Charles Lotter

Tea found its way into Europe, via Venice, in the 1560’s, but it was the Portuguese who first began shipping it in commercial quantities. Charles II, while in exile in Holland after the beheading of his father, became a confirmed tea drinker and brought the habit with him when restored to the throne in 1660. A few months after his coronation the famous English diarist Samuel Pepys first mentioned drinking tea in his entry for 25 September 1660. He wrote that he had been discussing foreign affairs with some friends, ‘And afterwards did send for a Cupp of Tee (a China drink) of which I never drank before’.

When Charles married Catherine de Braganza of Portugal two years later tea mania began gripping the country, taking its cue from the royal court – it became the beverage of choice in English high society, replacing ale as the national drink. What’s more, British merchants gained access to the tea trade through the Portuguese colonies. Part of Catherine’s dowry included the city of Bombay (now Mumbai), which he rented to the East India Company. They rapidly exploited his patronage and their monopoly to create a huge volume of trade from Asia that included everything from tea to spices.

The exorbitant level of import duty levied by the government, and the fact the East India Company, with a monopoly, kept prices artificially high, soon created a huge trade in smuggled tea. Highly-organised smuggling networks were developed and the popularity of tea-drinking meant that many people were prepared to turn a blind eye to their ruthless brutality. By the later eighteenth century it is estimated that more tea was smuggled into Britain than was brought in legally!

While tea was part of the staple diet of the poor, among the rich tea-drinking was evolving into an elaborate social occasion. Afternoon teas probably had their roots in the ladies tea-parties of the seventeenth centuries, but evolved during the eighteenth century into something of a national institution.

Enjoy Afternoon Tea in the Garden

Tradition has it that afternoon tea was ‘invented’ by Anna Maria, the wife of the seventh Duke of Bedford, who in 1841 started drinking tea and having a bite to eat in the mid-afternoon, to tide her over during the long gap between lunch (eaten at about 1 o’clock) and dinner (eaten at around 7 o’clock). This swiftly developed into a social occasion, and soon the Duchess was inviting guests to join her for afternoon tea at 5 o’clock.

By the 1860s the fashion for afternoon tea had become widespread. Such teas were elegant affairs, with the best china and small amounts of food presented perfectly on dainty little plates.

Cakes

As with any fashion, the hostesses did their best to outdo each other. Bread and butter were soon replaced by sandwiches filled with exotic ingredients such as lobster, smoked salmon and roast beef, served alongside scones, crumpets, teacakes, and English muffins. By the late 1800’s no well brought up young English woman could consider herself socially acceptable unless she knew how to make and present Afternoon Tea.

Summer Lodge transports you back to this golden era – the house is much as it was at the turn of the 19th century, and the Drawing Room, in which it is generally served, was designed at that time by Thomas Hardy himself (his first profession was that of an architect). As Henry James remarked “There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea” – and few settings as perfect for indulging in that unique pleasure as the beautifully peaceful surroundings of this genteel Victorian Dower House. Whether you take Traditional Afternoon Tea, Cream Tea or Champagne Tea, the experience is one you are sure to treasure for many a year to come.

Steven Titman

Christmas Pudding is an essential part of the festivities in Britain. Its origins can be traced back to the 1420s, when it was not a dessert at all, but a way of preserving meat at the end of the season. Because of shortages of fodder, all surplus livestock were slaughtered in the autumn. The meat was then kept in a pastry case along with dried fruits acting as a preservative. The resultant large “mince pies” could then be used to feed groups of people, particularly at the festive season.

The chief ancestor of the modern pudding, however, was the pottage, a meat and vegetable concoction originating in Roman times. This was prepared in a large cauldron, the ingredients being slow cooked, with dried fruits, sugar and spices added.

The earliest reference to the “standing pottage” dates to 1420s, a dish of preserved veal, mutton or chicken, thickened with bread, reddened with sandalwood and full of currants. By the time of Elizabeth I, prunes were added to this basic concoction. This became so popular that the dish was known from this point forward as Plum Pottage.

At the end of the English Civil War the victorious Puritans under Oliver Cromwell banned the celebration of Christmas and the eating of plum pudding, mainly because of the richness of the ingredients. The Puritans described it as “unfit for God-fearing people”, while the Quakers, not to be outdone in the killjoy stakes, referred to it as “the invention of the scarlet whore of Babylon “! Despite the fact that this age of misery was septet aside with the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Christmas Pudding never quite reached its former popularity again until King George I overturned the ban and ordered it to be served on Christmas Day in 1714.

By the eighteenth century, as techniques for meat preserving improved, the savoury element of both the mince pie and the plum pottage diminished as the sweet content increased. By the 1830s the cannon-ball of flour, fruits, suet, sugar and spices, all topped with holly, makes a definite appearance, with the help of Prince Albert, who was a big fan.

Having said that, everyone has their own favourite recipe. Here’s the one I use:

Summer Lodge Christmas Pudding

Makes 8 ¼ pound Puddings

110g Shredded Suet
50g S R Flour
110g White Breadcrumbs
1tsp Mixed Spice
¼ tsp Fresh grated Nutmeg
½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
225g Soft Dark Brown Sugar
110g Sultanas
110g Raisins
275g Currants
25g Mixed Peel
1 Apple (Peeled and Diced)
½ Orange Zested
½ Lemon Zested
11 tbsp Black Treacle
3 tbsp Brandy
3 tbsp Rum
150ml Stout
2 Eggs

Mix together the Sultanas, Raisin, Currants, Mixed Peel, Apple, and Zests with the Brandy, Rum, Treacle and Stout. Leave to macerate in the fridge for 2 days.

Mix together all the dry ingredients with the eggs and then mix into the fruit.

Cover and leave in the fridge for a further day, then spoon into the moulds. To serve, cover and steam for approx 2 hours.

Tips

You can vary the ingredients to suit your personal taste – if you like cherries and walnuts, or whatever, add them in!

If the ingredients look a little dry once you’ve mixed everything together don’t be shy about adding more alcohol – the more the merrier….

To serve, warm a spoon brandy or rum, pour over the pudding at, then set alight at the table. At Summer Lodge our pudding is accompanied by brandy sauce (a brandy custard) and brandy butter (whipped butter, icing sugar and brandy). Personally, however, I like my pudding with plain cream.

Christmas at Summer Lodge promises to be an extra special one this year – we’ve already had our first taste of the snow! For further details of all that we’ve got planned for guests contact the hotel on 01935 48 2000.

It’s been a very good year for young Clement Robert. On the 28th of April he came third in the 2010 Champagne Piper-Heidsieck UK Sommelier of the Year awards, and as youngest contestant to make the final he was named their Young Sommelier of the Year. On Thursday 27th May he then triumphed in the 3rd annual UK final of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs International Young Sommelier Competition.

Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, an international gastronomic society founded in Paris in 1950, is devoted to promoting fine dining and preserving the camaraderie and pleasures of the table. It is based on the traditions and practices of the old French royal guild of goose roasters. With a written history dating back to 1248, and granted a royal charter in 1610, it is a very venerable organisation and its awards are much coveted.

A few days after Clement won the prestigious Chaîne des Rôtisseurs award he was interviewed at Summer Lodge on what it takes to triumph in competitions of this nature. He also explained that in just two days he was flying out to Spain to compete in the world final of the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs International Young Sommelier of the Year competition in Santander, Northern Spain.

Commenting after the event Clement says “The questions were very tough, very challenging. Also the other contestants were of an extremely high standard. The representative from the USA, who was placed second, he came third in their senior competition this year. And the person representing China, he is something of a celebrity back in his home country.” Despite all this he came out ahead and was named Chaîne des Rôtisseurs International Young Sommelier of the Year.

You can watch Clement’s interview here:

Clement started out as a trainee sommelier at a Michelin starred restaurant in the Loire, then became Assistant Head Sommelier of the Hotel Du Vin in Brighton, then Winchester, before becoming Head Sommelier of the Hotel Du Vin in Cambridge. In July 2009 he became Assistant Sommelier to Eric Zweibel, Master Sommelier, at the five star Summer Lodge, a member of Relais et Chateaux.

Clement’s success is just one of several prestigious awards that have been showered on Summer Lodge this year. It was voted one of the best three hotels in the UK for food in the 2010 Condé Nast Traveller Gold List and winner of the ‘Best British Cheeseboard 2010‘ by The British Cheese Awards.

Charles Lotter

Four very different writers shared the secrets of their success and their personal tricks of the trade. They were:

Roger Collis. An actor, broadcaster, writer and master raconteur who has earned world-wide recognition as a business travel guru through his long running weekly column, “The Frequent Traveler,” in the International Herald Tribune

Marcelle Bernstein. A much acclaimed novelist, nonfiction writer and journalist. Several of her novels, such as “Body & Soul” and “Sacred & Profane”, are best-sellers and were made into successful feature films and television dramas.

Eric Clark. A respected investigative journalist who has delved into the seedier aspects of crime and drugs. His gripping thrillers “Black Gambit” and “Chinese Burn” have proven particularly popular.

Jim O'Coonor

Jim O’Connor. An advertising copywriter who has promoted everything from boutique hotels to fork lift trucks, Clover Low Fat Spread to Palmolive Soap, Cornish Pasties to Australian rum.

Although very much a new idea for Summer Lodge the event was hugely enjoyed by all who attended. This success has encouraged the hotel and writers to repeat the experience on the weekend of the 15th, 16th and 17th of October.

Roger Collis kindly provided guests with a list of his 21 top tips for writing news stories, features and columns:

1. What is the story? The angle? It may be clear at the outset; it may emerge, or change, in the course of research. (Writing a weekly – especially a monthly – column, there is the risk of being pre-empted by news reports; the more spectacular the news, the more likely this is. One answer is to acknowledge knowledge of the news and commentate on it with your own inimitable spin.)

2. Researching the story: sources can be news clippings (which may spark the idea for a story); people… who can lead you to other people… the rush of excitement when suddenly you hit ‘pay dirt’ after a series of cold calls. Check and re-check the facts.

3. Research the publication; the people who read it – and their level of understanding. How much interest/knowledge can be assumed? Inform; but don’t teach experts in the field how to suck eggs.

4. Get to know the readers and talk directly to them (always be aware of the ‘reader over the shoulder’). [My readers of The Frequent Traveler column in the International Herald Tribune seemed to have a better knowledge of certain acronyms and travel jargon than those of the New York Times, for whom I often had to spell things out, only because they tended to be less informed about events outside the United States.]

5. Focus the story into the words/space available. (Don’t try to write ‘War and Peace’ in 600 words. However limited your space, selective detail can make the story come alive.

6. A news story is the antithesis of the short story (and often the feature) – the ‘denouement’ should be at the beginning, not at the end.

7. Hence the ‘pyramid lead.’ You need to engage the reader and explain what the story is about and why it is important – instantly. The lead might be a quotation, anecdotal, simply declamatory; the idea is to lead the reader into the next graf which tells the reader what the story is about and why it is important. The rest of the story is to ‘explain and amplify.’ If it needs to be cut half way down through lack of space on the page, it should still hold together. A good copy editor will try to ‘shrink’ your copy rather than cut it off at the end. But be prepared to sacrifice your ego.

8. Be active not passive; go easy on adjectives and adverbs; use concrete not abstract nouns. The best reporting rule is still to begin every story with the classic: who, what, when and where.

9. Use quotes sparingly but powerfully. Don’t pile quotes on quotes; measure them out with editorial. Give examples. Be aware of the ‘editor over the shoulder’

10. Tell people what they didn’t know

11. Style; ‘tone of voice;’ ‘point of view.’ Write as simply, as succinctly as you can and style will follow. Avoid mannerisms in the pursuit of ‘style.’ Fats Waller, when asked for a definition of jazz: ‘Lady if you have to ask, I can’t tell you.’

12. If you’re finding a pattern in disparate information and new ideas about it as you write, write on!

13. Get a ‘style book;’ what ever it is, be consistent. [For example I always use the singular after the collective noun; and tuck commas, semi-colons and full stops inside quotation marks] Good grammar matters.

14. If in doubt, cut it out. Don’t take risks on getting facts wrong.

15. Avoid ‘fine writing.’ Think about what Elmore Leonard said, ‘If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it.’

16. Satire should be almost indistinguishable from reality. (Satirists these days are always being second-guessed by real events.) Now you see it, now you don’t. I was amused to hear the other day that a CCN copy editor had tried in vain to trace my favorite deus ex machina ‘Stanley Zilch, director of Blue Skies Research Institute in Broken Springs, Colorado.’!

17. Leave readers thinking that you could have written a lot more/given more detail on the subject if only they had given you more space. It is often the subtext, what you leave out which counts.

18. Columns are ‘the art of the possible;’ if only because you’re always a phone-call away from that last vital source when the deadline looms. Or the subject is only-way ready.

19. Deadlines and the ‘automatic pilot.’ This is when experience counts; mysterious reflexes seem to kick in when you are up against the wire and passionately trying to get the damned thing filed. You’ll recognize it when it happens; it is one of the painful joys of writing journalism.

20. If you think the story is great when you file it, think again. A little anxiety is a good thing. It’s when you think you’ve done a great piece that it all falls apart. Believe me; I’ve been there.

21. Remember, you are only as good as your last story.

Charles Lotter

There are hundreds of walks to choose from, but I’ve selected a handful of my favourites. I’ve also included links to the relevant pages which show the routes in more detail, so you won’t get lost and, and as the name suggests, you don’t have to be a mountaineer!

Cerne Abbas Giant

One of the largest hill figures in Britain – carved from the chalk bedrock, he is 180 feet high.
The first written record appears in 1751, but many historians believe he represents Hercules and was created during the reign of the Emperor Commodus (the evil emperor from the epic film “Gladiator”), who believed himself to be a reincarnation of Hercules.
The giant’s obvious virility encouraged superstitious local women who wanted to conceive to spend a night alone on the hillside (withinthe confines of his giant phallus) and young couples would make love on the giant to ensure conception.

Hardy’s cottage

Hardy's Cottage

Hardy was born in 1840 in this modest cottage built by his great-grandfather. Little altered since the family left, it’s preserved by the National Trust. His early novels Under the Greenwood Tree and Far from the Madding Crowd were written here and in his books the area features as “Egdon Heath”. Hardy’s father was a master builder and paid his employees through the barred window that opens onto the heath. His grandfather was a known smuggler of brandy and the peep-hole in the porch was supposedly for spotting excise men.

Lulworth Cove and Durdle Door

The Jurassic Coastline of Dorset, awarded World Heritage status, offers a wealth of wonderful walks, but the most famous spot is undoubtedly Lulworth Cove – a perfect horse-shoe-shaped bay created by the sea. Another bay is forming behind Lulworth at Stair Hole, and half a mile west lies the famous Durdle Door, a perfect coastal arch. Lulworth beach provides a great place to relax and swim while the heritage centre reveals a history stretching back 150 million years.

Maiden Castle

Among the largest and most complex of Iron Age hillforts in Europe, its huge multiple ramparts enclose an area equivalent to 50 football pitches. Excavations revealed the site’s 4,000-year history and an extensive late Iron Age cemetery, with many of the bodies showing horrific injuries probably sustained in attacks at the time of the Roman invasion. It’s also the setting for a famous scene from the film version of “Far from the Madding Crowd” where Bathsheba (Julie Christie) has a meeting with Sergeant Troy (Terence Stamp).

Abbotsbury

For over 600 years a colony of friendly mute swans has made its home at the Abbotsbury Sanctuary. Sheltered by the famous Chesil Beach, this ancient and special site provides protection for hundreds of nesting swans and their broods. The beach itself is a stunning 18 mile long shingle bank enclosing Fleet lagoon, a tidal lake that’s home to a variety of fish, sea grasses and anemones. Abbotsbury Castle is an Iron Age hill fort with spectacular views and an ancient beacon last lit over 400 years ago to warn of the approach of the Spanish Armada.

Melbury Deer Park

Deer in Melbury Park

Summer Lodge was originally the Dower House of the Melbury Estate, so this stunning 9000 acre park, with its magnificent stags and hinds, woodlands and lakes, is an easy stroll from our front door. Ask at reception for printed directions or  if you fancy take a slightly longer route. The fabulous Melbury House was birthplace to the pioneer of photography Henry Fox Talbot. After your exertions I have several suggestions. To ease tired legs spend some time in our spa and pool. To satisfy the healthy appetite you must have built up indulge in one of our legendary cream teas. Or just head straight for the bar!

We hope you’ve had an enjoyable stay at one of our thirteen luxury family-run boutique hotels. When you stay at a Red Carnation Hotel, you’re more than a customer; you are our guest.

It’s therefore very important for us to continually improve our service to ensure guests’ have the best experience possible. In order to do that, we’d be delighted to hear what you thought of your time with us.

Bea Tollman, Founder and President of Red Carnation Hotels, explains:

“The essential thing is that guests are delighted by what we do, and that we provide exceptional value for money. Above all, we want them to know that we care. When they check out of their room, they should leave with lasting memories of the best service they have ever received.”

We look forward to hearing from you.

Eric Zwiebel Cellar Master

As the Cellar Master at Summer Lodge Country House Hotel and Spa in Evershot, Dorset I have the privilege to experience some amazing wines and learn many interesting insights to enhance the food and beverage experience, therefore I am delighted to give you some tips for the feative season.

With Christmas fast approaching it’s time to give some attention to the serious matter of what wines you are going to be serving – and there’s two challenges which immediately present themselves.  On the one hand you have to choose wines that will not be smothered by the rich traditional foods everyone enjoys at this time of year. And on the other you don’t want to scrimp – it’s not really part of the Christmas spirit, and nobody wants to be labelled a Scrooge (especially as Disney is shortly launching its version of “A Christmas Carol”!).

Despite the credit crunch, I’m going to suggest a few bottles that will set you back a bit (so keep a couple hidden just for yourself – just don’t get caught).

To accompany the roast turkey I’d go for a medium bodied Austrian wine with a fine texture to match the delicate flavours of the bird – Schiefer ‘Eisenberg’, Blaufrankisch, Sudburgenland, 2004. A very pleasant fruity wine with tones of fresh red fruits like cherries and raspberries, and black pepper, with a smokey and earthy nose. The tannins are soft and delicate with a medium finish. This wine is available online from www.everywine.co.uk

If you are going for roast goose, the medium to full bodied delights of a Domaine Laurent Roumier, Chambolle-Musigny, Burgundy, France, 2004 will go down wonderfully well. It has a marvellously surprising combination of perfumes – strawberry, with tones of spice and leather. The tannins are smooth and gentle with a medium to long finish and it is available from www.greatwesternwine.co.uk.

A rib of beef calls for a wine with a bit of ‘oomph’ – the full bodied Roagna ‘Paje’ from Barbaresco in Piedmont, Italy 2000, will rise to the occasion gloriously. It has a very expressive nose with notes of dried cherries, cedar, mushrooms and plums. The tannins, as befitting a wine of this nature, are firm and robust. It can be bought at www.wine-searcher.com

Finally, the Christmas Pud. The perfect choice, I believe, is an ice wine, from Peller. It’s a Cabernet Franc from the Niagara Peninsula in Canada. The nose is like a fresh fruit salad with a hint of blueberry. The palate is extremely sweet but with lots of freshness. Available from www.harperwells.com.

Armed with this selection you’ll be more than ready for the occasion – no matter what the cook decides to serve!