Our favourite gift ideas for Christmas 2013
Gift suggestions for those with sophisticated tastes (more…)
Tag: silver
-
Five of the Best: Gifts for a barfly
Items that will delight those who like to drink at home
Many readers of The Steeple Times are well known drinking aficionados. As a result, we thought it time to share five of the best items that will further improve your tippling pleasures (more…)
-
An evening at Theo Fennell
David Kerr captures an evening showcasing the craftsmanship of Theo Fennell
It was not only the silver in Theo Fennell’s Fulham Road showroom that glistened on Thursday 5th September. (more…)
-
Five of the Best: Board game sets
Board game sets suitable for high rollers
As many of our readers relax on their yachts and in villas in the South of France the Hamptons and Ibiza, many will be enjoying the odd board game of an evening. Here, we highlight five of the best sets currently available (more…)
-
Oliver Newton
This London based antiques expert has a captivating enthusiasm for silver and fine craftmanship. (more…) -
Cromwell triumphs
Aldi’s £9.65 a bottle gin sees off premium spirits in a taste test
Gin, in its simplest form is effectively a neutral spirit plus juniper berries. Other botanicals, such as cassisa bark, saffron and grapefruit peel, are added and create the taste difference that distinguish Bombay Sapphire from Plymouth and Sipsmith from Martin Miller’s. Of course, the magic that sets a great gin apart from a bad‘un is a little more complex but though drinks industry “experts” bang on about this, does the layman really care?
-
Jersey Budd: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times asks singer-songwriter Jersey Budd: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
Music, love and happiness.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
“Learn your lines and turn up”.
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2013?
I’d still say Kerry Katona. She will always be unacceptable and the little fella from North Korea is also unacceptable.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
My lovely nan, Madge Spreckley.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
I’d swap anything to be wealthy.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?
Keep all your money under the mattress and never trust anyone in a pin-striped suit.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
‘LOL’: There is no need for it in society.
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
I support a load of charities and will always continue to do so. It’s amazing as an artist to do all I can for them. I’m involved with Support Our Forces, Wishes For Kids, Teenage Cancer Trust and two local charities close to my heart The Joe Humphries Memorial Trust and ADAPT.
The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
They are incredibly handy but I love the old days of sending letters and postcards. I think there is no romance in sending a text. But they should never be used to blow anyone up.
Singer-songwriter Jersey Budd If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
My fiancée, Elvis, John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Chaz and Dave, Muhammed Ali and Einstein.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
I’d have a bacon sandwich and I’d eat it on the run.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
Anytime is acceptable. You have to listen to your palate.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A cup of tea.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
The Dancing Landlord parties at the Bulls Head in Countesthorpe, Leicester.
Who is the most positive person you know?
Kayleigh Ball, my fiancée.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Take That.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
A lamp.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
A Toyota Corolla 1.6CD in navy blue.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I once won a fancy dressed competition at primary school dressed as Mr Blobby.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
Car keys, a picture of me and the missus, a clock, a silver Buddha and several silver mushrooms.
Jersey Budd is a singer-songwriter who launched his first album in 2008. His new EP, Down To The Wire, is out on 20th May 2013.
View Jersey Budd’s official website at: http://www.jerseybudd.com
Follow him on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/jerseybudd
-
Bill Martin: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times asks thrice Ivor Novello Award winning songwriter Bill Martin: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
Sir Winston Churchill and all he stood for and to win an Oscar for the best “song” as a songwriter.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
Immediately forget timewasters.
-
Andreas Panayiotou
A self-made mogul and former champion boxer who cannot read or write fluently. He thinks “differently” and built a £400 million fortune by creating and then selling a buy-to-let empire of almost 6,000 rental properties. Panayiotou takes the view that it is “moral[ly]” right to pay taxes in Britain and of those who call Heath Hall, a £65 million property he developed in North London, as “impersonally hideous as a brothel”, he rightly responds: “These guys are just jealous”. This maverick is indeed a businessman worthy of admiration rather than envy. -
BT phone home
The future for red telephone boxes
The red telephone box is something that tourists often cite as being symbolic of Britain. Just like the red London bus and the red pillar box, though, these Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed kiosks are sadly disappearing from our streets.
Decaying red telephone boxes are an increasingly common sight throughout Britain 
Traditional red “K6” model telephone boxes being removed from Warwick town centre Killed by the mobile phone revolution, British Telecom successfully lobbied to remove public telephones as usage has declined dramatically. The company state that calls from payphones have fallen by more than 80% in the last five years and that around 60% of the boxes cost more to maintain than they generate in revenue.