Latest news with #TheRoundhouse
Irish Post
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Ten Minutes with Sarah Allen of Flook
FOR three decades, Flook have been at the cutting edge of folk music, blending dynamic energy with inventive musicality. Flook's fifth album Sanju was released in May and is available on all digital platforms and on The band also just been awarded prestigious 'Group of the Year' title at the annual TG4 Gradam Ceoil Awards which can be viewed on line at Flute player Sarah Allen took time out to answer our questions What are you up to, Sarah? Right now, I am rushing around preparing for our upcoming Flook tour of Japan. We've been to Japan quite a few times over the years—it's one of our favourite places to tour. The people are so kind and respectful and friendly, and the pace toggles between super calm and super frenetic. It will be great to be back. We called our latest recording Sanju, which very broadly speaking is the Japanese word for 30, as Flook are celebrating our 30th anniversary this year. Which piece of music always sends a shiver down your spine? Allegri's Miserere Which musician or singer has most influenced you? A chance meeting with legendary free improvising jazz drummer John Stevens single-handedly changed the course of my musical life. From there on in everything I had previously learned about music was challenged and reset; it was the starting point of a much more creative and fulfilling musical journey. What's on your smartphone playlist at the minute? I've been listening a lot to Bonny Light Horseman's latest release Keep Me on Your Mind / See You Free - I saw them live at The Roundhouse last Autumn - they were AMAZING! I'm also really enjoying The Charming Smile and the Glorious Life from up and coming band Wesley. The lead singer Jamie is the son of my good friend Al Jones, fiddle player from The Barely Works. Other favourites include Laura Wilkie's new album Vent and Brìghde Chaimbeul's new single Bog an Lochan. What are your family roots in Ireland? My Irish roots are only very distant, from way back in the 1600s when my forefathers on my father's side came from up around where Brian (Finnegan) lives in the Armagh area, before they emigrated to Australia. What is your favourite place in Ireland? I love the bustle of Galway and the wildness of West Cork. What has been your favourite venue? We played with Dreamers' Circus last November at Islington's Union Chapel and will be back there for our own gig this coming November - it's such a beautiful space to play music and to hear music - almost other worldly. Which living person do you most admire? My Dad. The tune Ninety Years Young on our new Flook recording Sanju was written for him, though this year it will be dedicated to my Mum (equally admired) for her big birthday in May this year. Which trait in others do you most admire? Kindness What would be your motto? Peace comes when you realise that everything that's out of control should be out of your mind too. What's the best advice you've ever been given? Always stay curious In terms of inanimate objects, what is your most precious possession? My Granny's wedding ring. It was her one remaining treasured possession and she gave it to me shortly before she died. What's best thing about where you live? The street where I live, on the shabbier side of Hampstead Heath, must be one of the friendliest places in London; everyone looks out for everyone else. Plus we have the Heath across the road with its Lido and swimming ponds. . . . . and the worst? I'm struggling to think of anything I don't like! Who/what is the greatest love of your life? My daughter, Maisy - recently turned 18 and shortly heading off on her own adventures Upcoming gigs 4th June 2025: Music Room at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall LIVERPOOL 5th June 2025: The Met BURY, Gt MANCHESTER 6th June 2025: Brewery Arts KENDAL 7th June 2025: The Reeling GLASGOW 8th June 2025: The Glasshouse GATESHEAD 5th July 2025: Festival of Flutes DERRY See More: Flook, Folk Music, Traditional Music
TimesLIVE
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- TimesLIVE
A trio of award-winning chefs and their special moms this Mother's Day
NINA DU TOIT Head Chef Salsify at The Roundhouse, Camps Bay, Cape Town Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant of the Year I grew up in Johannesburg with my mother Lea Holtz and two siblings, I'm the eldest child. My mom has always made delicious food. We grew up eating very healthy, organic food and my mother has a gift for cooking vegetables and making them taste amazing. After school I wanted to do something practical and my mom asked me what I love doing, it was ultimately cooking and making food for others where I was always happiest. There are many food memories growing up. My mom always made us lunch when we came home from school, and we all sat together and enjoyed dinner together too. In summer she would make us 'fruit soup' which was a fruit salad basically with polenta which she cooked and pressed and then cut into squares. It was all served together in a fruit juice... this was an interesting stand out dish she made, we loved it! But jokes aside she makes a delicious organic chicken soup (all ingredients must be organic otherwise it's not right) and to this day we ask her to make it. My mom would wake up at 5am every morning before us and make us school sandwiches. Always on rye or homemade bread. I was fussy and couldn't eat unroasted bread so mine was always toasted first. Every day was different: lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, gherkins you name it. They were amazing. We did trade them some days at school though for the other children's white bread because that was not allowed in our house. Celebrating Mother's Day together is tricky now that I live in Cape Town and work in a busy restaurant where our patrons come and celebrate their mothers with us. I always send my mother a meal from a restaurant she loves and always include a care package or a spa voucher because she's still my biggest supporter in all I do. When she visits, she still cooks and looks after everyone about her and the topic of conversation about the table is always food. She's always enthusiastic and excited to make dinner together and I love how food always brings people together. I am lucky to have grown up with the best organic food and today I try to find the best produce because I know how good it is for you and I can taste the difference. Anything I make my mom loves. I made her gnocchi once — we make for one of our dishes at Salsify — and she was blown away at how light and delicious they were. She is an excellent baker and we often share recipes with each other and different flours and ingredients we've used. She always made us a birthday cakes which were always exceptional. She's always experimenting with new health products, and she has a little shop in Johannesburg where she sells organic vegetable and health products. Nowadays she makes gluten free, sugar free cakes for her cafe and they are really delicious... you wouldn't be able to tell it's not the real deal. Her banana bread is awesome. LEA'S GLUTEN FREE BANANA BREAD My mother Lea Holtz runs the Collaborative Healing Centre in Johannesburg offering alternative healing and sells organic vegetables, gluten free cakes and biodynamically made compost. It's inspiring to see my mother's dream become a reality. Makes one loaf 5ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda 4 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed with a fork 125ml (1/2 cup) butter or oil 125ml (1/2 cup) sugar at most 3 eggs 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla essence 500ml (2 cups) gluten free flours, buckwheat, spelt, rice or cassava, well sifted 2.5ml (1/2 tsp) baking powder Pinch of salt 125ml (1/2 cup) walnuts, roughly chopped 1. Mix the bicarbonate of soda into the banana mix. Melt the butter and let it cool a bit before beating in the sugar, eggs and vanilla. 3. Sift the gluten free flours well and add baking powder, pinch of salt and roughly ground or chopped walnuts. Pour into a greased medium loaf pan and bake at 180 deg C for 40 — 50 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.
