FASHION Wonderful whimsy

Barbour Emma Bridgewater Meadows Dress, £90.

Oui Polka dress, £155.

Reiss Harper scarf print midi dress in nude, £245.

Joules Alianna V-neck dress with panels, £80.

Top/Left: Lydia dress by Hobbs in yellow, £139. Top/Right: Basler Safari dress in sun, £170. Bottom/Left: Hilary dress by Phase Eight, £80. Bottom/Right: Yellow posey dress by LK Bennett, £325. Stockists: Taifun www.gerryweber.com; Barbour www.barbour.com; Oui www.oui.com; Reiss www.reiss.com; Joules www.joules.com; Hobbs www.hobbs.com; Basler www.basler-fashion.com; Phase Eight www.phase-eight.com; LK Bennett www.lkbennett.com.

A Fresh Look for Summer

THIS MONTH WE’RE LOOKING AT SOME LUXURIOUS SUMMER ESSENTIALS WHICH, ADDED TO YOUR MAKEUP BAG, WILL PROVIDE A GREAT FOUNDATION FOR A FRESH SUMMER LOOK...

1. Minimise pores and control shine with Guerlain...

Ensure you create a great foundation for your makeup with this excellent pore-minimising primer from Guerlain. Created with 97% natural ingredients, it’s designed to tighten and reduce the appearance of pores, control excess shine, and create a flawless matte base for foundation. Includes avocado extract to control sebum during warm weather. £32.30/30ml.

2. Lazy summer days...

Ideal for summer, this sheer tint moisturiser from Estée provides SPF15 protection and anti-oxidants, whilst preventing free radical damage and counteracting the signs of premature ageing. An ideal moisturiser to use all summer long, £43/50ml.

3. And summer nights!

Meanwhile, through the night, Elemis helps the skin to regenerate and improves the suppleness, firmness and elasticity of skin, ensuring you wake with a radiant, firmer looking complexion. Proven to keep the skin moisturised for up to 12 hours, £99/50ml.

4. Brighter eyes...

Liz Earle provides brighter eyes for summer with this new lightweight eye cream. Formulated to instantly brighten and hydrate while visibly reducing dark circles. Contains horse chestnut and borage oil, £18/15ml.

5. A brush with quality from your own Mr Right...

It’s essential to clean and replace your makeup brushes regularly not just for the purposes of hygiene but to ensure you’re not using a worn-out set. For applying eyeshadows use this five-strong set of brushes from Mr Right. Set includes a large shredder, blender, small shader, smudge and brow liner, made with Teddy Bear Hair bristles. £40/set five.

6. Forever glowing thanks to bubbles...

This cheerful luxury Eau de Toilette from Maison Margiela evokes the memory of unwinding after a long day; the calming touch of warm water and foaming cosy bubbles. Top notes of soap bubbles, middle lavenders and rose, base of patchouli and white musk. £98/100ml, exclusive to John Lewis.

n All our beauty products are available from local independent stockists unless otherwise stated, please note that prices stated are RRP and may vary.

Healthier from Within

Holistic health practitioner Ali Hutchinson has long been an advocate of nurturing your body from within. Here, she explains how digestive health can be achieved from a diet brimming with fruit & vegetables

Words: Ali Hutchinson.

I LOVE SHARING MY PASSION FOR HEALTH, nutrition, plants and plant medicine with you, so I’m thrilled that so many of you have asked about how to eat enough fibre to support the gut. It’s made me realise that what I now do, intuitively, and alongside my coaching is actually very new to a lot of you, so here I’m breaking it all down. If you’re struggling with digestive issues, thinking that post 40 you have to put up with weight gain, mood swings and the worst aspects of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) or menopause, this is for you! For me it all started with an elimination plan that helped me to heal my gut, get on top of my digestive issues and feel like myself again. One of the things I recommend the most for a healthy gut is introducing fibre rich prebiotics and probiotics into your diet. These can come from foods as well as supplements and having a balance of both is a great way to support your digestive system. But how do you eat enough fruits and veg? I recommend that we eat 30 different fruits, vegetables and herbs each week. For me that’s achieved by adding fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables into everyday meals. Let’s face it, nobody ever became less healthy by eating one more vegetable during each meal! So, what does a standard day look like? Fruit and veg smoothie for breakfast. If you start your day with a smoothie rather than a wheat-based cereal with milk it’s easy to add a variety of fruits and vegetables. I usually opt for a mixed berry smoothie, since berries tend to have a lower impact on your blood sugar due to the way they break down in the body. You can add anything green too; spinach is a favourite but consider celery, kale, cucumber etc. I also love adding a special vitamin-enriched plant-based protein powder to my smoothies to ensure I’m also getting a balance of vitamins and minerals too. It also helps to create a feeling of satiety, so I’m not hungry an hour or two after my smoothie; I find a fruit smoothie alone can do this to me.

For lunch, you might make a homemade vegetable or chicken and vegetable soup with a different mix of vegetables. Supper could be a chicken and pepper tray bake, a roast with all the trimmings or one of my favourites a country vegetable cottage pie. I’m sharing the recipe opposite as it’s super delicious.

By eating this way, you can add various fruits and veg into your diet each day and over a week achieve a mixture of 30 different varieties. Don’t forget things like ginger, garlic and herbs – fresh or dried – as these count too.

See how easy it is to eat 30 different varieties; a mixed berry smoothies can feature redcurrants, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and spinach. For a vegetable soup, you can incorporate carrot, courgette, green beans, onion, celery, tomatoes, garlic, sweet potato, parsnip, swede, chard, spring greens, broccoli etc. For a tray bake I recommend Sweet potato, red pepper, yellow pepper, thyme, rosemary, lemon, courgette, carrot, celeriac, mushrooms. n

Find Out More: If you’re struggling with gut issues, weight loss or weight management, energy levels, menopause or would just like a body MOT I’d love to help you. Through the blog www.ali-hutchinson.co.uk you can book a free discovery call to find out how I could help you on the path to a brighter future or ring: 07973 843020 or email: hello@ali-hutchinson.co.uk to book a consultation. For more info on Arbonne Gut Health Digestion and Microbiome Support go to www.alisonhutchinson.arbonne.com or ring to discuss how it might help you.

Good for Guts Country Veg Cottage Pie Recipe...

Ingredients: 10g dried porcini mushrooms, 2 large leeks; 4 large carrots; 500g swede or parsnip; 500g celeriac; olive oil; 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary; 1 teaspoon cumin seeds; 2kg potatoes or sweet potatoes peeled and chopped; 50ml coconut milk or cream; 1 onion 1 teaspoon Marmite (or gluten-free yeast extract e.g.: Meridian); 3 tablespoons tomato purée 1 x 250g pack of cooked lentils (or use dried and cook before you start)

In a blender, cover the porcini with 600ml of boiling water and allow to sit for 20 mins. Slice the leeks into 2cm thick rounds and roughly chop the carrots, swede, celeriac or whatever root veg you are using. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large casserole pan, add the rosemary and fry for a minute to crisp up. Remove to a plate and set aside. Add the cumin seeds and veg to the flavoured oil and cook for 20 minutes, stirring regularly so the veg doesn’t catch and burn. Cook the potatoes in boiling water for 15 minutes, or until soft. Drain and mash adding 50ml coconut cream or coconut milk (ideally from a can). Mash together and season to taste. Preheat the oven to 190ºC/375ºF/gas five. Quarter the onion, add to the porcini in the blender along with the Marmite and tomato purée and whizz until smooth. Pour into the veg pan and cook for 20 minutes, or until dark and caramelised, stirring regularly and scraping up any sticky bits from the bottom of the pan. Tip the lentils (juices and all) into the veg pan, and add 200ml water If needed). Bring to the boil, then season to taste. You’re now ready to top with the potato. Spoon over the mash, place on a tray, bake for 30 minutes, or until lightly golden and bubbling at the edges, then sprinkle over the crispy rosemary. Serve with simple steamed vegetables; spring greens, broccoli spears etc. n For more plant rich recipe visit Ali’s blog using the link opposite. 117