Innholdsfortegnelse for 18-Oct-2022 i Woman's Weekly

A few centuries ago, cheesemaking was a largely female endeavour, as it took place within the home, then considered mainly the woman’s domain. Later, when cheesemaking became mechanised, most production moved to large creameries, with paid workers, who in those days were almost always men. But thankfully our society has long since discarded that kind of rigid home/work sexual demarcation. The UK has seen an explosion of craft cheesemakers, all across the country, creating amazing new cheeses, and a large percentage of them are women. For more on our cheese revolution, see page 10.…

I’ve become obsessed with hot tubbing, especially as all my friends rave about the benefits. Sadly, I can’t persuade my other half to indulge or install our own personal percolator. So in the past year, I’ve sampled more than a few hotel hot tubs, often competing with other bubbly enthusiasts for prized slots ‘marinating’ al fresco. At the first hotel, it was first come, first served, the tub hosting a maximum of four ‘for a suggested 15 minutes. No flip-flops, glassware or children permitted’. Lacking a partner to stake out the area, I had to crane my neck from my tiny balcony to check if the tub was free. Every time I scurried off to secure my slot, I’d be too late, reduced to pacing the nearby beauty salon and…

The everyday things that can HARM YOUR HEARING Headphones Any level of sound over 85dB can be harmful to the ears, especially if exposed to it for long periods. So keep levels low, don’t listen with headphones for more than an hour at a time and ensure that 15-minute breaks are taken. Smoking and drinking Smoking can have a huge impact on hearing, with 70% of smokers having a greater chance of developing hearing loss. Alcohol consumption in large quantities, over a long period of time, can also contribute to a hearing impairment, as damage to the central auditory cortex of the brain can occur. Being inactive Exercise keeps blood flowing around your body, including your ears. Good circulation keeps oxygen levels up, and keeps the internal parts of the…

Difficulty level Dried flowers provide a wonderful opportunity to paint using an autumnal palette of reds, browns and yellows. This is a simple painting of four dried stems, but you could use a similar colour palette to create a bouquet or wreath. YOU WILL NEED ✣ Paper andpencil ✣ Paintbrush ✣Light creamyyellow, mustardyellow, orangey-brown anddark brownacrylic paint Swatches 1 Draw four simple stems, fanning outwards from each other. Starting with the leftmost stem and using the light creamy yellow, paint a few flattened flower shapes around the top of the stem. 2 Using the mustard yellow, paint the lower half of each petal. With the same colour, paint shading lines of varying lengths along the top edge of the petals, extending downwards. 3 Paint in the stem and leaves using…

It seems Brits can’t get enough cheese – on average, we eat 11kg of it every year. Recent research suggests that we’ve been gorging on the yellow stuff for 6,000 years – and there are no signs that we will be stopping any time soon. But British cheese production has seen an explosion of creativity and quality in recent years, with more than 700 regional cheese varieties now being produced across the UK, often from small-scale craft producers. Here are just six famous examples of the crumbliest, smelliest, tastiest, creamiest cheeses produced on our fair isles, but there are many more to discover! Red Leicester As its name suggests, Red Leicester cheese was born on the rolling green farms of Leicestershire. To begin with, the hard, crumbly cheese was made…

1 QUILT QUEEN We predict a sell-out for this fabulous coat, which is on every fashion editor’s wish list. £45, sizes 8-26, Tu Clothing at Sainsbury’s 2 LUXE LOUNGING Always in jeans? Treat these posh joggers like denim – the neutral colour goes with everything, from brights to pastels. £17, sizes 8-22, Nutmeg at Morrisons 3 REWORKED BOMBER Meet the new jacket shape for autumn. The bomber is back, recreated in luxe fabrics such as sheepskin or silk. £35, sizes 8-24, Tu Clothing at Sainsbury’s 4 KHAKI COOL Squishy bags take a new direction with giant quilted squares. Sleek enough to use for evening or to smarten up your daywear. £16, George at Asda 5 POSY PRETTY We all need go-to blouses that are easy…

ESPRESSO MARTINI CHOCOLATE POTS Whizz these up next time you have a dinner party – they are the perfect, lightly boozy delight to end the meal. MAKES 4PREP 10 MINS,PLUS SETTING ✣ 100g dark chocolate, broken into pieces ✣ 150ml double cream ✣ 2tbsp Kahlúa liqueur ✣ Coffee granules and cocoa powder, for decoration For the topping: ✣ 150g Philadelphia cream cheese ✣ 1tsp Camp coffee liquid ✣ 2tbsp icing sugar You will need: ✣ 4 glasses or ramekins 1 Put the chocolate in a large bowl. Heat the cream just until it boils, then pour it over the chocolate and leave to stand for 2 mins. Mix until smooth; add the Kahlúa. Spoon into the glasses and leave to set in the fridge for 1 hr. 2 Whisk the…

Shingles and dementia When comparing the incidence of dementia in 250,000 Danish people diagnosed with shingles to age-matched general population controls, researchers had expected to see an increase in dementia rates – perhaps from neuroinflammation, cerebral vasculopathy or direct neural damage. Instead, data showed that a history of shingles was associated with a small decrease in incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The explanation is unclear, and further study is needed. KNEE TREATMENT Although arthroscopic meniscectomy is frequently performed in people with degenerative meniscal tears, there’s little evidence of long-term benefit. A large Dutch study showed that knee function five years after treatment was no better in those receiving surgery than in patients assigned physiotherapy. Both groups also showed a small and comparable progression of knee osteoarthritis.…

ARIES 21 Mar – 20 Apr Remember to smile and don’t get too serious. No matter what you are confronting, you have great inner strength and resilience. TAURUS 21 Apr – 21 May This is a great time for exploring new opportunities. You have so much untapped potential inside of you. Let your heart be your guide. GEMINI 22 May – 21 Jun Maintaining your calm will be your challenge this week. Make sure you take time out to recharge and recalibrate. CANCER 22 Jun – 23 Jul Your focus is likely to be around the home. Do whatever you can to beautify, and to make your space uplifting and soothing. LEO 24 Jul – 23 Aug You’re searching for a higher meaning in your life. Keep going. The right…

Good Taste by Caroline Scott (£16.99, HB, Simon & Schuster) Calling all food lovers! This colourful read about a 1930s British food writer was made for you. Stella Douglas is having a bit of a rough time of it – her mother just passed away, her book isn’t selling well and the potential love of her life just got engaged to someone else. But when she lands a big new commission, adventure looks to be on the horizon. Evocatively written and laugh-out-loud funny, it’s guaranteed to make you smile. And make you hungry… The Ballroom Blitz by Anton Du Beke (£15.99, HB, Orion) It’s September 1940 and nightly bombardments are destroying London. While wealthy guests enjoy extravagant meals and lavish entertainment at the spectacular Buckingham Hotel, behind the scenes, scheming…

Letter of the week BIRD LOVER I absolutely loved the article in the 16 August edition on Echo the duck [Our Amazing Animals!]. It was so lovely, it made my day and cheered me up. I love all animals, and enjoy watching animal programmes such as This Week on the Farm. They always make me smile. My late husband and I had several budgies over the past 40 years too. Anne Nash, Cardiff Look what I made From you to us My gran had Woman’s Weekly magazine every week. Enclosed is a photo of a cardigan that she knitted from one of your magazines back in the early 80s. She made it just before I got married at 20. I’m now 59 and still wear it; so warm and cosy…

My daughter has upset my husband Q My daughter is getting married and has asked for her uncle, my late husband’s brother, to walk her down the aisle. Her father died 12 years ago. I remarried and she has had a stepfather for eight years. He and I thought it would be his role. My husband is hurt and he is now being distant with my daughter. Leah, Stratford A Many girls who want to walk down the aisle imagine their father beside them. Sadly, this can’t be the case for your daughter. Her uncle is a reminder of her father and the closest she can get to him. I expect there’s a bond between them, as they both lost the same man. They will both be thinking of him…

BRIGHT BULBS Give your garden a colourful start next year by planting spring bulbs now. Kick off with crocus, iris and scilla, followed by winter aconite, daffodils and hyacinths. Use them to create dreamy potscapes, brilliant borders or pools of colour in a lawn. Go for bulbs of different heights for layered displays and aim for successional flowering, so you can enjoy several months of colour and cheer. RHAPSODY IN BLUE Tall and elegant with blue hooded flowers, monkshood* is a classy addition to the autumn garden. Mix these perennials with other late-bloomers, like anemones, or with shrubs that turn scarlet and gold in autumn, such as cotinus or euonymus. Tempting varieties include lavender-blue ‘Arendsii’ (H1.5m) or dark-blue ‘Royal Flush’ (H60cm). 3 of the best… autumn-flowering shrubs VITEX AGNUS-CASTUS This…

Crochet TESTED BY US so they work for you Difficulty level MEASUREMENTS Approximately 21.5cm/8½in wide x 18cm/7in deep (excluding gathered top). To fit a medium-sized teapot. MATERIALS 1 x 100g (282m) ball of Emu Classic DK (100% acrylic) in each of Cream (102); Orange (Pumpkin 115); Cerise (Raspberry 124); Light Olive (Dijon 147) and Light Teal (Glacier 143)*. 4mm and 4.5mm crochet hooks. Yarn is available from theknittingnetwork.co.uk TENSION 16 stitches and 8.5 rows, to 10 x 10cm, over main pattern, using 4.5mm hook. ABBREVIATIONS Ch(s), chain(s); ch-sp, chain space (number denotes number of chains); dc, double crochet; tr, treble crochet; 2tr-cl, 2 treble cluster thus: [yrh, insert hook into st or space as indicated, yrh and pull through, yrh and pull through first 2 loops on hook] twice in…

Wordwise You have 15 minutes to find as many words as possible using the letters in the grid. Each word must contain four or more letters, one of which must be the central square. No proper nouns, plurals or foreign words are allowed. There is one nine-letter word in the grid, for which the clue is: Staff. 15 = average. More than 25 = well done SUDOKU To solve this puzzle, fill in the grid so that each 3 x 3 box, each row and each column contains the numbers 1-9. LINKWORDS Fit 10 words into the grid so that each links with the end of the word on its left and the beginning of the one on the right. Then unscramble the letters in the shaded squares to make…

Do you remember that song by the late Bernard Cribbins? The one about the chap who was digging a hole in the ground, and somebody in a bowler hat came along and gave him all sorts of unwanted advice? You might care to keep this in mind while reading this snapshot of domestic life at Dear Towers. We should begin, I suppose, at the point where Mr Dear and I were involved in delicate negotiations over the state of our guttering. ‘There are plants sticking out of it,’ I said. ‘I know,’ he said. ‘They’ll stop the water getting to the downpipe.’ ‘Thank you, love, for womansplaining how guttering works.’ ‘Womansplaining?’ ‘Yes. If I can be accused of mansplaining, you can be accused of womansplaining. Frankly, you’re a repeat offender.’…