Plympton Magazine October 2022

Pencil Drawing by Artist Rachel Card

Spooky season is just around the corner which means it’s time to start carving pumpkins, digging out a Halloween costume and stocking up on sweet treats. It’s also time for the October edition of Plympton!

With the cost-of-living crisis increasing in severity, we reached out to a few local businesses for their help. We found out some brilliant everyday tips to help you save some pennies as well as some longterm investment purchases that will allow for an even bigger drop in your energy bills over time. This article is sponsored by; SWAYE Electrical, Tech Surveys, Beacon Glass & Glazing, Richard Brown Plastering & Access 4 Lofts.

Head to the recipe pages for some spook-tacular Halloween inspired cocktails and sweet treats.

Camel Creek Family Theme Park promises to be Cornwall’s BIGGEST Halloween Event this year! Find out what to expect and where to book your tickets…

I hope you have a lovely October!

Welcome... October Brown Plastering

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REDUCING YOUR ENERGY BILLS

Energy saving tips and tricks from local businesses.

It’sno surprise to hear that energy bills are becoming unaffordable for most people in the UK.

With the cap set to £2,500 a year for the average household, our energy rates are still on the rise which means we are having to make changes to our lifestyle in order to save those pennies. We have teamed up with a few brilliant local businesses to find out how you can reduce your bills this Autumn/ Winter.

Making small changes to your lifestyle can be just as effective as investing in energy efficient systems. We recommend doing a mix of both in order to save the most amount of money in the long and short term whilst the rates are so high. These tips not only help your bank balance but they also help the planet!

Small Solutions

These small solutions may sound silly and obvious but can make a huge difference to your utility bills by the end of the month.

1. Turn off all appliances from the plug when they are not in use, this could save you £30 a year.

2. Wrap up warm and turn the heating down. Pile on the jumpers or wrap a blanket around you to keep your body heat in. By turning the heating down by just 1 degree could save you up to £80 a year!

3. Turn off all lights when you’re not in the room. I know that it may feel homely with a few lights on around the house but you’re not in the room, turn them off. This will help to reduce your carbon footprint too.

4. Boil just enough water for your brew. It takes a lot longer to boil a full kettle meaning more electricity is being used to power it for a longer period of time.

5. Cut your showers down by at least 1 minute. Shaving off 1 minute from your shower time could save you £7 a year per person. Just think how much you could be saving by being super speedy!

6. Avoid the tumble dryer as they are costly appliances that are not very ocean friendly.

7. Washing your clothes on a ‘no heat’ setting or at 30 degrees will be cheaper than hotter washes and try to wash large loads, less often.

Long-term Investments

Spending money on energy-saving systems and appliances may seem counter-productive at first but you will begin to see a reduction in your bills sooner than you think. That being said, binning perfectly good appliances for higher energy-efficiency appliances won’t save you much money and becomes very wasteful. Be vigilant, shop locally and you will begin to see a reduction in no time.

1. Install a smart thermostat in your home. Smart thermostats can be controlled by your smartphone even if you are not in the house. They can be set to

turn on automatically meaning the heating can be off during the night and come on just before you wake up meaning you’re not freezing cold in the mornings. They are brilliant at keeping track of how much you’re spending each month. You can connect these to your smart lightbulbs or thermostatic radiator valves to allow full control of your home from your phone. SWAYE Electrical can fit and advise on smart thermostat systems and will always help you to choose the best option for your home in order to save you money.

2. External Wall Insulation, or EWI is a cost-effective way of reducing the amount of heat escaping from your home. Richard Brown Plastering is a local plasterer offering external wall insulation with over 20 years of experience. EWI systems could warm your building rapidly and trap the heat in meaning you will be spending less money on heating. It also has other positives such as, eradicating damp and condensation, reducing external noise and requires minimal maintenance to look attractive.

3. When it’s time to throw away your old appliances, look for a new one with a high energy-efficiency rating. An example of this is: an A+++ fridge freezer will save around £320 in energy bills over its lifetime compared to an A+ model.

4. For Electric Vehicle chargers, Hive has a new and more efficient EV charger which allows you to track how much you’re spending per charge. You can also just plug it in and it will automatically begin charging when electricity rates are at their lowest, usually between 12am - 5am.

5. Insulating your loft will help to shave around £135 off your energy bills each year for the typical semisemi-detached house. Although loft insulation is a pricey investment to make, you will be surprised how cost-effective Plymouth Access 4 Lofts insulation

6. Double-glazing windows and doors reduces the amount of heat escaping from your home, they also dampen any unwanted noise. Beacon Glass & Glazing offer double-glazing as well as Energy Saving Glass which eliminates the amount of escaping heat and in-turn reduces your energy bills. They also reduce internal condensation, they maximise the natural light in your home and helps your windows to become more energy-efficient.

7. Monitor your usage by using a SmartMeter. You will be able to work out where you’re spending more money and where you can cut back to save money.

A short interview with Ashley Ward from SWAYE Electrical:

Q.1. Can you recommend 1 simple way of reducing electrical energy and appliance bills in the average family home?

A. Replace any lighting you can with LED replacements. Have your heating and hot water on a timeclock, or even buy a hive system, so you can control your heating from an app on your phone. Have motion sensors instead of light switches to prevent lights from being left on.

solutions are. Plymouth Access 4 Lofts are a local loft ladder & insulation company who can supply and install insulation to save your pocket as well as the planet.

Q.2. Can you explain how a master switch works and how much they cost to install through SWAYE Electrical?

A. You can also organise your home or business to have a ‘last man out’ switch, which cuts power to all circuits that don’t need to be on overnight when most of us are asleep. It is a little more complicated from an electrical point of view, but can save a substantial amount of energy and money. This works either remotely with a wireless switch or a phone app, which would be wired adjacent to your fuse board and connected onto individual circuits. You can leave such circuits on 24/7 such as your fridge freezer, smoke alarms and heating system, but the rest can be switched off.

These are just some of the very simple and effective ways to keep the lights on and your home warm at a more affordable cost.

Advice if free from SWAYE Electrical, so please call or email us with your questions and I will try my best to ease your worries and save you money.

Quick from Tech Surveys:

Q.1. Can you recommend 1 sure fire way of keeping heat in your home this autumn?

A. (Loft insulation) any insulation over 100mm is going to save money by keeping the heat in, head to our Facebook page to find out the benefits of loft insulation and why you should have it.

Q.2. Can you give 1 or 2 examples of things you can buy or do in your home to lower energy and heating bills?

A. (Heating) ensure that you have Programmer, Room Stat and TRV (thermostatic radiator valves) with all three of these installed you will be saving money also try to keep it set at 21° not higher as this will also save money.

A. (lighting) replace all old lighting with new LED, a single tungsten/halogen can be the same equivalent as 10 LED bulbs in both money sent and power used to light it. Also you could try occupancy sensing in bathrooms and hallways as these lights are often left on and wasting money.

01752MICK@TEChSURvEYS.CO.UK936236Tip:

Be careful of scams out there trying to get you to ‘save money’ on utility bills. More and more people are receiving emails and texts from scammers pretending to be trusted energy suppliers. Don’t click on any links and go onto their official website to look for the deal. If it’s a deal targeted to you, call them up or email them on a separate email. Scammers will likely use mobile numbers and unverified email addresses so be sure to check the senders information before continuing.

By following these handy tips and ideas, we hope you can save more money on your bills this winter to ease impact of the rising energy rates.

Image by Hive

Spooktacular

thrills and frighteningly good fun is on offer at top family attraction, Camel Creek Adventure Park (near Wadebridge, Cornwall).This halloweek promises a whole week of tricks, treats and scary surprises.

Throughout the hair-raising Halloweek, bold adventurers can also visit Camel Creek’s scariest residents at the Reptile House and Crocodile Corner and face their fears in the witches grotto and House of Horrors Scare Zone.

From 22nd to 30th October, mini ghosts and ghouls can step back in time on a Haunted Trail and come face-to-face with hair-raising characters from the Bodmin Beast to Cornish sea serpent, Morgawr. In the spooky graveyard, there’s bones ready for excavation and only the brave will discover what lurks in the darkness of the grotto.

Test your nerve and book online today at www.camelcreek.co.uk. Pre-booking essential.

About Camel Creek

Camel Creek Family Theme Park is a vibrant and exciting visitor destination with a number of different rides for a variety of different ages and abilities. For the little ones, head to Creeky’s Playhouse Soft Play & Restaurant and let them have some fun whilst you can rest assured they are safe.

Be sure to have a picture taken with Swampy, Dina and Creeky.

As well as the thrilling rides, you can also pet some furry and scaley animals in Creature Creek. Head to Shire Stables and see some horses or get face-to-face with a meerkat at the Meerkat Enclosure.

With a range of different eateries and sweet treats to enjoy, you won’t be going home hungry! They also have a new Pizza Restaurant just opened called Swampy’s Pizza.

No day out is complete without a visit to the gift shop. Look out for Swampy, Dina and Creeky as little plush toys to take home with you and remind yourself of the fun at CamelTheCreek.Parkis an all-weathers attraction open all year round, with annual activities reflecting the seasons.

Open daily 10 am-5 pm 01841

Come along to Cornwall’s BIGGEST Halloween Event!

CONTACTNAME:

Please send to: Plympton Magazine Reader Response, Unit 5, Bowker House, Lee Mill, Ivybridge, PL21 9EF by Monday 3rd October 2022

T’s&C’s: The voucher is non-transferable and no change can be given. Voucher cannot be exchanged for cash. Must be aged 18 or over.

Voucher can be redeemed at Camel Creek. Must be redeemed and used by 23rd December 2022.

NATIONAL CURRY WEEK

The nations love for curry is something that will never slow down or become unpopular which is why we have made a whole week dedicated to the delicious Indian dish that has snuck into our everyday cuisine. National Curry Week 3rd - 9th October.

Ithas commonly been said that curry is the new national dish of Britain, which comes as no surprise considering the number of curry houses are on our high streets today. As a nation, we really do love curry, so much so that the curry dish contributes to 5billion of the British economy!

Traces of curry recipes from India date back to the early 1500s and the dish eventually made its way to English cuisine in 1733 as it was served by Norris Street Coffee House in Haymarket, London.

‘Curry was yet to establish itself firmly in British cuisine. In the 1940s and 1950s, most major Indian restaurants in London employed ex-seamen from Bangladesh, particularly from Sylhet. Many of these seamen aspired to open a restaurant of their own. After the Second World War, they bought bombed-out chippies and cafes selling curry and rice alongside fish, pies, and chips. They stayed open after 11 pm to catch the after-pub trade. Eating hot curry after a night out in the pub became a tradition. As customers became increasingly fond of curry, these restaurants discarded British dishes and turned into inexpensive Indian takeaways and eateries.’ – www.historic-uk.com

As a nation, we love to absorb different influences and cultures, so much so that there are more Indian restaurants in Greater London than in Delhi and Mumbai combined.

On the 28th of November 2022, the 18th annual British Curry Awards will take place. This event is taken very seriously with curry houses competing against each other to win the awards on offer. Much like the Oscars, there is a stage, special presenters, performances, trophies and speeches, all to be streamed online.

To get involved in National Curry Week, you could visit your local curry house and enjoy a delicious meal in Plymouth. We have a whole host of curry houses to choose from, a favourite of ours is Shapla Balti Cuisine! You could also purchase an Indian recipe book and have a go at cooking your own curry, perhaps invite a few friends over for a curry night too? If you’d prefer to enjoy a flavoursome curry from the comfort of your own home, most curry houses offer takeaway options.

Shapla Balti Cuisine

Located on Ridgeway in Plympton, Shapla Balti Cuisine is an authentic Indian restaurant and takeaway, offering the finest traditional Curries, Specials, Masala’s, Biryani’s and more.

Shapla Balti were finalists in the British Curry Awards in 2017 and 2021. Shapla was nominated for ‘Best in the South West’ to which they took home the award as finalist with Cheltenham-based Indian Restaurant Prithvi taking the winning title.

Personally, we recommend that you make the time to dine in at Shapla Balti Cusine to really get the full experience, but they also offer delivery free to the local area. Shapla regularly hosts a number of charity events and special evenings.

Over 25 years of contributing to excellence in breast care services locally

“Your breastlocalcarecharity” care and when it is needed Primrose Foundation, Primrose Breast Care Centre Hospital, Plymouth, PL6 8DH Tel:

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month!It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

ThePrimrose Foundation are your local breast care charity, having raised millions of pounds since first launching in 1995. We support your breast care services at University hospitals Plymouth and the many families affected by breast cancer. With charity campaigns such as ‘Support Us to Support You’ and continuous fundraising by our supporters and donors we help to:

Ensure the best possible breast care services are provided to patients and their families across West Devon and East Cornwall

• Fund dedicated Clinical support for patients

• Provide state-of-the-art technology and facilities

• Support staff by offering training bursaries for education, research, and development

• Allow a patient’s experience to be as comfortable as possible

• Assist in providing the best possible care and support when it is needed most.

Did you know that 25,000 people use the breast service at Derriford Hospital every year and on average around 400 breast cancers are detected per year, many of these detected at screening appointments. Yet the uptake for screening

appointments locally is declining and as many as 30% of those invited are not getting screened.

During breast cancer awareness month, The Primrose Foundation would like to encourage people to be breast aware and to attend those all-important screening appointments.

With breast cancer now affecting every 1 in 7 women, it’s time to pay more attention to your breasts and the areas around them. Know your body and look out for changes. There are many symptoms and signs of breast cancer, everyone is different so if something doesn’t look or feel right, get it checked out.

Most often a breast change isn’t cancer but if it is then the sooner it is found, the more successful treatment is likely to be.

There’s no special, right, or wrong way to check your breasts, it’s as easy as TLC:

• Touch your breasts: can you feel anything new or unusual?

• Look for changes: does anything look different to you?

• Check any new or unusual changes with a GP.

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RECIPE IDEAS WHOLESOME

Eyeball Snot-tail Serves - 10-15

• 135g pack lime jelly

• 700ml apple & pear juice

• 300ml lemonade

• 425g can lychees in syrup

• 10-15 cocktail cherries from a jar

• 10-15 raisins

• 10-15 cocktail sticks

ONE Make the jelly following pack instructions and chill until set. Combine the apple & pear juice with the lemonade in a large jug and chill in the fridge.

TWO To make the eyeballs, drain the lychees and poke a hole in each cherry with one of the cocktail sticks. Put the cherry inside the lychee, then push the raisin into the cherry. Press the eyeball onto the end of a cocktail stick and set aside until serving.

THREE When the jelly has set, use a whisk to break it up into small chunks. Spoon into the cocktail glasses and top up with the apple juice mixture. Put an eyeball into each glass before serving.

Halloween Biscuits

Serves - 24

• 200g unsalted butter , softened

• 200g golden caster sugar

• 1 large egg

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• 400g plain flour , plus extra for dusting For decoration

• White, black and grey sugar paste

• Small amount of icing sugar for glue

ONE Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Put the butter in a bowl and beat with electric beaters until soft and creamy. Beat in the sugar, then the egg and vanilla, and finally the flour to make a dough. If the dough feels a bit sticky add a little more flour and knead it in. Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge for half an hour.

TWO Heavily flour a surface and cut the pastry in half. Roll out one half to 5mm thickness. Using a cookie cutter in the shape of a ghost (or any spooky shaped cutter you like), cut out 12 (roughly). Put the cut shapes on a baking tray lined with baking paper and put back in the fridge. Repeat with the second half of the pastry. Swap into the fridge, taking the chilled ghost biscuits out.

THREE Put these biscuits into the oven to bake for 10-12 mins, until pale but cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Repeat with the other tray.

FOUR Once all the biscuits have cooled completely, they are ready to be assembled. Mix the icing sugar with 1 tsp of water and mix well. It should be quite thick so add a little more icing sugar if the mixture is too runny. Take a biscuit and lightly spread some icing over the centre which will act as glue for the sugar paste. Use the sugar paste to decorate them as you please, rolling it out, cutting it to shape and topping the biscuits. Decorate with icing pens if you like.

Impress your guests this Halloween with these spooky Halloween inspired recipe ideas.

Death by Chocolate Cocktail

Makes - 1-2 cocktails

• 1 ounce vodka

• 1 ounce coffee liqueur

• 1 ounce dark crème de cacao liqueur

• 2 scoops chocolate ice cream

• 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup

• 1 cup crushed ice

• Whipped cream, for garnish

• Cocoa powder, for garnish

ONE Gather the ingredients. In a blender, pour the vodka and coffee and chocolate liqueurs, then add the ice cream, chocolate syrup, and crushed ice. Blend until smooth.

TWO Pour into one or two stemmed glasses. Top with whipped cream and cocoa powder. Serve and enjoy.

Pumpkin Pie

Makes - 1 loaf

• 750g/1lb 10oz pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks

• 350g sweet shortcrust pastry

• plain flour, for dusting

• 140g caster sugar

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp fresh nutmeg, grated

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 25g butter, melted

• 175ml milk

• 1 tbsp icing sugar

ONE Place the pumpkin in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 mins or until tender. Drain pumpkin; let cool.

TWO Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Chill for 15 mins. Line the pastry with baking parchment and baking beans, then bake for 15 mins. Remove the beans and paper, and cook for a further 10 mins until the base is pale golden and biscuity. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

THREE Increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Push the cooled pumpkin through a sieve into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, nutmeg and half the cinnamon. Mix in the beaten eggs, melted butter and milk, then add to the pumpkin purée and stir to combine. Pour into the tart shell and cook for 10 mins, then reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Continue to bake for 35-40 mins until the filling has just set.

FOUR Leave to cool, then remove the pie from the tin. Mix the remaining cinnamon with the icing sugar and dust over the pie. Serve chilled.

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