FEBRUARY 2019 s ISSUE 061
THE NOT
So Hard
KNOCK LIFE
Bringing
Anita Dobson on being Miss Hannigan
Sexy Back Stay hot on cold nights
SWIM
STAR
We have breakfast with Rebecca Adlington
Ski
Meribel
Pure luxury at the heart of the giant 3 valleys
contents OUR FAVOURITE
30 Swim Star
We have breakfast with Rebecca Adlington to chat about life after the Olympics and the challenges next on her agenda
FEATURES
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Vida Forever
Craig Hough meets Rachel Vida MacLynn the Founder and CEO of Vida Consultancy to discuss all things dating and plans to bring their events to the North
Bring Sexy Back
Decadence, sex, sass and bold blooms will have you stepping into Spring with a swagger like never before with pyjamas for Restless Sleepers
Ski Meribel
A group of friends slip into the slopes, spending a week in Meribel, pure luxury at the heart of the giant 3 valleys
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REGULARS
FAMILY
008 | Publisher’s letter 010 | Contributors 014 | My life in Cheshire Stuart Wilson, CEO of Blue Bay Travel shares his life in Cheshire with us
114 | Work of Art We discover what takes a hard-working Rector’s wife into the boardrooms and workplaces from Manchester to Madrid
017 | Notebook Get smitten with snow drops this winter, your essential guide to the finest things to do in the North West, dates for the diary and a healthy dose of art and culture
DRIVE 071 | News Behind the wheel of the latest luxury motors, from classic cars to the fastest four wheelers; whether it sail, fly, ride or drive
041 | Jewellery & Watches From exquisite engagement rings or the latest jewellery trends, explore our sparkling 074 | Ooh, la la! array of diamonds, gemstones If you’re bored of and ticking treasures Germany’s dull-butworthy SUV offerings, 045 | To Have and to Hold should France be your You essential guide to next port of call, James selecting wedding suppliers Fossdyke suggests why through the memories of real couples TRAVEL
STYLE 057 | Fashion Sartorial indulgence for men and women, from shopping and style inspiration to exclusive interviews, fashion shoots and the latest news, spotlighting the finest boutiques in the North West 066 | Health, Beauty & Wellness We review some of the best beauty products, treatments and fragrances
079 | Travel news The finest hotels and travel inspiration from UK retreats and European city breaks to far-flung tropical beaches 087 | Abu Dhabi Kat Hannon exchanges the dull skies of Cheshire for a luxury break in the capital of the Arab states 090 | Grand Resort Bad Ragaz Sampling the healing thermal waters at a Swiss wellness escape
87 092 | Destination Liverpool Kathryn Otto explores Liverpool to see why it is one of the UK’s most visited cities
FOOD & DRINK 097 | Food & drink news We explore fine dining restaurants, new menus, chef interviews, gourmet food and drink news 100 | Sweet Success Natalie Anglesey chats with twins Helen & Lisa Tse about the inspirational story of this rags to riches journey 102 | Spotlight On... Barristers Restaurant, The Courthouse Barristers Restaurant, The Courthouse. We review one of the newest eateries to arrive in the market town of Knutsford 104 | Meet the Mixologist Stuart McLachlan, the resident mixologist at 20 Stories shares with us his favourite cocktail recipe ‘My Little Italy’ 107 | Local Scene Our social pages this month are filled with fizz, fun, fundraising and a whole lot of fashion from the region’s events
117 | Family news From toys to tempting interiors, design is for all the family 121 | Classroom Updates from some of the county’s best educational institutions
HOME & INTERIORS 125 | Homes & Garden news Enjoy a luxury edit of the finest homeware and design objects and pick up expert tips on creating your dream home 132 | Life in Design We meet Lucy Goddard one of the Creative Directors from NoChintz in Manchester
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137 | The Edit Seal it with love, give a nod to Valentine’s Day with these pieces for your home 147 | Property Through the keyhole of the finest addresses in the North West. Find palatial properties, interior inspiration and exclusive interviews 159 | Finishing Touch This new made-to-measure marble wallpaper mural by GCC Artworks stands out from the crowd
SWIM STAR
Natalie Anglesey has breakfast with Rebecca Adlington to chat about life after the Olympics and the challenges next on her agenda
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e are used to seeing double Olympian gold medal winner, Rebecca Adlington OBE, collecting medals for her chosen sport of swimming or, more recently, as a television sports pundit- commenting on athletes who have impressed her. Even more delightful in person, when we meet Becky laughingly reminisces about her past and present achievements. “I thoroughly enjoy broadcasting, particularly when my swimming colleague Mark Foster is with me. We’ve been friends for years as he is one of the few people who knows about dealing with competitive sports stress. Much as I loved swimming, I don’t miss those early 5 o’clock in the morning starts,” Becky laughs. “Scraping the ice from my windscreen every morning before driving to training and then going on to school, was just part of my regular day. When I was seventeen, I even learnt to drive and passed my test within three months just so
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my dad could have a rest from driving me around every day. But it was worth it to me because I was dedicated to winning and going for Olympic gold.” Today it’s another early start for ‘breakfast with Becky’ as we meet at the 8 am launch of the UK Challenge 2019 at Café Grande in Manchester. Luckily she doesn’t have far to travel as she’s swapped her hometown of Mansfield for Stockport. “Don’t get me wrong I’m really proud of all my medal wins in a sport I still love. But people forget that I was training seriously from the age of eight because I was truly dedicated to swimming and even then was determined to get to the Olympics. I spent years training, working out and dieting to achieve my goals. In the end, I just got fed up with living on painkillers when I sustained an injury. “ Becky won two gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400 and the 800 meters freestyle, breaking the 19 year old world record. She was the first British Olympic swimming champion since 1988 and the first British Olympic swimmer to win two Olympic gold medals since 1908. She
The CHESHIRE Magazine | Feature
early days for her yet so I’m not pushing her. “I have my own swimming project called the Becky Adlington Swim Stars which I set up because I was horrified to learn that over a million children can’t swim. Because of the unusually hot summer, we had more people going into deep water without realising how strong the underwater currents can be so- so I hope to educate them as well as teach them to swim. Weekly I get letters from people saying that their local pool has closed or they can’t find a swimming club to join. There are fitness centres here in Cheshire as well as all over the country with pools, and if you ask there, they’ll give you the details. But we really need the government to get behind local councils to regenerate an interest in swimming because it should be a life-skill so that lives can be saved.
repeated her triumph at the Commonwealth Games while in the 2011 World Aquatics Championship she won gold in the 800 meters and silver in the 400 metres. Later she won bronze medals in both the 400 and 800 meters freestyle in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Becky’s new-found celebrity status saw her name on a train, a pub and her local swimming pool. But the icing on the cake was when she was awarded the OBE by HRH The Queen. Becky blushes when she describes how excited she was by that honour. “I’d met Princess Ann on several occasions as she’s a superb horsewoman who has won medals herself and she handed me my trophy when I was voted Sportswoman of the Year- as she’d won it the previous year. I’d also met Wills and Kate. “But to be awarded the OBE by The Queen was such a highlight for my family and me. However, when I finally decided to retire from the competitive sport, you would not believe the reaction I received. People still ask me- what do you do all day if you retired at twenty-three? Well, I can tell them now. A large part of my day is spent looking after my three-year-old daughter, Summer, who loves swimming - but its
To be awarded the OBE by The Queen was such a highlight for my family and me “But on the bright side, I also enjoy helping to launch worthwhile projects like the UK Challenge 2019. I did this challenge myself last year, and although I’d never met my team-mates before, we soon became firm friends, and we had a ball making money for charitable causes. Although we did have one mishap on our way home when a wheel on our bus was damaged, and we had to be rescued by a wonderful RAF team. I’ve told my team if we do the UK Challenge this year- I’m booking the bus myself this time!” The CEO master-minding the UK Challenge 2019 is award-winning, business expert David Moran who, with his equally enthusiastic wife
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VIDA TEAM
Vida Forever : Ever Searching For The One
Craig Hough sat down with Rachel Vida MacLynn the Founder and CEO of Vida Consultancy to discuss all things dating and plans to bring their events to the North. What previous experience did you have match-making and how did this inspire you to set up your own dating consultancy? Having worked as a business psychologist for a few years in my twenties, a moment of serendipity found me looking at a job advert for a psychologist to join a matchmaking agency in London. When I read the advert, I had butterflies in my stomach - it felt like my calling! I went on to work for a matchmaking agency for nearly 5 years, then made the brave decision to set up my own agency in 2011. I loved everything about matchmaking – meeting some of the most inspirational and successful people from the UK and around the world. It felt like such an honour to have people entrust me with helping them achieve their goal of finding a long-term partner. In addition, I also recognised that the matchmaking industry was likely to boom in the UK, following its popularity in the States. This, to me, presented as a unique opportunity for me to thrive in a career that used to have very little involvement by psychologists.
How do you feel dating trends have evolved and how do you keep up with them? The dating scene has been blown wide open since dating apps came into play around 2012 – no more so than with the advent of Tinder. Even going back before that, the Internet completely revolutionised all we knew about dating, when lonely hearts ads were replaced by online dating profiles in the late ’90s – but dating apps especially are just a world unto themselves. The online dating industry is huge, with thousands of apps available on the market. Matchmaking represents most the offline dating world. I attend conferences around the world to keep up to date with the latest developments and to seek inspiration for how to grow my business. How does online dating compare to using a dating consultancy like yourselves? Nowadays, many people throw themselves into online dating to find a long-term partner, not just a short-term fling, and they are forming impressions based on a single picture, and
“We assess values and attitudes (that’s where the humour, dress sense, body language, manner 36
MADELEINE MASON ROANTREE
perhaps just a sentence or two of text. Online dating benefits from high volume and a low price point. If you choose the right app or site, dedicate significant time and adopt the right strategy (e.g. approach people who are potentially compatible with you), then the chances are, eventually you’ll find someone. So, with online dating, the investment of money is low, but the investment of time and energy is high. Offline matchmaking sits at the opposite end of the spectrum. The financial investment is much higher, but investment of time is lower. With matchmaking, rather than an algorithm pointing you in the direction of your future spouse, a matchmaker personally searches on your behalf and guides you through your dating journey, picking up on nuances that an algorithm could never capture. We do this by meeting all the matches for our clients before they are introduced. We assess values and attitudes (that’s where the psychology comes in); but we also gauge things like humour, dress sense, body language, manner – areas that require human judgement. What is the process you go through to find a new customer the perfect match? At Vida, our in-house team of psychologists has developed our own method of assessing compatibility by honing in on values. Every client is assigned a matchmaker who gets to know his/ her client personally and conducting an in-depth profiling session. We then work in partnership with our clients by discussing profiles of matches that have been hand-picked by the matchmaker. We give our clients the final say on who they choose to meet. The process is incredibly effective
RACHEL VIDA MACLYNN
The CHESHIRE Magazine | Feature
because there are many reasons why someone hasn’t met a partner. For example, some people think they know what they want in a partner, but their perception is skewed. We share our insight and expertise with our clients, sometimes via structured coaching sessions and other times it’ll be in the form of relaxed feedback shared during a coffee meeting. Ultimately, we steer our clients towards achieving one goal; and that is to find their ultimate match. Everything we do has this goal in mind. What support does the consultancy offer customers throughout their dating process? We offer coaching through our in-house psychologist and relationship expert, Madeleine Mason Roantree. Madeleine’s service runs alongside our matchmaking service, so she can offer a unique perspective on some of the barriers people face with finding the right partner and getting into a relationship. When someone is demonstrating behaviours such a self-sabotage or avoidance, Madeleine has the expertise to step in and help. In addition, our matchmakers keep in regular contact with their clients. We’re a personal and friendly team. At the end of the day, what we are involved in is finding people love, and that touches on a wide array of emotions for most people, so it’s paramount that every matchmaker is able to lend a listening ear and be mindful of their member’s experiences. Do you host events for your customers to meet? Yes, we run events, usually in London and we
psychology comes in); but we also gauge things like – areas that require human judgement. ” 37
LEFT: F.R.S For Restless Sleepers Anaideia pajama shirt in printed silk. £789, F.R.S For Restless Sleepers Dioscuri pajama pant in cupro. £530 RIGHT: F.R.S For Restless Sleepers Menezio japanese inspired mini dress. £ 813
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The CHESHIRE Magazine | Style
BRING
SEXY BACK
Playful street style stars have for some time now dared to dabble in the subtle art of wearing their pyjamas outdoors and whilst this is unacceptable for 99.9% of us, we have news for you. This year, decadence, sex, sass and bold blooms will have you stepping into Spring with a swagger like never before. Introducing, For Restless Sleepers - the only silky co-ord’s to wear right about now. Dress these beautiful SS’19 creations with hoards of stylish vintage jewellery for your Valentine’s date, wear daytime in Barbados until the sun comes back, or go uber luxe for your prewedding dinner. Whatever your pick, hike with a heel and embrace the elegance. www.forrestlesssleepers.com
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Drive | The CHESHIRE Magazine
Ooh, La La! If you’re bored of Germany’s dull-but-worthy SUV offerings, should France be your next port of call, James Fossdyke suggests why.
E
very facet of life has its homeland - a go-to nation that will provide the very best of whatever it is you desire. If you want clothes, you go to Italy, and if you want a watch, you go to Switzerland. In the case of chocolate, Belgium should be your destination of choice, while steaks have to be sourced from Argentina. Unless it’s a lamb steak, in which case you should head for New Zealand. For pretty much anything else, though, France gets my vote. Wine, cheese and romantic getaways are all the better on the other side of the Channel, and they’ll lay on a pretty good ski holiday too. And that’s before we mention their impressively effective industrial action and cheap, utilitarian transport for the masses. Now, though, a Parisian company has decided that France - and particularly its capital - should be the home of luxury cars. That brave organisation is called DS Automobiles, and if the name sounds familiar, that’s because it used to be part of Citroen. In the 1960s, the DS badge adorned curvy, comfortable saloons, and it returned in the late 2000s on small, stylish hatchbacks. But those days are gone. DS has shuffled out from under Citroen’s skirts and had a crack at making its first standalone product. It’s an SUV called the DS 7 Crossback, and it’s designed to rival the Audi Q5 and Mercedes-Benz GLC. That’s a tough ask, but DS has cracked it on the styling front. The 7’s big grille is perhaps a little too Audi-ish, but the rest of it is stellar. The headlights form narrowed, concentrated eyes, and the curved boot gives it a pert rear, set off by the gorgeous tail lights. It’s even better inside, where boring, conventional buttons are more or less
consigned to the scrapheap. Instead, you get a massive central touchscreen that houses most of the basic functions, with just a few touchsensitive ‘hotkeys’ across the bottom. There are some buttons on the centre console and steering wheel, but for the most part, it’s all done on that huge screen. Actually, I should probably say those ‘huge’ screens, because the DS also gets a digital instrument display that can be configured to your taste. And when night falls, the screen can be switched to a cool infra-red camera display
“The big seats will cuddle you and the seat 74
The CHESHIRE Magazine | Drive
that ‘sees’ around 300 metres down the road - well beyond the reach of the LED headlights. It’s all very high-tech and very clever, but as with so many French cars, it’s also a lesson in how not to do in-car ergonomics. None of the switches are where you expect them to be and changing the climate control settings requires an MSc in software engineering, but you can
massaging system will knead away the stress” 75
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The CHESHIRE Magazine | Travel
MERIBEL
The Resort at the
Heart of the Giant 3 Valleys Aaron Fawcett took a group of friends to the slopes and spent a week in the stunning Meribel valleys
T
he Lightbowne is set to become one of the hottest, most spacious luxury ski chalets that Meribel and the Trois Vallées has to offer so when the opportunity to stay there at the start of this winter season was presented to me I jumped at it. TG Ski have a portfolio of luxury chalets in Meribel and Morzine, with a UK concierge team based in their offices in Wilmslow. Their experienced staff ran through my groups requirements prior to our stay and helped organise everything from airport transfers, ski hire, ski lessons and even a consultation with their chef to work round some of the groups dietary requirements. This attention to detail prior to arrival filled us with confidence for the stay ahead, it also helped build excitement and expectation for the trip and furthermore ensured that once we arrived there was no scrambling around trying to organise things last minute, which we had experienced on package style ski holidays in the past. TG Ski’s Managing Director Tom MarleyShaw, elaborated to us on the companies ethos
and drive – “we have developed a range of boutique luxury properties to suit the aspirations of our guests, our service must match this, so we focus on high quality food, wine and standards within our chalets, all of which is delivered by professional, dedicated and motivated individuals. Everyone within the business is focussed on delivering a fantastic experience at every stage of our guest’s journey”. Our visit to The Lightbowne started with a short flight between Manchester and Geneva. The resort of Meribel is easily accessible from Geneva airport and TG Ski organised our private transfer where we were met in the arrivals hall and whisked in a top of the range minibus (with wifi and ipads) from the airport to the chalet door in just over 2 hours. Arriving at the chalet the understated exterior unfolds into a design aficionados dream. Newly renovated, its seriously stylish interior design combines a modern Victorian interior with an uber-cool West End private members’ club. It’s a look and style rooted in tradition but with the most tantalising contemporary twists - offering a totally 83
Home & Garden News FINISHING TOUCHES
CUSHION IMAGE: £49, WWW.BRIDGMAN. CO.UK, OTHER IMAGE: WWW.PIXERS.UK
latest news, and trends from the world interior AD EXCESTISThe MAIOvery BERIBUSCIM VOLUMadvice ACCABOR MOD ET ACCULLUPTUS ET UTof QUAS UNTIOdesign EXCERERFERUM VELECTIOS MOLORE CORUM VOLUPTI AUT INVEL IUS APELIGNITIIS INIS NON CONEM IL IPSAM, CUPTATE MPELLOREMPOS WORDS: FRANCESCA LEE-ROGERS EST UT ET RE RE, SAM LAUT QUUNTIOS MOD MAIO. ITAE QUISTOT ATEMPOR EHENDIT EIUNT
Trend Alert:
CORAL ‘L iving coral’, aka Pantone 16-1546, has been named the colour of the year by the renowned colour matching system. Described as “animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energises and enlivens with a softer edge”, the marine tone is predicted to dominate the design industry this year. www.pantone.com
MAKE SCENTS
loves
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This February if you’re looking to pop the question, why not elevate the special occasion with scent styling by Champagne and Flamingos? The service mixes and matches blends of the finest fragrances to create a scent to treasure forever. Furthermore, carry the scent into your wedding day, and whenever you want to reminisce, just light a candle which will take you back to the big day. www.champagneandflamingos.co.uk
Homes and Interiors
TIDY ROOM, TIDY MIND Light Up, Light Up To celebrate Umage’s 10 year anniversary, it has launched a special edition of the Aluvia light in brushed brass. Inspired by nature with its characteristic triangular petals, it casts a warm glow, and makes a feature statement whether it’s turned on or off. Made from aluminum, it’s lightweight and durable too. Founder and Chief Creative Developer Søren Ravn Christensen says: “Imagine if flowers could light up. They would create the most playful dancing shadows, spinning around and making everything come to life. The Aluvia embodies just that – nature’s magic in your home.” From £219, www.umage.com
Are you looking to get organised in time for spring? String’s multifunctional furniture is versatile and customisable and can give any bedroom a new lease of life. Whether you’re looking to store books, lamps or your favourite trinkets, it offers unlimited combinations and with numerous styles to choose from to create a more streamlined and organised living environment. String at www.skandium.com
CHRYSANTHEMUMS DIRECT AT BBC GARDENERS WORLD LIVE
Did You Know?
That Cheshire-based Chrysanthemums Direct is one of the finest specialist nurseries in the country with the widest range of Chrysanthemums available in the UK, offering more than 420 varieties. The company celebrated its 60th anniversary last year and its glasshouses cover more than six acres. www.chrysanthemumsdirect.co.uk
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