Niçoise salad with tuna and semi-dried Piccolo cherry tomatoes Big or small, fresh or tinned, cooked or raw, tomatoes are among the hardest workers in the fruit and vegetable world. You’ll find them in countless dishes from cuisines all over the world. Tomatoes of all varieties are increasingly available throughout the year, but British tomato season proper usually begins in the spring and runs until around October. This classic French seafood salad is pepped up with semi-dried Piccolo cherry tomatoes, perfect main dish for hot summer days.  Slice the Piccolo cherry tomatoes horizontally and toss with the finely chopped garlic, thyme leaves and a drizzle of oil. Arrange cut-side up on a baking tray and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Place in the oven and cook for 35–45 minutes or until just starting to dry out, then remove from the oven. Slice the new potatoes to about ½cm thick then cook in salted boiling water for 10–12 minutes or until tender, then drain. Cook the fine beans in salted boiling water for 3 minutes until cooked al dente. Drain then cool quickly in cold water to preserve the bright green colour. Soft boil the eggs for 7 minutes, then run under cold water. Peel just before serving, to preserve the shape of the egg. You can now assemble the salad. Wash the baby gem and pull off the outer larger leaves. Dress with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice, then arrange these over the base of the serving plate. Finely chop the core of the gem and sprinkle over the centre of the plate. Dress the cooked potatoes and beans with salt, pepper, lemon juice and a little drizzle of oil, then add these to the plate along with the flaked tuna, black olives and anchovies. Slice the eggs into quarters and season the yolks then add to the plate. Finish with the semi-dried Piccolo cherry tomatoes and some torn basil and serve up straight away. More tasty recipes here.  wellness gizmo? Buying stuff makes us all feel good, but buying Gucci's ŌURA ring won't just give you a burst of endorphins because it's a shiny new thing: it might actually make you a healthier person. ŌURA's rings are the middle ground between wellness gizmo and slick fashion flex, the latter element being the crux of the Gucci partnership. Compared to even the most compact wellness monitoring devices (like an Apple Watch), the ŌURA rings are shockingly minute, barely taking up any more room than the average bit of jewelry (it only weighs four grams!) yet somehow packed with enough sensory tech to gauge sleep activity, heart rate, body temp, and even breathing patterns. In fact, the only difference from the base ŌURA rigs is the 18kt yellow gold trim and interlocking G branding across the ring's band. Oh, and the $950 price tag (the normal ŌURA rings are about $350). ŌURA's app then delivers what reviews call "succinct and actionable" suggestions for improving one's health. This collaborative ŌURA ring makes sense in the world of Gucci because it's all about feeling good in one's own body, beyond skin-deep. Health is a luxury, after all, so you could convincingly argue that Gucci's ŌURA ring is the pinnacle of retail therapy. WORDS BY JAKE SILBERT MORE HERE    Who is Papa? Papa Luckman will be celebrating the first-year anniversary of providing free live Zoom fitness session and free personal training session which would equate to over 250 sessions…….. So who is Papa? James Luckman, born in Leeds, graduated from Manchester University with a degree in Leisure Studies and Business Management. A former personal trainer and ex Police Sergeant serving across several forces, James is now a Project Manager for Southampton City Council. James established the Papa Luckman Fitness Group up during the first lockdown to support colleagues to stay active through a difficult time.  The Papa session where then shared with friends and family across social media. Members helped shape the sessions which now feature every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Papa Luckman is now recognised across an organisation of 3000 employees as a Wellbeing Champion and is embarking on a more personalised touch offering virtual drop in session to support staff leading a more active lifestyle. James not only organises and runs the fitness session in his own time he also makes himself available to hold 1-2-1 personal training sessions. The Papa Luckman session are design to make exercise accessible and enjoyable. There’s no pressure and you go at your own pace. There is no need for cameras to be on it’s all about your journey and feeling comfortable. The sessions are all inclusive so it children can join in too. James was recently recognised in the Speedway Star Magazine for his support given to 15 British Youth riders organising Sport Specific Session to get them ready for the season. The group of youngsters have already reaped the benefits gaining podium places in their first series of competitive racing. James also provides Sport Specific Training session for members of ‘Dirt Track Events’ who hold a series of British Championship rounds. Those include Flat Track, Sidecar and Mini-bike racing. James is always challenging himself across various sporting disciplines from white collar boxing to a 6-day cycle ride to climb the Three Peaks of Snowden, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis. Also enduring the 1000-mile cycle from John O’Groats to Lands End in 10 days. Papa Luckman SCC member quotes: “I’ve been involved on and off since James started a year ago. I really look forward to each session, it’s so much fun you forget you’re actually working out!” “I needed to do something and interaction with other people is much better than doing exercise alone. I now look forward to my mid-week and weekend sessions all thanks to Papa!” “My kids love asking if I’m doing a Papa session now (Joe who?) and jumping in front of the camera. The strength session is my favourite and the rusty dumbbells have come out the garage for the first time in years.” "James has been great to give up his free time to run thee workout sessions. Not only do you get to catch up with colleagues, but it is good exercise and is good to do something positive"  What are the benefits of the bootcamp? It is really important to train correctly, understand how your body works and embrace the fact that exercise is not easy. We hear a lot that exercise is prescribed for managing stress but have you ever asked yourself why? we also sometimes set goals which are not achievable leaving us disheartened and we fall off the exercise wagon. Have you ever asked yourself why you are exercising and evaluated to see if what your are doing the right exercise to reach your goals. If you are a 100m sprinter you do not train to run a marathon. My view is to keep your exercise routine simple, keep to the basic and you will not go wrong. However, your sometimes need to shock your body, get out your comfort zone and go do something that will challenge you. The Bootcamp will also help you train your mind, once you tap into this additional source of energy your body will achieve great things beyond your wildest imagination. Are you as fit as you actually think.......my Bootcamp will give you the answers. If you are then it is confirmation your are training correctly, if you are not then it will help your focus for the future.  |
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