The LookBook Issue2

B o o k s , s t y l e , t r av e l , c e l e b r i t y

t he l o o k b o o k Lisa

Jewel

Tasmina Perry

Jessie

Keane

Ellen Sussman

Your Perfect Holiday Reads • The New Female Sex • A History of S&M

The Great EscApe

Wish you WERE HERE? OR maybe HERE?

OR HERE?

issue two

issue two

Welcome to issue 2 of The Look Book – your fortnightly books magazine with a difference.

There’s no better opportunity to really get stuck into a new book than on holiday. Whether you’re lounging by the pool, sunbathing on the beach, or killing time on a long-haul flight, when else do you get such an extended period of time to really get stuck into your favourite read?

That’s why this is our Great Escape issue. Whether you’re vacationing long haul in Bali or Thailand, getting a summer look fit for a trip to the Hamptons or in the market for a seriously alternative holiday destination, we’ve got just the thing for you. And the best bit? All our features are based around your favourite summer reads.

And then it’s over to you – let us know what you think on Facebook, via Twitter Pinterest at or email us on hello@thelookbook magazine.com with your comments and suggestions from this fortnight’s reads.

We’d love to see pictures of you enjoying your holiday books wherever you might be, so don’t forget to email, tweet and Facebook them in!

As ever, a huge thanks to all the publishers who have made this venture possible. All the content in The Look Book has been commissioned on a partnership basis, and we couldn’t have done it without their support.

Happy holidaying!

P u bl i s h e d by

Keep in touch

look book media, 16 Clapton Passage, London E5 8HS e d i t o r rebecc a holman d e s i g n e r mat thew inman p u b l i s h e r bre t t walker p u b l i s h e r marzia ghiselli

we’d love to hear what you think

Pan Macmillan, Quercus Books, Headline Publishing, Harlequin Mills & Boon, Constable & Robinson

Supporters

B o o k s , s t y l e , t r av e l , c e l e b r i t y

issue two

Contents

Read The Look Book

04 The Book For Life Ruthless by Jessie Keane 07 Pack Up Your Troubles How do you turn your life around when the going gets tough?

You’ll notice we’ve included some interactive features, to make your read more enjoyable. Simply tap to read a chapter extract, watch a video or listen to audio, or buy the book or stuff we’ve featured.

Remember you have to be online! Share with your friends by tapping the share button to email or share on Facebook and Twitter.

09 Summer Of Style We take our sartorial inspiration from 1974

15 Island Life Find the perfect Thai island for you (no, really!)

11 preppy perfect Why we can all pretend we’re holidaying in the Hamptons this year

17 Paradise Found Your spiritual guide to Bali

13 Meet the author We meet author extraordinaire Lisa Jewel

19 The Weirdest Places You’ll Probably (N)ever Visit The strangest places in the world, guaranteed

B o o k s , s t y l e , t r av e l , c e l e b r i t y

25 Welcome to the Clandestine cake club It’s time to get your bake on 28 a Brief history of S&M From the Marquis de Sade to 50 shades of grey 30 The New Female Sex? We find out what women really want 32 Get packing Find your perfect holiday 33 Competition Win tickets to see Thriller Live

The

booK for

life Ruthless

By Jessie Keane

B o o k s , s t y l e , t r av e l , c e l e b r i t y

t he b o o k for l i f e

J

essie Keane’s latest novel Ruthless tells the tale of reformed gangster’s moll Annie Carter. Tough, single minded, and as ruthless as the title suggests, Annie is never less than impeccably dressed. From the lace Dior gown she wears on a date, to the magnificent Chesterfield in her Holland Park home, everything about Annie screams glamour and money, which doesn’t sound too bad to us at all…

Fake it till you make it with these chandelier style earrings. £10 from asos. com

Just imagine this Chesterfield taking pride of place in your living room. It’s not cheap, but take care of it, and it’ll last forever. £1,199 from made.com >> C LI C K H ERE

>> C LI C K H ERE

You can bet Annie never leaves the house without her favourite don’t-look-at-melook-at-me shades. £30, from Dune >> C LI C K H ERE

Walk tall in these seriously statement heels Cap-toe black court shoe, £75, River Island >> C LI C K H ERE

This jacquard tulip dress might just be this season’s perfect Little Black Dres £75, from asos.com. >> C LI C K H ERE

END

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spe c i al f e a t u r e Blink Of An Eye by C ath Staincliff and Since You’ve Been Gone

by Annouska Knight both tell the tales of women who struggle to move on af ter life-changing events. But when things ge t tough, just how do you turn your life around?

Time to PACK Up Your tRoubles

B o o k s , s t y l e , t r av e l , c e l e b r i t y

spe c i al f e a t u r e

T

hey say a change is as good as a holiday, but whoever said that was probably talking about a new hair cut – at best they probably meant you should redecorate your front room.

But what about the big changes? How do you move on when faced with a bereavement, when your relationship ends, or when you lose the job you’ve spent 20 years working towards?

It’s not just a rhetorical question - the average age for a mid-life crisis is commonly said to be 43 for men and 44 for women, but a recent study for Relate suggested that work and relationship pressures mean crises are happening at an earlier age. The NHS identifies the average age of a male midlife crisis as falling between 35-50.

Similarly, our dwindling economy means that more people putting off marriage, being made redundant, changing careers and taking adult gap years than ever. The traditional life stages our parents and grandparents followed no longer apply to us, and that lack of structure makes us more vulnerable than ever to unexpected changes.

So just how do you cope? To find out, we meet three women who turned their lives round when things got tough…

After she was assaulted, Anna, 29, decided to leave the city she’d lived in since university and start a new life I didn’t realise I was stuck in a rut – I felt pretty happy in the same city where I went to university, doing the job I’d fallen into. Then, one night I was violently assaulted on the way home from a night out.

“After I was released from hospital I quickly became agoraphobic and started suffering panic attacks. Things only got worse when the police called to say they thought they’d found the guy who did it, but had to release him without charge as they didn’t have enough evidence.

“I knew I couldn’t stay where I was, especially knowing he was still out there. I moved to the other side of the country almost on a whim when a friend said she wanted to rent out her flat for a year while she went travelling.

“One of the first people I met was my next-door neighbour – a very good-looking man who was a couple of years older than me. There was an instant attraction between us, and in between me finding a new job and making friends, we started dating. We’ve now been married for a year and are expecting our first child. “I never would have moved if something so awful hadn’t happened to me, but I sometimes wonder now if it was fate, bringing me to him.”

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spe c i al f e a t u r e

Maggie was 45 when her husband unexpectedly died four years ago. She found herself embarking on a new career and moving to a new city within a year.

Claire, 30, walked away from her relationship and home when she realised that her boyfriend was about to propose to her.

My life was definitely following a fixed path. I met Dan when I was 25, we moved in together after a year and quickly became one of those couples who spend all their time together – either having cosy nights in together or going for dinner with other friends who were couples.

“When I was 29, I realised Dan was gearing up to propose, and I suddenly felt trapped and claustrophobic, like I didn’t recognise my own life.

“Telling him that I didn’t want to be with him any more was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but I’ve never looked back. I walked out that evening and spent a month sleeping on friend’s sofas while I figured out what to do. Now I’m single, living in a shared house, and couples dinner parties have been replaced with trips to the pub. It might look like I’ve taken a step backwards and my life now is unrecognisable now from how it was a year ago, but I feel so much happier.”

John’ s death was so sudden – he was in a car accident, and he was only 45. The one thing I was grateful for was that our four children were almost grown up at the time – I don’t think I’d have coped at all if they’d been younger.

“I’d worked part-time since the children had gone to school, but hadn’t had anything resembling a career in years. I needed something to throw myself into, so I applied to do a PGCE and become a teacher - I couldn’t believe it when I got in.

“I made fantastic new friends there, and although I missed John terribly, doing something by myself for the first time in over 20 years felt like such an achievement.

18 months after John’s death I found myself applying for teaching posts all over the country.

“When I was offered a job 100 miles away, I took it – selling the family home and moving away from my entire family was something I wouldn’t have contemplated before, but it felt like the right thing to do.” *all names have been changed

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bo o k I n t e r e s t

March 1974 Bianca Jagger photographed by eric boman for Vogue

Summer of Style

ears of friendship y 0 3 r e v o s e c a tr book Firefly Lane st te la ’s h a n n a H present day. e th Kirstin to 4 7 9 1 m o n, taking them fr e m o w o w t n e e w be t B o o k s , s t y l e , t r av e l , c e l e b r i t y

bo o k I n t e r e s t

The book kicks off at the end of the summer of love – an era that’s having a serious fashion moment, both in our wardrobes and in our homes. And a good job too – after finishing this book, we’ve totally fallen back in the love with Seventies style…

Can’t tear yourself away from your skinny jeans? These Radley jeans by asos.com have a seriously retro vibe, £24, asos.com..

To really channel the 1970s properly you need some serious shades. These round lens glasses are tres retro… £12, from asos.com.

>> C LI C K H ERE

This modern take on the Seventies’ geometric print is a non-scary way to introduce the trend into your home. Rug, £499, Made.com.

>> C LI C K H ERE

>> C LI C K H ERE

There’s nothing more 1970s a bold patterned maxi dress, £65 from asos.com >> C LI C K H ERE

This bold and beautiful chair is a little bit The Good Life, and we love it all the more for it. £299, from Made.com. >> C LI C K H ERE

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bo o k I n t e r e s t

Preppy Perfect

Sweet Salt Air by Barbara Delinksy Follows two women’s friendships, and the summers they spent in Maine.

Ph o t o s b y J e n n y C a m p b e l l , c o u r t e s y o f t h e M a i n e Off i c e o f T o u r i s m .

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bo o k I n t e r e s t

N

ew England has long been synonymous with a kind of buttoned-down preppy style favoured by classic American designers like Ralph Lauren. And this season, it’s having a serious fashion moment. Designers from Temperley to Akris embraced crisp white cottons, sharp lines and neat white styling. Holidaying in the Hamptons has never been so chic.

Here’s how to get the look yourself…

We love this cropped, laid-back take on the classic crop top, £15 at asos.com. >> C LI C K H ERE

This cape-style white shirt is a great modern take on the classic crisp white shirt, £45, asos.com >> C LI C K H ERE

This simple blue pinafore would look just as chic over a crisp white shirt as it would over a bikini fresh from the beach. £40 at asos.com. >> C LI C K H ERE

Leave your bling at home – this chic and simple white lattice bag is the only accessory you’ll need, £25 from asos.com >> C LI C K H ERE

A one-piece is a chic (and Hamptonsworthy) alternative to a bikini. £32 from asos.com >> C LI C K H ERE

END

B o o k s , s t y l e , t r av e l , c e l e b r i t y

aut ho r Q & A

Author L i s a J e w e ll Meet

the

Lisa’s new book The House We Grew Up In is definitely the perfect poolside read. But before we settle down with our suntan lotion and a lounger, we decided to find out what Lisa will be doing this summer…

B o o k s , s t y l e , t r av e l , c e l e b r i t y

aut ho r Q & A

Tell us about the best holiday of your life… I would hard pushed to choose one as I’ve been blessed with many incredible holidays over the years, but I did love the week we spent in a villa in Pistoia, Tuscany with all our friends the week before our wedding thirteen years ago. It was bonkers and blissful. I didn’t think about our wedding once and was probably the only bride in history to gain weight before their wedding.

What’s the first thing you always do when you arrive on holiday somewhere new? Crack a cold beer.

What’s your top packing tip? Make sure you’ve left plenty of room for books.

What are your essential summer purchases this year? I can never have too many dresses. I wear them all through winter too with tights, so I always invest in two or three new ones when the sun comes out. Some nude coloured underwear for wearing under semi-transparent dresses is vital. And a pair of pale pink low-heeled platforms from Camper go with everything and are as comfy as flip flops.

I have bought a gorgeous Anthropologie tablecloth for our ugly foldaway garden table, now it looks like something from a magazine and I’ve invested in some big tubs of pale fuchsia and petunias to brighten up the front of the house. And for some reason I can’t stop buying multihued melamine beakers from Rice.

Beach or Pool? Pool. I don’t like getting wet so I may as well be lying down somewhere comfy with a toilet close by and no sand in my handbag.

What do you do to escape? Go on holiday! Any holiday, it doesn’t matter. I have a lovely life and the only thing I really want to escape from is the day to day drudgery; hanging out washes, tidying up, cooking,

What are your travel beauty essentials? Perfume is the main thing, anything by Lollia as all their scents smell like holidays. Also I’ll buy a really good sun cream for my face and pack my nail polish for topping up chips on my toenails.

END

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Elsewhere

Tasmina Perry’s latest novel Deep Blue Sea takes us from London to Thailand as two estranged sisters come together in a search for the truth.

Island Life

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Elsewhere

Sairee Village on the beautiful Koh Tao is the setting for the book, but with so many fantastic islands to choose from, which is the right one for you?

1 . B e s t a l l- r o u n d e r Ko L a nta

Near to the party islands at Ko Phi Phi (see below), Ko Lanta could be a world away – with it’s beautiful beaches and laid-back vibe is great for families, couples, or groups who just want to kick back and relax.

However, it’s still possible to party here if you know where to look, and it’s great for diving – there really is something for everyone.

2 . G r e at f o r f u n Ko P h i P h i

Ko Phi Phi is a group of six tiny islands in the South of Thailand. Not quite as full-on as Phuket or Koh Pin Yang, these previously remote islands have become well-developed and touristy in recent years. Great if you want to party without feeling like you’re on the Costa Brava.

3. Best for diving T h e Simil a n I s l a nd s

Arguably offering the best diving in Thailand, this collection of islands are a national park, which was established in 1982.

Because the wildlife on the islands is protected, there

✈ bangkok

nowhere better to go than Koh Pha Ngan. They’re not for the faint of heart, but the rest of the island is picturesque and relaxing, so you’ll have plenty of opportunity to recover.

5 . G r e at f o r a n e s c a p e Ko L i p e

1

thailand

4

3 2

5

isn’t a huge amount of accommodation on offer.

Either join a live aboard diving boat (probably the best bet to get some serious diving in), visit on an overnight tourist boat, or if you’d like to stay on the islands themselves, the Similan National Marine Park provide tents and bungalows.

4 . G r e at f o r a pa r t y Ko h P h a Nga n

For the classic Thailand experience, you should really try and get a Full Moon party in, and there’s END

B o o k s , s t y l e , t r av e l , c e l e b r i t y

For a proper island paradise, Ko Lipe is the place to go – although visit now, as it’s becoming increasingly touristy and so less quiet than it used to be. In high season you can get a ferry or speedboat across from Pak Bara, Langkawi, Phi Phi, Ko Lanta, and Trang, whereas in the low season a speedboat is your only option. It’s the perfect way to really kick back and escape for the rest of the world, so switch your phone off, kick back on the beach and enjoy that book…

Elsewhere

Paradise F o u n d

The Paradise Guest House by

Ellen Sussman tells the tale of a women who is caught up in the Bali bombings, but returns to the island a year later to gain closure.

B o o k s , s t y l e , t r av e l , c e l e b r i t y

Elsewhere

Over a decade after the bombings, Bali’s tourist industry it thriving – which is no surprise, given the lush beaches, beautiful scenery and fantastically friendly locals. It’s also the perfect destination if you’re hoping to find yourself – here’s why.

Ubud

Sunrise trekking up M o u n t B at u r

Ubud is often described as the spiritual centre of Bali – it’s certainly the cultural centre, with plenty to do and see. Make sure you take a trip to the Traditional Balinese Healing Centre while you’re there. Healer Wayan features in Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir Eat, Pray, Love and is rumoured to be absolutely phenomenal.

It will mean a (very) early morning, but the trek up this active volcano is worth it – you get one of the best views in Bali at sunrise (hence why it’s known as ‘trekking with the Gods').

If you’re very lucky you’ll even get a cup of hot local coffee when you get to the top.

Th e Y o g a B a r n

Gili Meno

While you’re there, Ubud is also the perfect place for a yoga retreat. The Yoga Barn made the Guardian’s list of top 10 yoga retreats around the world last year, and for good reason. The centre runs eight classes a day, seven days a week, around a range of disciplines – so it’s perfect for everyone from a seasoned yogi to a novice.

The Gili islands are technically part of Lombok, but are easy to reach by boat from Bali (albeit on a potentially choppy crossing – if you suffer from seasickness beware!). Of the three islands, Gili Meno is often overlooked, which is why it’s the perfect laidback island escape. It also boats the best beaches of the three by far.

P u r a T i r ta E m p u l

No spiritual journey to Bali would be complete without a visit to the holy waters of Tirta Empul. For more than a thousand years, Balinese worshipers have been drawn to pura Tirta Empul, whose sacred spring is said to have been created by Indra and to have curative properties.

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Elsewhere

The

Weirdest

PlACeS

you’ll probably

(N)eveR v i s i t

In his new book 100 Places You Will Never Visit, Daniel Smith investigates some of the downright weirdest destinations in the world, from Fort Knox in Switzerland to the Tora Bora caves. It’s highly unlikely that any of these places will feature particularly highly on your holiday wish list, but they certainly make good dinner party conversation.

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Elsewhere

I

n reality, the word the Archive’s treasure are Where?

Secretum in the documents relating to the Archive’s Latin name bloody period of the Inquisition.

Archivum Secretum It also houses King Henry VIII Vaticanum has more of a sense of England’s petitions for of ‘privacy’ than ‘secrecy’ – in vatican city, rome, italy divorce from Catherine of that it is the papacy’s private Aragon, the rejection of which possession. Today it contains somewhere in led to the foundation of the Church of the region of 85 kilometers (53 miles) of England beyond papal jurisdiction. (Pope shelving, holding materials that date back to Clement VII may have received as many as 80 the eighth century. petitions on the issue, all bound in red ribbons The archive is now home to some of the that some believe are the origin of the phrase Church’s most valuable documents. Among ‘red tape’ to indicate excessive bureaucracy).

vatican secret archives

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Elsewhere

T

here are, in fact, two Swiss Fort safeguarding computer servers from the Knoxes. Both are high-security potentially devastating effects of secret bunkers built deep into the electromagnetic pulses. Meanwhile, unique mountains of the Swiss Alps near access to subterranean glacial waters is used the high-class ski resort of Gstaad. The two to maintain strict climate control within the bunkers are guarded 24 hours a day and depositories. protected by constant CCTV surveillance and Among the most important information motion sensors. Entry is strictly limited – stored here is a ‘digital genome’ – a store of visitors must be verified by advanced retinainformation brought together by a group of scan technology and accompanied by security academics, designed to ensure that future personnel at all times. Access in the first generations will be able to read data on instance is past bullet-proof gates, and via technological formats (such as USB sticks or camouflaged 3.5-tonne doors. floppy disks) that might by then Where?

The company claims the be obsolete. The project has been bunkers are ‘resistant against any described as a 21st-century military and civil threat’ and offer version of the Rosetta Stone, the the highest possible protection archaeological discovery that against chemical, biological or made it possible to decipher nuclear attack, as well as bern, switzerland ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

swiss fort knox

mountain rocks protect against electrmagnetic disruption

satellite and radio antennae

on-site maintenance staff runway complete with its own customs post

fibre-optic connections

explosion-proof security zones

drinking water high-speed data connection between bunkers

private data centres emergency generators

hotel and workspace facilities

sabotage-proof cooling system subterranaen glacial water

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Elsewhere

I

n 1795, according to a longstanding Nova Scotian legend, 18-year-old Daniel McGinnis, investigating mysterious lights seen on the southeastern part of Oak Island (in Canada’s Mahone Bay), found a depression in a clearing. Upon closer inspection he discovered a deep pit, apparently man-made.

The so-called ‘money pit’ has been excavated regularly ever since, but all attempts to discover the secrets buried within have been thwarted.

Where?

After McGinnis made his discovery, he returned with two friends to begin excavating.

They dug down through about 10 metres Halifax, nova (33 ft), apparently scotia, canada uncovering a level of flagstones and then layers of logs every 3 metres (10 ft) or so.

There were also marks in the pit wall, seemingly made by a pickaxe – that is to say, evidence of a human hand. Having exhausted themselves and found nothing, McGinnis and his cohorts left the dig. Over the years, all attempts at uncovering the secrets of the pit have failed. One researcher eventually translated the inscription as ‘forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried’, though much mythology surrounds all aspects of this part of the story.

The Oak island money pit

1 Top of original pit, dug in 1795, 2 Secondary shaft excavated in 1849,

3 Shaft dug through original pit in 1897, 4 Oak platforms, 5 Level of 1804 flood, 6 Level at which inscribed stone was discovered in 1804, 7 Flood tunnel, 8 Layers of metal and wood discovered in 1849 shaft, 9 Iron sheet discovered in late 1890s, 10 Stone and wood layers at base of 1898 shaft, 11 Parchment fragment

recovered from base of pit.

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2 3 4

5

6

8 7 9

10 11

Elsewhere

O

f all the secret societies associated suggest a somewhat overwrought gothic with American universities, none is interior, the walls strewn with portraits of more famous than Skull and Bones, esteemed former members (George W. Bush whose members meet in a building being a recent addition), medieval armour and known as the Tomb. The society boasts a list human and animal skeletons. of alumni that includes some of the most It has been alleged that the Tomb also holds influential people on the planet, leading some the stolen gravestone of Elihu Yale, one of commentators to see Skull and Bones as a the University’s principal early benefactors, training camp for an all-powerful cabal. and the man after whom it was named.

Known members include several US Another unproven rumour says that the presidents and assorted high-ranking figures Tomb contains the skeleton of the Apache from Wall Street and Washington. The Tomb chief Geronimo, pilfered in the early years of is the commonly used name for the Skull and last century. A locked room, the Inner Temple, Bones Meeting Hall, located on New Haven’s stores treasures including the Society’s founding documents.

High Street. It is an Where?

Clocks in the Tomb are also imposing, windowless, said to be set five minutes sandstone building in the fast, adding to the sense of Greco-Roman style. isolation from the normal The lack of windows world. begs the question of what connecticut, usa lies inside, and reports

the tomb yale university

the skull and bones meeting hall stares blank-faced onto the high street of new haven

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Elsewhere

S

became even more efficient, better armed and organized with military precision. Their ruthless pragmatism is reflected in the drug tunnels that ease the passage of narcotics from one country to the other. Some run for up to 800 metres (half a mile) and are equipped with sophisticated lighting and ventilation systems, wooden props to support the walls and even tracks for electric carts. The tunnel floors are routinely lined with wooden boards and in some cases cemented over, while drainage systems counter the risks of groundwater.

Access may be via a rope ladder, although some of the more sophisticated examples boast wooden staircases and even hydraulic lifts. Such impressive construction suggests cooperation from engineers and building professionals.

According to official figures, more than 150 illicit tunnels have been discovered since 1990, leading to the recovery of hundreds of tonnes of marijuana alone. They are often found around the time of the marijuana harvest in October, suggesting a seasonal construction Where? timetable.

tretching for more than 3,000 kilometres (1,860 miles), the long frontier between the United States and Mexico has a reputation as one of the us-mexico border world’s most porous borders.

Here, the governments of both nations have long been engaged in a bloody battle to stem the crossborder flow of illegal drugs, and in recent years the trade has literally been driven underground.

After the government launched a crackdown in the mid-2000s, the drugs cartels arguably

US-Mexico drug smuggling tunnels

A Mexican soldier inspects a tunnel on the Tijuana side of the border following a discovery of 20 tonnes of marijuana in November 2010.

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spe c i al f e a t u r e

The Clandestine Cake Club is the brainchild of Lynn Hill, who was inspired by the success of supper clubs and wanted to recreate it with a twist.

WElcome to the ClAndeStine CaKe Club

Plum and Cardamom Cake

B o o k s , s t y l e , t r av e l , c e l e b r i t y

spe c i al f e a t u r e I started my own Secret Tea Room in my living room,” she explains, “which quickly became a big success. But never being one to stop at a good thing, I soon thought of a way to take it even further – why not have a secret gathering, completely about cake, where keen amateur bakers can all come together without a whiff of competition, each bringing a creative,

delicious cake inspired by an imaginative event theme, to share with other like-minded cake lovers?”

And the Clandestine Cake Club was born.

Below are details of some of the events happening next month in your area. But before that, check out this fantastic recipe from Lynn’s beautiful new book, The Clandestine Cake Club.

Plum and Cardamom Cake If ever there were a flavour marriage made in heaven, plums and cardamom would be it. Those feeling sinful can add a splash of desert wine to the plums while stewing them. For even more sinfulness, pour some extra wine into a glass and enjoy with a slice of this flavoursome little creature Serves 8-10 200g butter, softened 200g caster sugar 3 large eggs, beaten 200g self rasing flour, sifted ¼ tsp ground cardamom

Plum sauce 6 plums, stoned and quartered 2 tbsp soft light brown sugar ¼ tsp ground cardamom 1 tbsp water or desert wine

Cream Cheese Filing 80g butter, softened 120g full-fat cream cheese 80g icing sugar Glace icing About 100g icing sugar Warm water, to mix

● Preheat the over to 190C/Fan 170C/gas mark 5. Grease and line two 10cm round sandwich tins. ● Start by making the plum sauce. Place the plums in a pan with the sugar, cardamom and water or wine and heat gently until tender and beginning to break down. Remove from the heat, taste for sweetness and add a little more sugar if needed. Strain the liquid through a sieve set over a bowl. Set the liquid and plums to one side to cool. ● Beat the butter and sugar using a wooden spoon or electric mixer until light, fluffy and almost white in colour. Add the beaten eggs a teaspoon at a time, adding a tablespoon of the flour after each addition to help prevent curdling. Continue at intervals, until all the egg mixture and flour are combined, then mix in the cardamom. ● Divide the mixture between the tins and spread evenly. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden. Leave to cool for a few minutes in the tins, then cover one

of the sponges with three-quarters of the cooled plum liquid, allowing it to soak in. Leave in the tins to cool completely. ● Make the filling by beating the butter in a bowl until smooth. Add the cream cheese and mix until combined, then sift the icing sugar at intervals until it is all combined. Add a tablespoon of the remaining plum liquid and mix well. If the frosting is too runny, add more sifted icing sugar. Place in the fridge to firm up, especially in warm weather. ● When the sponges are completely cool, turn the plum-soaked sponge out on to a plate and cover it with the cream cheese filling, then the reserved plums. Place the other sponge on top of the filling. ● To make the glace icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually add about 1-1 ½ tablespoons of warm water to produce a runny mixture. Drizzle the icing over the cake and leave to cool and set before serving.

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spe c i al f e a t u r e

ClAndeStine CaKe Club Events in August 1st Celebrate Yorkshire Day. Sponsored by Yorkshire Tea. • Wharfedale / (6:00 pm) • Leeds / (6:00 pm) • Sheffield / (6:30 pm) • Headingley / (6:30 pm) • York / (7:00 pm) • Pudsey & West Leeds / (7:00 pm) • Saltaire / (7:30 pm)

• Gloucester / Royal celebration (2:00 pm) • Grand Cayman / Floral Fun (3:00 pm) • Sheffield/Chesterfield/ Newark and Sherwood / 3 Counties Annual Cakenic (Sweet & savoury cake Picnic) (3:00 pm) • Twin Cities, Minnesota / A Trip to the Farmer’s Market (4:00 pm)

20th • Vina del Mar / Cakes, traditions and innovations (6:00 pm)

3rd • Huddersfield / Creative Cakes of Yorkshire (1:00 pm)

11th • Bury / Citrus Twist (1:30 pm) Centreville, Virginia / End of Summer (2:00 pm) • New Forest / Family Teddy Bears Picnic & Cake Club (4:00 pm)

24th • Elgin / Childhood Favourites (3:00 pm)

13th • York Central / Royal Baby Bonanza (6:30 pm)

28th • Headingley / Free from faves! (7:00 pm)

17th • Ashford, Kent / Travels With My Cake Tin (3:00 pm) • Widley & Portsdown / “International Flavours” (3:00 pm) • Northampton & District / ‘Use your loaf!’ (7:00 pm)

31st • Bolton / England’s Green and Pleasant Land (1:00 pm) • South Lancashire / Back to School sweetie favourites (3:30 pm)

4th • Stamford / Saints and sinners (2:00 pm) • Melbourne / Spice it Up (3:00 pm) 5th • Dorset / British Summer Time (7:00 pm) • Isle of Man / “Summer Sundaes” (7:30 pm) 6th • Runcorn & Widnes / Birthday Party Picnic (7:00 pm) • Warrington / Everything Stops for Tea / Sponsored by Yorkshire Tea (7.30pm) (7:30 pm) 7th • Leamington & Warwick / “Free from……” (7:00 pm) 10th • Doncaster / Yorkshire Tea for Yorkshire Day! Sponsored by Yorkshire Tea (1:00 pm)

18th • Dublin / Irish Summer (2:00 pm) • Durham Dales / Great British Classics (3:00 pm) 19th • Camden / Keeping it in the family (6:30 pm) • Pudsey & West Leeds / Favourite Tipple In A Cake!

(7:00 pm) END

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22nd • Cornwall South / Indian Summers (7:00 pm • Christchurch New Zealand / Chocolate madness (7:00 pm)

25th • Glasgow / New beginings!

(11:30 am)

sex & love

A Brief

History

S&M of

The Mistress by Tiffany Reisz tells the tale of a woman locked in a dominant/submissive relationship with a priest, but us kids didn’t invent S&M, you know, it’s been round for centuries.

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1785

The Marquis de Sade publishes

Les 120 Journees de Sodome (the 120 days of sodom), which depicts graphic sexual violence.

sex & love

TIMELINE

Here’s a brief history of sadomasochism from the Marquis de Sade to 50 Shades of Grey…

1869

Austrian noble Leopold von Sacher-Masoch publishes Venus Im Pelz a semiautobiographical work about a man who asks a women to make him her slave.

1885 1954 1972

Psychologist Richard von Krafft-Ebing coins the terms 'sadism' and 'masochism' and describes sexual disorders in which acts of cruelty and bodily punishment become pleasurable.

1990

French author Pauline Rage publishes L’Histoire d’O (The story of O), a fantasy of female submission to unknown sexual dominators.

The work wins literary prize Le Prix des Deux Magots and spurs a revival of popular sadomasochistic fiction common in the early 1800s.

The Internet allows people with specialised sexual interests to explore otherwise taboo activities.

This brings an explosion

BDSM (Bondage, Domination, Sadism and Masochism) arises as part of larger gay male culture, and becomes affiliated with the leather and biker subcultures, as described by Larry Townsend in the popular book The Leatherman’s

Handbook.

2011

Fifty Shades of Grey is published, topping bestseller lists around the world.

‘Mummy Porn,’ becomes an increasingly popular mainstream book genre.

of interest in and knowledge about sadomasochism,

changing the culture to become less secretive.

END

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sex & love

In the first of a series of four features, we explore how preconceptions and myths around female sexuality have been busted in the last decade. From the ever closing ‘fidelity gap’ between men and women to the myth that the female s sex life ends with the menopause, more and more commonly held ideas around female lust are being questioned than ever before.

New female

The

Sex?

W h at W o m e n R e a lly Wa n t

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sex & love

or marriage, But rather than ascribing this to a loss of libido, actually suggested it was down to the woman’s decreasing desire in her husband.

To illustrate his point, Bergner frequently uses primates as examples. At one point he cites a study by 1970s psychologist and neutroendocrinologist Kim Wallen noticed that the sexual behaviour of rhesus monkeys was affected by the size of their cage. In close quarters (where there was little opportunity to do anything but have sexual intercourse) most sexual activity was initiated by the male monkey.

However, in larger cages, it was the female monkey who chose their partners and initiated sex – female lust was the essential factor.

Following this observation, scientists started seeing evidence that many kinds of female primates initiated sex, while their male counterparts pretty much sat around waiting for the women to take an interest in them.

So maybe us women aren’t the passive sexual creatures society has had us believe.

Maybe we’ve spent centuries shunning our natural instincts in favour of publically acceptable roles as mothers and nurturers.

Monkeys or humans, if Bergner’s observations are correct, what does this mean for how we perceive female sexuality?

Surely putting female lust on the same footing as male sexuality is a good thing? The alternative is that sex remains a commodity that men want and women reluctantly give out – something to be haggled over. And lets face it, that’s no fun for anyone.

ave often have you seen male infidelity dismissed, or explained away (no matter how disparagingly) as ‘typical male’ behaviour? Similarly, when a man leaves his children to shack up with another woman, he’s generally dismissed as a love rat, but rarely vilified as a total monster.

On the other hand a woman who cheats on her partner, or worse, leaves her children for a new man, is cast as a monster of mythic proportions. After all, a woman who puts her lust over the security and emotional connection of a stable relationship and a family is an aberration, right?

Daniel Bergner’s new book What Women Really Want argues that our assumptions about female sexuality since - well, the dawn of time - are fundamentally wrong. While both science and society tell us that men are hardwired for promiscuity, women value security and emotional connections above all else, Bergner argues that quite the opposite is true.

“We are invested in women as mothers, and we value them as the backbone of our social structure. The maternal ideal is this indomitable force of stability that we can lean on,” says Bergner, explaining why we’re so determined to ignore women’s inherent sexuality.

Bergner agrees that women often lose interest in sex within a long term relationship

Next issue

we bust the infidelity myth!

END

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l ast w o r d

Get packing! You’ve booked your flights, but what do you put in your suitcase? Here’s our handy guide to your essential holiday products…

START

long haul or close to home?

i'd rather stay closer to home

A lightweight frock £45 from asos.

long haul

activity holidays or lounging on the beach?

LOUNGING EVERY TIME

I LOVE AN ACTIVITY HOLIDAY

>> C LI C K H ERE

scenic walks or culture vulture?

POSING FOR FACEBOOK PICTURES ON THE BEACH IS… culture vulture

OF COURSE, IT 'S THE BEST BIT

scenic walks

A PERFECTLY VALID WAY TO SPEND YOUR HOLIDAY

holidays are all about the night life, right?

bikini £16 from asos.

>> C LI C K H ERE

mac, £60 from asos.

A TOTAL WASTE OF TIME

spf suntan lotion for the face.

Marks and Spencer. >> C LI C K H ERE

>> C LI C K H ERE

No way - I'm all about the sightseeing

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competition

the magic of Win 4 tickets through Michael’s 45 year history. for you and musical Experience over hours of nonyour family or two stop hits from pop to friends to see rock, soul to disco in

Now in its record breaking 5th year, THRILLER LIVE is a spectacular concert created to celebrate the career of the world’s greatest entertainer.

After opening in the Lyric Theatre in London on 2 January 2009 to rave reviews, Thriller Live has celebrated its fourth birthday in the west end, embarked on a world tour and a sell out UK arena tour, played over 3000 shows globally to 2.5 million fans. visited over 26 counties and entered he west end record books by becoming the longest running show in the Lyric Theatres 125 year history.

THRILLER LIVE continues to moonwalk around the world, taking you on a visual, audio and electrifying journey

a show that pays homage Jackson’s legendary live performances and innovative dance moves executed with flair, precision and passion in a show that you will never forget.

Expect your favourite songs delivered by an exceptionally talented cast and band, including: I Want You Back, ABC, Can You Feel It, Off The Wall, The Way You Make Me Feel, Smooth Criminal, Beat It, Billie Jean, Dirty Diana, Bad, Rock With You, They Don’t Care About Us, Dangerous, Heal The World, and Thriller plus many more!

to enter visit thelookbook.co.uk END

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the l o o k b o o k

Keep in touch

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