Cardiff Life - Issue 212

Food/Arts/Entertainment/Shopping/Property ISSUE 212 / CHRISTMAS 2019 / £3

@CardiffLifeMag

CELEBRATING THE BEST IN THE CITY, PENARTH & THE VALE

DECK THE HALLS Jack Whitehall on being true to yourself

Bar of wonder

Who’s serving up the best Christmas spirit ISSUE 212 / CHRISTMAS 2019 / TAKE ME TO CHURCH

Raising the roof

The inaugural Cardiff Property Awards

His ’Diff materials

Locations revealed for the hottest show on TV

A warm welcome

Cheers to Prego, Cardiff’s newest wine bar

Dress up and boogie on down

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO CHURCH CHARLOTTE TALKS CHRISTMAS, HOMELESSNESS, AND PEACE ON EARTH

PLUS Red Riding Hood goes punk / Local and lovely stocking fillers / On a roll with Roath Rocks

EDITOR’S LETTER

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his is me, aged four, getting a Tiny Tears doll. She cried, she wet her nappy, and she completed me. Gift-wise, nothing has ever come close to bringing me such joy ever again (aside from The Rhinestone & Stud Setter by Ronco a few years later). In a world where consumerism is rampant, deferred gratification is non-existent, and we’re also starting to recoil at the thought of excess products and produce – how on earth can we bring that festive magic back in our lives?

No-one is prescribing a sour, no-presents, Cup-aSoup kind of Christmas. A great place to start can be spreading goodwill locally. I’m very proud to be the editor of a magazine that carries the message of supporting the High Street and buying local at its very heart (page 30). And we could set about off-setting our gilded guilt with good deeds, like The Big Sleepout happening at Cardiff Castle in support of raising money and awareness for the Welsh homeless charity Llamau. Our cover star, the songwriter and DJ Charlotte Church, is performing (page 12), and Gavin and Stacey actor Ruth Jones reading a bedtime story. Their interviews about their reasons for taking part strike a chord with all of us, as does their message about making tackling homelessness and poverty in Cardiff an all year round priority.

Wishing you all love, peace and joy this Christmas, and goodwill to all humankind for 2020. See you on the other side.

D

yma fi’n bedair oed yn cael doli Tiny Tears.

Roedd hi’n llefain ac yn gwneud pi-pi, ac allwn i ddim dychmygu bod hebddi. Does yr un anrheg wedyn wedi dod yn agos at roi cymaint o bleser i fi (ar wahân i’r teclyn gosod rheinstonau a stydiau gan Ronco ychydig flynyddoedd yn ddiweddarach). Mewn byd lle mae prynu wedi mynd yn rhemp, lle mae gohirio boddhad yn brofiad dieithr a lle’r ydym hefyd yn dechrau casáu gormodedd – sut yn y byd mae ailddarganfod holl naws y Nadolig?

Nid oes neb yn awgrymu y dylem gael Nadolig diflas heb anrhegion a danteithion. Ond gallem ddechrau drwy ledaenu ewyllys da yn lleol. Rwy’n falch iawn o fod yn olygydd cylchgrawn sy’n rhoi cymaint o bwys ar gefnogi’r Stryd Fawr a phrynu’n lleol (tudalen 30). A gallem geisio lleddfu rhywfaint ar ein cydwybod drwy weithredoedd da, er enghraifft drwy ymwneud â’r digwyddiad Cysgu Allan yng Nghastell Caerdydd er mwyn helpu i godi arian ac ymwybyddiaeth er budd Llamau, yr elusen sy’n gweithio ym maes digartrefedd yng Nghymru. Bydd seren ein clawr, sef y gyfansoddwraig a’r DJ Charlotte Church, yn perfformio yno (tudalen 12) a bydd yr actores o Gavin and Stacey, Ruth Jones, yn darllen stori amser gwely. Mae eu cyfweliadau lle maent yn sôn am eu rhesymau dros gymryd rhan yn taro tant gyda phob un ohonom, yn ogystal â’u neges y dylai trechu tlodi a digartrefedd yng Nghaerdydd fod yn flaenoriaeth drwy gydol y flwyddyn.

Gan ddymuno llawer o gariad, heddwch a llawenydd i chi dros y Nadolig, ac ewyllys da i bawb yn 2020. Welwn ni chi yn y Flwyddyn Newydd.

SARAH MOOLLA Follow us on Twitter @CardiffLifeMag Instagram @cardifflifemag

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Issue 212/Christmas 2019 COVER Charlotte Church talks about her involvement with the orld’s iggest leep out at Cardiff Castle (page 12) Photograph by Mary Wycherley; www.twocatsintheyard.co.uk

FEATURES

12 ONE TO ONE Singer and activist Charlotte Church

12

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on why she’s dedicating her time to help the homeless

THE ARTS

21 INTRO A study of Ballet Cymru by the painter Carl

Chapple

22 WHAT’S ON Arts, gigs, shows and comedy, it’s all

going on in Cardiff

SHOPPING

30 STOCKING FILLERS Our last minute and local

gift guide

36 CHRISTMAS FASHION tep away from the o ce

party comedy antlers, Nathan Palmer is here to help

FOOD & DRINK

40 HOLIDAY WINING AND DINING A little

selection box of where to hang over the festive period

44 RESTAURANT Prego is the way to go!

48 RECIPES Seasonal specials from La Cuina 51 FOOD & DRINK NEWS Dean Euden shares his

festive wine tipples, and meet the team who help feed refugees all year round

BUSINESS

55 CARDIFFWORKS News, views, and interviews with

the region’s professionals

61 CARDIFF LIFE AWARDS Catching up with Award

winners Roath Rocks

PROPERTY

65 CARDIFF PROPERTY AWARDS Who helped

raise the roof at these first e er wards

86 SHOWCASE At home on the ranch, Graig Goch style

REGULARS 8

SPOTLIGHT The very Welsh side of His Dark

Materials

27 WYBURN & WAYNE The boys are back and out on

30

the town

90 CARDIFF LIVES Meet Ellen Groves, co-artistic

director of the Likely Story theatre company

Editor Sarah Moolla sarah.moolla@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 Emma Cox, Laura Hallsmith, Nathan Wyburn, Wayne Courtney, Nathan Palmer, Elsie Chadwick, Rachel Jefferies and John Mather Advertising manager Mark George mark.george@mediaclash.co.uk Account manager Samantha James samantha.james@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 and Exeter. 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

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THE ALB ANY GALLERY

WINTER EXHIBITION 14th November – 11th January

A changing exhibition of work by more than 40 artists 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

His Dark Materials behind the scenes special

THE CARDIFF DAEMONS

WOLF STUDIOS The olf tudios in Cardiff, where the company Bad Wolf Productions is based, created the main spaces for Philip Pullman’s world, including Oxford, Lapland and ondon. uch of the action which is about a young girl called Lyra, played by Dafne Keen, who uncovers a dangerous secret that threatens the world – was created using CGI, and the green screen and set-building facilities at Wolf Studios allowed the show’s makers to eep most of the filming in one place.

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roducer ane Trantor said at the launch of the show, “I think the main thing I had to do was actually to find a studio in ales to ma e it. was absolutely con inced the ey to the adaptation was actually about text and performance.

“Therefore, if we put everyone in a creative bubble in a studio in Wales, away from everyone and everything else, then we would find the ey to e erything. ane also hailed ales for becoming a global destination for film and tele ision production, saying, There are all sorts of great companies coming into Wales from the UK and the US and, I think, they were able to long ago show the world that the crews in Wales and the locations and places in ales were world-class.

© BBC/HBO

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t’s a tale of secrets, dust, daemons, and Cardiff. His Dark Materials, the eightpart BBC1 television series based on the fantastical novels by Philip Pullman – which comes to a close on 22 December – not only counts Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ruth ilson, nne- arie uff, and ames c oy amongst its stars, but also the Welsh capital and its surrounds.

The much-acclaimed adventure drama which is produced by BBC Studios, New Line Cinema, and Bad Wolf for BBC One and , already has series two filmed, and here we take a look at just a few of the local spots that ha e made an impressi e appearance...

Lin-Manuel Miranda flies high against a Cardiff green screen

TROLLESUND AKA CRICKHOWELL Trollesund, a port town in the country of Lapland, appeared in the fourth episode of the series, and was actually an entire town built specially in Crickhowell, near berga enny. t is the main port where yra first meets ee coresby, played by in- anuel Miranda, and Iorek – the giant, armoured polar bear, and was filmed at the langynidr uarry in Cric howell.

© BBC/HBO

The Brecon Beacons features several times as part of the landscape

A whole town was built in Crickhowell to create Trollesund

SPOTLIGHT

© BBC/HBO

© BBC/HBO

Pontcanna resident Jonathan Scourfield tweeted this image of the portal night time filming

Much of the filming took place at Wolf Studios in Cardiff

“Trollesund was amazing,” Dafne Keen, who plays the young explorer Lyra, told the Radio Times, “They built a whole town in the Valleys in the middle of nowhere – this whole northern fishing town which was supposed to be in Norway. It was amazing, they made ice with melted wax, sprayed things with fa e snow don’t now how they did it.

© BBC/HBO

PONTCANNA’S PORTAL TO AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE In episode two, Carlo Boreal, played by Ariyon a are, was seen entering a portal from The Dark Materials’ universe to a present day xford. xcept the portal wasn’t in xford, it was actually filmed in lasturton ardens in ontcanna, with footage of xford city centre mixed in later.

The former ironworks in Blaenavon has been name-checked as a location

ALSO CO-STARRING… The Welsh Assembly Government foyer in Cardiff can be seen moonlighting as a Magisterium building.

The C notes that se eral scenes were filmed in former ironwor s in Blaenavon, in the south Wales valleys.

Brecon Beacons often appears as the ma estic sweeping landscapes.

The imposingly impressive Temple of Peace ma es an appearance as the grand entrance of the towering s yscraper where Lyra and Mrs Coulter (played by Ruth Wilson) have dinner. hen yra and an escape rs Coulter, yra can be seen running around the bac of City Hall in the Ci ic Centre. in- anuel iranda has become an uno cial spo esperson for all things Cardiff since filming His Dark Materials, having been spotted en oying arao e in Cardiff bars, regularly tweeting his love for the area, and also filmed deli ering an impromptu rap about the wonders of Cardiff to some isiting elsh students in the middle of New or .

For more: www.bbc.co.uk/www.bad-wolf.com

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Peace on earth The experts at BERRY SMITH LAWYERS help to ensure the season of goodwill to all, also extends to divided families

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n the beloved Christmas film, Home Alone, Kevin, a young boy accidentally left at home for the Christmas holidays, leaves the following message for Santa Clause: “This is extremely important. Will you please tell Santa that instead of presents this year, I just want my family back?”

The Christmas season is a special time for children throughout Wales with the festive season hopefully providing opportunities for families to develop positive strong and lasting memories – from primary school nativities, visits to Santa’s Grotto, exchanging of gifts and family gatherings.

But for a growing number of children with parents living at separate addresses the Christmas season can result in increased disputes about how time spent with the children is to be shared.

Over the festive period we are often called upon to assist families in resolving disputes over child arrangements, particularly how time with the children over the holidays is to be divided. Parents

will often look for a ‘model’ or ‘plan’ to adopt.

However, each family is unique in its size and character and the best arrangement is one that parents can agree together.

Section 1 of the Children Act 1989 stipulates that when a court is asked to determine a question in relation to the upbringing of a child, that child’s welfare 'shall be the court’s paramount consideration'. Therefore, when discussing how much time your child should spend with you, or your ex-partner, over Christmas you should always consider how the arrangements best meet the children’s needs.

If you are unable to reach an agreement, mediation can be an excellent method to resolve disputes and help settle any difficult issues. We would recommend not leaving it too long to arrange mediation to avoid being unable to arrange a joint mediation session before the Christmas holidays begin.

Ultimately, if no agreement can be reached, and

Benjamin Delve

Sarah Alford

other avenues have been exhausted, then it may be necessary to make an application to the family court for a child arrangement order. n

If you would like any advice about child arrangements, or family matters generally, please feel free to call our family team on 02920 345511, or contact us by email on bdelve@berrysmith.com.

ONE TO ONE

TAKE ME TO CHURCH These days singer and activist Charlotte Church often uses her ‘voice of an angel’ to raise awareness of social injustices like the issue of homelessness in Cardiff Words by Sarah Moolla Photos by Mary Wycherley

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harlotte Church is everything you’d hope to find in a pop star turned pop acti ist, and then some. he’s at Cardiff Castle to highlight the World’s Biggest Sleep Out being held there on 7 ecember and being organised by the Cardiffbased homelessness charity lamau, in which she’ll be performing with the araorchestra, the world’s only large-scale ensemble for professional disabled musicians.

Following the release of her debut album Voice of An Angel aged ust 11, Charlotte has remained in the limelight ever since which is a tough call for the most seasoned of old timers, yet her positive energy and love of life has never seemingly diminished. er passion, commitment and genuine determination to use her platform as a force for good and to highlight social issues is inspiringly impressi e. rom oting to education, from nurses to de olution, from feminism to Trump, you can guarantee Charlotte will ha e a measured, thoughtful opinion deli ered with intelligence and facts Charlotte doesn’t do bandwagons she leads the charge.

items that might be needed by people sleeping rough, whether it be shoes or soc s or whate er. t’s a time ust to reflect on how we can help really, and to do something in solidarity to try and understand what it might be like to have empathy. Not that it could ever be true empathy of course. t’s a symbol, isn’t it t’s a symbol of showing we do care.

Why, when there are so many causes out there, is the issue of homelessness important to you and why this time of year to highlight?

don’t thin it’s an opinion it’s a fact it’s austerity without a shadow of a doubt, there’s a direct correlation there.

’d say that no city in the is dealing particularly well with homelessness currently. ’m not sure about Cardiff in terms of other places in the , but shops are creating a hostile en ironment so people can’t stay there. think it’s really mean. To have shelter is a basic human right and the responsibility of all of us.

Like we are a bunch of humans living on the planet and if we know anything from climate change and biodi ersity loss, it is that e erything is interconnected. f this wrong is what our society is creating, then e erybody must ha e a responsibility to try and fix it.

“To have shelter is a basic human right and the responsibility of all of us”

Christmas is a time when we really feel, more than any other time of the year, the plight of homeless people. t comes at a time when it is dar and cold when the rest of us are concentrating on arranging time with our families, getting gifts, nice food, watching T and being all warm and cosy but you can see people sleeping out still. omelessness is the most isible manifestation of what’s going wrong in society, right there.

You’ve done work for the homeless before haven’t you?

ast year, my family including the ids, and myself did this thing called The Coat Exchange on Queen Street with unclaimed lost property coats from clubs and bars. t was used to help raise money for specific

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How do you think homelessness is impacting on Cardiff and surrounding areas?

What are causing these rises in the ‘wrongs’, in your opinion?

What has struck you about the types of homeless people you have met so far, and people’s attitudes to them?

A common narrative from people who don’t want to see the bigger picture is you can’t give money to the homeless because they only spend it on drugs. That’s far too simplistic and there’s a completely different range of people who ha e been forced to li e this way maybe it was a death of a parent and they lost their home. Even those who do have drug and drin problems, this can be due to other, much deeper issues.

There is also a hugely high percentage of people who are on the streets who ha e been through the care system. hile do now there are issues with the welfare state, still belie e in it.

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Charlotte will be performing at Cardiff Castle to help support the ongoing work of the homelessness charity Llamau

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© W W W.T WOCATSINTHEYARD.CO.UK

You won’t often find Charlotte sitting on the fence when it comes to issues of social injustice

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ONE TO ONE

BED TIME STORY WITH RUTH

Joining Charlotte at Cardiff Castle’s World’s Biggest Sleep Out, along with Boy Azooga, Kizzy Crawford and Shelleyann Evans, is the actor and writer Ruth Jones.

The Gavin and Stacey star will be reading a story at the close of the 7 December event.

Ruth, who was born in Bridgend and grew up and attended school in Porthcawl, says, “Wherever you seem to go, especially in Cardiff, you’re faced with the very harsh reality of homelessness. It’s so sad to see so many people struggling with homelessness every day.

Nobody should ever find themselves without a home.

That’s why I want to show my support at the World’s Biggest Sleep Out this year.”

It must be hard to hear…

Yeah, we’re all humans. We’re all fallible and none of us know what’s around the corner. thin , particularly at the moment with the effects of austerity having gone on for so long, there’s been a huge rise in homelessness o er the past three to fi e years with people struggling.

It’s more important than ever for us to start looking at these issues and trying to figure out a way to help people. There should be an army of us who are trying to help with this.

What can we do as part of this army?

Maybe team up with a homeless charity. When you do see someone go and have a chat, make that person feel less isolated, less in isible. That’s a word that I’ve heard homeless people say a lot of the time that they feel absolutely invisible. Ask if they want some food, maybe take them for a little sit down meal. Doesn’t have to be anywhere expensive, but make it about their choice, rather than ust sho ing a coffee at them. aybe that person doesn’t li e coffee. They’re still indi iduals with their own preferences. Personally I alternate – sometimes I give people money, sometimes have a chat and get them food.

a wonderful event. Also we know now that altruism and doing good things, doing kind things for other people that isn’t for obvious gain, does actually benefit us in the long run it helps with our sense of wellbeing and our mental health.

And any ideas for the long term?

I think it was in Scotland where they created a little village-like square where for people who were sleeping rough, they built them a home. They also were given a job, and access to therapies, so it was like everything positive in one place. It has had amazing rehabilitation rates. But truly long term, I think we need to sort out the situation with the government. Austerity was, in most economists’ opinions, never the thing to do, and it has caused both visible and also untold harm.

We now need to deal with it, using the most humane kind and compassionate ways we can muster.

“Homelessness is the most visible manifestation of what’s going wrong in society”

It seems to be about trying to leave aside the prejudices…

Yes, you’ve got to sort of stop any form of judgment – just have a con ersation. thin that’s applies across all of humanity. Tal more.

I totally just talk.

What other solutions could there be in the short term?

Events like the Sleep Out really help as a symbol of solidarity with those people who have to do this every night of the year. It’ll be

Finally, can we ask, what will you be doing this Christmas and New Year Charlotte?

I’ll be spending time with all my friends and family and also trying to go out and do some oluntary wor with the ids. will definitely not be buying shed loads of stuff instead, ’ll get experiences for people, whether it’s a gig, a comedy show or a massage. I tried this last year and it worked pretty well. n Llamau’s mission is to eradicate homelessness for young people and vulnerable women in Wales. We believe that no young person or vulnerable woman should ever have to experience homelessness; www.llamau.org.uk

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

DANCE REMIX Artist Carl Chapple is exhibiting around 60 pieces of his work at Wales Millennium Centre created during his residency with the international dance company Ballet Cymru.

“They are paintings and drawings created collaboratively with dancers, as well as responses to rehearsals of productions such as Romeo a Juliet, Celtic Concerto, and Divided We Stand,” says Carl. upported by rts Council of ales, the exhibitions also reflect elements of the company’s wider education and training programme, including their intensive work with newly-graduated dancers and the 2019 Wales International Ballet Summer School.”

The collection will also each feature audio/touch tours for visitors with visual impairments, and during this month, Carl will be delivering a series of free drawing workshops with Ballet Cymru dancers.

Painting Dance can be seen at Wales Millennium Centre from now until 5 January; www.wmc.org.uk

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ON

T’S

6 December – 10 January

Shall We Dance? Yes, go on then says The King and I, coming to the WMC 8 January

PLAYS / SHOWS / PERFORMANCES Until 7 December

THE CURIOUS MUCHNESS OF STUFF AND NONSENSE This Christmas, join Odyssey, Hijinx’s community group, as they bring you a dazzling reimagining, written by efin Robinson, of the Lewis Carroll classic. And while it’s a wonderland, it’s not as we know it because Dum has lost Dee, the Queen has lost her tarts, and the Hatter’s lost the plot. Weston Studio; www.wmc.org.uk

Until 22 December

PERFORMANCES FOR THE CURIOUS The biennial season champions experimental, ground-breaking

and contemporary new work and gi es audiences an affordable but exhilarating glimpse of some of the latest de elopments in performance from ales in both the elsh and English language. Wales Millennium Centre; www.wmc.org.uk

Until 31 December

THE SNOW QUEEN fa ourite through the generations, this enchanting and sparkling tale is brought to life with a spectacular set and costumes, superb storytelling, and a spellbinding original score to create a magical theatrical experience for ages . Sherman Theatre; www.shermantheatre.co.uk

Until 4 January

LES MISÉRABLES This brilliant new staging has

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taken the world by storm and has been hailed ‘Les Mis for the 21st century’. ith scenery inspired by the paintings of ictor ugo, the magnificent score of Les Misérables includes the songs, I Dreamed A Dream, On My Own, and Bring Him Home.

Donald Gordon Theatre; www.wmc.org.uk

Until February

WELSH NATIONAL OPERA NEW SEASON eaturing an incredible season of opera including Carmen, The Cunning Little Vixen, and Rigoletto. Donald Gordon Theatre; www.wmc.org.uk

7 December –12 January

CINDERELLA o an, i e oyle, Ceri upree and hil utler oin forces for seasonal merriment and thigh-

slappingly good festi e fun. h yes they do. New Theatre Cardiff; www. newtheatrecardiff.co.uk

11 December – 5 January

THE NUTCRACKER ON ICE Following sold-out seasons at the Royal lbert all and The ondon Palladium, The Imperial Ice Stars are bringing the amazing ice spectacular, The Nutcracker on Ice, to the UK’s most prestigious new event destination, the International Con ention Centre ales. www.iccwales.com

14 – 29 December

RED group of unli ely heroes find themselves in an enchanted misad enture with randma Red a raucous old lady on a spirited

WHAT’S ON 8 – 18 January

© MARTIN PARR, MAGNUM PHOTOS, ROCKET GALLERY

THE KING AND I Shall we dance? Oh go on then! With tunes like Whistle a Happy Tune and Getting to Know You, it’s not hard to see why this is considered one of the greatest shows from the golden age of musicals. And with a company of over 50 world-class performers and a full-scale orchestra, this promises to be a truly lavish spectacle. Donald Gordon Theatre; www.wmc.org.uk

MUSIC / BANDS 10 December

PETE TONG AND THE HERITAGE ORCHESTRA Pete Tong along with conductor Jules Buckley and 65 piece The Heritage Orchestra are bringing a fresh interpretation of Ibiza dance classics, special guest vocalists Beverley Knight, Robert Owens and Becky Hill. otor oint rena Cardiff; www. otor ointarenacardiff.co.uk

ABOVE: See Martin Parr’s striking Welsh photography at National Museum Cardiff RIGHT: Weston Studio brings a dazzling reimagining of Alice in Wonderland BELOW: Gok’s working his magic at New Theatre Cardiff

15 December

THE SIXTEEN A sumptuous feast of traditional texts, married to ancient and modern musical settings and performed by one of the world’s finest choirs wor ing in Britain today. Crowning this seasonal programme is Benjamin Britten’s inspirational carol anthology. It’s the perfect way to start your Christmas festivities. St David’s Hall; www. tda id ha cardiff.co.uk

21 December

mission to bring back forgotten stories. Expect magic, laughter and a festi e roc -out as we stray off the path in search of the wolves.

Turn to page 90 for our chat with one of the show’s directors. Weston Studio; www.wmc.org.uk

19 – 31 December

COPPÉLIA / THE NUTCRACKER / SWAN LAKE The Russian State Ballet & Orchestra of Siberia, who have built an international reputation for delivering performances of outstanding quality and unusual depth, return with three enchanting ballets perform three magical new sets transporting us into a wonderful fairytale world. St David’s Hall; www. tda id ha cardiff.co.uk

JOOLS HOLLAND Accompanying Jools with the Rhythm & Blues Orchestra on their annual excursion around the UK is the supremely talented Ruby Turner, with her breathtaking gospel, soul and rhythm and blues vocals, along with the beautiful soul and jazz tones of Louise Marshall, as well as original Squeeze member and powerhouse Gilson Lavis on drums. Additional special guests are Pauline Black and Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson from the legendary ska band The Selecter. otor oint rena Cardiff; www. otor ointarenacardiff.co.uk

21 – 22 December

CHRISTMAS UNDERGROUND CINEMA The Underground Cinema returns to the Castle’s medieval Undercroft with a fantastic line-up of those all-time fa ourite festi e flic s including The Grinch, Home Alone, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Elf. Cardiff Ca t e; www.cardiffca t e.co

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COMEDY 10 December

DRAGGED 2 CHURCH Roath Rocks put on a cabaret to end all cabarets, plus it’s in a church. Turn to page 2 to find out more about this Cardiff i e Award winning event. www. ace ook.co oath ock

17 December

QUEEN OF THE NORTH POLE The Dancing Diva of u au ra ace season 1, aka Brooke Lynn ytes, brings her one-woman Christmas show to Cardiff. xpect lip assassin lip syncs, killer dance routines and much more. This show will include the Klub Kids dancers and ha e a pre-show from local queens. ee C u Cardiff; www. ee.co.uk

LEFT: Pauline Black and Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson lend their support to Jools Holland at Motorpoint Arena Cardiff on 21 December BELOW: Meet this wise guy at the Albany Gallery BOTTOM: The Russian State Ballet & Orchestra of Siberia comes to St David’s Hall on 19 December

31 December

NYE COMEDY SPECIAL ee in 2 2 with the best comedians including Kelly Convey and Jarred Christmas, some excellent food, and an afterparty to remember. There will be a countdown at midnight and a DJ to keep the party going in to the wee small hours. ee C u Cardiff; www. ee.co.uk

4 January

JACK WHITEHALL ward-winning comedian, actor and writer Jack Whitehall is on his biggest ever tour. See opposite for our chat with the posh-sounding funnyman. otor oint rena Cardiff; www. otor ointarenacardiff.co.uk

ART, PHOTOGRAPHY & EXHIBITIONS Until 15 December

WALES ROMANIA ART EXHIBITION ponsored by ssembly ember uw rranca- a ies, this exhibition, ertinent i tortion w dion eidd ar features ointly made paintings by eorge stafi (Romania) with ohn elson ( ales). enedd a er ; www.a e .wa e

Until 19 December

KEVIN SINNOTT While the work of this internally celebrated elsh artist is primarily concerned with human relationships, the influence of the elsh landscape is strongly felt in his paintings. artin Tinne a er ; www.artwa e .co

Until 19 December

CHRISTMAS EXHIBITION In addition to work by Wales’ leading artists, past and present, such as Augustus John, Ceri Richards, Peter Prendergast, and ir y n illiams, this year’s show also features work by Clive Hicks en ins and Rosemary urton. artin Tinne a er ; www.artwa e .co

Until 6 January

PIERRE WILLIAMS AND CATHY LEWIS new exhibition at the gallery will feature collections from both ierre illiams and Cathy ewis, including pieces from Cathy’s stunning e et Tea et collection. ackwater a er ; www. ackwater a er .co.uk

Until 11 January

WINTER EXHIBITION changing exhibition of paintings, sculpture, ceramics and ewellery from more than artists including onald c ntyre, yrth Russell, Andrew Douglas-Forbes, Rob Piercy, led richard ones, and first time exhibitors at the gallery lona a id, Parastoo Ganjei and Sally Harrold. an a er ; www.a an a er .co

Until 26 January

DIPPY THE DINOSAUR As part of a road trip across the UK, Dippy has ventured out of London for the first time since 1 . Nationa u eu Cardiff; www. u eu .wa e

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

WHAT’S ON Until 26 January

GARTH EVANS But, Hands Have Eyes is a solo exhibition featuring six decades of sculpture. Alongside works produced in the and Cardiff in the 1 s and 1 s, arth will also present a body of new sculptural work that he has produced in the United States since his mo e there in 1 1.

Chapter; www.chapter.org

Until various dates in 2020 AUTUMN PHOTOGRAPHY SEASON Focusses on the work of four of the most influential photographers ugust ander, ernd and illa echer, and artin arr with his Welsh collection. National Museum Cardiff; www. u eu .wa e

SPORT

26 December

CARDIFF BLUES V DRAGONS uinness R 1 , ic off pm.

Cardiff r ark; www.cardiff ue .co

26 December

CARDIFF CITY V MILLWALL y et Championship, ic off pm.

Cardiff Cit ; www.cardiffcit c.co.uk

28 December

CARDIFF DEVILS V GUILDFORD FLAMES eague, face off pm. io a rena Cardiff nternationa ort i a e; www.cardiffde i .co

OTHER

Until 5 January

THE GREAT SKATE The reat ate returns with a glistening ice rink set against a stunning backdrop of twinkling lights and festive sounds in the spectacular rooftop garden.

Celtic Manor Resort; www.celtic-manor.com

7 December

WORLD’S BIG SLEEP OUT CARDIFF elsh homelessness charity, lamau, will host the orld’s iggest leep ut at Cardiff Castle,welcoming up to 2, people into the historic grounds to sleep outside for the night and raise funds to end homelessness.

Charlotte Church, as seen on our co er, exclusi ely chats to us on page 12 to share her reasons for supporting this all year round issue. Cardiff Ca t e; www. a au.or .uk n

CATCHING UP WITH…

JACK WHITEHALL

Jack Whitehall is an award-winning comedian, actor and writer who currently on his biggestever live tour, Stood Up, coming to Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, 3 – 4 January. Widely celebrated for his hit show Travels With My Father, which recently returned to Netflix for a new series, Jack is also set to star in Disney's upcoming movie Jungle Cruise opposite Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, due for release in July 2020.

What have you got on your Cardiff rider?

Oh, nothing. It used to be Haribo, for years, and I’d turn up at these trendy venues and there’d be packets of Haribo which was very embarrassing. I don’t bother any more but perhaps I should get a little bit like Mariah Carey and start demanding puppies.

Do your family come and watch you?

My dad comes to a few shows, and he’ll be making an appearance at some point, I’m sure.

Despite how he comes across on our show, he’s actually very supportive and very game for a laugh. He always threatens to get litigious if I push it too far with my jokes but I think any publicity is good publicity so if he does take me to court for slander, it’ll just be good for the tour.

Audiences know him now so that’s really nice.

People are already aware of him so that makes the stories even funnier. My mum will be at some of the shows, I expect, along with everyone she’s ever met because she’s very generous with her invitations. At some gigs half the arena is filled with my mum’s friends.

What’s the latest topic of discussion on the family WhatsApp group?

The last thing we talked about was pictures of Gregg Wallace’s body transformation because we’re a bit obsessed with him. He’s kind of a family hero. We love the way he eats puddings on MasterChef. Before that it was us banning my mum from using the word ‘banter’.

Have you ever been surprised by someone saying they’re a fan of yours?

What happens now is that people say they’re a fan of my dad. I was at the GQ Awards recently and Liam Gallagher came up to me and said, ‘Your old man’s alright’, which I think from him is a glowing compliment. That was quite cool.

Has your on-stage persona changed over the years?

You definitely go through different incarnations as a comedian and you’re trying to find your voice.

I went through stages: I tried to do deadpan, I went on stage in a parka, I had a character who was a poet and lasted one night. He was called Jasper and it was dreadful. It was at the Frog

and Bucket in Manchester and the audience weren’t enamoured of him. I came off stage and went, ‘Well I’m never doing that again’. And for a couple of years I talked like Danny Dyer because I was desperate not to be posh. It was horrendous.

A lot of my early performances are unwatchable now and I wish they hadn’t been recorded in the annals of history. But eventually you find a voice that is truer to yourself.

For more: www.motorpointarenacardiff.co.uk

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

WYBURN & WAYNE Move over Ant & Dec. Make way Edina & Patsy. Stand aside Batman & Robin. Our dynamic duo are in town and they’re here to give us the low down on the Cardiff high life

t a wonderful life

L

© MAT THEW HORWOOD

et’s ust start by mentioning the 5 November – it’s a night we love and for the second year in a row, we hosted Sophia Works, down at Sophia Gardens. It was an explosive, colour-filled sell out. e’ e ne er seen such a gorgeous firewor s display. The cricket stadium is fast becoming one of Cardiff’s hottest venues for events. Keep a look out for some huge announcements regarding their 2020 calendar.

It does seem as soon as that last firewor fi les out, the world lights up again for Christmas! nd with that our diary fills up and our social life is more alive than usual. We’ve thrown ourselves into all the festivities so far – including of course the most festi e of festi e e ents, Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland. We got to The jolly and The Ivy

try out all the rides (even the kids’ ones - yeah, we do look young so), the big new wheel which you can see all o er Cardiff, the food and drink... and of course the ice rink.

And this is no ordinary ice-rink.

The new Alpine Trail takes you on a s ating ourney. Cardiff’s Winter Woderland is expected to welcome around 250,000 visitors across the Christmas season, with 65,000 taking to the ice. What a wonderful asset for Cardiff to ha e this time of year.

Another magical aspect we have all year round is the sorts of shows that come to town. Two festi e offerings that really made us merry and bright so far have been Nati it The u ica down at Wales Millennium Centre with the delightful Dani Dyer, and The rinch ho to e Chri t a at The otorpoint rena with riff

Having a Great Gatsby Ball with Lee Gilbert

Air time with David Mahoney and Connie Fisher at Radio Cardiff

Rhys Jones and X Factor’s Matt Terry. There’s even more the arts scene is gifting us including New Theatre’s panto Cinderella with the gorgeous and funny Gok Wan, and the rousing tale of the French revolution Les Miserables coming to the WMC. Also at the WMC, our good friend David Mahoney of Only Men Aloud fame, put on a fabulous evening alongside the Novello Orchestra. Movie Mixtape featured movie show tunes performed by Welsh stars such as Lucie Jones, Ian H Watkins, Stefan Hughes and was hosted by Connie Fisher. David and Connie came on our Radio Cardiff show ust before hand treated us to a brilliant chat.

We’re already looking forward to David’s next evening celebrating the music of Motown.

One fundraisers that’s been extra specially close to our hearts is The Great Gatsby Ball, down

at The Exchange Hotel. It is beautifully put together by our good friends Beth Clarke and Lee Gilbert to help raise essential money for The Better Life Appeal and Cystic Fibrosis.

And perfect timing: we’re so excited The Ivy has arrived to complement the holly. The Ivy restaurant has come to town. We had the pleasure of attending the media launch party, and what a party it was. Our three favourite Cs were out in force – canapés, cocktails and champagne. There were people dressed in ivy, and playing with fire. t was a proper celebration of Cardiff and summed up everything gorgeous the capital has to offer right now.

To keep up to date with the Radio Cardiff urn a ne follow them on Facebook, Twitter urn a ne and n ta ra w urnandwa ne

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

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ALL WE WANT FOR CHRISMAS IS HERE...

Our last minute Cardiff shopping guide from gift ideas to stocking fillers, and from baubles to crackers

SELECTION OF XMAS DECS, PRICES START FROM £4.95 From Shop Wales, Queens Arcade, 9 St John Street; www.shopwales.co.uk

TREE DECORATIONS

CHRISTMAS VILLAGE COLLECTABLE BAUBLE, £12 From Cath Kidston, 45 The Hayes, St David’s ewi ant; www.cathkid ton.co

FESTIVE BOOZE BALLS, £9.99 ro Not ock ain ind or Terrace enarth; www.notsocksagain.com

WINE GLASS HANGING DECORATION, £4 EACH From Leekes, Cowbridge Road, Talbot Green, ont c un; www. eeke .co.uk

CHRISTMAS PUDDING TREE DECORATION, £10.95 ro od on ark oad Cardiff; www.bodlon.com

WHITE & GOLD CERAMIC ROCKET DECORATION, £6.50 ro i er ona The a e ; www.oliverbonas.com

L’OCCITANE ALMOND BAUBLE GIFT SET, £12 ro centua e e d oad Cardiff; www.e centua .co

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

HARLEQUIN JESTER TREE DECORATION, £9.99 From Hamptons Penarth, 10 Ludlow Lane, enarth; www.ha ton enarth.co.uk

DRAGON CHRISTMAS BAUBLE, £5 ro Nationa u eu Cardiff Catha ark Cardiff; www. u eu .wa e

ROBIN GOCH, £6.25 From Shop Wales, Queens Arcade, 9 St John Street, www.shopwales.co.uk

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

FOODIE TREATS

WELSH LADY LEMON CURD, £2.65 ro Nationa u eu Cardiff Catha ark Cardiff; www. u eu .wa e

MINCE PIE FUDGE, £3.49 From Not Socks Again, 1 Windsor Terrace, Penarth; www.notsocksagain.com

HADLEIGH MAID VEGAN WALNUT WHIPS, £2.99 ro i Ca t e rcade Cardiff; www.simply-v.co.uk

PINKSTER 5CL GIN, £5.99 From Hamptons Penarth, 10 Ludlow Lane, Penarth; www.hamptonspenarth. co.uk

TRADITIONAL CHOCOLATE LOG, PRICES START AT £17 From Cocorico Patisserie, 35 Whitchurch Road, Cardiff; www.cocorico ati erie.co.uk

RUM KUGLE, £1.25, From Brød, 126 Wyndham Crescent; www.thedanishbakery.co.uk

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

WELSHMAN’S CAVIAR, £4.50 From Wally’s Delicatessen, 38-42 Royal rcade Cardiff. www.wa de i.co.uk

BEETROOT AND GARLIC CRACKERS, £2.95 From www.discoverdelicious.wales

GORWYDD CAERPHILLY FROM £5.90 From Madame Fromage, 21 Castle Arcade; www.madamefromage.co.uk

STOCKING FILLERS

STAR WARS DARTH VADER WALL CLOCK, £19.99 ro The Te e i ion and o ie tore t a id Cardiff; www.t norwich.co.uk

LOVE IS LOVE KIDS TEE, £13 ro The Cwtch i e; www.thecwtch i e.co

SAVE MY BAG HANDBAG, £61 tocki t on an or an rcade; www. onian. ho

HUMMINGBIRD BOOKEND, £16 ro od on ark oad Cardiff; www. od on.co

10 MINUTES 38 SECONDS IN THIS STRANGE WORLD BY ELIF SHAFAK, £14.99 ro cta o e t ute treet Cardiff

DIOR DIORIFIC VERNIS NAIL POLISH, £22.50 ro centua e e d oad Cardiff; www.e centua .co

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

ro

ECLIPSE CUFF, £289 nne or an ewe er a er e e treet enarth; www.anne or an.co.uk

RING FOR CHOCOLATE BELL, £4.99 ro Not ock ain ind or Terrace enarth; www.not ock a ain.co

LE TOY VAN WOODEN CAMERA, £14.95 ro arne eau ontcanna ew in oad; www. arne and eau.co

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

FASHION

SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A DIAMOND

You shall go to the ball, so let’s get this party outfit started with the help of designer NATHAN PALMER

T

is the season to get jolly and where we are officially allowed to take sartorial inspiration from gaudy, glittery and golden decorations. In fact if we can hang it in the house, we can appropriate it for party wear because this way you’re guaranteed to light up a room!

Yes, of course you can wheel out the trusty timeless little black dress or find comfort in your slightly flarey but very safe wrap skirt, but let’s add a little drama to the mix. From red ruffles, feathered embellishments, through to rainbow sequins and satin camisoles, the Christmas party season this year will see every kind of high fashion runway style become ready-to-wear. We’ve got you covered, and nothing is off limits.

TOP OF THE TREE Elevate your outfit with an elegant hairstyle to match. Whether you deck your hair with festive accessories, experiment with a modern up-do, look at braids or buns, just experiment because if you can’t have fun right now, you might just forget to do so for another whole year.

Halter Swing Pleated Mini Dress £65, Oliver Bonas

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

IN THE PRESENCE Shop for your new party piece if the mood takes you but don’t forget your dream outfit might just be already under your nose. Take a look at our edit and you’ll probably realise you

already own something similar – dig it out from the back of your closet, turn up a hem, glue on a few sequins and you’ll be good to go with minimum cost and no real fuss. Also don’t forget to trawl the vintage and charity shops for gorgeous little retro bargains, like those found in Sobeys in the Royal Arcade.

TUXE LUXE When the dress code calls for black tie, you’ll need a below-the-knee dress with wow factor. The modern way to work the look is to shrug on a tailored tuxedo over a sequinned slip dress.

Alternatively, take the off-the-shoulder trend into your party repertoire with an intricate lace dress in jewel tones. Top tip by the way – long sleeves balance a shorter hemline. In our opinion, the colourful cocktail mini should actually be an all-year round classic, so it’s worth considering making an investment in a beautiful number right now. Gild the look with metallic accessories and block heels designed for non-stop dancing.

MAKE IT MERRY AND BRIGHT A romantic-style ruffled blouse is an easy go-to for smart dinners, house parties and off-the-cuff cocktails after work. Wear loose over slim-cut trousers with bejewelled flats, or tuck into a high-waisted pencil skirt and finish with slingback heels. The office party is a golden opportunity not to be missed to kiss goodbye to the regulation uniform and showcase some personal style. Choose quirky knits, metallic separates, eye-catching embellishments, whatever floats your boat, just make time to shine.

For more: www.nathanpalmer.co.uk

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SHOPPING LIST

6

1. Ostia one shoulder cocktail dress in emerald, £185, from Reiss, 35 The Hayes, Cardiff 2. Luisa Cerano sequinned red dress, £399, stockists Sebry R, 19-21 Morgan Arcade, Cardiff 3. Gold leather flower headband £120 and jade gemstone necklace £32; www.clairehilldesigns.co.uk 4. Frill shirt flower, £620, from Vivienne Westwood, 55-57 The Hayes, Cardiff 5. Satin pleated wrap skirt, £59.50, from Oliver Bonas, 37 The Hayes, Cardiff 6. Silk-trimmed wool blendblazer, £250, from Reiss 7. Laine Specchio snakeskin pump, £690 from Michael Kors, 19 Grand Arcade, Cardiff 8. Luisa Cerano camisole, £169, stockists Sebry R. 9. White gold, emerald and diamond bracelet, £3,520, from Laings, 27 The Hayes, Cardiff 10. Johanna bum bag in gold, £210, from Vivienne Westwood

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

Fr NE ee W ha YE Ja ir nu tr AR *o ar ea , n y tm N m en ap en EW po t tio Y n i w of ntm ith OU th en ev is ad t ery

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It is important to Yume that at the end of each visit you are completely happy with the way you look and the way you feel. As Yume evolves with the industry trends we shall continue to educate and share knowledge, innovation and creativity so that you our client evolve with us, with new possibilities and above all a new you!

With in-salon teachers and assessors delivering weekly sessions, external Wella educators delivering hair workshops, and courses at our affiliated Wella Colour Studios in London and Manchester - Yume prides itself on investing in people, to ensure a unique blend of up-to-date, creative expertise and professionalism, with a relaxing, friendly approach.

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MAKING SPIRITS BRIGHT

Feast your mince pies on our guide to the best menus and venues to choose from this Christmas and New Year

By John Mather

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

FOOD & DRINK eaney’s ethos that the staff are in ol ed in everything they do there, including holding a staff Christmas party with drin s and nibbles, so everyone gets to party around the tree and enjoy the decorations.

Talk turkey to me: The menu changes on a daily basis to run alongside the changing seasons, and although they don’t do your usual tur ey roast dinner, there will be plenty of surprise seasonal treats.

Toasting in the season: eaney’s will be eeping the drin s celebratory and special.

They ha e a few magical coc tails up their sleeve. These include last year’s crowd pleaser, The Crimson ady, which is a gin and mulled wine combination, plus ma ing its debut and a staff fa ourite, is the ingerbread hite Russian.

W

hether it’s a few close work friends for a Yuletide tipple or a New Year knees-up with your nearest and dearest, we’ve turned Santa’s little helper and talk turkey, tinsel and the spirit of New ear’s e with a few of our fa ourite Cardiff wining, dining and drinking spots.

PARK PLAZA HOTEL

OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP: ; You’ll find glittery reindeer galloping

over the Park Plaza Laguna bar; OPPOSITE PAGE, BOTTOM: Bar 44 offer a range of festive cocktails; ABOVE, TOP: Heaney’s and the joint will be jumping with live music; ABOVE: Say cheers to a Carribbean Christmas at Turtle Bay Cardiff

Greyfriars Road, Cardiff. tel: 029 2011 1111; www.parkplazacardiff.com The weather outside is frightful: But the fire is so delightful at ar la a they ha e real fires in the lobby. nd as ather Christmas said to rs Christmas when he loo ed out of the window, it looks like rain dear. Glittery reindeer in this instance which will be adorning the hotel’s aguna bar.

If good King Wenceslas looked out what would he see?: The iews from the bar and

restaurant are of Cardiff’s spar ling Christmas lights and the ama ing inter onderland.

Talk turkey to me: There’s anta macaroons, roast tur ey and all the trimmings, white chocolate and raspberry cheeseca e, roasted butternut s uash and lentil hot pot.

Get us in the Christmas spirit: Try one of their newly launched Christmas coc tails which includes The ingerbread ld ashioned made with brown sugar syrup, orange bitters, angostura bitters, acardi carta negra rum, gingerbread li ueur, slice of orange, and topped with gingerbread crumble.

eane taff favourite is the Gingerbread White Russian”

HEANEY’S

6-10 Romilly Crescent, Cardiff. tel: 029 2034 1264; www.heaneyscardiff.co.uk Jingle bells: They lo e to ha e li e music at the restaurant to deliver that sense of Christmas celebration. They will also be holding a few festi e music sessions next door at Uisce.

Rocking around the Christmas Tree: It’s the

BAR 44

Castle Quarter Arcades, 15-23 Westgate St, Cardiff. tel: 0333 344 4049; www.bar44.co.uk Oh come all ye faithful: t ar it is all about the ambience, good food and wine they say they offer a panish twist on the traditional festive fare.”

What’s on the juke box?: n eclectic mix of panish and ritish Christmas tunes.

Festive feasting: Throughout ecember there are two menus to choose from a tapas feast and a Spanish sharing roast platter which includes day dry-aged sirloin of beef, cecina Yorkshire pudding, overnight roast sidra pork belly and morcilla. elicious.

Serving Christmas cheer: ar ’s ery own Christmas pudding gin is a winter wonderland winner and is infused with herry, orange and cinnamon. Can be sa oured on its own, or as a long sipper with a meal.

TURTLE BAY CARDIFF

114-116 St Mary St, Cardiff. tel: 029 2034 2006; www.turtlebay.co.uk Simply having a wonderful reggae time:

The uni ue Turtle ay d cor, which promises to be filled with the warmth and ibrancy of the Caribbean brings the feel-good party ibes, alongside the best reggae beats.

Festive feasting: They’ll be deli ering fla ours that match the intensity of the tropical sun. Two exclusi e Caribbean Christmas menus combine the punchiest spices and the freshest ingredients for serious deliciousness.

They say, Thin Caribbean street-food fa ourites, exclusi e festi e fla ours to warm the soul and all-out indulgent desserts.”

Talk turtle to me: Indulge in a selection of Caribbean dishes with a seasonal twist, such as berry er wings, curried goat, chestnut and roasted s uash curry, and a rum soa ed Christmas pudding. egan options include sweetcorn fritters, sweet berry er tofu and a chilli chocolate brownie, ser ed with egan chocolate ice cream.

Cheers to 2020: Toast in the New Year with no- ito, a festi e twist on the mo ito

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

FOOD & DRINK that includes Koko Kanu rum, white rum, coconut milk, coconut syrup, lime and mint.

The Festive Delight, is the perfect dessert cocktail and contains dark rum, Wray & Nephew rum cream, white cacao, coconut milk and strawberry puree. Last but not least is Winter’s A Beach featuring Koko Kanu rum, lime, gomme, and ginger beer.

THE COCONUT TREE CARDIFF

10 Mill ane, Cardiff. tel: 029 2034 3266; www.thecoconut-tree.com Oh come all ye faithful: The pioneering Sri Lankan street food restaurant group will be offering a festi e sharing menu with a south Asian twist all over the Christmas and New Year party season.

Santa goes Sri-Lankan: Their islandinspired festive specialty dishes include turkey or jackfruit rolls with tangy cranberry sauce, Sri-Lankan-style split sprouts with cashews, and devilled pigs in blankets.

With jingle bells on: Party paper hats all round, and some supper deals includes a shot of Sri Lankan Arrack mulled wine and a square of Christmas pud-cake.

Auld Lang wine: The Coconut Tree’s new sharing ‘cocotail’ the Wild Bling Ting is created with Ceylon Arrack, Mahiki coconut rum, lemon and guava juice; and is topped up with Scavi & Ray prosecco in a glittery bottle which can be kept on the table and topped up at will.

Christmas pudding Sri-Lankan style from The Coconut Tree Cardiff

PREGO CAFÉ AND WINE BAR

23 igh Street, Cardiff. tel: 029 2132 1231; www.pregocardiff.co.uk (turn to page 48 for our restaurant review) Christmas bella bella!: The elegant décor, from the opulent marble bar to the exposed stone interior and the intimate lounge downstairs, makes this a great city centre environment for relaxed drinks, and antipasti over the Christmas and New Year.

Roman holiday: They say, “Christmas in Italy is a magical experience and that the most important date of the whole celebration is Christmas Eve, which is traditionally celebrated with a family meal and fish or seafood as the main dish. easonal menu choices include struffoli, honey-covered dough balls from Naples, cinnamon biscotti and toasted panettone.”

Auld Lang wines: Prego serves the exclusive Sclavia Wine from their family run vineyard in Southern Italy set in the countryside, o erloo ing the malfi Coast.

The spirit of Italy: s the bar staff if they can whip you up a Bombardino.

It is made up of brandy, egg liqueur, whipped cream and cinnamon, and was first created in ombardy and uic ly became the après-ski drink of choice on the finest slopes of taly, and is now guaranteed to find festi e fame in Cardiff. n

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

Make yourserlf at home at Prego

A SELECTION BOX OF A FEW OTHER CRACKERS… THE HEATHCOCK, 58-60 Bridge Street, Cardiff. tel: 029 2115 2290; www.heathcockcardiff.com These guys are proposing we roar into 2020 in the 1920s way by bringing along our feather boas and Dai caps to enjoy their hog roast served in a heated marquee in the garden, accompanied by live music.

KEYIF, 21 Glebe Street, Penarth. tel: 029 2070 2429; www.keyif.co.uk Enjoy platters of Turkish delights gifted in portions fit for the three wise men, and served with a side order of festive fezzes.

LAB 22, Morgan Quarter, 22 Caroline St, Cardiff. tel: 029 2039 9997; www.lab22cardiff.com Expect good cheer in bucketloads from the masters of the cocktail, whose legendary concoctions include the Lion’s Tail, Leave It To Me, and De La Louisiane #4.

TWENTY NINE PARK PLACE, 29 Park Place, Cardiff. tel: 029 2115 7605; www.knifeandforkfood.co.uk Anybody that serves up a clementine, Cointreau and coconut, marshmallow snowball is alright by us.

PREGO CAFÉ AND WINE BAR Sarah Moolla finds great talian wine and a warm elsh welcome at the newly opened city centre wine bar

I

t’s not e ery day you find yourself in a city centre wine bar on a ery rainy, bitterly cold ednesday, sipping delicious wine, en oying the finest bread, cheeses and meats and re uesting songs from a pianist called imon. ut if could ha e a Christmas wish, maybe should wish it could be rego e ery single day. ’d be in ery fine company it seems this new city centre talian wine bar is the wor of Toni enditto, the man responsible for Topo igio, ontana di Tre i, Nightclub and Toni’s ar, all of which garnered respect and loyalty for their ability to host with style. Toni also happens to ha e the support of tereophonics’ elly ones, (pictured opposite, centre, with Toni, right, and ineyard co-owner r ndrea ranito, left) who, let’s be honest, is practically elsh royalty and therefore, the royal decree seems to be we should all Have a Nice Day (and night) at rego

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

elly is an old family friend who wants to support us and oin in with the celebrations, explains Toni, who has been welcoming and entertaining people in the capital for o er years, and is clearly passionate and enthused about his new enture. e says, felt that Cardiff needed something a bit different. hen retired, finally got to see things from a customer point of iew and couldn’t find anywhere to really relax and en oy drin s with some food and a genuine warm welcome with a truly customer-focussed ser ice.

The city centre has been in desperate need of a cosmopolitan drin ing and dining area and there hasn’t really been anywhere since ill ane which became popular o er 2 years ago now. felt a sophisticated wine bar would gi e me the opportunity to bring a piece of my family ineyard, cla ia, in outhern taly, bac o er to Cardiff. e established our family ineyard o er 2 years

RESTAURANT

ago in the Campania region near the malfi Coast and am proud to produce and sell good uality talian wine. rego has an extensi e wine list which, alongside the cla ia wine, offers fantastic prosecco and Champagne. e’re here pre a night out to the Tramshed to see the mighty poet and songwriter ate Tempest, so we’re not loo ing for a full-on meal. e want somewhere fast but still fun and rego is deli ering beautifully. The classy, glassy space is all high mirrored bars, cowhide chairs, and low wooden tables. t feels a little bit ilan, with a touch of s night club in the heart of Cardiff, and combines a sense of fri olity to its grown-up wines.

Normally my dining companion and both lo e a light, fruity red but it’s pretty chilly out there, so on Toni’s recommendation, we go for a ontecardillo made with the allagrello Nero grape. should mention here, if Toni or one of his lo ely bar staff are around, as them for wine guidance. earing them wax lyrical and tal you through the wines, their origins, the family, the history, the idyllic cla ia ineyard with its 1 acres of ines, cherries and oli es and where e erything is grown, bottled, and labelled in this same space, is a oy in itself. ur ontecardillo is a deep bloody ruby red with a hea y bac ground of red fruit, figs, raisins, tobacco and trails with notes of anilla and chocolate. t pairs perfectly with our sharing board of antipasti piled high with slices of talian parma and salami, pungent hun s of blue cheese, shards of sharp parmigiana, fat green oli es and crusty cubes of oli e-oiled ciabatta. There was so much, we didn’t actually need the dia ola pi a we ordered as a ust in case but than s to its thin lea ened crust, generous, sweet and spicy tomato base topped with discs of creamy mo arella and fresh basil lea es we manage ust fine. s we head to the Tramshed, rego is filling up fast there are shoppers loo ing for a post-retail reward, friends celebrating a birthday and couples on mid-wee date nights. ach party is welcomed by Toni li e they’re old pals so we can see why rego, which means you’re welcome’ in talian, has been named as such. n

“It feels a little bit Milan, with a touch of 80s night club in the heart o Cardiff DINING DETAILS Prego café and wine bar, 23 High Street, Cardiff. tel: 029 2032 1231; www.pregocardiff.co.uk Opening hours 9am until late – every day Chef Riccardo Chessa Type of food Appetizers, sharing boards, pizza, panini, lasagna, vegetarian cannelloni and a selection of European cake and pastries.

Prices Starters £3.50-£8, mains £4.90-£15, desserts £2.50-£4.50 Covers 60-70 Outdoor space For up to 40 people with a beautiful view of Cardiff Castle to boot.

Drink specialties The Sclavia wine from the family vineyard in Southern Italy, Italian prosecco, and classic Italian liquors. Plus check out the Nutellspressos and the pistachio croissants served with Italian KIMBO coffee.

Private hire The basement wine cellar is available to hire and can hold up to 40 people.

Disability access Yes Atmosphere Perfect for la dolce vita!

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

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Find out what’s cooking with our trio of talented Cardiff-based chefs JOE PROCAK

LAGUNA KITCHEN & BAR PARK PLAZA CARDIFF tel: 029 2011 1103 www.lagunakitchenandbar.com Who inspired you to become a chef?

My mother inspired me to be a chef. I was tied to her apron strings from a young age. She was an outstanding cook – she even sundried her own tomatoes in our garden. Being Italian the kitchen was the hub of the house which meant most of our family time was spent in there.

How would you describe your cooking style?

Modern British with influences of French, Asian and of course Italian.

What is your most recommended dish on the menu?

There are a couple of dishes I really like on the menu at the moment, the crispy pig cheek for starter and the pan seared halibut.

Why eat at Laguna Kitchen?

Come to Laguna for food that has been expertly crafted by a team of gifted and passionate chefs using the best of seasonal locally sourced ingredients. You can find an impeccable level of service and a friendly and welcoming team. We offer an eclectic menu with dishes that will suit all guests that dine with us from the best local venison to the freshest north sea halibut.

What plans are in store for the restaurant?

For the future, it holds no boundaries. We want to keep cooking the finest food that we possibly can. We are always listening to our guests and in a way that lets them help determine our future with their feedback and recommendations.

SAMIR BOUGHLID

PHIL BENSON

LA CUINA tel: 029 2019 0265 www.lacuina.co.uk

CLAYTON HOTEL, CARDIFF tel: 029 2066 8866 www.claytonhotelcardiff.com

What inspired you to become a chef?

I grew up in an environment where the ingredients for our food were always sourced from nature, or in markets nearby where local farmers brought them. I got fired up when I started work in a Michelin star restaurant in Catalonia called Els Casals. They also sourced their products from the land and their own crops. Montserrat at La Cuina always encouraged me to be more hands on.

How would you describe your cooking style?

I was originally born in Morocco, but really grew up in Catalonia and therefore I have learnt the trade there. I love the marriage of both cuisines, which already have a lot in common. Mediterranean cuisine would be the best description for my cooking style.

What is your most recommended dish on the menu?

At this very moment the dish I would recommend would be the salt cod with tomato and raisins. It’s a traditional dish from the Pyrenees and it also combines tastes that are similar to the flavours of my original country. In the past salt cod was only fish you could eat in the mountains and rural areas.

Why eat at La Cuina Restaurant?

If you want to go to the Mediterranean for the evening, just step into La Cuina. It’s full of the best products you will find in Catalunya. We cook simply and let the flavours take full stage.

Our restaurant has a welcoming feel and relaxed atmosphere. It’s a home from home.

What inspired you to become a chef?

While I was in my last year at school I did work experience at a small country house hotel and was offered a kitchen porter role. Every Sunday I would go into their gardens and pick all the herbs and fruits for the Sunday lunch.

I’d then help the chefs prepare for Sunday lunch, and this is when I fell in love with the idea of becoming a professional chef.

How would you describe your cooking style?

Simple, fresh and seasonal, a lot of classical dishes with some modern twists.

What is your most recommended dish on the menu?

It has to be the pan fried fillet of hake, haricot bean and chorizo stew, and the fried calamari and chorizo crumble.

What are your must have larder staples?

The three main ingredients are – good quality produce; hard working, loyal, and happy staff; and cans of Red Bull.

Why eat at the Clayton?

In my mind we are a hidden gem in the city. We promise good hearty home cooked food at extremely reasonable prices with enough choice for everyone.

What plans are in store for the restaurant?

To keep creating fresh seasonal menus, plus are bottomless brunches and afternoon tea range. We also plan to go down the route of doing six course evening taster menus to keep alive the wow factor in our food offerings.

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

LA CUINA Chef Montserrat Prat serves up two Catalunya seasonal favourites

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ontserrat Prat, who gew up in a small village called Montclar in Catalonia, is executive chef and owner of the traditional Catalan restaurant La Cuina at 11 King’s Road. Here she has selected two Christmas dishes from her childhood, allioli de codony – quince alioli, and croquetes de camagroc which are wild mushroom croquettes. She says, “Every year my mother started preparing both dishes in the autumn. Quince allioli was normally made for All Saints’ Day at the beginning of November. The mushroom croquettes depends on the autumn rain, and we would eat these until Christmas.”

ALLIOLI DE CODONY – QUINCE ALIOLI Serves 4

Ingredients

3 quince 3 cloves of garlic 1 pinch of salt 150ml olive oil

Method

1. Peel, core and cut 3 quince into chunks.

2. Boil until soft, drain very well, mash with a fork or potato masher, and let it cool –

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

preferably for a few hours.

3. Peel 3 garlic cloves and crush them.

Add to the quince.

4. Add a pinch of salt and the extra virgin olive oil and mix it all together with a wooden spoon until it emulsifies.

5. It’s a perfect spread for toast, an accompaniment for all kinds of meats, and works beautifully with salt cod.

RECIPE CROQUETES DE CAMAGROC – WILD MUSHROOM CROQUETTES Serves 4

Ingredients

150g butter 1 large onion 2 garlic cloves 100g flour 1 litre boiling milk 300g of rehydrated dried mushrooms 3 pinches of salt, black pepper to taste, and a pinch of nutmeg 300g flour 5 eggs 200g breadcrumbs

Method

1. Fry mushrooms in a pan on strong heat with 50g butter, taking care they don’t burn. Reserve.

2. Fry onion with butter, after 5 minutes add crushed garlic, again taking care that butter doesn’t burn.

3. Once onion and garlic are getting golden add flour and let it get colour but without burning (just cook for a couple of minutes) add salt, pepper and nutmeg.

4. Add very hot milk (almost to boiling point) and stir continuously (virtually like making a bechamel sauce) until it thickens – after 5 minutes add the fried mushrooms and keep stirring until the sauce is thick.

5. Transfer to a container and cover with cling film that touches the top surface to avoid creating a crust. Once cool refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

6. With the cold bechamel mixture form the croquettes to your desired size (50g is a good size), pass them through a bowl of flour, then a bowl with beaten eggs, and finally coat with breadcrumbs.

7. They can be stored in the fridge until you want to eat. Then deep fry for 3-4 minutes and serve piping hot.

For more: La Cuina, 11 King’s Road, Cardiff. tel: 029 2019 0265; www.lacuina.co.uk

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

FOOD & DRINK SNAPSHOTS OF CARDIFF’S FOOD SCENE

THIS SEASON’S STYLE

CHRISTMAS CHEERS DEAN EUDEN gives us the gift of the best locally sourced drinks to accompany your festive feast

hile most people now the big Champagne house names li e ollinger, eu e Clic uot or o t, there is fi and fun to starting your Christmas ay with a lesser nown, but no less complex, Champagne. One such number is Chartogne-Taillet Sainte Anne Brut N.V ( ine ines Direct £29.99) – it’s a family run Champagne house in the illage of erfy, northwest of Reims. The family’s attention to detail is very much evident and the result is a racy, elegant and slightly toasty champagne that, e en at a great price, ery much loo s to the stars.

Traditionally the tur ey is paired with a white urgundy, howe er rules are sometimes meant to be bro en and we’re going for Garo’vin Lunatic 2017 ( rights mporium 2 ) this year. t’s a Chenin lanc from the oire alley, it’s also a natural wine, meaning that it’s made with the least amount of intervention from the winema er, nothing is added or removed. Natural wines often show a greater range of characteristics from the grape, but the unatic shows more of the traditional ualities of Chenin with slightly honeyed notes and a long finish. The wine has been aged on the lees which adds texture and a slightly nutty character.

Now the red Sister Moon, Il Palagio, 2015 ( ally’s i uor Cellar ) from the Tuscan winery of ting and Trudie’s (yes T T ting and Trudie). sually a wine with a celebrity behind the label would be dubious, but the team behind Sister Moon have crafted a classic Tuscan using per cent angio ese, per cent erlot and 1 per cent Cabernet au ignon. t is full bodied but the angio ese lends the wine a freshness that will match the tur ey better than a traditional ordeaux. ots of dar fruit and herbaceous notes gi e ister oon layers of complexity that ha e earned it the respect of many big-name wine critics. ou’ll en oy it, with e ery breath you ta e ean i a Cardiff a ed u ine de e o ent ana er or a o a wine and irit trainin or ani ation Xxxxxx

Brød, the Danish Bakery in Wyndham Crescent, are offering customers the chance to decorate a homemade gingerbread house. They provide the house iced together and you can decorate it on the premises. The cost is £25 per house and includes a hot drink. Booking ahead is essential.

House decoration the Brød way

GIVE A LITTLE

For more: www.thedanishbakery.co.uk

Oasis Cardiff offers refugees a place to eat thanks to Tesco’s food donations

hoppers in Cardiff are being urged to help people in need this Christmas by donating food at Tesco stores as part of the UK’s biggest food collection. asis Cardiff, which wor s closely with asylum see ers and refugees welcomes up to 150 visitors each day. They provide a free, nutritious lunch e ery wee day for those in need, and are among the groups receiving food donations through the scheme this year.

Richard Eynon of asis Cardiff says, e’re extremely grateful for the food donations we recei e from Tesco through the Food Collection scheme.

The centre is a lifeline for our clients

and we’re proud to ha e the opportunity to support them in their time of need. ome ha e ust arri ed in Cardiff whereas others ha e been here for a few years and isit asis to socialise with the many friends they have made here.” or ore www.oa i cardiff.or

COSY UP THIS CHRISTMAS Your cup of tea can do a world of good

Cosy Club Cardiff has launched a Christmas campaign to help combat loneliness. Until 2 ecember, the two sites, one in ills treet and the other in Cardiff ay, will donate 10p from every tea sold to the older people’s support charity, ndependent Age. mber ood, managing director of Cosy Club, says, oneliness is an issue which becomes increasingly apparent o er the festi e period and affects all ages and abilities across the country. e’re thrilled that we’ll be continuing our partnership with ndependent ge and hope that the1 p donation from e ery cup of tea will aid in their fight against loneliness this Christmas.

For more: www.cosyclub.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 51

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Animal magic VALE VETERINARY CENTRE puts your pets at its very heart

V

ale Veterinary Centre is one of the only independent veterinary practices in both the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff. Our Barry practice was opened in 2014 and the Cardiff practice opened in 2018. The owner and head vet Richard Williams BVSc MRCVS recognised a gap in the local community for an independent service and established the practices which have grown in

strength thanks to our loyal clients.

The success of the practices have been underpinned by winning several awards in recent years, including the prestigious Petplan Vet of the Year awarded to Richard in 2016-17.

Richard is keen on keeping the practices up to date with new technologies and therefore the facilities are expanding rapidly.

Advancements include the only locally based laser surgery facility, a new surgical solution that promotes rapid healing and minimal trauma. The laser equipment also extends to physiotherapy treatments, aiding recovery from surgery demonstrating remarkable recovery rates.

We have state of the art operating rooms complemented by the latest digital x-ray and ultrasound equipment, plus on-site pathology equipment that facilitates rapid result turnaround to minimise client waiting time and ensure rapid interventional treatment.

We are a team of friendly professionals who are always on hand to look after our clients and with the 24-hour on-call service accessible to all our

registered clients in the event of an emergency.

Vale Veterinary Centre prides itself on delivering first class care to our clients and their pets. As one of the few Independent vets in the whole of Cardiff and Vale we also offer highly competitive pricing. n

For further info contact us on 01446 739 739 (Barry) or 02920 004 007 (Pontcanna) or visit our website www.valevetcentre.co.uk

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT US ONLINE AT:WWW.VALEVETCENTRE.CO.UK Cardiff: 233 Cathedral Road, Pontcanna, Cardiff, CF11 9PP. E-mail: cardiff@valevetcentre.co.uk | Phone: 02920 004007

Barry: 7/8 Ty Verlon Ind Est, Cardiff Rd, Vale of Glamorgan, CF63 2BE. E-mail: info@valevetcentre.co.uk | Phone: 01446 739739

It’s the city’s business

CARDIFFWORKS Pete Hall and his Visa billboard ad

Being on board

Cardiff gift shop owner is part of Visa’s ‘Show your High Street some love’ campaign

V

isa’s current Christmas TV advert campaign, which has been encouraging the nation to shop locally and features 13 real shopkeepers singing Queen’s Somebody to Love, is also focussing on over 150 independent retailers nationwide, and including them in personalised adverts on prime spot city centre billboards.

One such billboard star is Pete Hall of Halls of landaff, situated on landaff igh treet in Cardiff, whose ad ert is now on display at Cardiff uper otion. eni undy, managing director,

UK & Ireland, Visa explains, “We’re thrilled to put the spotlight on alls of landaff through our Christmas campaign. We want to ensure independent businesses are recognised and visited by their local communities, so we are rallying Cardiff’s shoppers to show their local high street some love this Christmas and beyond.”

Pete, whose unique and unusual gift and card store set up in 1979, says, “We have built up a great customer base over the years and retained our customers as our business evolved from a bookshop to card and gift store. We often

get people calling in just to chat – it’s really important to connect with local people and build a sense of community.

“The Cathedral at the end of the road makes the high street a special place at Christmas as the whole community comes together and the street is lit up in celebration. We’re delighted to be working with Visa on their Christmas campaign and are really excited to see the billboard up in the local town at such a significant time of year. or ore www. ace ook.co www.visa.co.uk

a o

andaff;

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 55

Words by Rachel Jefferies

It’s ice ice, baby

Rebekah learns there’s different ways to earn a crust

THERE’S NO BUSINESS LIKE DOUGH BUSINESS Rebe ah Chatfield managed to pro e her ba ing hobby could become a full-time ob by securing an apprenticeship at r d, the anish ba ery. rod’s founder, etina o bro, too on the 2 -year old, who had ust graduated in marine biology, as an apprentice ba er citing Rebe ah’s enthusiasm for the craft of bread ma ing. s part of her full-time wor placement, Rebe ah will get the chance to isit multiple ba eries including se eral in enmar ’s capital, Copenhagen. he says, had ne er pre iously considered an apprenticeship, but when studying for a ocational

ualification, there is nothing better for gaining experience whilst also learning the necessary s ills. fter completing the Cambrian Training apprenticeship in roficiency in a ing ndustry ills, Rebe ah is now considering a igher pprenticeship in ood anufacturing xcellence. nd the cherry on top of her ba ing success Rebe ah has recently been shortlisted for the pprentice of the ear award at this year’s pprenticeship wards Cymru.

For more: www.thedanishbakery.co.uk

BANG ON TREND ar la a otel is the first hotel in Cardiff to introduce ecofriendly Christmas crac ers to fight against single-use plastic this festi e season. argaret aters, general manager explains, ar la a is committed to reducing the unnecessary consumption of single-use plastic where we can. ur new eco crac ers help us to do ust this, while still pro iding the oyful tradition that people ha e come to expect from our popular Christmas parties.

The crac ers will be made from 1 per cent recycled cardboard and will be recyclable after use.

The crac ers will also contribute to raising funds for The Trussell Trust, supporting food ban s across the .

Park PLaza’s Margaret Water with the new fundraising, eco-friendly crackers

or ore www. ark a acardiff.co

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

MICHELLE’S GONE TO ICELAND a ills member, ichelle unt, recently completed the four-day celand ire ce xpedition, raising o er , for Cancer Research ales. ichelle and her friend, arah Cayton, went through months of committed training to prepare them for tra elling between 1 and 2 m per day during the expedition. e were told the heights we reached were e ui alent to that of two times en an, says ichelle. t was an unforgettable and fantastic thing to do, and, most importantly, a chance to raise money for a ery worthwhile charity which personally is ery close to my heart. ichelle and arah tac led undulating terrains, wal ed o er snow, crossed ri ers, hi ed o er extinct olcanoes and bra ed sleeping in tents during minus 1 C temperatures and raised , 1 in total.

For more: www.savills.co.uk

CARDIFFWORKS

© STUDIO 87

Lisa Tregale

Solicitors CJCH celebrate with their Legal and Financial Cardiff Life Award

I’M DREAMING OF A WINNING CHRISTMAS MOVERS AND SHAKERS ETC A KEY CHANGE IN ORCHESTRA

Lisa Tregale has been appointed director of the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, ma ing her the orchestra’s ery first female director. Lisa is a trained saxophonist and vocalist, and is the current head of Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO Participate). She is recognised within the industry for introducing classical music to all audience ages. www.bbc.co.uk/bbcnow

Nominations are in full flow for the 2 2 Cardiff Life wards and, following a record-brea ing year, organisers are anticipating many of the Cardiff business community putting themsel es forward for the chance to win.

Traditionally, the Awards have sold out many wee s in ad ance, with o er attendees at the event, and dozens more on the waiting list. ntering the Cardiff i e Awards is a super stylish way to show everyone just how your business is a great part of the Cardiff business scene, says Steph Dodd, events director at MediaClash. inning an ward is highly beneficial for company profile, and ser es as great recognition

for teams and individuals who go the extra mile for your company.”

The deserving winners receive coverage in Cardiff i e, a hand-crafted trophy, window stickers to proudly display and two places at a special inners’ inner plus the long-lasting memory of an award-winning moment.

Nominees are encouraged to chec the 12 Top Tips’ and ‘How To Win’ pages on the Awards site, which cover everything from what to include within a nomination to making a strong case that will surely wow the judges. inalists are announced 2 anuary. or ore www.cardi i eaward .co.uk

The Harding Evans team go for gold

SOFTWARE IN THE CITY

Aforza, a new provider of cloud software for the food and drink industry, has recently opened its first research and de elopment lab in Cardiff centre. Nic ales, chief product o cer, belie es for a’s new o ces based in Tramshed Tech will provide research resources to “boost the knowledge economy”. www.aforza.com

CRACKING NEWS!

Cardiff’s award-winning ol Recruitment has appointed a new principle consultant, Daniel Mason, to help reshape the legal sector of its business. With over four years’ experience in legal recruitment and legal practice, Daniel will now be responsible for senior role placements and market development. www.yolkrecruitment.com

GOLD STANDARD ollowing the T Con eyancing wards 2 1 , arding ans olicitors has been recognised for its outstanding customer ser ice. The T wards which identify the best con eyancing firms in the recently took place at the Grosvenor House on Park Lane and were hosted by TV’s Phil Spencer.

Partner and head of conveyancing at yn illiams, says, e are delighted

to be recognised at this year’s T . t is extremely gratifying to win a number of awards that have been judged by our clients. s a firm, we are ery much focused on pro iding a first class ser ice. This is something that we continue to pride ourselves on and receiving these awards is further proof that our excellent conveyancing team continues to deliver on this promise.” or ore www.hardin e an .co

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 57

CARDIFFWORKS

“I DIDN’T GO TO A DENTIST FOR TEN YEARS” We see many phobic clients who may not ha e been for 1 to 2 years, so anytime I see a client overcome their phobia that means so much to us all.

How do you help people with a fear of dentists?

irstly, people who want to be treated as a person not as a set of teeth and who want to be heard.

Our clients want their trip to be about them, even down to little things li e ha ing their choice of music playing when they enter the clinical room. We have a real interest in helping people overcome years of dental phobia, helping them to see it not as a badge of shame, but as a challenge we can help them overcome.

Pontcanna Dental Care

Dental surgeon and clinical director CHARLIE STEPHANAKIS talks phobias, returning to Cardiff, and celebrity smiles Are you originally from Cardiff?

I was born in Port Talbot in a hotel.

My dad was a troubleshooter for large hotel chains so we moved around the UK, moving every two or three years. After going to eight different schools, mo ed bac to ales and Cardiff at the age of 1 attending Llanishen High. I then went to university in Bristol.

So did you come straight back to Cardiff after university and buy the practice?

I had told all my friends I would come bac and buy the dental practice at 1 2 Cathedral Road from Mr David Watson-James (who had an amazing reputation).

But no, I always loved the theatre so decided I’d go to London for a couple of years.

What did you do in London?

wor ed in an exclusi e

est

nd practice where spent 1 years refining smiles of media personalities, celebrities, plus film and theatre royalty.

When did your work with Pontcanna Dental come about?

r ames had it for years, then too o er in 2 . rom the moment I left Wales I felt great hiraeth to be bac , but it too 22 years and a chance meeting at a dinner party with David’s daughter to come home and buy the practice.

How does being in Cardiff benefit your business?

Cardiff is the biggest illage in the world’, so if you are doing something right, word spreads. ord of mouth is one of our ey forms of mar eting, and feel ery luc y and pri ileged when a new patient has been recommended by a client.

Can you give us a recent case study that helps illustrate Pontcanna Dental’s work?

Any regrets? What might you have done differently?

wish had come bac to Cardiff sooner 22 years away was far too long.

Is there someone in business that you admire and have tried to learn from?

My father, who ran hotels, had an incredible aptitude for ma ing people feel special. If you phoned up to reserve a room, you were put through to Mary who did all the boo ings. he would as if you had been before, and if you had, there was a big Rolodex she would refer to and say, “Well, Mr Jones, last time you stayed you had this room number, The Times newspaper deli ered, and brea fast in your room. t wor ed ery well.

Any moment you have been particularly proud of?

Our business is not just about dentistry – an elderly client could no longer dri e from her flat to us, so felt she had lost her freedom and arrived in tears. One of the team new someone who was selling a mobility scooter. Whilst the client was in the chair, the team member contacted her friend and by the end of the appointment we had a solution for our client’s challenge.

What’s the one thing about you that would surprise people?

I didn’t go to a dentist for ten years because I was so afraid, but after seeing a dentist who treated me the way we treat all our clients, I actually decided to not do medicine and become a dentist instead.

For more: Pontcanna Dental Care, Cathedra oad Cardiff C te ; www. ontcannadenta .co.uk

.

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CARDIFFWORKS

CARDIFF LIFE AWARDS 2019

Roath Rocks (Dragged 2 Church) Wayne Courtney, who is one half of Wyburn and Wayne who organise pop up charity events raising money for Cardiff charities, explains how some drag queens came to the aid of a local church and bagsied an Award along the way EVENT WINNER SPONSORED BY When did you and Nathan Wyburn establish Roath Rocks?

Roath Rocks has been going since 2012, and Dragged 2 Church is just a year old.

Tell us a little about how it works, and what is its background?

Roath Rocks is a pop-up event that will support local charities or venues needing help. We were approached

by St Andrew’s Church about helping them fundraise to keep the church open and we suggested holding a drag Christmas show. We knew it could be seen as controversial but didn’t foresee the success it would have.

Drag queens and the church working together sounds like an unlikely combination…

Drag queens and priests have more in common than people realise;

underneath their gowns are usually big hearts, only one wears heels and the other sensible shoes, (well, we think so anyway…)

our city is and how we can all work together. Ours is an inspirational story.

We had no money to start – only a determination to help others.

What prompted you to enter the Awards? Have you done similar before?

“WITH ENOUGH PASSION AND A TOUCH OF FABULOUSNESS, YOU CAN GET ANYTHING DONE”

No, we’ve never entered any sort of awards before, we just hoped to be shortlisted and make the most of the nomination. We just wanted all the people that worked on Dragged 2 Church to feel proud, and it wasn’t even really about the wining. That was just a wonderful unexpected bonus.

How did you celebrate your win?

We are still celebrating! Everywhere we went afterwards people kept buying us drinks. It was a proper underdogs’ story of success.

What do you think it is about Roath Rocks that helped secure the Cardiff Life Award win?

It brought communities together for a good cause and showed how diverse

Has your work since come to the attention of other business and organisations?

What does winning the Award means to you, and the team?

It’s meant everything to us, it’s inspired the volunteers to continue the work and help others. We know that lots of people took notice of us after winning the Award and more donations were made to our fundraising. It’s been a fantastic accolade for the whole team which brought much pride.

How has Roath Rocks continued with its good deeds?

split the money between the church and local charities. We’ve recently held a Divas’ Night at the church splitting proceeds with the NHS Health Charity. People sometimes think fundraising can be boring but with us that’s really not the case.

We now hold regular fundraisers and

Since all the publicity and winning the Award, we have teamed up with rock bands and other drag acts for more events. Plus, the church was granted £12,000 to continue repair work as it was finally and properly recognised as a community venue and not just a place of faith.

What would you say is the Roath Rocks mantra?

We believe with enough passion, and a touch of fabulousness, you can get anything done.

What is the one standout Roath Rocks moment for you so far?

Turning up at the Awards with a priest and two drag queens was a pretty awesome moment.

© STUDIO 87

Any upcoming events coming up we can look out for?

St Andrew’s is hosting a Dragged 2 Church event on 10 December.

There’s loads going on including performances from Connie rff, Dixie Normous, Aunty da’s holding a ra e, and it’ll be hosted by Dr Bev. Myself and Nathan will be there and there’s prizes for the best-dressed audience members.

LEFT TO RIGHT: Dixie Normous, Nathan Wyburn,

Des Kitto, Rob Keetch, Wayne Courtney, Angela Gretch and Joanna Bumme

For more: www.facebook. com/RoathRocks

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Pradip Kotecha - Photographer 07811 820189 | www.pkphotoart.co.uk pk@pkphotoart.co.uk | Newport, Gwent, South Wales

Covering all photography including: Maternity and Newborn Babies, Toddlers and Children, Families, Events and Parties, Headshots, Commercial, Property, PR, Pets, Golf and Landscapes

OFFICIAL AWARDS REVIEW

CARDIFF PROPERTY AWARDS

CARDIFF PROPERTY AWARDS © NICK FOWLER

PROPER JOB The first-e er Cardiff roperty wards were a resounding success and in case you missed it (how why ) we’ e put together this special Cardiff roperty wards re iew

A

round midday on Friday 8 November, of Cardiff’s finest and seemingly noisiest property people descended on The xchange otel to tal and engage and discuss and discourse, opine, negotiate, gossip all aided by a dapper disputation of lawyers.

These were the first Cardiff roperty wards. hen so many contribute, so many benefit. nd when so many come together in one place to celebrate excellence, then good things can happen. wards were won, of course. onderful ones. aannnddd intros happened, ac uaintances made, ob offers offered, deals discussed, partnerships sounded out. n short, business happened. t was thrilling to see the array of participants, from the coolest of the city’s indies to the largest of the sector’s corporates from local to regional to national and e en, as befitting a capital city, international. The sector was

celebrated, enerated. This was the chance to say that Cardiff property matters commercially, practically, aesthetically. e than all our sponsors, partners and finalists for bac ing the inaugural wards, enabling this occasion to happen. articular than s to our sponsors from the inner of inners sponsor The andsite to our category sponsors ndrew cott, la e organ, Cardiff i e, odge an , otel ndigo, elf, aramount, Regus, a ills, T R egal and aterstone omes. e hope you got alue out of the e ent and its mar eting and that you’ll be pleased to now we ha e plans for it to be yet more impactful in 2 2 . n the following pages you will see examples of ust some of the co erage and profile recei ed through your support of the wards. o next time.. t’ll be a riday again, in No ember. lease oin us again for the splendid hubbub of business, and singular eneration of this incredible sector.

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CATEGORY WINNERS Photos by PK Photo Art

ARCHITECT Sponsored by

WINNER:

RIO ARCHITECTS

CIVIC DEVELOPMENT

WINNER:

COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT

WINNER:

COMMERCIAL AGENT

WINNER:

COOKE & ARKWRIGHT

Sponsored by

COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGNER

WINNER:

CONSULTANCY

Sponsored by

POWELL

BBC BUILDING BY RIGHTACRES/FOSTER + PARTNERS/LEGAL & GENERAL

CAPITAL QUARTER

BY JR SMART AND M2M ARCHITECTS

WINNER:

CURTINS www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 69

CARDIFF PROPERTY AWARDS

CONTRACTOR Sponsored by

WINNER:

TROJAN GROUP

DEVELOPER

WINNER:

RIGHTACRES

Sponsored by

FINANCIAL

Sponsored by

WINNER:

HODGE COMMERCIAL LENDING

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

DEAL

Sponsored by

WINNER:

THE INTERCHANGE BY RIGHTACRES REPRESENTED

BY ACUITY LAW

EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR

LEGAL

Sponsored by

WINNER:

HYDROCK

WINNER:

ACUITY LAW

CARDIFF PROPERTY AWARDS

ONE TO WATCH

WINNER:

PARK LANE APARTHOTEL

BY A SPACE IN THE CITY

RESIDENTIAL INTERIOR DESIGNER Sponsored by

SUPPLIERS AND SERVICES

WINNER:

DI ORO INTERIORS

JOINT WINNER:

ANTEA PHOTOGRAPHY

RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

WINNER:

RESIDENTIAL SALES AGENT

WINNER:

Sponsored by

BRICKWORKS BY PORTABELLA

SAVILLS

JOINT WINNER:

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

CARDIFF PROPERTY AWARDS

TRANSFORMATION

WINNER:

INCOPRO

BY DOWNS MERRIFIELD

WINNER OF WINNERS Sponsored by

WINNER:

CENTRAL SQUARE

THE FINALISTS ARCHITECT Sponsored by Savills Atkins Gaunt Francis HLM Architects M2M Architects Powell Dobson Architects Rio Architects Stride Treglown

Rightacres and Legal & General Incopro by Downs Merrifield

CIVIC DEVELOPMENT BBC Building by Rightacres / Foster + Partners / Legal & General Cardiff West High School

by Rhomco Eastern Community Campus by Powell Dobson Maelfa Towers by Atkins

CONSULTANCY Atkins Blake Morgan Curtins Rhomco Consulting Savills Energy Vale Consultancy

COMMERCIAL AGENT Sponsored by Regus Cooke & Arkwright Knight Frank Savills COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT Sponsored by Hodge Bank Capital Quarter by JR Smart and M2M Architects Central Square by

COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGNER Cargo Interiors Paramount Interiors Powell

CONTRACTOR Sponsored by Jelf Clockwork MY Wood Designs Trojan Group W2Construction DEAL Sponsored by Paramount Interiors Fonmon Castle and Estate by Savills Hodge Bank – Portabella The Interchange by Rightacres represented

by Acuity Law Student Living by James Douglas

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

DEVELOPER Sponsored by Andrew Scott Charles James Developments & Interiors Portabella Project 3 Developments Rightacres Redrow Homes – South Wales division EMPLOYER OF THE YEAR Curtins Greenaway Scott HLM Architects Hodge Bank Hydrock Redrow Homes – South Wales division W2Construction FINANCIAL Sponsored by Waterstone Homes Hodge Commercial Lending Principality Commercial Pure Commercial Finance LEGAL Sponsored by TSR Legal Recruitment Acuity Law Blake Morgan

Clarke Willmott Greenaway Scott HCB Solicitors Martyn Prowel Robertsons Solicitors

RESIDENTIAL SALES AGENT Edwards and Co Savills Watts and Morgan

ONE TO WATCH Cargo Interiors Hello Ted by Moginie James Park Lane Aparthotel by a Space in the City

SUPPLIERS AND SERVICES Antea Photography Jelf Hello Ted by Moginie James Savills Energy Tidy Studio

RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT Sponsored by Blake Morgan Brickworks by Portabella Charles James Developments & Interiors Former HSBC, 97-100 Bute Street by Vale Consultancy Mill Canton Cardiff by Powell Dobson Moorwell, Penarth by Project 3 Developments Usk Field by Waterstone Homes RESIDENTIAL INTERIOR DESIGNER Di Oro Interiors Louise Misell Interiors Ongl Portabella

TRANSFORMATION 23 Womanby Street by Powell Central Square by Rightacres and Legal & General Hensol Castle by Vale Consultancy Incopro by Downs Merrfield Maelfa Tower by Atkins

THE CARDIFF PROPERTY AWARDS JUDGES Here are our impeccably independent judges, who were solely responsible for deciding all the winners. Huge thanks to them for giving up their time to go through all the finalists’ nominations

ANDY SMITH Group director of business development, Midas

CERI HILL Owner, Chalkhouse Interiors

CAROLYN MERRIFIELD President, RSAW and partner, Downs Merrifield Architects JANE SHANKLAND Director, Cooke & Arkwright

JIM BROOK Head of relationship team, Principality

MATT PHILLIPS Partner, Knight Frank

JULIET GAMLIN Principal officer, Invest in Cardiff

PETER HURN Head of property, Hugh James

CARDIFF PROPERTY AWARDS

THE SPONSORS

Than you to all our sponsors. The first-e er Cardiff roperty wards recei ed unprecedented support, and we’re ery grateful that so many leading companies chose to be a part of this singular celebration To each: thank you. CATEGORY SPONSORS:

“Say goodbye to living out of a suitcase, overpriced minibars, unreliable broadband, extortionate meeting room hire and hotel restaurant dinning at a table for one” Park Lane Aparthotel is designed for you to live like a local, work and meet like minded professionals all under one roof. The development comprises of stylish studio, one and two bedroom apartments offering all the comforts of home in a premium modern environment with social spaces to connect with others.

Meetspace – a brand new technology-enriched coworking and meeting space, making it ideal for anyone seeking the ultimate work-life convenience.

Having an established relationship with Fastnet Property Investments Ltd (former Charnwood Estates) has enabled us to successfully launch Cardiff’s first aparthotel. The serviced apartment industry is rapidly expanding, as more travellers, both business and leisure, recognise the benefits of this dynamic sector. Due to the continued success we are now looking for new opportunities for growth, we always to look to create and forge long lasting relationships with property developers utilizing our unique business offering to expand the variety of accommodation offering.

- Cardiff Property Awards Winners’ review

SNAPPED M A N Y T H A N K S TO O U R PH OTO G R A PH E R S FO R C A P T U R I N G A LL T H E AC T I O N O N T H E DAY Joanne Bainton and Chris Charlton

Graham Screen and Ceri Hill Shaun Pritchard

SarahConsulting Ellen-Stacey MDA

Alice Bradshaw-Smith Louise Attwood, Kathryn Williams and Gemma Clissett

John Ryder, Dominic Letts and Carys Richards Mark Summers and Damien Cann

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

CARDIFF PROPERTY AWARDS

PHOTOS BY NICK FOWLER

Tudor Butler, Michael Chichester and Robert Chichester

Cem Kosaner and Neil Buckman

Leanne Rudman, Aled Thomas, Tom Young, David Loosemore and Peter Reilly

Eloise Hamer, Joe Catris and Rhys Perkins Owen Griffiths

Emma Gilroy and Sarah Davies

Cllr Peter Wong

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PHOTOS BY NICK FOWLER

Stephanie Wilson

Luke Egan

Esther Milardi

Juliet Gamlin Ben Thompson, Paul McCarthy and Ramsey Assal

Cllr. Peter Wong

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

Carolyn Merrifield, Chris Hine, and Lynda Rees

CARDIFF PROPERTY AWARDS

PHOTOS BY PK PHOTO ART

Stephen Widnall and Caroline O’Flaherty

Laura Wathan and Karen McGrath

Lee Protheroe, Mike Dacey, Paul McCarthy, Huw Jones and Nicola Crocker Anna Kuzniar, David Bradberry and Ruth McKribbin

Neil Buckman, Ann Jones, Matt Ace and Gareth Woodfin

Jane Blake-Wright, Kathryn Kenning and Sarah Durack Nic Downs, Lynda Rees, Anna Davitt, Richard Hyett and Tina Price

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PROPERTY

GRAIG GOCH Elsie Chadwick finds a is ane home with mo ie star loo s set in 1 acres of beautiful grounds

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

T

here are homes that usually belong on film sets or a glossy mini-series featuring Reece itherspoon and other such shiny-haired, perfect people. The home is usually white, structured on many layers, oo es a ollywood style that is refined and elegant and not tac y or tawdry or tinselly. t’s simply class. e seem to ha e found such a house, ust fi e miles from the centre of Cardiff, in the middle of is ane. raig och on Rudry Road is a long, ranch-li e six-bedroom home set in the middle of 1 acres of undulating green countryside, flan ed by mature woodland, gra ing paddoc s and bordered by natural hedgerow with access from its own pri ate gateway. The

two storeys gaze out over the horizon and, on a clear day, the view extends across the Bristol Channel to the islands of Flat Holm and Steep Holm and on to the coast line of England, while an upward glance reveals uninterrupted views of the heavens spinning on forever.

Built in 2008, Graig Goch embraces its contemporary birth with a structure that is modernist, almost cubist, in style. Comprising three structures under one roof, that cover 5,000sqft, you can tell that, for the architect and those who commissioned them 11 years ago, this is a real celebration of not just the home, but its surrounds.

It’s not just the front and rear of the property that are strikingly good-looking; the sides of the house boast their own merits, with those far-reaching views wrapped around the property. The substantial front lawn stretches out below a large decked area, making it the perfect spot to relax and unwind whilst absorbing the breathtaking panaroma of Cardiff. ery ground floor room at this side of the property, including two en suite bedrooms, has

double or triple doors leading out to the lawn, and those enchanting views, outside.

Inside, the house does not disappoint on any level, keeping those glossy good looks all the way through.

Finished and equipped to the highest standards, it comprises a dramatic double-height entrance hall, spacious kitchen/breakfast room, further reception room leading off from the itchen, additional sitting room, gym and utility room.

There’s a feeling that all light and space has been utilised, with a glass, mezzanine-style landing which leads up to the six luxe bedrooms. The extensive master bedroom suite has a generous en suite and two dressing rooms, three further large en suite bedrooms, with the two remaining double bedrooms sharing a doublesinked, generously sized bathroom.

This is a home designed like a movie-star style set, and guaranteed to make you feel like a star every time you make your grand entrance. n

HOUSE NUMBERS Square feet 5,000 Acres 10 Bedrooms 6 Bathrooms 4 Guide price £2.3 million For more: Jeffrey Ross, 233 Cathedral Road, Pontcanna, Cardiff; tel: 029 2243 0293; www.jeffreyross.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk I CARDIFF LIFE I 87

www.pablack.co.uk Prestige homes from Peter Alan

Pantmawr Road, Rhiwbina ÂŁ600,000 EPC = D pa black Whitchurch 02920 612328

Deceptively capacious detached double fronted five bedroom family home with outlooks across tree lined whitchurch golf course. Stunning landscaped front and rear gardens, charming sun terrace with pergola, large summer house, block paved private entrance drive with space for parking six cars plus a large 20ft over sized garage, impressive versatile living space including 16 ft lounge, 15ft sitting room, stylish kitchen & breakfast room, utility room, fully improved throughout circa 2008, 20 ft garage. Accomodation to suite a growing family and available with no chain! Must be seen!

www.pablack.co.uk Prestige homes from Peter Alan

Vaendre Lane, Old St Mellons ÂŁ625,000 EPC = D pa black Rumney 02920 792888

Executive detached four double bedroom double fronted imposing modern family residence on substantial corner plot, gated entrance, stunning entrance reception hall and gallery landing, down stairs cloak room, 16ft study, 18ft x 15ft lounge, formal dining room, 17ft kitchen breakfast room, further family room with french doors, utility room, three bathrooms two being ensuite, large ensuite dressing room and family bath room. Charming select location comprising detached executive houses, short distance to A48 linking to M4, close to St Johns College. Top of the range former meadgate designed and built residence, must be seen!

CARDIFF LIVES

ar d a d b a ar i i r a a r r i b I’m sure I learnt something from that experience. What, though, I have no idea.

I’m obsessed with Barcelona.

I don’t believe in past lives, but the first time went there at 1 I just felt at home. It felt like me.

I’ve lost count of how many times ’ e been bac since that first visit. I would dearly love to live there for a bit one day.

ELLEN GROVES The co-artistic director of the Likely Story theatre company on how Max Boyce blew her mind and the time she cried in front of Rhys Ifans Ellen studied modern drama at university and then went on to do an MA in acting at East 15. Whilst there she met Hazel Anderson, who is now her co-artistic director at Likely Story. They started off making family theatre with the production Pea in 2008.

They’ve since made many touring shows travelling the length and breadth of Wales taking them to village halls and community centres.

I definitely always wanted to be an actor while I was growing up. Unless you go way

bac to the fi e-year old me who wanted to be a part-time ice cream van worker in Tenby.

I very clearly remember seeing Max Boyce’s pantomime Jack

and the Beanstalk at the New Theatre. I must have been about six. It BLEW MY MIND. It seemed to me that he was having a ball. He was having a great time and so were the audience. It was mesmerising.

I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed so I had to try quite hard to get fairly average grades. Joining in with school

shows was never really my thing as I can act, but I can’t sing and we always ended up doing musicals – not my bag at all.

The worst job I had was a summer of picking ragwort from the sides of dual carriageways from dawn ’til

dusk. I ended up sharing a tiny caravan in the middle of the English countryside somewhere.

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

I managed to shoot bogies out of my nose onto Joseph Fiennes, cried in front of Rhys

Ifans, been incapable of speech at Alan Rickman, told Lin Manuel Miranda I’m an arse, and frea ed out ruff Rhys by begging him to dance with me in Clwb for ach on my 21st birthday. I have worked with Ruth Jones, who was incredible: really generous and supportive.

I’m married to Tom who is a musician and composes a lot

for theatre and circus shows. We live in Tremorfa with our twoyear-old daughter, Peggy and our two cats, Rigby and Prudence.

I have recently become obsessed with stop motion animation. I blew all my

birthday money on plasticine and have built myself a tiny studio. I’m currently working on a music video for my husband.

It stars a plasticine badger.

My co-artistic director Hazel is my biggest inspiration.

Working with her is an absolute adventure. We have worked incredibly hard on looking after our relationship and being kind to ourselves. She’s a wonderful performer and an

absolute dreamboat to run a company with.

The closest I could come to a desert island disc is taking

the entire Super Furry Animals back catalogue with me.

My desert island item is cheese. I couldn’t live without

cheese. I wouldn’t see the point.

I was born in Cardiff and, other than my eight years in London in my twenties,

I’ve lived nowhere else. I may be biased, but I love this city!

I would direct a tourist to the Victorian arcades in the centre of Cardiff, and the market. I love wandering round

them and it’s lush that they have survived and have mostly independent stores in them. So many city centres are carbon copies of each other but I think we’ve got something really special in Cardiff. n

RED is a Likely Story co-production with Wales Millennium Centre and is being performed at Weston Studio from 14 –29 December; www. likelystory.org.uk; www.wmc.org.uk