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By Jay Sreekumar Want to try a different dish other than fish and parsley sauce this Easter? This recipe has a unique taste that no English food can offer, one that will certainly make your Good Friday the 'best'!
Chilli Prawn Vindaloo
Ingredients
Onions – 2
Ginger Paste – 1 teaspoon
Garlic Paste – 1 teaspoon
Tomato (sliced) – 1
Chilli Powder – 1 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder – ½ teaspoon
Garam Masala – ¾ tablespoon
Hot and Sweet Sauce: 2 tablespoon
Green chillies (finely chopped) – 1
Method of preparation:1. Soak the prawns in hot water and keep it aside.2. Pour a little oil in a non-stick pan, add garlic, ginger paste to the sliced onions, and heat it until it turns light brown. 3. Add the tomatoes and stir for 5 minutes. 4. Sprinkle chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, salt to the mixture. 5. Now put the prawns into it and stir properly for a couple of minutes. Close the pan and heat it for 10 minutes. 6. Add the chopped green chillies and the hot and sweet sauce. Stir well and cook it for a further 20 minutes and serve it with plain rice or bread.
By Liam Bend
Business as usual for England then, the 2-0 defeat was hardly a shock to the system against the European champions.Result aside though and Sheffield can be proud of a former red and white football hero.
Following the previous ‘Wally with a Brolly’ campaign which saw Steve McClaren’s disastrous spell as England manager cut short to just 15 months, now in charge Italian tactician Fabio Capello is looking no further than to former Blades defender Phil Jagielka to help him build a World Cup winning team for South Africa 2010.
The 26 year old earned his second cap on Wednesday night but more significantly this was the first start for his country at senior level. Despite having a number of England ‘B’ and under 21 honours which illustrates the significant progress the player has made since joining the Sheffield United youth academy back in 2000, the call up came as a shock for Jagielka;
“My form has not been bad at club level so it's always a nice surprise when you get recognised and called up for the England seniors.”
However, ten years ago the Mancunian could only dream of an England cap, on the boggy fields of a Manchester suburb, he played for local team Hale Barns United before being signed by the South Yorkshire outfit.
And on his arrival, then Blades boss Neil Warnock believed the defender would make an instant impact stating “he has all the qualities to be a real asset for the football club in the foreseeable future.” Months later, Jagielka proved Warnock had a point, making his debut as a trainee aged just 17 in May 2000 against Swindon Town.
Although the defender didn’t establish as a first team regular until his second year as a professional, he became transformed into an instant icon amongst the Blades faithful in 2002-2003, scoring a stunning memorable last gasp winner against local rivals Leeds in the League Cup quarter finals and still aged just 20.
Jagielka’s consistent performances that season helped the Blades reach the play off final but a 3-0 defeat to Wolves meant he had to wait 3 years before playing a crucial role in the Blades promotion to the Premiership in 2006.
One of the highlights of 2006-2007 was the home game against Arsenal when Jagielka was forced to play in goal for the reminder of the match due an injury Blades keeper Paddy Kenny received during the second half. A late save from the makeshift stopper in that game saw the Blades win 1-0 showing his utility on the field, but this was not enough to escape a quick return to Championship football the following season.
Although not reliant on his goalkeeping skills, it was his highly rated defensive qualities that attracted Everton manager David Moyes to sign the Blade for £4m in the summer of 2007, hoping he would be the answer to strengthen the Toffees backline.
Since the move, Jagielka has carried on from where he left off at Bramell Lane, recent displays show the former Blades academy product is becoming a man mountain on the pitch and is receiving deserved recognition. Winning endless balls in the air and being tough in a tackle, the player boosts to having the attributes of an old fashioned centre half but combine that with calm and educated football brain and you have a rarity, no wonder he has caught the eye of Capello according to current boss Moyes;
“Phil has worked hard on his game and is getting better by the day, he is a fine performer.”
In all fairness his performance in Spain wasn’t his best, at fault for David Villa’s opener the defender seemed to gain more confidence as the game went on and despite Spain’s Fernando Llorente confirming the win for the champions of Europe, the England international enjoyed the experience;
“Making the mistake for the first goal doesn’t help my chances of another call up, but if I keep performing well for Everton I’m sure I’ll be able to add to my caps, its what every player dreams of” said Jagielka.
Whatever happens from now Sheffield United should feel honoured in playing a critical part in the development of producing a fine footballer and I’m sure Blades fans will wish him well in the future.
By Liam Bend HOT GIGS!!!!
CARLING ACADEMY
Monday 6th April
JAMES MORRISON
The talented solo artist makes an appearance at the O2 Academy, playing songs from his current ‘Songs For You Truths For Me’ album which include the hit single 'You Make It Real' plus classics from the hugely successful Undiscovered released back in 2006.
MUST ATTEND!!!!
Tuesday 24th March
THE ENEMY
The young rock ‘n’ roll trio release their second album named ‘For The People’ on April 27th which follows up the chart topping We’ll Live And Die In These Towns, fans can have the chance to hear the exclusive material at the gig including the new single 'No Time For Tears' due out on April 13th.
WORTH SEEING!!
Saturday 28th March
THE SOUNDS
‘Crossing The Rubicon’ is the new highly rated album from the Swedish outfit. After three years away from the music scene the band are back in business and the latest material is due for release in May but punk rock followers can listen out for the new songs which are sure to be unveiled at the gig.
IF YOU CAN SPARE A MINUTE!
LEADMILL
Saturday 28th March
STARSAILOR
The boys are back!! Sounding as great as ever!!- New Album 'All the Plans' music review follows
MUST ATTEND!!!!
By Jay Sreekumar After the coldest winter for years, why not try out this exotic favourite from my hometown in Southern India to warm you up for the Summer:Kerala Duck Curry Ingredients
Duck Meat – 1 Kg
Fenugreek – 1 teaspoon
Onions – 250 gms
Sunflower or Olive Oil – 3 tablespoon
Chilli Powder – 1 tablespoon
Coconut Milk – 250 ml
Turmeric Powder – 1 teaspoon
Clove – 1 piece
Green peas – 150 gms
Masala Powder – 2 ½ teaspoon
Green Chilli – 5 sliced pieces
Garlic Paste – 2 teaspoon
Cinnamon – 5 pieces
Cardamom Powder – 1 pinch
Cashew Nut (grinded) – 50 gms
Method of Preparation:
1. Marinate the duck meat in a mixture of salt and pepper for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions, green chillies, garlic paste, cashew nut, cinnamon, cardamom powder, clove and fenugreek until it turns golden brown.
3. Add chilli powder, turmeric powder, masala powder and green peas. Once the meat is properly marinated, transfer it along with all the contents in the pan into a large dish and set to medium heat.
4. After 10 minutes, add the coconut milk and continue heating.
5. Cook for a further 30 minutes. Stir well and serve with rice or chapatti.
By Liam Bend
Sheffield Wednesday is the latest club to offer students reduce ticket prices for the forthcoming home games until the end of the season, the slash comes into place from the Crystal Palace match onwards.
The move follows across the city rivals Sheffield United as a result of the current economic downturn and is an attempt to bring the crowds back to S6 following disappointing attendances so far this campaign, despite lying in their highest position mid season for nearly a decade.
On the official club website it was announced that “students of all ages will be able to book their seat for games at Hillsborough with ticket priced at £10, £5 and £2.50 for all valid NUS card holders.”
The tickets are available from the Sheffield University’s student Union on Western Bank but must be purchased the day before the game in order for them to be at a reduced rare.
Owls fan Matt Taylor (20), a geography student at Sheffield University believes the action taken will reflect in the gate receipts;
“The idea is fantastic but common sense; students were getting priced out of games having to pay the same amount as adults and that was really disappointing to say the club need money, but I will certainly be going to watch my team more now it’s cheaper.”
Although the measures taken offer great value especially with high flying home games against Reading and Wolves coming up, some feel they have been short changed.
Tom Ellerton (22) who is currently studying Law at Sheffield University has a season ticket for the kop and suggests that steps for a student giveaway should have been in place during the summer;
“Being charged £360 when no NUS tickets were introduced, I’m loosing out on the offers that others can take advantage of despite pledging my support to the team since the beginning of August.”
There are no further plans for the club to address the their ticketing infrastructure until the new campaign, meaning current student season ticket holders in their final year of study will not be eligible for NUS discounts next term but the new policy will come as great news to football fans especially many young Owls.
By Liam Bend and Jay Sreekumar
Sheffield has been voted one of the best locations in the U.K for the student experience.
Studies found that northern cities in general which include the likes of Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen shared top honours according to analysis of 38,000 reviews on the website www.accommodationforstudents.com.
Undergraduates were asked to rate their university location on five points including shops, transport links, community, facilities and least importantly the nightlife.
A number of northern cities in the top 10 had an average score of over 60%, the only other places to get over this mark were Exeter and Brighton as the lowest score was Pontypridd receiving 44%.
Simon Thompson, co-founder and director of the on-line student accommodation provider believes is it no surprise Sheffield is thought of so highly “Sheffield has the making of a great city with plenty of pubs and clubs, lots of sights and two top class universities, it everything that students want and this is the reason why many have voted in favour of it.”
Having the largest database of properties that makes it an easy option when searching for new accommodation, the research marks the revamp of the website that has nearly 2 million members.
By Liam Bend
Protesters will be out in force over the coming weeks as Sheffield council leader Paul Scriven calls for the city residents to unite in the campaign against the introduction of train barriers.
March's are planned throughout the city centre to oppose the installation of the community breaking policy in the near future as the idea would prevent pedestrians walking through the station without a ticket.
Campaigners want the area to stay ticket barrier free so locals from Park Hill and Norfolk Park are able to access the city centre via the route through the station, though East Midland Trains argue are huge financial loses daily due to ticket dodging, especially in this recession stuck period.
Coun Scriven “Restrictions on the use of the footbridge will have a negative effect on Sheffield . So many people have expressed feelings of unrest at the idea and we must now make sure we stand up so East Midland trains will take notice.”
“Every person at the protest is going to be critical, the more people attend then the more East Midland trains are going to listen to us.”
Geraldine Roberts has been a resident at Park Hill for 30 years and is the organiser of the protests since she uses the footbridge everyday for her job based in the city centre;“I feel something has to be done to prevent this city becoming separated into two parts, that can’t be a good thing for its future.”
Coincidently the same level of concern is illustrated by students who live in the suburbs to the east of the city, Steven Phillips a geography student who is based at Sheffield Hallam’s city campus believes the barriers would cause major disruption;“Cutting off our part of the city has no logic behind it as high population of students are location in these places due to the University being a short walk away, this could change to possibly 45 minutes trip.”
The backlash on the barriers can only be concluded by high profile rock star Jon McClure, front man of Sheffield band Reverend and the Makers, opinions against the plan;“know that gating would cut off the community who live on the other side of the railway from the city centre. In particular it would pose difficulties for wheelchair users and for baby buggy users as East Midland Trains seem to be giving priority to income generation over social needs."
East Midland trains are currently looking at methods that interact with both their ticketing policy and local residents but “people power” can change all that. Come on Sheffield!!
By Jay Sreekumar 
