Back before the days of hooliganism and general anarchy spread to the streets of the Capital I went back to the glorious green and pleasant land for a bit of time with friends and family and a spot of relief from the sauna that is the Hong Kong summer…..I touched down to Heathrow and was immediately whisked off to that county of Shakespeare, faggots (and not in the gay way – google it if you don’t believe me) and gloriously awful accents.
The Midlands.
First stop Grandborough. The village of Grandborough was my home from the age of 7 until 18 and where most of my childhood memories play out in haze of horse riding, playing in hay bales, epic water fights and long walks through country fields. It’s really as English as they come. Situated in the very heart of the midlands it is a quintessential pretty English village with a small population that are friendly and social.
Embarrassingly occasionally I do suspect that my parent’s social life is more hectic than my own and much of this is due to the community spirit of BBQ’s, safari suppers, summer fete’s, innumerable Christmas parties that seem to begin in November and go on right through January (so as not to get the blues) and the infamous Grandborough Wine Appreciation Society nights that are held.
Yes that’s right. A ‘wine appreciation society’ in other words a bloody good excuse to get drunk whist pretending that it’s all in the name of improving ones mind. The Grandborough Wine Appreciation Society, affectionately known by its members as GWAS is held in the Grandborough village hall every 6 weeks or so. They tell me that sometimes these affairs are of a serious nature where there is one speaker presenting all SIX wines that are tasted throughout the evening going into much details about grapes, detail, production etc. Although I doubt that many take any notice after the 4th glass.
However on my most recent trip home I got invited to attend and present a wine at said GWAS evening which was really a great honor as I had during my youth seen my parents wander in from one of these evening a little slurry and blurry, Dad plonking down on the sofa and promptly falling asleep and Mum regaling stories of the hilarity of the evening. This GWAS night was centered on the theme of holidays and various presenters took to the stage with tales of their various holidays and a suitable wine to accompany them.
Each presenter is to spend no more than 8 British pounds on their bottle (hear that Hong Kong!) and at the beginning of their presentation announce what it is and where they bought it from. The stories were then able to begin and we were treated to tales of all sorts from being mugged in South America to the thrill of wine tasting in New Zealand to suspicious goings on in Venice.
There was much laughter throughout the evening with the volume raising as glasses were drunk and to be honest even though I was probably the youngest there by a good 15 years by 11pm I was exhausted. The rest of the GWAS congregation however tootled off to the local Pub, The Shoulder of Mutton http://www.shoulderofmuttongrandborough.co.uk/ to carry on the evening…….what troopers.
London
Next stop to London for a week of work and catching up with friends which began with a bit of nostalgia with a night out in Clapham Junction with friends from University. After a lovely dinner party in Battersea accompanied by copious amounts of vino, we headed into ‘the junction’ to meet friends who we used to do joint-roasts with back at the toon whilst we were supposed to be at uni (actually this resulted in some absolutely epic roast extravaganza’s including one for 16 people made with disabled lambs – waste not want not!) after a few bars we hit the ‘decidedly awful but perfect for our jaunt’ Clapham Vodka Revolution bar complete with cheesy DJ, obnoxious drunks and the Vodka rack of shots complete with chilli flavored vodka - oh yes! . Their night on a Saturday is even called ‘I AM VIP ‘ .Classic.
The Food
A friend of mine that used to live in Hong Kong is now back in London and so we thought for old times sake we would sample some of London’s Sichuan cuisine to see how it compared and reminisce. After quite a few glasses of Rose after work we jumped in a cab and headed to Bar Shu on Frith Street http://www.bar-shu.co.uk/home.html we were a little tiddly so didn’t think anything of starting randomly expressing Cantonese and Mandrin however the staff took this Chinese tourettes syndrome we seemed to have very well. Thank goodness. The food was pretty awesome and if you are brave enough to give Sichuan a try I reckon you will like it, especially if you ever licked batteries when you were a child.
Another must have pit stop was the ludicrously delicious chain Wagamama’s. ‘But you live in Hong Kong’ I hear you cry ‘What need do you have for the Wagga Mama?!” well to be honest I can’t explain it. Its true I can get amazeballs broth soup noodles in Honkers, perhaps its just the bastardised asian-western fusion that tickles my fancy but By God is it good!!
Lunch in borough market is also one of my favorite things to do in London. A lovely 15 minute walk from my office near St Pauls over the wobbly millennium bridge and down the South Bank to the best Pork Bap with mustard you’ll find anywhere - delicious.
Pierre Victoire is another great find, situated in the heart of Soho on Dean Street it is perfect for a date, pre-theatre meal or a catch up with the girls as the food is amazingly good value for the quality of the foodat a very reasonable price, it’s also candlelit and at the weekends an adorable old man plays a piano in the corner - nice. I had my old favorites, Oysters followed by roast lamb with bok choi and dauphinoise potatoes, salivating at the thought of it. http://www.pierrevictoire.com/london/restaurant/index.asp if you want to give it a try…..
Getting around London
London was particularly drizzly during this week and once or twice this combined with having to use public transport got the better of me. God I am turning into a spoilt Expat. On one particular occasion I had just happened to meet one of my best friends in Selfridges who persuaded me to go and spend an inordinate amount of money in the denim department on a pair of skinny jeans (good job though millsy as I bloody love them). Anyway as I left Selfridges with said expensivo purchase (I even closed my eyes as I handed over the card) in my bright yellow Selfridges bag, I got to the big Selfridges front door and it was raining cats and dogs.
I bid my friend farewell and legged it over to Bond Street Stationwith my bad full of goodies and was suddenly surrounded by the smell of wet dog as I decended the escalators, (why do wet coats always smell like this?) and pushed my way onto a tube and made my way to South Kensington. On arrival I was in pursuit of a public house called ‘The Pig’s Ear’.
I came out of the station and lo and behold the rain was coming down like a monsoon back in old Hong Kong! I wasn’t going to be defeated since I was already late for the birthday do that I was trying to get to, so I strode out of the station and marched through the rain…..after a while I realized I had probably gone the wrong way when I arrived outside Christies (there was no mention of this in my directions) which a phone call then confirmed. Disaster!
Resigning myself to London trying to make things difficult for me I hollered down a taxi and jumped in only to find that at some point during my trek from the station said uber expensive jeans had fallen out of the bright yellow paper Selfridges bag and were presumably in a puddle on the pavement somewhere (that is if some fashionista hadn’t had the sense to swipe them) FFFAAAAAAARRRRRRRRKKKKKKKKK I yelled to the cabbie and jumped out of the cab hysterically running through the rain retracing my steps! Like a mad woman I ran wide eyed over a pedestrian crossing and Hooorraaahhhhaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!
I found them. In a puddle on the floor. Never mind I thought they’ll show their worth and so looking like I had been dragged through a hedge backwards I jumped in the cab and finally arrived at the pub. Never has the humble gin and tonic tasted so sweet.
Bude, Cornwall
For my final week Mum, Dad, my sister and Charlie our Dog made the five hour journey down to our family cottage in Bude, Cornwall. Bude is your typical Cornwall seaside town and perfect for a family summer holiday. As I have other relatives down there I look upon it as a second home having spent nearly every summer of my youth here, it’s a great place to relax and switch off and amazingly we were blessed with a week of sun too!
Stuff to do
There are some great highlights to Bude, the beach is vast and impressive and the Atlantic offers some fantastic surfing and body boarding and as we had such a cracking week for weather my Sister and I were tumbling through the waves every day on our boogie boards. Be prepared for ice cold water though, the Atlantic is bloody cold. Bude also plays home to a very large sea pool on Summerleaze beach that is part natural, part man made and serves as an excellent place for small children or if you want a proper swim out the waves in the open air.
I also took my sister horse riding for her belated birthday present. We went to the fantastic Gooseham Barton Riding Stables and set off for an hour long hack through country fields with an occasional scenic view of the sea. Our instructor was lovely and my sister and I whooped with delighted as we galloped along dirt tracks in the glorious English sunshine (it was her first time to gallop so this was very exciting). We finished up back at the stables beaming, a little bit sweaty, covered in horsefly bites but I didn’t mind one bit and as I gave my horse a well deserved carrot she didn’t seem to mind either.
There is some great hiking and running routes to be hand in Bude too, one particular morning Dad and I took Charlie the Dog and headed north along the coastal path for about 3 hours. Apart from Charlie deciding to roll around in a cow pat which made for a rather stinky walk the scenery was breathtaking and the air so so crisp and fresh. There are regular ups and downs along the way to keep your heart pumping and at one point you can pass by the very famous Hawkers Hut, the National Trust’s smallest property where an eccentric clergyman spent many hour writing and smoking opium during the 19th century, probably inspired by the impressive views of the Atlantic from his hut. From there you can take the short walk through to the village of Morwenstow where there is a lovely pub that will serve you a well earned pint and a doggy treat for your smelly friend.
The Food
One night we went for dinner in the Castle http://www.thecastlerestaurantbude.co.uk/ which provided us with stunning view overlooking the beach. The atmosphere was extremely relaxed indeed it pretty much felt like being in a private kitchen and the food was fantastic! They tell me that their menu changes every 2-3 days so you could definitely go there again and again. Another nice touch was that we were given a taster before our starter that was off the menu and a palate cleanser of crushed iced elderflower water was provided in between our main course and dessert. We were seated right next to the kitchen which was also wonderful as we were able to see the two chefs work their magic, after years of being in Bude and only having pub food on offer this great little restaurant is a welcome change.
As cooking in Hong Kong is super expensivo I also relished the opportunity to do a bit of cooking and thought that being near the sea the best place to start would be with the fish. The fishmonger in Bude is really friendly and will give you some great advice on what is local and how best to cook it. We enjoyed bbq’d sardines, scallops and sea bass and it was lovely to cook in a proper kitchen with local fish! None of this one hob no oven malarkey I put up with in Honkers. There is also a fantastic wine shop, The North Coast Wine Company http://ncwine.co.uk/ where the owners are lovely and friendly and host a range of Cornish ciders (a must) Ale’s, Wine and even a Cornish champagne, the ‘Camel Valley Brut’ that was delicious. I know you don’t believe me but honestly if you are there give it a try, it really could give Moet a run for its money……
As ever my trip home was a whirlwind complete with lots of cups of tea, laughing with cabbies, getting pissed of with public transport (Boris thank god you got the bikes), getting a tan in Cornwall (who would have thought it) and rushing round like a lunatic trying to see everyone with those little pangs of not wanting to leave each time I have to say goodbye. So thank you Blighty for a lovely time and all I love there for being so bloody marvelous. I miss you.
V xx
