News, views, city updates and more... to keep you going

THAT'S A WRAP  |  THE FUTURE OF GIFT WRAPPING

While it's one of those traditions that's hard to give up, it is pretty unanimous – wrapping paper is a complete waste... not only is it expensive, and often not reusable, it also causes a collective mountain of packaging and a huge headache for the city's recycling teams. The low-grade paper is often mixed with plastic and glitter and is therefore best burned rather than pulped. That's why, this Christmas, BANES council has decided to no longer collect wrapping paper for recycling.

So, if Christmas is as they say 'a little different this year', then maybe it's high time we ring in the changes and look at some alternatives. Enter furoshiki.

Furoshiki is a type of Japanese wrapping cloth traditionally used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods. In recent years, the tradition has evolved into a popular practice in cultures around the world as an environmentally friendly way to carry bottles, food, and everyday necessities – as well as a modern alternative to gift-wrapping.

As many of us have more time on our hands, wrapping paper is no longer being collected and sustainable alternatives are fortunately becoming more widely available, why not take advantage of this opportunity to put a little spin on the typical presentation of your festive gifts?

Main images: Furoshiki wrapping cloths from £15; Anthropologie

We've compiled a list of alternative wrapping solutions and how to perfect the art of furoshiki – enjoy a three minute read here

FESTIVE SHOPPING  |  INDIE SHOP SHOUT-OUTS

DECEMBER ISSUE  |  OUT NOW AND LOOKING GOOD

URBAN COMMENTARY  |  RICHARD WYATT

I don't know who has very recently risked life and limb to so artistically decorate the stone globe on top of Bath's neglected Laura Place fountain. Unlike the last floral intervention by Bath Flower School they didn't leave a calling card.

However both recent embellishments – to a structure that's also been battered by an accidental run in with a car – have drawn attention to wondering what the council is going to do about either keeping it working as a celebration of the city's waters or turning it into a giant flowerbed.

At the moment it's the empty-bowled centre of a traffic roundabout at the city end of Great Pulteney Street, designed to be seen as a grand city entrance and certainly one of Bath's great architectural set-pieces.

The fountain was set up in 1877 and marks a site on which a grand column commemorating Admiral Nelson's naval victories had been under construction. The 'city fathers' changed their minds when they realised just how out of scale such a giant pillar would have been. The fountain was surrounded with vegetation and fencing, at a time when Great Pulteney Street became tree-lined too.

More recently the student rags of the 1960s were blamed for structural damage which resulted in a new upper tier being added in 1977. Since then it's been known as the 'ash tray' and one in which the flowing waters have been frequently embellished with the foam created by washing-up liquid squirted into the bottom bowl.

To my knowledge the fountain has been hit twice by vehicles and its present structural injuries will no doubt persist for some time to come. The council has commissioned a costings survey but it's no secret there's not much in the way of spare cash in their Covid-19 battered budget.

I must say the fountain's current floral attachment adds beauty rather than blight, and I have seen many worse accoutrements in the past. Traffic cones and even a bicycle have put in an appearance, while the Extinction Rebellion's Red Brigade have also 'graced' the fountain with their presence.

I have no idea if the pump has broken down. The fountain is always drained each winter so it's not unusual to see it empty at this time of the year ,but what sort of a 2021 this grand old lady of Laura Place will face remains to be seen.

bathnewseum.com

GRAND REOPENING  |  EAST MEETS WEST

MIDWEEK RECIPE  |  HAPPY HANUKKAH

When is a rösti not a rösti? When it's a Latke: the Yiddish word for pancake. Latkes are an intrinsic part of the traditional Hanukkah celebratory feasts and go with pretty much anything and everything, but are particularly scrumptious served with soured cream and chopped apple. Matzo Meal, a crumb-like binding agent made from unleavened flatbreads called Matzo crackers, is readily available in supermarkets. Hanukkah falls on 10 – 18 December this year.

Ingredients (serves 4)

750g potatoes, peeled
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 free-range eggs
3 tbsp matzo meal
1 tsp baking powder
Vegetable oil, for frying 

Method

1. Coarsely grate the peeled potatoes and onion directly onto a clean tea towel. Gather the sides of the tea towel up to create a tight ball and squeeze over the sink, twisting the cloth as you go to squeeze out as much liquid as you can. Tip the mixture out on to another clean tea towel and repeat the process. Set to one side.
2. Lightly beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the matzo meal and baking powder, season generously with salt and pepper and whisk until smooth and creamy. Add the grated potatoes and onion and mix well. 
3. Heat a generous layer of vegetable oil over a medium heat in a large frying pan. In batches, scoop neat blobs of the latke batter into the pan, forming little cakes around 6cm in diameter, and fry until golden brown and crisp underneath. Flip over using a spatula and repeat until both sides are cooked, placing each batch on kitchen paper to blot up any excess oil. 
4. Latkes are best served straight from the pan but can be kept warm in a preheated oven (180ºC/gas mark 4) until ready to serve. Leftover latkes can also be reheated from chilled.

OBJECTS OF INTEREST  |  ICONIC DANISH DESIGN

SUSTAINABLE FASHION  |  FINISTERRE

Finisterre prides itself on being a pioneering and sustainable outdoor brand, a company that supports communities and gives back to its customers. Last month, Finisterre raised just over £13,000 in donations for FareShare, which has resulted in 50 meals for those who need it most this winter – one step closer to reaching FareShare’s goal of providing ONE MILLION meals to people in need this winter!

Why not keep it local and eco-friendly this Christmas?

Shown here: 

Left: Bewick Scarf; a chunky fisherman rib scarf in a wool blend, £50

Top right: Submariner Roll Neck Fisherman's Jumper; a modern submariner jumper made with British wool, £150

Bottom right: Hill Jumper; a warm fisherman's jumper with a high neck and rib stitching, £110

BEAUTY MUST-HAVES  |  GIFT INSPIRATION

Everyone deserves a little extra pampering this Christmas and M&S has the ultimate selection of beauty gifts, from eye shadow palettes to skincare favourites and indulgent bathtime treats – bound to put a smile on the face of the ones you love.

Shown here: 

Top: Calm Gift Set; £29.50

Bottom left: Calm Room Spray; £6

Bottom right: Calm Large 3 Wick Candle; £15

FRESH COFFEE  |  A LITTLE LAB OF MORNING JOY

Wake up to the soothing sound and smell of fresh coffee or tea brewing with this beautifully designed Barisieur coffee machine and alarm clock. This stylish piece of lab-looking kit will appeal to the barrista/gadgenista as it boils water in just 3 minutes, cutting-off automatically, while a large shower head, made to evenly pour over your ground coffee, ensures full and even saturation of the coffee grounds at 94°C.

With built-in drawers to keep coffee or tea fresh, and an innovative Peltier-powered mini-fridge that keeps your milk cool at a perfect 3 to 5°C the Barisieur also has a measuring spoon, lid and jug so you can accurately measure out and experiment to achieve the perfect cup.

£345; bombinate.com

MIDWEEK WINES  |  STOCK UP ON CHABLIS

TAKE FOUR  |  FESTIVE CENTREPIECES

Pheasant, partridge, guinea fowl and duck make a luxurious alternative to the humdrum turkey at Christmas and prove that good roasts can indeed come in small packages (one pheasant, for example, easily serves two people very well). In flavour terms, pheasant and partridge are at the slightly sweeter end of the intrinsically 'gamey' spectrum, duck tends to have red meat/offaly characteristics and guinea fowl is the closest to chicken. And don't overlook quail: allow one per person and roast whole, hot and fast, for less than 20 minutes – delicious served with game chips and bread sauce.

When it comes to fine dining at home, loaves are often overlooked for no good reason at all – they also offer an added bonus of being super-tasty the next day, served cold with pickles. A classic nut loaf can be a glorious centrepiece to a vegetarian feast: mix and match from macadamias, almonds, brazils, pine nuts, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts and peanuts, lighten the load with roasted red peppers (and cheese, if you fancy it), be generous with the parsley and the sage and get saucy with mushrooms to serve. On the meaty front, pork mince goes glam when wrapped in serrano ham, a lamb mince and rosemary base is uplifted by a mint gravy, and a venison version served with Cumberland sauce elevates the whole meatloaf genre to stellar heights.

EXCLUSIVE READ  |  PERFORMING ARTS

When you specialise in immersive performances, how do you reinvent yourself in a post-Covid world? This issue, Andy Burden, Artistic and Executive Director of The Natural Theatre Company, considered the future as they celebrate 50 years...

Enjoy a six minute read here

In the absence of pantomimes this year, The Natural Theatre Company is taking to the streets of Bath to entertain shoppers in a hilarious patchwork of scenes and characters you may recognise. To set the scene, the nation’s pantomime and Christmas characters have all come to Bath because the theatres are closed. They are desperate to tell their stories as quickly as possible, knowing that other pantos are also out on the streets. From Milsom Street to Stall Street, enjoy a socially distanced shopping experience this weekend.

Read more here

ON THE BOOKSHELF  |  A TIME-SLIP ADVENTURE

Comedian and bestselling author David Baddiel’s wildly entertaining adventure stories for young readers have sold over a million copies in the UK and been translated across the globe. His latest book, Future Friend, is a terrifically entertaining time-slip adventure that combines action, laugh-out-loud humour and the importance of friendship, in a story that asks the question – what would happen if your best friend came from the future?

£12.99; toppingbooks.co.uk

ON THE BOX  |  A FEEL-GOOD FILM

A young woman wishes to fulfil her mother's dream of opening her own bakery in Notting Hill, London. To do this, she enlists the help of an old friend and her grandma.

Starring Great British Bake Off's Candice Brown in her debut performance, Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Shannon Tarbet, Rupert Penry-Jones and Bill Paterson, this British comedy is ultimately a feel-good film.

In a review by The Guardian, the film was described to have "echoes of Fleabag and Richard Curtis." If we know anything about ourselves, it's that we love a Richard Curtis fantasy at this time of year.

Enjoy Love Sarah on Sky Cinema today

PROPERTY UPDATE  |  NEW TO THE MARKET

14 Trafalgar Road is a beautifully proportioned and tastefully presented 4 storey Grade II listed Georgian townhouse, having been with the current owner for over 20 years. The stylish, contemporary accommodation offers flexible family space with the benefit of 4 lovely double bedrooms, a family bathroom and wet room and an impressive first floor drawing room on the upper floors.

On the ground floor there is an attractive well-equipped kitchen which is linked to a sociable dining room to the front. To the rear there is a vaulted office and guest cloakroom, which enjoys access to the gardens.

In the lower ground floor, there is a generously proportioned utility room, storage area and workshop along with a vaulted children’s den.

To the rear accessed from bedroom 4 and the office, there is a beautiful well-stocked garden of approximately 120ft which is divided into several ‘rooms’ and includes a covered seating area with a pretty pergola and a small orchard.

Trafalgar Road is an attractive residential street of Georgian town houses and artisan cottages positioned conveniently in the heart of Weston village and a stone’s throw from the excellent range of local amenities on Weston High Street which include a doctors and dental practice, 3 good primary schools, a nursery school, a post office, a bakery, a national chain supermarket, a hairdressers, café and takeaway. Offers in excess of £850,000.

For more information about the property, contact cobbfarr.com