A Little Bird

Prize Draw: win one of three copies of Felicity Cloake’s Perfect Host

Francesca — Wed, 15 May 2013 23:08:01 +0000

Another week, another cookbook. And yet, this one is so wittily written, with such great do-able recipes that we couldn’t resist it. Written by Felicity Cloake, who writes a weekly column for The Guardian trying out ‘best of recipes’ (we actually featured her brilliant parmigiana recipe a few weeks ago which you can find here), it’s a cookbook about entertaining but not in a prim, uptight ‘fish knives’ sort of way but rather as Cloake herself says about ‘good food and good conversation.’ We particularly like the great section titles such as ‘Menu for two which doesn’t look like you’ve tried too hard’ and ‘Very quick store cupboard breakfast ideas for unexpected guests’. There’s a lot that’s covered in this book, from picnics to Bonfire night, from New Year’s Eve to Christmas dinner for two but there’s nothing overly complicated and more importantly, the 162 recipes and descriptions really do make you want to try them out. Our favourites? Her Vietnamese summer rolls and Pulled pork with black bean chilli, both of which have been a big hit in our household.

And guess what? We have three copies to give away. Simply enter your name and details below by 5pm on Thursday 6th June and we will pick three lucky winners out of a hat.

Music: book now for the BBC Proms – and how to see the best proms for next to nothing (with no booking required)

Daisy — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:16:48 +0000

This is one of our absolute favourite tip offs in terms of getting the very best out of cultural London life: how to see any Prom (even the sold out ones) by turning up soon before the concert starts and paying £5.

Known as Promming, all you need do is queue up to 45 minutes before a performance starts (we’ve often turned up mere minutes before the beginning of a concert and never not got a ticket, but it’s certainly wiser to turn up earlier). You can choose either to stand in the front Arena (queue at Door 11), or, our favourite option, go up to the Gallery (Door 10). Once upstairs, you can get a good view of everything going on beneath you by leaning on the balcony, or you can lie down with a blanket and bottle of wine (not provided!), and let the music float up towards you. If you are in the Gallery you can also leave whenever you like without disturbing anyone, which means you can take in half an hour of sublime music – enough to transform your day or week – before going on somewhere else. There are 500 Promming tickets available for each Prom so even if a concert has been booked out for months, you can still see it – although you must buy your ticket in person (i.e no waiting in line to buy multiple tickets for others), and you have to pay in cash. You can read more details about Promming here. You can also buy a season ticket for all 75 Proms (including the Last Night), for £190, which is incredible value if you plan to attend lots of concerts. That works out at £2.53 a Prom if you were to see them all, and is still worth buying if you plan on going to 15 or more. Read more about that here.

The concerts we’re dying to see include Wagner’s Ring Cycle – Proms 14, 15,18 and 20 - conducted by Daniel Barenboim with singers including Bryn Terfel, Nina Stemme and Lance Ryan. Prom 51 with Ian Bostridge singing music by Tippett, Britten & Elgar. Prom 33, which sees the sublime Mitsuko Uchida returning to the Proms for the first time in 20 years, to play Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 and Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique. Prom 36: Sir John Eliot Gardiner conducting Bach. Prom 8: Thomas Adès conducting music by Britten, Lutosławski and the world premiere of his own piece, Totentanz, sung by soloists Christianne Stotijn and Simon Keenlyside. And Prom 10 with Sir Antonio Pappano conducting the Orchestra of the Academy of Santa Cecilia, Rome playing music by Mozart, Rachmaninov and Schumann.

We’re planning on taking our families to: Prom 3 – The Doctor Who Prom, with music by Debussy, Bach and Bizet, and the ever brilliant Murray Gold (who has composed music for the series over the last 8 years), as well as a special performance of that most famous theme tune. There will also be big screens, scary monsters and special guests from the series including Matt Smith. Prom 66 – the Big Proms Bear Hunt, which sees children’s author Michael Rosen spinning a Bear Hunt story (it’s one of our favourite books to read to our kids), while Tony Ross illustrates on a big screen and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and 160 young singers and musicians play appropriately exciting, dreamy and scary music by Mussorgsky, Grieg and Stravinsky. There will lots of opportunities for the audience to join in too.

And for something more alternative, we recommend: Prom 37: Urban Classic Prom with BBC Symphony Orchestra, Laura Mvula and Maverick Sabre. Prom 7: Gospel Prom, with music from London’s leading Gospel choirs. And Prom 40: 6 Music Prom – a collaboration between Radios 3 & 6, with music from the London Sinfonietta, Cerys Matthews, Laura Marling and The Stranglers.

So far, none of these Proms have sold out, so get booking now if you want to buy a seat, or peruse the Proms website (which is excellent) to see which Proms you want to mark in your diary, and then, like us, plan to go Promming.

Film: free preview of Before Midnight at Curzon Soho

Francesca — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:25:13 +0000

If you loved Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, Richard Linklater’s romantic dramas starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, you’ll be happy to know that you can see a preview of the last and final film in the series, Before Midnight, – and this is the best bit – for free. Whilst the film officially opens on June 21st, you can catch a special preview at Curzon Soho on Sunday 16th June at 9pm. All you have to do to apply for a free ticket is email membership@curzoncinemas.com with your name, membership number and the name of the film (free tickets are limited to one per Cineaste). Oh yes, that’s right, you have to be a Curzon member to get your free ticket, but we reckon at the cost of £50 p.a, for which you get two extra free cinema tickets and loads of other benefits, it’s a great deal to join anyway.

Shopping: 24 hours flash sale – 50% off LUXE City Guides

Francesca — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:06:17 +0000

If you’re going on a city break this summer, we highly recommend the LUXE City Guides for their witty, fit-in-your-pocket tell-all repartee that will recommend, amongst many other things, the best taxi service, spas and nightclubs in town. With over 20 cities to choose from, we particularly like their apps which come with a free year of updates. And just in time for your summer holidays, they are having a 24 hour flash sale this weekend. On 18th May, you can get 50% off – all you need to do is go to their website and enter the code LUXESUMMER when you check out. Happy shopping!

Art: London Contemporary Art Gallery & Exhibitions course

Daisy — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:01:45 +0000

If you’ve ever been taught how to look at a painting, then you’ll know how much being able to ‘read’ a work of art increases the pleasure of going to any exhibition. (John Berger’s classic book, Ways of Seeing, is a must-read on this subject). That’s why this art course appeals to us so much. Held over six Thursday mornings, from 10.30am – 12.30pm, from 23rd May to 27th June, it offers the opportunity to explore some of London’s most interesting contemporary art exhibitions, with teacher and artist Helen Benigson. The course takes the subject of an artist’s archive as one of its starting points, and includes visits to the Camden Arts Centre, to look at the Dieter Roth Diaries exhibition, the V&A to see the David Bowie show, the Barbican’s Dancing Around Duchamp exhibition, as well as a couple of special private viewings with curators at smaller galleries. The choice of exhibitions is fantastic, and the course doesn’t require any previous knowledge – just lots of enthusiasm, as there will be plenty of room for discussion. Seriously, if you are interested in art, or the nature of memory, or how we record things, both privately and for others, and you can spare a couple of hours over the next few Thursdays, this will be a totally life enhancing way to spend some time.

Talks: Curtis Sittenfeld (author of American Wife) in conversation

Francesca — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:57:41 +0000

We loved American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld, the novel loosely based on the early life of Laura Bush. Gripping, intelligent and thought-provoking, we’ve recommended it endlessly to friends. So we’re extremely curious to hear about her latest book, Sisterland, and are looking forward to listening to her talk about it in person (her only UK event) on June 6th at Lutyens & Rubinstein Bookshop in Notting Hill. The book is about identical twins born with psychic abilities, which one embraces and the other leaves behind her as a wife and mother in the suburbs. When an earthquake hits town, however, both their lives take a change in direction. It’s a small venue, so we recommend that you book your tickets early – you’ll need to e-mail bookshop@lutyensrubinstein.co.uk to reserve your seat.

Shopping: J.Crew Pop-up Shop

Francesca — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:53:20 +0000

We are very excited to hear that one of our favourite US fashion brands, J.Crew, is opening its first stand-alone store in Europe on Regent Street this November, but even better news is that next week they’re dipping their toes in the water and giving us a taster of what’s to come with a two day pop-up shop. Think gorgeous Italian cashmere in great colours and shapes (as beloved by Gwyneth Paltrow and Michelle Obama), bejewelled hand-made collars, and sneak peaks at both the spring/summer and autumn/winter collections, which are available to pre-order. Plus you’ll be able to take advantage of their monogramming service to add that extra something to your purchases. We can’t wait. See you there!

Books: Be Awesome by Hadley Freeman

Daisy — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:39:29 +0000

Be Awesome is awesome! Bravo, Hadley Freeman, for writing such a great book and telling the truth, without being dour or preachy, about the effort required to be a sane and healthy modern woman. Because it is quite a task, what with so many expectations to navigate and adversaries to take on. Freeman writes with pinpoint accuracy about the cultural and everyday travails women face, but Be Awesome isn’t just a series of essays about, among other things, the way women are depicted in the movies, feminism, eating disorders, and the unfairness (mostly) of sex. It is also, as its directive title would imply, a handbook full of advice. It offers a cure. It tells you how to appreciate the daily grind of office life, how to enjoy a fashion magazine without feeling anxious, and how to cope when all your friends are having babies except you. It tells you how to give a blow job. It suggests great books to read, movies to avoid and women to emulate. It’s not a memoir, like Caitlin Moran’s How To Be a Woman, but Freeman does write frankly about herself and her own experiences when they prove useful – most notably in the chapter on eating disorders, in which she describes her own anorexia with incredible clarity. It’s a brilliant piece of writing. But Be Awesome isn’t just about modern women coping with modern life, it’s a modern book all round. Freeman uses different voices when it suits her. She employs parody to startling effect. She’s resolutely un-snobbish in terms of her references, which are broad but never vague. And she can be do funny as well as she does deadly serious. This is the book we are buying for all our female friends, old and young. Especially young. If you’re a certain age, you’ll enjoy this book. If you’re young, you need it.

Film: Rita Hayworth season at BFI

Daisy — Wed, 15 May 2013 19:24:52 +0000

If you’ve never seen Gilda, get thee down to BFI towards the end of June, because it’s being screened there on 21st and 22nd June as part of the Rita Hayworth season. Has there ever been a star quite like Hayworth? Known as ‘The Love Goddess,’ she was married five times (to Orson Welles and Prince Aly Khan as well as three others), and was once quoted as saying: “men fall in love with Gilda but they wake up with me.” You only have to watch the movie to see what she means. Her strip tease in Gilda – in which she removes just one glove – is one of the most erotic sequences in movie history. But Hayworth was luminous in every film she made: so vibrant, so immediate, so womanly, so sexy. And as well as Gilda, the BFI is screening ten of Hayworth’s best films, including Orson Welles’ The Lady from Shanghai, Ben Hecht’s Angels Over Broadway, and the musicals Pal Joey (in which Frank Sinatra sings The Lady is a Tramp), Cover Girl (with Gene Kelly) and You’ll Never Get Rich (with Fred Astaire – Hayworth was one of the very few actresses to dance with both him and Kelly), as well as the film that first made her a star: Howard Hawk’s Only Angels Have Wings, in which she stars with Cary Grant.

Art: Drawing Biennal Auction with works by Michael Landy, Cornelia Parker & Mark Wallinger

Francesca — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:08:15 +0000

We were told about this great drawing auction by an artist friend, Nick Hornby, whose work is included, and he’s in great company for you’ll also be able to snap up pieces by Susan Hiller, Cornelia Parker, Paul Noble, Francis Upritchard, Mark Wallinger and Michael Landy. Landy will be there himself to open the evenings events and Louisa Buck, the art critic, will be Master of Ceremonies. If you want to get a sneak peak at the works before you go, click here to see an e-catalogue (so far the prices are very reasonable, most being around a few hundred pounds) and remember you’ll have to register as a bidder too. To attend the auction just e-mail the address below. See you there!