Local & Live Festival 2012 - Review

Local & Live Festival has reached 7 years of live music in Tunbridge Wells and it has certainly grown into something wonderful.

Around 100 local artists are selected from a massive 300 to play this great free festival held in the Pantiles every year. Tunbridge Wells is full of talented musicians so at the bank holiday weekend you can catch all kinds of delights.

This year I also decided to volunteer at Local & Live so I collected money in buckets, sold badges & stickers and did lots of cleaning up after dark.

MY HIGHS

FRIDAY sadly I didn't see any of the acts as I spent the evening at Burlesque Fever at the forum.

http://www.twforum.co.uk/

SATURDAY I saw Matt Pound & Lieutenant Leek at the Acoustic stage which was a brilliant set of happy folky songs and some amazing guitar.

Tom Williams and the Boat which I have seen many times (Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, The Forum) played to their usual energetic standard you can't help to dance to.

The Standard Lamps who I haven'e seen before played a variety of bluesy songs with a feel good vibe.

SUNDAY I loved the first act I saw Worry Dolls, two girls who can both sing beautifully and play various stringed instruments made me think of a mini warpaint.

The Varlies also played a great acoustic set set of feel good songs with a little appearance from one of their wives.

The Charlie Rivers Band were great to watch with a lovely alternative rock sound.

Intraverse who I have listened to since a young teenager never fail to impress with Max Pepe's amazing hair.

MONDAY I saw Quentin Holway at the Acoustic stage play a great cover of paint in black, Quentin has great stage presence and a great big crowd.

Billy Jupp is a wonderful character playing music from his up and coming album 'Chewing Soup' his style is very unique and worth a listen.

Goldie Reed a 25 year old girl with a beautiful voice, I was very much in ore of her dress sense too.

AFTER PARTY

I was lucky enough to go to an after party on Sunday evening in The Grey Lady exclusively for Musicians and workers. This was great late night fun with various artists from the festival on stage playing covers of everything from 'Stacey's Mum' to '(I can't get no) Satisfaction' I danced all night long.

Local & Live is a great festival to spend the summer bank holiday enjoying.

 In the Pantiles it feels very European and you can drink, eat and be merry in the great selection of independent cafes, pubs and restaurants.

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR. X

http://www.localandlive.org/

Charleston - An artists home and garden

This beautiful house situated just outside Lewis (near Brighton) is a wonderful place in the country where writers, painters and intellectuals known as the Bloomsbury group met throughout the 1900's-1980's to do what they did best. I visited this house yesterday and was blown away at it's loveliness. Gardens with colorful flowers, a large pond and the house it's self is a place worth a visit.

We took a tour through the house and saw magnificent paintings, needle work and a life for the Bloomsbury group which would have been rather taboo for the time.

You can visit Charleston between March-October and they also hold various creative workshops and events throughout the year.

Sadly I wasn't allowed to photograph inside the house but I have taken a collection of wonderful pictures to sum up my experience around the grounds and garden.

The smalls

Have you been?

What did you think?

tweet @herbsandheart #herbsandheart

Visit Charleston online http://www.charleston.org.uk/

Recipe of the Week # Veggie Love Burgers

Summer's favourite, the veggie burger! This is a super easy fun recipe to enjoy anytime! Vegan of course.

Makes 8

Ingredients:

1 pack of love soy mince (frozen)
1 red onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 slice of wholemeal bread
2 x egg replacement (no egg powder)
50g of plain flour
1 pack of Tofutti mozzarella style slices
A pack of salad leaves
8 wholemeal baps
Tomato chutney/burger relish
Vegetable oil
Salt & pepper to season
A frying pan
1 large baking tray
A hob
Oven

Make:

1. Chop your onion and fry in your pan with the garlic and saute for 2 minutes.

2. Add the love soy mince and fry for 5 minutes.

3. Mix in the chopped tomatoes & egg replacement to the pan.

4. Rip up the slice of bread and add into the mixture too.

5. Once your mixture has started sticking together take the pan off the heat and leave to cool.

6. Turn your oven to 200oc.

6. Now the mixture is cool you can start making pattys which your hands coated in flour, make each patty about the size of a normal burger. You should make 8.

7. Next you're going to fry off the burgers for around 2 minutes on each side and place them on the baking tray after.

8. Its time for the burgers to cook so place then in the oven for about 25 minutes, check them after 15, you may want to turn the oven down to 180oc.

Assemble

9. You could toast your burger baps if you like and then put a heaped teaspoon of your desired burger relish/chutney & a handful of salad leaves,

10. Place your burger on the leaves and a slice of the Tofutti mozzarella.

12. Put another teaspoon of the relish/chutney with a dash of salt and pepper.

13. Finish by putting the bap lid on top.

EAT!

You could always add a slice of avocado or gherkin for extra flavour!

If you want to BBQ your burgers, cook for around 8 minutes on each side.

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