West Horsley Place, east of Guildford, has a 15th century manor house at its core. It was seized by Henry VIII in 1535 and given to his childhood friend and cousin, Henry Courtenay. Courtenay’s gratitude was such that he entertained the king and his retinue to a lunch of 35 courses.
The king’s gratitude was of a lesser magnitude and, true to form, he had Courtenay beheaded as a Catholic plotter in 1539.
The house was later owned by Carew Raleigh, Walter Raleigh’s son. Sir Walter’s wife lived here, and after his execution the story goes that she paid to have his head brought to her. She is said to have kept it in a velvet bag until it was too decayed to keep. It’s rumoured to be buried under the main stairs, or possibly in the local church.
In the early 17th century the 2nd Lord Montague, owner of the house, was imprisoned on suspicion of being involved in the Gunpowder Plot, because he employed Guy Fawkes as a footman – much to the excitement of the groups of schoolchildren who visit in the 21st century.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the house might be haunted by the ghosts of its past. You couldn’t make it up, could you?
Actually, you could. The BBC TV series ‘Ghosts’ is filmed here.
The house originally had a full height Great Hall, which was replaced in the 18th century by two storeys, when the Tudor staircase was moved and the present ‘Stone Hall’ built with a drawing room above.
In c1640 the then owner wanted to upgrade the house, but couldn’t afford to demolish it. A cheaper solution was found: he commissioned a new façade in the fashionable Dutch style. Built of brick, it was literally screwed to the original Tudor timbers.
The earlier structure is visible behind the façade, in the form of the original kitchen.
West Horsley Place was further updated in the early 19th century, with a fine library added by Lord Crewe in the 1930s. The books were later bequeathed to Trinity College Cambridge, who took their pick.
The oldest painted plaster ceilings in the UK are Grade 1 listed.
Outside, the house boasts the only Grade 2 listed dog kennels in the country. (I said you couldn’t make it up).
The house was inherited in 1967 by Mary, Duchess of Roxburghe, who visited but didn’t live there and by the time of her death in 2014 it had fallen into serious disrepair.
It was then left in a surprise bequest to Mary’s nephew, Bamber Gascoigne, who reached the difficult decision to sell the contents of the house (including a Canaletto or two) to begin the process of raising funds to stabilise and reverse the decay of the property. It is now run by The Mary Roxburghe Trust.
This was the advice of a friend on how to deal with being housebound while recovering from surgery.
It was good advice, and we started by ordering from our local restaurants.
Then some kind friends realised our predicament; they introduced us to Dishpatch, and we haven’t looked back.
Dishpatch is a service which offers menus from top restaurants, delivered to your door, and available nationwide in the UK.
Your order arrives on Friday, by courier, in an insulated box, and practically all packaging is recyclable. There’s a detailed list of contents, with step by step instructions on how to finish your meal at home.
Menus change frequently; typically there’s a starter and a main event with optional ‘add-ons’, which might be a pudding, or something for breakfast or afternoon tea.
Everything is carefully thought through to ensure you have all you need to complete your meal. You won’t go hungry. Some of the participating restaurants will provide their choices of wine or cocktails to get your dinner party started.
The advice for all perishables is to enjoy them during the course of a weekend, but with common sense you can extend any leftovers for a day or two.
The introduction was the gift of a feast from Angela Hartnett’s Café Murano.
First was a fluffy focaccia with antipasti, a pleasantly bitter, smoky aubergine dip, and pickled vegetables; then an outstanding starter, Broad Bean Pesto with pine nuts, peas, herbs and Parmesan.
It came with a whole Burrata cheese to serve on top (I don’t normally set homework, but if you haven’t tried Burrata, find some immediately to rectify your omission, or I will mark you down for carelessness).
There was a little tub of pangrattato too, crisp breadcrumbs to scatter on top, for crunch. Weeks later, we still had a few left in the fridge, they were a gift that kept on giving.
I feel I should apologise that the photos that follow are blurred and poorly lit. Or both, we were SERIOUSLY OVER-EXCITED!
Buratta, Pangrattato, Broad Bean pesto
Main course was the leg and breast of a plump chicken, anointed with spicy N’duja sausage, star anise, rosemary and cardamom. There were roast new potatoes to serve alongside, with sweet cherry tomatoes and artichoke hearts.
Chicken, roast potatoes with artichokes & tomatoes
We finished with a sublime, intense chocolate ‘cake’, and a light pistachio cream.
Chocolate cake, pistachio cream
Emboldened by this success, we ordered my birthday treat from St John
I’m very fond of St John Restaurant. I know the white interior of the restaurant and the staff uniforms are reminiscent of an operating theatre, but it smells much more welcoming, and is infinitely more pleasurable.
Both the restaurant and the cookbooks have been a huge influence on chefs, particularly in Britain and the USA. They were the originators of ‘nose to tail eating’, a philosophy that respects the animals we eat by using every part.
Be reassured, any idea that you will leave the table up to your elbows in gore is misplaced.
It’s elegant, thoughtful and skilled cooking. By ordering from Dishpatch, you only have two jobs: to complete the process in your kitchen, and then polish off the results.
Chicken & ox tongue pie
A chicken & smoked ox tongue pie served two of us generously over two nights. It came with an enamelled pie dish, sufficient pastry for the top, and a length of marrow bone. The marrow enriches the gravy, while the bone serves as pie funnel.
(If you’re not a fan of tongue, the pieces are large enough to allow easy removal, once they’ve imparted their soothing smokiness to the pie).
Potted Pork with cornichons; tomato salad “model’s own”
As well as the pie, which we ate over two days, we ordered all the optional ‘add-ons’ to complete the treat: ‘anchovy gunge’ to nibble on, potted pork & cornichons to start.
There was ginger loaf, butterscotch sauce & clotted cream to follow.
There were Welsh rarebit and miniatures of Fernet Branca for the Morning After, and a chocolate brownie for tea. And an Eccles cake with Lancashire cheese. Just in case we got famished before dinner….
Our latest experiment? José Pizarro’s Paella Box.
You’ll find the full menu via the link below. The tapas provided were enough as dinner on Saturday, with some left over as a starter for the paella the following day. We chose the wild mushroom and artichoke paella, and were amazed by the intensity of flavour. The correct sized pan is included in the box, and can be re-used again if you’re tempted to reproduce the recipe yourself.
There was enough Alioli(garlic mayonnaise) for the Patatas Bravas as well as a transformative dollop to go on the paella.
Mushroom paella with artichokes; brown food, but in a good way.
If your tapas need deep frying, the instructions tell you roughly what size pan to use. There’s a tub of the right amount of rapeseed oil, and a little tin of Maldon salt, enough for a generous seasoning. There’s a chunk of sourdough bread in the box, for mopping.
Deep frying at home can be quite challenging, another time I (or, rather, The Carer) might try cooking the blue cheese croquetas in a hot oven, and using less oil for the Padron peppers.
The Basque cheesecake with lavender honey? We were speechless with admiration….
‘Beef and Liberty’ from Hawksmoor
Liberty? If only….
This was another gift, aimed more at the kitchen-weary carer, I suspect.
Hawksmoor is a restaurant group known for its beef; they offer their own service, delivering steaks, or in this case a Roast Beef dinner for two. The worry and stress of preparation has been lifted from your shoulders, just follow the instructions (intelligently!) and don’t get distracted!
The beef in question was a 35 day dry-aged rolled rump. Don’t be tempted to reduce the amount of salt they advise you to throw on it while searing before it goes into the oven – the end result won’t be over seasoned.
The rested beef didn’t throw out any blood or juice when carved. It was pink, moist and perfectly tender, with the aroma of well aged meat.
The meat cooked at 200° C, and conveniently everything else reheats at the same temperature, even the perfect (substantial!) Yorkshire puddings.
Everything on the plate tasted intensely of itself.
Roast beef with everything prepared and ready to finish in the oven
Potatoes were roasted in beef fat, with whole cloves of garlic that oozed mild sweetness when squeezed open.
Again, everything is included, the fat, the Maldon salt, even a piece of marrow bone to scrape into the gravy (don’t let it dissolve, just let it soften till the sauce ‘throbs’ on the heat). Chantenay carrots & buttered greens are provided, and a sticky toffee pudding.
We kept the cauliflower cheese to eat with the leftover beef the next day (it has no other part to play in a roast, in my opinion).
Dishpatch was founded in 2020 during the first lockdown. They work with London restaurants to create meal kits that can be posted anywhere in the UK. The restaurants do what they do best by preparing the food, while Dishpatch handles logistics, delivery and customer service.
Since starting, Dishpatch has delivered well over 75,000 boxes.
We’ve found their service excellent. On only one occasion we had a minor issue with a couple of products which we fed back to the support team at Dishpatch by email. They responded very quickly and professionally, with a partial refund as recompense, and a generous voucher to spend on a future order.
Prices are comparable with a local takeaway, ranging from around £25 for a one-course meal for two, to £70 for a complete dinner; if that sounds expensive, be reassured the contents of the latter will provide more than enough for a feast, or more likely two.
Our local restaurants do not include Mexican, Japanese or Korean among the options, to name just three of the cuisines in the Dishpatch portfolio.
We booked a table at Socius for lunch on Wednesday 19th May, which turned out to be their first service after lockdown.
They were ‘so thrilled to be back’, and so were we.
The view from Table 6
Husband and wife team Dan and Natalie describe their menu as ‘snacks and small plates to showcase a modern, British version of tapas’, allowing you to order as much or as little as you want.
Don’t expect the tapas to have a Spanish accent; the Socius style is more influenced by Scandinavia and Japan.
Socius Plates
We thought most dishes were good for two to share; we ordered four between us, and didn’t forget to have the focaccia on the side, it’s essential for mopping; light and fluffy with a savoury crust, it came with a herb butter, whipped to a light green creaminess.
We chose the sticky king prawns with chilli glaze (Natalie says ‘we’d get into trouble if we tried to take them off the menu’).
Tuna tartare is dressed with a loose mayonnaise seasoned with chilli and ginger, bringing a well judged background warmth to the dish; it comes with a crisp wonton to scoop it up.
Tuna tartare, chilli, ginger, wonton
‘BBQ beetroot, yoghurt, horseradish, cucumber, dill’ was elegant, earthy and sweet, a salad transcending the sum of its humble parts.
BBQ beetroot
Hasselback potatoes were earthy too, with nutty skins and warm fluffy flesh. They were served with asparagus ‘salsa’, charred to retain a slight crunch, and spiked with capers.
Hasselback potatoes, asparagus salsa
Everything at Socius is cooked and presented with precision.
We finished with an affogato (a scoop of excellent vanilla ice cream. ‘drowned’ in espresso).
Lunch, with a glass of manzanilla and a couple of glasses of fresh zingy Verdejo, came to £58.
If there are two of you, try to ask for Table 6 – it faces the pass and you’ll see pretty much every dish plated in front of you. When it’s ready, head chef Dan calls for ‘Service please!’
If you’re a group of four, Table 2 by the window is a good alternative. We booked it for a return visit, when perhaps we’ll share the aged beef rump; it looked too much for two to share.
Table 2 on the right
The building has been designed as a restaurant, and has an unexpectedly urban feel. It faces the new car park which serves Burnham Market – if you know the town, it’s behind Satchell’s, the wine merchant.
There’s a gallery above the main space, and a table with high stools next to the ‘Wine Wall’ by the entrance.
There are about a dozen staff, half in the kitchen headed by Dan, and half waiting tables, led by the ever-smiling Natalie.
It’s a wonderful addition to the North Norfolk food scene. Booking ahead is essential.
I was walking in the local park on Sunday 1st November last year when my mobile rang.
It was Laura calling from the 606 Jazz Club.
I had booked tickets for Saturday 7th to see Brandon Allen. I knew booking was a risk, we were expecting to hear that a third lockdown was due to be announced any day.
Sure enough it was announced on Monday, and the Lockdown would start on Wednesday 4th.
“I’m ringing round to say we’re trying to juggle the schedule. If we can make the numbers work, Brandon’s available to play on Tuesday….
“Would you be interested? We’d like to go out with one last hurrah!”
I said yes immediately, we had little else in the diary that week…..
The 606 promised to call me the next day to let me know the outcome. In fact they rang again about an hour later – the show was on!
The Brandon Allen Quartet
The Brandon Allen Quartet on stage, November 2020
‘Brandon Allen is arguably the most exciting tenor player in Britain today’ Jazzwise
We knew Brandon Allen as the saxophonist with the Kyle Eastwood Band. An expat Australian, he’s a highly regarded jazz musician in his own right, and the 606 was showcasing his own band, the Brandon Allen Quartet.
He’s played with many big names, and has also had an occasional side hustle playing with The Blockheads.
This show would take as its subject another sax player, Stanley Turrentine, featuring his work on the Bluenote and CTI labels, along with Turrentine’s renditions of rock and pop hits of the 60’s and 70’s.
The 606 Club
My first time at the 606 was almost exactly two years before, to see two more members of The Kyle Eastwood Band: Quentin Collins on trumpet and Andrew McCormack on piano.
Quentin Collins, 2020
Quentin Collins described the 606 as ‘the most authentic jazz room in London’, and he’s not wrong.
Even with social distancing in place we couldn’t have been much more than two metres from the stage. It’s all you would expect a jazz club to be, an intimate space in a basement.
Waiting for showtime at 606, 2019
This time the club staff were very welcoming, and handled all the restrictions and precautions really well and without fuss.
(We enjoyed a chicken curry with a bottle of wine – remember those days?)
Between sets we were able to browse some CDs and were advised by the manager to choose Brandon’s ‘Gene Ammons Project’, the closest to the style of music we were listening to that evening.
The last year has been a tough time for musicians who want nothing more than to play for a live audience, and for the venues that exist to enable them to do just that.
In the meantime, the 606 are broadcasting a series of state-of-the-art streamed performances.
To view their upcoming Live Streamed Performances, click here:
ChalkStream Trout first appeared at Twickenham Farmers Market on 7th November last year, which was the market’s 20th Anniversary. I’m pleased to see they have started to attend regularly.
Unlike many other traders, Arthur was standing in front of his stall, engaging with anyone who showed an interest in his product.
He explained that the main thrust of the business had been to supply restaurants, which of course was impossible in the first lockdown, and was extremely erratic in the following months.
They had to adapt quickly to the changing circumstances.
As Arthur memorably put it:
‘You can’t furlough fish’
ChalkStream Smoked Trout Pate
Chalkstream Trout set about selling their products directly to consumers at farmers markets around London. They also sell online, and you can subscribe to their newsletter on the website https://www.chalkstreamfoods.co.uk/
As well as smoked trout, you’ll find fresh sides, whole small fish, fishcakes and a lovely paté.
We’re fortunate in Twickenham that we have Sandy’s Fishmongers, who were already a stockist. It was there that I first came across Chalkstream Trout, and mentioned the product in the post, ‘A “Totally Swedish” Moment’, where I suggested it as an alternative to salmon when curing your own gravlax; the fillets are not as thick as salmon, so the cure penetrates the flesh more quickly.
On that first encounter, Arthur asked for our thoughts about the market.
We’ve become increasingly supportive of the market since lockdown, in fact it’s usually the highlight of our week.
Twickenham Farmers Market
To make a good food market, you need the right mix of stalls, giving niche products their opportunity to shine without too much competition.
It should represent the staples of a weekly shopping expedition for fresh food: fish, meat, fruit & veg, baked goods, cheese & dairy. Most traders at Twickenham attend weekly, others come once or twice a month. Alongside the core products we have a stall dedicated to wild game, occasionally a local beekeeper with honey, garden plants in the summer, and at Christmas even an award winning English sparkling wine.
How can you get fish from a Haggis?
As well as having the fishmonger on Twickenham High Street, we’re doubly lucky to have a fish stall at the market.
The choice there depends on what the fisherman has caught that week in his day boat, the ‘True to the Core’, in the North Sea off Walton-on-the-Naze, on the Essex coast. You can be assured that the fish is as fresh as it can be, unless you live near a quayside.
The stall is manned by the fisherman himself, Gary Haggis. He usually has a queue, waiting patiently while Gary deftly fillets and trims to the next customer’s requirements.
Favourite Stall
Customers are invited to vote for their favourite trader in February each year. In 2020 this was awarded to Lee House Farm, who have attended since the market opened; Twickenham is now their main retail outlet.
Queuing in an orderly fashion for Lee House Farm
The farmer in question is Grant Roffey, who brings his organic lamb, beef, chicken and eggs to market, ably assisted by his sidekick Tom.
Grant raises feisty chickens, slow grown to maturity to maximise their flavour; they produce outstanding eggs which sell out quickly; it’s worth pre-ordering online. It’s pleasing to see local restaurateurs carrying away trays of eggs.
There’s also competition for less obvious products; you’ll have to join the queue early in the morning if you’re looking for chickens’ feet!
They make a wonderful jellied stock, rich in collagen. Freeze it in cubes to add body and flavour to your cooking.
In the heady days of July, after lockdown lifted, we cautiously put our minds to where we might like to reconnect with the pleasures of….
Now, what was it called again, that activity we had been looking forward to for months?
Ah, yes! It was called ‘Eating Out’.
We could leave home and go away for a few days. We would go to Norfolk!
We’d go the pub!
The Dun Cow, Salthouse
It’s a pub with a large garden, overlooking the marshes.
View from a window table
We booked a table for supper on the evening of our arrival; we unpacked the car, got ourselves organised, and then it was a few minutes drive away.
Norfolk had escaped the worst of the pandemic, so while restrictions were duly observed, the atmosphere in the pub was relatively relaxed.
We sanitised our hands on arrival, and waited to be shown to our table. The waiting staff weren’t required to wear masks then, but the menu and wine list were ‘single use’, and we were asked to order at the bar; there were no stools for customers to sit and drink there.
We had taken two or three bites from our starters when I put down my knife and fork. They were good, but I realised what was really remarkable: this was the first plate of food I had eaten in several months that had been prepared by someone who was not sitting at the table.
And behold, for it tasted good.
Carpaccio of Beef
Carpaccio of Red Poll beef with remoulade, truffle oil, Parmesan and ‘Blakeney leaves’
And to drink? It’s an interesting wine list for a pub.
Hungarian Furmint by the glass, anyone?
I met her in a Club down in old Soho
Back in London, to lunch at The Union, the members’ club in Soho.
After lockdown they asked their members to book twice, once in July and once in August. This would enable them to keep going through the summer.
We went during what then seemed to be the never-ending heatwave. The bar and dining room were empty, everyone had elected to sit outside on the small roof terrace.
We ordered a bottle of rosé ‘to show willing’, which came with glasses that had been frosted in the freezer.
Photography is discouraged in the club, but this is a view from our table, looking up.
Blue sky over Soho
I snatched another photo.
The Upstairs Neighbour had gone fishing.
After a leisurely lunch we were able to repair to the cool shade of the bar (and enjoy the briefest snooze) before making our way home on an almost empty tube.
Inside The Union
….and a Caff (indulge me here)
During lockdown, many restaurants had asked regular customers to invest in vouchers which could be redeemed against lunch or dinner, when such activities became possible again.
We bought them for a couple of local independent places who we wanted to support.
A birthday was approaching, so we also decided to splash out at one of our favourites.
The River Café
Despite their masks, the staff were clearly enjoying being back in the business of looking after their customers.
The menus were disposable, and we had been encouraged to study the lengthy wine list online, and choose something before the Big Night.
I’m sorry the photos are a bit blurry; we were so excited!
Turbot, yellow pepper, gremolata
Simple and perfectly executed, as ever
Scallops, cod, clams, cannellini
After dinner, one of the floor managers made a point of coming over to ask how we had enjoyed our evening.
‘I say to the people who come here that archery is a very egalitarian sport. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are, whether or not you’re able-bodied, or your gender, religion or the colour of your skin’.
Jon Hancock
‘We’re all archers’
Since the easing of lockdown, Jon hasn’t put signs out on the road outside. He’s hoping to control the number of casual visitors, while continuing to attract ‘archers who know what they’re doing’.
However, from Wednesday to Sunday the club continues to welcome individuals, small groups and families who want to try their hand with a bow and arrows.
Having a go at archery
Anyone is welcome, but Jon doesn’t allow children under the age of eight to shoot, saying:
‘THEY HAVE THE ATTENTION SPAN OF SQUIRRELS’
The club attracts a number of former servicemen, who are better at paying attention.
On one occasion I got chatting to a chap wearing a regimental cap badge, who described his experience in Northern Ireland.
“I was on foot patrol when I heard the tearing sound of a Thompson gun, you can’t mistake it. I hit the deck”.
Afterwards he saw the row of bullet holes in the wall behind where he had been standing.
To this day he won’t sit with his back to a door, even in his own home.
Home on the range
‘Nothing clears a troubled mind like shooting a bow’
So said Fred Bear, an American who Jon describes as one of the greatest archers who ever lived.
The club gives me a chance to work on my technique; in the early part of the week I’m often the only person there.
There’s a mixture of conventional target faces and 3D animal targets at different distances, which is useful for practising field archery, which is more instinctive or intuitive than what I’m used to in Richmond.
Jon charges £5 per person to newcomers using club equipment which, he says, just about covers the cost of lost and broken arrows. For the same price, experienced archers with their own kit can come any time, and shoot all day long.
If you’re lucky, Jon will give you some tips, and recommend suppliers such as Clickers Archery in Norwich, and Eagle Archery in Tyne and Wear, “they’re lovely people”. (I’m a believer in supporting businesses I rate by spreading the word).
Demonstrating how to anchor the bowstring to the corner of the mouth. ‘It helps if you have a tooth missing!’
And the Archery Physician?
That’s not Jon, it’s me.
3D target
I can cure heartburn and floss teeth, all in one appointment.
Since lockdown eased, there are only two London theatres that have opened where I felt I would be safe.
One is the Open Air Theatre in Regent’s Park, where they are showing a ‘concert version’ of Jesus Christ Superstar.
I avoid musicals like The Plague.
The other is The Bridge, where I’ve enjoyed immersive stagings of Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Opened in 2017, it has a spacious bar area in the foyer, with access directly into the circle, and a wide staircase to the stalls – none of the narrow winding spaces typical of the traditional West End theatres.
Approaching The Bridge Theatre
Tickets ask the audience to arrive at staggered times to avoid long queues and overcrowding. Temperatures are taken at the entrance; look up at a monitor, and that’s it done.
The Bridge has reopened with a season of Alan Bennett’s ‘Talking Heads’, but this one man show was the one that intrigued me:
Beat the Devil
A play by David Hare, it’s less a talking head, more a cry of anguish and rage from someone with direct personal experience of Coronavirus.
Just before lockdown, Hare was working on a TV production of one of his scripts, in a tiny editing suite close to Oxford Circus. The editor made tea and biscuits….
Within 24 hours, the editor called to say that he had contracted Coronavirus, and with grim inevitability Hare does too. He describes the effects of the disease as like being possessed by a medieval demon.
His doctor speaks to him twice a day by video link, and urges him to go to hospital. ‘I don’t want to go there, the hospitals are full of people with Covid-19….’
Hare is portrayed by Ralph Fiennes in a mesmerising, powerful and bitter performance.
Over a period of sixteen days he experienced each of the recognised symptoms in turn, and one that was unexpected:
Everything he tried to eat or drink smelled and tasted ‘of sewage’.
Alongside this terrifying account of fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, herpes and delirium, Hare’s parallel narrative recounts the government’s failures in its response to the crisis.
In these passages, Fiennes as Hare oozes contempt for the Conservative cabinet. ‘To call these politicians mediocrities does violence to the word’.
Towards the end of his illness Hare’s unable to eat, and has lost six kilos in two weeks. Then one morning he wakes up and tells his wife:
‘I fancy a croissant’
He calls his friend, the playwright Howard Brenton, who has also recovered from the virus; Brenton says it felt as if he looked up, and a demon left his body through his mouth….
‘I told you it seemed medieval’
Despite the grimness of the subject matter, it was a life-affirming tonic to be back in the theatre, and the 50 minute monologue passed in what seemed like an instant.
Much of the seating in the auditorium has been removed to allow social distancing, and the audience wears masks throughout.
The stalls at The Bridge
Ralph Fiennes is performing the piece three times a day to audiences of 250, making it viable to stage it in a theatre built for 900.
Pour these over the beef and cook for 4 – 6 hours until tender*.
Add cornflour to thicken sauce if required.
Shred beef with two forks to serve with rice or noodles.
Side order of stir fry
Shredded cabbage, carrot, onion and pepper, plus sweetcorn, beansprouts; whatever you have to hand, really.
‘Wonderful flavours!’
*Editor’s note: if you don’t have a slow cooker, put it in a very low oven and cook for as long as it takes. Check from time to time and add liquid if necessary; a slow cooker retains moisture.
