Back to the Most Pleasant Place in the World

| Jane Austen's House Museum in Chawton |

2015 England Trip Journal
April 10

      Ah, our first day in Hampshire, where we can just drive over to Jane Austen's house if we feel like it. This may be why I consider it to be the pleasantest place in the world. Of course I had to face using a bath instead of a shower before we could do so... It wasn't bad, to be honest. Using the detachable shower head was actually fun! Except that I discovered I'd sprayed water all over the outside of the tub behind me – including the old wooden chair we were using to erect a temporary wall so that the other person could use the sink while someone's in the tub. Thankfully there was no harm done, and I didn't ruin a priceless antique.

     We had our usual breakfast of a sausage, two eggs and yogurt with fruit while we watched BBC news. I prefer British strawberries with Weetabix, and Mom takes tangerines with cottage cheese. I love our little kitchen. It's small, but fully equipped with fresh, modern appliances, and the light streams in from the windows on three sides of the room. Pleasant is just the perfect word.

     We went to Alton first, and were able to park in the Sainsbury's lot for free with a 2-hour limit. Marks & Spencer had an inexpensive parking lot, too, but we were planning to get to Chawton soon, so the Sainsbury's lot gave us plenty of time. We wandered around, popping in some shops before at last reaching our truly desired destination: Alton Secondhand Books.

     To find it: if you're coming from Chawton, it is past the second roundabout on High Street (which technically turns into Normandy St.) and across the road from the cinema. From Alton Station: go left out of the door, then when you run into a road, turn right (this is Paper Mill Lane) and you will run into Normandy St. (that will turn into High Street farther down); turn left on Normandy, and the bookshop is only just over a block down the road on your left.

The façade of that unparalleled institution for bound paper volumes: Alton Secondhand Books

     I can honestly say it is my favorite bookstore. On this particular visit, as soon as I saw it it was as if I had been in a wilderness without food (insert books) and at last there stands before me a Costco (insert Alton Secondhand Books), just ready to be enjoyed! It is an oasis of British literature and old, old books that I could simply never find in any California used book shop – possibly all the shops in California combined.

     I soon found the pile of Georgette Heyer hardbacks to rifle through for my favorite titles. I didn't see The Reluctant Widow, but Regency Buck was there – a 1938 edition for £5. It became the first of a rapidly growing pile I began to carry around. In the cookbooks, next to what looked like original Mrs. Beeton cookbooks, I found a brand new edition with "The Best" of her recipes. Meaning that I now have dozens of traditional English recipes in printed form! Next on the pile was a 3x4-inch volume of Cowper's poems from 1853. 1853! And the last of my plunder to carry away was Cassandra and Jane, which just happened to be in the Jane Austen section at the counter right inside the front door  – which I've been wanting to read for a long time!


     Then we had to rush back to the car to go to Chawton, as our two hours in the Sainsbury's lot were almost up. You do not want to test the road rules and regulations over here because the punishment will be quick and merciless. Plus, there are cameras everywhere. I don't resent it – far from it – because I see it as encouraging people to be courteous in a place where the lack of space for cars would quickly send society into chaos if it wasn't for time limits and designated parking areas. I'm just putting a warning out there for anyone daring enough to drive in this endearing country.

     We made it back to our car in time, and headed straight to Chawton Cottage – technically called Jane Austen's House Museum – where we discovered their used book table. Another oasis for book lovers! I tell you, this country is an earthly paradise for book addicts. All books on that table were £1, £2 or £3. I found several more scholarly volumes from past contributors to the academia on Jane Austen, but our most exciting finds were four Jane Austen Regency World magazines and a 1941 edition of Jane Austen and Lyme Regis - all for £1 each! We had actually seen the latter in a second Alton used bookshop that the owner priced for us at £15! So we felt rather smart. (More thankful, really.)

Back at last: Jane Austen's House Museum

     We decided to skip the intro film this time, as we'd already seen it, and go straight to the garden for pictures. It was nearly empty, so we had fun using the benches to take pictures of ourselves using the camera's timer and my purse for a legless - albeit rather low - sort of tripod. That was the third time we've had our picture taken in that lovely garden in front of that lovely house, and it was exciting to see the garden at a time of year when we've never seen it, with the early spring blooms like daffodils brightening up the flower beds and the rather bare hedges.

     After we had soaked up some afternoon Chawton sunshine it was time to go inside!

Enjoying the spring garden at Chawton Cottage.

  

  

     At one point I found myself alone in the dining room with Jane's little table, which could only mean one thing: I had to sneak a touch behind the plastic partition. For good or ill it is done, and I can't say I feel guilty. :) There a sort of power in touching historic objects connected to your favorite author who you admire and are fond of that can make the centuries disappear – Jane, my Jane, who wrote her masterpieces here, left a part of herself and her life on this table, and I can be a part of it with just a brush of my finger. The opportunity is irresistible. It must be done at least once.

The table that can dissolve 200 years...

     After wandering up the amazingly creaky stairs to the equally creaky upper story Mom struck up a conversation with a lady volunteer. During the course of their chat Mom mentioned my wanting to volunteer there myself. This very nice lady (whose name we neglected to ask) kindly offered to go write down the contact information from the volunteer coordinator. Lord willing one day it will be a reality for me to spend my days in this unequivocally pleasant place!

The drawing room with Mr. Austen's original bookcase flooded with glorious spring sunshine!

The most pleasant room in the world.

     There was a slight change in the exhibit room, with a 'new' dress made from a fabric with a print believed to have been around in Jane's lifetime. So she may have worn something made out of it!

     After an hour of imagining the Austen ladies in the cottage, it was time to adjourn to Cassandra's Cup for tea and dessert – one of my favorite traditions. It was our first visit since it had been purchased by new owners, and I believe they have made dome laudable changes to the menu, including the scone with lavender raspberry jam and clotted cream that I chose, and Mom's warm brownie with salted caramel ice cream (so, so, SO delicious! I had some too...). We closed the place down, being the last customers left, as we usually are in this establishment, before taking a comfortably slow walk over to Chawton House.

   

     That may be my favorite walk in the world. I love the low stone wall enclosing tall, ivy-covered trees on one side, with the thatched cottages and thick wall of trees, bushes, and ivy on the other. It was after 5:00, meaning, like everything else, the House was closed, but we had known it would be, so we simply enjoyed the view and just being there. There was something special about being back in that quiet peaceful place – back to a spot we had enjoyed so much on both of our other trips. We walked up the gravel drive lined with daffodils to look over the gate at the house. It was a lovely sunny evening, too, which we stretched out as long as we could by walking slowly back to the car, admiring the carpet of daffodils by the road running in front of Chawton Cottage before climbing into the car.

Walking in Jane's footsteps to her brother's beautiful house.

 

There is nothing unpleasant about the scene I am standing in... Because, as I think I might possibly have just mentioned in this post already, it is the most pleasant spot in the world.

     Sainsbury's was a convenient stop on the way back for us to get some essentials like sausages, cheese, fruit, cashews and whipping cream. :) Sainsbury's not only has disabled parking places, but it also provides spaces for parents with children, which we considered a very thoughtful decision. And just as I was thinking that we could also qualify, since, after all, we're a parent with a child, Mom suggested it aloud... ;)

(Don't worry, we really parked in a regular parking space.)

© Anna Morton 2017

The Hidden Cathedral

It's raining at home today, which puts me in mind of England (even though it has probably rained on us a grand total of eight times during our travels there – still, it has a reputation for having a wet climate, so I hear). So I shall take up where I left off in chronicling our trip in the spring of 2015!

Where were we... Ah, yes, we are now en route to Hampshire, and along the way we made the required stop at St. Albans.

2015 England Trip Journal
April 9

     How pleasant it is not to rush when one is packing to leave a place! That is the luxury of renting a car. We had a two hour journey ahead of us, plus a stop in St. Albans, and we could leave whenever we liked. Even though it wasn't the most tastefully decorated (or very decorated), I have fond memories of our Luton flat, mostly because of what we did in between leaving in the mornings and coming back at night. Plus, we had a big fridge, a dryer, and no stairs between rooms – precious commodities when you're traveling in England.

Our drive down was pleasant. Mom especially enjoyed all the long stretches of motorway. :) We had a bit of trouble finding St. Albans Cathedral once we got into town – we had an excellent view from the motorway outside of the city – which is something I have observed about many famous large structures: you can't see them until you come around the last corner blocking them from view!

St Albans Cathedral is easy enough to see from the distant highway...

At last I figured out how to search for things on the satnav and got directions directly to the cathedral. We walked through that very same park where Richard and Claire had brought me and Bekah nearly two years before. We had beautiful sunny weather to walk by the little lake and watch the many people there doing the same. I even wore my sandals!

The park at St. Albans Cathedral

We spotted a heron!

I found a new bit of history in the cathedral this time! There is a sort of dungeon-looking stone room under the nave area where (I think) the Duke of Glouscester had once hidden during the time of Henry VI. You couldn't actually get down there, due to some metal bars across the opening, but there were some eerie stone steps leading down into the mysterious chamber, and is was rather exciting imagining the man himself standing down there.

The frescoes on the walls date back to sometime during the Norman period, part of the ceiling is medieval and part is Tudor, and the rest of the cathedral is a conglomeration of every architecture in between! It is one unique building.

One of the many different ceilings in St Albans Cathedral.

The quire and Tudor ceiling of St. Albans.

The frescoes rediscovered.

After discerning the various styles of architecture inside and getting pictures, including my traditional triumphant ascending of the giant stump outside, we headed back to eat a bit of lunch from our food stash in the trunk – including our mini Magnum ice cream bars (hazelnut and pistachio flavors). We did wander around the park a bit more before leaving, and just, you know, ran into a fragment of a Roman wall. No big deal.

Just another Roman wall...

Conqueror of the stump!

Some of the lovely landscape in the park.

There was a bit of quite heavy traffic on the M25, but we made it without incident to Hampshire. It was exciting to see road signs for Alton, not only because it is Jane Austen country (which Hampshire officially claims on its road sign – Jane would have been most amused, and a little honored, I think), but because it is a warmly familiar place we are coming back to.

The town where we stayed, Alresford (pronounced 'Allsford'), was a quintessential English small town. Our cottage was grouped with some brick and half-timbered houses along a street that seemed built along with the mill that was almost across the road, probably in the 1600s or 1700s. Mill Hill, our street, was at the bottom of part of the high street, so we were within walking distance of some lovely shops and restaurants.

We couldn't find parking, so mom practically had to beg me to knock on the door of our hosts – which I eventually did, although with great discomfort. :) (Have I mentioned I'm a bit of an introvert?) No one answered, however, so Mom was able to call, and it turned out that her family was there and could let us in.

The stream that feeds the mill of Mill Hill.

How pleasant it was to drop our stuff, sit on the sofa, and watch some BBC news. :) We missed a TV in Luton, so we watched a lot of 'Foyle's War' on the tablet instead. Of course 'Foyle' happened to be on in Hampshire, too, and we couldn't resist watching it. Or I should say rewatching it. (While I ate some fish fingers and custard.)

Fish fingers and custard for dinner!

© 2017 Anna Morton

I'm back, so get ready!

To all of my faithful readers:

It is good to be back! As the keys clack away under my fingers, my excitement is growing to begin sharing my adventures with you again. And, boy, do I have a heap of them collected! Seven weeks of England to finish (including another trip we took this year), a first-time trip to DC for the Jane Austen Society of N. America national conference, and recipes, recipes, recipes!

As you may have guessed, these adventures are the culprits that have kept me from presenting them to you over the past few months. Alas, wifi is not always reliable at a cottage in the countryside near Bath.

But now it is Christmas, so I wish you all a Happy Christmas filled with the joy of knowing Christ came to earth! (And a season filled with lots of delicious food – especially English food, of course, if you can get it!)

(Here is a preview of my adventures yet to be shared...)

A dream come true in Grantchester and the Orchard Tea Gardens

The Orchard Tea Gardens in Grantchester

     Ever since I saw an article in Victoria magazine about the Orchard Tea Gardens near Cambridge I've dreamed of going there. They conjured up visions of Cambridge University students before the Great War, all dressed in white, sitting among the blossoms, drinking tea and eating scones with honey while they chatted amiably about their exams or their latest poem, and I wanted to be on the spot to pretend to be one of them. Well, I finally managed it!

England 2015 Trip Journal
Tuesday, April 7

     I feel I should be writing poetry since I'm sitting in the Orchard Tea Gardens in Grantchester. It is no mystery to see why Cambridge students liked to come here and sit, contemplating the world around them as they laid back in the lawn chairs smelling the sweet fragrance of apple blossoms, feeling the soft breeze and gentle warmth of spring sunshine as it goes in and out of the clouds. Which is exactly what today is like!

Under the peaceful trees of the Tea Gardens in Grantchester

The iconic green lawn chairs in the Orchard Tea Garden

Baskets heaped with the perfect scones.

     Ah! You lean your head back and close your eyes, and you can hardly open them again they become so instantly comfortable. As soon as we walked into the pavilion with the kitchen we were greeted with the smell of fresh, hot scones – I could even see a huge pile of them on the baking trays covered with cloths behind the counter. Proper scones, they are: big, golden, and halfway between airy and dense. They are the quintessential scones. And once you slather them with dollops of butter, clotted cream, honey and strawberry jam, the result is glorious.

I present to you the perfectly delicious scone of the Orchard Tea Garden!

My lunch: ham, cheese, bread, an apple and 3 chutneys.

Mom's delicious quiche from the tea pavilion.

     There could hardly be a more peaceful piece of English countryside than the village of Grantchester. And the Tea Gardens is the most peaceful spot in the village. We wandered through the shady gate that's tucked away on one side of the Garden, that seems to beckon people to step through it and explore what's on the other side. After strolling over a lush green field we entered a small wood with a little winding path that leads to a branch of the river rolling lazily by.

The enchanting woods we wandered through in Grantchester.

The river in Grantchester.

     It was then time to get on to Cambridge if wanted to get there before the shops shut, so we made our way back through the Tea Gardens and along the quiet road to find our car. Just around the corner from the Tea Gardens is a lovely house with a statue of Rupert Brooke, the poet who in his college days used to frequent the orchard and the lawn chairs where he composed some lines about his memories there in his poem, "The Old Vicarage, Grantchester."

Stands the Church clock at ten to three
And is there honey still for tea? 

There is something fittingly and nostalgically poetic about Rupert Brooke, who had been a promising young student at Cambridge and spent time in this beautiful place, and then wrote this poem about his visits there while he was in Germany during World War I not long before he died in 1915. So I'm glad they are remembering him.

The statue of Rupert Brooke in Grantchester.

     After passing the pond and a few more fields we reached our car. We would have parked in the Orchard Tea Gardens parking lot, but there was some roadwork that prevented us going farther than the old church, so we parked along the street instead.

Grantchester's picturesque pond, complete with swans.

     Well, we spent so much time thoroughly enjoying ourselves in Grantchester that we only had time for a short jaunt back into Cambridge. Around 6:00 we drove straight into the city, using our hand-held map – a good investment – to find the central parking garage instead of the GPS. It was only £2 for 2 hours.

     We were in search of a pin for me to add to my backpack, but, of course, nearly every shop was shut except for one across the street from King's, and their pin was £4.50. I bought it anyway, since, as Mom pointed out, we came all that way to find one. :)

One of my favorite memories with Mom:
coffee and conversation in front of King's College.

     We then grabbed a large coffee from the Caffe Nero across from the college, and decided to sit on the low wall enclosing the front lawn to relax and enjoy our surroundings. We also enjoyed one of our many talks about English history and literature. This time we were contemplating the motivation for a people to follow their leader into war, from the Iraq war motivated by fear of terrorism, to Henry V's conversations with his troops in Shakespeare, who were compelled by force and fear to follow a monarch. (Yes, we do enjoy that sort of conversation...) :) It's hard not to have those in England, when history and literature are connected with nearly everything one sees.

     Then it was after sunset and time to return to Luton!










© Anna Morton 2016 

As American as Cherry Pie – or should I say British...

| Making my first cherry pie – a British one! |

     One of my latest baking adventures involved embarking on the creation of a cherry pie. I've never attempted one before, so I decided to consult the experts – which in my case is The Great British Bakeoff: How to Bake cookbook! And just as a British cherry pie seems a twist on it's usual American associations, this recipe gives us something just a little different. Instead of the usual flour, fat and water that you mix together and roll out, we get to have a bit more fun by adding almonds to the dough and grating it!

     Now, if you know much about British desserts you have probably heard of the Bakewell tart, that little pastry flavored by cherry and almond, which gives this recipe even more of a British connection. Then if on top of that fact you confess that you aren't the greatest fan of too much almond flavor, allow me to reassure you that this recipe is as delicious as any cherry pie imaginable – it is fresh, simple and bursting with the flavors of juicy cherries and a sweet crunchy crust!

     For the crust I simply threw everything into a food processor and pulsed it a few times:

• 250g all-purpose flour
• 50g ground almonds (I love the almond flour from Trader Joe's!)
• 175g unsalted butter, chilled and diced
• 100g sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons cream
• 1 tablespoon iced water

     Then you mold it into one big lump, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it. The recipe said to refrigerate it for half an hour, but I left mine in longer while I got distracted doing other things, and it hardened into a nice solid piece, which turned out to be easier to grate than it would have been after only half an hour.

     I have to say, grating crust is not necessarily easier than rolling it out. The dough inevitably begins to soften in your hands so that by the end you're sort of squishing it through the grater. But then you don't have to deal with finding the space to roll it out, or the dough sticking to the counter top, or the dough cracking when you lay it into the pie plate (off-centered, of course...). But I'll admit that the best thing about it – let's be honest – is that it's just fun do do!

     Basically you slice the lump of dough in half, grate the first half into the pie pan and squish it down with your fingers until it's in an even layer on the bottom and up the sides...

....then you put the filling in before taking the second half of the dough and grating it all over the top. Et vòila!

     It seems like quite a lot, but once it's all cooked it flattens out a bit and turns into a deliciously mild, sweet, nutty, crumbly pie crust that ought to be a part of more recipes. :)

The marvelous Warm Cherry Crumble Pie!

© Anna Morton 2016