Cardiff Life - Issue 199

Food/Arts/Entertainment/Shopping/Property ISSUE 199 / MARCH 2019 / £3 @CardiffLifeMag

CELEBRATING THE BEST IN THE CITY, PENARTH & THE VALE

Cardiff Life AWARDS PREVIEW!

LIFE THROUGH A LENS

PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL DIFFUSION RETURNS

ISSUE 199 / MARCH 2019 / HOUSE, BEAUTIFUL

BARING ALL

KAI OWEN TALKS THE FULL MONTY

THE MODERN HOUSE THE HOME THAT HAS IT ALL

INSIDE STORY

QUICK & EASY INTERIORS REVAMP IDEAS

EDITOR’S LETTER

There’s no place like home.

And this could be your home.

Turn to page 100 for more BELOW: Treats to treat your mum this Mother’s Day. See page 64

T

hey say time flies when you’re having fun. And I can vouch for that as it definitely doesn’t seem like three weeks ago since the last issue of Cardiff Life – and February seems to have whizzed by in the blink of an eye!

Cardiff really is a veritable smorgasbord of entertainment at the moment, as you’ll see from our bumper What’s On section.

There’s lots of highlights, but you really won’t want to miss The Full Monty when it comes to Wales Millennium Centre. You can find out more about being part of the show in my interview with Kai Owen on page 22.

We also chat to pop band Busted who are heading to the Motorpoint Arena (p.30), and try some pretty bangin’ pizzas at Stonebaked@Brava (p.70).

And on the subject of fun... good luck to all the Cardiff Life Awards finalists. I can’t wait to see you all on the big night! But for those that won’t be there. I’ll see you next issue.

So, have fun til next time!

M

aen nhw’n dweud bod amser yn hedfan pan fyddwch yn cael hwyl, a gallaf i dystio i hynny. Yn gyntaf, mae’n anodd credu bod tair wythnos wedi mynd heibio ers cyhoeddi’r rhifyn diwethaf o Cardiff Life – ac mae mis Chwefror wedi gwibio heibio hefyd!

Mae’n wir dweud bod yr arlwy o adloniant sydd gan Gaerdydd i’w gynnig ar hyn o bryd yn amrywiol tu hwnt, fel y gwelwch yn ein hadran lawn dop o ddigwyddiadau. Mae’n cynnwys llawer o uchafbwyntiau, ond mae’n siŵr na fyddwch am golli The Full Monty pan ddaw’r sioe i Ganolfan y Mileniwm. Gallwch gael rhagor o wybodaeth am fod yn rhan o’r sioe yn fy nghyfweliad â Kai Owen ar dudalen 22.

Rydym yn sgwrsio hefyd ag aelodau’r band pop Busted sy’n dod i Arena Motorpoint (ar dudalen 30), ac yn blasu pizzas hyfryd yn Stonebaked@Brava (ar dudalen 70).

Ac wrth sôn am gael hwyl...pob lwc i bawb sydd wedi cyrraedd rownd derfynol Gwobrau Cardiff Life. Rwy’n edrych ymlaen yn eiddgar at eich gweld i gyd ar y noson fawr! Ond os na fyddwch yno, wela’ i chi pan ddaw’r rhifyn nesaf o’r cylchgrawn o’r wasg.

Tan hynny, felly, mwynhewch!

EMMA DANCE

Follow us on Twitter @CardiffLifeMag Instagram @cardifflifemag

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

Issue 199/March 2019 Cover This jaw-dropping Rhoose home could be yours.

Turn to page 100.

Picture by South Wales Property Photography

featureS

46 Interiors Spruce up your home for spring

the arts

15 INTRO Let the new season of Performances for the

Curious pique your interest

16 WHAT’S ON So much to do, so little time...

22 The Full Monty Kai Owen talks about being

part of the fabulously feel-good show

26 DIFFUSION What to expect from this year’s visual

arts festival

30 Busted We chat to Charlie Simpson ahead of the

band’s Cardiff gig

30

shopping

41 Shopping INtro Beautiful bling ring 60 FASHION Dress for the occasion 64 Editor’s Choice Mother’s Day gift ideas

food & DRINK

70 RESTAURANT We taste some pizza perfection at

Stonebaked@Brava

Business

75 business insider Our regular biz news

round-up

81 Cardiff Life Awards A preview of 2019’s most

glamorous and exciting event

Property

100 showcase A luxurious abode in Rhoose

Regulars

8 sPOTLIGHT Newsy nuggets from around the city 12 A Man’s World Lloyd Williams on preparing for

46

a life after rugby

35 Wyburn & Wayne The latest news from the

terrific twosome

37 sNAPPED The events, and the pictures 67 Mum’s the word The events, and the pictures 106 CARDIFF lives Laura Graham share her secrets

Editor Emma Dance emma.dance@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 Charlie Rose, Andrea Byrne, Nathan Wyburn, Wayne Courtney, Lloyd Williams, Carl Marsh, Kacie Morgan Advertising manager Mark George mark.george@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy advertising manager Kate Butterfield kate.butterfield@mediaclash.co.uk Account Manager Claire Hawkins claire.hawkins@mediaclash.co.uk Production/Distribution Manager Sarah Kingston sarah.kingston@mediaclash.co.uk Deputy production manager/ production designer Kirstie Howe kirstie.howe@mediaclash.co.uk Chief Executive Jane Ingham jane.ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Chief Executive Greg Ingham greg. ingham@mediaclash.co.uk Cardiff 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, Exeter and Salisbury. We also publish foodie mag Crumbs (www.crumbsmag.com, @CrumbsMag). 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

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 5

advertising feature

spotlight Everybody’s talking about…

In the Clwb

One of Wales’ most recognisable music venues has announced major expansion plans For 35 years, Clwb Ifor Bach has brought the world’s artists to Wales – and Welsh artists to the world. Bands like Super Furry Animals and Stereophonics started small there and went on to make it big everywhere. It has given young people a place to go out, a space to learn their craft and develop a career in music.

Now, the renowned Womanby Street venue has revealed plans to expand into the derelict building next door, and if the proposal goes ahead, it will create a new venue which will hold up to 800 people.

Guto Brychan, Clwb Ifor Bach chief executive says, “In 2018, we put on 450 events and worked with 997 artists alone. But we could have an even bigger impact if we addressed some of the capacity issues holding us back.

“Cardiff can cater for bands who pull crowds of 80, 8,000 and 80,000 but there are too many gaps in between.

We want to host more events and entertain more people, whilst continuing to champion Welsh culture and language in all its forms.

“It’s been incredibly sad to see the closures of much loved, independent venues in Cardiff and surrounding areas such Buffalo, Gwdihw and Muni Arts. Their closure, which has rocked grassroots music in the city, has made it all the more important that we try and secure our future and the future of grassroots music in Wales.

“We are a little while away from this venture becoming a reality, but we look forward to seeing the reaction to our initial plans in the coming weeks and months.”

For more: www.clwb.net

above: Clwb Ifor Bach as it is now. below: How Clwb could look if the plans go ahead

Plans are afoot to make a Clwb Ifor Bach an even bigger and better venue

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

Music

Music on ice

Members of BBC National Orchestra of Wales (BBC NOW) – including a former ice hockey player – joined the Cardiff Devils at the Viola Arena to give a special performance of Ravel’s Bolero.

Ahead of the Cardiff Devils’ game on 3 February, 16 members of BBC NOW took to the ice to perform a piece of music, which is synonymous with ice rinks all over the world.

Bolero was made even more famous 35 years ago – on 14 February 1984 – when Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean won gold at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics. This landmark moment has led to Bolero becoming one of the most recognised pieces of music in the classical repertoire.

BBC NOW cheered on the defending champions of the British Elite Ice Hockey League and BBC Sport Wales Team of the Year, the Cardiff Devils, who won against the Sheffield Steelers 7-3.

Former ice hockey player and Principal Tuba player for BBC NOW, Dan Trodden formed part of the brass and percussion group that performed on the ice at the game on Sunday. Dan says, “I was a member of the Junior Devils with Cardiff Devils player Matthew Myers from age 11-18. I then went on to play for the University of London Union, whilst studying for my degree, before retiring at the tender age of 22! Music and ice hockey formed the core of my youth, so it’s great to bring the two together again with Bolero at the ice arena.”

For more: www.bbc.co.uk/now

BBC NOW take to the ice for a special performance

Music

The right notes

Eight up-and-coming musical acts from Cardiff have been awarded bursaries from The Launchpad fund, part of the BBC Cymru Wales and Arts Council of Wales’ Horizons project.

Aleighcia Scott, Jessy Allen, Darren Eedens & The Slim Pickins, Marged, No Good Boyo, Silent Forum, Daniel Soley and VOYA have been awarded up to £2,000 each to help support them in shaping their careers, developing their music and supporting activities that will enable them to fulfil their potential.

The Launchpad fund aims to develop emerging contemporary music and received more than 100 applications from across Wales.

Two panels made up of 20 music industry experts were tasked with selecting the most eligible applicants.

For more: www.bbc.co.uk/horizons

Joe Calzaghe

No Good Boyo

Boxing

A good fight

A former world champion boxer is lending his support to a fundraising event in aid of the Dreams and Wishes charity.

Joe Calzaghe will be participating in a question and answer session at the white collar boxing event taking place at the Vale Sports Arena on 15 March.

There will also be a charity auction and raffle as well as guest DJs. For more: www.calzagheacademy.com

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spotlight Literature

Page turners

Story time at last year’s Cardiff Children’s Literature Festival

Little bookworms will once again be inspired and entertained by a colourful group of celebrated authors and illustrators this spring, as the Cardiff Children’s Literature Festival returns.

The award-winning festival , which takes place over two weekends (30 March – 7 April) is set to host more than 50 events, including writing workshops, book readings, craft activities and games in venues such as Cardiff Castle, Cardiff City Hall and Cardiff Central Library. The programme includes an inspirational line up including BBC Wales broadcaster and presenter, Lucy Owen and Paralympian and TV presenter Ade Apitan, who will both be talking about their latest books.

Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure, councillor Peter Bradbury says, “2019 marks the seventh annual Cardiff Children’s Literature Festival, an event which ensures to captivate young readers and provides an exciting programme of events during an impressive two-week festival. The festival has grown each year and continues to inspire and engage children of all ages, promoting the love of books and reading.”

For more: www.cardiffkidslitfest.com

Inspired by history

Theatre

Past lives Charity

The greatest show

TV presenter Matt Johnson will be hosting a The Greatest Showman themed event to raise money for Tenovus Cancer Care.

The Imagine Ball will take place at the Celtic Manor on 22 March and guests will enjoy an unforgettable night of dazzling performers, incredible entertainment, and a delicious three course meal.

For more: www.tenovuscancercare.org.uk/imagine

10 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Medical records from an old mental health hospital in North Wales have inspired a new Welsh language play coming to Cardiff this month.

In 2012, following a request by psychiatric doctors in Bangor, Frân Wen theatre company used medical records from the former Victorian asylum as inspiration for a live theatre production.

Fast forward six years, and that story – Anweledig – is coming to the Sherman Theatre on 12 and 13 March.

Written by acclaimed author Aled Jones Williams, the Welsh language show stars actress Ffion Dafis, who lives in Cardiff, who plays the part of Glenda, a bank clerk diagnosed with severe depression who’s admitted into Denbigh mental health hospital. Delivered in monologue, the play follows her heartrending, traumatic and hopeful journey.

Alongside the production, Frân Wen has commissioned the artist Mirain Fflur, who has used the show’s narrative and stories from the old hospital as inspiration for an exhibition that will run alongside the show.

For more: www.franwen.com

© KIRSTEN MCTERNAN

Matt Johnson

A Man’s World Lloyd Williams

Forward planning The Cardiff Blues player talks the importance of preparing for a life after rugby

“It’s important to make sure you’re prepared for life beyond the game” 12 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

T

he reality of being a professional athlete is that your career can come to an end in an instant and without warning.

It’s the unfortunate nature of the business we’re in.

Over the years I’ve seen various friends, opponents and team mates across all levels of the game being forced to call it quits after suffering career-ending injuries.

In the worst case scenarios, those injuries have been lifechanging on a day-to-day basis.

Others have been more fortunate, and are able to continue living their day-to-day lives while focusing on a career away from rugby.

As current professional rugby players, it’s important to look at these examples and learn from them and make sure you’re prepared for life beyond the game.

I try to emphasise the importance of having that back-up plan to the younger boys in the squad, because you never know when your playing days could come to an end.

One of those prime examples was my former Cardiff Blues and Wales team-mate, Harry Robinson. Having known him for a couple of years through Cardiff Blues, it was special to play alongside him on his Wales debut, where he scored a try against the Barbarians at the Principality Stadium in 2012. However, in 2016, a significant neck injury saw Harry forced to retire at the tender age of 23. Luckily, he already had one eye on the future, having completed his mortgage advising qualifications early in his career. Today he is thriving with his wealth management business, as an associate partner at St James’ Place.

Personally, I’m looking to get into the business and commercial industry after my playing days are over, especially on the sports side of it.

As a squad, we’re fortunate

enough to be able to lean on Phil Davies, who has been allocated by the Welsh Rugby Players Association to look after the boys with various off-the-field issues.

Phil has been superb around the place, and he can’t do enough for the boys. I really can’t emphasise his importance strongly enough.

It’s been noticeably different in camp since he was introduced.

He’s helping a lot of the boys at the moment, and everyone is taking him up on his services because he’s so good at what he does. The longer we can work with him and the WRPA, the better it will be for everyone.

He’s really pushing us to do things outside rugby, which is something that might’ve been ignored in the past, and that’s huge for us.

Phil has put me in touch with contacts, and it has been really beneficial for me to be able to pick their brains before my career eventually comes to an end. He has also enrolled a lot of boys on various courses at Cardiff and Vale College.

Every player wants to go out on their own terms, and even though retirement is hopefully a long way off, it doesn’t stop me from being able to do some work experience with companies and get to know how different places are run.

Being part of a rugby squad isn’t always like real life, and being in the changing room can sometimes feel a little bit like a building site with all the banter that gets thrown around.

I want to get used to different things in my life, and also find out what I don’t want to do. If I can eliminate some things, then I can really focus on doing something that I’ll enjoy, and succeed at, after rugby.

For more: www.cardiffblues.com Follow Lloyd on Twitter @LloydWilliams_

the arts s n a p s h o t s o f C A R D I FF ’ S c u lt u r a l l i f e

A curious feeling Performances for the Curious is back for a third season at Wales Millennium Centre this spring with thought-provoking theatre, immersive experiences and joy-fuelled performance.

The new season offers a wide selection of Welsh talent alongside distinctive touring productions – including a double bill from Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru, the Welsh language national theatre of Wales, and a season-closer from poet, author and spoken word artist, Hollie McNish.

Audiences can feed their curiosity with more than 30 performances in the season encompassing live music, new theatre, family experiences, cabaret, comedy, drag, photography, poetry and more. Performances for the Curious runs from 15 March to 17 May. For more: www.wmc.org.uk/curious

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 15

What’s on 8 March – 8 April

Jammin’ with From The Jam

PLAYS/SHOWS/ PERFORMANCES

Until 9 March

ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY: ROMEO AND JULIET The most famous story of love at first sight explodes with intense passion and an irresistible desire for change.

New Theatre; www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk

AGELESS Sherman Youth Theatre has rightly developed a reputation for being one of Britain’s most outstanding theatre ensembles. This year they perform Ageless, a new work by Benjamin Kuffuor about a miracle drug which quite literally changes the face of ageing.

Sherman Theatre; www.shermantheatre.co.uk

Until 9 March

11 – 16 March

Until 9 March

THE CHERRY ORCHARD The Cherry Orchard, Chekhov’s last and greatest play, deals with the hope, despair and change that was present in the years preceding the Russian Revolution. It is here performed in Trevor Griffiths’ vibrant and sharp 1977 version for Nottingham Playhouse which banished the English ‘drawing room drama’ approach to Chekhov for something altogether more powerful and meaningful.

Chapter; www.chapter.org

THE FULL MONTY This “chuffing brilliant” production about six out of-work, impoverished steelworkers from Sheffield with nothing to lose, took the world by storm and has become one of Britain’s most successful shows.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

12 – 13 March

ANWELEDIG: THE FINAL CHAPTER A powerful and harrowing Welsh

16 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

language production that follows the journey of Glenda, played by Ffion Dafis, as she battles to live with severe depression. In this new, fiercely relevant version we witness Glenda’s harrowing confrontations with the illness. Will she find light at the end of the deepest and darkest tunnel? Sherman Theatre; www.shermantheatre.co.uk

12 – 16 March

HORRIBLE HISTORIES: TERRIBLE TUDORS From the horrible Henries to the end of evil Elizabeth, hear the legends (and the lies!) about the torturing Tudors. Find out the fate of Henry’s headless wives and his punch up with the Pope. Meet Bloody Mary and see Ed fall dead in his bed. Survive the Spanish Armada as it sails into the audience! New Theatre; www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk

13 March

NO SUCH THING AS A FISH A weekly podcast in which the

QI researchers share their most interesting recent discoveries.

St David’s Hall; www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

14 – 16 March

HOW TO BE BRAVE This brand-new, one-woman play follows Katie’s journey as she rides her BMX around Newport to find what she’s really made of. By listening to the unheard voices of the city itself, she begins to question what the women who have gone before can teach her about how to be brave in this confusing, quick-changing world we live in.

Chapter; www.chapter.org

15 March

FFRESH BURLESQUE Starring highly skilled Musical Saw player Markee de Saw, this ‘saw’cy performer will definitely bring some sharp and edgy sass to the Ffresh stage. There’s also sizzling burlesque from Brandy Montmartre and your host Miss Cherry Bomb; the singing,

what’s on flinging, comedienne compere.

Ffresh, Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

16 March

EMERGENCE This bold company of 12 dancers head out on their first tour with new works created especially for them by Phoenix Dance Theatre’s artistic director, Sharon Watson and company artistic director Joss Arnott.

Dance House; www.wmc.org.uk

16 March above: Burlesque is getting fresh at Ffresh! left: No need to panic.

Panic! At The Disco are playing the Motorpoint Arena below: One of the pieces

by Leonardo da Vinci on display at National Museum Wales

LUCIE JONES – THIS IS ME Having toured the world performing to sold-out arenas, theatres and concert venues, Lucie is bringing her voice back home to Wales for an exclusive number of one-off ‘up close and personal’ dates.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

19 – 21 March

BETWEEN ETERNITY AND TIME Maja is lost and looking for a place in the world. But arriving in Bangor as a drug runner from Liverpool, events lead her to question whether this was ever the world she belonged to in the first place.

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; www.rwcmd.ac.uk

19 – 21 March

KASIMIR AND KAROLINE What chance does love have in a world where we define happiness by the things we have?

When Kasimir finds himself unemployed, the destruction of his relationship swiftly follows.

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; www.rwcmd.ac.uk

19 – 23 March

MACBETH The National Theatre, creators of War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, bring this epic and visually daring production of Shakespeare’s most intense tragedy on a tour of the UK and Ireland immediately following a sold out run in London.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

19 – 32 March

GHOST THE MUSICAL Walking back to their apartment late one night a tragic encounter sees Sam murdered and his beloved wife Molly alone, in despair and utterly lost. But with the help of a phony storefront psychic Sam, trapped

between this world and the next, tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of saving her from grave danger… New Theatre; www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk

22 March

AN AUDIENCE WITH MARK ‘BILLY’ BILLINGHAM Join TV’s most experienced, highest ranking and most decorated SAS leader and sniper – Mark ‘Billy’ Billingham MBE (as seen on Channel 4’s SAS Who Dares Wins) for an exciting evening of motivational speaking and stories. Billy is a former SAS Sergeant Major Class 1 and bodyguard to the stars including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Russell Crowe, Sir Michael Caine, Tom Cruise and many others.

Sherman Theatre; www.shermantheatre.co.uk

23 March

MARY BIJOU: FAKES IT Cabaret so good, you will think that Mary Bijou is faking it, just for you!

Daredevil stunts, no problem.

Dazzling circus skills, they got them.

Gorgeous musc, like it’s in their bones. The biggest stunt show you’ll ever see in the diminutive Ffresh bar.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

26 – 30 March

COMPANY Enjoy an intimate studio version of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's legendary musical comedy featuring the award winning songs Company, You Could Drive a Person Crazy, The Ladies Who Lunch, Side by Side and Being Alive. Bobby’s birthday party prompts questions from his friends about life, love and marriage.

Sherman Theatre; www.shermantheatre.co.uk

26 March – 6 April

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL Discover the story behind Motown – the personal relationships, the professional struggles, and the music that got the whole world moving to the same beat.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

26 March – 6 April

THE MIRROR CRACK’D This thrilling new play, based on Agatha Christie’s novel, explores how we all colour our own memories, our own truths, to disguise the darkness that lies within.

New Theatre; www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk

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What’s on 27 – 29 March

ALBERT HERRING It is May Day in Loxford and an unexpected appointment leads to young greengrocer Albert Herring’s disappearance – but how will the villagers react? Brilliantly scored for small chamber orchestra, Benjamin Britten’s love of parody and caricature is wonderfully captured in this comic opera.

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; www.rwcmd.ac.uk

29 March

AN EVENING WITH MAL POPE BBC Radio Wales presenter, Mal Pope, returns to Wales Millennium Centre for an evening of stories and songs. From the early days spent recording with Elton John at Abbey Road to the creation of sell-out musicals Cappuccino Girls and Amazing Grace, join Mal for an intimate evening of tales and tunes from the last 50 years.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

2 April

5 SOLDIERS A thrilling and humane portrait of army life, telling the stories of men and women serving on the front line.

Sherman Theatre; www.shermantheatre.co.uk

6 April

PAULUS: BETA A queer fairytale. A one-person musical. A personal story of showbiz, booze and leggings.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

COMEDY 10 March

LOL (LADIES OF LAUGHTER) WITH NOREEN KHAN Noreen Khan hosts a night of comedy with some of the UK’s favourite female acts. Come along for an evening of fun and laughter.

This event is not just for ladies, gents are welcome too!

Glee Club Cardiff; www.glee.co.uk

20 March

STUDIO COMEDY CLUB Sherman Theatre showcases some of Britain’s brightest and funniest comedians. Sherman Theatre; www.shermantheatre.co.uk

20 March

PAUL MCCAFFREY: I THOUGHT I’D HAVE GROWN

OUT OF THIS BY NOW Most recently Paul has appeared on major UK tours with two of Britain’s foremost stand ups. Sean Lock on his Keep It Light tour 2016-2018 and Kevin Bridges on his Brand New Tour 2018 playing to more than half a million people nationwide to great critical acclaim.

Glee Club Cardiff; www.glee.co.uk

21 March

BLAH BLAH BLAH: STAND UP AND SLAM Stand-up comedy: poetry’s idiot relation, right? Performance poetry: comedy’s boring cousin, yes? Let’s find out! Six phenomenal acts from the worlds of comedy and poetry go head-to-head in three killer rounds, battling it out to decide, once and for all, which art form is the best.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

22 March

CABARELA The unique harmonies of Sorela conduct a cabaret evening of Welsh comedy through song, including the ever-surprising singer-songwriter, Hywel Pitts – resurrecting an old favourite on the Welsh cabaret scene – and the endless eclectic talents of the Divas & Diceds.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

above: A modern imagining of Macbeth comes to the stage at Wales Millennium Centre left: It's comedy vs poetry at Blah, Blah Blah: Stand Up and Slam

28 March

BRENNAN REECE: EVERMORE Brennan is a multi-award winning working class wordsmith (Edinburgh Best Newcomer Nominee and English Comedian of the Year Winner). A stand-up, a storyteller and self-confessed mummy’s boy.

Motorpoint Arena; motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk

welcoming destination of The Glee Club. Glee Club Cardiff; www.glee.co.uk

5 April

Music

7 April

10CC The legendary 10cc will be performing the hits which have singled them out as one of the most inventive and influential bands in the history of popular music.

St David’s Hall; www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

MACHYNLLETH COMEDY FESTIVAL A special showcase of comedy talent appearing at this year’s Machynlleth Comedy Festival.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk SHAPPI KHORSANDI Comedian, author, cultural icon and – most recently – idiot who agreed to be tortured on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!, Shappi Khorsandi is a woman of many parts. But live comedy is where she’s in her element, and now – after her spell in the jungle – she sets out for the more

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

8 March

9 March

AUDIOBOOKS The London based duo have developed a unique ability to conjure up magical aural snapshots that wallop you like bong hits. Each of their discombobulating observations comes stretched out over a series

of discomfiting oscillations, like messages from the spirit world or pulp fictions found in a box at the end of your road or a crackling pop broadcast from a far-away galaxy.

Clwb Ifor Bach; www.clwb.net

9 March

STIFF LITTLE FINGERS Stiff Little Fingers are a punk rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

They formed in 1977, at the height of the Troubles. They started out as a schoolboy band called Highway Star (named after the Deep Purple song), doing rock covers, until they discovered punk.

Cardiff University Great Hall; www.cardiffstudents.com

10 March

BBC Big Band Multi award-winning jazz vocalist and Radio Presenter, Claire Martin

what’s on OBE, joins the internationally acclaimed BBC Big Band for a unique celebration of the legendary leading ladies of the Big Band, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland, Peggy Lee and their contemporaries.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

10 March

JAKE MORRELL Jake Morrell could have come straight out of Nashville, or even from the Californian sunshine, as his music suggests; but Jake is from Norfolk, England! Jake was ‘discovered’ by Dermot O’Leary, who featured him on his Radio 2 Show. One influential listener just so happened to be Glastonbury boss Emily Eavis, who immediately asked Jake to perform at the iconic festival.

Acapela; www.acapela.co.uk

12 March

CALVA LOUISE Laying down a firm marker within London’s raucous punk scene over the last 18 months, the rising trio have since earned support slots alongside the likes of Albert Hammond Jr, Spring King and Anteros and recently finished an extensive UK tour with label-mates The Blinders. Clwb Ifor Bach; www.clwb.net

13 March

GEORGE EZRA George Ezra continues his phenomenal ascent with the announcement of his first ever

Gray will be commencing his Gold in a Brass Age 2019 Tour in the ‘Diff.

St David’s Hall; www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

studio album, All Mod Cons playing it in its entirety.

Memo Arts Centre; www.memoartscentre.co.uk

ROYAL WELSH COLLEGE BRASS BAND: EAST MEETS WEST A programme full of eastern promise from Russia, Bulgaria and Romania including Johan de Meij’s exciting composition, Extreme Makeover, based on the music of Tchaikovsky, as well as music from British composer Malcolm Arnold and virtuoso show-pieces from Royal Welsh College musicians.

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; www.rwcmd.ac.uk

15 March

24 March

14 March

17 March

headline arena tour with very special guest Sigrid. Motorpoint Arena; motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk

13 March

SOUND BAR Take the chance to explore new and existing electronic works by students and staff of the ollege’s composition department.

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; www.rwcmd.ac.uk

14 March

RED RUM CLUB Purveyors of a uniquely “Tarantinoinspired”, spaghetti-western flavoured sound that marries mariachi brass to indie rock’n’roll, these desperados from Liverpool have been picking up glowing reviews.The Moon; www.themooncardiff.com

15 March

DAVID GRAY Brit and Grammy nominee, David

THE ALBION QUARTET “One of the very best young string quartets around” was how one critic described the Albion Quartet – before going on to praise their “great vibrancy”. Every one of their programmes is an adventure: this one begins with the timeless beauty of Bach before tracing his influence from Haydn to the wild, extravantly emotional worlds of Schumann and Walton. Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; www.rwcmd.ac.uk

BEHIND THE MASK This uplifting concert of music and words features the Forgetme-not Chorus and singers and instrumentalists from Welsh National Opera in an afternoon exploring the impact that dementia has on loving relationships.Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

25 March

AN EVENING WITH ALFIE BOE One of the world’s greatest classical singers Alfie Boe brings it back to the UK, announcing a 2019 tour in what is becoming another landmark year for the much loved tenor.

St David’s Hall; www.stdavidshallcardiff.co.uk

17 March

21 March

THE PITCHFORKS Part of last year’s BBC Wales Horizons 12, The Pitchforks are a young indie band from the Rhondda. Taking inspiration from bands like Arctic Monkeys, the fourpiece’s snappy indie-pop sound has gained them legions of fans in South Wales and beyond.

Clwb Ifor Bach; www.clwb.net

BUSTED Busted have grown-up without growing old. Motorpoint Arena; motorpoinarenacardiff.co.uk

28 March

30 March

CANTALOOP They’ve been blending their brand of Funk & Soul that has been captivating audiences from Aberdeen to Zurich. The band’s live show perfectly showcases their unique style of raw throwback funk whilst avoiding that retro ‘funk by numbers’ tag that can be firmly pinned on so many.

Acapela; www.acapela.co.uk

23 March

BRASSAGEDDON Fresh from supporting the legendary Headhunters at the end of 2018, Jack Mac’s Funk Pack are back at Clwb with a new EP launch. This is one to make you dance!

Clwb Ifor Bach; www.clwb.net

The BBC Big Band will be giving it large at the Wales Millennium Centrex

26 March

GUNS THAT DO TRICKS Curated by Krissy Jenkins and DJ Jaffa, ‘Guns That Do Tricks’ is an experimental group of musicians, poets and singers based in South Wales. Realtime wild tracks bedded in urban myths give birth to words and gifts.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

KNIGHT AND SPIERS These uniquely gifted musicians make a sublime pairing, and create a live performance to be remembered for a long time.

Acapela; www.acapela.co.uk

23 March

PANIC! AT THE DISCO The band’s biggest ever European tour comes to Cardiff.

Motorpoint Arena; motorpoinarenacardiff.co.uk

30 March

FROM THE JAM From The Jam is comprised of legendary former The Jam bassist Bruce Foxton, vocalist and guitarist Russell Hastings, drummer Mike Randon, and Andy Fairclough on Hammond and piano. The band will be touring the UK, celebrating the 40th Anniversary of The Jam’s third

JEFF HOOPER: SWINGING WITH THE STARS Swinging with the Stars is a celebration of the greatest swing vocalists of the 20th century, including hits from Dean Martin, Tony Bennett and, of course, Frank Sinatra.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

1 April

Daoirí Farrell A former electrician, who decided to change profession after seeing

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

What’s on Christy Moore perform on Irish TV, Dublin-born traditional singer and bouzouki player Daoirí (pronounced ‘Derry’) Farrell is being described by some of the biggest names in Irish folk music as one of most important singers to come out of Ireland in recent years.

Acapela; www.acapela.co.uk

3 April

BOB REYNOLDS Bob Reynolds is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and Grammy Award-winning member of the band Snarky Puppy. Widely known for his work with both Snarky and John Mayer, he is a prolific composer and recording artist with eight top-selling solo albums to his credit. Clwb Ifor Bach; www.clwb.net

4 April

MILES DAVIS: THE 1950S AND BEYOND Using the music of Miles Davis as a reference point, the Gethin Liddington/Ian Poole Quartet will explore the rich melting pot of styles and influences that came together to help create the sound of jazz in 1950s and beyond.

Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

4 April

HANNAH GRACE Welsh singer-songwriter Hannah Grace has a deep sound running through jazz, soul and pop.

Clwb Ifor Bach; www.clwb.net

5 April

UB40 FEATURING ALI CAMPBELL AND ASTRO With 2019 marking 40 years since UB40 first performed live, the legendary reggae band will be celebrating with a greatest hits set that features global smashes including Red Red Wine, Cherry Oh Baby and Kingston Town.

Motorpoint Arena; motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk

6 April

SOUTH WALES GAY MEN’S CHORUS Join the South Wales Gay Men’s Chorus for an evening of music associated with the Pride movement.

They will take you on a journey through time from the Berlin cabaret of the 1930s, to the protest songs of the 1970s and more recent pop hits. SWGMC are proud to be joined on the evening by the Songbirds Choir and the Cardiff

Trans Singers.

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama; www.rwcmd.ac.uk

ART, CRAFT, PHOTOGRAPHY & EXHIBITIONS Until 31 March

PLACES An exhibition of lino cuts by Pete Nash. Kemis; www.kemis.co.uk

Until 6 May

LEONARDO DA VINCI To mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci, a collection of 12 of the Renaissance master’s greatest drawings from the Royal Collection are on display at National Museum Cardiff as part of a UK wide exhibition of drawings across a number of venues.

National Museum Cardiff; www.museum.wales

9 – 10 March

CARDIFF FILM & COMIC CON Some of your favourite stars of TV, films and comics as well as a whole host of fun activities including photo shoots with the stars, panels, autograph sessions, retro video gaming, cosplay masquerade and hundreds of stalls full of TV and film memorabilia. Motorpoint Arena; motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk

14 March – 6 April

GWYN ROBERTS A stunning new collection of dramatic Welsh mountains and landscapes created using Gwyn’s recognisable bold impasto painting – knife technique in oil, a medium which he feels best represents his feelings and emotions.

Albany Gallery; www.albanygallery.com

21 March – 11 April

John Macfarlane: Swan lake and other works This exhibition consists of the costume and set drawings for the critically acclaimed 2018 production of Swan Lake for The Royal Ballet at the Royal Opera House, London.

Martin Tinney Gallery; www.artwales.com

3 – 5 April

JUNIPER Commissioned by Ffotogallery to premiere at Diffusion 2019 Cardiff International Festival of Photography, Juniper explores how sound and moving image merge

20 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Paulus tells his story of booze, showbiz and leggings

within live performance. This unique show will see Slowly Rolling Camera perform their critically acclaimed third album in its entirety accompanied by an immersive visual score created by 4Pi. Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

sport

Friday 8 March

SOUTHERN KINGS Pro 14, KO 7.35pm Cardiff Arms Park; www.cardiffblues.com

Saturday 23 March

CARDIFF DEVILS V MANCHESTER STORM League, Face Off 7pm Viola Arena; www.cardiffdevils.com

Sunday 24 March

CARDIFF DEVILS V GUILDFORD FLAMES League, Face Off 7.30pm Viola Arena; www.cardiffdevils.com

CARDIFF COMETS V OXFORD MIDNIGHT STARS EIHL Southern Division One League, Face Off 2.15pm Viola Arena; www.cardiffcomets.co.uk

Saturday 9 March

Monday 25 March

CARDIFF CITY V WEST HAM Premier League, KO 3pm Cardiff City Stadium; www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk

Saturday 9 March

CELTIC DRAGONS V LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTNING Vitality Superleague; Centre pass 4pm Sport Wales National Centre; www.celticdragonsnetball.com

Saturday 16 March

WALES V IRELAND Six Nations, KO 2.45pm Principality Stadium; www.wru.co.uk

Sunday 17 March

CARDIFF DEVILS V GLASGOW PLAN League, Face Off 6pm Viola Arena; www.cardiffdevils.com

Friday 22 March

CARDIFF BLUES V ISUZU

CELTIC DRAGONS V LONDON PULSE Vitality Superleague, Centre Pass 7pm Sport Wales National Centre; www.celticdragonsnetball.com

Saturday 30 March

CARDIFF DEVILS V MK LIGHTNING League, Face Off 7pm Viola Arena; www.cardiffdevils.com

Saturday 30 March

CELTIC DRAGONS V SEVERN STARS Vitality Superleague, Centre Pass 4pm Sport Wales National Centre; www.celticdragonsnetball.com

Sunday 31 March

CARDIFF CITY V CHELSEA Premier League, KO 2.05pm Cardiff City Stadium; www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk n

NAKED AMBITION

You might recognise Kai Owen from his roles in Torchwood and Hollyoaks, but you’ll see more of him than ever before in The Full Monty, which comes to Wales Millennium Centre later this month

By Emma Dance

© MAT T CROCKET T

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

Lovable Dave has lost his mojo.

(But Kai hasn’t!)

t was almost 22 years ago that the The Full Monty hit the cinema screens (yep – it is really that long) and we all fell head-over-heels for the charms of the rag-tag bunch of Sheffield steel workers turned strippers. And when the film became a stage show we were, it seems, no less enamoured – with women the country over flinging thongs at the stage, as the cast removed theirs, in the famous striptease finale.

Now the award-winning production is coming the Wales Millennium Centre, and among the cast is Welsh actor Kai Owen, in the role of Dave, the best mate of the group’s ringleader, Gaz (played by Gary Lucy).

It’s not the first time Kai’s stepped into the role – he was previously Dave during the 2016/17 tour – and he’s loving being back.

“It’s such a fantastic show to be a part of,” he says. “It’s a great part for me, and I love working with the team. It’s just a great job.

“Dave is a character that’s lost his mojo,” continues Kai. “He’s let himself go. He has his best mate, and he’s married to a lovely lady – Jean – but he loved his job and he loved the banter of the steel works, so when the factory closes it really affects him.”

one to one KAI’S QUICK-FIRE ROUND Where were you born and brought up?

I was born and bred in Llanrwst in North Wales.

Where did you go to school and college?

I went to school at Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy and to drama school at Mountview in London.

When you were training or not acting, what other jobs have you done?

I’m a qualified butcher!

What hobbies/interests do you have?

Football and running. I’ve done four London marathons and I coach my son’s rugby team, Finchley RFC. Do you have any unusual skills?

I’m an amazing whistler!

Do you have a guilty pleasure?

Chocolate.

And actually, although it’s the big reveal and the comedy moments that probably first come to mind when you think of The Full Monty, it’s the stories of human struggles that are the real heart of the show, and which have you rooting for the guys to succeed.

“Each of the characters have their own issues,” says Kai. “Take Gerald, he’s living an awful life, struggling with his pride, lying to his wife when he pretends to go to work every day – it’s just horrific the stress he must be under.

They struggle with all kinds of taboo subjects – the kind of things that men are really bad at talking about – like depression, homosexuality and obesity. It’s really not just a show for women – men should come along too.

“It’s about six men coming together, but it’s also about a community coming together. Yes, it can be crude, but at the heart of it there’s a beautiful heart-warming story, and if you follow the journey of the characters, at the end, you’re just really willing them to do it.”

The “it” of course being the full monty. And yes, Kai et al do bare all on stage.

“The first time we did it was in a closed rehearsal room and that was probably the

worst time,” says Kai. “Now it’s just like, ‘it happens, so what?’ We do the dance and we strip and the audiences go crazy!

“I love the film, but there’s an argument that actually the story works better on stage.

There’s a bit more depth to the characters than you get in the film, but because they were both written by Simon Beaufoy you get everything.

Everything that you remember from the film, you get on the stage, and at the end it’s like the audience becomes the crowd in the club. It just works wonderfully.”

The lovable Dave is a far cry from Kai’s recent role on Hollyoaks, where he played child abuser Pete Buchanan.

“It’s really not just a show for women.

Men should come along too!”

© Mat t Crocket t

Who would you like to see do The Full Monty?

Donald Trump – just to humiliate him.

I’d like to point and laugh.

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

one to one top: Doing the Full Monty!

middle: Shall we dance? Kai and his co-star Gary Lucy

The Full Monty will be at Wales Millennium Centre from 11 – 16 March.

For more: www.wmc.org.uk

24 I cardiff LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

© Mat t Crocket t

“They’re polar opposites,” says Kai, who was widely praised for his part in the soap’s hard-hitting storyline. “Playing Pete was the darkest place I have ever been to, but I loved telling the story. I think Hollyoaks does these sorts of stories, and handles these issues better than anyone.

“We had support and advice from the NSPCC all the way through, and before we started filming we met people who had been through whole cycles of abuse. We visited the Childline offices in Liverpool, and you should have seen the number of calls that were just queuing up waiting to be answered. That side of it was harrowing and emotional, but we know that it helped people come forward and talk about what was happening to them and that’s brilliant.

“But I had a wonderful time on Hollyoaks, everyone there is exceptional and I loved every second of it. It’s funny, even now when I come out of the stage door people will shout ‘Pete’ at me.”

Pete isn’t Kai’s only high profile TV role, however. Before landing the part on Hollyoaks he played Rhys in all four series of the popular Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood, which was filmed in Cardiff. Now he’s looking forward to returning to the city.

“I can’t wait to be back,” he says. “I love Wales and I love Cardiff. Coming back to the city brings back a lot of memories and I’m hoping to have time to visit some of my old haunts – going for a run by the Taff and visiting the arcades. I love a curry and me and Eve Myles used to go to Moksh at least once a week when we were filming Torchwood. There are some good Indians in Roath too.

“I feel very close to the Millennium Centre, and of course the water tower which was the Torchwood base. The Welsh audiences are always brilliant – I hope they come in their droves – and the Millennium Centre is the most beautiful theatre in the country, maybe even the world.

“Cardiff is going to be the highlight of this tour for me.”

© Mat t Crocket t

“We do the dance, and we strip and the audiences go crazy”

© Mat t Crocket t

bottom: Kai and his cast mates on stage

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The Nemesis Machine by Stanza

Stop.

Look.

Listen.

If you thought photography was just about images then think again.

Diffusion – the biennial Cardiff International Festival of Photography is back this year and encouraging visitors to use their ears as well as their eyes.

David Drake, festival director and director at Ffotogallery tells us more‌ 26 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

ARTS What is Diffusion?

Diffusion: Cardiff International Festival of Photography, is run by Ffotogallery, and is Wales’ largest visual arts festival. Being staged in venues across the city, Diffusion, features a month long programme of exhibitions, interventions, screenings, performances, events and celebrations in both physical and virtual spaces and places. The excitement of directly participating in the festival, and the international reach and visibility of the event, is further enhanced through printed and online publications, websites, mobile content and discussion on social media platforms.

How did this year’s theme of Sound+Vision come about?

Diffusion 2019’s theme of Sound+Vision explores the relationship between sound – music in particular – and photography and lens-based media.

From a curatorial perspective, I have always been interested in how sound changes a viewer’s perception and reading of visual images. Over the last decade, it has become commonplace for visual artists to incorporate sound into their installations or video films, and likewise composers and musicians use visual imagery to add new layers of meaning to their work. With the easier availability of VR, AR and other ‘immersive’ technologies, an artist’s repertoire can go way beyond ‘expanded photography’ into new areas of interdisciplinary art and hybrid media. The creative possibilities are endless and we are at the beginning of an exciting journey for artists and audiences.

Diffusion: Sound+Vision will explore that territory in a playful, celebratory and at times challenging way.

I thought photography was a purely visual medium. How can it involve sound?

The connection between photography, sound recording and its reproduction goes back a long way. In the 19th century, when the likes of Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell were etching sound waves into wax and metal cylinders, others were recording sound onto film. In 1888, six years before the first commercial motion picture exhibition, Eadweard Muybridge proposed combining his image-casting zoopraxiscope with Edison’s recorded-sound technology, which led to the development of the kinetoscope at the

X-Ray Audio – an installation by The Bureau of Lost Culture

dawn of the 20th century. At the same time in Germany, Ernst Ruhmer invented the ‘photographone’, the forerunner of modern cinema projection, when he recorded sound onto a roll of photographic film as varying shades of light and dark. He then reversed the process by shining light through the running filmstrip, illuminating a selenium cell as a means for reproducing the sound. Roll forward a 100 years, and sound and vision can be seamlessly combined as binary digits, presented on multiple physical and online platforms with breathtaking speed.

I’ve never been to a photography exhibition. What should I expect from Diffusion?

Expect the unexpected. As well as more conventional photography exhibits, Diffusion will showcase through exhibitions, events and participatory activities the latest applications of VR, expanded photography and other digital technologies, and build on collaborative links between Welsh artists, media producers and companies who are working internationally.

How did you choose the pieces?

“I want audiences to engage their eyes, ears and senses”

As director of Ffotogallery, I travel the world and see a lot of exciting work and meet really interesting artists crossing traditional artform boundaries. I also see on a daily basis that the spirit of innovation and artistic adventure is alive and well here in Wales. For Diffusion I deliberately wanted to provide a space for artists to collaborate, experiment and create and present work in new ways. Many

projects are collaborations between Welsh and international artists and companies.

Above all, I want audiences to engage their eyes, ears and senses to imagine a future when boundaries between artistic forms and disciplines dissolve, and through the prism of new artistic endeavour the world can be experienced differently. That thought guided my choices.

Where is it taking place? Why those venues?

We have always enjoyed a close working relationship with the Wales Millennium Centre, Chapter and the Senedd, who once again will host Diffusion events and exhibitions and contribute significantly to the month-long programme. Ffotogallery currently has two venues – Castle Street in the city centre and Turner House in Penarth – which will feature Diffusion exhibitions, of course. However, this time we’re also partnering with a new artist group called SHIFT to create an exciting Diffusion hub space at the end of Queens Street, and The Gate in Albany Road, Roath, who will be hosting the first exhibition by a new women’s photography collective called PHRAME. This is the fourth Diffusion – how has it changed and evolved over the years?

Every Diffusion is different, and we always try out new things and animate empty industrial buildings and retail spaces, turning them into dynamic spaces for exhibitions and events. In 2013, we were the first to use the Tramshed for cultural events and exhibitions, two weeks after

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

ARTS the bus depot closed, and in 2017 we partnered with The Sustainable Studio in Dumballs Road to create a wonderful exhibition space in the former munitions factory.

In terms of 2019, I feel that the local, national and international are seamlessly integrated this time round. It is my belief that Welsh artists should get the same high standard of presentation as visiting international ones.

It is about showing high quality, engaging work to the best of our abilities, engaging local audiences and visitors and encouraging them to experience something different and surprising and memorable. I guess the festival has become more artistically ambitious over the years, rather than scaling back its vision in this time of austerity. I hope artists, audiences and supporters can see that ambition and quaity in the 2019 programme, and this edition’s focus on Sound+Vision as the festival theme.

Can you point us in the direction of a couple of “don’t miss” highlights at this year’s event?

Highlights include X-Ray Audio, an installation at SHIFT by The Bureau of Lost Culture telling a story of cold war culture, bootleg technology and music as resistance. In the Soviet Union during the cold war era, a daring underground community of bootleggers found an extraordinary and risky means to defy the censor by copying and distributing the forbidden jazz, rock ‘n’ roll and Russian music they loved – building recording machines and cutting their own records with used x-ray film.

Leading on from their award-winning fulldome film, Liminality, shot in India, Cardiff based creative collaborators Matt Wright and Janire Najera of 4Pi Productions will re-imagine for audiences the music of the jazz and trip-hop band Slowly Rolling Camera. Commissioned by Ffotogallery to premiere at Diffusion 2019, Juniper explores how sound and moving image merge within live performance. This unique show at Wales Millennium Centre will see Slowly Rolling Camera perform live their critically acclaimed third album Juniper in its entirety, accompanied by an immersive visual score created by 4Pi. Stanza’s The Nemesis Machine is a large installation at Ffotogallery in Castle Street representing the complexities of the real time city as an ever shifting and morphing system. It visualises life in the metropolis on the basis of real time data transmitted from a network of sensors, enabling the replica city of electronic components reflects in real time what is happening outside. In appearance, The Nemesis Machine is like Big Brother through the lens of the Internet of Things. It gives visitors a bird’s eye view of a cybernetic cityscape, a sonic and visually animated cluster of skyscrapers constructed of silicon and circuit boards.

Diffusion runs from 1 – 30 April.

For more: www.ffotogallery.org

28 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Slowly Rolling Camera

“Audiences should expect the unexpected” The Nemesis Machine represents the complexities of a real time city

Juniper

one to one

Boys to men 30 I cardiff LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

It’s almost 20 years since Busted burst in to the UK charts with their particular brand of bouncy punk pop. Since then the band have won awards, split up, got back together, released four albums and grown up a lot.

Carl Marsh catches up with band member Charlie Simpson ahead of their Cardiff show to find out more about the evolution of the band, and their new album Half Way There How did Busted first happen?

We basically met because I answered an ad in the NME when they were looking for another guitarist/singer. I had just turned 16 and I came to London and met with the other guys, and that was the beginning of the band.

It all happened very fast, it was like a whirlwind. Within six months, we had signed a deal and then by the end of that year, we released our first single.

Were you prepared for what happened next?

Absolutely, not. I definitely had a firm grounding – I had great friends and I was very close with my family, but obviously it was a lot to take for a young impressionable child.

I think for me it was more the fact that, being signed to a major label at the time, we didn’t have any control. That’s what’s lovely now.

We have a great relationship with our label – Warner Music Group – because we still own the rights to our record. We do it in partnership with them rather than being dictated to and I think that’s really important.

What was the catalyst for you going back with the boys?

From left, Charlie Simpson, Matt Willis and James Bourne – the trio more commonly known as Busted

Basically, James [Bourne] and I got together and just chatted. For no particular reason, he just rang me and said, “Do you want to go out for a beer?” We went out for a beer and chatted things through. We ended up just slowly meeting up more and more. He said, “Do you want just to see what happens if we start writing again?” I thought it sounded like a fine idea. We wanted to keep it on the down low. We flew over to Philadelphia where he had a friend with a studio and we basically spent that week with him. Then Matt [Willis] came as well. We really liked what we came out with and started to make Night Driver. Obviously, Night Driver was a huge departure from what we had been doing before. We felt like we didn’t have any pressure on us do to anything and we

www.mediaclash.co.uk I cardiff LIFE I 31

one to one

The Busted boys

were just doing it for the fun of it. Then we just thought that since everyone was getting on we might as well do some shows and sales. Then we did the Piece of Light tour, and we’ve been doing it ever since What role does friendship play when it comes to being in a band?

I don’t think that our friendship was ever affected by the band splitting up. I think we parted – we went for a long time without speaking to each other, but there was never any animosity with each other. I think that’s really important because I believe if the hatred starts to creep in, then that could be really detrimental to a band’s makeup. We spent 10 years apart. We very much kept our friendship, and I think that’s really important. I think friendship has to come first. You can’t be in a band with someone that drives you crazy. It’s just something which wouldn’t work.

Does it feel like you’re in a good place now that you’re back together and you’re all just that bit older?

Yes, definitely. I think it feels very different to now than it did when we were 16/17. I believe we are much more in control of what we’re doing and it just feels like this is a good vibe, and I think everyone’s on the same page. I think Half Way There is brilliant. I believe that the fans are going to love it. It just feels it’s a

32 I cardiff LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

good balance of Busted.

Nineties, the lead track on the album has got rock elements and I think it’s great. But I don’t think we could have made that 15 years ago. I don’t think the record company would have let us have a mix that heavy.

Now we’re in control of how loud the drums are and how loud are the guitars are. I think that’s the point. It’s pop music, but it’s got balls, and it sounds like a rock band. I think that’s awesome.

“We very much kept our friendship and I think that’s important” How do you balance pleasing your fans from 15 years ago, and getting new fans on board?

This album was definitely made with the old fans in mind. A lot of them have grown up with us, and I think that Night Driver was a bit of a departure in sound for us and we loved doing it. This record, I think it’s definitely one with the fans in mind. I guess any Busted fan is going to like it.

How do you think the music industry has changed since you first joined Busted?

It has changed so much. It’s almost unrecognisable to the industry that we came into. It saddens me what music has become, because of streaming, I just think it’s less valued now. I think people almost expect music to be free now, and I do find that sad. I think it is sad and it’s not helpful for us to continue that way.

I use streaming accounts, that’s how I listen to my music now, but I still love to buy physical content. I love to buy vinyl and all the rest of it. I think it was always going to go that way though.

We’re lucky to have had a fan base for 20 years and I think they’ll come to our shows, and they will buy our CDs, and if we put out our physical products they will buy it and that’s a great thing.

I almost feel worse for the 16/17-year-old kid who’s coming out now and he is going after a fan base that really doesn’t even know physical products. They have no idea about CDs, they are alien to them, and I find that strange. All they know is streaming, which I find a bit bizarre.

Does that make me sound like an old granddad?

Do you enjoy performing in Cardiff?

There are always great, great crowds in Cardiff and I always look forward to playing there. n Busted play the Motorpoint Arena on 26 March.

For more: www.motorpointareanacardiff.co.uk

The Whites Dental Centre Tell us your story.

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Limited to private practice.

T H E A L B A N Y G A L L E RY

GWYN ROBERTS 14th March – 6th April View the exhibition on our website www.albanygallery.com

74b Albany Road, Cardiff, CF24 3RS | T: 029 2048 7158 | E: info@albanygallery.com Gallery open: Monday-Saturday 10am-5pm, Sundays and Bank Holidays 11am-4pm

With the legend that is Joan Collins

Wyburn & Wayne Cardiff’s dazzling answer to Ant & Dec, Morecambe & Wise, or more accurately Edina & Patsy, giving you their take on what’s been HOT in and around our city

Show time

A

s we sit down with a cuppa chatting about what we’ve been up to in the past few weeks, we can’t quite believe what a great time we’ve had. We’re often asked “What’s the secret to Wyburn and Wayne?” And “How are you guys always so happy?” Honestly, it’s because we are just two best friends having the time of our lives.

Cardiff has had some great events recently, a highlight being the farewell Boyzone tour at the Motorpoint Arena. It was nostalgic and moving – we even got to meet up with the lads before hand as Nathan gave them some celebratory artwork. We hope it’s not the end for them but we sadly believe this tour is goodbye.

The theatres have sported some brilliant productions too.

Two which we managed to make it along to were New Theatre’s Rebus Long Shadows, which was a great spin on the iconic Scottish Wyburn and Wayne meet Boyzone

murder mystery TV drama, and of course Benidorm Live. That had us in absolute stitches from start to finish. It’s our naughty, tongue-incheek humour down to a tee. We also to chatted to Sherrie Hewson about the show and she’s simply loving it – and she said Cardiff is one of her favourite cities.

We even tried to get her and the gang to our karaoke session too after seeing their karaoke scene in the show!

Another show to hit the stage was in the Bay’s Lookout Cafe Bar with our buddy Mary Golds. Her second sold out one-woman drag show went down a storm. She’s the perfect mixture of old school drag comedy, current affairs and glamour – she even did a forward roll on stage. How her very grand pink wig didn’t fly off we’ll never know! Well done Miss Golds!

We’ve sampled a few gorgeous restaurants too. Old Havana had its launch on the High Street, and following its huge success in

Swansea we are certain it’ll do well here. We especially loved the cocktails! We’ve also visited the recently-voted number one restaurant in Cardiff on Trip Advisor, Anatoni’s Pizzaria on Wellfield Rd. Tony and Agit who run it are good friends of ours and in our opinion it’s truly a well deserved accolade. Their unique, fresh take on traditional Italian food is second to none. It’s great value for money too – check it out and let them know we sent you!

It was an honour to attend Josh Llewellyn Jones’s new challenge announcement event at KuKu club. Born with cystic fibrosis, Josh was told by doctors he wouldn’t live to see his thirties, but the 31-year-old has proved doctors wrong and now takes part in extreme endurance challenges to raise money for cystic fibrosis charities. Last year he broke a world record when he lifted a million kilos in just 24 hours, and this year, on 7 October he’s

planning to swim, cycle and run 381 miles in just five days, with no sleep, raising money for the charities CF Warriors and Rays of Sunshine. The man is a legend.

Also at KuKu we enjoyed a pub quiz alongside Cardiff Air Port and the Malta Tourist Board to launch the new flight from Cardiff to Malta. We sadly lost the quiz pretty badly but it was great to find out more about the beautiful country and mingle with some of the city’s bloggers over a glass of wine and canapés.

Our Radio Cardiff show boasted some pretty awesome guests of late including interviews with Matt Pritchard (you might have seen him on the cover of the last Cardiff Life), Corrie’s latest addition – Cardiff-born Luca Malacrino, and Hollyoaks actor Nathan Sussex.

Two fabulous trips to London also found us in a warehouse for a Freddie Mercury’s Radio Gaga club event, inspired by his infamous house parties. That was insane and Cardiff has some awesome Queen-themed events coming up at Sophia Gardens, including an outdoor cinema experience and a performance featuring stars of the West End show We Will Rock You. Last but not least, we got to meet the absolute iconic legend that is Dame Joan Collins. She had an unscripted “audience with” event at The London Palladium and afterwards Nathan presented her with a golden glitter portrait, which she loved. To meet such showbiz royalty left us both gobsmacked! What’s going to happen to us next?

To keep up to date with Wyburn & Wayne follow them on Facebook, Twitter @WyburnWayne and Instagram @wyburnandwayne

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

SNAPPED AC ROSS C A R D I FF, O N E SH I N D I G AT A T I M E

Rachel Fleri and Alan Peterson

Hywel Peterson and Christine Bundy Chefs ready to go

GOOD FOOD

Claire Wilkins, Kate Walters, Lianne Toye and Gemma Hooper-Nash

Top chefs from across the UK took over the kitchens of voco St David's on 26 January to raise more than £150,000 for children’s hospice Tŷ Hafan.

Held every two years, Chefs' Night Out brings together a number of the country's finest chefs to cook a four-course menu per table with matched wines for 160 guests. Guests discovered which chef would be cooking their dinner at a special draw during the Taittinger reception. Chefs designed their menus exclusively for the night using local produce, matched with premium wines to accompany each course.

The impressive line-up of 16 chefs not only delivered their time and tasty delights free of charge but also offered their culinary services in an after-dinner auction. Generous diners bid for their favourite chef – with the prize being a dinner party for 10 at their own home cooked by the chef at a later date. Bids for individual chefs went for up to £20,000.

For more: www.tyhafan.org

Stuart Rees, Claudia Le Gros, Lindsay Humphries and Neil Humphries

Tony Fletcher, Maggie Fletcher, Kathy Gittin and Dick Morgan

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

SOCIETY

Live performances at the Castle Emporium 2018

Huw Stephens at the City Arms gig

MUSIC MAKERS

Mellt performing at the City Arms

From discos, live gigs and a musical take over at the Senedd, people across Cardiff and and further afield enjoyed the fourth annual Welsh Language Music Day – Dydd Miwsig Cymru on 8 February.

The day saw Hollywood actor Rhys Ifans and Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens urge fans of all genres to discover the incredible music being made in the Welsh language, while thousands of people of all ages are set to experience live Welsh music at events across the country and as far afield as New York. Events in Cardiff included a gig at the City Arms with three-piece band HMS Morris and Huw Stephens on the decks and a live performance at the Castle Emporium.

For more: www.cymraeg.gov.wales

Heledd Watkins from band HMS Morris performing at City Arms in Cardiff city centre

REAL HONOUR

Annabel Jones MBE, stroke survivor and Stroke Association Ambassador

A mum-of-three who had a life-changing stroke in her 40s was among those honoured by the Stroke Association at the charity’s Life After Stroke celebration at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff on 22 January.

Heidi Matthews, 49, was left with severe mobility and communication problems after her stroke, but she now volunteers to support other survivors.

Heidi says, “Volunteering helps me to work on myself, but also gives me the reward of seeing how other stroke survivors develop.”

Those honoured also included the Strike a Chord choir which supports stroke survivors through song, and a man who, despite a debilitating stroke, was determined to return to his job as a postman and his now back doing rounds of more than ten miles each day.

The event was sponsored by Barclays Partner Finance and was opened by former Wales and Lions rugby player and pundit, Brynmor Williams, who volunteered his time after losing his own mother following a stroke.

For more: www.stroke.org.uk Brynmor Williams, Heidi Matthews and Carol Bott

Lord Mayor of Cardiff Councillor Dianne Rees and Consort John Rees, with Carol Bott, Stroke Association and former Wales rugby player Brynmor Williams 38 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Singer Mille Davies

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shopping live well, buy better

Put a ring on it

A remarkable collection of rings is available to view (and buy) at Anne Morgan Jewellery in Penarth.

The exclusive Sp-ring exhibition, back for a second year, showcases work from some of the UK’s most celebrated and visionary independent jewellery designers.

“This exhibition really showcases the incredible talent of the UK’s leading jewellers, and may be the only chance you’ll get to see these rings in the flesh in South Wales. It really is a once-in-alifetime opportunity – you don’t want to miss it!” says Anne Morgan.

We’re particularly taken with this statement prism bloodstone ring by Karl Karter (£275).

The exhibition runs until 31 May. For more: www.annemorgan.co.uk

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

MADE-TO-MEASURE CURTAINS & BLINDS | ZOFFANY PAINTS

E: morgansfurniture@yahoo.co.uk

REUPHOLSTERY SPECIALISTS | FABRICS | HOME ACCESSORIES

LYN MORGAN FURNISHINGS Bespoke Sofas & Chairs Designed by you, made by us!

We have over 40 years’ experience in handcrafting bespoke soft furnishings, where every piece is lovingly re-created to your specification using only the best materials.

Our bespoke sofas are fully customised to any style, size, fabric and fillings, that is why we have never made the exact same sofa twice.

We create truly unique items for your home whatever your requirements. We will work with you to achieve the look and comfort that you want, just for you.

Our showroom displays some of our most popular sofaand chair designs - you can pinch the arm off one, the leg off another and have the chair or sofa sized up to meet your needs!

Alternatively, if you have a piece of furniture that fits you and the space available, or that you just love, then our re-upholstery service may be the way to go. We will even alter your existing furniture to suit your lifestyle now.

We also specialise in made-to-measure curtains and blinds. With our fabric room offering a vast choice of curtain fabrics, poles, trimmings and finials, we’ll be sure to find the right match for you.

So if you want a home that’s unique and different from the rest, come and visit us, we’ll be happy to offer friendly advice and will of course assist you along the way.

E: morgansfurniture@yahoo.co.uk Court Farm, Llanover, Abergavenny, NP7 9HY Open Monday to Friday 9am - 4:30pm & Saturday 9am - 4pm

T. 01873 855230 | W. lynmorganfurnishings.co.uk

Take time to reflect on this interior designed by Project One

Home help

Winter is leaving! Time to throw open the curtains and give your home a refresh – with a few simple tweaks that needn’t break the bank

By Charlie Rose 46 I cardiff LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

interiors Simple but effective storage in this bathroom from The Tap End Bathrooms

D

amn that low-angled winter sunlight, highlighting all the dust, scratches, smeary windows and other flaws in our precious home. We’ve never wanted an interiors update more, but what to do when neither time nor cashflow permits a top-to-toe refurb? You need some easy solutions, so we asked some of our favourite Cardiff interiors experts to share some with us…

A CLEAR HEAD

Ah, the big spring clear-out. Yay. “If anything freshens up a room in an instant and without any expense at all it’s reassessing our possessions and getting rid of accumulated ‘stuff,’” says Ceri Hill, design director of Chalkhouse Interiors. “We all love those little bits and bobs we pick up on holidays or get given at Christmas, a photo here, a cute ornament there, but without noticing it we soon start to fill every available space in the room. Take everything out, choose a few pieces that you really love and let the rest of the space remain clear and calm. Everything that you have left, pass on to friends or donate to a charity shop, for someone else to enjoy.”

“The simplest way to make over your home is to have a good old

de-cluttering session,” agrees Louise Misell of Louise Misell Interiors.

“Experts say that we only use 20 per cent of our possessions 80 per cent of the time, so it’s a good idea to think about whether we really need to keep all that stuff taking up space in our homes.

“It doesn’t cost anything but your time to have a good clear out, and you’ll feel better for freeing up some space and looking at your home with a fresh pair of eyes. If tackling your whole home in one go seems overwhelming, I’d suggest starting with one room at a time and sorting everything into three piles – one to go to charity, one for items to keep, and one for items which really can’t be reused and need to go in the bin.

Be disciplined, and you’ll more than reap the rewards.”

And don’t forget the bathroom either, where it’s all too easy to accumulate endless bottles of products that are rarely, if ever used.

“Spring is no doubt the best time of year for sprucing up a tired looking bathroom,” says Justine Bullock, co-creator of The Tap End Bathrooms. “Start by taking a long hard look at the lotions and potions you store in there, most of which will be dust collectors rather than in daily use. Declutter and keep only items that you need. If you lack display space for your most favourite of bathroom products add in some open element box style storage. This not only looks great, but is a really inexpensive way to upgrade your bathroom storage and give your bathroom a new look and feel without breaking the bank.”

www.mediaclash.co.uk I cardiff LIFE I 47

interiors HALL ORDERS

The hallway might not be the first area of your home you think of lavishing attention on, when planning a revamp. But don’t forget it’s the first room that you, or anyone else sees when they walk through the door – first impressions and all that.

“If you want to create maximum impact throughout your home but don’t want to overhaul every room, take a look at your hallway, landing and stairs,” advises interior designer Louise Misell. “This area is often neglected as it’s not seen as a real ‘room’, but you use this space everyday, so the way it looks can really affect your mood. Your entrance hall sets the tone for the rest of the house, so I’d suggest going with a daring dark colour on your walls to add a sense of drama. It will also have the added bonus of making all the rooms coming off it feel light and spacious by comparison. If you have the space, I’d also suggest adding a reading corner or seating area as you’ll feel like you’ve gained an extra room, and made the most of this very often underused part of the house.”

“The hallway is the first room people see when they come into your home, and the one that you walk through most often, so if you can give it a bit of a wow factor you will get plenty of bang for your buck,” continues Vanessa Garrett, founding director of Broadleaf Timber.

“One of the best ways to do this is to fit a beautiful wood floor, which as well as looking stunning will withstand the high traffic and wear and tear. For hallways that are an odd shape, or a bit narrow, parquet is the perfect solution, making any space look larger as well as creating an instant design feature.”

THIS LITTLE LIGHT

“Lighting is often an afterthought when designing a room but it can really change the feel of your space,” says Louise Misell. “Think about how you use each room in your house individually to help you decide what kind of lighting would be best. For example, you might want good, bright task lighting in a kitchen or office, but softer lighting in a room you use for relaxing or watching TV. Ideally, there would be lots of different light sources in the room, so that you can have real control of the mood you’re creating. You might want to install a dimmer switch for your bright over head light, and have a mixture of floor and table lamps placed around the room to give low level coverage or highlight certain features such as artwork. Lastly, don’t forget that the type of bulbs you use as they will really affect the atmosphere in a room. I always suggest warm white LED bulbs as they give off a lovely soft glow and are the most energy efficient.”

“Create your own light feature by mounting several light fixtures together to create a modern chandelier,” suggests Dorian Bowen, head of creative thought at Project One. “You can do this with a wall feature also by using an interesting smaller piece that you repeat along the wall.”

“Lighting can really change the feel of a space”

This Project One design has a stunning feature light

www.mediaclash.co.uk I cardiff LIFE I 49

interiors LIFE IN COLOUR

“With time, we can grow tired of our interior colour scheme and crave a bold new change, but redecorating can be a timely process that could be costly to rectify if you choose to have professional assistance,” says Angela Coles of Natuzzi. “Opting for a neutral colour scheme not only opens up the room to more natural light, giving the greater illusion of space, it also encourages you to get experimental with your choice of furnishings and accessories. Simply replacing your old sofa with a vibrant new alternative and adding in some fun, colourful accessories can really uplift a room in need of some attention.”

And it could be easier than you think to give your kitchen colourful revamp too, according to Nina Walters, founder and interior designer at The Kitchen Painting People.

“Many home owners are wisely choosing to repurpose and transform the perfectly good quality kitchen that they already have by having it sprayed,” she explains. “Doors can be collected, while plinths, cornices, kick boards and side panels are hand painted in your home, and you don’t need to empty cupboards so can use your kitchen as normal during the process. The colour can be matched to any major brand.”

“A great way to add interest to the kitchen is to make a feature of the splash back,” continues Project One’s Dorian Bowen. “This could be in the form of mixed coloured tiles or choosing a metal finish like a brass splash back along with a brass tap to help it ‘disappear’ into the background.”

“We can grow tired of our interior colour scheme and crave a bold new change”

TREND INDEED

Don’t think that embracing the latest interiors trends has to mean a wholesale revamp of your home. A few carefully chosen additions can transform a room and bring it bang up to date, as design expert Ceri Hill explains.

“If you love poring over the glossies you will have noticed those achingly cool Nordic rooms in a limited colour palette of grey and white, touches of black and some wood to warm things up a little,” she says. “To give your room a quick refresh consider adopting this minimalist style by scattering some cosy monochrome throws and textured cushions on your sofas. Throw a sheepskin rug over a stool or chair or for a touch of luxury consider using a faux sheepskin rug to cover a little footstool, an easy DIY project that adds instant cool.”

“If you follow interior design trends, and try them out in your own property you will know the hardest room in the home to implement a trend is in the bathroom,” says bathrooms expert Justine Bullock.

“Often fully tiled, they leave no scope for painted walls, and also because of wall tiles it can be difficult to hang anything as a temporary measure. If you are keen to take a trend to your bathroom that may be for a season only, so not long lasting, we suggest that this is done through accessories. A great way to introduce a colour is through the mirror. Bathroom mirrors come in a huge array of acrylic frame colours including black which is massively on trend for bathrooms at the moment. Once you have moved onto the next trend you can simply rehang your old mirror and repurpose the coloured one.”

“Banquette style dining is at the forefront of interior design trends this season with an increase in the demand for dining spaces that can accommodate the whole family,” adds Angela Coles, store manager of Natuzzi Cardiff Bay. “A bench can offer more space, comfort and flexibility than standard dining chairs, and if you choose a rich jewel tone, for example, it draws the eye over the dining table, adding a vibrant feature for casual or formal dining that can be quickly installed in most homes.”

Add colourful accents like this sofa from Natuzzi

50 I cardiff LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

DESIRE

def: DESIRE: a strong feeling of wanting to have something; to set one's heart on; to crave; to aspire to; to feel passion for..."

Beautiful handmade kitchens, bedrooms, bathrooms and more...

3 Bessemer Close Workshops, Cardiff CF11 8DL telephone: 029 2023 3308 | www.chalkhouseinteriors.co.uk

INTERIORS BRICKING IT

“If you are lucky enough to have an exposed brick wall or chimney, then consider painting it in a neutral tone to blend in beautifully with your chosen colour scheme,” suggests Chalkhouse Interiors’ Ceri Hill.

“If your room lacks this feature then consider using brick “slips” to create an exposed brick wall for an industrial, on-trend vibe. They are thin slices of real brick, available in a variety of finishes, whitewashed, reclaimed, contemporary or vintage that are easily fixed to the walls, just like ceramic tiles but easier to fit, it’s supposed to be a little rough and ready to add character.”

DIRECTORY

MIRROR, MIRROR

A classic interiors hack and for good reason. “A quick and easy way to open up a room is to add a mirror,” says design guru Dorian Bowen.

“This creates an illusion of space and allows the light to expand and reach parts of the room that it once could not. Place the mirror opposite a window for maximum luminosity. We love mirrors with an added feature of interest like this antique finish and bevelled edge.”

COLD COMFORT

www.louisemisellinteriors.co.uk

Avantgarde Designs Ltd, 7 Anchor Industrial Estate, Dumballs Road; www.avantgardedesign.co.uk

MWH Heating and Plumbing, 61 Coveny Street; www.mwhplumbing.co.uk

Broadleaf Timber, 71 Eastgate, Cowbridge; www.broadleaftimber.com

Natuzzi Italia Cardiff Bay, Havannah Street, Cardiff; www.natuzzi.co.uk

Chalkhouse Interiors, 3 Bessemer Close; www.chalkhouseinteriors.co.uk

Project One, Unit 3, Glebe Street, Penarth; www.projectone.design

The Kitchen Painting People, The Coach House, Richmond Road; www. thekitchenpaintingpeople.co.uk

Spaces, www.spaces-design.co.uk

Louise Misell Interiors;

The Tap End Bathrooms, 57 Llantrisant Road, Pontyclun; www.thetapend.design

Had enough of jumping out the shower on to cold tiles? The Tap End’s Justine Bullock has a quick and easy solution. “As we come into the spring and summer months you will notice stores are selling outdoor rugs for under garden and patio furniture,” she says. “Believe it or not these are the perfect addition to any bathroom if you are looking to take the edge off a cold tiled floor, or if you are fed up with small poor quality bath mats. Outdoor rugs in a bathroom are becoming more and more popular and once you want a change you can use it in your garden for rest of its life! Just make sure, if you purchase one, that it is rain shower proof, most are, and this is how they can withstand a bathroom environment.” ■

The experts at Chalkhouse Interiors suggest painting exposed brick work to blend in with your colour scheme

52 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

“Let the space remain clear and calm”

Put simply... we love bathrooms!

Zoe Curtis - Designer

Here are some examples of our completed projects. All varying in size, shape, brief and budget, all uniquely personal to each client’s specific needs. We love a good before and after reveal.

One of the questions that we ask clients is “how long do you want your

Lynda Rees - Co-creator

In listening we gain an insight into the client’s priorities, learn how the room is used, how frequently and by whom, establish a wish list of items (such as a freestanding bath, double basins etc) and set the budget. In doing this designing is then made easier and the client should not get any big shocks when it comes to presentation time, both in design and cost.

Justine Bullock - Co-creator

When designing a bathroom, the most important thing for a designer to do is to listen. This can be difficult for creatives, we like to go in all guns blazing with grandiose ideas fit for a modern art exhibition, but that style is not for everyone, and it certainly doesn’t translate well into timeless designs for real homes.

new bathroom to last?”. Often clients haven’t thought about this and it is very important. If you are expecting to be in a property for around 5 years or under, mid range products will last for this length of time. However, if you want your new bathroom to endure daily use and last 10-15 years you should look at the best brands possible for your budget, and really seek out quality over cost saving. All high end brands have entry level ranges, and these ranges are affordable but often more superior in quality than lesser known budget products. After all this is one of the hardest working rooms in a home, and a room that everyone uses.

Achieving your dream bathroom can be a fun, exciting and exhilarating process, naturally we recommend getting a bathroom designer on board. Having a bathroom designers assistance will avoid you making any costly mistakes and give you the very best quality and finish for your budget. Our design service is completely free of charge, for more information visit us in store.

The Tap End, 57 Llantrisant Road, Pontyclun, CF72 9DP • TelEPHONE 01443449056 www.thetapend.design • We are also on; Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Houzz

Project Two; Family bathroom, Cyncoed Cardiff Long term owners of this property were seeking a luxury uplift of their family bathroom. Must haves included a freestanding bath and a bathroom TV. After reconfiguring the previous layout we were able to do that, and more! Creating a larger, lower step up shower area and organic shaped vanity area. The natural stone tiles used in a herringbone pattern to the floor added subtle interest to the space.

Project Three; Master ensuite, Lisvane Cardiff Adding colour was top priority for these Cardiff based clients. They wanted their master en-suite to have some personality, and we showed them a way to achieve this without it being overpowering.

The be-spoke shower screen is the feature they so desired, and we love how it contrasts with the neutral scheme in the rest of the room.

The Tap End, 57 Llantrisant Road, Pontyclun, CF72 9DP • TelEPHONE 01443449056 www.thetapend.design • We are also on; Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Houzz

CURTAINS BLINDS HOME ACCESSORIES WALLPAPER RUGS LIGHTING

Contact us at: haus home & design 6C Heol-y-Deri, Rhiwbina Cardiff CF14 6HF Tel: 02920 611 372 | Email: info@haus-cardiff.co.uk www.haus-cardiff.co.uk ab

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Home truths The experts at BERRY SMITH LAWYERS can offer advice on all aspects of private client law

O

One of my friends has told me that she and her husband have transferred their property to their children to avoid care home fees. Is this something I should consider?

A: If you transfer your property to your children, you have no legal right to continue living in the property. It is only with your children’s agreement that you can remain there.

If you fall out with your children you could be made homeless. Similarly, if your children divorce, their share in the property will be considered during the divorce proceedings, and, once again, you could find yourself in a vulnerable position.

Currently, all persons who require care are selffunding where their assets, including the home, exceed the value of £40,000. If you are selffunding, you have the ability to choose where you would like to receive your care. However, if

you are funded by the local authority, you do not have this choice.

The local authority has extensive powers when looking into the financial situations of those requiring care. If, following the transfer of your property to your children, you were in need of care, and the cost of this care fell to the local authority, they have the power to look into your previous transactions. If they can establish that the transfer was made with the intention of evading care fees, the transaction can be revoked and that money could then be used to fund your care. There is not a time limit on the local authority’s ability to look into past transactions and they are increasingly doing this.

Is there any alternative to transferring my property that will protect some of my estate from care home fees? There is, but you will need professional legal advice, which we can provide. ■

Georgia Evans

Please contact us if you would like more information about these issues on 02920 345 511 or cardiff@berrysmith.com

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

An early spring has sprung!

In order to assist you in pushing out the old and bringing in the new, EMA LIGHTING has compiled a simple lighting guide to freshen up your home in 2019

T

his is the time of year where we all tend to plan a spring clean!

Are you currently looking at your decor and wishing you had a refresh button to hand? We have all been there.

First impressions count. The outside of your home speaks volumes, and not just to visitors.

Have you ever walked past a house and had your attention grabbed by a glowing living room?

And despite your best efforts you cannot help but glance inside?

Well placed outdoor lights will completely eradicate any ability for anyone to peer into your home, conserving your privacy and shedding light on areas you want to highlight.

Moving indoors, there is a simple lighting method that can lift any space. It’s tried and tested and doesn’t require a massive amount of work – the humble table lamp. One lamp can completely transform and lift an environment. We recommend something with character, something that will create a talking point, something that will split opinions! Lighting is about expression, so look for something unique and make use of bespoke options.

Our range of exclusive David Hunt table lamps create the perfect talking point and have customisable shade options, to ensure your style is catered for.

To help make your ambitious spring clean a reality, we’re offering amazing discounts on a selection of lighting options, in store and online. Make sure you take a look at our outdoor lighting ranges and exclusive products. This spring if you’re looking to brighten up your home, look no further. For a unique lighting design, come into our showroom and allow us to assist you in creating the perfect space.

EMA Lighting, Ocean Way, CF24 5HH 02920 336 665 | www.emalighting.co.uk

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DRESSING UP As your spring calendar starts to fill up, so will your need for a stylish new look. And for events like the Cardiff Life Awards it’s important to find the perfect outfit that will make you stand out in the crowd!

Add a sparkle We can’t get enough of this figure-hugging black jumpsuit from Karen Millen (4) that will accentuate your curves and bring serious sparkle to your evening. For extra special occasions, go for this gorgeous silver Reiss cocktail dress (6), boasting a cinched waist. Alternatively, this AllSaints off the shoulder dress (1) is both flattering and on trend.

Looking to stand out in the crowd? There’s no such thing as too many sequins. Grab this gorgeous Karen Millen sparkly mini dress (9), perfect for an elegant evening soiree or night out with the girls.

Suited and booted Nothing will turn heads more than a good suit.

Show up to an evening gala with this incredibly smart, form-fitting Reiss tuxedo (5), complete with a matching bow tie. If Welsh skies are grey, brighten things up with this pastel blue M&S suit (2 & 3), which is always on trend and perfect for a formal event.

Final touches It’s time to polish your look! Don this Oliver Bonas sequin clutch (7), easy to match with any colour.

For finishing touches, get a hold of a pair of these fabulous Kurt Geiger stiletto heels (10) that will make your legs stand out teamed up with a dress or jumpsuit. If you’re looking to wear a suit, we have just the thing for you! Try a pair of these classy black loafers (8), also from Kurt Geiger.

All items available at St David’s Dewi Sant in Cardiff or online at the time of writing. To keep up to date with the latest trends, news and offers, see St David’s on Instgram, Facebook and Twitter (@StDavidsCardiff) or at www.stdavidscardiff.com

60 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

Giant sequin clutch, £32 and tinsel jumper dress, £65, both from Oliver Bonas

FASHION 1

2

5

4

3

6

SHOPPING LIST

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1. Alyssa Slim off the shoulder dress, £128, AllSaints 2. Pastel blue suit, £119, M&S 3. Pastel blue suit bottoms, £119, M&S 4. Sequin jumpsuit, £75, Karen Millen 5. Mayfair peak lapel modern fit dinner suit, £475, Reiss 6. Positano strappy cocktail silver dress, £195, Reiss 7. Giant sequin clutch, £32, Oliver Bonas 8. Milton black leather loafers, £69, Kurt Geiger 9. Sequin blue mini dress, £175, Karen Millen 10. London park lane stiletto heel sandals, £99, Kurt Geiger

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www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 61

ADVERTISING FEATURE

The Big C If you, or someone you care about is diagnosed with cancer, MAGGIE’S can offer help, support and a friendly face to help you through

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hen a person is diagnosed with cancer, there are many questions that need answering.

“How do I tell my family?” “What will I do about work during my treatment?” Whilst medical teams based in NHS hospitals focus on giving the best possible medical care, they simply do not have time to answer all of the

“Cancer hits you like a punch in the stomach. Few people hear anything much the doctor says after the word ‘cancer’.

Fear, compounded by ignorance and false knowledge, is a paralysing attack in its own right. Information is what most cancer patients cry for, and support in a pleasant space that says: ‘Welcome! And don’t worry … we are here to reassure you.”

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overwhelming questions that come when you are told you have cancer. At Maggie’s we do.

Maggie’s is a cancer support charity with centres across the UK designed to make cancer easier to manage. Our proven approach to cancer care allows people to take of control of their lives through free support and practical advice from qualified staff, in a warm and welcoming space.

In early April we’ll be opening the doors to a new Maggie’s built in the grounds of Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff. For thousands of families in south east Wales, this new building will be somewhere to relax, meet friends and get valuable support at the most difficult time of their lives.

If you or someone you care about is diagnosed with cancer, Maggie’s is here for you.

Meet people in a similar situation, find support groups and get advice from our qualified staff in our centres. You don’t need an appointment and everything is free; you can even just pop-in for a cup of tea, a friendly face and a moment

to gather your thoughts. Whatever you need, we’re here.

Our programme of support is delivered in an uplifting, non-clinical environment and will include a wide range of complementary therapies including psychological support, financial advice, nutrition workshops, relaxation and stress management, art therapy, tai chi and yoga as well as support groups for specific cancers. ■

To find out more about Maggie’s Cardiff or to get involved with fundraising contact Rachael Davies on 07592 104157 or email Rachael.Davies@maggiescentres.org www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 63

SARA MILLER CHELSEA COLLECTION TEACUP & SAUCER £23.99 Featuring beautiful birds perched upon a leafy tree, this green Chelsea Collection teacup and saucer from Sara Miller London Portmeirion is embellished with 22 carat gold – because mum deserves a better than average cuppa.

From Hamptons, Ludlow Lane, Penarth; www. hamptonspenarth.co.uk

MOTHERLY LOVE

THE GOODWASH COMPANY ELI CORFF BODY LOTION, £15 Bursting with the finest botanicals of Welsh lavender and rose geranium with patchouli this sweet-smelling lotion will leave mum’s skin (and soul) totally replenished. Plus, every sale helps raise money for charity.

From Canna Deli, Unit 2, Kings Mews, Pontcanna; www.goodwash.co.uk

COCOA THERAPY CHOCOLATE ASSORTMENT, £15 Say it with chocolates. But not just any chocolates. These Cocoa Therapy creations look simply stunning and taste even better!

From Cocoa Therapy, 95 High Street, Barry; www.cocoatherapy.co.uk

Show your mum you care, this Mother’s Day

FENELLA SMITH PEACOCK MAKE-UP BAG, £13.99 For all mum’s beautifying bits and pieces.

From Nest Cardiff, 2 Heol-Y-Deri, Rhiwbina; www.nestcardiff.co.uk

THE CROWN CANDLE, £48 No-one can hold a candle to mum, right? So treat her to this Sophie James Mayfair candle scented with bergamot, lemon and green mandarin backed by neroli and jasmine blossom accords. Sheer musk and amber nuances add elegance to the base.

From voco St David’s Hotel & Spa, Havannah Street; www.sophiejamesmayfair.com

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

ED’S CHOICE HIVE & KEEPER HONEY SET, £18.95 This gift set of three limited edition raw British honeys from small scale beekeepers across the UK is a truly sweet gift! It comes with facts about bees to pique the recipient’s interest as well as the story of the beekeepers, making it a real joy to open the box and discover the honeys, each labelled with where it’s from, the beekeeper and its main flavour type.

From West Hampton, Penny Lane, Cowbridge; www.westhampton.co.uk

CYGNET GIN, £34.99 Gin’s got the nickname of mother’s ruin, but we reckon this hand-crafted Welsh variety will probably be mother’s favourite.

From Wally’s Deli, 38-42 Royal Arcade; www.cygnet-distillery.co.uk

LOLITA MERMAID WINE GLASS, £19.99 When mum says you’ve driven her to drink, she might as well drink out of a beautiful mouth-blown, hand painted creation, right?

From Shore, The Esplanade, Penarth; www.shorecoastal.co.uk CALLA LILY ROSE GOLD BANGLE, FROM £190 The beautiful lily on this delicate handmade bangle is a flower that will always be in bloom.

From Emma-Kate Jewellery, No 5 The Balcony, Castle Arcade; www. emmakatefrancis.com

FLORAL NOTEBOOKS, £14.50 This set of notebooks aren’t just pretty. They’re also pretty useful.

From Lisa Valentine Home; www.lisavalentinehome.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 65

PIER FINE DINING MEETS SOPHISTICATED ELEGANCE. Immerse yourself in exquisite foods and fine wines in our award winning restaurant. Floating over the exclusive Penarth Marina you can enjoy sumptuous dishes using when possible the finest ingredients from local suppliers.

Compliment your meal with wines from around the world from our extensive wine cellar or enjoy a freshly prepared cocktail made to your individual requirements from our trained mixologist.

For reservations, call us on 02920 000064, email us at reservations@pier64.co.uk or book online www.pier64.co.uk

Mum’s the word ANDREA BYRNE

Au revoir to Ruth on the last day of work before maternity leave

The waiting game The girl about town is swapping nights out for night feeds. But she’s still fitting in plenty of shopping...

“Being a little bit of a self-confessed shopaholic you can guarantee I’m more than ready”

H

ello lovely Cardiff Life readers, I’m back, but in a slightly different guise!

Firstly, the ‘girl about town’ has turned 40 – which, regretfully, I believe makes me officially middle-aged and possibly not quite so worthy of the ‘girl’ tag anymore! Plus, any day now, I am about to become a mum, so nights out on the tiles and frequenting the best hot venues in town, may be taking a back seat for a little while, whilst Lee and I instead get to grips with nursery decor, nocturnal feeding and, oh yes, the odd nappy here and there…

My final day in work was an emotional one. ITV Cymru Wales is like my second family. My lovely colleagues clapped me out of the studio after my final Wales at Six before maternity leave. Taking a leave of absence was like handing over my metaphorical child to someone else to look after, and that’s without yet having my real baby in my arms.

And so, you enter ‘labour limbo’ as the waiting game begins in earnest. You’re loathe to do too little as you may get bored and anxious waiting; you’re loathe to do too much because carrying around an extra 15kg or so is actually more tiring than you thought; you’re loathe to go too far because labour could begin at anytime; yet you’re loathe sit in and stare at four walls twiddling your thumbs and preoccupying yourself with how this beach ball is actually going to deliver and then deflate!

Well, this is, of course, where ‘nesting’ comes into its own.

Because if there’s one thing you can do it’s clean up, clean out and, of course, log on to the world wide web and buy all the extra baby things you never realised you wanted or needed. Any first-time parent who hasn’t a clue what they are doing will tell you it is almost impossible not to succumb to the swathe of commercialism and friendly advice which hits you from every which way.

Being a little bit of a selfconfessed shopaholic, you can guarantee I’m more than

ready. Amazon Prime deliveries have been arriving by the truckload and rooms in our house are piled high with newborn paraphernalia, which we have gradually been trying to find ways to test, before Baby Byrne’s big arrival.

At the time of writing, she has not emerged, but quite possibly at the time of reading, she will have been welcomed into Wales and into the world!

Follow Andrea on Twitter at @byrney15 and on Instagram @andreabyrnetv for all the latest Baby Byrne updates

Waiting for Baby Byrne to arrive

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 67

advertising feature

Valuable advice REBECCA OAKLEY FAMILY LAW can help you prepare for your family's future

Affordable excellence

D

o I need a solicitor for my divorce or my will? This is a question that many people are likely to ask themselves.

Lots of people will know of someone who has dealt with their own divorce/will without a solicitor and things will have been absolutely fine.

But ask any family/private client solicitor and they will be able to think of a variety of cases they have encountered during their working lives when someone didn’t use a solicitor and it all went horribly wrong……

They won’t be able to discuss the details of course, but those cases are always out there such as the will which leaves a husband’s estate to his wife if she dies before him (not much help to her at that stage) or the financial order on a divorce which doesn’t make any provision for what happens to one of the pension funds or the family home or the debts in joint names which means a more complex time unpicking the problem later on if it can be dealt with at all by the time you realise it is problematic.

68 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

There are also things that the general public might not always be aware of, however helpful online guidance might be, such as whether they are entitled to on going financial support from their (ex) spouse or whether there are ways to distribute your estate after death which may be more practical from a taxation planning point of view than others.

No one wants to pay the costs of a divorce or making a will, but some good quality legal advice from the outset of a case can be absolutely crucial in getting it right and not causing problems further down the line.

Solicitors should be able to provide an estimate of the overall costs of a case from the start so you know what you are getting yourself into and they should provide regular updates on your costs as the case progresses (many wills can be drafted on a fixed fee basis).

Even if you do decide to represent yourself, consider the cost of getting early legal advice against the risk of missing something out and ring us to book an appointment for an initial consultation. n

Advice and representation in the areas of: 3 Pre nuptial agreements / post nuptial agreements 3 Divorce/ civil partnership dissolution 3 Cohabitation agreements 3 Separation agreements 3 Financial arrangements on divorce or relationship breakdown 3 Arrangements for children on divorce or relationship breakdown 3 Parental responsibility applications or agreements 3 Child abduction 3 Adoption 3 Child support 3 Domestic violence family injunctions 3 Wills / probate 3 Lasting powers of attorney

If you would like to speak to one of us about this, or any any other issue, then please contact us on 029 2053 2888 or by email at info@oakleyfamilylaw.com or by post at 5 Washington Chambers, Stanwell Road, Penarth, CF64 2AF and we will do our best to help you with your enquiry.

© JAKE MORLEY

Stonebaked at Café Brava Kacie Morgan gets a pizza the action...

B

y day, a snug café dishing up hearty brunches and lunches; by night (well, from Wednesday to Saturday at least), a popular pizzeria serving stonebaked pizza laden with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Café Brava is no stranger to the dining scene in this affluent suburb, having been perched on Pontcanna Street for the past 20 years or so.

However, Stonebaked at Brava is a slightly newer concept, introduced just over a year ago.

Inside the café, wooden flooring, cosy lighting and mellow music create a laid-back, cosy atmosphere, while paintings by local artists reinforce the restaurant’s commitment to supporting local businesses.

The launch of Stonebaked at Brava followed the closure of popular Italian restaurant, Cibo’s, leading to a gap in the local market which Brava’s Welsh owners, Andrew Minns and Lee Hardacre were keen to fill. Initially, Stonebaked at Brava only ran on Friday and Saturday

70 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

evenings, but due to its continuing success, it now runs from Wednesday through to Saturday evenings.

After enrolling onto a course with the School of Artisan Food, Andrew and Lee have transformed themselves into pizza perfectionists and installed a stone-bottomed oven capable of baking pizzas at 500°C. With an emphasis on fresh, local produce, the duo source most of their ingredients from local suppliers, including nduja from Al Ponte deli – just a few doors down from Brava – fish from Snowden and Co. fishmongers, and Caws Cenarth cheese.

Choose your tipple from a selection of Pipes ales, Peroni, Prosecco, cocktails and constantly changing red, white and rose wines. Pondering over the menu, I sip on an ice-cold espresso martini (£5.95) garnished with coffee beans while my guest quaffs a cranberry-infused mocktail (£2.75).

Fully intending on stuffing our faces with pizza, we keep our starters to a minimum, sharing a portion of Portobello

restaurant

mushroom fries with aioli (£4.45). Coated in breadcrumbs and fried until deep golden brown, these mushroom fries have a delicate crispy coating and when we bite into them, they ooze with hot, garlicky juices. The accompany aioli is pleasantly piquant. Perhaps we should’ve ordered a dish each after all!

No sooner have our starter plates being whisked away from underneath our noses, than we are cutting up our freshly baked pizzas into slices and digging in. We’ve been talked into trying three between us (I’ll admit we don’t take much persuading), so we’re pleased the bases are so thin and crispy.

We’ll happily eat any of the pizzas on the menu, but we eventually whittle it down to the Meaty One, the Fishy One and the Charity One (priced at £12.95 each).

I usually steer clear of your typical ‘meat feast’ pizzas as it can all get a bit too, well, meaty, but Brava’s Meaty One one has the ideal ratio of meat to mozzarella and the tender chicken, smoked streaky bacon and quality black pudding is a big step-up from the processed meatballs, reformed ham and tandoori-style chicken usually associated with such pizzas.

As for the Fishy One, I know I’m going to love it as soon as owner Andrew briefs us about the crème fraiche base.

Although many people prefer a traditional tomato base on their pizza, I always succumb to the creamy alternative. A thick layer of crème fraiche is topped with fresh smoked salmon, basil leaves, tangy capers and spinach, with a touch of preserved lemon to offset the fishy flavour.

Any pizza designed by the culinary genius that is chef Stephen Terry of (The Hardwick in Abergavenny) is guaranteed to blow your socks off. The Charity One is a Moroccan-inspired offering of slow-cooked Welsh lamb, deep-fried, crunchy chickpeas, fresh coriander, mint, yoghurt, pomegranate seeds and preserved lemon. For every sale, Brava donate £1 from to children’s hospice, Tŷ Hafan, with a grand total of around £450 raised so far.

Simple yet sumptuous, the dessert menu comprises of a tempting Nutella pizza, frozen berries with warm white chocolate sauce and mint, traditional affogato and a selection of Contis ice creams and sorbets. Of course, you could just have another espresso martini!

After polishing off our pizzas, we have just enough room left for a well-needed caffeine kick in the form of a freshly brewed, creamy coffee.

Even on a Saturday evening, Stonebaked at Brava is incredibly family-friendly. Even the fussiest of kids are guaranteed to love pizza and the disposable brown card covering the tables is teamed with recycled colouring pencils to keep little ones entertained as you eat.

In the future, the restaurant also plans to become dog-friendly, so feel free to bring your canine pals to dine with you provided they’re clean, dry – and on their best behaviour of course! n

“We’ll happily eat any of the pizzas on the menu”

Dining details Stonebaked at Brava, 71 Pontcanna Street, Pontcanna, Cardiff. CF11 9DB; www.bravacardiff.co.uk; tel; 029 2037 192 Opening hours Wednesday to Saturday from 6pm until 10.30pm (the kitchen closes at 9pm) and takeaways are also available – collection only) Prices Pizzas from £9.50, sides/nibbles from £3.25, desserts from £4.95 Service and atmosphere Relaxed and family friendly Vegetarian choice A couple of veggie pizzas, and a vegan one Our reviewer Kacie Morgan runs the food and travel blog, The Rare Welshbit; www.therarewelshbit.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 71

advertising feature

A special smile for a special occasion Let Pontcanna dental CARE help you achieve a winning smile

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hether you’re getting married this summer or going on the trip of a lifetime, we can help you achieve the smile you’ve always dreamed of.

Getting that perfect smile will ensure you can show off your holiday snaps or wedding photos to your family and friends, capturing that perfect moment in time.

Modern dentistry means that many smiles can be transformed in a single visit, avoiding long complex treatment plans and high costs. We can often achieve these results by just building on top of what’s already there, meaning we don’t have to damage healthy teeth. Many of our clients have been amazed by what we’ve achieved in a short space of time, including closing small gaps, straightening crooked teeth and lightening the shade of their teeth. We do this in the most gentle and relaxing atmosphere to ensure you are always in control.

Here is what we can offer you ahead of your special occasion…

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Clear braces – This can take anywhere from 6 to 18 months depending on the difficulty of the case and can permanently straighten crooked teeth.

72 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

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always wanted and can be completed in three weeks.

Tooth contouring – We can straighten out teeth through simple contouring tidying up chipped or crooked teeth.

Replace fillings – A straightforward treatment to enhance your smile. By replacing old amalgam fillings with tooth-coloured fillings, we can improve the look of your smile.

Hygiene treatment – A visit with one of our hygienists will help remove tartar build-up and remove superficial stains.

Composite veneers – These offer a similar result to veneers but can be completed in a shorter amount of time and avoids treating the existing teeth. n

FREE COSMETIC CONSULTATION We are offering Cardiff Life readers a free cosmetic consultation with one of our Dentists to discuss the options that are available to you. We can’t wait to help you achieve your dream smile. Give us a call on 02920 387 683 or just pop in to book a convenient appointment.

Call us on 02920 387683 or email smile@pontcannadental.co.uk Alternatively you can just call into our private practice at 102 Cathedral Road. www.pontcannadental.co.uk Alyn Humphreys BDS (GDC 61029) Charlie Stephanakis BDS (GDC 60470)

Makeup MWAH, stands for best blow dry the ir Ha d an n Wome ence in the eri exp ty au be d bar an ff. rdi Ca of e city centr

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In the first 5 month s of business the team did ove r 2000 hair cuts, 800 colour trans formations, 600 makeovers and 900 mani and pedi’s.

Mwah is unique in Cardiff as it offers all beauty services and hair services under one roof. Including sun beds, showers, dress and suit steaming.

Taking you from desk to dancefloor beautifully.

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Mwah is for all females their youngest client is Amour who is 4 and their oldest is Dilys Price OBE is 85

Mwah has been instrumental in creating a business network in the city centre doing experiential pop up events and linking up with brands such as, Admiral, British Gas, Cardiff City FC, Cardiff Blues, Spectrum Collections, MAC cosmetics & more

Clients and Influencers all over Cardiff have been sharing supportive videos saying their congratulations to Mwah for being nominated as a finalist!

PROUD FINANLIST OF THE CARDIFF LIFE AWARDS

24 Churchill Way, Cardiff, CF10 2DY Tel: 02920 372 759 | Email: info@mwahcardiff.com

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BUSINESSINSIDER CARDIFF GETS SERIOUS

Quote of the issue

“IT’S BEEN REALLY SPECIAL TO SEE FIRST HAND THE POSITIVE IMPACT THE CHARITY IS HAVING ON YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY” Turn to page 78 for more.

The Big Number

RECORD SALE

£31.3BN

A Cardiff Bay penthouse has achieved the highest price of any apartment ever sold in Cardiff

T

he residential development sales team at Savills in Cardiff has completed on the prime sale of a Cardiff Bay penthouse at £950,000. The three-bedroom apartment is in the exclusive Bayscape development and boasts impressive far-reaching views over the marina and beyond.

The sale comes as Savills releases its latest set of figures on the value of housing stock across the UK,

which shows the value of homes in Wales to have increased by 6.3 per cent – adding £13.4 billion in 12 months – making greater percentage gains than any other part of the UK. The story in relation to Cardiff is even stronger with the value of homes in the city now at £31.3 billion – up 7.6 per cent from £29.1 billion last year.

Caroline Vanner, head of residential development Sales for Savills in South Wales, says,

The value of homes in Cardiff.

For the full story see left.

“This record sale demonstrates the vibrancy of the property market in Cardiff, which has gone from strength to strength in recent years.

Known to be one of Europe’s fastest growing cities, values have continued to increase, despite the socio-economic uncertainty, and we see no sign of this trend abating..”

James Thomas, associate director at Savills residential team in Cardiff says, “The abolition of the Bridge tolls has been one of the main

drivers of value growth to the east of Cardiff. Within Cardiff, we are seeing the suburbs becoming increasingly sought-after with the increasing population, especially those within catchment areas of leading primary and secondary schools. New developments, including those in Cardiff Bay, are pushing price-per-square-foot values to record highs.”

For more: www.savills.com

For advice on every leading brand and model, from a leading independent family practice.

Scott Wroe and Jonathan Beeks offer appointments and consultations throughout the week so you have peace of mind knowing that if any problems arise we are here to help; we have the time and expertise to ensure you get the very best results from your hearing aid.

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MEDIACLASH.CO.UK 115

BUSINESS INSIDER

“I AM ALWAYS SHARING STORIES WITH MY CUSTOMERS AND STAFF ABOUT MY FATHER AND GRANDFATHER”

A FAMILY AFFAIR STEVEN SALAMON, owner of Wally’s Delicatessen and Kaffeehaus tells us about the joys and the challenges of running the family business Hi Stephen. Tell us, how did Wally’s come about and how long has it been open?

The current Wally’s in Royal Arcade was opened by my father in 1981 following a Compulsory Purchase Order on the previous business in Bridge Street to allow for the redevelopment of that part of Cardiff. The original business was opened by my grandfather in 1949 in Bridge Street to cater for the needs of the relocated immigrant community after the war.

How long have you worked at Wally’s?

I joined Wally’s in 1993 following redundancy from a US Investment Bank.

What drew you to this career?

I had grown up in the delicatessen business since a young child and knew it was in my blood. I wanted to help my father move towards retirement following a series of health scares in the 1980s and I wanted to continue the family retail heritage which goes back to pre-war Continental Europe.

What’s the best thing about working at Wally’s?

The best thing for me is the connection it gives me with my

roots. I am always sharing stories with customers and staff about my father and grandfather.

What’s the biggest challenge?

The most challenging thing is the amount of refrigeration and other equipment we have which seems to need constant maintenance and upgrading. Sometimes I feel that there is little time for actual retailing!

How has Wally’s changed since it opened?

The most obvious change has been the expansion of the original premises in 2009 which more than doubled the size of the business and allowed for the opening of our Viennese-style Kaffeehaus on the first floor.

What do you like best about owning a business in Cardiff?

Cardiff is a great place to own a business because of its unique concentration of independent businesses in the city centre, particularly in the Victorian Arcades, and the size of its catchment area from all sides.

What are the future plans?

It’s difficult to make plans at the moment because of the uncertainties surrounding Brexit.

Wally’s is a business which specialises in selling foods from around the world so any disruption to the supply chain could have major consequences.

Tell us a surprising fact about Wally’s…

Wally’s doesn’t have a basement, unlike a lot of the surrounding businesses in the area. The reason once given for this was because of its closeness to the graveyard of the Tabernacle Chapel and that when the Arcade was being built in the 1850s they couldn’t excavate down further due to the existence of a mass grave used for victims of a cholera epidemic in the 1700s!

How would you describe the ethos of Wally’s?

Wally’s is a business which strives to provide its customers with quality products at a fair price and served in a courteous, old-fashioned manner.

For more: Wally’s Delicatessen & Kaffeehaus, 38-46 Royal Arcade; www.wallysdeli.co.uk

What makes Wally’s special?

Wally’s is a Cardiff institution and is much loved by its customers, some of whom are second, third and even fourth generation customers. Wally’s is special because of its family culture and heritage and its product range and merchandising, which provides both the people of Cardiff and visitors alike with a unique shopping experience.

Why would a customer come to you?

Customers come to Wally’s because we provide quality, hard to find, gourmet foods from around the world in an old-fashioned environment with an emphasis on customer service.

Many of the staff have been at Wally’s a long time and they get to know the customers personally as well as their shopping preferences.

76 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

MEDIACLASH.CO.UK 117

S A Brain has sold a majority stake in Coffee#1

Elinor Snowsill, Gareth Anscombe and James Harper

A Wales rugby star has visited a Cardiff school to handover 25 bags of sports kit donated to a charity that supports adults and young people in Wales through sport.

Gareth Anscombe, fly-half for Wales and Cardiff Blues, hosted a training session for pupils at Cantonian High School in Fairwater and handed over 100 kg of donated sports kit – roughly the same weight as fellow Wales player, Hadleigh Parkes – to School of Hard Knocks (SOHK), a charity that uses sport to help disadvantaged communities in Wales.

The ‘kit drop’ scheme, pioneered by Principality and launched with the support of Wales internationals Jonathan Davies, Hallam Amos and Gareth Davies, asked for people across Wales to donate new and unwanted sports kit to SOHK, which has been a charity partner of the building society for the past three years. SOHK uses sport to help tackle unemployment, crime and poor health, and help put people back on track towards work or education.

Gareth, who grew up in New Zealand, has a personal affiliation with Cantonian High School as it is where his Welsh mother studied as a child.

He says, “I’ve worked with School of Hard Knocks before, mostly with their adult groups, but it’s been really special to revisit Cantonian High and see first hand the positive impact the charity is having on young people in the community.”

James Harper, corporate social responsibility manager for Principality, says, “This was the last big campaign we’ll work on with School of Hard Knocks, and we wanted to finish with something spectacular. The work that School of Hard Knocks does to support vulnerable adults and young people is inspirational, as is the huge amount of effort that people across Wales have put in to donating sports kit. Our branches were overwhelmed with donations which we’re extremely grateful for.”

For more: www.principality.co.uk; www.schoolofhardknocks.org.uk

Investing in growth Bipsync, a research platform provider for investment management firms, with bases in Cardiff and New York, has announced a $7 million (around £5.25 million) growth investment led by leading fintech investment firm Edison Partners, with FINTOP Capital also participating in the round. Proceeds will be used to expand the company’s global footprint and accelerate product innovation, customer success initiatives, and sales and marketing operations for Bipsync’s categorydefining approach to knowledge management for the investment front office.

Growing out of Silicon Valley in 2013, Bipsync chose Cardiff to be the home of its product development as its then co-founder Dan Zambonini and technical director Paul Preece are both Welsh, intimately familiar with the tech scene in South Wales, and confident in the local pool of talent that could shape and implement their product vision.

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Bipsync has big plans

The Cardiff team, now housed in Stadium Plaza in the Central Cardiff Enterprise Zone, has grown to 10 people in technical disciplines including software engineers, system administrators and QA engineers, in addition to staff in operations and project management. The New York headquarters are located two blocks away from Central Park.

For more: www.bipsync.com

© JAKE MORLEY

Kitting out

The next steps Cardiff brewing and hospitality venture SA Brain has sold a majority stake in its coffee shop brand, Coffee#1, to high-street coffee shop brand Caffè Nero.

Caffè Nero, the largest independent coffee house group in Europe, is taking a 70 per cent stake in the Coffee#1 chain, which was bought by SA Brain in 2011.

Coffee#1 opened its first shop in 2001 and currently has 92 shops across South Wales, Southern England and the Midlands, with sales of more than £30m.

The family-owned SA Brain will keep a 30 per cent ownership of the business.

John Rhys, chairman of SA Brain says, “I am proud of what we have achieved in growing Coffee#1 to 92 stores since we acquired the business seven years ago.

“I would like to thank our employees and everyone involved for making it such a resounding success. The board has resolved that now is the time to join-up with a major player in the coffee market to take it forward to the next stage of its development.”

For more: www.sabrain.com

WE’LL FIND THE PERFECT MATCH PROFESSIONAL RECRUITMENT SERVICES Whether you’re a client looking for the best talent on the local market, or a candidate looking for the next exciting chapter in your career, either give us a call, email us, or even pop in for a coffee and one of our friendly team will be happy to help!

“I can honestly say that I have never worked for such a passionate and enthusiastic team.

Our approach to recruitment here at Focus Resourcing is one that keeps our clients and candidates coming back time and time again, and one that is truly unique. We blend honesty, passion and expertise to create an environment that supports our clients to find the best talent on the market - and it works!”

DAN ROWLANDS – SENIOR CONSULTANT

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Visit our website today for more information or email us at:

✉ cardiff@focusresourcing.co.uk

1 Ty Glas Road, Llanishen, Cardiff. CF14 5EB Telephone: 02922671222 Visit us online: www.focusresourcing.co.uk

COME AND JOIN US FOR A WOOD FIRED PIZZA thedoughthrower.com Eat in or takeaway available

CARDIFF LIFE AWARDS PREVIEW

A

s deeply, wildly glamorous celebrations go, the Cardiff Life Awards go a pretty long way. Each year unprecedented number of companies nominate; each year tickets sell out yet faster; and each year the drumbeat of expectation crescendos to Awards night itself.

Truth is, you never know quite what to expect at any stage. And that’s a good thing.

The nominations reveal a profusion of clever companies and organisations – sometimes all-new and often barely-known;

OUR SPONSORS HEADLINE SPONSORS: Cardiff Airport PLATINUM SPONSOR: Jelf LEAD SPONSORS: Cardiff Blues, Genero Productions, Savills, Robertsons Solicitors, Park Plaza, Chapel, WSET Wine and Spirit Education Trust, FOR Cardiff, Capital FM, Lexus Cardiff, Hotel Indigo Cardiff.

many well-known but telling of great new achievements. The judging session has clever insights as the wisdom-of-the-crowds effect means that the collective decision arrives at sound outcomes.

Awards night has everything from laughter to tears to boisterous celebration, idiosyncraticto-triumphant music, glitz, jubilation, attendees posing as cover stars, drama and just the most outré definition of überglam imaginable.

Our host is rugby referee, TV presenter and wit-about-town, Nigel Owens, who will ensure a very special evening for all, amidst the surprise and drama on the night.

Oh, and there’ll be an After Show Party through to implausible o’clock, for the socially doughty, convivially hardy and, well, to be honest, the absolutely drunk. Maybe don’t schedule too many meetings on Friday, 22 March…

City Hall will be filled to its maximum attendance again, with several dozen on the waiting list. If you can’t make it this time, do tune into social media on the night.

Thank you to all who have entered, sponsored and judged; and to those who will be attending.

It’ll be a blast. If you love Cardiff, nothing, but nothing, beats being there…

NEW! IT’S THE CIVIC AWARD

Business is changing. Companies and organisations are increasingly focused on more than “just” profits.

Profits matter. They matter to enable risk and growth. They matter to provide a decent return to shareholders and teams. And they matter to give a fair value exchange: goods and services sold in exchange for their value…

Yet many realise that they both need and want to do more beyond the purely commercial. It’s good for their teams and their city.

And that’s one of the reasons why we’re launching the Civic Award this year at the Cardiff Life Awards.

The Civic Award highlights the contribution of an organisation or company which has improved Cardiff this year. Some new initiative which makes our city better or commitment to helping develop others or notable charitable work.

So who do you think will win the very first one..?

© HANNAH TIMM

The überglam Cardiff Life Awards take place on 21 March at City Hall, celebrating the best of Cardiff. In this special preview, we give you a taste of what to expect…

© HANNAH TIMM

NOTHING BEATS BEING THERE…

www.cardifflifeawards.co.uk @cardifflifeawards

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The home of wonderfully straight teeth!

What is Crocodile?

We’ve designed Crocodile for parents who want to give their children straight, healthy teeth for life in the most convenient way. There’s no waiting list and we’ll be able to offer convenient appointment times.

How does it work?

Our specialist orthodontists will want to assess your child from the time their permanent teeth start coming through because, when teeth and jaws don’t fit together properly, it’s often much easier to fix early on in life. Straightening teeth means problems such as tooth decay and gum disease, which can leave permanent damage, may be avoided because patients find straight teeth can be easier to keep clean.

That means healthier gums too, so less chance of developing gum disease later in life, a major cause of tooth loss in adults. It also means your child can happily avoid the need for expensive dental care down the line so long as they continue looking after their teeth and they will be much more likely to keep their real teeth for life.

Specialist Orthodontist Our specialist orthodontists have a really big positive impact on their patients’ lives because straight teeth at a young age means good oral health — and confidence — for life.

Arrange a consultation today and find out how we can help!

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CARDIFF LIFE awards preview

HERE COME THE JUDGES

Each year there is a fresh panel of impeccably impartial and independent Judges for the Cardiff Life Awards. It’s a disparate group, drawn from different sectors and sizes of business. They and they alone will decide the winners…

Betina Skovbro Entrepreneur, baker and photographer Betina is a curious blend of entrepreneur, baker and photographer.

A proud Dane, she arrived in Cardiff from Copenhagen in 1998 and began a career as press and PR photographer.

Councillor Huw Thomas Leader, Cardiff Council Huw is the youngest Council Leader in Wales.

His administration has prioritised tackling inequality and growing the city’s economy for the benefit of all communities, whilst ensuring that Cardiff ’s growth is clean and sustainable.

Caron Rockey Director, Martyn Prowel Solicitors Caron is head of the dispute resolution team, representing clients across a range of civil work, encouraging the company to consider its social responsibilities and has fostered a long-standing equal opportunities policy.

Helen Kemp Client services director, Jelf Helen has worked in the insurance industry for 30 years and is currently client services director at Jelf.

Helen helps ensure clients are supported through the protection of their business.

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cardiff life awards preview Julie-Ann Haines Chief customer officer, Principality Julie was appointed the chief customer officer in 2017.

Prior to Principality, Julie held a number of senior roles in sales, marketing and technology, working in leading customer centric businesses including Sainsbury’s, Reckitt Benckiser and HBOS.

Mark Peters Chairman, Montague Place Mark has more than 30 years of experience in business strategy, management and operations. He also worked with government, the BBC and the broader education sector to create a £300m scheme to create and deliver digital learning resources to schools across the UK.

Vicky Griffin Owner, Goji Hair Vicky has spent most of her career setting up and developing businesses.

Vicky set up organic salon, Goji Hair, in May 2015 and oversees the running of the business which has grown significantly over the past three years.

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Nia Llewelyn Jones Freelance publicist/director, Nia Jones PR Nia has worked within the arts and culture industry in Wales for 15 years. Nia is hugely passionate about her home city and loves to spend time exploring the hidden gems that the capital continues to offer.

Victoria Deane Director of support services, New Directions Prior to New Directions Victoria worked as regional training manager for Rocco Forte Hotels, Europe for 10 years and was based at The St David’s Hotel and Spa in Cardiff. Victoria is passionate about people, leadership and providing an excellent service.

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The Old Brewery Quarter, CF10 1FG www.stickyfingersstreetfood.com. T:029 2037 2000

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property a pl ace to c all home

Fun house A glamorous property in Glamorgan

By Charlie Rose Photos by South Wales Property Photography 100 I CARDIFF LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk

property

S

o sleek and modern is the design of 1 Sea View Court that it wouldn’t look out of place if it were to be picked up and dropped among the film star abodes in the Hollywood hills.

From the outside, this architect-designed detached home is all contemporary white curves and angles and huge glass windows, while inside every detail has been finished to the highest specification.

Downstairs there’s a huge open plan kitchen/diner/ lounge, ideal for modern family living, with feature sliding glass doors at either end, ensuring that the space is always flooded with light.

The kitchen is ultra-modern, with gleaming white units and built in appliances. There’s a breakfast bar for a quick snack, as well as plenty of space for a large dining table under the glitzy eight-foot rotating chandelier –

perfect for sophisticated dinner parties. Just next door to the kitchen there’s a useful utility room too for hiding away all those unsightly, but necessary, home appliances.

If the whole family wants to hang out together then the open plan arrangement allows just that. But if you want to split off and do your own thing then there’s a large family room too which opens on to the garden. Also on the ground floor, just off the entrance all, is a dedicated study so when work needs to be done you can shut yourself away for a bit of peace and quite.

All five of the bedrooms are found on the first floor.

The master bedroom is particularly impressive with its elegant en suite bathroom and dressing area, but may no mistake, all of them would be a delightful place to lay your head at night.

The master bedroom also opens on to a balcony which spans the width of the house and has wonderful views out towards the sea.

Two further double bedrooms share the balcony, and also benefit from a modern “Jack and Jill” style ensuite, while a glamorous family bathroom serves the remaining two bedrooms.

Up on the second floor you’ll find a lavish cinema room fitted with state-of-the-art screen and sound system.

But the hi-tech credentials aren’t the only reason to love this room, because it also opens on to a stunning rooftop

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property

House numbers 1 Sea View Court, Fontygary Road, Rhoose CF62 3FN

Guide price £995,950 Bedrooms 5 Reception rooms

4

Bathrooms

3

Roof garden

1

Swimming pool

1

Pool House

1

For more: Watts and Morgan, 55 High Street, Cowbridge CF71 7AE; www.wattsandmorgan.co.uk

garden with views towards the coast.

While the interior of this home is seriously impressive, the outdoor areas are possibly even more astounding.

The walled garden has been carefully designed to create an ultra-relaxing outdoor haven. There’s plenty of lawn space, as well as some attractively planted raised beds, and a feature built-in sitting area. The crowning glory however, is the swimming pool and hot tub, with pool house. Come summer it’ll really come into its own and become an amazing al fresco party space.

Yes, this home has all the practical features you need for the mundane aspects of every day living, but it’s also been built for enjoyment. You just know that you’ll love living here… n

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CARDIFF LIVES

“Returning to Wales is the best decision I’ve ever made”

Laura Graham When Laura’s not cooking up a storm in the Tidy Kitchen, here’s what she’ll be up to…

Hi Laura! Tell us a bit about yourself…

I’m Zimbabwean born, raised in Wales and love food. I’ve recently returned back to Wales, after nearly seven years of working abroad on super yachts, to set up the Tidy Kitchen Co. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

I’ve been cooking food for 10 years now and still going strong!

How do you like to spend your free time?

I love walking my puppy Pickle and try to eat out at local restaurants if I have any spare time at all. I’ve also started to try and explore Wales more on weekends (when I have them off ) so head off to the beach and go hill walking. It’s beautiful and very calming.

Where in Cardiff do you live and what makes it special?

I live in Rhiwbina. It’s got a

great feeling of community and is wonderfully quiet. I’d love another little restaurant but, in the meantime, it’s got just what I need in the little village.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

The highlight of my career has probably been watching the Monaco Grand Prix as it happened, from a super yacht right next to the track, before serving guests lunch on the aft deck. It was really quite surreal!

What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?

Looking back, I did rhythmic gym at school. I wore a leotard and ran around with a ribbon on stage, which is horrendously embarrassing. I’m sure there’s footage of it somewhere.

Who would you invite to

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your dream dinner party?

Barack and Michelle Obama, Tom Hardy, Raymond Blanc and The Queen and my parents. A nice balance, I think.

When did you last cry, and why?

I was watching a program about animals and someone had left two boxes of kittens on the road and the boxes were taped shut.

It made me incredibly sad that people could do that.

Who would play you in a film about your life?

Good question. Probably Olivia Colman, she’s the right amount of awkward and fun!

What job would you be terrible at?

Data scientist. I am atrocious at mathematics, just ask my brother.

What’s on your bookshelf at the moment?

Lucinda Riley, Jojo Moyes, loads of cookbooks and Linwood Barclay. I love a good crime novel.

Who’s your celebrity crush?

Michael Fassbender or Jason Fox from SAS Who Dares Wins.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure?

Super Noodles. I cook them until all the sauce has evaporated and they’re really sticky. Unreal.

What’s your favourite piece of clothing?

Anything black. I really just wear black. I find that if I don’t have to choose an outfit every morning I can think more about food!

If you have a spare five minutes in the day, what are you likely to fill it with?

Looking at one of my million cook books! I’m constantly

trying to experiment with new ideas and flavours to keep things interesting. Cook books really help introduce me to new flavour combinations. That, or looking at houses I can’t afford on Rightmove!

What’s your earliest childhood memory?

Probably being in Brecon and building ‘friends’ out of spare clothes, garden forks and branches. I was definitely an interesting child and spent a lot of time outside playing in the garden!

Favourite places to eat/ drink and shop in Cardiff?

Heaney’s in Pontcanna is my favourite place to eat and drink.

It’s consistently good and I love the thought and effort that goes into the menu and the service. I’d eat there every week if I could.

Shopping-wise I love Wally’s delicatessen as a treat, and I’ll be popping to Ripple soon. I’ve heard great things and love the ethos behind the shop.

Tell us about a secret/ underrated Cardiff spot we might not be aware of…

A secret spot in Cardiff…..

I’m not sure they’re secret but my favorite independent spots are Cocoa Therapy in Barry (best chocolate ever), Cocorico Patisserie, and The Lazy Leek which does really incredible vegan food.

We’d better let you get on…. What are you doing as soon as you’ve done this?

I am going to help a friend with Environmental Health Office information, then I’m off for a meeting in Grangetown before heading back home to write prep lists for tomorrow’s deliveries! n www.thetidykitchencompany.com