What To Book Around The UK This September

From the final festivals of the season to a number of must-see exhibitions and plays, here are SL’s top cultural picks across the country this month…

SEE A NEW EXHIBITION HERE: Albion Barn, Oxfordshire

Albion Barn is currently hosting British fashion photographer Nick Knight’s first-ever major still life exhibitions. Two distinct series will be on view at Albion Barn; Knight’s Rose Photo Paintings and Roses from My Garden. Precise and filled with detail, the photographs have a plaintive quality that explore the transient nature of beauty. These works, mostly shot in his home with very little by way of set or props or extra technical equipment, make the most of the atmosphere of Albion Barn, a large-scale exhibition space in Oxfordshire which is surrounded by countryside. A catalogue, complete with a foreword by Primal Scream’s Bobbie Gillespie and interview between Nick Knight and Michael Hue-Williams, accompanies the exhibition and is a must-buy for art fans.

Little Milton, Oxfordshire, OX44 7QB; until 22nd September

Visit AlbionBarn.co.uk

Aldeburgh Food & Drink Festival, Suffolk

This celebration of Suffolk’s thriving food and drink scene takes place in the beautiful setting of Snape Maltings, next to the River Alde and close to the Suffolk coast. Here, over 100 local producers gather to sell their produce including raw milk, organic vegetables, sourdough bread, award-winning beer and spirits from Adnams, cyder from Aspall and delicious street food. One for true foodies.

Snape Maltings, Suffolk, IP17 1SP; 28th-29th September

Visit AldeburghFoodAndDrink.co.uk

SEE UNRELEASED NEW FILMS HERE: Encounters Film Festival, Bristol

Encounters Film Festival is a short film, animation and virtual reality (VR) festival. Based in Bristol, Encounters runs the six-day event each September, discovering, supporting and developing new talent in filmmaking and providing a platform for emerging and established filmmakers from around the world. From a one-off celebration to mark the centenary of cinema, to an international success story, Encounters provides an international platform for celebrating innovation in short film. This year’s programme presents a diverse selection of short film screenings, features, special guests, Q&As and headline events, alongside an intensive industry event programme with masterclasses and workshops. We like the sound of the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me screenings on 28th-29th September.

Various venues in Bristol; 24th-29th September 

Visit Encounters.Film

HEAD TO A FINAL FESTIVAL HERE: The Good Life Experience, Wales

The Good Life Experience returns for its sixth year with what the team’s describing as its biggest party yet. The yearly event, from co-founder Cerys Matthews, is an annual celebration of art that incorporates axe throwing, foraging, campfire cooking sessions with world class chefs, daily feasts, mass sing-a-longs, over 40 expert craftspeople, beer served by experts, talks by explorers, abseiling, a free 1930s fairground, tree climbing, poetry and literature. Caught by the River, The Idler and The Dylan Thomas Mobile Bookshop will be there, along with a whole host of brilliant brands in the Market Place. This family-friendly event takes place in the historic and setting of the Hawarden Estate against the backdrop of two castles: it’s the ideal way to see out summer.

Hawarden, Wales, CH5 3FB; 12th-15th September

Visit TheGoodLifeExperience.co.uk

SEE STEPHEN FRY HERE: Mythos, Nationwide

In this trilogy of plays, Stephen Fry takes to the stage in the company of the Greek gods, heroes and men whose gripping tales still echo today. Laugh-out loud funny, mind-blowing and often personal, in Mythos: A Trilogy, Fry divides his gripping tales of love and war, debauchery and revenge into three full-length shows. In Gods, Fry takes us from primordial chaos to the creation of the dazzling Greek pantheon. In Heroes, he recounts the escapades of Perseus, Heracles and Theseus. And in Men, Fry plunges us into the heat of the Trojan War – and Odysseus’s treacherous journey back home.

Various dates and locations across the UK from 5th-23rd September

Visit Ticketmaster.co.uk

DISCOVER ALL THINGS COLLAGE HERE: Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh

Cut and Paste: 400 Years of Collage is the first survey exhibition of collage to take place anywhere in the world. Collage is often described as a 20th-century invention, but this show spans a period of more than 400 years. A huge range of approaches is on show, from 16th-century anatomical ‘flap prints’, to computer-based images, collages by children and revolutionary cubist masterpieces by Pablo Picasso. Highlights include a 3m folding collage screen, purportedly made in part by Charles Dickens and major post-war works by Henri Matisse, Robert Rauschenberg and Peter Blake, including the only surviving original source photographs for Blake’s and Jann Haworth's iconic cover for the Beatles’ album Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Edinburgh, Scotland, EH4 3DR; until 27th October

Visit NationalGalleries.org

BOOK TICKETS FOR THIS: Toast, Nationwide

Following a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and an acclaimed set of shows in the West End, this month Toast hits the road. Chef Nigel Slater’s debut play is based on his award-winning autobiography of the same name. Vividly recreating suburban England in the 1960s, Slater’s childhood is told through the tastes and smells he grew up with. From making the perfect sherry trifle, waging war over cakes through to the playground politics of sweets and the rigid rules of restaurant dining, this is a moving and evocative tale of love, loss and… toast. A must for anyone who loves being in the kitchen.

Various dates and locations across the UK until 7th December

Visit NigelSlatersToast.co.uk

BOOK A TABLE HERE: Wilderness Bar + Kitchen, Manchester

Wilderness Bar + Kitchen is a new three-floor restaurant located in Manchester's Northern Quarter. The menu is dictated by what’s in season, and ingredients are mostly cooked over coals on a custom-made OX Grill. Cocktails are made using both traditional and modern techniques to present stripped back drinks that put produce first, while the wine list is all-natural. Make sure to check out the Innovation Room, an intimate space where the chefs and bartenders explore flavour. A home for tastings, meetings and visits from like-minded growers and producers, the table can also be booked for private dinners where guests can sample a seasonal tasting menu.

Manchester; M4 1ER

Visit WildernessNQ.com

ATTEND AN ALL-DAYER WITH A DIFFERENCE HERE: Krug Encounters

Now in its fourth year, Krug champagne is set to return to the Kent countryside with its Encounters concept, this year themed as ‘Rhythm & Ride’. While 2018 saw Jools Holland at the helm of Krug Encounters, this year multi award-winning singer Neneh Cherry will step up to curate the line-up of musical performances which champions the power of female talent. After the success of last year’s partnership with Evelyn’s Table, Krug has teamed up with acclaimed restaurateurs Zoë and Layo Paskin, for another culinary pairing. Elsewhere, head chef Daniel Alt and the team at award-winning The Barbary will bring their Barbary Coast-inspired cuisine to life through a one-off menu. Across the event there will, of course, also be plenty of Krug on hand for guests to sample.

Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7RT; 18th September

Visit Clos19.com 

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