Kingham Plough Review

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Jane Cable

Anyone who watched The Great British Menu couldn’t have failed to notice that fish course winner Emily Watkins kept apologising. For everything, really. So when the lights in the restaurant of The Kingham Plough dipped and danced a little it should have been no surprise to see Emily appear and apologise; they were new – the bulbs were too bright – she wanted to get them right.

When you own a pub restaurant, wanting everything to be perfect is no bad thing.

The Kingham Plough is a part of a Cotswold stone terrace about 15 minutes’ drive from Stow on the Wold and it’s probably only a little fanciful to say that the warmth of the sun on the stone extends inside the building as well. The young staff are friendly and helpful, and while interior designers have clearly been at work the look and feel of a village pub has been retained. The walls are decorated with local art (for sale) and the carefully mismatched furniture oozes rural chic. Not to mention comfort.

We ate in the restaurant although a full range of bar snacks (including deliciously retro pints of prawns and just plain delicious homemade pork pies) are available. Much has been made in other reviews of the sous vide cooking technique Watkins prefers, but to be honest, if we hadn’t been told, we wouldn’t have noticed. And anyway, I’m a great believer in letting the food speak for itself.

My starter was a rabbit sausage, resting on an oblong of pea puree and sharing the plate with a most attractive salad which tasted crisp, fresh and as good as it looked. My husband opted for the sea trout tartare which was served in a tower topped with an egg yolk. Before breaking the yolk he burrowed out a little from the bottom of the stack for me and that was lovely too.

We had wanted a wine which would take us through all three courses and here the young staff did let the Kingham Plough down slightly by recommending a bottle which really wasn’t appropriate, simply because it was popular. So we fell back on our own knowledge (time to fess up that my husband has certificates in this sort of thing and does spend some of his business life in the wine trade) and chose a more than acceptable bottle of Beaune which didn’t break the bank.

Although I am not a vegetarian (clearly, given the way I devoured the rabbit sausage) I decided on a beetroot soufflé with local goat cheese for my main course. I love beetroot and I love goat cheese and I certainly wasn’t disappointed by the soft and fluffy soufflé which perfectly combined them. Meanwhile my better half went for the pork wellington; a tender nugget of meat encased in homemade ‘hodge podge’ aka black pudding and the thinnest of thin sheets of pastry. I am told it was fantastic. But I didn’t get to try.

As ever, we were lured by the cheese; a selection from nine local cheeses – or all of them to share for £19. This really was a no-brainer and they came spread out along a wooden board with generous piles of homemade oatcakes, hazelnut fruit bread, celery and apple jelly. There was a modicum of confusion over which cheese was which – the blushing waitress told us Emily had prepared the board and they were always in the right order – she just wasn’t sure what the order was. But it didn’t matter. They were all quirky and original and it was the highlight of our meal taking our time over them and finishing off the Beaune.

The highlight of the meal; but not the highlight of our stay. We had booked a room for the night (clean, cosy, quiet and comfortable) which meant we were having breakfast. I am not a huge fan of the full English – give me a skinny latte and something chocolaty any day – but this time I was tempted. And besides, I hadn’t got my hands on any of the hodge podge pudding the night before.

As it happened, for me the black pudding was not the star of the show. Mainly because it had a great deal of competition. Homemade baked beans, for a start – made with real tomatoes, wonderfully seasoned. Thick, crispy bacon and mushrooms which tasted as though they had been picked from the fields just hours before. Proper leaf tea. And, best of all, a little skillet of drop scones (scotch pancakes, if you prefer), warm from the grill, just begging to be drizzled with honey.

Whether it was in revenge for the pork wellington, or just pure gluttony, I scoffed the lot.

Find out more about The Kingham Plough at www.thekinghamplough.co.uk

Modern Parents Yearn For A ‘90s’ Childhood

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Frostie

Most of us at Frost magazine are 1980s babies who grew up in the 90s. We frequently get nostalgic for the decade and it seems we are not the only ones.

Over half of modern parents pine for the simple childhood of the 1990s (52%)
Music memories strike a chord as making tape recordings of the top 40, buying cassettes and Top of The Pops lead ‘90s’ nostalgia list
Children now more likely to Skype their relatives than send letters
‘90s’ jargon stands the test of time as ‘Whatever’ is named as top ‘90s’ phrase still in use today

Making tape recordings of the music charts, having pen pals and growing up without mobile phone technology have been named by British parents as some of their most missed ‘90s’ childhood experiences, according to a new study revealed today.

The new study commissioned to celebrate the premiere of Girl Meets World on Disney Channel asked 2,000 parents to vote for the ‘90s’ childhood experiences that they wish their own children could experience today. The results provide a fascinating overview of the way childhood has changed within a single generation.

From buying singles on cassette to renting videos from the local shop, the ‘90s’ Nostalgia List is revealed as:

‘90s’ Nostalgia List

1. Make tape recordings of weekly top 40 – 40%

2. Having pen pals – 35%

3. Watching Top of the Pops – 34%

4. Buying singles on cassette or vinyl – 32%

5. Hand written thank you notes – 31%

6. Waiting for photos to be developed – 29%

7. Watching Saturday night TV with the family – 28%

8. ‘90s’ toys – 27%

9. Renting videos from the local shop – 25%

10. Making plans that don’t change due to lack of mobile communication – 22%

The poll reveals that music resonates the most with us, with three of the top five comprising of musical memories.

The study also suggests that the ongoing march of technology creates the biggest sense of nostalgia for parents, as the rise of digital entertainment and communication has seen the demise of cassettes, tape recordings, videos and written letters of the typical ‘90s’ childhood.

The list shows that letter writing is missed by parents, with pen pals and writing thank you notes both featuring in the top five. It was also revealed that children today are more likely to keep in contact with relatives through Skype or Facetime (28%) rather than by writing letters (13.5%) suggesting that whilst the art of letter writing may be dying out, modern day children may actually get to see and interact with their relatives more often than the previous generation did.

Not everything has changed – slang jargon has successfully bridged the generation gap, with popular ‘90s’ phrases such as “Whatever!”, “Talk to the hand” and “Take a chill pill” standing the test of time with modern teens.

Jargon that has survived from the ‘90s

1. Whatever! – 58%

2. Loser – 37%

3. Talk to the hand – 22%

4. As If! – 21%

5. Take a Chill Pill – 17%

6. NOT! – 16%

7. Duh – 14%

8. Don’t go there – 13%

9. Whassup – 12%

10. Yo! – 11%

Nearly half of parents (48.85%) polled believe that the music of the ‘90s is better that the music around now, with most thinking that modern music popular with their children all sounds the same.

Map reading and having to answer calls on the house phone both narrowly miss out on the top 10.

For the fifth of young British parents who still consider the ‘90s’ friendship bracelet as a core fashion accessory, this year’s Loom Band craze is sure to be welcomed. It seems that the simplicity of ‘90s’ toys and playground trends including Beanie Babies and Troll dolls struck a nostalgic nerve with the parents surveyed, as it can be seen at number 8 on the list.

The study also suggests that many celebrities who have ridden the fame wave from the nineties to present day will always be most fondly remembered for their ‘90s’ heyday. Indeed, 57% of the parents polled would associate Will Smith as the loveable Fresh Prince of Bel Air over his recent blockbuster movies, in comparison to only 20% of children. It seems that Brit Noel Edmunds is another ‘90s’ favourite with 52% of parents associating the presenter with Mr Blobby on Noel’s House Party compared with just 11% of their children, who instead know him for tea time TV show Deal or no Deal (54%).

Disney Channel’s new series Girl Meets World, is the follow-on from the popular ‘90s’ show Boy Meets World. The show now follows Riley, the daughter of Boy Meets World’s popular lead characters Cory and Topanga, as she grows up in the modern world with ‘90s’ parents. Girls Meets World starts on the Disney Channel on 12^th September at 6pm.

Nearly Half of Working Mums Would Consider Sharing Parental Leave

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Frostie

Some 44% of working mums would consider sharing their maternity leave with their partner, according to Workingmums.co.uk annual survey.

The number of women who would consider sharing their leave when the new shared parenting legislation comes in next year has risen by 3% since last year and may in part be due to a rising number of women who are the main breadwinners in their families – over 17% of women who were living with a partner say they are the main breadwinner and only in a small number of cases is this because their partner has been made redundant or had to reduce their hours.

The survey of over 2,390 working parents, sponsored by McDonald’s Restaurants Ltd, covers a wide variety of issues, from childcare and flexible working to finances, discrimination and self employment.

It shows that, despite the rise in women breadwinners, the number of women who claim to split childcare and housework equally with their partners is just 21%, down from 27% last year. Some 17% say their partners work flexibly with 4% of partners working part time.

Many women said the economic situation was affecting how long they took for maternity leave. Some 46% had returned to work early due to the recession or cost of living. Some 10% only took between one and three months’ maternity leave. The majority, however, took between seven and 12 months. Although 70% said they went back to work because they needed the money, 60% said they would work even if money was not an issue.

Other findings from the survey include:

– 56% of women say they earn less pro-rata than they did before having children.

– 49% say employers discriminate more against women in the current climate

– 60% think they have to work harder than men due to unconscious bias

– the number of parents using grandparents for childcare has risen. 56% make use of grandparents to reduce their childcare costs, 18% use tax credits, 25% have childcare vouchers; 23% use friends; 8% get older siblings to help and 18% get help from other relatives [many use a combination of options]

– 41% [up 11% on last year] spent nothing on childcare while 20% pay over £500 per month

– 32% say homeworking is their most favoured type of flexible working and homeworking is the most likely thing to encourage more women to work full time.

– 53% said that more flexible working would aid them in their career development

– Most women got the flexible working they requested, but 23% did not with 11% feeling their employer did not even consider their request at all

– Only 13% who had taken a career break found a job fairly easily afterwards

– Most women [53%] want part-time work and 15% of part timers work at least 6-8 hours extra a week

– Just 4% do a job share

– 74% of working mums are logging on to emails outside of their working hours, with 48% doing so regularly.

– 14% of respondents were on a zero hours contract or variable shifts – of these 54% prefer it as it offers flexibility, but 17% find it difficult to arrange all the childcare they need. 28% like it for the flexibility but also find it a challenge with childcare.

Gillian Nissim, founder of Workingmums.co.uk, said: “Our annual survey always throws up a wealth of information on the way women are working or would like to work and what the hurdles many face when attempting to reach their potential. It is interesting to note the appetite for shared parenting in the light of expectations that initial take-up will not be significant. This perhaps reflects a growing awareness among couples of the link between equality in the workplace and at home. It is vital that policy supports parents in having greater choice over how they balance work and family life.”

Simple Steps To Improve Self-Confidence

Posted on September 9, 2014 by Aidan

Feeling at ease with your body is something many people struggle with. Such feelings can eat away at self-confidence and make it harder to assert yourself in life. Sometimes, other people’s attitudes and messages in the media can make it even more difficult, but there are things you can do to fight back and learn to love yourself.

Identify problem attitudes

Do you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts about your body when you’re dressing, showering or shopping? Try to spot such thoughts developing and stop yourself. You probably wouldn’t make negative comments to a friend in that way, so why do it to yourself? Instead, focus on parts of your body that you like, even if they don’t seem as important. Practice thinking positively about them and remember that you don’t have to be perfect to be appreciated.

Share thoughts with friends

Social convention means that often we don’t complement each other enough. If you have friends who also need more body confidence arrange to get together and tell each other what you admire about one another’s appearance. Alternatively, you might prefer to do it using anonymous notes if you’re shy. You might be surprised by how much friends like or even envy aspects of the way you look that you never considered previously.

Focus on fitness

Even if you’re overweight, disabled or getting on in years, there will usually be something you can do to increase your fitness level. Exercise lowers levels of cortisone, the stress hormone and makes the body look better. You can even do exercises for your face to reduce lines and wrinkles; a sort of natural facelift.

Dress to flatter your figure

Everyone likes to feel sexy and you can find clothing to suit all shapes and sizes online, including fantastic plus sized lingerie deals. Rather than worrying about what doesn’t look good on you, seek out stores that specialize in clothing designed for bodies like yours, whatever shape you are. You don’t have to look like a model, because in reality people are attracted by many different aspects of an individual, such as sense of humor, stylishness and intelligence.

Love your style

Part of learning to love your body is about understanding how to see it on your own terms, which involves choosing clothes that flatter your shape and selecting colors and patterns that reflect your personality rather than concerning yourself with following fashion. That way you don’t need to worry about being compared to other people and you can instead focus on simply being who you are.

Despite the fact that women’s magazines tend to focus on hairstyles and waist measurements, studies show again and again that one of the most attractive assets anyone can have is self-confidence. Once you are comfortable in your own skin and enjoy the way you look it will show in the way you walk, the way you dance, even the way you smile; all things that will make an impression on others. Most importantly, they will make you feel good about yourself.

Couture Fashion week- New York

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Emma-Jane Lewis

Having recently been lucky enough to take a trip to the New York city, I could not resist the chance to pop along to one of the Couture fashion shows that was showing nearby. My trip was short for 3 days, so I only had change with my schedule to see a show on the Friday late afternoon. However I really enjoyed what was on offer! The 4pm show consisted of Helen Oro and Lourdes Atencio, as well as Alma NYC dancers and and singer Vanessa Cruz. For me Lourdes stole the show with her beautiful designs and spicy music compilation. Her designs were elegant and feminine, with beautiful silks and chiffons walking down the runway. One little gem was defiantly the pre-teen model on the show. She walked with elegance and that of a runway model many years her senior. This lady, is one to watch. If you lucky enough to be near New York, please go and check out the rest of the shows! For everyone else, you should be gearing up for London fashion week, I’m now back in London and excited for what will be shown!

Ripped Jeans

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Lottie Smith

Personally I love the ripped jeans look. It’s edgy, fun and can easily be pulled off with a simple tee or an oversized jumper. It says “I’m causal and carefree” but can also create a chic and stylish ensemble.
Worn with hightop trainers, classic pumps or statement stilettos, the ripped look can turn around that plain old boring outfit of jeans and a vest and give it an effortlessly laid-back yet high fashion twist.

What I particularly admire about ripped jeans is the versatility of accessorise that can be worn with them. A necklace – chunky or quaint. A handbag – clutch or shoulder. Shoes – flats or killer heels, the list goes on! Either way these jeans can make both a grungy hardcore look, or a sleek and polished one.

Like me, if you’re struggling to find that perfect pair, you can easily create your own by slicing and dicing an old pair that are maybe losing their fit or have faded on the knees – or maybe you can’t wait until pay day! This fast and effective way can bring that old pair of skinny jeans that you have fallen out of love with into the cool, chilled and fashionable pair you’ve been searching the stores for.

*Google Images and Photographs by Sarah Bacchus

The One Earring Trend

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Lottie Smith

Is this new trend of only wearing one earring likely to stick around? Or will it have the same effect as the ‘one sleeve rolled up’ trend that Made In Chelsea’s Jamie Laing has unsuccessfully tried to create which is try hard and quite frankly uninspiring.
Although stars like Emma Watson have adopted the new asymmetrical look, personally I think its all a bit bland.
Brands like Topshop and Zara have embraced the trend by stocking statement, dangly jewels to hang from just one lobe. However I have a hunch that this tacky way of accessorising will soon fade out and hopefully be replaced by something much more elegant!

To me it looks as if the poor girl has lost an earring, or maybe forgot to put the other one in .. either way if this bizarre trend starts showing itself in my local area I will be very amused. At least if you do unfortunately happen to lose an earring or embarrassingly forget to put the matching one in, you can pretend it’s intentional! Maybe that’s how ‘the one earring trend’ started!

Follow me on Instagram @Lottieesmithh and Twitter @LottieSmith25

*Google Images

Handbag Must Haves

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Lottie Smith

The conversational clutch

Slogan clutches have become quite a craze, ranging from high-street stores like H&M and Dorothy Perkins to supermarkets like Marks & Spencer.
Well known french phrases such as “Tres Chic”, “Moi?” and “Apres Ski” have made it on to the trendy bags, along with popular slogans mostly seen on T-shirts and jumpers like “Going Out Out”, “Ready To Party” and “Love”.

I can’t wait to get my hands on an array of these quirky clutches! Strong in style and a sure way to get yourself noticed for all the right reasons, these brilliant bags are definitely a wardrobe must-have for this season.
They’re a quick and easy way to liven up an outfit that needs that little extra oomph, simply chuck all the essentials into one of these chatty numbers and feel bursting with style as you head out of the door.

For the Foodies

I cant get enough of these fast-food fabrics! Thanks to Moschino’s deliciously cool tribute of the french fry phone case and many more, now come this wonderfully clever arm candy brought to you by brands like New Look and George at Asda. Whether you’re a health nut or a junk food lover, these bags are catered for your every nutritious need!

Textured Totes

A variety of new and exciting fabrics and embellishments have now made their way onto the catwalks for this season. From fluffy feathers to colourful jewels, these statement handbags definitely won’t go unnoticed. They can be found in stores like Next, Miss Selfridge, River Island, New Look, Topshop and many more! Coming in a wide variety of bold and vibrant colours they wont be hard to spot!

*Google Images

Frost Magazine

Books and Lifestyle

Kingham Plough Review

Modern Parents Yearn For A ‘90s’ Childhood

Simple Steps To Improve Self-Confidence

Couture Fashion week- New York

Ripped Jeans

The One Earring Trend

Handbag Must Haves