Cultured. On Sunday 31.05.26
From forgotten football history to iconic photographs and fresh creative opportunities, welcome to this week's weekend edition for longer reads and cultural recommendations
Hello and thanks for opening this week’s Cultured. On Sunday.
Some stories take a while to tell properly.
This week, Jeff Brown reflects on the making of his powerful new BBC documentary about Sunderland AFC’s first Black footballer, Roland Gregoire – a story he has spent decades wanting to uncover.
Elsewhere, David Whetstone looks at the latest Baltic Open Submission opportunity, while Sunderland composer Ben Lunn prepares for a special concert celebrating composers with North East connections.
We’re also doing things a little differently in My Life Through a Lens, where celebrated photographer Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen answers some career questions before sharing a selection of images from her remarkable archive.
Add in a thoughtful book recommendation from Forum Books and an ambitious Sunday Plate from Blackfriars, and there should be plenty here to keep you company over a cuppa.
Enjoy your Sunday.
The search for Sunderland AFC’s first black footballer led to one of the most powerful stories of Jeff Brown’s career. Here, he introduces the resulting documentary.
I didn’t expect to have to wait almost 44 years into my journalistic career to tell my most important story. It is, though, one which has nagged away at me for even longer than that…
In February 1980, Sunderland AFC cancelled the contract of 21 year-old Roland ‘Roly’ Gregoire, the first black player to wear the red and white stripes in the football club’s long history.
Just two seasons and 10 games into his career with the then Second Division (Championship) team, Roly – born in Liverpool to Windrush generation parents from the Caribbean - wrecked his knee in a reserve game at Murton CW in August, 1979, and never kicked a ball again.
What happened to him after that has, for almost half a century, been a subject of conjecture. Did he become a bus driver? A disc jockey? A postman? Is he even still alive?
As a fan, then – from the Autumn of 1982 – a reporter, it’s a question I’ve long been wanting to answer.
Phone calls, conversations with old teammates and library research revealed next to nothing, and even the advent of the internet brought only the bare details of Roly’s brief flirtation with the football scene.
We’ve been asking North East-based photographers to open up their archives and select two handfuls of images which encapsulate life as they’ve captured it.
Few photographers have documented life in the North East with the depth, humanity and longevity of Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen.
So, for this week’s My Life Through a Lens, we decided to do things a little differently. Before enjoying Sirkka’s selection of photographs from across her archive, we asked some questions about the projects that have defined her career and her relationship with the region.
Born in Myllykoski, Finland (1948), Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen is a founder member of the Amber Film & Photography Collective, based since 1969 in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Her long-term projects, developed as exhibitions, books, and films include Byker, Step by Step, Hoppings, Writing in the Sand, The Coal Coast and Byker Revisited.
Konttinen’s photography and Amber’s films were inscribed in the UNESCO UK Memory of the World Register in 2011 as being of outstanding national value and importance to the United Kingdom. She was awarded an MBE in 2024.
Her work can be found on the Side Gallery and L. Parker Stephenson websites.
This week’s recommendation comes from Forum Books bookseller, Emma Whitehall who is shining a light on a Newcastle author's thoughtful and empowering guide to autism and neurodivergence. You can pick it up at Forum Books in Corbridge, or one of its sister shops, The Bound Whitley Bay and The Accidental Bookshop in Alnwick.
There are more non-fiction titles about autism on the shelves than there have ever been, but none discuss the subject with the kindness and clarity of Newcastle-based influencer Ella Willis’ Literally.
Ella’s debut title is a thorough explanation of neurodivergent terminology, along with ‘Top Tips’ and hard-won advice directly from the author themselves.
This book talks right to the autistic reader - so many books about autism get bogged down in dry, medical terminology to the point of feeling detached from the very people they’re writing about. Ella deftly avoids this issue with light, conversational but thoughtful writing.
As someone who was diagnosed as autistic late in life, a book like Literally would have been invaluable to me as I navigated brand-new terminology, and the daunting diagnostic process itself.
What help and accommodations are available to autistic people in the UK? How do you tackle sensory overload in a busy, noisy world? And why DO they make you read a picture book about frogs?
Packed with fun illustrations and interspersed with stories of Ella’s own journey as an autistic person - as well as testimonials from autistic people from a wide range of backgrounds and identities - this book aims to help everyone feel seen, understood and helped in a way that blows the myth of autistic people lacking empathy right out of the water.
This is the perfect book for anyone just starting out on their autistic journey - or anyone who loves an autistic person. The more we know about autism, the more empowered we all can be!
Ella will be discussing Literally at Whitley Bay Library on Monday (June 1) at 7pm. Visit Ticketsource for more details.
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 courtesy of one of Newcastle’s most distinctive dining destinations.
Housed within a medieval friary, Blackfriars has built a reputation for celebrating seasonal British produce, earning a string of regional and national awards along the way. Alongside its restaurant, the city centre venue is home to a cookery school, tasting room, banquet hall and bar, all housed within a remarkable historic setting.
The recipe comes from Head Chef Krystian Jaskula, whose journey to the kitchen has been anything but conventional. Originally trained as a plumber, Krystian moved to the UK from Poland more than a decade ago and joined Blackfriars as a kitchen assistant. Through hard work, talent and determination, he worked his way through the ranks to lead the kitchen team.
Today, he oversees menus which champion local ingredients and hearty, flavour-packed cooking.
Langoustine mousse roulade, bisque gazpacho, garden peas, nasturtium
Krystian says: A refined plate bringing together delicate langoustine in multiple forms - a creamy roulade, rich bisque, refreshing gazpacho, a bright pea salad, and peppery nasturtium for a fresh, elegant lift.
Serves: 6
Prep time: 50 mins
Cook time: 1½ hours
Ingredients
For the Langoustine Roulade
1 kg langoustine (meat picked)
300 ml cream
80 ml egg whites
Lemon juice and zest (to taste)
Salt
Fresh dill
2–3 courgettes (for ribbons)
For the Langoustine Bisque
2 kg langoustine shells
1 kg mirepoix (fennel, onion, leek, celery, carrot)
2 star anise
5 g fennel seeds
5 g black peppercorns
1 bunch thyme
5 bay leaves
1 bunch tarragon
200 g tomato purée
Water
For the Bisque Gazpacho
½ large tins chopped tomatoes
2 cucumbers
2 red chillies
1 red onion
1 tsp minced garlic
100 ml sherry vinegar
50 g sugar
Salt
300 ml reduced langoustine bisque
For the Garden Pea, Dill & Nasturtium Salad
250 g fresh or frozen peas (blanched)
1 small shallot (finely diced)
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Zest of ½ lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and white pepper
A small handful nasturtium leaves
A few nasturtium flowers (for garnish)
Method
Make the Bisque
Heat oil in a roasting tray and roast langoustine shells, mirepoix, and spices until well coloured.
Add tomato purée, mix well, and continue roasting, stirring occasionally.
Transfer to a large saucepan, cover with water, and bring to the boil.
Add herbs and simmer for 1½ hours, skimming regularly.
Strain, discard solids, and reduce liquid until thick and glossy. Set aside.
Prepare the Roulade
Blend langoustine meat until smooth in a food processor.
Slowly add egg whites, cream, and lemon juice while blending.
Season with salt, dill, and lemon zest.
Roll into tight cylinders using cling film.
Steam or sous vide at 80°C for 20 minutes, then chill.
Slice courgettes into thin ribbons using a mandolin.
Wrap roulade in courgette ribbons and re-roll neatly.
Make the Gazpacho
Combine all vegetables, vinegar, sugar, garlic, and salt.
Blend until smooth.
Slowly add 300 ml of the reduced bisque while blending.
Pass through a fine sieve and chill thoroughly.
Prepare the Garden Pea & Nasturtium Salad
Blanch peas in salted boiling water, then refresh in ice water. Drain well.
Combine peas with shallot, dill, and lemon zest.
Dress with lemon juice and olive oil.
Gently fold through nasturtium leaves just before serving.
Season lightly with salt and white pepper.
To Serve
Slice the roulade into neat rounds and place on top.
Add a small mound of pea, dill & nasturtium salad for freshness.
Serve gazpacho chilled on the side or in a small glass.
Garnish with courgette ribbons, fresh herbs, and nasturtium leaves.
Finish with a drizzle of herb oil.
Chef’s notes
Roast shells deeply for maximum flavour in the bisque.
Skim regularly for a clean, refined finish.
Nasturtium adds a fresh, peppery note — add at the last moment.
Keep the dish balanced: warm bisque, chilled gazpacho, fresh salad.
