The Review - Hugh Laurie - AW20

THE

REVIEW ‘LIFE. STYLE.’

THE GHOST

BIONDI SANTI

PHIL HANSON

20-20 VISION

THE EASTBURY

OLIVER PEYTON

EIDOLON OPULENCE

PODIUM PRINCE

RURAL RESPITE

THE EVOLUTION

TECHNICAL BEAUTY

COCKTAIL HOUR

Hugh Laurie

STILL IN THE HOUSE AW20

THE REVIEW 2013 3

From the desk of

THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LAITH AL-KAISY PETER J ROBINSON JOHN STERLING MAT HAMILTON GREEN

MIKE LEVY STEPHEN KATZ

KIMBERLEY SAWYER DAVID MAHONEY SUSAN RICE CLAIRE TINDRED

Editor-In-Chief Managing Editor North American Editor Publishing and Technology Director Director of Marketing Digital Business Development Manager Director, Finance & Operations Business Manager Advertising and Marketing Coordinator Sales Director

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What a year. I want to say we’ll be glad to see the back of it – but as I write this, it appears things won’t be changing much into 2021 and beyond.

One thing that hasn’t seen much press amongst the viral mayhem is the World Economic Forum’s growing call for what they’ve named ‘the Great Reset’ – put simply, taking the opportunity to replace our current global social and economic ways of life: an apparent remedy to global debt, unemployment, inequality, and social ills. A reset of capitalism, if you like.

In the WEF’s own words “We must build entirely new foundations for our economic and social systems. To achieve a better outcome, the world must act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions. Every country, from the United States to China, must participate, and every industry, from oil and gas to tech, must be transformed”.

The agenda is looking to steer the market towards fairer outcomes. Fine. We can all agree that capitalism has gone wayward, and business and politics is prone to cronyism. But to completely reimagine our societies and economies, instead of tweaking things here and there? This sounds more like radicalism.

Changing trade arrangements and working towards a stakeholder economy, where the bottom line is no longer about the bottom line? It implies control over how you run your business. Making sure that all investments should

be based on shared goals, such as equality and sustainability? Lovely, in principle, but it implies controlling your ability to create wealth.

If there’s one thing you do in 2021, keep an eye on this. It will gather momentum rapidly as the true fallout of the pandemic becomes apparent.

But you can guarantee, the more socially and economically impoverished we become due to lockdowns, the easier it will be to sell this agenda to the masses. But where does that leave the rest of us, our investments and our businesses? We’ll be reporting on this regularly over the coming year.

But for now, here’s the final issue of 2020. Hugh Laurie is a veritable national treasure, and here we talk about the freedom that acting, music and motorbiking affords him. We also sit down with former rugby player James Gwinnett and his colleagues at start-up 87% to discuss his experiences with mental health, as well as the stigma that frustratingly still surrounds the subject.

Robinson gets behind the wheel of the McLaren GT and the Land Rover Discovery, and also visits The Cary Arms and The Eastbury Hotel. We talk to Biondi Santi CEO Giampiero Bertolini to learn more about one of the greatest dynasties in Italian winemaking. And Benjamin Norris Zooms with Oliver Peyton to discuss his new cocktail-ina-can venture, Unknown Pleasures.

Until next time, stay safe.

Laith Al-Kaisy Editor-in-Chief

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the agenda

INTERVIEW

HUGH LAURIE

P-18

FINE WINE

BIONDI SANTI

P-26

INTERIOR WELLNESS

P-34

INTERVIEW

OLIVER PAYTON

P-42

MOTORING BENTAYGA

P-48

T

T

P

TRAVEL

INTERVIEW

P-56

P-64

THE EASTBURY

PHIL HANSON

INTERVIEW 87%

P-70

MOTORING McLAREN GT

P-78

BEAUTY

20:20 VISION

P-86

MOTORING ROLLS ROYCE GHOST

P-94

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BEAUTY

DINING

THE LYGON ARMS

MOTORING

TRAVEL

P-124 P-130 P-136 P-116 P-109 P-102 MOTORING PORSCHE 911

MOTORING DISCOVERY

TACTILE

LUXURY FUTURE

THE CARY ARMS

MARINE

TRAVEL

ALPINE ESCAPE

STYLE

P-160 P-168 P-152 P-142 P-180 STYLE

LA KATZ

NEMESIS ONE

LUCA FALONI

PROPERTY

SILVERSTONE

G 0 2 0 2 P-199 GIFTING

THE 2020 GUIDE

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Contributors

AARON EDGEWORTH FEATURES WRITER

Gregarious, opinionated, and a destroyer of cocktail menus, Aaron provides automotive content stemming from years of passion and work in the industry. A keen eye for design and a horder of factoids are combined with a love of architecture, good food and the occasional party. Mostly found avoiding public settings.

PAUL TAYLOR BIKING WRITER

These days, most often found tinkering in the shed or out wasting petrol. Paul endured a fruitful career in the travel industry, working for hotel and shipping companies and a number of tour operators. Happiest when combining travel with motorcycling, he has ridden, fallen off and broken down all over the world. Bored with writing travel brochures, he now concentrates on all things biking.

NAOMI LAKE BEAUTY WRITER

Lake is a makeup artist, hair stylist, model and creative director. She comes to the table with over a decade of knowledge in the industry.

When she’s not on set or in a meeting, she’s in a yoga class, checking out a new restaurant or exploring the menu of a cocktail bar, in the pursuit of the perfect Negroni.

BENJAMIN MITROFAN-NORRIS FEATURES WRITER

Norris is a copywriter and journalist from Bristol, England. He works regularly with some of the world’s leading luxury brands, and splits his time between the UK, Germany and Hungary. Norris also has a penchant for Alsatian wines and dodgy 80s synthpop.

SARAH MORGAN

OLIVER SMITH

PETER J ROBINSON

Sarah’s career spans three decades across travel, hospitality and leisure campaigning. When she’s not in the capital consulting for the travel industry, she’s working on launching a new travel series. With a firm belief in holistic therapy and healthy living (well, to a point), a yoga retreat in some exotic, far-flung place is never far away.

By day, he is the lead man at Twisted North America looking after an array of prestige vehicles and clients. By night... well... just don’t give him cigars and a magnum of champagne.

The Hangover doesn’t come close. Pointer lover and Series 2 driver, all he needs is a Chesterfield, a decent side by side and a country pile and he could well retire.

Rebel without a cause.

Robinson has spent the past seven years working in lifestyle and finance publishing. This we feel may have jaded him slightly. He also heads up film production with The Review’s partner film company and so you are more likely to find him on set than at an editorial meeting.

IAIN BEAUMONT

EMILY SMITH

Iain Beaumont is the founder and managing director of Venues and Ventures. Since ditching the City, Iain has worked on some of the UK’s grandest country estates and leading luxury venues, refining his eye for new opportunities and helping businesses realise their potential.

Cleverly remodelled interiors in aesthetic buildings have always inspired Emily. That’s why after studying Interior Architecture, she pursued her London career with several high profile design studios. Today she deploys her decade of experience within the interior design market consulting on a range of transformational projects.

GLOBAL TRAVEL EDITOR

MIKE BURKE

FEATURES WRITER Burke is a seasoned academic more at home in the debating society than as the occasional journalist. His interests include snowboarding, cigars, drinking too much whisky, international affairs and debating the woke folk online.

MOTORING EDITOR

MANAGING EDITOR

FEATURES WRITER

DESIGN WRITER

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Hugh Laurie

Hugh Laurie – what a guy. Comedy legend. Bluesman. National institution.

Inspiration for malcontents everywhere. For us in Britain, it was strange seeing Laurie suddenly become a global star. We were used to seeing him in typically English comedy shows, most notably Blackadder, Jeeves and Wooster, and A Bit of Fry and Laurie, where he starred with his longtime writing partner, Stephen Fry. He invariably played likeable, silly characters, like the foppish Prince Regent or the aforementioned loveable layabout Wooster.

Words: John Sterling

I N T E RV I E W : H U G H L A U R I E

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o see him almost disappear from our screens, only to pop up again playing the eponymous House – a semi-serious, misanthropic, cynical narcissist with an American accent – was not only a shock, but a reassessment of everything we’d come to think of the actor.

it just didn’t really give it to me. The Stones were an exception, but that’s partly because the Stones were ploughing the same sort of furrow, if I dare put myself in the same sentence as the Rolling Stones – well, I’ve done it now, it’s too late.

Since then, there’s been no stopping the 61-year-old, who now also records and performs blues music, has penned a novel, and has another “very, very late” one in the works.

What about jazz?

Here, he tells us more.

You’re a man of many talents – do you enjoy music more than acting nowadays?

I do, I do. I think actors become actors because they want to hide. They put on masks, they want to be someone else. When you’re doing music, even when you’re playing a character in a song, there’s still an element of removing masks. It’s about exposing yourself, it’s about being vulnerable. And there’s an intimacy to that and an honesty in that relationship with an audience, which I think is very, very precious when it’s right.

You were 18 during the birth of punk, and at the same time exposed to many musical greats – Bowie, the Stones.

I’m not saying this with any sort of aggressive defiance, but I don’t own any David Bowie records. I admire him greatly, but I just didn’t get into all the things my school friends were listening to through the early 70s. I don’t know,

But I don’t think I ever bought a Beatles record. I’m not proud of that – I’m not saying, yeah, fucking Beatles. It’s just the way I’m put together. So I missed out on all that pop stuff.

There was a point where jazz went from being dance music – body music – to head music.

I’ve seen some jazz recently that was just lots of people sitting at tables nodding. That’s just not for me. I think jazz went down a weird alleyway – well, it’s not an alleyway, it’s a freeway. It’s a big, wide freeway. And good luck to them; I will not be joining them.

“I don’t think I ever bought a Beatles record. I’m not proud of that – I’m not saying, yeah, fucking Beatles.”

Do you enjoy the freedom to be able to pursue other interests, like music? And is that freedom one of the things you enjoy about acting?

I think that one of the reasons that actors become actors is, to some degree, to escape the corporate hierarchy. We don’t want to answer to a direct boss, and by becoming an actor we really don’t have to. Okay, obviously you do have a boss in the form of the director, but I’ve certainly never been in the situation where someone has actually said, ‘Listen, I’m your boss and I’m telling you that you are taking your clothes off for this particular scene’, or whatever it might be. I think if anybody did try to do that to me, I’d just walk. Particularly if they told me to take my clothes off, if only for the audience’s sake because it’s not something anybody needs to see.

You also ride a motorcycle, right? For some, especially in the States, that’s the ultimate symbol of freedom.

I get anxious about being trapped in one place, and this offers me some freedom. And I can’t imagine doing something I’ve done before over and over again. But if I had to choose to do it, I think I’d go around the world on a motorcycle. I could do that a dozen or so times, actually.

You divide your time between London and LA. What’s the difference between the two for you?

I once had the most revealing experience of suddenly understanding the difference between the British and the American way of thought.

I was walking on Venice Beach in Los Angeles, and there was a man with a sandwich board – one of those signs you carry around, because everybody’s selling something there – that read, ‘You could do better than the partner you’re with’. At first I just thought it was unbelievable, but then I suddenly realised he was assuming most Americans would read that and think,

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‘Hmm, yeah, maybe it’s time I traded up’.

they’ve been given.

We talk about doing it live, for one thing.

Obviously it’s been a unusual year. Have you seen a difference in how Britain and the States have dealt with things politically?

Just like politicians, comedians of your generation were bred at universities like Oxford at Cambridge, right?

What kind of thing – back to your classic sketches?

We are led by people who present certainty and confidence, and ‘We’ve got this. It’s all under control. Here’s the clear way to deal with this and that.’ And in actual fact, most of us, I think, are suspecting that that’s probably not the case. Do leaders know anymore about the world than we do? The point is, we don’t know.

We can’t be sure anymore who knows what and who deserves the respect or authority that

I’ve been lucky and was given all the advantages in life. Though I fear my background is somewhat timid, dull and middle-class, compared with, say, Stephen Fry. We were hoping you’d mention him. Any plans for a reunion?

Absolutely! We talk about it. He and I talk about it almost every time we see each other.

I feel that sketches are – the sort of sketch comedy we did when we were younger — that is a young person’s thing. Once you reach the age when you can actually be a cabinet minister or a bishop or a principal in a high school or whatever. I mean, I’m actually older than most of the cabinet in Britain at the moment. I think their average age is about 45.

So it starts to mean a different thing. I think it might look a bit unseemly.

TR

Evolution, not Revolution.

Words: Peter J Robinson

Biondi Santi is easily one of the most famed historic estates in all of Italy. Critically acclaimed for its balance and ageability, Biondi Santi is known for creating wines that can evolve into some of the most compelling you might ever taste. Founded in the mid-1800s by Clemente Santi, a pharmaceutical graduate from Pisa University, the Biondi Santi family lineage of wine production and curation dates back to the middle ages.

Believe it or not, at that time, the family was best known for their Moscadello di Montalcino. Clemente wouldn’t go on to invent the Brunello until the late nineteenth century under the guidance of his grandson Ferruccio Biondi Santi.

Those of you following Liv-ex and redrafting your cellar plan this year would do well to take heed of the family’s special edition Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2012 release. A seventhgeneration estate with this much global prestige requires an incredibly seasoned individual with a steady hand to steer the ship. We sat down for a tasting with CEO Giampiero Bertolini to hear more about one of the greatest dynasties in Italian winemaking history.

FINE WINE:BIONDI SANTI

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aving been at the helm of Biondi Santi since 2018, Giampiero comes from good stock, having spent 16 years at Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi SpA. With a masters degree in Economics and Marketing from the Università degli Studi di Firenze, he’s already on the front foot.

There’s an incredible history here Giampiero. Can you tell us some of your favourite moments through the ages?

I joined the estate two years ago and still remember the first time I went down the avenue with the Cypress trees. It was really at that moment that I realised why this place is so special. We still work daily from the original

cellars underneath the family villa where the Brunello was produced for the first time by the family in 1888.

In 1869, Clemente received an award from Montapulchiano for the quality of his Brunello, and that is the first time it was listed. But the real moment came with Ferruccio, who brought the name Biondi Santi to life. He produced the first bottle, the 1888, which we still have two bottles of in the cellar. Today, there are seven generations.

Each member of the family left something very relevant, not only for Biondi Santi, but for the terroir; for Montalcino and for Brunello.

Next came Tancredi Biondi Santi, who was a great man, one of the best winemakers in Italy for 40 years. He was the one that produced the

when he cultivated the estate?

Then came Franco. His first vintage was in 1971. He grew up on the estate, so he was very skilled, had great vision, and was certainly an innovator in technology. He revolutionised the cellar and established the temperature control for the fermentation. He was the one who started the cloning at Greppo and worked on a sevenyear long study with the University of Florence.

Finally, in 1978, he was the first producer in Italy to register a clone with its family name, BBS11.

It’s important to note, he made it available to everyone. Biondi Santi has always shared the knowledge and expertise with the Montalcino people. They never wanted to keep it a secret.

What do you personally think was the most important step taken by Franco

Personally, I think it was to defend the Brunello style in a period at the end of the 1990s, when the super Tuscans were taking a lot of attention from the market. Now super Tuscans are fantastic wines, but they’re very different from the style of Brunello. So, what he did in 1994 was organise a huge event at Greppo, where he opened 15 different vintages from 1888 to 1988.

That was extremely important for Brunello, because one of the most important journalists awarded 100 points to the Brunello Riserva 1981. This showed how the Brunello and the Sangiovese could age elegantly if it was well produced and well kept in the cellar. It put the appellation back on the map as one of the most

famous Riserva ‘55 which was named as one of the 12 best wines of the century. It was the only Italian wine to be listed and, of course, we still have some of the ‘55 in the cellar. More importantly, Tancredi, given his reputation, was asked by the government to write the rules for the appellation of Brunello in the 1960s. Now we have 250 or so producers in the region, all following the rules written by Tancredi.

And perhaps the most important, during the second world war, when the German army was sweeping through the region, it was known that they had orders to take Villa Greppo. So, Tancredi with his son Franco and a worker from the estate walled up all the riservas that we had in the cellar. We still have the 39 vintages produced since 1888, thanks to Tancredi.

important wines. Every member of the family left their mark in some way.

In 2017, EPI acquired the Tenuta Greppo Biondi Santi and, working closely with yourself, some additional hectares. Can you tell us what steps have taken place with the influx of capital?

The estate today has 32 hectares. Last year, we brought six additional hectares because we are replanting some of the vineyard that’s not producing the quality we want to achieve in the future. Most of the vineyard surrounds the estate here at Greppo, but we also have four other locations with different exposure and altitude.

Most of these are quite high, which is important because the key characteristics of the wine has

BIONDI - SANTI CEO: Giampiero Bertolini

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always been the longevity and the freshness.

Presumably there has been a large increase in soil analysis and R&D? There is one rule for us that is really important: it’s not about revolution, it’s evolution. That’s our mantra. Since I joined the company, that’s what I have been repeating. So, we are doing exactly what you have mentioned. We have the possibility now to invest capital into the estate which was not the case for the last 15 to 20 years. So, we’re investing to increase quality and maintain our style for years to come. We started with the soil, because our mission is to get the best from it, while also respecting the cellar. So the cellar is not a place that we are changing.

would say that 90% of these will be used for the Riserva because it’s such high quality. But the rest of the vineyard will be challenged with this study and it is already providing results. So we’re protecting the future of the estate.

to have with the wine. This wine today is more ready for drinking than many of the Riservas than we’ve released in the past. The tannins are very well refined, but at the same time it’s very young.

That’s bound to boost collector confidence But that widens your market, right? in addition to market value?

That’s very important for us. We want to avoid the idea that a wine upon release is for the cellar.

We always want to guarantee that each of our That’s the wrong message. The philosophy is that Riservas that leave Greppo is documented, so any release should be ready to drink. After seven each bottle has a specific date on the back label. years, how long do you want to wait!

There is one rule for us that is really important: it’s not about revolution, it’s evolution. That’s our mantra.

Our most important project has been a process of parcelization, which started two years ago and the purpose is to study every vineyard that we have.

So, last year we defined 12 parcels, which now can be followed for 3 to 4 years in the cellar. This does bring investment into the cellar, because we now need to have more casks with smaller sizes to follow each parcel. It’s incredibly interesting, because we already started tasting the different parcels and the quality. And more importantly, the precision of the wine in the future will be much greater. So, now we can play with different This guarantees the bottle hasn’t already been variables of sangiovese from different parts of the around the world in different cellars. That’s vineyards. something we established last year. We’re still very artisanal in our approach to the Riserva. Each Are you using younger vines now, then, has the cork sealed with beeswax by hand to keep based on that research? the oxygen out and guarantee longevity of the wine.

Absolutely, it’s part of the study. In the past, Biondi Santi were producing the Rosso with the In terms of collecting, I am sure the 2012, younger vines and the Riserva with the older, given its incredible provenance and being which I believe is a rule that could still stay the last vintage of Franco, is likely to be with us. But obviously, if we discover that our incredibly popular. I do see it as a wine younger vines are delivering very high quality, that is drinking very well now too? which is possible, why wouldn’t we use this for the Brunello and the Riserva? So, this study could Well, to answer that, we need to go back two drive us and give us much more information to years. When I joined the company, the first learn what can be done better in the future. meeting was to discuss the release of the Riserva 2012. We were supposed to release it last year.

As you may know, we still have our most But we all agreed it wasn’t ready. It was a tough important vineyard, which comes from the 1930s. decision, but we decided to keep the Riserva at So it’s almost 100 years old and is kept with a least one year longer in the cellar. Last year, we lot of care, obviously, and a special structure. kept tasting every other month and then finally, It’s basically our future, because we are really in December, we decided that it was ready to studying what is happening in these very old be released. And that means it’s ready to drink. vines. Also, in terms of clones in the vines, I It depends what kind of experience you want

When you were transitioning from P&G to the world of wine, you were poached whilst on a skiing trip?

Yes, but I wasn’t looking for a job in the wine business then. Believe me, now, if I can, I will never leave.

You spent 16 years at Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi SpA. You seem to be going from dynasty to dynasty.

Wine is very much about family. Obviously there are great groups, not family-based, who are doing well. But for my vision and from my personal experience, I believe family is very important in the wine business. It’s not just about the producer – there is a shared vision when you are a family.

There’s a serious responsibility for you to maintain. as well as push forward, then?

Yes, very much. I feel it, believe me.

Does that attract you to the role, though?

Does it motivate you?

It is a huge motivation, yes. It’s unique. It’s my personal project. Coming from another fantastic dynasty to this role needed this experience. To bring Biondi Santi into the future and respect the past, it’s really challenging. But it’s a dream.

I remember when I decided to come here, most of my former colleagues and friends said ‘You’re crazy. You’re leaving a huge company for a family estate’. But they didn’t realise what Biondi Santi is now – and what it will be in ten years time. I have a fantastic team of passionate people here. I found a real family whose approach to wine has a long-term vision.

TR

For further details, please visit: www.biondisanti.com To purchase visit: www.hedonism.co.uk THE REVIEW 2020 31

I N T E R I O R D E S I G N : C A L M A P E RT U R E

Calm Aperture Words: Emily Smith

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TBC

A

t a time where the home has taken on extra special meaning, ensuring the spaces around us are calm and uplifting to positively affect our wellbeing is becoming an essential part of how we design spaces too. How spaces make us feel has been a part of how I work as a home designer for a few years now. Designing spaces to just look aesthetically pleasing is no longer the full design package and becoming consciously aware that every component in our home has an impact on our daily mood is a vital step in changing our perspectives on how a home should be, look and feel to its dweller.

We are fortunate to have a glimpse into this beautiful private residential ski-in ski-out chalet situated on the side of Eagle’s Nest in Vail, Colorado. A home that, at first glance, evokes simplicity, elegance and serenity. Awardwinning, multi-disciplinary interior design firm Champalimaud, who are based in New York, were appointed to collaborate with the owners of the property. The brief was to tone down some original decoration decisions from a previous renovation of the property and create a sophisticated yet comfortable environment.

Being situated on the side of the mountain, surrounded by snow-covered peaks and Alpine trees, this property is encapsulated by endless views across the ski slopes, washed in white during the winter months. Its new interior pays homage to this with its pared-back approach to design and decoration. Outside becomes framed artwork within each room, to add layered texture, interest and stillness. As the year changes and moves through its seasons, so too does the outside context, meaning each day brings a different light and different backdrop story to the interior. The interior spaces and external context at Vail interweave and interplay with each other so exquisitely to embrace this continual change.

The natural light that falls within the property has a dramatic effect on how each space feels and has had to be intricately considered in detail to assure the rooms feel warm and welcoming at all times. Whilst the fabrics, colours and materials chosen for the home may feel quite neutral across the board, every design decision was bespoke because of the theatrical and extreme contrasting changes that occur across the seasons. Champalimaud describes how the light reflects off the white snow, drawing all warm tones and colour out in the winter, but in summer the bare mountains bounced in brown. The chosen finishes have a distinct relationship with the context of the enveloping environment – it’s a fresh look but heavily influenced by the external backdrop, to ensure an inviting continuity all year round.

their challenge was to celebrate its exotic and complex graining whilst allowing the panelling to ground the new interior design. With the floor and ceiling being in the same material as the walls, it composes the room, quieting the architectural features, because, even though it is a texture with depth, the wood is also a neutral background which respects the interior architecture. Not only do the rich tones of the natural wood relate to the outdoors, the koa panelling throughout enables the shapes of the room to create interest without overpowering the space. Through using one material, rich in tone and colour, it merges walls into the ceiling, ceiling into walls, and walls into the floor, allowing the physical components required to make a room functional to come alive. If the walls were too distracting, the effect of the select pieces of furniture, lighting, décor and accessories would be completely lost especially in a vast space like this.

When a property is located in such an impressive setting, why would you ever compete with the beauty of nature? Nature has always been there to enable a feeling of calm for us, and as we become more aware of the profound benefits nature offers mankind, I feel it’s one of the most important factors to consider about home.

One of the challenges of the project was to create intimate spaces whilst also honouring the grandeur of the chalet. There is a luxury of volume to play with inside this home, most notably in The Grand Room due to its double-height space and mezzanine library.

The architectural forms and volumes are quite diverse throughout the house. Each room

“One of the challenges of the project was to create intimate spaces whilst also honouring the grandeur of the chalet.” speaks for itself. But to create that dialogue throughout the house, a consistent language needs to be orchestrated to generate a coherence of calm. To add to that, where each room is architecturally unique, dynamic and powerful, a clever use of one material has been installed. The Grand Room is covered across all six planes in koa wood. The koa wood panelling was already in situ when Champalimaud came on board –

Creating an intimate space within the Grand Room is successful. Firstly, choosing to place this under the mezzanine library means the ceiling height is reduced in this zoned corner of the room. Clever use of benefitting from the change in ceiling height also creates a defined, cosy space for relaxing and enjoying drinks especially as the curved sofa has been designed with special touches, such as the wood back returning into the corner of the room, which becomes a built-in drinks table. The panelling formation in the room here has been broken up by the reframed Matisse artwork which also inspired the colour palette, all adding to this corner feeling cosier and more relaxed. At night this would be accentuated from the glow of the two standing floor lamps which define the special area.

In contrast, some of the smaller rooms have less of the koa, perhaps only clad on one plane – floor or ceiling – which not only means there’s a continual relationship between spaces throughout the chalet, but it also makes these smaller rooms feel even more intimate.

Champalimaud have made the koa more of a feature in different rooms. Where the material is only on the ceiling, it is emphasised against the different coloured walls, giving the illusion the ceiling is much closer.

A lovely dichotomy that is apparent across a variety of rooms is the change in language between the architecture and the furniture: where rooms have strong architectural masculine lines, this is balanced with soft curves, circular furniture and relaxed drapery. Even the subtle patterns in the rugs offset the strong contrasting ceiling features. And where rooms have arched ceilings, which have more feminine energy to them, the furniture counterbalances this in its rectilinear form. The variety yet blending of different forms and shapes, patterns and textures amplify the calmness felt

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TBC

throughout the home, which can only have a positive impact on mood.

The mood of the homeowner being a very important aspect of the finished design is why it’s a delight to hear about the collaborative design process between Champalimaud, the homeowners and the contractors. It was important that the house had a sense of formality to reflect the clients’ elegant lifestyle despite the house being located in an ideal location for a variety of sporting activities. It’s an unusual feel for a mountain chalet, but also clearly evident that the clients’ desires have been placed at the heart of the design process. Where the clients expressed parts of the original home felt dated, it was Champalimaud’s goal to elevate the interior design and simplify some of the interior architectural elements.

highlight key aspects of furniture within the diverse spaces. Adding textures in with colour generates interest, variation, balance and as always, the fabrics soften the architecture to make the house feel like a home. The upholstery fabrics were bespoke to handle the ever-changing light. I particularly love the delicate, soft undulation of the sheer curtains, from Champalimaud’s latest collection designed exclusively with fabric house Holland & Sherry, that blend into the room without disturbing the apertures or views.

The interchange between respect for the original building (considering the views from the inside out and the views internally) and the family’s want for a sophisticated and opulent yet warm and relaxed atmosphere is exquisite.

Champalimaud has impressively played with the illusion of space and scale to

create engaging zones. The layered, eclectic textures within expansive and assorted spaces have enabled unique sensations to occur within perfect harmony of a family’s personality. The building speaks through definition; the artwork speaks as it enthuses the ephemeral décor.

The result is a very elegant, stylish place to be. Grandeur, yet a series of defined cosy corners throughout for the perfect relaxed calming home from home.

We feel calm from all of these spaces collectively, because we see balance across the components that make up the design.

The more balance we see and experience around us, the more content we feel on the inside. The more content we feel, the byproduct of truly enjoying a home, positively impacts our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and ensures our wellbeing is supported by our environments.

Partner Anna Beeber explains: “We brought the clients to showrooms and studios to meet the artist behind some of the items that they were considering purchasing. It helps them feel like they’re part of the hunt and makes them feel like everything they choose in their homes really feel like they are theirs.”

Quite simply, this is music to my ears, because the story of a home always becomes the curation of the person who lives there. Champalimaud says the collaboration was both educational and memorable.

The lighting features throughout are striking and unique, a testament to the client being involved within the design process. When lighting and furniture become sculptural, it also has a relationship with the artwork, as all are an artisan creation. The choices of everything within the property have been driven by the client but guided by the design house to capture the balance and common theme throughout. As the client’s collection of artworks was extensive, the colours from the paintings and drawings informed and inspired most of the colour palettes for each room.

White is used a lot throughout which is reflecting, purifying, clarifying. The character of the “distinct Koa wood graining makes it wonderfully complex,” but also creates a very strong presence, a grounding, and solid backdrop. These rich brown tones and coppers connect us to nature, and this colour makes us feel very safe. The indigo, navy blues represent connection and this colour is very centring and calming in itself. The colours used throughout are subtle yet

THE REVIEW 2020 39

I N P R O F I L E : O L I V E R PAY T O N

in profile

If Oliver Peyton, restaurateur, entrepreneur, TV judge and unlikely style icon, isn’t naturally a morning person, then he does a very convincing job of being one.

Words: Benjamin Mitrofan - Norris

THE REVIEW 2020 43

When The Review came calling at the somewhat early hour of nine-thirty on a Thursday morning, he’s looking both dapper and relaxed, and is clearly in the mood to talk.

Backlit by a bucolic sea view, and eager to get into the myriad details of Unknown Pleasures – his latest passion project set to take the pre-mixed cocktail world by storm – we entered into a rambling and thoroughly entertaining conversation that covered all I needed to know, and plenty more besides.

Over the next half an hour, we discussed the pros and cons of getting drunk on aquavit in Swedish bars, our favourite post-punk records, the boredom inherent in the over-saturated British gin scene, Regency-era paintings, and the secret to a perfect Bloody Mary.

Despite the multitude of segues and tangents, the rather more focused bulk of our conversation made one thing very clear: Peyton really is onto something rather special with his latest brand. Here was a cocktail-in-a-can business which wasn’t aiming to be a poor relative of the real thing, but rather an exciting taste sensation in and of itself. What’s more, Unknown Pleasures has been developed with a dual sense of sincerity and fun, a razor-sharp and witty branding strategy, and the kind of commitment to excellence that Peyton has built his reputation on.

Eschewing the dull and everyday, and aiming for home-drinking perfection? It’s fair to say I’m more than a little excited to get a few cans in for myself.

Allow me to start with the most obvious question of 2020: how was lockdown for you?

Is it over? Well, let me say that I’m more interested right now in the result of the lockdown, rather than my experience of it. I hope, as I think most of us do, that it leads to a more tolerant society; one in which we learn to care for the important things, and wake up to the real importance of our healthcare service.

Frankly, if anything good is going to come out of this, it’s going to be a real rebalancing of our society, and people seeing society in a much

clearer way.

What has it been like to create and launch a new brand during this time?

I didn’t have to launch Unknown Pleasures during Covid, I could have easily waited until the spring, which would have been the natural time to bring out a new product. However, I’d been reading about how, in the USA, there has been a record number of startups – yet here, it’s seemed almost like we’ve been hit in the head with a baseball bat.

“I felt a belonging behind the pass – the rush of adrenaline during service. Pastry came a little bit later ” It’s always seemed to me that being proactive is incredibly important, and we have a responsibility to do things, to get stuff done, and to get the economy going again. We need to inject some movement, and that’s why I really wanted to launch the cocktails now.

Do you have any tips for anyone looking to launch a product or business right now?

I mentor a lot of young people and young entrepreneurs, and I’ve had loads of calls asking me ‘what should I do? My house is on the line, my partner will leave me if this doesn’t work…’ Yes, it’s a difficult time. However, the most important thing is that out of adversity, out of failure, you learn a tremendous amount.

This is part of life’s journey, and people need to identify with the fact that they’re learning something important. Yes, it might go wrong, yet you will rise again. That’s the message I’m always keen to put out.

What was the inspiration behind the product?

For better or worse, I’m old enough to remember getting on an airplane and being able to order a really good Bloody Mary during the flight, because the staff had access to all the right ingredients. The nature of travel has obviously changed since then, and the last time I was on a British Airways flight, it simply wasn’t possible to get a Bloody Mary, as they didn’t have anything they needed.

This was a key moment in time, and a flash of inspiration. Why isn’t there a ready-mixed Bloody Mary, or any decent, accessible premixed cocktails out there? I’ll be honest with you, there’s probably a good reason why there aren’t cans of Bloody Mary on every flight, and that’s because it’s bloody hard to make them!

What have you done with your Bloody Mary to make sure it hits all the right notes?

The main point on the journey, and the main thing we hit upon straight away, was that we needed to make our own hot sauce from scratch. We found that any other approach led to the product continuing to mature in the can, meaning that three months down the line, it was really, really spicy, and not in a good way.

The whole thing is a learning curve. It’s all about experimentation. After each batch, we do a review, and we see how it’s gone. However, because we’re making our own ingredients, we’ve been able to tweak it as we go along.

Unknown Pleasures has been developed with renowned mixologist Dré Masso, who you first met 25 years ago. Were you destined to launch something like this together?

Dré used to work for me in the Atlantic Bar and Grill, and he was the man responsible for the

THE REVIEW 2020 45

creation of the espresso martini. As such, it’s been the completion of a long, long circle!

Essentially, I needed someone with me who understood what’s really going on in the world of cocktails, and who had the eye for perfection that the products needed. For example, with our espresso martini, there are two different types of cold brew coffee in there. It took ages to sort out, as we were doing our own cold brewing and trying to get that ideal balance. However, that’s the only way we were going to end up with a product we loved.

How did you decide on the name? I can’t help thinking it might be a Joy Division reference.

You’re exactly right - the name came from (Joy Division and New Order bass player) Peter Hook. I was a very big Joy Division fan, and Peter Hook is a friend of mine. When I was toying around with brand names, I told him that I wanted to call the brand Unknown Pleasures. He thought it was great.

There’s a funny story attached to this. I was in Alderley Edge about a month ago, waiting to see a customer regarding the drinks. I was with a friend who’d never listened to Joy Division, and on the way up to Manchester I was playing the Unknown Pleasures album. I was sitting waiting to go into a meeting, and on the other side of the road was Hooky walking his dog - it was a sign!

I quite like the ambiguity of Unknown Pleasures. We’ll obviously play a lot on that going forwards, and a lot of branding managers have been cautious, saying it sounds like a sex brand. Well, I quite like that, and I love the idea of the directions we can take it and the advertising potential that’s there. I’m always interested in the creativity involved in getting recognition for products, and basically having a bit of a laugh with it.

Can a shop-bought cocktail match the real thing?

There are plenty of bars out there making ready-made cocktails that you can take home, and many of them are fantastic – but they’re also expensive, and there’s no discount for the fact that you’re lacking the ambience. I mean, you’re not going to be drinking them while sitting on a roof terrace of a West End hotel.

I would say we’re comfortably in the affordable luxury niche, and it was really important for both of us that these cocktails are price accessible. In essence, we decided we wanted to create something that tasted great, but which people could afford on a regular basis.

How did you decide which three cocktails to launch first? I was delighted to see you didn’t go with anything too obvious: no rum and coke, or yet another gin and tonic.

on target.

I’m a football fan, and I’ve always seen them being served in a football stadium, as well as at concerts and big venues like the o2. Needless to say I’d like to have them sold on airplanes, once the industry picks up. When I can sit at a bar on a train and see my cocktails on the menu, I’ll be very happy. My job will be done!

Is there an intention to launch more types of cocktail?

We don’t need to stick to drinks, but the obvious next step would be to have a range of drinks not featuring alcohol. I don’t want to call them non-alcoholic drinks, as I have a bit of a problem with that term. They’re just going to be great drinks. We’re also working on some tequila products. Dré is an ambassador for lots of tequila brands, so that’s a natural progression that will come about in due course.

Unknown Pleasures was always intended to be an umbrella. We don’t see it just being premixed cocktails. We’re so creative in Britain, we’re always all over new trends, much more so than any other country. However, we don’t follow our creativity by making brands, and it was always on my bucket list to create a brand. I’d love Unknown Pleasures to become a brand that can be taken wherever we want it to go, and whether that means more cocktails and drinks, or something revolving around food remains to be seen.

TR

I think it’s a real shame that in the hospitality industry especially, everyone seems so keen to jump off the same cliff. We’ve seen it in gin: I mean, really, how many types of gin can there be? We’ve seen it in craft beer, which is an industry I’ve been heavily involved in, and we’ve seen it in food trends, most notably in burgers.

I’m always keen to try something different, to go on that journey, and to see what comes out the other end.

Do you have a favourite?

I’m going to say the Peach Iced Tea. I think when the summer rolls around, people are going to get really into it. My daughter loves it. However, I think in February we’re going to have two Bloody Mary products, a lighter one and a richer one. I really do love a Bloody Mary.

Where can people get their hands on the product?

We’re in no rush, we’re under no financial pressure. At the moment, we’re putting them in places where I really want to see them – cool little farm shops, nice wine shops, and we’re selling well online. We’re pootling along at present, yet we’ve had lots of orders and we’re

Words: Aaron Edgeworth

AU T O M O T I V E : B E N T L E Y B E N TAY G A

Photography: Roger Chan

THE REVIEW 2020 49

T

he first generation of Bentley’s Bentayga didn’t do much for me at first. I think my issue was that, as a partner cog in the VAG machine, they should have learnt from Porsche’s mistakes with the straight-up-ugly original Cayenne.

Then I had coffee. More specifically, I was sat on a Kensington street sipping my morning cortado, and there sat a Bentayga. Black with the large Mulliner five spoke alloy wheels (thankfully in silver). The more I looked at it, the more I realised how wrong I was. Wellproportioned – quite obviously a Bentley – and

with enough presence to be seen, but not too much to be gaudy. With the development of It’s clear that there is a blueprint to luxury the entire Bentley range to celebrate this year’s car manufacturing – and one that, in this day centenary, we have an all new product line up. and age, categorically has to include an SUV. Christ, when the boys at Sant’Agata plant the The Bentayga is now in V8 form, with the raging bull on a 4x4, one knows which way the ‘Speed’ offering the simply astonishing market has gone. updated W12 plant. Lines remain familiar, but with a slight softening, akin very much to the The market for the super SUV now includes similar revisions seen across the range. Simply more than just the Turbo S guise of Porsche’s put, it’s a subtle yet still impactful revision of a Cayenne and a supercharged petrol Range shape that has become familiar in the Bentley Rover. That Porsche sells more Cayenne line up since its “concept” launch back in 2015 than any other car it makes put together. (with production beginning the following This certainly tells its own tale. In the first year of production back in 2016, Bentayga year.)

immediately became Bentley’s most popular model. With 70% of owners being new to the brand, it is another stark reminder of where the finances lie in luxury automotive.

With the luxury SUV market, there’s a stereotypical view that owners will mostly reside in city locations, will never see mud, and will flirt with off-road pretensions rather than backing them up. Whilst the former may well be true, I wanted to approach the Bentayga with an open mind, especially when it comes to its abilities as a car. I’ve said before – perhaps on these pages, perhaps elsewhere, perhaps I may have even dreamt it – but I’ve said before, we are blessed

with our car market. With rapid technological advances, every car that is made should theoretically be the best car in the world. At the upper echelons of the market, every single car, in every segment should be the best, right?

Bentley, now two decades under VW-Audi ownership, now benefit from large scale manufacturer fit and finish. Long gone are the idiosyncrasies sometimes associated with handbuilt luxury. Underpinnings of the Bentayga also sit underneath the Audi Q7 and Q8, the Porsche Cayenne, and Lamborghini Urus.

This is a well-trodden path for the group, and one that provides a solid base on which to

build the Bentayga. And build on it they have.

Internally, there are fewer nicer or more cosseting environments to find oneself in.

Bentley craftsmanship is certainly a trait maintained regardless of ownership. Leathers are wonderfully supple, and the quality of fit and finish is second to none. Despite over 6,000 miles on the odometer, and having seen this exact car tackle some off roading at the Toybox event, the car felt as new as the day it wafted out of Crewe. That’s what economies of scale bring you. Bentley luxury coupled with Volkswagen reliability. It also allows for Bentley to take the best of what the group has to offer.

THE REVIEW 2020 51

So one has a brilliant 10.9 inch touchscreen setup that Audi drivers will find familiar. There is the chassis as mentioned, and that twin turbo’d V8 plant is the same that we find in the Audi RS6, itself, a beacon for practical speed.

What does all this translate to as a user proposition? As I’ve said, surely, it’s the best car in the world? Surely the answer is not far off the truth. For a car to take that title, it should be able to accomplish anything, in any conditions.

That is exactly what I found with the Bentayga.

Always a strange sensation when throwing circa 180,000 of metal up dale and down ditch. I am aware of its actual off-road abilities, which, when sat water to waist rails, one realises is quite something. The off roading was followed by a spirited drive back to base in weather that would have had water buffalo seeking cover. With the memories fresh, and in possession of the car for more than a well-sanitised day, I looked to see what other tricks lay up its well-tailored sleeves.

The subtle styling improvements with var focus primarily on the front and rear views of the car. The front grill replicates those seen across the updated range and sat alongside are new intelligent LED matrix headlights. These take from a signature design style for Bentley, inspired from crystal cut glassware. Drink it all in, indeed.

Below both sits a more aggressively-styled front bumper that certainly corrects the original model’s aesthetic failings. At the rear, the fully tailgate includes the rear light clusters that allows for much smoother rear lines. That the number plate recess has moved to the rear bumper also allows for the rear to become a much softer and more cohesive element of the car’s design.

New wheels that are exclusive to the model, the rears sit 20mm wider and further into the arches improving both handling and stance. All this adds to the feeling that this is less of a marketing tick box, with the Bentayga most certainly earning its right as a standalone model. Standing loud and proud in the refreshed lineup, this has to be one of the strongest designs Bentley have ever produced.

Internally, the refresh continues, particularly with the addition of 100mm of rear passenger legroom, depending on specification. The greatest gain in the four-seat configuration.

There is also a three-row, seven-seat configuration to add to the standard five seats, further increasing the usability of the model.

This expanse of internal space is augmented by what seems to be ubiquitous in luxury cars: a panoramic roof.

fascia, but also the switchgear and general touchpoints, are wonderful. I’ve said already how much a tried-and-tested media interface improves the usability of the cabin. A sensible balance between traditional switchgear and the touchscreen interface further improves the experience. Rear passengers are treated to a tablet control that docks within the centre column between the front seats. It is both usable and seamlessly integrated in the design. Nothing seems out of place, nothing is contrived. And as I’ve said, that may be the best thing. There is no thought process, no consideration of the journey ahead. Because it’ll do it. And you’ll be comfortable. And it will be quick. You won’t have any worries about the weather – because why would you?

Your behind is baked at a lovely temperature, massaged like wagyu, and the stereo provides more musical depth to songs you’ve listened to for years. The point being: every journey you make will be effortless.

When the premium SUV arrived with the Mercedes M Class back in 1998, it was underpinned with truck elements. That 20 years later we have products such as the Bentayga, which are so dynamically refined, again reinforces how important this segment of the market is. Both opportunities I’ve had to sample the car have not elicited the best of British weather, but you take it as it comes.

The confidence that it instils in the driver is nothing short of mega. Utilising a world’s first electric active roll control, the surefootedness is remarkable.

The 20mm of wider track at the rear also aids the Bentley Dynamic ride settings and add to the aura of invincibility that the car builds around you. You know, once in a while you see that person, lane three of the motorway, at speeds ill-advised for the weather, and you ask yourself ‘why?’. If you see someone doing the same in a Bentayga, wave them on their way.

They’re no more aware of the weather than they are of you. With the All-Terrain package comes eight suspension set-ups for the car. If there is a need to take it into the wild, descent control and a full raft of surface settings mean that one is always confident, regardless of what is under-rubber. But let’s face it: it’ll be a rare Bentayga that spends its days getting muddy.

I’m just here to tell you that, should it need to, it can with aplomb.

Power comes from the now familiar dual twin scroll turbo V8, mated to the industry standard, eight speed automatic gearbox. In this guise, it’s good for 550PS and 770Nm of torque. These combine to propel this thing down the road at some lick. The 0-62mph run delivers in 4.5 seconds. It’ll eat up tarmac all The quality of not only the leather and the way to 180mph if you’re so inclined (or

THE REVIEW 2020 53

live in Germany). Rather counterintuitively, the party piece, and another foil in its quest for ‘Best Car in the World’ (as voted by me) is the cylinder shutdown that allows for a huge increase in economy. Fine, it’s not troubling a BlueMotion Polo in those stakes, but 21.2mpg on the combined cycle is pretty impressive. Go ask a G-wagon owner. You’ll find one at any local petrol station.

Within the confines of a relatively suffocating London, it converts again, becoming a relaxed luxury carriage that cuts a discreet silhouette against a backdrop of city offices. The high driver’s position, the panoramic roof, the insulated glass all remind the occupants of the luxury and keep them as fresh as needed for their arrival. It isn’t big, per se, but by no means unwieldy either. Having driven smaller cars with worse positioning, it’s an easy car to manoeuvre through tight streets or to avoid

one of London’s many kamikaze Prius pilots.

Parking using more cameras than Orwell envisaged in 1984, every angle is covered, and one would be hard pressed to put a scratch or ding into the well-polished sides.

Endless personalisation options available are through Bentley: a world of colour, cloth, leather and veneer. Bentley have made sure that the canvas you paint on is of the best quality possible. Is there anything I didn’t like?

Not that I can think of.

That I never had to think at all whilst using the car perhaps best shows this.

With the Porsche Cayenne and Range Rover price tags increasing at an alarming rate, one can’t even claim price to be that much of a deterrent. That one gets such a refined dynamic set up coupled with such a polished finish, inside and out, and one that still allows

for pretty epic performance, again clangs that bell for the ‘Best Car in the World’. Does it win the prize? Well, it probably boils down to the individual. Cars, after all, are subjective. But when you see the Bentayga fly past, as you sit stressed and white knuckled on the M4, you may well come to agree.

TR

Specifications PRICE: £181,585 ENGINE: 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 0-60: 4.4 seconds TOP SPEED: 180mph LENGTH/WIDTH/HEIGHT: 5125 x 2222 x 1742 WEIGHT: 2416kg CAPACITY: 18.7 gallons

The Eastbury Words: Peter J Robinson

T R AV E L : T H E E A S T B U RY

THE REVIEW 2020 57

I

get by with a little help from my friends. For me, it’s the Joe Cocker version that lands hardest. The immediacy in those opening bars, the strength of Jimmy Page’s guitar solos. It’s indicative of a sound from a different era. That’s what I needed: to escape to a different era.

The nights had gotten long and daylight was fast becoming a distant memory to my workembattled mind. I needed respite: doctorordered cultural sustenance and recuperation, if you will. The sort of salt-of-the-earth, good clean fun that only seems to come from the WI. No, I needed a country house hotel with enough old-world charm to coddle me into

restful submission.

Only a two-hour drive from the Cotswolds and an extra 30 minutes from London, you’ll find The Eastbury seated in the market town of Sherborne.

It’s a 26 bedroomed country house hotel built as a private residence in 1740. Originally it was embedded within 27 acres, and what a masterful site it must have been to behold on the unspoilt Dorset countryside. Not that it isn’t still effortlessly charming, with two castles, an abbey, medieval almshouses, and that’s without mentioning Sherborne school, an educational establishment that helped nurture the likes of John Le Mesurier, Nick Greenstock, Sir Richard Eyre and Tom Bradby. Not to mention Alan

Turing. The same year that Turing matriculated to Sherborne, the dress code for pupils was as follows: ‘All coats and waistcoats must be black, or plain dark grey or dark blue. Pullovers, if worn, must be plain and inconspicuous. Grey flannel suits, not lighter than the regulation colour, are allowed on weekdays. Black ties only are allowed with ordinary clothes.’ ‘Those were the days’. Apparently.

Having agreed upon a countryside route to get to The Eastbury for our long weekend sojourn, we set off in Rolls-Royce’s new Ghost. A five-metre long, 2.5-tonne land yacht of friend-chauffeured escapism. There was a time when I couldn’t relinquish the steering wheel of anything that

The master suite at Eastbury Cottage

bore the Spirit of Ecstacy to anyone. Even with the proper paperwork and a psychiatric test, it was just too much to bear. But if you surround yourself with good company, you’ll eventually find someone you trust with a £300,000 luxury barge, loaned to you by the people that handbuilt it. I decided, though, that I should at least do the first leg of the short drive through the North Downs to fully demonstrate the vehicle’s various bells and whistles. This, at one stage, involved being served Waitrose sushi at 60 miles an hour. That’s going to leave an incredible stain on the upholstery, I thought, as I inhaled my third tokujo maki. If only it were mine. As

the car was well loaded with both nibbles and snooker room. champagne, there was little to do but join the ladies in the back seat who had already started As expected, the Covid protocols in place had us checked in safely within a matter of minutes, their break in the previous county. followed by a walk into Eastbury Cottage. Rather We arrived outside The Eastbury a little before conveniently, we’d managed to park the Ghost sundown. Despite a sizeable parking area to outside the door of our seventeenth-century the rear, we moored outside a row of very up- cottage adjoining the main house. together cottages that flank the country house.

The rather timeless and traditional interiors As expected, our first order of business was of the Grade II main house were curated by a short discussion about who would take the designer Kathleen Fraser and include a full master, with its raised Victorian-style bathtub refurbishment of all the hotel’s guest rooms, in and incredible layout, or the king-size bedroom, addition to the resident’s areas and a very smart with the sitting area in the eaves of the house.

There was no doubt that any of the three wellappointed rooms would have been a worthy place to lay one’s addled head. If you must bring children (this means below drinking age as far as I’m concerned), the cottage has an external den-style bedroom, perfect for stowing the brood.

The interiors are an exemplary lesson in how to tastefully and respectfully appoint a countryside abode. From the grand Inglenook fireplace in the living room with its period record player and ornate desk to the dining room with solid oak table, musket and enough fine china stocked in the cabinet to cater for a table of six heavilyrefreshed guests. Yes, Eastbury Cottage was

certainly everything I had been looking for in a base with enough port to flood the Douro Valley.

I shan’t bore you with the menu, other than to weekend country retreat. say Oli cooked up a storm, before we all piled The next order of business was supper. We’d into the wood-heated hot-tub in the garden. opted to dine at the main house’s two-Rosette Being Cotswold folk, we might have gone a little restaurant, Seasons, headed by executive chef overboard on stocking the tub’s fire, though, and Matthew Street. Of course, we could have heated the old girl up to a level that would have ordered any manner of delectable dishes from certainly needed a cold dip pool. Though a few the hotel and had them buttled to the dining paddles of cold water and you’ll find the perfect table, but we rather fancied faring for ourselves. balance for a soak. In the warmer months, After all, one doesn’t book a cottage in rural you can sit on the walled-garden’s terrace with Dorset to greet the maddening festive crowds friends and be social – if that’s your thing. head-on.

There was little left to do with our evening other After an evening stroll to Waitrose, admiring the than don dressing gowns, stack the front room’s architecture of the ornate village, we returned to open fire, and stride into the cheese course

Light the fire and sit back

knowing all was well in the world. It was all rather cathartic.

The following morning, I woke early enough to sit in the front room, undisturbed, fire ablaze and early grey in hand. “Alexa, play Roots Manuva”. As our troop began to rise, one by one, I was joined in my relative silence as we all tried to caffeinate our way through the port haze. Respite wasn’t far away, though, in the form of pastry and kippers in the hotel’s main restaurant. Breakfast was, thankfully, bountiful: varied and delicious, whether from the pastry chef or the butcher. Had we not been heading

“As our troop began to rise, one by one, I was joined in my relative silence as we all tried to caffeinate our way through the port haze.”

for the hotel’s spa, I might have indulged a little more. At the bottom of the expansive garden, past the potting shed suites, we found a hobbit hole. The intricate hidden buildings are built from local stone and covered in sedum moss with circular doorways. The temptation to stand atop it was strong, yet inarguably impolite. Perhaps on another more salubrious occasion.

The spa has two treatment rooms, a large hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steam room, exercise area and external hot tub. Having poured over the spa’s treatment menu for longer than any normal person, we had chosen from the Caudalie

THE REVIEW 2020 59

facials. Caudalie began in Bordeaux, in the heart of the vines at Château Smith Haut Lafitte.

The estate belonged to co-founder Mathilde’s parents and, having been raised surrounded by wine culture, it has permeated. “I consider essential oils and plant oils to be the purest, most precious and natural source of beauty. Used in our Vinothérapie Spa since 1999, Caudalie has unique expertise in skincare oils extracted from fruits, flowers or leaves.”

However, on arrival, the spa manager felt that my partner’s skin was too youthful for the chosen treatment and that my beard might not suit a heavy mask-based treatment. As with all great hospitality professionals, the role is largely to anticipate and react to the needs of the guests.

In this case, the spa team secured les meilleures notes.

Rested physically, I had one more thing to do in order to secure mental rest. Turn my phone off, remove the sim card and leave it in the cottage desk drawer. This, I find, is a far more straightforward way of removing the temptation to fill every moment of down time staring at your screen. It tends to leave us maligned and anxious about that which usually doesn’t have any great effect on our day-to-day lives.

Sometimes unplugging means taking a hatchet to your mobile phone. God bless those who work

The Eastbury Spa

in social media – you’re going to finance a whole Once the group had rejoined, the allure of a fine beef bourguignon was tough to turn down. And generation of psychiatrists’ trust funds. so, all but one of our group opted for the winter Suffice to say, I was now ready to put some favourite on Matt Street’s menu. For a country distance between myself and my device. We house, the menu is incredibly forward-thinking, headed out of the hotel in the 1964 leather-and- matching wasabi with the Devon crab to give it chrome Beardmore taxi, available to guests as lift. You can see why the hotel has earned both needed. This was certainly my idea of the way its rosettes. I would be remiss if I didn’t point out things should be done.Having opted to seek out the delicate butter arrangements created to look our own light lunch, we made reservations at the like perfect strawberries. Inspired. As we all sat Plume of Feathers, opposite Sherborne Abbey. and ate, whilst trying to slip off the impending It’s a sixteenth-century pub serving Italian small lockdown, we decided that dessert would be best plates, with all the pasta, breads and sauces made served privately. A choice you too are welcome on site daily. The cocktail menu came thick and to make, should you opt to rent out Eastbury Cottage. Ready the open fire and another glass fast, and the service was impeccable. of whisky would you, Morpeth, there’s a good That evening, after a well deserved nap, it man. became clear that we wouldn’t all be making it to the hotel’s restaurant on time. We broke into One thing I had failed to secure was a handful two groups, with the ladies staying to finish off of H.Upmann half Coronas for the trip. With their ensembles, and the men taking an aperitif hours to while away, book and glass in hand, a in Seasons. Having been seated at the centre good stick is one of my favourite ways to take a table, I was left by my compatriots briefly as the knee. Though, sadly, I had almost emptied my hotel’s owner, Peter de Savary, briefly appeared humidor at a friend’s funeral earlier in the year. to wish everyone a pleasant evening. Before With little time until pudding would be served he left, he turned the lighting down to a more at the cottage, I decided to forgo the bar’s mellow hue. “I think that’s rather better”. And humidor. The evening finished very much like with that, he was gone. I was left pondering as the night before it – with the roar of an open fire the pianist played nostalgic hit after hit on the and no blue screens. restaurant’s white piano.

The following morning, our departure was long

Fresh fare from Seasons Restaurant.

The Alpine cocktail bar planned for 12pm. This left very little time to meet the man behind the mask, Peter de Savary.

The famed hotelier has shepherded numerous hotels and resorts to international success over his 45 year career. In 2012, Peter was appointed by the government of Grenada as an international ambassador, with full diplomatic status. Having never visited Grenada, I feel as though I might have found my rather overqualified tour guide.

PdeS works alongside his gifted wife, Lana de Savary, who has led the design ethos across the family’s portfolio. They make for a formidable

One of the many lounges team, but on this occasion, he was flying solo And after all, that’s exactly what we came for: a in his 1965 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud III Long- countryside escape at our own pace. wheelbase. The scene was completed by a humidor he kept on the passenger seat, guarded by a small dog that slept on a blue-and-red chequed blanket. In any event, in this game of To make a reservation at Rolls-Royce one-upmanship, PdeS was winning, the hotel, please visit: and in style.

www.theeastburyhotel.co.uk

After a salubrious two nights in the warm embrace of the Eastbury team, we were all feeling a little more rested upon departure.

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Words: Peter James Robinson

I N T E RV I E W : P H I L H A N S O N

Phil Hanson, Asian Le Mans Series Champion in 2016, youngest overall Le Mans 24 Hour racer in 2017, débuted at Daytona in 2018. I’m not sure what Hanson achieved in 2019, presumably turning water into wine. But in 2020, in a year so tumultuous that governments fell, Hanson has taken the holy grail of motorsport. A win at Le Mans in the LMP2 series.

What’s next, stigmata?

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By 20 years of age, Alexander the Great had begun expanding his domain and conquered lands from Greece to India. Lawrence Bragg won the Nobel Prize at 25, and Alexander Hamilton was Washington’s aide-de-camp by 22. Motor racing is famed for its ever-younger roster, year on year. Kalle Rovanperä, Tom Cave, each year the faces get younger as each motorsport dynasty welcomes its latest competitors.

At 20, Phil Hanson has achieved what many believe to be one of the most prestigious automobile races in the world. That’s an incredible feat, when you consider this isn’t even his first race at Circuit de la Sarthe.

Hanson has already competed twice. In 2017, he became the youngest person to finish the race in eleventh place. Hanson had only been racing for three years. Put plainly: Hanson is a savant. His teammates have included Lando Norris, Fernando Alonso, Karun Chandhok and Paul di Resta. So, as the flashbulbs strobe, the fans bellow and bawl and the grey press pack start their all too familiar march, I sat down with Hanson at Soho Farmhouse to see how a 20-year-old approaches life after Le Mans.

The physical demands of any professional race are demanding. What does the training regime of a 21-yearold racing driver consist of ? Do you practice all night races?

When talking about training, there’s a whole host of things that go into my fitness regime.

It’s an ever-evolving program that ultimately aims on making me as strong as possible, without bulking up with unnecessary weight and maintaining a high level of cardiovascular intensity. I know that there’s a lot that falls under those categories – so in a nutshell, I work hard. No session is wasted across the year in between races, working 3 days on and 1 day active off.

We know the physical and mental benefits of approaching any competition with a clear head. Aside from fitness and training, what do you do with your downtime?

At the moment, there isn’t much to do besides training . Christmas movies and festive things, such as building a gingerbread house, were the highlight of last week. I think now is a time to rewind on the year that has gone by, which personally was great in terms of the results.

But I look back on the mistakes I’ve made throughout and I’m already thinking towards next year to hit the ground running.

What was your first car and what do you drive now? Did you already have your first car picked out before you failed the first driving test?

“I don’t believe there is much of a substitute for hard work. Quite often the success at the track doesn’t speak for the work that has been put in behind the scenes in the gym preparing physically and mentally”.

First car, a second hand 235i. It was an absolute dream; a real pocket rocket. I think we had bought it before I had passed my test, which was before I was 17. I actually took my theory and practical on my seventeenth birthday. I had been counting down the days wishing my life away until I could take my test, only to fail and resit two weeks later. Taking my test on my birthday also wasn’t a walk in the park, as you can only book your practical once you’ve passed your theory. This meant that, when I passed my theory that morning, I spent the next few hours on hold to a call centre, as a lady checked all the cancellations that day to find me an available test in Yorkshire – a short, 3-hour train journey from my house in Berkshire. After all that, I failed. But 4 years

later, I’ve sold my BMW m4, which I’ve had for the last 3 years, and I now have a Mercedes C63, which I am pleasantly surprised with.

Aside from strapping yourself into a racing car for 24 hours, what causes you stress and what takes the edge off ?

Normal things cause me stress.I can’t put it down to a few things in particular without sounding like a maniac if I say running out of milk in the mornings for my cereal causes me stress. But anything that upsets the day. In terms of how I calm down from raging over an empty milk bottle and realising the blame probably lies with the person who put it back in the fridge empty – me – I would distress by taking my mind off it. Although my stress on a day-to-day obviously isn’t solely milk related, I would say more serious stress comes from not being able to think clearly and having too many things going on to not be able to see a rational answer, to which a workout never disappoints in clearing my thoughts. Nothing clears your mind quite like taking counting your intervals down, one by one, when you realise you’re only halfway through.

It’s been a tough year for pretty much everyone, everywhere. How have you weathered the storm, with races being cancelled and events rescheduled?

I’ve taken it as it comes. The biggest stress has been making sure I was testing negative and keeping my distance from people. The last thing I would want is to have tested positive and be forced to forfeit a race, especially with the season having gone the way it had.

You’ve had a lot of momentum this year, all things considered. In the nine races you entered in 2020 you won six, finished on podium twice, and were only outside the top three once.

“First car, a second hand 235i. It was an absolute dream; a real pocket rocket.” @PHILHANSONRACING

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Why do you think this year’s been so successful?

I don’t believe there is much of a substitute for hard work. Quite often the success at the track doesn’t speak for the work that has been put in behind the scenes in the gym preparing physically and mentally, or in the workshop by the team whose workload never lessens. It’s quite easy to forget how much of motorsport is actually a team game, and surrounding myself with individuals and a team like United, who are equally or even more passionate to win as me is never a bad way to start.

Can you talk a little about the prep that went into this year’s Le Mans 24-hour, given you began racing the event at 17 and finished ninth in LMP2 and eleventh overall at 17.

The prep that went in for this year’s Le Mans has been a process of growth by everyone in the team and myself from when I debuted at Le Mans in 2017, to my debut with United in 2018. Right the way through to 2020, it has been about growth, year on year. I don’t think

this year’s preparation has been significantly different, I just believe that everyone, most of all me, has been learning, and that’s why the results have come all at once.

What’s going through your head when you take the chequered flag after that much training and anticipation?

Initially, it was a relief. It was a moment where I thought there isn’t another lap or straight to go. That’s it, it’s all over. It felt like, at that point, no one could take it away from me.

Where were you when you were told the event was being delayed for 2020?

I think I was at home during early lockdown.

Amongst all the uncertainty, it was really amazing that the ACO and FIA, who organise Le Mans, were able to predict a date month in advance when there was so much changing by the day at that point.

Going into 2021 as a gold-grade driver, it almost spells the end of the holy trinity you formed with Albuquerque

and Di Resta. We presume there are no formal plans in that respect as of yet?

By the time this comes out, I think I will have announced to continue on with United in WEC which includes Le Mans alongside Filipe and a silver called Fabio, who although is new to LMPs is not new to endurance racing and the heights of motorsport. I’m very excited about what next year has in store for us.

We understand that your father wasn’t able to attend the race due to Covid.

Surely one reason to take the title again?

Exactly, a very good reason. However, I don’t need much of an excuse to drive me into next year. There is, after all, only one goal in mind.

What’s next for Phil Hanson?

The same again next year would be pretty special. In terms of the near future, a drive in the top class of WEC whether that be the Hypercar or LMDH. I don’t mind – but I hope I’m in the hunt for a seat in a competitive programme in the coming years.

“By the time this comes out, I think I will have announced to continue on with United in WEC”

TR

THE REVIEW 2020 69

Mental Health for the modern age Words: John Sterling

9 February 2013 marked a turning point in the life of semi-pro rugby player James Gwinnett.

Playing National League rugby on that fateful Saturday, the imposing second rower launched himself into a tackle, as he’d done a thousand times before. On this occasion, though, a sudden change of direction by the opponent meant James’ neck was badly impacted in the collision.

He shook off the injury but, as the pain grew over the next two days, he marched himself into his local A&E. A CT scan revealed the true extent of his injury; a fracture to his C6 vertebra. James had broken his neck.

But it wasn’t the physical trauma to his body that left an indelible mark, it was the mental repercussions; James suffered through three years of depression and alcoholism. Eventually finding redemption in fitness, he’s now four years sober and taking on increasingly extreme endurance challenges.

I N T E RV I E W : R I V E R H AW K I N S - H U M E N

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James, you have been on an incredible journey – what have your own experiences been of mental health?

I didn’t realise the impact my injury had on me at the time, but it stripped me of my identity.

There’s a bravado that comes with the game of rugby, and I used to enjoy the camaraderie and associated drinking culture.

That changed after I broke my neck. I no longer saw myself as a macho rugby player; I saw myself as frail, as a failure even, and I lost the motivation to be fit and healthy. My drinking became more habitual and I spiralled into alcoholism and depression. Fortunately, I was drawn into the notion of running the London Marathon and a training regime gave me the discipline to get and stay sober.

Amazingly, despite all the abuse I’d put my body through, I crossed the finish line in under four hours. It set in motion a fascination with pushing myself further and further and learning to harness the power of the mind to extend what we perceive as our limits.

How did you go from struggling with mental ill health to running ultramarathons?

Having a goal gave me the routine I’d been lacking but the true moment of revelation came when I crossed that finish line. The sense of achievement was more than anything I’d experienced on a rugby field because I’d worked harder to get there. Knowing that I’d set myself a difficult challenge and achieved it gave me a deep feeling of satisfaction. I felt like I had a purpose again.

From there, I started wondering what else I was capable of. A friend introduced me to the concept of ultramarathons – which is anything further than the 26.2 miles of a marathon – and since then I have constantly sought to push my limits by running harder courses and longer distances. Most recently, I ran 100 miles in just over 20 hours. I was also very lucky to be selected as a Recruit on SAS: Who Dares Wins, the series in Chile, getting treated to a two-week beasting from Ant Middleton and Co.

Was the show as brutal as it looks on TV? No, it was more brutal! But that’s not my overriding memory. I remember helicopter rides through the Andes, abseiling off bridges and forming a bond with an incredible group of similarly-minded people.

So, it was brutal and exhilarating in equal measure. The point is that it’s what you make of it, and that’s true for day-to-day life as much as it is for being on a crazy TV show or running an ultramarathon. We are constantly faced with

“The stigma of mental health means we don’t talk about it, seek advice or spend time focusing on it.” challenging situations and it’s how you deal with those that define you.

How do you prepare for events like these?

Mostly run – a lot! But you also need to learn to listen to your body and how to take care of it, and how to eat and drink the right things.

A famous ultramarathoner once said, an ultramarathon “is just an eating and drinking competition, with a little bit of running thrown in.”

But by far the most important training is that of the mind. Once you can run a certain distance, you can run any distance but doing so requires willpower. The brain is incredibly powerful, but also a bit of a hypochondriac. It will tell us to quit when it senses we’ve had enough. We are all capable of incredible things if we can learn to push past that.

What motivates you to take on these events?

In doing my various endurance challenges, I’ve stumbled upon a concept that I call the ‘contradiction of human capability.’ On the one hand, humans are very fragile, and I know that from the nature of my rugby injury. But on the other hand, we are capable of achieving amazing feats of endurance. My motivation is wanting to know what feats I am capable of.

I love the stories of pioneers like Sir Roger Bannister and Sir Edmund Hillary, who achieved things that society had deemed ‘impossible’ – running the first sub-four-minute mile and climbing Everest, respectively.

Unfortunately, society is increasingly inclined to give up on things if they seem hard, including in our day-to-day lives. We’re constantly being challenged, whether it’s in relationships, work, or in our personal lives and we’re vulnerable to mental health issues if we don’t train ourselves to cope with these difficulties.

What have you learned along the way?

Firstly, if you can see yourself taking on a major challenge, other things that seem ‘impossible’ become less daunting. That doesn’t have to be an ultramarathon; it could be a promotion at work or even hitting a deadline. Henry Ford said it best, ‘Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.’ There’s power in positive reinforcement, whereas if you envisage yourself failing, you’re bound to do so.

More generally, my experiences have taught me to look after my mental fitness. The stigma of mental health means we don’t talk about it, seek advice or spend time focusing on it. We are very open about how physically fit we are, yet we don’t apply the same training principles to our minds.

How is this relevant to others?

Ultramarathons or no ultramarathons, it’s important for everyone to work on their mental fitness. Even if you feel great, you can learn healthy habits and build mental resilience, nor does it take much time to check in with yourself to better understand your emotions.

I’m very lucky in being able to promote that message in my new position with 87%, a digital

JAMES IN HOSPITAL POST SURGERY

SAS WHO DARES WINS

BACK FIGHTING FIT

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RICHARD GLYNN - FOUNDER

platform that empowers users to take charge of their wellbeing, stay healthy and benefit from improved happiness.

psychology and gamification could bring this to life as the foundation of modern business practice.

87%’s mission is 200 years old. Founder Richard Glynn, a former CEO of Ladbrokes, takes inspiration from the titans of industry of the early 1800s. The likes of John Cadbury, Andrew Carnegie and Titus Salt grew dynastic empires by investing in their employees and society.

Are businesses catching on to the need for mental wellbeing support or is there still work to be done?

This concept, coined ‘philanthrocapitalism,’ spawned a generation of harder working and healthier staff. Increased productivity and longevity led to increased profits, while consumers engaged more with these brands due to their authenticity and purpose.

87%’s mission is to replicate this, using the power of technology to help businesses better engage with their staff and customers.

Richard, tell us a bit more about how you’ve seen mental wellbeing develop throughout your career.

There have been all sorts of iterations over the years, but by far the most compelling was when I had the privilege to act as a Trustee at Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

The investment by the doctors into the mental well-being of the end users – the children – and all those around them, quantifiably improved clinical and productivity outputs.

It felt to me like the Holy Grail of business.

Investing in the health of your key assets, your staff, would improve their wellbeing, enhance productivity and deliver tangible returns.

It wasn’t a novel idea – the Cadburys, Carnegies and Salts of this world were pioneering it 200 years ago – but it reinforced the fact that mental wellbeing was the unspoken problem facing business. What was needed to solve this was a platform that made mental wellbeing tangible and measurable for both the individual and the organisation. A combination of digital delivery,

Companies are doing their best and there has been a lot of investment into the area. The trouble is that most initiatives are reactive or totemic. Take employee assistance programmes, which are used by only 2 to 3% of workers, yet we know that one in four of us will suffer with mental ill health. That’s a huge discrepancy and what’s missing is proper assessment. We need proactive, preventative measures that diminish the instance of issues occurring and create healthy, enduring habits.

And this is where 87% comes in. How is technology driving the company’s mission?

In order to truly understand and make improvements, you have to first measure performance and then monitor progress over time. We monitor our physical health; we get medical check-ups and we do fitness tests, so that we can get advice on how to live healthier lives and make changes. So why don’t we do this with our mental health?

Our technology allows you to do just that. After an entirely private and confidential mental health assessment, 87% offers you personalised guidance that helps you improve your wellbeing.

For businesses, this data is aggregated – and user data kept anonymous – to provide deep insights into the wellbeing of staff, meaning you can take action when emotional and behavioural trends begin to emerge.

What does the future hold for 87%?

Our goal is to help businesses build robust wellbeing strategies and show how these can benefit employees, their families and society and enhance productivity. This is bigger than simply giving people access to an app to track

their wellbeing; we consider 87% as much a movement as a business. We want to see a paradigm shift in the mindset of businesses, from the perception that wellbeing is a perk or a benefit. It needs to be seen as a basic human right and invested in accordingly.

Further investment in the new year behind sales and marketing, data insight, user experience and customer service will drive even better engagement with our users, improve client insights and accelerate our movement.

Key to 87%’s success is its point of difference as a clinically-led platform.

Psychologist Dr Serra Pitts has spent a decade developing clinical assessments for the medical community and her research has largely focused on mental wellbeing in the workplace. Her psychological insights have helped build a mechanism that accurately tracks users’ mental wellbeing, broken into seven dimensions of life and various sub-dimensions.

Pivoting since the outbreak of Covid-19, the team’s focus has been on giving support to those who need it most, namely medical organisations, whose workers have been on the frontline in the fight against the virus. As we (hopefully) transition back to something that resembles normality, the company is again helping businesses and their workers thrive.

Serra, what work has 87% been doing to help those struggling through the pandemic?

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, support from our amazing shareholders and organisations, such as the Aviva Foundation, has allowed us to provide our platform to emergency medical staff and SMEs for free. Partnerships with organisations like the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, Air Ambulances UK and the London Ambulance Service have given 30,000 frontline workers vital wellbeing support.

There have been significant improvements in mental health scores over this time, despite the

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PSYCHOLOGIST DR SERRA PITTS

“The one thing for people to take away is that mental health is for everyone, not just those who suffer from mental ill health.”

stresses of the situation we find ourselves in and the pressures these frontline workers have been facing.

Why has the Coronavirus pandemic brought mental health issues to light?

Unfortunately, it has taken a pandemic to really shine the spotlight on another pandemic that we’re potentially facing – that of a mental health crisis – if we don’t act fast. Avoiding contact with others is essential to limit the spread of the virus but social isolation can be lonely, scary and depressing. The continual changes to our routine during the different stages of the pandemic cause additional stress.

But we are seeing businesses take note of the situation and invest in more proactive wellbeing strategies. We hope this is the start of a shift in thinking towards more preventative measures.

How have you seen users’ sentiments and emotions change over the course of the year?

We can’t shy away from the fact that the workforce has suffered. We’ve tracked our users and seen fitness scores in areas like isolation,

anxiety and fatigue rise by as much as 15% since the outbreak.

What is troubling is the impact the virus has had on younger users. Those aged 18-25, especially women in this age range, have been badly affected because of factors like the uncertainty of the job market and the financial stresses that come with this, plus the lack of social interaction. 87% has therefore been focusing on resources that help younger users cope with these troubling times and increasing our presence on social media for free advice.

Are there any positives to be taken from findings?

Yes, a huge positive, given everything else that’s going on. Our users have shown increased self-awareness and begun recognising the early symptoms of mental ill health. In March, our most popular ‘programme’ – content and advice aimed at specific life events – was Happiness, as users sought a quick fix to deal with the looming lockdown. Now, however, users are understanding that they are having negative thoughts and looking for ways to address these by choosing Managing Emotions.

This helps them deal with anger, frustration and uncertainty, and it shows that people are paying more attention to how they feel in a bid to build positive mental health.

What is your advice to anyone who feels they are struggling with mental ill health?

The one thing for people to take away is that mental health is for everyone, not just those who suffer from mental ill health. Mental fitness is something that should be worked on every day.

One of the latest features that we’ve launched on the 87% app helps you do just that. It’s a daily exercise that takes just three minutes – and that’s all the time you need each day to build healthy habits and resilience over time. #3forme is designed to be simple, practical and effective and the exercises can be easily incorporated into busy and demanding lifestyles. With these simple techniques, you can increase your self-awareness and do more of what helps your mental health and less of what doesn’t.

TR

87% is a clinically-led, digital platform that gives businesses the means to support staff through measurable insights into their mental wellbeing. For more information or to book a free demo, please visit: www.87percent.co.uk.

McLAREN

GT

Words: Peter J Robinson Photography: Screaming Eagle Productions

AU T O M O T I V E : M c L A R E N G T

It’s been six years since we last drove a McLaren away from the MTS in Woking. It was a 650S with pearl white metallic elite paintwork and carbon black alcantara interior. That’s light years for McLaren. It’s the time difference equivalent of the Neptunes and Miles Davis. They’re one of the first Supercar brands we worked with, and they left a rather lasting impression. So much so that we decided we had to take the new Mclaren GT back to where it all began, with a much larger film crew in tow.

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T

he 650S weighed in at 1.42 tons. The McLaren GT weighs in at 1.530 tons with the 765LT being the lightest to date and an altogether different beast than we came here to discuss. Mike Flewitt, McLaren’s automotive chief executive officer often says, “I passionately believe that weight is the enemy of sports cars.” It’s been evidently critical to McLaren’s thinking since their inception. If the addition of electrification and hybridisation didn’t mean significant weight increases, I think McLaren’s 2025

preliminary target for the release of its first electric marque would have been surpassed already. God knows they’ve got the technological prowess. So, to see how this fervently British car brand approaches a GT should be something to behold.

I arrived at a rather austere-looking warehouse in Woking on a sunny Friday morning. Oddly, the car park and warehouse was lined with more McLaren hardware than I have ever seen at the MTC. It seemed inappropriate to spend too long gawping at other owners marques, though. Not to mention under Covid protocols we didn’t want to outstay our

bubble’s welcome – really, only long enough to really appreciate Maurizio’s classic Fiat, but that’s another story. As the press fleet manager– and therefore a respected team engineer – the last time I saw Maurizio was when he was talking me through the finer details of the 650S all those years ago. We’re coming full circle.

First impressions: Kyranos Blue is an incredibly strong choice. A strong tip of the cap to Chloe. As we know, the GT’s exterior lines follow a markedly similar theme to the Speedtail. At almost 4.7 meters, the GT is longer than any other marques in the Sports

and Super Series range. Given I had spent the previous week testing the new 5.4 metre Ghost and my daily driver is 4.8 metres, the GT was going to feel relatively normal. The GT is a decidedly more refined model, so some of the more aggressive characteristics McLaren features have been softened. It doesn’t have the maniacal 720s headlights or the nuclear reactor grade inconel and titanium exhaust from the Senna. No, the GT is an altogether more composed affair.

Not that it wont turn heads, of course. It is achingly beautiful by any car aficionados standard. Drop a velvet curtain around it, have it point its high beams at a cherub and

you’ve got yourself a renaissance painting.

This is a model that’s absolutely going to be at home in Portofino or Gstaad, without a doubt. Given the continued lockdown, though, we were going to have to put the GT through its paces in more humble surroundings.

We kicked off our test drive by taking it to the set of a shoot with Cambridge Audio.

Though there wasn’t really any reason to drive the Discovery and the GT, my late grandmother used to say, “It’s better to arrive overdressed than underdressed”. The McLaren GT is incredibly well-dressed. The

front splitter, rear spoiler, aero blades and rear carbon fibre deck are incredibly well styled. If that isn’t enough, simply arrive at your destination and exit the GT. You will never tire of opening those McLaren dihedral doors – to this day, they are still one of my favourite design elements from the 650S. Head turning is, of course, abundant in a McLaren, and for a moment, we were close to opening the studio shutters and driving the GT into the set for a serious close up.

As a sidestep to previous form, I drove the McLaren back to base in perhaps the most

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serene manner I’ve ever wielded a bonafide supercar. With the small exception of slowing for some mutual appreciation for a BMW E30 M3 on the M4. I don’t think the rather mature gentleman expected a 620ps 4.0-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 engine with that much veracity. The GT is easily capable of nailing 62mph from a standing start in 3.1sec and, as you might expect, it will remain hungry for tarmac all the way up to 203mph. But despite the brief return to my usual driving style, the return leg was an incredibly relaxed affair.

I will say this, though: the seat adjustment button placement had me on all fours at one point, trying to take a snapshot of the panel.

I suspect there are many who would put this down to ‘driver error’. I know a modern GT should come with more adjustment options than you can shake a stick at, but I honestly would have been more comfortable with a

manual plate. Once situated, though, it was all fairly straightforward.

Now, you’re going to spend many miles in the cabin, so what does the GT have in store for you. Well, first, you’re working with a two seater setup, and that V8 is mid-engined.

It’s been well-paired with a seven-speed transmission that will give you 465 lb-ft of torque. Given the engine placement inside the cabin, you’re sat next to the full orchestra in many respects. Though it’s a well-refined engine note that isn’t going to deafen you, unless you want it to – and yes, that aria is going to change based on your driving mode. In order to maintain their unflinching dedication to a Monocoque setup with the engine mid-mounted, McLaren have had to pull in what the engineering world might well consider its biggest guns. To ensure the engine bay wouldn’t rise over 40c, McLaren

used a NASA-developed super-fabric to cover the rear luggage area. Zero compromise, as always. Whilst I might not be slotting a golf bag into my 570 litres of luggage space anytime soon, I would certainly like to see how a pair of Dynastar skis would fare.

Though I do still like to suction cup them to the rear of a vehicle and the GT has that incredible hatch, so decisions-decisions. I can see the GT pulling up to Castle Cles in Trentino and then onto the Dolomites any day now. Roll on 2021.

Ultimately the GT benefits from a sizeable lofty glass roof that has an electrochromatic feature that allows it to switch through varying levels of transparency. It’s a minimalist place to be that boasts microfibre and cashmere linings to name but a few. The GT’s typical 7.0 inch portrait oriented central touchscreen is as intuitive as anything I have used and the

integration of a 12-speaker Bowers & Wilkins sound system is a triumph. Not to mention the carbon Kevlar mid-range drive units and sub-bass woofers.

So, the burning question: what is it like to drive? It’s war in seven gears, that much I am sure of. The McLaren GT’s performance is best in class. Mike Flewitt, McLaren CEO said, “It is a car designed for distance and one that will also provide the comfort and space expected of a grand tourer, but with a level of agility never experienced before in this segment. It will also be the lightest of grand tourers and, by having the best powerto-weight ratio, I promise it will be one of the quickest.”

And he’s not wrong. At around 65mph, it keeps on pulling for all it’s worth, it is totally relentless. The handling is almost

perfectly balanced thanks to that mid engine layout and it handles with a sense of real engagement thanks to the continued use of hydraulic steering and not EPAS in my humble opinion.

So, is the McLaren a GT in the traditional sense? Not really. McLaren’s take on the traditional GT feels more significant, more distinctive, as with everything they do.

It’s a hybrid approach to what a modern GT is under the McLaren banner. As the manufacturer has thankfully confirmed it has no plans to jump on the SUV bandwagon, I give you an entirely plausible McLaren daily driver. Whether you want it waiting on the tarmac for your arrival, crushing miles home to home, or you opt to spec more than one and place them across several properties, the GT is a true ascendency.

Specifications PRICE AS TESTED: £191,540 ENGINE: Twin turbocharged V8 0-60: 3.1 seconds TOP SPEED: 203 LENGTH/WIDTH/HEIGHT: 4,683 x 2,095 x 1,213 WEIGHT: 1,530kg unladen POWER: 612bhp

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B E AU T Y : B E A U T Y I N T E C H

20-20 Vision The Beauty in tech Words: Naomi Lake

We live in an online world, and there has never been more evidence of its importance than the events of this year. If there is one thing to say for this industry, it’s adaptive. You can maintain a personal training programme, enjoy hand-mixed lipstick customisation with Code-8 Virtual Colour Lab, or even book a skincare consultation with Glowday, all online. Visiting your local beauty hall of Harvey Nichols for an appointment might feel like a distant memory. Now, as just one of the many online meeting spots, Zoom reported 300 million daily meetings in April 2020. Up from 10 million in December 2019, this is where your next beauty consultation might be held.

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eauty device technology is becoming more advanced and more accessible for home use – and that is perfect for right now. Developed in 1995, until recently dermarolling was offered only in salons. However, the GloPRO

by Beauty Bio cosmetic microneedling tool is a safe and simple at-home option. Dermarolling involves the application of fine needles, up to a couple of millimetres in length that puncture the skin. Its intended purpose is to kick-start collagen and elastin production and improve the skin’s appearance (fine lines, large pores or scarring) as healing ensues. As a more gentle sibling of this treatment, the GloPRO is minimally invasive with much shorter 0.3mm needles, not enough to puncture the top layer of the skin – the epidermis. These microchannels, created by the roller actively, help the skin to absorb your usual skincare, preventing it from sitting on the surface.

With my first use, I performed a patch test on clean skin across my jawline. Making sure to

avoid any blemishes and applying with no more pressure than the weight of the GloPRO itself, I checked my skin’s sensitivity to the action. I was pleasantly surprised: there was no pain, just a tingle. A minimal amount of redness straight after showed stimulation, but no more than

“Cleansing is an integral part of skincare, but I’m very sure we are all guilty of scrimping on the time we spend performing the task” might be achieved from a chemical exfoliant.

Beautybio’s suggested treatment plan is 60 seconds for the full face, using different directional motion, three times a week. The most obvious change over a month was the clarity of my skin: my pores were tighter

and there was relief from its usual areas of congestion. Even better, fine lines around my lips and deeper lines (starting to settle in, a little more than just dehydration) on my forehead were becoming less visible, with a bouncy glow overall.

With extra tech than just a standard microneedling tool, this single device uses a trio of technologies. Red LED therapy is clinically proven to boost the skin’s own healing and vibrotactile action softly ripples through the skin’s structure to stimulate skin cells without physical interference, with both playing a strong role in collagen production. The new Men’s Scalp and Beard Set offers all of the same benefits but with different treatment areas in mind. Designed for areas with compromised hair growth – say, a receding hairline or patchy stubble – the tool has a larger product head to evenly treat the cheeks and scalp. It’s clinically proven with regular use to reduce hair thinning within six months, when paired with their Scalp and Beard Serum.

Now and again I am in awe of what the industry comes up with – and RÉDUIT has really blown me away. When I first heard about these palmsized beauty devices, I was intrigued. But I will readily admit, sceptical too. RÉDUIT (French translation: reduced) works on the premise that the creams and balms of traditional skin and hair care are ineffective. They believe that current day products, with their redundant filler ingredients, are not formulated to provide sufficient uptake of the product itself.

If the product isn’t being fully absorbed, how will its key ingredients? Their unique system, with state-of-the-art skinpod and hairpod applications, is a response to these issues, whilst simultaneously reducing packaging.

What feels as a light vibration when held, each device provides ultrasonic diffusion of your chosen liquid-based treatment, creating a super-fine mist up to 50 times more diffuse than any standard spray. Magnetic dispersion further increases absorption potential by reducing the surface tension of your chosen product, the final application absorbing into the skin or hair seemingly instantly, with no trace of stickiness, heaviness or surplus.

As someone with chronically fine hair, the RÉDUIT One has been an absolute gamechanger for treatments and styling. Usual strengthening treatments or hydrating oils

weigh down my hair, creating greasiness and product excess. The device is beautifully ergonomic, curved to my hand and scooping around each section of hair. I follow the lengths with Vapored Strength misting away. Except for the noticeable improvement of the feel of my hair and overall health with its prolonged use, by sight or touch, there are no tell-tale signs of any product, just an alluring jasmine scent.

qualities prevent breakouts. Meanwhile, chrysanthellum indicum (golden chamomile) soothes skin, reducing inflammation and redness. It’s the perfect antidote to the current maskne struggles.

Offering styling options too, Shine Diffusion LED smooths frizz with the addition of phenyl trimethicone, working to improve the texture of damaged hair, thus supporting suppleness and natural glow. In fact, so light are the hairpods that I can support even the finest hair framing my face. Green LED therapy balances the scalp, creating harmony between potential oiliness and natural shine.

Even Hydro Boost, their liquid daily moisturiser, is unlike anything I have tried before. Betaine on the ingredients list is naturally present in the body already as a hydration regulator. The formula offers moisture as light as a feather, undetectable to the touch, yet still keeping my skin comfortable and perfectly balanced throughout the day. I can’t tell you how excited I am to take this with me whilst travelling. Maybe it’s been too long, but I’m dreaming of its light top-ups of comfort on a long-haul flight, or weightless hydration in hot, humid weather.

Even more surprising is the RÉDUIT Spa. Unafraid as I am of using oils and full-bodied cold-cream style moisturisers, the thought of using merely a serum-style liquid on my skin was scary. Will it be enough to hydrate? How will my skin react to the direct application of the ingredients? All worries were quelled on waking up after using Clear Dew overnight. The delicate, cooling mist is traceless on my skin but the ingredients are influential. Potassium azeloyl diglycinate works quickly to significantly control oil production, whilst its antibacterial

Cleansing is an integral part of skincare, but I’m very sure we are all guilty of scrimping on the time we spend performing the task from time to time. The Clean Up Your Act sonic wave cleaning brush by Temple Spa injects a little more routine into your routine. Used alongside your daily cleanser (from foaming to cream and gel to lotions, it works with every formulation) one-click activates more than 130 sonic pulsations per second to amplify the effects of your cleanser. Graduated bristles of silicone glide across the skin, purifying and buffing. An

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interval pulse lets you know it’s time to move on to another area. The result is the cleanest and softest your skin will feel, with no effort required and absolutely no irritation at all, as could be seen from, say, a face cloth or sponge.

For anything else niggling you can’t fix at home, Glowday is your bible. Unsure of what your skin needs? Book an online skincare consultation to discuss your skincare worries. After a conversation with your practitioner, you’ll have an in-depth diagnosis, Its dual-purpose offers rejuvenation too. a personalised regime and prescription-only On double-clicking the centre button, lowmedical-grade skincare options. Having frequency ultrasonic waves radiate from the rippled end of the brush. Try this at the end of already seen a surge in appointments after the first UK lockdown lifted, the directory offers your cleanse, or with oil during your skincare verified practitioners of medicalised beauty regime. The curved design follows contours of across the country. With the average research the cheekbones and jaw, stimulating skin cells past the superficial layers, boosting your natural period before undertaking aesthetic treatment varying wildly between six months and eight glow and assisting in smoothing fine lines and years, Glowday offers a one-stop-shop. From toning the face.

as well as physically draining.

Even my downtime ritual run has a tech injection, as Strava dutifully counts my distance and feeds back last-mile data, but the Freetrain VR Vest makes using the tech more bearable, and the run itself safe. Made of ultra-reflective flexible, light and waterproof material, perfect for winter running, the nipped-in chest plate ensures no restriction of your movement, and a soft yet supportive high waistband preventing excess movement of the garment when you are.

Fully adjustable and unisex, the grab and go solution removes any excuse not to get out and

move. Gone are the days of running with keys in my hand and my phone nestled somewhere uncomfortable, but god-forbid not taking it with me. I want to know my stats, always. A drop-down water-resistant pouch at the chest fits my phone, with a touch-friendly window and a gap for fitting headphones. I can check my map and change my playlist, without risking skittling my phone down the road, with my keys safely zipped up at my shoulder.

If a weather-safe home workout is more your style, the new Echelon Smart Rower might be your perfect match. The 32 levels of magnetic resistance are adjustable at the handle and

research through consultation to booking, their treatment guides ensure you are in the know before you see your chosen practitioner.

Regarding fitness and training, the phrase ‘No pain, no gain’ is always thrown around with garish joy by anyone considering your actions.

As I sit here writing, polishing off the last of a tube of frozen Oreo cookies (if there is nothing more you take from this article, please trust me on this one), the pain is more metaphoric than physical. The safe and structured routine of the gym and sauna is currently unavailable to us; one has to go back to basics. My last run, a knee-trembling eight miles, after a day at my desk and after dark at barely 5pm, was mentally

mimic a natural feel, with a virtually silent operation. Its slimline, foldable and wheeled design is lockdown friendly when quiet and space at home is the most precious commodity.

The Smart Rower will keep up with your tech too. No more lacklustre pixelated images or underwhelming metrics options to inspire your workout. Connect your screen and use the Echelon Fit app to experience real-life rows from across the globe, or join live classes from a range of disciplines or on-demand workouts to fit your schedule. You will even get postworkout feedback to keep you motivated.

Whatever your workout is, we all know the importance of warming up, warming down, and our moments spent in recovery. Creating new routines with the Theragun Elite percussive therapy device has changed my lifestyle around training indefinitely. With a historic injury from an auto-accident and hyper-mobility, I have to be careful in my movement, and I needed something in lockdown to keep pain at bay.

For targeted areas, percussive therapy increases oxygenation and blood flow to tense muscles.

The mechanism of treatment is multilateral – like a massage, but on steroids. The dampener connects with the body 40 times per second at

its highest speed, too quickly for the brain to register any direct pain response. Even the most tender of spots are bearable to work on, yet with a depth of 16mm, it reaches the deepest of knots. A responsive pressure gauge guides your touch from anything too heavy-handed, and for something so powerful, its purpose-built motor keeps it as quiet as an electric toothbrush.

Your first step in this new relationship is connecting with the Therabody App. Using your own collated data from health apps, Therabody will suggest guided routines to suit you, connecting to your Elite via bluetooth for effortless control. On opening the app and

selecting a routine, you will be visually guided on how to use your Elite. For example, the Work From Home routine focuses on forearms, traps, lower back and calves. It’s a full-body programme to alleviate tension and boost circulation, something so many could use help in during remote working. Throughout the routine, the app directs you to which of the five dampener attachments are most suitable for the areas you will be working on, plus the motion and direction of movement. It even shows you how best to hold your device across its three grip points, utilizing its triangular ergonomic design, allowing you to reach everywhere you need to, without straining your wrists or arms.

For pre and post-workout, the Theragun is there for you too. Pick from a range of routines per activity (run, golf, swim, yoga) or workouts (upper body, core) for your warm-up and recovery. If a particular area is sore or an ailment troubles you, there is a Therabody practise waiting to save to your favourites or upload directly to your device.

In all, these new options for home treatments could not have converged at a better time.

For now (and for the future), beauty and wellness routines will support us through moments of hardship. Advances like this can’t be anything but a great thing. Yes, I miss the contact of having a facial and the moments spent meandering beauty halls, but knowing I can keep up a semblance of routine myself will always be a comfort.

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Ghost Words: David Birtwistle

It’s been a long time in the making, and with the pressure of following Rolls-Royce’s most successful model ever – the original Ghost – there are big shoes to fill.

AU T M O T I V E : R O L L S R OY C E G H O S T

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he day started like any other.

Wake up, coffee made and onto the laptop to take care of those pesky emails that roll in while we sleep.

However, it quickly changed, as the imposing and rather large Rolls-Royce Cullinan whisked me across to Goodwood in chauffeur-driven fashion for a first look at the new Ghost.

On initial impression, the design is more

subtle than before, yet still distinctly a RollsRoyce. The large pantheon grill dominating the front of the car, discreetly illuminated on one side of each of the vertical metal struts, perfectly highlighting the quality of the materials and is only one example of the level of detail that has gone into this exquisite luxury vehicle.

The design philosophy is centred around the concept of post-opulence. That the days of displaying excessive wealth are over, and the

Ghost owner no longer wishes to shout about their status, but be more discreet. As discreet as you can be in a 5.5m, almost ÂŁ300,000 car.

Post-opulence is the idea of showing quality, excellence and wealth in a more subtle and refined way. Less shouting across a table; more a nod across the room. A classier and more sophisticated way of behaving that exudes confidence and self-assuredness. It is perfection in simplicity.

“The Ghost is unlike any other; a class above the rest in terms of luxury, quality and craftsmanship.”

With the slope of the roof, the engineers found that water droplets occasionally got into the cabin with the windows open, so studied the size of these drops and created a beautiful brushed aluminium edging to catch and carry them down the side instead. This attention to detail and refinement, all to give passengers the best possible experience, is delivered in an almost effortlessly exceptional way.

every surface that isn’t open pore wood or metal. On the passenger side, the word ‘Ghost’ is illuminated in the dash surrounded by 90,000 star-like lights to mirror the roof lining, and from left to right across the width of the dash is double line stitching, perfectly parallel.

And it needs to be, as this is probably the one piece of stitching craftsmanship that you will look at every single day.

Stepping inside, immediately the quality and design is prominent. Leather clads almost

Where you might expect plastic in other cars, steel and aluminium are present with a

notable mention of the wonderful air vents.

There is a reassuring weight and feel to these metal vents that remind you that the Ghost is unlike any other; a class above the rest in terms of luxury, quality and craftsmanship.

Look down the sides of the doors to see the entire panel covered in one, untainted piece of fine leather. The only mark created by the embossed Spirit of Ecstasy and cotton stitching.

The seats are obviously superbly comfortable,

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@david.birtwistle

the riding position is infinitely adjustable, and the driving controls are exactly where you would expect them to be. Everything is as it should be, but done in an outstanding way that only enhances the overall experience of Ghost.

One excellent design feature that you would need to hear to fully understand is the impressive sound system. Most car manufacturers will outsource from another company such as Bang & Olufsen or Harman Kardon, but Rolls-Royce didn’t want to be restricted in such a way, so designed the sound system in-house, utilising the empty spaces within the cabin to enhance the depth and quality of the sound. The headliner acts as a speaker, with the empty door compartments adding more bass and the flow of air through from the boot to the passenger compartment being specifically controlled to remove any unwanted frequencies. What is left is a pure, uninterrupted depth of sound that allows you to be ‘in’ the music instead of listening to it.

In order to achieve this sound quality, RollsRoyce uses almost 100kg of sound insulation to remove unwanted road noise and irritating frequencies from the car, creating the almost silent cabin. At one point in development though, they actually made the cabin too quiet and needed to allow more noise in to give driver feedback.

Once I had polished off lunch, the real fun began. I finally got behind the wheel and took the 6.7L V12 out for an afternoon spin. With 571PS it has plenty of horsepower to play with, but the real pleasure in driving this car is that the 850NM of torque is available just above idle. As I plant my foot to the floor on a back-country road, leaves falling from the trees

and washing over the raised spirit of ecstasy on the bonnet, a smile forms almost as quickly as the revs. The high torque figure from such low revs gives an almost electric feel to the power delivery. There is nothing scary or alarming about it, simply a surge of power pushing you in the back and accelerating you down the road.

The AWD and 4-wheel steer, combined with the intelligent Planar suspension system creates a pure, agile and self-assured driving experience. Almost Jekyll and Hyde in feel, when you drive calmly everything is soft, comfortable and relaxing. But once you put your foot down and drive in a more spirited manor, the car stiffens up a bit and works with you to provide the most engaging and enjoyable driving experience ever in a Rolls-Royce car.

Driving at low speed, the rear wheels turn counter to the front, changing the rotation point of the car to resemble that of a much shorter wheelbase and more agile vehicle. For city driving, this is a game-changer, allowing you to get in and out of tight spots with ease.

Once travelling a little quicker, though, the rear wheels act with the front to crab the car to the side. This creates less rotation when manoeuvring at higher speeds and makes changing lanes an even more effortless and relaxing experience than normal.

The Planar system uses radars to read the road ahead, satellite guided transmission changes counterweights on the suspension dampers and intelligent reactive suspension to make the handling outstanding. There is nothing like the way the Ghost feels to drive.

Every single bump and undulation in the road

are eradicated. The body glides like a magic carpet over the surface and, even on the worst British roads, the ride is soft, comfortable and relaxing, but without the wallowing and bouncing feel of old big luxury vehicles.

The radar guided cruise control perfectly brakes and accelerates you along the road keeping a safe distance from the car in front, taking even more effort out of driving this wonderful vehicle.

Those that say yoga and meditation are an essential form of relaxation and stress reduction have clearly never driven the new Ghost.

Stressful days at the office, long commutes to work, and busy deadlines will be washed away as soon as you step inside. Perfect to drive when you want to relax and recover from a hard day, yet engaging, enjoyable and agile when you want to throw it around a little and put a smile on your face.

Rolls-Royce have hit the nail on the head with this one. And the goal of superseding the original Ghost has been met with ease.

Specifications PRICE: £233,235 ENGINE: 6.6 L V12 0-60: 4.9 seconds TOP SPEED: 155.3 LENGTH/WIDTH/HEIGHT: 5,627 x 1,948 x 1,552 WEIGHT: 2525kg unladen POWER: 563bhp

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911

AU T O M O T I V E : P O R S C H E 9 1 1 C A R R E R A 4 S C A B R I O L E T

Words: Oliver Smith

Writing about a new 911 is never an easy thing.

Porsche has long since been the benchmark, but while its competitors have stayed relevant with large changes and revisions for each and every generation, Porsche appears to simply make a few tweaks and move on. Perhaps a sign, then, that they are so far ahead of the game that they don’t need to reinvent the wheel each and every time.

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hat Porsche have done, though, is stick with an original design that was never intended for a sports car, but instead first introduced in 1938 for the folks wagon. The design brief for the original Beetle was that it had to have adequate luggage capacity for four adult

occupants and enough space to seat them all in comfort. Another part of this design was to place the engine behind the rear axle for several reasons; passenger comfort would be increased due to almost no heatsink, cabin space was optimised, production was simplified due to no front to back propshafts/differentials, and for those who lived in more inclement and Alpine areas of Germany, rear wheel traction would be

vastly improved. Undeniably a clever concept and unlikely to get you into trouble with a mighty 25bhp.

I’ll spare you a full rundown of everything that’s happened between then and now, but to give you a little perspective on how far they’ve come, the engine is still behind the rear wheels, though now we have in this particular 992 Carrera 4S

about this over the years, and Porsche have worked very hard in an almost stubborn way to show that the original design worked well As most of you with a basic grasp of physics will for a sports car. I personally don’t think it did, know, putting a mass of weight at the extremity although as a previous owner of a 930 Turbo, I of an object will, when inertia comes into play, pull in that direction. You could be forgiven, then, may be somewhat biased. for worrying that when you put your foot down Porsche have dabbled with other concepts and come to a corner, you may fire yourself into the scenery backwards. Well, much has been said in what I believe to be their fantastic range Cabriolet, 450bhp.

of front engined cars from the 924 onwards, and more recently the mid-engined Boxster/ Cayman platform. The cynics among you may be curious as to why Porsche busted the Cayman down to four cylinders from its previous 911 worrying flat six, but let’s not get into that here.

We are where we are, and where we are is

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sitting at the wheel of the latest generation 911 to roll out of Stuttgart. So, what have all these years of incremental gains amounted to then? Quite something is the answer.

Your local Porsche dealer can sell you a 911 with a myriad of extras and options from the (very fast) pedestrian to the totally bonkers GT2. Whilst these are extremes of the spectrum, what would you do if you wanted a car that did most of these things, but still didn’t feel like a compromise?

I would suggest the Carrera 4S Cabriolet.

Historically, cabriolets were to be avoided. Road noise and refinement wasn’t great, and then there’s also the issue of dynamics and torsional rigidity. Compromise was the name of the game if you wanted the wind in your hair. Not now, though, dear reader, and you’ll be pleased to know that Porsche have made leaps and bounds on this one. The all aluminium roof structure keeps weight down, but also adds rigidity and great refinement when the roof is up. We’re talking coupe levels of road noise, although those wide tyres still rumble, but they do a great job of

keeping you out of the aforementioned scenery.

Oomph-wise this is also no slow coach. Four wheel drive coupled with 450bhp is a very heady combination, and whilst the exhaust note has lost a little of its earlier normally aspirated charm, the power is nothing short of epic. In a straight line, it will top 60mph in 3.6 seconds and keep on pulling up to a lofty 188mph. In the corners, ambition induces understeer, but at no point does it feel like it might kill you. I found that the trick is not too much gas through the apex, but then once you’re past that point, clog it and she hooks up and goes.

There are days, though, when you don’t want to drive like that, and this is where the Porsche always excels. As part of the Sports Chrono package you have the now famous drive mode selector wheel on the steering wheel that allows you to quickly go from rocket ship to cruise ship.

I call the softest setting ‘Waitrose’ mode, as it’s the one the wife would use.

I really feel like this is the 911 for all occasions.

I was a big fan of the Targa when they rereleased it with the 991, because it still felt like a coupe with the roof up – but by jove, Porsche, you may well have just nailed it. I think it’s safe to say the company has adhered to their time honored tradition of many small gains coming together to make a big step.

Porsche haven’t reinvented the wheel with the 992; they’ve just made it a little rounder.

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Specifications PRICE: £92,595.00 ENGINE: Twin-turbo flat six 0-60: 4.4 seconds TOP SPEED: 181 LENGTH/WIDTH/HEIGHT: 4,519 x 1,852 x 1,297 WEIGHT: 1575kg unladen POWER: 385bhp

AU T O M O T I V E : D I S C O V E RY

DISCOVERY It might seem obtuse of me to begin this new column on car restoration with a welltargeted shot across the bow – but nonetheless, I’m taking aim and firing.

Words: Peter J Robinson

F

or as long as I can remember, I have idealised the Defender in both its modern and early forms. From the humble series 2A to the menacing Twisted Legacy Classic Series III V8 110 Station Wagon. There are, of course, many pros and cons to owning a classic Land Rover. Pro: you’re going to look like the epitome of cool, no matter where you pull up. Con: you’ll be tone-deaf on arrival.

Owning a modern Defender with the various idiosyncrasies ironed out by the team at Twisted

NO SKIS IN SIGHT AND ONLY ONE ROOF RACK. WORRYING

is perhaps the best way to secure the marque as a daily driver, though. The alternative is to pay to roll up someone’s sleeves and find yourself a passion project to restore. This obviously isn’t for the faint of heart – yet in 2016, I did just that.

First, let me say, I’m eventually going to talk about the Land Rover Discovery and not the Defender, but I think it’s important to know how we got here. In 2016, I purchased a 2007 57 reg Defender 110 TDCi puma Utility station wagon with the help of the now-defunct Nene Overland SV. A long list of fettling was

drawn up and a deal struck to bring the old 110 back to its former glory. Seven months after giving Nene Overland the balance and the vehicle being purchased, I was still nowhere nearer to driving my Defender. It turns out that, sadly, Nene Overland had all the gravitas and dependability of a vanity license plate.

Another three months later and, as expected, in a triumph of the middling and a nod to mediocrity, this rebuke to the exemplary fell flat and cancelled the rebuild entirely.

This, as you might expect, left a rather bitter taste in my mouth; one that somewhat put me

off the prospect of securing and restoring a Defender. At least until I was willing to part with the princely sum of £200,000-plus for something from Twisted’s stable that is. So, I decided to bide my time until an alternative vehicle presented itself, or the pull to own a 90 or 110 became too much. I watched as the value of Defender stock rose and those remaining market players secured as many units as possible. Though I am not avaricious by nature, watching a capital asset increase in value shortly after you have been forced to divest is acutely painful. So don’t wait till your death bed to tell people and companies how you really

feel. Tell them to fuck off now, while you can do it close enough to see the fear in their eyes.

So, it’s 2020: the renaissance of the dark ages.

In four years, I’ve driven several vehicles very briefly, as well as long-term press loans. I’m enamoured by many, but not willing to go the distance with any. Then, in early October, as the mornings were getting colder and frost-prone, a friend in law enforcement told me she was shopping in her manual TDV6 S Discovery 3.

Oliver Smith once told me that to buy a 4x4 in winter was to acquire a vehicle at the top of its annual price spike. Somewhat weary, I did

my due diligence and decided that not only was it a good deal, it had low mileage and was in great condition, despite some aftermarket additions to the exterior. Now, mercifully, these add-ons were only faux chrome wing mirror covers, door handles and fog lamp bezels. All were easily removed with a heat gun, hairdryer and patience to bring her back to standard spec.

With a full-service history and two previous owners, there were only one of two people who could have chosen to add chrome to a utilitarian vehicle. The first owner was a reverend. I find it hard to believe a member of the clergy would go in for that sort of ostentatious

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embellishment, which means my female friend is lying through her teeth.

The Discovery 3 (Mk3) arrived in August 2004 and was noticeably a shift from the model’s previous incarnations. It came with a 4.4-litre petrol engine, giving you perhaps 19mpg if you ran alongside it and didn’t tow anything. As you might expect, most early adopters went for the 2.7-litre V6 diesel option. In the main because no one could foresee an additional daily charge from the dark lords at TFL on the horizon, and most wanted the more economical 27mpg.

Sure it’s going to take you 11 seconds to get to 60. But it’s not like anyone can overtake you whilst that’s happening, so at that moment, everyone’s 0-60 time is 11 seconds. The irony here is that one of the few off-road vehicles that could overtake in anger would be a Discovery in any incarnation. If I spot a laden well Disco I or II outmanoeuvring me from the lights and swerving in, I will have no choice but to doth the cap really.

The Mk3 came in four different trim levels at release: Discovery 3, S, SE and HSE. In late 2006, XS and GS then replaced S. In 2008, there was also a rather subtle aesthetic update before the Discovery 4 was heralded in 2009.

It’s said that the Discovery 4 came with some upgrades, but as the shape and layout stayed the same, it seems like Land Rover was nodding to the original design and build quality in keeping it as was.

My first job was to replace the right rear tail light, as despite the parking sensors someone had cracked it, so it was only a matter of time before it filled with water and took the whole panel out. A quick eBay scour landed me a full unit that took less than five minutes flat to fit.

You’re going to find some part replacements a dream; others will haunt you. The second job was to replace the fog light bezels and secure some replacement clips for the trim. Powerful

“The fear of God had arrived, and he was playing his war drum.”

UK in Cirencester had pretty much everything I needed, and they design and manufacture a range of 4x4 parts and accessories. I think a high-grade poke around their warehouse has to be on the cards in 2021.

Whilst there has, therefore, already been some aesthetic fettling to the Disco, there has also

been some mild engineering works needed.

Having watched the tracking slip out, I took it for realignment. Upon inspection on the lift, the suspension was clearly listing like a sinking ship to the farside and a specialist was needed. The fear of God had arrived, and he was playing his war drum. Building up a rapport at your local mechanic, dealership or similar is always a smart idea, but in lockdown and with Covid protocols it’s tougher than usual.

Tim Fry Landrover has been a Cotswold Landie staple for many years, so that was my first port of call. The diagnosis was that the compressor was failing and that the old unit had cooked due to the software overworking it. I was going to be £1,000 lighter, but that is the reality when neither previous owner uses the vehicle’s off-road capabilities for a decade. True to their word, Tim Fry’s rough quote stayed the same at payment.

My second issue was that the standard key fob looked like it had lost horribly in a bar fight.

Whilst certainly not a big problem, having only one key did make it a pressing issue. With an average grasp of soldering and two irons in the office, I fancied my chances for a full rebuild inhouse. Sadly, I entirely underestimated the small project. I rather stupidly ordered a replacement casing online and waded in with both boots.

The result was a fix that lasted a week and then fell to pieces like a clown car upon each and every use. Despite my deep engineering-based shame in not being able to fix this small service need ‘in-house’, I do feel sourcing a better casing in the first place would have saved time.

Eventually, the fob buttons became intermittent and I realised that a professional was needed. I required a spare regardless, so it was a necessary expense.

For a mere 140, Bryan the Car Key Specialist can provide any number of services, including spares and repairs on location. Should you achieve the unfathomable, though, and manage to lock your keys in your vehicle, he’ll be able to gain entry for you in a matter of minutes. An incredibly valuable service.

Whilst fettling the Disco as Bryan cut the new key, I realised that the reason the driver’s side wing mirror glass was oscillating when at speed was because the mounting points had become brittle and snapped in places. After researching the problem and considering the DIY approach, I decided for the cost it was absolutely going to be simpler to have Tim Fry’s parts team replace the glass. The switch ended up taking longer than both myself and the freezing engineer had estimated. It turned out to be quite a finickity job, with the right amount of pressure being applied from two directions to seat the glass. The failing of which would have meant

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cracking the glass – or worse, cracking the receiving housing. Dear Land Rover gods, spare us sinners now and at the hour of receiving the invoice.

In short, I’m not sure there is a better apocalypse vehicle for less than £15,000. Sure we could all run out and buy brand new cars, but there’s something beautiful to behold in

the simple upkeep of an older marque. I still need to consider tyres, a high-grade roof rack, additional power supplies and, if I make it into 2021 with all my facilities, perhaps a camera crane fixing. Oh, the unbridled joy. You’ll be able to read every one of the Disco’s continued trials and tribulations over the next year, of course, as we put some real mileage in. Stand aside now.

For further details on the suppliers worked with in this feature, visit: thereviewmag.co.uk/autmotive

TR

‘90s GOATEE AND ROOF RACK SOLD SEPARATELY

B E AU T Y : TAC T I L E B E AU T Y

Tactile Beauty Words: Naomi Lake

Current lockdowns in the UK and beyond have given us more time for that all-important self-care. And it seems more important than ever to have our beauty products sent directly to our door. Online retailers, such as Beauty Bay, offer hundreds of brands from all over the world. The most recent Instagram update allows direct access to browse based on your likes and follows. Even ASOS has expanded into beauty. And all these things are filling the growing gap that recent High Street closures have created in the market.

But what about the consumer who is used to sampling scent, feeling textures and experimenting with colours as a part of the shopping experience? Where does that leave them? The adventure of discovery with new brands and products is a luxury currently denied to us in-store, whilst technology catches up for us to sample our options hygienically. This leaves the door wide open for the humble beauty box. For sure, not a new concept, but one that right now holds its own, offering exploration for the curious consumer from the safety of their home.

From existing industry leaders to new options on the market, here’s a rundown of the subscriptions to suit every whim.

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Kinder Beauty What’s the vibe?

With a sole focus on clean beauty, as well as being the number one box for cruelty-free beauty, with Kinder you’ll discover skincare and haircare, makeup and accessories, which are all suitable for a vegan lifestyle, but with no compromise on quality and luxury.

How does it work?

What’s in it for me?

Your first box will always be the Kinder Faves.

It’s your introductory box to some of the founder’s most beloved products, such as Dirty Lamb’s Ultra Night Serum: a rich and soothing oil blend of wheat germ oils, jojoba and hemp seed oils, with a gorgeous delicate scent of ylang-ylang and sweet orange. Each month subsequent, you’ll receive one of their two curated boxes with a rundown of the featured products to help you get to know them.

November’s boxes feature Little Moon Essentials mineral aromatherapy bath soaks.

‘Gimme A Break’ combines vanilla, lemon and cinnamon, which made me disappear to draw a bath as soon as I opened it to take a whiff.

The Ratrani Moroccan Lava Clay Cleanser from Nourish Mantra surprised me; red clay and activated charcoal deeply cleanse, but the creamy texture with vitamin E and liquorice left my skin feeling nourished and soothed.

The Indy Box What’s the vibe?

Launching just this month, this subscription showcases everything the indie beauty industry has to offer. Expect handpicked items from up-and-coming brands – indeed, you’ll be one of the first to know about new launches and the next big thing in beauty, whilst supporting independent businesses when they need it the most. You can be sure to know that all brands are paid a fair price and are supported in their journey by joining the box.

How does it work?

Each month, you’ll receive five products, from all areas of beauty. Or you can order a one-off box, each coming with details about the products, who made them, and their story.

Any brands to note?

December’s box features Dominic Paul Liquid Highlighter, a lightweight, intensely concentrated liquid illuminator, helping you to fake a glow through the winter months. Mix with foundation or pat on your cheekbones.

You’ll also be treated to Skin Chemists Illuminating Rose Eye Pads, drenched with serum packed with hyaluronic acid and powerful antioxidants in the form of Chinese peony and rhodiola rosea root extracts.

Toppbox What’s the vibe?

As one of the few male-oriented boxes, Toppbox goes above and beyond to keep

things personal. If you’re new to skincare, the included description tells you exactly how to use each product, so you can be sure to make the most of them. For the seasoned pro who is detail-oriented, a key ingredient breakdown gives insight into how each product does its thing or offers scent notes. Use this to really get to know more about what you like.

How does it work?

Each box includes up to seven items. On set-up, create your profile. From whether you shave or keep a beard, to the length of your hair, or your skin type and age, all will be used to curate your box every two months.

Who is it for?

The beauty of this service is that it’s for every gentleman because it’s customised to your profile. Develop your routine, learn about what products or ingredients you like, or inject some inspiration into your current habits, from skincare to cologne, hair care and everything in between. You’ll get details of where to repurchase everything you love too.

Any brands to note?

Each box is superbly customised, but the most recent edits saw Extreme Whitening Charcoal Teeth Whitening Gel by Skin Chemists London, known favourites Hawkins & Brimble and Super Facialist, plus new cult-brands in the making, Seven Potions and Siamo Skincare.

Ecocobox

Who is it for?

How does it work?

Perfect for the eco-conscious mum with little time to spare to research new products or shop around, Ecocobox gives you more time Choose from two subscriptions, delivered for everything else. To make life even easier, bimonthly: Just for Mum or Mum & Me. Pop products you’ve tried and loved are available in little one’s due date (or birthday) to ensure on their online store (with a little member’s your box is perfectly matched to each stage from bump and beyond, a few extra details help discount), you can have it delivered there and then, or add it to your next box. tailor items just for mum.

What’s the vibe?

If you’re a mum or soon to be, this is the box for you: curated with five or more caring goodies for every stage of pregnancy to age two.

Plus items to make sure mama has luxurious beauty tools at her disposal, for those stolen moments when she can focus on herself and the little things that make mum-life that bit easier.

What’s in it for me?

This month mama gets a soy candle from Upcircle, channelling all the autumnal feelings with spicy notes of chai. The Just for Mum edit features PHB Ethical Beauty’s new Gentle Cleanser, with soothing rosehip seed and avocado oils. The Mum & Me box has the Baby Gel Balm from Vivaiodays, suitable for any areas of dryness, plus an item paired to them based on their stage.

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Glossybox What’s the vibe?

Glossy box has a cult following – it’s big in the game and one of the original boxes on the market. Expect skincare, colour cosmetics and accessories, such as makeup brushes.

How does it work?

Each month, five curated products will drop on your doorstep. Online you can access exclusive tutorials, and thanks to their exclusive retailer partnership with Lookfantastic, it’s super easy to repurchase items you’ve loved.

Who is it for?

If you like big household names in beauty, as well as discovering new to the scene brands,or if you’re a fan of devouring beauty content online but know your stuff when it comes to the classics, this is the subscription for you.

Any brands to note?

Glossybox has worked with the biggest and best over the years: La Mer, NARS and Huda

Beauty, to name a few. December’s box features Symbiosis Glycolic Acid + R.N.A Overnight Rejuvenating Eye Serum, a beautifully luxurious product with three main ingredients.

Glycolic acid to resurface, R.N.A addresses the signs of ageing and mica is light reflective, for an instant brightening effect.

Mintd Box What’s the vibe?

This box is pure luxury. If you want the best of the best, but fancy some inspiration to change up your usual routine, get Mintd. Choose monthly or bimonthly, depending on how often you want to mix things up.

How does it work?

A few quick questions let you get to know each other. What are your skincare concerns? What’s your hair texture and condition? What items are you most interested in receiving? Four to five products will be curated just for you to fit the season, from skin and cosmetics to tools and haircare.

Any brands to note?

This month’s box brings Oskia’s Liquid Mask Lactic Acid Micro Peel, a night-time minitreatment to resurface and exfoliate, whilst nourishing the skin with a mix of B vitamins and fruit extracts. Pair this with Aibiva ECM Advanced Repair Revitalise & Contour Serum, its powerful ingredients list stimulates collagen, elastin and glycosaminoglycans, which are crucial to cell growth. All this works to target the deeper structural layers of the skin for full facial rejuvenation.

Roccabox What’s the vibe?

Each monthly box has a different theme, with items across skincare and haircare, makeup and body care that fit the mood. It’s a great all-round box for trying all things in self-care, from big names to indie brands. Each drop has a mix of full-sized and deluxe samples, giving more access to big brands to try.

Who is it for?

Of all the boxes featured, it’s a great option for curious teenagers who want to try new things and delve further into beauty without a huge price tag.

you’ll see big names like Murad, Eyeko and Sunday Riley. Throughout the perfect mix of Any special boxes? cosmetics, skincare and everything in between, you’ll add FURR Beauty lash curlers to your Keep an eye out for special edition boxes and makeup bag, pep up your winter skin with blogger collaborations for a sneak peek into your favourite instagrammers makeup bag. This Rose Blossom Glow Facial Oil from Eclat Skin London and relax amidst the busy season with year sees the launch of their very first advent calendar, and it’s a real treat. 21 full-sized items the Feather & Down pillow spray. and some deluxe samples, across the month

Any brands to note?

December’s box has the Bellapierre Cosmetics Heatwave Highlighting Palette, a multi-use palette with five luminous shades fit the season’s glowy makeup looks. For a little bit of luxury with added kitsch, the SMUG Luxury Sleep Mask blocks light to make sure you’re getting the best sleep, and being silk it’s gentle on lashes and the skin.

Freedm Street What’s the vibe?

Freedm street is one of the few boxes out there that can be tailored to either women or men. It doesn’t just include just beauty – there are lifestyle products and snack treats too.

Sometimes self-care means something to nibble. Everything is cruelty-free and vegan, and held to high standards: no green-washing.

How does it work?

On selecting your subscription, you can really tailor your box: a few questions opt you in or out of makeup and nail care, make preferences as to colours and create your profile based on skin tone, skin and hair type. The deluxe box features seven to twelve items bimonthly across all areas of beauty, wellness and lifestyle.

lifestyle (and with veganuary around the corner), it’s a great introduction or expansion to that living.

Who is it for?

Any brands to note?

This is the all-rounder box, and the most personalised. For anyone interested in a vegan

With so much customisation, the sky’s the limit.

But the current box for December/January

features Sknfed’s face and body Cleansing & Exfoliating Cubes. Moringa, kelp and coconut milk powders and coffee grinds work together, gently buffing the skin, whilst caffeine boosts circulation, and shea butter and sweet almond oil intensively hydrate.

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Helping to create an equitable world where land, animals and people are cherished, nurtured and respected. tengri.co.uk | hello@tengri.co.uk | @houseoftengri

Cut from a different cloth

Uncompromising style. Our limited-edition fabrics are made with rare, sustainably sourced natural fibres.

Available at selected tailors and makers worldwide.

THE LYGON ARMS

Words: Peter James Robinson

Oscar Wilde, Claude Monet, Edward Elgar – all have visited the Cotswolds showvillage of Broadway over the years. It’s not uncommon to see film crews out in force scouting locations in the northern gateway to the Cotswolds. In terms of the village’s veracity, the oldest house was built in 1320 as the summer retreat for the Abbots of Pershore. You can’t buy this kind of elitist authenticity, though many here in the Cotswolds try. But one bastion of the region serves as a fervent reminder to those who might attempt to imitate the traditional Cotswold style: the Lygon Arms.

D I N I N G O U T : LY G O N A R M S

Lygon Bar & Grill

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The Lygon Bar & Grill

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he first written record of the hotel dates back to 1377, when it was referred to as the White Hart. Shortly after an obligatory round of Game of Thrones saw King Richard II usurped by his cousin Henry IV in 1400, the inn’s name was changed to the White Swan – largely due to the Hart being the personal symbol of King Richard. In 1820, General Henry Beauchamp Lygon purchased a sizeable estate that included the property. The general’s newly appointed manager decided a name change was in order, and the Lygon has remained ever since.

In the last of the autumnal light, we piled into Smiths’ Series 2a, Broadway-bound. As the Landie made its way up Cleeve Hill at a steady 45mph, the sun was setting over sleepy Gloucestershire. Sat in the back with Oli Smart, beers in hand, all was right with the world.

“Everyone wants to walk through a door marked ‘private’.

Therefore, have a good reason to be affluent.”

Despite a brief stop off at the Pheasant Inn near New Town for mid-journey refreshment, we made it to Broadway in 40 minutes. The Lygon, as one would expect, has a rather grand entrance and valet parking. Though Smith decided that the best course of action would be to park at the rear in the furthest spot possible. I assume this was due to my brief spell walking with a cane that month and him wanting to enact some form of revenge. “Safer here, you know, safer”. Arguably his Series 2a is a beautiful piece of heritage engineering, and given that most old-world Landrovers can be accessed using little more than a wry smile, I could somewhat see his point. I presumed he suspected someone might well ‘tail’ him home like a character from a John le Carré novel. He’s got the beard for it.

We strolled through the Lygon’s courtyard, complete with chestnut tree centrepiece and open-plan suites, into the cocktail bar. This is a favoured spot where I have spent many an afternoon with friends postdog walk and with out-of-town folk unfamiliar with proper country charm. I tend to kick off with a Taylor Burton Affair. It’s violet gin, violet liqueur, lemon and

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sugar. Burton and Taylor closed ranks at the Lygon in 1963 at the height of their affair. Good to know that privacy was and still remains at the forefront of the hotel’s policy.

As Daniel Craig’s character said in Layer Cake: “Everyone wants to walk through a door marked ‘private’. Therefore, have a good reason to be affluent.” Whilst the private dining room at the rear of the Lygon Bar & Grill didn’t have a sign, I presume walking the full length of the dining room with a cane to my seat likely had the same effect.

It’s worth noting that, as the Lygon is deep in the Cotswolds, man’s best friend is welcomed. I counted at least 15 different breeds whilst walking through the main dining hall trying not to beckon them all into our room for a steak.

After being seated, Oliver Smith, enamoured beyond belief by the tasteful racing ephemera adorning the walls, couldn’t help but break into a brief history of something or other.

“It had too much aero, so it was faster in a straight

Lygon Bar & Grill

line but less stable you see. So, what happened in the 1970s race, they streaked ahead but the gear box broke eventually. Now they are both different colours, of course, because the one at the back is the Gulf sponsored car, which was run by a company JW Autmotives, a chap called John Wyre. The one at the front was run by a private team which was Porsche Saltzburg in Austria. But people used to say it wasn’t really private because it was run by Ferdinand Porsche’s cousin, so they had all the best parts that the factory had.”

Mercifully, the waiter arrived.

Another round of cocktails ensued with sloe negronis, Cotswold’s Old Fashioneds and further Taylor Burton Affairs ordered. Followed by Cotswold Brew Co lager and North Cotswold Brewery ale. It’s worth noting that head chef Ales Maurer is also incredibly passionate about sourcing local. Throughout his career, he has opted to work in British manor houses with prestige and form. Maurer trained in Prague, before going on to run the city’s top hotels, then launching his own restaurant. I highly recommend

you order the baked Somerset camembert, 10oz aged grass fed beef ribeye, heritage beetroot, and the cotswold white chicken. Ideally served with a glass of malbec and another Taylor Burton Affair.

I think it’s clear for all to see that this was becoming a well-lubricated affair. The Lygon can be secured privately, of course, so you can play out your own affair with 86 double or twin rooms.

After a rather fine burnt Cambridge cream with rhubarb and ginger, we stepped out onto the hotel’s terrace for a Cohiba as we closed in on the witching hour. The ring gauge escapes me, but….large. Too large for a single sitting, sacrilegiously. Had we been returning via the Landie, I would have sat in the back wrapped in a blanket with cigar in hand and a scotch for company. Sadly, the awkwardness of smoking my stick in our taxi driver’s Renault would have been too much to bear.

The Lygon is a countryside escape of such notoriety, it’s essential visiting, whether you’re rolling in with the gang for a night of Taylor Burtons, celebrating a milestone or throwing a high-grade house party.

THE FUTURE OF BRITISH Words: Aaron Edgeworth

Any invitation to an event in Goodwood, for the most part, should be an instant acceptance. Shaking off the morning fog and stoked to the gills with coffee, this was one such invitation that I wasn’t going to miss: taking part in a roundtable about the future of luxury in the British automotive industry. Invitees included the interior and materials specialists from Bentley, Jaguar, and McLaren, as well as the editor of Top Gear. The event was hosted by Erin Baker, car contributor at Vogue.

‘

What in heaven’s name were you doing sitting at that table?’ I hear you ask. Rarefied air. But consumers, in large part, set the direction that car manufacturers take – especially at the higher echelons of the market. But what does the next century look like for luxury automotives?

With ever increasing pressure on sustainability and the environment, how does that translate into the business models of these brands? And in what ways are they staking their future?

Luxury used to be cars. Cars used to be luxury. Given their costs, until after world war two, cars truly were the reserve of the rich and powerful. Luxury was a given. The age of the coachbuilder prospered, and we saw designs from Europe and beyond. The houses of Mulliner, Park Ward, James Young, Graber, Boano, Pinin Farina, et al thrived in producing pieces of luxury for their clients. Wood, leather, wool, aluminium – all staples in car manufacture. The tactility of a product remains a huge draw to the consumer, as it has been for as long as people have been making things. But as we rattle relentlessly through the twenty-first century, the use – nay – the validity of many of these products are called into question. How will manufacturers adapt?

Is the question of what luxury actually represents different for consumers in this day and age?

Bentley, Jaguar, and McLaren each represent different concepts and purchasing propositions for their clients.

Bentley, a bastion of British Luxury, and one owned and operated by VW-Audi for a large portion of recent history. Jaguar, again, a brand with historical connotations and a pedigree not often seen in the

“With ever increasing pressure on sustainability and the environment, how does that translate into the business models of these brands?”

AU T O M O T I V E : T H E F U T U R E O F L U X U RY

H AUTOMOTIVE LUXURY

the host Directed by Andy Newbery with Cinematography by Oona Menges, The Host is the first internationally-distributed, Englishspeaking, Dutch feature film. It’s a tense thriller, with a veritable cavalcade of talent, including Emmy Award winning actress Maryam Hassouni, Mike Beckingham, Dougie Poynter, Togo Igawa, and veteran actor Derek Jacobi. The Review sat down with Zachary Weckstein, founder and producer at Pearl Pictures Productions to talk about his first feature film.

Words: Peter James Robinson

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automotive world, now also in foreign ownership through India’s Tata Motors. And then there is McLaren: a manufacturer for barely a decade, but one that certainly sits within the luxury space (though perhaps more in price point than a specific, to-the-core ethos of speed).

Such long-standing brands with rich histories require a maintenance of their provenance – something which both representatives – Maria Mulder, head of colour and trim at Bentley, and Alister Whelan, creative director of interior design at Jaguar – were keen to point out.

The choice of attendees gave rise to differing opinions, but key to all was approaching the question of luxury holistically: the concept of luxury now means a lot more for the consumer than perhaps it ever has done. Whilst some will always want the shiniest gem in the box, socio-environmental issues, in particular, have given rise to the idea that choice also represents luxury: the ability to make purchasing decisions coupled with the desire to do better in the world. Or to put it another way, traditional buying criteria has been slowly overtaken by virtuousness. What could be more luxurious than opting for a hybrid drivetrain and a low carbon footprint? There aren’t many stronger signals of virtue than continuing one’s vegan support with a vegan interior.

This idea is being taken on by all the manufacturers who took part: Jaguar committed to an electrification of drivetrains. With its centenary year in full flow, Bentley marked the start of the Beyond100 process, with a commitment to fully electric drivetrains by 2030, following hybrid-only production from 2026. Strong decisions – but also in line with much of what is planned for the industry. The UK government recently announced an end to combustion engine car sales by 2035. These targets align with Bentley’s grander plan of front to back carbon neutrality by 2030. These are certainly plans that should be lauded without question. However, how does this translate into the product offerings moving forward?

One avenue that all participants are keen to pursue is the sourcing and procurement of much of their materials. Bentley have already taken steps with the launch of Tweed to their personalisation programme, in addition to their use of waste wine byproduct in the EXP100 project car that has amazed the public at various events over the course of this year.

This is also vital for McLaren, represented by

their head of colour and materials design, Jo Lewis, who could be afforded a little slack when it comes to considerations of luxury – said in respect to their mission to be the fastest. Not the most tactile. Not the shiniest. The fastest. A customer base that firmly buys into this ethos allows for a focus on that key goal, in that, for example, sourcing materials for interiors, comes down to weight saving, tactility for function, and ergonomics. This allows perhaps a greater purity of product, and perhaps one less at the mercy of consumer whim. They are one manufacturer that is seemingly in no rush towards sustainability. Of all the attendees, McLaren’s products of the future most closely resemble those of today.

There does seem to be an outlier within the space, and that is the bespoke commissions that seem to litter the luxury end of the market. Whether it be through the Atelier or

“One avenue that all participants are keen to pursue is the sourcing and procurement of much of their materials.

Bentley have already taken steps with the launch of Tweed to their personalisation programme” Tailor Made programmes at Ferrari, MSO at McLaren, or the ability to commission a one off piece as we saw with Rolls-Royce and the Sweptail, there will always be space for us to purchase what we want. Whether this lies within the company’s ideals or its designs will be for them to decide. But, with a necessity to make the most of the cash that comes with these commissions, niche manufacturers could be beholden to that 0.5% of the market in a way that they aren’t for the core numbers of their business. All industry attendees were quick to point out that any future commissions will need to fall under the ethos and parameters that they

are setting for themselves for the future. I’m not sure, come 2034, any amount of money would convince any manufacturer to rustle you up a naturally aspirated V12 SUV chariot clad in the finest porpoise.

It’s interesting to see that many of the special works being undertaken for customers behind the scenes at Jaguar are centred around the electrification of their past models. The launch of an electric drivetrain E Type, made inhouse, shows the intent to push contemporary technologies with the backdrop of their undoubted heritage. As the manufacturer with the less expensive products in the marketplace, it seems appropriate that their outlook be slightly different. Jaguar are focused on continuing its brand traditions, reinterpreted for the present and beyond. This welcoming, particularly of electrification, means that they are not burdened by their history, but buoyed by the opportunity to bring modernity to their traditions. This is why we see the electric E Type and electric drivetrains being placed in such supposedly everyday cars as a 1990s XJ6.

Jaguar sees the potential of sustainability being marketed as luxury; something more accessible to the masses. The question they hope to pose is: why buy the ubiquitous German, when you can buy a British car, sustainably produced that includes specialist sustainable materials? It only adds to the benefit that it isn’t a Tesla.

The Britishness of all of the attending brands may well be the element that retains their place in the luxury space more than anything else.

Whilst conversation was very much centred around sustainability – the procuring of newer and better materials, and supply chains that look to bring down carbon impact – heritage, history and brand identity were words heard just as often. The opportunity to hear from such lauded people within the industry was certainly one not to be missed and gave a good insight into how car companies are investing for the future, not battling against it. That luxury for them is bringing the customer the best product possible in the most sustainable guise.

What’s certain, however, is that luxury will look different in the future. The consumer will probably need to have greater knowledge of the product in order to feel invested, but all the brands present were eager to include their customers in the journey. That’s perhaps where we will feel the luxury more than ever before – and what’s more luxurious than being listened to?

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Foxes Walk Words: Peter J Robinson

I should start by talking about the provenance of the local area, of the coastal beauty of South Devon, and the steeped history that the Cary Arms and its outlands hold. I should regale you with grand tales of the gaff yawl “escape” and the vision as she rounds Long Quarry Point. But the first thing that struck me about Foxes Walk, one of the five traditionally restored seaside cottages on the estate, was the rotating 2.5-ton Rolls Royce Ghost on the drive. If that makes me sound more than a little bovine to you, let me remind you that Queen Victoria used to moor the HMY Victoria and Albert in the bay of Babbacombe and row ashore with Prince Albert. ‘It’s a beautiful spot with red cliffs and rocks with wooded hills like Italy and reminding one of a ballet or play where nymphs appear — such rocks and grottoes, with the deepest sea on which there was no ripple.’

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I

decided to moor the new Ghost with more than a little help from the hotel’s staff.

Arguably, the arrival road to the cottage could be considered by anyone but downhill mountain bikers as steep. The estate is spread over several levels, centering around the nineteenth-century inn. There are ten bedrooms, plush beach huts and suites, and a handful of fishermen’s cottages, with the grandest sleeping up to nine people. No points for guessing where we plumped to rest our heads, then.

turntable parking. It’s not like I haven’t seen cars on revolving stands at Geneva and alike. but not very often do I have access to the controls. That being said, once the Ghost was situated, we left it entirely and didn’t think to leave the bay once, despite being a short trip from the harbour towns of Brixham and Dartmouth.

and bass, but given my lack of land fishing, I decided it was best left to the weathered.

pool, looking out to sea across Lyme Bay. I needed the escape.

for dinner – and so began the exploring. Foxes Walk is a coastal retreat in the truest sense. From the beautiful soft furnishings in the living room to the nautical prints and model ships. The sea view conservatory and terrace with hot-tub also got a lot more play than I thought it might, given the less-than-inviting temperature in October.

It became the perfect place to romance the coastline with a coffee in the morning. Ideally, we would have arrived with a large group to take full advantage of the property, but instead of using the eight-person dining table for supper, we unfurled a sizeable puzzle.

home, far faster than any other property I have ever stayed in. Dressing gowns and open fires became the order of the day.

The spa is a private affair and features a steam room, hydrotherapy pool, gym, sauna, sun terrace, exotic experience shower, and of course Thalgo facials and massages. There was a brief moment of consternation when we arrived to find a lovely couple in the spa, somewhat unconvinced Having booked ourselves into the private spa, that we had booked first. At this point, I would there wasn’t a lot of time to explore. So after usually have opted to either charm and disarm stowing our gear, we made our way down the – or fire up the ‘my way’ bulldozer. Instead, I left path to the main inn. You’ll find many vintage the ample staff to iron it out and headed to the model ships, compasses, brass searchlights, and Foxes walk cottage, nestled above the main inn members’ lounge for a coffee to stare out into general sailing ephemera with vast nautical and surrounded by Babbacombe’s 300-foot cliffs the distance. I was already starting to feel rather prints and paintings adorning the walls. I was is worth the journey alone. In addition to sleeping tempted to borrow a fishing rod from the Peter de relaxed, so decided to simply go with the flow. nine, the property has a games room, hot-tub and Savary collection and try my luck with the other Once we had occupied the spa and planted our terrace, private garden, and for the child in you, flag, I floated motionless in the hydrotherapy fishermen on the pier for mackerel, black bream

The spa benefits from a range of Thalgo treatments, a brand that has spent over 50 years harnessing the riches of the sea. I had opted for the Joyaux Atlantique massage, a treatment that comes complete with a full body scrub using Thalgo’s pink sand, and soothing massage using clear quartz. Take note, Raybold. I couldn’t tell you if it was the masseuse’s hands or the products themselves, but I am slightly saddened at how far I am going to have to travel to get the same level of treatment again. It was sublime. I didn’t realise how much tension I held in my lower back until it Yes, we were becoming ‘those’ people. Had was expertly broken down for me. dinner not been on the horizon, I suspect we would have stayed at the table and opened We returned to the cottage to relax and change another bottle of wine. Foxes Walk became our

We were seated in the Wheel House for the duration of our stay, an area within the restaurant enclosed by original stone walls and panoramic views out to sea. To start, order the Cary: Koko Kanu, coconut water, crème de violette and lime.

It sounds like an assault on the senses, but when you need to remove your addled mind from the real world, I prescribe two or three to do the trick. The menu is seasonal gastro-fare using local ingredients, and more than enough seafood to satisfy even my glut. I opted for the smoked mackerel followed by the baked trio of fish, which varies depending on the day’s catch. I’m not sure if the kitchen chooses to fish from the pier at

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all – that’s probably a little too artisanal. Not to mention the local seal and dolphin population are pretty renowned for staking their claim in these parts. Try the orange polenta cake and a glass of pretty much anything from the de Savary cellar.

It’s a thoroughly lovely place to be.

Breakfast is an equally fine affair, with bubble and squeak, eggs benedict, pancakes and pastries.

This put us in good stead for the half-mile swim and the beautiful stroll down the coast. If you’re

not here to fly and flop like myself, you can enjoy the South West Coast Path National Trail and its 630 miles of well-carved walks. So, something for everyone, indeed.

The one thing I have yet to tick off my list at the Cary Arms is a jaunt aboard their 43-foot gaff yawl built by Kristensen in Norway in 1937. I can see the property and cottages being the ideal private booking for a large family escape. Imagine setting sail from the pier, hoisting the sails in your

thickest cable knit jumper, reminiscent of a young Kennedy. A return to this chic coastal retreat is on my dance card for 2021, I assure you.

To make a reservation at the hotel, please visit: hww.caryarms.co.uk

FA S H I O N : L A K AT Z

LaKatz

When slipping into one of the elegant and timeless pieces of silken luxury from La Katz, you feel the quality and the care that has gone into its production. The touch of the natural, organic, toxin-free silk on one’s skin leaves a luxurious and comforting feeling. Each garment is made with the finest materials: organic silk sourced from India, cotton yarn from Germany and natural colouring from Austria. Founder, Laura Sänger, underlines the importance of creating a sustainable brand: “we focus on being good rather than less bad”. La Katz handmade silk product range includes: the coat, blouse and blazer.

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The La Katz long coat is designed in keeping with and as a variation on the timeless trench coat. You can opt to style it up as a dress or wear it down with a pair of your favourite jeans and heals.

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Nemesis One Words: John Sterling

MARINE : NEMESIS ONE

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I

t seems a little on-the-nose titling any editorial after the name of the yacht.

But given the gravitas of the Nemesis project, I thought I would cut to the chase. Not since the 118 WallyPower have I been so enamoured by a vessel. A 101m autonomous hydrofoil catamaran with a beam of more than 39m is worthy of the Thomas Crown Affair, by my standard. It has incredibly beautiful lines and design cues of a modern SR71 Blackbird. So, in a ‘world of white bathtubs’, a superlative that Pascale Reymond once used to describe superyachts to me at a party, I think we could do with being a little more Richard Roper about what we are mooring. After all, UBS reported a global wealth increase of 27.5% amongst those of you in the billion range this month. We’re talking about the kinds of wealth concentration not seen since 1905, so I don’t think I will be waiting that long to see a launch. In order to get the finer details on the Nemesis One, we spoke to CEO Richard Ruthenberg about his 50 knotplus, oceangoing titan.

Where did your idea for a semiautonomous catamaran come from?

Since I’ve seen the first flying America’s Cup multihulls back in 2012, I’ve been amazed by hydrofoil sailing yachts. I started to dig deeper into the technology of hydrofoils and wing sails. When Gunboat launched the amazing G4 catamaran project, it became obvious to me that a hydrofoil sailing yacht is hard to control manually by non-professional sailors. The performance achievable is unprecedented, but the same applies to the amount of skill required to safely operate a ‘flying yacht’. After the capsize of the G4 in the Caribbean, I became

more concerned with safety and handling and focused more on sensors and automatisation applications for sailing yachts.

I understand your background in design and build is on the industrial scale and is bleeding edge?

It was in 2017. I was riding for the first time in a friend’s Tesla and he showed me the autopilot feature. It was then I realised that a comparable assistance would make for the key factor for safe and easy operation of a hydrofoil sailing yacht,

I’ve been working in composites manufacturing in China for over a decade, on many large-scale projects. From 90m long wind turbine blades to 500t carbon fiber reinforced suspension bridge parts, I’m used to – and love – leading projects that are right on the edge of feasibility to success.

To me, performance is the only true challenge when building luxury sailing yachts. It’s easy to build large, heavy and overexpensive yachts, but that’s not what we’re after at Nemesis. too. After more than two years of collaboration with software engineers, UX designers and sensor manufacturers, we’ve now developed the software and hardware base for an autonomous hydrofoil catamaran, which doesn’t require a team of 10 America’s Cup pro-sailors.

How long have you been working on the Nemesis One project, and what were the core R&D elements?

The first sketches and mind-maps were drawn back in 2014, and since then I’ve gathered all available information on hydrofoil multihulls, autonomous vehicle software, controls and sensors.

When do you foresee going into production, and are discussions with prototype yacht buyers ongoing?

We’re currently talking to a few interested customers, and hopefully we’ll see the start of production for hull #1 by the end of 2021. As the Nemesis yachts are fully customised to the owner’s specifications, there are a lot of options and technical details to be discussed. The balance between amenities, that add weight to the build, and the need to save as much weight as

possible isn’t an easy task. But I can say, for sure, you won’t see Italian marble floors in our yachts.

It takes guts to state that you’re conceptualising the fastest sailing yacht in the world.

To me, performance is the only true challenge when building luxury sailing yachts. It’s easy to build large, heavy and over-expensive yachts, but that’s not what we’re after at Nemesis. When I initially conceived the concept I wanted to design the ‘Bugatti of the Seas’, but equipped with a high-performance wing sail, instead of a gas guzzling engine. The technology is there, the team is ready, we just need a performance-loving owner, who wants to leave a mark in the luxury yacht industry.

Do you think the final version of the Nemesis One will be the full 101m? Or are you likely to go into production with one of the smaller designs first?

Personally, I’d like to see the 101m Nemesis One as hull #1, as it offers truly spectacular loftstyle interiors, unprecedented in performance sailing yachts to date. The sheer size alone will be stunning, but I’m looking forward to seeing the faces of your fellow yacht owners when you zoom past them at over 50 knots. Nevertheless, we’ve got requests for the smaller designs, too – so we’ll see.

Can you tell us about the team you’ve assembled to take on the first build?

The team consists of internationally-recognised professionals. VPLP Design engineered countless high-performance and luxury yachts, winning the America’s Cup, Vendee Globe, Trophee Jules Verne and more.

Ayro developed the autonomous wing sail design with the knowledge they gained from developing the first America’s Cup wing sail racing yacht.

At Nemesis Yachts, I’ve brought engineers and composites workers with me that I’ve been successfully working with for years. We’re all together ‘up on the fence’ and ready to start.

Can you explain the switchable living modules to us?

The living modules are a Nemesis Yachts exclusive feature. It takes the common option in performance sailing yachts, to make furniture removable for racing, and adds the possibility to exchange the layout of your yacht for different configurations. Additional modules can be stored on land and shipped to the destination you need them. Yachts have always been a way to enjoy the ocean, together with people you love.

So, maybe you want romantic couple time, you can have a spa, gym and home cinema module installed. The next time you want to bring all of your family and friends for a weekend cruise, just choose modules with additional luxury guest cabins and enjoy.

On the other hand, with the modules completely removed, you’ll have your yacht in a

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yacht. The Nemesis One will be the largest carbon fiber composite yacht built to date. A big challenge is the hull dimensions – LOA: 101m and beam of more than 39m – as the hull will need to be built as nomex honeycomb, carbon Is the initial build cost likely to break fiber monocoque construction. Depending on the final specifications, the Nemesis One will be records? in the range of $90 to 100 million. I’m sure we’ll It’s not our goal to build the world’s most break a lot of speed records. expensive, but rather the fastest luxury sailing ’superleggera’ race setup. Offering only the most necessary amenities to your crew and die-hard sail race buddies, while you slice all competition in half on your race days.

For more details, go to nemesisyachts.com

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ALPINE ESCAPES Words: Peter J Robinson

When I started 2020, I was almost mountain fit. Not rock-climbing fit, you understand, but skiing down. I spent the last six months of 2019 working on a fitness routine to kick start myself into a 2020 season of incredible heli skiing in New Zealand, British Columbia and Japan. You already know where this story is going. It sadly wasn’t to be. This year, I managed four days skiing in Vermont, total, before returning to the UK rather unceremoniously to pick up a last-minute project. It was stunning, though, and the conditions were incredible, but one trip isn’t enough I tell you. So, whether you are landing privately with the entourage, or boarding the only flight you can find to the slopes, here are five of our favorite winter escapes.

T R AV E L : A L P I N E E S C A P E

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THE HEINZ JULEN LOFT, ZERMATT I started skiing later in life than most, having not been raised on or near the Alps, and having no family with a predilection for skiing.

So, it’s tough to say why Zermatt was the first resort I visited and learned to ski in. I returned in October, year after year, to ski on the glacier given that Zermatt has Switzerland’s highest ski area. Given the mountain villages age, it’s entirely car free, though the train from Geneva is a beautiful jaunt. You can still get around the village in golf buggy-style taxis, of course, that charge by the blood diamond.

The Heinz Julen loft is a 300 square-metre loft, high in the hills, accessed by tunnel in the centre of Zermatt. Once at the top, the chalet is a two0-minute walk from the plateau.

Whilst not isolated, this property is wonderfully far from the crowds. Built by local designer Heinz Julen, there’s a main living area, two double bedrooms, a master on the top floor, jacuzzi and private sauna. Not to mention the remotely controlled 180-degree wrap around curtain hiding the lofts inhabitants and their rock-star tendencies. This in addition to the dining table that raises and lowers to facilitate a full dance floor.

Whilst at the loft, ask the chalet manager why there are so many oil paintings of Robbie Williams and what the initial intention was for the loft before a rather famous gallery exhibition took place in Zermatt.

CHESA EL TOULA, ST MORITZ Leo Trippi’s heritage as a purveyor of exclusive global chalets goes back to 1882, when co-founder Florian Steiger’s great grandfather, Leo Trippi, ran some of the most iconic hotels in Engadin and Italy. Now, with offices in Switzerland, Moscow and the Cotswolds, the team continues to carry the Trippi family crest and a traditional approach to travel planning.

Less than a ten minute drive from Samedan airport, St. Moritz is still one the world’s most exclusive resorts with Michelin-star restaurants aplenty, luxury chalets, designer

shopping and 155km of slopes on the home mountain. There is a lot to love.

Leo Tripp’s recommendation is the traditional Engadin-style, six-bedroom Chesa el Toula in the Suvretta area. The chalet is set over five floors and offers 900 square-metres of living space. The property has a swimming pool, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, cinema room, bar, wine cave and is fully staffed. It also comes with access to a heritage Defender, though only chauffeur-driven. Leo Trippi also partners with Vertis Aviation, so if you prefer to charter, look no further.

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ROSA ALPINA, SAN CASSIANO There are few places with more impressive dining options than Italy’s spectacular UNESCO-protected Dolomites mountain range. The region’s limestone cliffs have a distinctive pink hue, a result of their creation some 20,000 years ago, when they were underwater.

Here you’ll find the charming hotel Rosa Alpina in the mountain village of San Cassiano. Every year I tell myself I am going to ski the culinary tour of the Sella Ronda, and every year I’m lured elsewhere. Originally we were hosted by the team at Rosa Alpina and Chef Niederkofle, whose culinary roots can be traced back to the Valle Aurina, a

small valley near Brunico in the province of Bolzano. We spent three nights at the hotel which has its own Chalet Zeno and penthouse accommodation in addition to an array of suites. Dine at St. Hubertus and ask ahead if Chef Norbert is available before or after service to show you around the kitchen. You’ll have an experience indicative of his three Michelin stars.

In terms of the actual skiing, the Dolomiti superski lift pass covers the Sella Ronda, as well as a few others and has a total pistedistance of 1220 kilometre. So, it’s worth securing a guide for the week if you’ve not been before.

SAINT GERVAIS LES BAINS Whilst staying in Chamonix many years ago, the tourist board took a group of us snow shoeing. This involved taking a train to the small village of Saint Gervais. The first chairlift in Europe was built in 1940, in Czechoslovakia, in the Moravian Silesian Beskides mountain range. Before the invention of the modern chairlift, we had the J-bar or cable car. Arguably the main mode of transport up the pistes of Europe was still rope, with mountaineering still favoured by many. With each giant leap forward in mountain technology, small alpine towns were constantly having to cater to larger and larger international footfall. This rapid clash

of tradition and modernity often left centuriesold mountain villages looking more like McMountain retreats than classic Montblanc.

So, it is deeply refreshing when you arrive in a ‘ski resort’ to find it hasn’t lost its abundant original charm and period features.

Saint Gervais les Bains sits between its betterknown siblings, Megève and Chamonix, about an hour south-east of Geneva. The main town of Saint Gervais appears like a location from a Wes Anderson film. Some of the turn-of-thecentury buildings rising up in the town square are the stuff of fairy tales and scouting agents dreams. Every time I arrive in the Haute Savoie

region, I hear Nicholas Britell composing with Julliard in my head over and over again. Saint Gervais is at the centre of France’s third largest ski area, the Domaine Evasion Mont Blanc. It boasts 445 kilometre of pistes and five snow parks. Megève, Combloux and Les Contamines can all be accessed.

If you’re looking for a chalet company in Saint Gervais with high levels of service and access to the slopes, let us know – we’ve always booked directly.

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THE CHEDI, ANDERMATT I suspect the Chedi shows up on any number of ‘top ten’ alps guides. Despite being situated next to the incredibly traditional town of Andermatt in the Ursern Valley, it blends in rather well. Andermatt lies at the heart of the three major alpine passes of Switzerland: the Gotthard, the Furka and the Oberalp. Cast your mind back to the release of Goldfinger in 1964 and you should remember Connery chasing Auric Goldfinger’s Rolls Royce Phantom III up the Furka Pass in his DB5. To say the topography of the area is impressive is an understatement. At only one-and-a-halfhours from Zurich, one from Lucerne, two from Milan, and connections available via the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway, such as Zermatt and St Moritz, Andermatt is in a prime

location. If you’re looking to make headway into town in something slightly more private, the airfield of Buochs has a 2,000-metre runway just 60 kilometres from Andermatt.

The five-star deluxe hotel, the Chedi Andermatt, opened in 2013, offering an exclusive spa, restaurant combining Swiss, European and Asian cuisine, wine and cigar library, and a towering five-metre-tall cheese humidor. That’s right, I said ‘cheese humidor’. This was enough to secure them the GaultMillau title of Hotel of the Year 2017. In 2018, the resort will see the opening of the four-star Radisson Blu hotel, adding 180 rooms and suites.

LucaFaloni

FA S H I O N : L U C A FA L O N I

Midnight Blue Pure Cashmere Zip-up Topaz Brushed Cotton Shirt

Ok sure, no one tends to fawn over the basics in their wardrobe. They don’t tend to be all that exciting to talk about. They do however form the rather important backbone to any wardrobe. Luca Faloni creates evergreen, classic styled Italian nit wear from cashmere jumpers to linen shirts. The brand started in 2013 and wanted to start by selling top tier Italian fashion houses directly to the consumer. Before starting in the UK, the founder worked as a strategy consultant. He found that rather than buy clothes in London, he would wait till he returned home because he found better value for money in terms of quality.

Having moved to San Franciso he met a raft of direct to consumer brands who were cutting out the middle man and selling straight to consumers online. It was 2012 after all.

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Dolomiti Grey Pure Cashmere Scarf Marine Green Cashmere Crew Neck

Dolomiti Grey Pure Cashmere Zip Cardigan Light Blue Brushed Cotton Shirt

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Ivory Pure Cashmere Cable Knit

Black Fine Silk-Cashmere Polo

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Lava Red Pure Cashmere Roll Neck Navy Blue Cortina Cotton Chinos

Moss Green Brushed Cotton Shirt Camel Beige Cortina Cotton Chinos

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Breaking Bread - BS20

DINING : THE DOWNS

Words: Laith Al-Kaisy

Food may be the great metaphor for life, but it’s hard times like these that help us look beyond what’s on our plate – or in this case, not. You see, despite being called Breaking Bread, there’s no bread here to be broken. No white, no brown, no granary, no sourdough, no bap, no bun, no baguette. Nothing hard, nothing soft, nothing chewy. Not a crumb to be found, spilt, split, or surreptitiously brushed off the table. Jesus must be turning in his grave.

B

ut our food isn’t just metaphorical. Ultimately, it’s anthropological: to study food is to learn about ourselves and our connection to each other. It weaves countries, defines cultures, binds communities, closens families, sparks friendships, frames relationships, centrepieces occasions, and seals deals. 2020 may have been cursed by Covid, but it will

be remembered as the year we weren’t able to instinctively break bread with the people we love, the people we work with, even those we’re acquainting for the first time.

That’s why Breaking Bread was always going to work. The teepeed popup, which launched in August on the Downs as an open-air response to bricks-and-mortar lockdowns, comprises three of the city’s most popular venues: Josh Eggleton’s one-star gastropub, the Pony and Trap; Pasta Loco, which hasn’t

seen a quiet day since opening in Redland in 2016; and institutional Cheltenham Road watering hole, the Pipe and Slippers.

The whole setup is typically Bristol; nowhere does casual austerity better. This is a city of two halves: those proud to be poor and those embarrassed to be rich. And no place breaks bread so inclusively, so charitably, and so nonjudgmentally.

It’s no surprise, then, that Breaking Bread’s

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opening months sold out in hours. What is surprising, however, is that it took a pandemic to get us here. Let’s face it, this is Bristol: if you walk into a field and start putting up a tent, there’ll be a queue of people outside by the time you’ve finished.

Bristolians embody community and collectivism. They like nothing more than getting out, hanging out, wigging out, and staying out – even more so if they have a reason to.

And Breaking Bread is definitely a reason to.

We visit the Pony & Trap on a burnt September evening. Having been to its namesake pub many times, we weren’t expecting to be surprised. That’s not to say the food isn’t exciting, only we’re familiar with it. The Sunday roast, for example, is unimpeachable, and features one of my favourite ever appetisers: mini yorkshire puddings filled with beef tartare. Similarly here, a pre-starter of beef carpaccio topped with anchovy and pickled shallot is a simple yet faultless mouthful.

Beetroot and spelt risotto was properly earthy and gruff, lightened with sharp ewe’s curd.

Again, classic combinations, affectionately put together. Chicken, liver and leek in a herb broth promised more than it delivered.

There was nothing inherently wrong with the sum or its parts – it was just a flat dish on a menu of high notes.

I love surf and turf. And when I said I wasn’t expecting to be surprised, this is why: pork belly with clams. What a joyous marriage.

Melting belly meat seasoned by the sweet and salty clam, with burnt apple and roasted fennel – it almost made lockdown worth it.

Blue cheese mille feuille was the gastronomic equivalent of a Lars von Trier movie: we spent more time thinking about it than enjoying it. But luckily we were sharing desserts, and the sticky toffee apple cake ended the meal as it started: feeling fortunate and happy to be back in a restaurant. This is food on the higher-end of comfort eating – which, by reading the faces in the room, is exactly what people need right now. Properly breaking bread; just without the bread.

TRACKSIDE TITLES Words: John Sterling

Trackside property is certainly not a new concept, you can procure a piece of property investment at a number of different sporting arenas worldwide. But it is rare that the likes of Silverstone should come into the market. We sat down a few meters from Will Tindall to find out more about the new range of properties set for release in Mat 2022.

MARINE : NEMESIS ONE

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“We’re delighted to be working with such a world-renowned venue as Silverstone for our first development. Escapade Living creates destinations that are entirely of their surroundings, while also providing owners with the opportunity to make a return on unique world-class property. The residences overlook arguably the most exciting complex of corners on all of the F1 calendar.

“In our opinion, real luxury doesn’t feel expensive; it feels comfortable and natural. That’s what Escapade Silverstone

provides. And more than that, it is completely integrated with the circuit – an authentic experience borne out of the world’s foremost racetrack and, as a finished product, baked into it.

As the world unlocks, thousands will return to Silverstone to share the joy and spectacle of speed. When they do, we hope Escapade will be the ultimate place to stay as a guest, or as an owner.

Escapade Silverstone is designed for high performance living, the clubhouse and facilities include state-of-the-art simulator rooms, briefing rooms, a driver-focussed gym, oxygen swimming pool and sauna, restaurant, bar and

private dining room.

The residences themselves have cantilevered terraces, allowing spectators to get even closer to the racetrack. Light-filled and with high acoustic specifications, they have underfloor heating, comfort cooling and ensuite bathrooms. When an owner is not staying in their residence, it will form part of the wider accommodation available to guests at Silverstone and offer a healthy net yield.

Escapade Silverstone enables owners to capitalise on the 1.2 million visitors that the circuit welcomes every year. It is a reimagining of leisure, lifestyle and investing: putting capital into something that provides entertainment, enrichment, enjoyment and learning, while also making a return.

This is an end-to-end investment; residences are fully managed, from

all upkeep and maintenance to the organising of stays and revenue distribution. Owners will also be granted founding membership, giving free access for all major race events, use of the clubhouse – even when they’re not staying – priority track access and exclusive invites to owner-only events, track days and trips.

Residences are provided on a 125-year lease and owners will be able to use them as they wish up to a certain number of nights a year. Usage nights are calculated to enable maximum utilisation of a property – for owners as guests and investors. Income made on residences are not pooled; rather, owners are forecast to receive 5-6.5 percent net yield from their individual property, taking into account how much they themselves use it.

They are also free to sell their property at any time.”

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ABSOLUTELY AUGMENTED

REALITY Through Absolutely Augmented Reality, American filmmaker, writer and artist Kuzma Vostrikov together with Chinese multimedia artist Ajuan Song explore the intersection of fine art and photography through a series of saturated theatrical and symbolic images. Their photography presents a dream world of strange and alluring portraiture, accompanied by a host of archetypal images, hybrid creatures, quirky motifs, canonical postures, as well as inversions of iconic art historic references including Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Rene Magritte, Wilhelm Shenrok, Tom Wesselmann, Fernando Botero and Yayoi Kusama

C U LT U R E : A B S O L U T E LY AU G M E N T E D R E A L I T Y

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ALPINA

www.alpinawatches.com Alpina launched the AlpinerX Smart Outdoors on Kickstarter in 2018. This innovative initiative brought the sporting community together and allowed everyone to get involved in designing their own timepiece with 11,000 potential configurations. The result? Three thousand individually designed watches delivered and four best-selling designs used to make up the AlpinerX Smart Outdoors collection. The epitome of ‘Swiss Made’!

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FREDERIQUE CONSTANT www.frederiqueconstant.com

Frederique Constant revives the classic square shape, by introducing a retro-inspired timepiece. The Roaring 20s While square watches were particularly popular among women during the 1920s, men shifted from their round pocket watch and started wearing wristwatches around that time. In order to break from the tradition but also for practical reasons, watchmakers starting using the square-shaped case so it would easily accommodate its leather strap. The trendsetters of the time took notice and the innovative shape soon became the fashion item of that period.

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MELOMA TOUCH

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PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI WATCH GT 2 www.huawei.com Inspired by the aerodynamic streamline design of racing cars, PORSCHE DESIGN HUAWEI WATCH GT 2 reveals the upgraded integration of aesthetics and technology. The wear-resistant sapphire glass watch dial pairs seamlessly with the lightweight titanium frame for a premium look and extremely smooth touch. The solid buttons fit perfectly with the frame to ensure easy adjustments and present an elegant look from every angle. The titanium frame is ultra-light and strong enough to withstand extreme weather. The glossy and skin-friendly ceramic back offers ultimate smooth and comfortable wearing. This watch reveals the brilliance and essence of PORSCHE DESIGN down to the last detail.

HUAWEI X GENTLE MONSTER E www.huawei.com

The semi-open speaker soars to new heights, with re and clarity. Thanks to a 128 mm² large diaphragm, t waves of pulsating sound that astound without end. system2 minimises the presence of audio leakage via ensuring that conversations remain private, even in

EYEWEAR II

egard to both sound level the eyewear can produce A sparkling new acoustic a inverse sound waves, quiet environments.

NETGEAR www.netgear.com

Not since speaker technology was minimised to fit into picture frames have we been so excited about a product. We all know the router in your home, hidden behind the sofa or gathering dust isn’t your favourite piece of design by far.

Imagine combining your favoute art and family photos onto a digital canvas, complete with a wireless router built in. What’s it like to use? We have no godly idea, we’ll tell you when we’re able to find one......

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LUPE

www.lupetechnology.com The Lupe Pure cordless vacuum is taking centre stage, stating it is the “world’s best performing cordless vacuum”. The relatively light and manoeuvrable self standing vacuum, leaves its competitors to bite the dust. With twice the sucking power of competitor models, the ability to capture 99.99% of all dust particles, boasting a run time of 60 minutes with only a 3.5 hour charge period and an incredible 1-litre bin capacity, Lupe’s price tag is justified. Having tested the Lupe ourselves, we were particularly enamoured by the versatility of the vacuum, which is able to be used in upright, hose and handheld modes. Also, suction power can be adjusted if required, allowing for eco, normal and high. The only con would be Lupe’s battery life in high suction mode, being not too dissimilar to the stamina of a teenage boy.

Which is sort of fine because you won’t be using it, it’s for the staff or indeed, your teenage boy.

OURA RING

www.ouraring.com

The rather incredible Oura ring is filled with more sensors than the space shuttle.

Accelerometers, temperature sensors, infrared LEDs and a gyroscope. The ring monitors key characteristics of a user’s heartbeat with an accuracy of 99.7%.

The two infrared LEDs track blood volume, and the accelerometer and gyroscope track the intensity of movements in three directions, plus three temperature sensors, and a rechargeable battery for seven days of use.

BANZAI

www.banzaiskate.com Whether you used to skate when you were younger, or still do now, the limited edition reissue Banzai Skateboard series is the perfect addition to reignite an old love or celebrate a cherished recreation. Two sizes offer the original 70s slalom feel or an upgrade to the modern cruiser board, both created from a heat-treated aluminium alloy, giving balance and strength in motion. The brushed metal desk provides grip without the need for traditional tape, for a clean aesthetic without compromising the ride.

Each deck is presented pre-assembly beautifully boxed for mounted display, laser-engraved with its serial number, with each colour board featuring a different artist signed print, Edition 1/100. Limited to 50 per colour and size, in Amber gold, Azure blue, Ghost silver, Jade green and Sienna red, it’s a unique talking point if you choose not to ride. If you do resolve to hand-construct your deck, the leather-housed custom retro tool will be all you need to assemble and customise. Fitness meets nostalgia, nostalgia meets art, art meets distraction.

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TUMI

https://www.tumi.com/ The TUMI super durable, modern aluminum luggage collection features fluid looking, beautifully contoured angles. As with any metal, these styles will nick, dent, and scrape along the way, telling stories of journeys well-traveled.

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festive LA KATZ www.lakatz.com

When slipping into one of the elegant and timeless pieces of silken luxury from La Katz, you can feel the quality and the care that has gone into its production. The touch of the natural, organic, toxin-free silk on one’s skin leaves a luxurious and comforting feeling. Each garment is made with the finest materials: organic silk sourced from India, cotton yarn from Germany and natural colouring from Austria.

Founder, Laura Sänger, underlines the importance of creating a sustainable brand: “we focus on being good rather than less bad”. La Katz hand-made silk product range includes: the coat, blouse and blazer.

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TWEEZERMAN www.tweezerman.co.uk

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The most cherished and reached for, yet most easily lost items in the makeup bag: the lash curler and the tweezer. This year’s festive collection from Tweezerman, the brand absolute for their beauty tools, brings us the Midnight Cheers collection. Featuring the Slant Tweezer and Classic Lash Curler in a timeless and cool navy, it’s a gift for both want and needs.

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RÉDUIT

www.acquadiparma.com

As seen in the most recent issue (20:20 Vision, Q3) the RÉDUIT Spa is the most exciting new beauty skincare device on the market, which takes their refreshing modernisation of topicals, the skinpod, and applies it using microtechnologies for superior skin treatment.

Level up with the RÉDUIT Spa gold, a superior luxe finish, with added boost function, for faster and stronger dispersal of product. Perfect for quick fixes and skincare top-ups on the go or during travel, with the bonus of contact-free application.

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LORIS

w.florislondon.com

a collection of memories. A treasure e of reminiscence. The Perfumer’s ate Collection from the renowned is fragrance library collates nine ex Eau de Parfum, from Jermyn et to Honey Oud. It’s not just ume, it’s the gift of time travel. All ugh an act as simple as catching a ering scent.

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ODE 8

codeeight.com

is the year of virtual experience. Code 8 now s you their Colour ID to you at home. This has not been kind to lip colour, so celebrate moments you wear it instead of your mask by ing your colour is bespoke. Your appointment ntroduce you to their Colour Maestro, where ill discuss your personal journey with colour they hand-mix your unique shade. Three tester ns will be sent for your perusal, finalise your and your custom lipstick will be created in full ent to you, and the mix kept on file for refills.

SKINCEUTICALS www.skinceuticals.co.uk

Skincare is a must, we all know this, but when you want to give something special it can be hard to choose. The Skinceuticals Illumination gift set is the perfect all-rounder, clinically proven to improve the appearance of fine lines and brighten skin tone. Simply Clean gentle gel cleanser combines aloe vera and chamomile with a hydroxy acid fusion to gently purify and resurface. Phloretin C F’s antioxidant vitamin C serum contains a patented combination of 10% pure vitamin C, 2% Phloretin and 0.5% Ferulic Acid, giving the most effective delivery of actives, ensuring enhanced protection against free radicals. It’s the perfect luxury two step-programme.

DECORTÉ X

www.decortecosmetics.co.uk From one of the most prestigious and premium beauty brands from Japan, Decorté introduces their limited edition Marcel Wanders collaboration. Joining for a second year running, Wanders creates this year’s signature collectable compact. Embossed with flowers, it celebrates the beauty in natural form.

The rose illuminating powder is a luxury to finish any makeup, with its fresh floral scent a private treat in itself. Set includes compact, two powder refills and a face brush.

perfect shade becomes part of your identity, and could be more luxurious than wearing a customstick?

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TEMPLE SPA www.templespa.com

CBD is big, it’s here to stay in the beauty world and the Temple Spa CBD gift set could be your blissful introduction. Light Relief CBD Skin Booster Oil combines soothing hemp, olive and coconut oils to revive stressed skin, calming redness and irritation with the most delicate of touches, whilst soothing the mind with a subtle mandarin scent. Stress Not All-Over CBD balm is a butter-based balm with nine replenishing botanical oils and butters with everything from hemp to apricot.

Give dehydrated skin a much-needed helping hand to recovery, whilst topically, broad-spectrum CBD oil works to relieve aching muscles. Give the ideal antidote to cold weather and festive franticness.

KEVIN AUCOIN

www.kevynaucoinbeauty.com

It is a truth universally acknowledged that it is not Christmas without some sparkle.

A favourite formula, Cream Foil from Kevyn Aucoin has had a festive makeover, with a release of three festive shades. Wear alone for a dance of colour, or layer over eyeshadow to go full Vixen.

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yuletide BOUCHARD FINLAYSON www.bouchardfinlayson.co.za

Bouchard Finlayson, Hemel-En-Aarde 2018. Very expressive semi aromatic nos, dominate by some Grapefruits, lemon, fresh cut grass and smoky Dry, Crispy, Jucy, Lively with plenty minerality.

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BOUCHARD FINLAYSON

www.bouchardfinlayson.co.za

Bouchard Finlayson, “Missionvale”, Hemel-En-Aarde 2016. Rich parfum dominate by exotic, fruit like melon, buttery, coconut and vanilla. Medium to full bodied creamy texture.

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Planning wines for Christmas can be troublesome, so we’ve got Eric Zwiebel, Head Sommelier here at Summer Lodge, to select a few favourite bottles. Here are his picks to get you through the big day.

BOUCHARD FINLAYSON

www.bouchardfinlayson.co.za

Bouchard Finlayson “Galpin Peak”, Hemel-EnAarde 2018. Complex combination of fresh red fruit like strawberries, Raspberries, leathery and vanilla element. Medium bodied texture with a freshness on the palate with smooth tannin.

‘ BOUCHARD FINLAYSON www.bouchardfinlayson.co.za

Bouchard Finlayson “Hannibal”, Hemel-EnAarde 2017. Elegant spicy nose with some mature black fruit, hint of earthy character and generous bodied with tender texture with tannin are present.

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chri CHASE

www.chasedistillery.co.uk Etsu gin. Opening up a bottle of fizz may seem like the traditional thing to do this Christmas, but share a thought to other kinds of Spritzs. You might be able to see your own breath but Gin and Tonics don’t have to be a sunshine event, especially if you serve it with a slice of grapefruit and stick of cinnamon! We suggest you use Estu Gin from Japan’s Hokkiado Island. Subtle spice and elegant florals hit you on the nose: it lifts the winter tones of the cinnamon and grapefruit perfectly. This superb new gin also comes in a stunning bottle, fit for any Christmas hamper. £50.10

PATRÓN

www.patrontequila.com After a tumultuous 2020, we’re more than happy to change things up over the festive season. Instead of providing your dinner guests with wine pairings, why not opt for top-shelf tequila. Patrón is made with 100% Weber Blue Agave which has always put it a cut above. It can be savoured like a fine vintage. So embark on your dining experience by serving Patrón Silver with the entrees in shot glasses to be sipped slowly. This young tequila goes well with acidic dishes or chilled seafood.

Continue with Patrón Reposado to accompany the main course. This overall smokey, 6-month oak-aged, light amber-tinted tequila with taste notes of fruit, citrus and honey, will elevate anything from the grill.

For pudding, it is time for the true sipping tequila: Patrón Anejo. Aged in oak barrels for over 12 months, this warm amber coloured tequila with taste notes of vanilla, raisin and honey has a caramel and smoky finish that goes perfectly with chocolate. Should you have enthused your dinner guests pallets so much that they are left wanting more, you can always stir up a suitable cocktail.

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ASHLING PARK

www.ashlingpark.co.uk

Distilled from Pinot Noir grapes grown on the estate in West Ashling with invaluable help from the vineyard dog Rocco, an elegant English Pointer.

Set off with soft fruit and pear, and overtaken by whispers of juniper and citrus which are followed by subtle hints of pepper and spice before arriving triumphantly at a tart apple finish.

For the nose, forward notes of candied lemon, delicate undertones of soft apples and pears and softer notes of honey and floral chamomile.

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PIPER-HEIDSIECK www.piper-heidsieck.com/

Piper-Heidsieck champagne and the cinema, a mythical love affair for more than 80 years. It all began in 1933 when Piper-Heidsieck made its first guest appearance in the Laurel and Hardy motion picture “Sons of the Desert” Suddenly all of Hollywood wanted to be filmed with a glass of Piper-Heidsieck: Ava Gardner, Clark Gable, Fred Astaire, and of course Marilyn Monroe. In 1953 the most glamorous of all movie stars plainly stated, “I start every day with a glass of PiperHeidsieck because it warms me up”. This intimare relationship was immortalised in several films and legendary photos.

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RARE

www.rarechampagneus.com

Rare Millésime 2006 is both oriental and fresh, mature and warm. Its almost paradoxical mineral and opulent tautness offers substantial potential for expression.

Bearing witness to a sun-filled year, Rare Millésime 2006 glows with an iridescent yellow-green gold. Delicate, dynamic bubbles glisten in this flaxen brilliance.

Rare Millésime 2006 first offers a generous honeyed and oriental nose.

The fragrances of crisp mango, cocoa, coffee, tropical fruits, lend the vintage a sophisticated vitality. The scent of jasmine tea paves the way for a gradually emerging minerality. Aromas of dried apricot and pink peony foreshadow a slightly vegetal structure, where vanilla, yellow kiwi and Oriental spices bloom.

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CHARLES HEIDSIECK www.charlesheidsieck.com

Charles Heidsieck’s prestige cuvée is a blend of pure Chardonnay from just five different Crus: Avize for verve and minerality; Cramant for complexity and ageability; Le Mesnil-sur-Oger for balance; Oger for creaminess and weight; and Vertus for floral freshness. An absolute masterpiece from the Côte des Blancs, this cuvée spends more than fifteen years maturing in the heart of Charles Heidsieck’s twothousand-year-old chalk cellars.

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SECRET SPEYSIDE www.secret-speyside.com

Longmorn, Caperdonich, Glen Keith, Braes of Glenlivet, four artisan producers from some of Speyside’s revered distilleries.

The Longmorn Distillery was founded

by John Duff in 1894 and in parallel with my family of railway engineers, his first order of business was to build a siding and internal railway network to facilitate supplies coming in and product getting out.

Longmorn is often referred to as ‘every distiller’s favourite apart from their own.’

They’re not wrong. It’s an incredible single malt aged in American Oak Barrels.

There are initial aromas of obligatory ripe fruit, dark chocolate and christmas cake. The mouthfeel is light with a really concentrated aroma of liquorice and citrus peel with a long lasting finish. I have managed to convert more than one person who previously claimed to not be a whisky fan, with the Longmorn.

The full collection is curated into 15 bottles from 18-30 years of age between £88 and £875. During out next substantial meal, we taste the Caperdonich 18yo and the Longmorn 25yo.

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ASHLING PARK CUVÉE www.ashlingpark.co.uk/

From a blend of 60% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Meunier grapes, our classic CuvĂŠe NV shows great freshness on the nose, with aromas of white flowers and ripe stone fruit. These flavours are echoed on the palate, which displays fine intensity of fruit, offset by a great core of chalky acidity.

The finish is crisp and precise with impressive persistence and balance; delicious for drinking now, but with terrific ageing potential.

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ASHLING PARK SPARKLING ROSÉ

www.ashlingpark.co.uk/

delicious blend of Pinot Noir (80%), and inot Meunier (20%) grapes grown on the eautiful chalk slopes of the South Downs.

is an elegant, full-flavoured wine with great ntensity of fruit, length and complexity.

elicious on its own but with the body and structure to partner many foods, this is an extremely elegant and versatile English Sparkling Rosé.

ASHLING PARK BLANC DE BLANCS 2014 www.ashlingpark.co.uk

The Blanc de Blancs has an elegant nose of fresh citrus, brioche and white flowers, leading to a palate of lime, marzipan, almond and toasty notes.

Great drive and focus – the minerality of the chalk terroir is very evident. Very fine and elegant with a long complex finish.

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BIONDI SANTI www.biondisanti.com

Son of a vintage characterized by rather extreme weather, 2013 is a wine of great balance that expresses both delicacy and fluidity, revealing an inviting bouquet that makes us think of the forest in late spring when the scent of small red berry fruits meets the oral notes of forest floor flowers and the earth emanates mineral sensations of fresh moss and aromatic herbs.

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BARON DE CLES www. baronedecles.it

BARON DE CLES www. baronedecles.it

Lagrein Riserva is a cut above. It has continued complex and rich aromas of fruit, cherry and blueberry with spicy notes of tobacco, licorice and eucalyptus.

On the palate it presents finesse, opulence and acidity perfectly integrated with the dense tannins

Maso Scari is a private collectors favourite. If you are lucky enough to find a case, snap the sellers arm off. Aged from 24 to 36 months in second and smallcut oak barrels and then matured in the bottle for at least a year.

It has hints of wild berries, dark flowers, and black spices with a velvety finish, but with a strong nerve that softens in the future years of aging.

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Lock BOSS & CO www.theoutlierman.com

Boss & Co is famed for introducing innovations to the gunmaking world that go on to become commonplace.

The Boss Single Trigger, introduced in 1893 by John Robertson, was the first truly reliable single trigger mechanism, showcased to the public and press with a special side-by-side-by-side three-barrel shotgun operated from one single trigger.

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FORTNUM & MASON www.fortnumandmason.com

Tuck into your (second, or third) Christmas dinner in the form of our deliciously festive Christmas Pie. Filled to bursting with tender chunks of turkey, tart cranberries and herby stuffing, and wrapped up in all-butter pastry.

FORTNUM & MASON

www.fortnumandmason.com

This Nottinghamshire version of the ‘King of Cheeses’ is creamy and sweet with a heavily veined texture and predictably full flavour. From the last family-owned Stilton producer in the UK, this cheese can be made only with milk from the three ‘Stilton counties’ – Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.