Cultured. On Sunday 21.06.26
Our weekend edition offering a midsummer mix of music, art, books, photography, food and some unexpected wildlife
Hello and welcome to Cultured. On Sunday.
With yesterday bringing the longest day - and the shortest night - of the year, summer has officially arrived, even if the North East weather is keeping its options open.
This week’s edition spans festivals, exhibitions, photography, books and even a little rewilding.
We preview the upcoming What a Wonderful World Festival via a chat with Bellowhead frontman Jon Boden, while David Whetstone welcomes the new season with a fresh exhibition from Northumberland artist Mary Ann Rogers.
Elsewhere, motherhood is put in the frame through a companion photography exhibition to new theatre production Mother?, Bridget Hamilton’s debut YA novel gets this week’s bookshelf slot, and Tony Henderson explores how wild boar could help support the recovery of declining bird species.
Ooh, and there’s a menu favourite from Isla in Durham to make sure this week’s Sunday Plate is full.
Tuck in!
What A Wonderful World returns with hope at its heart
There are plenty of festivals which promise a good time. Fewer invite audiences to confront the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and the future of the planet - and still leave them feeling hopeful.
That balancing act sits at the heart of the What A Wonderful World Festival, which returns to Alnwick and locations across Northumberland from June 25-28 for its fifth year, bringing together music, poetry, film, debate, practical workshops and family events under one increasingly urgent umbrella.
Founded in 2022 by concertina virtuoso Alistair Anderson and his wife Liz, the festival has carved out a distinctive space by refusing to separate difficult conversations from joyful times.
“Our fifth annual festival will celebrate the natural world and the huge range of positive ways we can help tackle the problems of the climate and biodiversity crisis,” says Liz.
“This year we believe we have created a joyous event with something for people of all ages and many tastes.”
Sign of summer - a new Mary Ann Rogers exhibition
The year has a rhythm, says artist Mary Ann Rogers, and she should know, being rooted in the Northumberland countryside at West Woodburn.
She could hardly be better placed to see the seasons change, with the National Park almost on the doorstep and views of the fells in every direction.
Every spring, she says, there will be a hare or two in the garden, unwitting models for the paintings and prints which have found their way into homes all over the country and further afield.
“I observe them a lot, often out of the bedroom window really early and then later in the day,” she says.
“There’s a lot of undergrowth around here.
Framing motherhood
When Rachel Stockdale set out to create Mother? - her new verbatim theatre production exploring the realities of modern motherhood - she wanted to make space for honest conversations about the pressures, expectations and contradictions wrapped up in the role.
As the project got it first stage outing this week at ARC Stockton, a companion photography exhibition opened alongside it, offering another way into those conversations.
Photographer Debbie Todd has captured 30 striking portraits of mothers and caregivers whose voices helped shape the play, creating an exhibition which celebrates both the beauty and chaos of motherhood in all its forms.
Debbie says the collaboration with Rachel felt like a natural fit.
“I met Rachel at a Tees Valley New Creatives event in Stockton decided it would be great to work together as we have similar values.”
Those shared values are evident throughout the exhibition, which mirrors the ethos of Mother? by prioritising honesty over perfection.
Grief, friendship and the North East landscape shape this YA debut
North East writer Bridget Hamilton’s debut YA novel arrives with serious promise.
Winner of a Northern Writers Award in 2023, Bridget has built a strong reputation as a writer and creative practitioner across the region - and We Wait for the Stars feels like an exciting next chapter.
Told in verse, the novel follows Celeste as she navigates grief after losing her dad, while new friendships begin to shift her world.
Bridget says she hopes readers feel seen, particularly those who have experienced loss, but stresses this is far from simply a sad story - describing it instead as sweet, funny and irreverent, with the North East woven through its heart.
We Wait For The Stars is published on July 2. You can pre-order now.
The Sunday Plate sees chefs from kitchens across the North East share a recipe for you to try at home - a taste of the region’s food scene, one dish/treat at a time.
This week’s recipe comes from Durham’s Isla, the sister restaurant to Coarse, where contemporary brunch and sharing plates are the order of the day.
With dishes ranging from Japanese vegetable pancakes and charred hispi cabbage to monkfish with nduja and confit duck, the menu is packed with tempting options. But this twice-baked soufflé with leeks, cheddar and crispy onions is the one diners return for time and again.
Makes 4-6 depending on size of mould - ideally you want something with a bit of depth, like the shape of those individual sticky toffees (or Aunty’s Golden Syrup steamed puds!) If not, it’s finally time to crack out all those empty Gu pots!
Ingredients
* 50g Plain Flour
* 50g Butter
* 300ml Milk
* 150g Cheddar
* ½ Leek
* 4 Eggs
* c.100ml Double Cream + 30g grated Cheddar per soufflé to serve
Method
1. Brush softened butter on the inside of your moulds until fully covered, then pack them with fine breadcrumbs and shake out the excess. Check that there is a complete layer of breadcrumbs on the interior of your moulds. Place these onto a deep baking tray.
2. Preheat oven to 160°C
3. Thickly slice leek and add to milk in pan, bring to boil and take off the heat. Strain.
4. Make roux with flour and butter, then incorporate strained milk 1/3 at a time.
5. Add in cheddar and sliced leeks to the mix, taste and season accordingly with salt and pepper. Take off the heat.
6. Separate the eggs into whites and yolks, beat the yolks into the mixture, and start whipping the whites with a hand or stand mixer.
7. When the egg whites reach soft peaks - they can form a peak when the whisk is removed from the bowl but the tip droops downwards - add them in three parts to the pan. The first third loosens the mix and the subsequent two thirds can be gently folded in until homogeneous.
8. Spoon into moulds until 5mm from the top, gently wipe clean the edge of the moulds and return them to the tray. Fill the tray with cold water until it reaches halfway up the moulds.
9. Bake until lightly browned on top and set throughout (check with a cake tester) - around 45 minutes.
10. Leave to cool for 20 minutes and gently remove from the moulds - you may have to run a small knife around the edges.
11. To serve, place browned side down in the centre of an ovenproof bowl, cover with double cream until 1/3 of the way up the soufflé and sprinkle with cheddar to cover. Bake in an oven at 200 until the cream is bubbling and the cheese has browned.
