Monthly Archives: February 2014

Somewhere Over England Book Review

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somewhere over england book reviewSomewhere Over England almost had me just with the back cover. I love books about World War II, female protagonists and history. Somewhere Over England has all in abundance and a whole lot more besides.

Set in 1930s England, 18-year-old Helen falls in love with Heine, a young German photographer. She bravely puts aside the prejudice of her friends and family to marry him. He fled Germany because of the growing powers of the Nazis, but there power is growing and the worst is yet to come as storm clouds gather over Europe and World War II looms. What happens next is an unputdownable story of love, war, compassion and struggle.

Heine is interned and Helen has to face the horrors of London during the blitz alone as their young son is evacuated. Heine is political, he sees Hitler for what he really is and knows that a war is coming, they help refugees before anyone knows their will definitely be a war, but his weakness is that he is too much of a political fighter and cannot always see his family. Helen is sweet and fresh at the beginning of the book. She longs for love and the proper family she never had. Helen becomes stronger and stronger, even feeding the family and selling her own pictures. She becomes a strong, bolshy, independent women and makes Heine find his way home to them. The book perfectly captures early love and marriage.

As World War breaks out the family is divided and times are tough for everyone. The historical facts in the book are excellent. This really is a riveting book with a lot of depth. It is interesting and you learn a lot. The prejudice that people go through is horrendous. Chris, Heine’s and Helen’s son, hates being half-German and even hates his own father sometimes. He is horribly bullied sometimes and finds his identity hard. Will he ever see the difference between being a German and being a Nazis, and be proud of his heritage?

This is a wonderful, layered book. One that you never forget after you have read it. Essential reading.

Buy Somewhere Over England

For more on Margaret Graham: www.margaret-graham.com
www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk
www.wordsforthewounded.blogspot.co.uk
www.margaret-graham-author.blogspot.co.uk

 

Pudology Banoffee Pie And CHI Natural Chocolate Coconut Milk Review

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We were pretty delighted to review Pudology Banoffee Pie and CHI Natural Chocolate Coconut Milk. Our first thoughts about Pudology was just what an amazing name it was. The design is great too but none of that is as important as the taste. So how was it? Well, before we get to that let me just tell you that the puds are dairy and gluten-free. Because of this we thought maybe it wouldn’t taste as good. How wrong we were. They are amazing. Absolutely delicious. We are converted. Available from Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.

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CHI’s Natural Chocolate Coconut Milk

Coconut milk (and water) is hugely popular at the moment and chocolate is, well, always popular. If you love coconut you will love this. It is also dairy free.  It is delicious and less guilt inducing than other chocolate drinks. Available from Whole Foods and Amazon UK. RRP £1.79 for 330ml

chi natural chocolate cocnut milkBeing healthy never tasted so good.

 

Big Easy Covent Garden launching on 17th March

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Big Easy Bar.B.Q & Crabshack: the evolution

A new 300-cover, American Bar.B.Q restaurant and bar in Covent Garden

the big easy covent garden

London’s Chelsea institution, Big Easy Bar.B.Q & Crabshack will open a new restaurant in Maiden Lane in March 2014. Taking inspiration from its King’s Road sibling it will offer a serious evolution of the beloved ‘crabshack’ in a more urban West End setting. The new venue will provide the most authentic, American fresh-smoked Bar.B.Q, seafood, cocktail and drinks offer in the UK.

 

In the kitchen taking the coveted and key role of Pit Master will be Pete Daversa, former pit master at Hill Country Barbeque Market in New York. Pete has also worked at Blue Smoke BBQ (NYC and opened in Hong Kong). Big Easy Founder, Paul Corrett’s design vision has been overseen by industry heavyweights Macaulay Sinclair.

 

The site has a formidable history: it is located in a former electrical power station built in 1883, owned by the Gatti Brothers and first used to light their own restaurant, ‘The Adelaide’ on the Strand. On the back of their success in the electricity business , the Gattis’ then formed the Charing Cross & Strand Electricity Supply Company and the site went on to power the first bright lights of the West End. The interior will honour the building’s original heritage, retaining many authentic features, such as copper conduits, brickwork, and steel and concrete girders, complemented by industrial lighting. Exposed timber beams and lots of Big Easy appeal – neon lobsters, Americana and nautical touches will add to the charm – set over three floors and 10,000 sq ft, forming an awe-inspiring space.

 

A central feature will be the striking nine metre theatre-style kitchen situated on the lower ground floor. Focus will be on a ‘wall of fire’, comprising two, 2.5 metre Argentinean-style parilla charcoal grills as well as a two-metre rotisserie spit that will roast whole hogs, and a huge 2.5 metre wood burning oven. A dedicated Bar.B.Q pit area will house two, 1.5 tonne J&R wood burning smokers imported from Texas where meats will all be freshly smoked on the premises using a variety of woods, including Oak, Hickory, Apple and Cherry, for up to 18 hours to impart their unique flavours.  Diners can keep an eye on what has just come out of the smoker via the restaurant’s website and social media.

 

The menu itself will be based around the finest Bar.B.Q pork and beef cuts, rare-breed British steaks and freshest local seafood.  In addition, carefully sourced beef including Wagyu and USDA and traditional-breed pork will be showcased together with what Big Easy is also renowned for – the very best and freshest lobsters. The lobsters will be sourced all year round from Nova Scotia for their consistency, flavour and quality. A specially designed 1500kg lobster tank has been constructed on the premises to house almost 2,000 live lobsters with sizes ranging from 1 to 10 lbs. As always Big Easy’s ever popular daily-changing specials will continue to ensure unparalleled value for money.

 

Big Easy Covent Garden are getting serious about their drinks offering too: situated on the ground floor, will be a jaw-dropping, nine-metre bar, boasting over 500 bottles on nine levels with a focus on domestic and imported premium and American whiskeys, as well as rare tequila, rum, liquor and French and Spanish brandy. Imported, purpose built cocktail machines will dispense frozen Margaritas and other well loved cocktails as well as Manhattans and Old Fashioneds on tap. The bar list will also include ‘Boozy Juices’ and milkshakes with an alcoholic twist and a great list of craft beers including exclusive brews on tap.

 

Big Easy will continue to boast live music seven nights a week with two to three sets a night featuring some great musicians, with perhaps a few stars of the future making an appearance.

 

 

Big Easy Covent Garden
12 Maiden Lane
London

@bigeasylondon #thebiglaunch

www.bigeasycoventgarden.co.uk

Where did the Lottery come from?

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The lottery games of today are varied and incredibly numerous, offering a near-endless range of gameplay options, risk:reward ratios and odds of winning. Some people fancy their chances playing online on sites like Coral, whilst others prefer to yell and groan along to the TV. The rules and the mediums differ, but the essence of the game is just about the same everywhere.

 

Lotteries are now played in almost all countries throughout the world, from Ireland to Italy, Australia to the United States of America, but where did the game come from in the first place?

 

The British Isles?

Whilst it may be tempting to search close to home to begin with, the birthplace of lottery games is almost undoubtedly elsewhere on the world map. Perhaps the two best known lottery draws from this part of the world are the nationally televised UK National Lottery – founded in the mid-nineties – and the Irish Lotto, which began in the 1980s. Whilst lottery games undoubtedly arrived in the UK in some form much earlier, the roots of the lottery actually extend far deeper into the past…

 

The Italian Quarter?

‘Italian Lotteries’ were widespread throughout Italian-American neighbourhoods of the USA around the turn of the 20th Century. The link between Italy and lotteries seems a particularly solid one – the nation’s own national draw SuperEnalotto has existed in some form or other for over half a century – and, as our next destination proves, it goes far further back in time.

 

Ancient Rome

Whenever you’re in doubt as to where something useful in modern society comes from, there’s a fairly strong chance that the place of origin was ancient Rome. The Romans gave us everything from viaducts to vomitoriums (we still have those, right?) and are often spoken of as the progenitors of civilisation as we know it. Hard as it may be to believe it, the Romans played the lottery too, in a range of variants from dinner party games to area-wide fund-raising lotteries not altogether dissimilar from those seen today!

 

China

Everyone knows that every great genius steals their ideas from somebody else. If the Romans were those great geniuses, then maybe the ancient Chinese were that somebody else. The earliest evidence of lottery style gaming in China comes from around 200BC, in the form of kendo slips. Remarkably, it is believed that the money raised through the game was used to help fund the construction of the Great Wall of China! Could it be that we’ve been playing the lottery since the dawn of civilisation? Written evidence suggests that the Chinese were doing so hundreds upon hundreds of years before those kendo slips were made!

 

Ellie Goulding Wears Gerard Darel

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Ellie Goulding looked amazing whilst leaving the Radio 2 studios on Tuesday. The UK singer chose to wear the Gerard Darel white Puffball Coat.

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Do you think she looks great?

 

The Most Viral Moments in Oscar History

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Here you are, the most viral moments in Oscar history, just for you. Enjoy!

oscars

Jennifer Lawrence Backstage Interview at Oscars

Jack Black and Will Ferrell Oscars Performance: Get Off the Stage

Jack Nicholson Interrupts Jennifer Lawrence Interview at Oscars

Hugh Jackman’s Opening Number at Oscars

Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey Oscars Duet

Adrien Brody Kisses Halle Berry at Oscars

Michael Jackson Performs Ben at Oscars

Roberto Benigni Goes Crazy after Oscars Win

Russell Crowe Acceptance Speech for Gladiator

Tom Hanks Gives Acceptance Speech for Forrest Gump Win

Most viral Oscar moments measured by Visible Measures and its True Reach methodology and patented video platform to analyse over 8.1 billion video views across the web during 2013.

Visible Measures has tracked over 3 trillion video views, 500 million videos, 16,000 video campaigns since 2005, and sees over 380 million people cross its platform every month. Pretty impressive.

Clothing with a Conscience

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3 of a kindIf most people are honest the words Unique, Quality and Fashion don’t necessarily sit well with the words Social Enterprise. If history is anything to go by then even when the prices have been sky high those people at the front line, those doing the labour rarely receive a just reward for their work. Furthermore, up and coming designers have been consistently undermined in their efforts to get a foot through the door.

However, a change is coming and over the past number of years there has been a growing movement of people; social enterprises that are determined to give quality clothing designers a space where they need it. The result has been a continued entering of new and even radical styles and, if you know where to look you can get your hands on a few quality pieces that few others will own.
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Ms Dennica Abdo is founder and creator of Fashion Meets Music (FMM); a Social Enterprise showcasing designers, artists and talent in the form of pop-up-shops, events and workshops. Established in 2013 after their events in LA meshing fashion shows, artist performances and vendors, Fashion Meets Music is on a mission to bridge the gap between the Indie and Mainstream worlds and provide opportunity for previously unrecognized talent. The FMM team seeks out extraordinarily talented fresh faces, creating a link to movers and shakers, decision makers and industry professionals. Its aim is to give upcoming designers and artists a place to be seen and heard, a platform to excel.

For many designers FMM is an essential crucial step on the retail ladder in a shop setting where they can test their brands to the public. gain exposure, have a chance to be involved in creative workshops, events, involvement in fashion shows and gain many images for their portfolio/social media platforms.

FMM Event“Our pop up shops have ranged from 10 days to 5 months and our designers are usually with us for the whole duration of the pop up.” Dennica explained “We have been really lucky here in terms of getting a decent length of lease property. Our goal is to find a permanent venue that will house numerous the emerging designers and also serve as an event space for performers, artists, talent and creative and business workshops…”

So what of the stock? Well the Camden Store boasts a strong line up of designer’s brands and from what I could see it was flying off the shelves but they include:

This Lil ole thing (Designer vintage wear, sales to charity)
The Faraway Tree (Reconstructed bags, denim, hessian and accessories)
CTAM (scarves)
ME Clothing (clothing, hats)
House of Loulee (Adult, childrens wear, African fusion)
UP CKLD (Recycled, upcycled)
Fashion Cosmetics (Beauty Products)
Don’t Touch My Locs (Printed Tees)
Ricalyce (Snapbacks, Beanies)
FaeFae (Printed wear, Beanies)
Nadia & Zehr (Clothing, Accessories)
Denim Recon (Our instore tailor, Denim wear)
Fly Girl (Printed wear)
Dirty Stag (Printed wear)
Modu Designs (Printed wear, snapbacks, beanies)
Jaime (art, sculptures)
Les 2 Coquettes (Printed wear)
Funk E Angels (Bags)
T & T (Jewellery)
Lola (Clothing and Jewellery)
Cherie Love Angel (Clothing)

Each sale not only creates profit for the designer it has diffused benefits by providing encouragement and builds drive to further create more items in this way FMM is as consumer driven as the fashion market it is a part of.

So what is the future for Fashion Meets Music Dennica? “Well…we plan on holding more events, running more pop ups and we are constantly on the look for new, unique talent and always looking for establishments that we can collaborate with. We are also currently on the lookout for permanent premises that can house retail, events and workshops. In the remit of Fashion and Music – what we do is very much needed.” No one can say that Dennica doesn’t say it how it is.
At the moment Fashion Meets Music is located at 69 Camden High Street – but you better get your groove on before they move on. Check them out too online:

www.fashionmeetsmusic.com
www.facebook.com/fashionmeetsmusicpopup
www.twitter.com/fmmpopup

Big Thanks to Active 8 Images (active8images.com) for the shots

Next week we are covering DTML – A fashion brand in the making.

Keep your Search Bar on Frost – it’s going to be hot.

 

Shuttlecock Inc. presents: Rumble: Part Deux

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18th – 22nd & 25th – 29th March 2014

rumble 2Shuttlecock Inc. return to London in March with a Gallic spin-off of their sell-out pop-up, Rumble At The Deli… Rumble: Part Deux.

An off-the-wall parody of France’s rich gastronomic tradition, Part Deux will be fronted by Shuttlecock’s latest comedy creation, Arnaud Hérouville-Saint-Clair-Escoffier: great–grandson of culinary legend, Auguste, and chef/proprietor of Parisian institution, La Constellation – so named for its unrivalled string of Michelin stars.

Putting their reputations on the line, Part Deux will see chefs from both sides of the channel battle it out for the chance to scrub the great man’s oven with a toothbrush.

In the line-up of so far are Shuttlecock’s very own Ollie Templeton (Moro), defending champion Max Pasetti (Bocca di Lupo, Trullo), Tom Stracker (The Walnut Tree, The Ledbury, The Dorchester Grill, Heston’s Dinner), Tom Forster (St John, Bocca di Lupo, Trullo, Roberta’s, Chop Shop, Clamato, Septime), Freddy Money (El Bulli, The Dorchester Grill), James Knight (Moro, Barrica, Copita, Quality Chop House) and Ellen Parr (Moro, The Art of Dining).

Once again, the rules are simple:

Three rounds of no-holds-barred culinary one-upmanship

Two guest chefs

One winner

Inspired by some of Arnaud’s most famous recipes and using three key ingredients bought from the market that morning, the two challengers will create their own three-course menu for the evening’s diners, with each course going to a vote when the plates are cleared. Best of three: starter, main, pudding.

The winner soaks up the applause, the loser washes up the pots and pans.

Shuttlecock Inc. are four cousins from the creative Templeton family: Anna, Ollie, Will and Ed who share a wealth of experience from the event, theatre, culinary, cocktail, music and advertising worlds. Last year was their busiest yet, with a string of sell out events including immersive pop-up dining experiences, Mile High, Vieux-Québec, The Great Indian Peninsula Railway and Rumble at The Deli. Following Part Deux they will take their unique travel-themed concept to New York this April.

Allez allez!

Rumble Part Deux
16 Hoxton Square
London
N1 6NT

Tickets can be booked via the following website:

www.shuttlecock-inc.com

@shuttlecockinc

18th – 22nd March
25th – 29th March

£55 tickets for six dishes (three courses from each of the evening’s two chefs) and an apéretif on arrival