This underrated film starring Gerard Depardieu, Uma Thurman and Tim Roth was, in my opinion, very good. Everything was as visually intoxicating – with immense use of ornament, colour and some exquisite props and settings. [amazon asin=B0041KWTOA&template=image&chan=default] The story centres around Vatel, an extraordinary chef/butler/master of revels who conjures up feasts for the arrival of King Louis XIV… Read on
Historic Royal Palaces have put on a brilliant exhibition at Hampton Court Palace of the decadence of the late Stuart court. I had a good chat with curator Brett Dolman about the exhibition and we both agreed that the Late Stuart period has been overlooked by many. He and his team did an excellent job of bringing the… Read on
Whilst walking through the City of London… St. Gabriel Fenchurch was an Anglican church that stood between Rood Street and Mincing Lane. During the horrific Great Fire of London in 1666, this was one of many casualties. Unlike St. Paul’s, this was not rebuilt, but at least a plaque commemorates the area where it once stood.
Het Loo – Home of William & Mary The Palace is quite easily reached from Amsterdam via train to Apeldoorn, then a short, comfortable bus ride to the palace. From there, one walks into a heavily-forested area, with a path leading up to the ticket office. I met my friend, writer Patric Aalders here with my husband and… Read on
Hampton Court Palace recently had a Baroque Weekend event and I travelled down from my home in Balham to participate in the activities. At 11 o’clock, we were escorted by Sir Christopher Wren from the Clock Court in the Tudor portion of the palace through to the Baroque palace to await the arrival of King William III and… Read on
Anytime we’re in the Haringey area of London, where my husband used to live, we always go to Gokyuzu for their awesome Turkish food. Oh my gosh it’s so much food and so nice. The bread reminds me of my mom’s homemade bread – her mother Mercedes worked for a Middle Eastern family in Chile and we’ve kept… Read on