Andrew Chantrell

 The great thing about Guernsey (and the even smaller Channel Islands, like Sark) is the fact that life here is almost entirely untouched by events in the wider world. Their most recent claim to fame was the fact that they were occupied in the Second World War by the Nazis. The battle was brief – Stukas dive bombed the harbour at St Peter Port mistaking a few lorry loads of locally grown tomatoes for munitions…and that was about it.

Name one famous person from Guernsey. Even the Belgians do better on that score – they have Tintin, Snowy, Captain Haddock, Professor Calculus… Great writers? Well, Victor Hugo lived here, briefly, writing “Les Miserables” while on the island. The book “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” has been a modest success in recent years. The best-known novel by a Guernseyman is The Book of Ebenezer Le Page. Renoir painted a couple of beachscapes on holiday.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

There have been many spectacular shipwrecks over the years, but these only serve to remind us that people regularly forgot the island was there! The wreck of the “Briseis” on a calm October day in 1937 left the most lasting impression – and mass hangover. The ship was carrying 7,000 casks of Algerian wine. The result, according to the local newspaper, was “amazing scenes of drunkenness, free fights and encounters with the law”.

So, a major part of the island’s appeal is the fact that life here is relatively peaceful. If you don’t believe me, consider two highlights of the local social, cultural and sporting calendar.

On Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st July 2011 is the 7th Torteval Scarecrow Trail. Torteval is one of the 10 parishes on the island. The trail is an easy stroll taking about an hour and a half, with over 60 scarecrows on display. Morris Dancing and an Old Tractor demonstration will also take place, with refreshments and licensed bar available throughout the day.

If this sounds a little too sedate for you and you need more of an adrenalin fix then you’ll just have to take a short boat trip to the neighbouring Island of Sark for the annual sheep racing festival.

This takes place over the weekend of July 22nd to 24th. Friday night is Party Night with live music, including City Limits, from 7 p.m. Saturday starts with the Fancy Dress Parade. The last race is around 4.20 p.m. after which there will be more live music into the evening. Racing continues on Sunday.

If you think Guernsey sounds like a curious little place then Sark will strike you as genuinely wacky. A high point in the island’s recent history occurred in August 1990 when an unemployed French nuclear physicist named André Gardes attempted a singlehanded invasion of Sark, armed with a semi-automatic weapon attempted a single-handed invasion. He put up signs declaring his intention to take over the island the following day at noon. He was arrested while sitting on a bench, changing the gun’s magazine, by the island’s volunteer constable.

Many of the laws, particularly those related to inheritance and the rule of the Seigneur, or feudal ruler, have changed little since they were enacted in 1565 under Queen Elizabeth I. The Seigneur retained the sole right on the island to keep pigeons and was until 2008 the only person allowed to keep an unspayed bitch. In 2008, the latter privilege was abolished supposedly because it did not comply with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Among the old laws of the Channel Islands is the old Norman custom of the Clameur de Haro. Using this legal device, a person can obtain immediate cessation of any action he considers to be an infringement of his rights. At the scene, he must, in front of witnesses, recite the Lord’s Prayer in French and cry out “Haro, Haro, Haro! À mon aide mon Prince, on me fait tort!” (”Haro, Haro, Haro! To my aid, my Prince! I am being wronged!”). It should then be registered with the Greffe Office within 24 hours. All actions against the person must then cease until the matter is heard by the Court. The last Clameur recorded on Sark was raised in June 1970 to prevent the construction of a garden wall.

So, Guernsey and Sark remain delightfully eccentric in a world that is becoming all too bland and predictable. If you’d like to attend either of these unique events then take advantage of our Sheep and Song package or our Scarecrow and Shrew package.

Andrew Chantrell

Like most people, I suspect, I knew nothing about Guernsey. It was only when I was appointed General Manager of the island’s best loved hotel that I became better informed about the twists and turns of its curious history.

When William the Conqueror defeated Harold in 1066 the Channel Islands, part of the Duchy of Normandy, were transferred to the English Crown. For the next 350 years Guernsey was repeatedly invaded by the French, but for the past 500 years islanders quietly minded their own business, which largely consisted of smuggling, privateering and growing tomatoes.

They received a rude awakening in the summer of 1940. On the 15th of June the British Government, reeling from defeat at Dunkirk, decided the islands could not be defended. The Germans did not know this, and as I look out from the hotel terrace I can see the spot on the quayside where German bombers attacked lorry loads of tomatoes, mistaking them for troop or ammunition carriers. Two days later, on the 30th of June, the Germans accepted the surrender of the inhabitants.

Although the subsequent occupation, which lasted until the 9th of May 1945, was traumatic for the islanders, their story was largely overlooked, dwarfed by larger events on the world’s stage.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

However, all this began to change in 2007 with the publication of “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society”. This modest and unassuming novel is an unlikely candidate for international success, yet it struck a powerful chord with many readers around the world, selling more than 3 million copies to date.

The story begins in January 1946 with writer Juliet Ashton receiving a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. As their correspondence develops she becomes increasingly intrigued by the remarkable tales of survival during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.

The book itself has had a similar effect on all who have stumbled across it, with many readers eager to find out more. If you are one of them you’ll be delighted to discover that a special interactive map has been created to identify the fictional places mentioned in the book and link them up with the actual locations.

This in turn has encouraged hundreds to visit the island in person and experience for themselves the magic which encouraged Juliet to pay a visit, then settle down for life. You can visit the countless German bunkers, gun batteries and fortifications, as well as their underground hospital and a host of fascinating museums giving a real sense of what life was like in the occupation.

The little chapel that Juliet visited with Dawsey, constructed entirely from fragments of broken crockery, is easy to find, as are the cliff paths, Sausmarez Manor and Candie Gardens. The homes of the main characters, such as Dawsey’s Farm, the home of Sir Andrews, and Ebden Ramsey’s, are fictional, so impossible to pinpoint exactly – however you can identify their locations to within a few hundred yards using the special interactive map. Sausmarez Street is easy enough to locate in St Peter Port, but I am told that the brothel used by German soldiers is long gone!

If you are one of those readers eager to follow in the footsteps of Juliet, Elizabeth, Dawsey, Kit, Eli, Isola and all the other extraordinary characters who wander in and out of this captivating book there’s nowhere better to stay than the Old Government House. Recently voted “Guernsey’s Leading Hotel” at the 2010 World Travel Awards it is very much at the heart of the story, in more ways than one.

As the name suggests it became the official residence of the Governor way back in 1796, becoming the island’s most historic hotel about 150 years later. When the Germans invaded on that fateful day they immediately commandeered it and turned the building into their headquarters. Although no trace of their tenure remains we have created a special “Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society” package to help readers immerse themselves in the world so vividly evoked in the book. Although this includes a specially themed commemorative Potato Peel Pie dinner guests will be delighted to discover that the islanders, starved for all those years, love nothing better than excellent food!

Dover Sole, as the name suggests, is not a fish one catches off the steeply shelving coast of South Africa, but one that prefers the shallow continental water of the English Channel and North Sea.

I first encountered this delicacy when we moved to London in the mid-seventies, and very quickly developed a passion for it, either grilled or meunière. As with all fish dishes you need to find the best possible raw materials, then let the natural flavours speak for themselves – simple as this sounds in theory, it takes practice to perfect!

There are several little tricks that must be mastered. First, and perhaps most important of all, you must never overcook it. Secondly, and slightly contrary to the first tip, both sides must be as crispy as possible.

So, how to achieve the crispiness without spoiling the gorgeous melt-in-your-mouth moistness of the delicate flesh?

Start by lightly seasoning it with salt and pepper, then dust with flour. Next, brush both sides with about a tablespoon of olive oil. Then place it on a hot char-grill (or a ridged cast iron pan) for just 90 seconds (no more!), then carefully turn it at a 90° angle, on the same side, for a further 90 seconds to achieve a lovely diamond cross-hatching effect. Turn it over with a metal spatula (carefully!) and do the same again. Then gently transfer it onto a baking dish and place in the oven at 180°C for 8-10 minutes. The fish is done when the bones move easily away from the flesh when you delicately insert a fork.

It’s best served with simple accompaniments – home made tartare sauce, freshly squeezed lemon juice and boiled new potatoes (tossed with a touch of butter, olive oil and chopped parsley). Done properly, it’s a taste of pure heaven, and one that one never seems to get tired of.

That’s why it’s a regular feature on the menu at some of our hotels, and why I’ve included it in my cook book – entitled “A Life in Food” it celebrates those recipes which are enduring favourites with our guests.  All proceeds, excluding postage and packaging, will be donated to my favourite charities – The Startlight Foundation and The Tick Tock Club in the UK.