There's a whole heap of inspiration in this Heyday Friday newsletter

Amazing women, remarkable award winners, galvanising words, memorable conversations, unforgettable art, and an irresistible recipe in this week's newsletter

Hello!

I’m not going to apologise for the fact that this week’s newsletter is dominated by the Women of the Year lunch, because yet again it was such a ridiculously memorable, moving, profoundly special day and I really really want to share as much of the magic of it with you as possible.

The starting point for all that (arguably over-)sharing is this week’s blog, which not only tells you lots of great stuff about the event and the more than 400 extraordinary women who were celebrated at it (including one who was particularly special to me), but also introduces you to the extraordinary women who were our award winners this year. (Every woman who attends is invited in recognition of the fact she is a Woman of the Year, but in 2000 it was decided to introduce a small number of special awards as a way to raise sponsorship so that the lunch could be free for all the invitees.) Here they are lined up for their group pic at the end, along with their well-known presenters (how many can you spot?) - which, as you can see, I wasn’t the only one trying to get a shot of!

Discover the ways these remarkable women are changing their communities, society and the world, and why the lunch itself isn’t actually the theme of the blog (bet that surprised you) by clicking HERE

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WORDS OF WISDOM

Something a bit different in this slot this week. As you’ll read in THE BLOG, there were two of our award winners who, not to take away from the achievements of the others, stood out from the rest. One for her unbelievable courage and dignity, the other for her remarkable career.

Each one made an acceptance speech that had every woman in the room on their feet roaring their approval and support for their wisdom, bravery and strength. So I thought you’d like to hear them.

There’s more about Yulia Navalnaya in THE BLOG, so for now you just need to know (if you didn’t already) that she is the widow of the late (murdered) Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and that she was the recipient of the Women of the Year Woman of Courage Award.

The winner of the Women of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award was Britain’s most successful and eminent female artist. In recent years Dame Tracey Emin has faced something far more challenging than the controversy that her hugely personal work has always attracted. Read about that, and what it has led her to do, in THE BLOG, and hear here what she had to say about why art matters so much to her and should do to all of us (excuse the shaky camera work). And don’t miss her clarion call at the end!

PS - I interviewed Tracey before of the lunch for the special commemorative brochure that I was responsible for compiling, and then chatted to her on the day. She is as interesting and warm as she is talented. Which is to say, extremely.

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THIS WEEK I’VE BEEN……LOOKING AT

Talking of Tracey, she has a new show on at the White Cube gallery in Bermondsey which I really urge you to see if you get the chance to see it before it closes on Nov 10th.

Tracing her journey through the loss of a relationship and the experience of teetering on the edge of death, it’s as visceral and emotionally devastating an example of how she plumbs her own emotional and physical experiences to create her art as it’s possible to experience.

Pain, anger, humiliation, rejection and fear are quite literally dripping through the works on show and it’s impossible not to be moved by the intense power of each piece, which range from small works placed at intervals along the central corridor of the stark white building, through large canvasses hung around the three galleries, to the one, monumental sculpture in the centre of the largest of them.

Many of the paintings are centred round her bed, which alternates between a place of contentment and agony, and her beloved cats feature as a comforting presence, silently keeping watch over their owner.

The subject matter, and Emin’s distinctively raw approach, may not sound appealing - pandering to accepted norms has never been her style - but this is an artist who is an absolute master of her craft. Who says, after all she had been through she “just started painting, and painting and painting and painting.” We should all be very glad she did.

Entry to the exhibition is free. Find out about White Cube and opening times HERE

AND….LISTENING TO

Saying I’ve been listening to the new series of The Extraordinary Ordinary, the podcast from Women of the Year, might sound more than a tad narcissistic since I’m the presenter of it. But it is true that I’ve been listening to the six episodes quite a lot in as I’ve been going through the final edits with our wonderful producer, getting them ready to air.

The first one launched this week, and I would really love it if you gave it a listen (the other five will be aired weekly, each Monday. Please do check those out as they become available).

For this series we’ve gone back to some of our past extraordinary ordinary award winners to revisit why they won their award, find out what it meant to them to win and what their memories are of the day, and to discover what’s happened for them since then (spoiler alert, it’s quite a lot).

My guests range from a nurse who sparked a cultural phenomenon, and a charity founder who had a dream that resulted in raising millions of pounds and changing the way cancer care is delivered in the UK, to a campaigner who lost everything to escape a forced marriage, and a creative activist who has changed attitudes towards people with disabilities. My first conversation is with the victim of a rail disaster whose life changed forever after the crash, but not in the way you’d expect.

You can find THE EXTRAORDINARY ORDINARY wherever you get your podcasts, including on Spotify.

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I promised last week that I’d share the recipe for the slow cooked lamb I made for my family for dinner at the start of the Jewish New Year if it was any good. Well, it wasn’t just good, it was absolutely DEEEEELICIOUS! So here’s how to make it, with thanks to my friend Hanna whose website Building Feasts you’ll find it and so many other outrageously good recipes on. It does take a long time, but is absolutely worth it, and not at all complicated.

LAMB SHOULDER WITH HONEY AND POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

These quantities should serve about 6 people.

Cut 2 onions in half, then slice into half moons and put at the bottom of a dish that will fit your lamb snugly (if it’s one that can go into the oven better still). Put 1, 2.5kg shoulder of lamb on the bone on top of the onions and drizzle with olive oil.

Remove the seeds from 6 cardamon pods and grind them with a pestle and mortar. Mix the crushed powder with 1/2tbsp fennel seeds (I’m not a fan of fennel so I left these out), 2tsp ground allspice, 1/2tbsp ground cinnamon and 1tsp chilli flakes. Peel 8 garlic cloves and crush them with a good pinch of salt until they form a paste then add to the spice mix. Pour over 4tbsp pomegranate molasses (not as hard to find as it sounds but if you can’t replace with honey), 4tbsp honey and the juice of 1 lemon. Mix all these marinade ingredients together then rub all over the lamb and through the onions. Cover and refrigerate overnight and up to 24 hours.

When you’re ready to cook the lamb, remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temperature before putting it into a preheated oven at 250C with enough water that it comes about 1/3 of the way up the side of your dish. If the lamb is super-snug in the dish you might not need to do this.

Once the meat starts to brown and onions begin to soften - which takes about 15 mins - take it out and turn the heat down to 150C. Dampen a large piece of greaseproof paper with cold water, then put it over the lamb tucking it in around the edges and then cover the whole pan with foil, making sure the edges are sealed tightly.

Cook in the cooler oven for 5-6 hours. You can serve this straight away, in which case take the cover off the lamb for the last 30 mins of cooking, turning the heat up to 220C and basting it frequently until it’s dark bronzed.

But it’s even tastier if you allow it to cool completely then leave it in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready to serve it, remove the fat from the surface of the sauce (or as much of it as you can) then reheat in a hot oven, 220C, for 30 mins, basting frequently.

Either way allow the meat to rest for at least 30 mins before serving. Which you can do topped with a pomegranate gremolata made by roughly chopping a small bunch of flat leaf parsley, and adding 1 clove of garlic chopped, the zest of 1 lemon, a good pinch of salt and 1-2tbsp pomegranate seeds.

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WHAT’S MADE ME HAPPY THIS WEEK

I mentioned in a previous newsletter that I’d have some exciting news about my eco-living heroine Nancy Birtwhistle. And this is it

Not only was Nancy one of our 2024 Women of the Year, but I sat next to her at the lunch! (I may, er, have had something to do with that as I asked for her to be on my table, which I did the seating plan for. Can’t take any responsibility for the strange purply blue lighting in the room).

It was more than a bit of a moment for me when the woman I have devotedly followed and whose planet friendly, sustainable and cost-conscious advice and guidance - both on screen and through her invaluable books - forms the foundation for almost all my own efforts at living in a way that is kinder to the planet, was there in the flesh.

I’m delighted, though not at all surprised, to report that she’s every bit as lovely, lively and passionate about her mission to spread the green living message as she appears on her invaluable Instagram account and in print.

I obviously now consider her to be my best friend and am very much hoping she feels the same!

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Phew, that was a lot this week! You might want to take your time working through it all and revisit this newsletter over the next few weeks, because it’s going to be a while before the next one one pops into your inbox. On November 15th to be precise.

That’s because, fingers crossed, at the fourth attempt (three scuppered by Covid, one by being unable to co-ordinate enough time with my lovely fella), next week I’m going away to Japan for three weeks. Then, in a feat of less than ideal planning, just three days after I return, I’m off to Brighton for my happily-now-annual trip with four of my school friends (hopefully not suffering too much from jet lag).

It’s the longest break I’ve taken from These Are The Heydays in the six years I’ve been writing the blogs and this newsletter. I’ll miss you whilst I’m gone, but look forward to having lots of travel tales and experiences to share with you when I get back.

In the meantime, let me know if you make the scrummy lamb and what you think of it, and which of the Extraordinary Ordinary podcast guests you enjoy listening to the most (I honestly can’t choose between them, they’re all so different and terrific).

And if you would see me off on my travels with a click on the like heart, that would be wonderful too.

See you in November