ChestnutAndGolden SyrupPudding

Preparationtime20 mins+chestnut preptime Cookingtime25mins Serves4-6

Ingredients

220gfresh chestnuts

½cup milk

1egg

80g butter, melted

2tbsp golden syrup

1/3 cupfirmly-packed brown sugar

1 ¼ cups self-raisingfour, sifted

Icingsugar, fordusting

Cream orice-cream, to serve

Sauce:

½ cup brown sugar

2tsp cornflour

1 ¼ cups boilingwater

¼ cup golden syrup

Method

Cutchestnuts in half acrossthewidth ofthe chestnut.

Place prepared chestnuts into a saucepan of cold waterand bringtothe boil.

Simmerfor 15to 20 min. Remove the chestnuts one at a time from thewater. Wrap in a clean tea towel for 5 to 10 minutes. While chestnuts arestill warm, quickly peel offthe outer brown shell and remove the papery thin skin underneath.

Preheat oven to 180°C. Lightlygrease an 8-cup deep ovenproofdish.

Finely grate chestnuts in a food processor. In a large bowl, combine milk, egg, butter and goldensyrup. Stir in chestnuts, sugar and siftedfour. Using a large metal spoon, mix until just combined. Spoon intothe prepared dish. stickblenderuntil smooth. Seasonto taste.

To makethesauce, combinesugarand cornfour in a small bowl.Sprinkle over pudding. Combine waterand golden syrup in a jug. Pourmixture over the back oflarge metal spoon overthe pudding batter. Place dish on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bakefor 50-55 minutes until golden and puddingbouncesbackwhengently pressed in the centre. Stand for 5 minutes. Dustwith icingsugar. Serve with cream or ice-cream.

Ladle into bowls and top each with a dollop ofsourcream.Sprinklewith chestnutcrisps* if liked and serve.

NOTE: This soup thickens on standing - add extra stock if necessary.

*To makechestnutcrisps; slice 50g of cooked and peeled chestnuts in a little olive oil in a fryingpan over medium-high heat, tossing often, until golden. Drain on papertowel

BYMINALKHONA tis autumn alreadyand,before you knowit,the \Veatherisgoingtoget colder. Evenpeople withnormal skin willfinditgoingdryanditchy.Instead ofslatheringonthe creamsafter the temperaturesdrop,whynot start taking care.ofyour skinweJl inadvance. with these basicat-home productsyoucanuseto keep your skinmoisturisedduringwinter.

Sunscreen

WeusualJytakebetter care of our skinin summer thaninwinter.W/e areextracareful with the stmscreen,moisturisers andlip balms. But,doyou know thatwe need sunscreen in winter roo?Just because the sunis notblazingdown,itdoesn'tmean the UVraysaregonetoo.The first thingro remember is that asunscreenormoisturiser witha minimum of SPF 15 should be somethingyou use al1throughthe year.

Honey

This versatilekitcheningrectient isagreat moisturiser.Take a spooneach ofyoghurt andhoneyand applyit al1over your face andneck. Rinse offonce it isdry Do this regularly for softand supple skin.

Extra virgin coconut oil

These daysthe organicorextravirgin varieties ofthiswonderful oilare avai!Jible everywhere.Just applyingit all over your face andneckisenough togiveyourskin the moismre it needs.That'sbecause coconut oil has fattyacidsthat can nourish theskinandit iseasilyabsorbed.Youcan also applythisoil toyour hairandleave on for anhour before youshampoo.Itwill preventhair from becomingextradryand frizzydmi.ngwinter.

Atiptogauge if theproduct isgenuine: Pure coconutoil willalwaysfreezeincolder weather. Itbecomesalmostlike a solid white massinsidethe bottleandyou have to place the bottle inhot watertillitmelts.

Fruit

While we eat ctifferent frnit fo.rtheir multiple benefits, applyingtl1e111 tothe skin isalsohelpful.Take abit ofpapaya,banana or orange pulpand mix itwith honey. Apply it all over the face andneckandyou will have moisnire rich skinintenminutes. This works forall skintypesandnotonlydry skin.

Cream and milk

If you have drylips,adabofghee or clarified butter,honeyor evencrean1will workwonders. Tryboilingalittle fullcream milk, the creamwill floatto the topand you canuse that asabase for face masks (cream mixedwith crushedalmondsorwalnuts is anexcellentmask for verydryskin);a face scrub(mixcreamandgram Aour and scrub your face with it to remove dryskin);or evenas aheavy duty moisruciser (mixcream and alittle milkandrub it into the skin gently).

Extra virgin olive oil

Winter canleadtodreadeddandruff.This oil worksveryweJltoeliminate dandruff due toitsanti-microbialqualities Warmit upandapplytoyour scalp.Ifyour hair is onthe drier side,blendthe oil with araw eggandapply- the oil will take care of the dandruff and the eggwillnourishthe so·andsandrootswith e.xtraprotein.

Antioxidant-rich diet

Make sureyouinclude oneor more 'superfoods'inyour diet. Tbese arefoods thatare high in nutrientsevenwheneaten in small quantities. Walnuts, pomegranates, salmon, quinoa, sprouts,leanmeats and seeds Like chia, sunflower and flax, give you energy, and the antioxidants and nutrients the bodyneedsto stayhealtl1yonall fronts.

Water

During winter we don't feel sotbirsty, but it is important todrink enoughwater through the dayso the cells ofthe skin staymoismrised.Youcaneven scareyour daywitl1a glass of warmwatermixed with honey -it is agreat detox for tl1e system, especiallyifyouhave alifestyle where you are indoorsat work or partyover weekends. Thiswill helpcountertheside effects of air conditioningand alcohol.

Talk toyourgrandmothers,read about seasonal foodsand tryroincorporate tl1ern into your dietandbeautyroutines.Your skin and hair will show theresultsof tl1e extracare andwinter winds won't hurttl1em anymore.

BYSANDIP HOR

IassumeMessilovesBarcelonawhile Ronaldopuncheshisweightbehind Madrid,theirfondnessobvious!)' arisi11gfromtheirrespective associationwiththetwocelebrated Spanishfootballclubs,BarcelonaFCand Reali\fadrid.

However,wheninSpainit'snot difficulttospototherpointsofrivalry betweenthenation'stwomostvisited destinations.Foremostisperhapsthecry fromBarcelonansforseparationoftheir state,Catalonia,fromSpain.Thecapital Madridhatesthisideaandasaresult someideologicaldifferentiationhasbeen explodingbetweenthetwocities.For example,there'snomorebullfightingin Barcelonabecauseit'snowthoughttobe brutal,butinMadriditcontinuesinfi.tlJ swingasapartofage-oldSpanishtradition Eachofthetwocitiesclaimtobethe 'bestdestination'inSpain.However,asa firsttimevisitor,Istayneutrala11dstamp bothasequallyappealing,eachhaving theirownurbancharacterandhistorical, architecturalandcontemporarycharmsto dutchvisitorsintheirgrips.

TuckedbetweentheCollserolaHillsand ?vfediterraneanSea,Barcelonarepresents apatchworkofcharacteristicdistricts, narratingthestoryofitsevolutionfrom amedievalmaritimehubtothe19'h centuryextensionsandtoday'shighenecgy boroughsetup.

Beingahistoryenthusiast,Istartmy BarcelonaodysseyatBarriGotic,orthe GothicQuarter,whichisthemedieval nucleusofBarcelona.Thisareainsidethe OldTownisalabyrinthofpavedsquares andtwistedstreetslinedwithsever.al pivotalbuildings,themostsignificant beingthemightyBarcelonaCathedral, ablendofGothicandRomanesque designItsconstructionbeganin1298 onthefoundationsofaRomantemple andl'Yfoorishmosqueremindingmodern generationsthattheRomansandthe Muslimsearliermarkedtheirfootstepsin Barcelona.

SotoodidtheJews,whowerealso occupyingpartsoftheOldTown,Antiga Sinagogabeingtheirmostnotableliving landmark.EdgingtheGothkQuarter isLaRa.mbla,thecity'srnostillustrious tl1oroughfare.Denselypackedwith restaurants,cafesandbars,thiskilometrelong,tree-linedavenueisadawn-to-dusk frenzyofhwnanactivity.

BarcelonaclaimstohaveEurope's greatestcollectionofArtNouveau buildingsdatingfromtheearlyI9'hcentury. Manyofthemweredesignedbyprodigious Cat.'lia.narchitectAntoniGaudiwhose distinctivestyleisbrandedbyfreedomof shape,riotofcolourandtexture.Acluster ofhiscreationsinBarcelonaareWorld Heritagelisted,mostvisitedamongthem beingPalauGi.ie.11,CasaMila,CasaBatU6 andLaSagradaFamilia,amonumental dmrchwhoseconstructioncontinuesto thisdaysinceitwascommencedin1883.

Ifthereistimetoseejustonething inBarcelona,ithastobetl1istowering building,deemedGaudi'smostfabled concept,based on the traditions of Gothicand Byzantine carbedrals. His design calls fora total of 18 spires,some ofwhich are stillunder construction. Theyare supposed corepresentJesus, theVirginMary,Four Evangelists and the Twelve Aposrles. Whencomplete in 2026,thisband of spires willrepresent aunique addition totbe skylinevista of Barcelona. The cathedral's interior,whjch is almost complete, reAectsinnovativeuse oflight tobequeaththe architecture with eloquence andgrandeur. Gandi diedof atragicaccident in 1926 and hisbodyis buried inside the crypt,so that he remains for time eternalwithhisdistinguished formation.

IfLa Sagrada Familiaranks at the top ofanyBarcelonaitinerary, then Museo Nacionalde!Prado aptlyqualifies for a similar rankinginMadrid.Accordingto artgums,it fits inthe same bracket as the Louvre in Paris and the Uffizi Galleryin Florence,allofchembeinga treasure trove ofextraordinaryart andsculpture. Housed inavastneoclassicaledifice, the Prado embraces art from the 12'1,co2Q•h centuries andexhibits theworld's largestcollection ofSpanishworks.Its distinctfeature is the displayof the collectionsofformer Spanishmonarchswhichreflect the taste andpoliticalalliances of the royaltyduring 15,1 to 17'" century. i\fanyvisit here tosee theworksofFrancisco de Goya,the most eminent Spanishcourtpainter,whosebest creationswere completed as a part of his officialduties.Severalof his masterpieces, like the NakedMajaandthe Clothed Maja,are housedinthis museum. \X-'hi.le the Pradopresents Spanish art, thereare museums inBarcelona, suchastheMuseu Nacionald'Art de Catalunya,thatshowcase mosrly Catalanarr.

The Sparush capitalsince 1619,Madrid is engravedwithmanyimperialemhlems, with rl1e 18•h centuryRoyal Palace being the biggestcrowdpuller .Manyofits 3000 rooms are opentothepublictowitness rl1e opulent lifestyle ofmonarchslil,e King CharlesII&IVand KingAlfonso XIV.

Like La Ran1blainBarcelona,the medievalquarter of Puerta de]Solis rl1ewhere the heart ofMadrid has been racingfor centuries.The area is filledwith churches, monasteries and government buildings,recent adrutionsbeinghordesof restaurants,cafes,bars,boutique shops and othetoutletsvisirors lookfor,like money changers andmobile phone suppliers.

It's close tothe expansive Plaza i\fayor,a paved square whichbeganlifein rl1e 15" centuryas a macket place and thena venue for bullfights, carruvals and important ceremoniesofimperialMadrid.Astatueof 17'1,centurymonarch Phillip lIIstands at its centre. The squaretodayis animportant hubofsocialgarl1erings andis surrounded bysomeofMadrid's bestrestaurants;Los Galayos, servingauthenticSparushcuisine since 1894,beingoneofthem.

The biggestsimilarityberweenBarcelona andMadridis rl1eir passionfor football. Though tapas,paella and flamencoare other contributors toharmony, none are possiblyasstrongas rbe worldgame.

Both Can1p NouandSantiagoBernabeu Stadiums, the homesof Barcelona FC

Clockwisefromtopleft:Barcelona square;Gaudibuilding,Barcelona; Madridbullfightarena;Gaudi's ParkGuell, Barcelona;Sacred BlackMadonna insideMontserrat Monastery;RegalentrytoMadrid; RoyalPalace,Madrid and RealMadrid, are pilgrimage sites for football fansirrespective of their cityof origin.Iftheirclubsarenotplaying, these fans have nohesitationinunitingtostand behind rl1e Spanishnationalteam during anyinternationalgame.

QatarAirways (www.qatarairways.com) have regularflights fromSydney, Melbourne, Adelaideand PerthtobothBarcelona and Madrid,with a highspeedtrainconnectionbetweenthetwocities.

HotelGataloniaBarcelona Plaza(en.cataloniabcnplaza. com) andHotelNH Madrid Eurobuilding(www.nh-hotelscom)areconveniently located and wellserviced.

• Tuckedata mountainous location40km awayfrom Barcelona, Montserratisa basilicaand monasterywherepilgrims stormtoseetheBlackVirgin.

• Dotted72kmfromMadridistheformer imperial cityofToledo.still deemedthe nation·s regaland cultural epicentre. TablaoVillaRosa(www.tablaoflamencovillarosa.com)in Madrid presents an excellent dinnerandflamencoshowpackqge.

SpanishTourism Board (www.spain.info)