Ooh.com’s been busy lately, organizing the launch of the ooh.com site and a pretty cool comp to get you all thinking about what you’d most like to do in the world…

But the friendly blog team @emmadrew, @drbeanbagmd and @ejgthompson have not forgotten their raison d’être. That’s why we took time out to catch up with madman and paramotring guru, Alex Ledger.

Alex first got involved in this gravity defying sport towards the end of 2004 with his friend Giles Cardazo, the well-known owner of Parajet, one of the industry leading paramotoring equipment suppliers. Cardazo is less well known for his barmy, improbable but ingenious design of the Skycar. That’s a car, which a giant fan, and a giant parachute, which can fly for us lay folk.

“Since then I’ve been running SkySchool full time teaching people how to fly for the past 5 years. The thing I love most about the sport is the freedom it offers and it’s simplicity.”

We figured you’d probably want to know, realistically, how difficult it is to take to the skies a la James Bond: “The most challenging thing about learning to Paramotor is overcoming the weight of the motor while attempting to launch the wing in light winds. However, once one has developed the correct technique it becomes simple.”

Naturally we couldn’t help finding out if Alex had experienced any frightening moments during his time in the sky.

“My scariest moment when flying was when I misjudged the wind strength when I first started flying and ended up being dragged through a football pitch while they were playing a match, however this was also one of my most amusing moments as well!”

From the photos and the videos you can find of this relatively new sport, we think you’ll be tantalized into considering giving it a go. In a true triumph of administration, we anticipated your interest and asked Alex where you should go to give it a try. His top five locations were:

1. My top Paramotoring destination is Dorset, in particular around Milton Abbas, which is where I was brought up.

2. My second favourite location is North East Spain, from where I run the Spanish school – the landscape is so varied with the Pyrenees mountains and Costa Brava coastline.

3. My third is Southern France, near Toulouse, because of the rolling countryside and beautiful chateaus.

4. My forth is St Andre les Alps in the southern French Alps where the water is sapphire blue in the amazing gorges.

5. My fifth and final location is North Oxfordshire among the fantastic country houses and estates such a Blenheim Palace.

What to give this a try? Contact Alex here with questions or visit www.skyschooluk.com for more info on when and where to get started!

Enrica Rocca is known as ‘The Cooking Contessa’ and Gourmet Magazine rated her eponymous cookery school as one of the top ten schools in the world. 

Born in Venice, The Financial Times has described Enrica as “an Italian cook of note and a flamboyant and passionate chef and restaurateur…She has Italian cooking in her blood and a contagious zest for life and food…”

The Daily Mail says the Enrica Rocca Cookery School is the best Italian cookery school.

The plaudits are as endless as Enrica’s passion for food and her pleasure in sharing this with others.

As well as running a successful cookery school in London, Enrica runs classes in Venice from her family’s palazzo dating back to the 1800s. Does cooking get any better? We wanted to find out more.

Enrica offers half day, one day and two day courses in Venice. Cookery takes place in her stylish modern, loft-style apartment within the family palazzo. As one of only eight students, you’ll start the day by accompanying her on a trip to the bustling Rialto market, one of the oldest food markets in the world, believed to have been trading since 1097. Enrica says, ‘I never have a recipe in mind before I go shopping,’ (but unlike me she clearly doesn’t end up with a basketful of food and nothing to make a meal out of) ‘I see what’s freshest and best in the market, and I start my recipe from there.’

The shopping trip will be halted briefly for a glass of prosecco in a typical Venetian Bacaro before heading back to the palazzo to start cooking. You will create delicious meat, vegetable, seafood and pasta dishes, learning how to use the traditional spices that are an important part of Venetian cuisine.

Watch Enrica’s video clip of her Venetian cookery lessons and you’ll see that her ethos is about using great ingedients to make great food, and ensuring people laugh a lot and learn a lot along the way. 

For more information about Enrica’s classes in both Venice and the UK, visit her website.

There’s making a walking stick out of a bit of old wood, and then there’s stick dressing…so I’m told. Steve Barrett is a show judge and award-winning stick dresser based on the Dorset/Somerset border. Over the years he has won awards in national and local stick dressing competitions and he’s only too happy to share this tradition with others who want to learn to make beautiful walking sticks.

I asked Steve to explain to me exactly what stick dressing is. “Stick dressing isn’t about making walking sticks, which is what people often think. It is in fact the old fashioned art of using Rams horn to fashion shepherds crooks, the all-important working tool to aid the shepherd. Stick making involves using materials such as wood or Antler, however in the case of wood in particular, this is useless for a working crook because of the weak points on the crown of the stick. For a really strong, long-lasting shepherds crook, Rams horn is what a stick dresser will use.”

Steve Barrett runs tailored courses that will teach participants the whole process of stick dressing: from selecting the right wood and the benefits of the different types, through to carving the top of your stick using a variety of methods and materials. At the end of the course you will have completed your very own stick, and have many of the skills needed to go on and make more.

Take part in a British tradition that goes back hundreds of years, and next time you go for a walk, stride out in style with a stick you’ve made yourself.

For more information about Steve Barrett and the courses he runs, or to buy one of Steve’s sticks online, visit his website at www.walkingandworkingsticks.co.uk

Sleddog racing.  Not necessarily the first winter sport that comes to mind, but the Stewart family, and the Cairngorm Sleddog Centre are a major attraction, and frankly, are putting Sleddog racing on the map, not only in the UK.

Alan Stewart started sleddog racing nearly 20 years ago, and having raced throughout North and South America, as well as Europe decided to end his 28 year career as a Saturation Diver in the North Sea to set up Cairngorm Sleddog Centre, what was to be the first and only daily working sleddog centre in the UK.  He sold his home and moved to a derelict highland cottage, built a dog yard, and cut the trials himself.

Now an award winning destination, Alan put’s the centre’s success down to “hard work, dedication from family, and awesome dogs.”

Such is Alan’s passion for dog sledding, he was prepared to go out on a limb to train the first and only Jamaican sleddog team, and help their first official sleddog competitor, Newton Marshal, to reach finish 13th in the 1200 mile Yukon Quest race.  The team have been the subjects of a feature length film, have worldwide press attention, and are backed by US singer Jimmy Buffett.

The passion for sled racing runs through the Stewart family, and Alan’s son John is soon to be competing in the Iditarod – one of the most grueling long distance races in the world.  Having run sleddogs since the age of 6, John Stewart has been all over the world racing and training, with world class training from former Iditarod trainers.  You can follow John’s progress and find out more on his website.

So, for something that is energetic, adventurous, and pretty unique, we’d point you in the direction of the Stewarts, and their now rather famous Sleddog Centre.  Don’t be fooled, though, as Alan assures, “What we don’t do here is a circus act…its a real adventure every time we hook the team up.”

Find out more and book here.

There are cookery schools that teach you how to cook, and there are schools that teach you what and why to cook as well. Kumud Gandhi is the founder of The Saffron House, a cooking academy that puts ingredients and their beneficial properties at the heart of everything it teaches.

Trained in food sciences, Kumud’s passion is the combining of nutritional value and the imagination of taste. So that means healthy food which tastes great. You can’t argue with that.

Kumud has embarked on specialised training and has developed a range of recipes that originate from the coastal region of Gujarat in India. However the school encompasses food tuition from all over Asia – Indian, Thai, Chinese and Japanese. Heading up the academy, Kumud and her cheffing team teach people the health benefits of all the different spices used in Asian food and she has a wealth of nutritional advice that she shares. I asked her for a few tips.

‘We deal with a lot of the common complaints people have. For example, if you’re suffering from indigestion or heart burn then try incorporating fennel – both fresh and seed – into your diet.  Or if you suffer from poor circulation, increase the use of chillies and ginger into food. Ginger is packed with antioxidants, it is an anti inflammatory, circulation stimulator, and an antiseptic.  It is also hugely beneficial for nausea.’

Kumud went on to explain that working herbs and spices into your diet can not only provide relief for existing ailments, but can be preventative. ‘Cardamom, cinnamon and cloves are a key part of Indian spices. Fragrant and flavoursome, they are used for their digestive properties and are excellent for calming for the stomach. Cardamom can be used to stimulate appetite; cinnamon is used for stomach upsets and the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome; cloves are a powerful antioxidant, antihistamine and contain mild anesthetic properties.’  

A half or full day course in Asian cookery will see students start by learning about how foods interact with each other and following a fascinating spice trail, learning about the health benefits of different herbs and spices. The session will then become hands-on with students learning to make their own spice blends. Finally, there is time to use these spice blends to create some delicious dishes – like chilli chicken, Goan salmon bites, Paneer tikka and the real Bombay potatoes and vegetable bhajia’s – Kumud tells me these are nothing like the ones we may have eaten in restaurants! 

 
Spend time at The Saffron House and you’ll return home ready to look at your spice rack in a whole new way and have the confidence to cook fantastic and healthy food.

Cookery classes are small (generally no more than 6 people) and prices start at £99 for a half day course. The academy also offered courses on how to get the best out of classic British food, and also classes for teenagers before they fly the nest. 

For more information, visit The Saffron House website .      

Thanks to UKDevon for the photo of chillis.

I’d like to introduce you to the little known curator of a rather unusual museum. Arm outstretched, hand gloved in white cotton, RJ stands pointing at a huge, pink, goofy-eyed graffiti monster scrawled on a concrete wall in the East End of London.

RJ runs guided tours around the East End, showing crowds the ever-shifting sprawl of urban art, illuminating torn posters and faded spray-can sketches with the names and stories of those responsible.

RJ’s museum is the city itself and his tours have lately gained noteriety: “I’ve only been involved with urban art for about a year and a half, but it’s become a passion that I spend way too much time on. Almost every Thursday I’m at one or more gallery openings, and on Saturdays I wander around looking for new work.”

‘It’s an extremely welcoming community. I recently spent a few days in New York City, and people who I only knew from their photography on flickr were touring me around and introducing me to artists and photographers.’

I ask RJ what he believes separates urban art from other forms of art. ‘In a purely academic sense, there really isn’t a difference. Most street artists resist that label and say that any work is just “art” once it is in a gallery.’

He continues: ‘On a more personal level, I think that any artist willing to give away their work for free and expose more people to art has a certain “x-factor” – that comes across in their artwork. Urban artists are painting for the love of it, and they are painting to give the public a chance to experience art without having to pay to wander confused around a museum.’

‘Swoon is a great example of this. She has exhibited at MoMA in New York, but she just can’t resist wheatpasting her work [pasting poster work on street furniture]. Right now, she’s in Slovenia building barely-float-able boats with about two dozen other artists, and they are going to sail them to Venice.”

On the flipside, I want to know how RJ distinguishes between vandalistic graffiti and genuine street art: ‘Some of it’s destructive. Almost all of it’s vandalism. That doesn’t mean it can’t also be art. I think a lot of graffiti writers are so good that they become accidental artists, and there are also plenty of street artists who are so bad that they become accidental graffiti writers. In the end it’s a personal call by the viewer.’

I ask RJ to tell us a bit more about the tour itself: ‘The tour changes a bit every time I do it. Even if I did the same route two days in a row, it would be different – work just changes so quickly. A few really impressive pieces that will definitely be included though are 2 works by Banksy, some wheatpastes by Shepard Fairey (the artist who made the Obama “HOPE” poster), a lot by the Burning Candy guys, and a large piece by Conor Harrington, pictured above. It usually lasts between 1.5 to 2 hours.’

I ask RJ what he believes to be the single most significant piece of street art in London: ‘Not including commissioned works like what was painted on the side of the Tate Modern last summer, I’d have to say a tiny piece by Barry McGee. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s surprisingly important. Back in the early 1990’s, McGee pretty much founded San Francisco’s street art scene.’

‘One evening after sunset, I was headed back home from an afternoon of looking at street art. Then I spotted quite an old piece I’d never seen before by Anthony Lister. Next to the Lister piece was one by McGee. It’s the only piece I’ve seen by McGee on the street, and perhaps even the only one left in the UK.’

Surprising me, RJ reveals the amazingly transitory nature of the work he has come to curate: ‘I’m told the McGee piece dates back to 2005. Unfortunately, I stopped by the other day, and the paint has really started to peel just in the last month.’

If the thought of missing out on these snapshots of city life chills you to the bone, drop RJ an email here and grab yourself a guided tour.

Knitting has got cool, really cool. So it’s no surprise that the sound of countless pairs of busy knitting needles can be heard emanating from a great new venue in London. The Papered Parlour has opened in Clapham, south west London, and describes itself as ‘an independent craft venue’. I think it’s underselling itself. It’s a quirky and unique venue offering a wide range of really interesting craft courses. Even their website looks cool. I’m definitely signing up.

I talked to Claire Heafford, one of the founders of The Papered Parlour, to find out more about the ethos behind the place. ‘We’re passionate about all forms of contemporary art and design, whilst deliberately making a nod to the ‘make do and mend’ approach of the 1940s. The venue offers modern facilities but with an old-fashioned, retro décor. Tea is drunk out of 1950s cups and saucers, and we’ve furnished the Paper Parlour with handprinted wallpaper and vintage furniture.’

Courses range from knitting, felting (make a pair of slippers), quilting, screen printing (t-shirts and bag projects galore) and even making sock monkeys (see the photo below of one of the sock monkey masterpieces). Gather round the tables, listen to instruction from highly experienced teachers, chat, drink tea and switch off from the outside world while you focus on your craft project in hand, literally. The Papered Parlour will also happily organise themed children’s parties and fun activities courses – think Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory does drawing. 

As we said, crafts just got cool.

For more information about The Papered Parlour and the courses you can take part in, visit their website.

And thanks to Alexia for putting us on to this place.

When I set out to find a golf coach to write about for Ooh, I thought I’d end up with a crusty duffer in tweed plus-fours, propping up a clubhouse bar. Instead, I found a borderline crazy college student from Boston, with insatiable enthusiasm for all things Golf. There’s something about Boston…

Granger Beaton first became interested in golf when Tiger Woods won 3 US Amateur tournaments in a row immediately after winning 3 US Junior Amateurs in a row. “I thought golf was the coolest thing ever. Tiger made it cool.”

I learn that Granger is quite an all-rounder with sports: “My soccer team won the New England Championships and my hockey team played in the World PeeWee tournament in Quebec Canada. Ultimately I chose golf because I was obsessed.”

I asked Granger about my golf stereotype, and he was keen to put it right: “Golf is played in all walks of life, regardless of income. That’s becoming less and less true however, in this troubling economy. I think there should be a greater effort to make golf more affordable. It’s a very cathartic and enjoyable experience for everyone who plays it.”

With little experience of the game itself, I want to know how tricky it is to learn. “Golf is easy to learn, but hard to master. It’s especially easy to learn if you have a good teacher. It’s one thing to learn how to swing like Tiger Woods based on what you read in a book, but it’s another thing to know what you should be doing based on what your body can physically do.

“Golf teaching is leaning towards fitting a swing to a body type rather than trying to make your body swing in a way it won’t let you.”

Now, I said that Granger is crazy and it seems unfair not to justify that. He’s not actually mad, he just comes across like totally he’s high on life: “I got hit by a jeep when I was 17, probably should have died. Ever since I’ve been trying to live like I’m dying -no need to take life for granted.”

Granger isn’t just mad about golf, he’s an instructor too and he’s thinking about starting to teach in his local park. No golf course, no driving range, just back-to-basics teaching. “I do a lot of my teaching in my dorm room at college,” he tells me. I’m wondering what size this room must be, thinking of the pokey halls room I occupied for a year.

The golf lessons in the park idea isn’t half-baked though: “I plan on using a lot of stability toys such as foam rollers, balance disks, sliding resistance platforms, bosu balls, yoga mats, you name it. I’m going to have to get really creative here as I know there will be a ton of interest.”

The interest is likely to be aroused not least becuase of Granger’s remarkable string of experiences qualifying him perhaps better than most to sharpen up your swing.

“I’ve had the privilege of working for some of the best golf coaches in the world (Leadbetter, Haney, Harmon). I’m mentored by two of the best psychologists in the world, Dr. Bob Winters and Dr. Gio Valiante. I’ve helped teach at Leadbetter’s Junior Academy and worked for Dr. Bob Winters at his Nike Golf School at Williams College. I interned for Tim Suzor of Kinetic Golf, where we taught stability and mobility drills. Suzor teaches Tim Petrovic, Brian Gay, Sean O’Hair, all pros on the PGA Tour. I recently got certified as a Golf Fitness Instructor by the Titleist Performance Institute.”

So when Granger said there’d be a ton of interest, I’m pretty sure he knew what he was talking about. Want to try a Golf lesson in the park? Drop Granger an email here.

Be a chef for the day, cook with a Michelin starred chef and learn some of his kitchen secrets.

Located in the pretty riverside town of Marlow in Buckinghamshire, UK, in a traditional half-timbered inn, is The Hand & Flowers, a laid back, Michelin starred pub and dining room owned by husband and wife team, Tom & Beth Kerridge. Responsibilities are split with Chef Tom to be found in the kitchen and Beth overseeing the running of the business.

Gloucester born Tom’s CV includes time at the Capital, Rhodes in the Square, Odette’s in Primrose Hill and Monsieur Max in Twickenham. Prior to The Hand & Flowers, he was head chef at one-Michelin-star Adlard’s in Norwich, which gave him the opportunity and confidence of running a restaurant kitchen. After a two-year stint there he decided it was time to return to the South-East. “I wanted to re-focus the food I was doing; maybe I was trying to be too clever at Adlard’s and that’s not really what I’m about. I’m about basic, strong, good cooking and a pub seemed right.”

It took a year to find the Hand & Flowers and it was a “stinking hole of a place” when Tom and Beth took over in February 2005. Following a thorough refurbishment, the pub reopened.

The Hand & Flowers has allowed Tom to develop his signature menu of robust dishes. “Ingredients are key to what we do and we make sure that we source the best available according to the season” – chicken and pork from Suffolk, oysters from Northern Ireland, vegetables from Covent Garden – and local suppliers are used where possible. Signature dishes include potted Dorset crab with brown bread, cucumber and dill chutney and seasonal specialities including rack of lamb, braised white beans, pickled girolles, broccoli and herb sauce; or braised shin of beef with herb dumpling and parsnip purée.

In 2008, Tom built a new, state-of-the-art kitchen in an extension at the back of the pub. That space is now given over to training and Tom is looking to launch a series of cookery courses in the summer, along themes such as preparing and cooking fish and baking.  Keep an eye on the website for updates.

The roomy new kitchen has also allowed Tom to offer diners the opportunity to join him and the team for a ‘chef for the day’ experience, offering hands on experience in a Michelin starred kitchen, prepping and cooking the lunch service before taking a “well earned rest”.

Since opening, Tom has established the Hand & Flowers amongst the highest rated food pubs in the country, with a Michelin star, a rating of 6 in the 2007 Good Food Guide, and three AA rosettes. Tom and the pub have also won numerous awards, as diverse as Best Pub Chef at the Craft Guild of Chefs awards, Best Newcomer from the Publican, Buckinghamshire Newcomer of the Year from the Good Food Guide and Best Fish and Chips in Restaurant Magazine.  Heston Blumenthal, who lives in the area, and his fellow Michelin men the Roux brothers are regulars.

For more information or to book for ‘chef for the day’, call The Hand and Flowers on +44 (0) 1628 482277 or visit their website.

I love the idea of a yoga weekend, but I stress the word ‘idea’. I haven’t yet booked one as I have a fear of spending a weekend in silence, contorted into ligament-splitting positions and eating mung beans, only to return home so spaced out from the experience that I need days to reintegrate back into everyday life.

That was until I found Outdoors Ireland. They’re cleverly combining a weekend’s relaxing yoga with getting outside and taking part in some great activities. So relaxing and invigorating. And all in the beautiful setting of Kerry in Ireland. That’s much more up my street.

Nathan Kingerlee, founder of Outdoors Ireland, tells me that I’ll start the days with walks overlooking the beach, yoga and relaxation techniques, then in the afternoons I can do some leisurely kayaking, a boat trip on the Lakes of Killarney and some gentle biking and hiking in the Kerry hills.

He mentioned locally sourced organic food, but also added in pots of tea and fresh cakes. He says the weekend will be relaxing but also fun. So he actively encourages a trip to the local pub for a pint. Nathan describes the accommodation as ‘luxury’ and at £275 for the weekend (including activities and most meals) I’d describe the price as ‘very reasonable’.

Both the yoga and activities are designed for all abilities from beginner upwards. There’s not a mung bean in sight, and I haven’t got an excuse not to book up – and actually I don’t want one.

Weekends are being run over the following weekends: 12,13,14 June; 3,4,5 July; 21,22,23 August.

For more information visit the Outdoors Ireland website at www.outdoorsireland.com or call Nathan and his team on 00 353 (0) 86 860 4563