I decided to have a go at the recipe, (which was rather adventurous for my usually fish-adverse culinary habits), but gave it a bit of a twist by exchanging and/or omitting a few of the ingredients.
Here’s what you’ll need:
500g white fish (I used pollock), 2 hardboiled eggs, couple handfuls of frozen peas (defrosted), sachet of cheese sauce (powder mix), couple cloves of garlic, couple of bay leaves, 300g milk (plus a dash more for mashing), 800g sweet potatoes, salt and pepper for seasoning.
Gently simmer chopped garlic, bay leaves, 300ml milk and the fish in a large pan for 15mins. Add a knob of butter if desiredStrain out the milk mixture and keep handy. Break fish into small pieces once cool enough to handle. Remove the bay leaves.Mix the cheese sauce sachet with the milk mixture before adding in the fish, peas and chopped hardboiled eggs and pouring into a dish for baking. Season with salt and pepper
Peel, chop and boil sweet potatoes for 15 minutes before mashing with a dash of milkTop the baking dish and mix with the sweet potato mash. Sprinkle on a little cheese if desired and season with salt and pepperBake in a preheated oven for 180 degrees for 40 minutes or until suitably golden
..And then Serve! (I’m rubbish at final serving pictures). I’d recommend serving with a side of steamed broccoli and spinach.
The album, released by the indie label Wichita, cost a mere £4.99 (inc. postage) from HMV.com and seemed a worthy buy, particularly as the band managed to get into the Top 40 last weekend.
Apart from wanting a hard copy of Frankie & Co’s summery Pop tracks, I felt duty bound to buy the album as guitarist Mick Ross once made me a spectacular tofu curry. Plus, at less than a fiver the album is cheaper than a lot of gig tickets (but longer lasting, for the materialist out there.)
However, I have another reason to campaign for the band’s mainstream chart success. Back when I lived in Birmingham I became acquainted with a band with a fantastic guitar Pop band called Envy & Other Sins. After seeing them at a gig (one of the first after their T4 mobileAct Unsigned win) I became quite taken with their sound, which was a refreshing return to a form of more traditional, unpretentious Pop.
The band had won a £60,000 record contract with Simon Gavin at A&M Records, yet the expected promotional drive for the album, the brilliant We Leave At Dawn, never came. Although keeping venues busy on tour, the album lacked the support a competition like mobileAct Unsigned seemed to guarantee. Eventually the band split up (although singer Ali and drummer Jim are now musically reunited as the brilliant Malpas).
I still listen to We Leave At Dawn. For me the album is sheer pop brilliance, packed with catchy tunes and credible lyrics that never fail to raise a smile. It’s not all fun and lightness however – a deeper sense of shade is provided by tracks such as my personal highlight Don’t Start Fires.
The abundant joy of Frankie & the Heartstrings’ tunes remind me of the Envy & Other Sins sound. They’re different in the sound of their tunes, with the former being more fifties influenced and sparsely produced by Edwyn Collins, but they have both produced Pop independently before taking it to a national level. Frankie & the Heartstrings have worked incredibly hard, building a fanbase with stellar live performances and their own Pop Sex Ltd. imprint.
I feel a bit like preaching along the lines of ‘The People’s Supermarket’ right now (i.e irritating) but I do feel it’s a bit of a ‘use it or lose it’ situation. In other words, support your favourite bands, or mourn their loss a little earlier than expected. It kind of reminds me of the Envy & Other Sins lyrics from their debut single Highness – “Square one’s looming dangerously”
With Livia Firth’s Vogue ‘Ethical Red Carpet Fashion’ challenge winning plaudits from both fashion and wider press circles, it seems that the time is right to give ethical fashion a push.
I received an email a few days ago from Melissa of Stone Bridge, the ethical luxury hair accessories company who have been sending me samples of their beautifully intricate alice bands and hair clips.
“Uncover hidden workshops, live music, performance, panel discussion and craft stalls set amongst the Museum’s childhood collections. Celebrate the rise of ‘slow fashion’ as London’s leading eco-journalists, green stylists and ethical campaigners come together to discuss the key issues surrounding this growing social movement.”
Melissa herself has posted a blog about the event, which also reveals a bit more about Stone Bridge as an ethical trading company and who they purchase items from, as well as why they are priced as they are. Melissa is also offering to bestow VIP status on attendees who email her at Hello@Stone-Bridge.co.uk (apparently this means freebies!)
I wish I could go but I’m up here in Newcastle… so go and represent for me please!?
I had intended on making a reliably delicious double chocolate cheesecake for Sunday dinner but disaster struck when the dark chocolate burned in the microwave… I decided to ‘change things up’ a bit by adding a couple of handfuls of raisins and giving the cake an extra chocolate kick with a layer of cocoa dusting.
So here’s some easy step-by-step instructions incase you fancy treating yourself sometime soon! You will need a packet of digestive biscuits, 300g chocolate, cocoa powder (for dusting), a couple of handfuls of raisins, 200g mascapone cheese, 300g cream cheese and butter.
Take one happy assistant and ask him to crush 175g of digestive bicciesMelt 50g of butter and mix with the finely crushed biscuit crumbsPush the biscuit and butter mix into a loose-bottomed cake tinMix 300g cream cheese with 200g mascapone cheeseGently melt 300g milk chocolate over a pan of simmering waterMix the melted chocolate with the creamy cheese mixtureAdd a couple of handfulls of raisinsTop the biscuit base with the chocolate mixtureLightly dust the cheesecake with cocoa powder and pop the cheesecake in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours to set, or chill overnightEnjoy your chocolate raisin cheesecake!
I began a game in the Amazing Radio office the other day called ‘Frivolise Me!’
This essentially involves deciding to embark on an activity and then making it decidedly more ‘frivolous’ – for example taking a taxi instead of a bus to town, or buying a fancier product than you usually would. It’s a rather materialistic, entirely unserious game, but one that’s worth a giggle. It was only when my colleague Stevie B replied to one of my tweets that I realised that I had been playing the game without realising!
I headed into Newcastle city centre after work fully intending to try and find this pair of ‘rusty’ paperbag waist shorts from Miss Selfridge ready for Spring, or at least a similar pair for a cheaper price. I decided to try Primark to see if they stocked such a style.
Bag from charity shop
It turns out that they didn’t… but they did have a pair of leather look shorts that I noticed on my way out of the store! Naturally I grabbed a pair in my size, rushed to the changing rooms and had a go with them! Probably not an item on many fashionable Spring ‘must-have’ lists, but an item I gladly bought in place of the ‘safer’ Miss Selfridge option.
Shorts £10 by Primark, pussybow blouse (vintage) from Oxfam, heels by H&M
I do already have some leather look brown shorts from Zara, and fake leather skinny trousers from Topshop, but I couldn’t resist adding these to my growing collection. There’s something I can’t resist about this fabric. It’s less obvious than denim – especially when worn during the day – and can be dressed up as in the photo above or dressed down as in the photo below.
Headband by Topshop, tee £9.99 by Zara, bag £10 from Tyneside metro market
(As you can probably see for yourselves, I’m sticking my tummy out in this photo, delightful eh!?)
I blogged about this Zara tee in my last post. It’s oversized and rather short which means I’ll probably wear a vest top underneath it if I take this outfit further than my bedroom. The headband is a couple of years old. I got in from Topshop in a bid to disguise my unruly hair as a ‘deliberate statement’. It wasn’t deliberate in this photo either, but I have been experiencing a minor revolt from my barnet today! The bag was a wonderful vintage find from Tyneside’s Saturday metro market last Saturday. You can’t tell from this photo but it’s a gorgeous, inky hue with an almost marbled effect. I’m attempting to work more ‘ladylike’ pieces into my wardrobe, and have bought a couple of waist-focused black pieces in the past couple of weeks; a shift dress from Topshop’s sale and a black, elasticated waist dress from Zara that I’m planning to debut at a Little Comets gig this weekend.
So what have you ‘frivolised’ recently? And which do you prefer, denim or leather?
On Saturday I headed out to the North East coast to check out the lovely town of Tynemouth.
Without realising, I’d actually had some chips in the area before when visiting friends before making the move proper to Newcastle. However, I didn’t really get to explore the many kitsch giftshops or the Metro station market. My friend Matt was quite shocked at this, and defying the grey skies and miserable rain, gave me a guided tour that began with roasted med veg and goats cheese paninis at Hugo’s bar/restaurant.
I kind of forgot to be ‘touristy’ and make like Pete Hall (ie take the hallowed foodie picture) so you’ll have to make do with a sample of the leftovers!
It came with chips too!
After lunch we went to Gaf, which stocks one of my favourite t-shirt brands, Lazy Oaf, plus loads of other delights such as scented candles, solid perfumes and cards. I even tried on some glasses, but they certainly weren’t as pretty on me as their rosy tint suggested…
Gaf - marvellous and fabulous in equal measureRose-tinted Yoko glasses are not a good look on me!
After Gaf we headed over to Raspberry Bazaar, which reminded me of a shop called Salamander in Maidstone – all mirrored trinkets and wooden beads (with incense on the side). Aside from the hippy clothing department (featuring festival-staple label Rico) the whole shop is arranged not by item but by colour… it’s quite a dazzling effect as you walk around the store as if walking alongside a rainbow! I bought a new piggy bank to replace the one that smashed during my move to Newcastle from Birmingham last June.
After Raspberry Bazaar we headed over to the Green Ginger Shopping Arcade which is actually a converted church filled with shops (including a hair salon and a cafe).
Matt modelling one of Raspberry Bazaar's hippy cardigans
Out by the arcade ‘conveniences’ I found a detailed history of the church including a wonderful description of the remaining congregation before the church was converted.
"a congregation composed largely of elderly ladies"
I bought some of my favourite incense from one of the shops and marvelled at a specialist cake decorating shop too. There was a few antique shops as well, selling furniture and smaller items of jewellery.
I think my favourite bit of my camera-touting trip was when we headed over to the market held in Tynemouth Metro Station. The market, which held stalls on both sides of the platform, featured both food and less ‘vital’ bits and pieces, from second hand paper books to vinyls and vintage furs. I snapped up a bow broach for a pound and a small structured handbag with gold detailing and a gorgeous inky blue hue (I’ll feature it on this blog soon).
Tynemouth Metro StationSome of the lush vegetation on display!I have no idea what this strange elf is in the above photo but thought it looked curious!I enjoyed the juxtaposition of football memorabilia with literature on gangs and hooliganism!Also, there were loads of 'Good luck from...' vintage postcards featuring cats and touristy photos? I have no idea why (answers on a postcard please!?!)
We bought some olives to satisfy my cravings for all things Mediterranean and Matt got some Kate Bush and Joe Jackson to listen to in vinyl format. All in all a rather satisfying trip, culminating in a bubble gum blowing display…
Hubba bubba...
(Please note that the scraping back of hair was just to stop gum getting caught, rather than a permanent ‘look’!)
I’d meant to take a picture of my outfit for The Prison Library single launch at the Cluny 2 last night but headed out the door without thinking.
I don’t take a picture of every outfit I’ve worn, but I wanted a picture because it featured a few items I picked up from the Metro Centre on Wednesday. (I’m also having a wardrobe clear out and am in the midst of deciding what looks good and what would be best placed else where!)
Luckily Newcastle’s staple music photographer Jazzy Lemon was out in force and happened to take a few snaps of me at the gig (which you can see below). You can check out the full album (amongst literally hundreds of thousands of rock and roll moments) here. There’s plenty of great shots of all the acts; this Sunday’s Amazing Folk Roots Show guest The Lake Poets, Let’s Buy Happiness in disc jockey action at the decks, soulful Indie four-piece Grandfather Birds and headliners The Prison Library, who managed to put fears about the departure of brilliant Frankie & the Heartstrings guitarist Mick Ross totally at bay.
Blazer £29.99 by H&M, cropped t-shirt £9.99 by Zara, skirt £11 by Primark, headband by Stone Bridge
I saw this t-shirt on Zara’s website and experienced one of those “HAVE TO HAVE THIS” moments where I wanted to leave my desk and flee to this shop for immediate purchase. I didn’t notice I’d picked up a larger size until I got home but I think it will still work tucked into skirts or with faux leather skinnies. The blazer is one of the comfiest I own and was a complete impulse buy when a band practice was cancelled last-minute.
Shoes by Office, socks by Primark
I decided to brighten up the muted colours, ‘chic-up the geek’ and raise myself off the floor by a good five inches with my Office platform heels. I got these in 2008 when I was paid for my performance in Days of Hope by Howard Goodall at Birmingham’s MAC theatre. Although most of the money went on student rent and a new electric piano, I just couldn’t resist these. They made me at least as tall as most of the audience which meant that I could comfortably see the bands for once!
Satchel by New Look (all photos by Jazzy Lemon)
I’m starting to get rather impatient for Spring to arrive now. I’m resisting hiding in big coats and layering cardigans and my unlined parka in an attempt to be ready lest we be treated to a sunburst or two. Tomorrow I’m heading off to Tynemouth (a bit of the coast to any Southerners reading this) so I’m hoping to find a treat or two. I’ve never been before, but I’m gagging for some good ole seaside chips!
Thanks again to Jazzy Lemon for letting me use her photos!
“Must-hear you say? But these are videos I see below…”
Yes that is indeed correct, but they’re music videos so I hope you watch them to hear them… if that makes sense? Basically they’re videos that if you haven’t seen, you should, and if you have I heartily salute you with my well-bitten fingernails.
Firstly I present to you the wonderful Leeds-based solo artist James Owen Fender. I truly love this artist: Awesome voice, sensational tunes. Also check out his video for former single The Cloud.
Next, here’s lovely songwriter Martin Longstaff, performing live for Amazing Radio as The Lake Poets. This was recorded exclusively for the station at Newcastle’s Blank Studios. I wrote an article recently predicting big things for The Lake Poets in 2011, and Martin will be a guest on my Amazing Folk Roots Show this Sunday from 7pm.
Now I’ve been meaning to post this next video for far too long. It’s Newcastle four piece Grandfather Birds recording in The Amazing Sessions for Amazing Radio. This video was created by the lovely Paul Alton, who often attends local gigs armed with a video camera. (The song’s pretty sensational too).
I wasn’t too big a fan of previous effort Ungrateful, but I have a huge soft spot for this number, Hunger, by Wichita label act Frankie & the Heartstrings. It’s a fantastic video starring Robert Popper of BBC comedy Look Around You and features a particularly fine performance from keyboardist/guitarist/all-round-legend Mick Ross.
Finally I’m not sure if this is an official video. but we’re loving Kyla La Grange at Amazing Towers right now. Her voice might be too sugary for some, but this song, Walk Through Walls, is epic.
So what do you think? Any new acts I should check out?
Please note that the following is strictly of my own opinion, and not that of my employer, the Amazing Media Group (AMG).
Dear BBC,
I produce and present for Amazing Radio, a DAB digital radio station that only plays new and emerging music. Should this make us rivals? No, of course not. We want the same things… possibly.
I’ve become doubtful recently as BBC Introducing focuses on flashy ‘Masterclass’ and ‘In New Music We Trust’ events. These are valuable for artists supported by the Introducing brand, but it seems that sometimes this focus to publicly celebrate ‘the next big thing’ can forget the smaller artists recently being discovered by local BBC Introducing programmes.
Local BBC Introducing shows have to be commissioned by the Managing Editor of the regional centre and I understand this. There are different budgets, schedules to fit the shows into – which explains why some shows are just an hour, some three and others expand outside of the show with regional tours. What I don’t understand is why the BBC cannot invest a mere smidgeon of time in publishing the playlists from each show. It’s incredible that you cannot find programme information for the regional shows.
This might seem like a petty quibble, but I promise you it’s not. What do new, emerging and unsigned artists need most of all? Gigs! You can’t build a fan base (and test their dedication) without building up a loyal following that will support you and your music if you begin releasing. A label will be unlikely to sign a band without a considerable following. Public faith should not be underestimated. Promoters will be looking to BBC Introducing to provide new acts for local gigs – or at least they could be, if the BBC decided to do the simple thing of archiving a list of played acts (with links) from each show.
The BBC Birmingham Introducing website is a good example of what regional BBC Introducing sites should be starting with. The site used to house a comprehensive A-Z of local acts, but I can no longer locate it. There are, however, local artist news articles which is welcome relief from my fears that BBC Online is completely failing to provide us with the information that we pay our licence fees for.
At Amazing Radio our music programming policy is that we only play artists who have uploaded their tracks to amazingtunes.com. This means that our listeners can easily find what they hear on the radio, either by searching for the artists that they’ve heard us talk about on the radio, or by clicking on the hyper linked playlists that we provide on our show pages. We’re also on hand to answer any questions that site users or listeners may have. I occasionally receive emails that ask me about a song or artist, and I’m always happy to answer them,
(complete with a link to the artist’s profile page). Artists can write what they like on their profile pages too, so if they want to direct users to a Band Camp or Facebook fan page, we don’t mind at all!
So BBC, what would I like you do do? Well I’d like to see more effort put into the regional BBC Introducing sites – some shows don’t even have them – and I’d like to see published playlists for each show. Surely it can’t be that hard can it?
Presumably because it was tagged ‘Skins’, ‘Frankie’ and ‘controversy’, fans of the E4 teen drama are curiously searching for hints and clues for the new series, which kicked off a week ago.
It seems ironic that I wrote a post querying the chaotic series 3 trailer, then wrote and a more positive blog the following year about the penultimate episode of series 4. This change probably came as I worked over the summer on the Skins website. I even got to visit the set in Bristol, and took part in the filming of Series 4, Episode 1. I also enjoyed the new cast in the ‘second phase’ more than I expected to, and was pleasantly surprised when they were all wonderful people too.
So what of the new series then? A common comment on the last series is that it was considered ‘too dark’. Last Thursday’s opener did away with the wild raves and portrayed a more truthful portrayal of what it means to be 16 and an outsider. Even glamourous ‘Mean Girl’ Mini had a party in a bar that featured nicely dressed teenagers, as one would expect from a ‘sweet sixteen party’ – rather than an ecstasy-fuelled romp. Franky, almost underplayed by former child film star Dakota Blue Fanning made for intriguing viewing, with her unsteady social standing creating a mystery around how our ‘gang of eight’ will finally come together as friends in time for series 6. Thankfully we’ve also been spared a love triangle too!
I’m not sure how long this more realistic portrayal of teen angst and social awkwardness will last, but TV series are allowed to descend into fantasy, aren’t they?
Get Frank 