be doing. Will it be off road mountain biking or hard road race cycling or leisure cycling along the coast or nearby bridleways? The size of the bike you choose is really important as the right size creates efficient riding as well as the comfort of a correct fit. Any good independent cycle shop can advise you in these areas and they can also test ride your cycle before you buy. 46 The Weekender
Let’s Go: Cycling Enjoy the ride more with the latest kit. It’s amazing what the local bike shop has in store
FOR HER
Claud Butler Classic £339.99 A comfortable hybrid bike like this is suitable for both short runs to the shops or for fully blown touring. A true all rounder that’s happy to carry your daily load.
COOL BUY! One cycling category that is becoming more popular right now is the Europeanstyle utility riding. The Europeans seem to have a great attitude to grabbing the bike and leaving the car behind to shop locally or visit friends. These styles of cycle have upright riding positions and great carrying possibilities for pannier bags and baskets.”
SAFETY FIRST
Provis Hi Visibility Jacket £69.99 Light-emitting garments like this are perfect for being seen in during the dark winter months. Also good for keeping you warm and dry on a long ride.
Clement cycle cap £12.99 A retro peaked cap is ideal for keeping the wind out of your hair and fits snugly under a helmet.
Knog Frog strobe light £10.99 This nifty rubber LED light can be attached to any part of your bike, helmet or clothing. Kiddimoto cycle helmet £24.99 If the kids are coming along for the ride, make sure they wear one of these. A fun way to stay safe on the cycle path.
Stockists Herbert’s Cycles, 01227 272072, www.herbertscycles.co.uk Locks, 01304 617161, www.locksofsandwichcycles.co.uk The Weekender 47
JUST THE JOB
Heather Dorsett
Photos by Sean Preston
H
eather Dorsett, 27, swapped a career in nursing for the chance to work as a senior keeper at Port Lympne, the 600-acre wild animal park near Hythe. Having spent her first two years with the park’s 17 Black Rhinos, she is now assigned to the park’s primates section, where a team of six keepers look after 180 monkeys. I start at 8am and begin by cutting up all the food and checking that the monkeys are all right. After that, I clean out the enclosures until lunchtime. If we didn’t clean them, the smell would be atrocious and it wouldn’t be nice for the monkeys either! After lunch, we make the feeds for the next day and later we do maintenance jobs such as painting or roping off enclosures. Normally we finish at 5pm. The quieter you are around monkeys the better. If you stand at the cage and wait, you will see them. Don’t stare them in the eye and stay quiet and calm. To them, staring
Wild Animal Keeper is a threat. Wait for them to come to you and have peanuts and a banana ready. Some of them are really friendly and will come over and give me a cuddle, but most just want the food that I’ve brought. Normally they eat leafy greens, herbs, vegetables and fruit, but
“When I go to Tesco’s after work I get an aisle all to myself!” visitors often try to feed them crisps or chocolates, which can make them really poorly. The monkeys can be naughty and aggressive. Luckily, I’ve never been bitten, but if you went into a cage with some of them, you’d come out looking worse than when you went in. Primates normally go for your head which can leave terrible scars. They will attack people if their family are threatened, but sometimes it is because they are just born nasty.
My favourite is George, a diabetic De Brazzas monkey. He has a very strict diet and we hand inject him every morning. He’s in his twenties now so he’s getting on. You do feel for the older ones and try to keep them warm in winter. Monkeys can live long lives. We have a Capuchin monkey called Mrs Spock who’s in her late fifties but looks like a baby. I don’t have any ambition to be a head keeper. The higher you go, the further away from the animals you get. I’m not interested in doing all the extra paperwork that you’d have to do. I like to come in and do what I do, then go home again. If I left my job tomorrow, it would be the animals that I’d miss most.
If you want to become a keeper, you should do some volunteering first. It also helps to go on a course, such as an Animal Care and Management NVQ. It’s a dirty job with lots of sweeping and raking involved. And when I go to Tesco’s after work I get an aisle all to myself! I deliberately keep my keeper’s badge on to prove to people that’s the reason why I smell. And when I go to my mum’s house, she always makes me get undressed as soon as I’m at the door. Why not sign up for a keeper experience day? For people of all ages, it’s a chance to get up close and personal with some of the park’s rare and endangered animals. For more information or to book please call: 0844 842 4647.
Pros & Cons PROS Being around animals and getting to know them
CONS Working in the rain and snow
Working outdoors during the summer months
Visitors shouting at the monkeys
Being able to work with different types animals
When one of the animals dies
48 The Weekender 77502_PL_KeeperExperience_blue_sat outlined.indd 1
22/12/11 09:29:05
WALLETT’S COURT
MY EAST KENT LIFE Richard Phillips The celebrity chef behind four of Kent’s leading gastro experiences, Richard Phillips worked at London’s Savoy Hotel, Le Gavroche and as head chef for Marco Pierre White, before opening the Michelinstarred Thackeray’s in 2001. Last year, he reopened the Pearson’s Arms in Whitstable, which serves quality pub food. As a television chef, he has appeared on Ready Steady Cook, Saturday Kitchen and Lorraine. He is married with two children and lives near Maidstone.
A Kentish lad
I’m from the Medway towns and I attended Thanet Catering College before going to London to cut my teeth in the business. When I was a kid, I did a lot of scrumping – I like to think of it as foraging from the wild. My first job was working on a farm. They had a pickyour-own venture and I was lugging potatoes and apples around all weekend. I was getting about a fiver for it, which was bugger all, then I got a job at the Beefeater in Rainham. I began by washing up and worked my way up and became a cook. You could say that learnt from the ground up.
The local food revolution
When I opened Thackeray’s ten years ago, a lot of local food was being shipped off abroad or sent to markets elsewhere, but over the
hotel & restaurant What is it that sets Wallett’s Court apart from traditional country house hotels? Could it be that alongside traditional suites and four-poster beds, there are converted Kentish hay barns to stay in or tipis for a spot of glamping...
Maybe it’s the beautiful setting in the oak-beamed dining room or the stunning British food prepared with a contemporary twist... last few years it’s become quite apparent that people want Kentish produce and this has become even more so since the economic downturn. If you’re buying seasonal ingredients, it means they are in abundance, and therefore a lot cheaper. Kent produces food all year round. We have amazing apples and great venison, pheasant and partridge as well as root vegetables like squashes and pumpkins. The summer months are amazing for soft fruits like strawberries and raspberries, and we do spinach better than anyone else in the world. We have foragers and asparagus sellers knocking on the back door of the Pearson’s Arms, and at Thackeray’s we have a lady who brings us 72 eggs each week. In return, she gets a complimentary meal worth £150 – it’s like the old days of chickens for seed.
Away from the kitchen
I go running near my home in Hollingbourne in the North Downs. I try to go
every other day for five to eight miles, getting up at 6.30am with the kids and making them breakfast before I go. I cook at home with the family and it’s great to get the children (three-year-old twins Isaac and Amelia) involved, but what I want on a Sunday is a proper roast dinner at an eaterie where I feel comfortable. Chapel Down has a good family-friendly atmosphere but I’m also happy to find a local pub nearby. If we’re in Whitstable, we’ll all go for a walk on the beach.
The chef recommends
I love Leeds Castle, and it completely sums up what Kent is about with its lovely grounds and fantastic events. I like famers’ markets especially The Goods Shed in Canterbury where you just turn up and buy great ingredients. I like
to ‘try before you buy’. The market’s got a great buzz to it and it has the feel of Borough Market in London. Hopefully, more of these places will start to open up.
Town vs country
My heart has always been in Kent. I spent many years living and working in London, but people are more loyal and more honest here. In London you don’t get regulars like you do here. If you do it well, you see the same people coming back and they give you their honest opinion, which I like.
Screen star
I work regularly on television. It helps to raise awareness of the restaurants and it does create traffic, but we still have to make sure that we deliver when customers arrive. I make sure that I get round all the restaurants every week. It’s important to keep myself match fit and stay excited and buzzing about being a chef.
Top: Richard by the beach at Whitstable Far left: A wintrylooking Leeds Castle Left: His new pub venture, the Pearson’s Arms, Whitstable 00 The Weekender
What makes The Restaurant at Wallett’s Court so fabulously magical?
The
Garden of England
Spa
Why is Wallett’s Court so dearly loved by so many and for so long?
How do the team in The Garden of England Spa at Wallett’s Court manage to make you feel so utterly pampered?
Some say that having been in the same family ownership for over thirty years means that it has that feeling of being truly cared for that is so rare in today’s changing world and it is like a trusted friend that will always be there for you...
The naturally inspired Ren Skincare beauty products that are in every bathroom and used in the generous list of gorgeous beauty treatments could be the answer... WALLETT’S COURT
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