Afternoon Tea Week: Anyone fancy a brew?

The quintessentially English tradition of drinking tea has made a real comeback in recent years, along with the decadent pastime of afternoon tea - in fact there is now even a week dedicated to it.  

A couple of decades ago coffee was the beverage of choice, perhaps in part due to the success of American sitcom Friends, which saw Ross, Rachel and the crew regularly meet at Central Perk – a fictitious coffee shop in New York.

Since then, coffee chains such as Starbucks and Costa have popped up on almost every street corner here in the UK but now, it seems, tea is fighting back.

Top hotels are seeing an increase in afternoon tea bookings – a tradition first made fashionable by the seventh Duchess of Bedford in 1830 – and even old-fashioned tea rooms are seeing a boost in custom.

The Tea Guild’s Irene Gorman said: “Life can be very hectic and taking afternoon tea is an ideal way to slow down and relax.”

I met Mark Nicholls, expert taster for tea producer Twinings, at Woodlands Park Hotel in Cobham to find out more about the beverage, which has more than 1,500 varieties to choose from!

Although tea has long been considered our unofficial national drink, the humble brew is still relatively misunderstood and if you don’t know your jasmine from your Darjeeling, you probably tend to stick to the traditional black variety.

Tea was discovered in China almost 5,000 years ago but it was several thousand years before the plant found its way to other parts of the world.

Today, it is grown on a commercial scale in around three dozen countries including Argentina, India and South Africa, and makes a significant contribution to the economy of the agricultural sector.

There are four distinct types of tea – black, green, oolong and white.

“They all start out from essentially the same bush – camellia sinensis or camellia assamica – but then they undergo a different method of processing,” Mark told me.

He explained that, to make white tea, all moisture is extracted so the leaf becomes dehydrated, while green tea is made by extracting some of the moisture and steaming the leaves so the enzymes are deactivated.

Black and oolong teas have a stronger flavour and are made by fermenting the leaf. While black tea is left to fully oxidise, oolong is only partially oxidised.

If, like me, you go through at least half a dozen mugs of tea a day, you probably don’t put much thought into the making process but there is, in fact, quite an art to creating a decent cuppa.

For example, the water’s temperature can make a real difference. When making white tea, you should use water at around 80 degrees celsius while 98 degrees is better for green tea.

“You shouldn’t actually use boiling water to make certain teas as it can ruin the delicate flavour,” advised Mark.

That’s easy enough if you have a temperature controlled kettle but for those who don’t, you should wait between 30 and 60 seconds to let the water cool down.

The time needed to let tea brew is just as specific. White and green tea should be brewed for about three-and-a-half minutes while black and oolong can be brewed for anything up to nine or 10.

Once our teas were brewed, it was time to do the taste test. Rather like wine tasting, there is a particular method to tea tasting.

Purse your lips as if you are going to give someone a sloppy kiss (Mark’s terminology, not mine!) and rest the spoon of tea on your bottom lip. Then, take a sharp intake of breath to suck all the liquid from the spoon.

“When you slurp the tea to the back of your mouth and then swallow, you are left with a dry sensation and this is you connecting with your olfactory gland,” Mark said.

While I enjoy trying different varieties, I’ve never paid much attention to why I favour certain types over others. Trying the four varieties in immediate succession, I discovered exactly how different they are.

For example, the way white and green teas are processed is similar but the finished products are very different – green has a particularly earthy flavour while white does not. Oolong tea (my favourite) is very strong, as is black tea but this is also very bitter in comparison.

Although I am unlikely to have time to put into practice the lessons I learnt, next time it’s my tea round in the office, I’ll definitely take time out each day to really appreciate a good cup of afternoon tea.

The question is, which of the 1,500 plus teas shall I try next?

This article first appeared in the Surrey Advertiser, May 2011. 

New show home launches at Swallowhurst in Cranleigh - the perfect place to entertain this summer

A beautifully furnished new five-bedroom show home launched at Swallowhurst at the weekend – giving prospective buyers an insight into what life could be like living in this stunning new development in the vibrant village of Cranleigh, Surrey.

Set in 33 acres of stunning historic woodland just a mile from the centre of Cranleigh, the second phase of homes at Swallowhurst, a flagship development built by Linden Homes in partnership with Wates Developments, features a collection of four, five and six-bedroom executive houses, which reflect the Arts and Crafts style so prominent in this popular area of Surrey. 

The new show home is fully dressed and available to move into now, making it the perfect choice for those entertaining guests this summer. 

     

Fran Kavanagh, sales representative for Linden Homes, comments: “With the first phase now sold, the sense of community at Swallowhurst is really flourishing and the new residents feel genuinely welcomed, especially by the local businesses, who provide a welcome hamper when they move in. 
The beautiful new showhome gives people another reason to head down to the site and see what it would be like to live in this tranquil, countryside setting. “

Upon entering the new show home – a stunning five-bedroom detached house called The Loxwood - there is an immediate sense of grandeur thanks to the stunning imperial oak staircase, which takes centre stage in the hallway and is complemented by partially glazed double oak doors leading to the downstairs reception rooms.

A spacious cloakroom and storage cupboard in the hallway provide practical solutions when hosting guests, while a cleverly concealed dining area, with room for a large table and easy access to the kitchen, occupy the usually redundant hall space behind the stairs. This inventive use of space provides the perfect place to entertain guests in what could otherwise be an idle part of a home. 

To the right, a sumptuous formal drawing room provides the ideal place for guests to retire after dinner or for adults to spend time away from the hustle and bustle of the main family area. Further extended outside via French doors leading onto the generous garden, both the dining and drawing rooms are fit for purpose year round. 

To the other side of the hallway and at the heart of the home is the open plan kitchen and family area, which provides ample space for relaxing and dining as a family. Tucked away off the kitchen is a large utility room, which provides access to the convenient double garage.     

On the second floor, a galleried landing leads to the all five bedrooms including the main bedroom – which looks out over the manicured rear garden and benefits from a spacious dressing room and en suite bathroom. 

A second large bedroom with dressing room and en suite shower room overlooks the front of the property. The three remaining double bedrooms share use of the large family bath and shower room and also have plenty of storage space with two built in double wardrobes in each room. 

Outside, the immaculate garden provides ample space, which has been thoughtfully designed to remain easy to maintain. 

Fran Kavanagh adds: “I think it has become a common misconception that newly built homes offer small gardens but this isn’t the case at Swallowhurst. Each home has a generous, beautifully landscaped garden – with patio areas for entertaining guests and a lush lawn for children to play.”

For a limited time only, a further ‘pop up’ show home will also be available to view at Swallowhurst. Furnished in key rooms, The Alford, a six-bedroom family home, will help demonstrate to potential purchasers the individuality of the homes available at Swallowhurst and how they can be furnished and styled to suit a variety of lifestyles. 

Prices at the second phase of Swallowhurst start from £1,275,000 for a four-bedroom home, The Loxwood show home is priced at £1,575,000 and The Alford is priced at £1,850,000. For more information or to make an appointment to view, contact Linden Homes on 0844 417 5985. Alternatively visit the website: www.lindenhomes.co.uk.

Bronlei Woods: Contemporary glass house in Bramley scoops prestigious Evening Standard award

There were smiles a plenty at last week’s Evening Standard New Homes Awards when Kilpark Properties scooped the coveted ‘Best Family Home’ accolade for its Bronlei Woods development in Bramley, Surrey.

The win was a coup for Kilpark Properties as it was the first time the boutique developer had entered the prestigious annual awards, which celebrate excellence in the new homes sector within London and the Home Counties.

Kilpark Properties director, John Waites, said: “We are very proud to have won the Best Family Home award. Bronlei Woods is our first housing development project in Surrey and we worked very hard to ensure the design makes the most of its ancient woodland settings.”

Founding partners, Digby Leighton-Squires and John Waites were joined by project architect Mike Cooper and construction manager Bradley Palmer to be presented with their trophy during a sophisticated ceremony hosted by comedian Jimmy Carr at The Dorchester in Park Lane, London, on Friday (May 15). Former Olympic heptathlon champion, Denise Lewis OBE, was also on stage to hand out the awards. 

In their search for the Best Family Home in London and the South East, the award judges were looking for new homes in well-located and attractive settings, which have been imaginatively designed yet with practical interiors for family living.

Designed by architect Mark Cooper, Bronlei Woods, which comprises just four highly contemporary homes just outside the leafy village of Bramley, less than five miles from Guildford, was praised for its ‘stunning’ desi

Digby Leighton-Squires added: “These homes are truly refreshing; there is nothing comparable in the area. The large areas of glazing on the front and rear elevations create light living spaces while also optimising views of the surrounding ancient woodland. This award win just goes to show that a family home doesn’t have to compromise modern design to accommodate traditional family values!”

Two of the houses at Bronlei Woods have now been reserved. Guide prices for the remaining homes start at £925,000. For more information or to arrange a private viewing, contact Pewleys Estate Agents on 01483 304344.

George Clarke on his love of transforming buildings

The Ideal Home Show moves back to its first home, Olympia London, later this month. I caught up with one of the exhibition's mentors, the gorgeous George Clarke, about his love of architecture and the importance of saving old, disused buildings

George and I at the What House? Awards 2013

You wanted to be an architect from quite a young age, why was that?

My grandfather was in property – he was a builder – and before the days of health and safety I used to spend a lot of my time as a kid on building sites. When most kids were playing with bulldozers, I was in one!
In terms of building design, that came when I was a little older. As soon as I was able to jump on the
bus into town, I used to go and just sketch different buildings. I always had a pencil in my hand.

You now front a number of successful TV shows but the two which you became known for where The Home Show and The Restoration Man, how do they compare?

As an architect I just love to transform buildings. In The Restoration Man we have seen some incredible buildings being converted into homes. Sometimes these buildings have been sitting redundant for 50 or 60 years, but converting them gives them a whole new lease of life – it’s a great example of sustainable living.
In The Home Show, it’s about taking a very ordinary house and bringing it into the 21st century.

How do you feel about the number of old buildings you see in this country that have been forgotten about and left to deteriorate?

There are about 5,000 buildings on the Buildings at Risk register that are in danger of collapse, and that doesn’t even account for the  tens of thousands which lie empty but are not on the list. They’re all simple, humble gems of history, but people have just lost interest or forgotten about them The Restoration Man shows how you can build anything into something – it’s easy to transform something into something else.
Well, easy when it’s been built well in the first place. I think we build too temporarily these days because our needs change, but older buildings have been built to last.

Has anyone been really disappointed with what you’ve done to their property in The Home Show?

They’ve all been really happy with what we’ve done. There was one couple who were disappointed that we didn’t finish the en suite bathroom. Sometimes we get really big properties and really small budgets, and there’s always a risk you’re going to find problems like rot or structural damage, which you have to spend the money on. It’s not a makeover show, we’re not just putting on a lick of paint. There are often problems we have to get in there and sort out, and I have a duty of care to do that.

From your experience on the show, what are the most common improvements you make to people’s homes? 

It’s usually space issues that we rectify. Houses with lots of corridors or things in the wrong place.
There was one where the bathroom was off the kitchen, which is very common in a lot of houses and just
doesn’t make sense. Sometimes it’s just knocking down a wall. For example, how many of us actually use a formal dining room? The kitchen is really where we live these days, so opening this up to create a kitchen/dining room is common.

Are there any projects you have particularly enjoyed doing?

They’ve all be amazing so I shouldn’t really say I have a favourite, but there was one project in series one of The Restoration Man – an ice house in Scotland on Lochgoilhead. The building used store ice that they
took from the loch and cut up. The fishermen would catch salmon and then store it in the ice house, which could act  as a fridge. This eccentric man, Laird Henderson, bought it from a farmer for £6,000 and
then did it up with about £80,000 to £90,000, turning it into a two/three-bedroom house. It was really spectacular, the front of the building was all glass – he would say it reminded him of a Foxes Glacier Mint.

• The Ideal Home Show is at Olympia London from 20 March to 6 April 2015

This interview first appeared in the Surrey Advertiser in March 2011

Travel Review: Bern

With its cosmopolitan and avant-garde vibe, Zurich is often mistaken as the capital of Switzerland,but it is in fact the historic city of Bern that holds the title.

I arrived in Bern following a short flight from London City airport with Skyworks Airlines and headed straight to Hotel Bellevue Palace.

Located on a terrace above the rolling River Aare, right next to the city’s parliament building, the five-star Bellevue Palace, which is part of luxury hotel group, the Victoria-Jungrau Collection, offers some of the finest views of the distant Bernese Alps.

Bellevue Palace, Bern

As the official guesthouse of the Swiss Government, the 126-room hotel regularly hosts visiting statesmen and top business leaders. In fact, if you stop for a drink in the Bellevue Bar, you’re likely to catch a glimpse of a Swiss Member of Parliament or two.

The classic and luxurious decor contrasts well with the forward-thinking of this neoclassic-styled hotel, combining old world charm with the most modern comforts. For example, when dining in the hotel’s gourmet restaurant, La Terrasse, you can watch your food being prepared and send messages to head chef Gregor Zimmerman via ipads, making for a unique and state-of-the-art dining experience.

Being so centrally located, Hotel Bellevue Palace is the perfect base from which to get out and explore what Bern has to offer.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, Bern’s old town is a maze of cobbled streets, flanked by well preserved sandstone buildings and scattered with 11 16th century fountains, each with its own story to tell.

In homage to the city’s symbol, and an absolute must-see when in Bern, is the Bear Park – where a family of bears, including cubs Urs and Berna can be found.

According to legend, the bear was the first animal to be killed by Duke Berchtold V von Zahringen, who founded the city in 1191. In the dialect of the time, Barn was the word for bear, and so this is how the city received its name.

The view from atop Munster Catherdral

To see Bern from a height, head to Munster Cathedral, which is undoubtedly the most impressive example of late Gothic architecture within the city.

From what is Switzerland’s highest church tower you can enjoy magnificent views across Bern’s rooftops into the depths of the Swiss Mittelland and the snow-capped mountains of the Bernese Oberland.

Albert Einstein's former home

If museums are what you’re looking for, then Bern has more than its fair share – from the Museum of Fine Arts to the Zentrum Paul Klee, which houses the largest collection of Klee’s works in the world. You can even visit the former home of Albert Einstein, who lived in the city from 1903 to 1905, during which time he developed his Theory of Relativity.

Although a city with lots to see, the slow pace of life makes Berne an enjoyable and tranquil place to visit. With its stunning architecture and many restaurants and attractions, it’s no wonder the city is ranked among the world’s top 10 for the best quality of life.

TRAVEL FACTS

• SkyWork Airlines flies from London City to Bern twice daily, www.flyskywork.com

• For reservations at Bellevue Palace call +41 (0)31 320 45 45 or email reservation@bellevue-palace.ch

• For more information about attractions in Bern, or to organise a tour of the city, visit www.bern.com/en/index.cfm.

Albury Park: An award-winning restoration in Surrey

The people behind the magnificent restoration of Surrey's landmark Albury Park Mansion have been recognised yet again for their work to transform this historic Grade II* property into 12 luxury apartments.

Michael Wilson Restorations and Chelsminster Estates scooped the Highly Commended award in the Best Conversion category at the Evening Standard New Homes Awards last week.

“Albury Park Mansion is such a beautiful house and it has been a privilege to restore it to its former glory,” Michael Wilson, said.

This latest accolade comes less than six months after Mike and his team were awarded with not one but two Gold Awards at the What House? Awards 2013; one for Best Restoration and the other for Best Landscape Design.

Built in the 17th century, Albury Park Mansion is an exceptionally elegant stately home, which stands in 150 acres of parkland owned by the Duke of Northumberland.

The house itself includes features by architects of note such as Augustus Pugin who, among other
changes, added the 63 ornate candlestick chimneys, and Sir John Soane, who designed the cantilevered staircase - thought to be the first of its kind.

Once divided into flats for the elderly and latterly used as a wedding venue, Albury Park has been
given a new lease of life through the creation of these luxury homes, which range from 700 sqft to 6,000
sqft.

Perfect pasta: A lesson in food from Jamie’s mentor

I pick up some tricks of the trade from Italian master Gennaro Contaldo at the Guildford branch of the restaurant chain he set up with his protégé, Jamie Oliver. 

 Gennaro shows me how to make the perfect pasta - photos by Steve Porter

Whether you love or loathe him, there’s no denying that Jamie Oliver is passionate about food, particularly the Italian variety.

That’s one of the many attributes he no doubt picked up from his mentor, Gennaro Contaldo, who he first met while working as a pastry chef at the Neal Street Restaurant in London.

“Jamie has always cooked Italian and I am all about Italian, so when he worked with me at Neal Street I would show him whatever I could show to him,” Gennaro said of his protégé as he welcomed me
into Jamie’s Italian restaurant at the bottom of Guildford High Street.

Although cheeky celebrity chef Jamie is the face of the restaurant chain, which aims to make good Italian cuisine accessible to everyone, not many people know Gennaro is very much a driving force behind
the business, developing menus and training the chefs.

“When Jamie first came to me and said he wanted to open not only one but two, three, in fact many restaurants all over the country I told him I didn’t understand why he wanted to do it - he had put so much time, energy and money into Fifteen and almost went bankrupt.

“However, he managed to talk me round and now I am working in every single restaurant. “It was always his dream to give something back and a few years ago it became mine,” said the 63-year-old, who presents
the Two Greedy Italians series of television programmes with his close friend and mentor, Antonio Carluccio.

Gennaro, who grew up on Italy’s Amalfi coast but moved to the UK in the 1960s, truly believes that food helps the soul and that cooking as a family can help create strong bonds.

And the chef was particularly shocked when I told him I had never made fresh pasta before, telling me that watching his mother and aunty make fresh pasta as a child was one of the things that started his love affair with food.

“Making your own pasta is something everyone can do,” the father of six said. “In my family it was my
mamma who used to do it but anyone can, your mother, husband, boyfriend, the children. People say they have no time but it is so quick, it takes about five minutes.”

To feed about four people, you need 200g of 00 flour and two eggs, he told me. Mix together with a bit of salt and pepper and then need into a dough. Wrap this in cling film and leave for 30 minutes and then you are ready to create whatever type of pasta you want.

Genarro suggests investing in a pasta machine to roll out the pasta but you can use a rolling pin - it will just take a lot longer. Once rolled thin enough (you should be able to lift the rolled out dough by blowing underneath it) you can cut into shapes to make the different types of pasta you want, such as tagliatelle (strips) farfalle (bows) maltagliati (off cuts) or fill with something for ravioli.

“Making ravioli is a great way of using up your leftovers,” Gennaro said. “In Italy we use lots of ravioli for this reason. You make roast beef, what do you do with the leftovers? You make some ravioli. You can use
anything vegetables, spinach, salami.”

For our ravioli we used Buffalo ricotta, nutmeg and lemon juice. Gennaro the showed me how to create a variety of different ravioli styles, although I’m sure mine didn’t look like they were supposed to.

“That is what is good about it though, it doesn't really matter what it looks like, it makes it rustic and unique. The rougher it is the more it will soak up the sauce,” Gennaro said, perhaps trying to make me feel better.

A move from the table to the kitchen and an infusion of a few additional simple ingredients such as olive oil, basil, sage, tomatoes mussels and pumpkin and what started out as just 200g or flour and two eggs had become four completely different pasta dishes.

“It’s simplicity”, Gennaro added. “Italian cuisine is all about that. You open the fridge, you see what’s there and you use it. If you use what is in season, it’s going to taste great.”

• Let’s Cook Italian by Gennaro Contaldo is published by Pavilion Books RRP £20.

This article first appeared in the Surrey Advertiser on 21 May, 2012