Here are some shots from our first Mystery Day Out. Where did we go…? Dungeness! If you want to see more check out the Facebook album

Tara's shot

Andrew's Shot

To book your spot on our next Mystery Photography Day Out (wherever it may be…) click here

During our last holiday to Marrakech, Abdul, the head chef at our riad, showed us how to make a delicious Kofta tagine. It only takes 15 mins and it will impress your friends no end…

Serves 2 hungry people or 3 slightly peckish people or 4 people who have already eaten, who tend to be quite greedy.

Ingredients:

• Garlic (1 clove)
• 2 eggs
• Parsley
• Olive oil
• 4 Peeled and chopped tomatoes
• Minced lamb balls (not their actual… you know what I mean)
• Ginger
• Cumin
• Paprika
• Ground pepper
• Salt
• Wine (drink this while cooking)

Equipment:

• Kitchen
• Tagine dish (A frying pan with a lid will do, but this is less impressive, particularly if you have friends round)

Step 1

Put on some traditional Moroccan tunes. Open the wine and pour yourself a stiff glass. Casually throw a dishcloth over one shoulder and turn on your hob.

Step 2

Heat the tagine dish (or pan) on the hob using a medium flame. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and garlic.

Step 3

Add some fresh parsley, one teaspoon of paprika, half a teaspoon of pepper, half a teaspoon of cumin, a generous pinch of salt and four teaspoons of olive oil. Whack on the lid and let it cook for 5 minutes.

Step 4

Add a splash of water and a couple more teaspoons of olive oil. Get that lid back on for another minute or so. Then place the balls of minced lamb evenly over the pan and replace the lid for a further three minutes.

Step 5

Baste the meatballs and turn down heat. Crack the eggs into the pan and stick that lid back on for a few more minutes until those eggs are cooked. Add a touch more olive oil and parsley for decoration.

Here are the details to our latest photography competition open to everyone on our mailing list:

Brief: Decay

Entry requirements: 1 photograph

Dead line: Monday, 11 July

To enter: Upload your pic onto our Flickr page which is coming soon!

The prize: Archival ink jet print of your winning photo

GOOD LUCK PEOPLE!

We’re super excited to introduce you to Club Frui. So what the devil is it…?

We say ‘club’, but in truth everyone’s a member. As well as offering our permanent range of inspiring creative learning holidays and day courses, Club Frui is for more impromptu, often one off, short trips and events. We constantly update Club Frui with lots of fun bits and bobs so make sure you check in regularly to see what’s on.

Find out more about Club Frui HERE

Photography Social has moved. Check out the new page at www.frui.co.uk/social

We’re delighted to invite you to Frui’s annual photography exhibition of photographs taken by guests on our 2009 photography holidays. So join us in London for an evening of art, food, wine and fun on Friday 19 March, 6.30 – 9pm. Friends and family are all welcome!

For further details please click on the invitation below.

Please RSVP with the number of guests you would like to bring to henry@frui.co.uk.

Frui 2010 Exhibition

So… if you came on a 2009 holiday please read on. To everyone else, we’re looking forward to catching up on the night!

Call for Entries
Did you come away with us in 2009 (including on the Paris day trip)? If so please send 5 of your favorite images you captured in Italy, Morocco, Istanbul, Croatia or Paris. We’ll then choose up to two of your best to print, frame and hang on the wall. Best of all, everyone who submits images will have work exhibited!

Your images will be printed on A4 – A2 archival photographic paper and hung in a stylish frame courtesy of our good friends www.Point101.com. And as a special thank you for choosing Frui, we’d like to give you your print for free! (You can also have it in the frame for a nominal charge).

Submission Guidelines

• All images must be at least 2MG in size
• Please name the image files with your name. Eg. ‘Henry_Carroll_1’, ‘Henry_Carroll_2’…
• Do not email your images directly or you’ll bring the Frui Empire crashing down! Instead send them via www.yousendit.com to henry@frui.co.uk.
• Deadline for submissions is Monday 1 March
• Cost: Nadda, Zip, Zilcho!

That’s it. We’re really looking forward to seeing your photographs!

STOP! Put those novelty socks down, whomever they’re for, they’ll never wear ‘em! And that joke book… come on now, you can do better than that!

Stuck for gift ideas this Christmas? Why not give a loved one something truly inspiring from Frui. Here are some ideas:

1-day course in Photography or Photoshop – £99

Our 1-day courses at the stunning southwest London venue of Hampton Court House cover all the basics of digital photography and/or Adobe Photoshop leaving guests truly inspired. Ideal for those who are new to photography looking to get the most out of their cameras, and those wishing to learn about image retouching and digital manipulation.

Food Safari with 2007 Masterchef winner Steven Wallis – £35

The ideal gift for foodies. Spend a morning in the company of Masterchef winner Steven Wallis on a gastronomic tour around some of London’s more flavourful locations. With cooking demonstrations and hands on workshops and tastings, Steve will inspire guests by introducing them to new flavour combinations and creative twists on traditional recipies.

Photography Social – £10

Give someone a uniquely fun and creative night out in London. Our Photography Socials are lively photography walks (starting and ending in a pub) where guests benefit from tuition from professionals and get to take part in our photo challenge! Please enquire about future dates.

Paris Photography Day Trip – £125

Where better to practice your shutter skills than in the city of art, culture and romance. Our inspiring photography day trips to Paris are ideal for both the complete novice and more advanced photographer. Please enquire about future dates.

A holiday with a difference – From £699

Know someone who would love to escape on an inspirational creative learning holiday in 2010? Frui offers short and long breaks in photography, painting and gastronomy. Ideal for total beginners and those with more experience our holidays are all about creativity, learning, food, wine and fun!

For more information about buying someone one of Frui’s Christmas gifts please call us on 020 7241 5006 or email us at hello@frui.co.uk

Have a fantastic Christmas and make sure you eat, drink and laugh lots!

FRUI WOULD LIKE TO APOLOGISE FOR PUTTING A CHRISTMAS HAT ON THEIR LOGO.  WE IN NO WAY SUPPORT THIS LEVEL OF NAFFNESS. BUT WE COULDN’T RESIST.

Where better to practice your shutter skills than the city of art, culture and romance.

Frui has designed a Parisian day out perfect for experienced snappers and budding shutter bugs alike. With expert tuition you will be guided through a series of fun photo challenges designed to get your creative juices flowing.

Itinerary

Depart King’s Cross St Pancras on the 07:27 Eurostar

After a relaxing trip on the Eurostar we arrive in the romantic city of Paris. Our first stop will be a typical Parisian cafe for a cup of strong French coffee and a chance to talk about the day’s photography theme.

Street performers at the Pompidou Centre

It’s then onwards to the Pompidou Centre. The primary colours, exposed pipes and air ducts make this one of the best known sights in Paris.

The winding streets of Montmartre

Then it’s onwards to the winding streets of Montmartre for a fun photo challenge ending up at the top of the Sacre Coeur for a wonderful view across the whole of Paris. The settings for the films La Vie En Rose and Amelie, this is one of Paris’ most photogenic spots!

Late Lunch at one of Paris’ oldest brasseries

A late lunch will take place at an unforgettable Parisian brasserie where we will have a delicious meal and the chance to look at some of the photos taken throughout the day.

Afternoon light on the Seine

After our late lunch we will take a relaxing early evening stroll down the River Seine, stopping to take some shots as the beautiful evening light descends on Paris. After that it’s off for a few sun downers and a quick snack at a local bar before heading back to the station.

Depart Paris Nord at 21.13 arriving London King’s Cross at 22:34

Date: Saturday 3 April

Price: £125 or £191 with Eurostar

Special price for Eurostar of £65 per person (10 available)

What’s included: All transport in Paris, guided tour, tres bien lunch avec wine, deux photography tuition.

To reserve your place please email james@frui.co.uk or call 020 7241 5006

You love photography. We love photography. So join Frui Creative Holidays and Courses for a fun (and slightly drunken) London photography walk with drinks, banter and friends. All levels welcome.

You’ll have the chance to brush up on your skills with guidance from Frui’s enthusiastic photography tutors and a host of other budding snappers. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got an SLR, compact or even a pin hole camera – it’s all about looking.

You’ll also be able to take part in our ‘photo challenge’ and win prizes. YES, PRIZES.

How it works:

After meeting in a pub and having a swift drink we split into teams and head off to tackle a light-hearted photo challenge (each Social has a different challenge). If you need a few pointers along the way, there’s always a tutor on hand to answer your questions and offer you advice on composition and technique – just ask!

After an hour or so we regroup in another pub where you have the chance to sit down and have a confab with your teammates before sharing your best shots with a tutor – think of it as a kind of photography pub quiz. You get points for your pics and the team with the most points win a prize and receives a firm pat on the back. Don’t worry, it’s all in the name of fun, and tiny bit silly.

Go on, it only costs a tenner!

Upcoming Socials

Explore the cobbled alleyways and rub shoulders with a lovey or two in this bustling area of the Capital, right in the heart of Theatreland. Meet at the Round Table pub, 26-27 Saint Martin’s Court, WC2N 4AL‎

Missed the first Southbank walk? Worry not, here it is again! Capture stunning riverside views and all the eccentric antics of street artists, performers and passersby. Meet at the Sherlock Holmes pub, 10-11 Northumberland Street, WC2N 5DB

All Socials cost £10 and start at 6.30pm

To book on either Social please click on the beautiful ‘Buy Now’ button below adding a note to say which Social you would like to come on. See you there!

(Refunds are available, but only if requested three or more days before the Social)

The brief: To enter this month’s competition to win a photograph of your choosing printed A4 on archival ink jet paper, courtesy of printing specialists www.point101.com all you need to do is:

1. Email us your best Architectural Photograph (all the photographs will be judged by two of Frui’s professional photographers/tutors).

AND…

2. Answer this easy question by searching for the answer on www.frui.co.uk:

What’s the name of the peninsula we visit on day three of our Photography Weekend in Ireland?

Deadline: 30 September 2010

To enter: Email your photograph (MAX FILE SIZE 2MG) and the answer to the above question to Henry@frui.co.uk

While you’re here, please also check out our fun monthly Photography Socials (tutored photography walks around London) and our inspirational Photography Holidays and Photography Courses!

Winner announced: 5 October 2010

Good luck!

THIS MONTH’S WINNER

The winner of last month’s competition is Jamie Furlong for this stunning shot:

PREVIOUS WINNING IMAGES:

Marius Eftimie

David Lazar - My Kingdom