Tag: Travel

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Blog

Starlight

Remembrance Day falls this weekend, when we honour the memory of all those in the armed forces who have given their lives in the line of duty. As I pinned a poppy to my lapel this week, I was reminded of a rare gem of a tea and coffee house I visited a few weeks back. It is a special place for mindful thought and reflection on the loss of friends, family and loved ones. Let me introduce The Starlight Tea Chapel.

‘Stumbled upon’ is no exaggeration. In Essex for a few days, we had planned a walk in Colchester that was set to pause for tea at a National Trust mill. It was only on arrival we found that the mill was closed – cuing up a hasty search of Google Maps for a nearby alternative.

The Tea Chapel is inside the grounds of the cemetery and crematorium, although you will not find it signposted from the road. Built in 1855, it served for many years itself as a venue for funeral services, but was then decommissioned when the nearby crematorium opened. For a few years, it was effectively a store for garden tools, before being leased out as a tea room.

It now serves as a meeting place for a wake, celebration of life or post-funeral reception. In a touching gesture, the wall around the arched entrance door pays tribute to those whose lives have been celebrated here by loved ones, with pasted covers from orders of service (see photo above).

However, it is actually so much more. The history, the green and peaceful surroundings, and the beautiful architecture of the building combine to make this a special place for quiet and mindful reflection generally, over a tea, coffee, lunch or cake.

As we discovered, it is also open to the general public for this purpose – check on opening times before you go. I can recommend the cake!

So what is the corresponding track for adding to the ADK Spotify Playlist? Coincidentally, around the same time as our visit, I managed to obtain tickets to see Muse, a band I really like, on their UK tour next year. The track Starlight seems particularly suitable for this post, not only because of the title, but the lyrics generally and the promise to Never Fade Away.

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Bakes Blog Snacks

Selkirk Bannock

Until recently, I had never heard of the Selkirk Bannock. That’s all changed since a friend of the family brought us one back as a gift from a holiday in the Scottish Borders. Delicious it is, too!

According to legend, Queen Victoria visited Sir Walter Scott’s granddaughter at Abbotsford in 1867, and was served a Selkirk Bannock made by local baker Robbie Douglas. As a result the Bannock became famous and fashionable throughout Scotland, and is still made today to Robbie’s original recipe.

A rich but lightly textured fruit loaf packed with sultanas, my first impression was the malty, slightly sticky soft crust giving off a scent of scotch whisky. According to the ingredients list, however, there is no whisky included in the mix.

It is eaten simply – sliced and spread with butter. Toast it and let the butter melt (see my photo), and it is even more delicious.

It fully deserves its place in Scotland’s great culinary tradition.

Accordingly, for musical inspiration, I’ve chosen a modern day anthem from Scottish duo Craig and Charlie Reid, better known as the Proclaimers. I was amused to read recently that an interviewer once asked Craig and Charlie how they first met (eh, they are identical twins).

I know how challenging it can be to meet my daily target of 10,000 steps. Maybe, however, with a good few slices of Selkirk Bannock with butter in me for sustenance, I too could manage 500 miles?



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Blog Breakfast

The Sweetest Feeling

During the recent period of national mourning, I spent a few days in Essex visiting relatives. I made a point of stopping off at Tiptree, home of the famous jams and marmalades produced by Wilkin and Sons since 1885. I learned that their range of preserves has been supplied to the Crown under Royal Warrant since 1911, and is enjoyed in over 70 countries all around the world. I wonder if you have heard of it where you live?

On the same site as the factory where the jam is made, you can tour a museum display explaining how the company has grown over the years from its Victorian origins. There is also a shop selling the full range of preserves, including some varieties I was unaware of, such as Little Scarlet (a type of strawberry).

On display is a selection of spicy sauces and chutneys to choose from. We brought some chilli jam as a gift for our son. It’s a great place to treat yourself, and friends and family. Hey, we deserve it!

I opted for a jar of Old Times English Orange Marmalade to take home, which (as you can see) I shall be enjoying over many breakfasts ahead. It has a very delicate balance between bitter and sweet.

However, my highlight, and undoubtedly a favourite part of the visit for many devotees, is (not totally surprisingly) the Tea Room. Here you can place your order and, while waiting at a table for your own delights to arrive, be entertained by the succession of delicious cakes and carefully trimmed sandwiches making their way to the tables around you, beautifully presented on old-fashioned 3 tier china cake stands.

I opted for afternoon tea, with a toasted teacake and a choice of preserve, washed down with a pot of tea. My chosen preserve was a miniature jar of dark morello cherry jam, which was delicious. You can see it in my main photo, along with the fittingly sweet message on the underside of the lid, which says simply:

From Tiptree With Love

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Blog

Stairway to Heaven

Regular visitors will know that my blog is founded on the twin themes of good food and great music. When I discovered, therefore, that Warwick (where I am staying while at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games) has a great cafe at the end of a walk known locally as the ‘Stairway to Heaven’, I just had to pay a visit. And let me say straight away that there are no prizes for guessing the latest track to be added to the ADK Spotify Playlist.

The walk in question is a canal towpath alongside Hatton Locks – a flight of 21 individual basins within which the water level is made to rise and fall through the opening and closing of lock gates. This enables canalboats to gradually negotiate a total climb of 45 metres over a distance of 4km, via a series of steps.

It starts at Bottom Lock, continues through Middle Lock and (you guessed it) ends at Top Lock, which is where Hatton Locks Cafe is situated, in an old red brick cottage. It really is a lovely location, with fine views, and has a lot of character – the small cafe building crammed with canal boating memorabilia.

Two particular points I found noteworthy about the cafe. Firstly, it has one of the best ranges of speciality teas that I have come across in a cafe of this size. After some deliberation, our eventual selections were a strawberry and raspberry infusion, and a green tea. Secondly, the chalkboard outside implores you to try one of Debbie’s famous home-made scones. Tempted, we did indeed give one a try, with butter, and it was delicious (so thank you, Debbie).

Initially I had presumed that the name given by the local boatmen was inspired by the famous song. However, the canal has been here since 1799, and Led Zeppelin IV wasn’t released until 1971, so this can’t have been so. Maybe it was the other way round? This is not so far-fetched – the band are originally from the West Midlands after all. Is it possible therefore that this is the place that inspired what many of Led Zep’s fans consider to be the band’s finest hour?

I pictured Jimmy Page sitting here at a picnic table, taking in the beautiful views as he picked out the first few bars of that famous intro on his acoustic guitar. While sipping a lemon and ginger tea. And munching on one of Debbie’s scones.

It makes me wonder…