So Magazine October 2020

CULTURE

Picture perfect

Art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon is coming to Tunbridge Wells

WELL-BEING

FOOD & DRINK

Botanica Health's Naomi Murray on how we can stay healthy

We raise a glass to marvellous Mereworth wines

Natural approach

Vine time

GRAND DESIGNS MEET THE TEAM BEHIND THIS LOCAL FAMILY-RUN INTERIORS BUSINESS AND DISCOVER HOW THEY CAN ENHANCE YOUR HOME

October 2020

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WELCOME

Editor’s LETTER

I

n a world that’s pretty unpredictable right now at least we have the comforting reassurance of the changing of the seasons… So now that the season of ‘mists and mellow fruitfulness’ – as the poet John Keats declared it to be in his ode To Autumn – is well and truly upon us let’s put our worries for the future to one side and revel in all this glorious time of year has to offer. Firstly, the good news is we can still do lots of fun things – just in a more socially distanced way – as our Culture Hub pages reveal (p4-5). From visiting a pumpkin patch to stock up on squashes and gourds, to enjoying a day out at one of our National Trust properties or seeing the red and orange leaves tumble in the glorious grounds of Hever Castle, there are lots of things to do at the weekend or during half term. And with most of us hunkering down at home again, partly due to the chillier weather but also due to the possibility of more restrictions ahead, what better time to run a piece on an interiors company that can help you put a stylish stamp on your house? We discover the success story of Anthony Paulo Interiors on page 8. This family-run business has not only survived through the pandemic but actually grown. Given there’s so much bleak business news at the moment, it’s really uplifting to hear a positive story. Talking of uplifting we had the pleasure of meeting Naomi

4 6

contents October 2020

Culture vulture: where to go when this October

Healthy approach: We meet Botanica Health’s Naomi Murray P20

Lifeline for live music: Paul Dunton on how the Assembly Hall will start hosting some of The Forum’s gigs from this month

Murray from Botanica Health in Rusthall which has just celebrated its tenth birthday. The clinic’s range of specialist herbal medicines, minerals, essential oils, wholefoods and natural skincare is a huge hit with customers and so we went along to discover why… Elsewhere you’ll find interesting reads on the future of our theatres, why historian Andrew Graham-Dixon wants us to get more into art and the best food and drink around. A trip on a canal and how to get your borders under control in the garden wraps up a diverse and engaging issue that we hope you’ll love as much as we do…

8

Recipe for business success: How Anthony Paulo Interiors is cornering the market when it comes to offering bespoke cabinetry and stylish kitchens

13

Bridal path: Oastbrook winery launches its fantastic new wedding venue

The secret’s out: We meet the couple from No Secrets natural beauty business Hypnotherapy: Our regular columnist Karen Martin talks about her breast cancer diagnosis

Eileen Editor, SO magazine Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @somagazines

Issue 147 SALOMONS ESTATE Tunbridge Wells Kent TN3 0TG Tel: 01892 779650 www.timeslocalnews.co.uk

EDITOR Eileen Leahy info@somagazines.co.uk EDITORIAL Victoria Truman Vikki Rimmer James Viner

HEAD OF DESIGN Lee Smith lsmith8@markerstudy.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Richard Moore rmoore@markerstudy.com

SALES DIRECTOR Robin Singer rsinger@markerstudy.com DESIGN & PHOTOGRAPHY David Sexton Rose Bainbridge

PRINTED BY: Mortons Print PUBLISHED BY

All rights reserved. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions relating to advertising or editorial. The publisher reserves the right to change or amend any competitions or prizes offered. No part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written consent from the publisher. No responsibility is taken for unsolicited materials or the return of these materials whilst in transit.

28 30 32 36 38 40 43 49 50

Style file: The must have products to see you through October

Hub of the home: Discover the stunning designs by Anthony Paulo Interiors P8

14 17 24

Grub n’ grooves: We look back on Tom Kerridge’s Drive in Garden Party In the picture: Historian Andrew Graham-Dixon is coming to Trinity Curtain up: Our local theatre directors reveal their plans for survival

Seasonal splendour: We learn about the top of the crops for autumn

Marvellous Mereworth: Enjoy a taste of the drink of the moment: Meade

Art lesson: Andrew Graham-Dixon is at Trinity P17

Restaurant review: Sample a safe and socially distanced evening out at Bill’s Messing about on the river: Discover the joys of a calming canal break

Let’s go outside: Victoria Truman on the jobs to do in your garden this month Porche perfection: Test drive the latest model from this luxury

car brand

SO Magazine | October 2020 | 3

CALENDAR

Our edit of the most entertaining events happening this month Following the ongoing easing of the Coronavirus lockdown many of our favourite beauty spots, galleries, museums and places of interest are now open. There’s also a lot more alfresco experiences to enjoy too. Here’s our pick of where to go this October NET SOME FLICKS Rusthall Cinema Club reopened at the end of the summer and has now introduced all the relevant social distancing and safety guidelines in order to start screening its trademark offering of art house classics and cult films. On Saturday October 10 at 7pm it will show Ken Loach’s most recent celluloid offering Sorry We Missed You which examines the life of a family struggling to work their way out of debt courtesy of the father taking on the job of a delivery driver. It’s a poignant and beautifully observed piece of contemporary cinema that will resonate with viewers long after the credits have rolled. For tickets and membership info visit www.rusthallcinemaclub.com

TIME TO GO APE Go Ape at Bedgebury is up and running once more, with all the

necessary safety and social distancing measures in place. It is great for thrill-seekers to get stuck into with its tree top walks, swings and zip wires. Children must be aged at least ten years old to participate and be a minimum of 1.4m tall in this external adventure. For tickets and timings, visit www.goape.co.uk

PUMPKIN PATCH KIDS Halloween wouldn’t be the same without a trip to source a pumpkin or two and the good news is that despite many venues still being shut due to Covid-19 Pumpkin Moon near Maidstone is still welcoming visitors to come and find pumpkins, squashes and gourds of all shapes and sizes. Open every Saturday and Sunday from October 10 to 31, 10am to 4pm, entry is free and top seasonal veg picks start at just £1. Before visiting register your interest via its website at www.pumpkinmoon.uk

DID YOU KNOW? The name pumpkin comes from the Greek word ‘pepon’, meaning large melon. They vary in weight but an average sized pumpkin might weigh around 13 pounds (6 kilograms).

FULL STEAM AHEAD FOR BEER FESTIVAL The Spa Valley Railway will still host its popular annual Beer and Cider festival over the weekend of October 16-18 although it will be a lot smaller than usual due to Covid-19 restrictions. Visitors, who have to book tickets in advance, will meet at Tunbridge Wells West station’s shed bar and then enjoy a two-hour steam ride around the beautiful countryside to and from Eridge. Tickets cost £35 per person and include two pints on the train and an event guide. www.spavalleyrailway.com

MARKET VALUE After months away our cherished Pantiles Markets are now back up and running. Held every two weekends (this month on October 17-18) they are a wonderful way to support local producers and makers – now more important than ever due to the Covid crisis. As well as being able to source all kinds of delicious specialist and seasonal food and drink there are also lots of stalls selling art, handmade jewellery and interior items so make sure you head along one Saturday or Sunday in order to enjoy a socially distanced browse and buy to help all those independents keep going.

AUTUMNAL DELIGHTS

Live the high life at Bedgebury

4 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

If there’s one place to appreciate all the splendour of autumn it’s the grounds of Hever Castle which boasts the prettiest red, orange and copper tones on its Maple and Acer trees and trademark Boston Ivy climber on the castle. As the air turns crisp and a rich display of autumn colour envelops the countryside, this is the perfect place to go walking and enjoy all of nature’s rich seasonal joy with friends and family. During half term week (October 24-November 1) the popular historical visitor attraction will also be hosting lots of spooky Halloween fun including a pumpkin trail so make sure you and your children go along dressed in your best creepy costume! More details at www.hevercastle.co.uk

DID YOU KNOW? The Long Gallery in Penshurst Place was used to record the floorboard creaking sound effects for all the Harry Potter films.

FAMILY FUN Penshurst Place, the jewel in the crown of local stately homes is once again able to offer tours for visitors around its palatial premises. Like many similar historical tourist attractions, the 14th Century manor house will also operate a booking system in order to accept

CALENDAR

visitors so it’s essential to book your slot. Some of the house’s attractions including its State Rooms and Toy Museum remain shut but there’s plenty of safe half term fun to be had courtesy of the adventure playground and woodland trail are still open. For more information on visiting times and tickets visit www.penshurstplace.com

DID YOU KNOW? Mostly we think of ‘fall’ as an American reference to autumn but it actually originated in England in the 17th century from the phrase ‘fall of the leaf’.

NATIONAL TREASURES We have so many beautiful National Trust properties on our doorstep and many of them are hosting special Halloween and half term events. It’s a good idea to check each one’s website first to see what’s on when and of course to book tickets. Locally you can choose to visit magical properties such as Bodiam Castle, Igtham Mote and Emmetts Garden. Scotney Castle and Sissinghurst are another couple of National Trust gems which boast a long and rich history and are the perfect places to escape to on a bright and crisp autumnal day.

See pianist George Harliono live

TIME TO FACE THE MUSIC Despite many of our music venues having to close due to coronavirus the good news is you can still hear musicians playing live courtesy of events such as the Lamberhurst Music Festival. On October 23 its organisers welcome the phenomenally talented 18

year old British pianist George Harliono. Hailed as one of the most gifted pianists of his generation, he is highly revered throughout the classical world and now you have the chance to see him perform in the atmospheric ambience of St Mary’s Church in Lamberhurst. Tickets cost £20 for adults and can be booked here www.lamberhurstmusic.co.uk

Visit beautiful Bodiam Castle

SO Magazine | October 2020 | 5

Music

Infrared By Sally Anne Lo

w Photograpy

Paul Dunton Music Editor

Follow Paul @PaulDuntonmusic

STRIKING A NOTE O FOR OUR LOCAL M W rear of the building. These ticketed shows ith the Covid 19 have all had a great atmosphere and have situation been very well organised with all the constantly changing social distancing measures adhered to. and evolving, the live The events are all seated and all ticket music industry continues holders are effectively on their own table to face an uphill battle. For venues small or bubble with the option to buy small or and large it is very difficult - and in most large size tables. Despite challenging cases practically impossible - to host weather at times, these events have indoor live music. As we now find ourselves in October been a great success for all concerned the prospect of putting on and very welcome income for the regular outdoor live music musicians, sound is fading very quickly with technicians and the autumn setting in. To the venue itself. “There is now best of my knowledge For the autumn period, one ray of light there is very little live music the plan for Trinity happening in Kent and Theatre going forward is that has emerged Sussex at the moment – a to continue with these in recent times for regular sad reality that is in fact live music events, local musicians staging them indoors in the reflected right across the UK. From a Tunbridge Wells and music lovers” auditorium incorporating a similar seating plan to the standpoint, there is however outdoor shows. Please one ray of light that has emerged in recent times for visit www.trinitytheatre.net to musicians and music lovers find out more information. and that’s the combined efforts of Trinity Like many other venues, The Tunbridge Theatre and The Assembly Hall Theatre Wells Forum has had to close for the to stage regular live music. remainder of 2020. But a recent development has seen a very welcome From early August, Trinity Theatre has coalition with The Assembly Hall Theatre been running weekly outdoor live music which has led to a new run of shows events in their gardens situated to the

6 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

entitled ‘Forum Nights’ which will be held in the Assembly Hall auditorium. These regular showcases will be ticket only and feature an array of well-known local and regional bands. They are set to run weekly through October and November with the potential to run into December. They will be all seated and come with a limited capacity, but for the bands involved as well as The Forum and The Assembly Hall it is very welcome news in these troubled times. Just some of the renowned local acts that will be getting involved include, Suncharmer, Infrared, Sorrel Nation, The Charlie Rivers Band, Mike Wilton, The Violet Jive and many more. It is fantastic to see local venues working together to help keep the cogs turning for our cherished local music scene. Everyone’s fingers are well and truly crossed that Covid 19 will soon be a distant memory and we can all get back to some sort of normality soon. To find out more about the ‘Forum Nights’ shows including confirmed dates, line ups and tickets please visit www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk and www.twforum.co.uk

Music

Mike Wilton ography Phot is Harr ail Abig By

E OF OPTIMISM L MUSIC SCENE

Last month The Forum, Tunbridge Wells’ treasured independent music venue, announced that it will not be re-opening until next year but, as Paul Dunton explains, there are plans for it to now host evenings at the Assembly Hall Charlie Rivers

Suncharmer By Abigail Harris Photography

SO Magazine | October 2020 | 7

Cover Feature

Home is where this talented team’s

8 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

E Photos Rose Bainbridge

We meet a local family-run interiors company who are cornering the market when it comes to creating beautiful bespoke kitchens and cabinetry

leven years ago Helder Paulo was working as an apprentice for a small carpentry company based in North London making bespoke, high end furniture. Having set his sights on running his own business, the former professional footballer from Portugal was keen to learn all he could about the trade. Helder, who now lives locally with his family, regularly put in 12 to 14 hour days, which resulted in him learning lots of specific skills and valuable knowledge on how to run an independent business. When his boss, who had worked in the industry for over 40 years,

heart is

decided to retire he offered Helder a partnership in the business in return for a small investment. Helder’s wife Bianca has a background in finance, so she was able to ask all the right questions to ensure that Helder was getting the best deal possible before investing in the company. “After a few months the deal didn’t actually go through,” Bianca tells me. “So we decided to take the long route and risk doing something by ourselves. We thought ‘well if something goes wrong then we only had ourselves to blame!’” The first step involved Helder equipping himself with all the

necessary tools – quite literally – as well as a van. He began by doing jobs around London, taking on everything from carpentry to fitting doors and floors in order to get himself established. “Flooring wasn’t really something he had a passion for but as you can imagine when you are starting your own business you can’t really be picky,” continues Bianca. “When Helder got bigger projects for doing things like fitted furniture he would hire a small workshop in Battersea to do the job. I still remember finishing my job in the city, taking the train and going there to help him paint the

furniture! Saturdays and Sundays were spent with the two of us painting and I actually became quite good at it!” laughs Bianca. After four years of working as a sole trader Helder decided to make the dream of running his own business a reality.

QUALITY

Almost two years ago he and Bianca pooled their professional resources and established Anthony Paulo Interiors with the idea of carrying on Helder’s passion of creating beautiful and unique furniture. “The company is named after our son Anthony, and also Helder’s

Cover Feature

grandfather whose name is Antonio,” explains Bianca. “He introduced Helder at a very young age into working with wood, not carpentry but tree cutting and processing, so you could say that even though Helder chose many different career paths throughout his life, he was always drawn back to his roots.” The couple started by renting a 700sqf unit in Edenbridge with just one apprentice doing a couple of projects here and there, but six months later they found themselves needing to take on bigger premises in order to accommodate their fledging business. The lionshare of Anthony Paulo’s business comes from the commercial sector. “We have had a variety of commercial projects from restaurants to total shop refurbishment to offices, most of which have been in London,” says Bianca. Brands they’ve worked with include the independant food retailer COOK, and the Hand Bag Clinic in Chelsea. Locally, Anthony Paulo Interiors has been involved in the new Whelan Homes’ luxury town houses on St John’s Road, something Bianca says they would like to do more of. “This is an area we want to do more in and with

our new, bigger factory we hope that we can approach more developers and give them the confidence that we can supply them with our products on time. “Today we are a team of eight with numerous projects all going on at the same time, including a

When you commission something for your home you are not just buying it, you are becoming part of the Anthony Paulo family.

number of big commissions for clients who are refurbing their entire house. We can take those types of projects on because we offer the full package of fitted furniture – kitchens, integrated wardrobes, libraries, TV units – we end up having our work featured in most rooms in people’s houses!”

EXPANDING

In January this year the couple further expanded their business by

opening a shiny new showroom in Crowborough which, despite everything that has happened this year, is now open. “After many years supplying our kitchens and furniture to interior designers, architects and other kitchen companies, we just thought to ourselves ‘well if we can make it why don’t we show what we can do to the general public too?’” Bianca says that there have obviously been challenges to their business but, despite the ongoing Covid crisis, for the most part they are still getting lots of commissions. “We are going through a challenging time but I think that’s the same for most businesses. Happily we are still very busy with projects and we are getting lots of enquiries from people looking to do improvements in their own home instead of moving.” Bianca adds that since the showroom opened in Crowborough they have received great feedback from locals which bodes well as the plan is for Anthony Paulo to expand further. “We definitely want to roll out our brand across the UK and will look to open a few more showrooms in the near future. We’re currently in discussions to move to a bigger factory with

Bianca and Helder Paulo

5000sqf in order to deliver projects more efficiently and meet the growing demand for our kitchens and bespoke fitted furniture.” The husband and wife team are both company directors with Bianca looking after the financial side of the business, while Helder oversees quality control. He has managed to take a step back from the workshop and let his carpenters chisel away to create Anthony Paulo’s specialist designs – although it appears that he still likes to get involved every now and again with the manufacturing. “Helder often still rolls up his sleeves and helps the guys out. Elvio Fernandes is our senior manager – who is also known as the people motivator! If you see him in the morning you can be sure that he’s going to make you smile!” Bianca is just as complementary when it comes to the rest of her staff. “We have a great team in the workshop and a wonderful showroom designer in Matthew, who loves to talk! If you visit our showroom you can be sure you’ll spend more time than you predicted because he loves to chat! Everyone who works for us has an important role to play in the business. We love giving people the

opportunity to be part of our amazing journey. Giving jobs to people and knowing that we are making a difference to their lives.” Bianca says that it’s not just her staff who regularly make her and Helder happy – it’s the company’s many clients too. “One of the things we love most is seeing customers’ faces when their kitchen or any other rooms we’re working on in their house come to life. Basically we are changing people’s lives and that makes us so happy when we see they are. “Every project is different so it keeps us and the team on our toes. Every one is like a prototype so it’s always great seeing the end results. We regularly get jobs thanks to word of mouth recommendations which means we must be doing something right!” One of the few negatives the couple has experienced running their own company thus far focuses around recruitment. “It is hard to find skilled people to do our kind of work – and who are also passionate about what they do. My husband is very passionate about what he does and if he’s at the workshop and sees something is not up to his standards then you can be sure he will make sure it is done again! SO Magazine | October 2020 | 9

Cover Feature

1. Make sure you use all the space you can 2. Choose a colour that you won’t get bored of 3. Don’t save money on handles, a truly bespoke kitchen deserves the right quality handle

“We have a saying in our company: “We are here to build Ferraris – not Fiats! Everyone who works with us has to share our vision and know that we are not in the business of mass production but that of making high end furniture – no disrespect to Fiats by the way!” Although Anthony Paulo Interiors has opened up its work to the general public they still continue to work in the commercial sector as Bianca says ‘there is always something different’. But she loves a personal brief from private clients – especially when they’ve done their homework. “When someone has done all the research and created mood boards What are the current trends people are choosing for their kitchen right now? Most people are going for the Shaker style kitchen, but choosing darker shades of blue or grey to offset the traditional look. We also have had a few projects with mixed colours so the cabinets are one colour and the kitchen island another Why do you think it’s important to invest in bespoke cabinetry? Many people don’t understand the high cost, but you are paying

10 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

for an item that will last you many years. Having something bespoke, makes it your own and the quality is genrally better than items that are being produced in big quantities Are there any designers or artists who constantly inspire you? We actually follow a lot of designers on Instagram and just love all their work. Combining multiple ideas gives us inspiration on projects and helps us to be within the latest trends and offer innovative things to clients, which

always helps the business and makes who we are great. How important is social media to your business and why? Social media is very important for every business right now. It’s the best way to get your name out there and for people to see what type of work we do. We try and update our social media regularly so our followers can get an idea of our day-to-day. We also think it’s a great way to bring in new business and let people know who we are.

to think outside of the box and try or has a load of pictures of what new things which in turn gives our they want it just makes everything clients a special and utterly so smooth. Not having an idea bespoke service. what you want makes the job “Most of our clients have become challenging but having said that we very good friends and we’ll are always happy to help a often spend hours client get to the right asking their opinion vision.” about new ideas we Although the “We want to roll might have. And couple boast clients out our brand across usually we always from all over the south east, they are the UK and open a few end up taking something good on very keen to get to more showrooms in board. When you know the residents the near future” choose a kitchen of Crowborough, from us or Tunbridge Wells and commission something beyond and welcome for your home, you are not readers to pay them a safe and just buying something, you are socially distanced visit. becoming part of the Anthony “We bring fun and innovative Paulo family.” ideas. We are a company that likes

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SO Magazine | October 2020 | 11

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Social Scene

GRAPE EXPECTATIONS: Local winery reveals why it’s the perfect place to say ‘I do’

L

ast month, owner and winemaker America Brewer hosted a socially distanced launch event at Oastbrook Estate in Robertsbridge, to show wedding planners, happy couples and wine friends how to celebrate a ‘new normal’ wedding – in an English vineyard. The morning began with guests taking part in a gentle yoga class around the stunning pool that overlooks the vines. Oastbrook’s Sparkling Rosé 2015 was later served alongside an array of canapés prepared by caterers Touchays and Wild and Free. Hosts America and Nick

Brewer took guests on small group tours, pointing out the different locations for licenced ceremonies around the 60-acre estate. Vows can be exchanged in a gazebo in the heart of the vineyard, under a floral archway amongst some of the 20,000 vines or in the Rivendellinspired tasting room, which has views through to Oastbrook’s future winery. Before the end of the special day, guests were treated to a Brazilian Samba show at the Cabana Bar next to Oastbrook’s beautiful vineyards. Oastbrook is now taking bookings for 2021 and beyond. Please contact info@oastbrook.com with enquiries.

Pictures by Boyd Visuals

SO Magazine | October 2020 | 13

Social Scene

© Nigel Martin Photography

music

© Nigel Martin Photography

for the food and…

14 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

L

ast month Tom Kerridge and a few of his celebrity chef friends descended on the stunning grounds of Eridge Park with their Drive In Garden Party. Tom and co cooked up a storm for foodie fans who came from far and wide to enjoy an array of delicious dishes as well as a number of brilliant live music acts over the weekend of September 19-20 – all in a safe, socially distanced manner. The event, which was a huge success, was a replacement for the Michelin star chef ’s usual Pub in the Park at Dunorlan which had to postponed due to Covid -19. Despite it being a smaller affair with

no social interaction outside each group’s bubbles, there were still lots of mouthwatering menus to pre-order from. They included things like salt baked Cornish new potatoes & summer truffle, with aged parmesan sauce from Kerridge’s Bar & Grill, a Mariner’s ploughman with aged Davidstow cheddar, cassis pickled onions and prosciutto crudo courtesy of Paul Ainsworth as well as a chicken tikka Kathi roll with red onion and mint and coriander chutney from Indian Essence’s Atul Kochhar. With live musical accompaniments coming from Keane, Squeeze and Soul II Soul, and local acts Marie White and the Paul Dunton Orchestra, it really was a party to remember.

© Nigel Martin Photography

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CULTURE

One of the things I enjoy most is engaging with an audience...

pictures that now they want to find it, to go and see it for themselves and make up their own mind. The point of it all is to enrich people’s lives, to make them feel the same love for art (and life, which for me is the same thing really) that I do. It’s been really frustrating with Covid because one of the things I enjoy most is engaging with an audience, and the closest I have been able to come is giving lectures on Zoom – and while it’s a wonderful tool the drawback is that (forgive the rhyme), with Zoom you can’t feel the room. There are people there, but they are sort

of not there. Plus I’m lousy at technology. So I’m really keen to come back to Trinity, social distancing and all. It’s such a warm and friendly venue, and my local to boot – I’m just 15 minutes down the road on my farm!

QUESTIONS

I’m hoping to do more events but at the moment everything is up in the air, so we don’t know which lectures are happening and which aren’t. My main focus is on writing my book about Vermeer, which I hope more than anything else will be another ‘Before and After’.

Before you read it, you might think such and such about Vermeer. After you’ve read it, I hope hope hope, Vermeer will seem a completely different artist, totally different from existing preconceptions. I can’t say more because it’s all meant to be a surprise when I finally finish. I’ve been working on it off and on for 20 years, but maybe that’s the silver lining of Covid for me – I am now determined to bloody finish it!” Andrew Graham-Dixon will be appearing at Trinity Theatre on November 5 and 12 at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £19 each from www.trinitytheatre.net

Revered art historian and TV presenter Andrew Graham-Dixon is visiting Trinity Theatre not once but twice next month in order to deliver his postponed talk entitled In the Picture. Here he explains what it’s all about

T

he basic idea behind In the Picture is simple. It’s a Before and After. It goes like this: up pops a slide on the lecture screen and here’s a picture you may or may not know, what do you make of it? Like it? Dislike it? Indifferent? OK, so that’s the ‘Before’. Now let me tell you as much as I can about that picture: I’ll tell you who made it and who they really were, at least insofar as I know! I’ll explain what was going on in their life, what their world was like, and then I’ll tell you what I think is going on in the picture. That’s the ‘After’. Now, if the picture still looks the same as it did when you looked at it ‘Before’, then I’ve failed. Simple, as I say, but I hope it can at least stimulate people and make them question their own preconceptions, maybe open things up a bit. I can give you an example. Take the American flag paintings done by Jasper Johns in the 1950s. They can look kind of cold and formal at first,

but once you discover that Johns was living in New York during the McCarthy era, that he was homosexual and in fear of persecution, maybe those flags look different. With their muffled surfaces: could they be a sour comment on America as a failed land of liberty and free expression? A kind of muted outsider’s protest? I think so. But of course I could be wrong – maybe they’re just flags. This ‘Before and After’ thing with art, it’s what I’ve done all my life in the privacy of my own mind: I’ve taken a picture or a series of pictures, asked myself questions about them, then tried to answer those questions. And at the end of it the pictures have always become very different to me than they were at the start. So ‘In the Picture’ is a way of bringing that to a public audience, sharing that sense of how pictures can be rediscovered or rethought. What I really like is when someone comes up afterwards – it has happened occasionally – and says that they were moved enough by one of the

For more information on Andrew and his work you can visit www.andrew grahamdixon.com On the website there is an option to subscribe which in turn gives people access to Andrew’s archive of over a thousand articles and many documentaries, as well as a new feature - an exclusive new video each month of Andrew discussing art. SO Magazine | October 2020 | 17

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WELL-BEING

Botanica Health in Rusthall has just celebrated its tenth anniversary. Eileen Leahy met its co-founder Naomi Murray, who runs the successful apothecary with her herbalist sister Sophie Lamb, to discover the power of medicinal plants and why this month they’ll be giving out free Vitamin D to the over 65s…

I

n September 2010 sisters Naomi Murray and Sophie Lamb opened their clinic Botanica Health on Rusthall High Street. If you’ve never had the pleasure of paying it a visit then, in short, it’s a veritable holistic hub offering a wealth of traditional herbal medicines, minerals, vitamins, supplements, natural skincare and whole foods in order to enhance people’s health and general well-being. There’s also a physio treatment space there too which is run by Naomi’s husband Alan which means all areas of physical – and mental – well-being are addressed. Naomi and Sophie have long been immersed in the world of herbal medicine and its myriad health benefits due to their father, Brian Lamb, being Scotland’s oldest practising herbalist. “My father comes from a long line of leading doctors but has a huge love of the power of plants and what they can do for people,” explains Naomi when we meet at the shop one sunny autumnal morning.

20 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

“We had an idyllic childhood on the north coast of Scotland – you could nearly see Orkney from our house – and our father would always take us out herb picking, then show us how to make different syrups and tinctures. Our home always smelt of different herbs and lots of meadowsweet. I loved it, especially learning about the medicinal powers of certain plants.” Picking health boosting gems from the hedgerows led Naomi onto working for her father as his dispenser, and her sister Sophie going on to qualify as a herbalist. The idea that came many years later to open a natural health clinic down south in Rusthall arose from a personal urge to share the knowledge the sisters has acquired, after working for decades in the world of herbal medicine, but it was also a practical decision says Naomi. “My husband Al is a physio and he had been renting some practice space in Sandrine’s Pilates in Tunbridge Wells. But he was getting so busy he wanted to get his

Photos Rose Bainbridge

Taking the natural approach to a healthier, happier life Naomi Murray

DID YOU KNOW? Up to 50% of drugs developed in the last 30yrs and 11% of drugs on the World Health Organisation’s List of Essential Medicines come from plants - aspirin, morphine, lidocaine and atropine to name a few.

Botanica’s new B Immune box

hadn’t even got all the shelves filled own place. We found the shop unit as I wanted to grow things slowly on Rusthall High Street and l immediately loved it because it was and be very careful about what I chose to sell. I remember a woman so light!” came in and said ‘I don’t think this Naomi says that although it will last you know’ and I benefited from lots of thought to myself well, natural light, the shop I’m passionate about itself was a shell and what I do so I’ll needed a lot of carry on... and work. thankfully it’s “The main thing “Herbs are still grown and grown that was important the world’s biggest since then.” to me was to traditional medicine” Naomi says the capitalise on the reason behind shop’s natural light,” Botanica Health’s continues Naomi. “I success – apart from wanted it to be bright the specialist and often and open, and to lose that unique remedies and services it clichéd tag of health shops being offers – is down to the word of hippy dippy with patchouli oil mouth of its customers. burning away in the background “People visit and then they because it’s not actually about that. return again and again. Then they “The first day we opened we

WELL-BEING

help, and the benefits of tell their friends and they come maintaining a healthy diet and along too. We now have people lifestyle are being amplified. coming not just from the local area “There are of course many but from London and elsewhere. “Plants are really amazing and so essential life-saving drugs – antibiotics save lives – but in my it’s encouraging when you can see opinion it all goes back to that old people are getting better from the adage that an ounce of prevention remedies you have prescribed is worth a ton of a cure. them. I opened the shop with the “There was a study on aim of wanting to give people the epigenetics opportunity to which found that fix themselves on a daily basis because no one you are else is going to We have the influencing your fix you but you genes by what – especially opportunity on a daily you say, think, now.” basis to improve our do, how you Naomi is of health so we have to be exercise, what course talking you eat. There’s a about Covid and reminded of that - the great saying tells me that she GP is not the only route about genetics: feels more they load the gun passionate than but what you do ever about how pulls the trigger. medicinal plants We have the opportunity on a daily can help in our fight to remain fit basis to improve our health so we and healthy while the pandemic have to be reminded of that - the persists. GP is not the only route. “What a lot of people don’t “Herbs are still the world’s biggest realise is that most drugs come traditional medicine, because not from plants. For example when everyone lives in countries where Roche made the antiviral drug Tamiflu, they bought up almost the drugs are produced so they rely on entire world’s supply of star anise to plants for their health. And the efficacy of what we sell here in make it. That’s because the oil Rusthall to people from all over is produced from star anise contains evident in the fact we have so many thymol, terpineol and anethole, returning customers.” which are used for treating coughs As we head towards the winter and flu. and are still no closer to finding a “We did a Ted Talk a couple of vaccine for the coronavirus, Naomi years ago and discovered it’s believes that it is now more something like 70% of drugs are important than ever to protect still derived from plants so there’s protect ourselves which is why she no denying that they work.” is donating Vitamin D to those Prior to the pandemic Naomi over 65 for the first two weeks of says most people were happy to leave their fate in the hands of their this month. “I feel so passionate that it will GP, but that lots more are now make a difference as we know it looking at the whole holistic prevents colds and flu and will also picture in order to stay well. impact Covid as it helps strengthen “Nowadays there’s a pill for immunity. By giving the Vitamin D everything and pre-coronavirus away I feel like I am giving you could go to the GP for a quick fix. But with Covid we’re starting to something back to the community, to thank them for their support hear about how Vitamin D can

BOTANICA HEALTH’S BESTSELLERS ReMag: The Magnesium Miracle: “This is a very interesting magnesium that I import from America and we get through so many bottles of it because it’s amazing for so many things including palpatations, heart disease, stress, anxiety, depression and ADHD.

Wholistic Ashwagandha: “This is especially good for women who have that ‘wired but tired’ feeling or that they can’t cope – especially now with all the uncertainty surrounding another lockdown. Taken in the morning it will give you a tranquil day ahead and taken in the evening it will help you sleep. It also helps break down cortisol levels which cause stress.”

during this time. The Vitamin D sprays will last 100 days so are a big part of staying well during winter. Naomi will also be selling a new ‘B Immune’ box which is filled with remedies such as Thyme Syrup – known as the lung healer – that will also help prevent and protect. It even comes with an affirmation card you can stick on your fridge to read every day in order to create a positive way of thinking. “The idea behind the B Immune Box is to feel empowered, proactive and comforted at this difficult time – and to remind ourselves that there is hope and things you can do amongst all this fear. “We haven’t shut or furloughed anyone since March. We were very busy at the beginning of lockdown both in the shop and online because people were terrified about Covid. We were delivering to people’s houses who were too

scared to go out. I just kept Naomi and her team saying to people ‘you’ll be OK, just keep your immune the body, emotional as well as system strong, take vitamin physical. They don’t just do one job D and get out for walks.’ I felt I had like drugs, they work in a holistic to say something other than what way, offering so much more we were learning from the all-encompassing level.” media.” And as for the next Naomi says she is ten years and beyond trying to turn the of Botanica Health fear on its head by “An ounce of Naomi says her providing inexpensive yet prevention is worth a aims are simple: “I want to give people effective natural ton of a cure” the tools, the remedies. wisdom and the “They enhance knowledge that I’ve your life. Look at what gained after 30 years. I’ve nature’s giving us right learnt a lot and got a great now. We have rosehips, packed teacher in my dad and I love full of vitamin C, elderberries and sharing that knowledge with blackberries full of antivirals, others.” blackberries too. It’s almost like For more information on God’s preparing us for winter. Botanical Health visit “Herbs work on a multi layered www.botanicahealth.co.uk approach and have effects all over

DID YOU KNOW? Immune boosting plants that grow around Kent include rosehip and sweet chestnut leaf. Rosehips are also a very important source of Vitamin C containing up to 30 times more an orange. sweet chestnut leaf is good for coughs and colds.

SO Magazine | October 2020 | 21

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To protect its most vulnerable older clients in the last few months, Worthing-based will writers and estate planners Thy Will Be Done have worked hard in arranging telephone consultations, setting up video witnessing and offering heavily discounted products and services in exchange for small donations to the NHS COVID-19 appeal. The company has also provided a fully Covid compliant office for their clients to drop their paperwork into while passing. As a result, they have been recognised in this year’s prestigious National British Wills and Probate Awards in the category of National Will Writer of the Year. Thy Will Be Done Director, Paul Blackmoore has a priority to communicate with clients in a straightforward, jargon-free and friendly way - and to provide upfront transparency on fees, which really helps less confident clients to forget any nervousness they may otherwise have about visiting a slightly foreboding solicitor’s office in order to arrange what can in fact be a fairly simple piece of estate planning, confident in the knowledge that they will always know in advance the precise amount that their work will cost. It is a rare achievement indeed for a small family-run firm from Goring to be in the final 3 of a prestigious national will writing award along with household names Farewill and Co-op legal services. Paul Blackmoore is very proud of the way the company he bought out of administration just over 3 years ago has, with the help of its hardworking staff and loyal customers, turned its fortunes around to become known locally for exceptional value and friendly service and now since lockdown, and the transition to holding all consultations remotely, to be competing for business on the national stage also.

Paul with Benny on the left and ‘’one eyed’’ Frankie on the right

Paul regularly appears in the local media with his two rescue French Bulldogs Frankie and Benny by his side. Paul says, “Frankie and Benny are a big hit with our clients, many of whom have reported that their presence in the shop helped them to quickly settle and relax.’’ Paul goes on to say that, ‘’wider recognition as one of the UK’s best will-writing companies in the British Wills and Probate awards is of special value to us because the awards are voted for by our industry colleagues and peers.” The finals of the awards will this year be held online on 22nd October and will once again be hosted by TV celebrity Jenny Bond. We wish Paul and his team at Thy Will Be Done all the very best of luck this year.

www.thywill.co.uk Brighton 977385 • Chichester 278303 • Crawley 278453 • Dorking 898089 • Eastbourne 364029 East Grinstead 457006 • Hastings 532029 • Haywards Heath 682047 • Horsham 458042 Pulborough 368003 • Redhill 423001 • Tunbridge Wells 278109 • Uckfield 278373 • Worthing 649021

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CULTURE

Thanks to the government giving the green light to some theatres partially reopening - for now - we talk to our local culture hubs to find out how they are ensuring that their shows will still go on…

O

ver the past month or so many of our treasured theatres have revealed how they are now able to reopen safely after being locked down in March. At the time of going to press, the likes of the Assembly Hall, Trinity and EM Forster theatres are still able to forge ahead welcoming back visitors – albeit on a smaller scale. Each one is adopting all the necessary safety and social distancing measures needed so they can once again start hosting performances, concerts and screenings for all the family. SO magazine discovers how each one has been able to reopen and finds out what’s coming up over the next few months . . .

TRINITY THEATRE Elizabeth Mahoney, Marketing & Communications Director says: “COVID has taken its toll on Tunbridge Wells’ Cultural community, but somehow at Trinity with only a small band of non-furloughed staff and a handful of volunteers, we managed to keep artistic and social events going this summer - in our stunning kitchen and bar gardens. 24 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

We do have a deeper connection to the community, one that reaches far beyond that of the traditional local theatre and the support in attendance has been reassuring. We are, like others, locked into the capacity battle, with only 71-100 seats available for each event for our recently released ‘Autumn Season’, we hope for ‘SOLD OUT’ signs across our programme! We are ahead of the government in our Covid care and social distancing protocols - we really have created a ‘safe haven’ for our community. We have curated a brilliant autumn line-up, with cinema and event cinema leading the pack for serious cinephiles and family film fanatics alike. The new list of events includes movie classics, such as Withnail & I and the visually rich, wonderfully romantic French favourite Amélie, perfect for a prosecco night out with friends. October half-term has never looked more fun with Spooky Saturday promising to tick the family fun box. Our creativity doesn’t stop there; the evening promises to deliver for Halloween households that are that little bit older with a night geared towards musical mayhem that encourages some fancy dress — The Rocky Horror Picture Show will be shown

“We have a deeper connection to the community, one that reaches far beyond that of the traditional local theatre” Elizabeth Mahoney – Trinity Theatre –

CULTURE

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CULTURE

at 9.30pm on Saturday 31st October. “Our team want to Theatre and the get back to what increasingly popular they were doing ‘Salon Series’ make a welcome return, with before and that’s Andrew Graham creating, delivering Dixon featuring twice and producing over the next two months (see page 17 brilliant shows” for more). I also can JJ Almond reveal there are – Assembly Hall – rumours of other broadcasters and global adventurers keen to visit this gem of a community venue with their interviews and talks. Opera will also be staged in our auditorium following, a sold-out Opera Through The Ages afternoon Tea last month. December will be incredible; with plans underway for a Winter Festival with events both inside and out. Get ready for our Enchanted Garden...we want to bring well-deserved levels of joy to Tunbridge Wells this Christmas!”

ASSEMBLY HALL THEATRE JJ Almond, creative director says: “We spent a lot of lockdown looking at options and seeing what contribution the Assembly Hall makes to the community, its core value and the pride it gives the town. We are not just an independent theatre, we are in fact part of a bigger picture because we are effectively a department in the council. And because of that we realised we were able to apply for a local government support scheme which compensates us for loss of income in certain areas. This grant is a key support for us and means that we can open again and thankfully has helped protect jobs. There have been no job losses whatsoever. We have protected everyone’s, and we are currently in the process of organising a phased return to work with the majority of our staff back to work by the end of this month. Our team want to get back to what they were doing before and that’s creating, delivering and producing brilliant shows. When the news was announced last month that we would be reopening there were lots of tears of happiness about it. They are so eager to get back to work. The good news is there will be a panto this year and although it won’t be the big, all singing, all dancing sparkling show we usually have, I’m pleased to tell you that there will still be a pop-up style panto – Jack and the Beanstalk for people to enjoy in a safe and socially distanced manner. Reopening later this month on October 17 we have a debut from The Comedy Store, to look forward to. They will be doing an exciting 26 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

that we could have live performances with social distancing in place which allowed us to plan for opening fully last month. We are in a very fortunate position that as the theatre is also Tonbridge School’s Drama Department the building is open. And the school is very keen for the community to have access to the theatre in a safe and controlled way. The rest of my team were furloughed until August, but during lockdown my role changed from theatre manager to working on the school’s community outreach work, which included helping to set up the NHS Treatment Centre at the school and working with community contacts to get PPE out to them. The first show we hosted post lockdown was local youth group The Talentz. They should have performed their musical ‘Joseph’ at Easter but we moved it outdoors at the end of August. Debbie King, who runs The Talentz and I worked closely together to ensure that both the cast, staff and audience would be kept safe. This involved lots of risk assessments, measuring of two metres and plenty of hand sanitiser!

“If you’ve been thinking of supporting a local venue now is the time to do so” Kat Portman-Smith – EM Forster Theatre – monthly residency. Other acts to grace the autumn/winter bill include comedian Omid Djalili who will play two nights on October 24 and November 25. We’ll also have a show from Strictly stars Kevin and Joanne Clifton and the English Touring Opera will also visit on a regular basis to present often unperformed and small works. Our popular community groups such as the Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra and TWODS drama troupe will be appearing again too – even if they are just smaller performances for the time being. Their audiences have really missed them and they are a massive part of our community.”

EM FORSTER THEATRE Kat Portman-Smith, theatre manager says: “Throughout lockdown we’ve been preparing for how the theatre could open with measures in place so as soon as the government announced in July that we could host outdoor theatre we were good to go. In August the announcement came

It was also great to have The Handlebards back doing their version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet this summer. Our hope with the £5 film screenings we’ve been running last month and during October is that people will make the step to come back and will feel safe here to book more events. So far we have screened The Personal History of David Copperfield and 1917, and later this month we welcome Sophie-Louise Dann with her show ‘May I Have a Moment?’ (October 24) and The Fizz, a concert featuring some of the former members of Bucks Fizz (October 17). We are also very pleased to announce that we will be hosting a special panto this year with Wicked Productions. Entitled Robin Hood and his Socially Distanced Merry Men it will run from December 18 to January 3. We’ve had to make some changes to make it safe and viable, but it has opened up some hilarious comedy opportunities especially when it comes to the love interest! We’re fortunate that we have the support of Tonbridge School but we still need to sell enough tickets to be financially viable. If you’ve been thinking of supporting a local venue now is the time to look at what’s on and see if we can tempt you back inside.”

TUNBRIDGE WELLS’ iconic music venue The Forum has teamed up with the Assembly Hall to put on some live performances (see pgs 6-7). The club announced last month that it is to remain closed for the rest of 2020 due to Covid restrictions but it will be presenting local and national music talent with ‘The Forum Nights’ at the Assembly Hall theatre on most Thursday evenings. The night will see a number of bands play at the theatre who would normally be on stage at The Forum and they include Lady Bird & friends, Mike Wilton & Suncharmer and Infared. To further support the town’s much loved music hot spot you can also purchase their latest fundraising merchandise which includes hoodies and caps from www.twforum.co.uk SO Magazine | October 2020 | 26

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STYLE FILE

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ince the ‘C’ word entered our lives we have had to make seismic changes in how we live and operate in the outside world. From social distancing to the Rule of Six, life has changed beyond recognition but that

things...

doesn’t mean that you have to compromise on feeling good despite everything. This month we’re sharing our most recent must-have discoveries which will not only help you look good during the pandemic but make you feel good too….

So spa... so good All that wearing of masks is probably playing havoc with your skin isn’t it? Breakouts are a common side effect of having to wear something covering your nose and mouth for prolonged periods of time but thankfully one clever company – Waxperts – has come up with the clever idea of beating the dreaded ‘maskne’ courtesy of their cult Wonder Pads (£10). Those in the know have long extolled the virtues of these skin saving pads which are pre-soaked with salicylic acid, an ingredient which is proven to reduce acne by exfoliating the skin, penetrating into your pores and clearing them of any blockages. Also containing extracts

28 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

Mask crusader

of rosemary which is known for its anti-inflammatory properties and also panthenol which helps with hydration, they are ideal for combatting the dreaded ‘maskne’ as well as any blockages caused by a build of oil, skin cells or make-up. Simply wipe over cleansed skin twice daily - or as often as needed. And if the coronavirus is stressing you out may we suggest investing in one of Waxpert’s gorgeously luxurious lavender candles (£30) which will help recreate their spa-like ambience in your own home. Perfect for those chilly winter evenings that will soon be upon us… follow them on Instagram at @waxpertswax Available online www.waxperts.ie

Who’d have thought that at the beginning of this year we’d all be instructed to wear masks every time we stepped over a shop or restaurant’s threshold or boarded public transport? No, us neither but now that it’s mandatory to do so in the fight against Covid-19 there

have been lots of people creating stylish alternative masks to the plain blue, rather boring disposable ones. One of our favourites are those by the Tunbridge Wells based Ollie and Roo brand who have created some in a wealth of wonderful prints so you can step out in style – and stay safe. Our current favourite is the

limited-edition glow in the dark range of special Halloween prints which include bat motifs and ghoulish pumpkin heads as well as spider webs. For price and more product details either follow them on Instagram at @ollieandroo or visit their website www.ollieandroo.co.uk

Sleep just got a lot more stylish We’ve been fans of the local luxury and sustainably pyjama brand Sleepy Wilson since it launched last year thanks to the gorgeous array of colourful pjs and night shirts it creates for both women and children. But now the company, which uses only the purest of silks for its eco conscious, plastic free products, has upped its nocturnal game even further by introducing a beautiful range of accessories aimed to help you sleep even better. Its new range of pure silk hair scrunchies, matching eye masks and turban style head bands are great for bedtime as the luxuriant fabric used is much

kinder to both your hair and complexion, so when you send up the Zzzzs you’re not doing any damage to these areas. But we think the range, which comes in a choice of three different prints and colourways, is ideal for glamorous daywear too. And the scrunchies double up as great arm candy too.

You can see why the brand, run by Paula and Tom Wilson, has been picked up by the uber cool Anthropologie and counts the likes of Fearne Cotton among its fans. For prices and more info on products follow them on Instagram @sleepy_wilson or visit www.sleepywilson.com

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Beauty Special

Photos Rose Bainberidge

Earlier this summer local residents Lorna and Graeme Veal were awarded a prestigious prize at the international Free From Skincare Awards for their Bath Jelly, one of the eco-friendly brand’s hero products. SO chats to Lorna to discover why she and her husband are on a mission to deliver beauty products that are good for your skin – and your wellbeing

Was it relatively easy to transform it from a How long has No Secrets been going and kernel of an idea to an actual business? what gave you the idea to start your own The one thing I didn’t know was how long it beauty business? takes to develop something properly. Once No Secrets, was born out of my own you have a prototype, it then needs to be frustration with the beauty industry. In tested for a minimum of six months 2010, my GP suggested that I and sometimes more. Every consulted a private doctor, who detail from a colour scheme, to specialised in complementary the size of a gift box has to be and holistic medicine, to “No Secrets makes thought through help resolve a number of plant-based products carefully before you go into niggling health issues. At with the luxury feel of production as mistakes one point I was faced with a would be costly! list of ingredients in high your favourite high street beauty products that I end brands” Why did you decide to go was advised to avoid. I came down the natural beauty route home and literally had to throw and have you found your journey away the entire contents of my so far relatively easy? bathroom cabinet! As I tried to replace There has been a lot to learn, which I love. I my favourite bath, shower and body was committed to following a natural products, I realised there was nothing out pathway as it quickly became clear to me that there that I really enjoyed using or made me regular beauty products included many of feel special. The No Secrets dream was born the ingredients I was told to avoid. and we started selling in 2018.

30 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

The bottom line on Bath Jelly “It is ‘set’ so it doesn’t make such a mess and doesn’t float round the bath. We’ve had great feedback so far and, it won a Bronze in the ‘Free From Skincare Awards’, so we hope people will really take to it. It’s a huge treat and like a spa treatment to enjoy in your own home boasting the reviving aroma of bergamot, petitgrain, eucalyptus, juniper and lavender essential oils.

Tell us a little bit about the ethos of the brand? We make plant-based products with the luxury feel of your favourite high-end brands. Whilst being natural, everything can still be fabulous and beautiful to look at! We have invested in expertly blended essential oils to give our range the feel of a 5-star spa. How did the name No Secrets come about? I’m passionate about honesty in beauty. It annoys me that a brand will advertise natural or organic on their label when only a small amount of the ingredients fits that description. The name No Secrets stemmed out of a commitment to share information on the ingredients to help people make an informed decision. Where are the products made and do you use any local natural ingredients? The products are all made in England. There are different expert makers for the different

Beauty Special

items. We are not a ‘kitchen table’ company. Everything is produced in a professional, sterile environment and complies with UK and EU regulations.

some nurses let us know it had totally helped to rescue their hands from the overuse of harsh chemical based hand washes. This was incredible to hear.

How many product lines are there and are there any that are particularly popular with customers? We currently have 15 items in our range. The most frequently purchased are our shower creams, and this year our Hand Cleanser has been very popular. We had

How did it feel to win at the Free From Beauty Awards? Last year we were nominated for our Shower Creams and Hand Cleansers, so this year to actually make it to the next stage and scoop a Bronze for our Bath Jelly, is thrilling. We had just won another award from the Beauty

Shortlist for our Bath Sugar, so to have both of our bath products as award winners in the same year is so special for us. Has this accolade helped you significantly grow your business? People are familiar with the Free From movement for food and the Free From Skincare Awards is therefore a great signpost for people. It places our products within a recognisable landscape. It is also a real confidence boost for customers, who aren’t

Why do you believe it’s so important to use natural ingredients where possible for our skin? It is really only in the last 70 years that we have all started to rub cocktails of chemicals into our skin on a daily basis and, from my own experience, it is not clear what the potential long term effects may be. One of the main ingredients in every shower gel and handwash in the supermarkets - and even more expensive brands - is called Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLS); it is actually an incredibly drying ingredient and can bring on skin conditions such as eczema. There are other common ingredients which potentially can affect your hormones and, although they are all passed as totally ‘safe’, there is a school of thought that, used on a daily basis, they can build up to a toxic level in our bodies. This is what happened to me.

“Some nurses let us know it had totally helped to rescue their hands from the overuse of harsh chemical based hand washes. This was incredible to hear.” Where you can find No Secrets Facebook: @NoSecretsBeauty Instagram: @NoSecretsBeauty Blightys in Cranbrook Local therapists: www.dmtherapist. uk and Hadlow Health and Beauty (01732 850555).

familiar with our brand, to know that the products have been through a rigorous competition and have shone through. Do you have any well known (or local) customers you can tell us about? We have some lovely loyal local fans who continue to re-order and tell us that the scents are just addictive and they can’t get

enough. We have also been featured in publications such as The Lady and Harper’s Bazaar. Both journalists who interviewed us were particularly interested in how our products create a Home Spa feeling, which was so important as a treat during lockdown. How would you sum up your brand in three words? 100% Natural – 100% Vegan – 100% Gorgeous

SO Magazine | October 2020 | 31

Hypnotherapy

NO AMOUNT OF HAND WASHING, SELF-ISOLATION, SHIELDING OR SOCIAL DISTANCING WAS GOING TO CHANGE MY DIAGNOSIS OF BREAST CANCER… Salomons based hypnotherapist Karen Martin’s regular column in SO usually centres around the topical issues affecting all of us in day to day family life but this month it is focused on her own personal experience of being diagnosed with breast cancer during lockdown. Here, as part of Breast Cancer Awareness month, she shares her story of being diagnosed and positively looking to the future…

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and pioneers in the care and aving always prided treatment of cancer patients. myself on being I don’t know whether ridiculously healthy. I Coronavirus slowed down the wasn’t too concerned course of my treatment but the when, mid lockdown, wheels seem to turn very slowly the morning sunlight streaming when you have tumours growing through my bedroom window inside you. What, at first, appeared highlighted a tiny little dent. A to be small and quickly fixable was quick Google revealed I’d better revealed to be more complex. I get it checked, just in case. was first diagnosed on July 8 and That’s how, a few weeks later, I had surgery September 4, after found myself sitting in a tub chair in multiple tests and meetings to a ‘bad news’ room at Pembury discuss findings and agree on Hospital with a box of tissues, a treatment. surgeon and a Macmillan nurse. To me, that was an eternity of We’re all masked up. Faceless. uncertainty. The antidote to Their expressions of kindness my impatience was and compassion, hidden. work. Focusing on Mine of shock and “I am far from other people’s fear, suffocated. alone and have problems gave me No amount of respite from mine. hand washing, been blown away by As always, self-isolation, the love and kindness hypnotherapy shielding or social of those who are close benefits me as distancing was much as those who going to change the by and able to offer seek my help. And diagnosis of breast support” as news slowly spread cancer. For the first amongst family, friends time in a rackety and and colleagues, I was able to reckless life of assumed come to terms with the reality of invincibility, my survival was in the hands of an overstretched NHS - in the situation. Since diagnosis, Covid the middle of a pandemic. safeguarding measures have made When life changes in the blink of life much tougher than it would an eye, it’s easy to lose sight of the otherwise be. Catching the virus big picture as the tiniest of would have potentially devastating concerns became magnified consequences so I’ve had to stay through the lens of anxiety. Thus I close to home, just working, discovered myself to be a very sleeping and eating for now. My impatient patient. If I couldn’t control the disease or its treatment, son went back to uni early, I haven’t been able to share my I wanted to know why, when, daughter’s joy at owning her first where, what and how. Right now. flat by helping her to move in, I Challenging advice and demanding information, it took a while to dawn can’t see my elderly parents who are heartbroken and beside on me that I was in the best of themselves with worry. Birthday hands. World class hands. Experts 32 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

celebrations and family gatherings have all passed by without me. Most of the tears I have cried have been over the absence of the people I love the most.

DEVASTATING That said, I am far from alone and have been blown away by the love and kindness of those who are close by and able to offer support. My partner has given me a free pass to be indulged and looked after by whatever means he can. Previously independent and self-sufficient, I’ve never felt more loved than in this time of vulnerability. Just like Covid, cancer has potentially devastating economic consequences. For the first time in my working life, I’ve had to cancel

“When life changes in the blink of an eye, it’s easy to lose sight of the big picture as the tiniest of concerns became magnified through the lens of anxiety”

clients and take time off. I was fortunate to be able to continue to run a reduced hypnotherapy practice online during lockdown. With many clients waiting to see me in person once restrictions were lifted, my diary was full for several weeks ahead by the time surgery was scheduled and I had to shut up shop. Self-employed and a single parent, my income has taken a double hit this year. I’m so grateful for the Self Employed Income Support Scheme and the flexibility of my landlord at Salomons. Yet more blessings to be counted in adversity. Now, my hopes are for a speedy return to full health so I can rebuild my business and get on with living life to the full. Of course, that aspiration is only possible because of the outstanding treatment I am receiving on the

Hypnotherapy

Your lumps and bumps, our dermatology expertise

NOW OPEN AT Nuffield Health Tunbridge Wells Fitness & Wellbeing Centre If you have a skincare concern or noticed a lump or a bump, it could be time to see an expert and get it checked out. Now you can choose either our dermatology clinic at Nuffield Health Tunbridge Wells Hospital or our new dermatology clinic located at our Fitness & Wellbeing Centre. Two clinics give you increased availability of appointments and access to expertise when you need it.

To book a consultation, call Nuffield Health Tunbridge Wells on 01892 888199

Nuffield Health Tunbridge Wells Fitness & Wellbeing Centre Knightspark Leisure Park, Off Longfield Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 3UW Nuffield Health Tunbridge Wells Hospital Kingswood Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 4UL

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23/09/2020 10:45

zz no Ja ia e p im nd ht ra nc y g lu ab ve b Li ur o on

Enjoy Sunday Lunch and Afternoon Tea at Salomons Country House in October

a overlooking English Afternoon Te ounds of the breath taking gr joy a variety of Salomons Estate. En sandwiches and tempting traditional with fresh cream homemade scones also indulge in a and jam. Guests can lectable delights; selection of sweet de homemade cakes. from macaroons to ns available Friday £21.50pp. Reservatio idday – 4pm. 30th October only, m se Great British Traditional three cour ly £29.50pp Sunday roast for on choice of three s including a deliciou se, two courses options for each cour only £24.50pp me at half price* Children always welco le Sunday 25th Reservations availab – 4pm. October only, midday *Children aged 12 and under To book please visit www.salomons-estate.com or call 01892 515152 or email reception@salomons-estate.com SO Magazine | October 2020 | 33

Hypnotherapy

“Focusing on other people’s problems gave me respite from mine. As always, hypnotherapy benefits me as much as those who seek my help”

NHS. With no expense spared. I couldn’t begin to count the cost of the training and wages of the nurses, doctors and consultants, equipment, technology and medication which are being invested in saving just one life in the midst of a global crisis.

SUPPORT At the time of writing, I’m back home two days after five hours of surgery requiring an exceptional degree of skill and expertise. Histopathology results will determine what future treatment may be necessary so I’ll be an impatient patient for a while yet, testing the seemingly limitless patience of the Macmillan nurse who always calls me back, listens without judgement and explains with clarity and kindness. How to check your breasts

October is Breast Cancer awareness month, so we’ve included a guide from the charity Breast Cancer Now. Here they explain the tell-tale signs to look out for and how you can examine your breasts

Info courtesy of breastcancernow.org

34 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

ENCOURAGEMENT Over the years, I’ve worked with many cancer patients, helping them adjust to the consequences of this deadly disease and manage the anxiety and pain it causes. This is not surprising, given that one in eight women will get breast cancer. Thanks to incredible advances in treatment, I can reassure them that more women survive to their full life expectancy than die of breast cancer. Most cancers are treatable, if not curable, when they are identified and removed before they spread. It’s mostly the survivors that I see, though sometimes I work with people who have a terminal diagnosis. Early intervention saves lives and there has been concern during lockdown that cancer

a change to the skin, such as puckering or dimpling

Checking your breasts only takes a few minutes. There’s no special technique and you don’t need training to check your breasts. Check the whole breast area, including your upper chest and armpits. Do this regularly to check for changes. It’s as simple as TLC: Touch Look Check

any unusual liquid (discharge) from either nipple

Touch your breasts: can you feel anything unusual?

changes in size or shape of the breast

Look for changes: does anything look different?

On its own, pain in your breasts is not usually a sign of breast cancer. But look out for pain that’s there all or most of the time. Noticing an unusual change doesn’t necessarily mean you have breast cancer, and most breast changes are not because of cancer. But it’s important to get checked by your GP.

Check any changes with your GP Common breast cancer signs and symptoms include: a lump or swelling in the breast, upper chest or armpit – you might feel the lump but not see it

a change in the colour of the breast – the breast may look red or inflamed a change to the nipple, for example it has become pulled in (inverted) rash or crusting around the nipple

screening was being delayed. Despite this, I’ve had routine notifications for cervical and bowel cancer screenings in the last month and will make sure I get checked as soon as I’m fit enough. We can all take responsibility for asking for check-ups and tests if we are worried. That’s why I encourage clients with health anxiety to listen to their fears and seek reassurance from their GP. And I make no apology for being an impatient patient. I hope to now have the chance to help other cancer survivors thrive from the perspective of someone who knows how truly lucky we are to be alive. How to get in touch with Karen: Call: 01892 300 246 Or visit: www.hypnotherapykent.co.uk

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N O .95 S RS 38 AY est. PE £ D equ R E R E K on r PE FF E ailable 95 L O N Wns av 4. tio £ 4 I A S O e op EC ER n fre SP R P glute & PE egan

THE WARREN

CHRISTMAS PARTY MENU 2020 Available from 25th November for a pre order Warren bread & butter Amuse bouche STARTERS Pan seared foie gras, roasted spiced pear, charred brioche, gastrique of Grand Marnier *** Warren game terrine, Cumberland sauce, winter chutney, toast

Book your Christmas party before 1st November and receive a complimentary lunch for two

*** Beetroot cured salmon Gravadlax, rye bread, keta caviar & salad *** Roast butternut squash soup, beurre noisette, rosemary (VG) MAINS Warren turkey, all traditional Christmas trimmings *** Warren beef bourguignon, creamed potatoes, Warren mushrooms *** Baked fillet of hake topped with rarebit, sautéed potatoes, winter greens

*** Vegetable tagine & Israeli couscous, Kentish cherry tomatoes, golden raisins, Warren mint, roasted almonds & zaatar DESSERTS Chestnut dessert, Kraken spiced rum cream *** Warren Christmas pudding, Brandy butter & cream *** Burned orange & rosemary Crema Catalan, polenta cake *** Three notable local English cheeses, crackers, Warren preserves Warren Mince pies & Petits fours

Redefining Dining 5a The High Street, Tunbridge Wells 01892 328191 contact@thewarren.restaurant www.thewarren.restaurant

Food and Drink

Harvest time provides a bounty of indigenous fresh nuts, unusual plums and decorative squashes. Vikki Rimmer digs deep to find the best seasonal crops and how you can use them in your everyday recipes

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hose who keenly tend their veg plots and enjoy cooking seasonal foods will be aware as the sun dips earlier in the sky and the chillier mornings mist our windows that harvest is upon us. October is a time of plenty and a time to sample something out of the ordinary like damsons, Kentish cobnuts or mini munchkin squashes. Watts Farms in Ayelsford have been farming in the county for over 70 years, supplying Michelinstarred restaurants and high-end clients with the best Kentish produce. With the advent of harvest, Watts Farms Home Shopping have seen a demand from local consumers who want to sample unusual produce that’s native to the county. Here’s where to source and how to cook these unusual seasonal gems:

DAMSONS: Smaller than your regular plum, the tiny purple damson is a quirky pocket-rocket of a fruit. Introduced by the Romans, this sweet fruit was incredibly popular in Victorian times when it was used to make jams and also dyes for different materials. Plentiful from August to October, the damson still makes a tasty jam and is also a popular flavouring for gin. Recipes handed down across the generations have helped save this wonderful little fruit from falling out of favour. A spokesperson for Watts Farms

“With the advent of harvest, most local foodies want to savour a taste of the produce that’s native to our county”

for the first time this month, Watts Farms home shopping consumers are getting the chance to experiment with fresh cobnuts, cobnut oil and cobnut brittle. Ed Gray, director at Watts Farms, says: “It’s fantastic to work with a grower like Alexander who knows everything there is to know about the Kentish cobnut! His cobnut oil is fantastic for salad dressings, and his cobnut cheese biscuits are wonderful at the end of the meal. We are also stocking cobnut brittle, cobnut shortbread and chocolate coated cobnuts in order to support this fantastic Kentish harvest.”

KENTISH COBNUTS Popular with a dash of salt as an accompaniment to a gin and tonic, or served with cheese, the Kentish cobnut is fresh and in great demand from August to December. The first flush of harvest sees chefs and consumers, who love the cobnut’s juicy green early cobs, rushing to buy in order to throw these tasty treats into warm salads, stirred into a shortbread mix or just eaten ‘neat’ with port at the end of a meal. The sweet cobnut flavour intensifies as the nuts gently turn a light brown in September and mature further as the shells and husks turn brown in October. Working with specialist grower Alexander Hunt, Watts Farms begin sourcing these fresh nuts in late August for their Michelinstarred customers in London. Now

SQUASH As Halloween approaches, thoughts turn to pumpkins, but there’s more to this fruit (it’s not a vegetable!) than just the huge orange orbs we carve into ghouls on All Hallows Eve. There are lots of other squashes that will do more than grace the table this harvest. Named for their shape, the onion squash is great for roasting and has a really gorgeous autumnal chestnut flavour. Munchkin squashes are popular in restaurants where chefs have been known to carve them out and use them as soup bowls to serve fresh pumpkin soup. The munchkin squash is also good when roasted - you can hollow it out, mix the sautéed flesh with onions, garlic and some cream and pack it back inside the munchkin shell, then roast in a medium oven until golden brown and tender (1 - 2hrs).

says they have seen a big demand for damsons from their local online customers who are keen to make jam, chutney, gin and even cheese from these little gems.

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH All this wonderful local seasonal produce is great for keeping you healthy and happy too…. Damsons: are a natural source of potassium, fibre and vitamins A, C and K. They contain the amino acid called ‘tryptophan’ which is used by the body to produce serotonin. They also contain carotenoids which help boost eye-function. Kentish cobnuts: Full of vitamin D and E, high in protein and the right triglycerides fats, the cobnut is a heart-healthy choice this harvest-time.

SEASONAL SPLENDOUR Now is the time to enjoy damsons and Kentish cobnuts (above right)

36 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

Squash: a seriously nutritious package, the squash is high in vitamins A, B6, C, folate, magnesium and potassium. Yellow squashes also contain manganese, a mineral that helps the body to process fats and carbohydrates. Where to buy damsons, squash and Kentish cobnuts this harvest: www.shop.wattsfarms.co.uk

C h ri st m a s 2020 M

enu

STARTER Goat’s Cheese, Melon and Beetroot Salad with Toasted Pumpkin seeds and a Honey and Balsamic dressing

Seafood Bisque (Mussels, Monkfish, Crab) with Saffron Aoili, Croutons and Crusty Bread Lamb, Pea and Mint Croquettes with Tzatziki and Dressed Leaves Smoked Salmon and Spinach Mousse with a Lemon and Lime Dressing and Melba Toast Red Wine Marinaded Venison Brochette with an Apple and Blackberry Chutney and Toasted Tomato Sourdough

MAIN COURSE

Pan Fried Turkey Parcel Stuffed with Parma Ham and Emmental Cheese with Seasonal Vegetables and a White Onion Sauce

Rainbow Chard Curry, Spinach and Red Lentil Stir Fry with Saffron Rice, Piccalilli and Corriander Pitta Bread

Medallions of Pork Fillet with Prunes and Kentish Blue Cheese, Rosti Potato and Seasoned Spinach 8oz Rib Eye Steak, Mushroom, Tomato, Green Peppercorn Sauce and hand cut Chips Baked Salmon Tail with Olive, Lemon and Tomato Butter, New Potatoes and Pak Choi DESSERT Baked Lemon Tart with Rasberry Sorbet

Profiteroles Filled with a Baileys and Toasted Almond Cream with Chocolate Sauce Baked Fruits of the Forest Chessecake with a Mango Coulis Christmas Pudding, Brandy Butter, Vanilla Ice-Cream Kent and Sussex Cheese Selection with Walnut and Raisin Bread (£2.50 supplement)

£32.50

For more information call or go to our web site: www.rendezvoustw.co.uk 01892 525830 86 Camden Rd, Tunbridge Wells TN1 2QP @rendezvousrtw /Rendez Vous

Food and Drink

Uncorking THE SECRET OF

SUCCESS Who knew that the ancient Meade drink would be the latest tipple of choice for discerning drinkers? SO magazine’s James Viner talks to its creators Mereworth Wines, to find out more about their business

DID YOU KNOW? ‘Honey wine, the base of Will and Scott’s Marourde Spritz, is believed to be the world’s first alcoholic beverage, stumbled upon by the chance discovery that honey could be blended with water and would ferment.’

38 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

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he Boscawens have been farming the fields around Mereworth – or Marourde, to give it its historic name – near Hadlow for over 250 years. Over the centuries, their hops and apples have gone into many of England’s best beers and ciders. More recently, they’ve turned to grape growing in Kent’s remarkable soil. Hooch, you could say, is in their blood. Mereworth Wine’s CEO William Boscawen spent many years mainly working in marketing and finance in London and Asia but always knew that he would one day return to the Upper Medway Valley. It was whilst working in Hong Kong, juggling an MBA in his spare time, that his love for wine truly started to show. In 2015, the chance came for William to return to Kent to take on some family farming interests. He jumped at it. Within a year, he had planted his first vineyard and become vineyard manager. First, he made a winery in a garage, and a year later, a larger one at Brewers Hall Oast down the road, in Mereworth. Mereworth Wines produced its first commercial vintage of English sparkling wine to great acclaim in 2018; the start of a long and exciting journey crafting tasty wines from their home in the Garden of England. Within a few months of release, their ‘White from Black 2018’ Sparkling Wine had already won its first national award, achieving a Silver Medal in the WineGB Awards 2020. All the while, as Will waited for the vines to grow and for the wines to age and mature, he set himself

another challenge of re-inventing the world’s oldest alcoholic drink, mead. Named ‘Marourde’ it is brewed in-house at Brewers Hall Oast, and takes inspiration from local botanicals and honey from the 70 hives on the estate. Here we discover the rest of the story so far…

William Boscawen

What makes Mereworth Wines and its products so special? Will: At Mereworth Wines we pride ourselves on championing English wine, and moreover the fabulous drinks which can be made right here in Kent. The Garden of England has grown the ingredients which have gone into many of England’s finest drinks. Brewers Hall, the home of our winery, is a fantastic example of this heritage. It used to be a working farm and our oast itself would have been filled with hop pickers bringing in the hops from the fields to be dried, cooled and pressed into hop pockets. We want to continue this legacy of beautiful drinks made in the heart of Kent, inspired by the produce grown from the fields which surround us.

“There is a fantastic

Tell us a little traceability as our about your grapes travel a mere vineyards and mile to our winery where bestow. Our where you make your awardwinery is just a they are then pressed, winning short journey fermented and aged” sparkling wine down the road in and two Marourde Mereworth. There is Spritzes? a fantastic traceability Will: Our vineyards are as our grapes travel a mere perfectly positioned on the southmile to our winery where they are facing slopes of the Kent Downs in then pressed, fermented and aged Wateringbury, benefiting from the with just myself and Scott involved perfect growing conditions which in the full production process. We the climate, soil and elevation make our sparkling wines by the

traditional method, using the same processes as are used in the production of Champagne. Our Marourde Spritz and Rosé Spritz [sparkling mead] are also made at our winery by myself and Scott. What makes the grapes from your vineyard so special? Scott: Our vineyard naturally gives us a fantastic base to start from

Food and Drink

Scott Gebbie

MEREWORTH AT A GLANCE: Owner and vineyard manager: William Boscawen Winemaker: Scott Gebbie Winery Location/ Capacity: Brewers Hall, Mereworth, Kent; ca. 15,000 bottles p/a Vineyard established: 2016 Area under vine (2020): 2.5ha Grapes: 54% Chardonnay, 42% Pinot Noir, 4% Pinot Meunier Vineyard Production 2018: 3500 bottles Vineyard Production 2019: 10,000 bottles Vine density: 4,300 vines/ha Elevation: 80m Average yield: 6-8 tons/ha

MEREWORTH’S TIMELINE (2016-2020): 2016 – Will Boscawen planted his 1ha vineyard in Wateringbury, Kent 2017 – A further 1.5ha of vineyards were planted on the estate 2017 – Brewers Hall Oast restored to become their new winery 2018 – First vintage of English Sparkling Wine 2018 – Marourde wins ‘Product of The Year’ in the Taste of Kent Awards 2019 – Vineyard production increases to 10,000 bottles March 2020 –Marourde Rosé Spritz wins ‘Best Alcoholic Drink’ in the Taste of Kent Awards

– the combination of the well-drained rocky soil and the aspect of the vineyard, fortunately well-positioned on the Greensand Ridge. We have supplemented this with a dedicated and adaptable team, as well as access to high quality vineyard workers which goes a long way in keeping a well-maintained canopy; essential for sustainable high-quality fruit production. What is your winemaking philosophy? Will: It is very much determined by patience. We believe English wine is here to stay and we want to take people on this journey with us, encouraging them to migrate away from other world wines and embrace English winemaking. We are fully aware that this isn’t going to happen overnight, but even over the last decade we have seen English wines, and wines from Kent vineyards particularly, really coming to the fore and gaining the recognition they deserve. We are confident we are setting the template for a very prosperous future. Do you have a shop where we can sample and buy your wines? Will: Since the beginning of lockdown, we have opened our cellar door to the public. With many shops and pubs closed, we wanted to be able to provide our local community with quality, locally-produced drinks on

which they could rely. The response has been fantastic and demand has continued, and grown, as lockdown measures have eased. We have plans to expand and improve our retail offering going forward. What’s your favourite thing about being a craft English drinks producer? Will: The English wine trade is just starting to grow and that means it’s a small community at this stage which is a blessing. You get to meet great similar minds all trying with one goal to raise the bar and increase awareness in this exciting new trade. What’s been your biggest achievement at Mereworth thus far? Will: The easy answer to this would be to say it’s the awards we have won, but this wouldn’t be my answer. I would say my biggest achievement to date is the great people who now work for me. I’ve always maintained, a business is only as good as the people it employs. I’m seeing extremely great minds joining me, and that’s really reflected in the enthusiasm for the product we have, and how we talk to our friends and consumers who come to our cellar door. I can feel that sense of pride going out of the door with every bottle we make.

MAD ABOUT THE MEAD As an English winemaker, it was really important for us that we use the craftsmanship of winemaking techniques to restore mead, or honeywine, to the palate of the modern consumer. Although honey wine is experiencing a resurgence, we didn’t want to recreate the sweet, syrupy traditional mead of old. The great versatility in the

What’s the best part about your job? Will: I started a very small vineyard to cut my teeth and understand every intricacy that goes into vineyard management. And as I grew the business, I was able to bring on other people, and focus on building up the winery. The greatest privilege of this role is that every day is varied – you have to learn anything from electrics to plumbing to tractor management, vineyard management, fermentation, chilling, bottling. It has been, and continues to be a huge, beautiful learning curve which I’ve been incredibly lucky to be involved with. Scott: There is a tremendous satisfaction in working with a product every step of the way, from soil to consumer, and having ownership and interaction with the product at every stage. What’s next on the horizon for Mereworth? Will: 2021 looks incredibly exciting for us. Alongside continued production from our own vineyards, we look forward to making wines for other people as we grow our production capacity. We intend to make a huge change to our cellar-door offering, with the objective of creating an experience which we hope will be of great value to those who live around us. In 2021 we will release our ‘White from White’ Sparkling Wine made from Chardonnay grapes. Fingers crossed for a very exciting 2021.

Here William Boscawen tells us more about Mereworth Wine’s two award-winning Marourde Spritzes, which put a modern twist on a drink that has been made for millennia

wine-making process has allowed us to experiment with ingredients and conditions to reinvent this ancient drink, transforming it into our revolutionary English Spritz, Marourde; a medium-dry sophisticated drink, bursting with captivating flavours. It was important for Marourde to reflect its home in the Garden of England, which is why we

have taken inspiration from the best of the local produce and botanicals right here on our doorstep, and infused this with our passion for wine-making. We add cool Kentish water to honey and slowly ferment with a pinch of Champagne yeast, before infusing locally inspired botanicals, then finally adding the spritz. The result is a modern mead,

nine thousand years in the making. We offer our Marourde in two varieties: our Marourde Spritz is aged in oak barrels before we add the Spritz, giving the woody undertones which complement the citrus, honey flavours, whilst our Rosé Spritz bursts with honied hedgerow black fruits, with the delicate infusions of elderflower and elderberry.

April 2020 – ‘White from Black 2018’ Sparkling Wine is ready for release April 2020 – They open the cellar door for retail August 2020 – ‘White from Black 2018’ Sparkling Wine was awarded a Silver medal at the WineGB Awards September 2020 – Enlarged the tank capacity for future harvests of their vines, which are another year older and more abundant with fruit; Mereworth is now ready to make wine for other people

DID YOU KNOW? Mereworth’s traditional method English sparkling wine is produced entirely by just two people: hands-on owner Will Boscawen and winemaker Scott Gebbie.

For more information on Mereworth Wines and to buy their sparkling wine and Marourde Spritz, head over to www.thebrewershall.co.uk Free local delivery on orders over £50 and free shipping over £99. Mereworth Wine products are also available from Brewers Hall cellar-door shop, Tonbridge Rd, Mereworth, Maidstone ME18 5JD whuch is open Mon- Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 10am-4pm.

SO Magazine | October 2020 | 39

FOOD AND DRINK

FITTING THE BILL FOR ‘NEW NORMAL’ DINING

ingredients provide pleasing textural and taste contrasts. My guest says he would definitely order this again. The main event: To follow I choose the pan fried sea bass (£16.45) as I’ve tried it before and love how simply it’s cooked yet that it still packs a mighty flavour punch thanks to the coriander, avocado, tomato and lime as its supporting act. My guest meanwhile, after much deliberation having witnessed the Bill’s Classic Burger (£11.95) being transported to another table in all its generously stacked, cheese, slaw and fried onion oozing glory, decides that actually he won’t revert to type and therefore goes for the Supergreen chicken curry (£13.75) instead. It’s aptly named as when it arrives it looks positively verdant thanks to its melange of sugar snap peas, courgette and spinach sliced around the tenderest of chicken breasts. The bright red chillies, dome of fragrant coconut rice and sculptural rice cracker balanced on top of the latter all add to the wow factor – both taste and looks wise – of this dish. Another tasty triumph… Finishing post When it comes to portion sizes, Bill’s definitely doesn’t skimp. So when we’re presented with dessert menus it’s hard to think that another morsel

Curfews can actually be a recipe for success as SO Magazine discovered when she dined at Bill’s in Tunbridge Wells last month

W

hen the 10pm closure of pubs and restaurants was introduced last month by the government in order to help stem the number of rising coronavirus cases many had doubts it would work. But as I discovered on a visit to Bill’s in Tunbridge Wells a couple of weeks ago, if you are well organised it can actually result in a more intimate and enjoyable experience… First impressions: On entering Bill’s, which is located on Lime Hill Road in the centre of Tunbridge Wells, my guest and I had our temperatures taken, filled in the track and trace form and once we were given the all clear we were ushered to our intimate booth table, safely distanced from any other diners. We were told by our friendly, attentive waiter we could remove our masks and that we’d only need to wear them to and from the toilet. He also pointed over to a bottle of hand sanitiser we could use which was sitting among the cruets and glinting retro heavy crystal votive candles. Despite the fact that Bill’s is a

40 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

national chain each one of their branches feels pretty unique and the Tunbridge Wells one is no different.

We had our temperatures taken, filled in the track and trace, and once we were given the all clear we were ushered to our intimate booth table We loved its quirky décor which includes a mix of vintage chandeliers and oversized pleated printed lampshades suspended from a corrugated ceiling, smart colourful leather button back banquettes, scrubbed wooden tables, oversized statement plants and an array of eye-catching objets d’art festooned on bespoke shelving. In short it feels super chic and yet cosy too. Under starters orders: The menus at Bill’s are as eclectic as the décor with a smorgasbord of

tempting treats on their brunch, kids and all-day offerings. On the latter it’s predominantly gourmet grub classics such as burgers and grilled steaks but there’s also a sprinkling of more exotic dishes including miso glazed salmon and mojo marinated chicken skewers. There’s a decent showing of both vegetarian and vegan dishes too, so something to pretty much suit everyone’s tastebuds. For our starters I decide to go for my personal favourite of Crispy Calamari (£6.95) which is presented in a cast iron pan and comes loaded with chillies and spring onions as well as a piquant mayo to further turbo charge it. Needless to say, the golden rings of hot gently battered squid disappear sharpish! My guest goes for the more unusual sounding Tuna Tacos (£7.95). Generous and pretty as a picture to look at, the slivers of delicate seared raw tuna steak come perched on shards of blue tortilla chips and are anointed with droplets of crème fraîche, a sprinkling of coriander and sesame seeds with nuggets of perfectly ripe avocado and a few super sweet cherry tomatoes liberally scattered. The tuna is melt-in-the-mouth delicious and the accompanying

FOOD AND DRINK

will pass our lips. But after having read the sweet selection on offer it’s hard to resist the sound of warm, salted caramel coated donuts served with sliced bananas, crumbled chocolate and whipped cream (£6.50). One spoonful of this moreish confection is pure heaven – although my guest says that his choice of Bill’s Chocolate Flowerpot (£7.50) gives it a run for its money

thanks to firstly its outstanding presentation, and then the fact that the passionfruit cheesecake buried in the chocolate ‘flowerpot soil’ tastes absolutely sublime. As our spoons duel over the last remaining bites of one another’s puds we’re politely reminded that the Covid bewitching hour of 10pm is approaching and that we will have to depart the premises soon. It’s

done with an air of calm and despite it being a Friday night there’s no great stampede to leave. Each table’s exit has been cleverly staggered so you feel relaxed and confident. And if this is the shape of things to come for right now then I have to say that Bill’s has a pretty good handle on it. www.bills-website.co.uk

FAMILY DINING TIME AT ONE WARWICK PARK BISTRO Let us take care of everything including the washing up! We are now offering family dining early evenings from 5.30-7pm Thursday, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays 12-3.30pm.

Enjoy two adult main meals plus two cour ses for two children for £35

ickparkhotel.com to view menus Please visit our website ww w.onewarw 587 To reserve a table please 01892 520 TS&CS APPLY: Excludes Sunday roasts, afternoon teas and cannot be used conjunction with any other offer

SO Magazine | October 2020 | 41

AWARD WINNI NG

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We are pleased to say that we have now re-opened both the Restaurant and the Takeaway. We conform to all the Government regulations and observe all the required protocols. Please come and enjoy our delicious food.

For the True Taste of Indian Cuisine Rin g s Hil l , Hi l d en bo ro ug h TN11 8 LX

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Travel

Y From gritty Stoke-on-Trent to the idyllic Churnet Valley, Chris Wiltshire discovers the origins of Britain’s pottery industry on a watery meander

ou turn if you want to, the lady’s not for turning. Carole has been behaving impeccably for two days, navigating the tight turns and narrow bridges of the ancient Caldon Canal with commendable dexterity. Her good looks and classic lines are drawing admiring glances from fellow cruisers and amblers out enjoying the Staffordshire countryside. But 17 miles into our journey and confronted with the Froghall Tunnel, which is too small to squeeze through, she is forced to make an about-turn and shudders to a halt. Carole then lets out an almost audible groan and slides to the bankside with the stubbornness of the former Iron Lady in her pomp. You see Carole, our Black Prince narrowboat for a few days – and not my wife of the same name – is simply not built for turning. At 64ft and weighing more than 20 tons, she’s like a mini oil tanker. At least that’s my excuse as I try to coax her to perform one more manoeuvre for the day before we can bed down for the night in the heart of the Churnet Valley.

Fortunately, Neil, a friendly, Covid-19 lockdown and giving seen-it-all-before guy, emerges holidaymakers a taste of what it from Curly Sioux – the only other was like to travel in the 1950s and narrowboat for miles – to talk me 60s in their heritage carriages. through the tricks of the turn. And off to the left, remnants of “Press the bow hard into massive, 500ft-wide lime the bank, keep up the kilns, slowly being revs and let the boat devoured by slowly turn. There’s brambles and ivy, “I take a moment no rush, give a hint of the to savour the timeless remember you’re major quarrying beauty of the valley, on holiday,” he exclaims with a where ancient oaks and knowing smile. towering sweet chestnuts Minutes later, straddle the canal” Carole (the narrowboat) is facing back towards our base at Etruria in central Stokeon-Trent and I’m tucking into a welcome brew. I then take a moment to savour the timeless beauty of the valley, where ancient oaks, hawthorn and towering sweet chestnuts straddle the canal that once carried limestone for the iron works and flints for the pottery industry. A solitary turquoise kingfisher darts from branch to branch and shimmering dragonflies flit over the water. To my right, I can make out tracks for the Churnet Valley steam trains now emerging from the

industry that took place in the area towards the end of the 18th century. I learn that limestone was loaded on to canal boats or burnt in the kilns and then transported to the potteries or further afield, saving horses from performing the arduous task. It’s not hard to see why the Caldon Canal, a tributary of the

SO Magazine | October 2020 | 43

Video calls with loved ones, chatting to friends in the coffee shop, or having a stretch in an exercise class are just some of the things residents have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy, at Weald Heights care home. Add to that delicious home cooked food from our in-house chef, tailored care delivered by our fully trained and experienced team, the highest standards of safety and cleanliness, and you can see why we’re the ideal choice. To arrange a virtual tour or one-to-one video chat, please call 01732 806484 or email amelia.moore2@careuk.com

WELCOMING NEW RESIDENTS Weald Heights care home Bourchier Close, Sevenoaks TN13 1PD careuk.com/weald-heights

Travel

large Friesian cow that is stuck in Trent and Mersey Canal, is mud just two miles into our trip, regarded as one of the most recover an old barge that is interesting of the 2,000 miles or somehow separated from its so of waterways that criss-cross moorings and retrieve my flat the country. cap from the water after I Any narrowboat send it flying when holiday is an adventure trying to put up an but few offer 17 locks umbrella – a scene – including a “We help the fire the watching daunting staircase brigade to rescue a mallards clearly lock – mechanical think is hilarious. large Fresian cow and manual lift road There is certainly crossings, an from the mud” plenty to chuckle aqueduct/viaduct over at one of several and countless beautiful hostelries along the way, small road bridges, many our favourite being the Black with inscriptions dated in the Lion at Cheddleton, which mid-1800s, over such a short rewards guests who manage the distance. steep climb from the canal with To add to our own excitement, tasty pub grub and a good we help the fire brigade rescue a

selection of real ales. Despite the dramas, I can feel work stress quickly evaporating, no doubt helped by the fresh air and the fact that canal boats have a top speed of just 4mph – no more than walking speed. It’s also a relief not to have to wear a Covid-protecting mask for almost the entire trip. Friendly families we meet at locks along the way keep their distance and share their experiences. One couple of similar age to us say they’ve taken early

Black Prince Holidays (black-prince.com; 01527 575 115) offers narrowboat holidays from the company’s Stoke-on-Trent base from £675 for four midweek nights in October. Diesel is extra and costs around £10 per day.

demand for its renowned retirement, bought a narrowboat from a friend and now spend their dinnerware, as well as construction products. days traversing the country. Before jumping on board at “Narrowboat holidays are a bit Etruria, we visit the Emma like Marmite – you either love Bridgewater and Portmeirion them or you hate them,” says the pottery outlets to pick up some sun-kissed wife. “Come rain or pretty but reasonably priced mugs shine, we absolutely love them.” and tableware, and stop off at the I’m not sure theirs is quite the huge Trentham Home and Garden life for me, but our two-year-old Centre for a browse and a bite to eat. six-berth boat has all the creature And we finish the week with a comforts I could wish for and I’m trip to the vast World of Wedgwood thoroughly enjoying being site at Barlaston in Stoke. It’s eerily immersed in the countryside. quiet, with the factory shut down The contrast between the gritty for its annual holidays and the Stoke section of the canal and the coach park devoid of tourists Churnet Valley – often called because of Covid. However, Little Switzerland because we spend an enjoyable of its unspoilt hour in the museum landscape – is and marvel at the crystal clear. “I can feel stress beautiful Dotted along craftsmanship in the route are quickly evaporating, the V&A preserved relics no doubt helped by the Collection and of the famed fresh air and that canal Wedgwood store. ceramics We also have a industry that was boats have a top speed stab at designing a powerhouse of of just 4mph” our own pieces of the industrial pottery in the revolution, such as a decorating studio under pair of listed conical the watchful eye of a friendly kilns close to the Black assistant, who tells us how the Prince boating base that proudly company have learned to adapt stand out against the surrounding and are making specialist pieces, new-builds. including a dinner set for a Dubai And the iconic Cheddleton sheikh’s private yacht. Flint Mill, which used to ground It’s the first painting I have done flint for the pottery industry and since school, and now, with the has now been fully renovated onset of an unexplained tremor in thanks to the work of the a hand, there’s absolutely no Cheddleton Heritage Trust. chance of my piece joining the During its heyday in the 1920s, guests’ all-star gallery. more than 100,000 people fired Driving out of the site, we cross a millions of products a year before the industry slumped spectacularly bridge and watch a family pottering along the canal, their brightlyin the global recession of the painted narrowboat sparkling in the 1990s, faced with severe mid-day sun. It makes us all competition from the Far East. nostalgic and we vow to return for Although now only a fifth of another blast one day, even if our that figure work in the factories, Carole is not along for the ride. there remains a worldwide SO Magazine | October 2020 | 45

Christmas Party cOnFErEncE anD EvEnts vEnuE

Raceday

This December relax and enjoy the thrill of six famous festive horse races on our large screens whilst being served a delicious three course festive menu in the restaurant at Salomons Estate. All the fun of Ascot without leaving your seat. Each guest will be given a pot of virtual cash, then simply review the runners and place your bets at the start of each race with our table service tipster. At the end of the event the guest on each table with the highest amount of cash, wins a bottle of bubbly.

Ladies Day dress code encouraged ✦ Tables of 6 guests available

Lunch Party EvEnts: 1pm-6pm... 3rd, 10th, 17th December DinnEr Party EvEnts: 6pm-10pm... 4th, 11th, 19th December ticket price includes a welcome drink, delicious three course festive feast and a track side seat for every race!

TickeTs

£37o.r50pp * pp 0 5 . 9 6 £

ht g overnig d includin an odation accomm st the breakfa g day* followin

To book please call 01892 515152 or email reservations@salomons-estate.com *overnight price is based on two guests sharing a double or twin bedroom at Salomons Estate

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Outside Edge

Our Autumn Top Picks

Now is the ideal time to plant trees and hedging , allowing them time to settle their roots in before winter. Why not underplant with some daffodil or crocus bulbs ready to pop up in early spring. You can also plant the lovely scented Sarcococca now for early Winter scent, place near a door or window to enjoy heady scent.

Sorbus tree 12ltr £46 each

Sarcococca 5ltr from £19.99 each

Prunus Lusitanica 5ltr from £19.99 each

Apple tree 12ltr £45 each

Skimmia 2ltr £9.99 each

Photinia Fraseri Carre Rouge 7.5ltr £24.99 each

We have a new range of seeds and propagation in centre now, ready to help you grow your own for next year.

Judith

Judith Kerr-Sheppard Garden Centre Manager Social icon

Circle Only use blue and/or white. For more details check out our Brand Guidelines.

Dryhill Lane, Sundridge, Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 6AA Tel: 01959 561274 coblandsgardencentre.co.uk

48 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

Please look on our website or Facebook page for regular updates during this time. All prices correct at time of going to press. While stocks last.

Border

control

D es ign er

Outside Edge

Vi n cto rde ria T ruman Ga

This is the time of year to start tidying and reassessing what you’d like in your garden next year. Try weaving in lots of plants and trees - not just flowers - into your borders and horticultural scheme says Victoria Truman

N

ow is the time of year as you start the early autumn clear up to think about what you want your garden - no matter how big or small - to look next year and beyond. With winter fast approaching it’s important to get all your cutting back done this month which will then give you the opportunity to see where there are gaps in borders or things you want to change. Personally, I love to use lots of plants in addition to flowers as they help to really create atmosphere and drama in a garden. And, just like flowers, many of them boast

sensational scent and effective visual impact on beautiful spaces. When planning, think how best to maximise your space whilst minimising the use of too much hard landscaping, as this can look too bleak. Gardens should be a place of tranquility and softness not too harsh. Along with plants, small trees, climbers, flowers and evergreen shrubs will help soften the hard features of paving and structural elements making for a far more cohesive and relaxing outdoor entertaining space. After all a garden is not a garden without the atmosphere of plants

and trees. Plants I love to use in my planting plans would include, Agapanthus ‘Queen Mum’ , olive trees, thyme, rosemary, lavender, Salvia Caradonna, Echinacea ‘White Swan’ and ‘Magnus’ being the most reliable. Verbena Bonariensis and Euphorbia ‘Portuguese velvet’ planted in large swathes will really help you to create impact and drama. A great garden should evoke feelings not just look pretty or well thought out. Happy planning and planting! For more gardening tips and inspiration visit Victoria’s website: www.victoriatruman.com

Garden tips for October 1. Care for your lawn by raking or brushing leaves off the grass. Try collecting them in a leaf bag, which will turn them into useful leaf mould. You can also cut the grass for one last time this year. 2. Make that last cut slightly higher to protect the lawn from winter frost. 3. Trim hedges so they are crisp and tidy for the winter. 4. October’s the time for clearing up. Greenhouses, ponds, gutters and water butts may all need cleaning out, wooden garden furniture will need covering or storing for the winter and terracotta pots will need bringing inside. 5. Divide herbaceous perennials. Plant some back in the ground; take others to pot up and give away to friends in the spring. 6. In the veg patch plant garlic cloves with their pointed ends up, and spaced 10cm apart. Plant bulbs for a colourful spring display. Try planting clumps of five or seven bulbs of the same variety through a border for a really effective display. 7. Plant out spring bedding and biennials, such as wallflowers, for spring displays. Pots and hanging baskets can be planted with spring bedding, and teamed with bulbs, grasses, cyclamen and violas for a colourful and textural display. 8. ’Plant’ prepared hyacinths in vases for winter scent and colour in the house. 9. After clearing and cutting back the borders, which often seems to take into November at least, it’s a good time to spread a mulch to help the more tender plants through the winter and to improve the organic structure of the soil. SO Magazine | October 2020 | 49

First Drive

Motors

Porsche 911 Targa 4S Porsche’s Sixties-inspired convertible is back. Darren Cassey finds out if there’s substance behind the style

WHAT IS IT? If you want a sports car you could use for everyday duties with minimal compromise, the answer has long been Porsche 911. And if everyday duties and style are more important than outright athletic ability, the Targa is arguably the best 911 of the lot. Born in the Sixties because America was considering banning convertibles for being too dangerous, and named after Porsche’s victories in the iconic Targa Florio races, the 911 Targa became an instant hit. In 2014, Porsche returned to styling inspired by those original models – and the result is one of the best-looking sports cars out there, thanks to the rollover hoop, curved rear window design and complex folding roof. Now, there’s a new one. WHAT’S NEW? Key changes relate to the engine, which is more powerful than before, while a newly developed manual transmission means those looking for a more physical connection with the driving experience are well catered for. The all-wheel-drive system has been optimised to provide more traction, Porsche Active Suspension Management is now offered as standard, and Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus is available as standard on the 4S and as an option on the 4. WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? Performance comes from a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged six-cylinder boxer engine, which makes 380bhp and 450Nm of torque in the 4 and 444bhp and 530Nm in the 4S we’re testing today. It’s an undoubtedly fantastic engine that loves to be revved out, and as is always the case with Porsche sixes, it sings high in the rev range. However, 50 | October 2020 | SO Magazine

there’s no denying that in this application it feels particularly lacking in emotion, with an almost efficient charge through the revs. That does somewhat suit this car’s purpose as a more relaxed cruiser, but it is a bit of a shame given the 911’s natural underlying abilities on a B road. FACTS AT A GLANCE Model as tested: Porsche 911 Targa 4S Price: £109,725 Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo boxer Power: 444bhp Torque: 530Nm Max speed: 189mph 0-60mph: 3.6 seconds MPG: 28.5 Emissions: 227g/km WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? There’s a good reason why the Porsche 911 is one of the class leaders, thanks to its fantastic driving characteristics and spot on driving position. These attributes are all present and correct in the Targa, which is immediately comfortable, whether cruising in traffic, opening up on the motorway, or pressing on down a back road. Being slightly heavier than the coupe does lead to a subtle numbing of the 911’s abilities, feeling a little less nimble on its feet than regular models. However, it’s so subtle that very few will notice the difference, or have any reason to be disappointed. Hit your favourite country roads and it’s a blast, with the way the all-wheel-drive grips up and shoots you out of a corner being the highlight.

WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE? Drop into the cabin and it’s clear Porsche has spent a lot of time making it ergonomically brilliant. The driving position is easy to get right, and most buttons are within easy reach, while the infotainment system is one of the best in the business – its menu design looks smart and is intuitive to navigate. It’s also surprisingly spacious for a sports car, so long as you’re sitting in the front; rear passengers of even average height will be hoping the journey is short. That’s about the only criticism you can level at it, though, with the practical layout complemented by brilliant materials throughout. WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE? Standard equipment on the Targa 4S is extensive. In addition to the active suspension system and torque vectoring tech, it comes with 20-inch alloy wheels at the front and 21 at the rear, leather upholstery, four-way electric sports seats, and the fantastic

widescreen infotainment system. There are various optional extras that can really up the price, too. There are three more alloy wheel designs that are the same size as the standard ones but range in price from £809 to £1,679, adaptive ‘sports seats plus’ for £2,315, Exclusive Manufaktur leather interior for £7,899, and a huge variety of exterior upgrades. VERDICT There’s no denying that, as usual, Porsche has absolutely nailed the brief with the 911 Targa. Sure, it lacks some of the emotion driving flair of rivals, but that’s often been the case with this iconic sports car – the fact it’s so good to drive so much of the time has won it plaudits for decades. Those looking for a true performance car might be better looking elsewhere in the 911 range, but if style and practicality are key to your sports car purchase you will not be left disappointed.

SURGICAL RESULTS

SURGICAL RESULTS WITHOUT THE SCARS

S U RW G II C A L RUETS U L TES S C A R S TH SOUUTRTHGTOH I CE AS LC RE ULTS W I T H S U R G I C A L R E S UA LRTSS

SURGICAL W I T H O U T T H E S C AForRyour S free consultation W I T H O U T T H E S C A R S with Dr MarkWHolmes I T H at OUT T Bella Vou, Pantiles Clinic call 01892 257357 or email hello@bellavou.co.uk

SURGICAL RESULTS WITHOUT THE SCARS

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