Events May 2007
The latest events from bmi destinations including Copenhagen, London and Alicante
Museums
IT’S MUSEUM AND Galleries Month across the UK, 1-31 May (www.mgm.org.uk), so there’s no excuse not to get out and discover your heritage. Everything kicks off with the Welcome Weekend, 4-7 May, with hundreds of events around the country, including special family days at The Lowry, Salford Quays in Greater Manchester (www.thelowry.com) and Nottingham Museums and Galleries (www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk). For those who fancy seeing the sights at night, many galleries will keep their doors open on International Museum Day ,19 May. The Horniman Museum (www.horniman.ac.uk), London, will hold children-focused events. Check out its new aquarium and extraordinary collection of musical instruments. If that’s not enough, on 24 May the Gulbenkian Prize (www..thegulbenkianprize.org.uk) will be announced. These are the Oscars of the museum world and will honour the best exhibit or show this year.
Also in the diary…
EXPECT A CULTURE shock at the Celtic Festival as it takes place on the paradise island of Barbados (www.barbados.org), 18 -31 May. Fancy a taste of the Orient, but don’t want to travel all that way? Copenhagen is celebrating contemporary Chinese art with the Made In China exhibition at The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art (www.louisiana.dk).
HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO BE… A CHEF?
WHY?
You want to be a Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsay, or you would like to progress from just making omelettes.
WHERE?
There are classes all over the country, including courses with leading chefs, such as Jean Christophe Novelli (www.jeanchri.stophenovelli.com) and Rick Stein (www.rickstein.com). For those looking for a career in the kitchen try Leiths School (www..leiths.com) in London.
COSTS?
Prices range from £165 for a day to £14,955 for a food and wine diploma.
VERDICT
Meal times will be a hotbed of creativity and your dinner parties will be the talk of the town.
Liverpool Legends
THE SUBTERRANEAN MUSIC venue that launched some of the best names in the business is 50 years old this year. The Cavern Club (www.cavern-liverpool.co.uk) in Liverpool, which is 45 minutes from Manchester, started out as a jazz club in 1957, but it never missed a beat and evolved with the times. By the 1960s it had become one of the world’s best rock clbs, and its reputation was sealed when a young group of men appeared on stage on 21 March 1961. They went on to play around 300 performances at the club during the next two years, and gain legendary status as The Beatles. The club is still renowned for being a premier music venue, and will be celebrating its anniversary with various events during the year.
Words: Emma Juhasz; Photography: Getty
Literary Ladies
THE NEXT TIME you settle down to have a good read, take a look at the 20th-century classics and you’ll notice that many of them were written by women. Society changed dramatically in the last century, as women took on new roles. They started to work, were better educated and so became more independent and wealthy. An exhibition at London’s National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk) until 17 June, explores the extraordinary literary legacy of women through captivating images by artists such as Man Ray, Cecil Beaton and Elliott & Fry – who took this image of the thriller writer Pamela Frankau.
ONE DISH WONDERS
DINING DESTINATIONS FOR THE INDECISIVE
GOING OUT FOR a meal used to mean spending ages on the menu, wrangling over what to choose. But ordering will now become a speedy affair thanks to the new demand for speciality restaurants, where eateries focus on just one dish – or even one ingredient. If that sounds too restrictive, then you have only to visit the following London restaurants to see why they’re gathering a cult following. The proof of the pudding, after all, is in the eating.
FOR RISOTTO
The first restaurant to be dedicated purely to risottos opened in trendy Fitzrovia late last year. There are daily specials and seasonal additions to the regular menu, which includes meat, fish and vegetarian options (£7.25-£9.50). The butternut squash and hazelnut risotto is so tasty it will please even carnivores. Ask for extra parmesan if you want a creamier dish. The puddings are also popular, judging by how quickly the seasonal crumble runs out.
Ooze, 62 Goodge Street, London W1; +44 (0)20 7436 9444; www.ooze.biz
FOR MOZZARELLA
London’s first mozzarella restaurant is located within Selfridges department store. Situated in the women’s designer dressing area (Burberry and Chloé are a bruschetta’s throw away), it attracts a mixture of ladies who lunch and the fashion brigade. Gourmets, however, will most appreciate the excellent quality of the mozzarella, made from buffalo milk, which comes from Paestum and the Piana del Volturno region near Naples. There’s also a denser-flavoured smoked mozzarella and a creamier one which is almost spreadable, both flown in daily from Italy. Another branch is due to open in Edinburgh this summer.
Obikà, Second Floor, Selfridges, 400 Oxford Street, London W1; +44 (0)20 7318 3620; www.obika.co.uk
FOR HUMMUS
A staple at drinks parties, picnics, office lunches and student kitchens, hummus has always been given side-dish status. But not any more. Hummus Brothers – the eatery as well as the two co-founders behind it – gave the tasty chickpea dish the full star billing when they launched in Soho’s Wardour Street, followed by a Holborn branch. The fresh, made-on-the-premises hummus contains absolutely no preservatives, so even if you buy a take-away tub, you are advised to eat it within 24 hours. The hummus is served with a topping of your choice and accompanied by fresh, warm pitta bread (£4-£5). Although it sounds an unusual concept, the dish comes into its own when teamed with toppings such as tomato chicken, mushrooms with caramelised onions and fava beans. Try the fresh mint and ginger lemonade or hot spiced apple juice infused with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Hummus Brothers, Victoria House, 37-63 Southampton Row, London WC1;
(0)20 7404 7079; www.hbros.co.uk
