The Journal

Quickbites

Email your food and drink news to Katharine.capocci@ncjmedia.co.uk PICNIC TIME: The Black Horse pub in Beamish, County Durham, is hosting a picnic event on Saturday, August 20. Visitors can try traditional picnic dishes in the great outdoors and be entertained by local musicians at the 18th Century pub's Picnic In The Paddock day.

; Mordon Blue Cheese and Celery Terrine

WE'VE discovered some fabulous local produce over the last few years and the closer to the restaurant's doorstep somehow the better. One such find is from Carol Peacock's cheese-making business in Mordon just off the A1 a little to the south of us. Trading under the Parlour Made name, Carole produces three lovely cheeses: a Farmhouse White which is a bit like a Cheshire cheese, a wonderful Camembert-style cheese and, our favourite, a cheese called Mordon Blue. We've been using the latter in s...

; Food

T'S like a war out there. IWho would you trust? After all, it's down to you. You're the one who's going to determine whether you survive and ultimately succeed.

; Advertisement Feature

GET out and about during the summer holidays by sampling the best delicious local produce our region has to offer. Why not head for Acklington in Northumberland and visit Morwick Dairy, an ice cream parlour serving ice cream made on site using milk from its prize-winning dairy herd.

J3 and Taste Continue On [ ... ]

; Family Dining Katharine Capocci Bouchon Bistrot, Hexham

OUR family has been enjoying a good old-fashioned "staycation" this year. Instead of our usual jet-away-from-it-all break we've been zipping around the market towns on the doorstep - in between getting jobs done on the house. On our travels we've been uncovering the charms of various continental restaurants.

; Advertisement Feature

DINING at Sagar Indian restaurant is a unique experience. The cosy restaurant sits overlooking the sea at Eastshore Village, Seaham, with diners travelling from afar to enjoy the finest Indian cuisine. Specialist chefs fuse the traditional with the original to create an eclectic mixture of eastern flavours, all with a western twist. This is the ultimate in fusion dining. The delectable fish dishes are a particularly popular speciality and the spicy and delicious sea bass curries often have pe...

Nice Change From Cheese Sandwiches

Savour the flavours of summer with these tasty recipes. KATHARINE CAPOCCI offers seasonal inspiration with these super-stylish summery dishes, perfect for picnics or a spot of Bank Holiday entertaining with friends. Pea, Beetroot, Roasted Red Pepper and Goat's Cheese Open Tart (Serves 4) Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Ingredients ? Plain flour for dusting ? 500g ready-made puff pastry ? 1 free range egg, lightly beaten ? 100g peas, shelled (approx 335g unshelled) ? 100g...

Roadshows Aim to Help Farmers Get Most From Lamb

EXPERTS from the English Beef and Lamb Executive (Eblex) will be visiting marts in Northumberland and Cumbria with their Lamb Roadshow during August. The project aims to give producers a better understanding of their markets for lamb to increase their returns.

Farm's New Addition Is a Little Late Arrival

A COUNTY Durham farm centre has welcomed a newborn lamb - four months after the rest of the ewes in the flock gave birth. Hall Hill Farm awoke to find the unexpected new addition to its Shetland sheep herd and the lamb is doing well.

Agricultural Show has High Hopes for a Bumper Year

ORGANISERS of tomorrow's Sedgefield Show say they are on course for a record number of entries and attendances this year. The event is now in its 158th year and runs agricultural, equestrian and heavy horse classes in addition to vintage tractors, classic motor cycles, and a dog agility competition.

Rising Above the Competition

IF the French can't afford Champagne they're more than likely to pop the cork of a bottle of Crmant d'Alsace. It may not quite compete with the sophistication and complexity of the finest Champagnes, but it's made to a reassuringly high standard and reveals an elegance and finesse all of its own. One of the biggest and best producers of Crmant d'Alsace is the old family firm of Dopff au Moulin, whose cellars lie on the edge of the ridiculously pretty village of Riquewihr. The Dopff family cla...

Competition: Win Family Pass to Viking Week at Lindisfarne

THE Vikings are coming! They're making their return to Lindisfarne Priory next week and one lucky Culture Club family will be able to join them during Viking Week from Monday. The event runs until Sunday, offering visitors a taste of how the Vikings secured their brutal reputation. To launch the celebrations, a full-scale replica Viking ship, complete with carved head and Viking crew, will arrive at Lindisfarne Priory on Monday and will be on display all week.

Competition: Win Tickets to the Glendale Show

CULTURE Club members have the chance to win one of four family tickets to the Glendale Show on Monday, August 29, 2011. Now in its 119th year, The Glendale Show is very much a family day out filled with fun activities and displays for everyone including the dog!

Competition: Newcastle's Quayside

YOU have the chance to attend an exclusive Culture Club history walk around the Guildhall on Newcastle Quayside at 11am on Saturday, September 10. Guide Freda Thompson will take members around the building, which was built in 1655 as Newcastle's centre of administration and justice, replacing an old town house and exchange which had stood there since the 14th Century.

David Wells

Mates might not be too generous with their words today, or maybe they will be very generous with the words but not so great saying them with any hint of concern for what you think about them? Good mates tell you how it is. As Neptune is now chasing career choices use this weekend's full Moon to support his attempts by considering what you really don't want on that ever changing list of yours. Once done you can truly make a dream come true.

Thrilling Action Tale That's Full of Feeling

SCI-FI RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (1hr 44mins) Certificate: 12A Starring: James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, David Oyelowo, Tom Felton, Brian Cox, Andy Serkis. Director: Rupert Wyatt. Star rating: MAN learns a harsh lesson about meddling with Mother Nature in this splendid new chapter in the Planet of the Apes saga, based loosely on the novel by Pierre Boulle.

Drama

THE DEVIL'S DOUBLE (1hr 48mins) Certificate: 18 Starring: Dominic Cooper, Ludivine Sagnier, Raad Rawi, Mem Ferda, Philip Quast Director: Lee Tamahori. Star rating: ????s fascinating memoir, Iraqi businessman Latif Yahia revealed how he had been press-ganged into posing as the doppelganger of Saddam Hussein's sadistic son Uday. Separated from the people he loved, he was a sitting duck for snipers in his guise as the president's eldest son, adopting similar mannerisms in order to pass as the re...

Bittersweet Story of Dissatisfied Life

Salt of Life at Tyneside Cinema from today EVERY so often you find something a little out of kilter with the standard fare on offer and this slice of humdrum life isn't out to set the world alight this summer. Italian filmmaker Gianni Di Gregorio's follow-up to 2008's Mid- August Lunch debut treads similar ground, with his character, Gianni, now married but still at the beck and call of his elderly mother and her friends.

Name the Year