Ross Recommends: August Issue
Your monthly serving of Welsh food and culture suggestions
THE BOOK
Who’s Next? An Exploration of the Cardiff Community by Jake Rowles
I recently got commissioned to write a piece for Wizz Air’s inflight magazine all about food from the Canary Islands, where I interviewed three Tenerife chefs championing local ingredients and reinventing Canarian cuisine. I was lucky enough to be joined on my Spanish jaunt by Cardiff-based photographer (and coffee aficionado) Jake Rowles, who captured the food, characters and essence of the article beautifully with his stunning, intimate photography. I was delighted to learn that he had created a book in lockdown all about interesting people in Cardiff doing interesting things, from Cardiff Salad Garden to fashion and tattoo designers. It explores the life of the city through its people using original photography, illustration and words.
THE ONE TO FOLLOW
Jon Pountney
Keeping the photography theme going, I can’t help but stop scrolling through my Twitter or Instagram feeds when I come across a post by Pontypridd-based photographer and artist Jon Pountney. There’s something deliciously nostalgic and starkly fresh about his images. I loved his recent series on Porthcawl. The shots are always candid and real, and very much grounded in place and people (of Wales).
THE EVENT
North American Festival of Wales
The North American Festival of Wales has been celebrating Welsh culture in North America since 1929. Each year, the festival moves to another city or region – not dissimilar to the National Eisteddfod – and this year is being hosted by the Welsh Society of Philadelphia. The week-long event welcomes guests from across the world to learn more about Welsh culture and participate in concerts, recitals and more. This year, my friends in Eschoir – a London-based Welsh male-voice choir – will be there to sing at the finale concert. I wrote about the Welsh in the USA last year – you can read that here.
THE INTERVIEW
Celyn Jones for Creative Wales
Recently, I had the good fortune to be able to interview actor, writer and director (and all-round lovely guy) Celyn Jones for Creative Wales. His latest film The Almond and the Seahorse, starring Rebel Wilson, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Meera Syal tells the story of an archaeologist and an architect trying to imagine their future after traumatic brain injuries leave them isolated from the people they love. It’s just had its premiere at Zurich Film Festival.