Romantic Food Ideas For Valentine’s: Queen of Tarts

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Frostie

The perfect savoury starter developed from the Good Housekeeping Institute’s famous Triple-Tested recipes, a team of expert GHI chefs have created and tested this dish to ensure it satisfies every time.

Queen of Tarts

Hands-on time: 15min

Cooking time: 25min

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

For the puff pastry:

225g (8oz) strong white bread flour
225g (8oz) butter, chilled
1tbsp lemon juice

For the filling:

300g (11oz) light cream cheese
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
200g (7oz) pack hot-smoked or smoked salmon, skinned and flaked
4 spring onions, finely sliced

Method:

Sift the flour into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Dice 50g (2oz) of the butter. Flatten the rest into a 2.5cm (1in) thick slab.
Rub the diced butter into the flour. Then, using a knife, stir in the lemon juice and about 280ml (9½fl oz) cold water to make soft, elastic dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Cut a cross through half the depth.
Open out the ‘flaps’ and roll out the dough, keeping the centre four times as thick as the flaps.
Put the slab of butter in the centre and fold the flaps over it. Gently roll out to make a rectangle measuring 40.5 x 20.5cm (16 x 8in). Mark off three equal sections from top to bottom. Fold the bottom third of the pastry up over the middle, and the top third down. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30min (or freeze for 5-10min).
Repeat the rolling, resting and turning four more times, ensuring the folded edges are to the sides each time.
To make the tarts, preheat oven 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Unroll puff pastry and cut or stamp out six individual-sized heart shapes, about 9cm (3½in) diameter. Arrange hearts on baking sheets, spacing a little apart. Score a border 1cm (½in) from the edge of each heart. Use a fork to prick pastry well inside the border.
Bake pastry hearts until golden and risen – about 20-25min. Remove from oven and use the back of a spoon to press down the pastry carefully inside the border to make room for the filling. Cool completely, then tip/scrape out any loose crumbs from the cases (so they won’t get into the filling).
To make filling, mix together cream cheese, most of the lemon zest and dill, and some seasoning (if mixture is too thick, loosen with a little milk). Spoon into cooled tarts, level gently, then top with the flaked salmon and spring onions. Scatter over the remaining lemon zest and dill, and some freshly grated black pepper. Serve.

Valentine’s Day Poem: Will You Still Love Me? (With apologies to W.B. Yeats)

Posted on February 11, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Angela Taplin, scribbler of fiction, poetry and (sometimes) Deep, Meaningful Reflections on Life. She’s a member of Chesham Writers and Scribblers and prefers la dolce vita to Ryvita any day.

Will you still love me? (With apologies to W.B. Yeats)

When we are old and grey

-Well you, anyway –

(I’ll still be softly fair

Courtesy of Shirley’s Hair)

And our joints creak

And our diaries speak –

For better or for worse –

Of regular dates with doctor or nurse,

Will you still love me?

And after so many years

Of the struggle and the tears

That life inevitably brings

-The swings

And roundabouts of married life

(Shall I make a good wife?)

The heartaches and the sorrows

Of so many unknown tomorrows,

Will you still love me?

When we sit in silence side by side,

By shared emotions and long memories tied,

An old dog lying on the floor,

World’s troubles held at bay beyond the door,

Will you still love me?

Will it still be me you see?

Will your heart, like mine, be true?

Well then. I will. I do.

Selma – Movie Review

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Junior Smart

There are three things that this movie absolutely gets right. Firstly you have the subject matter. This is a film about Dr Martin Luther King; powerful, complicated, legendary. A leader almost completely untouched by modern day film-making, yet a leader who deserves respect. Why? Because he chose non-violent resistance in the face of utter brutality; if there ever was a time for a film about his legacy, it is now. The marches from Selma to Montgomery that took place in Alabama in 1965 over the right to vote must rank as one of the most iconic moments in history. Make no mistake, sometimes it is difficult to watch this film; visceral but not gratuitous, anger inducing at times but not ever condoning. In many ways as a historical story it’s beyond criticism, especially when so much reflects the world we live in today.

Selma marks the first big-budget film from black independent director Ava DuVernay; she pulls no punches by filming in the very places where these historic events took place. She keeps things brisk, crafting each scene like an elegant dish to be served; she doesn’t waste any time on screen. Everything from a telephone ringing to an intimate conversation has purpose. For a motion picture epic such as this it comes in at little over two hours yet you never get the feeling that anything of value has been lost in transition.

Which leads us to the second thing this movie gets right; the approach. Rather than going for the customary ‘from the cradle to the grave’ biopic approach, Selma wisely concentrates on the events in Alabama, occurring just over a few weeks in February and March. 10 years after King’s first major civil-rights action. By the time the film starts he has already risen in power, delivered the ‘I have a dream’ speech and received the Nobel Peace Prize. This gives the film real focus as the series of atrocities which caused Dr King to be present in Selma can be covered in real depth. When King scores a victory, no matter how small, it is a victory for everyone. By the time the film finishes you may be on such a high that you fail to realise that just three years later Dr King will be assassinated at the age of 39. Such is the emphasis on the moment to moment reality, and the inner conviction of him and his many followers.

Thirdly you have the casting. Many of these actors could hold down a movie in their own right and they seem to be in roles that they relish. Tim Roth as racist governor George Wallace, Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon Johnson, Oprah Winfrey (may she never ever quit acting) in her portrayal of the indomitable Annie Lee Cooper and David Oyelowo, a British actor who just seems to go from strength to strength and steps into Dr King’s shoes with ease, easily outdoing Idris’ portrayal of Mandela in just sheer power and presence alone. The supporting cast are strong, too, with Carmen Ejogo lending warmth and courage to the key role of Coretta Scott King the continual strain on their marriage is a central theme, Stan Houston is assured as the embittered, trigger-happy sheriff Jim Clark, and Dylan Baker fleetingly creepy as J Edgar Hoover, whose FBI wire taps and intercepts provide some genuinely testing scenes. The actors really lend themselves to making this film a success. A huge thanks too should go to Brad Pitts Company Plan B in backing this film. It’s no wonder that its snubbing in the Oscar nominations (up for Best Picture but not for director or acting) has caused almost complete outrage.

I noted that some reviewers have criticised the film for being too grandiose in nature. I feel these comments are completely unfair; grandiose compared to what? Titanic, Gladiator, Les Miserables, even Man of Steel had a sense of identity, something to live up to and all of these are works of fiction. Selma has an identity because it is embedded in history. It’s understandable and only right that the actors desired to do the film justice.

Selma is one of those films that need to be seen, it’s compelling viewing because it’s a quality film that was deserved to be made for a generation that needs to see it. In a time where true values are easily forgotten Martin Luther King’s dream endures. If his truth were ever to be realised then the future can only be brighter for us all.

How Can Organizing a Literary Festival be Fun? By Margaret Graham

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Margaret Graham

Easy peasey, when it’s for a good cause, and you have fantastic writers in support.

The thrust of our fundraising at Words for the Wounded is two-fold. We feel we must earn our donations which help the wounded, and offer opportunities to aspiring writers, and interested readers – hence the writing competitions.

Remember that the three grannies who run the charity absorb all the costs, so every penny goes to the wounded.

Last year, to raise extra funds for the recovery of wounded troops, we grannies, who run Words for the Wounded, decided to throw ourselves out of a plane (with parachutes and a handsome man to cling to, I might add). This year, in August we’re splodging through mud doing a Military Assault Course.

Not quite the same elan, but sons-in-law, who are doing it too, are very much looking forward to not catching us when we toppled from the tyre wall.

It seemed, however, a good idea to do something less strenuous in the meantime. A Literary Festival seemed just about the ticket.

First panic: will people come? Build it and see, seemed to be the thing to do. Wasn’t that what Kevin Costner was told about a baseball field?

Second panic: will we attract speakers? Well, let’s try our mates.

So we get on the phone to call a couple of WforW patrons.

Katie Fforde is a Sunday Times No 1 bestseller and a great pal. ‘’Of course,’ she said. ‘Let’s do it. In fact, you and me together, Margaret, chatting.’ Done.

Second call to Rachel Cuperman. Rachel writes Midsomer Murders scripts, and if they’re not bestsellers, I don’t know what is.
‘Of course,’ she said. ‘Can’t wait. I’ll get my co-writer, Sally Griffiths to come too.’ Done.

I am kissing the hem of their garments by now.

Penny Deacon is one of the grannies, and a crime writer. She will be talking about her work. Done.

A past student, Amanda Hatter, and Catriona Troth, who is a committed member of the Alliance of Independent Authors, are to sit on our self-publishing panel. Me too, me too, to try to keep them under control.

Photo attribution: Ruth Jenkinson

Catherine Balavage, publisher of Frost Magazine, who would have been with us has a far more important project on the go – a son to be born at about the same time.

Finally, we have a fantastic agent: Felicity Trew of the Caroline Sheldon Literary Agency who is really looking forward to meeting all the aspiring authors in the audience. She will be here for the day, so loads of time for networking.

Then we have the food: As real foodies the grannies have been planning lunch, with wine, and tea with cake. We’re of an age where life seems to revolve around cake… Join us in pursuit of the calories.

Waterstones will be there, writers will sign books. There will be an artist exhibiting her work. There will be a buzz. It’s the inaugural Literary Festival for Downley Community Centre, which has been fantastically supportive.

So come. Enjoy the day. Tickets in advance to facilitate catering.

It’s been fun organizing it, and will be even more so, on the day.

Remember: the grannies absorb all the costs of the charity every penny we raise goes to where it’s needed.

Where is it needed? See the sort of injuries our service personnel suffer:

https://www.frostmagazine.com/2014/12/wounded-the-legacy-of-war-photographs-by-bryan-adams/

Date: April 18th. 9.30 for 10.00 start until 5.00. Downley Community Centre, High Wycombe, HP13 5TR Tickets £50 to include all refreshments.

Contact: Margaret@margaret-graham.com for information and tickets, or go to www.wordsforthewounded.co.uk

Björn Borg Launch SS15 Collection Via Online Game First Person Lover

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

When Björn Borg launches their spring summer 2015 collection, the Sports Fashion brand blows a kiss to the gaming world through presenting their collection not through a commercial, fashion ads or a cookbook, but through an online fashion game experience where their clothes gives the player extra love strength.

Through the game, a new platform for e-commerce is introduced: in-game shopping with the player equipping their avatar with the new Björn Borg collection to fight the forces of evil with the power of love. Equipped with a love glove, you master your enemies with e.g. a hologram kiss blower, a flower petal thrower or rainbow caster made from pink gold, white leather and acrylic glass for the ultimate style experience.

The game has received a great reception with Kotaku, one of the largest gaming sites in the world, calling First Person Lover “one of the most fabulous things I’ve ever seen”.

Fellow Swede Felix ”Pewdiepie” Kjellberg, who runs the largest Youtube account in the world, calls the game “The most fabulous game in the universe” with his play through of the game at receiving over 3 million views so far.

American Youtube sensation Markplier calls it “Game of the Year”.

“We have taken the aesthetics from the First Person Shooter games and turned it upside down. We want to offer gamers and shoppers a whole new experience”, comments Lina Söderqvist, Marketing Director, Björn Borg AB.

“It has been extraordinarily fun to see the collection come to life in 3D and having avatars wearing it. The game has taken my vision of fictional worlds to a whole new level. I might be the first designer ever that has his collection bought through a game”, says James Lee, Head Designer, Björn Borg.

The First Person Lover Game is free of charge at http://firstpersonlover.com

About the SS15 collection

Björn Borg SS15 draws its inspiration from fictional worlds. Mesmerizing mythical islands, lost worlds and visionary computer games. A mainly monochrome collection where sport and fashion are intertwined.

The key prints in the collection are inspired by water, coral structures and ancient temples. These prints are found throughout all product groups. The key material trend for this season is mesh. This runs through inserts, paneling and details across apparel, underwear, bags, footwear and eyewear.

Styling takes its inspiration from scuba wetsuits through using chunky zips, neoprene, thicker seams and mixing together bright colours with black. Important colours in the SS15 collection are black & white and combining these with soft shades of grey, pink, orange and mint.

The Björn Borg SS15 collections of underwear, apparel, footwear and bags is available at select retailers and Björn Borg concept stores.

My Reading Challenge by Frances Colville

Posted on February 10, 2015 by Frostie

How many books can you read in a year? It recently occurred to me that life is far too short to read everything I want to read. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day or years in a lifetime. So I’ve set myself a challenge for 2015 – to be organised about what I read, to make deliberate choices and above all to emphasis variety. But there has to be quality there too. I haven’t any time to waste.

So here’s the pick of the books I’ve read in January. First up were two Agatha Christie novels. The first, Ordeal by Innocence was a re-read and the second, Death in the Clouds, new to me. I thoroughly enjoyed both. For me Agatha Christie is a master craftsman, able to weave together the intricate threads of a plot in remarkably few words, and at the same time create a view of her world with all its idiosyncrasies. Agatha Christie paperbacks are readily available in secondhand bookshops.

Next I moved on to Stoner by John Williams (First published 1965, Vintage classic reprint 2012). Another brilliantly crafted book and a beautifully written one, it tells the story of William Stoner, an American academic, who seems to stumble through life with a sense of not being quite sure what he is actually doing there. I was hooked from the first page although it’s hard to analyse why. Perhaps it’s just simply enough to say I recognised him. I would like to have known him.

And then something completely different; a memoir entitled Love, Nina written by Nina Stibbe (Penguin paperback 2014) telling the story of the time she spent as a nanny for a family in London in the 1980s. This well written and very humorous book particularly resonated with me as I too worked as a nanny for a London family in my gap year. Nina Stibbe has a delightfully light and self-deprecating voice and a casual way of dropping big names (Alan Bennett and Jonathan Miller for example) into her writing, adding both depth and interest. I see she has also written a novel and I look forward to checking that out – though maybe not this year.

My final book this month was Margaret Forster’s Good Wives? (Vintage paperback 2002) With a mixture of biographical writing, and personal reflection, Forster tells the story of three ‘good wives’ from different times (Mary Livingstone, Fanny Stevenson and Jennie Lee) and tries to work out just what it is that makes a good wife. It’s an interesting premise for a book, and generally a good read, though it suffers from being neither biography nor memoir, falling somewhere between the two. Perhaps inevitably I am left feeling dissatisfied and wanting to know more – about the people whose stories she tells and about her.

So I end the month by adding yet more books to my list – further biographies of the three ladies, and re-reads of Margaret Forster’s novels. Not quite what I’d originally planned.

Spotlight On Coffee By Wendy Breckon

Posted on February 9, 2015 by Frostie

Espresso, Cappuccino, Americano, Flat White, Skinny Latte, Mocha, or Frappuccino

Which one do you choose? Have you ever wondered why you drink the one you do.

Mine is an Americano with cold milk and a jug of hot water. I have been known to enjoy a cup of filter coffee too, (although wrestling with the individual ones can be very stressful). Occasionally, for a change, I lose myself in the froth of a cappuccino.

In the 60s, my younger brother drank endless amounts of liquid Camp coffee … remember that iconic, nostalgic brand? Apart from a few subtle changes, the bottle looks the same today, as it did when it first appeared on our shelves in 1876. I am convinced my mother mixed this with the milk in his bottle. He is still totally hooked.

The first time the significance of coffee had an impact on my life was in the early 1970s. As students, we wrote our essays fuelled by cheap instant coffee and cut price biscuits. A group of us at a teachers’ training college in Hertfordshire had just heard the news. It was what we had been waiting for … WOW. Noel Edmonds was opening a new record shop nearby. Not to be missed. One of those occasions. My friend Sally, the original lateral thinker, grabbed our very large tin of instant coffee from the common room. She led us briskly down the street … we followed with more anticipation than the excitement of a first date.

All four girls squeezed into the smallest of spaces to see Noel. In our flared jeans, tie-dyed t- shirts and hippy beads, we bopped to Elton John’s ‘Crocodile Rock’, one of the chart sounds of 1973. The wonderful Noel Edmonds scribbled a good luck message on the side of the tin.

“Keep up the good work! Hope you become great teachers love Noel x”

So off we went, Sally still in control, newly motivated and inspired. And … of course a cup of cheap instant coffee suddenly became liquid heaven.

NEW YORK! NEW YORK! Don’t you just love that vibrant city. The energetic people; noisy yellow taxis; sparkling Times Square and the coffee…

I joined the queue of busy office workers, circling round the side of a lively, New York deli at eight o’clock in the morning.

“Next.”

“Coffee please.” Boy was I thirsty. “Just a cup of coffee”.

The waitress yelled in her New York drawl. “Just a cup of coffee?” Her desperate eyes gazed out for sympathy. “What kind of coffee?”

There was a collective gasp, a bit of a shudder. The line of workers collapsed like a pack of cards behind me. Panic set in. Sweat ran down my cheek bones. I hurriedly chose a coffee from her recited list. Off I slunk, suitably chastised, clutching my take-a-way frappuccino. Welcome to the ‘Big Apple’ Wendy.

In pursuit of my favourite beverage, I slowly saunter down Broad Street in Lyme Regis, to the Bell Cliff cafe on the right. The enchanting sea, sometimes still but often stormy, peeps out as you reach the bottom between the old buildings.

On a warm day, it is relaxing to sit outside by the old canon and black railings, overlooking Lyme Bay and the magnificent Jurassic Coast. Sometimes, I perch upon the cosy seat by the window inside. Tucked away, it is easy to find inspiration.

The owner of the cafe is the very friendly and delightful Paul Ranson, who took over fifteen years ago. Originally, this building was two fishermen’s cottages and was constructed from beams reclaimed from ships built in the seventeenth century.

The delicious coffee which I am addicted to is called Narobi American Filter. Paul feels that the type of water in an area can affect the taste. The soft water of Lyme Regis compliments the brand they use perfectly. As a customer I could not agree more.

Naomi, the manageress on the right, and Jayne the waitress are both very friendly and welcoming, especially when they are serving cake! Jayne told me an irresistible fact that seven years ago she married Chris, the man who delivered the coffee. A charming story.

As I enjoy my second cup, surrounded by yellow spring flowers in the window, the days of cheap instant coffee, flares, tie-dyed t- shirts and shaking hands with Noel Edmunds seem very far away.

Elle Macpherson Wears Tim Ryan

Posted on February 6, 2015 by Frostie

Who: Elle Macpherson
What: Tim Ryan Black Fringed Jacket
Where: Arriving to the ABC studios for Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Hollywood
When: 29th January, 2015

Elle Macpherson looked her usual stunning self arriving at ABC Studios for Jimmy Kimmel Live! Can we have her wardrobe please? And her figure. Sigh.