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MARCH 2020

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SPECIAL
SECRETS OF A REPORT
SEX THERAPIST What really
The good news: happens on
We’re all normal! a gap year?

A FRESH
EXCLUSIVE FOR YOU
PINCH OF
NOM RECIPES

START!
All 400 calories or less!

W&H SPECIAL
Clear the
CLUTTER Makeover your lifestyle,
✣ Less mess – less stress!
✣ Free up space for storage
✣ Feel in control for good
relationships & home
 editor’s letter

MY FAB
FOUR
Here are some of the best
storage buys this month

Why it’s time to

LIGHTEN UP! Ceramic bird ring holder,

A
£10, oliverbonas.com

re you ready for spring? I know I am. In fact I’m ready for
a fresh start all round. It’s about this time of year I emerge
from my mental hibernation and start tidying in advance of
early spring-cleaning. After the deluge of Christmas gifts
and both daughters’ birthdays, we are often drowning in a sea of
‘stuff’ by the end of January. This always leads to a good clear-out and
endless donations to charity shops, which is both beneficial to us and
the good causes. We’ve also been doing some cosmetic work on Ombré magazine file,
£8, paperchase.com
our house over the winter, and I’m hoping by the time you read this
I‘ll have unpacked all the boxes we have been living out of for what
seems like a year, but which is, in reality, only about a month. This
additional process has also enabled me to ruthlessly throw out, give
away or sell lots of our possessions. The most cathartic part of this
offloading is the resulting feeling of ‘lightness’ that has accompanied
it. I’ve had to carefully assess what stays and what goes, and have
realised, after years of accumulating, most of it can go. I’ve kept
mementos and items with special meaning, but overall it’s mostly
Striped jute storage basket,
surplus to requirements. I have also applied the famous adage £15, very.co.uk
from Victorian artist William Morris to everything – it must be either
useful or beautiful – otherwise there is no room for it.
So if you fancy a good old clear-out, you can be inspired by our handy
Clear the Clutter special from page 122, which promises A Calmer
Home Made Simple – and who doesn’t want one of those right now?
PHOTO: NICKY JOHNSTON

CATHERINE WESTWOOD Set of three metal storage trunks,

Editor-in-Chief, woman&home £110, habitat.co.uk
catherine.westwood@ti-media.com
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 5
 MEET OUR
CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CATHERINE WESTWOOD
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Miranda McMinn GROUP LIFESTYLE DIRECTOR Geoffrey Palmer
Bestselling author GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR Phil Attaway GROUP CHIEF SUB EDITOR Emma Badger
ISABEL ALLENDE
has written 23 novels
LIFESTYLE DIRECTOR FEATURES DIRECTOR HEALTH & FITNESS EDITOR
– her latest is A Long Jayne Marsden Jane Kemp Lucy Gornall
Petal of the Sea. She has FEATURES EDITOR WELLBEING EDITOR
GROUP FASHION DIRECTOR Sharon Sweeney Faye M Smith
also set up a foundation Paula Moore TRAVEL EDITOR SENIOR HEALTH WRITER
in memory of her FASHION EDITOR Helena Cartwright Natalia Lubomirski
Hannah Hughes BOOKS AND FICTION EDITORS ACTING SENIOR HEALTH WRITER
daughter, to support DEPUTY FASHION EDITOR Emma Shacklock and Zoe West Ali Horsfall
women. On p63, she Eloisa Johnson SENIOR HEALTH WRITER
SENIOR FASHION STYLIST CELEBRITY DIRECTOR Tanya Pearey
writes about meeting the Obamas. Becky Joiner-O’Riordan Jack White
What makes your dog the perfect SENIOR FASHION WRITER DEPUTY CELEBRITY DIRECTOR FOOD DIRECTOR
companion? I have two dogs, Dulce Millie Gooch Robyn Morris Elisa Roche
CELEBRITY FEATURES EDITOR FOOD EDITOR
and Perla. Perla looks like a cross GROUP BEAUTY DIRECTORS Hayley Minn Samuel Goldsmith
between a bat and a gargoyle – ugly Charley Williams-Howitt SENIOR CELEBRITY WRITER DEPUTY FOOD EDITOR Rose Fooks
and Sarah Cooper-White Selina Maycock SENIOR FOOD WRITER
but very smart. I’m definitely closer BEAUTY EDITORS Fiona McKim CELEBRITY WRITER Jessica Ransom
to dogs than to people – they don’t and Stephanie Maylor Georgia Farquharson FOOD WRITER Keiron George
ACTING BEAUTY EDITOR
talk back and they’re forgiving! Jessica Beech HOMES EDITOR Holly Walsh

CHRIS MORLEY lives

HEAD OF ART OPERATIONS
in Surrey where she
horse-rides with her
daughter Mia, grows
organic veg, and tries
to wear out her crazy
cross-breed Louis,
a seven-year-old
Cocker-Collie. She
writes for magazines, covering travel,
gardening, sustainability and business,
and reveals all about gap years on p42.
What makes your dog the perfect
companion? His slavish devotion and
easily pleased nature – a daily dip in
the river followed by a biscuit and a ball
game. He’s super bright and lovable – a
more vigorous tail wagger and purveyor
of mischief you could not hope to meet.
FAITH ARCHER
is an award-winning
personal finance
journalist and money
blogger at Much
More With Less. After
making the big move
from London to Suffolk,
PICTURE DIRECTOR HEAD OF SUBS OPERATIONS
Alison Walter Karen Whitehead Maxine Clarke
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she shares money-
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What makes your dog the perfect
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Join the
conversation!
WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU, SO LET US
KNOW YOUR OPINIONS, YOUR STORIES –
AND ANYTHING THAT MATTERS IN YOUR LIFE
POSITIVE STEPS
Please thank Diana O’Connor for opening
her heart in My First Christmas as a
Widow [January]. I’m glad that Diana
and Christine are creating something
so positive from their situations.
Caroline, by email
SLIMMING CLUBS
We noticed an article on money saving in
a recent issue where readers were advised
to cancel slimming club memberships
at Christmas to take advantage of New
Year offers. We believe that to succeed
in losing weight members need to be
100% committed. That means there is no
benefit to ‘cancelling’ at any point of the
year. Our doors to groups are open all year
round and we’re proud of our promise to
support our members 52 weeks a year!
Lucy Fisher, Slimming World
CHIC AND CHEERFUL
Why do French women think they
are better dressed than their English
counterparts? [How to Dress Like a
Parisian, January issue.] On a recent
trip to France all the women I saw
were really quite scruffy! I think it’s far
better to wear what you know suits
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
you, than to follow ‘golden’ rules.
Kim, by email
GET IN TOUCH Want to comment on a feature, share an opinion or tell us about your life? Email us at w&hmail@ti-media.com
or write to w&h Letters, TI Media, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP. Emails and letters may be edited and published.
10%
9% DON’T MIND
YES
81% NO
WE ASKED
KEEN TO BE GREEN
Do you prefer gender-neutral
public loos to single-sex loos?
Readers are firing up their green
cylinders when it comes to
protecting our environment:
I found the 5 Best Ways to Lower your
Carbon Footprint from the article
We’re all Fighting Climate Change
extremely useful. Many of us don’t
have a clue how we can help make
a difference, but if we are regularly
reminded by useful articles such as
this one, I believe it will empower us
SHE SAID ITÉ
to help preserve our beautiful planet.
As a result we have even started
looking at getting an electric car.
Natasha Armstrong, by email
‘The most brilliant,
strongest woman I’ve
Please can your readers consider ever come across’
the Eat Green Food suggestion in
Claudia Winkleman, 48, journalist,
January’s edition. If the food you eat
TV and radio presenter
is totally produced in this country
and seasonal, it’s far better for the Claudia pays tribute to mum
environment than imported meat, Eve Pollard in our heartwarming
nuts or exotic fruit and veg. UK feature on famous mums and
farming under the Red Tractor logo daughters on page 36.
is a world leader in looking after
the environment with high animal
welfare, using the resources we WHAT YOU TOLD US
have. Much of the land we farm I set myself a reading target of
cannot be used to grow crops 200 books a year – ambitious,
but can be grazed by sheep and I know. I’ve managed 183 over
cows. We look after the countryside, the last 12 months, including
which is a carbon sink. Margaret Atwood’s The
To really help the environment, Testaments and
shop local. When buying from a Hannah Beckerman’s
supermarket please look at the If Only I could Tell
country of origin – if it’s not the UK You, which were
then its carbon footprint will be both moving and
higher and animal welfare lower. uplifting. Georgie
Farmer Claire, by email Constable
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 7
 W&H IN THIS ISSUE
36
Mother’s Day
special
Great reads
20 ON THE COVER Davina McCall
‘50+ women now have a different
type of respect,’ says our cover star
24 Small changes, big wins Tiny tweaks
to try and make your good habits last
26 A happy life, Japanese style Learn
the art of relaxation and be joyful
28 ON THE COVER Secrets of a sex therapist
The good news: we’re all normal!
31 Jumping out of my comfort zone
There’s no time like the present
for planning new things, says
Andrea McLean
32 Singing is our life Finding a voice
brought these women a sense of
escapism and happiness
36 Love you, Mum! We celebrate some
inspirational mother-daughter duos
for Mother’s Day
41 The way I am Actor Emilia Fox
shares her passions and memories
42 ON THE COVER Special report
What really happens on a gap year?
46 ‘My husband died. Five years on, I had
our first child’ A momentous decision
48 JK Rowling ‘diagnosed’ my MS Find
out what happened after this chance
encounter with the Harry Potter author
50 Flatmates in our 50s! We examine
why more and more of us are
choosing to live with friends
54 A room of my own Meet the women
enjoying their own creative hideaway
59 What I’ve learned Loose Women
star Saira Khan shares her wisdom
60 Will our kids ever be grown-ups?
Fiona Gibson on the parenting
challenge of being a ‘Google mum’
63 My life in a picture Isabel Allende
recalls the joy of being awarded
America’s highest civilian honour
8 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
32 Singing
sensations
64 We make fitness our business! A
passion for exercise and wellbeing
72
inspired these three entrepreneurs
Fashion & beauty
71 If you buy one thing this month
Invest in a snakeskin accessory
New season
72 ON THE COVER Best high street fashion
fashion
Treat yourself to the new trends
122
80 Easy style updates Refresh your
wardrobe with four catwalk looks
82 Chic at every age! Our readers
show how to look stylish this spring
86 It’s all in the details Update any
Declutter
outfit with the latest accessories
at home
92 Shake up your make-up Trends,
textures and hot buys to try now
97 A fresh start New ways to wear
fragrance this spring
99 Beauty expert The CBD products
creating a beauty buzz
100 ON THE COVER Botox for your hair
Plus other youth boosters
Health & wellbeing
105 If you try one thing this month
Challenge yourself to a fitness event
107 Let’s get physical! Breathe new
life into your health to-do list ON THE COVER:
108 ‘We rebuilt our breasts and our lives’ DAVINA McCALL
PHOTO: NICKY JOHNSTON.
HAIR: MICHAEL DOUGLAS.
The lowdown on reconstruction surgery MAKE-UP: CHERYL PHELPS
112 Perfectly timed Improve your GARDINER. STYLING: ANGIE
SMITH. FASHION
wellbeing with tips around the clock CO-ORDINATOR/STYLIST:
DANIELLE WHITEMAN.
115 ‘Bladder weakness made me suicidal’ DAVINA WEARS: JUMPER,
NAVYGREY; SKIRT, BEC &
A woman’s story of incontinence and BRIDGE, BOTH HARVEY
NICHOLS. JEWELLERY,
how she turned the problem around DAVINAÕS OWN
 154
Italian holidays
160
Relaxing breaks
100
Ultimate hair heroes
117 How to handle a snack attack Don’t
let cravings ruin your New Year diet
118 Your health Ask Dr Rosemary Leonard
Homes, food & travel
121 If you do one thing this month
Make marvellous marmalade!
122 ON THE COVER w&h special:
Clear the clutter Free up space for
storage and feel in control for good.
Less mess equals less stress
128 Let there be light Transforming a
148
rundown Edwardian house into a
light-filled family home, plus how
you can get the look
Guilt-free 138 ON THE COVER Exclusive for you: Pinch
treats of Nom recipes All 400 calories or less!
138
148 High tea, low sugar Mouth-watering
treats to celebrate Mother’s Day
154 ON THE COVER Bellissima! Italy travel
special From sparkling lakes to cities
bursting with history and culture
Lighter recipes
160 Spring breaks with a difference
Some delightful National Trust
properties you can stay in
Time for you
168 w&h book club Our favourite reads,
plus Hannah Rothschild reveals her
writing secrets
171 In conversation with Jeanine
Cummins We speak to the author
of American Dirt
174 Winter Sun An exclusive short story
by author Fanny Blake
178 w&h weekend Great entertainment
180 Hot tickets The events you can’t miss
In every issue
7 Join the conversation! Have your say
11 High street heroes Fab fashion picks
13 Best beauty buys Go easy and eco!
15 Mood of the month Fresh homeware
17 It’s all about you! Street style fashion
69 Smart with money How to spend
smarter and save money this month
137 Green made easy Expert advice on
living a more sustainable life
193 Your stars March horoscopes
194 Town & Country Kathy Lette and
Katie Fforde on comfort food
Offers
53 ON THE COVER50% off hair
and beauty at Saks Your first
appointment is half price!
89 ON THE COVER 25% off Prai Beauty
With lookfantastic.com
98 Jane Plan Try the w&h diet
166 Subscribe to w&h Save up to 50%
SUBSCRIBE
TO W&H
Want to order a subscription?
Go to womanandhome.com/
march20 for our fantastic
offer for you this month.
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 9
 COMING SOON
NEW ROMAN BLINDS COLLECTION
MARCH 2020

CALL 0800 587 6480 OR VISIT HILLARYS.CO.UK

 W&H UPDATE

HIGH
Blazer, £59,
sizes 6-24,
M&S

STREET
Collection

HEROES
Bag,
£169,
Kurt
Geiger
BOLD
BLOOMS

Dress,
Dress,
£56, sizes
£49.99,
6-18,
sizes 4-22,
Oasis
Johanna
ISABEL MARANT

Ortiz x
H&M

Shirt, £29.50, sizes 6-22,

Autograph at M&S
COMPILED BY: ELOISA JOHNSON. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

Silk skirt,
£169, sizes
4-16,
Whistles

Earrings,
Shoes, £69.99, £12.99,
Bag, £19.99, Mango Mango Zara
woman home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 11
 W&H UPDATE

BEST 1
BEAUTY
BUYS EASY
&
ECO
2
1. Zero waste wonder
Cut out packaging by swapping plastic soap bottles

3
for a natural bar. Bia Cold Pressed Invigorating
Soap, £17, codexbeauty.com

2. Be planet friendly
A plastic toothbrush takes 1,000 years to decompose,
so try one with a biodegradable handle. Georganics
Natural Beech Toothbrush, £4.40, georganics.com

3. For natural radiance

These organic ingredients are tested on humans, not
animals. Herbivore Bakuchiol Retinol Alternative
Smoothing Serum, £45, cultbeauty.co.uk

4. Kind to all
Protect hair with this vegan, cruelty-free blow-dry lotion
in environmentally friendly packaging. FFØR Free From
Blow: By Blow Styling Crème, £18, fforhair.com 4 5
5. Sustainable pampering
Bramley products contain 100% natural, biodegradable
ingredients, while the packaging is made from recyclable
plastic that uses sugar cane not petroleum. Bramley
Body Lotion, from £4, bramleyproducts.co.uk

6. A clean fragrance
7
WORDS: SARAH COOPER-WHITE. PHOTO: IAIN PHILPOTT

We love these vegan fragrances in recyclable and

biodegradable packaging. Plus, the empty bottles can
be refilled in their Covent Garden store. Floral Street

6
Ylang Ylang Espresso EDP, £58, floralstreet.com

7. Be an eco pioneer
Using biodynamic farming methods and green
electricity, this range is formulated to firm and smooth
mature skin. Dr Hauschka Regenerating Day Cream
Complexion, £45, drhauschka.co.uk

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 13

 EFR E SHINGL Y
R CRISP MORNINGS
and invigorating start to
t you
ligh rd
r a hing lycrisp Ocean S ay
fre s pray
Fo re . ,
Try
 W&H UPDATE

MOOD Mila double bed, £299; stripe

bedding set, from £19.50 for a

OF THE
single; floral bedding set, from
£39.50 for a single; side table, £99;
grey waffle throw, £19.50; white

MONTH
thistle vase, £12.50, all M&S

Leena natural
pendant, £22,
Dunelm
FEELING
FRESH

Trailing faux
houseplant,
£8, Argos

Peonia lustre
glass vase, £28,
Green cable Oliver Bonas
merino throw, £80,
National Trust

Fresh Cut Grass scented

candle, £20, Sophie Allport
COMPILED BY: HOLLY WALSH

Groove side
table, £295,
Content by
Terence
Crab-apple pure matt
Conran
paint, £47 for 2.5 litres,
Fenwick & Tilbrook

Buttercup and bee mug,

£6, Gisela Graham
 W&H UPDATE

@backofthewardrobe70,
@the_fashionstalker, 49, is ready for all weathers
48, layers like a pro in an on-trend trench

IT’S ALL
in tonal spicy shades

@glamamuma, 40, mixes

ABOUT
luxe leather and cashmere
for an ultra-chic look

YOU!
W&H
STREET
STYLE
@thegrownupedit,
46, keeps it simple in @stylistsand
a cosy knit and jeans shoppers, 39,
adds gold trainers
@chilliesandclothes,
to her ladylike look
46, gives a logo sweater
an adult upgrade
MANUELA RIO TINTO. PHOTO: @ELAINEPOTTERPHOTO
COMPILED BY: @PAULAMOORESTYLE AND

@stripeycoral, 47, pairs

designer accessories
with a statement print

Add your pictures by hashtagging

@reyestorresorma, 50, #womanandhomestreetstyle or email
works figure-skimming w&hstreetstyle@ti-media.com to join in.
classic grey with ease

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 17

 DAVINA
‘Women in their 50s are now given
a very different type of respect’
The TV presenter talks to Jack White about fresh starts, finding
her happy size and why she’ll never Google herself

20 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!

 cover story

ve it’s been almost 20

Davina McCall presented
sode of Big Brother?
ce the controversial hit
ulted her to household
0, it’s felt like she’s been
extended family.
Davina admits after so many years
in ‘the biz’ she’s now landed in a very
good place, saying, ‘People like Holly
Willoughby and Phillip Schofield
probably can’t take the train because
they’ll end up getting hounded, but I do,
and I just have nice chats with people!’
And, like the British public, the years
have also been incredibly kind to Davina,
now 52, whose age-defying looks can
be attributed to her enviable youthful
vigour – and being happy.
Happiness is something she places
great importance on these days. ‘There’s
a great phrase,’ she says, ‘“You’re only
as happy as your unhappiest kid”. And
mine are happy so everything is good.’
However, we all know that Davina also
loves a challenge, and now, along with
her children Holly, 18, Tilly, 16, and
13-year-old Chester, she’s embarking
on her biggest adventure yet…

I’m building a house! My kids and I have

been renting and we were trying to find
a plot of land. So we’re doing it together.
This year is going to
be super stressful,
but really fun. It’s the
‘I never take
next phase of our
lives – a house that
it for granted
we’ve all built and
everyone gets to that I’m in
choose how they
want their bedrooms.
We’re unbelievably
this privileged getting through
the teenage years.
a friend and realised, ‘Oh God, I’ve missed
this!’ And my kids keep my feet on the
lucky. It was tough
for the kids when we
position’ But also I’ve bedded
in with friends
ground, they don’t care who I am, they
just need their stuff washed for Monday!
sold our house after Matthew and I split I’ve had for 40 years. There’s a level
up [Davina’s marriage to former TV host of comfort that comes with that. I’m really grateful if someone asks me
Matthew Robertson, ended in 2017], so for a picture. I’m 52 and I can’t believe
it’s nice to say, ‘fresh house, fresh start’. I stay grounded because I have a that people are still asking. I feel very
lot of friends who aren’t famous. lucky and I’m aware that it could all end
I feel satisfied in life – when you get For a long time, especially when I was tomorrow. I never take it for granted
older, nothing really bothers you that doing Big Brother, I didn’t take the Tube that I’m in this privileged position. All
much. I don’t have dramas any more, because I would get hassled. People it takes is for you to not get watched
which is nice. My kids are in a good would take pictures of me and it was weird. or for people to not like you any more
place, we’re all settled down and we’re But I got back into taking the Tube with and that’s it, your career is over. >>
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 21
 slightly cast aside before, but so many
friends of mine have started businesses
and I’m looking at doing that myself
next year. You’re at the beginning of
something, rather than at the end of it.

Weight is not about the social norm of

acceptance. It isn’t about telling people,
‘You should be a size 10’. It’s about asking,
‘Where are you comfortable?’ I have
girlfriends who are comfortable being a
size 8, but they’re petite and have small
frames. I can’t be a size 8, my build just
isn’t made for it. My happy place is a size
10-12. I’m in the middle somewhere and
that’s where I feel the most comfortable.

My website Ownyourgoals is an
amazing platform. We’re always a bit
frightened of using the term ‘weight loss’
because we don’t want people to think
they have to lose weight. But generally

STYLIST: DANIELLE WHITEMAN. FIRST SPREAD: SHIRT AND TROUSERS, JACQUEMUS AT MATCHES.COM. CARDIGAN, JIGSAW; BRA (JUST SEEN), EBERJEY;
speaking, the women who talk to me

PHOTOS: NICKY JOHNSTON. HAIR: MICHAEL DOUGLAS. MAKE-UP: CHERYL PHELPS GARDINER. STYLING: ANGIE SMITH. FASHION CO-ORDINATOR/
about health and fitness all want to lose

SKIRT, REISS. THIS PAGE: JUMPER, NAVYGREY; SKIRT, BEC & BRIDGE, BOTH HARVEY NICHOLS. OPPOSITE PAGE: CARDIGAN, H&M; JEANS, ARKET
weight – I’ve yet to meet someone who
is slim and wants to put it on. Women
come to me and say, ‘I want to lose X
stone, please help me, what can I do?’
We’re really embarrassed about talking
about that, but it’s not anybody saying
‘you should be thinner’ – it’s women who
want to do it for themselves.

I am so excited to be part of The

Masked Singer! When they said to
me, ‘We’re interested in you being on
the panel of the show’, I was thinking

‘Weight is about
The Phantom
of the Opera, sexy
masks, celebrities

asking where are singing… and then

I saw the show – it’s

I don’t Google myself because you taken up knitting you comfortable? less of a mask and
more of a crazy

My happy place
end up seeing the good and bad. in my 50s! When costume. People
What happens when you see a story I was a little girl become the

that’s a load of twaddle is that you
immediately want to defend yourself –
it’s a natural instinct. But actually there’s
no point. You can see I’m not too thin,
so by defending myself it almost makes
it worse. I just go through life blissfully
unaware of that stuff. If I feel OK in
myself and I know I’m in a good place,
then I don’t need to worry about it.
I thought I’d be wearing a cardigan,
a pair of thick, woolly tights and have
22 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
is a size 10-12’
being brought up
by my granny I had
a fairly warped view
of what your 50s looked like because
she was from a completely different
generation, born in the 1920s. They
were old way before their time.
This age for women now is a
completely different ball game.
Women in their 50s are being given a
very different type of respect. We were
epitome of this
costume. It is the
funniest, weirdest,
most outlandish show that celebrities
are queuing up to take part in. Because
when you’re behind this costume you
can be whoever you want to be.
✣ Sign up for a free 10-day trial at
ownyourgoalsdavina.com
✣ The Masked Singer is on Saturdays
on ITV
cover story
 Small changes
BIG
WINS! Tiny tweaks are all it takes to make healthier
lifestyle habits that you really can keep up,
discovers Christabel Smith

W
hether we want to lose
OUR EXPERTS weight, reduce stress or
BJ FOGG PhD is a behaviour find more time away from
scientist and author of technology, it’s tempting
Tiny Habits: The Small to set unrealistic goals. We can’t run
Changes that Change the London Marathon when we’ve
Everything (Virgin Books). never jogged further than the front
gate, and we know we won’t really
DAYNA LEE-BAGGLEY rise at dawn to meditate for an hour
PhD is a psychologist and a day. To make good habits last, keep
author of Healthy Habits them simple. Focus on the easy and
Suck (New Harbinger). the enjoyable because a healthier,
She specialises in helping happier life is no more than 30 seconds
people to be healthier. away. Here are your steps to success.
24 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
 Feel good
YOU
1
STOP JUDGING
To design new behaviours, you first need to stop judging yourself and
embrace any mistakes as discoveries. Expert BJ Fogg understands 10 ‘TINY
it’s hard, especially if you have perfectionist tendencies, but self-
blame is like a sledge slipping down old tracks on a snowy mountain. HABITS’
New ‘tiny habits’ will help you take a different route by making
you feel good, not bad. They take less than half a minute of your time and he TO TRY
advises adopting three, or even just one. Whatever you choose (it could be Get up as soon as your alarm
as simple as putting an apple in your bag for a snack), you can start right now.
✢ DO IT Every single morning, as soon as your feet touch the floor, say, ‘It’s
1 rings – no more snooze button.

going to be a great day.’ Let the message sink in for a couple of seconds. If you’re feeling overwhelmed,
2

2 4
write on a sticky note, ‘The
most important thing to achieve
MANAGE USE THE today is…’ and fill it in.

MOTIVATION 90% RULE Make your bed before leaving

Willpower and motivation
can be fair-weather friends,
When setting a health
ambition, break it down
3 the house in the morning.

When putting on your

so keeping changes bite-
sized is the best way forward, says BJ
Fogg. Ask yourself what new behaviour
you want to adopt. You might say, ‘Bring
down my stress levels.’ Write down all
the ways you might do that, eg listening
to a meditation app or leaving your
phone out of the bedroom at night. Now
rank them according to which you enjoy
until you’re 90% sure you
can achieve it. Instead of declaring you’ll
walk every day for 30 minutes, start
4 underwear, stretch down
and try to touch your toes.
by walking twice a week. It’ll feel great
After finishing lunch, walk
when you accomplish it – and when you
feel successful, you’ll want to keep at it.
✢ DO IT Rather than deciding you’re
5 around the house or office
at least once.
going to cut out sugar forever, apply
a more realistic biscuit reduction plan When you turn off your
6

most. Matching yourself with what you
want to do is the key to lasting change.
✢ DO IT If you find it hard to save,
try writing cards with simple ways
you could raise small amounts, like
putting loose change in a jar or selling
unwanted clothes. You’ll have enough
5
you’re 90% confident you can stick to. computer for the day, give
your desk a quick tidy-up.
TRACT Before breaking from any task,
RSELF
eone tells you to not
7 write down the first thing
you’ll do when you resume it.
bout pink elephants,

3
to bank a small profit each month.
DON’T BE
DERAILED
Psychologist Dayna Lee-
Baggley describes other
people as ‘passengers
on the bus’ and warns that even well-
meaning ones may get in the way of
what you’re striving for. Imagine you’ve
Every time you wash your
what happens? That’s right,
pink Nellies parading all over the place. 8 hands, take three deep breaths.
The first thing dieters consider, for example,
Whenever you buckle your
is what food they’ll cut out, meaning they
will think of little else, Dayna Lee-Baggley
says. It’s more effective to focus on healthy
9 seat belt, press play on
your audiobook.
habits, such as drinking more water.
✢ DO IT If you find you reach for As your head touches the
the biscuits when watching TV, think
about what you can do instead, such
10 pillow, think of one thing
from the day you’re grateful for.
as knitting, to occupy your hands.

6
committed to a fitness class and bump
into a friend on the way. ‘You are good,
I’m not an exercise person,’ she winces.
‘Nor am I, really,’ you say, wanting to
CELEBRATE WINS
Plants will begin to grow with just a few drops of water a day and
make her feel better. Sometimes, voices it’s the same with habits. It’s nothing to do with perfection – just
from the past tell us we’re unfit or lazy, keeping them alive so they’re rooted in your routine. For example,
and they need to be drowned out. if you’ve got into the groove of doing a body stretch every time
PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

✢ DO IT Repeatedly say to yourself
‘I can’t lift my arm’ while lifting your
arm. Notice how you can do precisely
what you want – it’s an example of
how you can defeat negative voices.
you clean your teeth, it’s important to note your commitment and
congratulate yourself on doing it day after day.
✢ DO IT Mini celebrations may include patting yourself on the back, doing a
quick fist pump or thumbs-up, or saying ‘you did it!’ to yourself in the mirror.
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 25
 I
n a world that’s constantly
speeding up, where we
are expected to be always
switched on and available,
there is much we can
learn from other cultures
and the way they live.
With its roots in Buddhist
thinking, the Japanese
way of life emphasises
the positive power of gratitude,
the vital connection between nature
and our wellbeing, and the value
of a calm and considered approach
to the everyday. Here are our tips:
Learn the art
of relaxation
Many of us live our lives at high
speed, so when we do have time to
slow down, we need to make sure
we are resting not only our bodies
but our minds and spirits as well.
For the Japanese, bathing represents
much more than just getting clean. For
thousands of years, people have visited
onsens – natural hot springs – to find
tranquillity and respite. The good news
is, you don’t need an onsen to experience
the restorative wonders of a Japanese
A happy life
JAPANESE
STYLE Jo Peters reveals the secrets of simplicity, serenity
and happiness – the Japanese way
26 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
bath, but you do need to be clean
before you start. So first have a quick
shower to wash your body, making sure
you rinse off any soap suds. Afterwards,
run a hot, deep bath, adding bath salts
if you like. Then lie back, soak and allow
any tension to drain away.
If you don’t fancy a literal bath to
refresh your spirit, then you could try
shinrin-yoku, more commonly known in
the West as forest bathing. This therapy
involves spending time among trees
and absorbing the ambience of a forest,
and it has been proven to lower your
stress levels and promote feelings of
calm. To practise shinrin-yoku, simply
walk through a forest or woodland.
Notice your surroundings, and use all
your senses to absorb the atmosphere.
Breathe slowly and deeply, and allow
calm to settle around you.
Find a sense
of purpose
and be joyful
Our happiness is often affected by
our thinking, and several Japanese
concepts can inspire us to look
outwards with positivity and hope.
One such concept is ikigai. A person’s
ikigai is what gives them a sense of joy
and purpose in life, and many consider
finding their ikigai to be the secret to
lifelong fulfilment. For instance, your
ikigai could be found in caring for your
family, through creating beauty or by
spreading peace. The key to finding
yours is in paying attention to what
interests you and brings you joy.
Another concept is wabi-sabi.
Although tricky to define, wabi-sabi
can be explained as seeing beauty
in imperfection or in things that show
the passing of time – falling autumn
leaves or a loved possession that’s
worn from frequent use. Appreciating
these things means you are able to
find joy in the present moment and
can embrace change as a natural
part of life, both of which, in turn,
lead to greater levels of contentment.

Make your home a sanctuary
Wherever you are in the world, it’s
important that your home is a place
where you can relax and be yourself.
There are many elements of Japanese
homes that we can incorporate into
our own to create spaces that bring
us both joy and peacefulness.
To make your home a haven, create
a separation between the outside and
inside world. You could resolve to take
your shoes off at the door, or always
change into comfy clothes when you
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
return after a busy day – anything that
makes you pause before beginning
your time at home.
In Japan, space is a precious
resource, so homes tend to be clutter
free. Having a tidy space can also boost
your mood and help you to feel more
in control. Try decluttering to streamline
your home – first pick one room, or
one small area, then go through the
items you find, sorting them into piles
to keep, throw away or rehome.
Japanese homes also tend to
embrace the natural world in their
decor. As well as providing you with a
wabi-sabi-inspired beauty, bringing the
outside in, in all its forms, allows a room
to come to life – and makes you feel
good. Think about choosing wooden
elements for your home, keeping
houseplants and prioritising natural
materials, such as cotton, linen and wool.
Feel good
YOU
Enjoy a little
creative therapy
Many meditative arts are associated
with Japan, including origami – the art
of folding paper – and bonsai – the
practice of growing and cultivating
tiny, living trees. Each is a calming
and consuming pursuit that can give
you hours of joy and creativity.
Another Japanese art form is ikebana
– flower arranging, or ‘giving life to
flowers’. Ikebana arrangements are
usually simple and seasonal. Through
the skill of the artist, plant materials are
combined in particular ways to express
feelings, ideas and emotions. The stark
wood of a bare branch might evoke
winter or a sense of solemnity, whereas
bright flowers and lush green leaves
might suggest a feeling of energy.
Not only does ikebana bring you
closer to nature, but it’s a wonderful
way to quieten your mind, as you must
be relaxed but focused as you pour
your concentration into the plants.
To create your own ikebana-inspired
arrangement, first, gather leaves,
branches, stems, flowers and foliage.
Pick three elements: a plant to create
height, a plant for the middle of the
composition to draw the eye, and material
to balance the bottom. Arrange each
element in descending height order.
Experiment until you find an arrangement
that you are happy with, and enjoy
the process of creativity and discovery.
✣ The Art of Japanese Living by Jo
Peters (£12.99, Summersdale) is out now.
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 27
 What a
SEX
THERAPIST
wants you
to know
Whether your relationship could do
with a reboot or you have an intimate
issue you’re unsure how to fix, we’ve
asked the questions for you

I
ntimacy is a key part of life and getting
MEET it right ensures a sense of wellbeing and
OUR happiness. Yet a new survey by Boots
EXPERT has revealed that 80% of us Brits are still
Kate not confident talking about it. So, if you have
Moyle an issue, large or small, it’s likely you have
(katemoyle.co.uk) no one to confide in. That’s when you could
is a psychosexual benefit from expert advice. ‘As a society,
and relationship we don’t learn how to talk openly about
therapist, who sex,’ says Kate. Here, she shares the most
has partnered common problems discussed in her sessions,
with Boots and the simple steps to help solve them.

1 Droughts are
normal, but don’t
have to last forever
Can’t recall the last time you made love?
In any relationship it’s likely your sex life
has dwindled over the years. But you’re
not alone – the average Brit has sex just
once every 75 days*. ‘Most couples have
spells when they’re more quiet,
but what becomes a
35%
problem is knowing how
to reintroduce sex
if it’s been a while,’
says Kate. ‘Take
intercourse off the
ofUK adults are
table temporarily
and reconnect with
open to trying new
touch and kissing. things to improve their
This will give you the
confidence to move sex lives, found
back into that sexual
space together.’ Not sure
zaucey.com
how to discuss this with your
partner? ‘Try, “Could we try introducing
X/Y/Z to our relationship again/a bit
more?” Be positive, to avoid an attacking
response and to help things progress.’
2 Don’t let the
past hold you back
Body keeps letting you down
at the worst possible moment? ‘Rather
than trying to get back to “how it was”,
take the pressure off and enjoy where
you are now,’ says Kate. Plus, your
general health or certain medications
may be having a negative effect on your
libido – and his too. In fact, by 50, the
angle of a man’s erection may reduce
from 145 to 110 degrees. Adapt rather
than fight it. ‘You may have more energy
WORDS: FAYE M SMITH. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/WESTEND61.
in the mornings or find certain positions
less comfortable. Change and focus on
enjoying the experiences,’ says Kate.
*ZAUCEY.COM. **RESEARCH BY BOOTS
Do you need a sex therapist?
‘Many women will have a specific problem they’ll want to work through, but
speaking to an expert in confidence can also be beneficial for dealing with a
general sense of dissatisfaction,’ says Kate. ‘The earlier issues are addressed,
the easier they can be to tackle them and find a solution.’ Find a sex therapist
at Relate (relate.org.uk) or speak to your GP’s surgery for recommendations.
3 Being selfish
isn’t always bad
Be honest – are you often only
sexually active because you think it’s the
‘right’ thing to do? A recent survey found
17%** of women are guilty of having ‘duty
sex’ – sex because it’s ‘what’s expected’
in the relationship. But putting your own
needs first is key. ‘If you’re having sex
because you think you “should”
rather than because you
“want to”, then you’ll
want sex less, and
enjoy it less,’ says
Kate. Sounds like
you? ‘First, notice
how you’re feeling.
If you think you’re
having “should sex”,
communicate with
your partner about
what you would like to
be different. Do you need
it to be less rushed, have more
foreplay, time to talk beforehand? Think
about the times when you have had
great sex and consider what it was about
those experiences that you really enjoyed.’
4 Mindful sex
is more than
just a fad
A buzzword in recent years, mindfulness
could help you get closer to your partner,
especially if you feel you’re just going
through the motions. ‘It’s easy for sex to
slip to the bottom of our priority lists, so
it takes active effort to invest in intimacy,’
says Kate. ‘Mindful sex is the practice of
switching off to turn on and can help you
focus on pleasure.’ Whatever you’re doing
sexually, when you feel your mind drifting,
bring your awareness back to the
moment, focus on your breathing and the
way your body responds to being touched.
Feel good
YOU
5 Lubricant is every
woman’s friend
Sex shouldn’t be painful but,
if it is for you, a tube of lube could be
the quickest cure. ‘Vaginal atrophy,
which causes dryness, can make sex
uncomfortable,’ says Kate. ‘It’s commonly
caused in post-menopausal woman by
lower oestrogen levels. This can lead
to friction and pain during intercourse.
I highly recommend the Yes Organics
range.’ From £5.99, yesyesyes.org
6
Showing is often
easier than telling
‘We all have our unique wants
and desires but if we can’t communicate
them, then there will always be a block
between us and our partners,’ says Kate.
‘Suggest a massage where you show
each other different types of touch
you would like on different body parts,
offer positive feedback and guide them
by putting your hand on top of theirs.
Plus, always start any conversation on
a good note and you’ll be less likely to
come up against a defensive response.’
7 We don’t all speak
the same language
‘Couples often struggle
because their primary love languages
are different,’ says Kate. ‘Both take the
free 5 Love Languages quiz online at
5lovelanguages.com. The languages of
love are split into receiving gifts, acts
of service, words of affirmation, quality
time and physical touch. It can help you
understand each other for the better.’
8
Make time for toys
They might seem scary, but sex toys
can add a sensual element. ‘You can
find something that works for you,’ says
Kate. Tracey Cox’s Supersex range is
made with squishy silicone for
women over 40 who may find
sex painful. From £39.99,
lovehoney.co.uk
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 29
Authorised and Regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

“After sorting my
dispute at work,
I’m looking
forward to getting
on with my life.”
If you are involved in a dispute at work,
don’t worry, we’re here to help and
support you, so that your problem isn’t
a problem any more.

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Family Law Employment Law Conveyancing Defence Wills Disputes Personal Injury Medical Negligence

JUMPING
out of my
COMFORT
ZONE There’s no time like the present for planning new things, says
Andrea McLean – the more challenging the better
S
pring is traditionally the
season for new beginnings;
it’s when flowers uncurl
themselves out of the damp
ground and it feels like the world is
waking up after its long, dark sleep.
The clocks leap forward and suddenly
you want to get out of bed and try
something new! If it’s good enough for
nature it’s good enough for us, right?
The difference between us and the
rest of the natural world is that we can
choose our own spring. We don’t have
to wait for the sun or season to make
changes to things that aren’t working
for us any more. We can do it whenever
we want. We could do it right now if we
really wanted to. Deep down, we all
know what that something is that we’d
like to take up or put down – it’s not
nature that’s stopping us, it’s ourselves.
And that’s understandable – it’s a pretty
scary thing to step out of our comfort
zone, to shake up the status quo.
What will people think? What will our
husbands, our children, our friends –
oh God, the neighbours – make of it?
Comfort zones in themselves are
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
strange things; what seems impossible
to one is no big deal to another. When I
turned 50 there was an assumption that
I’d be scribbling down a bucket list of
things that I had to do now that I had
arrived at the crest of the hill and the only
way forward was down, down, down.
But what would I write on it? I’ve ticked
off most of the things that would be on
there – I’ve skydived over Lake Taupo
in New Zealand, bungee jumped off a
bridge in Australia, abseiled face first
down Table Mountain in South Africa
and dived head first from a helicopter
in Chile. I have been married three times
and am raising four beautiful children
– two of my own and two stepchildren.
My life has been full thus far, and that
fullness has meant falling over, getting
‘It’s not nature
hurt and learning how
to get back up again
and let those scabs heal.
I’ve had more fresh that’s stopping us
starts than most, and
yet this is the one time – it’s ourselves’
in my life where I feel ready to see what
my limits are now, at this stage. I’ve
learned that heights and speed are scary
but conquerable, and that what actually
makes me feel out of my comfort zone
is being seen for who I really am.
We all wear protective layers, whether
it’s our uniform for work, the smile that
hides our pain or even the computers
and phones we hide behind to avoid
face-to-face contact. Stepping out from
these, showing the world who we really
are, takes much more bravery than
from the heart
hurling ourselves out of planes or
down mountainsides. You don’t get
a ‘Well done, aren’t you brave?’ for
taking up belly dancing because
you’ve always fancied ‘giving it a go’.
I’ve decided that as I arrive into the
autumn of my life, I am reclaiming it
as my spring. I’ve realised that while
I have shown bravery in the face of life’s
challenges and have relished the short
burst of adrenaline that scaring myself
brings, that in itself has meant that my
zone of comfort has been pushed within
my own set of limitations. What if I let
the world set those limits
for me? What would
I choose to say yes to?
I am ready to shed my
old skin, to uncurl out
of my own damp earth
and turn my face to the sun. I don’t know
what lies ahead, but I am aware that
any kind of growth means discomfort
of some kind, possible embarrassment
and the high likelihood of failure. And
that’s OK – there’s no age limit to trying
to do something you’ve never done
before, and no age restriction on
picking yourself up, dusting yourself
off and starting all over again.
If life is what you make it, then I
am going to make it spring. Today
I start again.
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 31
 Singing
IS OUR
LIFE
It releases the same feel-good brain chemicals as sex and chocolate,
and for these three women, singing means everything

THE MUSICAL SENSATION

‘Every night feels as amazing as the first’
ALLYSON AVA-BROWN, 37, lives
in south London with her partner,
Mark. She plays Angelica Schuyler in
the hit West End musical, Hamilton.
It has taken me a long time to believe
in my voice. My mum used to playfully
tease that she could pick me out of
a group by my distinctly husky voice.
Other girls were high-pitched, but
I thought I sounded like a broken piano
with a few keys missing.
I loved to sing, but I didn’t think of
myself as a singer. I started going to
youth theatre in my teens, then secured a
place at the Sylvia Young Theatre School.
I’ve since performed in productions
including A Midsummer Night’s Dream
and Beauty and the Beast. Last year, I was
working as a singing teacher and taking
shifts as a pedicurist too, when my agent
asked if I wanted to audition for Hamilton.
Angelica Schuyler was the only character
I wanted to play. She was witty, intelligent
and comfortable in her own skin.
32 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
For two months, I auditioned for the
producers every two weeks, and with
each callback, I was closer to getting the
role. I knew I could do Angelica justice,
but it meant so much to me that I felt
overwhelmed. The penultimate and final
auditions took place over consecutive
days in August 2018 and I knew I’d given
my everything. When my agent called and
told me I’d got the part, I burst into the
happiest of tears. Mark bought me flowers
and my colleagues at the salon cried too.
But now, I had to become Angelica.
The songs are akin to something Destiny’s
Child or TLC would perform. It’s the music
I grew up loving and I’ve never been able
to express myself like this before.
We perform eight shows a week, but
every night feels as amazing as the first.
I still get that ‘I’m in Hamilton!’ feeling
as the opening chords begin and the
audience erupts. The effect on people,
especially black people who don’t always
get to see themselves represented in
this way, is powerful. Hamilton portrays
people of colour in leadership and
status roles, dressed in finery, and
it is a great honour to be a part of it.
I treat the role as an athlete would
treat the Olympics. I don’t go out
in the evening and have earned a
reputation as the company grandma,
but I prioritise resting my voice.
It’s only now I’m beginning to love
my husky voice. I’ve overcome so much
to be here. At 16, I had nodules on my
vocal chords and was left with scar tissue.
There have been years in my career
when I haven’t been able to sing at
all, and times when I’ve cried because
I thought I’d never sing again. But to
be able to do this show every night has
been healing for me. I’m stepping into
my power and loving every moment.
✢ To see Allyson in Hamilton at the
Victoria Palace Theatre, London, book
tickets at hamiltonmusical.com/london >>
 in our experience

‘Hamilton portrays
people of colour
in status roles
and it’s an honour
to be part of it’
 THE OPERA STAR
‘Singing makes me
feel happy and free’
ERMONELA JAHO, 45, is one of the
world’s most acclaimed sopranos. This
summer, she stars in Madama Butterfly
at the Royal Opera House. Ermonela
lives with her husband, Ervin Stafa, 45.
As a young child I enjoyed singing
as it made me feel happy and free,
but I was 14 before I saw my first
opera, La Traviata. The music talked to
me and something magical happened
in my soul. I grabbed my brother Fatos’
arm and whispered, ‘I have to sing
La Traviata at least once in my life!’
In that moment, my fate was sealed.
I studied at the Academy of Fine
Arts in Tirana, in my home country
of Albania. In the years since, I’ve
performed in opera houses all over
the world, but the Royal Opera House
holds a special place in my heart.
In January 2008 I was in New York
when I received a call asking if I could
fly to London immediately, as it was
uncertain if the lead in a production of
La Traviata would be able to perform.
Destiny was calling, so I took a flight
that night. When I landed, I wasn’t sure
if I was needed, so I slept off the jet
lag. A few hours later, the call came. I
was to sing La Traviata that evening.
I was nervous but I knew every bar
of the music despite having never
performed this production before.
I had a few hours to rehearse, meet my
co-stars and conductor, and be fitted for
costumes, but I was enveloped in love and
support by the entire team. I started
to sing and everything fell into place.
The cast, chorus, orchestra, audience
and I were in perfect harmony. Now,
whenever I’m back on the Royal Opera
House, I remember that special moment.
I feel blessed to have fulfilled my
dream. The connection between the
audience and me is so powerful and
overwhelming that, even after all these
years, singing still makes me feel as
happy and free as it ever did.

✢ Madama Butterfly runs 22 June to

17 July 2020 at the Royal Opera House.
Visit roh.org.uk
 in our experience

CHOIR MEMBER
‘It’s magical to be
part of a community’
CATHERINE PRIESTLEY, 54, is a member
of the Military Wives Choirs, singing
with Cranwell MWC. She lives in
Grantham, Lincolnshire, with husband
Mick, 53, a Nursing Officer in the RAF.
Only eight weeks after I joined, our
Military Wives Choir sang in front of
the imposing building of College Hall
Officers Mess at RAF Cranwell, for
an Anthems in the Park event. It was
nerve-racking but exhilarating. I knew
I’d found what I’d been looking for.
My husband Mick and I spent over
20 years moving frequently with our
three children. When Mick was posted
WORDS: KIM WILLIS. PHOTOS: ANGELA SPAIN. STYLING: SHARNA VALENTINE. HAIR & MAKE-UP: KATE HUGHES. ALLYSON: DRESS AND SHOES, LK BENNETT. NECKLACE

to Cyprus I remember my son saying

AND BRACELET, HOBBS. ERMONELA: DRESS, GODDIVA. RING, MONICA VINADER. CATHERINE: DRESS, ROMAN. SHOES, KURT GEIGER. JEWELLERY, CATHERINE’S OWN

he didn’t think he’d make friends there

because he’d only have to leave them
behind, and it would make him sad.
It broke my heart but I knew that
because we moved so often, it was hard
for any of us to maintain friendships.
Seven years ago, we were based in
Maidenhead when I saw Gareth Malone
and the Military Wives Choirs on TV,
performing at the Royal Albert Hall.
I was enchanted. I wanted to be a part of
it but there was no choir near me at the
time. A year later, with the children off
at university, Mick and I decided to buy
a house near RAF Cranwell. It would
mean we could finally put down roots.
But after the move in 2013, Mick
was away all week. I’d come home from
my job as an NHS breast care nurse
to an empty house and felt lonely. Then
I read about the newly formed Cranwell As the old saying goes, with the right friends to having lots. Singing in a group
Military Wives Choir, and went along music, you either remember everything and being part of a community is a magical
to my first rehearsal. or forget everything. When I sing, I feel experience. We practise new songs until
I was nervous, but all the women in a sense of belonging and escapism we conquer them and, when we do,
the choir made me feel welcome, and all at once. As military wives, there’s such a feeling of
I loved the mix of music, from Vera Lynn
and Take That to musicals like Les
there are times when any
one of us will have a husband
‘We all help greatness, it makes me feel
like I could conquer anything!
Misérables and The Greatest Showman.
We’ve performed for many military
or partner on deployment,
but we all help each other
each other ✢ The MWC network has
and local events, in village halls and through the hard times. through 75 choirs, and over 2,300
concert halls. Our latest album, It’s a bonus if we sound women members with a
Remember, celebrates the role marvellous and professional, hard times’ military connection across
women played in the First World War. but our main aim is to make the UK and overseas. To
It is overwhelming to be able to sing the best sound we possibly can – and watch a performance or support the
my respect to the service people to have fun. Being part of the choir Military Wives Choirs charity, visit
who came before us. means I’ve gone from having no militarywiveschoirs.org
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 35
 WHEN
WE LOVED
THEM BEST
Walking through a muddy field
in matching jeans and wellies,
clearly enjoying each other’s
company as they put the

Love you
world to rights.

MUM!
It’s Mother’s Day, and the perfect time to celebrate
some inspirational mother-daughter duos

THE APPLE OF HER EYE

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, it is often said,
and one glimpse of Carole Middleton, 65, reveals
the source of 38-year-old Catherine, Duchess of
Cambridge’s slender elegance. Former air steward
Carole combines glamorous grannyhood with running
Party Pieces, the Middletons’ hugely successful business,
as well as Bucklebury Manor, a grand, but reassuringly
‘normal’ family home.
✢ CAROLE ON CATHERINE: ‘Over the years, it’s
proved wise not to say anything.’ How very sensible!
✢ CATHERINE ON CAROLE: She ‘taught me kindness,
respect and honesty. I was very lucky growing up.’
 Mother’s Day special

Dame Judi, pictured between

her partner David Mills and
her daughter Finty Williams

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE

TO TATTOO
Dame Judi Dench’s daughter Finty (real name Tara)
Williams, 47, has followed in her parents’ footsteps by
becoming an actor – her dad was the late actor Michael WHEN
Williams. She appeared in Mrs Brown alongside her
mum and recently took the lead in Pack of Lies, the
WE LOVED
same role that Judi performed in the original play. THEM BEST
✢ JUDI ON FINTY: ‘She is very much her own As the voices of Angelina
woman. We have the same profile, but in Mouseling (Finty) and teacher
character, she is different. Wiser.’ Miss Lilly (Dame Judi) in
✢ FINTY ON JUDI’S ‘jaw-dropping’ 80th birthday the animation Angelina
five years ago, when she took her to get a tattoo: Ballerina.
‘She has “carpe diem” on her wrist!’

IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO

One of Fleet Street’s top newspaper editors in the
80s and 90s, Eve Pollard, 74, is mum to the equally
successful Claudia Winkleman, 48. They’re both
razor-sharp and witty women, but it’s easy to
see where Strictly Come Dancing presenter
‘Claud’ gets her warmth from too.
✢ EVE ON CLAUDIA: ‘Becoming a mother is
the best thing I have ever done.
The fact that your child, whom
WHEN you totally adore, is not only

WE LOVED appreciated by family and

THEM BEST
Talking about their habit of
walking around the house in the
nude. It may upset Claudia’s
teenagers, but in her words:
‘Mums are meant to be
embarrassing.’
friends, but through the
wonder of television
by millions of others, is
frankly gobsmacking.’
✢ CLAUDIA ON EVE: ‘I was
brought up by the most
brilliant, strongest woman
I’ve ever come across.’ >>
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 37
LINDA MADE A MEAN
VEGGIE SAUSAGE TOO…
Photographer, animal rights campaigner and
vegetarian pioneer Linda McCartney had four
kids, Heather, Mary, Stella and James. Linda
sadly died of breast cancer in 1998, aged 56.
✢ STELLA ON LINDA: ‘She was a kick-ass bird.
She’d rock out in the morning in culottes, a crop
top and cowboy boots for a day on the farm!’
✢ LINDA ON HER CHILDREN: ‘They are my
greatest achievement.’

WORDS: CLARE WALTERS AND CHRISTABEL SMITH. PHOTOS: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES, ALPHA

IMAGES, MATRIXMEDIAGROUP.CO.UK, RUPERT HARTLEY/SHUTTERSTOCK, SHUTTERSTOCK

PRESS, CAMERA PRESS, DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES FOR BURLINGTON ARCADE, GETTY
WHEN
WE LOVED
THEM BEST
Beatle Paul, Mary, 50, and fashion
designer Stella, 48, curated a
retrospective exhibition of Linda’s
work at the Kelvingrove Gallery
in Glasgow, and helped
publish The Polaroid
Diaries last year.

BLONDES HAVE MORE… KALE

Reese Witherspoon, 43, and her student daughter Ava
Phillippe, 20, who attends University of California,
Berkeley, are two talented peas in a pod. Reese
WHEN famously starred in the 2001 hit movie Legally
Blonde and smashed it in TV’s Big Little Lies, while
WE LOVED Ava is carving a career as an influencer and was the
THEM BEST face of Amazon’s Off to College campaign last autumn.
The lookalike pair stole ✢ REESE ON AVA, via an Instagram message she
the show at the Big Little Lies posted on Ava’s 20th birthday: ‘Watching your little
premiere, but seeing them girl grow into a gorgeous, thoughtful, compassionate,
sharing a 300-calorie kale fun-loving young woman defies words. It has got to
salad for lunch is be the greatest gift I could ever receive.’
just so LA! ✢ AVA ON REESE: ‘She inspires me every day to live with
gratitude for the life I’ve been given and compassion for others.’
 Mother’s Day special
WHY IT’S NOT ALWAYS AB FAB
WORKING WITH MUM!
Comedy aristocracy Jennifer
Saunders and Ade
Edmondson have three
daughters – Ella, 33, a folk
singer, Beattie, 32, an actor
and comedian, and 29-year-
old Freya, who’s a costume
designer. All three women
were extras in Absolutely
Fabulous. When Beattie got
a part in the sitcom Josh,
Jennifer appeared as her
on-screen mum.
WHEN
WE LOVED
THEM BEST
Appearing together in the
2018 Disney film Patrick, with
Beattie playing a non-dog
lover who inherits a
pampered pug.
THERE’S ONLY SPACE
FOR ONE SUPERSTAR, KID!
Judy Garland, best known
as child superstar Dorothy
in The Wizard of Oz, was
played by Renée Zellweger
in last year’s hit biopic
Judy. Judy’s daughter Liza
Minnelli, 73 – whose dad
was film director Vincente
Minnelli – is also a huge
star, sharing her mum’s
powerful singing voice and
electrifying stage presence.
✢ BEATTIE ON JENNIFER,
working together: ‘I’m
always thinking, “Oh no,
she’ll ask how I’m eating
or about my skin regime.”
As a needy actress, I say,
“Did I do good, Mummy?”
She’ll say, “Yeah, fine.”’
✢ JENNIFER ON BEATTIE,
joking about upstaging
her: ‘That’s my whole
job. I consider that my
prime purpose.’
WHEN
WE LOVED
THEM BEST
Performing together at the
London Palladium when Liza
was 18. Liza says, ‘She was like
a lioness when somebody
had invaded her
territory!’
✢ JUDY ON LIZA: ‘You
put one foot forward and
one hip went back and
I thought, “Oh God, I’ve
got to be good now. This
kid ain’t fooling around.”’
✢ LIZA ON JUDY, when
singing The Man That Got
Away: ‘I’d like to sing this
showstopping song by a
showstopping lady, who was
the best friend I ever had.’
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 39

‘I’m a hoarder. My daughter
won’t need to buy clothes!’
Silent Witness star Emilia Fox, 45, shares her passions and memories.
Emilia lives in west London with her nine-year-old daughter, Rose
Had you not become an actor,
did you have a plan B?
I didn’t want to do the same thing as
my family, so acting was my plan Z!
My plan A at university was to use
my English degree to become a
writer or teacher – I loved reading
books and writing, so I thought
something would come of that.
Then Pride and Prejudice took me
down a path I wasn’t expecting. I hope
to go back to plan A at some point.
What are you passionate about?
Work has been a big thing for me.
Whether that’s because my parents
brought me up with a good work
ethic, I don’t know. The other thing
that makes me happy is having a
simple life at home with Rose.
What’s your biggest pet hate?
I’m increasingly finding it really
annoying that everything is
automated. I feel we’re losing touch
with each other, and yet we all need
that human connection. I like talking
to someone in a supermarket, the
bank and knowing my doctor. And
automation is costing people their jobs.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever
been given?
WORDS: VICKI POWER. PHOTO: DAVID VENNI
Dad’s 82 and I asked him recently what he’d
learned in his long life, and he said, ‘How
to be calm.’ And I thought that was quite
good because we spend our lives worrying.
Trying to remain calm is good advice.
What’s your favourite fashion item?
Some dresses that my great friend
[fashion designer] Kate Halfpenny made
for me at the start of my career. They’re
THE WAY I AM
personal, very beautiful dresses that are
still in my wardrobe. I keep everything
– I’m a terrible hoarder of things, so my
house is full to the brim and I have even
rented a storage space. I haven’t learned
from the person who says you must
declutter your house to declutter your
mind! I think one day Rose is going to
appreciate it and she’ll never have to
buy any clothes because they’ll all come
back into fashion again.
What’s top of your bucket list?
I’d quite like to direct something. I’m hoping
I’ve picked up some skills in the years I’ve
been acting. I look at my brother [actor
Freddie Fox], who’s written and directed
a short film called Hero and I think, ‘Yeah,
that’s the way to do it – to create your
own work.’ At least five times a
day I think, ‘Oh, that would be a
good idea for a film.’ Also, I’d like
to work in something to do with
gardens or flowers. So I might
combine those two things.
What’s the most special thing
you own?
I try not to treasure possessions
because then you mourn them
when you lose them. I’ve framed
a lock of Rose’s white blonde hair
from when she was a baby. I’ve got
great photos that aren’t valuable,
but have great sentimental value.
How do you relax?
I can’t remember relaxing much
recently! I’m in a particular time of
life when you bounce from work to
parenting, parenting to work, and
relaxation doesn’t fit in. When I put
Rose to bed I have to learn lines,
although last night for the first time in
ages I watched telly – I caught up with
[the C4 documentary series] Kathy
Burke’s All Woman. It was so good.
Kathy is so honest, unafraid and funny.
What’s the secret to a happy home?
I always wanted my home to be
somewhere that you looked forward
to coming back to because it was cosy
and welcoming. I remember someone
coming to my house and saying, ‘It
feels like Christmas coming in here,’
even though it wasn’t Christmas, and
I took it as a compliment. There are
always lots of flowers in my house too.
✣ Emilia stars as Dr Nikki Alexander in
Silent Witness on BBC1.
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 41
 What
REALLY
happens on a
GAP
YEAR?
Away from the shocking headlines and tales of partying till dawn, there
are some good reasons to loosen the apron strings, says Chris Morley

F
or most young people, a gap
year is a blast – a heady mix
of freedom, travel and parties,
with a spot of volunteering
thrown in. But for parents it can be
terrifying – all the usual fears for your
child magnified by the fact they’re
on the other side of the world. So are
gap years really worth the expense
and worry? Now an accepted
part of student life, gap years can
42 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
seem like an indulgence – extended
holidays for the overprivileged,
funded by the Bank of Mum and Dad.
On top of the eye-watering costs,
there are the safety concerns, fuelled
by horrendous news headlines, such as
Grace Millane’s murder in New Zealand
and the tragic drowning of Amelia
Bambridge in Cambodia.
Around 230,000 UK 18 to 25-year-olds
take a year out, though most don’t
travel the whole time, spending an
average of just over 10 weeks abroad,
with 80% working in the UK at some
point during their time off.
Only an estimated 10% of students
manage to fund the whole amount
themselves – from £2,000 to £5,000
for a two or three-month overseas gap
break (covering flights, a project and
independent travel). British parents
typically stump up 20% – a contribution
 special report

Carefree travel?
Not all youngsters want to be tied to
an organised project, preferring to
freewheel and keep an open mind
about where to go and what to do. Sarah
Lynch’s son, Zac (now 25), worked to fund
his own multi-stop flight and had a list of
places to visit but was also flexible
about his plans. She says,
‘Many of the things we BRITISH
worried about could just PARENTS
as easily have happened
on home turf. I was fine
STUMP UP
about Zac going in an 20% OF
unstructured way and felt GAP YEAR
really positive about all the
experiences he would have. COSTS
My main fear was that he’d been
diagnosed with pneumothorax in his
late teens. I asked him to let any friends
he was travelling with know the main
symptoms – breathlessness and chest
pain – and for them to be aware he’d
have to go to hospital immediately if
they surfaced. Of course, I warned him
about not drinking too much so that
he wouldn’t be vulnerable.
As far as I know he didn’t run amok!
The experience broadened his horizons,
and gave him time to expand into a
confident and open young man. He has
since taken another (self-funded) gap year,
living in Berlin to improve his fluency
in German, before taking up an MA.’
Does gapping
Staying safe
While a gap year is an exciting
prospect for young people, it
undoubtedly causes parents worry.
When Helen and Dilip Varma’s
daughter Emily, 18, planned to travel
for a year, they had their concerns:
‘Although we were worried,
you can’t wrap your
children up in cotton
wool. All you can hope
is that you have done
enough to equip
your children with the
resilience to cope with
whatever life throws
at them. We worked
with Emily to plan a gap year
that would give her freedom and
stretch her, without putting her in
awkward situations. Social media
helped too, as it meant we could
stay in touch fairly regularly.’
Gap year benefits
✢ Universities recognise that a well-
organised break – whether that’s
backpacking or signing up for organised
projects – can help students mature,
become more self-reliant and develop
skills, from languages to budgeting.
✢ It can also improve a student’s health
and wellbeing, with a report in the British
Journal of Developmental Psychology
confirming that those who took a year

boost your
out were less stressed than youngsters
heading straight to uni from school.

that’s worth around £995 million each year.
Tracey and Mark Turner, whose son
Jack travelled solo for 16 months, helped
their son with half his travelling costs,
and feel it was money well spent: ‘We
split his university education 50/50 with
him – he took out a loan for tuition fees
and we paid his rent and maintenance
– so financially it was just a continuation.
We thought of it as a four-year degree,
with just as much learnt in year 4.’
career?
Some 63% of HR professionals
believe that a gap year spent
volunteering or working can be
differentiators that help you get on
the career ladder. Emily Bain, MD
of recruitment specialist Bain and
Gray, is a big advocate of gap years
but warns, ‘Employers will drill down
on how it’s financed, and if you’ve
raised the money yourself, that’s
definitely seen as a positive. If
you’ve done something worthy,
such as volunteering or improving
your skills by, say, working in a hotel
abroad, it puts you head and
shoulders above other candidates.’
✢ A bit of head space can help those
who lack direction too. In a 2010 survey,
60% of students said a gap year helped
them to decide what to study, while 66%
reckoned they took their academic work
more seriously after a gap year.
✢ At Cambridge University, where one in
10 students takes a year out, the advice
is to keep up language and maths skills,
which can get rusty outside the classroom.
✢ On the downside, UCAS states that for
some, time out can be a distraction from
longer-term plans and returning to study
after a year-long break can be tough.
However, a US study found that 90%
of gap-year students return to studies
within a year, and they outperformed
non-gap-year takers. >>
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 43
special report
‘I grew up a lot
during my year out’
EMILY VARMA, 24, is an assistant
merchandiser at Harvey Nichols in
London. She took a gap year in 2013,
before studying for a degree at
Manchester Metropolitan University.
I took a year out because I knew I’d want
to go straight into work after graduating.
I spent a few months planning, then I
booked my flights and accommodation
in advance. I was lucky that Mum and
Dad paid for the trip.
I began in Trinidad, working in a
theatre (the director was a friend of my
mum). Afterwards, I volunteered for
Operation Raleigh in Costa Rica and
Nicaragua. That was tough, as we were
sleeping on mats in the middle of a
national park. We had to get up at dawn
and dig out drainage channels with
pickaxes. The wildlife was also scary – we
found a huge snakeskin that had been
shed in the night, right outside our door.
Next I travelled around America for a
month, then met my dad in Japan for the
final 10 days of my trip. I grew up a lot
during my year out and travelling gave
me an insight into other cultures. There
were low points, such as being away at
Christmas. Also, travelling alone was
daunting, but I met lots of people doing
the same thing. Being out of education
made me realise that I wanted to continue
learning, so I went to uni refreshed
and enthusiastic. I’d tell anyone
considering a gap year to go for it.
44 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
‘My advice is to work as you travel’
JACK TURNER graduated from
Southampton in 2018 with a degree in
geography and geology. He took off
to Thailand in August the same year
and is currently working on a boat
in the Arafura Sea, harvesting pearls.
My parents had time out travelling, so
I was excited about the prospect of
doing something similar. I saved up
by working in pubs, and my parents
matched my savings. To be honest,
I wasn’t really organised. I had a trip
around Asia and after that I winged
it, living week by week with some
general idea of my direction, plus a few
detours, such as flying to Hong Kong
for a weekend to see a friend. My
budget for my Asia trip was around
£4,000, which covered flights, the
organised trip and everything in-
between for just over three months.
I’ve had some amazing experiences,
such as motorbiking around Vietnam
and tracking orangutans in Sumatra.
For the past few months I have been
working a well-paid fly-in, fly-out job
in Australia on a pearl boat, which has
allowed me to travel more but in chunks.
The best part of the trip was spending
time with my best friend from home who
travelled with me for six weeks. After
PLANNING ADVICE
✢ Ensure the country, placement
and travel details are fully
researched. Visit the Foreign &
Commonwealth office (gov.uk/
guidance/safer-adventure-travel-
and-volunteering-overseas) to
check the legitimacy of your project
provider and whether an adventure
travel company is signed up to
appropriate safety standards.
✢ Milly Whitehead, director of
The Leap, which provides gap
year programmes in non-tourist
destinations, says, ‘Make sure the
company is a member of the Year
Out Group or the American Gap
Year Association. Our experiences
challenge a young person – meeting
expectations is key.’
✢ Examine the value of the project
being away from home for so long and
travelling solo, it was great to have a
mate to see the world with. As for low
points, I would say it was missing my
family, especially when my friend went
back home. Mostly I overcame this by
working, as my colleagues on the boat
have, to some extent, become my new
adopted family. In fact, my advice to
other gappers is to work as you travel.
This is because I felt long periods
without much motivation wasn’t good
for my mental or physical health.
I’ve been away for well over a year and
I expect to return to the UK with more
money than I left with, plus I will have a
rescue diver qualification under my belt.
Working in
remote places has
been rewarding,
plus the experience
has unlocked
pathways into
industries I
wouldn’t have
thought of. I’m
now considering
mining in Australia
or working in the
boat industry in the
Gulf of Mexico.
offered – school-leavers with zero
practical skills have been accused of
carrying out tasks badly and taking
work away from local people. Author
JK Rowling advised gap-year
students to avoid volunteering
in orphanages, as they may be
contributing to child exploitation –
the children (many of whom aren’t
orphans) can be used solely to
attract money from ‘voluntourism’.
✢ Be wary of super-cheap projects
– expect to budget from £350 per
week for an organised programme,
to include activities, project
work and safety back-up.
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
Check out International Citizen
Service (ICS) programmes for
18-35-year-olds, which are delivered
by agencies such as VSO.
 ‘My husband died.
Five years on, I had
our first child’ Long after the tragedy of losing her
young husband to cancer, Angeleen
made the momentous decision
to have his babies through IVF

A
ngeleen Leckie James, 41,
is a project manager. She
lives in Bristol with children
Phoenix, six, and Ia, one.
The day my husband died started
perfectly. It was 8 December 2008
and our closest friends had come
to visit. Nephews, sisters and parents
had popped by and the day was full
of love, smiles and hugs. We had a
curry and put the Christmas tree up,
our favourite tunes playing in the
background. It had been a month since
Chris was diagnosed with an inoperable
brain tumour, and we were savouring
every moment of the five years we
hoped he had to live.
46 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!

Chemotherapy had begun at the Bristol
Royal Infirmary but he was allowed home
for a few hours each day.
Despite the circumstances, we had
the most wonderful evening, laughing
and reminiscing with our friends.
Later that night I took Chris back to
hospital so chemotherapy could resume.
But I knew something wasn’t right. He
was shaking as I helped him into bed. He
fell into a deep sleep and was transferred
to intensive care, where I was told he
would not make it through the night.
A few hours later, as I sang Chris our
song, You are my Sunshine, he passed
away. He was 29.
Chris and I met while working for the
same insurance company in the spring
of 2004 and, by that summer, we knew
we’d found something special. In June
2007, we married then started trying for
a family. I thought Chris would make the
most wonderful father – he was kind,
attentive, protective and laid-back.
Then, in October 2008, we were
burgled. Chris was in the house at the
time and the robbery affected him
badly. Our laptop was stolen, which
meant we lost all our photos, but
I assured him we had a lifetime to take
new photos of new memories.
But Chris seemed inconsolable.
He stopped sleeping and developed
terrible headaches. After a few weeks,
he saw the GP, who prescribed sleeping
tablets, but the headaches continued.
On 28 October, Chris forgot which
house in our street belonged to us.
He was shaken and confused, so I took
him to Bristol Royal Infirmary, where
a scan revealed a lesion on his brain.
By midnight he was having surgery to
take a biopsy. We waited five dreadful
days for the results. There was no easy
way for the doctor to tell us Chris had
an aggressive grade four glioblastoma
brain tumour. With chemotherapy
and radiotherapy, he could hope to
live between one and five years. She
WORDS: KIM WILLIS. PHOTO: MIRRORPIX
suggested the tumour could have been
there for years, but the stress of the
robbery may have triggered it to grow.
We were floored, but held tight to
the positives. Five years was a long time
– and who knew what sort of medical
breakthroughs could happen in that time?
I bought every self-help book going,
convinced I could love him alive. Doctors
wanted to start chemotherapy within
days. It was a brutal treatment plan that
could leave him infertile, so Chris was
asked if he wanted to make a sperm
donation before chemo started and
have his sperm frozen.
We visited the Bristol Centre for
Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) but
Chris was not well enough to give a
sample. During a quiet moment, he
confided in me that if I faced the worst-
case scenario, he’d love to think of
me having his children, but only I could
make that decision. I didn’t want to think
about it. I hoped Chris would have time
to become a parent alongside me.
Chris took a turn for the worse,
slipping into a coma later that day.
The tumour was putting immense
pressure on his brain. When he woke
up at 4am he told me
he loved me. ‘I thought Chris
Chris’ condition
was deteriorating would make the most
rapidly. With only one
day left before his wonderful father
chemo was due to
start, we still had
– he was kind,
no sperm sample.
A Macmillan nurse
attentive, protective
organised a private
room, with a do-not-
and laid-back’
disturb sign and music. Thanks to her,
we got our sperm donation with dignity.
We were thrilled when the BCRM
confirmed it was good quality and we
had a really good chance of having
children from that donation. Chris
was so happy he fist-pumped the air.
The next day, he started radiotherapy
and chemotherapy. After a few sessions he
seemed stable, but it was a false hope. Chris
died only 33 days after he was diagnosed.
Christmas passed in a blur, as did
the months that followed. I missed Chris
with every ounce of my being, and my
life and home felt so empty without him.
In the spring, I spoke to doctors at
the BCRM. When Chris had given his
sample, we’d presumed he would live.
Our circumstances had changed and
I wanted to know if I could still use his
sperm. The consultant advised me not
to make any big decisions for two years,
but assured me I would be eligible for
funding if and when the time came.
So I went to work, I came home. I saw
friends. I was just about surviving on the
the honest truth
treadmill of life. I tried to move on. I went
on a few dates, but no one came close
to Chris. Three years passed. The idea of
having children with Chris only felt more
right. It was not an easy decision, but
I felt sure it was what I wanted.
I started the process but sadly the
first attempt at IVF using Chris’ sperm
failed. I was heartbroken, so I used all
my savings to try again straight away.
This time, it was a success. I’d never
known happiness like it and I couldn’t
stop smiling throughout the pregnancy.
I went into labour with a picture of
Chris beside me and my mum holding
my hand. Our son, Phoenix, was born on
3 January 2014. He was a healthy, happy
miracle of nature, science and love.
As Phoenix grew, I yearned for Chris
to share the joy of our son’s first smile
and first steps. But
as Phoenix flicked his
hair just as Chris had,
I was proud of the
decision I’d made.
When Phoenix
was three, I asked
how he’d feel if
doctors helped me
have another child.
‘Oh yes, Mummy!’
he replied. I’d already
started telling him Daddy had been
poorly, so he’d given his special seed
to doctors to look after, and that was
how he was made. He was so excited by
the thought of becoming a big brother.
Sadly, I miscarried. It was a tough
blow. I was getting older and I knew
my fertility would be declining, so
I was overwhelmed with gratitude
when my mum paid for me to try again.
This time, it worked and I felt the
same pure joy. As I went into labour on
4 July 2018, I once again had a picture of
Chris beside me and my sister holding
my hand. Ia was born nearly 10 years
after her father died, but Chris is still
very much part of our family.
Phoenix has his dad’s mischievousness,
his love of music and sport. Ia has Chris’
eyes and chilled-out temperament.
One day I’d love to meet someone
else, but I’ll never stop loving Chris. He
deserved to be a dad. It’s hard being
a single parent but I have never once
regretted my decision. I am forever
grateful for the gift Chris gave me.
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 47
 JK Rowling
d‘ iagnosedÕ
my MS In a chance meeting, the famous author revealed
a truth to Helen Fowler that was confirmed years later
I
n the early spring of 2006, I was
trudging along the Edinburgh
pavements in harsh sunshine,
with my newborn daughter
asleep in her pram. The cherry trees
were in bloom and the sun was
emerging again after a long winter.
My gait had become ungainly in recent
months; I often stumbled and waddled
slightly, which I’d put down to my recent
pregnancy. As I pushed the pram along,
I spotted another woman about the
same age as me, smartly dressed and
standing alone outside one of the shops.
The woman smiled at me. I felt grateful
Helen, now 52,
pictured here with
her daughter, is
living with relapsing
remitting MS
48 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
for the contact with another adult,
especially someone who seemed – given
the understanding look in her eyes – to
be a mother herself. We started to
exchange pleasantries.
I couldn’t quite place her. She seemed
too much her own person to fit into any
stereotypes – well dressed, but in an
artistic, original way. She also looked oddly
familiar. Did we know each other from
school, I wondered? Or maybe university
or mutual friends?
She said something nice ‘I can’t help
about my baby that filled
me with pride. I couldn’t wishing I’d
stop myself from
commenting on how listened to her
tiring it was looking
after a young baby.
more closely’
‘I’m exhausted all the time,’ I admitted.
She agreed that caring for a newborn
can be tiring.
I’d expected to get my energy back
once my daughter started sleeping
through the night, but my new-found
friend made me think again. Like a bolt
out of the blue, she raised an idea
nobody had ever suggested before.
‘Do you have multiple sclerosis?’
she asked.
‘No. No, I don’t...’ I stammered in
bewilderment, feeling a chill run through
me at the very idea. Why on earth
would anyone think I had MS? It
sounded terrifying. Back then I’d only
ever heard of it in relation to the
cellist, Jacqueline du Pré.
The lady apologised and we went
our separate ways.
It was only as I walked away that
I clocked who she was – none other
than JK Rowling, the Harry Potter author.
My health was fine as far as I was
concerned but I couldn’t stop the worry
from niggling away at the
back of my mind over
the following months.
A couple of years later,
aged 40, I lost the sight in
my right eye, and doctors
warned that it could be
a symptom of MS.
Frightened, I began endless internet
searches and that’s when I realised why
JK Rowling would, of course, be sensitive
to the signs. Her mother had died from
the illness, aged only 45.
In 2014, a full eight years after that
chance encounter with JK Rowling,
I discovered I did indeed have MS, just
as she had guessed from little more
than my odd walk. By that stage, I had a
host of other symptoms too. My balance
was affected and so was my stamina
– I couldn’t walk more than 20 metres
without being exhausted. My memory
 memoir

JK Rowling,
with her baby
sister and her
mum, who sadly
died aged 45

was also impaired; at my worst,
I struggled even to remember the
names of my own children, and my
coordination was so bad I had difficulty
getting to the bathroom without help.
At the moment, I have a relatively
benign form of the illness, known as
relapsing remitting, which means that
I have recovered, to a limited extent, from
WORDS: HELEN FOWLER. PHOTOS: DIE/MPI/CAPITAL
How could JK
Rowling have spotted
Helen’s MS?
Bestselling author JK Rowling tragically
lost her mother to complications
connected to MS in 1990, when her
mum was just 45. Talking about it
MS FACT FILE
MS is a chronic, inflammatory
illness of the central nervous
system that damages the brain
and spinal cord, interrupting the
crucial flow of messages between
different parts of the body.
✢ The most common form of the
illness is ‘relapsing remitting’.
Damage to the nerves is mostly
temporary, and sufferers can
experience full or partial recovery.
✢ In its rarer ‘primary progressive’
form, patients experience a steady
deterioration from the onset.
✢ The illness can affect balance,
vision, swallowing, mobility,
continence and memory, as well
as causing problems with thinking,
learning and planning. Fatigue
is a common problem.
✢ It affects 2.3 million people
around the world, and at least twice
as many women as men, though

some symptoms. But the illness means
I sometimes need a walker to get around,
and the rest of the time I rely on a stick.
I often think back to that sunny day
PICTURES, TWITTER@JK_ROWLING
on Woman’s Hour, she admitted it the reason for that remains unclear.
brought ‘guilt and worry and anxiety’ It’s virtually unknown in countries
into her life. She has subsequently around the equator – its incidence
become a generous benefactor to is higher in more northerly regions.

on a Morningside pavement when JK
Rowling accurately guessed that I had
MS. I can’t help wishing I’d listened to
her more closely. If I’d got help sooner
I might have been able to get medication
to slow down the disease and prevent it
from going on to do so much damage.
institutions involved with the illness.
Last September, she gave a £15.3m
donation to the Anne Rowling
Regenerative Neurology Clinic, a
state-of-the-art centre in the Royal
Infirmary of Edinburgh, founded
in her late mother’s memory.
✢ There is currently no cure, but
treatments can combat symptoms
and help prevent further damage.
✢ For more information, visit the
MS Trust (mstrust.org.uk) and
the MS Society (mssociety.org.uk).
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 49
Flatmates
in our
50s!
Sharing a house isn’t
just for students. More
and more 50-plus
women are choosing
to live with friends,
explains Tanya Pearey

R
emember The Golden Girls?
That iconic US sitcom from
the 1980s where four
women in later life shared
a Florida flat – alongside friendship,
heart-warming storylines and
blistering one-liners? Turns out
they were ahead of their time.
These days, flatmates aren’t just
for university. Increasing numbers of
midlife women are choosing to share
a fridge and the TV remote without
sharing a bed or DNA.
SpareRoom, Britain’s largest
flat-sharing website, reports a 700% rise
over the past decade for women aged
45-54 looking for a flatmate. ‘The
older groups aren’t the
largest groups but they are ‘Maureen
by far the fastest growing,’
says Miriam Tierney from shrieked
the company.
Who wouldn’t relish a seeing Rula
24/7 opportunity to share
woes, an Earl Grey and stark naked…’
Hobnobs with their best
buddy? Or in Maureen Lipman’s case,
soap gossip, camomile tea and
yogurt-coated rice cakes. The comedian
recently revealed that she has started
flat-sharing with fellow actress Rula
Lenska. They moved in together when
both landed roles in Coronation Street
and found themselves filming during
the week in Manchester, miles away
from their London homes, and neither
wanted to spend a small fortune
on hotel stays. Adapting to another
person’s way of life can be a challenge,
as Maureen attested in the Mail on
Sunday: ‘When I came into the kitchen
one night and saw Rula, stark naked
making herself a camomile tea,
I shrieked like a teenager at a prom!’
It’s fair to assume that for most it’s
not a part in Corrie that brings us to
flat-sharing, but finance. Dividing the
running and maintenance costs of your
home between one, two or even three
others can make a huge difference to
your bank balance – a welcome relief
in this current climate of austerity.
The biggest percentage rise in
private rentals in the past decade has
been among those aged between
45 and 54 – up from 11% to 16%,
according to the Office for National
Statistics (ONS) in 2017. That equates
modern life
to an extra 384,000 households.
It could well be that a nationwide
rise in the number of divorces among
women in their 50s is helping fuel
the growth in later-life houseshares.
According to Cohabitas, a flat-sharing
website exclusively for the over-40s,
a change in relationship (divorce,
separation or becoming widowed) was
the main trigger for finding a place to
share. A change in income as a result
of unemployment or retirement was
also a factor. ‘It’s becoming a lifestyle Rula Lenska and
choice for more and more people,’ Maureen Lipman
says Eva Orasch, Cohabitas co-share, just like
co-founder. ‘You don’t have to be The Golden Girls
divorced or separated to benefit did in the 1980s
from housesharing.
The benefits are not
just financial, it’s also
much more fun and you
meet more people.’
If you own your own
home, that spare room
– once the refuge of a
Himalayan-height ironing
pile and the exercise bike you bought
on a whim – can start to look more
like an easy route to some very
welcome extra cash.
Taking in a lodger has never been
more on trend. Presenter Mariella
Frostrup took the plunge, inviting her
best friend to stay in the spare room of as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
her London flat after the friend’s recent Having company at home in later life
divorce and relocation to the capital. is not just good for your mental health,
Mariella wanted to help out but it it means you can share advice as well
was putting an end to lonely midweek as chores, and look out for each other.
nights alone in her flat (her family home Maureen has apparently swapped Rula’s
is now in Somerset) that seems to have morning ritual of black coffee and a
clinched the deal. ‘We are creatures vape for lemon juice, cider vinegar,
who thrive on cayenne pepper and
companionship and ‘You can turmeric mixed with olive
are better for having oil. Rula has bought
to compromise and share advice Maureen detox patches
live with each other’s for her insomnia!
idiosyncrasies,’ and look out Cohabiting means
she declared in you’ll be doing your bit
The Times. ‘Those for each other’ for the environment too
whose only responsibility – sharing resources helps
is to themselves swiftly become our overpopulated planet. ‘It’s not
displeasing to others.’ a bad way for a couple of seasoned
Today one in three people over 65 women of a certain age to spend their
lives alone, compared with just 12% in working lives,’ wrote Maureen. ‘In
1961. Not only can that increase the risk unexpected, warm, caring and
of social isolation, it can be bad for our delightfully entente cordiale.’ Or as
health. Recent research says lacking Blanche, Dorothy and co would have
social connections can be as detrimental said: Thank you for being a friend. >>
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 51
modern life

FLATMATES AGAIN,
30 YEARS LATER!
Three years ago, Sharon
Sweeney invited her long-time
friend and former flatmate David
Hall to live with her in London.
I couldn’t believe my luck. David
and I had become friends when we
flat-shared in our 20s – and here
we were ready to team up again in
our 50s – this time admittedly more
cocoa than caipirinhas.
I’d separated from my husband,
and David, who’d uprooted from
London and his job to care for his This time round
mother until she passed away, was t’s more cocoa
ready to return to the capital. han caipirinhas
Three years later, it’s still working or flatmates
brilliantly IMHO. Financially, it’s a David and Sharon
bonus but most of all I love the
company, having arrange to have dinner together.

‘Financially,
someone to chat to, putting out the wheelie Living with another person brings
and getting his updates bins. He’s also great at a new, different energy to your

it’s a bonus
on everything from the stocking up on cleaning home and, in our case, that means
latest in politics to materials – we now have a laugh every day.

but most of
RuPaul’s Drag Race. a fine feather duster David says: If it is The Golden Girls,
I mainline Radio 4 – though I suspect I do Sharon is very much Dorothy to my

all I love the

while he’s more Good the lion’s share of the Blanche. In the 1980s we lived in each
Morning Britain, and cleaning on account of other’s pocket, with a near constant

company’
he’s a Sunday night being more ‘particular’. parade of friends, late nights, parties
ironer, while I’m We’re both out and clubbing. We tend to do our

JESS ESPOSITO. WALLPAPER: VILLA NOVA RENZO COLLECTION INTONA DEW WALLCOVERING
lastminute.com. socialising with our own own things now, but there’s still
We share the chores and I find mates quite a lot so we don’t seem nothing like a flatmate with whom to

ADDITIONAL WORDS: ANDREW SHAW. PHOTOS: ALAMY, DAVE BENETT/GETTY IMAGES,

it wryly amusing that without even to cramp one another’s style at all share life’s ups and downs – not to
asking he’s assumed the task of – if anything, we keep saying we must mention cheese crackers.

ETIQUETTE FOR GROWN-UP FLATMATES

✣ Be upfront with each other.
If something’s bothering
you, have a chat about it. No
one likes to find a note on a
pile of dirty crockery saying,
‘Will the dish-washing fairy
be doing these?’
✣ Respect each other’s
personal space. It’s not great
when someone barges into
your room unannounced
asking to borrow a hairdryer.
✣ Keep communal areas
tidy and clean. Who wants to
step over someone’s pants
on the bathroom floor?
✣ Have a cleaning rota. If
one person has to do it all,
resentments lead to tension.
✣ Make your own room into
a mini haven. Get a TV or
music system so you don’t
feel pressured to go out if
your flatmate is entertaining,
or for when you just need to
be on your own for a while.
✣ Keep finances transparent
(eg a joint account for bills,
etc). Best to have money
matters above board
and clear from the start.
✣ Never use each other’s
food or toiletries without
permission. Coming home
hungry to find an empty
fridge, or having to ask if
they’ve got your hand cream
is bound to cause friction.
✣ Make sure partners/
friends don’t overstay their
welcome. You share the space
with your flatmate. Having
a boyfriend ‘move in’ for an
extended visit is unfair, and
is an added financial strain.
✣ Which brings us to sex.
Agree on what’s reasonable
in terms of bringing new
partners to the house. Keep
the noise down, and reserve
that languorous Sunday
morning bath together for
occasions when you have
the house to yourself.
✣ Share a ‘when to talk’
protocol. If your flatmate
prefers silence in the
morning, there’s no need
for you to keep up a
bright stream of chat.

52 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!

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 A room
OF MY OWN
Meet six women who’ve discovered the delights of their own creative hideaway

W
hether it’s studying, we moved into our new home it was
painting, sewing or one of the first things we bought.
making pots, doing My passion is gin. I enjoy learning about
something for ourselves the different types, the flavours, the labels,
has a profoundly positive impact the stories and the delicious mixers that
on our wellbeing. And having a go with them. I deliver workshops on the
special place to create in makes subject – and could talk about it all day!
our activities even more enjoyable. To pull the presentations together
I needed a space to focus my thoughts,
so I moved everything into the treehouse.
‘Gin is I have aroma charts there, as well as
bottles, cocktail shakers and glasses.
my tonic’ It’s so much fun – I just curl up in my
comfy armchair and get writing. I love
it when it rains and I’m looking out over
Diana Hinde, 59, is our garden. In the summer I might have a
from Manorbier cheeky little sundowner with friends too.
Newton near Tenby.
I always wanted a ✢ The Big Retreat Wales festival runs from
treehouse, so when 22-25 May 2020; thebigretreatwales.co.uk
54 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
 celebrating our passions

‘My studio is my
happy place’
Bee Thomas, 57, is from Devizes,
Wiltshire.
We have a tranquil little orchard,
which I thought was the perfect place
for a purpose-built art studio. I have
no screen distractions and no Wi-Fi,
so it allows my creativity to flow.
It’s practical too. As a landscape painter
working in oils and mixed media, I create
a lot of mess. Oil paintings take weeks to
dry fully, so having a space for that is vital.
My family are very respectful of my
time in the studio, although at the end
of the day my husband knows he’s
welcome to join me for a glass of red.
When people visit, they are struck
by the studio’s oasis-like quality. I feel
very privileged to have it, but I haven’t
always had a dedicated space to work
in. If you need to create, you’ll find a way,
even if it’s only a corner of the house.
Everyone should have a happy place.

✢ Visit beethomasartist.com >>

‘When people visit, they are struck

by the studio’s oasis-like quality’
 ‘My cosy room puts me in
the mood for writing and
breeds creativity’
Rachael
Lucas, 46,
is from
Southport, Merseyside.
I used to rent an attic space to write
my novels, but I kept finding excuses
not to go. So I decided to convert
a room that never quite had a
purpose into my own space, and
I haven’t looked back since.
I love that I can leave my desk
exactly as it is, and it makes me feel
‘I leave my my work matters. I’ve put in lots of
plants and made my writing room
worries at very cosy – perhaps a little too
cosy, as Tilly, my Basset hound, has
become a big fan of the armchair.
As well as writing, I paint and do
linocutting. Creativity breeds creativity,
and sometimes the best way for me
to get unstuck on a book is to make
something. It’s definitely working, as
this year I’ve managed to write two. I
keep copies of the books I’ve written
on a shelf as a reminder on a tricky
writing day that I CAN do it!
✢ The Telephone Box Library by
Rachael Lucas (Pan Macmillan),
is out now.

the door’
Natasha Harding,
44, is from West
Malling, Kent.
I have practised yoga daily since I was
21. But it isn’t always easy finding your
Zen when you can hear the children
messing about and the washing
machine trundling away.
I wanted a place where I could just
‘be’, and that’s when I had the idea
of building a yoga room in the garden
– somewhere I could
be totally on my ‘When
own. Now, as soon
as I walk into my
I walk into
yoga room, I feel my yoga
much calmer and
more in control. room I feel
Life can be pretty
stressful, working
calmer’
full-time and having two children, one
of whom is autistic, so I feel as if that
space is just for me. It’s all properly
insulated, so I can go out there any
time of the year.
No one would dare interrupt me
– everyone knows it’s my space and
my time so they leave me in peace
– and I spend at least an hour a day
there on my practice. Creating a yoga
room is the best thing I ever did.
56 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
 celebrating our passions

‘Crochet
Corner
has made
me more
sociable’
Shirley Wooding, 80, is from
Northamptonshire.
Even though Crochet Corner is my own
little space, it leads off the sitting room so
I can still be sociable. My husband will sit
and read the newspaper while I crochet,
and sometimes friends come and join me.
Overlooking a sunny garden with
bird feeders makes it a relaxing and
snug place. Having everything to hand,
including stashes of wool ready to be
whipped up into something unique,
along with my own creations, is special.
For a long time I quilted and
embroidered, but arthritic fingers put
a stop to that. I found crochet was less
painful, and it’s actually quite a social
hobby. When I’m not in my cosy corner,
I join friends for craft days. The one at
my local farm is great – crochet and
good food is the perfect combination!

‘For peace of
mind I head renovate the things I pick up from

to my bothy’ charity shops, especially as there’s no

room in the house for more furniture!
I am part of an upholstery group, but
Lucy Turner, 55, is from Emsworth, I taught myself caning from a book.
Hampshire. Sitting in the bothy with the door
The bothy at the end of our garden open in the summer is particularly
was built as a multipurpose lovely, as it looks out onto
outdoor room, but it quickly
became somewhere I’d
‘The bothy my wild flower meadow.
And a sundowner in the
escape to for some peace looks out onto evening is always welcome!
and privacy. I take my cup My latest project is a tiny
of tea, leave my phone
my wild flower chair for my granddaughter
WORDS: ZOE WEST

behind, and prepare myself meadow’ that I rescued from a

for some creative therapy. neighbour’s skip. It’s good
I enjoy upholstery and chair caning, to know that I’ll be turning it into
and this is the perfect space to something lovely again.
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 WHAT IÕVE LEARNED
‘I believe you can
make your own luck’
Women’s ambassador for the United Nations and Loose Women
panellist Saira Khan, 49, shares her wisdom
Think big about what you
want from life. I come from an
immigrant family that had really
humble beginnings. My parents
came from Kashmir. They left all
their family behind and moved
to a small town, Long Eaton in
Derbyshire. We had absolutely
nothing. I shared a bedroom with
my sister while my mum and dad
slept on a mattress in the living
room for 10 years. We lived very
modestly, but that didn’t stop me
wanting more. Your circumstances
shouldn’t stop you from thinking
big – you can make your own
luck by grabbing opportunities
and putting the effort in.
Make sacrifices to get to where
you want. When I was 16 a lot
of my friends went on holiday, but
I worked in a factory to pay for my
driving lessons. Even at university
I was doing the hotel night shift. I also
worked on a Saturday while my friends
would be lying in bed. I sacrificed
a lot of things to buy my first house.
You have to do without sometimes
for the long-term benefit.
You really do reap what you sow.
Even though my mum and dad didn’t
WORDS: SELINA MAYCOCK. PHOTO: ALAMY
have much in life they were very
generous with their love and kindness.
Our door was open to anyone at any
time, which makes you feel good about
yourself, and brings the right people
into your life. As I’ve got older, I see
many people who are really tight and
that’s a trait I can’t bear. We have to
remember that it’s human kindness,
not presents, that makes people happy.
Being a parent is a skill you have to
learn. My husband Steve and I went
on a parenting course to give us the
necessary skills to raise our adopted
daughter Amara and our birth child, Zac.
If you’re finding it difficult, you need to
ask for help. A lot of parents blame it on
the ‘teenage years’ or the ‘terrible twos’
but this behaviour is a sign they need
help, or you need to communicate better.
Have a life away from your children.
Some of my friends take their baby to
work and it is the most important thing to
them. But I’ve got my life and my children
have theirs. I’ve always worked and never
felt guilty. Now I need to be around more
to help with homework, but my children
aren’t hanging off my apron strings. I’ve
made them independent from a
young age. Amara was one when
she went to the childminder’s,
while Zac was just eight months
old. I have a healthier relationship
with them because they’ve been
able to have their own life.
You don’t have to rush into
making a commitment. I knew
getting married would be the
biggest decision I’d ever make so
I took a long time [Saira married at
32] because I was waiting for the
person I wanted to spend the rest
of my life with. You don’t have to
rush into making a commitment
unless you feel it’s 100% right and
it’s based on your values.
Be confident enough to speak
up in a relationship. Equality
is really important. My husband
and I are both equal economically
and when you have that, you have the
right to speak up. A lot of men expect
women to do everything for the children
and if you’re dependent on a partner for
income, it’s difficult to have that balance.
It takes confidence and hard work to get
into an equal relationship, but it takes
the edge off those financial arguments,
which, for many couples, is a big issue.
Without your health, you have
nothing. You have to do a little bit of
exercise every day. It’s been great for
my mental health and sometimes I will
sacrifice work commitments to walk, run
or go to the gym. They say fit is the new
rich and it doesn’t matter how much
money you’ve got – if you don’t have
your health, you have nothing!
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 59
 ‘The Wi-Fi
where I am
isn’ t working’
‘Mum!
My crumpet
is stuck in
the toaster.
How do I
get it out?’

Will our kids ever be

GROWN-UPS?
Fiona Gibson reveals how she’s become an unwitting ‘Google
mum’ who’s expected to have the answer to everything
hen I first had children,

W
it became obvious that
I would have to widen
my skill set. For instance,
I would need to learn to produce
meals that weren’t merely ‘toast’, but
included the expected components
– protein, carbs, vegetables – at least
when the kids had friends round.
Likewise, it seemed expected that
I would take on the role of family
secretary/cheerleader, not only
remembering but pretending
to enjoy those interminable gymnastic
displays that always resulted in
hot-faced children crying feverishly
in a dismal village hall.
However, nothing prepared me for
the most gruelling parenting challenge
of all; that is, to be ‘Google mum’.
60 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
I understand that small children are drink now and laugh in our faces when we
programmed to bombard their parents suggest that, in winter, they might consider
with nonsensical and sometimes quite wearing an insulating outer layer commonly
harrowing questions. ‘How does TV work?’ known as ‘a coat’. But when it comes to
was a regular, I recall. And once, startlingly, domestic dramas, the expectation is that
‘What’s anal sex?’ was we have all the answers
bellowed at me in the
Co-op checkout queue.
In a domestic to everything.
It doesn’t matter if your
That was fine(ish). When
we are the grown-ups drama a mum offspring tower over you,
no longer live at home
and they are the kids, we and have careers of their
accept that it’s our role
to enlighten them by
is required to own. ‘Mum!’ they’ll bleat,
clutching a phone while
barking, ‘I forgot peas!
And lemons! Go grab
Sort It Out pacing around the kitchen.
‘I put a crumpet in the
me some, would you?’ toaster and I can’t get it out!’ A mother
However, it comes as a shock to will be forever required to Sort It Out.
discover that, by the time we are all Jane, a colleague, arrived home
adults, certain aspects have barely recently to find an upturned bowl on
changed at all. Sure, they might pilfer our the kitchen floor. Beside it lay a sheet of

paper with SLUG!! written on it, plus an
arrow pointing at the bowl (her children
are in their 20s). Clearly, no one was
willing to deal with the benign mollusc
when Mum was due home in a couple
of hours. Meanwhile my friend Kerry, who
lives in Glasgow, found herself unusually
stuck for a solution when her 21-year-old
son called her in panic, saying he had just
seen a rat jumping out of a bin – in Vietnam.
‘Maybe you should walk away and try to
forget about it?’ she counselled, which
roughly translated as: What the heck am
I suppose to do about a rat in Vietnam?
My own kids’ issues have occurred
closer to home. When one of our three
moved into a student flat, it became
apparent that I was supposed to Make
The Internet Work – even though I had
no idea which service provider had been
contacted, whether there was a landline,
or even the flat’s address, as all I knew
was that it was ‘near a Chinese takeaway’.
Yet communications-related niggles
are routinely presented for me to fix. Just
this week I was informed, ‘My screen went
weird, then broke.’ When inspected, said
telephonic device appeared to have been
run over by a truck and subsequently
gummed back together with masking
tape, cat hair and unidentified sticky
PHOTOS: ALAMY
goo. Also, it stank of beer.
‘What happened to it?’ I asked.
A shrug. ‘It just broke.’ Likewise, I seem
to be the first port of call whenever an
‘There’s a slug
in the kitchen.
I’ve left it for
you – obvs’
item is lost. I m sure I had my phone in the
taxi,’ I was informed, in panicked tones,
‘but when I borrowed a phone to ring
them, they said the driver doesn’t have it.’
I didn’t know why I was expected to
offer a solution to this. As a woman who
baulks at complaining when coffee is
served cold, I am hardly your go-to person
when someone’s required to go round
and cause a scene in the minicab office.
Perhaps I was supposed to track down the
errant cabbie and wrestle my offspring’s
phone off him? Or was I expected to
perform a dawn raid on his house?
Of course, the main reason why so
many bothersome issues are pinged our
way is that money tends to sort out most
situations – and the generally held view
is that Google mum has cash spilling
out of her ears. So, when the phone
that’s ‘gone weird’ is handed to me,
the gist is, ‘Please get me a new one.’
‘This is ridiculous,’ I retort. ‘I can’t just
get a new one. When I was your age, I cared
for my possessions. I respected money, I – ’
‘Yeah, but is it insured?’ my kid cuts
in. By this point, the young person has
generally lost interest because, from their
point of view, mothers are the insurance
– there in the background, requiring no
thought or attention until a mishap occurs.
I realise this sounds like terrible
mollycoddling, and that if we had
performed our parenting duties correctly
then our fully grown offspring would be
entirely self-sufficient and sorting our
straight-talking woman
phone/slug issues (‘Don’t worry, Mum.
You just sit down while I deal with that’).
I’m aware, too, that in ye olden days,
no one would have expected a parent
to fix anything once they’d reached
the age of around seven.
When he was 12, my husband Jimmy
was bought new jeans by his mother. As
they didn’t have much money, this was
pretty major event. A few days later,
isaster occurred when he fell over and
ipped them at the knee. Did he rush
ome and foist them upon his mum to
end? No, he did not. Off he took himself
Woolworths, where he explained to
sympathetic (older auntie type) sales
sistant that he needed something to
them – ‘ideally secretly, invisibly’ – so
s mum would never know. The kindly
oman recommended a bonding agent,
d issued detailed instructions so
mmy was able to mend the jeans
and his mum was never any the wiser.
Times have changed, and now no
one can mend anything and nothing
is ever fixed. In a similar situation, if
I were to utter such archaic terms such
as ‘Woolworths’ and ‘Bondaweb’ to
my adult offspring, they’d shake their
heads in bafflement and walk away.
Which reminds me, I must give them
a needlework tutorial sometime.
But right now I’m trying to magically
enlarge a tiny sweater that one of
my sons shrunk in the wash.
✣ Fiona’s new novel, When Life Gives
You Lemons, is published by Avon
MUUUM, CAN
YOU HELP?
✣ The sighting of a rodent in
the house.
✣ Ditto a mouldy loaf in the
bread bin.
✣ The medicating of self-inflicted
minor health issues, eg hangovers.
✣ The sourcing of scissors,
tweezers, Sellotape, chargers etc.
✣ Dealing with Father’s Day – for
their dad.
✣ Posting anything that has to go
via the post office (‘A logistical
nightmare,’ declares my son).
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 61
ADVERTISEMENT

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I was so happy – and so
was President Obama!
World-famous Chilean novelist Isabel Allende recalls the joy of
being awarded America’s highest civilian honour
T
his picture was taken when
I received the Presidential
Medal of Freedom from
President Obama in 2014.
It’s one of those happy moments – for
me, of course, but I think also for the
President – because he was able to
choose who received the awards.
I’d been to the White House before.
When the Chilean
President visited Clinton
I was invited to attend,
‘I am 5ft short,
as I’m a Chilean writer, and so the Obamas
I sat between the President
and Hillary Clinton. would have had
This time was different
because I was a special to kneel to be
guest. I took my then-
husband, my son and at my level’
daughter-in-law.
The security to get into the White
PHOTO: GTRES/PA IMAGES
House was very strict. We had to wait in the
street until it was time to go in. Then they
checked our identity details and it turned
out that the papers for my son were
incorrect. I had made a mistake – can you
imagine? Instead of writing his date of
Isabel with Michelle
and Barack Obama
birth as 1966, I had put 1963. He wasn’t
able to get in until about an hour before
the ceremony started!
Although it’s a very formal event, it’s
also very intimate. First we had a tour of
the White House, then we were taken to
a special room set out with chairs for the
guests, and Obama gave a speech about
each person. He said a few lovely things
about me, talking about my
work, and the foundation
I set up in honour of my late
daughter, which supports
vulnerable women and
children, mainly in Chile and
California. The theme of
immigration was very much
in the air, and I think he was
honouring the contribution
of Latino immigrants to the US.
I was smiling so much when he placed
the award around my neck and gave
me a hug. Then we had the pictures
and a buffet reception.
The photo shows President and Mrs
Obama with me in the middle. They are
particularly tall and I am very short – 5ft in
my life in a picture
fact – so the photograph is very funny
because they were joking about kneeling
so we could all be at the same level for
the photos. They said they had read my
books and were very kind and lovely.
I was one of the last to leave, so
I got to see the party that was held for
the staff – it was just like the buffet for the
dignitaries and Obama showed up to
thank them.
This event reminds me of the time
I carried the Olympic flag at the Turin
Olympics in 2006. I was between Sophia
Loren and Susan Sarandon, and felt
completely out of my league. I’m the
least athletic person – exercise is when
I walk my dog to get a cappuccino!
My greatest achievement has been giving
birth to my two children,
but both these honours
were times of pure joy.
✣ Isabel Allende’s
latest novel, A Long
Petal of the Sea,
is out now (£16.99,
Bloomsbury)
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 63
 BRAND NEW DIRECTIONS
We make
FITNESS
our business!
A passion for exercise and wellbeing has inspired these three entrepreneurs
‘80 people turned up to my first class’
Sarah Goldsack, 52, lives in
Godstone, Surrey with her husband
Al and three sons. After being
diagnosed with muscular dystrophy,
she launched inclusive fitness
classes, Paracise, in 2017.
THE IDEA
I’ve worked as a fitness instructor
all my life, but I began to get weak
on my right side, which made me trip
and fall over. I was diagnosed with
muscular dystrophy in 2014. I was still
teaching 20 classes a week, but in
2016, I ruptured two ligaments in my
knee. My consultant said he would
operate, but I’d have to give up
teaching and might never be able to
walk again, which was a terrible shock.
After the operation, I was determined
to get back on my feet, and exercise
was my best chance of doing that,
so I began to do exercises for three
minutes whenever I could, working
with the pain. After six weeks,
I returned to see the surgeon, who
said, ‘Whatever you’re doing, bottle
it and get other people to do it.’
That comment sowed the seed
for the idea of Paracise.
64 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT BREAKTHROUGH
I sat in so many hospital waiting rooms MOMENT
and asked patients what exercise When instructors outside my area
they did, to which they said nothing, called me, I thought, ‘Crikey, this is
because there was nothing for them. amazing.’ I have instructors in America
So I created a programme for people and Australia saying they love it.
with limited movement and put it to I quickly realised I needed to get
fabulous music. I launched it alongside on top of it with marketing.
the classes I already ran and
80 people turned up STEEPEST
to the first one – people LEARNING CURVE
who had stopped
exercising because TOP TIP
Know your customer, and
Working out how to
reach people on a
they found it too tiny budget. I have
hard, older people, do it because you feel to reach instructors,
those going through passionate about it, not customers and
chemotherapy, or just because you’re going to healthcare professionals
people who were unfit make lots of money. at the same time. The
and too intimidated to go answer is to get into the
into a normal class. I realised media – most of my customers
then I had a good idea. Other read newspapers and magazines
instructors across the country – and while I’m not embarrassed about
heard about it and contacted me, my story, telling it is difficult. I know it
so I created an instructor training inspires people and I’m very strong
programme. I had a website built, and positive, but there were times
created the online training, had it when it affected my mental health.
assessed and launched in January 2017.
Fitness professionals pay £199 for the WHERE I AM NOW
training, then £19.99 a month for the I have 200 instructors across the UK,
licence, music and choreography. and tens of thousands of people a
Sarah started
Paracise, a
gentle exercise
programme

week taking classes. We’ve made a

DVD and an online 20-minute routine
that people can do at home.
I’ve had an offer of investment to
grow it and am looking to take Paracise
to Australia.
I’m also developing another concept
called Wobble, a sit-to-stand class for
those who can’t do a standing class for
45 minutes. This will be live in spring. >>

BUSINESS BREAKDOWN
Start-up costs: £10,000
Comprising…
Website: £4,000
Videos for online training: £3,000
Music licensing: £2,000
Marketing: £1,000
Turnover: £30,000
paracise.com

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 65


TOP TIP
Stay positive, even
if you think you can’t
do it any more.
Don’t be afraid to
make cold calls.
‘I couldn’t find flattering fitness
wear – so I made it myself ’
Claire Turpin, 40, lives in Manchester
with her husband Simon and two
daughters. She launched sustainable
shaping fitness wear brand Contur
in July 2019.
THE IDEA
I had a career in HR recruitment and ran
my own consultancy, but I was also a
qualified fitness instructor. After I had
my first daughter, I put on weight and
wanted to get back into exercising,
but couldn’t find any flattering fitness
gear. Most leggings are so low cut, they
sit under your belly and make you feel
self-conscious. It’s fine when you’re
20, but when you’re a mum with a few
lumps and bumps, it’s not. So I started
researching how to make them.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
I came up with the idea in January 2018
and found some recycled sculpting fabric
from Italy. I had no design or technology
background, but was fortunate enough
66 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
Claire in her own
shape-enhancing
activewear
to get in front of social enterprise
manufacturers in August last year. I got
a £25,000 start-up business loan and
put in my own savings, got a designer,
and from September to December we
made samples. We went into production
in February, ready to launch last July.
The initial production was 23 styles
from sizes extra-small to extra-large.
I did a lot of research with school
mums and gym members, and everyone
told me exercise leggings are too
see-through and make them feel gross.
Contur is all about making you feel and
look good – whether you’re walking the
dog or going to the gym. Whatever your
figure is, it sculpts around your body.
We launched online and on Instagram
and have had a really good response
from key fitness people and customers.
BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT
Getting orders from strangers, who then
posted pictures of themselves in the
clothes on Instagram, felt like a massive
achievement. In the first three months,
we were in two fitness magazines, which
made me so proud.
STEEPEST LEARNING CURVE
Underestimating the cost of things – you
have to price up every single thing. I’ve
started streamlining now. Also, when you
set up a new business like this, everyone
wants to join it, but it’s about working
with great mentors, not just those who
want to make money quickly.
WHERE I AM NOW
I’m doing lots of events throughout the
UK and, as orders increase, I’m looking
at getting new premises for the stock.
I’m hoping to bring out new lines and
am looking at a yoga range for next year.
I’m not paying myself anything for the
first year. I’ll just reinvest into the business
– people are often shocked by this but
it’s the reality of starting a business.
BUSINESS BREAKDOWN
Start-up costs: £50,000
Comprising…
Product design and
manufacture: £29,000
Branding, packaging and
marketing: £18,000
Business set-up: £3,000
Projected turnover:
approx £43,000 for first year
conturuk.com

‘My mission is to help empower women’
Lesley Waldron, 43, lives in a village
outside Bristol with her husband
Rick and two children. In 2015, she
founded a personal training and
health coaching business, Wild
Country Woman.
THE IDEA
In 2014, after suffering from chronic sleep
deprivation (my son, then two, was
waking several times a night) and stress
at work, I had one of those ‘there must
be more to life’ moments. I wanted to
take control of my life, so I quit my job
as a policy advisor in higher education
and, as I was interested in health and
wellbeing, I took an entry-level fitness
qualification. I then started Fit4Tots with
a friend, running exercise classes for
children. Giving up a salary and a career
was frightening, but with the help of
my savings, and the support of my
husband, we made it work.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
While I enjoyed running the kids’ classes,
I felt my mission lay in offering support
TOP TIP
Listen to your instinct.
Someone might persuade
you into a great business
idea, but if your heart
isn’t in it, it’s not
worth pursuing.
WORDS: KERRY PARNELL AND CHRIS MORLEY. PHOTOS: SARAH LITTLER
and advice to help empower women
over 40 who, like me, were juggling work
and family commitments, and perhaps
experiencing hormonal changes caused
by the menopause and perimenopause.
So after qualifying as a personal trainer,
I set up Wild Country Woman. After
creating a website, I started to recruit
clients through word of mouth, plus
a few ads in a local magazine. As well
as personal training, I offered outdoor
fitness classes, ran coaching and
small-group running courses. All my
classes take place outdoors – in parks,
woodland or countryside – as I believe
in the power of spending time in nature.
BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT
When I first began the business, I set
myself a modest financial target each
month. A couple of years on, I realised
I’d tripled my target. It was so satisfying
to see that my business was sustainable.
STEEPEST LEARNING CURVE
I hadn’t anticipated how much time
and effort is needed for marketing and
brand new directions
social media. I had to learn how to build
a digital following.
WHERE I AM NOW
As well as continuing with my classes and
coaching (I run seven classes a week
and give one-to-one training for up to
six clients), my goal for 2020 is to take
more of the business online. Using video
tutorials and online coaching, I aim to
extend the courses I offer. I also offer
seasonal day retreats, which are a mix of
mindfulness, meditation and relaxation,
to set women in sync with the seasons.
BUSINESS BREAKDOWN
Start-up costs: £3,250
Comprising…
Training: £3,100 (three courses)
Logo and flyers: £150
Turnover: approx £30,000
wildcountrywoman.com
Lesley helps
women feel good
from the inside out
promotional feature
A feast for
FOODIES
Tickle your taste buds as you dine around
the world with MSC Cruises
O
ne of the most appealing
things about going away is
the food. From fine dining
to casual eats, here we look
at why there’s something for every
occasion on an MSC Cruises holiday.
ALL-INCLUSIVE DINING
With MSC Cruises the basic fare includes
all your food in the buffet and the main
dining room. If you find it hard to make
up your mind, the buffet is the place
for you, with a wide selection of dishes
available 20 hours a day. For something
more formal, choose a sit-down meal
in the main dining room with waiter
service – the best part is, the menus
are different every day of the cruise.
MICHELIN-STARRED MEALS
Pay a little extra for the chance to enjoy
meals by Michelin-starred chefs. On
MSC Seaside and MSC Seaview you’ll
find Asian Market Kitchen, by chef
Roy Yamaguchi. From a sushi bar to a
Teppanyaki restaurant, Roy’s heritage
has inspired the vast array of dishes
available. Spanish chef Ramón Freixa
is behind Hola! Tapas (top image)
68 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
on board MSC Grandiosa, MSC
Bellissima and MSC Meraviglia.
DRINKS WITH A VIEW
Looking for a glamorous pre- or post-
dinner drink? Whether you want to check
out the elegant Champagne Bar, or
watch the sunset from the Sky Lounge
(above), you’ll be clinking glasses in style.
CULINARY ADVENTURES
IN NEW PLACES
There are ample opportunities to dive
into the local cuisine ashore. From a
visit to the vineyards of Messina, to
sampling street food in Barcelona, you’ll
get a real flavour of wherever you are as
you explore a different port every day.
MSC BELLISSIMA
FOOD FACTS
✢ Lots of the food is freshly made
on board, from mozzarella to
croissants. Chefs are working round
the clock to deliver up to 15,000
croissants every day.
✢ At the Jean-Philippe Chocolat &
Café, you’ll find 16 types of chocolate
bars, 13 types of macarons and 40
chocolate products and biscuits.
✢ For Champagne lovers there are
over 20 varieties of Champagne
that you can enjoy in one of the 20
bars and lounges around the ship.
To book, go to msccruises.co.uk
or call 0203 429 4056

SMART
with money Faith Archer’s top tips on
how to spend smarter – and
save money – this month
Thrifty trick
Treat headaches and
other illnesses for less,
by ditching big brand
medicines and switching
to generic versions with
identical active ingredients.
Own-brand or unbranded
medicines can cost a fraction
of big brands. For example,
*ACCORDING TO THE INTERACTIVE INVESTOR GREAT BRITISH RETIREMENT SURVEY
500mg paracetamol caplets
PHOTOS: ALAMY, GETTY IMAGES, GETTY IMAGES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY.
might cost £1.69 in an
Anadin box, but only 40p
as Boots’ own brand, while
the same quantity of 200mg
ibuprofen caplets cost £2.29
as Nurofen, but only 45p
as Value Health Ibuprofen.
Under-60s can even save
on £9-a-pop prescription
medicines if you need two
or more a month, by paying
upfront. NHS ‘prescription
prepayment certificates’
cost £29.10 for three
months or £104 for 12
months and allow as many
prescriptions as you need.
FOR MORE MONEY-SAVING TIPS
your finances
TREAT
YOURSELF
Here’s your chance to nab free
beauty treats for your birthday.
If you sign up for the Love
Your Body Club at The Body
Shop, among other benefits
you’ll get sent a £5 voucher
to use within a month of your
birthday. Meanwhile, the
Need to know
Debenhams Beauty Club
offers birthday treats in Which makes you feel more awkward and
selected stores, such as a free uncomfortable – talking about sex or money?
Elizabeth Arden facial. Turns out money is the biggest taboo. Almost half of us
Elsewhere, members of the avoid discussions about money, and a quarter have lied
Space NK N.dulge loyalty about their finances, according to research by Lloyds Bank.
programme get emailed Tackling the money taboo is vital to stop financial
a code for a birthday paralysis, shift any debts and get started on saving
gift, to be collected money – and even saving your relationship.
in store or added Financial pressures are the leading cause of marriage
to an online order, break-ups, according to solicitors Slater and Gordon.
while Elemis Almost a third of people don’t know how much their
sends a birthday partner earns, while more than half don’t know how
offer of £10 off much debt their partner has*, which could leave you
a £25 spend vulnerable in the event of divorce.
to newsletter So ditch the embarrassment and start an uninhibited
recipients. chat about your relationship with money.
This month I’m... paying less for parking.
Check out JustPark, the Airbnb of parking, if you want to save on parking spaces,
or make money by renting out your driveway. I love being able to reserve a spot
near our local station, at times when the station car park will
be rammed, and it’s cheaper too. Super easy to search, book
and pay via the JustPark app, and perfect for occasions such as
concerts or sports matches when you want to be sure of a space.
visit Faith’s blog at muchmorewithless.co.uk
 FASHION & BEAUTY
If you buy one thing this month
INVEST IN A SECOND SKIN
Move over leopard, there’s a new print in town! Snakeskin is set to
be big news this spring, but if you don’t fancy a head-to-toe look,
try adding a python accent to your outfit by experimenting with
accessories. From luxe-looking boots to chic totes and clutch
bags, any of these pieces will instantly
add interest to your outfit. Pair your
snakeskin with neutral shades for
an expensive designer look, but
at brilliant high-street prices.
COMPILED BY: ELOISA JOHNSON. PHOTO: XAVIER YOUNG

Clockwise from top: Over-the-knee

boots, £119, Zara. Bag, £75, Dune
London. Clutch bag, £125, French
Connection. Mini bag, £19.99, Zara.
Ankle boots, £49.99, Mango

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 71

 HELLO
NEW
SEASON!
Here’s our pick of the high street’s
most wearable spring trends
FASHION DIRECTOR: PAULA MOORE

JOHN LEWIS
& PARTNERS
The effortless midi dress is
here to stay! Opt for flattering
design features like arm-slimming
elbow-length sleeves and
leg-lengthening tiered hems.
Dress, £89, sizes 8-18, AND/OR
at John Lewis & Partners; watch,
£115, Paul Hewitt; earrings, £65,
Missoma; rings, from £40, all
Olivia Burton; boots, £49.99, Zara
 style inspiration

REISS
Invest in a suit this spring
and it will provide plenty
of options. Wear the blazer
with jeans and a T-shirt or
the tailored trousers with a
billowing blouse to completely
transform this classic design.
Blazer, £265, trousers,
£150, both sizes 4-16, Reiss;
earrings, £50, rings, from £40,
all Olivia Burton >>
 M&S
Good news! M&S has launched
a range of fabulous fit jeans so
there’s something to suit all
shapes and sizes. Why not try
on-trend double denim paired
with a waist-defining belt?
Denim shirt, £29.50, sizes 6-24,
belt, £12.50, jeans, £19.50, sizes
6-24, trainers, £29.50, all M&S;
earrings, £5, Accessorize; rings,
from £40, all Olivia Burton
 style inspiration

Bag, £25, M&S Collection

Jumper, £55,
sizes 6-24,
Autograph
at M&S

Blazer, £199,
sizes 6-24,
Autograph

W&H
at M&S

EXPERT
Jumpsuit, £65,
sizes 6-24,
PICKS
M&S
Collection

Shoes, £45,
M&S Collection

Leather skirt,
£199, sizes 6-24,
Autograph
Jeans, £25,
at M&S
sizes 6-24,
M&S
Collection

Dress, £39.50, sizes 6-24,

M&S Collection >>
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 75
 JD WILLIAMS
Wearing chiffon in the day is now
big news. It’s lightweight, skims
rather than clings and doesn’t
need ironing – so we love it!
Dress, £65, sizes 10-32,
JD Williams; earrings, £5,
Accessorize; rings, from £40, all
Olivia Burton; boots, £119, Zara

76 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!

 style inspiration

NEXT
Seventies chic is big news for
2020 – think busy, bold prints
worn with a pleated maxi skirt
– while retro tan accessories
pull the whole look together.
Top, £18, skirt, £46, both sizes
6-22, boots, £49, all Next;
earrings, £45; rings, from £40,
all Olivia Burton >>
 JO CLAYTON USING DERMALOGICA SKINCARE AND BARE MINERALS MAKE-UP.
ASSISTED BY: BECKY JOINER-O’RIORDAN AND EMMA WHITE. HAIR & MAKE-UP:

MODEL: COCO MITCHELL AT MRS ROBINSON MANAGEMENT

DAMART
Palm prints were once crazy
and colourful, but now there’s
a more sophisticated way to
wear a jungle print. Teamed
with cowboy boots, you’ll be
trialling two trends at once!
Dress, £45, sizes 10-28, Damart; belt,
£35, Black & Brown at Net-a-Porter;
earrings, £50, screampretty.com;
rings, from £40, all Olivia Burton;
boots, £179, Carvela
78 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
 style inspiration
Trousers, £35,
sizes 10-28,
Damart

Jacket, £39,
sizes 10-28,
Damart

Dress, £49,
sizes 10-28,
Damart

W&H Trousers,

EXPERT £25, sizes

10-28,

PICKS
Damart

Trousers,
£29, sizes
10-28, Jacket, £39,
Damart sizes 10-28,
Damart

Blouse, £25, sizes

10-28, Damart

Bag, £25,
Damart

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 79

 Easy style
UPDATES
Refresh your wardrobe with four key catwalk trends

+ =
Cardigan,
£125, sizes
6-18, LK
Bennett

CLASSIC UPDATE Trench and florals STYLE

Coat, £159, Skirt, £150, A bold floral print instantly updates TIP

JASON WU
sizes s-l, Zara sizes 6-18, a timeless trench coat. Bright Co-ordinating
LK Bennett blooms lift the neutral shade accessories
– wear as a two-piece for impact add a pop of
or mix and match with other colour
items in your wardrobe.

= CLASSIC
Skirt, £65,
sizes 8-16,
Great
+ UPDATE
Top, £125,
sizes 6-18,
LK Bennett
Jacket, £119, sizes
4-16, Whistles

Plains

Midi skirt and

Bag, £129, Kurt Geiger
sporty knit
The mid-calf length of this skirt
flatters whether you’re petite
or tall. The new way to wear it
this spring is with a lightweight,
PRADA

sporty knit. Add trainers and

a utility jacket for a relaxed
Trainers, £79, Hotter outfit, perfect for the weekend.
80 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
 how to wear it
Belt, £78, Black
& Brown at

+ =
Net-a-Porter

CLASSIC UPDATE
Trousers,
£75, sizes
Blazer, £199, 6-20,
sizes 6-16, Boden
Baukjen
Top, £49, sizes
8-20, John
Lewis &
Partners

ERMANNO SCERVINO
Blazer and rope belt
Whether you dress it up or down, it’s worth
Shoes, £120,
investing in a simple blazer. Give it a seasonal
Dune London
update with a rope belt, as seen at many of
the runway shows. It’s great for highlighting
your waist, while adding a chic nautical touch.

STYLE
TIP
Swap shoes
for sandals
as the weather
warms up

= CLASSIC
Trousers,
£95, sizes
6-16, Paisie
+ UPDATE
Top, £32, sizes xs-xl,
Vero Moda

Shoes, £80,
COMPILED BY: ELOISA JOHNSON. PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

Dune London

Bag, £65, Dune London Chinos and

ALBERTA FERRETTI

ruffle blouse
Lightweight trousers are versatile and suit all
shapes. This style sits high on the waist, falls
loosely over the hips and skims the thighs.
Add a feminine touch with a ruffled blouse
worn tucked in to emphasise your waist.

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 81

 CHIC
at every
AGE!
Our amazing readers show how to
look effortlessly stylish this spring
MUM &
DAUGHTER
SPECIAL

FLORAL
FANCY
Deborah, 57, lives in Tyne
and Wear and works as a PA.
A dusty pink suede biker
jacket gives a soft, smarter
feel than leather.

Refresh your jumpsuit with

a contrasting thin belt.

When wearing print, pick

out colours and use them to
work with your accessories.
Deborah’s turquoise earrings
and lime green bag both
complement this pattern.
82 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
Jacket, £45, jumpsuit, £52, both sizes 6-22, Next;
belt, £30, Boden; bag, £75, Whistles; earrings,
£73, Ottoman Hands; necklace, £129, Missoma;
rings, Deborah’s own; shoes, £250, LK Bennett
 real fashion

POLKA PRETTY
Libby, 29, lives in London and works as a
customer service manager for British Airways.

A thin wool coat is the

perfect spring cover-up.
Choose classic neutrals,
such as blue, grey
and beige, rather than
heavy black.

Accessories don’t need

to match exactly, but
they need to work
side by side. Emerald
green pulls Libby’s bag
and shoes together,
while the sculptural
heel mirrors the bag’s
quirky design. >>

This on-trend
polka-dot wrap
dress has a
pretty tie-back
Coat, £249, sizes to highlight
xs-l, Massimo Dutti; your waist.
dress, £229, sizes
xs-l, Ted Baker;
bag, £225, Lulu
Guinness; earrings,
£12.50, Next;
rings, Libby’s
own; shoes,
£139, Kurt Geiger

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 83

 The simple
design of a
thin wool
bomber jacket
is both modern
and ageless.
Silky culottes are
ideal for easy
dressing. The wide,
flowing design
flatters all body
shapes, especially
petites like Meikle
Hope, who is just
over 5ft. The most
flattering length
finishes above your
ankle bone.

Boden’s
snakeskin flats
have been given
a contemporary
twist with their
COOL CULOTTES striped stretch
backs. Comfy
Meikle Hope, 78, lives in the West and stylish?
Midlands and is an ex-retail consultant. Yes please!

PHOTOGRAPHS: LIZ McAULAY. FASHION EDITOR: HANNAH HUGHES. HAIR & MAKE-UP: KATIE PETTIGREW USING
GLOSSIER, AND CHARLOTTE GASKELL USING PAUL MITCHELL HAIR. FASHION ASSISTANT: MANUELA RIO TINTO

Jacket, £89, trousers, £89, both sizes xs-l, Cos;

blouse, £60, sizes 6-22, shoes, £90, both Boden;
bag, £89, Ted Baker; jewellery, Hope’s own
 real fashion

ASYMMETRIC STYLE
Nayna, 57, lives in South Oxfordshire. She is
the founder and CEO of womens wear label
Hope Fashion – named after her mum!

Pastel accessories
work well with pale
shades – we love this
combination of soft
pink and mint green.

Skim your tummy

by choosing pieces
that are designed
not to be tucked in.
A body-sculpting
vest worn under
thin knits will avoid
unsightly bra lines.

Silver accessories
work beautifully with
the light tones.

Top, £135, skirt, £95, sizes 10-20, both

hopefashion.co.uk; bag, £99, John Lewis &
Partners; earrings, £45, opalandiris.com; stone
ring, £30, proenzajewellery.com; other rings,
Nayna’s own; boots, £275, LK Bennett

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 85

 It’s all
IN THE
DETAILS
Our resident style guru Amber
Graafland shows how to update any
outfit with the latest accessories

E
very season brings
CHLOE S/S 20

a set of shiny new

rules, but like
you, I’m not a slave
to fashion and I refuse to
follow trends religiously.
To be honest, all I really
want to do is elevate and
reinvigorate what I already
own. Over the years, I’ve
learned accessories are the
easiest and most affordable
ways to do this – for me
they’re the building blocks
of every outfit, with the
power to transform even
the most boring basics.
The good news is, there
are some exciting new trends
shaping the season ahead.
FROM
The most significant one
RUNWAY
for me is the return of the TO YOU
giant tote. I’ve spent years
downsizing and squeezing
everything I own into a
small-but-perfectly-formed – you’ll be pleased to know
cross-body bag, but trends that there are some practical
now dictate that the oversized pieces we can all embrace.
version is making a comeback. My favourite is the
Once you discard some of re-emergence of the glasses’ Shirt, £59, trousers, £79, both
next season’s less wearable chain. Never has a fashion sizes 32-44, Cos; bracelet,
looks – I don’t know about you, trend been more useful £295, Monica Vinader; ring,
but I won’t be stepping out this – no more lost glasses, plus £225, Celine; red camera
summer in skimpy lingerie à la it has the added benefit of ‘A’ bag, £275, London tote in
Gucci or in Gothic head-to-toe looking 100% on trend at brown croc, £650, both Aspinal
black (with tights) at Chanel all times. It’s a win-win! of London; trainers £110, Veja
86 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!

1
2
TAKE A BOW
Look out for the next hot
arrival on the high street – the
detachable pussy bow, as
seen at leading Italian fashion
house, Fendi. But until they
1
arrive, can I suggest trying
this fantastic blouse from
LK Bennett? It’s just the
right side of dressed
up, and the soft pink is
universally flattering for
all skin tones. In addition,
it’s the perfect layering
piece for teaming with a
classic blazer, or pairing
with a lightweight knit
or cardigan. Just add a
pleated midi skirt and
you’re good to go! Holzer
candy stripe blouse, £150,
sizes 6-18, LK Bennett
2
TEMPTING
TASSELS
From swishy earrings to
statement necklaces,
fringe-like adornments add
catwalk-chic to even the
most casual outfit. The high
street has been taking cues
from Celine, which was
3
hands down the most
inspirational show when it
came to accessories. Double
denim was brought to life
with long gold tassel
necklaces that are set to be
one of this season’s most
sought-after pieces. Wear
with flared jeans, a crisp white
4
shirt and a fitted blazer for
an effortless daytime look.
Gili 14ct gold plated tassel
necklace, £145, Annie Haak
3
PEARLY
QUEENS
Favoured by queens in history
to reflect onto their skin to
5
create a radiant glow, pearls
are classics that stand the test
of time. This season, designers
gave them a directional twist
by embellishing everything
from belts and brooches to
ageless style
handbags. So now’s the time
to unearth your favourite
pearls – real or faux. This bag
from Kurt Geiger ticks lots of
trend boxes, thanks to its size
and eclectic use of contrasting
materials – raffia, sequin, chain
and pearl – which shouldn’t
work together, but totally do!
Mini Kensington pearl
handle bag, £109,
Kurt Geiger
4
IN THE
SHADE
With a strong 70s influence
dominating the runways,
this summer’s sunglasses are
big and brilliantly bold. In
contrast to last year’s narrow
and understated Matrix
shades, this year’s styles are
not for the faint-hearted.
But if you like your shades
to make a statement,
you’re going to be spoilt for
choice. The best thing about
outsized sunglasses is that
they add instant glamour
and make you feel like a movie
star even in your joggers.
Jackie O, eat your heart out!
Red oversized carved
acetate sunglasses,
£260, Loewe
5 IT’S HIP TO
BE SQUARE
This season’s shoe trend is
shaping up to be a chunky
block heel. Not only is it the
most fashionable way to put
a stylish foot forward, it’s
also the most comfortable.
But a word of warning – it’s
not the daintiest of footwear
and can look a bit clumpy.
So look out for an elegant
slingback style that will
lend a more feminine touch
to your outfit. Opt for a neutral
shade like cream and you’ll
be able to wear them with
just about everything!
Block heel slingbacks,
£29.50, M&S >>
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 87
 6 JOIN THE
6
SMART SET
Once reserved for royalty,
matching jewellery sets –
called a suite or a parure
– are gaining gravitas this
season. Opt for the perfect
pairing of gold earrings and
a bold necklace to give a
polished touch to any outfit.
For maximum style points,
add a matching bracelet.
The aim is to make your
look appear as careful and
considered as possible.
7
Invest now and you’ll
probably end up wearing
your set with just about
everything. Large 18ct
gold curb chain necklace,
£750; gold eternity earrings,
£135, both Tilly Sveaas
7 TOO
COOL
FOR SCHOOL
For most of us, our last foray
8
into the world of hair clips was
at school. But this growing
trend will have you reminiscing
about butterfly clips, velvet
bows and retro scrunchies.
The humble hair clip has now
cemented itself firmly back on
the must-have list, with the likes
of Gucci, Chanel and Burberry
all getting in on the action.
But while the Gucci crystal hair
10
slide costs a pricey £580, Zara
has an equally stylish selection
starting at more modest
9
prices. Rhinestone hair clips,
£12.99 for two, Zara
8
CHAIN
GANG
There are some trends none
of us could ever predict – and
this is one of them. The chain
your gran used to hang her
glasses on around her neck
has suddenly become the
height of cool. It all started
when Gucci sent models
down the catwalk wearing
88 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
oversized sunglasses with big
chunky chains. While you’d
never opt for something this
extreme, there are plenty of
more ladylike versions around.
And you’ll never waste time
looking for your glasses again.
Monkey chain in yellow
gold, £120, Frame Chain
9
FLORAL
FANCIES
The corsage is back from
2008, when it was a must-have
accessory championed by
Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and
the City. Yves Saint Laurent
and Victoria Beckham opted
for chic, understated black
blooms on the runway, while
bright shades ruled at Louis
Vuitton. The corsage, or
boutonnière, is ideal for
updating last season’s tailoring
trend – pin yours to the lapel
of a blazer or embellish a silk
blouse for a catwalk-inspired
look. Peony corsages, £12
each, Crown and Glory at
Notonthehighstreet.com
10
MAKE
ROOM
FOR MICRO
MINIS
Thankfully, I’m not talking
about skirts! From Celine’s
finger-sized case to Dior’s
AirPod purse, accessories have
gone from mini to micro for
spring. It’s no longer about
finding a one-size-fits-all bag,
but about adding as much arm
candy as you can. Obviously
carrying more than one bag
isn’t entirely practical, but
these tiny add-ons can simply
PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES, LIZ McAULAY
attach to your existing bag.
Dior’s monogrammed AirPod
case is available to pre-order
for £260, but Anthropologie
has an equally covetable
version for a fraction of the
designer price tag. AirPod
case, £20, Anthropologie
 Get
25%OFF
PRAI Beauty
with LookFantastic.com
A brilliant offer from the skincare specialist
K
nown globally as the
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skincare lovers understand why
using specifically created products
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PRAI’s Ageless Collection has
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skincare needs. Whether you want
to disguise feathering lip lines, lift
slouching eyelids or reduce deep-set
décolletage creases, they have
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conditions at lookfantastic.com
Fantasie makes lingerie for wonderfully unique women. Here, stylist
Karen Williams introduces the new Frances in Black collection
 promotional feature

‘I’m at a stage where I think I’ve

found my purpose. I feel like I really
do know myself, but I think that we
are always learning and growing.’
IT’S WHO I AM.
@KARENWILLIAMSTYLIST

There comes a time in every

woman’s life when she starts
to accept who she is and feel
comfortable in her own skin.
This sense of self-assuredness
is what unites all the unique
women who choose Fantasie.
Fantasie is for women who ‘This is Frances and
know themselves, know she’s got a fantastic
what they like and know
what works best for them.
fit. You’ve got the
It’s about that feeling women underwire but then
have when they put on the New for SS20 is Frances in Black. this pretty lace
bra that fits them perfectly. With a feminine floral print, this

And it’s about that feeling

collection is in one of our best- detail at the top too’
loved styles, the UW Side Support
always being so clear to see. Bra, available up to a J cup. KAREN WILLIAMS

Five incredible women openly

share how they feel about
themselves and their lives.
Watch our film and discover the
new Fantasie collections at
fantasie.com/womanandhome
 Shake up
your
MAKE-UP!
Fiona McKim reveals the latest spring
trends, textures and hot buys to try now
 beauty update

FRESHEN UP
FOUNDATION
‘Lighten up your base’ may sound like
a spring beauty cliché, but it makes
sense. So few of us truly need full
coverage – if you have reasonably
good skin, try a sheer foundation with
heavy-duty concealer where needed.
New Sisley Phyto Hydra Teint SPF 15,
£78, shows how far tinted moisturisers
have come. It has just enough pigment, a
radiant finish and the same antioxidants
and hydrating botanicals as the brand’s
luxurious skincare, which explains the
price. More shades would be great,
but it’s sheer enough to adapt. Burt’s
Bees Goodness Glows Tinted
Moisturiser, £14.99, is less advanced
on the skincare side but offers similarly
comfortable, dewy coverage. If your
skin is oily or has a lot of redness,
Givenchy Teint Couture City Balm,
£43, is a bit hardier, with a velvety finish,
SPF 25 and pollution protection. All
three can be applied using your fingers,
then use Giorgio Armani Luminous
Silk Concealer, £34.50, to work on
pigmentation, spots and veins. It has a
flexible formula that covers everything
and doesn’t dry out. Remember, with a
concealer – pat, don’t rub.

POWDER YOUR BROWS

Most women use pencils or gels for
easy eyebrow grooming, but powder
may just convert you. It gives soft
definition so you can avoid that scary
drawn-on look and won’t dry out or go
gunky like gels can. For beginners, Max
Factor Real Brow Fill & Shape, £9.99,
combines a soft twist-up crayon and
a powder that you dab on with a little
sponge. Benefit Brow Zings Pro
Palette, £33.50, may look intimidating,
but the vast selection of shades and
textures is extremely useful. Press the
end of the angled brush into a powder,
or combine two for an exact shade
match. Flick sharply through brow hairs
to bulk them up, then set using the
Spoolie brush and wax. >>
 PICK A
STICK
From left: Chanel
Stylo Ombre et
Contour in Contour
Mauve, £25; Clarins
Lip Milky Mousse in 01
Milky Strawberry, £19;
Paul & Joe Beauté Lip
Crayon in 06 Dreamy
Girl, £14; Revlon
Colorstay Glaze Stick
in Luster, £6.99;
Charlotte Tilbury
Colour Chameleon
in Champagne
Diamonds, £19

GO EASY ON THE EYE
PRODUCT PHOTOS: PIXELEYES. TOP AND EARRINGS: PRIMARK
Crayons are everywhere right now, and
no wonder. They’re fun, portable and
& MAKE-UP: JO CLAYTON. STYLING: FATIMA TRUSCOTT.
WILLIAMS-HOWITT AND SARAH COOPER-WHITE. HAIR
PHOTOS: HELEN McARDLE. ART DIRECTION: CHARLEY
require no skill whatsoever – just draw
along your upper lid and smudge a
bit depending on the look you want.
The textures vary considerably so
there’s something for everyone. An
absolute classic is Charlotte Tilbury
Colour Chameleon, £19, a chunky firm
pencil that lays down lots of pigment
without dragging. The shades, mostly
glamorous metallics, are designed to
intensify your eye colour and make a
lovely liner or, if the end’s a little blunt,
beauty update
TRY A NEW
TEXTURE
The lip trend pendulum has thankfully
swung back from high-maintenance
mattes to easy-going glosses and
stains. New Clarins Lip Milky Mousse,
£19, is a pleasure to use. Squeeze out
the custard-sweet cream, bounce it
on using the bingo dabber sponge
and it’ll set into a dry, weightless tint.
L’Oréal Paris Brilliant Signature,
£10.99, looks like a gloss and applies
like one, but lasts longer and lacks that
irritating stickiness that attracts strands
of hair. Be Brilliant, a fiery orange-red
is a standout among the 12 flattering
shades. If you’re worried about an
uneven lipline, crayons offer a bit
more precision. Honest Beauty Lip
Crayon Sheer Rose, £16, gives the
tiniest hint of ‘your lips but better’
colour, while Paul & Joe Lip Crayon
in 06, £14, is a richly pigmented
lipstick in a handy twistable stick.
‘LESS IS
MORE’ LASHES
The race for bigger, fatter mascara
formulas is over and there’s a refreshing
focus on lash health and subtle flutter.
Maybelline The Falsies Lash Lift, £9.99,
does all of the above thanks to a fluffy
brush and fibre-infused formula. Rimmel
Scandaleyes Volume on Demand
Mascara, £7.99, has a loose texture
that’s ultra subtle on coat one, then
can be layered up without clumping.
smoky shadow. New Revlon Colorstay
Glaze Sticks, £6.99, are much softer,
like cream shadow in a stick, and give a
wash of sheer colour. They come with
a sponge on the end, but fingers are
usually easier for blending and cotton
buds better for cleaning up. Chanel
Stylo Ombre et Contour, £25, excels
on every level. The nib is soft enough
to glide, can be smudged out for a
minute then sets down and stays put.
It comes in lots of classy colours but
the muted spring shades Contour Brun
and Contour Mauve are particularly nice.
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 95
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 new scents

t g
tar
rin
sp
is
th
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an
gr
fra
ur
yo
hs
ar
we
o
yt
t wa
en
er
iff
ad
res
d
fin
ls,

1 4
oi

A roll-on perfume oil Intensify your fragrance

o

applied to pulse points on the go with Giorgio

st

lingers longer than a fine Armani Sì Perfumed

er
wd

spritz and has a stronger aroma Powder, £35. Dab a little of the
too. Malin + Goetz Cannabis soft, scented powder onto your
po
Af

Perfume Oil, £40, blends hot wrists, neck and behind the
om

5
peppery notes with fresh citrus ears for a fragrant top-up.

2
and grounding sandalwood. A solid perfume disguised
Fr

Layering scents is a lovely as a lipstick, the intense

idea, but can prove tricky
if you don’t know which
ones to mix. Chanel’s limited-
edition Chance Perfume
Pencils, £65, are made up
of four complementary
floral aroma of Givenchy
L’Interdit The Concrete,
£31.50, is as concentrated
as the packaging is compact.
Apply to pulse points and the
nape of your neck to create a

6
reinventions of their classic lovely, feminine trail of scent.
Chance fragrance. Apply Add a couple of drops
WORDS: JESS BEECH

one to start your day and of Le Labo Santal 33

3
refresh with another later. Massage and Bath
Instead of spraying Perfuming Oil, £45, to running
perfume onto your skin, water for a beautifully
try misting yourself fragranced bath, or
with Jo Malone Velvet Rose massage onto damp
& Oud Hair Mist, £46. Hair skin to lock in
is naturally more porous than both moisture
skin and retains fragrance and scent.
better, so your scent is
released gently over time.
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 97
 W&H OFFER

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 W&H
BEAUTY
EXPERT

CBD
Cannabidiol (CBD), a natural
chemical from the cannabis plant,
is creating a beauty buzz

1. BEST FOR CREATING

A RELAXATION RITUAL 1
WORDS: JESS BEECH. PHOTO: HELEN McARDLE. BEAUTY DIRECTION: CHARLEY WILLIAMS-HOWITT AND SARAH COOPER-WHITE. MAKE-UP: RUBY HAMMER AT ANGELI & CO,
USING CLARINS EVERLASTING YOUTH FLUID. HAIR: JO CLAYTON, USING BUMBLE AND BUMBLE. STYLING: BECKY JOINER-O’RIORDAN. MODEL: MARIELLE AT EGO’S MODELS

Disciple Miracle Drops CBD,

from £30, depending on dose
Don’t shy away from taking CBD orally
– it doesn’t contain the cannabinoid
compound THC, meaning there’s no risk
of psychoactive effects. Brilliant for
warding off low-level anxiety, the earthy,
seed-like flavour is an acquired taste, but
you could add it to a warm drink instead. 4. BEST FOR HELPING
Start with a low dose and work up.
2 YOU TO UNWIND
Kloris 50mg Limited Edition
CBD Bath Melts, £20
2. BEST FOR BOOSTING Unlike your average bath melt, these
YOUR COMPLEXION not only contain a potent 50mg dose of

3
Aurelia Probiotic Skincare CBD, but are designed to be smoothed
CBD Super Serum, £64 directly onto wet skin to maximise
CBD is a powerful antioxidant and works absorption. Blended with cocoa butter
well during the day to shield skin from to moisturise and fragranced with an
pollution, as well as regulating sebum uplifting aroma of ylang-ylang and
production to treat acne and breakouts. bergamot, lie back and soak up the
This serum is lovely and lightweight,
perfect for layering under your
moisturiser day or night.
4 feeling of calm after a long day.

5. BEST FOR SOOTHING

3. BEST FOR TONING
DOWN REDNESS
Votary Super Boost Night Drops, £95
Created as a recovery treatment for
fragile, reactive skin, this is the ultimate
night worker for stressed-out
complexions. Harnessing the power of
2% pure CBD to tackle inflammation, skin
SORE MUSCLES
Be You CBD Muscle Balm
300mg Strength, £29.99
Not just for your skin, CBD targets the
body’s receptors. CB1 is found in the brain
and deals with things like coordination
and mood, while CB2 is related to aches
and pains. This balm taps into your
CB2 receptors, working as a targeted

5
is naturally nourished and soothed, with
redness and sensitivity reduced. Apply
directly to skin for an intense treatment,
or mix a little with your usual night cream.
treatment for weary muscles.
Although safe to use, CBD is not legal
in all countries so check before you travel
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 99
 BOTOX
for hair?
OHYES! Give your hair an instant youth boost with
salon treats or try our at-home heroes,
says Fiona McKim
HAIR
EXTENSIONS
Plumps like filler
Well-fitted extensions make fine hair look
turally full, not fake. A good option for
eginners are Great Lengths GL Tapes,
hich take around an hour to apply, are
tra slim and come in 75 shades. They’re
aled at the roots by a flat band that
oesn’t tug, so they’re particularly suited to
eakage-prone hair. You’ll have to brush
d blow-dry them gently, and avoid oils
ar the join, but otherwise they look and
t just like your own hair. They’re also
st-effective, as extensions go, and last six
eeks. From £150, greatlengthshair.co.uk
T HOME Add oomph to what nature
ve you with Pantene Hair Multiplier,
9.99. Spray onto damp roots,
en blow-dry for root lift.
100 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
BRAZILIAN
BLOW-DRY
Like Botox for hair
If you’ve got coarse, unruly hair, you’re probably
no stranger to frizz. It’s created by roughened
cuticles and dry strands that absorb moisture
from the air and then swell – which is why
humidity equals haywire hair. Traditional
smoothing treatments use chemicals that make
damaged hair even drier, but new Braliz uses a
blend of penetrating acids and oils that realign
the fibres. After your hair’s washed, dried and
meticulously straightened, you can expect
smoother cuticles and frizz-free hair for three
months. From £250, bralizuk.com
AT HOME Try Beauty Pie Super Healthy
Hair Smooth Booster, £6.18. Apply to
just-washed hair a few times a week
for cumulative smoothness. >>
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 101
 THE
INVISIBLE CUT
The one that keeps
them guessing
We’re going to the salon less these days – every
3 weeks, compared with 5.8 weeks in 2014 – but
erhaps Headmasters Healthy Hair Micro Trim can
mpt you back. It’s a new dry-cutting technique
at starts with a smooth blow-dry, which helps
how up the damaged bits. The ends are then
wisted to reveal splits and the tiniest bit is chopped

PHOTOS: HELEN McARDLE. HAIR: TIM CRISPIN. MAKE-UP: SARAH JAGGER. ART DIRECTION:
ff, around 1cm. You’ll end up with a healthier,
icker-looking ’do without sacrificing the

CHARLEY WILLIAMS-HOWITT. STYLING: BECKY JOINER-O’RIORDAN. DRESS, SIMPLY BE

ngth you love. From £49, headmasters.com
T HOME Kérastase Genesis
nti Hair-Fall Fortifying Serum,
49, is designed to strengthen
oots and prevent breakage.

Try a hair health MOT

you’ll leave the salon
with soft, shiny hair
SCALP DETOX
Like a face peel
Your scalp needs the same things as the
rest of your skin – to be clean, hydrated
and occasionally rinsed of the build-up of
products, dead cells and oils. Why not try
a visit to Philip Kingsley for their signature
Hair Spa treatment? This hair health MOT
starts with scalp exfoliation, a slathering in
the famous Elasticizer mask and a relaxing
15 minutes under a steaming hood to absorb.
Then comes a lengthy massage, gentle wash
and blow-dry, plus tailored treatment tonics.
I left with soft and shiny hair, a clear scalp and
bespoke advice. £90, philipkingsley.co.uk
AT HOME Ameliorate has added haircare
to its excellent range of exfoliators,
including the Clarifying Scalp Exfoliant,
£20, a lactic acid-based scrub. Rub
it into washed hair once a week – be
vigorous to get it right into your scalp
– then wash and condition as usual.
102 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
BONDING
TREATMENTS
Repairs like collagen
Lots of us choose to go blonder as we age
because it makes for easier grey blending
and gives your skin a flattering lift. The
downside is that colouring, in particular bleach,
ruins the internal structure of hair by breaking
keratin proteins and the sulphur bonds that join
them. L’Oréal Professionnel Smartbond can help.
It’s mixed in during colouring to protect bonds
from breaking in the first place. You also get
a conditioning treatment to take home. From
£35, lorealprofessionnel.co.uk/smartbond
AT HOME Virtue Healing Oil, £40,
contains a unique keratin complex that
deeply penetrates hair to repair from
within. Apply it wet if your hair is
fine, or dry if it’s thicker, for a
long-term strength boost.
 DISCOVER
HYDRATED HAIR,
AND INTENSE
CARE

NEW
COLOR EXPERT WITH
HYALURONIC ACID

16 RICH
SHADES

LONG-LASTING COLOUR

CREATE YOUR PERFECT GREY COVERAGE

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#CREATEYOURSTYLE
Every batch
of our CBD oil
is thoroughly
tested
We make sure every batch of
our CBD oil makes the grade,
for total peace of mind.
That’s the Healthspan way.

Vitamins and supplements direct to your

door or in-store at:
 HEALTH & WELLNESS
If you try one thing this month
CHALLENGE
YOURSELF
Annie Deadman (@anniedeadman),
personal trainer, author and creator
of health programme, The 21 Day
Blast Plan (theblastplan.com), says:
We’re emerging from a dark winter and if
your exercise regime has been hibernating a
little, now’s a great time to dust it off. To get
motivated, think about booking an event –
maybe a long-distance hike, a running race
or a swim. Pair up with a mate or go it alone,
stick your headphones in and stride out.
Training with a goal in mind gives you focus
and is good for the soul, as well as mental and
emotional health. Work on your bones and
muscles too. That means some weight-bearing
exercise (walking, jogging, anything on your feet,
basically!), as well as some strength work to
challenge muscles, like Pilates, yoga or squats
and press-ups. This tones muscle, secures
joints and helps to stop everything facing south.
WORDS: LUCY GORNALL. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 105

 Floradix
Magnesium
Liquid

Magnesium contributes to normal

MUSCLE
NERVE functions

Is stress tying you in knots?

Today’s lifestyles are demanding, and one of the things they demand
most is the mineral magnesium, which allows the nervous system to
function properly and the muscles to relax. Magnesium is available in
healthy foods such as wholegrains, dried fruit, green leafy vegetables
and nuts, however there are times when your diet can lack the
goodness needed and be deficient in magnesium.

If you are feeling irritable and snappy, with knots in your shoulders and
tension stiffening your neck, bump up your magnesium and lose those
knots. Floradix Magnesium contains highly absorbable magnesium in
a delicious herbal formula which could make the difference to your
nerves - unlock the knots and survive the stress.

Available from selected Holland & Barrett, Boots,

health food stores and pharmacies nationwide

www.floradix.co.uk
 W&H FITNESS GURU
Let’s get
PHYSICAL!
Our new fitness coach Annie Deadman on how
we can breathe new life into our health to-do list
H
ello everyone! When I was
asked by woman&home
to be their new health and
fitness contributor, I did
my best to remain calm. You know
– dignified, mature and checking my
diary to see if I could squeeze them
in. I excused myself, went to the
loo and shouted ‘Yes, yes, yes’ from
inside the cubicle, doing a little dance
as I punched the air. I’m chuffed to
bits. So here I am and we’re going to
tread arm in arm together through
the minefield that is midlife, exploring
all sorts of different topics.
Please don’t think I’m going to preach
at you, though. Like every third word
I write will be ‘squat’. (I promise we have
much more interesting things to chew
over.) I’m not just a 50-something
personal trainer, weight-loss coach and
Pilates teacher, in fact I probably share
many other hats with you. I’m also a
mother, sister, gin lover. I’ve done the
PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
divorce thing (amazingly we are still
good friends), coped with the death
of parents and dodged the bullets of
teenage daughters. I am also an ardent
blower of the midlife female trumpet.
So let’s set about making ourselves
feel not just good, but really, really great.
This month I’m kicking off with a health
to-do list. It can be so intimidating,
where do we even start? They say
‘health is the new wealth’. And it really is.
My mum tried to tell me this when
I was 19. Obviously I hadn’t the faintest
clue what she was on about.
I only had brain capacity ‘Does your diet
for cheap cider and fags.
Not getting Alzheimer’s need tweaking?
didn’t really feature.
But now I’m (much) older Then record
and wiser, and here we are,
casting off the cashmere
what you eat
cardie of winter and starting
to stick a bare shoulder out
each day’
for spring, so it’s a good time to think
about reappraising our health routine.
There are six small but valuable steps
you can take without costing much. Pick
a minimum of three to do every week
and progress to the whole lot in a few
weeks’ time… or is that pushing it?
1 WALK I mean really stride out,
in a squeezing glutes kind of way.
Walking helps clear the mental cobwebs
and is a fantastic fat burner. Aim for 30
minutes minimum a day (and a damp
top lip at the end).
2 VITAMIN D
Move over hip
replacements, enter a daily
pill (or oral spray). We need
vit D to help keep bones,
muscles and joints strong,
and our food doesn’t give
us enough. Even if you’re
taking in enough calcium, it
won’t be getting to our bones and teeth
if you’re short of vitamin D. Start now!
3 PLANT-BASED EATING
Not a full-on vegan thing, just some
substitution for the sake of the planet
and our health. Producing 1kg of beef
requires 25kg of feed and 15,000 litres
of water. Tuck a few staple
plant recipes up your sleeve
for saintlier family meals.
4 DON’T WEIGH
Step away from the
scales. Right now. If you’re
on a mission to lose fat, you
want to become stronger
and wear smaller clothes.
Don’t you? Being lighter means nothing.
Much more on this in future issues.
5 FOOD DIARY Does your daily
diet need tweaking? Then record
what you eat each day. Faced with lists
that say ‘half a tube of Pringles, a mini
pork pie and five Maltesers down the
back of the sofa’ can be very sobering.
6 SLEEP Midlife. Menopause.
Mattress swapping. Sound familiar?
Disturbed sleep can dent one’s sanity
so let’s promise ourselves that lavender
bath, the spare room and a good book,
once a week minimum.
✢ Annie Deadman is a health, fitness
and weight-loss coach. She is the
creator of the online 21 Day Blast Plan
(theblastplan.com) and author of
The 21 Day Blast Plan (HarperCollins).
Follow her on anniedeadmantraining;
@anniedeadman
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 107
 ‘We rebuilt
our breasts
and our livesÕ

The physical and
emotional effects of
breast cancer can
continue long after
treatment, but
reconstruction surgery
offers hope for women
who are healing.
Here’s the lowdown…
108 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
B
eing treated for breast
cancer is undoubtedly
daunting and difficult,
and the prospect of a
mastectomy – losing one or both
breasts – can be devastating. ‘Cancer
is extremely traumatic and once the
physical symptoms are dealt with,
the psychological damage remains,’
says Victoria Rose, a consultant
plastic surgeon who specialises in
breast surgery and reconstruction
after cancer.* ‘Following a mastectomy,
women face a constant and daily
reminder of what they have gone
through, but there are transformative
options available that can give them
their lives back.’ We give an outline
on reconstruction surgery and hear
how two women had their breasts
– and self-confidence – restored.
LIFE AFTER BREAST
REMOVAL
Women face three choices following
a mastectomy, explains Victoria.
‘Either choosing not to reconstruct
the breast, recreating the breast with
an implant, or having an autologous
reconstruction – which uses your own
tissue.’ Here she explains how the
two reconstruction methods work:

✣ AUTOLOGOUS
RECONSTRUCTION
This procedure takes fat and skin from
your tummy, buttocks or thighs to make
a new breast. ‘It’s the most aesthetically
superior reconstruction, but you have
to have enough tissue to spare,’ says
Victoria. ‘Once symmetry is achieved,
these last forever and will also change
and age in line with the rest of your
body.’ Possible drawbacks include visible
scars from where the tissue is taken and
a long operating and recovery time – an
autologous reconstruction requires a
four to six-night hospital stay and you
should allow six weeks for recovery.
✣ IMPLANTS
Implant-based surgery is quicker and
leaves no scarring, but the breast may
not feel as natural as an autologous
reconstruction – they may seem firmer
and less mobile. ‘Implants often need
further adjustments to maintain
symmetry,’ says Victoria. ‘And they may
not be ideal if you have to undergo
radiotherapy, as they tend to go hard
and will need changing. There is also
a very small risk of implant-associated
breast cancer with these types of
reconstructions.’ For this operation, the
time spent in theatre is shorter, followed
by a one or two-night inpatient stay and
two to four weeks of recovery.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?
Both autologous and implant-based
surgery are available to women for free
on the NHS, although you may need to
travel to an alternative hospital for an
autologous reconstruction. ‘On the NHS
you can choose the plastic surgeon you
would like to use and it’s
sensible to meet them
first to assess whether
‘Focusing on
they are someone
you feel comfortable the surgery in
with,’ says Victoria.
Some NHS patients advance kept
choose to have their
reconstruction done
privately, as waiting times
me positive’
can be shorter. ‘If you go down this route,
prices for autologous reconstruction
start at £24,000 and £6,800 for implant-
based reconstruction, although most
private insurance companies cover
breast reconstruction,’ she says.
ALL ABOUT MASTECTOMY
Every year 55,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer, and approximately
18,000 women a year have a mastectomy operation as part of their treatment.
If cancer is found within a large part of the breast, or if it has spread throughout
the tissue, then it may be necessary. Alternatively, if precancerous cells are found
or there is a high risk of developing breast cancer due to having the BRCA gene,
a woman may choose to have her breasts removed as a preventative measure.
‘My breasts
look better than
ever before!’
Sally Bates, 68, is
from Altrincham,
Cheshire
When I was told
that I would need a
mastectomy and that
I’d probably lose my
hair, my worries about the actual cancer
went out of my head. I couldn’t stop
thinking about the fact that I would lose a
breast, so I focused on the reconstruction.
It was so important for me to have it done
as soon as possible because I found it
distressing to be flat-chested – I shed so
many tears after my breast was removed
and I tried to avoid looking at myself.
I started visiting reconstructive
surgeons at the start of my chemotherapy
treatment, and was shown amazing
before and after pictures, which gave me
such hope. Along with the cold cap,
which helped restrict the amount of hair
I lost, planning the reconstruction in
advance helped me to remain positive.
I lost one breast and because I needed
to have radiotherapy
and chemotherapy,
I was advised not to
have an implant. My
reconstruction was done
by fat transfer – extra
fat was removed from
my tummy and then
used to reconstruct a
new breast. When my
surgeon explained that it wasn’t possible
to reconstruct to the size of my original
breast, I was pleased. I’d always hated
being big-chested at 34GG, so I was
happy to create a smaller-sized breast
and then reduce the size of my other
health report
one to match. We decided on a DD.
The result is absolutely incredible.
My reconstructed breast looks like my
own and I feel my breasts are better than
before! It’s almost impossible to see
any scarring and I’ll be having my nipple
tattooed. As an added bonus, due to
the tummy fat removal, I now have a
flat stomach for the first time in my life.
I couldn’t bear to look at myself after the
mastectomy, but now I love my
reflection. I couldn’t have managed
without a reconstruction – I’m happily
wearing bikinis and showing the results
off to my cancer group. Now that the
cancer has gone, I can enjoy life again.
‘Reconstruction
has allowed
me to move on
from cancer’
Karen Farmer, 57, is
from Welling in Kent.
Karen is married
to Adrian and has
a daughter, Sian.
My cancer was
picked up after my
third routine mammogram and I hadn’t
experienced any symptoms. I received a
text from the hospital on New Year’s Day
2018, saying that they wanted to see me
the very next day. This was a shock. They
had also sent me a letter, but it had been
delayed in the Christmas post. After
three biopsies, where cancer was found
in all of them, I was diagnosed with
invasive breast cancer. I had a left
mastectomy just a few days later.
Because I had private health cover
through my employer, I decided to go
down this route as my cancer was very
aggressive and it enabled me to have >>
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 109
 MYTH BUSTING
Victoria talks through some common misconceptions
of reconstruction after breast cancer.

MYTH ‘Once the cancer at the same time as a mastectomy

has gone, reconstruction
is simple’
One of the hardest elements of the
reconstruction process is timing,
says Victoria. ‘Being told you have
breast cancer is difficult enough, but
then having to think about whether
chemotherapy and radiotherapy
are advisable, as well as what type
of reconstruction to have, can be
very stressful.’ However, there are no
right or wrong decisions. ‘Everything
needs to be tailored to the woman
at that specific time,’ she explains.
‘The rush is to remove the cancer
and if reconstruction needs to
wait, the outcome can still
be exceptionally good
– they just take a little
– so we always try to offer this in the
NHS if we can,’ explains Victoria.
‘But an immediate reconstruction is
sometimes limited by existing medical
conditions that may increase the risk
of complications.’ If a reconstruction
may interfere with cancer treatment
following a mastectomy, then
temporary implants or postponing
it may be advised. ‘Delayed
reconstructions are normally
performed six months after cancer
treatment has been completed,’
she says. ‘And if you choose not to
have reconstructive surgery, you
can always opt back in if you change
your mind at a later date.’ Surgeons
and breast care nurses are also
on hand to talk you through the

RESTORING
longer to attain.’ choices and answer your questions.

THE NIPPLE MYTH ‘Your

breasts will
MYTH ‘You’ll get
your preferred
the surgery The nipple is usually removed during a look worse reconstructive option’
quicker. mastectomy, or it can be left attached to the than they It might not always be possible to have
I wasn’t able breast skin, or recreated from folding the skin did before’ your chosen procedure at the hospital
to have a breast of the new breast to construct the nipple ‘The results that in which you are receiving cancer
reconstruction shape. It also may be removed, then can be achieved surgery. ‘Fully comprehensive services
immediately, grafted onto the reconstructed breast. by autologous exist in most large hospitals with
though, because Once created, it can be tattooed reconstruction are breast surgeons and plastic surgeons
if I developed any to replicate the skin tone incredible and women working together. However, in
complications during of an areola. are usually surprised hospitals without good plastic

WORDS: ELEANOR VOUSDEN. PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES, GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO.

SURGERY (DRG-PLASTICSURGERY.CO.UK) AND TWO LONDON NHS HOSPITAL TRUSTS

surgery, it would have by how natural they look,’ surgery links, only implant-based

delayed the start of
chemotherapy. So, after months of
treatment, I had to then wait until the
following year to have my reconstruction.
When the time came, I had what’s
called a deep inferior epigastric artery
perforator (DIEP) flap reconstruction,
which took fat and blood supply from my
tummy to create a new breast. It healed
well with minimal scarring. Soon, I will
have more surgery to change the shape
of my breast and then a nipple will be
created and tattooed. The reconstruction
has boosted my confidence. Before the
operation I was using a breast prosthesis
that was visible with certain clothes.
The reconstruction has really given me
a new lease of life.
110 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
says Victoria. In her experience,
women often feel that their breasts,
and sometimes bodies, look better
than before if fat has been removed
from their stomach area. Alternatively,
if women have been unhappy with
their cup size, this can also be altered
during the procedure. ‘It is common
for my patients to be proudly showing
their new breasts to friends,’ she says.
MYTH ‘You absolutely
must have a reconstruction
at the same time as a
mastectomy’
‘We know that psychological wellbeing
is improved by having a reconstruction
*VICTORIA ROSE (MBBS FRCSPLAS LLM) WORKS AT HARLEY STREET’S DRG PLASTIC
reconstruction is offered,’ says Victoria.
MYTH ‘You can still
breastfeed after
reconstruction’
‘Breastfeeding is not possible after
a total mastectomy as the tissue
necessary to perform this task is
removed,’ explains Victoria. However,
in some cancers where a limited
amount of breast tissue is removed,
there may be enough ducts for
lactation to occur. ‘However,
pregnancy is not advisable until
all your cancer treatment has been
completed and it is worth discussing
this with your doctor,’ she says.
 Perfectly
TIMED You can improve your wellbeing
by watching the clock, with a few
simple tweaks to your daily routine

8AM READY TO

I
f you want to boost your
wellbeing, timing is everything.
‘Whether it’s having a set bedtime,
or knowing exactly when you’ll eat
your lunch, there’s plenty of evidence to
7 AM FUEL
YOURSELF
Only 47% of adults*
MOVE IT?
A Seattle-based study revealed it’s
the optimum time of day to exercise
for post-menopausal women who are
suggest that doing certain things at certain struggling with insomnia. You’re also
times of the day can be better for us,’
says health behaviour change specialist,
make time for breakfast. more likely to stick to a fitness plan.
‘Its a great way to have “me time”
Dr Heather McKee (drheathermckee.
co.uk). ‘Creating a routine that works
Fasting may help before the busyness of the day,’
agrees Kim Ngo, master trainer at
for you is key, but adding structure with your diet, but eating London’s 1Rebel fitness studio.
time-based cues can help you to reach
your health goals,’ she explains. ‘Times
act as a trigger to take action, and
with daily repetition you’re more likely
within 60 minutes of
waking helps maintain 10AM GET YOUR
CAFFEINE FIX
Most of us like a shot of coffee when
to create long-lasting change.’ we wake, but it’s better to delay your
Time to explore these benefits… long-term weight loss. first cup until now, say neuroscientists.

6AM
The Geisel School of Medicine studied
RISE AND SHINE the body’s circadian clock and the
Crack-of-dawn starts are the benchmark stress hormone cortisol, in
for productivity but being an early bird can relation to caffeine. Cortisol
improve your health too. Scientists at Bristol rises from the moment we
University found that women who woke early had a lower risk of developing wake up – spiking between
breast cancer, and other research suggests that you’re less likely to suffer 8-9am. Holding off on
from depression. ‘By getting up early you’re able to set the tone for your drinking coffee until
entire day,’ says wellbeing life coach Sarah Elliott (vault-coaching.com). ‘It cortisol levels drop
creates extra time and headspace. Try different methods to kick-start the makes you more
day.’ Gentle stretching, meditation or just having time to write a to-do list likely to feel alert
can be positive ways to start your morning. without the jitters.
112 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
 health is the new wealth

12PM
FILL YOUR GLASS
It’s midday, but are you CLOCK
WATCHING
hydrated? By now
it’s ideal to have
drunk 500ml of water to stay on track with Keep an eye on the time and track
your 1.5 litres-per-day goal. ‘Dehydration your health with a smart watch
leads to fatigue,’ says nutritionist Lily
Soutter. ‘Infuse it with fresh berries, Garmin Vivosmart
ginger or lemon and set reminders 4 smart watch,
throughout the day to drink.’ £89.99, argos.co.uk

6PM RETHINK

1 PM LINGER
OVER LUNCH
Rather than grabbing
DINNER TIME
Having your evening meal at 6pm can
help you stay slim as well as reducing
your risk of heart disease. A study Samsung
found that women who ate most of Galaxy 44mm
a sandwich on the go, their calories later than this were more
likely to have high blood pressure
Watch Active2,
£289, johnlewis.com
1pm can be your cue and be overweight. An earlier dinner
may also improve sleep quality, says
to punctuate the day nutritionist Jenna Hope (jennahope Fitbit Versa 2
nutrition.com). ‘Digestion raises core with Amazon
with a nutritious meal. body temperature, but for sleep your Alexa, £199,
temperature is required to drop, so currys.co.uk
A study** revealed digesting a big meal too late impairs
that those who take your ability to drop off,’ she says.

8PM
their time and focus ALL ABOUT YOU
With 74% of the nation
properly on lunch, feel reporting to have had
feelings of stress, psychologist
satisfied and eat less Suzy Reading (thinkwell-livewell.com), says it’s important
to prioritise pleasure in the evening. ‘Self-care is essential
later in the day. for combating stress,’ she says. Sit and listen to a podcast, read
a book or have a soak in the bath instead of filling free

2PM hours with chores.

SIESTA ROUTINE 9PM

ANYONE?
An afternoon MATTERS!
BAN
DEVICES FROM 10 .30PM
DRIFT OFF
WORDS: ALI HORSFALL. PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES, GETTY IMAGES/EYEEM.

snooze can 40% of our day is made up THE BEDROOM

increase cognitive of habits. ‘A structure of Ideally a minimum of From 9pm, the body
performance daily healthy habits will save an hour before sleep,
lowers serotonin and
*POLL BY QUAKER OATS. **BRITISH JOURNAL OF NUTRITION

and lower blood us when we lose focus,’ advises Lisa. Not only
pressure. But timings says Heather. does the blue light from
are crucial, says sleep screens suppress the sleep increases production
expert Lisa Artis (sleep hormone melatonin, but the
council.org.uk). ‘Between 1-3pm is the radio-frequency electromagnetic of melatonin to
fields emitted from mobile phones is a
best time to nap,’ she says. ‘Just 20 to 30
minutes will recharge the whole body.’ health hazard that should be avoided.
induce drowsiness,
so work with this
3.30PM EAT FOR ENERGY
A well-timed snack gives you the energy to power through
the afternoon, but avoid high-sugar, fast-release foods. ‘Smoothies are a great
natural flow. To wake
snack to have at this time, but can be high in sugar depending on what you
put in them,’ reveals dietitian Sophie Medlin (citydietitians.co.uk). Choose two
at 6am, aim to be
vegetables and one fruit and then add some protein such as yogurt.’ asleep by 10.30pm.
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 113
 health confidential

‘BLADDER
WEAKNESS
made me
SUICIDAL’ Caroline Cobb, 56, from Kent, spent caused arguments with my husband,
Colin. We didn’t have sex and were
decades battling incontinence. Here’s on the brink of divorce. On family days
out I’d need to stop every 20 minutes
how she turned the problem around for the toilet, so it was easier if I stayed

W
orking as a dementia
support worker means
I’m no stranger to
unexpected leaks. When
the elderly ladies I care for get tearful
because they’ve had an accident,
I can empathise with their discomfort.
My life was controlled by bladder
weakness for years, so I know how
traumatic it can feel. In fact, things
became so bad I was suicidal.
I first noticed the problem after having
my three children in the 90s. It was also
triggered by my asthma, which makes me
cough severely. My GP advised pelvic-
floor exercises, but they never worked,
possibly because I was born with a tilted
womb. So I just got on with it, but over the
WORDS: FAYE M SMITH. PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES. *ELVIE
that it was due to the mesh – urine was
becoming stored at the bottom of my
bladder, which was causing constant
infections. The only way to stop this was
to have a catheter fitted to help prevent
my bladder getting so full. I felt so
humiliated I cried, but decided to give it
a go. Luckily, it wasn’t hard to do, but it
meant I’d take even longer in the toilet.
I felt my life was ruined, and I almost lost
my job. The day shifts were so busy that
I couldn’t drink too much or go to the toilet
regularly, so it made my issues worse, and
I was constantly getting bladder infections
and calling in sick. Eventually, I asked to
swap to night shifts so I’d have less patient
care and, thankfully, my manager agreed.
My incontinence put a strain on the
at home. I felt very isolated.
Finally, last year I found Innovo Shorts
(£249, myinnovo.com/uk), which use
electrical muscle stimulation to tone your
pelvic floor. I’d wear them for 30 minutes,
twice a day. After six weeks my bladder
weakness was at a level I could tolerate
– I could even laugh without leaking.
I won’t be fully cured until the mesh
inside me is removed, though, and
I’m currently on a waiting list to have
surgery. I’m hoping after that I can
use Innovo and it will work completely.
I’ve slowly rebuilt my life, and Colin
and I are happy again. I even flew to
America, which I would never have
dreamt of before. Sadly, while it may be
too late for the elderly patients I care for,
I want other women to know that bladder
weakness doesn’t have to be a taboo.

years it got so bad I’d need to change whole family. Working unsociable hours
my incontinence pad six times a day. I’d
carry around a large bag with extra pads,
clothing and a deodorant – just in case.
In 2013, I was put forward for mesh NEED TO KNOW
surgery on the NHS. To be honest, I didn’t ✣ Incontinence is by childbirth, bladder can make it worse.
really know what it entailed, but I was so experienced by 49% damage, neurological ✣ As well as pelvic-
desperate I would have tried anything. of women, but 72% conditions (such as floor exercises, being
The surgery wasn’t too painful, although don’t seek treatment.* multiple sclerosis), and a healthy weight,
I was off work for 12 weeks afterwards. ✣ It’s due to a even a chronic cough not smoking, staying
For a year and a half I had my life back, weakness in the pelvic- or high-impact sports. hydrated and eating
but then I started getting excruciating floor muscles caused Plus, the menopause lots of fibre can help.
pain in my pelvic region. I found out
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 115
Find your
Magnesi-zen

Available from

and all good pharmacies, health stores and online at betteryou.com

 How to handle a
SNACK
ATTACK
Don’t let cravings ruin your New Year diet

A
t least half of us are tempted
by unhealthy snacks twice a
day or more*, which is why
our snacking habits could be
scuppering our weight loss goals. In
fact, 27% of women say they nibble
even if they’re not feeling particularly
hungry, with a third saying they turn
to unhealthier options when they
are bored. Sound familiar? Here’s
how you can get on top of it.
TRY THE 3:2:1 FORMULA
If you find yourself picking at food
throughout the entire day, adopting
a snacking structure can help avoid
overeating. ‘The formula helps people
make better choices throughout the
day by highlighting the recommended
WORDS: ELEANOR VOUSDEN. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO. *GRAZE SURVEY
CHOOSE A QUALITY SNACK
Aim for feeling fuller with healthy food,
rather than sweet treats, advises Eleanor.
‘Avoid high-calorie, low-nutrient snacks
that are unlikely to make you feel full,’
says Eleanor. This is why a square of milk
chocolate can often lead to polishing
off an entire bar! In contrast, ‘foods with
protein and fibre are likely to fill you up
– think vegetable crudités with houmous
or wholemeal crackers with nut butter.’
SAVVY
KNOW YOUR SNACK
DANGER SPOTS
SNACKS
If you have a sweet tooth or a hankering ✢ Graze Sweet Chilli Crunch,
for something salty, make some healthy £4.49 for 4 snacks,
swaps. ‘One of the best things you can graze.com
have if you’re craving something sweet 139 calories per pack
is a piece of fruit,’ says Eleanor. ‘Fruit A protein powerhouse

size and frequency of top-ups in-
between meals,’ say Graze’s head of
health and nutrition, Eleanor Freeman.
The method includes:
✢ Three balanced meals
(including breakfast)
✢ Two smaller snacks, up to
150 calories each
✢ One additional larger snack up
to 250 calories, if you’re exercising
Snack when you’re hungry, but as a
general rule of thumb, have a snack
mid-morning and mid-afternoon,
especially if you’re exercising. ‘It’s best
to snack at least an hour before your
workout so that you have the essential
energy required,’ advises Eleanor.
sugars can satisfy a sweet tooth, plus
they’re packed with fibre and vitamins.
Or, if you’re craving something savoury,
put down the crisps and go for a handful
of nuts,’ she says. The key is to make
swaps that you look forward to, so
you’re still satisfying your cravings.
HUNGRY? OR JUST BORED?
‘It can be easy to snack mindlessly, but
this can wreak havoc on waistlines
and productivity,’ says nutritionist
Lily Soutter. Becoming more mindful
of when you’re reaching for food can
help. Ask yourself, am I hungry? Or
am I just bored? Be curious about why
you’re craving something – it will help
you to differentiate between genuine
hunger and eating for comfort.
packed with sweet chilli beans,
corn and peas.
✢ Raw Bake Station Crookies,
£20 for 10 packs (5 cookies per
pack), rawbakestation.co.uk
175 calories per pack
Made with oats and nuts, these
mini cookies are the perfect
afternoon pick-me-up.
✢ Pip & Nut Dark Chocolate
Almond Butter Cups, £1.65,
pipandnut.com
102 calories per cup
Curb chocolate cravings
with a hit of almond
butter protein.
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 117

Your
HEALTH
Got a medical problem or need health advice? Ask GP Dr Rosemary Leonard
Earlier this winter I had several
chest infections, which were
treated with amoxycillin. I’m now
concerned I will have become
resistant to it, so what happens if
I get another infection? Most other
antibiotics make me feel sick.
A
Antibiotic resistance occurs when
bacteria are no longer susceptible
to the drugs designed to kill
them. It does not mean the body has
become resistant to an antibiotic, rather
it is the bacteria that has changed and
become resistant. That doesn’t mean
that just because you have had several
courses of amoxycillin, it won’t work in
the future. It all depends on the bacteria
FACT OR FICTION?
YOU CAN GET RID OF A VERRUCA WITH DUCT TAPE
Weird as it may sound, this is true.
Warts, which are called verrucas when
they grow into the soles of the feet,
can be a pest. They look ugly and can
hurt if they are on a pressure area.
They are caused by certain strains
of the HPV virus, and though around
70% of them eventually disappear
in around two years, many people
want to get rid of them sooner than
this. Options include caustic paints
containing acid, available from
chemists, or freezing with liquid
nitrogen. A recent study though has
118 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
causing the infection. Bacteria are
more likely to become resistant
to antibiotics the more they are
exposed to them, which is why
doctors are now trying to use them
only when they are really needed.
Though you have taken antibiotics
in the past for your chest infections, it
doesn’t mean you always need to take
them in the future. A lot of respiratory
infections are caused by viruses
(antibiotics don’t have any effect on
these), and even those caused by bacteria
can be cleared by the body’s immune
system without the need for any
treatment. If you get a cough, give nature
a chance to sort it, but see a doctor if
you become short of breath, have chest
pain or a persistent really high fever, or
are coughing up blood.
shown that covering the offending
lesion with duct tape can be just as
good. Cut a piece of tape to just cover
the wart, stick it on and leave it for six
days. If it falls off, put a new piece on.
After this, take the tape off, soak the
area in warm water, then scrape off
any dead cells with a pumice stone
or emery board. Leave uncovered
overnight, then put a new piece of
tape on for a further six days. Carry
on in this pattern until the wart
disappears, or for a maximum of
two months. It’s certainly worth a try!
THIS
MONTH
✱ Weakening muscles
✱ Recurring chest
infections ✱ Drinking
too much
I’ve always liked a glass or
two of wine in the evenings,
and sometimes at lunchtime
as well during the weekends.
I feel fine; it doesn’t seem
to have done me any harm,
but is there any way of
checking this out?
A
Apart from giving you a
thumping headache when
you’ve really overdone it,
drinking excess alcohol rarely
causes any symptoms. But that
doesn’t mean it’s harmless, as too
much alcohol silently damages
not only your liver, but increases
your risk of heart disease and
stroke, and cancer of the mouth,
throat and breast.
It’s also bad for your bones and
can damage your brain. Women
are also more at risk from harmful
effects of alcohol than men. The
maximum anyone
should drink is 14
units with at least
two alcohol-free
days each week. A
blood test, which
your GP can arrange,
can show if you are likely
to have already damaged
your liver, but regardless,
I would encourage you to
think about the amount
you are drinking.

I’m 55, and my muscles seem to
have become much weaker over
the past few years. I used to play
hockey regularly until my mid-40s.
I tried recently to play again with
a senior team but my arms, and
especially my legs, just gave out
PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES, GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO
on me, and I felt so achey and
tired. Is this because I’m unfit,
or should I see my doctor?
A
Occasionally, tiredness on
exercise and aching muscles can
be due to a medical condition,
such as anaemia or diabetes, and anxiety
and depression can also be to blame. It’s
worth seeing your doctor for a general
check-up, especially if you have other
symptoms, such as a change in your
weight or appetite, or your sleeping
pattern has altered. That said, by far
the most common cause of muscle
weakness is simply lack of exercise.
If muscles aren’t used, the fibres
within them are partially replaced by
fat, so they become smaller, and more
floppy. The fibres that remain are just
as strong but there just aren’t so many
of them, so you get tired when you
try to do things that would have been
easy when you were fit.
Added to this is the effect of age;
muscles tend to lose strength and bulk
with the passing years, especially in
women after the menopause. However,
it is still possible to increase muscle
power and strength, by gradually
increasing the amount of exercise you
do. Please don’t give up on the hockey
– if you play regularly you could be back
to match-winning form in a few months.
Q&A
+
DOCTOR’S
ORDERS
IS IT OSTEOARTHRITIS
OR OSTEOPOROSIS?
IF IT’S OSTEOARTHRITIS
This is a form of arthritis where the
cartilage that protects the end of
bones inside joints breaks down,
so eventually the bones rub
against each other. This causes
pain and stiffness, and the area
may also become inflamed,
leading to swelling. Bony growth
can also develop at the edge of
the joints, leading to deformity. For
some sufferers, the symptoms are
mild and may come and go, whereas
others may experience continuous
and severe symptoms, making
everyday activities difficult.
Almost any joint can be affected
by osteoarthritis, but it’s most
common in joints that carry the
body weight; the lower back, the
hips and knees, and also in the
small joints of the hands, especially
the fingers. The condition can
usually be diagnosed with an X-ray.
IF IT’S OSTEOPOROSIS
The bones become thinner and
more liable to break. The process
occurs silently so, unlike osteoarthritis,
osteoporosis does not cause any
symptoms, even when it’s advanced.
Women are more at risk than men
because the hormone changes that
happen during the menopause
directly affect bone density. The first
sign is usually breaking a bone, such
as the wrist, or the hip, after a fairly
trivial fall. Weakness of the bones
of the spine can mean they become
crushed, changing from a cube shape
into a wedge. This causes the spine
to become curved and results in
severe pain. Though affected bones
look a little less dense on an X-ray,
osteoporosis can only be properly
diagnosed with a bone density scan.
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 119
 FOOD, HOME
If you do one thing this month
& TRAVEL
MAKE MARVELLOUS
MARMALADE!
It’s the last hurrah for winter citrus fruits, so now is
the perfect time to start making marmalade. Classic
Seville oranges hit their peak in mid-January and
are bountiful until the end of February. If you fancy
something a little different, why not try making
unusual marmalades or spiced preserves from
leftover clementines and Sicilian ‘Moro’ blood
oranges? We recommend blood orange marmalade,
made with a dash of leftover-from-Christmas
Campari, which is beautifully boozy and bitter.
✣ Need a recipe for marmalade? No problem!
Just visit womanandhome.com/recipes/seville-
orange-marmalade-recipe
WORDS: ELISA ROCHE. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 121

 A
CALMER CLEAR
THE
CLUTTER

HOME
SPECIAL

made simple
Get organised, find space and feel in
control of every room in your house

CHOOSE PIECES WITH DUAL PURPOSE

Store extra cushions, throws or even books,
magazines and board games inside this
fabric coffee table. The top comes up to
reveal a large storage space inside, and its
circular shape will take up less space in your
living room than a rectangular or square
option. Fulton fabric coffee table, £149;
Grayson three-seater sofa, £599; Damien
over-the-sofa floor lamp, £79, all Dunelm
 home advice

GO FOR MODULAR
STORAGE
Fully bespoke built-ins are
costly and require a clear brief
for the joiner, but this smart
and solid solution from The
Dormy House simply involves
choosing from a menu of top
and bottom sections, which will
be assembled, painted and put
in place for you. Creating a wall

1
of storage will give everything,
from books to DVDs and even
the TV, a space to live. >>

THE
LIVING
ROOM
HIDE STUFF
UNDER THE SOFA
Yes, really! The ultimate
hiding place for all those
CDs and DVDs that you
(or he!) can’t bear to
part with, this storage
sofa can also hold extra
bedding for overnight
guests. Choose to have
the chaise on either the
left or right, and cover
it in one of 224 different
fabrics, to suit your
individual space.
Ashwell chaise storage
sofa, from £1,895,
Willow & Hall
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 123
THE
KITCHEN
INVEST IN A LARDER
A floor-to-ceiling pantry
is ideal for keeping dry
produce, spices and
condiments, as well as 2
crockery and cookbooks hidden away,
out of sight. It’s also a great place to
use and store small appliances that
take up counter space, such as coffee
machines or mixers, so make sure you
have a socket installed inside too.
Door-hung spice rack and internal
timber drawer fronts in natural
oak, from £3,260, Burbidge
ADD A KITCHEN ISLAND
If your cupboards and kitchen shelving
are fit to burst and worktop space is
running out too, a multifunctional piece
like a butcher’s block will solve your
storage issues, as well as creating extra
prep space. It can even be used as a
breakfast bar, and choose one with
wheels so it can be moved to one side
if you often entertain in your kitchen.

DECANT DRIED GOODS

Open shelving gives you easy access to cooking
equipment and foods, but if they’re stuffed
with ugly packets and battered boxes they’ll
quickly become an eyesore. Instead, decant
dried goods like pasta and rice, as well as flour,
sugar and teabags, into stylish glass Kilner jars
and recycle the original packaging.
 home advice

3
THE UTILITY
SQUEEZE IN SHELVING
Even the smallest of spaces can
play host to a utility area, just by
putting up some simple open shelves
and making room for a sink. If the
space allows, go for an integrated
washing machine so it can be
disguised behind a cupboard front.
You can use baskets to keep ugly
things, like the iron, hidden inside.
Utility buckets and baskets,
from £12 each, Garden Trading

BE CLEVER WITH HOOKS EVERYTHING IN ITS OWN PLACE

An understairs cupboard is
the perfect storage space
for cleaning products and
utility items. Take an orderly
approach by adding clips,
hooks and a even a well-
stocked trolley so tools are
easily to hand. To really add
some style to your cleaning
products, choose tools
made with wood handles.
The boot room, utility and porch can
quickly become a dumping ground
for dirty washing, muddy shoes and
cleaning equipment, so make sure you
have a dedicated space for everything
and a large sink for soaking. Keep
practical things like cleaning products,
the ironing board and spare bins bags
shut away in built-in cupboards. Shaker-
style utility, from £5,000, English
Revival range, Mereway Kitchens >>

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 125

 THE
HALLWAY
SORT YOUR SHOE STORAGE
4
Mount a row of Ikea Trones
shoe cabinets, £22 for two,
along the wall in your entryway,
and top with a length of
oak to create a hallway
shelf and storage that keeps
the floor space clear.

MAKE IT SLIMLINE
Even the narrowest of hallways
can benefit from a console table
to help keep your post, keys
and boots in order. A couple
of baskets sat underneath can
house slippers, blankets and
brollies. Chilson console table,
£165, Garden Trading

CHOOSE LOTS OF SHELVING

Fill open shelves with box files and boxes
to keep bills and invoices in order and

5
your desk clear of clutter. Keep them the
same plain colour, so your shelves don’t
become too busy with patterns. Bulldog
THE HOME clips on the walls are handy for holding

OFFICE
HIDE YOUR OFFICE COME 5PM
lists, fabric swatches or paint charts.

If you share your home office space

with your living room, you won’t want
paperwork littering every surface.
Choose a clever free-standing piece of
furniture like this armoire, to hide away all the
workday essentials once you’ve clocked off
for the day. Home office armoire in French
Grey, from £845, The Dormy House
 STORE YOUR
SHOES IN BOXES
Mesh-front boxes allow
air to circulate around your
shoes, as well as making
it easier to see which pair
is inside. Stack at the
bottom of your wardrobe
by season or heel height
and there’ll be no more
tripping over the strewn
pairs on your bedroom
floor. It works for men’s
shoes too… Skubb shoe
boxes, £7 for 4, Ikea

‘Less is most definitely more

when it comes to clothes;
less choice, less decisions,
less items owned but never
worn. Be realistic with
yourself when deciding what
to keep and what to pass on’

6
Vicky Silverthorn, professional organiser

THE
VISIT YOUNEEDAVICKY.COM OR FIND HER ON FACEBOOK OR INSTAGRAM @YOUNEEDAVICKY
COMPILED BY: HOLLY WALSH. PHOTOS: TI-MEDIACONTENT.COM. FOR MORE ABOUT VICKY,

BEDROOM
BE SAVVY WITH BUILT-IN STORAGE
To ensure your bedroom stays looking
streamlined and uncluttered, include a
dressing table in your built-in storage
so that your make-up and trinkets can
be shut away and kept out of sight. Hang
a mirror on the back wall and ensure a
plug socket is added so you can keep
your hairdryer tidied away too.

POP A BENCH AT THE

END OF YOUR BED
Place a sturdy shelf unit, like this Kallax
one, £29, Ikea, on its side, to create a
bench with storage cubbyholes to sit
at the end of your bed. Place a basket
in each cubby and use to store shoes,
books, towels or extra bedding.
 KITCHEN/DINER
The bricks were salvaged from the
back of the house during the rebuild.
The bespoke kitchen is by KDCUK
and the Celestial extractor hood is by
Elica. The wall lights came from Heal’s

Let there be
LIGHT
Arun and Susanne Batra bought a run-down Edwardian house
and spent a year transforming it into a light-filled family home

128 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!

 reader home

W
hen Arun Batra and his
wife Susanne first
viewed their present
home, they were both
able to see its great potential, despite
its poor condition. ‘The estate agent
waited outside as she was convinced
the house wasn’t for us, but I just
thought, “This is it!”’ says Arun.
The Edwardian end-of-terrace
five-bedroom house was distinctly
run-down, but Arun, a partner at EY who
has been awarded an OBE for his work
for diversity and inclusiveness, has an
exceptional eye for detail and was able
to see the potential in the bare-bones of
the property. So although Susanne was
heavily pregnant with their second son,
the couple decided they could make it

‘Having a good
set of builders is
probably more
valuable than having
a good lawyer or
doctor - it’s a rarity’
the home of their dreams. They bought
it in 2014 and embarked on a full-blown
renovation project.
It became apparent that remodelling
the house would take the best part of a
year since everything, with the exception
of some of the original cornices and tiling,
had to go. With the arrival of their baby
imminent, Susanne returned to her native
Germany to stay with her parents while
Arun focused on managing the build.
‘We exchanged contracts the day
our son Milo was born, which my
Indian father saw as a lucky sign,’ says
Arun. He admits, however, that living
separately for 12 months was tough.
‘Susanne was brilliant at helping with
the bigger decisions like choosing
a kitchen or the flooring,’ says Arun.
‘But most of the time I was running
a business and working on the house
while missing them all.’
Arun worked with a number of
contractors and commissioned architect
Stella Kordista to help him reconfigure
the layout and realise his vision. The >>
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 129
 INNER LIVING
ROOM
The house was designed
to be functional and
beautiful, with ample
storage beneath the
stairs. The bespoke rug
is from Floor Story. The
chevron planks flooring
was supplied and fitted
by Cheville Parquet

HALLWAY
The decor of this narrow space exemplifies
the couple’s clever mix of period and
contemporary style. The now-restored tiles
are original to the house and the etched
cast-iron radiator was bought at Broughtons

OUTER LIVING ROOM

Oskar and Milo enjoy the love seat,
sourced at Sofa Workshop. The
bespoke rug was bought at Floor Story

‘I have a thing for alcoves; fill them

with books and stuff and they give
a home a really nice feeling’
structural works included building a also insisted that the back of the
side extension and glass roof in the house be lowered by an extra metre.
kitchen (‘When there’s a full moon, ‘The builders told me I was crazy
it lights up the whole area’), and a but I knew it would create a feeling
statement staircase. The bricks were of grandness,’ says Arun. The
salvaged from the back of the house ground floor was reconfigured to
during the rebuild. ‘It took me five create an open-plan space where
days to decide the order in which to everything happens on the same
lay them,’ says Arun. ‘We arranged open level. Exposed brick walls,
them on the concrete floor to get wood parquet flooring, squashy
the colour variation spot on.’ furnishings and some showstopping
Arun also designed an electronic contemporary pieces all help to give
glass window above the bath – ‘So the house its own unique aesthetic.
you can bathe under the stars.’ He Arun and Susanne both favour >>
130 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
 reader home
OUTER LIVING ROOM
Arun and Susanne replaced the
original Edwardian mouldings and
cornices to reflect the property’s
style and heritage. The monkey lamp
was bought at Graham & Green.
Tom Dixon’s Beat chrome pendant
lighting would create a similar look

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 131

reader home
GUEST BATHROOM
Moorish-inspired tiles and
exposed brickwork combine to
create texture and colour. The
contemporary bath was sourced at
Agapé and the Andalucia Hacienda
tiles were bought at Fired Earth
a mostly contemporary interior,
so custom-made storage was a
key feature of the rebuild. In the
open-plan kitchen, a bank of
high-gloss cabinetry keeps the
space looking streamlined despite
the demands of busy family life.
Storage has also been incorporated
into the area beneath the new
staircase, keeping the living areas
clutter-free and maximising the
use of every inch of available space.
With the couple’s mixed cultural
heritage – German, Indian and British
– the interior inevitably reflects a
collaboration of influences. Asian
artwork is seamlessly juxtaposed
with 20th-century fixtures and
Scandi-inspired objects, since
Susanne’s native home is near the
German/Danish border. ‘If I had to
132 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
MAIN BEDROOM
Decorative panelling adds character to
the curvy bed. Farrow & Ball’s Ammonite
estate emulsion is a similar wall colour
SHOWER ROOM
‘Of all the rooms, this is the one we think
meets our design aspirations,’ says Arun.
The Bonaparte wall mosaic was sourced
at Bisazza, and was installed by V-TA
Architectural Tiling. The contemporary
washbasins were sourced at Agapé
describe our decorating style I
would say we are 90% modern and
10% traditional,’ says Arun. ‘We tried
WORDS: JO MESSENGER. PHOTOS: FRASER MARR. PRODUCTION: MARY WEAVER
to keep anything that was original
and salvageable, including the floor
tiles in the hallway. It’s the “flavour”
that we tried to introduce
throughout the whole house.’
Now that the project is complete,
Arun and Susanne are delighted
with the results. ‘It was important to
me that, above all else, we would
totally enjoy living in this space,’
says Arun. ‘Yes, I wanted it to look
amazing, but for me a home is your
place of safety and wellbeing, so
comfort was crucial. It feels relaxed
and modern, comfortable and
welcoming – everything we wanted.’
Turn over to see how you can
get the look >>
 CRAZY FOR

blue

wallpaperdirect.com
Make your home your own.
 travel
................................................

Includes tours and Includes tours and

OFFERS
visits worth £83 visits worth £44

Bruges Krakow
4 days from £269PP 4 days from £429PP
Bruges’ beauty and tranquillity are outstanding as befits the most perfectly Krakow is one of the most beautiful cities you will ever see, ranking with Prague
preserved medieval town in Europe. and Vienna as one of the architectural gems of central Europe.
 Guided walking tour of historic Bruges  Guided walking tour of the medieval city and Poland’s former capital
 Visit to Ypres and the thought-provoking First World War battlefields  Visit to Wawel, the castle district
 Visit to a traditional chocolatier that creates exquisite Belgian chocolates  Visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau (included but optional)

So much included So much included

 2 guided tours and 2 visits  4-star accommodation  2 guided tours and 2 visits  4-star accommodation
 Experienced tour manager  Daily breakfast  Experienced tour manager  Daily breakfast
 Return regional flights and hotel  Return regional flights and hotel
transfers transfers

“Riviera
I would like to say thank you for a fantastic trip to Paris. It was my first time to the city and
Travel made it an easy and enjoyable trip.
” Mrs Scott – Paris

Includes tours and

visits worth £68

Paris Berlin, Dresden, Meissen and Colditz

4 days from £299PP 5 days from £599PP
Paris was, is and always will be somewhere rather special. This inexhaustible Berlin, once the East-West flashpoint, now reborn as a lively and dynamic
city has something for everyone. It is everything you imagine it to be – city and Dresden, newly restored and possibly Germany’s most beautiful city
romantic, inspiring, vibrant even outrageous, but best of all Paris is unique. once again.
 Comprehensive sightseeing tour of Paris  Tour of Berlin, seeing the iconic Brandenburg Gate, Norman Foster’s
 Visit to Versailles, with its astonishing château Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie and more

So much included So much included

 2 guided tours and 3 visits  4-star accommodation  3 guided tours and 2 visits  4-star superior accommodation
 Experienced tour manager  Daily breakfast  Experienced tour manager  Daily breakfast
 Return regional flights and hotel  Return regional flights and hotel
transfers transfers

Call to book or for a free brochure 01283 742348

or visit wahriviera.co.uk
TERMS & CONDITIONS: Additional entrance costs may apply. Prices are per person, based on two sharing and subject to finite availability. Images used in conjunction with Riviera Travel. Offer operated by and
subject to the booking conditions of Riviera Travel Ltd, ABTA V4744, ATOL 3430, a company wholly independent of Woman and Home, published by TI Media Limited. Prices correct at time of going to print.
 Velour
cushion, £19,
Furniture Hudson wood
Village floor lamp,
£295,
Soho Home

Leeu
geometric
rug, £249,
Swoon

Clear glass Faux

pendant, £299, potted
Houseology plant,
£12.99,
TK Maxx

Tweedmill
herringbone
throw, £50,
Garden Trading

Snowdrop loveseat in Powder Blue

smart velvet, £1,190, Sofa.com

Bugsy plastic
dining chair,
£39, Cult

HOW TO
Furniture
Zuiver Luigi round side
table, £149, Cuckooland

GET THE
LOOK
✢ Make a feature of glass, to ensure plenty
of light streams through your home, choosing
COMPILED BY: HOLLY WALSH

glass pendants and globe lights.

Congo ✢ Add pattern to a space with a bold, geometric Retromix star large
tumblers, £30 rug – it will protect floors too. Victorian patterned
for 6, Habitat ✢ Add pops of primary colour to your tiles, £47sq m,
scheme with bright cushions. The London Tile Co.
 a better world

GREEN
made easy Eco expert Lucy Siegle is
here to help you do your
bit for the environment
‘Milk’ – sugar
warning
Beware of the ‘health halo’
of vegan m*lks (as some call
non-dairy milk alternatives). A
study on takeaway coffees by
Action on Sugar found that

Turn #30WEARS into

when sweetened plant-based

Can you dig it? m*lks are added to drinks, it

This month, the UK’s
tree-planting season comes
to an end. This has been one
of the busiest seasons on
record, with organisations
across the country
determined to get as close
as possible to the 50 million
new trees needed in order
to help meet carbon
emission targets. Let’s give
it one more push – visit
woodlandtrust.org.uk/
bigclimatefightback and
heartofenglandforest.com/
get-involved/volunteering
sends our sugar intake soaring.
Ask for unsweetened in
coffee shops and seek out the
brand you want to become
your new fridge hero. Plenish
is the UK’s first fortified
plant-based m*lk.
So while it contains
no added sugar, it
does have added
iodine, omega 3
and vitamin D –
and so the brand
claims to be the
most ‘nutritionally
packed’ dairy-free
m*lk on the market.
#300WEARS
Every year an estimated 120 billion new garments are
created – almost all from virgin resources. Meanwhile,
the ‘useful’ time span of clothes in our wardrobes is
in free fall, causing a fashion waste crisis. Research by
Oxfam last December showed that sequinned garments
bought for parties are worn an average of just five times
before being dumped in landfill. But extending the life
span of a garment by nine months, and re-wearing it
instead of buying new, cuts its carbon footprint by 20-
30%. I’ve long advocated the 30 wears rule. If you can’t
commit to wearing a piece 30 times, the first time you
lay eyes on it, then walk on by! But that’s not enough.
This year, I’m scaling down my fashion footprint by
increasing 30 wears to 300 wears. Why not join me?

REUSE AND RECYCLING NEWS

MAKE A SPLOSH Based on the Welsh/
PHOTOS: BLICKWINKEL/ALAMY, GETTY IMAGES

REHOME A KITCHEN Ripped out of CUT A DASH

English border, Splosh (splosh.com) sells homes and slung into skips, old kitchens Most cycling
household cleaning and bathroom mostly have a one-way ticket to landfill. helmets need to be
products. They arrive first in bottles, What a tragic waste, replaced after 5 years, but
then in refill pouches. All you have especially when you can’t be recycled. Catherine
to do is add water to the see what The Used Bedford, founder of Dashel
concentrate. Once empty, Kitchen Company (dashel.cc), designed this
return your pouches and can do with pre-loved £79 beauty, which uses
they’ll turn them into units and surfaces. materials that can be reclaimed.
new products, Try theusedkitchen And when you return it for recycling,
like this ice scraper. company.com get money off your next one.

GO-GREEN TIP Switch your search engine to ecosia.org and the Berlin-based company will plant a tree!
EVERYDAY
light Smash hit Pinch of Nom
cookbook authors Kate Allinson
and Kay Featherstone share
their latest healthy recipes

h noodles
h wit
d fs
ice
i-sp
ha
T
 lighter recipes
mb
d la
ste
r u

c
rb-
He

Gluten
free
 Thai-spiced fish
with noodles
Ready in only 25
mins, this dish
is bursting with
flavour from the
spice mix. You
can use almost
any white fish for
this recipe; we
recommend cod or hake. White fish
is really great for adding a protein fix,
with the added benefit of being low fat.
PREP: 10 MINS • COOK: 15 MINS
• SERVES 4 • PER SERVING: 340 cals,
41g carbs
4 cod or hake fillets (about 150g each)
sea salt
low-calorie cooking spray
4 noodle nests (about 200g)
1 red or yellow pepper, deseeded
and cut into strips
4 spring onions, trimmed and thinly
sliced lengthways
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into
thin strips (julienne)
3tbsp light soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
10g fresh coriander, chopped
for the spice mix:
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp garlic granules
1tsp onion granules
1tsp dried mint
¼tsp chilli powder (mild or hot,
depending on your preference)
¼tsp ground ginger
zest of 1 lemon
pinch of sea salt
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Mix
all the spice mix ingredients together.
2 Pat the fish dry using kitchen towel,
then sprinkle with a little salt. Coat the
fish, on both sides, with the spice mix
and place on a baking tray that has been
sprayed with low-calorie cooking spray.
3 Cook in the oven for about 10-15 mins,
until the fish is opaque. While the fish is
cooking, place the noodles in a pan of
boiling water, and cook according to the
packet instructions. This usually takes
around 4-6 mins. Drain the noodles and
allow them to cool in some cold water.
140 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
This will stop them sticking together.
4 Spray a wok or large frying pan with
low-calorie cooking spray, then, over a
medium-high heat, add the pepper,
spring onions and carrot. Cook for 4-5
mins until just cooked, but still crunchy.
5 Drain the noodles and add to the
pan, along with the soy sauce and
lemon juice. Cook for a min or two, until
the noodles are hot and well coated.
Stir in the coriander and divide the
noodles equally between 4 plates.
Remove the fish from the oven,
place 1 piece of fish on top of
each plate of noodles and serve.
Herb-crusted lamb
Lean lamb can be
a little flavourless
and dry if you
don’t pack it full
of herbs and
spices to enhance
the taste. This
herby crumb is
a great way of adding fresh flavours
to the meat and texture along with
the breadcrumbs. Garlic, rosemary
and lamb are a match made in foodie
heaven. This would be a perfect
alternative to a roasting joint and
would work well with the usual
roast dinner accompaniments, or
even rice and vegetables.
PREP: 5 MINS • COOK: 25 MINS
• SERVES 4 • PER SERVING: 235 cals,
6.2g carbs
4 medium lamb leg steaks (about
500g total)
60g gluten-free wholemeal bread
1 garlic clove, peeled
2tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
2tbsp fresh parsley leaves
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
low-calorie cooking spray
1 Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas 3. Line
a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Place the lamb steaks on the baking tray.
2 Put all of the remaining ingredients
(except the salt and pepper and
low-calorie cooking spray) into a mini
electric chopper or food processor.
Blitz into fine breadcrumbs and season.
3 Carefully spoon the breadcrumbs over
the lamb steaks and gently pat down.
Spray with low-calorie cooking spray and
cook in the oven for 25 mins until the lamb
is cooked and the topping is golden.
4 Serve with your choice of
accompaniment. The lamb can also
be frozen once cooled – defrost fully
then reheat until piping hot.
Warm green bean
and feta salad
The salty feta combined with the sweet
pepper and the acidity from the lemon
juice gives it the most amazing flavour,
plus you can add some heat with the
chilli flakes. At only 111 cals per serving,
enjoy this on its own as a light lunch or
as a side to your main evening meal.
PREP: 5 MINS • COOK: 10-12 MINS
• SERVES 4 • PER SERVING: 111 cals,
6.9g carbs
low-calorie cooking spray
240g green beans, washed
and trimmed
1 small red onion, peeled, cut
in half and sliced
1 medium red pepper, deseeded
and sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely
chopped
pinch of dried chilli flakes (you can use
more if you like it spicy)
sea salt and freshly ground black
pepper
2tbsp water
juice of 1 lemon, plus extra
wedges to serve
130g reduced-fat feta or Greek-style
salad cheese, crumbled
1 Spray a wok or frying pan with some
low-calorie cooking spray and sauté the
green beans and onion over a medium
heat for about 3 mins. Add the pepper,
garlic and chilli flakes. Season with salt
and pepper, stir and cook for another min.
2 Add the water, stir and continue
cooking for another 5-6 mins or until
the beans are almost cooked (they
should still have a bit of bite).
3 Add the lemon juice and cook for
another min. Stir in the feta, taste
to check the seasoning and serve. >>
 lighter recipes

Warm green bean

and feta salad

Gluten
free

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 141

Piri piri roast chicken

Gluten
free
 lighter recipes
r r y
cu
fta
ko
ef
Be

Gluten
free

✣ Pinch of Nom: Everyday

Light, 100 Tasty, Slimming
Recipes all under 400
Calories by Kate Allinson
and Kay Featherstone
(£20, Bluebird).
Photos: Mike English
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 143
 Piri piri roast
chicken
Here’s traditional
roast chicken
with a spicy
makeover. It’s
hard to believe
that you can
pack so many
flavours into
one roast chicken, but here we’ve put
our Pinch of Nom spin on things! We
recommend removing the skin before
eating, but no added oils or fats means
you can indulge occasionally.
PREP: 10 MINS • COOK: ABOUT 1 HR
30 MINS • SERVES 6 • PER SERVING:
294 cals, 1g carbs
1 large chicken
2 limes, halved
2-3 medium-sized red chillies,
deseeded
1tsp hot chilli powder (or medium hot,
if you prefer less heat)
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1tsp onion salt
1tsp paprika
½tsp granulated sweetener
or sugar
½tsp dried oregano
½tsp ground coriander
2tsp red wine vinegar
small handful of fresh oregano
(optional)
50ml water
to accompany (optional):
75g mixed side salad (+ 15 cals per
serving)
1 Around 30 mins before you wish to
cook, take the chicken out of the fridge.
Preheat the oven to 190C /Gas 5.
2 Squeeze the lime juice into a small
dish and set the remaining pith and
peel aside for later. Place the juice,
along with all the remaining ingredients,
apart from the chicken, water and
the fresh oregano, in a blender and
blitz until it forms a paste.
3 Rub the paste all over the chicken,
making sure to rub some between the
skin and the breast meat. (To do this,
loosen the skin from the breast by sliding
your fingers between the meat and the
144 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
skin from either end of the chicken.)
4 Cut the remains of one of the limes
into 4 pieces and lay on the bottom of a
roasting tin or tray. Stuff the remaining
lime pith and peel inside the chicken
cavity, along with the fresh oregano, if
you’re using it. Place the chicken on top
of the limes, add the water to the tray
and cook according to the packaging
instructions. The chicken will be cooked
when the juices run clear when you insert
a knife into the thickest part of the leg.
(This should take roughly 40 mins per
kilo, plus an extra 20 mins.)
5 Remove from the oven and leave
to rest for 15 mins before serving with
a mixed side salad.
TIP Remove
the chicken skin
before eating
though no oils or
fats are added, so
you can indulge
occasionally
Beef kofta curry
Everyone loves
a good curry.
Cooking one
from scratch
means you can
still have a Friday
night curry
without having to
worry about the indulgence. This recipe,
using lean minced beef made into
meatballs, takes the same amount of
time as it would to wait for your curry
house to deliver, and tastes amazing.
PREP: 10 MINS • COOK: 35 MINS
• SERVES 4 • PER SERVING: 201 cals,
12g carbs
low-calorie cooking spray
1 onion, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and
crushed or grated
1tbsp curry powder
1tbsp tomato purée
750ml beef stock (2 gluten-free
beef stock cubes dissolved in
750ml boiling water)
225g butternut squash, peeled
and chopped
400g 5% fat minced beef
10g fresh coriander, chopped
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
75g fat-free natural yogurt
to accompany (optional):
50g uncooked rice per portion,
cooked according to packet
instructions (+ 173 cals per 125g
cooked serving)
1 Spray a saucepan with low-calorie
cooking spray, add the diced onion
and cook over a medium heat for 4-5
mins until it is soft and beginning to
brown. Add two-thirds of the garlic, and
the curry powder, and continue cooking
for 1 min, allowing the flavour of the
spices to be released. Add the tomato
purée, stir well, then add the stock.
Add the butternut squash, stir and
bring to the boil. Reduce the heat
and simmer for 20-25 mins.
2 Meanwhile, make the meatballs. Place
the minced beef in a bowl with the
remaining garlic and half the chopped
coriander, and season with salt and
pepper. Mix well, then divide into 12
even pieces and roll into balls.
3 Spray a wok or a frying pan with
low-calorie cooking spray. Add the
meatballs to the pan and fry over a
medium-high heat, turning frequently,
for 5-10 mins, until the meatballs are
browned on all sides and cooked
through. Place to one side.
4 When the butternut squash is soft,
remove from the heat and blitz the
mixture with a stick blender until
smooth. Pour the sauce into the pan
with the meatballs, stir well, cover
and simmer for 5 mins. Remove from
the heat, stir in the yogurt and the
remaining coriander, and serve.
HOW TO BATCH FREEZE
Cool the curry within 2 hrs of cooking,
then divide the into individual
servings (roughly 3 kofta per portion)
and freeze immediately. >>
 lighter recipes

nean vegeta
ra ble
et r

di
Me
Spin
a c
ha
nd ricotta
Pork
, sa
ge

nd
a

onion
Gluten
free

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 145


STUFFED
MUSHROOMS
Stuffed mushrooms make a great starter
or a side, or even a meal when teamed
with some salad leaves, and there are
many flavour combinations. Portobello
mushrooms are so great for anybody
looking to cut calories, plus they are
low-carb, rich in antioxidants and add
flavour. We’ve pulled together our
top three recipes to share with you.
ALL RECIPES – PREP: 10 MINS
• TAKES: 10-12 MINS • SERVES 2
Mediterranean
vegetable
PER SERVING:
152 cals,
9.4g carbs
2 large flat
mushrooms,
such as
portobello
low-calorie cooking spray
30g peeled red onion, diced
60g courgette, diced
½ red pepper, deseeded and diced
1tsp tomato purée
pinch of dried Italian herbs
1tsp balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black
pepper
4 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
146 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
35g vegetarian Italian hard cheese,
grated
to accompany (optional):
75g mixed side salad (+ 15 cals)
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.
Remove the stalks from the mushrooms
and dice them finely.
2 Spray a frying pan with low-calorie
cooking spray, then sauté the onion,
courgette, pepper and mushroom
stalks over a medium heat until they are
cooked. This should take around 5-6
mins. Add the tomato purée, herbs and
balsamic vinegar, stir well and season
to taste with salt and pepper.
3 Spoon the mixture into the
mushrooms, put tomato halves on
top of each and place them on a baking
tray. Divide the Italian hard cheese
equally between the 2 mushrooms
and sprinkle over the top.
4 Cook in the oven for 10-12 mins until
the mushrooms are cooked and the
cheese is golden brown.
Spinach and ricotta
PER SERVING:
74 cals,
3.9g carbs
2 large flat
mushrooms,
such as
portobello
low-calorie cooking spray
1 spring onion, trimmed and
finely chopped
25g spinach
45g ricotta
sea salt and finely ground
black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.
Remove the stalks from the mushrooms
and dice them finely, then place them
back into the middle of the mushrooms.
2 Spray a frying pan with some
low-calorie cooking spray, then
sauté the spring onion until softened,
but not coloured. Toss the spinach in
with the spring onion and continue to
cook until it has wilted, then remove
from the heat and drain off any excess
moisture. Mix in the ricotta and season
with a little salt and pepper.
3 Spoon the ricotta mixture into
the mushrooms and place them on
a baking tray. Cook in the oven
for 10-12 mins, or until the
mushrooms are cooked.
Pork, sage and
onion
PER SERVING:
54 cals,
2.4g carbs
2 large flat
mushrooms, such as portobello
50g lean pork mince
1 spring onion, trimmed and
finely chopped
½tsp sage, dried or chopped
fresh, plus extra whole leaves
to garnish (optional)
sea salt and freshly ground
black pepper
1 Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.
Remove the stalks from the mushrooms
and dice them finely, then place them
back into the middle of the mushrooms.
2 Place the pork mince in a bowl, then
add the spring onion, sage and a little
salt and pepper. Mix well. Spoon the
COMPILED BY: ELISA ROCHE
mixture into the mushrooms and
place them on a baking tray.
3 Cook in the oven for 10-12 mins, or
until the mushrooms and pork are
cooked. Serve garnished with sage
leaves (if using).
 High Tea
LOW SUGAR!
Celebrate Mother’s Day with these mouth-watering delights –
they’re all made with healthy alternatives for guilt-free enjoyment!
Fruit tartlet
Add an elegant Parisian patisserie flair to teatime with these glazed fruit pastries.
Makes 12 • Ready in 1 hr, plus
chilling and infusing
320g shortcrust pastry
200g frozen or fresh strawberries,
raspberries and blueberries
5tbsp low-sugar marmalade
mint leaves (optional)
for the crème patissière:
300ml semi-skimmed milk
1 vanilla pod
1 egg yolk, plus 1 whole egg
25g Silver Spoon caster sugar
with Stevia
25g flour
you will need:
12 x 6.5cm diameter tart tins; baking
parchment and baking beans; piping
bag with a 2cm nozzle
148 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
1 Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Roll out
the pastry and use to line the tart tins,
then place on a baking tray and chill
for 10 mins. Line the cases with baking
parchment and baking beans, and cook
for 10 mins. Remove the paper and beans,
and cook for a further 5 mins until golden.
2 Once cool, remove from the tins. You can
freeze the pastry at this point if you wish.
3 For the filling, heat the milk with the
vanilla and leave to infuse for 30 mins.
Place the egg yolk, sugar and flour in
a bowl and mix well. Remove the vanilla
pod from the milk and pour over the egg
mixture, stirring all of the time, until mixed.
4 Clean the pan and pour the mixture
back into it. Cook over a low heat, stirring
all the time. It may appear a little lumpy.
Turn the temperature up and simmer for
5 mins until thickened. Pour onto a plate
and cover with damp greaseproof paper.
5 When you are ready to assemble,
use a spoon to stir the crème patissière
together until smooth and transfer to a
piping bag, then pipe into each tart case
and top with fruit. Mix the marmalade
with 3tbsp water and heat until smooth;
if the marmalade has strips of peel then
pass it through a sieve. Use to glaze the
tart, then place a mint leaf, if using, on
top of each to serve. >>
 guilt-free treats
Our beautiful
marble cake
stand is from
Oliver Bonas

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 149

 Minty meringue kisses
These fun, pastel-coloured treats are small enough for you to indulge in a few.
Makes 30 • Ready in 1 hr 20 mins,
plus cooling
5 fresh mint leaves
100g Silver Spoon caster sugar
with Stevia
3 medium egg whites
½tsp green food colouring
you will need:
medium piping bag with a 1cm
star-shaped nozzle; 2 baking trays
lined with baking parchment
1 Heat the oven to 110C/Gas ¼. Grind
the mint leaves with a pinch of the sugar
in a pestle and mortar until turned to
green dust. Set aside.
2 In a large, super-clean grease-free
bowl, whisk the egg whites along with
a pinch of salt until the mixture is stiff
TIP Eat these
on the day.
Stevia sugar can
make these
sticky by day two
150 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
and dry. Whisk in a spoonful of Stevia
caster sugar, then keep adding the
remaining Stevia sugar while whisking.
3 Open the piping bag and messily
streak/paint the inside with the green
food colouring and ground mint in
rough stripes, making sure to leave
some empty spaces with no colour.
4 Fill the bag with the meringue
mix and pipe 4cm blobs onto the
baking parchment to make 30 swirly
mini meringues.
5 Bake on the lowest shelf in the oven
for 1 hr, or until the meringues are just
crisp on the outside, but not browned
– you can prop the oven door open
slightly if they start to colour. After
1 hr, turn off the oven and leave the
meringues on the baking shelf until
they have cooled completely.
 guilt-free treats

Pyjama-stripe
mousse with
coconut cream
These layered chocolate delights are
made with avocado to make them
extra virtuous.

Makes 6 • Ready in 20 mins,

plus chilling

600ml coconut cream

1 vanilla pod, sliced carefully in half
with the seeds removed
75g dark chocolate
150ml honey or maple syrup
4tbsp cocoa powder
2 ripe avocados
edible flowers or fresh berries
(optional)

1 Place 400ml of the coconut cream in

the fridge for a minimum of 3 hrs, ideally
overnight. When you are ready to make
the mousse, pour away the liquid, add
half the vanilla seeds to the cream and
whisk for 5 mins, until aerated and fluffy.
2 Break the chocolate into squares in a
heatproof bowl, set over a pan of boiling
water – make sure the bottom of the
bowl isn’t touching the water. Stir in
half the coconut cream mix, honey or
syrup, cocoa powder and the remaining
vanilla seeds until smooth.
3 Hull out the flesh of the avocados into
a food processor. Whizz with the melted
chocolate mixture until silky smooth.
4 In 6 glasses layer the remaining
coconut cream and the chocolate
mousse. Top with an edible flower or
fresh berry, if using.
TIP The vanilla pod
husk can be used
again to infuse a pint
of milk for delicious
coffees the next day
Dainty eclairs
Using oat cream makes these lighter, but no less indulgent. Enjoy with a cuppa.
Makes 10 • Ready in 1 hr, plus chilling
300ml Oatly single cream
1tsp xanthan gum
1 vanilla pod, seeds removed
1tbsp maple syrup
110g butter
60g plain flour, sifted
2 large eggs
150g plain chocolate
you will need:
piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle;
baking tray, oiled
1 Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Put the
cream, xanthan gum, vanilla seeds and
maple syrup into a bowl and whisk until
thick and aerated. Chill in the fridge.
2 For the buns, bring 50g of the butter
and 150ml water to the boil in a pan. Sift
in the flour and a pinch of salt, and beat
well until the mixture starts to come away
from the sides. Leave to cool for 2 mins.
Now whisk in the eggs until smooth.
Transfer to the piping bag and pipe 7cm
lengths onto the baking tray. Bake for
10-12 mins. Using a skewer, make a hole
end to end, lengthways. Place back in the
oven for 10 mins, then set aside to cool.
3 Meanwhile, melt together the chocolate
and remaining butter until smooth, then
stir to combine.
4 To assemble, cut open the eclairs, dip
the tops in the chocolate and chill until
set. When ready to serve, carefully pipe
the cream into the cut eclairs. >>
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 151

Scones with
chia jam and
crème fraîche
The lower sugar ‘cham’, made with
healthy chia seeds, won’t make you
feel like you’ve overindulged.
Makes 14 • Ready in 40 mins,
plus chilling
560g plain flour
35g Silver Spoon caster sugar
with Stevia
2tsp baking powder
5g salt
200g cold salted butter, from the
fridge, chopped into small cubes
375g cold buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
152 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
crème fraîche, to serve
you will need:
baking tray lined with baking
parchment; round cutter
1 Heat the oven to 220C/ Gas 7. Put
the flour, sugar, baking powder and
salt into a mixing bowl. Add the butter
to the flour mixture and rub in. Add the
buttermilk, then carefully combine all
the ingredients by hand until the dough
is cohesive but not hard and compact.
2 Sprinkle the work surface with flour
and carefully roll out the dough into
a 20 x 50cm rectangle. Fold a third of
the dough over itself. Fold the other
third of the dough over the other layers.
Scrape the work surface clean.
3 Sprinkle a little flour on top of the
dough and repeat the rolling and folding
process 3 times. Place the dough on a
non-stick baking tray, seam-side down,
and leave in the fridge for 30 mins.
4 Roll out the dough until it’s 1.5cm
thick and use a round cutter to cut out
14 scones. Arrange them on the baking
tray, spaced well apart. Brush the tops
with some beaten egg. Bake for 10-15
mins, until golden brown on top.
for the jam:
500g raspberries
3tbsp maple syrup
4tsp chia seeds
1 Heat the raspberries in a pan over a
medium heat, stirring occasionally, until
RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING: ROSIE BENSBERG AND ELISA ROCHE. PHOTOS: SAM STOWELL
the fruit is heated through and begins
to break down. Use a spoon to crush the
raspberries into a smooth consistency.
2 Taste the fruit and add the maple
syrup, if needed. Stir in the chia seeds
and place in an airtight container,
with the lid off until it reaches room
temperature. Then place in the fridge
for 2 hrs to help set the jam.
TIP If you want to
make fruit scones,
scatter 100g raisins
over the dough
before you do the
final roll and fold
 guilt-free treats

Many thanks to
McQueen’s florists for
our lovely arrangements;
mcqueens.co.uk
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 153
 Living
LA DOLCE
VITA We’ve sampled some of
Italy’s finest treasures, from
sparkling seas and lakes,
to cities bursting with
history and culture

154 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!

 Italy special

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 155


Clockwise from top:
Bellagio town on Lake
Como (also seen on
previous spread); the
Mandarin Oriental
Lago di Como
exterior; the hotel’s
stylish lakefront lawn
UNWIND AT LAKE COMO
Ultimate glamour meets fabulous scenery on the shores of Lake Como.
There’s something irresistibly seductive
about the power of music – and back
in the 1820s, Italian opera star Giuditta
Pasta (yes, Pasta) sat beneath a cypress
tree in her villa’s garden on the shore
of Lake Como to rehearse a song.
Across the lake, the equally celebrated
composer Vincenzo Bellini heard the
thrilling voice echoing across the water
and was enchanted. It was the start of a
heady love affair that inspired his opera,
Norma. The magical air of romance,
scented with jasmine and mimosa, still
lingers in the stunning surroundings of
the villa, now lovingly restored to glory
as a Mandarin Oriental hotel.
It has had a complete facelift over the
past year, with blues and greens bringing
the colours of the lake into the interiors.
There’s a Time Ritual spa and, best of
all, an outdoor pool floating on the lake.
For anyone new to the Italian Lakes,
the drive down to the shore of Como
156 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
BEST FOR
Natural
beauty
is simply breathtaking, with snow-
capped mountains in the distance and
clear blue skies over the rippling water.
The lake’s timeless appeal still attracts
celebrities to this day. Boat taxis give
a wide berth to the gorgeous lakeside
home owned by George and Amal
Clooney – there’s a hefty fine for
anyone who sails too close – but
they all speak very highly of their
world-famous resident who has brought
even more glamour to the area.
A half-hour trip across the water takes
you to Bellagio, and the must-see villa, The town of Como has its own appeal,
with its magnificent lake views. It’s also with waterside walks and fabulous
a hotspot for weddings, though guests shops brimming with Italian silks.
have to be prepared for a steep climb. And back at the hotel, maybe try
For a gastronomic treat nearer to the warbling your own tune as you wander
Mandarin Oriental, take a five-minute through the botanical gardens. Who
boat transfer to restaurant Il Vapore, knows who might be listening from
where the fabulous food, combined across the lake…
with a rosy sunset tinting the water, ✣ Find out more Rooms from €600
makes for a magical evening. per night; mandarinoriental.com

FLORENTINE CHIC
A luxurious designer hotel makes the perfect base for exploring Florence.
Florence is a city packed with treats, from
the Uffizi Gallery to Giotto’s Campanile,
so if you’re only there for a few days, how
best to see the whole city? A Tuk Tuk tour
ticks all the boxes, and takes you nipping
around backstreets – if you’re prepared
for a few bumps on the cobbles.
Baking is at the heart of Italian food,
and Roberto Buonamici, now 70, has been
making Cantucci Tuscan biscuits since he
was 13. The almond biscuits, traditionally
dipped in liqueur, are delicious. During a
demonstration at Pasticceria Buonamici,
he coaxes the ingredients into a dough
on a cool marble table, to be rolled, cut
and laid on trays ready for the oven. A
new studio is due to open shortly if you’d
like to create your own flavours of Italy.
Art, of course, is the soul of Florence
– it’s home to Michelangelo’s David,
Botticelli’s Venus and Titian’s Venus of
Urbino, among countless other treasures.
Clockwise from
top: Dine at the
hotel’s Caffè
dell’Oro with
views of the
Ponte Vecchio;
the cathedral
at sundown
Italy special
For an exploration of Renaissance art,
historian Alexandra Lawrence leads a
variety of private tours around the city.
The fabulously stylish Portrait
Firenze Hotel, overlooking the river
Arno and the Ponte Vecchio bridge,
has an impeccable fashion pedigree
– it belongs to the world-famous
luxury goods company Ferragamo.
Stay in a suite and it’s like having
your own city-break flat, but with the
benefit of top-notch housekeeping.
The hotel’s cocktail bar mingles
science and fabulous flavours, while
the fusion restaurant offers an amazing
selection of street food, scallops, sushi
and main dishes – with a knockout
salmon marinated in beetroot and sake.
After a hard day’s culture, who could
ask for more?
✣ Find out more Rooms from £517
per night; lungarnocollection.com >>
BEST FOR
Food &
culture
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 157
SPA HEAVEN IN SARDINIA
Discover a feast for the senses on a visit to the idyllic Mediterranean island.
Surrounded by clear turquoise sea,
Sardinia is a sensory paradise, famous
for white sand beaches, crystal-clear
waters and natural rugged beauty.
The northern coast area in particular
(Porto Cervo and Costa Smeralda)
is famous for its summer visitors on
superyachts – Beyoncé, Gwyneth
Paltrow and European royalty are
among the celebrities papped here.
The romantic Hotel Capo d’Orso
is the perfect haven to take in the
magnificent views of panoramic Palau.
A boat will pick you up from its private
jetty here for a three-hour sailing trip
around the Archipelago La Maddalena,
where the sea is so transparent that only
its depth decides each shade of blue.
Famous for its healing waters, the
true Sardinian Thalasso spa experience
involves submerging yourself between
three pools of differing temperatures
Clockwise from
top: Outdoor
pools at Hotel
Capo d’Orso;
dine looking out
at sea; the hotel
sits between two
fabulous beaches
– from bath temperature to cool to
cold. Each small pool is full of jets
that target your upper and lower
back, all designed to relax, de-stress
and strengthen your body.
Hotel Capo d’Orso is one of eight
Delphina hotels in northern Sardinia,
each with its own beaches and
boasting several boats including
a magnificent 1927 sailing boat.
BEST FOR
You can arrange a private
Relaxing &
dinner on the beach, go dolphin
rejuvenation
and whale watching or have a
romantic night-time cruise. And a
morning trip to the winery Ledda
in the Cannigione hills overlooking
Costa Smeralda is a must. It’s a heady
experience – even before you begin
sampling the delicious local wines...
✣ Find out more To book any of the
hotels, winery experiences and spa
treatments, visit delphinahotels.co.uk

Clockwise from
top: Naples
during sunrise;
Hotel Romeo’s
rooftop plunge
pool; Naples is
the birthplace
of pizza
UNCOVERING NAPLES
Discover the city with a dramatic past and vibrant present.
Naples is sometimes thought of as a
staging post en route to the Amalfi Coast
or the island of Capri. But it has much to
offer in its own right – as anyone gripped
by the novels of Elena Ferrante will
GETTY IMAGES, GETTY IMAGES/ISTOCKPHOTO, RICHARD BRYANT/ARCAIDIMAGES.COM
WORDS: JANE KEMP, ISABEL PEARCE, JANE DRUKER, FANNY BLAKE. PHOTOS: ALAMY,
know – and it’s the perfect city break to
immerse yourself in culture and cuisine.
The first must-see is nearby Pompeii.
In 79AD, Mount Vesuvius erupted to
submerge the city and its inhabitants in
clouds of volcanic ash. Today, the roads
are left intact, flanked by the remains of
lavish villas, more modest residences,
theatres, public baths and more.
Underground Naples offers very
different insights into the city’s past. In
the historic centre, 40 metres below the
ground, is a labyrinth of tunnels begun
by the ancient Greeks and Romans,
who channelled water for the city.
Back on ground level, the streets teem
with life. Vendors sell anything from bags
to trinkets, handmade puppets and
Italy special
flowers. Linger at cake BEST FOR
shops selling sfogliatelle, Exploring
babas and delizia al limone, history
and visit shops selling pasta,
almond-flour taralli biscuits
and all flavours of ice cream.
Naples boasts over 500 churches.
The church of Gesù Nuovo, with its black
stone exterior, opens into a magnificent
baroque interior rich in sculpture and
painting. And don’t miss the Duomo,
the great cathedral of Naples.
There are pizza restaurants everywhere
in Naples. Try Pizzeria Brandi, reputed
inventor of the pizza margherita.
We stayed in the five-star Hotel rooftop plunge pool with views across
Romeo. Designed by Japanese architect Naples and a basement luxury spa.
Kenzo Tange, the luxurious 79-room So don’t pass Naples by – the city is
accommodation faces the harbour and a vibrant, 21st-century box of delights.
every comfort has been thought of, right ✣ Find out more A three-night
down to the Nespresso machine in the package at Romeo Hotel costs from
bedroom. There are two restaurants, £1,360 and includes flights and private
one with a Michelin star, a heated transfers; originaltravel.co.uk
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 159
160 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
 SPRING
BREAKS
with a difference
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the National Trust, we’ve rounded
up some of their most delightful properties to stay in, from manor
houses to classic English follies
W
here would we be without
the National Trust? As well
as protecting some of the
country’s most precious
buildings and glorious natural spaces, the
charity – 125 years old this year – began
offering holidays in the 1930s, providing
the chance to get a taste of life in some
very special places, from grand estates
to clifftop bothies. So far, 500 historic
buildings have been carefully restored
for holiday rental, providing something
for every budget and taste. And the best
thing of all? Every single penny of the
profits goes towards supporting National
Trust conservation projects across
England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Here’s just a taste of some very special
holidays on offer.
historic stays
AN ANCIENT TOWER
THE TOWER, BLICKLING, NORFOLK,
SLEEPS 4
Stay in your own 18th-century tower, a former
race stand for the Earl of Buckinghamshire,
now a luxury holiday pad oozing charm and
character. Original features include a large
arched window and a roof terrace with views
stretching across Blickling’s rolling fields and
woodlands towards the coast. Follow the
winding paths through the great wood to
see English bluebells in spring, or explore the
magnificent Jacobean Hall before stopping
for a pint at the estate’s own country pub,
the Buckinghamshire Arms.
Beyond the grounds, the sandy beaches
and cliffs of the Norfolk coast beckon – in
spring, you’ll be treated to aerial displays
of lapwings over coastal marshes. Blakeney
National Nature Reserve is 20 miles away,
and it’s a 30-minute stroll to the Georgian
market town of Aylsham.
✣ Three nights from £543 >>
 The iconic A LIGHTHOUSE
Souter Lighthouse
was the first
KEEPER’S COTTAGE
LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER’S COTTAGE 1
in the world AND 2, SOUTER, TYNE & WEAR,
to be powered EACH COTTAGE SLEEPS 4
by electricity Two cosy whitewashed Victorian
lighthouse keepers’ cottages sit
proudly on the cliffs overlooking
Whitburn Steel and the North Sea,
offering an idyllic spot to soak up the
fantastic scenery and wildlife.
Saunter north from Souter Lighthouse
to explore The Leas, a two-and-a-half-
mile expanse of limestone cliffs, wave-
cut foreshores and coastal grassland,
home to thousands of nesting and
wading seabirds. During spring,
sand and house martins arrive, and
you’ll also spot skylarks, fulmars and
kittiwakes, while the wetland habitats
lure a variety of wildlife, including
pochard ducks and ducklings.
The National Trust runs events
including seashore safaris, beach cleans
and runs. Newcastle’s galleries and
restaurants are a 15-minute drive away.
✣ Three nights from £300 for
either cottage

A 19TH-CENTURY Download
OBSERVATORY a free podcast
about the waterfalls
NANT LAS, DOLGELLAU,
and wildlife at
GWYNEDD, SLEEPS 2
breconbeacons.
Hidden among the trees in the
org
Dolmelynllyn Estate of Snowdonia sits
a former 19th-century observatory, now
a bijou romantic retreat. You can still
gaze upon the stars from its veranda
as night falls and, when the sun rises,
spectacular views across the valley
unfold. The timber cottage offers a
cosy little nook with a warming log
burner and sloping ceilings. There are
miles of walking trails in Snowdonia
National Park to explore, and nearby,
there’s a footpath to Rhaiadr Du,
one of the most spectacular waterfalls
in Wales.
The ruined Cistercian Abbey, founded
in 1198, is just four miles away from
the cottage, or take a short trip to the
seaside town of Barmouth, with its estuary
and Grade II listed wooden viaduct.
✣ Three nights from £246

162 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!

 historic stays

A WATER TOWER
THE WATER TOWER, TRELISSICK,
CORNWALL, SLEEPS 2
This quirky retreat, a former reservoir,
resembles the legendary tower of
Rapunzel, with a circular room on each
floor, linked by a spiral staircase. This
topsy-turvy tower has a kitchen at
the top, a sitting room below, and
a double bedroom on the first floor.
Set on the banks of the River Fal,
you can laze on the small sandy beach
if it’s warm enough. Take a springtime
amble through the woodland to see
celandines and primroses, while
swallows swoop their way around the
landscape, and Trelissick’s orchards brim
with pink and white apple blossom.
Jump aboard the King Harry Ferry
to St Mawes or the Roseland Peninsula,
or wander along Roundwood Quay to
watch waders on the tidal mudflats
and passing boats on the river.
✣ Two nights from £296 >>
A GRADE I LISTED MANOR HOUSE
HORTON COURT,
GLOUCESTERSHIRE, SLEEPS 10
Horton Court – a Grade I listed manor
house that dates back to 1185 – has just
undergone a £2 million restoration.
Its full-length windows overlook the
gardens, which are surrounded by
mature woodland and rolling
countryside, plus there’s a lake. Horton Court
The Cotswold Way is on your
doorstep, and you can visit
nearby Woodchester Park
in spring to see gawky heron
chicks perched in the Scots pines
high above the lake, a haven
for these protected birds.
has appeared Chipping Sodbury, a medieval
in TV dramas market town, is down the
such as Poldark road, and the bustling city
and Wolf Hall of Bath is just 15 miles away.
✣ Three nights from £1,138
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AN ARCHED
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GATEWAY
THE TRIUMPHAL ARCH,
BERRINGTON HALL,
HEREFORDSHIRE, SLEEPS 5
Part of the entrance to the magnificent
Berrington Hall has been transformed
into a quirky holiday home complete
with a wood-burning stove and private
garden, with sweeping views across
the estate’s immaculate Capability
Brown gardens. Venture down to
the lake with its reed beds and lily
pads, and glimpse spring wild flowers,
herons and otters.
Explore Berrington Hall, a neoclassical
mansion brimming with treasures and
works of art. Or venture further afield
to follow the winding River Wye past
pretty villages, ancient ruins, market
towns and swathes of forest.
✣ Three nights from £358
 historic stays

A BUTLER’S APARTMENT
FLORENCE COURT, ENNISKILLEN,
COUNTY FERMANAGH, SLEEPS 4
Nestled against the wild backdrop of Benaughlin and
the Cuilcagh Mountains, Florence Court (below) is an
impressive 18th-century mansion that offers quirky
accommodation in its servants quarters. Explore the
walking trails around the estate and marvel at the views
from the Pleasure Grounds, home to historic trees.
Discover the hills of Benaughlin and spot deer, otters,
pine martens, red squirrels, bats and rare butterflies.
✣ Two nights from £204 staying at the
Butler’s Apartment
Butler’s
Apartment
served as living
quarters for the
male servants
at Florence
Court

A MINI ROTUNDA
THE ROUND HOUSE, ICKWORTH, SUFFOLK,
SLEEPS 6
This rotunda, nestled in a woodland glade close to Fairy
Lake, is straight out of a children’s storybook. Formerly a
gamekeeper’s cottage, this is a miniature version of the ornate
Italianate Palace in the same grounds. Walk through sweeping
gardens to see splendid displays of spring tulips and daffodils.
Numerous walking trails wrap themselves around the
estate, allowing glimpses of bluebells through the trees.
✣ Three nights from £442

AN ISLAND RETREAT
AGENT’S HOUSE, BROWNSEA ISLAND,
Brownsea DORSET, SLEEPS 6
Island was once Sitting on the water’s edge on this nature
owned by Mary reserve, Agent’s House looks out over the
Bonham Christie, sea and backs onto a shimmering lagoon,
who banned a sanctuary to swathes of seabirds. Along
the public with neighbouring Custom House (which
sleeps four), it’s one of just two holiday
cottages on the 560-acre island, accessible
only by boat. Look out for red squirrels,
sika deer, rabbits and more. During spring,
the dawn chorus on Brownsea is renowned
– with no natural predators, it’s a haven
for woodland birds such as blackbirds,
robins, chiffchaffs and wrens.
✣ Three nights from £451
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 March’s
W&H
BOOK
CLUB

BOOK CLUB Our books editors Zoe West and Emma Shacklock
share their favourite picks for the month, plus
Hannah Rothschild reveals her writing secrets

POWERFUL WOMEN
THE MERCIES BOOK TOUCHING TALE
by Kiran Millwood OF THE SAVING MISSY
Hargrave (£14.99, MONTH by Beth Morrey
Pan Macmillan) (£12.99, HarperCollins)
Inspired by In what’s been described
true events, this as a ‘coming of old’ story, we meet
bewitching novel prickly Millicent (Missy). Grieving for her
captures the husband, with a son living in Australia
suspicion that and a daughter she hasn’t spoken to
tears a community for a year, she is lonely. That is until
apart. On Christmas she meets two very different women
Eve, 1617, the rural Norwegian island – along with Bobby the adoring dog –
of Vardø suffers a tragedy as a sudden who help her realise it doesn’t have to
storm lays waste to the local men. be that way. Featuring a cast of flawed
Eighteen months later, godly Absalom but lovable characters, this is a story
Cornet arrives, determined to stamp out of friendship and having a second chance
what he sees as female evil. Atmospheric at life – one to savour.
and unforgettable.

OVERCOMING ANGER EMOTIONAL DRAMA TWISTED THRILLER

SATURDAYS THE FOUNDLING GRACE IS GONE
AT NOON by by Stacey by Emily Elgar
Rachel Marks Halls (£12.99, (£16.99, Little,
(£7.99, Penguin) Bonnier Zaffre) Brown Book
Sometimes a book Stacey Halls returns Group)
comes along that with a historical Emily Elgar’s latest
really does make tale set in Georgian psychological
you think, and London. Bess thriller takes dark
this story of two Bright is devastated twists and turns
individuals who to discover that before arriving at a
end up at an anger the illegitimate suitably unsettling
management class together does just daughter she left in the care of London’s conclusion. A close community is
that. Emily (who is on self-destruct) and Foundling Hospital has now been left shaken to the core by the murder
Jake (who is hoping to save his marriage claimed. Meanwhile, widow Alexandra of local mother, Meg, and the
and relationship with son, Alfie) both lives in comparative luxury, building disappearance of her invalid daughter
think they shouldn’t be there. But when up barriers to protect herself and Grace. And how long can Grace survive
Alfie strikes up a friendship with Emily, her daughter from the past. With without medical attention? But can
everything changes. This engaging read a strong emotional core, you’ll be carried they find her and, if they do, what stories
is at once heartbreaking and full of hope. along by the period details. will she have to tell?

PAPERBACKS OF THE MONTH Dead Man’s Daughter by Roz Watkins ✢ Little White Lies by
 FAMILY FALLOUTS
GROWN UPS
by Marian Keyes
HOW I WRITE
(£20, Penguin)
The glamorous, Hannah
successful Casey
family’s veneer of Rothschild
good humour is Following the
torn away after a success of The
bump on the head Improbability
leads Cara to blurt of Love,
out embarrassing which won
home truths at a get-together. We’re the Bollinger
then whisked back in time to discover Everyman
how these revelations came to be. No Wodehouse
one wraps family dynamics, female Prize for best
angst, jokes and serious stuff into such comic novel,
an appealing form as Keyes. A winner. we’re looking forward to Hannah
Rothschild’s latest novel, House
MEDICAL MEMOIR of Trelawney (£16.99, Bloomsbury). I start with characters and themes,
DEAR LIFE but the plotting evolves in real time.
by Rachel Clarke I have a shoebox where I keep I admire writers like Jane Austen,
(£16.99, random ideas, press cuttings, who meticulously worked out each
Little, Brown photographs and mementos, which conversation in advance, but for me the
Book Group) relate to the subject or themes of excitement of not knowing outweighs
Doctors try to a new book. If I get stuck during the efficiency of a plan. For me, reading
cure people’s writing, I empty the box on the floor to and writing are an adventure and I try
illnesses, but reconnect with the original inspiration. to communicate that feeling in words.
when they can’t,
many of them As I have a day job, I have to be I race to the end of a first draft and
struggle to help disciplined at deadline time. Every then the hard work begins. I start
patients cope with the approach of hour, every minute is used. Luckily I can from page one, picking the manuscript
death. That’s why kind, compassionate, write anywhere. When starting a new to pieces. My first book took 12 drafts;
palliative care is so vital, and this book, I treat it like an illicit love affair the second 14; and the last went
astonishing book by Doctor Clarke and take my computer on assignations through 11 versions. In my case, writing
will make you re-evaluate your own life to coffee shops and occasionally hotels. should be called rewriting.
and priorities. Deeply moving.

5 OF THE BEST Edge-of-your-seat thrillers

ADDITIONAL REVIEWS: JANE KEMP. PHOTO: DAVID TITLOW

THE GUEST LIST by A WINDOW BREAKS THE MEMORY THE ALIBI GIRL SIX WICKED
Lucy Foley (£12.99, by C.M. Ewan (£7.99, WOOD by Sam Lloyd by C J Skuse (£7.99, REASONS by Jo Spain
HarperCollins) Pan Macmillan) (£12.99, Transworld) HarperCollins) (£16.99, Quercus)
As friends arrive on Out in the Scottish When Elijah comes With an alibi for Ten years after
a remote island for a wilderness, a family across Elissa, kept every situation, no one his disappearance,
wedding, past grudges dealing with grief captive in the memory knows who Joanne Adam Lattimer turns
and hidden jealousies for a lost son will do woods, he refuses Haynes really is. That up unannounced
abound when a everything they can to to alert the police. is, until someone at his family home.
guest is found dead. protect themselves. A truly chilling story. gets too close… A twisty tale.

Philippa East ✢ The Promise by Teresa Driscoll ✢ Lost Dog: A Love Story by Kate Spicer ✢ A Rose Petal Summer by Katie Fforde
 Your new
crime obses
starts here…
‘One of the most
‘Proof that thrillers
engaging characters in
can increase
modern crime fiction’
the pulse rate’
Kate Mosse
The Guardian

Out now in hardback,

ebook and audiobook

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W&H
BOOK
CLUB IN CONVERSATION WITH
Jeanine
Cummins
She knew it was an important story, but her book’s huge success
has amazed and delighted author Jeanine Cummins
ith film rights
W already snapped
up, and Stephen
King calling
it extraordinary, Jeanine
Cummins’ American Dirt is a
stunning story about Lydia and
her nine-year-old son Luca’s
terrifying journey as they flee
cartel violence and attempt
to cross the border from
Mexico into the US. Jeanine
lives in New York with her
husband and two daughters.
There are so many reasons
I wrote this book about a
mother and son who find
themselves on the run.
Firstly, I’m married to an
immigrant, and although he’s
Irish – and his experience is
very different to the people I’m
writing about in the book – he
was an undocumented person
for years and we lived in fear
that at any moment we could
lose everything and our whole
life would change. I also come from a
Latino family. My grandmother was
a glamorous young woman from an
affluent family, but when she moved
to America she was ‘just’ a Puerto
Rican. She didn’t like that reductionist
point of view and was very angry
about it. The ramifications of that still
resonate with the family now.
The people amassing at
the border are all different,
coming from different
backgrounds and usually
running from very different
dangers. They are just human
beings who have brains,
ambition, hope, stories to
tell and songs to sing.
Motherhood is the most
accessible lens for me when
I’m coming to a story. I have
two daughters, aged 12 and
nine, and of course, it was
so difficult putting myself
in Lydia’s position taking
her son on this treacherous
journey. The experience of
motherhood is one women
can relate to – the one thing
that can help you jump
the gap into empathy for a
character. When I first started
writing the book my eldest
daughter was about Luca’s
age, and when I finished my
youngest daughter was his
‘I realised what age, so I felt like I was living with Luca.
things were Lydia puts Luca into situations that, as
a mother, you would never dream of.
important to me, But, when you’re running away from the
monster you’ll do anything to save your
and this book felt child. Even if that means throwing them
on top of a moving train – you would do
like one of them’ it. That’s my honest hope – that every >>
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 171
w&h book club
single reader who is a mother will feel
it. No matter what the reader thinks of
immigrants or the political issues, they will
read it and think, ‘What would I do in that
moment? Stay at home and wait to die?’
I did worry that this was not my story
to tell. I’m not Mexican or a migrant, but
I decided I was willing to take it on the
chin. The more people I met the more
I felt compelled to write it. A scholar once
said to me, ‘We need every voice we can
get – just tell it.’ That sustained me, and
I feel better about it now.
I started trying to write this book in
2013 and produced two completely
failed drafts. Then in October 2016
my dad passed very
unexpectedly. He just died
at a table in a restaurant.
‘When you’re
It was such a shock. I was running away
bereft and took to my bed
like a Victorian heroine from the
for about three months.
I couldn’t function, I could monster you’ll
barely get my kids on the
[school] bus. I didn’t care do anything to
about the book – not
anything. Then one day
save your child’
I just dragged my computer into bed
and wrote the opening scene. I had
this painful new perspective on
what really mattered. I realised what
things were important to me, and this
book felt like one of them.
A month later I rented a casita
(little house) in the Arizona desert
where I stayed for eight days, writing
for 16 hours a day. I didn’t even cook.
I ate carrots, houmous and cereal.
Then I drove to the border and sat
there taking pictures. I wrote almost
half the book in that time. All my grief
went right onto the page.
My husband was mad with me when
I went to carry out research along the
migrant route. He knew I was risking my
life, as kidnapping is endemic in Mexico.
I also had to be very careful that no one
found out I was writing about the cartels,
though I didn’t talk to anyone about
them. For that research, I did a lot of
reading and watched documentaries.
Typically, migrants who have been
in contact with the cartels will not talk
172 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
JeanineÕs
about it. They are very, very nervous. But
I was surprised at their openness talking
about their experience as migrants.
As a writer, my greatest hope is that,
BOOK
in some small way, I may be able to
repatriate the migrants’ humanity
CHOICES
to them. I don’t want that to sound THE WRITER
over-inflated. Who am I to change the I CAN MOST
conversation about migrants? All I want RELATE TO
to do is remind people that they are ACROSS THE WIRE
humans. They are not inherently good or by Luis Alberto Urrea
inherently bad – they are sons, daughters, He refers to himself
mothers and fathers, people who have as someone who is
fears, talents, memories, laughter and love. ‘culturally bisected’.
I find that relatable
It was so overwhelming when I being from a mixed
received an email from Stephen King. background myself. By The Lake
He sent me my first quote. of Sleeping Children is so good.
I was standing at the
kitchen counter making
You open that book, read the first
sentence and you’ll cry.
my kids’ dinner and it
came in directly from him.
I couldn’t speak when I saw ADMIRABLE
he’d described my book WRITING STYLE
as ‘extraordinary’. My LOVE IN THE TIME
daughters and I screamed OF CHOLERA
and leapt around the by Gabriel García
kitchen. Then the hits kept
coming. Stephen King sent
Márquez
Everyone raves about
the book to Don Winslow who called it One Hundred Years
‘The Grapes of Wrath of our time’. These Of Solitude, but this
people I’ve admired for my whole career is my favourite. He
were giving me such beautiful quotes. It writes long, flowery sentences that
has been such a thrill. I’m still in disbelief. blow in all different directions, but it’s
not confusing. He can pack 50 words
I’m also excited that film rights have in one sentence. This book shows
been sold. I feel it should have a redemption is always possible. No
Mexican director and the characters of matter how far away from your goal
Soledad and Lydia should be played by you get, you can always circle back.
Mexicans too. I would probably choose
unknown stars – I’m not sure Jennifer
Lopez on top of a train would be right... THE ONE TO
LOOK OUT FOR
I never realised American Dirt would VALENTINE
have such an effect on people. by Elizabeth
I started writing it before this issue Wetmore
entered the zeitgeist. I just started This book is like nothing
writing it because it else I’ve ever read.
WORDS: ZOE WEST. PHOTO: JOE KENNEDY
was important to me It’s an absolute page-
but I genuinely didn’t turner. There’s an act
think people would of violence in a Texas
respond to any book town in the 60s on page one, and it’s
about migrants. the story of how all the women in the
community react. Do they choose to
✣ American Dirt save their marriage, their sanity, their
(£14.99, Headline) reputation, their children or their soul?
is out now.
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PB73330/10.19
WINTER SUN by Fanny Blake
Her dreadful mistake looked set to wreck
their anniversary holiday, but was it really too
late to put things right between them?

W
ill’s frown and his finger
tapping on the airport
trolley told Lorna her
husband was quietly
fuming. They were the last passengers
at the baggage carousel and his case
had not appeared. After half an hour
of queuing to report the loss, they
left the arrivals hall to discover they
had missed their hotel pick-up.
‘We shouldn’t have come,’ Will
snapped over his shoulder on their way
to the taxi rank. But of course they
should. Their three children had clubbed
together to give them this week in
Tenerife as a 25th anniversary present.
They had no idea their parents’ marriage
was close to imploding.
Full of regret, Lorna stared at Will’s
tense, angry back. She couldn’t believe
she’d been so stupid. Why on earth did
I do it? she thought. Why did I sleep with

Don Masterman at the sales conference?
What was I thinking? And why did he text
me afterwards?
They were soon speeding along the
motorway flanked by scrubby desert,
interrupted by occasional buildings and
hoardings advertising tourist attractions.
In the distance, the ocean sparkled
under the bluest of skies.
From their room, beyond the
scaffolding that made their balcony
unusable, they could see the car park.
‘We can’t tell the children the hotel
isn’t exactly perfect,’ said Lorna.
‘Bloody nightmare,’ said Will, throwing
himself on the bed.
‘I suppose it is out of season,’ said
Lorna, opening her case, trying to make
the best of things.
‘It’s not winter here.’ Tom’s tone was
sharp, as if she had the intelligence of
a three-year-old instead of a woman
running a successful business.
‘I’m going to get you a new shirt,’ she
said, anxious to put things right between
them. She deserved all he threw at her
but she couldn’t bear his bad temper
for another minute.
When she returned, mission
accomplished, Will had vanished.
‘Gone for a walk’ said the note. Very
well. She would explore on her own.
✣✣✣✣
By the hotel pool, surrounded by
oleander and hibiscus, she found a
couple of sunloungers shaded by a
parasol. A waiter took her order for a gin
fizz and she lay back. The last one she’d
drunk had tipped her into another man’s
arms. Don had offered her what she
didn’t get from Will any more: attention,
consideration, good sex… But one
night had been enough. She had been
wracked with guilt, returning home to
Will, praying he would never find out.
If only he hadn’t picked up her phone.
A great night. Haven’t met a woman
like you in a long time. Again soon?
Don, the message had read.
ILLUSTRATION: JENNIFER LEEM-BRUGGEN.
She had spent hours reassuring
COPYRIGHT: TI MEDIA LIMITED, 2019
Will that it had been a fling that meant
nothing. A terrible mistake. He was
the one she loved. And she meant it.
She had watched anger and confusion
spark in his eyes, recognising how
thoughtless and selfish she had been.
‘Is this taken?’
Lorna opened her eyes to see a
woman about her age, in an eye-
popping bikini, standing over her. Her
eyes were hidden behind dark glasses.
‘No,’ said Lorna, expecting her to
take the lounger elsewhere.
Instead the woman spread out her
towel, sat down and ordered a mojito.
‘Eva,’ she said, holding out her hand.
‘Have you just arrived?’
‘We have, and I’ve already lost my
husband.’ Lorna looked at the roses
tattooed up Eve’s left bicep. Pretty, but
not something she’d ever dare to have.
‘Me too. Let’s enjoy the moment.’
Eva stretched out beside her, her body
gleaming in the sun.
After an hour’s chatting, they stood
up to leave. ‘Why don’t we all have
drinks before dinner?’ Lorna suggested
on impulse. Perhaps meeting someone
new would improve Will’s mood.
To her delight, the four of them
seemed to hit it off and drinks segued
seamlessly into dinner. Eva and Mick
‘A great night.
were funny, telling jokes
against themselves that
Haven’t met a
put a smile back on
Will’s face. Perhaps the
holiday wasn’t going to
be so bad, after all. But
by the time they went woman like you
to bed, Will’s face and
arms were glowing after in a long time.
Again soon?’
his afternoon in the sun.
He was untouchable.
‘Didn’t you use any
sunblock at all?’ asked Lorna, annoyed
that he had kiboshed her plan to make
things up to him.
Instead they lay in their separate sides
of the bed. Not speaking. Not touching.
A tear slid down her cheek.
✣✣✣✣
At breakfast the next day, Eva suggested
she and Will should play a round of
golf. ‘Mick won’t, and you said last night
you loved it.’
Will looked uncertain.
‘You don’t mind, do you, Lorna?’
‘Of course not,’ said Lorna. After all,
she had no right to be jealous after what
she’d done. ‘I’ll be happy with my book.’
‘And me, don’t forget,’ said Mick.
That hadn’t been part of her plan.
With a niggle of unease, she watched
Will and Eva set off together.
Being alone with Mick was torture. He
didn’t draw breath, even when she had her
exclusive short story
book open, even when she closed her eyes
to doze. Worse, he had only one topic of
conversation – himself. By the end of the
morning, she knew everything there was
to know about his marriage, his chain of
garden centres, his Porsche, his anticipation
of early retirement, Eva’s too. And the
previous night’s jokes were repeated.
He wasn’t interested in her and Will at all.
Will found her hiding in their room. He
threw his baseball cap on the bed. ‘Phew!’
‘How was it?’ she asked nervously.
‘Ghastly.’ He sat down. ‘I couldn’t do
anything right. She made no allowances
for a beginner and told me non-stop
about her golf club and her handicap,
their holidays, their cars, his business.
I thought I’d die of inadequacy.’ He reached
for a bottle of water. ‘How was Mick?’
‘As bad,’ she said.
They grinned at each other.
That evening they went to the pretty
fishing village of La Caleta for dinner.
As they strolled by the harbour, they saw
two familiar figures
coming towards them.
‘Quick!’ Will pulled
Lorna down a narrow
side street. Without
saying a word, they
ran as fast as they
could, round a corner,
down an alley where
they found a door
to a restaurant. They
were shown to a table
on its terrace overlooking the sea, and
collapsed into their seats, laughing.
‘Thank God we escaped,’ said Will, still
smiling. He reached across the table for
her hand. ‘If nothing else, that game of
golf reminded me just how lucky I am.’
Their fingers entwined like old times.
‘I’m sorry, Will. I can’t say it enough.’
He shook his head. ‘Let’s just say
we’ve been to the bottom and now we’re
surfacing again.’
‘You’ve forgiven me?’
He looked away briefly, then back
at Lorna as he squeezed her hand.
Five days, she thought. Five days
to put things back the way they were.
Their children would never know
exactly how wonderful a present they
had given them.
✣ A Summer Reunion by Fanny Blake
(£7.99, Orion) is out now.
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 175
promotional feature
Meet the real
MILITARY
WIVES
The new heart-warming film Military Wives
tells the story of two women who bond over
the shared experience of having a partner
fighting the war in Afghanistan. We talk to two
women who underwent similar trials in 2019
to find out what their daily lives are really like
‘I walked through
the door convinced
I couldn’t sing’
Emma Watling, 46, lives
in Norfolk and has been
part of the Military Wives
Choirs in Marham for
more than six years.
My average day is similar to everyone
else’s if my husband is home. But when
he’s away, it’s all about waiting – waiting
for him to come home, waiting for a phone
call or waiting for news. There’s a lot of not
knowing, and we never look too far ahead.
Because of that, we cherish every moment
and try not to overthink saying goodbye
– it’s more about saying hello again.
My family are my support network.
However, when I joined the choir, I’d
176 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
lost all my confidence. I’d had a baby
prematurely, so I spent a lot of time
at home with an unwell child and I was
struggling. My husband encouraged
me to join and it was my opportunity
to do something for me. Now I go out
once a week and I’m Emma, not Mum.
It has been a real journey – I’ve gone
from the woman who wouldn’t say
boo to a goose to choir lead. I walked
through the door convinced I couldn’t
sing, but choir is more than that. I know
I don’t ever have to explain myself to the
women around me, how or why I’m feeling,
they just get it. Now I’m on the committee,
I support 35 women to the best of my
ability and have a team of eight who
support them with me. I can call on those
women at any time and they can call on me.
For example, I find it difficult that I’m
essentially a single parent some of
the time, but I’m not. If I have to make
Emma with her husband
Michael, who serves
in the RAF Regiment
a decision, it’s hard. Being part of a choir
means that we talk about these things
and you get different ideas about ways
to support your children. I’ve also made
friends with women I wouldn’t necessarily
have met. One of my closest friends is a
woman who doesn’t have young children,
so I never would have met her in the
playground, and she doesn’t live on camp.
I think of choir much like my work at
a night shelter for homeless people
– some assume that I give a lot but
I gain far more than I give. Being in the
choir has become a huge part of my life
and I can’t imagine I’d be without it now.
✣ Visit militarywiveschoirs.org; follow
on Facebook @militarywiveschoirs
 Military Wives is in cinemas
ationwide from 6 March

colleagues based at 22Sqn, RMB Chivenor
so my friends were his friends. When our
two sons came along, my friends were
parents of other children, so I was always
somebody’s mum or somebody’s wife.
Although we could talk on the phone
every night, it was difficult when he
went away for more than a couple of
weeks. When you have children growing
up, their needs change, so he’d come
back and things would be different.
Plus, his job included being called to
situations such as sinking fishing boats
Jane with her sons, or aircraft crashes, so I would worry
Tom (left) and Josh when he was on a shift on a stormy night.
In 2011, I read that the Military Wives
‘It has given me Choir was putting on a concert at
the Pannier Market, so I went along.
my own identity’ A lot of my husband’s friends’ wives were
in the choir and they encouraged me to
Jane Batchelor, 51, lives join – it was the best thing I could have
in North Devon and done. We rehearsed three times a week
joined the Chivenor with Gareth Malone, and TV cameras
Military Ladies Choir recorded our rehearsals for months.
nine years ago. Then the Royal Albert Hall Festival of
Remembrance performance happened,
My husband was in the RAF Search and which was a highlight.
Rescue when we got married in 1999.
We bought a house in Devon and had However, being in the choir is more
just moved in when he was sent to Suffolk. than concerts and experiences. When
He spent the next 12 years commuting I first joined, there was no way I would
to posts in the UK and overseas. He had have sung solo but now I do, and I am
more confident. It has given me my own
identity and a support network. The
women of the choir have become friends
for life, and I know that I can rely on them.
✣ Follow on Facebook and Instagram
@chivenormilitaryladieschoir
FROM CHOIR
TO BIG SCREEN
Film director Peter Cattaneo (The
Full Monty) says: ‘I first got involved
with the film three years ago. We got
to know some courageous and candid
military wives, and the personal stories
they shared were humbling, sometimes
harrowing, often hilarious. I hope
audiences will come away from watching
Military Wives having laughed and cried
with the characters, feeling inspired by the
courage of the women and uplifted by
hearing them belt out some classic songs.’
IN CINEMAS
The feel-good film of the year,
Military Wives, starring Kristin
Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan,
is out on 6 March. Grab your
friends and make a date with
cinemas, as this is not one to miss!
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 177
 W&H WEEKEND
G R E AT F I L M S , T V A N D C U LT U R A L T R E AT S

Hot new shows

ON THE BOX
Flesh and
Blood
In this gripping
story siblings
Helen, Jake and
Natalie’s widowed mother falls in
love with retired GP Mark. Finding
out more about him reveals secrets,
lies, rivalries and betrayals. Imelda
Staunton and Russell Tovey star. ITV

PASSIONATE DRAMA
The Pale
Horse
MUST-SEE MOVIES Agatha Christie’s
whodunit
Portrait of a Lady on Fire follows Mark
It is 1760 and painter Marianne (Noémie Marlant) travels to an island off the coast of Easterbrook (Rufus Sewell) as
Brittany to create a wedding portrait. However, because her aristocratic subject, Héloïse he tries to uncover the mystery of
(Adèle Haenel), is a reluctant bride-to-be, she arrives in the guise of companion… a list of names found in the shoe
This historic period drama is a ravishing, slow-burning love story. Out 28 February of a dead woman. Also stars Claire
Skinner and Sean Pertwee. BBC1
Parasite
Two Korean families, one rich and Last Tango
gullible, the other poor but resourceful, in Halifax
come together under the same roof The hit drama
in this darkly comic satire, a teasing featuring Alan
upstairs/downstairs parable about haves (Derek Jacobi)
DARK SATIRE and have-nots. Out 7 February and Celia (Anne Reid) returns. It’s
seven years into their marriage, but
Emma the couple aren’t seeing eye to eye.
Rising star Anya Taylor-Joy takes on the Nicola Walker, Josh Bolt and Sarah
role of Jane Austen’s Emma Woodhouse, Lancashire also return. BBC1
the rich young woman who tries to play
matchmaker for her friends but is blind Intelligence
to her own heart’s affections. Bill Nighy David
co-stars as her father. Out 14 February PERIOD COMEDY Schwimmer
stars in this
The Call of the Wild six-part sitcom
Harrison Ford steps into the snowy shoes set in the UK’s spy centre GCHQ.
of Clark Gable and Charlton Heston in He plays Jerry, who arrives from the
Hollywood’s latest adaptation of Jack US to join the team in a war on cyber
London’s classic novel about a gold crime. But new recruit Joseph (Nick
prospector and his loyal sled dog in the Mohammed) proves inept. Sky1
FOUR-LEGGED TALE wilds of 1890s Alaska. Out 21 February
178 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
 what’s on

of deep house they only LISTEN UP

start playing at 4am in
clubs. Invigorating stuff!
Eating Salad. I love raw
vegetables and pulses.
Also, avocado is a daily
ingredient in all my meals.
I don’t eat meat, so I like
to boost my protein intake
with eggs, nuts and
cheese. I’m also obsessed
with Lindt Dark Chocolate
with a Touch of Sea Salt.
Learning to Ice skate, of
course! It has been my life
MY since joining the Dancing
CULTURE on Ice cast. It has been
Three fascinating podcasts you’ll
enjoy listening to while you’re
travelling or working out.
Out to Lunch with Jay Rayner
This podcast
serves up
anecdotes and
tasty bites as the
famous restaurant
critic dines with a
big-name guest
at a restaurant of his choosing. Guests
include actors Alex Kingston and
Kathy Burke, and Spice Girl Mel C.
Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podtail

DIARY hugely challenging in

many ways – but it’s The Tip Off
one of the best forms of If you’re gripped
exercise I’ve ever done. by the gritty twists
ITV news anchor Scrolling Twitter and of undercover
Lucrezia Millarini, Instagram. Twitter is more journalism, you’ll
43, lives in for work – it’s a great way love this. Maeve
of keeping up with the McClenaghan
Brockley, in south-
world. Insta is more to interviews
east London showcase what else I’m journalists who reveal how they pursued
getting up to when I’m their biggest stories – from the Windrush
THIS MONTH YOU’LL FIND ME… not behind the news desk, plus, who Scandal to a murder case in West Cork.
Watching Watchmen – based on the can resist playing with those filters? Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Podbean
graphic novel. I’m a big fan of the 2009 Shopping at Smaller, independent
movie and this TV series is HBO at its stores around Bloomsbury in AgeSpace
finest. I’m also addicted to Stath Lets London, which is close to work. A companion to
Flats. It just puts me in a happy place. Buying Items to finish off our house. agespace.org, this
Reading How to be Right in a World We’ve been living there for four years is invaluable for
Gone Wrong by James O’Brien. I listen – it needs some finishing touches. older people and
to his LBC show – he’s my favourite radio Visiting London’s so-called ‘secret’ their families.
host and I’m loving his book so far. bars. The kind of places that don’t Each episode gives
Listening to My Ibiza playlist on Spotify. have an obvious entrance and that expert advice on
It’s the perfect accompaniment to serve potent cocktails in tiny glasses. topics like driving or travel in old age,
WORDS: JASON BEST, NICK CANNON, SELINA MAYCOCK, SHARON SWEENEY.

working out and walking. Anything ✢ Lucrezia is a contestant on power of attorney, inheritance, NHS
from Madonna’s Hung Up to the kind Dancing on Ice, on Sundays on ITV Continuing Healthcare and dementia.
Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Podbean

STREAM IT Our pick of what to watch, whenever you want.

PHOTOS: BBC, ITV, NETFLIX/BETTINA STRAUSS, SKY

Outlander To all the Boys Locke & Key

The time-travel I’ve Loved Prepare to be
drama returns, Before: creeped out by
with Caitriona PS I still this 10-parter
Balfe and Sam love You telling the story of
Heughan as Claire and Jamie Fraser. Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter’s three siblings whose father is killed in
This time they’re trying to protect their (Noah Centineo) romance takes an mysterious circumstances. Mad Men’s
home during the American Revolution. unexpected turn when John (Jordan Darby Stanchfield and Aled Jones’
Amazon Prime Video Fisher) enters their lives… Netflix daughter Emilia Jones star. Netflix

woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 179

 HOT TICKETS
THE SHOWS AND EVENTS YOU CAN’T MISS

Laughter QUALITY STREET

and song
Who knew master impressionist Rob
Brydon could sing! The Gavin and
Stacey star is touring a new show with
songs from Sondheim to Paul Simon
and almost everything in-between.
Charming and entertaining, he’ll also
delight audiences with a cast of famous
voices. At Colchester’s Charter
Hall on 26 February and touring
until 30 April; robbrydon.live

ROB BRYDON

ROMANTIC
FARCE
Did you know Quality Street chocolates

Landscape art were named after a popular 1902 J M

CASTLE COLLECTION
180 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
Wales is synonymous with castles, having
more than 600 of them, so it’s fitting that the
National Museum Cardiff will augment its
own collection of castles in art. The museum
is the first host of a travelling collection,
Imagine a Castle: Paintings from the National
Gallery, London. 28 January-10 May;
museum.wales/cardiff
Barrie farce? Northern Broadsides is reviving
the romcom about Captain Valentine, who
returns home after 10 years to find his
old flame has lost the sparkle of youth.
Opening at The Viaduct Theatre,
Halifax on 14 February and touring
until 13 June; northern-
broadsides.co.uk

FAR AWAY
Theatrical revival
Far Away, Caryl Churchill’s dystopian
drama about a world sliding into
chaos, is being revived in a striking
new production at London’s Donmar
Warehouse. Expect a visual treat
because the hats for the show’s set
piece hat parade have been designed
by students from the London College
of Fashion UAL. 6 February-28
March; donmarwarehouse.com
WE ARE IN TIME
Avant-garde
WORDS: SHARON SWEENEY. PHOTOS: JOHAN PERSSON,
collaboration
SHAUN WEBB, THE NATIONAL GALLERY LONDON,
Bringing music and theatre together, We
are in Time is an innovative performance
piece that takes you on the journey of a
transplanted heart. Featuring strings and
voices in a new score by Icelandic composer
TOMMY GA-KEN WAN
Valgeir Sigurðsson, drama by writer
Pamela Carter, and the Scottish Ensemble
directed by Stewart Laing, culture
lovers are in for a treat. 25 February-
6 March; scottishensemble.co.uk
what’s on
WHAT’S TRENDING
Our passion for dance knows no bounds
and some of these shows will be on in time
for Mother’s Day – so start hinting now!
Dance performances
There’s just time to catch the
Strictly Come Dancing Arena Tour,
on until 9 February, returning 7 May;
strictlycomedancinglive.com. For
gravity-defying hip-hop dance set to
Sting’s music, Message in a Bottle is
an uplifting story of humanity and hope,
6-21 March at the Peacock Theatre
London, 1-4 April at The Lowry Salford, Ballerina
and 8-11 April at Birmingham Hippodrome; Alina
sadlerswells.com. In London, celebrated Cojocaru
Message
in a
Bottle;
below:
BalletBoyz
Romanian ballerina Alina Cojocaru will be
performing new and classic pieces – including Sir
Frederick Ashton’s iconic Marguerite and Armand,
20-23 February; sadlerswell.com. Multi-award-winning contemporary dance
troupe BalletBoyz’ all-new show, Deluxe, kicks off a UK tour at the Theatre
Royal Glasgow, from 1 March; balletboyz.com. Last but not least, Northern
Ballet’s Geisha features two young friends, whose lives are torn apart, 14-21
March at Leeds Grand Theatre, touring until 16 May; northernballet.com
BOOK NOW
✣ Check out the Forest Live gigs Sheffield Theatres’ adaptation of
in beautiful woodland settings, Yann Martel’s Life of Pi from 22 June;
including one of our all-time favourites, lifeofpionstage.com
Madness, on 13 June at Westonbirt ✣ Imelda Staunton will star in the
Arboretum and 20 June at Thetford iconic musical Hello, Dolly!, directed
Forest; forestryengland.uk/music by Dominic Cooke. Showing for 30
✣ London’s Wyndham’s Theatre weeks at London’s Adelphi Theatre
will host the critically acclaimed from 11 August; hellodollyldn.com
woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU! 181
 Dubrovnik
and the
Dalmatian Coast Discover the magic of this part of the Adriatic
Coast, one of the finest parts of Europe
O
ver the past
two millennia,
empires have
left indelible
marks on Croatia. A
fascinating blend of exotic
history, Mediterranean
ambience and natural
beauty has made this
a must-visit destination.
Dubrovnik, with its
famous marble-paved
pedestrianised main
street, is a treasure, while
the Dalmatian coastline
is as dramatic as any in
8 DAYS
HALF BOARD
FROM ONLY
£999 PER PERSON*
Selected departures
April to October 2020
Europe. Steep limestone
cliffs plunge into sapphire-
blue waters, and just
offshore, the Adriatic is
studded with islands. Some
tiny, some large; some
inhabited, some not – but
all are beautiful.
Every location we visit
on this tour is simply
stunning. These landscapes
cry out to be explored,
offering visitors a blend
of compelling scenery
and engrossing places
on a journey back in time.
 travelw&h

RECOMMENDED
FULLY ESCORTED FOR YOU

PRICE INCLUDES Here and opposite page:

✣ Explore Dubrovnik on a tour led by an Dubrovnik, Croatia
expert guide ✣ Marvel at Krka National Park’s
interlocking waterfalls ✣ Cross the Stari Most
bridge, now returned to its former glory in Mostar, once
Europe’s border with the Ottoman Empire ✣ Immerse
yourself in the history of Diocletian’s Palace in Split,
brought to life by the intimate knowledge of a local
guide ✣ Discover the delights of medieval Trogir, an
alluring old port ✣ Explore the dramatic Dalmatian
Coastline, visiting picturesque Cavtat and a restored
watermill ✣ Return flights from a selection of regional
airports, plus all hotel transfers ✣ Seven nights four-star
hotel accommodation, including all local taxes, with
breakfast and dinner ✣ The services of our experienced
tour manager throughout Krka National
Park, Croatia
YOUR ITINERARY
famous for the Palace of landmarks and history, was produced. Afterwards
DAY 1
ARRIVAL IN CROATIA
Emperor Diocletian, built at
the turn of the 4th century.
including a wonderful array
of monasteries and ramparts.
we enjoy a welcome drink
plus local cheeses, prosciutto,
Arrive at the airport to take A guided walking tour this The main avenue is paved bread and wine for which
your flight to Dubrovnik or morning of the fascinating with marble, which strikingly Konavle is renowned.
Split. On arrival, you will complex will bring its history reflects the midday sun. In We then visit Cavtat, a
be taken to one of our to life. In the afternoon, we the afternoon, you’re free to picturesque coastal town.
carefully chosen four-star visit the nearby medieval explore before we return For lunch, perhaps have the
hotels for three nights with citadel of Trogir, one of the to the hotel for dinner. catch of the day at one of
dinner. Swimming pools most beguiling little ports the restaurants overlooking
are open during summer,
weather permitting.
in Dalmatia. The Old Town
is actually an island. Wander
DAY 6 FREE
DAY IN DUBROVNIK
the palm-lined harbour.
Then enjoy a stroll through
KRKA where your feet take you Choose to watch the the old town.
DAY 2 VALLEY
After breakfast we drive
before returning to the
hotel in time for dinner.
world go by as you have a
leisurely lunch in the main DAY 8 RETURN
FLIGHT
inland to the Krka Valley. square, or enjoy a cruise Transfer to the airport for
The valley is home to an
impressive sequence of
DAY4 MOSTAR
As we head south, the
around the harbour or a
stroll around the city walls.
your flight home.

lakes, where water cascades coastline gradually gives

dramatically from one to
the next via vertiginous
interlocking waterfalls.
Minerals dissolved in the
water trigger stunning
colour changes, and there’s
ample time to absorb the
surroundings before we
return to our hotel during
the afternoon.
DAY 3
SPLIT AND TROGIR
We drive along the stunning
Dalmatian coastline on
our way to Split. Croatia’s
second-largest city is most
way to the River Neretva
Delta, a bird-lover’s
paradise, before we arrive
at the ancient town of
Mostar, nestling in cliffs
that overlook a river. Once
you’ve experienced the
marvels of the city, we
continue to Dubrovnik,
where we stay for four nights
with breakfast and dinner.
DAY 5 over the centuries, but
DUBROVNIK
This morning, we take a tour
with an expert local guide
explaining the city’s
DAY 7
KONAVLE AND CAVTAT
This morning we drive
south, to the lush fields
and immaculate vineyards
of Konavle, Croatia’s
southernmost region. The
rivers that flow through
the valley encouraged the
construction of mills for
agricultural development
today only three remain
operational. We visit
one of these faithfully
restored watermills to
learn how woollen cloth
TO BOOK OR
FOR A FREE
BROCHURE
Call 01283
742348
OR VISIT
wahriviera.co.uk
TERMS & CONDITIONS
*Additional entrance costs
may apply. Prices are per person,
based on two sharing and subject
to finite availability. Images
used in conjunction with Riviera
Travel. Offer operated by
and subject to the booking
conditions of Riviera Travel Ltd,
ABTA V4744, ATOL 3430, a
company wholly independent
of woman&home, published by
TI Media Limited. Prices correct
at time of going to print.
 Set sail on a
RHINE CRUISE to
SWITZERLAND
Your fabulous trip begins in Cologne, from where you’ll travel
in style along the Rhine to picturesque Switzerland

W
elcome aboard
your first-class
river cruise
ship, your
luxury floating hotel for the
next seven nights. From
the exceptional full-board
cuisine to the luxurious
cabins and suites, you’ll
very soon relax as we
journey south from Cologne
through the Rhine Valley
to magnificent Switzerland.
 travel
W&H

RECOMMENDED
FOR YOU

8 DAYS Lucerne’s medieval

architecture
FROM ONLY

£1,199
PER PERSON*
Selected departures
Beautiful
Strasbourg

May to October 2020

YOUR ITINERARY
DAY 1
ARRIVAL IN COLOGNE
Fly to Düsseldorf or
Cologne, or take the
Eurostar to Brussels and
transfer by coach to the ship.
DAY2
KOBLENZ
Spend the morning at
leisure on board, before
arriving in Koblenz; explore
the city and waterfront.
DAY4
SPEYER
Unwind on board while
cruising through the
winelands, before berthing
in Speyer. Enjoy discovering
this medieval gem as you
stroll through its streets.
DAY5
STRASBOURG
More beautiful landscapes
unfold on our cruise this
Vosges and Black Forest as
we arrive in Breisach. Later,
we drive through the heart
of this stunning region to
the lakeside town of Titisee.
DAY 7
BERNESE OBERLAND
AND LUCERNE
Take a rail journey into
the magnificent Bernese
Oberland, then drive to
Lucerne and enjoy some
free time discovering one

DAY 3 morning, which takes us to

Strasbourg. Enjoy a guided
of Switzerland’s most
beautiful cities.
RHINE GORGE
AND RUDESHEIM
Cruise through the Rhine
tour of the capital of Alsace.

DAY6 DAY 8
RETURN HOME
Gorge before arriving in BREISACH AND Transfer to the airport
Rüdesheim, with time to THE BLACK FOREST or train station for your
wander its narrow streets. Absorb the vistas of the return journey.

THE PRICE INCLUDES TO BOOK OR

✢ Exploring medieval Koblenz ✢ A visit to Rüdesheim,
PLEASE NOTE ON SOME DATES, THIS CRUISE OPERATES IN REVERSE

FOR A FREE
centre of the Rhineland wine trade ✢ Cruising through
BROCHURE
ORDER. YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THE SAME TOURS AND VISITS

the Rhine Gorge ✢ An evening in Speyer ✢ A guided

Call 01283
tour of Strasbourg ✢ Visiting the old walled town
742348
of Breisach ✢ A tour of the Black Forest and lakeside
OR VISIT
town of Titisee ✢ A tour of some of the finest Swiss wahriviera.co.uk
Alpine scenery – the Jungfrau and Eiger mountains,
TERMS & CONDITIONS
and the lakeside town of Lucerne ✢ All meals on board, *Additional entrance costs may
from dinner on your day of arrival until breakfast on apply. Prices are per person,
based on two sharing and subject
your day of departure, including welcome cocktails to finite availability. Images used
and dinner, plus the Captain’s Dinner ✢ Return flights in conjunction with Riviera Travel.
Offer operated by and subject to
from a selection of regional airports or standard class the booking conditions of Riviera
Travel Ltd, ABTA V4744, ATOL 3430,
seat on Eurostar from London St Pancras International a company wholly independent
and TGV ✢ Seven nights on board in your choice of of woman&home, published by
TI Media Limited. Prices correct
luxury cabin or suite, all with river view ✢ The services at time of going to print.
of a Riviera Travel cruise director and tour manager
 travel
................................................

Includes tours and

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 15 tours and visits  4-star accommodation  5 tours and visits  4-star accommodation
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TERMS & CONDITIONS: Additional entrance costs may apply. Prices are per person, based on two sharing and subject to finite availability. Images used in conjunction with Riviera Travel. Offer operated by and
subject to the booking conditions of Riviera Travel Ltd, ABTA V4744, ATOL 3430, a company wholly independent of Woman and Home, published by TI Media Limited. Prices correct at time of going to print.
**See our website for full terms and conditions.
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Call to book or for a free brochure 01283 742348

or visit wahriviera.co.uk
TERMS & CONDITIONS: *The €400 on board credit applies only to the departure dates specified and is based on two people sharing a cabin. Sole occupancy cabins will receive €100 on board credit. The on board credit
can be redeemed against all on board purchases, including gratuities. Additional entrance costs may apply. Prices are per person, based on two sharing and subject to finite availability. Images used in conjunction with
Riviera Travel. Offer operated by and subject to the booking conditions of Riviera Travel Ltd, ABTA V4744, ATOL 3430, a company wholly independent of Woman and Home, published by TI Media Limited. Prices correct
at time of going to print.
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 horoscopes

Your STARS
Astrologer Wendy Bristow’s
VIRGO
24 AUGUST – 22 SEPTEMBER
The 9th is March’s hotspot when the
Virgo full moon sends feelings into
overdrive and a relationship matter
predictions for the month of March comes to a head.
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21 MARCH – 20 APRIL LIBRA
March’s last third is eventful. On the 20th, 23 SEPTEMBER – 23 OCTOBER
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TAURUS Rachel Weisz;
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24 OCTOBER – 22 NOVEMBER
21 APRIL – 21 MAY Ruth Langsford There are challenges as March proceeds,
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last laugh
TOWN &
KATHY LETTE
The comedian and author
COUNTRY
This month, Kathy and Katie chew over
loves city life and has lived
in London for 31 years
the virtues of comfort food
‘The kitchen is not my
natural habitat’
Food for thought – what snack brings you comfort? Steaming
risottos, creamy carbonara, truffle mash, fish pie, chocolate
cake? Comfort food is nature’s penicillin, curing everything from
a broken boiler to a broken heart. My only problem is that I can’t
cook. I use my smoke alarm as a timer. The last time I baked was
when I fell asleep on a sunbed. Truly, you’re looking at a woman
who burns water. Until recently I thought ‘aspic’ was some posh
ski resort in the Colorado mountains and ‘blancmange’ the
highest point in the Swiss Alps. Isn’t ‘consommé’ the ecstatic
cry of French honeymooners? And what the hell is a braise?
‘Braise yourself, darling’ sounds like Australian foreplay.
Nope, the kitchen is not my natural habitat. My favourite
recipe is Domestic Goddess, roasted slowly on a spit. But
London life revolves around dinner parties, and eventually you
must reciprocate. Wasting a whole day slicing and dicing felt
like a form of S&M – Sado-Mastication. The soup course went
well, but I then returned to the kitchen to find the cat stripping
the last of the salmon off the baking tray. With nothing to serve
bar wine, my ravenous guests were soon ‘whining and dining’.
A few bottles later we were all getting on like a
stove on fire – literally. I’d left a tea towel on the hob,
which meant covering my guests in a duvet of fire
extinguisher foam. When friends now ask why I don’t
ever cook, I’ll simply reply it’s because I don’t want to
go down for manslaughter.
But the great thing about living in the city, is that
every night there are book launches, art gallery openings
and anniversary/birthday/engagement/divorce parties
where an undomesticated gal like me can graze for free.
Anything a woman doesn’t have to cook herself is the
most comforting food of all.
Men are always asking what women want in bed.
Well, the answer is – breakfast. Is there anything
more comforting than the sight of a man in
a cooking apron? That’s what would really
comfort women – a recipe for change.
✢ Best Laid Plans by Kathy Lette
(£16.99, Bantam Press)
is out now. @kathylette
194 woman&home IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!
KATIE FFORDE
The bestselling author
lives in the Cotswolds and
is a country girl at heart
A
‘ green smoothie is
never going to cut it’
One of the joys of living in the country is being able to get
into it without going far. Within minutes your dogs (two
Cavalier King Charles Spaniels in my case) can be trotting
along, enjoying all that beautiful countryside. But when it’s
been a soggy day, the dogs bring the mud and the country
smells back into the house with them. This means you have
to wash their feet and the floor, then hoover. Definitely an
excuse for comfort food.
Comfort food has to contain carbs, possibly sugar and
definitely fat. But while toast and Marmite and a cup of tea
works for me, I’m not sure crisps do, as much as I love them.
Comfort food needs to be smooth – though a green
smoothie, even a nice one, is never going to cut it.
Hot, buttery mashed or baked potatoes would be my
go-to. Or pasta with melted cheese and tomato sauce.
Slow-cooked stews with pastry or scone toppings, is what we
need our mother/partner/friend to be cooking if our need for
comfort is likely to be enduring and we can wait that long.
So when do we need comfort food? Bereavement, illness,
a broken heart, being stood up definitely
warrant it. Anything to do with house buying
or selling. But what about more minor things?
The dishwasher breaking down? Yes! The
heating going off? Something hot and delicious
is a necessity. A bad day at work? Yup. I’m
generous, I’d allow it if it’s only raining a little bit.
But there are other ways of lifting the
spirits. Every self-help manual will tell you
PHOTOS: ANGELA SPAIN, LIZ McAULAY, PIXELEYES
to put on your walking boots and head
outdoors, and I’m sure it works, but who has
the energy for this if you’re feeling low? The
right film or TV show, or a really good book
can take you right out of yourself. Although
I have to confess, a mug of hot chocolate or
nice glass of wine to sip while you watch
or read will speed up the process…
✢ A Springtime Affair by Katie
Fforde (£14.99, Century) is out on
20 February. @katiefforde
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