My nan also found this amazing little book of retro household/medical/cosmetic tips which also had some great visuals.

Kate

A Granny Favourite

I also asked my Nan for a classic recipie and this one sounds delicious. Its also handwritten by her so will look great in the mag.

Kate

Old School Holidays

I asked my Nan for some old holiday photo's to use in a travel feature in the magazine so we can see what us 'youths' are doing in comparison. I think these photo's are brilliant showing her, my Grandad and friends in Blackpool. They are so retro! She also told me some stories we can include so a great first hand account. I think they are slightly different to an 18-30's holiday somehow...

Kate

'It's My Granny Bike!'

Great article from Dont Know Yet magazine which starts with the sentence 'I'm in love with...'

I really like the idea that this could feature every week with someone elses favourite thing. Also really like the bicycle illustrations.

Kate

The Walk Nottingham

A FIRST visit to The Walk cafe hits you in waves. First you find the place, tucked in the little pedestrian nook that is Bridlesmith Walk, just off all the main roads. That feels like a triumph, secret knowledge, even if the place is packed (as it likely will be) when you walk in.

Then you enter and are immediately greeted by the food counter, practically straining under the weight of every sort of pastry to satisfy any sort of sweet tooth. (For balance’s sake, a few savouries usually also adorn the counter.)

Then you might notice the ornate tea sets – the gold-coloured strainers, the crystalline tea pots, the sleek wood boxes filled with teas you’ve likely never sampled before.

And at this point, you haven’t even made it to the dining room and your seat.

By the time you’re there, sat amidst the eclectic artwork and well-heeled if slightly mismatched and askew furnishings, you’re ready for the main event. Sandwiches. Tiers of dessert. Perhaps something off the wine-list. And – always – to wash it down, tea.

The goal, said manager Alistair Fazekas, is “bringing something to Nottingham that nobody else can really offer”. That means a menu that borrows from European cafe culture and the New York deli ethos, while pouring it all into a distinctly English receptacle. A stroll through the menu – which received a few new items just yesterday – is a glance at an international way of doing lunch. One with some local flourishes.

Anyone who’s ever had lunch in a proper New York Jewish deli won’t need much explanation of the pastrami on rye or the salted beef. The lineage of the muffuletta might be a bit less well-known (Sicily by way of New Orleans, since you asked), but the sourdough option for this meat-heavy sandwich works even without the lesson on provenance.

And, notes Alistair, while the items may hail from all over, the ingredients that make them come, more often than not, from reasonably near. Many foods are sourced from Delilah, the award-festooned deli just down the road. And Delilah likes local. So the strawberry jam for the afternoon tea scones come from a small Notts operation, the artisan breads all hail from Hambleton Hall, etc.

And then there’s the tea. Lots and lots of tea. More than 300 teas, if you’re counting.

Tea that, after a recent change, comes from French tea specialists Dammann.

In addition to serving the teas in the cafe, they also offer boxes of Dammann teas, individual teas and tea accoutrements. Alistair believes The Walk, Harrods and Fortnum & Mason are the only shops in Britain that retail Dammann. (This came about by a personal connection. The company is now owned by Italian coffee company Illy – one of Illy’s top British-based people is a Walk fan.)

It might be apparent, then, that The Walk’s tea selection is something they take somewhat seriously. In fact, they’re now rolling out something new – seasonal afternoon tea menus with pastries and about 20 different teas that will change every four months or so. The first one’s an Alice in Wonderland-themed affair, selected because of the Tim Burton film of the classic tale. The theme will manifest itself largely through dessert selection and presentation. And look for more film-themed seasonal menus in future, including one to honour the release of Sex and the City 2. (New York cheesecake? Seems likely.)

“We want to bring a bit of theatre and a bit of entertainment to it,” Alistair said. “It’s keeping it fresh as well.” And it’s getting people to try something different with their afternoon pastry. “Everybody wants English Breakfast,” Alistair said. “We’re trying to push all the other teas.”

Erik Petersen

Minton's Tea Rooms...

Minton's Tea Rooms have been voted one of the top in Nottingham 'where you can enjoy a fresh mouth-watering range of delicious dishes. Peek through the hatch into the kitchen and you will see us lovingly preparing your meals with fresh locally sourced produce where available and high quality and specially selected ingredients served in a relaxing and easy going atmosphere.'

This looks perfect for the older generation but would be for a student hangover-chill in the tea garden in the summer or cuddle up indoors with a 'cocoa'!!

This could be the subject of an article with tea and biscuits testing!

Kate

Teacups

Great photography on classic teacup designs. Bringing the retro style back into fashion.

Kate

When researching magazines for the older generation, we came across this monthly magazine...The Oldie

What is The Oldie?

RICHARD INGRAMS WRITES: ‘After editing Private Eye for over twenty years, I decided in 1992, along with a group of friends (Auberon Waugh, Alexander Chancellor and Stephen Glover), to launch The Oldie. The aim was to produce an antidote to youth culture but, more importantly, a magazine with emphasis on good writing, humour and quality illustration. Sixteen years later, The Oldie can well claim to be a success story, attracting some of our best writers, illustrators and cartoonists.’

‘We provide all you should expect from a quality monthly magazine – reviews of arts and books, great features, independent opinions – as well as some things you might not expect, such as our I Once Met column, where readers write about their encounters with the famous or infamous, Still With Us, which catches up with people you might have thought were dead, and our World’s Worst Dumps slot, where readers reveal their most horrific travel tales.’

Wartime couture

Kate

Granny Chic

Gemma Ward and Lily Cole rocking the granny chic look here in a photoshoot for Vogue from Tim Walker. Really like how the models are with actual grans in their natural setting! Good potential for a re-make for the mag.

Kate&Beth

Granny Street Style!

Reckon these Grannies have got style??

Kate&Beth

Hello Crochet!

Look how cute these little Crochet cushions and hangings are from designer Emma Lamb.
And then we have some catwalk shots from Paul Smith...not quite so cute!

Kate&Beth

Grandma's Flat

A link called 'Grandma's Flat' from Vice's fan page on Facebook just happened to pop up on my news feed....coincidence!

Kate

Back In My Day...

This Fanzine focusses on the culture of GRANNIES and how their lifestyle is reflected in today's student way of living. It will look at the relationship between young and old, and how in fact, there is a lot of overlap between the two.

The Fanzine will look at things from fashion, culture and music, to 'the best tea in town' and visiting the local Bowls club! As it is a work in progress, we hope it will develop into an original concept, in the mean time this is our research....

enjoy!

Kate & Beth