Deck the halls...

So it's officially Christmas in the Cooling house! The tree's up, everywhere there are twinkling lights and the whole place has that festive orangey-cinnamon smell...the halls are well and truly decked :)

Xx

Urban Outfitters opens in Newcastle!

In case anyone in the North East of England hadn't noticed, the long-overdue Urban Outfitters finally opened in Newcastle last Friday (hear woops of joy from fashion-diehards across the region!) When the budget allows (or they have sale on) I'm a massive Urban Outfitters fan and so I popped in to check out the new store early this week...and its exactly what I expected - consciously cool, diverse and slightly over-priced! The festive season has some what dented my bank balance so despite being tempted by a gorgeous floral-patterned velvet body that looked like my Gran's 1970s carpet, on this occasion all I bought was a book which will be going in someones stocking come the 25th! Can't wait for the January sales though :)

Urban Outfitters Newcastle

139 - 153 Grainger Street

Newcastle Upon Tyne
Tyne And Wear
NE1 5AE

Xx 

Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan

A few weeks ago I took a trip to London and while I was there I visited two fantastic exhibitions, Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement at The Royal Academy, which I reviewed at the time and Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan, showing at The National Gallery and which I'm finally getting around to reviewing now!

So unless you've been living under a stone for the last month you've probably heard about this exhibition! Billed as a once-in-a-lifetime show, it's been reviewed by every newspaper going, had the opening screened in cinemas across Britain and broadcast on Sky Arts One and the exhibition posters are everywhere (even in provisional northern towns like Sunderland.) However on the off chance you've been hibernating...this exhibition, inspired by the National Gallery's recent restoration of Da Vinci's The Virgin of the Rocks, focuses on the work Leonardo produced during his time as court painter to Duke Lodovico Sforza in Milan in the late 1480s and 1490s.

All 'blockbuster' exhibitions are hyped as once-in-a-lifetime, never-to-be-repeated opportunities to see great works of art but Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan arguably lives up to this description. The exhibition was five years in the making and includes loans from the Louvre, The Vatican, The Hermitage and HM Queen's Royal Collection and Brings together the largest number of surviving Leonardo paintings ever, including both versions of The Virgin of the Rocks and the newly authenticated Salvator Mundi. These are shown alongside a large number of Da Vinci's preparatory sketches and studies, as well works by his best known pupils. 

All this media hype and publicity has lead to a run on ticket sales! The advanced tickets ran out in the first week and in an effort to reduce 'gallery rage' and ensure visitors can actually see the paintings, The National Gallery has limited the number of visitors to 180 every half-hour (you can stay as long as you want once inside the exhibition). That works out as only 500 tickets on sale per day and unfortunately I wasn't clever enough to buy an advanced ticket...so I had to queue for three and a half hours! I know that sounds insane but I'm stubborn and determined and apparently so are alot of other people!

When I finally made it in, I wasn't disappointed!...regardless of hype, this is a fascinating exhibition! Of the 93 works on show, Leonardo's paintings are undoubtedly the stars! The works of his pupils are wonderful in their own right but when hung side by side with the Master's works, they largely serve to highlight his unparallelled skill...sorry Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio! The skill of Leonardo Da Vinci, the painter, is probably a given...what I found revelatory (yep, I actually said that) were the sketches! They offer a fascinating insight into the workings of Leonardo's mind and make looking at his paintings even more rewarding. My highlight...sitting in a room between both copies of The Virgin of the Rocks, painted more than 25 years apart, they demonstrate the changes in Da Vinci's style and technique...and if you don't care about that then they're pretty beautiful too!

If you're planning on visiting Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan and aren't lucky enough to have a an advanced ticket then I have a few tips to beat the queues and get the most out of the exhibition. Get there early! Doors open at 10am (which is when I arrived) and there was already a 3 and a half hour wait so if you can get there before 9am and bear in mind that there are only 500 tickets a day so if you arrive after 11am don't even bother! If you do manage to get a ticket, I suggest going for a late-ish entry time (I went for 4pm) that way by the time you've finished the rooms in the Sainsbury Wing, things will be winding down and you can walk back through the now largely empty rooms and get a proper look at the works sans crowds, before heading up to see the Last Supper in the East Wing! Also, grab a copy of the exhibition guide (its free) as it has all the panel and label texts, which means you won't have to fight to read them on the walls!

Most importantly....enjoy!

Xx

Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan is showing at The National Gallery until the 5th February 2012. http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/leonardo-da-vinci-painter-at-the-court-of-milan

Happy Stir-up Sunday!

Today is Stir-up Sunday (the last Sunday before Advent) so-called because its traditional on this day to make your Christmas Pud! I know Christmas still seems a little way off...a whole 34 days (nearly 5 weeks) but this is the perfect time to make your pudding and allow all those yummy flavours to mature! Traditionally you're supposed to get the whole family in the kitchen as you make the pud, each one giving a stir and making a wish in turn, starting with the youngest. To honor the three kings you're supposed to stir from east to west but I'm afraid I don't own a compass and as my Pa was up a tree doing a spot of pruning at the time, only myself and my Mama had a stir!

As this is my first attempt at making a Christmas Pudding I thought I'd look to Domestic Goddess Nigella Lawson for a little guidance (sorry Delia!) I have a couple of Nigella's books including 'How to be a Domestic Goddess' and 'Nigella Christmas', both of which have slightly differing Christmas Pudding recipes! I couldn't choose between them and so cherry-picked my favourite bits from both (I think Nigella would approve), fingers-crossed it turns out ok!

Serves 10-16 as part of a Christmas Feast, 8-10 if not.

150g Currents
75g Sultanas
75g Raisins
150g Prunes, scissored into pieces
60g Candied peel
50g Glace Cherries
175ml Brandy, rum or Pedro Ximenez Sherry
100g Plain Flour
125g Breadcrumbs
150g Suet
150g Dark Muscovado Sugar
50g Walnut pieces
1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 ground Cloves
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
grated zest of 1 Lemon
3 eggs
1 medium cooking apple, peeled and grated
2 x 15ml tablespoons honey

1x1.7litre/3 pint heatproof plastic pudding basin

• Put all the fruit into a large bowl along with your booze of choice, swill the bowl around a little, cover and steep overnight or for up to 1 week.

•  When the fruit have head their steeping time, put a large pan of water on to boil or heat some water in a conventional steamer, and butter your heatproof pudding basin, remembering to grease the lid too! Instead of making one 3 pint pudding I made one 2 pint for the family and one 1 pint pudding to give as part of a gift hamper.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine all the remaining pudding ingredients, not forgetting to let everyone have a stir and make a wish!
• Add the steeped fruit, scraping in every last drop of liquor with a rubber spatula, and mix everything thoroughly. Now's the time to fold in the traditional charms or (cola-cleaned) coins, as we've mislaid the traditional family silver threepenny bits and I'm not keen on the idea of pound coins in my pud, I left the hardware out!
• Scrape and press the mixture into the prepared pudding basin (basins) put the lid on and cover with a layer of tin foil, If your basin doesn't have a lid, just cover with a double-layer of baking parchment tied with string and then cover with a layer of tin foil. Then either put the basin into the pan of boiling water (to come half way up the basin) or in the top of a lidded-steamer and steam for 5 hours for a 3 pint pud or 3 hours each for a 2 pint and a 1 pint, taking care not to let the pan boil dry...like I did :s

• When you pud has had its time, remove gingerly, unwrap the foil and put the pudding somewhere out of the way until the big day.
• On Christmas day, re-wrap the pudding(s) in foil and steam again for a further 3 hours. To serve, remove from the pan or steamer, remove the lid, put a plate on top and up end, giving the plastic basin a little squeeze to release the pudding and voila...hopefully!
• Its traditional to flame the pud at the table with warmed brandy (Nigella suggests Vodka) but feel free just to dig in, I'll be having mine with brandy-spiked white sauce (traditional in County Durham, UK) but any sauce you like is acceptable...my Daddy loves his with slightly unconventional custard!

My puds are now safely tucked away in the garage, I'll post an update as to how it tastes post-Christmas feast...probably post-nap too!)
Xx

'Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement' at the Royal Academy of Art

I'm back from London and as promised I'll be posting a couple of reviews of some exhibitions I saw whilst away! On Monday I finally got to see an exhibition I've been looking forward to since the summer, 'Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement' at the Royal Academy of Art and I can honestly say I was blown away! This was my first trip to the RA and I was so so impressed, the building is stunning and the exhibition spaces are not only beautiful but are used innovatively and to great effect!

This exhibition is the first to explore Degas’s progressive engagement with the figure in movement and charts the relationship between his work and the parallel advances in photography and early film. The exhibition features over 85 of Degas' paintings, sculptures and photographs, including some pieces that haven’t been seen before in the UK. I could try to explain how fascinating and comprehensive this exhibition but I'll leave it to Co-Curator Ann Dumas...

 

I know all that might sound complicated and high-brow but to be honest even if you know nothing about art you couldn't fail to appreciate the beauty of these works and if you're a fan of either Degas or ballet you will love this exhibition!Promise!

The exhibition is layed out thematically but in a roughly chronological order, meaning that as you move through each room you encounter a different area of Degas' work whilst also progressing through his career! One of Degas' most famous works, 'The Little Dancer Aged Fourteen' definitely takes centre-stage in the exhibition! She is so so lovely, with her little nose in the air and her fragile silk tutu, and it was fascinating to learn about Degas' technique and see the work alongside his preparatory sketches!

It was a tough call but I think 'The Red Ballet Skirts' (pictured above) was my highlight of the exhibition! This reproduction just doesn't do it justice, the vivid orange-red of the dancers skirts is stunning and Degas' mastery of pastels (which you'll know, if you've ever attempted to use them, are very difficult to handle) is remarkable! Mostly its just mesmerizing beautiful!

 Just had to mention the RA shop!They have some gorgeous things in the exhibition range, I picked up some postcards and an exhibition poster to add to my collection and because its (almost) the season to be jolly, I just had to have this lovely Christmas tree ornament featuring my favourite work from the exhibition!

'Degas and the Ballet: Picturing Movement' runs at the Royal Academy until the 11th December 2011 and I can't recommend it enough so catch it while you can!

http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/degas/

Tea & The Wallace Collection

Just a quick post as I've got to run to catch the Tube but had to say what a lovely afternoon I've spent at The Wallace Collection! If you're not familiar, The Wallace collection is a national museum near Bond St in London and it houses a beautiful and diverse collection of 18th and 19th century fine and decorative art collected by four generations of the Wallace Family. My highlight...'Paolo & Francesca' by Ary Scheffer...the afternoon tea was pretty great too...I want one of these tea pots!

Xx

Off to London...

Off to London...