the Everyman Cinema Club

"Roman Polanski once remarked that Cinema should make you forget you are sitting in a theatre. So where can you enjoy a cinematic experience, where you can enjoy cupcakes and chocolate raisins or swap your soft drink for a nice glass of red wine, and where the cinema almost feels like a home from home? This is where Everyman steps in."

A better class of cinema

Last Saturday I went to see The King's Speech at a branch of The Everyman Cinema Club, my favourite cinema chain. Forget the sticky seats and popcorn carpeted floors of the cinema giants like Odeon and Vue - Everyman is where you can really enjoy a film.

I always prefer smaller chains to big ones. They're more personal, and you usually get better value for money. At my local Odeon I fork out around £9 for a ticket only to sit in a huge, usually mostly empty, cinema with a tub of overpriced stale popcorn and a fizzy drink I don't really want. There's no community vibe, no sense of people in the same room appreciating a good film together. You just feel like a mug handing over a lot of money to a corporation who's rubbing its hands with glee.

The feeling at an Everyman cinema is different. My local branch is small, but you don't get irritated by the foyer bustling full of people because there is a general air of friendliness and fun. 1940s swing music hums along in the background as you purchase your tickets and make your way to a coffee bar. Here, as well as your typical popcorn and sweets, they offer hot chocolate or a glass of wine, which you're allowed to drink during the movie. Heavenly!
And considering the Everyman is a more 'arty' London chain, nothing is overpriced. My ticket cost £8 which is cheaper than going to the Odeon. Let's just say the Odeon have lost one of their customers!

The screen itself is smaller than usual (at my local branch at least) which may bother some, although it doesn't trouble me in the slightest. Good cinematography is good cinematography whatever the size of the screen. The seats are super comfortable, too - soft cushioned velvet - and if you're lucky enough to visit the Everyman Hampstead you take your pick of pink squashy sofas instead!

The best thing about the Everyman though, even after the swing music and hot chocolate and velvet seats, is the atmosphere. I don't know whether it's just the kind of audience they attract, but you get the feeling that people there - staff included - really appreciate their film. There's no irritating whispering, loud children or constant sweet rustling. Often, the audience clap at the end - a small touch I love.

So if you live in the London area, or happen to be visiting, and want to go to the movies - think Everyman! You won't want to leave!
Visit their website here.

bright Brighton and the Great British Seaside Holiday

Last week I enjoyed a small trip to Brighton to visit some of my friends at university. I had a lovely few days catching up with them, scoffing chocolate in front of Bridget Jones, playing Scrabble (yes!), hitting the Brighton night-life and taking a stroll along the sea-front. The weather was glorious; crisp, cold, bright and sunny.

Being somebody who is usually found glued to the viewfinder of my camera, of course I took a few snaps.

Whilst walking around I realised how much I love all the seaside signage:

 

Aren't they just gorgeous? So colourful! They remind me of the good old-fashioned British seaside holiday - picnics, bracing swims, sandcastles, ice creams, donkey rides, Punch & Judy, piers, funfairs, those stripy swimsuits...

In fact, whilst a west-country beach might not feel like sunkissed California or a Hawaian paradise much of the time, some of my best childhood summer holidays have been spent exploring rockpools, playing beach boules and paddling along the Devon and Cornwall coastline.

Nickeh Smith

In these economic times I think there will be an increase in the number of people who decide to take a holiday in the British Isles instead of jetting off elsewhere. And this choice doesn't have to be thought of as second-best. Sure, we all dream of travelling the world and seeing the sights - my Wanderlust Wednesday feature is a huge example of that - but it doesn't mean we should go abroad every year. Britain's full of stunning coastal places that deserve to be stayed in and enjoyed - you only have to have a short browse here for proof. From the unspoilt windy romance of the Scottish highlands to the Cornish surfer havens, and everywhere in between - there's just so much to see.

I hope more people start to realise that there is beauty and fun to be had at home, too. So here's to the Great British Seaside Holiday!

Recipe: Kate's Chocolate Brownie-Panforte!

I had some dried fruit and nuts left over from the traditional panforte I made at Christmas. Wanting to use them up, I decided to make another panforte that was less festive, but still gluttonously gorgeous.
By adding more flour and cocoa powder this recipe has a distinctly brownie-like texture, the dried fruit & nuts giving it that extra bite. It went down a treat in my household and a small slice is perfect with a cup of coffee. Yum!

Butter (for greasing)
120g dried figs

80g dried apricots
(you can swap the figs and apricots around with dried fruit of your choice, e.g. dates, but stick to more than one kind - also I wouldn't recommend using raisins/sultanas!)

60g candied peel

160g nuts of your choice (I used a mix of blanched almonds, blanched hazelnuts, walnuts and pistachios)

100g plain flour

Small tsp baking powder

55g cocoa powder

1.5 tsp mixed spice (or a mix of your choice - cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, etc, are all good

2 large eggs

You will also need: a 23cm springform baking tin

1. Grease the bottom and sides of your baking tin. Line with baking paper, then grease again on top of that.

2. Weigh out your mixture of nuts then chop them up a little. It's up to you how 'chunky' you want the pieces of nut to be - I opted for medium sized chunks.

3. Weigh out then chop up your dried fruit - again, it's up to you how big the pieces are.

4.  Mix the fruit and nuts together, along with the candied peel.

5. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until they are pale and billowy.

6. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, sugar and spice.

7. Mix well - you'll get a runny mixture that looks a bit like this:

8. Stir in the fruit and nut mixture.

9. Dollop this mixture into your baking tin and level the top.

10. Bake for 50 mins at 150 degrees celsius. Once cool, remove from tin.

11. Heavily dust with icing sugar. Then: devour!

Hope you enjoy this recipe, and if you use it, let me know how it turns out! x