I think most of us by now will have seen the hilarious video posted on YouTube for World Mental Health Day in 2019 with Prince Harry and and Ed Sheeran faking a misunderstanding about being ginger. A brilliant introduction into the very serious issues surrounding us today around mental health.
As more and more famous people come out to tell their story of dealing with anxiety and depression and with the shocking suicide of stars like Robin Williams through mental health, it has now become apparent that we need to tackle mental health issues head on and not sweep them under the carpet.
Don’t hide anxiety and depression away, discuss it openly, take measures to combat it and even if it does not disappear completely you will have it under control, and most importantly of all – know that you are not alone.
As cliché as it sounds, ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’ is a wise old saying but very true in this case, as it has been a stigma for so many years to discuss our individual mental health issues almost as if we will be excluded if we do. Perhaps it is inherited memory of a time when that was the case, but far from true today.
The pressures are such that it is almost unthinkable not to have the latest iphone or laptop or to be constantly on social media, so much so that we are forced onto a hamster wheel of ‘success’ and ‘achievement’, with some of the old values of human interaction being thrown out with the bath water. But it is good to talk.
The key to dealing with the ‘demon’ of our society is to listen to each other without judgement, and listen also to ourselves. There may be no apparent reason why many of us are suffering, some of the most anxious and depressed people appear to have everything, a beautiful family, friends, successful career and some are extremely wealthy. There is no rhyme or reason and Mental illness does not discriminate.
Another wonderful video put together by both Royals and Celebrities is EVERY MIND MATTERS, which is a new online initiative to help all of us deal with our individual mental health concerns and help us make a plan to manage them so that we know we are in this together.
The new single by singer songwriter Jamie Lonsdale is the patriotic hymn ‘I Vow To Thee My Country’, which will be released on the 7th May to commemorate the Royal British Legion’s Centenary year, with all proceeds of the single being donated to the RBL charity.
Celebrating a century of service, the RBL continues to respond to the changing needs of the Armed Forces community. Jamie and his family have a long history of service in the armed forces, with Jamie himself in the past serving as a Royal Navy officer on board HM Yacht Britannia and it was poignant that ‘I Vow To Thee My Country’ was one of His Royal Highness Prince Philip’s chosen musical pieces, which was played at his recent funeral, which reflected The Duke’s service with the Royal Navy and the importance and affection of the piece to those that have served in the British military forces.
As a descendent of the The Duke of Wellington and Lord Raglan (the British commander in the Crimean War) and a further three great uncles on the battlefield at Waterloo, it was compulsory that Jamie would ‘do his duty’.
The Grenadier Guards was the family’s expectation but, not fancying the idea of spending nights in trenches, Jamie joined the Navy at 18 and trained as an officer at Dartmouth. He served for 5 years, his final commission on board the Royal Yacht Britannia.
But Britannia wasn’t his first link to the Royals. In fact, old-Pangbournian Jamie is a direct descendant of King Edward I. Jamie is a keen historian and has collected many historical family heirlooms over the years including two locks of hair from The Duke of Wellington, dated from 1813 and 1837, which has been passed down the generations. Other significant pieces include Lord Fitzroy Somerset’s (Lord Raglan’s) telescope made in 1810, which was used on the Battlefield of Waterloo. Raglan and Wellington worked side by side for some 40 years. Raglan died in 1855 on active service in the Crimea, his great grandchild Norman Somerset was great friends with The Prince of Wales. Jamie has letters and pictures that the Prince of Wales took of Norman. Norman was killed in action on the battlefield after being shot in the eye. Queen Mary personally wrote to Jamie’s great grandparents to offer sympathies. The fascinating family history has been carefully curated by Jamie over the years and his love of history has armed him with a captivating knowledge of his ancestors.
An in depth look of Jamie’s family history has been described by Jamie himself here –
Jamie has already appeared on BBC Songs of Praise, with a performance of ‘I Vow To Thee My Country’, in a stunning TV debut. The performance can be viewed here –
Jamie’s new single was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, just as Britain emerged from its first lockdown. He was the first artist to work at Abbey Road Studios with a live orchestra, post Lockdown and all under strict government Covid guidelines. All proceeds from the single will go to the Royal British Legion.
Now we can get out more and enjoy the fine weather, how about a picnic? These Scotch Eggs make a great addition to a picnic with friends and family, Think how impressed they will be with your home made Picnic food.
Scotch eggs are the ideal snack food and much easier to make than one would assume! Using sausages instead of regular minced meat gives the advantage of already having perfectly seasoned meat. But this British classic comes with a twist: sharp, nutty Parmigiano-Reggiano added to the meat and the breadcrumb coating! Enjoy these flavour-filled goodies at parties or picnics or serve as a main meal with some green salad.
375g ground beef mince (500g if large eggs are used) from Cumberland sausages
4 medium-sized eggs
1 extra egg for crumbing
4 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated
75g breadcrumbs
350-500ml vegetable oil for frying (depending on height of pot)
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 dollop mustard
Generous amount of cracked black pepper
Pinch of salt
Instructions
Place the four eggs in a pot and bring the water to a boil. Take the pot off the heat, place a lid on top and leave the eggs to sit for 9 minutes.
In the meantime, take the sausages and one by one squeeze the minced meat out of the skin over a mixing bowl.
Add flour, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, cracked black pepper and one tablespoon of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Mix well and form a ball. Then divide the mixture in four equal parts.
After the eggs have been left in the heat for 9 minutes, drain the hot water and douse them with cold water. Remove the shells and leave them to cool.
Lay out two bowls and a plate. Crack an egg in one of the bowls and whisk it up with a fork. In the second bowl, add the breadcrumbs and the remaining three tablespoons of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Take one piece of meat, flatten it in your palm and place a hard-boiled egg in the middle. Wrap the meat around the entire egg. Make sure there are no holes. Do the same with the other eggs.
One by one place the meat-covered eggs in the whisked egg and then in the Parmigiano-Reggiano-breadcrumb-mixture and put them on a plate.
Take a high-rimmed pot and fill it with vegetable oil. Heat up the oil. To find out if the oil is ready for frying, take a few breadcrumbs and sprinkle them in the oil. If they start to sizzle, the Scotch eggs are ready to be fried. Use kitchen tongues to place the eggs carefully in the hot oil. If there is not enough space to fry all eggs at once, fry them two at a time. It can get very smoky from the frying oil, so open a window or switch on the exhaust hood.
Fry the eggs for about 5 minutes in the oil until golden brown, then remove them from the pot with the kitchen tongues and place them on a plate laid out with kitchen towels. Dab off any excess oil, then put the Scotch eggs on a baking tray and cook them in the pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes, middle rack, at 180°C (fan) or Gas Mark 5.
Serve warm or cold with a side salad or as a snack. They are ideal to take to a picknick. Kept in the fridge, they will keep for up to 2 days.
September 25, 2026 1872 William Faulkner 1929 Ronnie Barker 1944 Michael Douglas 1946 Felicity Kendall 1951 Mark Hamill 1952 Christopher Reeve 1961 Heather Locklear 1968 Will Smith 1969 Catherine Zeta Jones
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