Exeter Living - Issue 306

As our ebullient front cover suggests, we are now in full celebration mode. Apart from the obvious, what are we raising a toast to in this issue? The reopening of Topsham restaurant

The Galley, for one. The 30-year-old restaurant was one of the casualties of the hospitality crisis, shutting for months when they had no chef. How fantastic it is to see it open once more, full of happy eaters (including us, see page 24 for our review) and with new chef James Checkley at the helm – who’s also currently featuring in MasterChef The Professionals by the way.

For more culinary good news, head to page 22 where our roaming food columnist/ ballet dancer Tara Smith sinks gracefully into bowls of delicious goodness at Exeter’s newest eaterie, Daily Bowl.

or smile in ucin wins of a ifferent kin hea to pa e for our bumper Exeter Property Awards Review which includes full coverage of the event, including all the winners from the day plus the full gallery of celebratory pics.

And then, of course, there is Christmas and our annual support-local-businesses-themed gift guide. We have a gazillion beautiful present ideas, for all budgets, from Exeter’s brilliant independents, starting on page 29.

And if your head and heart has not quite clicked into festive mode yet, ease yourself into it with a glitzy cocktail or fat wedge of cheese courtesy of our ni ht time feature on pa e .

We’ll be back with our second festive issue, out on 9 December, when we’ll be raising a chunky, clinky tumbler of Baileys to celebrate more Exeter heroes.

Cheers!

ABOVE: Powderham Castle, turn to page 10; BELOW: Gin in a tin from Emily Smith Design; Christmas gift guide, turn to page 29

HARRIET NOBLE

Campaign THEATRE FOR ALL

Exeter Northcott Theatre has launched a new stretch goal of gifting 750 tickets for its family Christmas show Robin Hood to children and young people in Devon through its Pay It Forward donation campaign by the end of this year, having reached its initial aim of giving away 500 tickets.

The Northcott’s Pay It Forward campaign, now in its third year, asks audience members to donate towards the cost of a theatre ticket for children and young people who would not otherwise be able to go.

Between January and October this year, 766 people donated £7,392 towards the campaign.

The Northcott collaborates with local charities and community organisations to gift Pay It Forward tickets. The first 500 tickets this year were given through Devon Foster Families, The Helen Foundation, Livewest and Young Devon. The Northcott is reaching out to more organisations to give away an additional 250 tickets by 31 December.

People can donate to the Pay It Forward campaign via www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

Library Lates is just one of the events put on at Exeter Library

Community WELCOMING SPACE

Westbank Community Health and Care, based in Exminster near Exeter, has opened its doors to local people as part of a new initiative to provide a warm and welcoming space to those challenged by the continual rise in the cost of living.

Arts funding THE MIGHTY BOOST

Library services across Devon and Torbay are getting an important funding boost for three years with a £720,369 grant awarded to Libraries Unlimited by Arts Council England.

The grant, which will run from 2023 to 2026, will enable Libraries Unlimited to extend its thriving programme of music, films, workshops and creative events.

Libraries Unlimited is the charity which runs 54 libraries across Devon and Torbay. The award represents a continuation and increase in existing Arts Council funding covering 2019 to 2023 which enabled the charity to create events and creative initiatives.

For the full list of local arts funding announcements, head to page 44. www.librariesunlimited.org.uk

The former Seedlings Café has been transformed into a comfortable, cosy space with a lounge and dining area where people can drop in for something warm to eat and drink and the opportunity to socialise if they wish to. As well as hot drinks, people can help themselves to a free nourishing bowl of soup and stock up on complimentary produce from the food larder and community fridge. There’s also an information hub and from time to time, partner agencies will be on hand to provide support and guidance on managing finances, keeping warm, eating healthily and staying well.

Warmwell at Westbank is open Monday to Friday between 10 am and 4 pm and is staffed by volunteers. Anyone, including members of the Westbank team, is welcome to pop in – for as long or as little as they like.

www.westbank.org.uk

Robin Hood cast: Nick Bunt, Al Dunn, and Matthew Freeman

Christmas FESTIVE SPIRIT

Throughout November and December visitors to Princesshay will be able to get into the festive spirit with magical twinkling lights, the return of Santa’s Lodge and Charity Christmas Trees plus Thursday late night shopping.

New for this year in partnership with Margoux and Exeter City Football Club is The Hub; a family friendly après ski style bar screening the international football with entertainment and activities for all the family outside of the matches.

The Hub will also be serving fired pizzas alongside other Princesshay restaurants who will all be offering a special Hub menu for take away.

Here are the key dates:

The Hub: 17 November 2022 – 1 January

Christmas lights: From 17 November

Charity Christmas Trees: From 17 November

Santa’s Lodge: 26 November – 24 December

Late nights shopping:

The city will be lit up spectacularly on 26 November as the Exeter Carnival makes a triumphant return. Billed as a celebration of Exeter, expect light up acts, carts, floats, and bands in this Christmas Carnival, as well as a very special Jubilation cart.

“The return of Exeter Carnival following 24 years is a historic day for the city and is one we should all celebrate,” says Ann Hunter, manager at InExeter the organisation behind Exeter Carnival.

“We are incredibly proud that the new Exeter Carnival will include the Jubilation Cart that took part in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant parade in London this summer.

Exeter is the only carnival outside Somerset other than the parade in London where the cart can be seen. We feel very privileged to be delivering Exeter Carnival back to the city and for the Jubilation Cart joining us for this momentous day.”

Exeter Carnival will start at 6pm at the bottom of South Street. www.exetercarnival.com

Princesshay is about to get sparkly

OPINION JP HEDGE

around missing out on social media

by the benefits of kicking that moanfest to touch”

Future tense

Permacrisis’ is the Collins dictionary word of the year. Thank you Collins, I was beginning to think it was just me.

This new entry, which hits the nail on the head for most households in the city, efines an e ten e perio of instability an uncertainty. Your basic level of doom.

If we were travelling in a light aircraft, now would be the point to buckle in for a water landing, wishing you had focussed on the safety instructions instead of reading the snack menu.

I hold a politically restricted post, dear reader, so I can’t go anywhere near how or why this period has happened. Nor would I wish to shout at the wind. And I’m a solutions kind of guy where I try to focus on optimism, the art of the possible, cooperation and opportunity.

But I think we are talking about a ‘Wookey Hole’ deep level of uncertainty ahead. The extensive list of things we cherished

and took for granted that are perhaps now broken would make for an exceptional after dinner bingo sheet.

We’d probably need to print it double sided. Presumably everyone could gather around the candle during the blackout to play.

As I am writing this column I see ‘Worst recession for 100 years’ on the front of two national newspapers. Is that even the worst headline we’ve seen over the past couple of months?

The numbness of something like a permacrisis runs the risk of our expectations and hopes for the future getting lowered.

There is absolutely hope. This phase will pass. As a city, this will bring out the best of us.

I know that because I can already see the many, many people who are working so hard to help others in Exeter right now. The charity, faith and volunteer sector, despite itself getting clobbered with cuts, is stepping up in some amazing individual examples.

Taking care of yourself over the coming months is going to be vital to combatting the permacrisis.

If that plane is going down, putting your o y en mask on first an oin some self-care is really the only way to ensure that you ultimately can help others.

Now isn’t the time to skimp on self-care.

fferin nothin more than what works for me, reacting with curiosity really takes the heat out of pessimism. Did they even have calculators when measuring the recession in 1922?

I’ve left Twitter. Any concerns around missing out on social media have been totally warfe by the benefits of kickin that moanfest into touch.

Three years after reading Annie Grace’s The Alcohol Experiment I still don’t drink. Having healthier coping mechanisms was something I wanted to change and this allowed me to do it.

Some weapons grade mindfulness, like box breathing and treating yourself with kindness and compassion have really worked for me.

Check out the Live and Move website if you want to fin some new an often free ways to get moving this winter. Communities are coming together and drawing close around their residents.

And if that doesn’t work, of course the outlook might not be as bad as we fear. The new phrase of the year in 1997 was Millenium Bug. n

Jon-Paul Hedge is a director at Exeter City Council where he currently looks after leisure. He is a former newspaper editor and lives in the city with his wife and two young children; www.exeter.gov.uk

“Concerns

have been dwarfed

What can we do in the face of widespread uncertainty? JP plumps for optimism, opportunity and self-care

WHAT’S ON 18 November onwards

CHRISTMAS EVENTS

Throughout December

CHRISTMAS AT PENNYWELL FARM

Expect Christmas cuddles with the piggies, plus a visit to see Father C himself and the on-site elf, plus a walking nativity journey, tractor rides and mince pies.

Pennywell Farm, Lower Dean, Buckfastleigh; www.pennywellfarm.co.uk

Until 30 December

GLOW AT RHS GARDEN ROSEMOOR

Immerse yourself in light and sound as you see the garden areas, including the lake and woodland, light up the night with festive colour and sparkle. New for 2022, enjoy an enchanting galaxy of giant stars on the stream fiel a tunnel of li hts along the long borders, and the orchard shelter all aglow.

RHS Rosemoor, Torrington; www.rhs.org.uk

Until 2 January

EXETER WINTER WONDERLAND

The Northernhay Gardens attraction will feature an ice rink, Santa’s grotto, rides and attractions, including penguin party dodgems

and a 150-year-old-carousel – and a mini Christmas market. Christmas tipples will be served in the German themed bar; elsewhere foodie offerin s will inclu e ratwurst Sausage, Krakauer, Currywurst and Frankfurters, and hog roasts to tuck into.

Exeter Winter Wonderland, Northernhay Gardens, Exeter; www.exeterwinterwonderland.co.uk

18 November –

18 December

EXETER CATHEDRAL CHRISTMAS MARKET

Over a hundred twinkling festive chalets, local gifts and produce, themed bars, global street food, seasonal entertainment, plus free entry into the awesome Exeter Cathedral.

Exeter Cathedral Christmas Market, Cathedral Green, Exeter; www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk

Throughout November and December

TOPSHAM FESTIVITIES

Head to the town’s Matthews Hall on 25 November at 4.30pm for The i witch n plus entertainment and festive food. That same evening will be the Love Topsham Annual Christmas Market, held in St Margaret’s Church between 5pm and 8.30pm. There’s also Late

Night Shopping on 29 November, and on 14 December the annual Love Topsham Christmas Trail for hil ren kicks off at pm. Throughout Topsham; www.lovetopsham.co.uk

26 November EXETER CARNIVAL, THROUGHOUT EXETER

After 24 years, the Exeter Carnival is making a mighty return to the city. Expect over 130 displays inclu in illuminate oats li ht up acts, masqueraders on foot, bands, majorettes which will also celebrate the Christmas lights and festi ities in the city. t kicks off at 6pm on South Street. Throughout Exeter; www.exetercarnival.co.uk

1– 3 December, BUCKFAST ABBEY CHRISTMAS MARKET

n epen ent stalls offerin everything from food to gifts handmade by local crafters. Visitors will have the opportunity to explore the Abbey’s stunning grounds and the Abbey will be holding a festive programme of music on the Saturday evening featuring Exeter Chamber Choir. Buckfast Abbey, Buckfastleigh; www.buckfast.org.uk

1 – 31 December

CHRISTMAS AT THE CASTLE, POWDERHAM CASTLE

Explore the magic of the grounds in the evening light walk and Christmas trail. Head inside the Christmas barn for food, drinks and games, venture into the magical Christmas grotto, and take a ride on the The Exmouth Miniature Railway which will be running every day and evening. Powderham Castle, near Exeter; www.powderham.co.uk

3 December CHRISTMAS FAIR ON MAGDALEN ROAD

St Leonards Association brings back the annual festive fair which will feature 50-odd stalls selling food and drink, live entertainment and general festive jollity.

Christmas Fair, Magdalen Road; Exeter; www.slna.org.uk

3 – 4 December

WONDERWORKS CONTEMPORARY

CRAFT FAIR, CHAGFORD

The festive fair will feature ceramics, jewellery, toys, textiles and art. Food will be provided throughout the weekend by the Chagford-based Wild Dartmoor Kitchen.

Wonderworks Craft Fair, Jubilee Hall,Chagford; www.wonderworkscontemporarycraft.com

Powderham Castle, all lit up

6, 13, 20 December

TOTNES CHRISTMAS MARKETS AND LATE NIGHT SHOPPING

The whole town will be getting into the festive spirit with entertainment, good food and drink, gnomes, fairy lights, artisan shopping and much more. Expect over 70+ local artisan stalls in the Christmas markets. All through Totnes; www.visittotnes.co.uk

9 – 18 December

CONNAUGHT@CHRISTMAS

Walk through an enchanted illuminated trail in the gardens high on the clifftops where you’ll enjoy glowing domes, colour changing lights and for a proper wow factor spectacle, both beaches at Jacob’s Ladder and the town-side beach will be bathed in projected colours. Open daily at 4.30pm with last entrance at 8pm.

Connaught@Christmas, Connaught Gardens in Sidmouth; www.connaught-at-christmas.co.uk

THEATRE

20 November

SH*T FACED

SHAKESPEARE: MACBETH

The smash-hit, internationally acclaimed phenomenon showcases a hilarious combination of an entirely serious adaptation of a Shakespearean classic, with an entirely squiffy cast member.

With one cast member selected at random and given four hours to drink before every show this is classical theatre like you’ve never seen before.

Exeter Corn Exchange, Market Street; www.exetercornexchange.co.uk

22 – 26 November

SHREK THE MUSICAL

Exeter Musical Society will be performing the Tony Awardwinning fairy tale adventure bringing all the beloved characters you know from the film to life on stage, and proving there’s more to the story than meets the ears.

Exeter Northcott Theatre, Stocker Road; www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

9 December – 7 January

ROBIN HOOD

Exeter Northcott and Le Navet Bete are joining forces to bring you all the festive fun of panto, with Le Navet Bete’s trademark madcap comedy, stunning sets and costumes, music and dance – this is going to be a great family outing.

Exeter Northcott, Stocker Road; www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

11 December

DICK WHITTINGTON

Join Dick Whittington and his faithful feline friend Tommy are on their quest to seek fame and fortune in the city of London, where the streets are paved with gold and the

evil Ratty dwells.

Exeter Northcott, Stocker Road; www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

COMEDY

19

November

THE COMEDY STORE EXETER

The Comedy Store is renowned as a breeding ground for new comedy talent and remains the place to see tomorrow’s stars today. This comedy line-up includes Markus Birdman, Harry Stachini, and Danny Deegan. Barnfield Theatre, Barnfield Road; www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

21 December

LIVE AT CHRISTMAS

Legendary BAFTA and Perrier award winning comedian Dylan Moran headlines this year’s incredible Live at Christmas line-up, with laughs also coming from breakout Taskmaster star Mike Wozniak, the one and only Lou Sanders. Exeter Northcott, Stocker Road; www.exeternorthcott.co.uk

MUSIC

26 November

THE SHOWHAWK DUO

Young British guitarists Mikhail Asanovic and Jake Wright dazzle audiences

WHAT’S ON

worldwide with their spectacular approach to playing the guitar, breaking down barriers between acoustic and electronic music.

Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street; www.exeterphoenix.org.uk

9, 11, 12 December

CHRISTMAS WITH THE CATHEDRAL CHOIR

Exeter Cathedral’s renowned choir returns for the most popular Christmas carol concerts of the year. See page 66 for an interview with a chorister.

Exeter Cathedral, Cathedral Green; www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk

10 December

THE BIG CHRISTMAS PARTY AT EXETER CORN EXCHANGE

Superstition, the amazing sevenpiece band will be playing the ultimate party set from Stevie Wonder to Queen, and Michael Jackson to Whitney Huston.The bar will open throughout and pizzas are available by pre-order. Everyone gets a seat at a table, and private tables are reserved for parties of four or more.

Exeter Corn Exchange, Market Street; www.exetercornexchange.co.uk

OTHER 20 November

THE BOOK MARKET

Exeter UNESCO City of Literature will be hosting this event which will see a whole host of independent bookshops from across Devon descend on the city. Expect a range of activities from a drop-in bibliotherapy to reading nooks and vintage typewriters; it’ll be the perfect festive treat for all book lovers. Positive Light Projects, 184-187 Sidwell Street; www.exetercityofliterature.com

26 November

THE GREAT BIG FASHION SHOW AND DESIGNER FABRIC SALE

Devon jazz singer, songwriter and dress designer Nathalie Andrews is holding a fashion show and fabric sale during Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month to kickstart her legacy project to help young musicians. Since her recent cancer diagnosis, Nathalie is helping to raise funds for music lessons for children whose families may not be in a position to pay for them.

Gordon Messenger Centre at Lympstone: facebook.com/NathalieMusicTrust

www.mediaclash.co.uk

Glow at RHS Rosemoor

©

NIGHT-TIME IN THE CITY

Tis the season to party! Harriet Noble leaps aboard the polar express and makes straight for the cocktail carriage, stopping off at the odd cheese board and supper club along the way…

Chocolate orange negroni from Cosy Club

POP UP DINNERS, WINE AND CHEESE

Fore Street’s wine, cider and cheese shop Pullo runs exciting food and drink events and this festive season is no exception. They’ll be hosting a pop up dinner with chef Sam Lomas from boutique guesthouse and restaurant Glebe House on 23 November. Sam began his career with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at River Cottage where he developed his passion for farm-to-table cooking and this year saw Sam become the youn est chef to reach the finals of ’s Great British Menu! £39.50 will cover all food for the evening and a welcome drink.

Also from Pullo is a cheese, wine and book launch all rolled into one on 1 December. The book in question is A Portrait of British Cheese, by n us . ir itt an it celebrates the e cellence of artisan an farmhouse cheese in the ritish sles e pressin it as a pro uct of the lan its animals an its people an offerin a snapshot of rural life traditions and delicious dishes.

ou’ll be tastin your way throu h three ritish cheeses with paire drinks by Pullo, plus hearing from the author, and you’ll be able to pick up the book while you’re there. Tickets are £25 per person.

SPECIAL OCCASION KIND OF NIGHT

f you want to really treat yourself or a pal early hristmas present perhaps then head to Christmas with Caines on 7 December for a full gala dinner with Michael Caines as your host. You’ll arrive at a fully festive Lympstone Manor at . pm for fi an canap s followe by a astronomic e perience in the form of a six-course tasting menu accompanied by a matched wine, carefully chosen to complement and enhance each dish. Michael will be introducing each course and revealing the stories behind the recipes and creation of the dishes. Steve Edwards, the on-site wine expert will be intro ucin the i ht of matche wines that he has specially selecte from Lympstone Manor’s fabulous 600-bin cellar. Tickets cost £365 per person.

AND ALL THAT JAZZ

e’re reamin of a white hristmas to be specific a ew ork WhenHarry-Meets-Sally type of Christmas and for that we’re going to need a bit of ja . e lo e isitin sin er an all roun soulful le en ar in uonek who’ll be singing at Artigiano on 21 November and 5 December, and at Lloyds Lounge on 15 December.

Festive Lympstone Manor

Spiced Chai Espresso Martini from The Botanist

YOU HAVE BEEN READING

Pullo

137 Fore Street, Exeter; www.pullo.shop

Lympstone Manor

Courtlands Lane, Exmouth; www.lympstonemanor.co.uk

Marvin Muoneké www.marvinmuoneke.com

Artigiano Espresso & Wine Bar

248 High Street, Exeter; www.artigiano.uk.com

Lloyds Lounge

Catherine Square, Exeter; www.lloydslounge.co.uk

The Ivy Exeter

65-67 High Street, Exeter; www.theivyexeter.com

The Terrace

19 Queen Street, Exeter;www.theterraceexeter.com

The Botanist Bar & Restaurant

Guildhall Shopping Centre, Unit 32 Queen Street Dining, Exeter; www.thebotanist.uk.com

Winslade Manor

Winslade Park Ave, Manor Drive, Clyst St Mary, Exeter; www.winslademanor.com

High Grange

Burrow Knapp Way, Axminster; www.highgrangedevon.com Cosy Club

1 Southernhay Gardens, Exeter; www.cosyclub.co.uk

THAT’S THE SPIRIT

Where to go to for festive cocktails this December? The limitededition cocktail menu at The Ivy Exeter looks pretty divine, we love the look of the Popping Cracker Royale, a concoction of Monkey 47 gin, passion fruit and spiced mango syrup, lime juice, cranberry juice an rosecco arnishe with can y oss an poppin can y. heck out their festi e foo offerin s while you’re there the team ha e a seasonal twist on their iconic shepher ’s pie with confit oose an turkey pi s in blankets an cranberry sauce.

Elsewhere, head to The Terrace’s Rooftop Restaurant which’ll be bathed in fairy lights, and featuring a special festive cocktail menu, with the s playin the best hristmas tunes e ery ni ht in ecember. For a bit of glamour mosey on down to the beautiful bar at Winslade Manor, they’re also hostin a hristmas ayre on the o ember (10am-8pm, segwaying into the World Cup football on the big screen), where there’ll be local pro ucers sellin foo rinks crafts an ifts.

The Botanist should also be on your list: head there for Friday nights of live music and sink a medicinal chai spiced espresso Martini or two. e’ e also ot our bea y eye on the chocolate oran e ne roni at eter’s Cosy Club.

OUT IN THE STICKS

Based in Dalwood, near Axminster, High Grange Feasts are all about appreciatin fantastic foo in beautiful rural surroun in s. t’s a supper club ibe here albeit a rural fun an informal one an you’ll be inin on one bi table with your fellow eaters.

This festive season owners Luke Mackay and his wife Sara are hosting a hristmas feast on ecember you’ll arri e at i h ran e for aroun pm an be ui e by the smell of smoke the crackle of the fire an the li hts illuminatin the trees. ou’ll be welcome with a cocktail and some nibbles in the outdoor kitchen, whilst getting to know your fellow feasters aroun the fire pit an e plorin the roun s.

fi e course meal of really local seasonal hi h quality foo will be ser e insi e their hippen barn where uke will offer you some insi ht into his metho s of sourcin preppin an cookin . hat will you be eatin an rinkin f their sample menus are anything to go by it could include smoked pine negroni, Lyme Bay spice lobster soup an smoke ilmin ton oose breast confit oose le plancha rosti sprout tops an ma eira ra y. per person. n www.highgrangedevon.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk

LEFT: Singer Martin Muoneké; BELOW: Feasts at High Grange

© MATT AUSTIN

© AL PHOTOGRAPHY

FOOD & DRINK

NIBBLES FROM EXETER’S FOOD SCENE

EATING A BIT OF HISTORY

Doucet head chef David Knapman will be at The Sidwell Street Café in Exeter for three lunches this winter cooking a menu inspired by local produce and local recipes. After growing up in Devon, David has spent 15 years working in some of the world’s top restaurants, including six years at The Fat Duck and most recently two years in France at the three-Michelin star Maison Lameloise.

David and the Doucet team will be serving a three-course lunch menu priced at £35 on 20 November, 4 December and 18 ecember. eature in the first lunch on o ember will be a reimagining of the Exeter Pudding, a dish invented by Victorian celebrity chef Alexis Soyer for The Royal Agricultural Society’s Grand Dinner held in Exeter on 18 July 1850. Back then the elaborate dessert – which amongst other things included sherry, rum blackcurrants ratafia biscuits an a custar of brea crumbs was such a success that, according to the Illustrated London News, ‘all the matrons of the ancient city were striving to obtain the recipe’.

“I’m delighted to be returning to Exeter and The Sidwell Street Café,” says David.

“We have some fantastic produce and producers in and around Exeter and we’re really looking forward to featuring some of our favourites over the coming weeks. Revisiting historical recipes is reat fun althou h in this case it’s efinitely oin to be quite a challenge – Alexis Soyer was a real showman and didn’t like to do anything by halves!”

For more: www.doucet.co.uk

BON

APPETIT!

For

REALLY GRATE

Devon cheese-makers have scooped top awards and gained major recognition at this year’s World Cheese Awards. The biggest ‘cheese-only’ competition in the world received a recordbreaking 4,434 entries from 42 countries, as artisan cheeses were delivered by boat, truck, train and plane.

Rising to the top of the entries, Ticklemore’s Devon Blue from Totnes came eighth in the world, outperforming every other blue cheese, securing a phenomenal Super Gold status.

Sharpham Dairy won Gold for its Ticklemore cheese, while their Camembert cheese won a Silver award.

n mi e on uicke’s heese achie e fi e accola es for their cheddars, including Silver for Lady Prue lothboun heese l er ower lothboun heese an ButteryClothbound Cheddar.

For more: www.ticklemorecheesedairy.wordpress.com/ www.sharphamcheese.co.uk / www.quickes.co.uk

Devon Cookery School in Cullompton is hosting a French bistro cooking course on 15 December. You’ll be making French Onion Soup and extra cheesy croutons (this will be your lunch), Tartiflette, Magret de canard (pan fried duck breast), Crème Brûlée (this will be your dessert!). If you can’t make the December date, the team will also be running more French courses on 19 January, 24 February, 26 March, 13 April and 18 May 2023.

more: www.devoncookeryschool.com

Quicke’s team: Cheese a crowd Voilà!

David Knapman cooking up some Victorian wonders

© MATT AUSTIN

Let me introduce to you the newest eaterie in Exeter, Daily Bowl. Situated right next door to Central Station it’s in the perfect spot for a sit down lunch or a takeaway for your journey further afiel .

Daily Bowl is a social enterprise concept conceived by husband and wife team Herman Castaneda and Annie Murdock, who saw a gap in the market for healthy, convenient but most of all, sustainable food, that supports the resilience of the region’s local producers in the process.

Annie and Herman, with creative backgrounds in art and sustainable design respectively, teamed up with vegan chef Nikita Leys from Vegan-Wise to realise their ambition. Nikita Leys has created seasonal mouth-watering dishes from Devon produce, inspire by a ours from aroun the worl . With the help of Paddy Maynard, a longtime general manager from the London hospitality sector, the Daily Bowl team took shape. Joining the team as another core member is Daphne van Run, formerly director of ESSENCE, Exeter’s Social Enterprise etwork who ensures that the financial aspects of the business are aligned with its social and environmental mission. Alongside its welcoming space, full of plants and sharing tables ma e from upcycle scaffol in boar s the caf offers a ran e of rab an o items such as dressings, pickles and kimchis, created by chef Lizzie Bosschaert of Envie Sustainable & Creative Catering in Topsham, alongside other Devon-based artisanal products.

The menu is simple, sustainable and seasonal. Chef Nikita told me, “I have created it with gut health and our planet’s health in mind. Each bowl contains everything needed for a nutritionally balanced meal. My passion for local, fresh produce means the bowls change

DAILY BOWL

Photos by Tara Smith

Sharing tables at Daily Bowl; BELOW: Grab-and-go condiments to purchase

with the seasons. I have chosen three regional a our pallets outh ast sian n ian an outh merican. hese re ional in uences remain constant throu hout the year e en thou h the pro uce is in u . e are usin ancient techniques to preser e foo throu h the year such as picklin an fermentation which a beautiful comple a ours that e cite the taste bu s an ut biome. pect affor able wholefoo s that will open your eyes to the ariety of n lish pro uce.

hen isite sample one of their n ian inspire bowls as well as a buil your own bowl. he former feature elicious wilte reens black rice with lentils an the most warmin of ahl toppe off with their homema e pickle onions. he buil your own bowl ha fi e tasters from the selection on offer that ay. use quinoa as a base an toppe it with a won erful turmeric cauli ower pickle coul ha e eaten a whole bowl of that in all honesty tomatoes roaste squash mushrooms an a e some a itional pickle re cabba e. ’m a con iments irl an lo e that salty briny tan you et from picklin . rank locally ma e

kombucha from omunitea an a seasonal pumpkin spice latte ma e with pumpkins rown near by. he a our combinations were e ceptional an know aily owl will become a re ular haunt for me. heir commitment to sustainability is somethin they hope to pass on to their customer base. hey encoura e you to brin your own container or rink ask for your takeaways offer a eposit scheme on lass an the last half an hour of ser ice they re uce what’s left by up to per cent to eliminate foo waste. hin s that can be sa e are pickle an fermente for future ser ice.

ith this knowle e they hope to offer fermentation an pickle workshops somethin ha e always ha an interest in so look ery much forwar to that hey also are startin a lunch eli ery ser ice to local o ces so keep your eyes peele . n with their lunchtime caf bein part of the entral tation buil in etwork ail an reat estern ailway workers recei e iscounts as well as stu ents from the colle e just across the roa .

CAFÉ DETAILS

CLOCKWISEFROM

TOPLEFT: Buildyour-own bowl, pickled veg available to purchase, and sweet treats

They currently open Tuesday to Saturday, 11am-4pm, with a Monday opening planned later on in November.

Daily Bowl, 3, The Crescent, Queen Street, Exeter; www.dailybowl.co.uk

“I know Daily Bowl will become a regular haunt for me”

THE GALLEY

Hoorah! The Topsham restaurant has reopened.

As we all know, hospitality is not having an easy time of it right now. One restaurant directly impacted was the Galley in Topsham, which shut for fi e months this year ue to not having a chef.

Nigel Mitchell, who’s recently handed over the reins of running the restaurant to his son Patrick, tells me that they patiently stuck it out, waiting until they found someone who would be a oo fit for the restaurant after all he alley has been going for 30-odd years and is something of an institution here in Topsham.

Thank God they did hold their nerve. They have struck gold with head chef James Buckley who is more than keeping the reputation going, taking on the baton of delivering the ‘very best of Devon on a plate’, not to mention starring in the current series of MasterChef: The Professionals on BBC1. Busy chap.

If you’ve never made it to The Galley, this is high-end food, done without fuss, and served up in a cosy and welcoming joint. The building itself is a very recognisable part of Topsham, with its deep blue façade and window iews of the i er e it’s an intimate hunker own kin of restaurant.

his strai htforwar yet refine tone an ibe is all easy to navigate as a consumer, and, as you may expect from a restaurant that’s been running for as long as this one has, it knows and is at ease with its identity.

What can you expect on the menu? It’s a succinct set up here with starters an main courses offerin a two fish one meat, and one veg format.

Did I mention the food is fuss-free? I have the mushroom tartlet, a beautiful mushroom duxelles, which comes with pickle mushrooms confit yolk an crispy e . t’s a li ht smooth couple of mouthfuls the e s are a reassurin bri ht yellow an sin in with a our.

For mains I have the creedy carver duck breast, carrot,

Harriet Noble drops in for a bite to eat...

and duck jus, a tender and exquisite dish with oodles of a our.

y plus one for the e enin has the pork cheeks for starters he lo es the fall apart te ture of it an proclaims it to be elicate an well balance . emi spoiler alert if you want to know what the secret in re ient in this ish is it be ins with m en s with e an it i i es people ain course for my frien is the salte co with leek ca ier. e lo es the buttery creamy sauce an is thrille that the fish is not too fishy but aky an li ht.

he portion si es are not massi e but on’t min normally ne er ha e room for pu in whereas here we both happily tuck into our respecti e esserts me a anilla panna cotta with pistachio an yo hurt sorbet he a caramel mousse with coffee can ie ha elnut an salt caramel ice cream. oth elicious both finishe . esult.

The food here, without e ception is beautiful. ut it is the combine charm an warmth as well as the foo that makes this place feel so special. t’s a so y ues ay e enin in opsham the e enin that my pal an hea here an espite the less than allurin weather moo the restaurant is packe . ocals an out of towners are clearly thrille that this place has reopene .

The restaurant is also peppered with detail that tickles me such as the cheerful menu which escribes one of the cheeses as smelly colourful an sprin y or the quaint nautical ibe which e ten s to the curious ocean scene in the cistern of the la ies loo.

he only thin was concerne about was the e perience of other iners in the restaurant the room itself is not hu e has low ceilin s an beams you are aware of soun tra ellin an was inin with an au ibly bubbly person she says fon ly . couple of times whisper with attempte authority ohn think we’re bein too noisy .

re we he asks with fau ambi like an wi e eye innocence before throwin his hea back an uffawin noisily.

’ o back to he alley any ay of the week with my parents pals or e en my noisy frien a ain if they’ll ha e us back. n

DINING DETAILS

The Galley, 41 Fore Street, Topsham; www.galleyrestaurant.co.uk

Food options Fish and seafood menu, with meat and veg options. For starters, we had mushroom tartlet and glazed pork cheek. For mains, we had creedy carver duck breast, and salted cod. For mains, we had vanilla panna cotta, and caranel mousse. Cheese board is available too.

Drinks Good selection of wine, beers and spirits. We drank Passieno Ross, from Lake Garda (£6.75 for 174ml, £22 a bottle)

Cost Two courses is £28.80 pp, or three courses for £33.50 pp

Atmosphere Warm and welcoming

“The food here, without exception, is beautiful”

SEEN!

ACROSS EXETER, ONE SHINDIG AT A TIME

CHEFFING CHAMPIONS

The South West Chef of the Year competition, which was founded by renowned local chef Michael Caines MBE, returned recently after a two-year break.

Finalists from across the region took part in a day of competition at Exeter College and amongst the winners was Jayden Watson, from Lympstone Manor, who won the award for Best Showcase of Regional Ingredients (he was also a finalist in the tu ent pprentice cate ory an arrison Brockington, from Gather in Totnes, who won the award for Best Presentation.

The competition was established 19 years ago and is the only culinary competition in the UK that recognises professional chefs, student chefs, junior cooks and home cooks. www.southwestchef.co.uk

Photos by Steve Haywood

Katy Galliers and Nathan Johnson

Cliff Nightingale, Vic Fox, Mary Fox and Anne Nightingale

Sophie Hooper and Lauren Coles

Neil Haydock, Jeremy Wright, Chris Cleghorn and Tyler Morrish

Harrison Brockington

Paul Carne, Matthew Pickett and Stuart Fowles

Sue Stoneman and Elly Wentworth

Michael Caines, Jayden Watson, and Dr Andy Kemp

Tadiwanashe Nhete and Munopa Nhete

JOINT HONOURS

The Family Law Company restarted its networking endeavours with the first in its new pro ramme of uminary ents’. eraki alon opene its oors to the law firm an uests offerin complimentary treatments inclu in han an neck massa es an hair consultations. he e ent was a joint celebration of he amily aw ompany’s st birth ay an the new bran in for the salon. oint achel uckley welcome e eryone to the e ent sayin that there’s a similar ethos between what he amily aw ompany an eraki o. t’s a oo syner y. ayley illiams of eraki sai she was ery e cite to be hostin the e ent. he e plaine the thinkin behin the new name for the salon eraki means to o somethin with the soul creati ity an lo e. o put a piece of yourself into your work. www.thefamilylawco.co.uk | www.merakisalonspa.co.uk

Photos by Poppy Jakes

Shreya Kallingal

Hayley Williams

Claire Vis-Bulmer

Caroline Hooper

Grace Bradley

Micky Cox

Rachel Buckley

Sarah Jepson

Charisse Crawford

Lyn McCartney

MERRY AND BRIGHT

Honeycomb balls by Paper Dreams, available at Bøde Living, Alexandria Road, Sidmouth; www.bode-living.com

Christmas wooden hanger, £4.20

From St Bridget’s Garden Centre; Sidmouth Road, Clyst St Mary; www.stbridget.uk

Fairtrade sequin star decoration, £5.50, The shop at RAMM, Queen Street, Exeter; www.shop.rammuseum.org.uk

Shimmering copper star, £45

Angel with wooden bead hanger, £8.95

From Hyde and Seek, 1 Paul Street, Exeter; www.hydeseek.co.uk

Winter circle wreath, £14.99 Scented with ‘Christmas in a bottle’ oil

From Otter Garden Centres, Gosford Road, Ottery St Mary; www.ottergardencentres.com

Pair of wren ornaments, £10

From Holly Keeling Interiors, 6 High Street, Totnes;

BELLE OF THE BAUBLES

Fab festive decorations

From Distinctly Living, 35 Lower Street, Dartmouth; www.distinctlyliving.co.uk www.hollykeelinginteriors.co.uk

Heraldy swan decoration, £16

From Busby & Fox, 21 Cathedral Yard, Exeter; www.busbyandfox.com

Kashmiri papier mache star bauble, £7.99

From Penelope Tom, 34 Fore Street, Totnes; www.penelopetom.com

‘Joy’ knitted wire decoration, POA

From Jenny Rew Designs: www.jennyrewdesigns.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk

Hanging white deer snow globe, £9

From Toot Garook, 19 Queen Street, Exeter; www.tootgarook.co.uk

Pink rainbow trees, set of six for £45

From Bøde Living, Alexandria Road, Sidmouth; www.bode-living.com

Oak wine stopper, £4.95

From Brit Locker, Kings Wharf, Cellar 1, The Quay, Exeter; www.britlocker.com

Gin in a tin, £39.50

From Emily Smith Designs; www.emily-smith.uk

Cocktails Led Neon Light, £65

From Love Frankie, 34 High Street, Totnes: www.lovefrankie.com

Boho pitcher, £24.95

From Hyde and Seek, 1 Paul Street, Exeter; www.hydeseek.co.uk

Charcoal geometric carafe set, £65

From Distinctly Living, 35 Lower Street, Dartmouth; www.distinctlyliving.co.uk

Damascene rosé bubbly, box of 12 x 27cl, £21.30

From Luscombe; www.luscombe.co.uk

COCKTAILS AND DREAMS

Party at yours? Great. Flex your mixology skills and get the ino owin with these fabulous accoutrements

Penguin ice cube tray, £5.95

From Distinctly Living, 35 Lower Street, Dartmouth; www.distinctlyliving.co.uk

Bubble wine glasses, set of four £25

From Lark, 16 Fore Street, Topsham; www.larktopsham.shop

Organic Ginger Kombucha, £38

From BOO CHI; www.boochi.co.uk

Salcombe rum ‘Island Street’, £35

From Salcombe Distilling Co; www.salcombegin.com

Drinks tray, £29

From Toot Garook, 19 Queen Street, Exeter; www.tootgarook.co.uk

Winter Warmers cocktail book

From Hyde and Seek, 1 Paul Street, Exeter www.hydeseek.co.uk

Champagne bar, £235

From Carole King, 37 Gold Street, Tiverton; www.carole-king.co.uk

Twirl mint coupe, £34

From Bøde Living, Alexandria Road, Sidmouth; www.bode-living.com

www.mediaclash.co.uk

Rotary candle holder big snow star, £22.99

From Insideout, 25 Merrivale View Road, Yelverton; www.insideouthome.co.uk

Red berry garland, £19.95

From Distinctly Living, 35 Lower Street, Dartmouth; www.distinctlyliving.co.uk

TABLE TALK

Square luxury matchobx Christmas angel, £7.99

From Toot Garook, 19 Queen Street, Exeter; www.tootgarook.co.uk

Textured striped large mugs, £17.99

From China Blue, Station Road, Totnes; www.china-blue.co.uk

Christmas dining made magic with these festive additions

Stag cruet set, £32.50

From Carole King, 37 Gold Street, Tiverton; www.carole-king.co.uk

Christmas Tree Nibble Dish, £19.95

From Distinctly Living, 35 Lower Street, Dartmouth; www.distinctlyliving.co.uk

From Bøde Living, Alexandria Road, Sidmouth; www.bode-living.com

Three french hens medium oblong plate, £55

From Emma Bridgewater; www.emmabridgewater.co.uk

Glass candle holder, £16.95

From Hyde and Seek, 1 Paul Street, Exeter; www.hydeseek.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk

The Nutcracker Christmas crackers, set of 6 for £26

From Distinctly Living, 35 Lower Street, Dartmouth; www.distinctlyliving.co.uk

Hermoine chopping board, £12

From Emily Smith Designs; www.emily-smith.uk

Square granite salt and pepper pots, £22

From Distinctly Living, 35 Lower Street, Dartmouth; www.distinctlyliving.co.uk

Sunshine yellow glazed ombre vase, £8

From Love Frankie, 34 High Street, Totnes; www.lovefrankie.com

Mini house trinket dish, £10.95

From Leaf Street, 53 Magdalen Road, Exeter; www.leafstreet.co.uk

The Big Bean Bag Company beanbag, large bean bags are £209.95, kids ones are £99.95

From Dartington Trust, Dartington, Totnes; www.dartington.org

Set of four air balloon coasters, £14

From Holly Keeling Interiors, 6 High Street, Totnes; www.hollykeelinginteriors.co.uk

‘Too cool’ cherub, £19.95

From Carole King, 37 Gold Street, Tiverton, Devon; www.carole-king.co.uk

MAKE ROOM AT THE INN

Beautiful gifts for the home

Ceramic fish place set of two, £19.95

From Hyde and Seek, 1 Paul Street, Exeter www.hydeseek.co.uk

Fresian cow ceramic wall vase, £45

From Toot Garook, 19 Queen Street, Exeter; www.tootgarook.co.uk

Embossed ceramic mugs, £20 each

From Bøde Living, Alexandria Road, Sidmouth; www.bode-living.com

Moths small jug by Hannah Turner, £12.50

From the Shop at RAMM, Queen Street, Exeter; www.shop.rammuseum.org.uk

Nordic spruce and holly pillar candle, POA

From the Recycled Candle Company, Unit 9, Guildhall, Exeter; www.therecycledcandlecompany.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk

Fleur cross-back camisole, £60

From Sancho’s, 117 Fore Street; www.sanchosshop.com

Pink ziggy gloves, £44.80

From Helen of Troy, 8 Cathedral Close, Exeter; www.helenoftroyboutique.com

Blue daze nail varnish, £10

From Sancho’s, 117 Fore Street; www.sanchosshop.com

Grace and Mila Henriette Lurex dress, £95

From Lorna Ruby, 17 Catherine Street, Exeter; www.lornaruby.com

Samsoe Samsoe Agneta skirt, £115

From Lorna Ruby, 17 Catherine Street, Exeter; www.lornaruby.com

Ella tortoiseshell necklace, £56.00

From Busby & Fox, 21 Cathedral Yard, Exeter; www.busbyandfox.com

DRESS TO IMPRESS

Festive season showstoppers

Samsoe Samose Nor hat, £45

From Fifty5a, 53-55a High Street, Totnes; www.fifty5a.com

Lana drop-crotch satin trousers, £125

From Busby & Fox, 21 Cathedral Yard, Exeter; www.busbyandfox.com

Rose gold stud earrings, £124

From Polkadot Gallery, 12 Martins Lane, Exeter; www.polkadotgallery.com

Coco crossbody handbag, £30 From Snob, (Tiverton and Budleigh stores); www.ilovesnob.co.uk

Heeled suede loafers, £85

From Moshulu; www.moshulu.co.uk

www.mediaclash.co.uk

Jemima cosmetic bag, £24

From Emily Smith Designs; www.emily-smith.uk

Crown ring dot pyramid in gold and silver, POA

From Rebecca Furze Jewellery, 8 The Plains, Totnes; www.rebeccafurzejewellery.com

Faux fur two tone coat, £225

From Carole King, 37 Gold Street, Tiverton; www.carole-king.co.uk

SIMON THE COURAGE

Simon Scott-Nelson’s own mental health struggles and burnout propelled him to create Wellity, a booming company that helps organisations all around the globe improve the wellbeing of their staff. If ever there was a when-life-gives-you-lemons situation, Simon’s is it…

By Harriet Noble

Wellity founder Simon Scott-Nelson

Few people are more impassioned about their job than Simon Scott-Nelson. His zeal and e uberance about ellity the company he created and runs with Sadie Restorick, which provides wellbeing training to companies all around the globe, is boundless. As it should be. The company’s rise to success is a phenomenal growth story; today their impressive client list includes Save the Children, the Police (supporting them at the G7 Summit), Ambulance Service, okia lobal ujitsu lobal oyal ail et olice an elfri es not to mention the ome ce an abinet ce. They’ve bagged celebrated rugby players, an brothers onny ilkinson an ark ilkinson more on that later to run a series of events; and they’ve even launched their own awar s the annual reat ritish orkplace ellbein war s ne t one is in arch with support from the likes of Frank Bruno. heir e pansion shows no si ns of abatin either with inboun ellity enquiries rowin

o er per cent in the secon half of .

The success story is all the more impressive when you learn that it was born off the back of some very dark days for Simon. His deteriorating mental health, and subsequent burnout is perhaps a journey many of us will be able to recognise.

spiral all at one time. The only way I could deal with it was to throw hours at my business which amongst other conditions and consequences, le me to burnout financial an iety an a lon period of recovery.”

His own personal lightbulb moment was a day he remembers vividly.

“It was a sunny day in Berkshire and Dorney Lake looked beautiful. On that particular day, my internal negative dialogue had become so disruptive, critical and self-destructive that I had simply had enough. I was mentally e hauste . y min was repeatin that was useless and irrelevant. The only way I could silence my thoughts was to run, it was the only thing I knew that would shut it out.

y mental health journey starte with a series of negative life events that all happened at the same time – we refer to this now as the cumulati e effect says imon.

“Any one of these events individually I could have dealt with, but I struggled to come to terms with everything taking a downward

“I knew now was the time to silence my mind. It was ridiculing that I couldn’t even do the simplest of things, that I looked overweight, that people were laughing at me and that I wouldn’t even get to one kilometre. I stopped, nearly gave up but there and then I made a decision, one that changed my life: that I was going to beat my mind that day and prove it wrong.

“My internal negative dialogue had become so disruptive, critical and disruptive”

Simon Scott-Nelson and supporter Frank Bruno

“I promised myself that I would run as far as I could until my legs physically couldn’t move another inch, to prove my self-loathing narrative was wrong. If I could get through the first kilometre was alrea y winnin . efore knew it ha complete a km lap of the lake. The sun was bright and the music got louder. Something was happening.

“Two laps down, three laps down, and the fi ht a ainst my internal min set rew with the runners hi h’ makin me belie e that people were cheering me on from the sidelines. My angry internal narrative was quiet and slowly being defeated.

our laps one fi e laps this was now km my min ha tol me wasn’t e en able to do one! With tears running down my face I decided to go for a sixth lap – that would make aroun kilometres. emember ha promised myself that I would run as far as I could until my legs physically couldn’t run another yard, and I wasn’t going to stop now for anyone. This was my time.

s crawle o er the finish line ma e it to the jetty that lies by the club house at orney ake. n el erly la y aske why was

emotional. t e en chokes me up to this ay thinkin about it. sai that ha just run kilometres an she aske why. ecause ha e an iety replie . his was the first time ha ever openly said it. The lady told me that she had been struggling with anxiety for years and it was from that point onwards that I realised by openin up an talkin frankly about my struggles, it might actually help and encourage others to do so also.

ambition, drive and the will to improve my life. I have not listened to my inner chimp from that day forward.”

True to his word, Simon launched Wellity in an then joine forces with lobal speaker a ie who’ been runnin her own wellbeing company called Euthinia Touch), amal amatin their networks an mer in the two companies to form Wellity Global, which now has o ces in eter sse an on on.

Their vision was to provide support to hundreds of organisations across the globe to promote good mental health for their employees.

“Not only did I realise a superpower that day – i.e., the ability to help other people, I had unwittingly unearthed both my passion and a purpose. It was life changing. I also realised that I had proved my mind wrong, so what else had my mind been saying all these years I couldn’t do, that I actually could do? I left orney ake that ay with etermination

hey o this by pro i in o er wellbeing titles for business psychologists, training companies, training resellers and the like. hrou h their e ents an content they provide a litany of wellbeing presentations, collateral an resources marketin an tech stack.

Unsurprisingly, given the current climate, the demand for their wellbeing training has rockete .

“From the hundreds of training sessions, focus roups an forums eli ere each week

“I have not listened to my inner chimp from that day forward”

The Great British Workplace Wellbeing Awards

Your partnership with Jonny and Mark Wilkinson tackles leadership and performance. Tell us more… Jonny and Mark have put together unique and special training sessions full of exercises and explanations that clear the path for connecting to who we can be and what we are really capable of. The sessions are full of innovative skill drills and the chance to investigate and discuss how leaders can fully engage and grow in every moment.

Are they inspirational people to you?

Absolutely! Many will remember the drop goal in the last seconds of the 2003 World Cup final that changed Jonny’s life forever, but that was simply the pinnacle from a rugby point of view. My admiration has developed far more watching how he has since handled that fame and how he is now focussing his energy on mental health awareness and banishing the stigma that restricts many men from opening up. In Jonny I have always admired the ambition of dedication, focus, and accountability.

I relate to Mark as an elder brother myself, and simply being in his company I find inspirational. His story around Imposter Syndrome that he relayed in the interview is the most powerful story on the subject that I have ever heard. Mark works tirelessly in the field of strength and conditioning, nutrition and wellbeing, to help others discover their true potential. What’s not to like about that!?

Will they be sharing their story with people who sign up to it?

Yes they will both share their experiences, and both Jonny and Mark have equally compelling stories.

The greatest handover from the NSPiRED experience is that the delegate learns how to become fully responsible for their part in the creation and the manifestation of their ideal lives, to generate new space for growth from within.

From their stories, delegates will gain an ever-expanding sense of opportunity and passion, health, wellbeing and presence. The organisation will benefit by caring on the deepest level for its employees and by understanding how to become more and more receptive to inspiration, compassion and higher intelligence on personal, team and corporate levels.

What kind of events can people look forward to?

NSPiRED, which is the name of the training series is an ongoing project. As well as the initial ‘taster’ sessions, the six-week programmes will be bespoken to the needs of the organisations and the individual participants, to reveal how we unearth our creative genius and redefine the way we see each other.

around the world by Wellity providers it is clear that people are craving connection and conversations right now,” says Simon.

“The working world is struggling under a huge strain and the most recent Deloitte report has revealed a cost to UK employers of £56 billion ue to poor mental health a fi ure that has increased from £45 billion).

ith employers also facin staff turno er due to the Great Resignation and nearly a third of employees planning to leave their jobs (61 per cent of which is due to poor mental health) we know there is a huge area of focus and investment.”

Covid and its impact hasn’t helped either.

“There are still the original mental health conditions but now there is a new wave of stressors relating to new hybrid working conditions. While Covid helped expedite the acceptance of discussion around our mental health it has also blurred the line between the stressors of everyday life and clinically diagnosed mental health conditions.”

For years, saying you were struggling was akin to admitting you were weak, now with so much air-time given to mental health, are we on our way to smashing that out of the water yet?

“Yes, vulnerability is being redesigned,” says Simon.

“There is, however, still stigma around people admitting that they are struggling, certainly in a work environment. It is imperative that if senior leaders want to create a safe space for others to admit their struggles, that they o first to emonstrate to others that it is safe to do so.”

As we know though, discussions around mental health are not straight forward, there is dialogue about people not being as resilient as they used to be.

esilience le els an the ifference between poor ‘mental health’ and ‘just life’ are all big conversations at the moment,” says Simon. “The generational shift is certainly highlighting new priorities, trends an ifferin narrati es. ellity eals with every organisation and every individual on a bespoke, case by case basis, to ensure that their individual requirements are met.

lso wellbein is efine in many ways across many ifferent cultures an therefore measures iffer wil ly on how to a ress wellbein in the ery ifferent territories.

ein culturally sympathetic in e ery ifferent territory across the world takes a great deal of learning and this is what I love about Wellity.”

For Simon, his own experiences underpin everything the company does. “I fully understand the underlying factors of burnout and it is my purpose now to help others understand their boundaries, limits, expectations and energy levels.”

SIMON...ON WORKING WITH RUGBY HEROES JONNY AND MARK WILKINSON

Jonny Wilkinson, Sadie Restorick, Simon Scott-Nelson, and Mark Wilkinson

SCHOOL GUIDE VICTORIA BOND

An inspector calls

How much do Ofsted reports and ratings really matter?

Irecently visited a primary school where the last full Ofsted inspection had been over a decade ago. t ma e me question just how much store parents should put in a verdict of ‘outstanding’ that had been awarded before the oldest child in Year 6 had started at the school.

All state-funded schools in England are meant to be inspecte by fste the independent government agency for school stan ar s e ery four years. But if the school converts to an aca emy the inspection clock resets –and it can make relying on a snapshot verdict to choose a school a lot less reliable. Inspections were also suspended during the pandemic so even the classroom catch up monitors

need to catch up.

hat’s more a major stu y by the University of York – which tracked pupils across England from age 11 to 16 in schools with a range of ratings – found that Ofsted grades accounted for just four per cent of the variance in students’ educational achievements. Even an Ofsted ‘outstanding’ rating was a weak predictor of students’ academic results and well-being.

Zoopla recently reported that buying near an ‘outstanding’ school can add a whopping to a home’s price ta . But are we seeing the beginning of the end of the scrabble to live near a top-rated Ofsted school? t chool ui e we’ e notice a real a shift away from parents focusing on Ofsted grades – or

HOW DOES OFSTED INSPECT AND GRADE SCHOOLS?

The Ofsted inspection framework looks at four main areas of school life: quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management.

In each area, schools are graded on a 4-point scale: grade 1 (outstanding); grade 2 (good); grade 3 (requires improvement); and grade 4 (inadequate).

They also receive an overall effectiveness grade using the same scale, and this is the snapshot that will be less helpful to parents than the full report’s commendations and recommendations.

at least only on Ofsted grades. n our recent sur ey of parents of school a e chil ren ‘Ofsted inspection rating’ roppe out of the top fi e reasons to choose a school for the first time. Only 31 per cent of secondary school parents said it was important compared to 75 per cent who said they looked for an ‘inclusive ethos where all pupils were valued.’ hat parents o care about howe er are the results of fste arent iew an online survey sent at the time of each inspection which invites real parents to give their views on their child’s school. Understanding what percentage of mums and dads recommend the school or say their child is happy at the school for e ample is much more useful than knowing whether or not an inspector ticked boxes on curriculum provision.

None of this means that Ofsted inspections don’t add value to

your child’s education. While ‘Ofsted is coming’ are three little words than can strike terror into the heart of any school staffroom the main aim of inspections is to check the quality of education and provide an index of quality across key areas of school life.

One YouGov poll revealed seven out of 10 parents felt Ofsted was a force for improvement. s parents it is reassuring to know there is someone with a clipboard further up the ‘must try harder’ educational food chain.

o when the inspector ne t calls at your chil ’s school on’t focus too much on the black and white hea line. nstea o take a eep dive into the report where you will fin helpful li ht an sha e beyond the dazzling – or dreadful – one-word verdict.

Victoria Bond is the founder and CEO of School Guide, an easy-to-use website that helps parents discover exam results, catchment maps and parent reviews for all their local schools. For more: www.schoolguide.co.uk

“An ‘outstanding’ rating is a weak predictor of academicstudents’results and well-being”

Can school inspections really measure how happy your child is at school?

It’s the city’s business

EXETERWORKS

GOOD MOVE

firm of commercial law specialists pro i in a ice on corporate commercial an property law an formerly known as ertram aw has un er one a major mo e from arsh arton to lar er o ces at ynes ill eter an rebran e as ertram airbanks.

n y airbanks has now joine the company as an in estor an co irector which now operates throu h an alternati e business structure .

n y is a well known an respecte entrepreneur in the outh est an am eli hte that we are workin to ether on this e citin chapter for the newly forme company says co owner eil ertram.

is e tensi e e perience in business rowth an challen in the status quo will cement the firm’s commitment to becomin one of the lea in commercial law firms in the outh est.

hattin about the new o ces n y says t’s a stimulatin an cool en ironment to work in an inclu es our ery own champagne and spirits bar called the ‘Belvedere Lounge’ and there is also a breakout area for staff an clients to ha e fun. e on’t want to be a clich firm of stuffy solicitors an are ery approachable to clients so we on’t wear jackets or ties. t’s much more rela e whilst still remainin professional an we think eter is rea y for somethin ifferent.

For more: www.bertramfairbanks.co.uk

FUNDING NEWS FOR THE CITY

ajor fun in awar s ha e been announce for cultural or anisations in eter. rts ouncil n lan has re eale etails of its new national portfolio of fun e or anisations for an in eter it has awar e fun in to

oyal lbert emorial useum eter ity of iterature

eter orthcott heatre eter hoeni ibraries nlimite

DATES FOR THE DIARY

1 DECEMBER

Devon-based hearing specialist Chime has been named the UK’s best healthcare science eli ery ser ice at the hief cientific cer’s cellence in ealthcare cience war s.

Celebrating the contributions and achievements of the healthcare science workforce an the impact they ha e on patient outcomes the awar s ali ate hime’s inno ati e mo el which has eli ere u iolo y ser ices for years.

ith locations in e on hime is a not for profit social enterprise that was one of the first au iolo y ser ices in the to achieve IQUIPS2 accreditation and operates both high street an hospital locations. ts a ship hi h street store was launche in anuary on ueen treet in eter.

For more: www.chimehealth.co.uk

Exeter Chamber: Thirsty Thursday at Barnfield Theatre, 5pm-6pm ear about how arnfiel is open for business as a theatre a caf an a city centre enue with spaces for meetin s conferences an e ents. his free e ent is open to e eryone an the first rink is on the house. www.exeterchamber.co.uk

7 DECEMBER

Six Degrees: December Breakfast at Artigiano, £12 el on the first e nes ay of e ery month i e rees breakfasts pro i e the perfect cocktail a or eous enue an a eli htful sprea of freshly bake pastries ranola yo hurt fresh fruit juices tea an coffee.

n o this all whilst networkin with eter’s finest females.

www.sixdegrees-group.com

Andy Fairbanks and Neil Bertram

The Queen Street branch

FIVE MINUTES WITH…

Dan Osborne

Jay’s Aim was set up in 2018 in memory of Jay Osborne –Dan’s brother – who died of a sudden cardiac arrest aged just 28. The charity’s aim is to reduce the rate of sudden cardiac death among young people here in the South West. So what breakthroughs has the charity had? Dan fills us in...

Scary statistic: The British Heart Foundation estimates that 12 people below the age of 35 die every week in the UK from undiagnosed heart conditions, many of them with no prior symptoms. Local charity Jay’s Aim wants to get that number right down, by providing free-to-attend an efibrillator trainin . rustee for the charity an fills us in on the charity’s progress...

Hello Dan, can you give us a snapshot of where the organisation is at... The charity has gone from strength to strength since we won the Exeter Living award in March 2020. We have now provided over 130 public

access efibrillators ’s that are positioned in a variety of sports clubs, schools and community spaces across the South West. Many of the recent PAD’s that have gone up in the Exeter area were funded by a grant we received from Aviva with the help of Exeter based insurance broker GM Insurance. The funding went towards a places of e ucation’ efibrillator scheme that we ran.

For anyone not in the know, why are defibrillators so crucial… ublicly accessible efibrillators are so important to survival rates, raising the chance of survival of an outside of hospital cardiac arrest from below 10 per cent to 74 per cent if used in the first fi e minutes alon si e effecti e .

It’s not just about the equipment though, is it? o efibrillators are ama in but they need to be used alongside CPR. We have now trained just under 10,000 young people in CPR an how to use a efibrillator. ur training is free to all schools, sports clubs and community groups and is fun and interactive with all 30+ participants practising on their own CPR manikin! The training side of thin s is really startin to take off for us, an example being the recently formed partnership we have with Exeter College. Kirsty, one of our trainers will be based at the college the equivalent of one day a week for the whole of this academic year. It’s a great partnership that has started really well – by the end of the year

over 4,000 Exeter College students will have received our potentially lifesaving training.

What else are you doing?

As a charity we also encourage young people to get their hearts screened. We explain how screenings work in all of our training sessions and fund screening sessions through another charity called Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY). We cannot highlight the importance of attending a screening enough, they are free to attend and take literally 10 minutes.

In 89 per cent of cases underlying conditions will be picked up by the process and individuals can then be referred on to cardiology teams at a local hospital. Often once diagnosed, people can live very normal lives, an excellent example of this is the footballer Cristian Eriksen who suffere a car iac arrest last year and is now back playing Premiership football for Manchester United.

What’s in store for the charity in the near future?

We’ve just been awarded a grant for £37,000 from the amazing Exeter Legacy Fund 2022. This will fund 25 PAD’s for local towns and villages in the Greater Exeter area as well as free to atten an efibrillator training. We’ve got more and more schools, sports clubs and community spaces contacting us on a daily basis to take advantage of our free training and we know that four lives have been sa e by our efibrillators in the past 12 months alone! We’d encourage anyone interested in helping us on our mission to get in touch via our website.

For more: www.jaysaim.co.uk

“BY THE END OF THE YEAR OVER 4,000 EXETER COLLEGE STUDENTS WILL HAVE RECEIVED OUR POTENTIALLY LIFESAVING TREATMENT”

Dan Osborne with Kelly Lamb of Exeter College

Will you be at one of these tables?

ON YOUR MARKS...

The Exeter Living Awards are coming back – are you ready? Planning is well underway for theglittering, vibrant, joy-filled 2023 ceremony, the business highlight of the city, at which pretty much any and every local organisation – big or small, from shops to restaurants, salons to galleries, and charities to schools – can win one of our 22 coveted awards.

If you are a part of this amazing community of businesses, enterprises and organisations and want to showcase your venture, talent and efforts, along with supporting and meeting other top business people, there are a number of ways to get involved...

• Nominate your business

It’s free to nominate your business; just head online, choose what categories you’d like to enter, and you’ll find a Q&A asking you all about your business or organisation – your biggest achievements over the past year, your highlights, and what you are most proud of. This is not a time for modesty; you are encouraged to blow that trumpet and shout about yourselves! Please remember, your business cannot be nominated by an outside party; the entry must come from the

CATEGORIES

You can enter your business into one or more of these categories…

Arts & Creative

Bar

Business services

Charity Civic Education Event Financial

Hair and Beauty Headline

Health and Wellbeing Homes and Interiors

Legal and Financial Leisure and Tourism

New Business People Services

Property Restaurant Retailer Sustainability Technology and Innovation (And then the ultimate Winner of Winners is chosen by us!)

business itself. You can enter your business in as many categories as you like.

• Sponsor the Awards

With more and more interest in being closely associated with the most prestigious event in the Exeter business calendar, sponsorship opportunities are going fast. Already signed up are: CJ Prop Hire & Events, Crumbs, Entreconf, Exeter Living, Exeter Property Awards, Mercure Exeter Southgate, Oxygen House, The Ivy, Triangle Networks, Yellowtail Financial Planning, and Warwick Event Services. Sponsors reap the benefits of powerful marketing and exposure in the build-up to the Awards, and they also bag guaranteed tickets. To find out more, please contact Paula Miller at paula.miller@mediaclash. co.uk or Harriette Dixon at harriete.dixon@ mediaclash.co.uk

• Get tickets

Nothing beats being there! Anyone can attend the event, whether you’re up for an award or not. If you want to celebrate the very best of the city’s achievements, this is the event for you. For more: www.exeterlivingawards.co.uk

PHOTO BY NICK MATTHEWS PHOTOGRAPHY

Exeter Living Award winners, Acuitis

PHOTO BY NICK MATTHEWS PHOTOGRAPHY

FINANCE DENNIS HALL

To save or spend

Not all ‘extravagances’ are bad investments if you’re creating special memories with loved ones, argues Dennis

Asatisfying element to a financial planner’s work is helping people enjoy their money by actively encouraging them to spend or give it away. It’s a re ection of my a e that now ten to work with people in the latter half of their lives when most ha e achie e some financial success. However, for most of my career my message was primarily telling people to save and invest.

So, it came as no surprise when Tom (name changed) called me one weekend with the words “I know you’re going to talk me out of this Dennis, but I want to buy a car”.

“Tell me about the car” I said and for the next 10 minutes or so, Tom told me about a classic car that had recently come up for sale. It was one of his all-time favourite marques, and with a pedigree that guaranteed an invitation to events like the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

“That sounds good, now tell me how owning this car would make your life richer” I replied.

“Hold on, this isn’t the way I expected the conversation to go” said Tom, “I really want you to talk me out of it”.

“Humour me” I said.

The conversation started with the car’s engineering and then Tom started talking about the shared experiences he would have with his family, especially his grandchildren. He wanted to create memories and share his passions in a way that a portfolio of shares couldn’t do.

Tom didn’t really want me to talk him out of buying that car, but he expected I would. He thought it was an extravagance and his pre ious e perience with financial a isers and portfolio managers was that they tended to keep a tight grip on other people’s money.

The reason for the call was a need for reassurance that spending this money in a seemingly extravagant manner wasn’t going to lea to financial har ship in later life an was able to give him that evidence.

After the summer I called Tom and asked about the car. He didn’t stop talking, he was animated and full of stories, so I asked him, “was it worth it”?

“I should have done it sooner” he replied.

We got talking about happiness and how their lives had been made richer through these shared family experiences. There was more joy than he could have ever experienced if he’d simply held onto his shares.

It has been shown that creating shared experiences and helping or doing things for other people leads to greater happiness, which leads neatly into why I encourage people to give money away during their lifetime, rather than leaving an inheritance to be distributed on their death.

Giving money away is one of the cheapest an most effecti e forms of inheritance ta planning, provided you live long enough that is. Despite some of the challenges around giving money away I have witnessed just how rewar in it can be. eople first nee to et over the fear of whether their future quality of life will be impacted, which is where a financial planner can help.

Then there is the fear of giving too much too soon, all the successful and self-made people I know don’t want their children to take their foot off the as’ an want them to enjoy their own success. But a balance can be achieved. There is immense joy in helping your beneficiaries at a time when they nee the money. There is also immense joy from giving money to worthy causes whilst you are alive to see the impact of your investment.

Over and above achieving and maintaining financial in epen ence money is there to be enjoyed rather than accumulated. As someone once told me, there are no pockets in shrouds. n

Dennis Hall is the founder and managing director of ellowtail inancial lanning, a local firm of independent financial advisers. e is also one of the organisers of Exeter Riverside arkrun, author of the book ho ill it urt hen ie, and a keen amateur chef. e lives in Exeter with his wife Akiko.

“Tom didn’t really want me to talk him out of buying that car, but he expected I would”

RAISE

With two brand-new categories ( Sustainability and Rising Star), more nominations, and even more attendees, this year’s Exeter Property Awards were bigger, brighter and bolder than ever, with hundreds descending on Sandy Park to once more celebrate the city’s thriving property sector.

he awar s kicke off with fi networkin an lunch, ahead of the much-anticipated giving out of gongs. This year’s awards ceremony was hosted by ITV news presenter Sameena Ali-Khan and MediaClash chief executive Greg Ingham, with added speeches from Richard Hemmings, business development director at Close Brothers and our headline sponsor.

u e con ratulations to our ama in winners a diverse and dynamic group of companies and individuals who are literally building the future landscape of Exeter.

A special mention must go to the team at Nevada Construction who took home not only the Construction Award, but also our Winner of Winners Award for the important work they did

on the NHS Nightingale Exeter facility project phase two.

The judges said, “The team behind Exeter’s accelerate three month fi ht a ainst the NHS backlog deserve immense credit – the transformation of the Nightingale has saved 90 per cent of resources against building a new facility. Converting property for social good: lifesavers.” Worthy winners indeed.

As always, the winners were just one aspect of the day. This industry is known to be lively and sociable and this event was no exception –collea ues clients an frien s networke bu e and chatted away with aplomb.

We thank all who backed and sponsored these war s we hope you benefite from the e ent and its marketing, the organisers of the Exeter Property Awards have plans for it to have a yet bigger impact on the sector in 2023.

On the following pages you will see the full set of winners, plus all the people pics from the day.

Keep reading Exeter Living’s regular property pages to be ahead of the game for next year’s Awards, when we’ll be celebrating with you all over again. See you there!

© EMILY

© EMILY APPLETON

Happy winners: Lean Projects with co-host Sameena Ali-Khan

SEEN!

THE EXETER PROPERTY AWARDS AT SANDY PARK

HOT PROPERTY!

Exeter’s property professionals descended on Sandy Park on 21 October for the return of the mighty Exeter Property Awards. This celebratory event was hosted by ITV news presenter Sameena Ali-Khan and MediaClash chief executive Greg Ingham. Guests enjoyed a a champagne reception, three-course lunch and the awards presentations. Thank you to our amazing judges: Dipo Akinola, Hannah Dorman, Julie-Ann Clements, Kate Mills, Kyrenia Tew, Lisa Marshall, Phil Bialyk, Rob Flatt and Steven Strang.

James Clarke, Harriette Dixon, and Alistair Powe

Susie Humphries and Mark Humphries

Lisa Marshall, Aiden Johnson-Hugill, Mark de Jager, and Chris Bennett

Jamie Dewdney and Rachel Hollingsworth

Andrew Morris and Tim Adams-Snell

Lucy Becerra, Sam Weeks and Sophie Weeks

Richard Hemmings, Sally Ashworth, and Dan Lohn

Photos on pages 56-58 by Emily Appleton Photos on page 59 by Nick Matthews

Kim Glover, Sara Watkins-Schmidt and Joanne High

Fist-punching wins

Winners’ walk: Clare Beach and Anne Seaborne

Richard Hemmings

Team spirit: MediaClash

Sameena Ali-Khan and the gang from Burrington Estates

Jill Jones from Clockwise

It’s a win for The Mortgage Quarter

Co-host Sameena Ali-Khan with Clare Beach, Anne Seaborne and Harriette Dixon

Gale & Snowden winners

Kate Griffiths and Claudia Butler

Clink! Michelle Miles and the gang

Bob Irwin, Lawrence Millyard, and Jamie Butt

Matthew Cousins

Ethan Pratt

Award winners Underhill Estate Agents

Tia Butt, Nathan Butt and Emily Rhodes

Winner of winners, Nevada Constuction

Big smiles with Susie Durant

Ian Walmsley, Jonathan Stobbs, Stephanie Hester, Neil Leitch, and Colin Ness

Jonny Clayton, Charlotte Head and Abu Bakar Siddique Farooq

Table talk with Exeter’s finest

Dipo Akinola

Say cheese!

Tony Rowe

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR

KIAH

Hi Kiah! Tell us, how did you first get into singing?

I have always enjoyed singing in the school choirs before becoming a chorister, so I thought it would be fun to go to Exeter Cathedral’s ‘Be a Chorister for a Day.’ I loved it so much that I applied to be a chorister – and got in!

Christmas is coming up, what festive music are you looking forward to singing?

I am so excited to sing Handel’s Messiah because the music is i cult but ery e citin . t is also really cool to watch the professional opera singers because they’re so inspiring. I am also excited to do the Christmas carol concerts too because we have lots of fun!

What do you like about singing at Exeter Cathedral?

I love singing at Exeter Cathedral because the building has great acoustics and the architecture is ma nificent. really love the colourful stained glass windows and the way they light up during evensong. The environment is just amazing.

What’s actually involved in being a chorister?

You have to be very committed to be a chorister. We rehearse every weekday morning before school, except Wednesdays, which is our ay off. e sin evensong twice after school and alternate weekends, Easter and Christmas Day, which is the best!

What are the difficult aspects to it?

It’s a bit challenging to rehearse every day and especially if we are learning a new piece and have to sight read, but senior choristers really help the juniors and the music director gives us funny tips to remember i cult parts.

And how about the really good bits?

It’s really fun when we sing a really fast and catchy piece of music or one where the organ is dramatic, or we sing a song we know well and really love because it’s such a good atmosphere.

Have you had any standout special moments in your time as a chorister there?

Oh well, that is hard because all of it has been amazing, but I think being installed and receiving my surplus when becoming a full chorister, because suddenly I felt a great responsibility and that the choir would be relying on me.

You also play some instruments…tell us more!

I always loved the elegance of the ute an the ran e of soun s and styles it makes. I couldn’t wait until I was seven to start learning it because I was always told I was too small before then. I now play in several ensembles in and outside of school. I have performed at some really cool venues in Exeter, including the Phoenix, The Great Hall and of course at Exeter Cathedral but my favourite is playing in a jazz band.

Would you like to pursue music as a career?

es want to be a ja autist

and a singer/song writer, but aside from music, I want to be a graphic designer because my other passion is art and design and I want to design cool CD covers.

What different types of music do you enjoy listening to?

I especially enjoy listening to music on the radio. I like everything new and old really, but I’ve recently started to love 80s music like Chaka Khan and Michael Jackson.

Who are your music heroes?

Wow, I have so many… Kathleen Battle is a soprano opera singer, obbi umphrey a ja autist and I really look up to Beyoncé and her daughter Blue Ivy because their messages in their songs are really important and uplifting. My musical heroes are iconic black women because they inspire me, knowing how talented they are and what they have achieved despite prejudices faced, that people like us still experience today. They show me that I can do it too.

Lastly, when you’re singing one of your favourite pieces with the choir how do you feel?

Singing my favourite pieces with the choir is the warmest feeling ever! It is so hard to describe. t fills me with joy when hear the wonderful sound we make together and I just feel like a little bir yin abo e the clou s. n

Handel’s Messiah with Exeter Cathedral Choir is on 4 December, and Christmas with the Cathedral Choir is on 9, 11 and 12 December; www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk

Ahead of the Christmas carol concerts, we catch up with 11-year-old Kiah, an Exeter Cathedral chorister, to chat Handel, Beyoncé and the joy of singing

“Singing my favourite pieces with the choir is the warmest feeling ever!”