Immortals

If you liked ‘300’ (or just liked the eye candy), the new film ‘Immortals’ should be first on your must-see list come 11th November.

A Titan named Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) declares war on humanity and decides to search for the legendary Epirus Bow in order to free his people and take revenge on the Olympians who defeated them. The gods are unable to interfere with the war because of ancient laws, so the peasant Theseus (Henry Cavill, aka the new Superman), a priestess, Phaedra (Freida Pinto), and a slave (Steven Dorff) are chosen by Zeus (Luke Evans) to protect the world.

It’s no rom-com, but ‘Immortals’ might just be the perfect date night film; there’s enough action for him and some romance and numerous shirtless shots of Henry Cavill and Luke Evans for you! Sometimes it’s nice to compromise…

Check out the trailer here…

Wimbledon Cakes

By Sarah Adams

It seems it’s that time of year again readers! Whilst Murray’s battling it out on the Wimbledon courts, we’re all reaching for our strawberries, cream and Pimms to numb our nerves! However if you’re bored of these standard summer snacks, why not treat your friends to some of these gorgeous little cakes? Unfortunately I cannot take the credit for the name of these as Google’s informed me that quite a few people have already used this name… although it’s very apt I think!

The key ingredients here are of course famous pair; strawberries and cream. I wanted to create a small mouth full of loveliness that’s easy to prepare and perfect for entertaining.

Pro tip: If you can, I would definitely splurge on a real vanilla bean as the flavour will be far superior… it is Wimbledon after all!

Ingredients: Cakes
Makes 24 bites

Pro Tip: You will need an A4 size tin lined on the bottom, it does not need to be typical cake tin

175g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
175g golden caster sugar
175g un-salted butter (room temperature)
3 large eggs
1 vanilla pod or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 180°C / gas 4 and have your tin ready

Place all of the dry ingredients (including the vanilla seeds) in to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Then dot in the butter and one of the eggs and beat for 1.30 minutes.

Add in the other 2 eggs and beat to combine.

Place into your tin and make the top level and then bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool on a rack for 10 minutes and then turn it out to cool completely.

Nadal and 'those' arms... Yummmm

Ingredients: Decoration
Fresh strawberries
200g double cream
Strawberry jam (about 8 tablespoons)

Pro Tip: Once the cake has cooled I trimmed the edges and portioned the cake into squares

Preparation:
Whip the cream and place in to the fridge. Take a dollop of jam and place on to the cakes. Swirl the cream on top and finish with the strawberries.

They’re ready to eat straight away or to prepare in advance, they’ll be fine at room temperature for 4 hours.
Lets hope we have the same success with the tennis as you will with these cakes!

Sarah Adams © 2010

Click here for Sarah’s  last recipe…

The Chesterfield

By John Gregory Smith

The Chesterfield pub has just opened its doors on Chepstow Road in Notting Hill (below Assaggi’s which one of London’s best local Italians). The pub is a very traditional-looking British pub with wooden floors and comfy sofas to kick back and relax on. However unusually, they have gone against the grain and opted for a pan Asian menu.

Starters include Imperial Shrimp and Mango Rolls, Chilli Chicken and Waterchestnut Gyoza and Salt and Pepper Squid and mains Pi Pa Duck and Flower Buns, Aged Beef Striploin with Chives Mash and Honey Teriyaki and Baked Black Cod with Pickled Kyurizuke and Shiro Miso. 

It does sound a bit weird but it worked. You get to enjoy all the best bits of a really traditional pub but with some really cool modern Asian food.

Opening Hours: 11am-midnight, seven days a week 

The Chesterfield
39 Chepstow Place
London
W2 4TS
Tel: 0207 229 0323

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Hydrofloatation Baths

By Emma Skipper

It had been a while since I had taken a trip to a Spa, so getting the offer to come down and sample what the Kalmora Spa had to offer was a blessing!

The Kalmora Spa is situated just outside Goudhurst in Kent and is part of the Kalmora Spa Group. The spa is within an industrial-looking building, but don’t let that put you off, the spa’s interior is incredibly welcoming and the staff are delightful.

I had three treatments during my stay; a Hydroflotation bath, Aquablitz Facial and Lava Shells massage and all three were fantastic. The treatment that really stood out for me however, was the Hydroflotation bath.

Aquablitz Facial

Now, I’ve heard mixed rumours of these baths. The water has Dead Sea Salt in such high concentrations that you float effortlessly within the bath, leaving you to relax 100%. Previous reports from colleagues mentioned that the floatation itself actually hurt your neck, however at Kalmora Spa there was a waterproof pillow so this wasn’t a problem.

I was thoroughly impressed with this treatment. The effortless floating meant that I zoned out within seconds and was left feeling completely relaxed and reenergised. The salt also acts as a healing promoter so all my aches, pains, and any cuts I had healed super fast afterwards… despite hurting when I actually entered the bath!

The Aquablitz facial was my next treatment and it left my skin feeling fantastic. The facial uses a mild sucking instrument that worked on increasing circulation and lymphatic drainage so that your skin is left feeling plump and supple. I suffer from sensitive skin and prefer to steer clear of harsh cleansing facials so this one was perfect and my skin felt plump from days… the perfect solution to my dehydrated skin from my recent long-haul flight.

Lava Shells Treatment

My final treatment – which nearly finished me off for the day I was so relaxed (!) – was the Lava Shells massage. This was my least favourite treatment of the day as I prefer a more invasive massage that really sorts out knots and tension. However if you love a gentle massage then this is definitely for you. The treatment involves the Therapist massaging your entire body with Porcelain Lava Shells, which are smoothed, polished and hollow, allowing them to retain their heat internally for the full hour and meaning your massage is not interrupted.

The Shells themselves felt great however for the really hard knots, it would have been nice for some more intensive manipulation.

I’d definitely recommend heading down to Kalmora; the staff are lovely and the prices are very good for the treatment you receive. Plus you can buy vouchers for the Spas which would be a fab Christmas gift , especially if the recipient lived in the area.

Kalmora Spa,
Goudhurst Kent
Spa House,
Winchet Hill,
Goudhurst
Kent TN17 1JY

They also offer a luxurious range of ‘Spa Retreat’ packages including The Kalmora Bride and Bridal Party, The Kalmora Detox Kickstart and The Kalmora Mum-to-be.

Kalmora Spa’s are also situated within Debenhams Pymouth and Browns in Chester. Readers can either go on line www.kalmoraspa.com or ring  01580 212953  for their nearest spa.

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Katie Puckrik: Photographer Martin Shaw

By Katie Puckrik

Fresh wood is one of those smells, like fresh-baked cookies or fresh-cut grass, that no one doesn’t like. And Comme des Garçons, for all of their squid-ink-this and ozone-that perfumes, are plenty happy to give the people what they like.

Comme des Garçons teased the sweet tooth with their Series 7: Sweet (Sticky Cake, Burnt Sugar, etc) and rolled in the hay with their Series 1: Leaves (Calamus, Shiso, etc). And between Hinoki, Palisander, Standard, Dover St Market and now Wonderwood, CdG have really done a run on the lumberyard.

As much as I love bark, twigs, sap and sawdust in my perfumes, I must confess to experiencing a little wood fatigue after years of CdG’s non-stop log-loading. Wonderwood is so easy to wear, and not demanding in any way, but maybe I just need a break from the Forestry Service. In other words, it’s not you, WW, it’s me.

Comme des Garçons Wonderwood

I scored a bottle of WW from the nice CdG PR lady in London after I’d already shot my video review, so I passed the gimme onto my friend Steven, a newbie fumie. And by “newbie”, I mean that his one bottle collection consists of Tom Ford for Men. Here’s what he reported:

“Am wearing Wonderwood right now, but am not sure I like as much as Tom Ford. I have asked around the office but comments are mixed — it’s ‘a bit teenage boy’, ‘a bit like Axe’, and a bit ‘subtle’ or ‘peppery’, but people do seem to like it.

The bottle is v. annoying though and can’t stand up!”

Sigh. These newbies and their lack of enthusiasm for arty packaging!

My Perfume Pen Pal, Dan Rolleri, carped about my comparison of Wonderwood to the smell of a cabinet:I wish I smelled like a cabinet when I wear Wonderwood. For me, it’s surprisingly timid. I smell like a room where a cabinet used to be. Or a room next to a room with a cabinet. Or the memory of a cabinet. Or a tiny little dollhouse cabinet. It’s all wood, but more bonsai than giant redwood.

Well, I think that WW is the posh version of Marc Jacobs Bang. To my nose, the recipe for Bang seems to be: take a cup of black pepper, a cup of cedar chips, and stir. Then wait for your nose to explode. By contrast, Wonderwood finesses the black pepper and cedar and whips it into a soft, woody souffle. A souffle of bonsai proportions, but what’s so bad about small? It’s better than an exploded nose.

Watch Katie’s video review below:

Wonderwood is available from www.doverstreetmarket.com at £48 for 50 ml

Click here for more of Katie’s perfume reviews…

Sweet Potato, Beetroot and Goat's Cheese Salad

by Debbie Djordjevic

Winter brings wrapping up and forgetting all about body shape for a few cold months. What it also means is that mark my words, at some point,we’ll all need to bare the flesh again for those winter parties . My staple party dresses are definitely slim-fit so being asked to sample a detox diet with The Pure Package and having their fresh meals land on my doorstep overnight for a few days seemed like the perfect opportunity to kick-start a pre-party regime.

Detoxing works by limiting the toxins entering your body which helps to eliminate the toxins already there allowing it to cleanse, heal and replenish and hopefully lose a few pounds in the process. The Detox Diet from The Pure Package is not a crash diet but as it’s lower in calories and packed with nutrients provided by fruit, nuts, vegetables and wholegrain along with much needed proteins, it will at least make you feel less sluggish and bloated and will help you lose a few pounds.

Really it’s a three week programme (one week detox and two weeks gradually reintroducing things little by little) but I tried it for three days which allowed me to get into the habit of eliminating harmful foods. I found once I’d got into the swing of things and understood the process, it was fairly easy to continue with my own routine after finishing the diet.  The eliminated foods are not surprising really, sugar, meat, cow’s dairy, gluten (which causes bloating) and what they call ‘nightshades’ like peppers, tomatoes, aubergines and potatoes which can all trigger inflammation. They also cut out mushrooms, smoked foods and of course those two toxic ingredients alcohol and caffeine.

So what’s left? A surprising amount actually. Between midnight and 6am I was delivered a fresh cool box with everything needed for that day and a personalised menu of what was in store – it was a real treat to open the front door and find everything there readily prepared. Three meals are catered for with a few fresh snacks thrown in throughout the day so I never felt starving and the meals are surprisingly delicious. My favourites across the three days were definitely the banana & strawberry oat pot which had fresh fruit blended with sheep’s yogurt and rice puffs which really was like eating ice-cream for breakfast, the fresh mackerel salad with chickpeas (which was so filling) and the teriyaki tofu with cashew nuts, rice and broccoli in a light teriyaki dressing.

Mixed Chopped Fruit with Raw Nuts

And what was the effect? To be honest I was expecting there to be a downside to a detox. I’ve been known to have headaches and mood swings when I give up sugar and coffee (I’m at least a four cup a day girl) and most diets leave me growling by about 6pm when my blood sugar is low. Amazingly I didn’t miss either the sugar or the caffeine, no cravings, no bad temper, a slight headache on the second morning but that’s about it. I did feel like my system had been ‘cleansed’, my headcold disappeared (could have been coincidental but you never know) and although I don’t feel like I lost any weight my stomach was definitely flatter and I’ve started a bit more of a healthy diet to shift those stubborn pounds before I hit the town to party.

If you want to start a detox yourself here is a quick guide.

1. Don’t skip meals – you should have at least three meals and two snacks a day.

2. Maintaining protein intake is important so your body doesn’t crave it and draw on your liver. Get your protein from oily fish and small amounts of white meat.

3. You also need essential fats which again you’ll get from oily fish but also nuts and seeds.

4. Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables avoiding red ones like peppers and tomatoes. Try blueberries which are one of the best anti-oxidents. Broccoli is a super food which helps the liver produce enzymes to get rid of toxins.

5. Cut out sugar in drinks and foods. Eliminate caffeine. Take exercise and drink lots of water.

For more on general healthy eating advice visit the NHS website.

Check out the range of diets on www.purepackage.com or to get further information. They are based in London’s New Covent Garden so unfortunately only deliver within the M25. They will provide just one meal for £9.50 but a 10 day full programme which provides you with every meal and snack is £399.50. A ‘no breakfast’ alternative for 10 days is £359.50 and if you want to have breakfast but drop either lunch or dinner the cost is £339.50. The Pure Package can provide meals for up to 90 days should you want to follow a full weight loss programme.

More beauty and more news.

The Vitality Suite

Spa Verta’s facilities really blew me away. Not only do they have a welcoming lobby with a relaxing waterfall (a water feature always helps) and full display of the products they use, but they also have a fully functional high-tech gym and huge array of relaxing spa rooms. There are 5 therapy rooms (where their amazing product range are administered such as Anne Semonin, Mama Mio and Comfort Zone) and my personal favourite, The Vitality Suite, all situated on these subterranean levels.

Sparkling Vitality Pool

Now, just visiting this suite was a treat in itself as you enter a mood-lit cavern with thermal rooms spanning each wall – there’s a sauna, steam room and sanarium. This then leads into the room with the sparkling vitality pool (a polished metal pool with Jacuzzi chairs within it), experience showers (I’d opt for the roasting ‘Exotic’ shower) and twin footbaths with heated seats. So, before I’d even had a treatment, I knew I’d be in for a seriously luxurious experience!

The Spa caters for everything from maternity treatments to Anne Semonin facials and massages to Male-targeted treatments, so there is genuinely something for everyone…

I would 100% recommend heading down to Spa Verta for a treatment, even if it is just to use the facilities as the Vitality Suite is really something to behold! Plus, if you’ve got some savings, why not treat yourself to a stay… you never know, one of the guests may even offer you a ride in their private Chopper…

Facials priced from £85.00
Massages priced from £80.00

To book a package at Hotel Verta visit www.bookaspa.com

For more information visit www.hotelverta.co.uk

Hotel Verta, London’s Vertical Gateway, Bridges Wharf, Battersea, London, SW11 3BE

Tel: 020 7801 3500

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Macs, Primrose Hill

By Emma Skipper

Macs have two salons in London and I had the pleasure of heading down the bespoke members’ branch on Princess Road in Primrose Hill (there is also a salon in Maida Vale). The salon itself is very quaint and tailored to cater to members one-to-one so is small and intimate, with a treatment room and two hair styling stations.

Being in need of a new cut and colour, that’s what I went for and was very impressed. I had a half a head of highlights and a cut and was completely spoilt during my treatment.

Plied with a glass of champagne during my incredibly thorough highlight session (my colourist used foils and three tones to ensure a very natural look), I was completely at ease during the hour and half that I took for the dye to take. Having washed out the dye I sat to have my cut and again was very impressed. The stylist did a great job and did exactly what I asked for, meaning I left feeling relaxed and a little spoilt to be honest – which is definitely no bad thing!

Great Lengths hair extensions

I would thoroughly recommend heading down to Macs for a cut or a colour. The staff are wonderful and the surroundings relaxing and very pretty. They also specialse in Great Lengths hair extensions, so for all those Cheryl Cole wannabes, you can head down and get your own beautifully long and styled coif! 

The salon also does some great packages for everything from hen parties to pre-holiday pampering (which I have also tried and would thoroughly recommend at £150).

For more information on Macs and the services they offer visit www.macs-salon.co.uk

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A Disappearing Number...

by Nadia Beaumont.

Maths mixes with visual spectacle to capture the essence of true beauty in Simon McBurney’s latest offering for Complicite at the Novello Theatre.

This is a love story turned mathematics lecture and gives even the most cynical mathematician a real view into not only the beauty of numbers, but the significance of coming to accept the loss of a loved one. If you have previously been stunned by McBurney’s work as artistic director at Complicite then you will be aware of the main theme that runs through their work which is that everything changes. No one show is the same and this is certainly true for A Disappearing Number.

The story is split. Firstly we follow a growing relationship between a maths lecturer, Ruth Minnen, whose eccentricity is excellently executed by Saskia Reeves and Al Cooper, an American who after her death follows her love of mathematics, inadvertantly learning about himself at the same time. We are then led to follow a pair of mathematicians, G.H.Hardy and Srinivasa Ramanujan, the work of the latter was an obsession of Ruth’s and the mathematical message is therefore carried through.

There are tricky theories in maths to be explored – but don’t be put off as the staging is a spectacle and will provide diversion for even the least mathematically minded. The stage consists of three big teachers’  boards set in a lecture hall where projections of landscapes of India are frequently flashed up giving the audience a unique taste of India. At just one push these are thrust upwards to expose a large space behind which there are more projections and the more physical split scenes of past and present are shown.

The actors really use the stage, in some cases the same props are used to show different times. This helps emphasise the main message, that infinity is looped. Much of the speech is repeated and slowly unravels the meaning of the play as it unfolds. A separate board comes into play creating movement between the front and back of the stage and allowing the actors to create some quite stunning silhouettes.

Among this strong cast, Hiren Chate the Tabala player stands out – Tabala is a classic Indian instrument which brings huge authenticity to the piece. This, alongside the outbreak of Indian dancing and singing (which I later found out is to the ‘beat’, a way of playing the drums in India) truly illuminates exactly what is so good about this piece – the mixture of culture and love which sets the heart alight.

On a more critical note this is too long a performance at just under two hours to go without an interval – numb nether regions distracted from the action on-stage and even though I didn’t want to lose focus I couldn’t help it as much of the action is repetition. I can understand that in a piece such as this, there is no opportune moment for a natural break but it would have helped the audience somewhat.

Although ‘it may be hard to define mathematical beauty’, McBurney and the Complicite team manage to truly create beauty in front of our very eyes. I came away feeling more at ease with my own understanding of life and infinity and this provided a comfort which was lacking in the seating! I would advise anyone who wants a very visual experience that will stay with them, to take a trip to the warped world of Complicite, just remember to take a cushion.

A Disappearing Number is on until 25th September at the Novello Theatre, London. Photograph of Saskia Reeves as Ruth Minnen copyright of Stephanie Berger.
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Bedlam at the Globe

by Nadia Beaumont.

‘You came to see the lunatics’ says Tom O’Bedlam, once a rich man and now cast into the depths of a drunken and gin obsessed London. Nell Leyshon’s vibrant play is the first written for The Globe by a female writer, and follows a number of patients committed to Bedlam hospital for the insane. Based on the real Bethlem Hospital which admitted patients from 1357, the play takes us into a world where women are second class citizens at the mercy of their men, often put away for depression after childbirth or to make them disappear, and the truly ‘ mad’ are seen as incurable and  there for the entertainment of a paying public.

Mental illness is never an easy subject to tackle yet Nell Leyshon handles it brilliantly. Expecting something dark and disturbing I was surprised to find that the play is speckled with a crackling wit which lightens the tone. The frequent scenes of drunkeness add to the hilarity and keeps up the pace while the shocking images of the ‘treatments’ where leeches and bleeding are used, provide a stark contrast.

Bedlam at The Globe

The cast are all strong but certain performances stand out and are worthy of mention. The comic moments are only allowed to flourish due to the beautiful and at times hilarious delivery of Dr Carew’s son (Patrick Brennan) and Sam Crane’s pompous and eccentric fop, the poet Laurence. Sophie Duval’s shadowy nurse Sal, who carries out the treatments, takes the play to the audience by bringing a hapless member onto the stage to be ’treated’ and Ella Smith’s underground gin-dealing drunkard is not easily forgotten. Jason Brughans’ portrayal of Dr Carew brings great weight to bear to a part which goes from total control and gravitas at the beginning of the play to madness by the end.

Nell Leyshon has written the play for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and therefore both the writing and the staging lend themselves perfectly to this unique theatre experience. Accoustics are as they would have been 400 years ago but the language rings out from this skilled cast and the mix of music, love, romance, madness, despair and comedy are worthy of Shakespeare’s legacy. The audience is made to suffer water and confetti being thrown and were even spat on during the play - reason enough to invest in seats rather than standing in the pit.

Bedlam at The Globe

Like the scene made famous in Hogarth’s painting ’Gin Lane’, Bedlam truly rules with chaos, despair, and confusion the order of the day. Under raucous scenes of fairs, freak shows and treatments there is a wider message about human behaviour which is timeless. Who should  be the judge of who is mad, and is a little madness a sweet and beautiful thing?

Bedlam is on at The Globe, London until 1st October, 2010. For further information and tickets visit The Globe.

Photography credits: photos by Keith Pattinson. Top photo from left Patrick Brennan (John), Rose Leslie (May) and Sophie Duval (Sal). Middle photo from left Finty Williams (Gardenia) and Ella Smith (Phyllis). Bottom photo from left Sam Crane (Laurence) and Finty Williams (Gardenia). 

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