Bath Life – Issue 432

TAKE ME

ISSUE 432 / 4 – 17 DECEMBER 2020 / £3

#BathTogether

ISSUE 432 / 4 – 17 DECEMBER 2020 / ALL WE WANT FOR CHRISTMAS

B E A U T I F U L WAY S T O S H O P

LOCAL THIS CHRISTMAS

WINTER

WONDERLAND THE GENTLE TOUCH

SUMPTUOUS SOFT FURNISHINGS

GOOD THYMES

INSIDE JEKKA’S HERB FARM

HOWZAT!

200 YEARS OF LANSDOWN CRICKET CLUB

SUNDAY GIRL HOME FINE CREATIVE DINING COLLABORATOR LEXI LEARMOND

HOW TAKEAWAYS GOT TERRIFIC

EDITOR’S LETTER

ABOVE: Red Umbrella Lansdown

by Jason Dorley-Brown BELOW: Looking for indies online? We’ve got you covered (page 17)

W

ill it snow? Will we be meeting in larger groups?

Will we hear sleigh bells? Despite the Bath Life team’s journalistic prowess, we just don’t have the answers as we go to press. But one thing we are collectively resolute in is our determination to enjoy Christmas in some form or other. Of course how we might define that within the confines of possible or sensible restrictions will vary from person to person. Mine, since you didn’t ask, would involve family, board games and a lot of TV – I love Christmas telly.

However it is also about giving thoughtful presents – maybe more important this year than ever.

Doesn’t have to be flashy, pricey or big – in fact small and considerate is worth more. A hand printed card, a silk hankie, a bottle of toffee rum, a piece of art – and how much more integrity do these beautiful gifts have if they are helping keep Bath’s indie economy fighting fit and ready for 2021?

We have nine pages of just such present inspiration (page 17) to help you bestow goodwill on your loved ones. I had a holly jolly time putting this collection together – which includes many of the traders who would normally have been at Bath Christmas Market, as well as local talented artists including the explosive pop art prints of the man responsible for our cover – Jason Dorley-Brown. Maybe too much of a good time, so if my other half is reading this, don’t check our joint bank account, and, er, you don’t need to get me a present this year honey. I think I’m sorted. Mind, I’m sure there’s no need for me to feel guilty – it’s called self-gifting and apparently there’s a science behind it. (*quickly runs off to set up a Wix site called ‘The Art of Self-Gifting and the Science Behind It*)

SARAH MOOLLA

Follow us on Twitter @BathLifeMag Instagram @bathlifemag

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 3

Issue 432 / 4–17 December 2020 COVER Red Umbrella Royal Crescent

by Jason Dorley-Brown (page 17)

CHRISTMAS

17 FESTIVE GIFT GUIDE Bring joy to others with the

best seasonal shopping from our Bath indies, the Bath Christmas Market and the Bath arts scene

THE ARTS

33 ARTS INTRO A famous face – as you’ve never seen her

before

34 WHAT’S ON The best of Bath’s online events, art

exhibitions, theatre and more

37 THEATRE The Play That Goes Wrong is the Theatre Royal’s

festive treat

38 BOOKS Nic Bottomley of Mr B suggests a few travel reads

FOOD&DRINK

40 RESTAURANT How our best indie eateries turned to

takeaways

42 TAKE 5 Life in the chocolate house with Amelia Pocock 44 NEWS Bath’s latest foodie update and a tantalising festive

recipe from Osip’s Merlin Labron-Johnson

LIFESTYLE

50 INTERVIEW Lexi Learmond tells us how to live like it’s

always Sunday

13

56 GARDENS Exploring the herb gardens of Jekka McVicar 58 LANSDOWN CRICKET CLUB A new book celebrates

the club’s near 200-year history

BUSINESS

61 BATHWORKS The local businesses making the headlines 64 BIZ Q&A Nuray Morris introduces Tilian Kids & Gifts 67 BATH LIFE AWARDS Nickie Portman, retail award-

winner

PROPERTY

73 PROPERTY INTRO Bath Abbey’s new heating system 74 PROPERTY NEWS A Circus flat to let, and gorgeous

glulam beams

76 SHOWCASE Glebe House – more than just a place to lay

your head

80 SOFT FURNISHINGS From cushions to curtains, expert

advice on how to dress your home

DEPARTMENTS

7 SPOTLIGHT Netflix comes to Bath 13 FLATLINE David says goodbye to his beloved dog, Gus 15 STYLE COUNSEL Philippa on creating a chic home bar 69 BATH TOGETHER Chief exec Greg Ingham on our shared experiences 90 LIVES Meet Bath author Rebecca Lipkin

15

Editor Sarah Moolla sarah.moolla@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy editor Lydia Tewkesbury lydia.tewkesbury@mediaclash.co.uk Managing editor Deri Robins deri.robins@mediaclash. co.uk Senior art editor Andrew Richmond Graphic design Megan Allison Cover design Trevor Gilham Contributors Nic Bottomley, Anna O’Callaghan, David Flatman, Greg Ingham, Philippa May, Matilda Walton, John Mather, and Nick Woodhouse Group advertising manager Pat White pat.white@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy advertising manager Justine Walker justine.walker@mediaclash.co.uk Account manager Annabel North annabel.north@mediaclash.co.uk Production/Distribution manager Sarah Kingston sarah. kingston@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy production manager Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk Production designer Matt Gynn matt.gynn@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief executive Greg Ingham greg.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Bath Life MediaClash, Circus Mews House, Circus Mews, Bath BA1 2PW 01225 475800 www.mediaclash.co.uk @The MediaClash © All rights reserved. May not be reproduced without written permission of MediaClash.

We’re a Bath-based publisher, creative agency and event organiser Magazines Our portfolio of regional magazines celebrates the best of local living: Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter. Agency From the design and build of websites to digital marketing and creating company magazines, we can help. Events We create, market, promote and operate a wide variety of events both for MediaClash and our clients Contact: info@mediaclash.co.uk

4 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

SPOTLIGHT Television

BATH ON SCREEN

ALL PHOTOS © NETFLIX

The Netflix drama is set to hit our screens on Christmas Day

We were all excited when Netflix’s latest costume drama, Bridgerton started filming in Bath last year. Based on the book series by Julia Quinn and produced by Shonda Rhymes of Grey’s Anatomy fame, we can’t wait for it to hit our screens.

Bath has a starring role in the drama, with many locations to look out for including Abbey Green, where Pickled Green’s stood in for Modiste, a dress shop key to the story. Meanwhile another part of the Green was used to stand in for Covent Garden. The Assembly Rooms and Guildhall were restored to all their Georgian glory for ballroom scenes, while the exterior of the Holburne was used for another. Other Bath locations to spot include Trim Street, Beauford Square, and Bath Street. The Royal Crescent also puts in an compulsory appearance, with the exterior of No.1 Royal Crescent taking pride of place as the home of the Featherington family.

Bridgerton arrives on the streaming service on Christmas Day, and stars Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page in the leading roles, with Ben Miller and Lorraine Ashbourne in supporting roles.

For more: www.netflix.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 7

SPOTLIGHT Snow Mouse and Squirrel star in the egg’s Online Advent Calendar

We can’t wait for Absurd Person Singular by London Classic Theatre in February

Theatre

THE HOUSE IS OPEN

The Theatre Royal is back… again. Ever tenacious in the face of adversity, Bath’s beloved cultural centre has now announced a thrilling season of Christmas performances – plus plenty to look forward to in 2021. We missed a lot of theatre this year, but thankfully these upcoming shows will allow us to make up for some of the lost time.

Throughout December

Make sure you’re following the egg’s online advent calendar for daily adventures with egg favourites Snow Mouse and Squirrel.

3–22 December & 4–16 January

OLEANNA, USTINOV STUDIO First written and produced 30 years ago but utterly of the moment, Oleanna is set on an American college campus. A conversation unwinds between a college professor and a female student that threatens to destroy both their lives when she files a sexual harassment claim against him in this seminal piece by David Mamet.

17 December 2020 – 16 January 2021

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG, MAIN HOUSE The hilarious, award-winning caper in which – you guessed it – everything goes wrong. The Cornley Drama Society just want their 1920s murder mystery to go off without a hitch, unfortunately though, things don’t quite pan out that way…

17–20 December

A CHRISTMAS CAROL, THE EGG Box Clever’s imaginative take on the Dickens classic is heart-warming and magical, for ages 10+

8 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

24, 27–30 December

HIBERNATION, THE EGG Fall in love with Little Bulb theatre’s whimsical look into what it might be like to take a very, very long nap. For ages 3-7.

AND TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2021…

18–20 January

Beauty and the Beast by Living Spit

20 January – 6 February Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen

9–20 February

Alan Ayckborn’s Absurd Person Singular

22–27 February

Harold Pinter’s The Birthday Party

1–6 March

Benefactors, starring Outnumbered’s Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner

10–27 March

Alan Bennett’s Office Suite.

For more: www.theatreroyal.org

The Birthday Party by Everyman Theatre Company is coming in February

A Christmas Carol – the quintessential play as performed by Box Clever Theatre

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FLAT LINE DAVID FLATMAN

Goodbye Gus Flats pays tribute to his always faithful, and sometimes feisty, four-legged friend

Flats with the late, great Gus, and also pictured is Badger, his gorgeous one-eyed French bulldog

“He was, like you and me I guess, utterly imperfect, and I could not have loved him more”

I

was terrified of dogs as a child, principally because I was attacked by two of them. Well, I was bitten by a German Shepherd outside the local corner shop (my mum had to trap its head in the car door to stop it eating me all up), and I was chased by Brutus, our neighbour’s Great Dane. He never got to me because, incredibly, I was more agile than he was, the poor thing.

Said neighbours used to look after my disabled brother now and then, and Brutus was so protective that he wouldn’t permit my brother’s actual family to collect or even approach him.

This fear abated, though, and I grew to love doggies. I would greet and stroke any passing dog who’d have me. Still do, actually.

My first and favourite dog, Gus, was put to sleep last Monday by a lovely vet in Weston called Jenny.

He was just short of 15 years old, and I loved him very, very much. I miss him terribly, though the sadness is slowly turning to fondness of thought. I never predicted, all those years ago, that a car journey to West Wales to see a puppy would precede a decade and a half of unconditional love with my animal soulmate.

As a young fellow, Gus was overly boisterous, always pushing his keepers hard and occasionally getting into scraps and scrapes.

His willpower was legendary to the point of being overwhelming, and his desire to collide and tumble with his contemporaries at any given park lost us friends on more than one occasion. I once looked into the boot of my convertible Land Rover and saw he’d gone, only to find him INSIDE a child’s buggy. This is not ok, yet I knew he meant no harm; he just always adored children. Against all odds, the little girl’s mummy felt the same; she loved him and said embrace became a bit of a tradition.

Ultimately, he was a naughty

dog, and for this I must shoulder the blame. He ruined puppy training classes (though the instructor loved him), terrified passers by (even though he just desperately wanted them to come and play with him), chased cats (even though he loved them and just wanted to sniff and play when he caught them), and chewed every single thing with the steel vice-like jaws that defined his aesthetic. He once ate all four television remotes in the house.

I only realised when the yellow and red buttons dropped onto the pavement on a walk. He also once chewed through a closed fire door – work that out. All he really ever wanted was food and company.

But he grew to be a tolerant, loving, hugely endearing old man.

He was incredibly impatient, almost unimaginably stubborn, and relentless until the end, when lovely Jenny struggled even to sedate him in that little room, his adoring family crying all around him, our familiar hands gripping one last time to his thick, white coat. He loved his family so much.

“His eyes are gone,” wept my younger daughter, and away he swam. Our best boy. Childishly, I want him back. He was, like you and me I guess, utterly imperfect, and I could not have loved him more. In fact, as I slip back into thinking of him by my side, where he was for so long, I find the episodes of disobedience and outright non-compliance are the ones to make me smile through the tears.

I have another wonderful dog, and I love dogs enough to know that I’ll get another one at some point, but I’ll never replace Gus.

David Flatman is an ex-Bath and England rugby star turned TV pundit and rent-o-mic. Follow him on Twitter @davidflatman

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 13

STYLE COUNSEL PHILIPPA MAY

Kara circular drinks trolley, £375; www.grahamandgreen.co.uk

OFF HER TROLLEY Philippa advocates being the hostess with the mostest with the return of retro drinks cabinets

W

hen we went into lockdown at the beginning of this year, there was one thing that by the end I was very ready to return to... someone with skill making me a very good cocktail.

With bars and restaurants having to shut their doors, over time we tried our hand at composing a few recipes to drink at home, and although our ability has improved vastly over a few months, the bustle of a dimly lit, romantic bar was lacking.

It got me thinking about how to recreate that ambience to support the tipples. Although we’ve been enjoying drinks at home for quite some time now (growing older has definitely resulted in a new appreciation for giving the barhopping a miss) it does seem as though it’s more acceptable than ever to create a substantial home bar. We’ve been loving so many

different trends that stem from the ’70s such as fringing, velvets and wicker, that it was only a matter of time until the drinks trolley came back, but I also like the idea of a well designed set up to give you a Gatsby-like feel to home drinking.

It’s easy to find the perfect inspiration for a home bar with so many Pinterest boards devoted to retro ’70s-style living, so it’s time to get creative and find some ideas for building your own at home.

With Christmas just around the corner, I’ve been looking at what it takes to create a great looking entertaining space that’s well stocked ready for festivities.

Whether you want to build your own bar or turn part of your kitchen counter into one, I’ve got some ideas to make it something extra special.

When there’s space for it – use a wall to make the bar your room’s big feature. A butler’s pantry would be perfect for

“A home bar will always bring a sense of fun and frivolity to your interiors”

this, but make sure to mix it up with complementary colours and textures to give the room a bit more of a rock and roll feel rather than falling into the kitsch.

Use a large sheet of material, whether that’s foxed glass from the Looking Glass of Bath, brass or a bold veined marble as a ‘splashback’ design behind your countertop – this is where your most stylish bottles will sit, so it’s worth making it special.

Then top your wall with some wild wallpaper like Tourbillon from Farrow & Ball to get that cosmopolitan bar vibe.

If a whole wall or recess is too extravagant, you can tuck a home bar into a cupboard for a discreet solution. Line the back with the glass or wallpaper for a similar effect that can be hidden behind a set of doors. In an ideal world, your bar would be fully stocked at all times, but you can always utilise your shelving by proudly displaying your best glassware. This year it’s all about the champagne saucer and always in the ripple design, and the Ferm Living sets are firmly on my Christmas list – luckily, our favourite lifestyle store Resident have got us covered. They’ve taken everything online and these beauties are part of their collections, hallelujah. Decorate the rest of your shelves with plants, artwork, or a beautiful recipe book to curate more than just your alcohol…

Of course there’s always the option to upcycle a freestanding

cabinet, an old safe, or even a sideboard. All closed up it will blend in with your day-to-day decor, but opened wide will provide you with all of your needs. Graham and Green have quite a few art-deco-style options with their open bar cart designs; I’m loving the style of the Kara circular drinks trolley with its big brass curves and retro feel.

And last but not least, if you’re not so dedicated to the bar, pour your liquor into a pretty Robert Welch decanter and place on a tray with your Ferm Living ripple highballs and a sprig of eucalyptus. Place it all on a console table in your living room for a quick makeshift bar that will still have your guests wowed with your effort. Without a doubt, this idea is all about styling and furniture that evokes a bit of pizazz. Rather than a necessity per se, a home bar will always bring a sense of fun and frivolity to your interiors, and it can be as complex or straightforward as you want. Mine is open shelving in a dark and moody off-black hue – it’s now ready and waiting to impress, and I’ve got a restock of El Rayo Tequila, Scout and Sage Gin and some Fevertree tonics on their way to finish it off. So it’s a great big cheers to Christmas, whatever it may bring.

Philippa May is an interiors enthusiast and director of branding and marketing company Mayd Studio. Follow her on Instagram @_philippamay_ www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 15

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

IN PRESENT TIMES With real-life Christmas shopping an uncertainty still, we’re thinking outside the (gift) box

I

t’s all about spreading the Christmas joy this year and ensuring it’s a season of goodwill for all the smaller guys, the local initiatives, and the on-our-doorstep creatives. We can do this by channelling at least some of our Christmas shopping in their direction, and not in the pockets of anonymous giants with their massproduced and bland offerings.

Over the next nine pages we’re showcasing gift inspiration from our Bath indies; the gorgeous stalls that would have normally been at the Bath Christmas Market; and stunning work from a few of our favourite artists.

Garden Trading snowflake doormat, £10, stockists www.woodhouseandlaw.co.uk

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Long match es in square box from Lu and Fig, £6 ca ; www.trou va.com

Mona Lisa Christmas decoration, £11.55; www.holburne.org

Aesop Rozu ea de parfum, £130, www.carosomerset.com

Hare Bottle Stopper, £9.95; www.homefrontinteriors.co.uk

Bath Country Pets, selection box £12-£20, www.bathcountrypets.co.uk

Pair of leopard tins, £6.95; www.theartcohort.co.uk

INDEPENDENT SPIRIT Buy lovely and support local

White gold diamond swirl ring, £600; www.nicholaswylde.com Eleanor bucket bag, £350, www.studioashay.com

Annie Sloan With Charleston Paint Your Own Keepsake Box, £59.95, www.rossitersofbath.com

18 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Dead Sexy Date Night Set by TOKYOMILK, £24; www.graceandmabel.co.uk

Crochet rattle, £17, www.tiliankids.com

48, pink; £ uare in q s t e pock epeat om Pink R .c James omasfortin h www.t

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

ROBERTS Re vival Uno D A with alarm, £149.99; w B/DAB+/FM digital ra dio ww.mossofb ath.co.uk

Beau Nuage L’Original Umbrella in garnet red, £32, www.graceandmabel.co.uk Mandarin garnet and diamond drop earrings in 9ct gold £1,395; www.goldandplatinumstudio.co.uk

Volker Lang clasp cross body handbag, £199; www.bluewomensclothing.co.uk

Bullfrog, stainless steel bottle in Bow, £16.99, www.bullfrogbottles.com

Sausage Tree moisturising skin cream, £22, www.consciouslyyou.co.uk

Chi d ww dingf o w.s ofa rd cha san dst ir, £1,5 uff. com 32,

Marjolane silk pyjamas, £327, www.dressingroombath.co.uk

Bath Life 13 issue subscription, £45.50, www.mediaclash.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 19

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Diana Ingram, necklace with orange pastel Murano glass near circular large flat pendant, £23.45

Beckford’s Rum Spirits, Beckford’s rum & caramel – white rum with salted caramel and hints of juicy orange, £25 Prior Made, handcrafted sustainable wood geo vessel, £28

Go Wild Preserves, pick ‘n’ mix set of four gift pack – 14 choices including curried rhubarb chutney, Seville orange & sherry marmalade and winter spiced jelly, £15

MARKET FORCES

These local producers, artists and makers can all be found trading online via www.bathchristmasmarket.co.uk

Bobbi Handmade, mustard jungle sloths needlecord reversible pinafore dress, £24

ve nsi l inte sentia s ’ ner s es wax s rde ras , ga mong th bee s l a 2 i igin ith le de w es, £1 r w ma e eO Hiv d balmhand itish b r han il and om B o fr

Spro play-a ut and Gh e nywh ere w rkin, Spro wood ord strate utword – a g en tile s, £13 y game wit .99 h Limelight No.1 Lime, Basil Bergamot & Mandarin candle, £24

Lick the Spoon, award-winning Wiltshire chocolatiers, prices start at £3.50

Wil pur d Woo ew l ool , mab thr le 1 ow , £6 00 pe r ce 8 nt www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 21

Paperstarlights, selection of 3-D atmospheric paper lampshades and decorations, prices start at ÂŁ13.95

22 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Robyn Coetzee hand crafted fused glass British garden birds set, £90

Plum Duff & Stuff, jams and jellies made from organic fruit trees and hedgerows, prices start at £3.50

Genesis Trust, Star and Nativity pack of 10 cards, £4.50

Garden Treasures, rusty metal robin on stake, £4.50 Bollywood Christmas, red snowflake hanging elephant, £4.50

Spotted Cow Creations, white snow fairy set with tutu, wings, and rosebud alice band, £26.90

Black Bee Honey mini box with beeswax wraps, seasonal mini-jars and wooden honey dipper, £25

Straysparks, hand-forged sculptural, ironwork log basket, £220-£390 set mer g So 34 n i l ark s, £ r Sp ottle moo 00ml b e l p Ap 12 x 5 ry’s Har Cider –

Mild West Heroes, 100 per cent organic cotton, ethical t-shirt design in Octoboy, £20

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 23

Newly decor ated!

WE'RE BACK IN BUSINESS! • Complete tailoring service for ladies and gentleman • Alterations and Repairs on all Garments • Made To Measure Suits and Shirts • Bespoke / handmade Suits and Separates • Ladies bespoke tailoring • Bridal wear and Evening wear Alterations • Re-sizing and Re-Designing Suits and Dresses • Replicating your old favourite clothing

25 Milsom Street, Bath, BA1 1DG t: 01225 920 263 info@citytailors.co.uk www.citytailors.co.uk

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE Unravelled by Jennifer Anderson, £4,200, www.beauxartsbath.co.uk

Shoal tea set by Sasha Wardell, £175, www.sashawardell.com

Twelve Bathers II by Anna Pinkster, £1,800; www.victoriagal.org.uk

MASTER PIECES

Become a patron of the Bath arts scene by supporting our local talent Archangel Gabriel by Tamara Penwell, £280, enquiries@tamarapenwellicons.com

Moonlit Dreams by Emma Rose, £800, www.emmaroseartworks.com

Snowfall at The Holburne Museum by Chloe Moore, from £25, www.printsofbath.com

Storm coming, Sennen Cove by Mary Liddell, £300, maryliddellart@gmail.com

Kelston Roundhill original lino print by Tweeny, £25, www.etsy.com/uk/shop/tweeny

Affinity IV by Miranda Carter, £275, www. neptune.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 25

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

Red Umbrella Royal Crescent by Jason Dorley-Brown (as seen on our cover), £50, www.jasondorleybrown.com Raku green and copper candle holder

by Kate Marshall Ceramics, marshall.kate7@gmail.com

Bath Abbey in the Rain by Ben Hughes, £900, www.artsalon.co.uk

Autumn 2 by Maggie Simonsen, £120, maggiesimonsen@me.com

Fecund Bird by Yvonne Elston, £120, www.theartcohort.co.uk

Mistletoe in Peace & Love Cup by Susie Hamilton, £35, www.susiehamilton.com

We can do it! by Hannah Gaisford, print prices start from £40 with all profits donated to RUH Charities, contact tonysmith3@nhs.net

Curvy and Classy by Olivia Anthony, £20, www.theartcohort.co.uk

26 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Print of Boy in Blue by William Matthew Prior, which exhibits at American Museum & Gardens, £15; www.artuk.org

Gold Series by Natasha Dickens Sweeting, £400, natashasweetingart@gmail.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 27

Family jewellery manufacturers Est 1979

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Creature comforts

Travel the world from the safety of your living room with CRU WINES EMPORIUM AND TASTING ROOM

I

t’s lockdown 2.0 and who knows where we’ll be at Christmas?

One thing is certain, the nights are darker, colder and the fires are on. As we turn to our wintertime creature comforts such as slippers, electric blankets and roast dinners, what should we be drinking? There will always be the typical classics. However, after a year of very limited travel and exploration, why not travel the world with wine this wintertime and try something different?

For those who enjoy crisp, dry, aromatic Sauvignon Blancs, travel to Macedonia to try a bottle of Tikves Smederevka. Smederevka is an indigenous grape that is similar in style to Sauvignon Blanc; a pale lemon wine delivering tropical and stone fruit aromas underpinned by a streak of zesty citrus. It’s a perfectly balanced easy sip. If you prefer a rounder, heavier white for food, how about a wine tour of the gorgeous South Africa? Oaked in huge 50 litre oak barrels for a year, the Babylonstoren Chardonnay has a beautiful round buttery note, or the Olifantsberg Grenache Blanc is a richly textured wine that’s a real treat.

A very quaffable fruity red can be found by popping over to Sicily for a bottle of Vitese Nero d’Avola with rich, juicy flavours of ripe plum and black cherries interlaced with subtle violet notes. For a heavier red that deserves decanting and pondering over, simply catch a flight to Central Chile, where halfway between the coastline and the Andes Mountains you’ll find a wonderful bottle of Undurraga Cabernet Franc – it’s guaranteed to warm you up.

With the fire burning, the cheese board ready and fortified wines on your mind, transport yourself to California and explore a glass of Starboard 88, a fortified wine with luscious ripe blackberry, raisin and chocolate truffle flavours. Delicious!

If these wines sound perfect, chances are someone you know might also like them. We hand wrap and bag our bottles, so your perfect Christmas gift is ready to give, and we also have vouchers, gift packs, tastings and events that would make a sumptuous treat for that someone special. ■

Explore Cru Wines Emporium and Tasting room at 4 Silver Street, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1JX. Tel: 01225 862289 Or visit our online shop at www.cruwines.co.uk - FREE delivery within 3 miles of store OR any order over £100! www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 29

Consciously You Sustainable Mindful Living

CONSCIOUSLY LIFE. CONSCIOUSLY STYLE. CONSCIOUSLY YOU! A sustainable gifting and lifestyle boutique Organic Collections • Vegan Collections • Fair Trade 1 Kennington Rd (adjoining Chelsea Rd), Bath BA1 3EA www.consciouslyyou.co.uk

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Free Reindeer Dust with Every Tree!

Wide variety of sizes and varieties Traditional to Nordman Fir and Fraser Fir Mistletoe, Holly, Wreaths, Logs Delivery service available see website for details ROM FRESH F EST R OUR FO from y il a d n e Op v N 28th o

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SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES AND SHOP WITH US THIS CHRISTMAS ENGAGEMENT AND WEDDING RINGS HANDMADE BESPOKE JEWELLERY REPAIRS AND REMODELLING

Tilian Kids Children's Boutique 142 Walcot S tr eet, Ba th BA 1 5BL www.tili ank i d s .co m tili an.kid s

9 Abbey Churchyard, Bath, BA1 1LY 01225 460072 jody@jodycory.co.uk | www.jodycory.co.uk

THE ARTS S N A P S H O T S O F B AT H ’ S C U LT U R A L L I F E

MEET ME IN MILSOM STREET There are few stars brighter than Judy Garland’s. A face you’d know anywhere, she gleams in this collage by Maria Rivens.

Rivens’ unique style of collage begins with her extensive collection of vintage ephemera – it’ll surprise none that she is a disciple of vintage Hollywood.

She assembles her artworks like jigsaw puzzles, drawing in bits and pieces snipped from antique books and retro magazines picked out at flea markets and second-hand shops. Her aesthetic inspiration is grounded in the likes of Max Ernst, Frida Kahlo, David Hockney and Tracey Emin, with elements of surrealism and pop art running through her works, all of which she sees as meditations on the greater questions of life, the universe and everything.

See Judy until 13 December at the Modern ArtBuyer Pop-Up Gallery, Unit 3 Milsom Place (downstairs opposite Côte and Bandook) Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm; www.modernartbuyer.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 33

WHAT’S ON 4–31 December

Nicely’s Cafe, Mono Lake, California, 2001

by Richard Heeps features in the Art Salon Christmas Gift Sale

EXHIBITIONS Until 3 January

BATH SOCIETY OF ARTISTS: VIRTUAL OPEN EXHIBITION 2020 For the first time in its 115-year history, the Bath Society of Artists Annual Exhibition will be displayed online.

Ordinarily held at the Victoria Art Gallery, you’ll find it instead on their website, where you can browse the exciting collection of works. They’re all available to buy at a range of different price points.

Online; www.victoriagal.org.uk/bsagallery

Ongoing

ART AT THE HEART OF THE RUH You can now see the RUH’s fabulous art collection online. Buying an artwork from this collection not only helps support the artist but also the RUH Arts Fund, which enables the project, spanning 700 artworks across the the RUH, to continue its work.

Online; www.artatruh.org

Until 23 December

ART SALON CHRISTMAS GIFT SALE This spectacular range of work priced from £15 to £600 means you’re bound to find an original gift for the

34 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Always check COVID-19 restrictions and instructions with venues before your visit

art lover in your life – and one that fits your budget. Art Salon is all about making original artwork accessible to art lovers of all kinds, and this exciting range, much of which is created and made by UK artists, is a great start.

Mon-Fri; 11am-4pm; Art Salon; www.artsalon.co.uk

channel. Grab some popcorn and a blanket and get ready to enjoy Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Jack and the Beanstalk and Goldilocks and the Three Amazing Bears all from the comfort of your living room. Online; search Glastonbury and Street Musical Comedy Society on YouTube; www.gsmcs.co.uk

Until 13 December

17 December – 16 January

MODERN ARTBUYER POP-UP GALLERY This pop-up will feature a selection of affordable and collectable pieces representing the best of Modern ArtBuyer’s portfolio. The exhibition will feature original paintings and limited edition prints from artists including Maria Rivens (more on page 33), Bonnie and Clyde, Paul Minott, Hatty Butler, Jane Emberson, Chuck Elliot, Trudy Montgomery, Paul Bennet and Victoria Topping Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm; Unit 23, Milsom Place; www.modernartbuyer.com

THEATRE

From 2 December

PANTO ONLINE The Glastonbury and Street Musical Comedy Society (GSMCS) is taking panto online. Throughout the month of December they’ll be premiering much loved shows on their YouTube

THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG The accident-prone thespians of the Cornley Drama Society are putting on a 1920s murder mystery.

Things may go awry along the way, but they are determined to make it through to curtain call – no matter what happens. This show promises to have you crying with laughter by the end. Tues-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 6pm, matinee performances Weds, Thurs, Sat and Sun 2pm; various prices, Theatre Royal www.theatreroyal.org.uk

FILM

19 December

HELLZAPOPPIN It doesn’t get much more Christmassey than a bit of classic Hollywood. Famous for its fiveminute long jazz and lindy hop dance sequence, this adaptation of the Broadway musical is an absolute

delight. A film within a film about a mousy screenwriter outlining his adaptation of the popular musical – it is an absolutely delightful watch.

7pm; £7; Widcombe Social Club; www.widcombesocialclub.co.uk

TALKS/ SEMINARS Every Wednesday

PAINT YOUR WAY Participants are invited to join artist David Chandler on a painter’s pilgrimage across the north coast of Spain on the legendary Camino Del Norte. Each week, he’ll lead a class taking inspiration from a stage of this ancient pilgrim route from Irún on the French border all the way to Santiago De Compostela.

Online; www.davidchandler.net

By appointment

SHY OF MAKEUP Transform your look in lockdown with a makeup class from the experts at Little Lab. With eight years of teaching under their belts and over 4,000 students now able to achieve that perfect eyeliner flick, they’re offering workshops in everything from daily to special occasion looks.

Online; www.littlelab.co.uk

WHAT’S ON DAYS OUT

Various dates from 4 December

AVON VALLEY RAILWAY SANTA SPECIAL Meet Santa in the most picturesque surrounds imaginable – a steam train. Enjoy a six-mile trip in a heritage carriage, with a mince pie or festive biscuit to munch along the journey. Santa is working with a different set up this year to fit Covid restrictions – make sure you check the website for full details. Times and prices vary; Avon Valley Railway; www.avonvalleyrailway.org

Until 21 December

ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS AT WESTONBIRT Did you know that Father Christmas has a lesser-known workshop at Westonbirt Arboretum? It’s true, and the man himself might even stop by for a visit. Experience mesmerising light displays as you make your way through Candy Cane Forest and the talking trees that live there. You’ll meet a few of Santa’s elf assistants along the way, too. Prebooked time slots only; Adults £16, children (5-8) £8; Westonbirt Arboretum; www.forestryengland.uk

Until 10 January ABOVE:

All aboard the Santa train at Avon Valley Railway MIDDLE: The laser installations at Longleat are something else BELOW: David Baddiel will be at The Forum this month celebrating the release of his new children’s book

Every Wednesday

KOMEDIA LUNCHTIME CHOIR: ONLINE EDITION This free lunchtime choir might be just the emotional lift you need – especially during this period of lockdown.

Download song sheets online, tune into the live stream and get ready to sing your heart out.

Online; www.komedia.co.uk

LONGLEAT’S LAND OF LIGHT Designed especially for Longleat, this mix of technology, art and interactive installation really brings the magic of Christmas to life.

Sensational projections light up Longleat House, while dancing fountains, animated light displays and laser installations guide you around the ornate grounds, gardens, Half Mile Lake and The Longhouse.

Prebooked time slots only; various prices; Longleat; www.longleat.co.uk

RESCHEDULED EVENTS 5 December

INTRODUCING BATH FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA This show marks the introduction of the Bath Festival Orchestra, the festival’s brand-new resident chamber orchestra. Directed by violinist Maren Boasma, Bath Festival Orchestra’s leader and creative artist, the programme of Beethoven, Schubert and Reicha will showcase the talent of this exciting group of young musicians. 2pm; £22; Guildhall; www.bathfestivals.org.uk

11–16 December

FILMBATH FESTIVAL A 23-foot inflatable screen will take over Green Park Station to show two extraordinary hand-picked films a night at this year’s socially distanced festival. Films include Miss Juneteeth, the story of a single mother desperate to see her daughter follow in her footsteps and turn beauty queen; Cocoon, an ever-green tale of a shy wallflower falling in love for the first time; and Another Road, a provocative piece starring Mads Mikkelsen as a depressed school teacher who persuades his friends to turn to alcohol-fuelled destruction.

Various times; £12 per film; Green Park Station; www.filmbath.org.uk

12 December

DAVID BADDIEL Comedian turned bestselling children’s author David Baddiel is coming to Bath to delight young readers with his new book, Future Friend. A terrifically entertaining time travelling adventure, this one has it all – action, laugh-out-loud humour and a great pair of friends at its centre. 11am; £11; The Forum; www.bathboxoffice.org.uk

12 & 13 December

OPEN STUDIO: JESSICA PALMER A perfect shopping opportunity, Jessica is opening her St Mark’s Road studio for Christmas shoppers.

She will be selling a plethora of her unique collages and papercuts as well as copies of all her published books.

Visitors will have the chance for a behind-the-scenes peek in her studio where she’s worked on projects for clients as diverse as Disney-Pixar, Burberry and the National Trust.

Sat 10.30am-4.30pm, Sun 10.30am-4pm; 7 St Marks Road; www.jessicapalmerart.com

13 December

THE FAST AND THE FOODIES Super cars and tasty food – a spectacular combination. Organised by the new Innox Mills development site owners along with Wiltshire-based car enthusiast community Driven Life and The Anonymous Travellers Market, on this day out for gear heads you can expect to see brand new Lamborghinis, Porches and Ferraris as well as classic British and American Cars like the Capri, Mustang, an American hot rod and a 1933 Austin.

All that and delicious food? We’re so in for this much needed day out.

10am-2pm; next to Trowbridge Station Car Park; www.innoxmills.co.uk ■

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 35

THEATRE ANNA O’CALLAGHAN FAR LEFT:

The cast of The Play That Goes Wrong; ABOVE: That can’t be right, surely?

So wrong, it’s right

The Play That Goes Wrong is coming to the Theatre Royal Bath to ensure a calamitous Christmas caper

T

hose plucky theatregoers who ventured back to the Theatre Royal in October to enjoy Harold Pinter’s Betrayal described the building’s Covid-secure measures as assiduous and reassuring but in no way distracting.

The excellent news (at the time of writing) is that, following the brief hiatus of Lockdown 2, live entertainment will be back in Bath for Christmas, and the show is a cracker.

These being remarkable times, this will be the first Christmas since the start of the Great War that the Theatre Royal will not be presenting a pantomime. I am indebted to our voluntary archivist, Christine Bayliss, who has put in sterling work to compile a list of every show that has played the Main House since the theatre opened on its current site in 1805. In 1915 we staged Cinderella, but in 1914, the festive offering was an operetta with the dubious title of The Marriage Market. Set in California where a

posse of cowboys awaits the annual sale of ladies by hotel proprietor, Bald Faced Sandy, numbers include All The Ladies Love a Sailor Man and Come On Boys For This is Market Day! For Christmas 2020, the Olivier Award winning, hilarious and entirely family-friendly hit comedy, The Play That Goes Wrong returns to Bath for an extended run. The premise is that the accident-prone members of Cornley Drama Society are putting on an Agatha Christie style murder mystery, The Murder at Haversham Manor. Things start to deteriorate even before curtain-up: the set hasn’t been finished, a dog has run off and a crucial Duran Duran CD has been mislaid.

As the demoralised troupe battles against all odds to make it through to the final curtain, things go from bad to utterly disastrous as the audience dissolves into tears of laughter.

I’m a huge fan of The Play That Goes Wrong.

I have seen it four times and every time I find it just gets funnier and funnier. It is such a feat of amazing physical comedy and splitsecond timing. The last time I saw the show it really did go wrong when a piece of the set suddenly clunked to the floor, sending two actors and various bits of furniture hurtling to the ground.

“The Play That Goes Wrong premièred at London’s Old Red Lion Theatre in a one-act version reputedly to an audience of four, just eight years ago”

Those of us who knew this was not how it was supposed to be looked at each other in horror, as the company manager who was sitting next to us at the back of the Royal Circle went rushing out. Of course, most of the audience thought this was part of the show and after a short intermission everything resumed going wrong in its rightful way.

The Play That Goes Wrong premièred at London’s Old Red Lion Theatre in a one-act version reputedly to an audience of four, just eight years ago. Now the show is a global phenomenon that has been performed in more than 35 countries and won awards on Broadway. It is a real coup for the Theatre Royal Bath to be presenting the show, while it continues its seven-year run in the West End. If you laughed at Mischief Theatre’s BBC One series, The Goes Wrong Show, which aired over Christmas last year, I promise you this talented group are a hundred times funnier live on stage. If you love those (spoiler alert: sometimes scripted) moments in live theatre when something goes wrong causing the cast to corpse spontaneously at every performance – then you are in for a treat.

There are encouraging signs that normality will resume in 2021. In anticipation of this being the case, tickets are already on sale to see much-loved comedian, the wonderful Jon Monie, playing Buttons in the favourite traditional pantomime, Cinderella (a production postponed from this year and will be staged 16 December 2021 – 9 January 2022). In the meantime, The Play That Goes Wrong, with its combination of sheer silliness, superb comic timing and feel-good entertainment, is the perfect antidote to a year in which so much has gone wrong. Personally, I can’t wait to see it again, to return to live theatre and, as the chaos begins, to know that everything feels like it is going to be all right.

The Play That Goes Wrong is at Theatre Royal Bath from 17 December – 16 January 2021 Anna O’Callaghan, is Theatre Royal Bath’s marketing manager, For more: www. theatreroyal.org.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 37

BOOKS NIC BOTTOMLEY

Quick getaways Three very different non-fiction books that conjure up and enchant with their tales of distant places

“The best and worst of human behaviour seems to be revealed when on the open sea” 38 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

B

eyond the walls of the pandemic, lies the possibility, one day, of being on the move again and seeing different places and people. In tune with that, ‘escapism, escapism, escapism’, is the commonest clarion call we hear from readers seeking recommendations and book gifts for their loved ones this season so far. With all that in mind, this week I’ve picked out three new book gift ideas that will take the reader to distant places in very different ways.

Often when you read about a piece of travel writing phrases like ‘epic journey’ get thrown around early on, regardless of how far has been driven, run, walked or cycled. Compared to our day-to-day lives (especially at the moment!) even modest adventuring can feel worthy of hyperbole.

Sometimes though ‘epic’ truly does mean ‘epic’, and when Stephen Fabes sets out his ambitious pedal plan in Signs of Life (Profile, £18.99) you’re left in no doubt that the journey you’re about to vicariously enjoy is going to prove almost implausibly long, tough and exciting. Fabes took time out from his career as a young doctor to see the world from the saddle, despite having no prior experience with longdistance cycling. His plan was to cycle across every continent and for six years – yes six years – he does just that. With a few continent hopping flights as the only interruption, he wends his way across Europe, down Africa, up the Americas, up the East Coast of Australia, up and around Southern Asia and then tops it all off with a quick jaunt from Hong Kong back home.

The scale of the trip is absurd and you’d assume the book would begin with an account of months of hard training. But no, brilliantly, Fabes decides that as he’ll be on the road for six years, the first few weeks can be the training, leading to a hilarious stop for a bowl of chips 90 minutes in and a very sluggish meander down to Dover. Soon though, the feckless amateur vibe disappears as the ease with which he traverses countries, despite his magnetic attraction to the toughest climbs, becomes awe-inspiring.

Cramming six years of experiences, encounters and countless different nations and landscapes into a 400-page book, means we occasionally fast-forward through portions of the journey that must really have made up

weeks of cycling. But the narrative copes with this deftly, zooming in so that the reader still gets a real sense of particular portions of the trip – for example his determined criss-crossing of the Chilean/Argentinian border to complete multiple Andean mountain passes, his extended loop around Georgia and various visits to hospitals and other medical outfits in far-flung pockets of the world.

The Bells of Old Tokyo by Anna Sherman (Picador, £9.99) is also classed as travel writing but this is no conventional travelogue. This beautiful meditative book sees the author seek out Tokyo’s old time-telling bells, which were once manually rung to sound out the hours across the city, not so much to find the objects themselves but to consider our connections to the past through antiquities like these.

District by district she roams, exploring Tokyo’s cultural history through her search for the bells and even the descendants of those who used to have the task of ringing them. The physical search is not the point, and is not always successful – more important is the seeking out of a kind of national identity through the changing physical spaces she explores and the changes in life and lifestyle she identifies along the way.

For journeys of a more dangerous and thrilling kind, The Outlaw Ocean by Ian Urbina (Vintage, £9.99) presents our oceans as the dramatic watery wild west landscape they apparently are. From eco-warrior pursuits of illegal fishing vessels to the drama and danger of modern piracy, Urbina explores the uneasy peace that exists on the waves. The best and worst of human behaviour seems to be revealed when on the open sea – on the one hand we see people go to enormous lengths to circumvent the law (and with no regard to the law or life), whilst on the other we see brave disruptors placing themselves in danger to preserve the oceanic eco-system and the sea creatures who so need our protection.

Aside from anything else, learning about the level of lawlessness and tumult that exists out at sea, might make you glad for once to be stuck at home and on dry land for the time being.

Nic Bottomley is the general manager of Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, 14/15 John Street, Bath; 01225 331155; www.mrbsemporium.com

RESTAURANT

If you can’t get to the The Scallop Shell, then its van might just come to you

GOOD TO GO

Lockdown saw Bath restaurants up their takeaway game and for that alone, Sarah Moolla is very thankful

W

hat’s for tea tomorrow then?”

This is asked as soon as tea for today arrives on the table.

Two teens, always hungry, very bored, off-school, boys to feed, husband working, and me on furlough meant much of lockdown part one seemed to be centred around food, talking about it, thinking about it and cooking it.

From the legendary flour shortages of April to the compulsory baking of banana bread in May, to blowing the dust off the cookbooks and trying to add a little Nigella / Jamie inspiration in my limited culinary repertoire – I became a kitchen bore. At first it was productive, distracting, lovely, and rewarding. And then the novelty slightly wore off – ‘Not marinated Chinese chicken thighs AGAIN?’ ‘I didn’t really like that beef stew thing.’ ‘Why are you making burgers when shop ones are better?’ In the words of Homer Simpson, ‘Why you little….!!!’

So my mind turned to takeaways: one quick search and I realised so many of our great Bath indies were at it. So my mind was made up: lockdown Friday nights became takeaway Friday nights, and they were

40 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

blooming marvellous. Not only did it mean I had a night off cooking, it was bonding as a family, and made us feel connected to the world beyond – the simple act of choosing somewhere to order from, perusing the menu, even the act of picking up the food or getting a home delivery was a positive engagement. Then at the table, sharing and discussing our choices, what we’d go for next week – it all offered a break from the lockdown routine and punctuated the end of week as something special – it was nourishment for the soul.

And on return to work, turns out the Bath Life team were all doing the same. Name checking a few eateries who helped save our sanity: The Mint Room, The Oyster Shell, The Claremont, Noya’s Kitchen, Real Italian Pizza, Dos Dedos, Ma Cuisine, Always Sunday Town + House, The Scallop Shell, Dough, Magu, and Whatley Manor’s Paradise Carriage. All independent, and all serving up fresh, exceptional, and restaurant-standard food. But what was it like from the other side – how did the chefs cope with this change in direction while their venues were shut? Noya Pawlyn of Noya’s Kitchen says: “As we don’t normally do takeaway, and it was just me and my family for the first lockdown, it took a while to get right. I had to adjust the recipes as it was hard to

Noya’s Kitchen at the writer’s home

Exquiste Indian dining at home, courtesy of The Mint Room

work out portioning and larger quantities. Also sorting the packaging without using too many plastic containers was tricky, as there are so many different elements in Vietnamese food.”

Dan Rosser, owner and head chef of The Oyster Shell says, “During the first lockdown, it was tough, and we had to close for a four-week period and rethink how we could reopen the business safely. We had our app and online ordering system in place already and this proved to be vital for us. We actually reopened with just a delivery service. We linked up with four independent taxi drivers, with the delivery fee we charged going direct to them.

This way we were able to stay afloat, as well as keep four taxi drivers with some sort of income and earning a living. It’s amazing really, they have almost become part of the team and we still run a delivery service on Friday and Saturday evenings.”

Their sister restaurant The Scallop Shell, had an enterprising solution to getting people fed during lockdown, as owner Garry Rosser explains, “We took our fish and chip van, usually used for events, out of hibernation and managed to get it out in the villages in and around Bath – Tunley, Freshford, Claverton Down, Peasedown and Welton – five evenings a week.

It’s become a really key part of the business for us and even more popular during lockdown than we could have imagined.”

The most satisfying aspect to filling our greedy big tummies with the best food ever, is learning we’ve been doing a good thing for these small businesses. “It’s given us time to evaluate and reshape the business,” says Dan. “If I look at the business today, we now have a delivery service in place, our online ordering has accelerated and 80 per cent of our trade is now pre-ordered online, which is great for us.”

“Doing takeaways has meant a great deal to us,” agrees Noya, “as we have a lot supportive customers who love our food and it’s meant that we can keep our business ticking over whilst we adapt.” Seems it’s a win, win, and our takeaway Friday nights are here to stay. ■

“Lockdown Friday nights became takeaway Friday nights”

Crispy, punchy Dos Dedos tacos delivered straight to your door

Scampi and chips from the always amazing Oyster Shell

Noya ensures the ingredients arrive as fresh as they would in her restaurant

Enjoy delicious fresh Italian pizza from Dough at home

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 41

FOOD & DRINK Mrs Potts’ famous cookie sandwiches are a must

“I get great satisfaction from the creative process during cooking” that anyone can go to create happy memories. Chocolate is perfect for all occasions, be it celebration or commiseration. Honestly, it’s so simple – we love it and it makes everyone happy!

What makes a great piece of chocolate?

A great piece of chocolate has a high amount of cocoa solids. The rich cocoa butter melts easily in the mouth and doesn’t leave a waxy feel, and it releases a strong flavour that lingers, with multiple notes – be it fruity, spicy, caramel or nutty. The wonderful part about chocolate is the huge range of flavours possible. There’s one to suit everyone.

What are some of the common misconceptions about chocolate making?

TAKE 5 A slice of life inside Mrs Potts Chocolate House Amelia Pocock, co-owner of Mrs Potts Chocolate House, has a dream job. She spends her entire life completely surrounded by chocolate.

Yes, it really is as wonderful as it sounds.

for our contemporary take on a Chocolate House. The location right next to the Roman Baths and Abbey also helped make our decision to expand here.

How did Mrs Potts Chocolate House come to be?

I love that I’ve got a job that I’m passionate about and am able to enjoy every day – we make desserts and drinks that make people feel happy! I get great satisfaction from the creative process during cooking, too. To be able to try something, then add to it and perfect it, whether it be a cookie or chocolate bar. It’s so fulfilling to see the hard work coming together in the final product.

We were looking for a relaxed, warm and friendly place selling high quality desserts that we could go to as a treat and couldn’t find anything available – so we started our own! We were inspired by the rich chocolate history in Bristol, where we opened the first café in 2017, and being lovers of chocolate, it made sense.

Why did you choose Bath for the second shop?

With Bath’s rich history we thought it’d be the perfect place

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What’s your favourite part of your job?

Why chocolate?

Simply because we love it. It evokes feelings of happiness, pleasure and celebration, and we wanted a place

Making chocolate isn’t as difficult as most people make it out to be. You don’t need expensive equipment for working with chocolate. The easiest way to melt chocolate is in the microwave, with a plastic bowl. You just need to keep the time short and stir frequently and vigorously.

What’s new at Mrs Potts?

Our three layered gourmet bars, which we make in our specially designed chocolate kitchen in our Bath store. Each layer is specifically chosen so that it balances into the perfect combination of creamy, crunchy and smooth.

Amelia loves the creativity of cooking

How are the bars made?

Working with a firm in Bristol, we created custom-made frames to pour and stack the layers of confectionery that make up the bars. We make different layers such as vanilla bean caramel, marshmallow, nougat and peanut butter gianduja. Once the layers have set, they are then fully enrobed in chocolate and finished with hand-piped decoration or a sprinkle of roasted nuts.

What can we learn during your luxury chocolate workshops?

In our chocolate workshop, overlooking the Roman Baths, our chocolatier takes you through the history of chocolate and a tasting session. Then, you’ll learn how to temper chocolate and make a selection of truffles. While the truffles are setting, you to enjoy a hot drink and dessert in our private dining room. Finally, it’s time to delicately package up your treats before you finish the day with a gift bag filled with recipes and even more chocolate.

What’s your own favourite thing on the menu?

My favourite thing on the menu is actually also our bestseller – the double chocolate cookie sandwich.

Two dark chocolate cookies with chunks of white chocolate and a creamy white chocolate ganache filling. It is incredibly rich, and made even better with a drizzle of pure melted chocolate.

What’s on the menu this Christmas?

I am most excited by our gingerbread hot chocolate. We begin by slow roasting white chocolate, which brings out caramel notes. It is then combined with Christmas-inspired spices, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and served with a gingerbread vanilla spiced truffle that we make in our chocolate kitchen. It’s Christmas in a drink.

Mrs Potts Chocolate House; 7 York Street, BA1 1NQ; 01225 307339; www.mrspottschocolatehouse.co.uk

N O R D I C

C A F É

B A T H

Mjölk is a Nordic Influenced Café, offering a range of both delicious open and closed sandwiches and tasty Scandinavian treats.

01225 448206 | 13 Abbey Churchyard, Bath, BA1 1LY

@mjolk.cafe

FOOD & DRINK S N A P S H O T S O F B AT H ’ S F O O D S C E N E

FINE DINING FROM HOME Chef Merlin Labron-Johnson of Osip in Bruton shares his recipe for chard and pumpkin gratin. Rich and comforting, this dish really warms the cockles of your heart

Serves 2-4 Ingredients ½ a medium pumpkin (you want 300g flesh once peeled and de-seeded) 1 bunch swiss or rainbow chard, stems separated from the leaves 500ml cream 100ml milk 1 knob of butter 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced 50g breadcrumbs 40g cheddar or parmesan cheese Salt and pepper Nutmeg

This creamy vegetarian dish could serve as a main or a side

GUT FEELING It is fair to say that 2020 has cast a particularly bright spotlight on our health. With that in mind, Corsham-based qualified nutritionist Kate Llewellyn-Waters shares her latest book, The Immunity Cookbook. Gut health is crucial to immunity, Kate says, and in The Immunity Cookbook, she explains in simple terms how our immune system and gut work, alongside 100 everyday recipes, packed with healthy, accessible ingredients.

For more: The Immunity Cookbook: How to Strengthen Your Immune System and Boost Long-Term Health, with 100 Easy Recipes, £20; www.katelwaters.com

44 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Method 1 Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Peel the pumpkin and remove the seeds, using a spoon. Cut the pumpkin into wedges and then slice the wedges crossways so that you have thin strips.

Toss the pumpkin strips with a little olive oil and place them on a baking tray. Put in the oven for 10 minutes.

Whilst the pumpkin is in the oven, slice the stems of the chard and sweat them in a saucepan for 10 minutes with a good glug of olive oil. Shred the leaves and add them to the stems, cook for a further 5 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Remove

Eat yourself healthy with Kate LlewellynWaters

from the pan and set aside. In a frying pan, melt the butter and when it is foaming, add the breadcrumbs. Cook over a medium heat until they start to turn golden, then set aside. Put the cream, milk and garlic in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and cook gently until the liquid has reduced by half and slightly thickened. It should just coat the back of a wooden spoon. Season the cream with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.

2 Find an ovenproof dish large enough to accommodate all the ingredients for the gratin. Put the pumpkin slices in it and arrange the chard around and in between. Pour the cream mixture over the top and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Using a fine grater, grate the cheese over the top and place the dish in the oven for 30 minutes. It should be golden brown and bubbling on top.

3 Serve on its own as a vegetarian main course or as an accompaniment to a roast.

For more: Osip; 1 High Street, Bruton, BA10 0AB; tel 01749 813322; www.osiprestaurant.com

FOOD & DRINK NEWS

LET THEM EAT CAKE

The menu at Mjolk includes delicious open sandwiches

A SCANDI ESCAPE Suzannah’s bakes can be found on the counter at Wolf Saloon

There’s new baker in town. Exquisite vegan bakery Mylk was launched

by Suzannah Puddephatt this year. Following a holiday to Edinburgh, Suzannah was so inspired by the wealth of vegan options in the city she decided to launch her own in Bath. Mylk is all about beautifully presented cakes in a wealth of flavours, from a tasty pumpkin spice cheesecake, to a more traditional chocolate orange and everything in between. You can find Suzannah’s vegan bakes on the counter at Wolf Saloon on Lower Bristol Road.

Suzannah also has plans to launch online ordering soon. Keep an eye on her social media for updates.

For more: @mylk.bath on Instagram

After running KC Change Tourist Centre for the last 26 years, Shirley Clinton is stepping down, and son Chris has taken over the lease at 13 Abbey Churchyard. But he’s not following in his mother’s footsteps, and instead has transformed it into Mjolk, a new, Nordic-inspired café. An inveterate travel enthusiast, Chris has worked in hospitality all over the world, from coffee in Sydney to craft beer bar in Gothenburg.

“After three fantastic years living in Sweden where I was able to learn the language, make some incredible friends and soak up as much of the wonderful culture as possible, an opportunity came up in Bath that was too good to turn down, so myself and my girlfriend Hanna packed up and moved back to the UK just after lockdown this year,” says Chris.

Mjolk (Swedish for milk) is Bath’s window into Scandinavian café culture – a place to fika, which means to enjoy a small break on your own or with a friend/colleague over a warm drink and a small treat. In addition to some truly sumptuous cakes and pastries, Mjolk’s menu will feature a delicious open and closed sandwich menu and Scandi craft beer.

For more: @mjolk.cafe on Instagram

FLIPPING FANTASTIC Bradford on Avon-based Quick Crêpes has claimed first place in the Ready Made category of this year’s Great British Food Awards. Launched earlier this year by local businessman Hans Parker, the winning mix creates the perfect crispy, bubbly texture without the mess of doing it the long way.

“We are so proud that our product has received this award,” says Hans.

“We are expanding and this will be a great help for us. We are hoping to grow our exports next year and now we might even try getting it into a few outlets in France.”

For more: www.quickcrepes.com

Hans Parker’s award-winning crêpe mix produces the perfect pancakes Parsnip croquettes with vegan cheese kick off the Demuths Christmas meal

A VERY LAZY CHRISTMAS Demuths are offering a vegan home-cooked Christmas meal, delivered right to your door for the big day. We don’t know about anyone else, but a Christmas where at least half of it isn’t spent stressing in the kitchen sounds revolutionary. There are a couple of different options available, but you can expect some combination of parsnip croquettes with vegan cheese to start, mains of rich hazelnut roast served, of course, with gravy, and the non-negotiable Christmas pudding with boozy cream – because when you can, you absolutely should. In a year of takeaways, this is a great finisher.

For more: www.demuths.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 45

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Meet our team!

airready is Bath’s premium holiday management company. It is based locally and is run by established holiday home experts

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he airready team has some new faces. Due to an increase in demand for Bath based holidays, Rebecca Kemp and Paul Ralph now have the expertise of their very own Airbnb specialist Hannah Williams. Cameron McBarnett has joined the accounts department. Together they manage everything: from listing your home to offering a 24/7 point of contact for your guests. Nothing is overlooked, with hotel standard cleans, luxurious white cotton linen, fluffy towels and a generous welcome hamper all ready for your guests. The team are scrupulous when it comes to attentionto-detail, making sure every guest has a five-star holiday. From one-bedroom apartments to elegant Georgian mansions, airready make the whole process of renting your own home or your holiday property hassle free. ■

Free listings

airready are offering free listing on Airbnb and Bath Luxury Stays worth £114 for the remainder of 2020.

Picture from left to right: Cameron McBarnett, Paul Ralph, Hannah Williams and Rebecca Kemp.

07906 507228 and 07963 810494 www.airready.co.uk

WE CREATE A TRUE BESPOKE HOME CINEMA EXPERIENCE A Luxury Modern Home Cinema Room is the ultimate way to entertain your friends and family in style. A dedicated space to relax , switch off and unwind.

A cinema room is one of the most desirable additions to any home, so it is important to make sure that you get the right system for your requirements. Multicoms are one of a small number of Home Cinema companies in Bristol who have staff trained by the global trade association CEDIA and is the industry’s only certifying body. Multicoms delivers technology solutions that allow families to experience their best moments in life in the comfort of their own homes

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COVID-19

A personal perspective from an Expert Witness in Dentistry From TOBY TALBOT BDS MSD FDS RCS Specialist in Restorative Dentistry The Talbot Clinic, Bath, UK

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e began to hear of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) in Wuhan Province in China in early January 2020.

Rather than wait for formal advice from our authorities, I contacted a colleague working in Hong Kong who was well acquainted with the effects of SARS-CoV in 2003, a SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) associated coronavirus. A similar pandemic - MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), followed in 2012, which led me to contact colleagues in the Emirates. They kindly passed on their protocols for me to implement immediately in my own clinic.

A year’s supply of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) was ordered, and remained plentiful in supply at that time.

This letter was subsequently sent out to all our patients: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our lives have changed. This has particularly affected our protocols when seeing our patients. To minimise the potential transmission of the corona virus, we have adopted the following protocols that have become a long term feature in how we operate. When a patient contacts us to arrange an appointment, we will ask a number of questions that can be responded to by email or phone before your attendance.

1. What is the problem? When did it start? If you have pain, what score would you give it out of 10, eg. 0 is no pain, 10 is agony?

2. Do you have any medical history including the names of any medication?

3. The name of your dentist if this is your first visit to our Clinic.

When was your last dental visit? Was it for treatment or a general review?

4. Whether you may have had, or have symptoms of COVID19, including a temperature, headache, cold symptoms, a dry cough, loss of smell or general fatigue. If so, when did symptoms start? When did symptoms end? It is to be noted that we will make every effort to delay a visit to our clinic for 4 weeks after any symptoms have occurred.

5. If you have had a diagnostic test whether for the antigen or antibody, what were the results? When was the test carried out?

48 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

6. Have you come into contact with anyone who was subsequently unwell with the above symptoms or have been diagnosed with the disease. When?

To prepare yourself for your visit to us, we politely request that you wear a mask or face covering. Kindly remain in your car upon arrival. We will come to you with a medical history form to be completed and a review of your symptoms. We will take your temperature. We kindly request that all accompanying persons wait in the car and do not enter the clinic. There will be no waiting area provision within the clinic during this time. If you require a parent or guardian to accompany you, then we will discuss the protocol with you and them. When you are escorted into the Clinic, you will place single use, disposable overshoes over your own shoes before entering the Clinic. You will use the hand sanitiser before entry, and will be escorted directly to the prepared surgery. You are respectfully asked not to touch anything upon entry.

Appointments are scheduled with a 30 minute gap before and after your appointed time so that you will not make any close contact with another patient to reduce risks of transmission. The surgeries have filtered laminar air flow that changes in the room up to 20 times an hour. The surgeries are disinfected before and after your visit. We will be wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) that may seem a trifle distressing for which we apologise, but is in place for all of our protection. Gowns, masks and face shields with gloves will feel understandably distancing, but essential. Your safety and comfort is our priority’ LESSONS FROM THE PAST A formal review of SARS-CoV and MERS was concluded in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The findings were made readily available. In summation, the pandemic indicated quarantining affected patients, isolation of “at risk groups” such as the elderly, and those with underlying medical conditions, and to amass a stockpile of PPE for health care workers. It also advised the universal wearing of face masks for everyone. It also concluded that to curtail travelling, especially on public transport systems including trains and air, was advised. Mass meetings of people were cancelled. Subsequent studies have shown that PPE stocks

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can be kept for over 10 years without deterioration. Acquiring a stock of diagnostics for testing large population groups was indicated to measure the incidence of the disease and to identify “hot spots”.

I have just recently been on a business trip to Jersey in the Channel Islands. We had to have antigen PCR tests 72 hours before entry and if you failed to do so, a PCR antigen test was carried out upon landing. You would then effectively be “confined to barracks” for 12 hours until the results were texted to your phone. The entire population were wearing face masks, and it was “business as usual” in the shops, bars and restaurants. Before the reader announces how much easier for it is for an Island state to comply with this protocol, and for those who may have forgotten.

We are an Island too. Politics aside. How do I see the pandemic affecting the Expert Witness in Dentistry?

Dentistry involves drilling teeth with high speed tools that generate an aerosol effect. In other words, when we drill teeth, the air expelled from the mouth disseminates all the micro-organisms throughout the surgery, “spreading” whatever bacteria and viruses are present throughout the premises. A patient that has had COVID-19, even if subsequent blood tests are negative with the antigen, the saliva continues to be positive with antigens for 4 weeks after their recovery.

To contain this effect, high volume air changes within a surgery is required. The change of air is carried out with filtered laminar air flow, directed from ceiling height out at floor level. This is routinely installed in all operating rooms in hospitals to create a sterile environment. The latest guidelines advise that if the air changes in the surgery are 10+/hour, the fallow period between patients may be 10-15 minutes to allow for the air particles of virus to clear and allow time for the disinfection processes to be completed. 5-9 air changes require 30 minutes. Simply opening a window equates to 1-2 air changes/hour requiring a fallow period of 60 minutes. All dentists have to measure the air changes/hour in their surgeries. Do not hesitate to ask your dentist for their air changes/hour. Dentists are advised to be tested for COVID-19 antigens and/or antibodies. The former indicates you have the disease, the latter indicates you have had the disease with a possible element of immunity, although that has yet to be scientifically established. I have my staff and myself tested for the antigen on a regular basis.

Now I would like the reader to imagine the dentist attending 30-40 patients/day. Does the practice find itself in a green, amber or red zone? What are the demographics and socioeconomic profiles of the attending patients? Are different age groups in social groups 1 and 2 more likely to comply with self isolation and social distancing than social groups 4 and 5?, or is the risk of transmission higher amongst young adults who like to

party at weekends? Is the practice located in a metropolitan area with larger elements of social deprivation or multi- generational households? Many practices may have several dentists working in the same building. How is social distancing going to be managed effectively when over 100+ patients are coming through a door in a day? Imagine that practice is on the high street without its own car parking facilities. How do you control people entering and leaving the premises, maintaining social distancing? Does the entrance provide adequate “distancing” in the hallway or on the stairs? Assuming that a fallow period is assigned between patients to allow for thorough disinfection of the surgeries and premises, how many patients can actually be seen in a day? Productivity is inevitably going to diminish. Will the business remain viable? Will the commercial pressures of maintaining the business lead to an element of compromise? Over time, will there be an element of “battle fatigue” with a lapse of established protocols, or will the “New World Order” remain sustainable?

Will the entire national population just drift into a state of herd immunity for the immunological competent to become “The survival of the fittest?” I invite readers for their thoughts. When will we hear of a patient claiming that a visit to a dentist has led them to acquire COVID-19? ■

TALBOTCLINIC Talbot Clinic, Tasburgh House,Warminster Rd, Bath BA2 6SH. Tel: 01225 426 422.

Email: enquiries@talbotclinic.co.uk Online: www.talbotclinic.co.uk www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 49

ONE TO ONE

SEIZE the DAY

Alexis Learmond, founder of Always Sunday, has built a life around cultivating creative connections

Written by Lydia Tewkesbury

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© TOMMY WAREHAM

I had another baby, and then about four years ago my husband and hen I speak with Alexis – Lexi – I split up and I was suddenly in this big house, by myself. It hadn’t Learmond, founder of Always Sunday been renovated yet. We kept saying we were waiting – waiting for – the House, Town + House and money, waiting for all these reasons.”

Store – she has just gone through the On the days the children spent with their dad, for the first time particular misfortune of having not one in years she suddenly had time to herself. Always an art lover – she but two businesses open just in time for studied fine art at university – she starting drawing again, and loving lockdown. The Always Sunday Store, that creative space. She wanted more of that feeling, but at that point formerly on Walcot Street, was set to she wasn’t really seeing that creativity outside of her own bubble of reopen in its new and improved – and much larger – Broad Street one. “I wanted to meet people,” she says. “I wanted to restart my home on 12 November, while the Always Sunday Town + House, her life. But I’d be on the playground with all these mums talking about latest venture on Thomas Street, had opened both floors with the full their family holidays and their husbands sit-down menu up and running only two just thinking – this conversation doesn’t weeks previously. really pertain to me anymore.

“Everything was kicking off really “I kept going back to a statement that well,” Lexi explains. “So then to have one of my professors made at university. to switch it back to takeaway was tough.

She said: you’re never going to be We’d just stopped doing click and collect surrounded by this many creatives again, on our website because we hadn’t totally you really should be savouring it because finished developing it – we were missing you’ll never have a lifestyle where you a plug in, we were having problems can just live in this art world every day with our web developer, etc – and so we again. I thought, you know what? That’s thought, it’s fine, we’re doing enough rubbish. I don’t have that right now – I’m eat-in business, so we’ll deal with that sitting here listening to someone talk in January. Then this came and we about their wheat allergy and how little realised – we have to do this now.” Add Bobby is potty training and I’m really to that rewriting the menu to minimise bored, but Bath is a creative place – food wastage – it is especially difficult there was no way it didn’t have more for such a new business to anticipate creative people.” order numbers – and make everything She was determined to find them. takeaway friendly, while going through The pandemic hasn’t stopped Lexi moving her business forward Around the same time, a friend the same process with the Store, which had happened to mention that she had attended a supper club – some its own website to sort out – suffice to say, Lexi was having friends had opened up their home, hired a private chef and made a busy few weeks. an evening of it with a few select invitees. “Then she showed me the But as a woman who launched one business during the first pictures – nobody even decorated the table!” she says, dismayed. The lockdown and moved another shortly thereafter, this is not exactly food might have been great, but events like that, to her mind, were unusual. In the almost 10 years since she arrived in Bath from the all about creating an atmosphere, a story. “The big part of why you US with her now ex-husband and a four-month-old baby strapped want to go to someone’s house is that you want to look around. I live in to her chest, Lexi has been in a constant state of evolution – most of one of those houses that – even though it was absolutely falling apart it unexpected. at the time – people want to see it. I thought, I am going to start an On their move to Bath from Miami, Lexi and her then husband Instagram account and do my own supper club, and I am going to purchased a sprawling town house on Bathwick Hill – beautiful but in make it like no supper club anyone has ever been to before. I hadn’t need of some serious TLC. The plan was always to do up the place at even been to a supper club.” She went home and promptly started some point, Lexi explains. “Then I was doing the mum thing,

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© SUZ Y SLEMEN PHOTOGR APHY

“Every day is an opportunity to create something – not just for yourself but your environment, your world, your family, everybody in your community”

© LE XI LEARMOND © LE XI LEARMOND

© LE XI LEARMOND © LE XI LEARMOND

clockwise: Toby Helley (FOH manager and mixologist) and Connor Pouncey (head chef) at the Town + House; Lexi’s kitchen by CMS Group Architects and Project Managers; a delicious-looking meal at the Always Sunday Town + House; A Lexi table – always Instagram ready

© SUZ Y SLEMEN PHOTOGR APHY

ONE TO ONE

To shake off the nerves before events start, Lexi has a five minute dance

ripping up all the carpets. She laughs, “Part of my divorcing process.

I razed the entire property – there was nothing left. Every room I went to I found a new story under those carpets, padding and layers of linoleum.”

She started connecting with other creatives on Instagram – like Nicole de Villiers, botanical artist behind Blomme, who provided the flower arrangements for that first night and would go on to be Always Sunday’s first ever employee – putting together the guest list for her inaugural supper club. “I gave myself about three weeks and I got my old decorator friend to teach me how to plaster and repair leaks and stuff.” She painted the main spaces, and a mural at the entrance – so socially anxious guests have something to stop and look at while they gather themselves before they enter, she explains – and in no time at all was hosting her first dinner, filled with guests from across Bath’s creative industries, all introduced to one another by Lexi. Through the medium of food, she had found the doorway into the community of creatives she had so craved. “Food brings people together,” she says.

“It’s a fantastic way to encourage people to share – not just share the food, but share interaction and experience. Food reaches across every dynamic. People can say ‘oh I’m not creative’, exclude themselves from going to a gallery or a concert or something – but everybody eats. Food is the one item that you can never overlook. It is the one universal thing that everybody does.”

Via that one universal thing, word of mouth and the power of Instagram tags – guests could take as many photos as they wanted that night with the only caveat that they tag everyone present, so the conversation continued beyond the event itself online – word of the supper clubs, hosted at what was now called Always Sunday House,

spread. She started gathering beautiful pieces of art and homewares from talented makers to bring to her events and selling them right off the table – and from that, and a collaboration with one of her new Instagram contacts, Bella Reynolds (previously of Graham & Green), the Always Sunday Store was born. Then came Connor Pouncey, now head chef at the Town + House, a talented and innovative cook who started catering the whole thing.

2020 was set to be an exciting year. Then, well – we all know what happened next.

Lexi started trying to get used to the idea that all of her plans were delayed for at least another 12 months. Then the lease on the former King William pub came up. She, Connor and Bella had always talked about opening a pub one day – far in the future, when the brand was more established, Lexi thought. “It all fast forwarded. I had a really talented chef who was now basically out of work, and didn’t want to lose him – then this opportunity came up to rent an entire place and that felt like a sign that we should buckle down and do it. Typical AS style – we’ll figure it out as we go. I felt like I owed something to everybody who had given me so much, I wanted to keep the company and our mentality of changing the way things are done going.”

The kitchen at the Always Sunday Town + House isn’t like any commercial kitchen you’ve seen before. For a start, they didn’t hire chefs, instead a kitchen team they call culinarians – individuals with talent, a love of food and a desire to learn. Connor didn’t want to step into another kitchen of harried, shouting chefs, instead he wanted his own venture to be one where he can teach and collaborate. Via Instagram and Always Sunday’s extensive network, they found their team and got started creating a menu from scratch. The décor of the place is Lexi down to a T, with much of what you see and use available to buy at the Store, and artwork you can purchase from the walls.

Like the house, the pub is a complete foodie and aesthetic experience designed for arty people to meet, collaborate and get involved with their local peers – with Lexi on hand to make an introduction or two.

From a divorce to a national lockdown – can anything put her off moving forwards?

“Sometimes I think I thrive under constraints – I almost like walking into a situation that doesn’t make sense and making sense of it.

“When you start taking away elements you can sometimes find the clarity to say – wait a minute, here’s an opportunity – to design something better, make something more accessible, rethink the way people do something. I think that’s what lockdown has done for everybody. We’ll evolve – the way people interact, the way businesses run. It’ll advance things that may not have advanced normally had we not had these constraints put on us.

“There are always two ways of looking at things: you can be stagnant and not progress, or you evolve and you see the beauty and the opportunity in every day. Every day is an opportunity to create something – not just for yourself but your environment, your world, your family, everybody in your community.”

That’s it in a nutshell, really. Lexi didn’t have the thing she wanted in her life – a creative network – so she built it, and in so doing gave the city a precious gift. As she suspected all along, she was far from alone, and Bath was full of creatives, all of them eager for a place to meet and start new collaborations.

Always Sunday stands for connection, creativity and more than ever in 2020, evolution. But what does it mean to Lexi? “Sunday has always been my day of reflection. It’s a natural break in the way I see my chunks of time. I thought, gosh – look how much I reflect, I restore, I regenerate, I make plans and I create for myself during this time.

What if I did that every single day? What would my life be if I really took that space to make that time and allow that process to happen?

What if every day was always Sunday – how great would life be?” n

“Food reaches across every dynamic”

www.always-sunday.com; www.astownhouse.com; www.alwayssunday.store

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

TURNING LIVES AROUND

DEVELOPING HEALTH & INDEPENDENCE (DHI) is a Bath-based charity set up to help people out of the cycle of addiction, social isolation, and homelessness

Jenni at her new home

A Young person taking part in activity day at a local farm

DHI outreach staff supporting rough sleepers in Bath

54 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

T

he Bath we live and work in is a very beautiful, historically rich city. However, there is another side that is often hidden.

Whether as a result of poverty, mental ill health, or drug and alcohol addiction, too many people in our city are struggling. Often these are symptoms as well as causes of deep problems.

During this extraordinary year the Covid-19 pandemic has brought new fears and new challenges to many of us across the city. For those that are already disadvantaged and vulnerable, life has become more difficult and problems seem insurmountable.

Developing Health & Independence (DHI) is a charity with its roots in Bath, set up to help people out of the cycle of homelessness, social isolation and addiction. We provide a wide range of services to the most vulnerable people within our communities to help them gain control of their lives and live independently.

DHI has recently experienced a huge increase in demand for our services. Those that are in need of our support tell us about their fears linked to the risk of redundancy, the furlough scheme ending, and their feelings of isolation.

• DHI works with the most marginalised in the city to help turn around their lives.

• We provide tailored support for people to make lifestyle changes allowing them to stand on their own feet and thrive.

• We work with people to ensure their basic needs are met, such as having a safe place to live, and enough money to pay bills and eat.

We work with everyone from rough sleepers to those at risk of losing accommodation due to relationship breakdown or loss of income.

• We offer supported housing and a full range of treatment services for adults and young people with drug and alcohol issues.

• We also provide employment support and wellbeing support to reconnect people to their communities at times of vulnerability.

DHI has been a lifeline for many in our local community and for people like Jenni, the charity has been a lifesaver…

“I was using drugs recreationally, but over time I found myself dependent on cocaine and heroin. My house was taken over by

drug dealers and as a result, I was homeless and living in a tent for some time, and my children were placed in the care of my family.

Fortunately, DHI didn’t look just at my drug use, but also helped me with housing support so I could get into a new home of my own. Having a stable home helped me to address my drug use, completely stop my use of cocaine and heroin, and start to spend time alone with my children again.

“I’ve been supported by DHI throughout the lockdown to stay abstinent and prepare to detox from methadone. Now I’m able to think about my hopes for the future and my dream of working in health care, hopefully as a midwife.

DHI’s West of England Works service have supported me to sign up for several training courses so I can get the skills I’ll need to get into work when I am ready.’’

To help more people like Jenni, DHI needs your support.

To make a donation to our DHI Christmas appeal, please use a smartphone QR reader:

Donations can also be made online by visiting www.localgiving.org/appeal/DHIChristmas Or cheques, made payable to Developing Health & Independence, can be sent to the address below. ■

14 St James’ Parade, Bath, BA1 1UL Company No: 383011 Charity No: 1078154 tel: 01225 329411; www.dhi-online.org.uk

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The Beautiful Method

ANNA CASHMAN is bringing a unique kind of eco-housekeeping service to Bath and can't wait to share it with you.

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he Beautiful Method is an ethical housekeeping service which uses only eco-friendly cleaning products and fully employed, CRB checked staff. The Beautiful Method’s Mission is to give busy people the gift of time. How would you love to spend your time doing the things you love with the people you love?

The Beautiful Method know how important every spare minute of each day is, especially at the weekend, so want to give you the chance to kick back and enjoy yourself knowing that all your household needs have been taken care of.

To offer you peace of mind, all of The Beautiful Method’s housekeepers have been fully vetted and strict security procedures are followed. It’s not just their happy customers who benefit from the gift of time either. All of The Beautiful Method's franchisees are able to balance their work and life by running their business around their family.

Bath franchisee Anna found it really difficult to manage a long working week and running a family home, so decided to look for some help with the housekeeping. During her search, she came across The Beautiful Method, which plugged the gap in the market for the type of housekeeping services she was looking for – and she was so impressed she decided to launch her own franchise. Joining The Beautiful Method gave her the opportunity

to develop a solid business that she could run whilst also being mummy to her two-year-old son.

Furthermore, as a franchisee with TBM, Anna can be an employer that values its staff and offers them stability in a normally unstable industry, the perfect work/life balance and a support network of other like-minded people.

Anna says, “I’m excited to bring The Beautiful Method to Bath and look forward to meeting you and fulfilling all of your housekeeping needs!”

The Beautiful Method offers full house cleaning, laundry services, dog walking and much more. ■

If you want to reclaim your free time, give Anna a call on 07947 599846 to find out how she can help.

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01225 962004 katie@neuroconnectrehab.co.uk www.neuroconnectrehab.co.uk

GARDENS

RIGHT ON THYME

Nick Woodhouse meets Jekka McVicar – an organic herb farmer, author, RHS winner, and former prog rock musician

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ekka’s Herb Farm is often described as a living book of herbs. Home to both the country’s first herbetum and its largest collection of herbs, the farm now boasts over 500 varieties at the last count.

It was a hive of activity when I spoke to Jekka McVicar, the name behind that very living book. All hard surfaces on the farm were being meticulously washed down to avoid harbouring pests over winter and potted plants were being treated to a root prune and a good feed of organic fertiliser.

Whilst the farm holds her name, Jekka is quick to explain that it’s a family affair.

varieties of thyme with names including Jekka’s Bee Haven and Jekka’s Autumn Spice.

Not the obvious career path perhaps for a former member of progressive rock band Marsupilami, one of the bands to play at the very first Glastonbury. It was however a path that started in 1983 when Mac was dispatched to French Guinea to launch a satellite. In his absence, a friend popped over to see Jekka and asked if she could help herself to some of the French tarragon in the garden. It was then that Jekka’s father’s advice came to mind; find a business that no one else was doing.

And at the time, there were no suppliers of fresh herbs, let alone organic ones. Jekka was soon receiving orders from clients such as Fortnum and Mason, which she would deliver in recycled fruit boxes in an old mobile veg van they fondly named Sid. Jekka’s enterprise soon outgrew their back garden and new premises needed to be found. Their search brought them to a derelict blacksmith’s cottage in Alveston, just north of Bristol and the site on which the herb farm now sits. The family soon embarked on the construction of polytunnels and a glasshouse, with the former pigsty converted into a potting shed.

In 1993, Jekka was invited by Mavis Sweetingham, the first show manager of RHS Chelsea, to exhibit at the event. Jekka knew she had to do it but getting the plants there was going to prove problematic; they had no lorry, just Sid. They found a horse box instead, and unable to afford a hotel, camped in a Battersea car park. That year saw Jekka win the first of many RHS medals, including the prestigious Lawrence Medal in 2009, awarded by the Society for the year’s best exhibit. Show gardens soon followed, most recently The Modern Apothecary, a garden now enjoyed by patients of London’s St John’s Hospice.

Herbs, Jekka explains, are plants of the

“Jekka has been creating herb gardens for over 30 years” Husband Mac was behind the 2013 construction of the farm’s herbetum; a project aimed to ensure that the vital history and role of herbs is preserved and understood by future generations. Mac proof-reads all of Jekka’s books too; eight to date including Jekka’s Complete Herb Book, which has now sold well over a million copies. Son Alistair, who has a doctorate in Climate Change from Imperial College London, combines his passion for both the environment and food in his ‘Food for Thought’ supper clubs, as well his master classes in herb-based diets. And daughter Hannah, a renowned illustrator and printmaker, has recently designed a new collection of homewares inspired by the herbetum itself.

When it comes to plant families though, Jekka explains, Lamiaceae is her favourite. It’s an extensive family, one that includes thyme, rosemary, sage and nepeta. Such is this passion, that the herbetum now holds over 70 different

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people. She has been creating herb gardens for over 30 years now for clients ranging from hotels and chefs to private residences, and spaces ranging from medicinal gardens to thyme lawns. It is her recent work on central London’s The Quiet Garden though that truly made her realise how just how green spaces can heal. The garden was built with the help of St Mungo’s initiative, Putting Down Roots for Young People, aimed at supporting vulnerable young people though gardening and its therapeutic benefits. Here, Jekka explains, she met the most wonderful man. Once homeless himself, each night he would gather the bread left out by bakeries and take it to the homeless under the nearby arches. Several years passed until she saw him next. At last year’s Chelsea Flower Show, she heard a voice call her name; he was there working on a show garden. Plants, says Jekka, had helped restore him.

Jekka still works closely with the local homeless charity Caring in Bristol, and recently hosted a ticketed Christmas festival at the farm to raise funds for the charity. Sadly, the current pandemic did however put pay to Jekka’s first HerbFest, a three-day event planned for this summer, one that was to offer street food, local artisanal stalls, workshops, and demonstrations by renowned chefs, designers, herbalists and authors. As with many good things at present, we will have to wait that bit longer for the festival’s launch, and plans are afoot for the event next July. I think those herbs will give some much-needed healing, then and for many years ahead.

For more: www.jekkas.com

Nick Woodhouse is the co-director of interior and garden design company Woodhouse & Law on 4 George’s Place, Bathwick Hill, Bath; 01225 428072; www.woodhouseandlaw.co.uk

McVicar was once a prog rock musician; one of Jekka’s award winning Chelsea Garden exhibits; the Quiet Garden is part of an initiative to support vulnerable young people

Š ANDREW MAYBURY

clockwise from top left: Polytunnel at the farm; a caper flower; Jekka

Not as gentlemanly as they look: though Lansdown is known for its discipline – especially during the mid-1930s, when this image of the team was taken – it hasn’t always been that way

THE RIOT CLUB A new book details the trials, tribulations and occasional criminal behaviour at Lansdown Cricket Club 58 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

I

n a city filled with historic institutions, Lansdown Cricket Club is amongst the oldest of a pretty old guard. Founded in 1825, its early members were actually some of the originators of the game’s popularity in the West Country.

Cricket was around, of course, but didn’t really gain much traction outside of Kent, Sussex and Hampshire until the end of the eighteenth century. There are many tales to tell of the club’s almost 200-year history, which is the subject of a new book, Horse and Cart to Helicopter: Lansdown Cricket Club 1825-2020.

Written and edited by Stephen Chalke, John Dixon, David Dolman, and David Taylor, the book details nearly two centuries of ‘joyous success’ and ‘abject failure’ at Combe Park. It’s an epic celebration of the club’s community, famous visitors (and, sometimes, their famous misbehaviour), and the proud traditions it upholds to this day. Here, we look back at some of the pivotal moments from years past.

SPORT Respectable gentlemen

A riot broke out after a match between Marylebone Club and Ground and the West of England in August 1845. Alfred Mynn was playing that day – named fourth by John Woodcock of The Times in his list of the 100 greatest cricketers of all time, he was a big name in the sport. But, unbeknownst to the cricketing world, Alfred was in a spot of legal trouble – he’d been in prison three times already that year – and the sheriff’s officer arrived to pick him up after the game. Keen to protect the prized player, Lansdown revolted – ‘a mob’ surrounded the beleaguered sheriff, with one Robert Brookes, ‘a gentleman of property’ grabbing the unfortunate man by the throat. Mynn escaped (though sadly not for long). Brookes and another Lansdown member, Robert Fookes later stood trial on charges of riot and assault.

‘The champion’

W.G. Grace, known as one of the world’s all-time greatest cricketers (as well as for his serial bad behaviour and temper tantrums on the field) played regularly for Lansdown for 19 years between 1861 and 1882.

A world first

Combe Park hosted the Pakistan Eaglets for their first ever match in England on 3 June 1952. Big names Hanif Mohammad, Imtiaz Ahmed and Mahmood Hussain, who would go on to form part of the team to famously beat England at The Oval in 1954, were present that day.

‘Sunshine just like Antigua’

Such were the words Len Creed, farmerturned-bookmaker, used to persuade a 21-year-old Viv Richards – now widely considered one of the best batsmen of all time – to move from Antigua and Barbuda to Somerset to join the Lansdown club in 1973.

He soon went on to play for the county before embarking on a career with the West Indies at Test and International levels.

arranged for the urinals in the changing rooms to be boarded up.

‘We’re going to use this time to make something of this club’

So said Matt Summers, chair of the house committee earlier this year. Faced with a pandemic and a cricket-less season ahead, despite long-term financial problems and the additional blow of a summer without games or bar takings, Matt decided it was time to renovate. He and an army of volunteers set to work ripping out the bar, replacing ancient pipework and updating the aging electrics.

An appeal for funds raised more than £10,000 for the project, which the volunteers worked tirelessly on in time to reopen when the lockdown eased in July. Lansdown members returned to a transformed clubhouse, and a renewed collective spirit.

Lansdown v England Ladies

In the summer of 1971, the England Women’s XI arrived at Combe Park to play the team – part of a fundraising tour for their forthcoming Golden Jubilee celebrations. Worried about ‘upsetting the sensitivities of his lady guests’ Horace Phipp, the club’s secretary at the time,

Horse and Cart to Helicopter: Lansdown Cricket Club 18252020, written and edited

by Stephen Chalke, John Dixon, David Dolman and David Taylor; £25; www. lansdowncricketclub.co.uk

clockwise: Viv Richards in action; The Pakistan Eaglets first visit to the UK in 1952; a packed match day at Combe Park in 1982; The Lansdown team circa 1863 – a 14-year-old W.G Grace stands fourth to the right

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It’s the city’s business

BATHWORKS THIS ISSUE >>NEW BIZ THOMAS FORTIN (62) >>DREAM SPACE BATH’S CHANGE MAKERS (63) >>NURAY MORRIS OF TILIAN KIDS (64)

Harry and Abbie created Gesture to give back to the community and support local business all at once

Season of goodwill Gesture is a new free app for giving back and supporting local businesses all at the same time. It is there to celebrate anyone who has raised money for charity, volunteered, or even just helped out their neighbours by giving them access to ‘gestures’ from local businesses – small gifts on top of a regular purchase, like a free coffee or an extra scoop of something yummy – just to say thank you for their service.

“The British public have an incredible history

of raising money and volunteering their time. Now more than ever, we are aware of those around us and the importance of community, yet it is difficult to say thank you to everyone,” says Harry Long, who created Gesture along with his wife, Abbie.

“Gesture is here to change all that. We believe that anyone who gives up time and energy to help others deserves a little pat on the back – it’s simply everyday thanks for everyday kindness.”

The app drives users towards its partners – local

indie businesses who believe in community – who in turn benefit from the custom of Gesture users. Gesture takes a small commission of five per cent from partners, with half of it going to that partner’s nominated charity, meaning businesses that sign up aren’t only rewarding their customers, but indirectly donating to charity, too. If you’re a local business interested in signing up, email hello@gesturegroup.co.uk.

For more: www.gesturegroup.co.uk

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BATHWORKS

ON YOUR BIKE

The cargo bikes present a more eco friendly option for deliveries

Bath now has a fleet of 10 electrically assisted cargo bikes to help businesses make sustainable, pollution-free deliveries. The arrival of the e-cargo bikes follows a successful £40,000 bid

by B&NES to the Energy Savings Trust earlier in the year. So far, The Grapes Freehouse, Bath BID, 6 City View and the council’s parks team have started using their bikes in daily operations, while Three Bags Full and WeGo have added to their existing e-cargo bike teams. There are still four of the bikes left over available to businesses, organisations and charities to loan for free before deciding to invest in purchasing their own.

“These bikes will replace delivery vans circulating the city centre and enable local organisations to make quick, economical deliveries around Bath,” says councillor Joanna Wright, joint cabinet member for transport services. “The bikes don’t produce noise or air pollution, making the city centre a more pleasant environment and contributes to our sustainable transport vision for our area.”

For more: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

DAPPER AND DANDY

Bath’s property professionals can’t wait to back in a room together again

The finalists at the third Bath Property Awards are announced this month. A mix of the best of Bath’s property pros, competition this year will be fierce.

“Finalists are expected to secure a vast number of tickets for the event as it brings fresh opportunity to network and re-connect with the wider property sector,” says Annie Miekus, brand manager at MediaClash, organisers of the Bath Property Awards.

“We’re overwhelmed by Bath’s backing for these Awards yet again and we’re excited for another huge ceremony in 2021.”

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© SOUL MEDIA

CREAM OF THE CROP Benefiting from the Awards are Headline Sponsors Mogers Drewett, alongside category sponsors APS Homes, Hawker Joinery, L&C Mortgages, Spaces, South West Business Finance, Triangle Networks and Bath Life itself.

The Bath Property Awards plus Property Symposium will be held on the afternoon of 13 March.

There are still category sponsorships available.

For remaining opportunities, contact Annie Kelly annie.kelly@mediaclash.co.uk or Pat White pat.white@mediaclash.co.uk

Andrew Thomas and Neil Fortin always dreamed about launching a menswear line. A graphic designer and costume designer respectively, when they both found their worklives suddenly quiet during the first lockdown, they set about making Thomas Fortin a reality. Their debut collection, The 1st Earl Collection launched in October, and presents an exciting combination of early 20th century illustrated tailoring renderings with bold modern patterns and colourways.

Everything is made in the UK, from the Adamly printers in Macclesfield to Vanners weavers in Sudbury and Mustard ties in Gillingham – all firms with strong artisan histories. “This has been a dream of ours, it’s amazing to see all the parts coming together. From the UK-made custom printed boxes, to the finished labels on the back of the ties, it’s truly a dream realised,” says Andrew.

For more: www.thomasfortin.com

Neil and Andrew always dreamed of launching their own luxury menswear brand

Gray Oliver recently took part in a 10-hour tennis match for charity

Bath has hit the streets in the last year for protests in support of Black Lives matter and climate action

REACHING OUT Activists in Bath have launched a new National Lottery Fund supported project with the aim of inspiring change in the city. Dream Space is an experimental, creative and participative project collecting stories about local people’s experiences of racism, climate and ecological crisis and social inequality. Facilitators Dan Burgess, Seemah Burgess, Evva Semenowicz, Ruqia Osman, and Rebecca Fox will collect and compile the stories they heard in a series of webinars into a visual art and film project, which will be widely shared in 2021.

“This National Lottery Funded project has been

inspired by the protests that have been happening in Bath over the past year or so, with individuals from all generations taking to the streets to protest for BLM, climate justice and social inequalities,” explains Ruqia. “We really wanted to take this energy and really give the people of Bath a safe space to share their stories, experiences and dreams.”

The group are also looking for experienced creative professionals based in Bath to become part of their mentoring council.

For more: www.thedreamspace.co.uk

COMEBACK KIDS

WHAT A RACKET

A ten hour tennis-athon at was held The Lansdown Tennis Club recently in aid of the Motor Neuron Disease Association. Organised by Gray Olliver, whose wife Diane sadly recently died from the disease, the epic day of tennis raised over £7,000 for the charity.

“The tennis-athon was a great success” says Gray “Mostly in the sense that I managed it – and only lost one set.” www.mndassociation.org

SIMPLY THE BEST Sponsors and finalists are invited to an exclusive reception, last year hosted at The Botanist

© DERRYN VR ANCH

The Bath Life Awards will return in 2021, albeit with a change of date. Dig out your 2021 diary and book off 27 May, when Bath’s best will gather to celebrate all things great about the city – and hand out a few awards, too. We can’t wait for the chance for companies to come together once more – dressed to impress, of course.

Nominations for the Awards will open in the new year. They’re free to enter, and offer great opportunity to share your successes. Nominations this year will include a special question about how businesses responded to the pandemic.

MediaClash brand manager Annie Miekus says, “We understand that 2020 has been tricky for many but we can’t wait to come together and recognise all the good work that the city has produced this year!”

Sponsorships are available for Bath’s mostprestigious Awards ceremony. The night has many sponsors on board so far, led by Headline sponsor The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, with

MOVERS AND SHAKERS ETC

other sponsors including Apex City of Bath Hotel, Freestyle Designs, Marsh Commercial, Novia, Savills, Spaces, Stone King, Sub 13, Truespeed, Triangle Networks; and of course, Bath Life itself.

For sponsorship enquiries, please contact Pat White pat.white@mediaclash.co.uk or Annie Kelly annie.kelly@mediaclash.co.uk

Stone King has been commended for its work in education and charity law in The Times Best Law Firms 2021.

“It’s great to know that we have been recommended by our peers,” says Alison Allen, Stone King’s chairman and head of its private client sector.

“We specialise in the sectors of charity and social enterprise, education, business and private clients and pride ourselves on doing the very best for our clients and the communities we serve – to have fellow professionals recognise our efforts in this way means a lot and we are very grateful.” www.stoneking.co.uk

BATHWORKS

Tilian Kids is filled with unique and hand-made gifts for children

bestsellers. Muslin blankets always do well, and crocheted toys are a great accompaniment. I want to try to provide choice and convenience for busy customers.

Nuray in her beautifully curated shop on Walcot Street

BIZ Q&A

Nuray Morris, founder of Tilian Kids & Gifts Opening a business the week before lockdown is tough luck, but the owner of the brand-new Tilian Kids & Gifts on Walcot Street isn’t letting it get her down How did you get to where you are owning your own business?

I have worked with children for most of my life but never in retail.

I was in child development for many years, working for the United States government as a training and curriculum specialist. When I moved to England, I wanted a change of direction and had always dreamt of starting my own business. Our recent move to Bath inspired me to seize the day and I was lucky to find the perfect little shop on Walcot Street.

Where does the name ‘Tilian’ come from?

Tilian is old English and derives from tilling (ploughing) the ground – giving life, nurturing and growth, all of which seemed appropriate for a children’s boutique. It also means to try hard and strive, which seems suitable in the current environment.

How was your first week open?

A particular stand-out highlight was seeing my customers’ reactions to

64 I BATH LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

my products. I have spent so long trying to get things right and it has been hugely rewarding to hear how enthusiastic and complimentary people have been.

Tell us about your products – how did you select your range?

I wanted high-quality products that were original, ethical and unique. I hand-pick from a variety of suppliers who I know share the same values.

I am looking to the discerning customer who wants something that is beautifully made, distinctive and unlike anything else out there.

How are you prioritising ethics and sustainability?

I have always been concerned for the environment and believe we all need to ‘do our bit’. When I established Tilian Kids, I knew I needed to reflect this approach in my products.

Most of my goods are handmade and the knitwear is organic cotton.

Not only is this good for the planet and hard-wearing, but the cotton

feels softer and helps regulate body temperature due to its breathable nature. Moreover, children’s skin is 70 per cent more sensitive than adults, so the chemical-free nature of organic products helps prevent allergies such as eczema.

Are there any challenges particular to running a business with sustainability as a core value?

I need to be very careful to ensure that ethical and environmental standards are clearly maintained throughout the supply chain.

Sourcing these products is not easy, but I believe it is worth the effort. My customers need to have confidence in my brand, so I take this aspect extremely seriously.

Any particular favourite products from your range you’d recommend as Christmas gifts?

I am putting together pre-wrapped gift boxes with some of my

How did you cope with the lockdowns?

It’s been difficult of course. I am a small business starting from scratch, and it would have been challenging even without the lockdowns. That said, I believe you are successful when you have the courage to begin a journey. Now I’m up and walking, I’m determined to continue. It has been very much one step at a time but I have been incredibly fortunate to have had some wonderful help.

My fellow business owners on Walcot Street have been extremely supportive and I have met lots of inspirational people along the way.

I am starting to sell online and have recently set up my website to complement the established Instagram, too.

Can you tell us about some of the other challenges you’ve experienced launching your business in 2020?

Everything has been a challenge, but that’s all part of life’s rich tapestry.

There have been many lows: goods not arriving on time, a leaky roof and flat pack shop furniture testing my husband’s DIY skills! But there have been many highs too – opening the shop on day one, my very first sale, and meeting interesting new people. Overall, it has been an amazing experience and one which I have really come to enjoy.

For more: Tilian Kids & Gifts, 142 Walcot Street, BA1 5BL; www.tiliankids.com

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BATH LIFE AWARDS 2020

You won! Congratulations! Talk us through it The Awards are always a great night. I love seeing all the local business people and friends in one place. Winning on top of that was such a surprise, and I was so incredibly proud. I dedicated the Award to my dad, from whom I learnt so much in business. I treasure the achievement, and the award takes pride of place in my shop window.

How did you celebrate?

We partied it away, not realising we’d soon be in lockdown – that night feels like a bit of a dream!

How did Portman get started?

The family business started over 50 years ago and we still have five shops in Lynmouth in North Devon, specialising in leather jackets and homeware. I ran the fashion side and designed jewellery, creating the Portman brand in Lynmouth and now also in Bath as my own brand and business.

What do you think it is about Portman that helped you secure your Bath Life Award?

We strive to be unique – we design our own Portman brand collections of jewellery, leather jackets, handbags and clothing. We are also

© SOUL MEDIA

Nickie Portman, designer and owner of PORTMAN celebrates her win

Nickie Portman took home the prize for retail this year

RETAILER WINNER SPONSORED BY

active in the community, supporting students, running fundraising events, and collaborating with other local businesses.

What does winning the Award mean to Portman?

We are so proud of the award. It gives the business a great profile and it’s recognition of what we’ve achieved. Opening an independent on Milsom Street is a challenge and we’re doing well. It takes a lot of hard work and it’s now coming up to our fourth year – and the business is growing.

What’s it like working with your daughters?

My daughter Jessica owns Portman London, and my younger daughter Kiana, who’s still at university, launched Kiki Loungewear by Portman a year ago. We work together and collaborate a lot –

BUSINESS CLUB

“I DEDICATED THE AWARD TO MY DAD, FROM WHOM I LEARNT SO MUCH”

having their social media platform is great. They are both very successful and I’m very proud of them. We have lots of fun going on buying trips together.

How might you describe your key clientele?

We welcome all ladies and loved a recent comment online saying a daughter, mum and grandma had all shopped at Portman! We stock sizes four to 20. Our clientele like shopping in an independent to find an outfit that makes them feel great and is fairly priced. Our stock sells quickly, so we have two new deliveries every week, which keeps the shop exciting and fresh. We listen to what our customers want and respond to that when we’re designing new lines.

What have you found to be the best tools for growth in your business?

I have years of buying experience from a very young age. It has informed my work hugely, watching the design and manufacturing processes for an array of different lines. It also means I have built up relationships with my suppliers – we have history.

Who inspires you?

I love Mary Portas. Her straight talking with a smile, and her drive.

I love how she highlights the importance of making everything work financially – it’s all very well enjoying what you do, but it has to be successful.

What have you done recently that you’re proud of?

We opened a third shop, Portman Home as a pop-up on Milsom Street last Christmas and it was a great success. We hope to do it again – in a less tricky year!

What has the impact of the pandemic been on Portman?

We have gone online, which is proving very successful, bringing in customers beyond our local base.

What are you most looking forward to about reopening?

It’s so exciting to see our loyal customers again – and many new ones. We’re always buying in more beautiful new stock, with an everchanging window display to match.

For more: Portman, 28 Milsom Street, BA1 1DG; tel 07444 474947; www.nickieportman.co.uk

Virtual one hour sessions, all free to attend Search Bath Life on LinkedIn for upcoming dates and registration If you would like to get involved, please email events@mediaclash.co.uk

Repairs, Restoration Alteration of Stone Buildings New Build Stone Cleaning Stone Carving Fireplaces

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#BATH TOGETHER GREG INGHAM

Same storm, different boats It may feel that we’ve been separated in these weird times. But at a deeper level, we’ve been united in a shared experience, says chief exec GREG INGHAM…

W

here we were atomised, now we are bonded.

In our pre-pandemic world, we were splintering. Many lived in increasingly self-contained (and maybe self-preoccupied) worlds, ships that pass in the morning at breakfast-time with evenings spent watching and listening and entertaining ourselves separately – literally, left to our own devices.

We now have our shared experiences of the pandemic, whether transient or enduring, knitting together cultures and ages. Standing outside in those shuffling shop queues, where the pandemic has given cover for simple conversations that would not have happened otherwise, tiny glittering singular shards of humanity. It is not odd to talk. Or at the school gates. Random acts of a kind that had lapsed. All of us telling stories, all in the same storm albeit in different boats.

Think of that wet-hair moment

when it is apparent that the journey to work merely means the dash from bathroom to computer.

We’ve all done it. Most have had that “You’re on mute” moment, the sighing eyeroll at others which in time inevitably boomerangs back to all of us. (Scene: major company Results Presentation.

One minute into the CEO’s peroration? “You’re on mute”.

Who? Just the boss of Zoom, is all…)

Humanity has been levelled, people connected, hierarchies reduced. Inequalities and inequities haven’t gone; of course not. Home schooling or working from home is markedly more difficult and stressful in the absence of the space and resources that some have. The pandemic is unevenly distributed, like the future.

But we are all facing the same issues, all responding to fresh jumpcut realities from the existential to the hyper-quotidian, from life and death and symptoms and implications, to who and how many we see and whether

“Our worlds were less Mediterranean holidays and weekend breaks. More cornershop corona conversations”

we hug and when we can go to bars and the liminal sense of wondering when we can live life without having to think too much about it. And that, to me, is a positive. These are times when we have become more similar, more human and thereby more connected as flesh and blood looking out on the same vista.

Back in prelapsarian days, culture was more homogeneous as was food choices, technology, ways of living: everything.

TV and radio stations were as controlled by governments as they were limited by technology.

One consequence was a common sound track of our lives: a limited range of pop songs or lines or characters from TV shows and films that seemingly everyone knew across the ages. From the ’60s when postwar culture went mainstream to the mid-’90s when the net and bandwidth opened up new worlds, culture was shared.

For 20-odd years since, a thousand flowers have bloomed: profusion, choice and even option paralysis have become definers of the age. The shared experiences splintered as the narrow-butdeep specialisms burgeoned.

In ten years straddling the Millennium, the die was cast.

Much of our frame of thinking is deepcast by the launch of Facebook (2004), YouTube (2005), Twitter (2006) and the iPhone in 2007, preceded by Google launching in 1998.

Our shared experience shifted west much more profoundly than in the Hollywood heyday or the

early rock’n’roll American dream era. Then came the pandemic.

Our sphere of interest localised, humanised. Lockdown makes everything local. Conversations became more vital, immediate, sincere. “How are you?” actually means something. People want to know. Questions are asked as much for mirror-image reassurance as for interest.

Our worlds were less Mediterranean holidays and weekend breaks. More cornershop corona conversations.

Reduced perspectives perhaps, but also defined, extended, different, relatable and related.

This common set of experiences will echo through the decades like kids remembering family holidays in their dotages.

They will unify us yet more than those of the war generation, where for all the imposed narrative of wartime spirit it was experienced wholly differently, where families and communities were split and couldn’t talk; where untold millions went to war or death, where the domestic diaspora meant hundreds of thousands were evacuated.

In our time, we have been forced, even forged together.

All of us. One take is that our humanity has been curtailed or at least been placed on hold. Not as such. It’s been shared.

#BathTogether – always…

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PROPERTY

© VELODENZ / FLICKR

P L A C E S T O L I V E , W O R K A N D P L AY

LEFT: The installation of underground pipes in Bath Abbey; ABOVE: Soon the whole building will be heated using renewable energy generated by Bath's thermal water

Footprint project

BATH ABBEY PAVES THE WAY Underfloor heating pipes are being laid in Bath Abbey as part of an innovative thermal heating system to heat the medieval building using Bath’s famous hot springs. The floor is also being fitted throughout with an eco-friendly underfloor heating system that will eventually be fuelled using renewable energy generated by Bath’s thermal water.

This is anticipated to take place at the end of the year and the Footprint project, which has been developed with the help of Bath-based Fielden Clegg Bradley Architects, to update the Abbey as a whole, is due for completion by the end of 2021.

Nathan Ward, the director of the Footprint Project, says, “We urgently needed to repair the collapsing floor, but we will also replace the Victorian heating system with a greener and more efficient solution.

“The thermal heating scheme really is the ideal solution, it allows us to preserve the heritage and setting of the Abbey while improving its environmental sustainability by using a renewable energy sourced locally through Bath’s famous hot springs, directly heating one of the city’s famous landmarks.”

For more: www.bathabbey.org / www.fcbstudios.com

*T&C’s apply

1% OF THE FEE YOU PAY IS DONATED TO YOUR LOCAL PRIMARY SCHOOL* With normal fundraising for schools being non-existent they need our help more than ever.

Help us to help your school by selling your home with Bath Stone Property.

Sales and Letting Contact the Bath Stone Property team today for help and advice on how we can get you moving safely.

Visit us online: www.bathstoneproperty.com | Tel: 01225 422224

PROPERTY The Circus design is said to mirror the layout of Stonehenge

Letting

IN THE RING

A flat has come up to let in one of Bath’s most saught after locations, The Circus. The furnished two-bed, which is £1,750 per month, is spacious, light and packed with period features, but of course it’s the prestigious address that really captures the attention.

The Circus was originally called the King’s Circus and was designed by English architect John Wood, the Elder in 1754. It is believed he thought that Bath was the centre of all Druidic activity in earlier Britain, and as such designed the Circus to mimic Stonehenge’s layout.

For more: www.winkworth.co.uk

The apartment enjoys views across the Circus green

Glulam beams made by Buckland Timber used in a Buckinghamshire build by architect Lynne Palmer

A curved larch glulam beam used in a garden-room

A beam being lifted into place at the Kelston Road project

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Construction

BEAM ME UP Batterham Smith Architects have

been working on the construction of a groundbreaking, environmentally friendly new home just below Kelston Road in Bath.

Architect Ben Smith explains, “The house is being built to the Passivhaus super low energy standard, with solar PV panels charging the electric car, and a thriving organic vegetable and fruit plot on the south facing slope providing abundant supplies throughout the summer.

“The property also comprises glulam roof beams. We, along with main contractor Donovan Construction, were delighted to see the gently curving glulam roof beams being lifted into place by a team from Buckland Timber in Devon.”

Glulam beams are made of glued laminated timber where a number of smaller layers of timber are glued together to make a larger, single component.

For more: www.batterhamsmitharchitects.co.uk

GLEBE HOUSE This generous eight-bedroom Swainswick country house is a world of its own

By Matilda Walton

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PROPERTY

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n the property market this year we have heard endlessly about the importance of lifestyle, as if 2020’s Covid cohort were the first to look up and realise their heart longed for something more – space to breathe, rolling hills, a home with greater purpose than simply a crash pad between working days.

Spoiler alert: they were not. To put it biblically, there is nothing new under the sun. But it turns out that is actually a good thing. The great urban flight we’ve heard so much about recently isn’t a new invention, it’s a rediscovery – and there are few venues better for it than Glebe House, brought to market by Savills in Upper Swainswick. A Grade II listed Georgian country house, it is a centuries old embodiment of what so many

have just realised in 2020: lifestyle really is everything.

You’re never more aware of it than when standing in a period property like this, a piece of history dynamic to the evolving needs of its inhabitants, a space as much about reinvention as it is reclamation. To buy this late 17th century former rectory is to join a century’s-long project of evolution, one where every owner-caretaker has something to bring to the table. Set across three floors, this eight-bedroom family home sits in 1.26 acres brimming with potential.

There’s just so much space. Step inside, and an impressive entrance hall – complete with stone fireplace and real flame gas fire for the cosiest of welcomes – leads to a trio of formal reception rooms. At the moment they function as library (the dream), drawing and dining rooms, but might easily be adapted to, say, a home gym, or child’s play room depending on the needs of its new inhabitants. The size of the house invites creativity. Off the large kitchen there’s another breakfast/family room as well as a large boot room, utility and separate cloak room, so options for switching up the space are many.

The types who felt called to renovate their entire home during first lockdown would never grow bored inside a property like Glebe House.

Across the following two floors are the eight bedrooms, should you choose to use them as such – one is currently serving as dressing room with its own enclosed shower and myriad fitted wardrobes.

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PROPERTY

Outside in Glebe House’s 1.26 acres, yet more opportunities for reinvention lie, should an owner wish to take them. In addition to the beautiful established garden and flower beds, pennant stone-paved terrace perfect for those outside dinner parties we’re all enjoying these days, main lawns and tennis courts, sit the detached coach house and stable. They are currently used as part-garage, part storage and, of course, home office, but have in the past housed a darkroom among other things. They might be transformed into an art studio, workshop, yoga space – the options are many.

The outbuildings could be redeveloped too, subject to the necessary permissions. It’s a space of pure potential.

To move here is to learn what the Georgians who built it knew all along – your home is your world, so make it one you love.

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HOUSE NUMBERS

Acres 1.26

Square foot 5,960 approx Bedrooms 8 Bathrooms 6 Reception rooms

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Outbuildings 1 Guide price £2.75m For more Savills Bath, Edgar Buildings, 17 George Street, BA1 2EN; tel 01225 474500; www.savills.co.uk

THE FINISHING TOUCHES How to cosy up your home with sumptuous soft furnishings

By John Mather

Velvet Tiger Cushions, £45 and Edgar Grey velvet chair £495, from Graham & Green

SOFT FURNISHINGS

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oft furnishings can be considered a quick, simple and effective way to lifting the look of our home – scatter a cushion here for a pop of colour, and chuck a throw there for a touch of texture, and wham, we’re done.

Except that alone never quite achieves the sumptuous, luxe results we crave. Here’s where our seven experts come in to help advise and demonstrate the best way to gorgeously dress and layer our rooms.

LOCKDOWN LUXE

South West Upholstery are suppliers for a range of materials including Linwood, as shown here in Kami-Seagreen

Has all that Netflix on the sofa during lockdowns one and two impacted how we think about our soft furnishings? The answer from our professionals is a resounding, of course! Ryan Ball, managing director of South West Upholstery, the family-owned bespoke furniture experts, says, “Absolutely so, with more people working from home or staying at home, they are looking at their furniture and are wanting to update it. We are seeing more of our customers refurbishing or buying new pieces. Some also have extra cash around due to not having this year’s holidays abroad, which in turn they are spending on their homes.”

Clair Strong, founder of Clair Strong Interior Design that offers client-led interior design solutions for homes and businesses, agrees, “With people stuck at home, they’ve had plenty of time to get fed up with their saggy sofas, faded cushions and ugly curtains.

“A comfortable sofa is one of the most important investments we are likely to make for our homes” www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 81

SOFT FURNISHINGS

Madehurst sofa from Sofa & Stuff in house plain sky

A comfortable sofa is one of the most important investments we are likely to make for our homes. It is the piece of furniture where we lounge, read, eat and drink, spend time with family, watch TV and, even sleep, so no wonder the furniture market has enjoyed a lockdown boom.”

As Lou Graham, co-owner of Graham & Green, the independent, family run homeware business, points out the home has also been appreciated again. “People have used this year to make their homes sanctuaries and create areas for relaxation. Their homes can be where they hunker down and tell stories by a fireside, play games and appreciate the simple pleasures in life, such as the sustaining beauty of nature, the joy of family, and the enduring comfort of home.”

THE PERSONAL TOUCH

A good place to start when it comes to rejuvenating our soft furnishings is to look at ourselves, as Graham & Green’s Lou explains, “It’s about listening to your own tastes and needs. Your home is never fixed, but as alive as you are and so it can, and should, evolve as you do. It’s normal to edit, but you never want to have to reincarnate completely. As long as you buy pieces you love, you’ll create a beautiful home authentic to you that will stand the test of time.”

Verity Woolf, director of Woolf, the award-winning interior architecture and design practice with studios in Bath and London, echoes this sentiment, “People are influenced by their heritage and life experiences and we like to bring that into our spaces.

Soft furnishings can be used to refer to other cultures, a passage of time, or place of travel. We have worked with textiles from Asia, North Africa and South America in our projects, which are very different in style to European soft furnishings and indeed, the way in which we use them can also differ.”

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PLUSH AND LUSH

So what are the visual impacts and emotional effects of adding more fabrics to your décor? “Bringing in fabrics can really add softness to a room, whether in sumptuous ceiling to floor curtains or a Roman blind,” says Lizzie Escott, interior design consultant of the family-run specialist interior design firm Dible & Roy. “The same fabrics can often be used for roller blinds where more structure is perhaps more appropriate, in a kitchen or conservatory for instance.

Adding pelmets to windows over curtains can make a huge difference and we have seen a rise in clients requesting this. They give either a contemporary feel if kept in a simple box shape or, if a more elaborate shaped pelmet with trim is used, it can produce a really opulent effect.”

And as Verity Woolf points out, “Textiles can bring an individuality to a space and can set the tone and atmosphere. We have often used soft furnishings to reflect the mood of a room. The mood can be more formal, or soft and sensual, or it can be about bringing in colour, or used to make a room feel more energetic.”

There is also another practical element to adding soft furnishings as Clair explains, “How you decide to dress your windows is a big decision because it has a dramatic impact on the look of a room and can be a big investment in your home. According to the Department of Energy, 30 per cent of a home’s heating energy is lost through windows, so they are also important for keeping your bills down, something that is vital in today’s economic climate.”

FIRM FAVOURITES

What are the most popular choices in the soft furnishings world? “Rugs in particular seem to be highly desired right now,” says Lou, “and we’ve seen a big surge in people opting for the super king size beds so that they can really get some quality sleep.”

Interior design by Woodhouse & Law

“Revamping upholstery and soft furnishings is being driven by a yearning for more comfort and cosiness, colour and texture” www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 83

SOFT FURNISHINGS Styling by interior designer Clair Strong

dining spaces are becoming far more of a focal point for our clients.”

“If you have space, having a sofa or a couple of small armchairs in your kitchen will create an inviting spot to relax with a pre-dinner drink,” suggests Clair Strong. “Zone the area with a small drinks table, some soft lighting and a stylish rug to give it a softer feel than the rest of the room. I am a big fan of drinks trolleys; style them up with pretty decanters and glasses ready for cocktail hour and you’ll create a fabulous focal point.”

Reading corners are also growing in popularity, maybe as homes become busier, as Andrew Cussins explains, “Soft furnishings in the shape of a deep armchair, small sofa, can help to give any lesser used areas of the home, such as the hallway, a reception room, corner of a living room, a bit of TLC, and give it a purpose.”

South West Upholstery’s Ryan Ball advises using larger statement pieces of furniture in the bedroom: “A feature chair or bench in a bedroom works really well and creates a welcoming feel. Tie this in with black-out curtains, bed-runners, and a rug, and you’ve got a cosy room for those long winter nights.”

TINTS OF CHINTZ

Who can forget a certain Swedish furniture producer’s TV advert urging us all to ‘chuck out our chintz?’ and as a result, giving the traditional florals and ‘fussiness’ of some soft furnishings a bad name, but were they right? No, says Clair Strong, “The Grandmillenial style of chintz is taking Instagram, Pinterest, and design blogs by storm.

This new trend is being steered by millennials, who have taken elements of classic design such as chintzy floral prints, fringing, ruffles and needlepoint, and paired it with modern art and furniture.

“I think it’s a rebellion against the all-white minimalist homes that have dominated interiors trends for years. Grandmillenial style is full of personality and warmth; which seems to be its greatest appeal. It also makes a lot of sense today.”

“Many of our clients love floral patterns,” says Lizzie. “By using

John Law, creative director at the Woodhouse & Law, the interior and garden design team, is an advocate of using rugs: “They are often like works of art and can also be used as a wall hanging to add texture and depth to a space. A rug provides a great starting point for a scheme. We often reference the colour and pattern within the weave of a rug in the rest of the soft furnishings to help tie an interior design scheme together.”

For Clair it all starts with the sofa, “Buy the best sofa you can afford.

Look for sofas with removable covers you can wash and replace when you change your colour scheme, and remember neutral colours will stand the test of time.” Andrew Cussins, founder of Sofas & Stuff, who specialise in British handmade bespoke sofas, chairs, beds and mattresses, also emphasises the importance of the living room settee. “The perfect sofa can become the heart of a home. The key is to decide what’s most important for your lifestyle, and how you want to make the most of your living space eg. comfort, sophistication, or modern design. The right sofa should be part of the family for many years to come, so finding one that reflects the personality and atmosphere of your home is crucial.

“There’s also been an increase in the number of people looking for corner sofas, because families are spending more time together and need a cosy space to relax.”

“We can bring the floral component into the home as a statement rather than a background element”

VA-VA-ROOM?

Soft furnishings are associated with cosiness, which in turn means bedrooms are often the main beneficiaries of fabulous fabric usage, but our experts are seeing that change. Dible & Roy’s Lizzie says: “Dining rooms are getting more attention in our experience, perhaps because families are spending more time together sharing meals. Whether it’s redecoration, adding extra cushions or reupholstering the seat pads of existing chairs or refreshing window dressings, we are finding that

Chloe chair with wenge leg in Cherry Blossom by Dible & Roy

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SOFT FURNISHINGS Interior design by Woolf Interior

Verity. “Clients are happy to experiment with colour and tone, and are influenced by the idea that you can mix and match styles.”

Lizzie agrees the greys have had their day. “Botanicals are still really popular and we have seen a real move away from neutrals, with bold colour and pattern choices emerging.”

Texture-wise, velvet seems to be a front runner for 2021. “Velvet is everywhere,” confirms Clair, “I have just bought a gorgeous green velvet sofa and I love it. It’s the perfect mix of luxury and comfort.

Reimagined in bright vibrant colours, velvet has shaken off its fuddyduddy image and emerged as a wonderful fresh material for sofas, cushions, and curtains.”

“Velvet has been huge this year,” agrees Lou. “Velvet quilts are one of our bestsellers of the season because they are so sumptuously soft and comforting to curl up in. Velvet pouffes are another favourite.

People love how flexible they are and how easily you can use them to cosy up a fireside, or create a reading corner where you can pop your feet up.

“They come in vibrant pops of jewel colour, which quickly uplift rooms for the darker, wintry months. The same is true for velvet cushions, which can be mixed and matched, and are an easy way to make a room feel warmer and more richly luxurious.”

And as John notes, the current trend for soft furnishings and colour, isn’t going anywhere in hurry. “We love to introduce colour to our design schemes and it’s lovely to see a movement towards more pattern, colour and texture within design schemes. This was happening prelockdown but now seems to have gathered pace as people wish to make their own stamp on the style of their homes.

“Revamping upholstery and soft furnishings is being driven by a yearning for more comfort and cosiness, colour and texture. From re-upholstering sentimental pieces of furniture, to investing in large, comfortable lounge sofas, people are definitely open to investing in the elements that truly make a home more comfortable.” n

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“The trend for greys and very paired back textiles is being replaced with a move towards texture, pattern and playfulness” larger floral prints and brighter colours, we can bring the floral component into the home as a statement rather than a background element. Using plain walls with bold floral fabrics for window dressings are a great way to achieve this look.

“Modern curtain headings such as twin pinch/ twin pleat give a contemporary feel, whatever the fabric you choose. If it’s a farmhouse style you are looking for then traditional pencil pleat or cottage pleat will give a less structured look.”

THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

What fashions do our experts predict in this area of interior design?

“I think that the trend for greys and very paired back textiles is being replaced with a move towards texture, pattern and playfulness,” says

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YOU’VE BEEN READING…

1. Verity Woolf, Woolf Interior Architecture & Design; www.woolfinterior.com 2. Lizzie Escott, Dible & Roy Interiors; www.dibleandroy.co.uk 3. Ryan Ball, South West Upholstery; www.swupholstery.co.uk 4. Clair Strong, Clair Strong Interior Design; www.clairstrong.co.uk 5. Lou Graham, Graham & Green; www.grahamandgreen.co.uk 6. Andrew Cussins, Sofas & Stuff; www.sofasandstuff.com 7. John Law, Woodhouse & Law; woodhouseandlaw.co.uk

T H E C U R TA I N E X C H A N G E For the best dressed windows

IN BATH

11 Widcombe Parade, Bath, BA2 4JT | Tel: 01225 422078 | Email: curtainexchange@live.co.uk www.curtainexchangebath.co.uk

BATH PHOTO PRINTS FOR SALE. CHRISTMAS GIFT VOUCHERS AVAILABLE. @ beatacosgrovephotography@gmail.com www.beatacosgrovephotography.com Please come and see me at the Bath Contemporary Artists Fair at Green Park Station on Sunday 13 December 2020 from 10am-5pm.

ADVERTISING FEATURE

FOR THE HOME Our local businesses are poised and ready to help with all your home needs for winter

KUTCHENHAUS

Kutchenhaus have opened a brand new showroom in the heart of Bath bringing their beautifully designed and highly engineered German kitchens to the city. Owner Rob Cash and his experienced and talented team look after every customer through the journey from enquiry to completion, creating kitchens of the highest standard at affordable prices. 5 Saracen St, Bath BA1 5BR; Tel: 01225 634025; www.kutchenhaus.co.uk/showroom/bath

KELLY MARIE KITCHEN INTERIORS

CLAIR STRONG INTERIOR DESIGN

www.clairstrong.co.uk

Bath’s leading fireplace, wood burner, gas fire, chimney and flue specialist. From classic to contemporary, concept to completion, their team of experts can work with you to achieve your perfect interior. Brands include Chesney’s, Barbas Belfires, Hwam, Stuv and Jetmaster. Get in touch or visit the showroom. Mendip Fireplaces, Monkton Combe, Bath BA2 7HD. info@mendipfireplacesbath.co.uk, Tel: 01225 722706; www.mendipfireplacesbath.co.uk

BATH KITCHEN COMPANY

ETONS OF BATH

Working from her beautiful showroom and with over 15 years’ experience in the kitchen industry, Kelly Marie has built a strong reputation. She combines technical aspects of design with an intrinsic creativity, producing functional yet beautiful spaces. Her portfolio includes luxury German made kitchens and Italian painted shaker kitchens.

Full design and installation service. Tel: 01225 481881

Based in the heart of Bath and specialising in bespoke, handmade kitchens, Bath Kitchen Company become personally invested in every kitchen they design and build. It’s about attention to detail at every stage – creating a beautiful space that enhances the way you live. 7-9 North Parade Buildings, Bath BA1 1NS; Tel: 01225 312003

WESTSIDE DESIGN

CHEVERELL

www.westsidedesign.co.uk

www.cheverell.co.uk

www.kellymariekitchens.com

Westside Design is a family-run Bath based company offering a tailored design, manufacturing and installation service for all aspects of cabinet making and joinery. Specialising in contemporary bespoke kitchens and interiors.

Contact Michael on 01225 330843 or 07976 268458 or email info@westsidedesign.co.uk

MENDIP FIREPLACES

Clair Strong Interior Design is a small, creative company based in Bath, providing a wide range of services for both residential and commercial clients. Her portfolio of projects includes the design, project coordination and sourcing for some of Bath’s most beautiful residences, as well as sports clubs, offices and other commercial venues.

Contact Clair on 01225 426906 or 07855 79731

www.bathkitchencompany.co.uk

Cheverell is set in the heart of Wiltshire with a stunning showroom and workshop, offering a full bespoke design, manufacturing and installation service in kitchens, bedrooms, and interiors. Established in 1989 it has over 30 years of experience to guide you through the whole process. Cheverell, Waller Road, Hopton Park, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 2GH; Tel: 01380 722722;

Founded in 2006, Etons of Bath is the UK’s only specialist interior design practice focussed on refurbishing, renovating and reinvigorating Georgian and Regency homes and hotels. Their team of 12 interior designers, planners and project managers can help you design and deliver classically inspired interiors that add value, turn heads and improve the use of space.

Tel: 01225 639002; www.etonsofbath.com

BONITI

Boniti is based on the outskirts of Bath and offers a wide range of quality interior and exterior products: natural stone and timber flooring, Everhot range cookers, garden furniture and Kadai firebowls. As well as the vast selection of products on offer, a friendly and personal service is at the heart of all that they do.

Dunsdon Barn, West Littleton,Wiltshire SN14 8JA; Tel: 01225 892 200; www.boniti.com www.mediaclash.co.uk I BATH LIFE I 89

BATH LIVES

“Nothing delights me more than singing in unison with a large group of people”

REBECCA LIPKIN The Bath author on her countless rejections, being home-schooled, and appreciating simple joys Rebecca Lipkin’s recently published biographical novel, Unto This Last, is a revealing portrait of the art critic and polymath, John Ruskin, one of the most influential men of Victorian England. Examining Ruskin’s complex personal life and his tragic obsession with a young student, Rose La Touche, Unto This Last revives the Victorian classic novel with a modern frankness.

My most treasured Christmas treat when I was young was being able to choose an unlimited stack of books from a bookshop – I wasn’t half so

bothered about toy shops. My parents were very encouraging of this, if a little bemused. In my early teens, the works of Daphne Du Maurier made me first consider writing as a career, especially as I was named after her most famous work, Rebecca.

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Perhaps this also subconsciously inspired me to move to the beautiful South West.

I was home-schooled from the age of 12 due to a rare connective tissue disorder, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome,

which left me bed-bound and unable to walk for five years.

During this time I cultivated a passion for Victorian art and literature, and first learned of John Ruskin through his championship of the PreRaphaelite Brotherhood.

Although I lost the benefits of social interaction from not going to school, I was driven

to pursue my own academic interests which have stood me in good stead for my career as an historical fiction author.

I love researching real life figures, piecing my own

interpretation together from masses of biographies, memoirs and letters. The idea of bringing back into the public consciousness people who changed our world, yet have been largely forgotten or misunderstood, as in the case of John Ruskin, is a privilege.

I never write without listening to period film soundtrack scores which have helped me to

vividly imagine every scene of Unto This Last and channel the turbulent emotions of the main characters. As the novel began life as a screenplay, it has been ingrained in me to allow the reader to visualise every scene for themselves, without the need for overly descriptive passages.

I received countless rejections from literary agents before

finally receiving an acceptance letter from an independent publisher. The book, which is decades of research and five years of writing, is already receiving a lot of interest and positive reviews and I’m fortunate in having the support of local book clubs and bookshops.

I live near Royal Victoria Park with my husband and our little dog, and I love walking into the

centre via The Royal Crescent, which never ceases to impress and holds special memories as my husband and I got married at The Royal Crescent Hotel. Without doubt, Bath is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and I feel very lucky to call it home.

I have been a journalist and culture editor for many years,

but I especially love theatre reviewing. We are so fortunate in having world-class productions at Theatre Royal Bath and that was one of the things I have missed most during lockdown.

I always make the most of Bath’s incredible calendar of cultural events, including

the literary and music festivals.

I have made many friends as a result of my varied interests, from language courses at Bath College, yoga classes, and I also belong to a local choir; nothing delights me more than singing in unison with a large group of people brought together by a shared love of music and community.

John Ruskin said: ‘There is no wealth but life’ – it’s a

powerful statement that has never been more relevant than during the pandemic. It’s also a philosophy that I have always lived by, having had many periods of ill health which makes me appreciate the good days and simple, ordinary joys. n

For more: www.rebeccalipkin.com

Unto This Last, £9.99, is stocked at local bookshops including Mr B’s Emporium and is also available online from all major retailers.