Ingy

Fashion junky, foodie, travel lover, beach lover, winter sports enthusiast

I was born and bred in Jersey and educated at Fauvic Kindergarten, Mont Cantel School and Jersey College for Girls, followed by UWE & Open University, graduating in BA Open (Law, French & German) followed by St Brelade’s College, where I studied ESOL (Cert).

My professional career includes 18 years working full-time for Health & Social Services Jersey, in various roles, whilst also pursuing a Part Time Career as an ESOL Tutor (English for Speakers of Other Languages) at ACET Jersey, from 2005-2009 and, as a Visiting ESOL Lecturer for Highlands College Jersey, from 2005 onwards.
I’m a keen amateur artist and photographer, having studied Art at JCG, and, completed numerous courses in art and photography, as an adult. I can often be found, at the beach, with my sketch book, easel, oil and acrylic paints, capturing the moment on canvas.

What is your favourite beach or place in Jersey & why?

We have the BEST beaches in the world! That’s a fact! I’m a keen traveller and have frequented many beautiful, clean and unspoilt beaches, however, Jersey’s beaches are hard to beat, as I’m sure locals and visitors would agree!

In the Summer (and Spring, Autumn and Winter, I’m a hardy gal (!) I love pootling down to the Royal Bay of Grouville AKA ‘Long Beach’ in my mini, with my easel, oil paints and canvasses, and settling down with my radio, a cup of tea and a bacon roll from The Hungry Whale beach cafe. The light and beachscape are constantly changing, and I also enjoy taking photographs so that I can capture the moment, to add detail to my paintings once back in my beautiful garden in Grouville. I often, then, walk across to the nearby village of Gorey, and have a chat with the friendly shop owners and residents, in, what is a thriving, ‘mini high street’ of quaint cottages, retail outlets and, a wonderful new cafe called ‘The Kitchen’, which has one of the best selections of cakes I’ve seen! The savoury snacks are pretty good too! The fruit and veg shop is an artist and foodie’s haven, with one of the freshest, and most vibrantly colourful range of local produce I have come across in Jersey plus, the jolliest and most knowledgeable of owners, who always put a smile on my face! What they don’t know about vegetables, is nobody’s business! In fact, so inspired was I, on a recent shopping trip to their shop, by the veritable plethora of shiny, rainbow hued fruit and veg, that I took a photograph of it all and put palette knife to canvass when I got home!! They can also recommend the most wonderful of accompaniments to any of your culinary creations and stock an eclectic range of interesting and tasty treats, as well as staples such as soups, rice and pasta products. Some evenings, I treat myself to haddock and chips at the renowned ‘Entwhistles’ Fish and Chip Shop, which also has super-friendly, efficient staff, and stroll back across the common to admire the sunset.

I also regularly run to the beach, have a dip in the sea and then run back up the hill and back home (not, I hasten to add, either with my easel and artists box on my back, or immediately after that fish and chip dinner!) You just can’t beat that feeling of accomplishment after a run and a swim in such a place of such exceptional natural beauty.

My friendly local hair salon, La Petite Salon, is also situated just across the road from the beach, on the outskirts of the village, and, I love popping in for a very reasonably priced and professional cut & colour, and a coffee and a chat with the lovely staff.

Where is your favourite place to stay in Jersey or where would you like to stay if you had the opportunity?

This would have to, undoubtedly be, St Brelade’s Bay Hotel, with my preference of rooms being, either one of the impressive penthouse suites or, one of their other sea view rooms. My top tip would be, to ask for a room on the 3rd floor or above, because, from here, you get unparalleled panoramic views of the spectacular St Brelade’s Bay, with its golden, sandy beaches, gentle Atlantic rollers and awesome eateries. The restaurants, bars and brasseries within the hotel itself, are excellent too, with courteous and interesting staff. My particular favourite, is, tucked away above the outdoor swimming pool, within the stunning hotel grounds, up a lovely, granite staircase, The Petit Port Cafe. I love sampling some of their fresh from the Grill delicacies after a game of tennis on the hotel court. Then, of course, there’s the adjoining Health Club, DW, which houses one of Jersey’s finest and most innovative collections of gym equipment, an immaculate pool and spa area, a beauty salon, plus fabulous views across the bay. The ambience at St Brelade’s Bay hotel, is one of refined, relaxed luxury and, following my weekend stays, I always leave feeling well fed and watered, pampered and relaxed and ready to start the working week with a bounce in my step.

Places I’d like to try out? Well, there are so many new and exciting places to try out, in our amazing island – the brand new Premier Inn, at Charing Cross, in our cosmopolitan capital of St Helier, is on my bucket list, as are the more remote accommodations such as Jersey’s Heritage Sites. I’ve already had the privilege of staying at the fabulous Fort Leicester, at Bouley Bay, and I hear that the other, refurbished sites, are a must see.

What event in the Jersey calendar do you frequent, or do you have a particular favourite entertainment venue?

I enjoy either participating in, or a viewing, the Jersey Triathlon, which takes place every Summer. I also attended this year’s first, and hopefully not last, Super League Triathlon, that our beautiful island, had the privilege of hosting! The Waterfront provided a spectacular backdrop to the event, and I hope that this becomes a firm fixture in Jersey’s event calendar. Any of the Durrell sporting events are a firm favourite of mine, as is the Silkworth Round the Island Challenge
I enjoy going to the very popular outdoor Nativity Service at Le Pres Manor, in my parish of Grouville. I have very fond memories of taking my late Mum and some friends there to watch the Nativity play, pet the farm animals, particularly the lovely Thomas, the donkey, have a mug of something warm and a chat with the congregation. My favourite year, was when a lovely young chap playing one of the three wise men proposed to his girlfriend, who was sitting in the audience!! I’m not sure if there was a single dry eye in the farmyard!! (She said yes, I hasten to add) Trust me, it’s such a popular evening, that it gets busy come rain or shine. It’s a sure-fire Christmas winner for families.

Is there a favourite place that you go for either a sporting or leisure activity?

I’ve recently started attending exercise classes at the Havana Club, in Jersey, where there are boxing to drum and bass classes, run by the fabulous Awakening Club. This is such a fun, exciting class, especially as it combines two of my favourite things – boxing and music, with a live DJ!
Healthhaus, is another firm favourite for me, as well as its neighbouring Ayush Spa, both housed within the Hotel de France. I haven’t tried out Club Soulgenic yet, however, I’ve had a look online at its ethos and facilities, and, it sounds like it offers a fresh new approach to that holiest of grails – health and wellbeing.
I regularly practice yoga at home, however, when I have time, I enjoy going to Natasha Bolla’s yoga sessions. She is a very gentle, professional yoga teacher, with a very welcoming and inclusive approach.

The roads and lanes of Jersey, also provide me with a natural outdoor gym. I weave through the lanes, on foot or bicycle, run around Queen’s Valley Reservoir, sometimes nipping down to Rhona’s Kiosk, at Grouville, for a cup of tea or a hot chocolate, or an ice cream from Stuart’s Ices, in the Long Beach Car Park, before running or cycling back up the hill. I also enjoy jogging through the wooded Valley that leads down to Longueville Manor Hotel. It is known as ‘Swiss Valley’ locally, probably due to its undulations, flora and fauna, and provides me with challenging cross country off track running, that gets me in shape for the Winter Ski Season. {That’s something that we, sadly, don’t have in Jersey, a snow dome, however, as any local will tell you, we’ve had deep enough snow in the past to have a decent ski/snowboard, for a day or two, until it thaws, but that’s another story 😉

Where is your favourite place to dine and why?

I have been enjoying popping into the new and improved ‘La Maison Gourmande Bakery’, at Five Oaks, which has moved into larger premises and offers warming soups, freshly baked produce and luscious French cakes, not to mention friendly staff and plenty of tables and chairs to sit down, relax over a coffee, and put the world to rights!

I also like the ‘Garden View’ Brasserie within the Hotel de France, which offers the ultimate in healthy dishes, for lunches and late afternoon/early evening snacks on the terrace in the summer. Their salads are abundant with the healthiest and tastiest of ingredients.

I have so many favourite evening meal haunts!! I love traditional Portuguese food, and am a fan of the Seascale Restaurant in Gorey. Their espetadas are to die for, as is the avocado and bacon salad, which I have with a cheeky portion of fries!

Do you have a favourite venue where you like to go and socialise?

I enjoy going to the Savoy Hotel, in Rouge Bouillon, to one of their Jazz Soirees in Roberto’s bar. This is an intimate venue, perfect for a girly evening out, to enjoy the music, have a lovely meal and maybe a little shimmy on the dance floor!!

Is there a place where you just like to go to relax and chill out?

The beach. I love sea swimming, and have even swum in October, November and December of this year at The Lido Bathing Pool, at Havres des Pas, in the rolling waves at Plemont, where I also body surf, or boogie boarding at St Brelade’s or St Ouen’s Bay. There aren’t many water sports that I haven’t done over the years, but, just being in the sea, is heaven on earth.

Can you give 3 words which describe the best things about Jersey for you?

Vibrant Colourful Cosmopolitan

We aim to make Vibrant Jersey a community based website by involving local people in the promotion of our island. What do you think about the Vibrant Jersey website and what additions do you think we should make?

I think it’s Awesome! I love the colour scheme, the attention to detail, and the information on the hidden nooks and crannies of the Jersey countryside, plus the recommendations on where to go to sample Jersey life like a local! As we all know, visitors to our beautiful island, are on the lookout for places to visit, to buy from and to dine in, that us locals also frequent. After all, recommendations from locals, are what we all seek when on holiday, right?
Thank you, Vibrant Jersey, for opening my eyes to even more of Jersey’s hidden treasures.

What is your main interest?

This is a hard one for me – it’s a toss-up between Retail, Food & Beverages and Health, Beauty and Fitness. After all, once I’ve completed my workout of choice for the day, had a bit of pampering somewhere and put on an outfit from one of Jersey’s finest fashion retailers, I tend to have worked up a HUGE APPETITE!! 🙂  I also very much enjoy visiting a shop called Linen Hut,  in Burrard, Street, St Helier, where I can pick up unusual gifts and homeware items, at highly affordable prices, and where customers are always guaranteed a very warm welcome