THIS WEEK: Get those jobs done with a little help from DIY guru Big Al. How to improve your kitchen and tips on quick and easy fix. IS YOUR KITCHEN UP TO SCRATCH? It’s often said that the kitchen is the room most likely to persuade you to buy a property – or the room most likely to put you off, depending on what it’s like, so it goes without saying that if you’re considering putting your home on the market,  it pays to make sure the kitchen is up to scratch. Even if you’re not selling, an attractive, well-organised and functional kitchen adds to the value of your home and makes it nicer to…

Actor, presenter and globe-trotting fisherman Robson Green discusses about his new Channel 5 series Robson’s Extreme Fishing Challenge, his latest dramatic ventures, and his thoughts on Hollywood. How does your new series extreme fishing challenge differ from your previous angling shows? The format has changed ever so slightly, but it has a significant impact on the narrative. With all my fishing experience that I’ve gained from travelling around the globe for the last five years, when I did a reality check I’ve probably travelled to more places and caught more fish species than any other angler in the world, so I must have learned something. I thought, ‘Surely now I can take on the best…

With the ever first National Stilton Week just passed, the secretary of the Stilton Cheese Makers’ Association tells us why this crumbly British favourite is not just for the Christmas cheese board and is the perfect addition to soups and salads. With its origins as far back as the early 18th century, Stilton has long been popular on the cheese board at dinner parties. But, as the industry celebrates its first ever National Stilton Week, experts want to encourage us to cook with it too. “Anything you can do with Cheddar, you can do with Stilton in terms of cooking,” says Nigel White, secretary of the Stilton Cheese Makers’ Association. “As it’s always open textured…

Money might be tight but that doesn’t mean you have to cut down on home style. We find out how to source brilliant interiors bargains and treasures from charity shops, markets and recycling sites. TRICKS OF THE TRADE We all want our homes to look wonderful but tight budgets can put costly furnishings and luxury homeware out of reach. However, there’s a treasure trove of bargains to be found – if you’re prepared to explore car boot sales, market stalls, antique fairs and auctions and websites such as eBay. If you’ve previously dismissed their wares as just someone else’s junk, or goods that are unfashionably past their sell-by date, then you’re missing a trick. Not…

Ricky Gervais is bringing his latest character creation to the small screen, with one-off comedy drama Derek on Channel 4 on Thursday, April 12. The comic reveals why he now wants the ego to be left out of comedy and what his wife thinks of his dreams. Since he first stepped into the limelight a decade ago, Ricky Gervais has become adept at dealing with criticism. “The first reviews for The Office were awful,” he says of the mockumentary which made his name in 2001. “They used the phrase ‘summer stinker’ I seem to remember.” Although his brand of humour may be of the Marmite variety, his star has since risen to a stratospheric level….

We’ve joined forces with our media partnership of local businesses to bring you the chance to win £1,000 worth of travel vouchers! With Christmas out the way and the January blues still fresh in our minds, we thought you could do with a break, so we’re going to give you one… well the chance to win one at least! House magazine has joined forces with Castlepoint Shopping Park, AFC Bournemouth, Westover Group, Fire Radio, BH Live and Village Hotels to give you £1,000 worth of Thomas Cook vouchers to spend on any holiday you like. So whether you fancy a week in the sun with the kids, or a flashy weekend in Vegas, the choice…

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