LIFE ON THE INSIDE
Marion McMullen looks at virtual pastimes to try
1 LOCKDOWN offers the chance to develop a new skill or hobby so why not begin by rattling those pots and pans and unleashing your inner MasterChef dreams. Some of the world’s top chefs are offering online help in how to create mouthwatering dishes. Jamie Olivier’s website jamieoliver.com shows how to create everything from vegan and healthy dishes to family fish pie and the perfect roast ham. Leiths, the cookery school founded by Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith, is also running online courses for teen cooks and those interested in taking an Essential Cooking Certificate.
2 BRING some much needed colour into your world with Sony Music UK’s The Colouring Sessions (thecolouringsessions.com).
The new scheme is the ultimate colouring book for any music lover and aims to create an atmosphere of calm and relaxation by letting you colour in your favourite album covers from the past 70 years.
The classic sleeves include everyone from George Ezra and Little Mix, to Elvis and the Foo Fighters.
3 LEARN how to shake your booty with Strictly Come Dancing professional Oti Mabuse and her husband Marius Lepure. They have been streaming free virtual dance classes online, suitable for children and adults. Live sessions include everything from the jive to the waltz and their dance sessions for children include routines to Shrek, Frozen and Mary Poppins.
4 THE Body Coach Joe Wicks has been keeping Brits in shape, but you can also try the approach of Thor star Chris Hemsworth, right, via online health and fitness program
Centr at centr.com.
The website is offering free trials to train with the team who helped the Hollywood leading man achieve his Viking god muscles.
5 BOOK clubs are flourishing online and Richard and Judy are encouraging everyone to start a new chapter on richardandjudy.co.uk. The couple have been chatting to celebrities about their top books to survive lockdown. Judy says: “Books can transport you to incredible places from the comfort of your sofa and so there is no better time to share our top picks for lockdown reads.”
6 BECOME a champagne expert with the Comité Champagne online training programme Champagne Campus at champagnecampus.com. It offers sections for novices and enthusiasts and covers everything from the history of champagne to tasting – ending in a quiz to test your new found knowledge of the famous tipple.
BeerBods (beerbods. co.uk) is also hosting live tastings every Thursday at 9pm.
7 SINGER, pianist and Classic FM presenter Myleene Klass is giving online music lessons from home. The mother-of-three is trained in piano, harp and violin.
Grammy-winning violinist Nicola Benedetti has also launched mass tutorials which will culminate in an online Grande Finale concert on
May 31.
8 INCREASE your brain power by taking a class. Big Bang Theory actress Mayim Bialik, who played neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler in the American TV comedy, also has a Phd in neuroscience in real life and is among celebrities offering free online classes all this month on interactive learning
site Varsity Tutors.
9
ONLINE quiz sessions are proving hugely popular during lockdown and the National Theatre At Home Quiz features quizmasters from the world of stage and screen. Dame Helen Mirren hosted the first event which featured Sir Ian McKellen, Sir Lenny Henry and Lesley Manville. People can join the virtual quiz directly from their homes via the NT’s YouTube channel and Facebook. The next event is May 25.
10
GET creative and try a new arts or craft. You can challenge a friend with a DIY project using only supplies found in your home, or create a drawing or painting challenge inspired by a topic. If stuck for ideas then there are plenty of artsy challenges doing the rounds on social media, such as the Getty Museum challenge, in which people recreate famous artwork using household items and dressing up.