Flashback: June

It's just a little over a year since we began The Weekend Collective, but we've actually been blogging together for around 5 years!

So.... here's a little look at how the sunny month of June shaped up over the last few years...

LAST YEAR...

• Becca went Vegan for a week
• We went behind the scenes at the first of The Wedding collective's styled photoshoots

TWO YEARS AGO...

• Mango, Cardamom & Yoghurt pops and Elderflower sugar were both on the menu

THREE YEARS AGO...

• We visited Art House
• Becca was enjoying her surroundings
• Elle was whipping up Apple and Elderflower Mocktails

FOUR YEARS AGO...

• Becca was sharing a family recipe for Coconut Jam Tarts
• Elle had a month of festival going, both Riverside and Glastonbury were on the bill

FIVE YEARS AGO...

• Elle was enjoying the sunshine at Holkam Beach in Norfolk
• Becca had met the artist Kay Van-Bellen at a secret craft fair

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Weekend Review: One Man & His Loaf

We LOVE our bread - not the processed long-life stuff, but the real deal.  Baker David Belcham, aka One Man and His Loaf, is Becca's regular supplier - providing a weekly hit of his delicious sesame seed sourdough. So who is the man behind the loaf?

What do you do for work?

I work as an artisan baker under the name 'One Man and His Loaf'. I use traditional techniques and locally milled organic flour to create and sculpt rustic loaves including  sourdough and Scandinavian style rye breads. These are available at The Tiny Bakery in Clarendon Park, Leicester.

What's your proudest career moment so far?

It's not one distinct moment, more the culmination of a number of years of work. I feel a sense of achievement to have learnt a skill from scratch, taking something I was passionate about and turning it into a career. When I see customers return time after time to buy my loaves I feel a sense of pride. This makes the job worthwhile.

What did I want to be growing up?

Just content and fulfilled by my work. I didn't have a clue what that would entail and that worried me. I did however have a clear sense that Monday to Friday, 9-5 was not for me. So I tried a variety of jobs to find something that I was suited to. Once I found that niche, I was motivated to follow that path. I will follow it until that changes. 

What's your favourite way to relax and unwind after work?

Plants are another of my passions and I love gardening and being outside. Alongside baking I have studied horticulture and garden design at Brooksby College (in Melton Mowbray) which has provided me with a really good understanding of plants. I have been inspired by planting designers such as Piet Oudolf and Dan Pearson. 

I also value time to exercise. It renews me in many ways. I enjoy running and I have also just started attending a yoga class.

When is your weekend?

"Monday, Tuesday is my weekend..." 

Saturday is the busiest day at the bakery so luckily I have no problem working on Saturdays... I enjoy the buzz. 

However I also do private work at a handful of local gardens maintaining planting designs I have implemented over the last few years so I often work on those gardens during my days off from baking.

What's a typical weekend look like?

I enjoy looking for bargains in charity shops and catching up with friends for coffee. I enjoy trips to garden centres, country walks or meeting up with my family who all live in Leicester. 

Due to the early starts that baking involves I often crash out by 9pm. Not rock and roll but just reality. 

Ideal weekend break?

I enjoy breaks that are a combination of city and countryside. 

I enjoy trips to Bath, Cambridge, York, places with plenty to see and do without being overly hectic. Often trips away will involve a visit to a garden or two. 

Describe your ideal Sunday  menu...

Breakfast - In bed. Cereals, milk, very strong coffee. Simple. Boring even. That's what I like. 

Lunch - Sitting in the garden, sun shining, floriferous plants doing their thing. Avocado on seeded rye, a liberal sprinkle of sea salt and chilli flakes. Simple, again, but effective. 

Evening meal - Peter's Pizzeria with my whole family. My nieces and nephews love the place. Delicious and darn effective for all. I don't go enough now I come to think of it. The Strokes playing in the background would be a nice little bonus. One day... someday. 

What's your signature dish?

A green risotto. When I bother, I do it the laborious/ traditional way, stirring, ladling stock, all that. I include peas, griddled courgettes and asparagus. I enjoy it served with a big bowl of crispy salad leaves, little gem works a treat as you can use them as a spoon to scoop up the risotto. Crusty loaves of wheat sourdough also make an appearance. 

I also make a pretty tasty Panzanella. It's a great way to use up any stale bread. It's the fresh basil that does it, it's got to be loads. 

What's in your fridge?

Apples. Cold and crisp. Yogurts. A day without yogs isn't on my agenda. Avocado. I am late, very late, to the avo party but I'm hooked. 

Salad leaves. Cherry tomatoes. I like them cold, sorry. Humous. Milk.  Jam. Bonne mamam raspberry. Innocent juice- orange, carrot, ginger thing, darn zingy.

Chicken or salmon... or both!  Stewed Apple.  Dark chocolate. Maybe with hazelnuts. 

Quick fire questions - what is your favourite...

Book - Watership Down... Book and film merge for me, but I adore the visuals in both

Film - Lars and the Real Girl

TV series - Animals of Farthing Wood. Watched as a child, but has had a profound effect on me. Much like Watership Down, it tells us a great deal about humanity. 

Holiday destination - Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour

Museum - I don't really have one, but I enjoyed Cresswell Crags. If you asked me a favourite garden, then you would have a very long list. I have learnt more from gardens than museums so far in my life. 

Word - Contentment

What's your guilty pleasure?

I get carried way with eating cereals straight from the box and handful after handful or raisins. But I'm most guilty, most ashamed by my current ritual of snapping the dark, thin chocolate off the top of Choco Leibniz biscuits, eating that and then putting the biscuit back.

I shouldn't keep doing it but I am not ready to stop...

Where can we follow you?

Twitter:  @OneMan_HisLoaf
Facebook: One Man and His Loaf
Instagram: one_man_and_ his_loaf

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Looking forward: June

How have we reached June already?! Here's a few things we are looking forward to this month...

ELLE

• Making elderflower cordial...
• And possibly some gooseberry jam too.
• Creating beautiful wedding cakes, June is looking busy!
• Hosting a Summer meringue workshop on July 1st at The Refectory Table
• Leicester's Riverside Festival this weekend.

BECCA

• Watching the stage version of one of my favourite films, The Graduate at Curve
• Seeing some beautiful blooms at RHS Chatsworth with my mum and her best friend
• Attending my friends' son's 5th birthday party (super hero themed!)
• Tending to our increasingly green garden...
• And adoring our beautiful new cat!

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Weekend Review: Nat Hudson

 IndieTracks, a DIY pop music festival takes place every year on a Heritage railway site in Derbyshire. Though Becca has attended many times before, Elle has never been so we've decided to go together this year and are really looking forward to it! We spoke to  Nat Hudson to gain some insight into the life of a festival organiser and find out a little more about what we can expect this year...

What do you do for work?

I work in communications and project management in the NHS, which involves working with hospitals and patients across north London to provide the best possible quality of service and improve ways of doing things for patients. I really enjoy working with both patients and clinicians, and really admire everyone who works in the health sector. 

What's your proudest career moment so far?

My first job was working as a regional newspaper reporter, and it was a great feeling to have my first article printed knowing that thousands of people would be reading it that afternoon. I still have a copy somewhere in my flat! 

What's your favourite way to relax and unwind after a busy day?

I've a six month old son, Luke, so we relax together by reading 'Goodnight Moon' and 'Dear Zoo' and listening to music. And then after he's asleep, I've been watching the second series of Master of None on Netflix which is fantastic. 

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

I wanted to be a journalist ever since I was small, and followed that path for several years after university. I still really enjoy writing and I'm so lucky to be able to be working on spreading the word about our music festival. 

What are your favourite pastimes outside of work?

I play the violin in an orchestra, and we've played shows with some great artists including Darren Hayman, Haiku Salut and Ralegh Long, as well as releasing our own album. I also really enjoy helping to organise the Indietracks festival, and when I'm not doing those things I really like reading, films and catching up with friends. 

When is your weekend? 

Before I started maternity leave, I worked Monday to Friday, so my weekend would start on Friday evening and run until Sunday night. My husband Andy follows the same pattern, which is nice, and I'm sure those days will still feel like the weekend when I return to work part-time in the autumn. 

How do you tend to spend the Indietracks festival weekend?

It's usually incredibly busy, but a lot of fun! I'm often on the gates meeting artists, arranging press interviews or selling t-shirts in the merchandise tent! However, I also try and make sure I see my favourite bands as well, and hang out with my friends. The Sunday often feels a bit more relaxed, especially once we know all the bands have arrived. The venue is a beautiful steam railway in the countryside, but it's a bit off the beaten track and it's a relief when all the bands follow the directions carefully and find the entrance okay! This year will be very different as I'll be bringing Luke, so I'll be mainly spending the weekend in our new indoor children's area, helping to organise activities in there.

Your ideal weekend break... 

Holidays are very different now that I have a baby, so my ideal break would be a nice cottage in a seaside town that's easy to get to, with some nice cafes, galleries, shops, a beach and ideally some music going on somewhere. I've always loved festivals, so somewhere to watch some bands in the daytime with a couple of drinks and some nice food, but with an easy walk back home afterwards! 

Your ideal Sunday menu... 

Breakfast: Ideally brought to me in bed by someone else!
Lunch: My local pub does a fantastic Sunday roast, so I'd probably head there with my husband and Luke
Dinner: I'd love to be sitting out in a lovely Italian square as the sun sets with friends and family

Do you have a signature dish you like to cook?

Looking after a small baby means I don't have much time or energy to cook at the moment, but I do like quick and easy comfort food - so fish pie and apple crumble are probably two of my favourite things to make!

What's the normal soundtrack to your weekend?

At the moment it's BBC6 Music, the Indietracks 2017 Spotify playlist, the latest Wave Pictures album and baby lullabies.

QUICK FIRE - without too much thought, name your absolute favourite...

Book: 1984
TV series: The Wire
Band: Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
Music festival (other than Indietracks!): Green Man
Museum: I don't really have one, but I went to the Museum of Brands recently and really enjoyed it!

What can we expect from Indietracks 2017?

We're a friendly festival that celebrates creative and independent pop music, and we're based at a steam railway in Derbyshire. So visitors can ride the steam trains, and watch bands playing across four different stages. We're so excited with this year's line-up, which has some internationally-known names like The Wedding Present, Cate Le Bon and Frankie Cosmos, alongside some of the most exciting new artists around, including Martha, Joanna Gruesome, The Tuts, Peaness and Shopping. We'll also have art and craft workshops, discos, real ale, fine foods, a family area for babies and toddlers and late night karaoke. 

How can people follow what you do and get in contact?

We're on all the usual social media places, and have a website as below: 

www.indietracks.co.uk
twitter.com/indietracksfest
facebook.com/indietracks
Instagram.com/indietracks

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Flashback: May

It's been over a year since we moved from our original blog, Make Do and Spend, to The Weekend Collective, so we thought it was worth a retrospective look back into the vaults.

It's so great having our blog posts to remind us of where we were, and what we were doing at this time one, two or five years ago. A  bit like a diary, that we share with the rest of the internet.

Last year...

• May 2016 was a very exciting time for our home city of Leicester - we celebrated the football win with a Filbert Fox cake, an ode to Kasabian, and a few words from Twitter royalty.
• Elle shared her go-to granola recipe - and morning routine
• And comedian Jim Smallman shared his weekend in review

Two years ago...

• Two years ago, Elle was taking a well needed stroll through the bluebells.
• And Becca was holidaying in Positano, on Italy's Almalfi Coast (eating lots of pizza and pasta)

THREE YEARS AGO...

• Becca was walking with owls (yes, really)
• Elle was whipping  up some green garlic pesto

FOUR YEARS AGO...

• Elle was baking picnic bread for a day at the races - full of onions, cheese and tomato
• And Becca was reporting back from her first visit to Amsterdam (she loved it so much she's since been back, twice!)

FIVE YEARS AGO...

• Becca went along to the Chelsea Flower Show, with her mum
• And Elle was feeling a bit under the weather, but celebrating the comfort of food

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Weekend Review: Laura Millward

Our favourite thing about blogging is undoubtably the awesome creative and talented people we've meet along the way, when blog friends become real friends its all the more brilliant! So this week we asked fellow Blogger, illustrator, zine creator and matey Laura to take part in our weekend review....

What do you do for work?

I work in marketing for an arts centre called QUAD in Derby.

What's your proudest career moment so far?

I really enjoy working on the promotion for our annual outdoor film festival, Summer Nights. The buzz when we launch the films and getting positive feedback from visitors is a brilliant feeling.

What are your favourite pastimes outside of work?

I really enjoy drawing and making zines and comics in my spare time. Other than that I love watching films, reading graphic novels, finding old photobooths, rummaging in vintage shops and discovering unusual museums which I document on my blog, Make Do & Mend.

We love your watercolour portraits and zines, available from your etsy store, What inspires your illustrations?

I starting experimenting with watercolours again to feature within my latest zine, dedicated to the cult 90s TV show My So Called Life and I really enjoy using this medium, especially as it gets me away from computer screens! I really enjoy drawing people more than anything else so making portraits is really fun. I've made quite a few for friends' wedding presents.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to have a go at creating their own zine?

Give it a go! The great thing about zines is they don't have to be perfect. Zines were born out of a DIY culture, and they can feature any topic you choose which is why they are so fun to make. Zines are meant to be quite hands-on, and made on a low budget, the best thing is having the freedom to make it however you choose, and the chance to share your passion with others. It's also great collaborating with other people around the world who share your passions.

We hear you're collaborating with Janet on a zine devoted to 90's Nostalgia, how can people get involved in contributing to this? 

We have had some great submissions so far for our Mixtape zine! We are giving a rough deadline of the end of April but this could possibly be extended a bit, so there's still some time to submit an article, just email it to me or Janet 

When is your weekend? 

I have a traditional Saturday/Sunday weekend!

How did you spend this weekend? 

Last weekend was really lovely - the weather was so warm for April. My Saturday began by having brunch with my boyfriend Tom at Small Food Bakery, an amazing bakery situated in a building called Primary, which used to be a school and is now artist studios and cafe. They serve freshly baked bread, pastries and delicious coffee. 

We then met up with a couple of our friends and jumped on the Red Arrow bus to Derby to explore FORMAT International Photography Festival on its closing weekend. The festival takes place every two years and exhibits artwork at various venues in Derby, including derelict buildings, such as the amazing Pearsons building. It's great to explore some of Derby's forgotten buildings during the festival and discover places you didn't even realise were there. 

We ended the day with a stroll through Derby's Darley Park and a pint in the sunshine, from The Abbey inn, and noticed some gorgeous cherry blossom trees on our way back through the park.

On Sunday I met up with my friend Caroline - we had planned to cycle to a new veggie cafe in Bingham but I discovered quite last minute that it was shut on Sundays (booo!) so we made alternate plans and headed to a new cafe called Blend in the newly revamped Sneinton Market in Nottingham. We are planning on starting up a Veggie/Vegan Midlands food blog (the working title of which is 'Ey Up Mock Duck' - got to love a pun!) so this was research for our first post. I couldn't resist ordering a 'Brie-yonce' - a  grilled cheese sandwich with mushrooms, brie and spinach. Two thumbs up!

How typical was it for you?

Many of my weekends seem to be spent here there and everywhere, so it was great to have some 'down time' in Nottingham, and time to soak up the sun!

Your ideal Sunday menu... 

Breakfast: The best breakfast I've had was at Ray's Bucktown B&B in Chicago. It's made to order and you can choose from French toast, pancakes, omelettes or my favourite, a combination of everything with Ray's Roasted Red's (fried potatoes marinated in oil, garlic & rosemary..mmm)
Lunch: A nice (veggie) Sunday roast somewhere in the Peak District.
Dinner: A vegetarian meal at Cafe Roya, a brilliant veggie restaurant in Beeston. Last year it was named the UK's best vegetarian restaurant in the annual Food Awards. I've booked a meal there for my birthday and can't wait to see what's on the menu, which changes every month.

What's in your fridge?

Some leftover Millionaire's Shortbread that Tom made last night. Yum.

QUICK FIRE - without too much thought, name your absolute favourite...

Book: Blankets by Craig Thompson
Film: Hi Fidelity popped into my head first for some reason...
TV Series: My So Called Life. (Honourable mentions: Mad Men, Girls, The Wire, Spaced, Louis Theroux and The Simpsons!)
Holiday destination: New York
Museum: The Pencil Museum in the Lake District!

How can people follow what you do and get in contact?

I blog at Make Do & Mend, or you can follow me on Instagram. My Etsy shop is Make Do Shop. Thanks for having me guys!

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