EDUCAT ION
“If bread is a life-affirming foodstuff, wine is its liquid equivalent”
Spirits Education Trust). Again, it’s hard to think of a nicer way of easing into 2020 and beyond. All it takes, he says, is a bit of enthusiasm and an interest in wine. “We learn how to taste wine – it’s a bit of thinking about what you’re drinking, what sort of styles of wine you like and why. The more practice you get, the easier it becomes to judge quality.” People leave with a new-found confidence to try something different, he explains. “Most people tend to stick to what they know. These courses get them out of their comfort zone and trying new things.” For other people, the New Year can be a time to start thinking about scratching a very particular itch. Cambridge and the surrounding area is an intensely creative area (no surprise there), particularly when it comes to writing. For many people, however, the gap between wanting to put pen to paper and actually doing something about it can feel almost unbridgeable. That’s where award-winning writer and creative writing tutor Jo Wroe comes in. Jo runs a range of courses at Hills Road and Lucy Cavendish College. Students speak of her brilliance at removing their barriers through, among other things, liberating creative
Bread, says Tine, isn’t just the backbone of everything in the kitchen but a connection with previous generations. “When we knead, when we engage with the dough, I think something in the brain goes, ‘Oh yes, hang on a minute, there’s a gene in here that goes right back to the Egyptians and their breadmaking 4,000 years ago.” If bread is a life-affirming foodstuff, wine is its liquid equivalent. But unlike bread, it comes with its own mythology and jargon that can be horribly off- putting to people whose upbringing doesn’t include a well-stocked cellar or inside information on which cheeky little vintages top 2020’s ‘must swig’ list. It’s here that the Cambridge Wine Academy, run by Steve Hovington, comes in. Impressively combining two cool careers – wine expert and rock musician – he runs a series of courses that ensure anyone can approach a wine list at a confident canter – and beat the snottiest sommelier at their own game. He’ll dispel myths – red wine with fish or chicken? Why not, if that’s your preference? He’ll explain which grape varieties do what, and for the very keen who want to go beyond the popular wine tastings Steve organises, he can even prepare you for accredited WSET qualifications (that’s the Wine and
writing exercises. Blocked inspiration is unjammed and fictional characters leap to life on the pages. And for Jo, seeing people transformed by her courses is a constant source of satisfaction and delight. “I really do believe that everybody has got endless stories in them,” she says. “They just have to have the confidence or be given triggers that let them access it. Some people have extraordinary life experiences; not all of them want to write them down, but we all have rich lives and we’re all unique so nobody else on the planet will sit down and write what you write. We all have stories and everybody has this astonishing capacity to make up characters – I’ve got exercises that demonstrate that to people. If you’re in a setting where you’re supported and given lots of ideas and encouragement, it’s astonishing what humans, any human, can come up with.” The creativity she and her students so successfully harness is something that Dr Alex Carter is something of an expert on. He’s joint course director of a new course, the Undergraduate Diploma in Creativity Theory, History and Philosophy at the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE).
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