The Week - UK (2020-09-12)

LEISURE 43

12 September 2020 THE WEEK

Consumer

New cars: whatthe critics say

Tips oftheweek...

how todryfruit

And for those who

have everything...

KiaSoulEV

from£34,295(after

governmentgrant)

TheDaily Telegraph

Thethird-generationKia

Soul “looks like nothing

else ontheroad”.Punters

will loveorhate its chunky

shape, “scowling nose”

andodd rearscreen,ringed

by abandofred lights. But

the fact it hasgone electric-

only, aimingtomatch

Kia’ssuccesswiththe

e-Niro,could give it an

edge.And though it

doesn’t tickevery box –

the boot isabit small, for

example–ifyoulike its

style,thisisagoodcar.

Auto Express

The new model usesthe

same powertrainasthe

e-Niro,meaningasingle

motorsends 201bhp to

the front wheels, fed by

a64kWhbattery.The

rangeisanimpressive280

miles, and Kia claimsthe

carwill go from zero to

60mph in 7.6seconds.

Those performance figures

translatetoacar that

“feelslively” onthe road,

and hasthe “punch” some

EVslack to accelerate well

onamotorway.

Autocar

In the US you can get a

petrol-powered version

of the Soul, but it’s not

available inEurope.That,

alongwithits “distinctive”

design,meansthe car

won’tbefor everybody.

And it is odd forachunky

cartohaveabootthatis

just315litres. Still,the

high roofmakes it feel

“airy” and modern inside.

Overall,theSoulhas a

good range, makes good

useofits power,andit has

bags of “charm” too.

●Drying fruit isagreat way of using up any

glut. Very ripe fruit works particularly well

for givingaconcentrated flavour, especially

pears and plums that have become too soft.

●You can buyadedicated dehydrator,

which will work ataprecise temperature

of 50-60°C. But beware: they are bulky.

●You can also use your oven, setting it to

60°C (any hotter and you risk toasting the

fruit before it dries out). If you haveafour-

door Aga, the warming oven runs at 60-80°C.

●Try to cut evenly sized pieces so they all

dry at the same time.Amandoline can be

useful for this. The time it takes will depend

on the thickness and amount of skin left on.

●As you cut the fruit, drop it intoabowl

of water withaspoonful of lemon juice,

vinegar or salt to slow its browning.

●Lay onatrayinthe oven linedwith non-

stick parchment, and turn after about five

hours. They are done when slices are firm,

and chunks are springy. Store in airtight

containers, or the fridge if only part-dried.

SOURCE:THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SOURCE: METRO SOURCE: THE INDEPENDENT

If youwant to createasenseofoutside

inside,but struggletokeepplants alive,

Dowsing&Reynolds’sMoss Wall Panel

mightbethe answer. The moss is not

living, but harvestedand thenpreserved,

so it keepsitscolour, butneeds no

maintenanceorwatering.

from£ 75 ;dowsingandreynolds.com

SubscriptionsfromTheFineCheeseCo.

come with biscuits andacomprehensive

booklet withaglossary so you can jot

down your tasting notes and scores for

each of the three cheeses (from £108 for

three months; finecheese.co.uk).

Offering bi-monthly or quarterly deliveries,

The Cheese Geeksends boxes of four or

five cheeses, numbered from hard to soft,

and comes with wine pairing suggestions

and an app in which to rate your favourites

(£30 per box; thecheesegeek.com).

Paxton&Whitfield’s cheese cluboffers

a“stunning” selection, such asavinta ge

Cornish gouda aged for 18 months. Its

detailed tips even include how best to slice

the cheese (from £120 for three months;

paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk).

To support struggling British cheesemakers,

The Cheese Society,based in Lincoln, is

packing its boxes with UK cheeses. You can

also orderasingl ebox asagift(from £38

per month; thecheesesociety.co.uk).

The best... vacuum cleaners

Where tofind... cheese

subscription boxes

Dyson Small Ball

AllergySubstantially

cheaper than some

of Dyson’s upright

vacuum cleaners,

this simple model is

versatile, lightweight

and energy-efficient.

It works well on

carpet and is very

easy to manoeuvre

(£199; dyson.co.uk).

Vax ONEPWR Blade 4Agreat

cordless model atareasonable

mid-range price, this Vax model

works well on both carpeted

and hard floors. It’s super-

light at 3.1kg, hasahead-

light for cleaning dimly lit

areas, and has up to 45 minutes

of battery (£220; vax.co.uk).

Numatic Henry

HVR160This

Henry model is

more eco-friendly

than some,

thanks to its

high-efficiency

motor and TriFlex

Filtration System.

Compact, with a

rewindable cable,

it is great value for

money (from

£134; currys.co.uk).

Miele Complete C3 Cat

&DogAimedatpet-

owners, this Miele model

collects stubborn hair

and hasafilter

system

designed

to absorb

odours and fine

dust from the air. It also hasatimestrip to

let you know when your filter needs

changing (£299; currys.co.uk).

Dyson V11 AbsoluteSlightly bigger, and withabigger bin, than

older cordless Dysons, this top-end vacuum cleaner is as powerful

as many of the best corded models. Its battery lasts up to 60 minutes,

and it can be stored neatly onawall-mounted lock (£599;

dyson.co.uk).

SOURCES: THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

/T3/WHICH?

▲

▲

▲

▲

▲

©F

AT PROPERTIES