A look back at Coney Island Amusement Park, Porthcawl, through the years
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BreakingNews.ie
7 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
What is a mangelwurzel, the viral vegetable sensation?
It sounds like a dishevelled scarecrow, but the mangelwurzel is the latest unusual vegetable to take social media by storm. It used to be used as cattle fodder, but is actually a quirky relative of beetroot, sugar beet and chard, producing a huge root with chard-like leaves, which can be cooked and enjoyed. Advertisement It comes in red, yellow and white, producing large bulbous roots under leafy greens which resemble those of Swiss chard and are nutritious. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The UK Heirloom Veg Seed Co (@shegrowsveg) Heritage seed company She Grows Veg is among the few bringing back the mangelwurzel to amateur gardeners and co-founder Kate Cotterill, with Lucy Hutchings, says the trend 'has gone absolutely bonkers' on social media. 'If you remember Worzel Gummidge (the scarecrow played by actor Jon Pertwee), that was his head. It was relegated to become cattle fodder, but historically it used to be consumed by humans, and now allotmenteers are going crazy for it,' she says. What is its history? Traditional harvesting of mangelwurzels (Alamy/PA) The vegetable, also known as the mangold, the yellowbeet or mangelbeet, was originally cultivated as cattle fodder in the 18th century. Historically, they were carved out (instead of pumpkins) and carried through the village of Hinton St George in Somerset, England, to celebrate Punkie Night, which takes place on the third Thursday in October. In Norfolk and Wales they are carved out for Halloween celebrations. Advertisement The book character Worzel Gummidge reputedly got his name from mangelwurzels, and also had a mangelwurzel as one of his three interchangeable heads in the series: mangelwurzel, swede and turnip. What does it taste like? Both the root and leaves are edible. Use the leaves and the stems just as you would spinach or chard, she suggests, lightly steaming them as a vegetable or in salads. The roots taste similar to beetroot, although sweeter. They are conical and can reach up to weights of 5kg or more. It's best to pick the leaves small when they will be particularly tender, while the roots can be used in recipes as you would use swede or beetroot, so you could have them boiled, roasted, put them in soups, add the roots to curries and stews or have them raw in salads. You could even pickle them and some enthusiasts make wine, beer and cider from them. When do you sow it? View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dawn Anderson (@anderson_plot) Sow it from mid-February to May undercover in peat-free compost in module trays with one seed per 3cm or 4cm module. The seeds can be slow to germinate, so you'll need to be patient, but once the seedlings are 6-8cm tall you can plant them out 30cm apart, 2cm deep, and water in. Grow them on in well-dug, well-composted soil and water them regularly so that the roots become tender and tasty. Advertisement They are tough veg once established, but keep them weed free and water them during dry periods. Mulch them if you have free-draining soil or hot summers as they need moist soil for the roots to grow large. They can be harvested from the autumn, but don't leave them in over the winter as hard frosts can damage the roots. How would you serve it? View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Cozy Corner (@thecozycornertaupo) 'You cook it like a beetroot or roast it. There are several types – a yellow and a red one, so you've a couple of colours to play with. It looks a bit like the mandrake from Harry Potter. So there are lots of children getting involved in growing it,' Cotterill explains. By virtue of its sweetness, some people even use it in cake recipes. Advertisement
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Noel Sullivan claims he was 'chucked back into the closet' during his 'damaging' years in noughties pop band Hear'Say but 24 years on he has turned his back on fame
Noel Sullivan shot to overnight fame in Hear'Say but has revealed his short-lived 00s fame wasn't all glitz and glamour, and he had a huge struggle behind the scenes. The Welsh singer, 44, was selected for the band alongside Myleene Klass, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw and Danny Foster on talent show Popstars back in 2001. However, the band didn't stand the test of time and split up in 2002 - just 20 months after their formation, and Noel has now looked back on that turbulent time in his life. Now living a quieter live working as a theatre actor, Noel admitted his brief stint as a pop star aged 19 wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Unlike his famous counterparts, Noel chose a life away from fame with his husband James and now focuses on his theatre ventures, though he still documents his personal life on his public Instagram page. Though he's come to terms with his difficult time in the spotlight, Noel said joining Hear'Say damaged him because he was forbidden from discussing his sexuality. The Pure and Simple hitmaker revealed he felt like he was 'chucked back into the closet' and it wasn't until many years later in 2017 that he publicly came out as gay. He told Heat magazine: 'It was really mad. It was lifetime ago. I can look back at it with fond memories now, but it took while to sort through the damage. But I'm here and I survived.' Noel, who is now happily married to his husband James, had kept his sexuality under wraps at the time and admitted he was ordered to not speak about it. He explained: 'I was 19, 20 years old at the time, so at an age when I should be exploring who I am. 'To be boxed back up and chucked back in the closet was a damaging experience for me, it took a lot of time to find some resolution to that and not feel guilty or shameful because of it.' In fact, it was many years before he publicly came out as gay, only taking to Instagram in 2017 to address the years of being told to stay quiet about his sexuality. At the time, he shared a photograph of him and his husband James on his birthday and ahead of their six-month wedding anniversary. Discussing homosexuality being decriminalised 50 years earlier, he wrote: 'I can't express my gratitude enough to those who sacrificed everything, to give us the freedom we enjoy.' He then discussed how he had been told to keep his sexuality a secret throughout his career, admitting he was left 'ruined' by his stint on Popstars. 'As a 19 year old, I was told to shut up about my sexuality. If I wanted a career, I had to be something else. Silent. It ruined me,' he recalled. 'No one was held accountable for the years of depression and self abuse that followed. It got to the point where I felt like I couldn't speak out anymore because my time in the spotlight had passed and I assumed no one would care. 'It was a turbulent time but I took solace in my family and in theatre. Without the crazy, beautiful, supportive and talented people I worked with, lived with and performed for, I could never have found myself. 'After years of self doubt I finally feel free to say what I need to. Free to let go of the past, free to love myself. But most importantly, free to love. Thank you.' Following his turbulent and short-lived stint in the spotlight, Noel shunned fame in favour of a quieter career, though he has not left the entertainment industry all together. Working as an actor, the Cardiff-born star has appeared in a string of TV roles including Russell T Davies' series Years and Years and BBC drama Ordinary Lies. He also starred as Marcus Howell in soap opera Doctors and appeared in Call The Midwife's 2021 Christmas special, though he now focuses more on his theatrical ventures. Noel has become a successful musical theatre star and has starred on the West End in many leading roles, including as Galileo in We Will Rock You and Danny Zuko in Grease. He also led the cast as Dewey Finn in School of Rock, but looked unrecognisable after putting on two stone for the role because he 'didn't want to wear a fat suit on stage '. More recently, Noel has been busy running his theatrical education company and is set to play King Charles III in the drag musical The Diana Mixtape. Despite stepping back from fame, Noel didn't appear opposed to reuniting with his former Hear'Say bandmates and revealed they tried to plan a 20th anniversary reunion. However, the idea never got off the ground and Noel hasn't spoken to his former band members 'in a long time', choosing to remain away from fame - unlike his former bandmates, presenter Myleene, 47, and actress Kym, 49. Speaking about his life away from the limelight, Noel candidly added: 'I don't have to deal with the trappings of fame. 'I can move around day to day, I can get on the Tube while working in this amazing environment.' Though the band was short-lived, Hear'Say's first single, Pure And Simple, became the fastest-selling record in British pop history and their debut album went straight to the top of the charts. They even met the Queen when they starred at a Royal Variety performance. However, they were soon plagued by rumours of furious rows between the band members - and Kym quit the group. Johnny Shentall replaced her, with the group releasing flop single, Lovin Is Easy. In October 2002, the band announced they were going their separate ways with Noel, Myleene, Suzanne, Danny and Johnny telling The Sun that their lives had been made hell by abuse in the street and jeers when they performed. Danny told the newspaper: 'We have had enough. The public make you and break you.' Myleene added: 'Nobody deserves what we went through.'
Daily Mail
10 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Britain's UNLUCKIEST names, revealed - so, is yours on the list?
If you've ever felt like you just can't catch a break, it might not be random. Experts have analysed personal injury claims and identified the names most likely to have suffered slips, trips, falls and workplace incidents. Some of the unluckiest names are more than 20 per cent more likely than the average person to file a personal injury claim, they revealed. And it's bad news for people called David or Joanne – as they top their respective lists. Researchers analysed personal injury claims submitted to Edwards Hoyle solicitors over the space of a year. The data revealed that the name David accounted for a larger share of claimants than any other male name. Odds analysis suggests a man named David is a fifth more likely than average to file a personal injury claim. The news is enough to make David Beckham and David Attenborough pay special attention to their everyday safety. James Norton (pictured) is known for playing a 'bad boy' in Happy Valley - but in real life he has a name that indicates he's more likely to trip over his feet Sadly for actor James Norton, his name places second in the 'unluckiest' list of men. Comedian Stephen Fry, Prince Andrew and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin all possess first names which also appear in the top five list, the data showed. The top unluckiest female name was Joanne - especially for everyday accidents like trips or burns, the analysis showed. This would include the likes of Harry Potter author J K Rowling and actress Joanne Froggatt. According to the data, a Joanne's odds of lodging an injury claim were roughly one in 20 per year – significantly above the average for women. Other unlucky women are those named Emma, Clare, Karen and Lisa, the analysis showed. The likes of actress Emma Watson, broadcaster Clare Balding and presenter Lisa Snowdon should perhaps take heed. A spokeswoman from who commissioned the research, said: 'While your name alone doesn't doom you to bad luck, these findings show that some names turn up more often when accidents happen. 'Next time you slip, trip or burn your dinner, you might just blame your name… and have the data to back it up.' They explained that David and Joanne were extremely common names for people born in the 1970s – 80s, so they appear more often in any large dataset. Younger workers in physically demanding roles also tend to file more claims – and certain names also dominate those age groups. 'If your name is on the list, don't panic!' they added. 'Just be a little extra careful on staircases and kitchen floors.'
