< Previous40 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY HAIR AND BEAUTY Glam for the hols The holiday season is here and it’s time to get out and be glamorous. 40-41.qxp_Layout 1 15/11/2022 09:24 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 41 HAIR AND BEAUTY © stock.adobe.com/ Алина Троева A s soon as December hits many of us are thrown into a circuit of holiday do’s – and each one requires a different look! The festive season inspires us to go a little more glam than our usual go-to, but this can be daunting for some. Fear not, for there are many ways to inject some festive glitz into our appearance without feeling out of our comfort zone. Likewise, this season and the prospect of new beginnings provides the perfect excuse to try some out-there styles for those who feel stuck in a rut. Whether you’re in the market for some glittery eyeshadow, or an elegant updo, we have you covered. Bold red lips always look festively chic around this time. The lipstick finish makes a huge difference. A matte finish gives a sultry, elegant look, and tends to last longer on the lips (perfect for dinner engagements). A shiny or glossy finish packs a dramatic punch. You could also opt for a gold or copper glittery gloss to sit on top of a matte colour. This is perfect for those who like to go understated on their eyes. Bold lipstick colours tend to pair wonderfully with a brown or black eyeliner, in the cat eye shape, for a strikingly old Hollywood vibe. The cat eye shape is winged eyeliner, which wings upwards, lifting and elongating the silhouette of the eye. Using a liquid eyeliner will give a sharper line and won’t smudge. Although harder to remove, a waterproof formula is a worthwhile investment if you have watery eyes. If you’re after a smokier effect, a pencil is better. Apply straight across the lash line, then gently smudge outwards and upwards to elongate the eye, and slightly up from the lash line to blend seamlessly into eyeshadow. If you want to focus on the eyes, then using a glittery or shimmery eyeshadow is the perfect way to do so. For full impact, use a cream formula. Creams tend to hold more pigment than powders, and last longer on the eye. Silver is complimentary to eye colours, gives an icy wintery vibe, and looks great with a cat eye liner. For added drama, take a matte grey powder and blend from the outer corner towards the center of the eye. Using a shimmery brown gives a more subtle effect, which pairs better with a red lipstick than grey or silver. So as not to overpower the look, bold lips and eyeliner is best paired with subtle eyeshadow and blush. Lightly sweep an apricot or dusty rose shade across the cheeks. Then apply a bone shade all over the eyelid, and gently blend a light brown through the crease. This will complete the makeup beautifully, whilst ensuring that the lips and eyeliner remain the centre of attention. All the festive lights might inspire us to adopt a Christmas glow of our own. This is done in no better way than plenty of highlighter. Traditionally applied to the cheekbones, trends are seeing it applied to the collarbones, cupids bow and even the tip of the nose for a high shine finish. A subtle champagne blends into all skin tones and gives a glow from within look. For those wanting more, there are options in gold, silver, and ice white that truly sparkle. Highlighter looks beautiful alone or atop a more dramatic look. For a festival vibe, you could use a glittery eyeshadow, applied with fingers for a punchy effect. If opting for a champagne, rose gold or gold highlighter, this is the perfect opportunity to dig out some deeper blush shades. These look beautifully jewel toned on deeper skin tones, and striking on paler ones. Berry tones evoke imagery of spices, leaves and winter fruits, making them perfect for this time of year. They truly stand out against metallic highlighter, and a similarly-toned metallic lipstick gives a modern, yet festive look. Blending some of this blush across the outer corner of the eyes will tie the whole look together. Hair is often the last thing that many of us remember when getting ready. However, even simple styles can be injected with festive fun. A perfect example is the bubble braid, a take on the classic ponytail. Prepare your hair with a lightweight styling cream to smooth flyaways, then slick back into a high ponytail. Decorate the ponytail with hair elastics a few inches apart from each other, teasing the hair in between with your fingers for the “bubble” effect. Even a simple ponytail can be Christmassed-up, by using a tinsel adorned hair elastic, or even some subtle gold glitter spray. Once again, ensure frizz is secured down and your hair is straightened before tying up for ultimate elegance. A half up half down style gives a very on trend 90s look and is extremely low effort. For maximum hold, put a bobby pin either side of the updo and use a flexible hold spray to retain hair movement. Use a curling wand to glamourise the style with some large curls. Leave to cool before touching them to ensure they set and retain their shape. 40-41.qxp_Layout 1 15/11/2022 09:24 Page 242 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY HEALTH AND FITNESS A lthough preparing your New Year’s resolution at the beginning of December may feel early, in truth early preparation and consideration gives you the highest possible chance of success. This is particularly truthful where resolutions concern a healthy lifestyle, as only around 12% of people feel they have been successful in achieving their fitness goals. Studies show that those who set and prepare for new years’ resolutions are 10 times more likely to commit long term than those who don’t. With this in mind, let’s explore some tips to make a robust plan and stick with a healthy routine for 2023. Some of the most common New Years’ resolutions are losing weight, sticking to a healthier diet, and quitting smoking. Whilst all of these are worthwhile goals, they all require either forming or breaking long term habits, a notoriously difficult task. Research on habits suggests that a lot of it comes down to mindset when goal setting. People are generally more successful with approach-oriented goals (such as changing eating habits) rather than avoidance-oriented goals (trying to stay away from something). This means that if you’re trying to stay on a healthy diet, you should see healthy meals as the new normal rather than a trial period, whilst still allowing yourself the occasional treat. This way, you can build a sustainably healthy lifestyle, as denying yourself treats completely can lead to binging spirals. One of the most important things is to set achievable goals, rather than overly ambitious ones. This could be something like losing 15 pounds or going to the gym twice a week. This will be a much easier habit to form, increasing your chances of success. If you achieve this goal, you can set a more ambitious one. Seeing your resolution as a journey comprised of small wins, each win is a life improvement. Moreover, it feels much less daunting! Achieving even a small goal provides a huge boost to self- belief. In fact, the American Psychological Association suggests that, because new behavioural patterns take time and effort to establish, focusing on one behaviour or goal at a time significantly increases the chances of long-term success. In practical terms, this could mean that you build up to your overall goal slowly. Those trying to eat healthier could start by switching out certain ingredients or committing to a home cooked meal once or twice a week. Once this is established, you could focus on a different area such as reducing portion sizes. Incremental changes like these are much easier to slot into your existing lifestyle. A further strategy for keeping your resolution is making it different from ones you’ve tried before. Once again, self- belief and mindset are key, so if you’re trying something you’ve already failed at, confidence in your ability to succeed is likely to be low. If it’s something you’re really set on, try to spend some time evaluating your previous attempts. Think about what strategies were the most effective, and what caused you to stray. This could be recorded in a resolution journal, which helps you to remember your plan. From this, consider altering Preparing for a new you in a new year Rather than shame people over their desires to relax this Christmas, we thought we would look ahead to the New Year and how to set healthy, attainable New Years Resolutions. Preparing for a new you in a new year 42-43.qxp_Layout 1 15/11/2022 09:27 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 43 HEALTH AND FITNESS © stock.adobe.com/bunditinay your overall goal slightly to make it more achievable. Even small changes to your approach (such as what times of day you eat and workout) could mean big changes. You could also record why you’re working towards your goal, to inspire you during periods of amotivation. Finalising your goal early is also important. This gives you time to create a detailed plan in your journal, formulating a strong strategy for success. Brainstorming how a major behaviour change will affect your life allows you to foresee any potential stumbling blocks. For example, if you want to try intermittent fasting, what time you start, and finish work is likely to impact when you begin and end your fast. Take time to formulate the plan by analysing how you currently live your life, and how changing a certain aspect will affect this. If you’re normally tired after work, it may be wiser to get up early and work out before you start. This means that you are prepared for a lifestyle change and are less likely to be derailed by changes in motivation and pace of life. Finally, pick a start date and stick to it. Although resolutions are traditionally begun on New Years’ Day, you may not be in the right mindset after a night of celebrating. Pick a date when you will be well rested and motivated. Achieving your New Years’ resolution for a better lifestyle will not be easy. Yet, that’s what makes the journey so rewarding. Robust planning, with a lengthy breakdown of how you want to achieve your goal will significantly increase your chances of success. Motivation is not fixed, so use your planning time to think about how to motivate yourself during low times. You could give yourself little challenges to complete, such as doing 15 sit-ups each morning, which would inject a sense of fun and competition. Most importantly, be kind to yourself. Enjoy the journey and celebrate the little wins along the way. © stock.adobe.com/Brian Jackson 42-43.qxp_Layout 1 15/11/2022 09:27 Page 244 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY FOOD & DINING delights Christmas is here, and food is a large part of that. We’ve collected here some options for meals, snacks and more that can all be made at home without too much fuss, along with some bright cocktails that won’t look out of place on any spread. Winter What to do: Preheat oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 8 Remove turkey giblets and reserve. Rinse the turkey inside and out and dry well. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan, brush the turkey generously with rapeseed oil and season with sea salt and black pepper and cover with foil. Place the prepared turkey in the pre-heated oven and cook at this temperature for the first 30 minutes. Then, lower the oven temperature to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and cook for approximately 30 minutes per kilo, basting every hour. To prepare the stuffing, heat the butter and rapeseed oil until the butter has melted. Add the shallot and fry gently until well softened but not browned. Stir in the garlic and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl, leave to cool. Peel the apples, cut into quarters, remove the core and cut into small cubes. Mix the figs, apples, breadcrumbs, sage, sausage meat and parsley with the shallots, season well with sea salt and black pepper using clean hands and then mix in the beaten egg. The mixture should be quite firm, with wet hands, mould the stuffing into balls the size of a golf ball. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake in the Preparation Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 90 minutes Ingredients: 5kg free-range Totally Traditional Turkey 4 tbsp rapeseed oil Sea salt and black pepper For the stuffing: 75g butter 2 tbsp rapeseed oil 8 shallots, peeled and finely chopped 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped 250g dried figs, chopped into small cubes 2 small eating apples 250g fresh breadcrumbs 3 tbsp fresh sage leaves, chopped 750g sausage meat 3 tbsp of parsley, chopped 1 large egg beaten pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Alternatively you can use the mixture to stuff an onion, per person, and place the rest of the mixture into an ovenproof dish to cook. Take one small onion per person and peel, leaving the top of the onion intact and the base root in place. Peel and boil, whole, in salted boiling water for 8-10 minutes, until just soft, drain and cool in cold water. Drain and cut the top off the onion, about three quarters of the way up, so as to make a lid. Using a sharp knife, hollow out the onion and stuff with the stuffing mixture, replace the lid and brush all over with rape seed oil. Bake for 30-35 minutes in the oven alongside the turkey until cooked through and slightly caramelised. When the turkey is approximately 35 minutes before the end of cooking, remove the foil, drain off any of the excess fat and cook for a further 35 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer the turkey to a platter and cover loosely with foil and leave to rest for 20-30 minutes. Serve the turkey carved with stuffing balls or stuffed onions and gravy. Recipe supplied by www.totallytraditionalturkeys.com © stock.adobe.com/Sea Wave Roasted Turkey with shallot stuffing with fresh sage 44-49.qxp_Layout 1 15/11/2022 09:29 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 45 Click’em Inn Swinhope, Nr Binbrook, Market Rasen, LN8 6BS Tel: 01472 398253 Web: www.clickem-inn.co.uk The Click’em Inn is a family-owned freehouse, established for over 30 years in its current incarnation. Steeped in history, the inn is open 6 days a week, Tuesday- Sunday, offering a wide choice of drinks, including six real ales available at any time, with a regularly changing selection of personally recommended guest ales. The Kitchen is open Tuesday-Sunday for evening dining, plus lunchtimes Friday-Sunday. The menu varies from day-to-day with the chef’s specials, alongside regular meals. To promote your services call Angie Cooper on 01472 310302 or email: a.cooper@blmgroup.co.uk FOOD & DINING Carrot and Cumin Soup with Ginger © stock.adobe.com/ artemiykas Method: Heat the butter and gently cook the onions until they turn pink. Add the carrots and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring. Add the stock and cook for 25 minutes until the carrots are tender. Blend the soup into a smooth texture. Add salt to taste. Infuse 4 tsps. yogurt with Cumin Spice Drops® and Ginger Spice Drops®. Pour the soup into a bowl and add in 1 tsp. of the infused yogurt into each bowl and stir through. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and croutons. Recipe courtesy of www.holylama.co.uk Prep Time: 35 mins Serves 2 Ingredients: 2 tbsps. olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 800 g carrots, roughly chopped 1 litre veg stock 4 tbsps. natural Greek yoghurt 6 drops Ginger Spice Drops® 6 drops Cumin Spice Drops® Salt to taste Croutons, pepper and coriander leaves to garnish This is a moreish soup which beautifully combines the flavour of cumin and carrot with the sharpness of ginger. 44-49.qxp_Layout 1 15/11/2022 09:29 Page 246 LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY © stock.adobe.com / 5ph Raspberry Mai Tai FOOD & DINING Ingredients: 1 bottle grapefruit sparkling rose ¼ cup brandy ¼ cup grapefruit juice ¼ cup lemon juice ¼ cup orange juice 2 slices of lemon 2 slices of orange Handful of strawberries Ice Mint Method: Add all ingredients to a large jug and stir well, mixing thoroughly to ensure the flavours are well combined. Decanter into wine glasses and apply a fresh sprig of mint to the top to serve. Horncastle Cake Art & Hobby House Everything for the Christmas Crafter Cake Decorations, Knitting, Crochet, Felt, Ribbons & more www.horncastlecakeart.co.uk 25 North Street, Horncastle, Lincs. LN9 5DX Tel: 01507 525926/522659 Woolliss & Son Butchers –– AWARD-WINNING LINCOLNSHIRE BUTCHERS –– LOOKING FOR A TOP QUALITY BUTCHERS IN LINCOLNSHIRE? Look no further, we have a proven track record when it comes to providing top quality cuts of meat and home made pastries at a competitive price. We are proud of our locally sourced produce and our 5 star hygiene rating. 29-31 Mercer Row, Louth LN11 9JG. T: 01507 603230 E: orders@woolliss-butchers.co.uk W: woolliss-butchers.co.uk We would like to wish all our customers old and new a Merry Christmas Christmas orders now being taken Ingredients: 30ml Jamaican Dark Rum 30ml White Rum 20ml Blue Curaçao liqueur 15ml Cashew orgeat 25ml fresh lime juice Method: Add all ingredients to the shaker and fill with ice. Shake for 30 seconds. Fill the highball with crushed ice and strain the shaker into it. Top with more crushed ice. Garnish with fresh raspberries and some garden herbs. Rose Sangria © stock.adobe.com / Brent Hofacker 44-49.qxp_Layout 1 15/11/2022 09:29 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRE TODAY 47 FOOD & DINING Poached Eggs with Hollandaise Sauce Ingredients: Muffins 125g butter 2 egg yolks 2 whole eggs Lemon juice Sea salt Fresh black pepper White wine vinegar Cayenne pepper Chervil Method: Cut muffins in half and toast, then butter. For the hollandaise, separate eggs in a bowl. Mix yolks with a cup of water, salt, pepper and squeeze of lemon. Melt the butter and pour slowly into eggs, whisking till smooth. Poach whole eggs with a little white wine vinegar in the water. Serve with a good spoon of hollandaise sauce, sprinkle of cayenne pepper and chervil. on Muffins Don’t forget to check out www.hambletonbakery.co.uk and follow @HAMBLETONBAKE on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. 44-49.qxp_Layout 1 15/11/2022 09:29 Page 4A 17th century country pub, the Red Lion sits in the picturesque village of Caythorpe and is well-known in the community for its fine food and excellent service. It’s won many awards for such from us in the past; from the moment you step inside and are welcomed by the friendly staff and the fragrant smell of freshly cooked food, you can tell it’s something different from the norm. The cosy and striking interior catches the eye, and it’s clear that a lot of passion and care has gone into the design since their refurb in 2021, which gives the Red Lion a wonderfully warm and inviting atmosphere. My partner and I visited on a cool November evening to meet with Head Chef Mark Perryman and sample his latest menu, which features classical favourites alongside some interesting and unique options with exciting twists. It’s an inclusive menu too, with more than half the options for starters alone being gluten-free, and many options for vegetarians and vegans as well. For starters I opted for the whole baked camembert with cranberry and clementine marmalade and onion loaf. It’s an old favourite, but the cranberry offers a certain festive Christmas cheer that helped elevate the dish and made it just that little bit special. My partner chose the pulled and pressed ham hock with caramelised pear and plum, apple puree, wholegrain butter ad piccalilli. He was surprised not only with the generous portions, but the sheer quality of the ham hock and accompaniments, and even claimed that the piccalilli was the “best he had ever tasted – bar none.” High praise indeed for someone who has reviewed many restaurants and pubs across Lincolnshire and beyond. It was difficult to pick a main due to the wide range of options available – the Red Lion really does leave its guests spoilt for choice in this regard. In the end I chose to judge it on an old classic: a beer battered haddock fillet, twice cooked chips and mushy peas. It’s the kind of meal found at every English restaurant and pub ever, and so seeing how the chefs here can take that beyond the norm was my goal. The fish was fresh and meaty, locally sourced and fell apart soft in the mouth, but it was the chips that really surprised me, as we’re used to seeing chunky chips as standard fare. The twice cooked chips were simply incredible, like an artisan cross between traditional chips and fish n’ chip shop chips - and the potatoes are locally sourced from Caythorpe based GR Ward. It was definitely a pleasant surprise and will set the standard from now on. My partner went with an old comfort food favourite in the baked lasagne al forno with salad and garlic bread. The pasta, beef and tomato were wonderfully layered and, again, very generous in their portion sizes. The cheese layer was especially delicious, and all combined formed a lasagne that goes above and beyond what can be found almost The Red Lion The Red Lion has won numerous awards with us over the years, and it’s been a firm favourite of many of our readers. We visit again toward the end of 2022 to find out what has changed, and to learn more about how the Red Lion is supporting its local region. 44-49.qxp_Layout 1 15/11/2022 09:29 Page 5anywhere else. It was traditional, comfortable and welcoming, much like the Red Lion itself. After such hearty meals, desert was difficult to manage but one look at the menu changed our minds. No big surprises here, only good, sweet deserts and the county’s favourite choices. What was a surprise, however, was finding out that the black forest gateau I ordered was cooked at a local bakery – something the Red Lion are proud to tell all their guests, as they want to support local suppliers and businesses in their area. The gateau was wonderfully light and airy, subtle with the black cherry in just the right way, with no one ingredient overpowering any other. The idea of using other local businesses in your own might seem an odd one, but it’s part of the local charm of the Red Lion, and it’s hard to argue with the taste. My partner’s salted caramel cheesecake was cooked in the Red Lion itself on the other hand and stood as proof that the above was a choice and not a necessity. Very light and delicious, with a wonderful caramel flavour and just the right amount of salt to be tasted without being overwhelming. It was a perfect way to finish off the evening without leaving either of us feeling too stodgy. All in all, it’s easy to see why the Red Lion continues to impress. From their fine food to the atmosphere, to the story and the choice to support local businesses and suppliers. It all combines together into a night that leaves behind memories and impressions beyond the food. It left us talking about it afterwards, which is more than can be said for so many other restaurants and pubs that are just about the food and nothing else. Supporting local businesses The Red Lion takes supporting its local areas and businesses very seriously, as their usage of desserts from local artisan Jane Taylor, of Jane’s Homebakes, shows. “I had been looking to expand and grow my business after the lockdown,” says Jane Taylor, “so I went around businesses knocking on door to door and asking them if they would consider selling my cakes. That was how I met Simon and Becky from the Red Lion, who are such friendly people and who offered to let me bake some of the desserts on their menu even though they have chefs more than capable of doing that themselves. It really helps, as a small business, to be able to reach out and promote myself to other people, especially guests of the Red Lion, and I’m ever so grateful for them letting me.” If you would like to order cakes from Jane’s Homebakes you can call 01400 231 120 T T T T T T If you would like to visit the Red Lion or book a table visit www.redlioncaythorpe.com or call 01400 272 632. The Red Lion can be found at 62 High Street, Caythorpe, NG32 3DN. 44-49.qxp_Layout 1 15/11/2022 09:29 Page 6Next >