Win a Vegetarian Christmas Feast for your Family from Linda McCartney

My favourite thing about Christmas lunch is the succulent turkey, the crispy little pigs in blankets and the pork and sage stuffing, it is a meat feast. It can be tricky catering for vegetarians at Christmas and making it equally special for them, so Linda McCartney has designed a range of delicious products to satisfy the veggie eaters during this festive season.

I have got a feast of Linda McCartney products to give away, so you can win everything you need for a Veggie Christmas dinner for you and your family.

WIN WIN WIN!

YOU can win a vegetarian feast from Linda McCartney right here! Here’s what you get if you win:

§ 2 x Vegetarian Roast

§ 2 x Cranberry & Camembert Burgers

§ 2 x Rosemary & Red Onion Sausages

§ 2 x Mini Snack Vegetarian Sausages

§ Selection of seasonal vegetables

§ Bottle of sherry

§ A game for the kids

§ A carrot for Rudolph

To enter:

1. For your first chance to win the prize please comment on this post telling me what is your favourite vegetarian Christmas dinner and be a follower of Thoroughly Modern Milly with Google Friend Connect

2. For a second chance to win please tweet this post Win Linda McCartney Christmas vegetarian feast with @millykr http://www.thoroughlymodernmilly5.blogspot.com/ #win #prize and comment HERE telling me you have done so along with your twitter username

3. For a third chance to win please follow me @millykr on twitter and comment HERE to tell me you have done so.

GIVEAWAY RULES

This giveaway is open to all readers with a UK mailing address. The winner will be chosen using an online randomiser and announced in a subsequent post.

I am running this competition on behalf of Linda McCartney who will be sending the prize out to the lucky winner. Their decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

There is one main way to enter and several ways to get bonus entries. You must leave a separate comment for each bonus entry otherwise they will not be counted.

Closing date: 8pm Tuesday 13th December 2011

http://www.lindamccartneyfoods.co.uk/

Taylor Wessing Photography Prize 2010 at The National Portrait Gallery

My lunchbreak today cost me £2, and it was one of my most productive yet. I am lucky to have a tube station right outside my workplace which makes getting into central London quick and easy. Lunchtime lasts an hour, but deciding how to spend it can often be a whole morning's activity. Being so close to Harvey Nichols and Harrods, shopping is inevitably a regular excursion, but... this week, feeling the financial strain of Christmas, I decided to do something a bit different. I took a trip to The National Portrait Gallery to see the Taylor Wessing 2010 Photographic Portrait Prize.

Entrance to the exhibition is £2, a fee that some attitude-y teens were trying to dodge as I went in. The prize presents the very best in contemporary portrait photography, showcasing work from amateurs and professionals and even photography students. From the 5,984 images submitted only 60 were chosen to feature in the show, with four of those being the prizewinners.

The photographers vary immensely in subject matter, style and approach. The collection is powerful, some images are particularly moving and others are very clever in their realisation. Many reveal an underlying story, or an insight into a person’s life. I loved the photograph by Toby Coulson called ‘Jack’, it pictured a young boy holding a small tortoise, his pet that had been bought with the savings he collected from mowing the lawns of friends and neighbours. Such a sweet story and equally endearing image.

Some of the pictures depict famous figures: Tony Blair by Kalpesh Lathigra, Charlie Watts (drummer of The Rolling Stones) by Michael Donald and the artist David Hockney with his dog by Jonathan Root. I found the photos of random people interesting too, Oliver Reed took a photo of an unknown girl on a train texting, just because he felt compelled by the composition; images like this show an intriguing moment in time. Third prize went to Jeffrey Stockbridge for his photograph ‘Tic Tac and Tootsie’ of twin sisters Carroll and Shelly McKean. The girls had been homeless for a year and consequently turned to drugs and prostitution. It is a confrontational image, worryingly disturbing. First prize was awarded to David Chancellor for his picture ‘Huntress with Buck’ it shows 14 year old Josie Slaughter, a skilled hunter from Birmingham, Alabama. It is part of the artist’s project documenting hunting and hunters. The picture is arresting with a stark contrast between the vivid foreground and serene background. See above.

Despite only having an hour off, I managed to spend 25 minutes looking round this exhibition and even had time to grab a coffee from Nero on my way back. I got back to my desk with 5 minutes to spare; 55 minute lunchbreak, well spent!

On until 20 February 2011, more info here.

BP PORTRAIT AWARDS 2010

Daphne Todd's 'Last Portrait of Mother'

Every year The National Portrait Gallery houses the BP Portrait Awards. It features the paintings of artists from all over the world; with a first prize incentive of £25,000 this award can launch an artist's career.

This year there were 2,177 entrants, of which 58 works were selected. Subjects vary from intimate family portraits, revealing self portraits and even a few of familiar celebrities.

I was disappointed to find that the winners' portraits had been decided and the results displayed, as I found this affected my opinions of the works. First prize was awarded to Daphne Todd for her poignant painting of her mother on her deathbed.

Eliot Haigh's 'Quena'

My personal favourite in the show was Quena by Eliot Haigh. A soulful painting capturing a private moment of contemplation. My companion's favourite was Alan Coulson's 'Ciara', a portrait of the artist's wife that reflects the intimacy of their relationship. A large painting, the artist shows precise detail and yet still creates a painting of mood and character.

Portraiture is a subject that touches all of us. We see faces everyday, ours and other people's. The BP Portrait Awards are on until 19 September, and with a Visitors Award it's worth going to have your vote.