A British Book Invasion

Inspired after a Spring trip back to the UK, I decided to host our book club highlighting just some of the many brilliant British, Irish and Welsh authors, from the Book of Kells in Dublin, to Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, Jane Austen, Sir Author Conan Doyle and William Shakespeare to name a mere few. Since 2012 is the Bicentennial of the birth of Charles Dickens and after attending a presentation by his great granddaughter (x3) at the Hay on Wye Book Festival, I thought it was very fitting and chose one of his most poignant novels, Great Expectations. 

Oh the groans of it being a classic and the length that it would never be finished in eight weeks time (thank goodness I didn't select Little Dorrit, a mere 928 pages) and how boring it was in the beginning, I'm only to wonder the inner thoughts of what everyone was really thinking.

 

After much plugging and promising that it does get so much better, it seems as if the club finally believed me. Although we had a small group and the ones present did not finish, they did come to agree that it was worth the extra bit of time. 

If you haven't read it, pick it up! It truly is a masterpiece and a story to fit in any time period.

Each guest received a bookmark depicting one of Shakespeare's plays from his First Folio. The cards were in original Shakespearean text and everyone had to guess the translations as the modern text was read.

As promised, here are two of the recipes that were made for the evening's discussion. They are both from the cookbook Favourite WELSH Recipes, published by J. Salmon Ltd., Sevenoaks, England

Potato Pie (Pastai Datws) 
This supper dish, found throughout Wales, is traditionally served with pickled beetroot or pickled red cabbage. (I used as a side dish with chicken..would work well as a Lenten dish.)
2 lb. potatoes, peeler & cut into quarters
1/4 pint milk
1 oz. butter
Salt & white pepper
4 oz. grated cheese, strong Cheddar or similar
2-3 oz. white breadcrumbs, lightly crisped
A little melted butter

Boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked. Set over to 425F. Drain the potatoes well, add the milk and butter and mash until smooth, then stir in the cheese and seasoning. Well butter a 1 1/2 to 2 pint pie dish and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, pressing them to the base and sides of the dish with the back of a spoon. Spoon in the potato and cheese mixture and rough up the top with a fork. Brush with melted butter and bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with picked beetroot or pickled red cabbage or with crusty brown bread. Serves 4 to 6.

Gwent Gooseberry Cream (Eirin Mair Hufennog Gwent) 
A South Wales recipe for poached gooseberries in a rich, creamy individual setting.
Now, the recipe clearly calls for gooseberries. However, since they were not readily available, I substituted plump raspberries and it was just delicious. I would think blackberries would do just fine as well. I am on the hunt for gooseberries to make the recipe accurately next time and will let you know how it turns out.

1 lb. gooseberries
3/4 oz. caster sugar (very fine granulated sugar, if you cannot located caster)
8 oz. double cream
5 oz. plain yoghurt
A few drops of vanilla essence (vanilla extract)
1 teaspoon icing sugar (powdered sugar)
6 dessertspoons demarara sugar

Poach the gooseberries in a saucepan with very little water and with the caster sugar; keep them whole by poaching gently and add more sugar if preferred. When cool, spoon the gooseberries, with a little juice, into 6 ramekin dished. Beat the yoghurt and cream together until they form soft peaks, fold in the vanilla essence and icing sugar and spoon the mixture on top of the gooseberries. Sprinkle a dessert spoon of demarara sugar over the top of each ramekin. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for several hours. The sugar forms a nice crunchy topping. Serves 6. 

Enjoy!

Indian Take Away with Friends

After visiting Hampton Court Palace, we made our way to friends in North London for a dinner of Indian take-away, but most importantly to visit with their new baby. It was a fun evening. Looking forward to seeing them all in August.

Hampton Court Palace~Hampton, England

Mid morning, we made our way to Hampton Court Palace, most known for its famous resident Henry VIII. Beautiful gardens surround the Tudor palace, which I can only imagine are just exquisite in warmer weather. We had the opportunity to walk through not only Henry VIII's Apartments, but also William III's and Mary II's Apartments.

Standing in Base Court, facing entrance to Royal Apartments.

Great Hall leading to Henry VIII's Apartments,England's last and greatest medieval hall.

The view from the Great Hall looking out to Clock Court.

Fountain Court

Standing in Clock Court with the clock in the background.

This was at the end of our jaunt through the Garden Maze on the premises. Below are taken in the maze.

 

 

The Great Fountain Garden. This is a view from the East Front.

There are more than 60 acres of gardens that run down to the River Thames, including the oldest and largest grapevine in the world, more than 230 years old.

At dusk when we finished our excursion. Beautiful changing lights on the Main Entrance of the Palace.

Entrance leading up to the Palace. There was a winter festival going on, with a carousel and ice skating rink.

Souvenirs in Neath~Faggots & Peas on Barry Island

We bid farewell to Darren's Mom and we made our way this morning to Neath, the larger town in the area for some souvenir shopping. On our way back to London, Darren treated me with a side trip to Barry Island, home of the show Gavin & Stacey. A very popular place during warm-weather months, it was quite barren and bitter when we arrived. But there were some brave people walking on the beach, as well as walking their dogs. We decided to stop and have a bite to eat, so I forwent the traditional fish & chips dish for faggots and peas with chips. Funny name, right? So what did I have to eat? Well, the best I can describe was meatballs with gravy and mushy peas (pureed peas) and chips (aka cottage fries), with vinegar on the side for the chips. It was quite delicious, although after reading what faggots consisted of, I'm not so sure of healthy it is. I do look forward to visiting all of Wales again once the weather is nice and the landscape is lush and green.

We left Barry Island with full stomachs, making our way back to London for a relaxing evening in the center of town, in preparation for our weekend in Paris. We left Darren's flat to take the train to the main station, St. Pancras International, home to the Eurostar. I was so impressed with this station. In preparation for it becoming the home for the Eurostar, the station was closed for about five years. It is the most modern of modern stations, however, from the outside, you wouldn't think that. Built in 1863 and having its first train enter the station in 1868, it is a gorgeous Victorian-period building. Not only is this a place to arrive and depart, it is a premiere area to shop, dine and live. Yes live! St. Pancras Chambers is currently under construction that will introduce 68 apartments, including one, and only one, luxury penthouse at the affordable price of £10 Million (which right now is approximately about $15 Million, peanuts!). It will also include a five-star hotel. From this station, you can travel to anywhere in London and beyond in England, as well on the Eurostar travel to Paris and even Brussels. Can you imagine!? Waking up, walking downstairs to the station, board the train and then, the next time you're outside is in Brussels! I love it!

We had a relaxing dinner at Pizza Express, a unique pizza joint taking the Italian pie to new levels. I highly recommend the Soho pizza! Yum! After a brisk walk through Trafalgar Square, Downing Street and a wave to Big Ben again, we made our way to the Hotel Novotel London St. Pancras, where we will spend the night. Again, I highly recommend the accommodations, not only because of its wonderful amenities, but also of its close proximity to St. Pancras Station.

Across from the Novotel was the British Library. Although we did not have enough time, I have already made a point to visit on my next trip. I do love a good library!

St. Paul's Cathedral

Although I may have driven passed it, I never did experience St. Paul's Cathedral on my first trip to England. I had an early start today, as Darren had to work, so I planned to visit this magnificent cathedral where the beloved Princess Diana was married. Pictures were only allowed outside the cathedral, but did manage to take a view atop the cathedral, yes atop. Not only did I climb to up the 259 steps to the Whispering Gallery (inside the dome of the cathedral, which by the way is only the second largest in the world next to St. Peter's in Rome, which I climbed as well), I climbed an additional 159 to the Stone Gallery which is on the outside of the dome. I would have climbed another 152 steps up to the Golden Gallery, the highest point of the dome, however, it was under renovation. (phew!) I also made it down into the Crypt, where Florence Nightingale's, Christopher Wren's (the man who rebuilt the cathedral after the great fire), Lord Nelson's and many other famous and local individuals tombs are. A word to the future traveler: Get to the cathedral early, as the line will be very short. If you will do all the things that I did, allow two hours to see and experience everything. Afterwards I was famished. A Mark & Spencer Simply foods, happen to be right across from St. Paul's. What a great store! I compare it to an upgraded Trader Joe's. Most of everything in the store is already prepared. I had a fabulous British Chicken and Bacon sandwich, a pineapple banana smoothie and a warm chocolate chip cookie all for under £7 (which seems like a lot, but compared to a sit-down restaurant, it's quite reasonable). So I sat on the grounds surrounding the cathedral. Lovely! I then made my way back to the tube to make a very quick stop at Harrod's before meeting Darren back near the airport. It was off to Bristol.

Meeting John & Clare

After our trip around "the eye", we walked to the Waterloo station to catch the train to Rickmansworth to meet Darren's long-time college mate, as well as fellow Welshman, John and his girlfriend Clare. (Correction note: as we found out later that evening, over Christmas, John proposed to Clare, so fiance Clare is correct.) We shared a great Chinese buffet meal and then walked over to the nearest pub for a shanty and conversation. A very fun atmosphere, with some jovial locals, singing tunes of The Boss, very English!

Mulled Wine Surprise Revealed

Although the London weather was so much warmer than Chicago, waiting in queues all day can make someone chilled to the bone. I met Darren in the center of Piccadilly Circus, which is the center of London's theatre, shopping and entertainment district. We briskly walked through to Downing Street (home to the Prime Minister), Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey and finally to the Houses of Parliament, where my old friend Big Ben was waiting for me. What grand sight he is, still looking quite marvelous since the last time I was here. Darren and I continued our walk across the Thames, to make our 6:30 p.m. mulled wine surprise appointment. So are you anxious to know what this surprise was?! Darren arranged for a ride on the London Eye, but not just any ride. He arranged for a private group, which bypassed the long queues, to ride in a capsule of the high observations wheel. The London Eye was constructed for London's millennium celebrations and is a very popular attraction, as you can see miles of London's skyline. So what had mulled wine got to do with it? The private capsule also served everyone on board warm mulled wine. Very good after being in the cold. Here is a cheesy tourist picture that I had to buy of us aboard the London Eye, as well as pictures of London's night skyline.

Tower of London & Tower Bridge

After flying all day, I arrived in London around 11:30 p.m. Darren was patiently waiting to pick me up. We spent "our Christmas" together at hotel close to the airport, as his heat went out in his flat. I planned my Monday, as Darren had to work. I took the train into central London, where my first stop was the Tower of London, a place I never made it to on my first trip back in 1989. After waiting in a very long cue, I joined up with a tour group and got the low-down from our friendly and very humorous Yeoman, better known as Beefeaters. Not only was he our leader, but he was also a resident at the Tower with 35 other guard Yeoman Warders. This fascinating place, of more than 900 years of history, had a sense of dark drear to it, as it was the place where those who committed treason or threatned the throne were held within the walls. Most never made it out alive and those who did were tortured severely before meeting their death at Tower Bridge. All the towers were acessbile to the public, but I made sure I stood in the long cue to visit The Jewel House, the house where all the Crown Jewels are kept. And yes, these are the "real" jewels. No pictures were allowed inside, but the images are frozen in my mind forever. Magnificent! Especially the Imperial State Crown which contains more than 2,800 diamonds, 273 pearls, as well as other gems. Maybe Elizabeth would be kind enough to lend it to me for my next costume party. After strolling the grounds for a bit more, I took a walk across the Tower Bridge. It was completed in 1894 and offer spectacular views along the river. From the bridge, you can see St. Katharine's Dock, although it was quite foggy that day. After some souvenir shopping and a lovely late lunch of fish and chips, I made my way to Piccadilly Circus to meet Darren for a "mulled wine surprise"...hmmm what is that?