Constable at Petworth

In the summer of 1834 Constable visited Petworth House on two occasions.  The second time he stayed for two weeks and during these visits he sketched and painted many local scenes.  I don't claim to be any kind of expert when it comes to art (in fact I'm no expert at all!) but as the old adage goes 'I know what I like' and what I like are watercolours and this small, but perfectly formed, exhibition delivers.  Petworth is mainly known as the haunt of J.W.M.Turner and Lord Egremont was a generous patron to him and consequently Constable didn't get much of a look in.  There are forty paintings in all and show ordinary life and everyday landscapes in and around Petworth.  Two paintings jumped out at me, mainly because we'd visited these places in the last few days.  'Wicked Hammond's House' a study in pencil, which I instantly recognised as a pub we'd been to the previous night, now going by the name of The Grove Inn and a watercolour of the church at Tillington with it's rather crazy tower. We stayed in the village only a few days ago and had a room with a wonderful view of the church tower, as written about here.  Anyway, I love a good story behind a painting and this one caught my imagination.  Constable made this drawing on the 25th September 1834 and it's now in the collection of the V&A.  The exhibition catalogue  tells of how Constable  made the drawing while on a joint sketching excursion with Charles Robert Leslie, that Leslie records the excursion as follows: “I recollect spending a morning with him, he drawing the outside while I was sketching the interior, of a lonely farmhouse which was the more picturesque from its being in a neglected state, and which a  woman we found in it told us was called ‘wicked Hammond’s house’: a man of that name, strongly suspected of great crimes, having formerly been it’s occupant.  She told us that in an old well in the garden some bones had not long ago been found, which the ‘doctor said were the arm bones of a Christian‘. (Constable at Petworth; Loukes, A; 2014,  National Trust Catalogue).  A story like this really brings a painting to life I think.

{Wicked Hammond's House - Constable 1834}

{Tillington Church - Constable 1834)

 

 

'Constable at Petworth' runs until 14th March 2014 - advisable to book.

 

Ham House

When the sun is shining and you have a few hours free (and you're in striking distance of South West London) then you couldn't do better than head for Ham House on the banks of the Thames, just beyond Richmond.  Built in the 17th century, it was the wife of Lord Lauderdale, Elizabeth Murray, who brought the gardens to life with a combination of hard work and vision.  The National Trust now have custody of both the house and garden, and I have to say that whenever I visit it always feels like a house that was once a home.  The kitchen gardens have now been restored, as has the French Parterre Garden and once you've been round the house and garden, you can have a wonderful stroll along the River Thames, either towards Teddington Lock or Richmond town.

{French garden, wisteria, back view of house}

{wildflower meadow and kitchen garden}

{lemon trees, hidden gems in the garden}

{benches and tuips}



Real Food

London has a good number of outdoor food markets, the most famous of course is Borough Market in Bermondsey.  Borough Market is big.  It has everything a foodie could ever want and more, but we recently discovered the Real Food Market on the Southbank and I'm a complete convert.  I have to confess that there's nothing I love more than street food.  This passion for eating on the run has got me into serious trouble in the past - food bought through a train window in then Yugoslavia which tasted divine, but left me unable to leave a loo for 48 hours! Anyway, back to the Real Food Market.  It's a very simple premise:  they deliver food that tastes great, is sustainable and ethically sourced and you buy direct from the producers.  The people behind the food are as entertaining and knowledgeable as their food is delicious.  We rocked up at about noon on Sunday and things were just getting going so there was room to walk between all the stalls and deliberate with watering mouths what we wanted to eat.  In the end we all had something different - sharing is non-negotiable..

 

The girls had Arancini wraps (stuffed risotto balls) from the Arancini Brothers station; Some of us went for the burger from Jacobs Ladder Butchery and Farm (legendary burger!) and some of us went for the pork bap from 'Love me Tender' with homemade apple sauce.  The hog had been roasting for over ten hours and was succulent and sweet with fennel seeds.  I really can't praise it enough.  There are a myriad of stalls selling a huge variety of food that caters to every tastebud.  I think we will be making it a regular Sunday outing, at least until we've tasted everything on offer!

 

 Comte cheese is sold by the Borough Cheese Company.  The Borough Cheese Company sells only one cheese: the French mountain cheese, Comte. In order to get the best Comte they travel to the Franche-Comte in Eastern France every five to six weeks, where they visit Fort St. Antoine home of Marcel Petite, affineurs of Comte cheese. There they select cheese for sale back in the UK.

 This delicious bread comes from The Flour Station which began life in the restaurant Fifteen in London.  Their aim is to bring new standards of baking to London and a wider availability of their handmade artisan breads.  All of their products are hand-made using truly authentic baking methods and they use top-quality, natural ingredients. The dough spends up to 24 hours fermenting and developing before being baked, resulting in bread with improved depth of flavour and a wonderful texture.

 Terry catches his fish daily and brings it straight to the market.  It doesn't get much fresher than that! He operates an artisan, small scale day boat with all fish being sustainably caught. Offering Grade A Native Oysters, lobsters, crab and whatever else he manages to catch, the local fish could include sole, skate, bass, whiting, herrings, cod and huss.

 'Popina' -  “All our products are made daily from scratch. The ingredients we use are sourced for their quality from the UK and around the world. Organic stone ground English flour, English free range and organic eggs, organic British butter and organic raw cane sugar are components that in various combinations comprise the basis of all Popina creations.”

I don't know the name of this producer (sorry!) but I do know that their hot tomato crostini's were flying out.  They serve them with a variety of toppings and this is first on my hit list when I return.

 The Arancini Brothers make their own arancini - traditional Sicilian risotto balls which they serve in wraps with cucumber, tomato, sliced apple, deep-fried crispy shreds of onions, chilli tomato chutney and homemade garlic mayonnaise.  Truly heaven in a wrap...

 Freshly made juices, Mango and Cranberry, Orange and Cranberry, Apple...

 

The Real Food Market is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Southbank Centre,

 Opening hours:

Friday                                 12.00 - 20.00

         Saturday                             11.00 - 20.00          

Sunday                              12.00 - 18.00

 

Petersham Nurseries

Petersham Nursery is a little oasis of calm, residing just off the Thames tow-path near Richmond.  For many years it was the home of Australian chef Skye Gyngell, whose mediterranean food won the restaurant there a Michelin star in 2011.  The nursery itself is a curious mix of plant and plate, vintage furniture and quirky terracotta pots, but there is an overwhelming feeling of love about the place; the plants look happy and the tearoom is always pretty busy, although I have to say that I've never seen anyone buy any of the furniture, beautiful tho' it is; maybe that's because it's astronomically expensive! 

{happy plants}

{gorgeous old glasshouses}

{beautiful vintage furniture, crockery, pedastals}

{huge old mirrors and Venetian glass candlesticks}

{succulents - at a price!}

Despite the prices, a wander round Petersham is a restorative experience.  It's a peek into a lifestyle that I'd like to emulate; it's genteel and cultured.  Once you've pottered around the nursery, you can then take a lovely walk across Petersham Meadows, which have now been donated to the National Trust, into Richmond itself, and then loop back on yourself along the river path to Ham House.

Getting a perspective

I know! I've been very quiet on the blogging front - apologies!  Just been a bit overwhelmed with other stuff and it's taken up so much time that there's not been much energy or inspiration for anything else...so... I took a week off and went up north; partly to see family and partly to get away from the day-to-dayness of 'stuff'; I really wanted some time to recharge and re-think plans for the next year or so...

Well, I'm not sure I got too far on the planning front, but I definitely got my life into perspective; I mean, who wouldn't when you're on top of a fell, and there's all that majestic beauty around you...here's a glimpse of what I've been up to over the last week or so and what put life into perspective for me.

A wonderful walk up Simonside, past Dove Crag to the top of the escarpment

 A walk from Embleton to Low Newton by the Sea with a fantastic view of Dunstanburgh Castle

'Natural' art beach-style!

There's nothing quite like an amazing sunset to get things into perspective

The top of Dove Crag, Simonside

Bleak moorland

Bony silhouettes

A hopeful foxglove, bravely fighting the winds on the fellside

It was a fantastic week away - if you've never been to Northumberland, off you go and book yourself a holiday; you won't regret it!

Days Out (From London) - Rye

Last week I escaped humid London for a mini-break down on the South Coast.  I stayed here and wrote about it here.  But this isn't about the hotel I stayed in, or even the wonderful beach a mere 400m away, but about the picturesque town of Rye.

Rye is one of the Cinque Ports that was established by Royal Charter in 1155 to maintain ships for the Crown should they be needed.  Rye is perched on a hill, overlooking the River Rother and Romney Marsh, so was well placed to perform its role as look-out and defender of the coast. This ancient town is the sort of place you thought existed only in your imagination; with its enchanting cobbled streets, medieval church and beautifully preserved historic houses from medieval, Tudor and Georgian times, Rye is almost suspended in time and has a uniquely unhurried atmosphere. 

Although small, Rye has plenty of attractions for the day visitor, from it's cobbled streets and timbered houses, to small boutiques and historic landmarks.  Down by the estuary as you come into Rye there are  a variety of Antique and bric-a-brac shops, selling everything from vintage kitchen paraphenalia to furniture and garden implements.  I spent a very happy hour down there, coming away with some gorgeously heavy, silver plate cutlery. 

For the literary minded, Rye comes up trumps, for amongst its illustrious inhabitants, once lived E.F.Benson, famous for his Mapp and Lucia books. He resided near the church in Lamb House.  Close by lived the author Henry James.  If you wander round the side of the Medieval church, complete with it's original bell-tower you will find the wonderful Tiny Book Store.  It really is tiny, but well stocked with a wide variety of second-hand books. A browsers dream.

You can do a lovely circular walk, beginning at the base of the town, up the cobbled streets and past the Mermaid Inn.  Take in the old castle and views out towards the sea, before looking round the old church and a browse in the book shop.  You finish your walk with an amble down the main high street with it's coffee shops and independent retailers.  Check out Violetta Boutique, a gorgeous parfumery/apothecary shop on the main drag.

Although I stayed nearby, you can easily 'do' Rye from London in a day.  It takes about an hour and a half to get down there - try the A21, it's not as quick as the motorway, but takes in the English countryside in all it's glory.