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By Janie Bryant
The Virginian-Pilot
© May 8, 2012

PORTSMOUTH

A judge gave efforts to save the old Afton Theatre in Cradock another eight months after hearing an update on the venture Monday.

Assistant City Attorney Burle U. Stromberg told the judge that while there had been significant progress in the cleanup of the 1930s-era movie theater, the fundraising campaign for a new roof has been slow.

Stromberg said he would try to help supporters of the Afton find tax credits to help with the renovation.

David Beachler, owner of the empty building, with the help of Fred Schoenfeld, owner of downtown’s popular 1940s-era Commodore Theatre, has set up a nonprofit to raise money for the Afton.

They have been coming before the judge periodically since February 2011 after the city took codes violations to court.

For now, the city is trying to work with the owner.

To many former and current residents of Cradock, the theater is a symbol of community life when the World War I neighborhood was thriving.

During Monday’s hearing, Circuit Judge James C. Hawks asked about an asbestos report that was needed before moving ahead.

Stromberg estimated the report would cost $1,000 to $1,500. Portsmouth Sheriff Bill Watson, who was in the courtroom, walked up to the city attorney to offer a donation from his office’s community service fund to pay for the asbestos report.

Janie Bryant, 757-446-2453, janie.bryant@pilotonline.com

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The FMNC girls went down fighting in the end 2-1.

GOLF

Port Macquarie Veterans Golf Club

WELL what can I say about our golf course with all the rain we have had the green staff have left us with a great course today.

The greens had a light dusting of sand but still putted well. We again had a great field of 147 starters with visitors from

Claremont Golf Club and Windsor Golf Club. The best scores of the day were in B and C2 Grades .

A grade winner: Stuart Rayner (7) 39 points.

Runner-up: Kerry Roberts (12) 39 points

B grade winner: Ken Wilson (18) 43 points

Runner-up: James Gordon (14) 40 points

C1 winner: Allan Newcombe (24) 40 points

Runner-up: Anthony McKern (23) 39 points

C2 winner: Bede Tebbutt (27) 43 points

Runner-up: Arthur Ryan (35) 38 points

Nearest the pins: 5th Barry Catterall (6) 101cm, 7th Greg Christie (12) 34cm, 13th Terry Walch (13) 242cm, 16th Jeff Davis (18) 394cm

Ball rundown: 35 points.

Wauchope Men’s Vets Golf Club

A FINE day for a change saw a field of 136 starters contest Wauchope Men’s Veterans Golf Club’s single stableford event last Tuesday.

Sponsor of this event was Brian Hutchison’s Hasting Funeral Services.

The A grade winner, was Ken Gallie with 42 points. Runner-up was Warren Andrews with 40 points and Brian Hughes with 38 points third.

In B grade, the winner was Ian Johnson with 39 points. Runner-up was Allan Cleaver with 38 points and Craig Jennings with 37 points on a count back in third place.

In C grade, the winner was Bruce White with 36 points. Runner-up was Michael Luschwitz with 34 points and John O’Callaghan in third place with 32 point on a countback.

Balls were awarded to competitors with scores down to 33 points on a countback in A grade, 32 points in B grade and 28 points in C grade.

Nearest to the pin winners were: 4th hole, A Grade, John Hill , (2.9m), B Grade, Barry Watson, (1.71m), C Grade, Terry Seach, (2.5m).

18th hole, A Grade, Bob Baker, (2.91m), B Grade, Jeff Tinsley, (4.8m). C grade, Jack Willoughby (14.7m).

A seaside community will be pulling together on May 12-13 for the inaugural Tynemouth Food Festival. KATHARINE CAPOCCI has the details.

THE first-ever Tynemouth Food Festival takes place across the village in mid-May in celebration of the great wealth of top quality local food and drink the North East is fast becoming famous for.

With North Shields Fish Quay just a lobster pot’s throw away, a plethora of quality restaurants and cafes in the area and a thriving monthly farmers’ market, there is a diverse offering on the menu.

Residents and businesses alike across Tynemouth have joined forces to make sure the inaugural food festival delivers a truly gastronomic taste of the North.

And the majority of the mouth-watering events taking place are free to attend.

The gourmet extravaganza on May 12-13 will see food and drink stalls aplenty, two days of North East chef demos, a beer festival, school cooking competitions, a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and a host of other activities.

Centred round the small village green known locally as Queen Victoria Park opposite King’s School, the festival is the brainchild of the Tynemouth Business Forum supported by among others The Co-operative Membership, North Tyneside Council, fish and chip shop suppliers Henry Colbeck and village businesses Fezziwigs, Priory Art and Brannen Partners.

Chair of both the forum and the food festival organising committee, Sally Craigen, who runs Tynemouth’s Martineau Guest House, has been bowled over by the number of businesses, local schools and residents who have come on board to not just support the event itself but local producers too.

“There is a smorgasbord of treats in store and we hope the public will accept our invitation to come into our village to enjoy the mix of sights, sounds, aromas and tastes that will be conjured up by so many fine foods, drinks and culinary skills gathered in one place.”

It is expected to attract thousands of extra visitors to the village with hundreds more taking part in fringe events.

Festival-goers’ appetites for the main showcase will be whetted between May 9-11 as former North East Chef of the Year and Journal columnist David Kennedy opens his first ever pop-up restaurant at King’s School.

The chef behind the acclaimed Food Social at Newcastle’s Biscuit Factory commercial art gallery and David Kennedy’s River Café on North Shields Fish Quay will be taking over King’s Café K canteen in the Oswin Building.

David K @ Café K will see the Food Social team serving up its own take on Northumbrian tapas on May 9, a three-course spring menu on May 10, closing on May 11 with a five-course taster experience.

David will then move on to take one of the demonstration kitchen slots on the Saturday as he joins other well-known North East chefs to rustle up a selection of locally sourced seasonal dishes over the two days of the main festival.

Among the other top culinary names taking part are Graeme Cuthell of Irvin’s Brasserie on the Fish Quay, Simon Walsh of No 19 at Close House Hotel at Heddon-on-the-Wall, Rhian Cradock of the multi-award-winning Feathers Inn at Hedley-on-the-Hill, Troy Terrington of Blackfriars in Newcastle, former MasterChef: The Professionals finalist John Calton of the Harbour Lights in South Shields and Adam Hegarty of Six Restaurant at the Baltic in Gateshead.

May 10 will see the opening of a week-long beer festival at Tynemouth’s historic Cumberland Arms with around 50 different regional and award-winning beers on tap – many never before seen in the North East. But it is the food producers themselves who will be the real stars of the festival. Around 40 will be setting out their stalls in Queen Victoria Park.

Epicureans will be able to stock up on succulent Northumbrian meats and cheeses, delicious artisan breads, top quality fresh fruit and vegetables, delectable chocolates and cakes and tempting brews.

But the fast-paced chefs’ demos, pop-up restaurant, artisan stalls and beer festival are just four of the tantalisingly tasty food and drink events that will be taking place across Tynemouth.

The Dodgy Clutch Theatre Company is inviting children to join the Queen of Hearts and the White Rabbit for a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party; there will be real ale and food matching sessions at the Priory Pub while the Deli Around the Corner will be putting on wine and cheese tastings.

Gareth James Chocolatier will also hold a mass chocolate sampling session.

Local schoolchildren’s winning entries from a tie-in cake decorating competition will be displayed in shop windows throughout the village for the duration of the festival.

Meanwhile, the winning team from a Junior MasterChef-style contest for secondary school pupils in the area organised by Tynemouth’s Grand Hotel will get the chance to recreate their dish alongside one of the celebrity chefs on the demo kitchen on the Saturday.

Tynemouth Food Festival is free to attend and will take place May 12-13 between 9am and 4pm at locations across the village. Visit www.tyne mouthfoodfestival.co.uk and www.facebook.com/tynemouthfood festival

CHEF DEMOS

Pull up a seat as a plethora of top North East chefs tantalise Tynemouth Food Festival-goers’ taste buds May 12-13.

Saturday, May 12

10am: Graeme Cuthell, Irvin’s Brasserie, North Shields Fish Quay

11am: Simon Walsh, No 19, Close House Hotel, Heddon-on-the-Wall, Northumberland

12pm: Mary Wilkins, New Exchange Brasserie and Bar, North Shields

1pm: David Kennedy, David Kennedy’s Food Social @ The Biscuit Factory, Newcastle

2pm: Gareth Mellor, Gareth James Chocolatier, Tynemouth

3pm: Grand Hotel Junior MasterChef winning team

Sunday, May 13

10am: John Wiegmann, David Kennedy’s River Café, North Shields Fish Quay

11am: Troy Terrington, Blackfriars, Newcastle

12pm: Ann Cudworth, Doughworks, North Shields

1pm: John Calton, Harbour Lights, South Shields

2pm: Adam Hegarty, Six Restaurant, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead Quays

3pm: Rhian Cradock, Feathers Inn, Hedley-on-the-Hill, Northumberland

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Stockton, CA

Helen Taylor Prowse

June 15, 1921 – April 29, 2012

Helen Taylor Prowse passed away with her loving family by her side on April 29, 2012 at the age of 90. Helen was born on June 15, 1921 to Harold and Ruby Taylor in Cradock Portsmouth, Virginia. Helen served as a receptionist for the USO during WWII. Later she earned her BS in education and became and elementary school teacher. Helen loved to read and do word searches and crossword puzzles. She also had a passion for cooking and spending time with her family. Helen was a charter member of the Lincoln Presbyterian Church in Stockton, a past President for the John Adams PTA, a past President of the Assistance League of Stockton and Past Matron of the Milton Chapter of Eastern Stars.

Helen is survived by her loving husband, of 67 years, John A.”Jack” Prowse, her daughter, Lynne Burruel (Paul), granddaughter, Amy Sharpnack (Brian), grandson Jason Matthew Burruel and her great-granddaughter Brooke Marie Sharpnack. She is also survived by her brother-in-law Dr. James Calloway and her 4 nephews. Helen is preceded in death by her parents, her daughter,

Marjorie Taylor Prowse, her son, Jay Prowse, her sister Marjorie Calloway and her brother

Dr. Harold Taylor.

Helen will forever be missed by her family and friends. Memorial Contributions may be made to the Untied Cerebral Palsy Association, 333 W. Benjamin Holt Dr. #1, Stockton, CA 95207 or the American Cancer Society, 207 E. Alpine Ave, Stockton, CA 95204.

Family and friends are invited to gather at the graveside at 1 p.m., Saturday, May 12, 2012 at Cherokee Memorial Park, Hwy 99 Harney Ln., Lodi. Cherokee Memorial Funeral Home is honored to serve the Prowse Family. Please sign the guest book online at www.cherokeememorial.com.

We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Rules. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or fill out this form.

Wychwood Festival, the UK’s leading family and boutique festival is proud to unveil the 28 acts confirmed for the annual ‘BBC Introducing…in Gloucestershire’ stage. For the first time the public were given the opportunity to help curate the line-up for the annual stage via an bespoke app on the festival’s dedicated Facebook profile. Fans of the 70 submitted bands plus fans of the festival could vote on their favourite acts from across the seven BBC radio regions and having been combined with the votes of the judging panel has been counted and verified to create three days of the finest programme of emerging talent seen on the festival circuit. The festival is also thrilled to announce comedy genius Robin Ince and his Robin Ince Science show plus music from dazzling acoustic roots duo Show Of Hands, You Tube sensation Danny Shah, Tallulah Rendall, Gemma Hayes and much more. Taking place 8th-10th June on Cheltenham Racecourse, tickets for Wychwood Festival are on sale via the website.

BBC Introducing presenters from BBC Radio Gloucestershire and the six surrounding regions, including BBC Radio Hereford Worcester, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Radio Oxford, BBC Radio Wiltshire and BBC Radio Coventry Warwickshire each submitted 10 emerging acts that are currently being championed on their stations. These 70 bands were uploaded into a bespoke Facebook application to be judged by the public, BBC 6Music’s Tom Robinson, Wychwood Festival Director Graeme Merifield and The Independent’s Music Editor Elisa Bray and today Wychwood can announce the 28 outstanding acts that will make up the BBC Introducing…in Gloucestershire line-up:

BBC INTRODUCING IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE AT WYCHWOOD FESTIVAL:
BBC Gloucestershire
GEORGE MONTAGUE | HARBOUR | PINK CRUDGE CARAVAN | THE FLEX

BBC Hereford Worcestershire
A POETIC YESTERDAY | THE BLACK ACID BAND TBC | I AM RYAN | TBC

BBC Coventry Warwickshire
SATSANGI | SIXTYFOURS | STYLUSBOY | THE MOONSHINES

BBC Bristol
DUPPY BEATZ TBC | KATEY BROOKS | PHANTOM LIMB | ROZI PLAIN

BBC Wales
SHY THE FIGHT | JOSHUA CAOLE | HEAVY PETTING ZOO | ERIC UNSEEN TBC

BBC Oxford
GUNNING FOR TAMAR | HALF DECENT | SECRET RIVALS | WILD SWIM

BBC Wiltshire
CRASH THE BANDICOOTS | SUPER SQUARECLOUD | THEO ALTIERI | DAINE MYLES TBC

Wychwood Festival is also delighted to announce that award-winning comedian Robin Ince will be leading a session of light-hearted scientific antics combining music, experiemnts and hot sums to create a unique and exciting set of science and comedy. In line with people’s increasing interest in the world of science, Robin Ince Science is a collaboration between Steve Mould, Helen Arney and Matt Parker, all of whom are members of the Festival Of The Spoken Nerd, a hugely successful new group of scientists who’s credits include everything from Blue Peter to the Infinite Monkey Cage. Also taking to the stage will be Bruce Hood hot off the back of presenting the 2011 Royal Institute Christmas Lectures and his second book The Self Illusion. Space enthusiast and star of BBC Radio 4 series It is Rocket Science, Helen Keen will be combining experiments, bangs, whizzes and film. Also appearing will be Gavin Osborn, who writes and performs the songs for Dan Kitson’s shows.

New additions to arguably the best world and folk music line-up on the festival map already featuring the likes of Bellowhead, Francois The Atlas Mountians, Dodgy, James, The Damned, Duke Special, The Cuban Brothers and much more includes the legendary Show Of Hands who are widely regarded as the finest accoustic roots duo in England and were awarded the prestigious double accolade of Best Duo and Best Original Song at the 2010 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Joining Show of Hands on the Sunday line-up will be Simon Friend’s Seismic Survey. The Seismic Survey is a collaboration between Simon Friend (Levellers), Mick Doyle (No Right Turn, Neverland, Bloodsimple), Paul Miro (Apes, Pigs Spacemen) and Andy Cooper (No Right Turn), bringing to Wychwood collection of their individual material.

Friday night’s offering is bolstered by singer-songwriter and BBC Introducing favourite Jenny Hallam bringing her piano-pop style, mixing folk and indie with soulful vocals. Mila Falls returns to Wychwood fresh from a run of shows supporting Ringo Starr and boasts collaborations with the likes of Tim Baxter (Britney Spears), Charlie Holmes (The Saturdays) and with Jono Buchanan (remixes for Whitney Houston, Shania Twain).

Saturday’s programme further develops with incredible live performances from Celtish, renowned for their passionate, lively and emotive performances; 21 year old Scottish internet sensation Danny Shah, who’s famed for creating his hugely clever pop video for his song We Are Connected, featuring Rihanna, Katy Perry Justin Bieber that saw support from the likes of Chris Moyles, Lauren Laverne and Andi Peters; The Jar Family who will be performing a vast array of indie-folk songs and recently toured with Alabama 3, opened for Ocean Colour Scenes’ Steve Cradock and are set to play alongside Babyshambles duo Mik Whitnall Drew McConnell and The Charlatans. Plus festival revellers will dance the day away to Keston Cobblers Club, acoustic folk duo The Dual and opening the day’s music will be Tallulah Rendall who is known for her theatrical, beautiful and mesmerizing performances.

Famed for delivering a truly family-focused festival experience, Wychwood leads the way with innovative programming designed to delight children as well as wonderful music from around the world to entertain the adults. Since launching in 2005, Wychwood has become one of the UK’s most successful independent arts events of the summer season and been nominated in the ‘Best Family Festival’ category at the UK Festival Awards every single year. Taking place at Cheltenham Racecourse from 8th-10th June and set against the picturesque backdrop of the Prestbury Hills, Gloucestershire, Wychwood Festival is charming in both setting and content and one not to be missed. Tickets are now on sale and available from the official festival website.

Galway Bay Golf Club: Men’s stableford, Richard Noonan (14) 40; Joe Donoghue (15) 36; Ross Malone (15) 34.

Oughterard Golf Club: Ladies, Bernadette Heffernan (27) 33; Kay Lydon (32) 33; Gross, Mary Molloy (13) 14; Margaret O’Neill (21) 33; Cat 1, Rita Jordan (17) 30; Martina Duggan (20) 29; Cat 2, Ita Walsh (23) 32; Betty Clancy (22) 31; Cat 3, Sheila Griffin (32) 32; Maree Lundon (29) 31.

Athenry Golf Club: Men’s single stroke, Daragh Conlon (10) 66; Paul Molloy (15) 68; Gross Martin Hynes (4) 78; Daragh Horan (12) 69; Gabriel Lally (11) 70; Ronan Hoarty (16) 70. Ladies’ single stableford, Veronica Cronin (27) 32; Maura Caulfield (24) 30.

Bearna Golf Club: Tommy Flynn (10) 38; Declan Joyce (15) 35; Joe Treacy (16) 34; Cat 1 Kieran Bowden (6) 34; Cat 2 Pat Sheehan (12) 32; Cat 3 Michael Cuddy (22) 32. Ladies. Niamh Liddy Collins (28) 30; Ailish McDermott (24) 29; Caroline Lavelle (22) 28.

Portumna Golf Club: Men’s 18 hole singles stableford, Philip Madden (23) 42; JP McLoughlin (1) 37; Gross John Cleary (50 29; John Lyons (19) 36; Seniors, John Kennedy (15) 36. Ladies’ 18 hole stroke, Mary Conwell (27) 74; Kathleen Lynch (16) 76; Mary Jo Kelly (28) 77; Hole in one, Audrey McGrath 18th.

•The club’s junior foursome team won their first round in Gort against Galway Bay. Team was Kathleen Lynch, Bridget Broderick; Anette Cahalan, Dagmer U Werner; Mary McElroy, and Roisin O’Byrne. Birgit Degenhardt (manager).

Gort Golf Club: 18 hole fourball, Ritchie Glynn (17) Brendan Gantly (12) 42; Niall Finnegan (9) John Moylan (15) 41; Colman Cooney (3) Gerry Cooney (18) 41. Open 18 hole singles stableford, Andreas Edler (16) 44; James Fahy (19) 42; Gross Enda Cradock (1) 35. 18 hole singles stableford, Anthony Curran (13) 40; Niall Finnegan (9) 39; Gross Enda Cradock (1) 34; Pat Boyle (13) 39; Liam Martyn(13) 38. Ladies’ Bob Forde Trophy 18 hole singles stableford, Maureen Brennan (20) 39; Patricia Skehill (26) 36; Gross Siobahn O’Connor (10) 24; Gabrielle Warnock (22) 36; LGU Coronation Foursomes, Helen McCormick Ruth Naughton 41.

Fixtures:Bank Holiday Weekend, Saturday Sunday, Men’s Open 18 hole singles; Monday, Open 18 hole singles stableford. Ladies, Sunday May 8, Australian Spoons, 18 Hole Foursomes; Monday, Open 18 hole singles stableford.

Cregmore Golf Club: April Medals, Bernard Griffin (16) 66; Jack Keaveny (13) 69; Gross Mark King (-1) 76; Dave Burke (18) 71. Open, Sean Molloy 40; Padraic Boyle 36.

Fixtures: Open competition this weekend – Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

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A teenage boy remains in a critical condition with burns to 70%
of his body following a house fire in Rotorua last night.

Firefighters said the house on Meadowbank Corner in Fordlands
was completely gutted when they arrived just after midnight, and on
the verge of collapsing.

A man and his six-month old baby escaped the inferno but a
14-year old boy struggled to get out.

He was eventually rescued by firemen as the house collapsed
around them.

The duty manager at Middlemore Hospital said today that the
teenager is stable but critically ill in the hospital’s intensive
care unit.

The boy suffered severe burns to his head, face, arms, chest and
back as well as lacerations to his arms and back from jumping out
the house window to escape the fire.

He was flown to Waikato Hospital around 1am yesterday before
being transferred to Middlemore Hospital.

The family dog died in the blaze and neighbours buried it behind
the remains of the house.

While the fire is not being treated as suspicious, Fire Safety
says the serious injuries could have been avoided with a simple
battery in the smoke alarm.

“I understand there was a smoke alarm in the home but it was not
working. We really want to reinforce ‘you need a working smoke
alarm and escape plan in your home’,” Fire Safety officer Stuart
Cradock said.

Neighbours say the family, who were renting the house, have lost
everything and need the help of the community.

“If anyone can help them out, because they lost everything in
the fire and they’ve got nothing left, it would be much
appreciated,” said Jayden Wharepapa.

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Members of Gillingham and Shaftesbury Young Farmers’ Club (YFC) have been named winners of a competition to promote voluntary environmental schemes on-farm.

The Campaign for the Farmed Environment (CFE) competition, launched by Farming Minister Jim Paice in December, challenged YFC members to propose how a farm business could support the CFE.

Judges selected the winning team of Dorset-based Carl Hoskins, Julie Ridout, Matthew Cradock and Jennifer Diment all students at Kingston Maurward College – their assessment of existing habitats on Lynch Farm, in Bridport, and proposals to enhance the farmed environment while boosting the commercial business. The team’s proposal included both Entry Level Stewardship and voluntary options to support the CFE across its three themes; farm wildlife, farmland birds and resource protection.

NFYFC chairman James Williams said: “I have no doubt that the top 3 entries were outstanding in their field and are a credit to the clubs and colleges that they represent. The farmed environment is such an important part of so many farm businesses, it is reassuring to see that we have the knowledgeable talent coming through.”

In second place was the team of Andrew Stevens, David Ratcliffe and Stuart Gardener from Painswick YFC, Gloucestershire. The team submitted an outstanding report demonstrating an excellent understanding of the CFE and how their chosen farm can support the campaign through voluntary measures alone.

Milly Wastie and Andrew Fyfe from Grendan YFC, Northampton, came third and were praised for their suite of voluntary measures.

The top placed teams received prizes from Agrii Consultancy Services, Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and Practical Farm Ideas.

Agrii Environment consultant Laura Francis, one of three judges, said: “I was really impressed with the high standard of all the entries. The winning team stood out for clearly demonstrating a sound knowledge and understanding of the CFE and how their chosen farm could support the campaign.”

The farms chosen as part of the teams’ projects will also receive a bag of wild bird seed mix donated by Kings Game Cover and Conservation Crops.

(Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com)

The new East Boston Neighborhood Community Health Center under construction in Maverick Square.

By Jeremy C. Fox, Town Correspondent

Partners HealthCare announced this week that it had committed $2.2 million to supporting the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, including the East Boston Neighborhood Community Health Center.

The funds will support an array of workforce development programs to meet the needs of community health centers as their role in the overall health care field continues to grow and change.

“Community health centers are among the Commonwealth’s most valuable health care assets,” said Dr. Gary L. Gottlieb, president and CEO of Partners HealthCare, in a statement released by the system.

“For decades, community health centers have pioneered and developed models of care that deliver high quality and cost effectiveness. We must continue to support their ongoing mission to deliver the best value possible to patients and their families.”

Around $1 million will go to Lean Performance Improvement training, a program that provides tools to identify problems and deliver more effective care. Through this program, the East Boston Neighborhood Community Health Center has worked to standardize work flow for medical assistants so they can work more efficiently and spend more time with patients and less on other tasks.

After a four-month program focused on well-child visits to the center, its staff found ways to allow doctors to spend 27 percent more time with patients and improve the experience for patients, families, and medical staff.

“With support from Partners HealthCare and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, this initiative has helped East Boston better address the top priorities of community health centers: improving patient care and attracting and retaining the highest quality clinical personnel,” said Jack Cradock, the health center’s CEO, in the statement released by Partners.

The other $1.2 million will be used to establish statewide programs for training health center staff, with more than 1,200 employees at 50 health centers expected to improve their skills and career opportunities over the next three years.

Email Jeremy C. Fox at jeremycfox@gmail.com.
Follow Jeremy C. Fox on Twitter: @jeremycfox.
Follow East Boston on Twitter: @YourEastBoston.

Grey Juice Lab,  an expert in content for multiscreen and on demand streaming solutions, is strengthening its presence in Asia with a new strategic partnership with IMAGINASIA to drive OTT and VOD services within the region.

Asia hosts the largest number of digital TV subscribers across the globe and TV service providers are continually seeking new ways to drive content consumption and differentiate their offerings. Grey Juice Lab’s global content expertise and operational capabilities, combined with IMAGINASIA’s strong regional connections, business intelligence and knowledge of the local market, will enable any operator in the region to implement and offer a world-class VOD service, with highly reduced time frames and budgets.

“As more operators enter the Asian market, VOD is becoming an increasingly important way of attracting and keeping customers. Technology is not an issue here, but access to international and inter-regional content is,” Graham Cradock, CEO of IMAGINASIA, said in a press statement. “Grey Juice Lab can help local operators and groups wanting to enter the VOD space, with a solution – either transactional, subscription, ad-supported or EST – that is customised for their market, with premium content packages available on any device and distribution network.”

Grey Juice Lab, which has been providing content services to Malaysian Pay TV operator Astro since 2010, will use IMAGINASIA to support its global activity with outsourced sales, business development and strategy. With offices in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong, two of the biggest business hubs in Asia, IMAGINASIA complements Grey Juice Lab’s operational presence with instant access to local resources and contacts and is well placed to deliver Grey Juice Lab’s services to operators and content owners in the region.

This announcement comes as part of Grey Juice Lab’s global expansion plans. The company announced the opening of its Latin American service centre in Buenos Aires last month.

 

 

 

 

Les Bryant had a big day at Cootamundra, his other winner Spicy Lyric (Stewart Cole, 11.00) also a long shot.

Bryant and Ryan combined again at Grenfell to win the Class B Handicap with Armidales Pride.

With the lead from the outset, Armidales Pride (5.00) scored by a length from De Sweet Soca Song (Stewart Cole, 4.60) and Untouchable Smile (Paddy Kelly, 2.00 fav).

Earlier, trainer Kevin White had the first leg of a winning double when On My Own (Ricky Blewitt, 5.00) led all the way to win the Maiden Plate (1000 metres) from Storstrom (Stuart Brown, 5.50) and Goodfa (Alan Burton, 11.00).

Other winners were the Tony Sergi, Queenbeyan trained Alert prince (Ricky Blewitt, 2.10 fav) and Lady Noverre (Tim Phillips, 4.20) trained at Canberra by Neil Osborne.

After taking a break last year, the Grenfell Picnics attracted a big crowd on Saturday.

Coryat’s contemporaries also ignored his fork musings. His friends just mocked
him. What was wrong with a good old knife and a piece of bread for
shovelling food into one’s face? So it took a further 100 years before the
fork saw wider use.

There is, however, a far more tragic story of culinary invention: it involves
Denis Papin, a Frenchman whose personal triumph was the invention of what he
called “a new digester or engine for softening bones” and what we would call
a pressure cooker. Papin was born and educated in France but moved to
London, where he worked for the Irish chemist and physicist Robert Boyle.

While he assisted Boyle on projects relating to vacuums and steam, on his
boss’s self-named law and on a variety of tracts, including the turgid
Occasional Reflections upon Several Subjects, after hours Papin did his own
experiments. He built a vessel made of cast iron, with a lid that could be
screwed tight shut, which he placed over hot coals. Night after night he
took deliveries to the lab. There were haunches of beef, rabbits, mutton,
fruit and vegetables, all of which were subject to experiments in his
contraption.

The water, heated under intense pressure, had a higher boiling point and thus
could cook food more quickly. As he experimented, he kept detailed notes
recording both epic failures and great triumphs. “The hardest cow-beef may
be made as tender and savoury as young and choice meat,” he wrote, arguing
how useful his device could be for feeding the poor. He cooked pigeon, eel,
beans, cherries, mackerel, gooseberries and lots of beef. His machine had
uses for “cookery, voyages at sea, confectionery, making of drinks,
chemistry and dyeing”. It could also make drinks that “would not hurt the
head”.

And so he presented his hangover-curing, money-saving device to a prestigious
gathering at the Royal Society. But he mustered no interest. Five years
later he wrote with desperation that his digester was “a useful invention
grounded upon good principle… but very few people have been willing to make
use of it.” Papin faded into obscurity, ran out of money and, after his last
years were lived in poverty, his death went unrecorded. He never patented
his design, and others later became rich from copying it.

Now that a recession has made cheaper cuts of meat fashionable and sales of
pressure cookers are again on the rise, the next time a TV chef urges you to
use one to prepare some tender Moroccan-style lamb, spare a thought for the
17th-century genius who thought of the idea in the first place.

‘A History of Food in 100 Recipes’ by William Sitwell is published by
Collins (£20)

By Patrick Wilson
The Virginian-Pilot
© April 21, 2012

PORTSMOUTH

In January, an inmate assigned to the Portsmouth sheriff’s work-release center stayed out late one night and allegedly assaulted a man and woman.

Another inmate was stopped by police while driving alone and unattended by his employer.

In March, a third inmate staying at the work center wandered off from a city garbage crew.

The program is designed to help inmates learn job skills and teach them responsibility. Instead, the incidents have prompted the Portsmouth commonwealth’s attorney to question whether the public’s safety is being compromised.

Work-release programs are run at the discretion of local sheriffs and jail administrators, with no city or state oversight. However, the state Department of Corrections, or DOC, can screen and recommend inmates for the programs if a sheriff agrees.

A Virginian-Pilot review of six jails in the region that offer the program showed that aside from Portsmouth, no jail has reported an inmate walking away in the past 18 months. However, it does happen. For example, in Newport News, two walked away in 2010 and one in 2008.

While procedures vary from city to city, some use security procedures that Portsmouth does not, including requiring inmates to wear GPS tracking devices or having deputies transport them to and from work.

The level of supervision and the screening varies. Jails reported anywhere from three to 13 inmates working unsupervised in recent months in jobs on construction sites or as dishwashers and cooks in restaurants. The money they earn is used to pay fines and child support.

Sheriffs and jail administrators, including those in Portsmouth, said they do spot checks on job sites. Several said they do at least one check per week on each inmate. The Newport News Sheriff’s Office even makes inmates wear an electronic monitoring bracelet equipped with GPS so the Sheriff’s Office can see if they break their routine while outside of jail.

Inmates on work release in the Norfolk jail must be transported to jobs by deputies and pay the cost of the transportation. However, jails in Portsmouth and Chesapeake allow employers to pick up the inmates. Some inmates at Western Tidewater are transported by employers, and some by jail staff.

The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office gets a court order from a judge for all inmates placed in work release, even though it’s not a requirement, according to Sheriff Bob McCabe and a supervisor.

An inmate can be placed on work release a variety of ways:

• The Virginia Department of Corrections can ask a local jail to accept state prisoners for work release. The department contracts with jails, including Chesapeake, Hampton, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Western Tidewater Regional in Suffolk. Among many requirements, inmates must be nonviolent, within 14 months of release and have spent six months in a DOC work center.

• A judge can issue an order approving an inmate for work release.

• A sheriff can place an inmate in work release, with or without a court order or a request from the Department of Corrections.

Inmates and employers sign contracts agreeing to rules designed to keep the inmates working and out of trouble. After costs are paid, inmates can have money left over that they get to keep upon their release.

In an interview, Spencer, a Norfolk inmate who requested that his last name and employer not be printed, said that he works five days a week as a dishwasher and prep cook at a restaurant. He first worked for about nine months in the kitchen at James River Correctional Center; the state recommended him for work release at the Norfolk jail.

He’s been told he can keep his job when his sentence on fraud charges ends in July.

“I’d rather keep the job when I get out, because it’s hard to find a job these days because the economy is so bad,” he said.

Although Portsmouth Sheriff Bill Watson has said he follows Virginia Department of Corrections guidelines, the department called the Sheriff’s Office to remind it that the state had nothing to do with two of the inmates who walked away, and had not recommended either for work release – that was a Sheriff’s Office decision.

The status of Edward Lewis, the inmate stopped by police in January while driving unsupervised, differed in one significant way from DOC guidelines: He was just beginning a four-year term for drug dealing, not within the state-stipulated 14 months of the end of his term. He was not sent to a penitentiary because the Portsmouth Sheriff’s Office requested to keep him, said Larry Traylor, a spokesman for the DOC.

Lt. Lee Cherry, a spokesman for the sheriff, said the office likely made that request for Lewis and the inmate accused of the assault in January so those inmates could stay for work.

Cherry said the Sheriff’s Office has severed ties with Lewis’ employer, whom he wouldn’t name.

Watson has said he likes work release because it has a good track record over 35 years and helps pay for the inmate work crews that perform such tasks as yard work on city property. Those work crews are not part of the work-release program,and those inmates are continuously supervised by deputies.

No Portsmouth inmates in work release wanted to be interviewed, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office also has given differing accounts about the inmate who attacked two people on Jan. 9. Anthony Ruffin was an inmate assigned to the work-release center when he was charged with attacking a man and woman while he was intoxicated at a house, biting the woman’s finger.

The Sheriff’s Office initially said Ruffin was on work release and went missing from a job site, where it was normal for him to work long hours. Watson later said, however, that Ruffin was supposed to be taking classes and that he didn’t know Ruffin was working.

Following the March walkaway, the Sheriff’s Office changed the location at the work center where returning inmates on garbage trucks are dropped off, moving it about 100 yards closer to the building. Inmates had been walking to and from without supervision.

Other than that, Cherry said, no changes are planned. And the inmate on the garbage truck – while assigned to the work center – technically was not on work release because he was supervised by a city employee; he was considered part of an alternate work crew.

Portsmouth Mayor Kenny Wright said he thinks work release is a good program but that a judge should approve prospective inmates and deputies should transport inmates to and from jobs.

Cherry said he has reviewed the work-release program to remind inmates of the rules and agreements they signed. He said he also surveyed employers, who were overwhelmingly positive about the program.

“Every one of these employers are just absolutely tickled to death,” he said.

“I went over with the work-release inmates themselves about, ‘Hey, this is your program. Don’t mess it up,’ ” he said.

Patrick Wilson, 757-222-3893, patrick.wilson@pilotonline.com

<!–

–>

As I write, a new series is about to begin on BBC2 that is going to attempt to rehabilitate the 70s. For younger readers, this was a real era, not just something invented as a backdrop to That 70s Show. I mention this only because of my deep mistrust of you all ever since I saw Lynda Carter described, in the onscreen blurb for another programme, as “Lynda Carter (Smallville)”, when she is, in fact, “Lynda Carter (three socioculturally vital years as Wonder Woman)”. Thank you.

Anyway, there is no rehabilitating the 70s. Anyone who lived through it as an adult remembers it as the decade when Britain’s patented brand of game incompetence finally lost its lustre. For them, it was all three-day weeks, inflation, deflation and then the very special gift of stagflation, IRA bombings (I always feel guilty that, as a child, I thought – because my auntie’s pub was so horrible that nothing short of a total rebuild could help it – these were a good thing; until my uncle explained that they were bombed when the people were still inside them) and prime ministers telling colleagues that if they were young men, they would emigrate.

For those who lived through it as children, the decade itself wasn’t so bad – we were born into a world of sunny summers, Ice Pops, Curly Wurlies and parents who weren’t convulsed with worry about skin cancer, additives and Type 2 diabetes, so all this bounty could be enjoyed to the full. There was generally a paddling pool in the garden, a Mr Whippy in the park and a real Star Wars in the offing. Oh, and Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman) on the telly.

We also had the Space Hopper, but we will gloss quickly over that, because though it is technically illegal not to mention it in any piece on the 70s, it was also the most disappointing toy ever invented. The gulf between the theoretical possibilities (hopping to space!) and the practice (immediately-bruised Fanny Cradock. Explaining to supervising adults that you’d bruised your Fanny Cradock*) quickly filled with the fragments of a million shattered hopes.

But what became of those halcyon days of youth? Most people get to preserve them uncorrupted in the aspic of memory. Not us. Look back on the 70s now, and they have the quality of a horror film. You know, the part where the protagonists wander around, sucking on their Ice Pops, stopping occasionally to unwrap a flare from the pedal of a Chopper***, oblivious to the fact that there is a scissor-handed hellbeast waiting in the wings, coming to slash at everything and everyone that gets in his way. Or, as it turned out, her way.

There is no rehabilitation of a time that rendered she-who-must-not-be-named**** electable. The 60s, overall, probably deserve Mad Men. They gave us the pill as well as Petula Clark, after all. That makes it at least a wash. But the 70s… Never forget. Never forgive.

* Hello again, younger readers. I don’t want you Googling this. She was a TV cook. Think Delia Smith morphing unstoppably into Barbara Cartland**. The BBC employed her in case the nation ever ran as short of puns as it did of electricity and dustmen.

**Her you can Google. But you won’t believe what you find.

*** Again, don’t Google. Ask a (proper) grown-up. Check they know who Wonder Woman is first.

****Boys, girls, she was so much worse than Voldemort.

CONTRARY TO common belief, not all tenders go to northern contractors, said Town Clerk Mr Frank Pentony.

‘We were delighted when the contract for the Market Square refurbishment went to a southern firm, John Cradock Ltd from Co. Kildare. That, like all other major contracts, went out for tender and in this case it was won by a southern firm who also used all southern sub-contractors.’

However, Mr. Pentony conceded that southern contractors often find it hard to compete with their competitors from across the border and that the days when local firms dominated the market for work are over.

‘Now that all contracts over €25,000 have to go to etender means that it’s open to firms for anywhere to tender for a job. The firms from Northern Ireland realise this and they now make sure that they comply with all the regulations down here regarding health and safety, insurance, pensions etc, and meet all the requirements for tendering.’

He said that the wage differential is a major factor which favoured contractors from across the border.

‘The issue of tenders going to contractors from northern Ireland is a much bigger one in Dundalk than it is in Drogheda as workers from Newry can come up here, do their work, and then go home in the evening.’

Responding to the suggestion from Cllr. Paul Bell that contractors should be required to employ local labour, he said he was not aware of any regulations which would enable the council to request this.

Paddy Donnelly, Director of Services, Louth County Council, said that they had been very pro-active in trying to assist local suppliers and contractors.

‘We ran two conferences for contractors and suppliers last year with events in Dundalk and Drogheda which were addressed by staff from the National Procurement Office and our own staff,’ he said. ‘ This was to help local firms see what they had to have in place and how to go about applying for tenders.’

He said that Circular 10/10 issued by the Department of Finance had included a number of measures which made it easier for small to medium enterprises to tender.

Where possible, the council will use local contractors for smaller jobs which don’t have to go to etender such has housing maintenance work, pointing to the benefits which can come from using local firms who know the area.

16 April, 2012 | By Wendy Mitchell

Grey Juice Lab, a multiscreen and streaming content solutions company, has struck a strategic partnership with Imaginasia.

The companies hope to drive OTT and VOD services in Asia by offering reduced time frames and budgets.

“As more operators enter the Asian market, VOD is becoming an increasingly important way of attracting and keeping customers. Technology is not an issue here, but access to international and inter-regional content is,” said Graham Cradock, CEO, Imaginasia. “Grey Juice Lab can help local operators and groups wanting to enter the VOD space, with a solution – either transactional, subscription, ad-supported or EST – that is customised for their market, with premium content packages available on any device and distribution network.”

Grey Juice Lab, which has been providing content services to Malaysian Pay TV operator Astro since 2010, will use IMAGINASIA to support its global activity with outsourced sales, business development and strategy. Imaginasia has hubs in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.

“A significant number of new VOD players, both international and local, are planning to deploy their services in the Asian market in the next 12 months. As we’ve seen happen in Europe and Latin America there will be considerable pressure to offer much richer and more premium content solutions, with superior management, a high quality of service and in the shortest possible time to market,” said Mihai Crasneanu [pictured], CEO, Grey Juice Lab. “Grey Juice Lab’s assets, global expertise and local teams are now present in Asia to help these players successfully achieve these goals”.

Grey Juice also recently expanded with a Latin American service centre in Buenos Aires.

 

 

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SD adds Rob Bellamy to coaching staff

By: Nathan Grube – 04/16/2012

There is a changing atmosphere when it comes to training for the swimming and diving squads starting with the hiring of new assistant coach Rob Bellamy. Bellamy joined the staff at the beginning of the month to replace Brad Green, a UMBC Hall of Famer, who spent one year with the Retrievers as a coach. Bellamy, despite being only 28, has a lot of experience that he is bringing with him to UMBC.

A Maryland native, he attended the University of Massachusetts for four years and was captain of the swimming and diving team his junior year. Bellamy went on to coach both high school swimming as well as serving as an instructor at the Greater Baltimore Swim Association. He became the manager and owner of Snap Fitness in Pasadena where he also worked as a personal trainer and he has become certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. Bellamy does think that coaching at UMBC will be different from his past experiences.

“It will be better; the athletes will be more conditioned and ready to handle everything I throw at them. In high school you have to go slowly and make sure everyone is developing properly. Here, everyone is fully developed,” Bellamy said.

Experience as a personal trainer is one of the biggest strengths he brings to the program. He has already put a major emphasis on dry land workouts, such as lifting weights and running.Bellamy and Head Coach Chad Cradock believe strongly that their team has to work hard outside of the pool to stay in shape and that will translate into success inside the pool.

“We go in cycles and it depends on the time of year, we will do more explosive things to work on power and speed,” Bellamy said.

Bellamy has a lot of familiarity with the school and Cradock, including qualifying for the USA Swimming National Championship meet while being coached by Cradock. This played a role in the hiring, as Cradock was excited to be able to bring on a coach that he knew and would be able to count on.

Bellamy will also be heavily involved with recruiting for the Retrievers. He is confident in the strength of the program and its tradition, which he feels will be an easy recruiting tool for UMBC.

“I think the school sells itself. I walked around yesterday with Coach Cradock and I was impressed. It’s a great swim program and it’s a great school and I’m proud to be a part of it,” Bellamy said.

Cradock believes strongly that the addition of Bellamy will really strengthen the team where they are weak.

“We’re looking for some strength in our weakness, which is dry land. He’s brought some strength through his personal training background and he’s worked with young athletes before and we knew he’d be a great addition for us,” Cradock said.

The additional work will increase the load on the athletes, but they are excited to see how it will pay off when it comes time to compete next winter.

Printer-Friendly | Modified Mon Apr 16 22:37:24 2012 – © The Retriever Weekly.

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A viability study, including an environmental impact assessment, is under way for the ambitious project.

The cableway will stretch more than 5km, from the base of the southern Cape mountains to Cradock Peak, 1573m above sea level — about 500m higher than Table Mountain. Garden Route Cableway director Alwyn van Rensburg and co-director Pierre Poolman are talking to the Eden District and George municipalities, Transnet and Cape Nature about the project.

“We are the third group to attempt the project and although we have looked at the other ideas, we are starting from scratch,” Mr van Rensburg said yesterday.

“The environmental impact assessment is a process that you can’t predict and we realise that Cape Nature is very serious about preserving the natural beauty of the mountain. We are still in the very early stages of the project but if everything goes to plan, it would be a bonus to have the cable car up and running in three years.”

There are also plans to include a rail tourism experience, linking the small town of Herold behind the mountain to George. The area has hops and wine farms, rock paintings and historic buildings.

Mr Van Rensburg said it was difficult to estimate what the project would cost, or how much it would eventually turn over.

The company is awaiting quotes from international experts for the construction of the cableway, and investors will be approached.

A similar project fell through two years ago when cableway expert Claude Pretorius died aged 85. He had designed and installed the cableways at the Pretoria Zoo and Hartebeespoort Dam.

He envisaged that the George cableway would create 9000 jobs during the construction phase and generate R50m a year.

<!– PUBLICATION SOURCE:
–>

A HISTORY OF FOOD IN 100 RECIPES BY WILLIAM SITWELL (Collins £20)

By
Roger Lewis

PUBLISHED:

13:22 EST, 5 April 2012

|

UPDATED:

01:47 EST, 6 April 2012

Enlarge

 

Overlooked: Fanny and Johnny Craddock

Sorry, I regret to inform you that the greatest and most authoritative book ever to have been devised on the subject of food – my own Hog Roasts – has been somewhat delayed.

I was taking the research so seriously, my pancreas blew up. It has been celery sticks and tap water since. Sob.

It’s not only that I love my tucker, I love reading about it and thinking about it – so William Sitwell’s book is a whopping treat.

It even contains a recipe for Fig-Fed Pig I found eerily familiar: force-feed a pig with figs and mead. The figs expand and start  to ferment. The liver becomes enlarged  and the pig croaks. Roast on a spit immediately.

My diabetic nurse said: ‘Now do you see why you were in High Dependency?’

Young William Sitwell, the great-grandson of eccentric Sir George Sitwell, author of The History Of The Fork and the seminal First Catch Your Peacock – and related by blood to Edith, Osbert and Sacheverell – says that ‘the history of food is coloured by the individuals who enveloped themselves in the subject and who wrote recipes that help tell its stories’.

Earth apples: The French were convinced that potatoes caused leprosy

So we begin with Egyptian recipes for bread, and end with Nigella and Jamie telling us what to do with a box of Maldon salt and spot of Colman’s mustard.

I regret the absence of Fanny Cradock, who stuffed a chicken while dressed in a Norman Hartnell ball gown and who kept barking at her drunken husband (‘Pass me the bloody bain marie, Johnnie!’). And where are the Two Fat Ladies, Jennifer Paterson and Clarissa Dickson Wright?

Nevertheless, important themes emerge. The first has to do with the very origins of civilisation.

Cooking marks the beginning of a sophisticated society – the manufacture of utensils, the organisation of a kitchen, the lighting of fires, the communal aspect of eating meals, hospitality and etiquette.

Murals in tombs and the lumber left in burial sites teach us about the development of milling, leavening and baking.

The Bible and ancient texts describe feasts of mutton, flatbread, chickpeas, geese, starlings and blackbirds. ‘You can almost smell the 4,000-year-old leg of lamb bubbling in a sauce thick with Mesopotamian  herbs,’ salivates Sitwell, perusing a papyrus.

IF YOU LIKE THIS, WHY NOT TRY…

 

TASTE BY KATE COLQUHOUN
(Bloomsbury £9.99)

EATING FOR ENGLAND BY NIGEL SLATER (Harper Perennial £8.99)

The second major theme in the history of food concerns its preservation.

Until salting and pickling techniques were perfected, tribes had to hunt and gather and follow the migrating herds season after season. There  was always a strong likelihood of starvation during the winter months.

Mankind has come a long way from spearing a woolly mammoth to popping into Tesco for a bag of pre-washed rocket salad and tin of mackerel fillets in coconut chowder.

As Sitwell puts it, the problems of storage were paramount ‘in the centuries preceding the advent of the supermarket and the fridge’. The first fridge was a bucket of snow kept in a hole. To prolong the life of food, the Romans went in for elaborate sauces. The Vikings dried and smoked their fish.

Apparently, ‘pasta was a momentous addition to world civilisation’ as it could be kept indefinitely in jars, a hedge against times of famine, and could also be stocked aboard ships, allowing for longer voyages. Though the British adored potatoes when mashed, boiled or fried, the French never liked what they called earth apples, ‘convinced they were responsible for leprosy’.

Nor would Scottish Presbyterians go near them, ‘because they weren’t mentioned in the Bible’.

When the splendid Sir George Sitwell attempted  to pay his sons’ fees at  Eton by ‘sending down a trainload of potatoes’ from the family seat at Renishaw, Eton sent the spuds straight back. But despite the import/export trade, good grub has mostly meant decimating the local wildlife.

Henry VIII’s banquets consisted of 19 courses, stretching from sturgeon to jelly, interspersed with ‘vast quantities of wildfowl’, partridge, crane, heron  and egrets.

(Even I’ve had a few of those, though then again, too few to mention.) American frontier cookery books contain recipes for squirrel, racoon and beaver – as well as bears.

‘If marinated at least 24 hours in an oil-based marinade, all bear except black bear is edible,’ said the author (and hats off to anyone who’d captured, skinned and prepared enough Grizzlies, Polar, Kodiak and Brown bears to hold a tasting session and know the difference).

The British, it must be said, have, until recently, been suspicious of food and ideas about food that are not indigenous.

‘To serve unimaginative food was looked on as almost a virtue; to enjoy a meal, a sin,’ complained Robert Carrier,  an American of Irish and French descent who once had a restaurant in Islington, North London.

Fit for a king: Suckling pig was not the only delicacy served up at Henry VIII’s banquets

As a nation we were never happier than when we were rationed during the war, scoffing on carrot sandwiches, battered pork rind, spam fritters and gristle rissoles.

When rationing was abolished in 1953, Elizabeth David rhapsodised about ‘the aromatic perfume of rosemary, wild tarragon, and olive oil’ and this only made good people like my own mother feel dissatisfied – dissatisfied with life.

Yet though people flocked to buy David’s hedonistic books on Mediterranean greediness, have you ever met anyone who followed any of her recipes?

Similarly with Delia, Gordon, Marco and the rest of the bunch – though we watch their programmes and buy their books, the whole shooting match is only incidentally about food.

They are about sexiness (Nigella the domestic goddess), Chief Scout laddishness (Jamie Oliver – ‘Really, you can do it! So good luck and have fun!’), potty-mouthed ego (Gordon and his hair transplant), suicidal self-destruction (Keith Floyd), being scarily temperamental (Marco Pierre White – who should be reminded he’s only a cook, not Ghengis Khan), and gastronomic surrealism (Heston Blumenthal, the kitchen Salvador Dali).

I’m not sure exactly what Delia Smith is about. About £15?million, probably.

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Tuning up for Clifden Trad Music Festival

April 6, 2012 – 7:00am

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