Nick’s Music and Ramblings

Well it’s February alreadythe year is flying by! What a start we have had too - we have lost a few greats already and the weather is going bonkers.

It’s so sad that we are are losing so many great artists. To me, it seems there are far too few around who can replace them. Some of those had lived to a good age though, like Burt Bacharach and Gina Lollobrigida both in their nineties, while Lisa Marie Presley was just 54. There is just too many to mention them all. I hope that it slows down. It is not just the famous, it’s everyone - I keep seeing on social media people are losing loved ones and good friends and it is not all down to covid so much these days.

I see that the Fling and the 3foot People festivals are back this year which is fantastic. There are also warm-ups planned for Central Park which I think is a huge bonus. I wonder if we might get Street Diversions or maybe the Chelmsford Spectacular back... It is good to see the Chelmsford Festival is still going, after I started it a few years back, under the guidance of Edith and Tony. It’s continually growing and going from strength to strength and becoming a great family festival, and includes a wonderful carnival parade. In Writtle we have the Writtle Jazz Festival to look forward to as well, and now there’s going to be a one-day folk festival in August; I should be helping with some acts for that one. I hear Creamfields the electronic festival is set to remain here for a few years, and I have also heard we have the Sausage and Cider Festival and Fake Fest too. Who knows what other festivals may be coming to Chelmsford soon...

Hot Box is great. It’s not just for gigs mind, it may surprise you to know that has a regular chess night and opens as a bar in the afternoons and evenings with the largest selection of spirits in Essex - and it is so friendly. Close by is Intense Records, with a massive selection of vinyl records and much more. And now we have Radio City, a new craft beer shop as well as the Ale House.

The Ideas Hub and the Art Place are amazing too, and put so much on. Did you know that the Ideas Hub and Chelmsford Museum have just held a light parade in the museum grounds? And do you know of all of the events that Steam Museum near Maldon puts on? Then there is Hyde Hall near South Woodham Ferrers too, and we have so much more going on in other places. Oh and I nearly forgot the sailing barges and all that is around Ongar, Stock and Ingatestone.

As you know, I think we should be concentrating on growing our city and the surrounding areas - like trying to get more independent shops opening. If we want to attract people to the area we need the diversity. I think we need more places for all types of entertainment and our museums need to be given more publicity - we do not even have a tourist information point. We have Chelmsford Cathedral to be proud of as well and the new theatres. We could do more to promote all the areas around us to give outsiders a reason to want to visit the area and spend some money. I think both councils and other bodies should be expanding the work they do with Ignite and similar organisations to involve many more groups and businesses to promote Chelmsford and the surrounding area for visitors.

Paul and I decided to increase our reach and we have now started to put The City Times into Ingatestone, Stock and Ongar and so far we have been well received. If you know anyone in any of those areas who may like our mag or be interested in advertising, please let them know that it is now out there for them. They can of course contact us for more information via the details at the end of this article or on page 3 of this magazine.

Music

It has been a busy time for me since the last edition. I have put on the first shows of the year and have been out and about. I went to the last Rock & Blues Festival in Skegness with some friends, and it was great - so many amazing acts both new and old and new, and some who are soon to be playing for me - not just at the Social Club, but at Hot Box too. There will be more about the Hot Box shows soon, as we kick off there in April on Tuesday 11th with two top Finnish folk acts.

We launched our year with a great show featuring Nine Below Zero and Al Perez over from the States. Al played a stripped back set with his brother, and both played acoustic along with a keyboard player. They went down really well and sold lots of CDs. Nine Below Zero hit the stage and played the whole of the Third Degree album which is now 40 years old! They added a few favourites in at the end as well. It was a packed room and both the band and audience had a great time. The band want to come back in the future and of course we want them back! I also went to see my buddy Robbie McIntosh play in London with his band in the last month. As ever, they were great and we are sorting out a future date for Chelmsford.

A quick note to let you know that Eric Bell has had to move his date with us from Friday 21st April to Friday 2nd June - all tickets are valid for the new date. We also need to remind you that Chris Jagger has sadly cancelled his show with us for now.

We have just booked a fabulous tribute to the late great Jeff Beck on Good Friday 7th April. On the night we will also have a couple of our very own local greats playing as well in the form of Phil Hilborne and Connor Selby - and there will be surprises on the night for you...

We have some excellent gigs coming up this month. We have ‘the best covers band in the world’ (according to Elton John) The Overtures, who are playing Friday 17th February. Then we have the Verity Bromham band, which is John Verity of Argent and Del Bromham of Stray - a great night for the rockers on Friday 24th February.

Then on Friday 3rd March it is Martin Turner, the man who formed Wishbone Ash and wrote most of the songs and also sung them. Yet another great night will be on Friday 10th March with Some Kinda Wonderful, who are Noel McCalla (ex-Manfred Mann’s Earth Band and Derek Nash) on vocals with his band. Derek is also part of the Jools Holland band. As if all that is not enough, we have the voice of The Average White Band, Hamish Stuart, who was also part of Paul McCartney’s band and played with Chaka Khan. For the last 17 years he has also been a member of Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band. There is more to come this year of course, so do keep your eyes and ears open.

It would be fantastic if you could share our magazines The City Times and Moulsham Times for us. We continue to publish both magazines in print and online at www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia. If you are interested in advertising your business or event with us then please contact us at ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk, or if you have an event or want to comment on anything or have an article that could be of interest, then please send to editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk and we will reply to you as soon as we can.

For all updates and information on Black Frog Presents shows at the Chelmsford Social Club and other venues, go to www.linktr. ee/BlackFrogPresents or scan the QR code on our advert in this magazine. You can also pre-book for paid shows with a text or by calling 07508 496 411, and then pay cash or card at the door at the advance price without commission.

See page 19 for the up-and-coming gigs at Chelmsford Social Club

We have made it to February! I don’t know about you, but January has felt like it was never going to end and Christmas seems like a lifetime ago! The children are back at school and have forgotten about the fortunes that were spent on them and already want more... Myself and my partner have both joined the gym as we are ‘shredding for our wedding’ - our local gym in Maldon has had some fantastic deals on with no joining fees and a reduced rate, so it was a no-brainer for us. January is the best time to snap up deals and discounts like this that usually go up in February - and every pound counts these days right?

This month we invested in an air fryer from Tesco on Clubcard prices. I was very sceptical, as being a chef I tend to like what I like, but my goodness, I haven’t looked back since getting it and I haven’t turned my oven on once this month! I can literally cook everything in it.

We are very lucky that in our local town of Maldon we have some fantastic restaurants. Our favourite restaurant being Sark, which serves fresh Turkish food, and offers a lunchtime special for two courses for under £10 which is fantastic. They have opened a new restaurant called Paparazzi, also based in Maldon, which we are trying for the first time this week. Again, it’s very reasonably priced and looks so glamourous - the décor is beautiful so I shall report back!

Onto this month’s recipe which is again on the theme of saving money and not spending hours prepping. Its healthy and doesn’t compromise on flavour - this dish would work perfectly on Valentine’s Day which is just around the corner. Pork fillet is such an underrated joint of meat, and it’s very cheap - I paid £3.10 for a whole fillet. If that were beef fillet for the same size it would have been well over £50. The fillet is very lean and has no fat.

Pork Fillet with Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

• Pork fillet (they come in different sizes but a whole fillet usually serves 4).

• 250g mushrooms.

• 300ml crème fraîche.

• 2 cloves garlic.

• ½ pint of chicken stock.

Recipe

1. Heat the frying pan with a small amount of oil - get it very hot and sear the whole pork fillet on each side, this keeps the juices and flavour in whilst cooking.

2. I then put this into my air fryer on 170 for 20 minutes or 200 degrees and 25 minutes in the oven. You can eat pork fillet slightly pink, but add more time if you would like it more well done.

3. Chop the mushrooms and garlic and fry in a pan. Once fried for a few minutes add stock and reduce.

4. Once reduced for 10 minutes, add crème fraîche and season well with salt and pepper.

5. Serve with rice and/or your favourite veg or potatoes.

I hope you enjoy this quick easy meal that can be a quick midweek meal or a posh Valentine’s Day feast.

Lauren xoxox

Eat Better to Feel Better - By Demelza Rayner

Hello. For those of you who didn’t see my last column, I’m a qualified nutrition and health coach based near Chelmsford in Essex. I’m here each month to share some of my top tips for developing healthier eating habits so that you can feel the best version of yourself. In this issue, I’d like to bust one of the most common myths around weight loss - ‘eat less and move more’. It really isn’t that simple and, more often than not, following this principle will just leave you frustrated and unhappy.

The key to sustainable weight loss can be split into three equally important areas: what you eat; how you eat; and when you eat. Please be assured that deprivation is not, and should not, be part of any healthy eating plan.

1) What You Eat

Keep hunger and cravings at bay by ensuring each meal contains a good source of protein. If you start your day with a bowl of cornflakes and a glass of orange juice then your blood sugar level will rise rapidly, making the body work harder to bring it back into balance and triggering the release of stress hormones. What’s more, it will lead to sugar cravings that will start the cycle off again. A better choice would be an omelette (choose your favourite filling), or a couple of large tablespoons of natural yogurt topped with berries and mixed nuts.

2) How You Eat

Rushed meals or meals eaten ‘on the go’ play havoc with your body. The digestive process begins as soon as you smell the dish in front of you, prompting the release of stomach acids that can help to break the food down. By taking a couple of deep breaths before eating and chewing the food carefully, your digestive system is better equipped to deal with the food you’re consuming - plus you’re less likely to suffer from all those uncomfortable digestive issues such as reflux or bloating. In contrast, if your body is in a stressed state (such as when you are rushing your meals) and it’s having to deal with big chunks of food, it simply won’t absorb all those essential vitamins and minerals that the body needs to thrive.

3) When You Eat

It surprises many people to learn that it is possible to lose weight simply by changing when they eat rather than what they eatalthough changing both will get better results!

The secret is to give your body a break from food overnight for a 12-hour window. This means that if you eat your dinner at 7pm, you should wait until 7am to eat your breakfast. In between these times you can drink water, herbal teas and black tea. You don’t need to commit to doing this every day, even just three times a week can make a difference and helps to break unhealthy food habits, such as evening snacking.

I hope you’ve found the information above useful. This really is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to achieving sustainable, long-term weight loss. If you’d like to know more, I’ll be holding a clinic open-day on Thursday March 17th, so email me at hello@ demelzaraynernutrition.co.uk if you’d like to book one of my free 30-minute health reviews on that day. Otherwise, please visit my website at www.demelzaraynernutrition.co.uk.