The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
To complete whatever I begin. At the moment, I’m focusing on launching my current novel The Silent Village in the UK and completing my next novel. Writing seems to engulf me so finding a balance between my working life and my personal life is vital.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
“If you can’t say something nice don’t say anything at all” However, I sometimes slip up.
This outspoken bon vivant was Rector of the University of Aberdeen from 1998 to 2004. One half of the “Two Fat Ladies”, Dickson Wright was known as “Krakatoa” because of her fiery temper and became the country’s youngest barrister at 21. She once had sex with an MP behind the Speaker’s chair in the house of Commons, offended the animal rights lobby by suggesting that Britons should eat badgers and was bankrupted thrice. Her full name was Clarissa Theresa Philomena Aileen Mary Josephine Agnes Elsie Trilby Louise Esmerelda Dickson Wright.
The Steeple Times asks Matthew Gilpin, the creator of Gilpin’s Gin: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
Creativity: The only thing that endures.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
Stay jolly. However bad things get being grumpy is rarely the answer.
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2013?
Most TV celebrities from my childhood. Allegedly…
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
The rites of passage of youth – which get fewer as you get older. And my father – if he were alive today we’d be having a lot of fun.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
A long and happy life with my wife Kristina, although some wealth would be nice as well.
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?
Banks aren’t real, money isn’t real. We are all living on the back of a giant cosmic turtle standing on the back of another turtle, and it’s turtles all the way down.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“No offence mate, but…”
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
Yes, it does begin at home but don’t kid yourself… I like to support smaller charities that make a real local difference such as the Ibiza Preservation Fund, Friends of the Lake District, the South of England Agricultural Society and Oriel College.
The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
I suspect the use of explosives is best left to the military. Never take a phone into a meeting.
Matthew Gilpin pictured with a few bottles of Gilpin’s Gin
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
Great friends old and new and some people from the bar and restaurant trade – these guys know how to party.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
An extensive tasting menu at El Bulli. They would have to rebuild and reopen especially which might take a while to arrange. Oh well…
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
Midnight.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A very dry Gibson made with Gilpin’s Gin with a glass of extra onions on the side.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
My old friend Alexander Hope. Something to do with getting great people, great wines and great food all in one room and lighting the fuse… I gave him a small laser projector for his birthday so things are going to get even better…
Who is the most positive person you know?
Jonny Jeffery of the “jonnydoesdinner” blog radiates positivity and is an amazing cook and host.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Buying second-hand laboratory equipment from eBay. Don’t tell my wife about the centrifuge in the basement.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
St. Sebastian. Bring it on!
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
A 1969 Aston Martin DBS Vantage. If they could bottle that smell I’d buy it.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I once won five “Gold Runs” on Blockbusters. Bob Holness was very funny by the way. Arguably my greatest achievement to date.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
Mostly wedding invitations.
Matthew Gilpin is the creator of Gilpin’s Gin, a gin distilled in London using water from the Holy Well Spring at Cartmel in Cumbria. He is a graduate of Oxford University and has also worked as a barrister and a specialist in securities and investment funds.
The Steeple Times asks Blue Boar Smokehouse chef Jon Ingram: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom”. What’s your guiding force?
Seasonality, traceability and simplicity.
“Don’t get even, get medieval” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
K.I.S.S. – Keep It Simple Stupid.
Kerry Katona was considered unacceptable in 2007. Who or what is unacceptable in 2013?
Green peppers and bad personal hygiene. They both stink.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
My family.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
I don’t have any wealth. I’m a chef
Donald Trump was once a case of: “If you owe the bank a thousand, they close you down; but if you owe the bank a billion, you own the bank”. What’s your view on the banking crisis?
Overpaid people that gamble with our money and still get a bonus.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
“Jambalaya”: I worked with a chef who had it on the menu. I think it is the worst dish I have ever seen or tasted.
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home”. What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
I donate to Cancer Research every month.
The judge in Law Abiding Citizen states: “I can pretty much do whatever I want” before being blown up whilst answering her mobile phone. What’s your view on the appropriate use of such devices?
I love my phone. It goes everywhere I do, except for my days off. Then, it generally sits there until I go back to work.
Blue Boar Smokehouse & Bar chef Jon Ingram
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
It would be a real eclectic mix of people such as Tommy Cooper, Burt Bacharach, Marco Pierre White, Jonnie Boer, Dynamo, Lionel Richie, Frank Bruno, Russell Howard, my kids and most importantly my wife.
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
Blue Boar ribs to start and a huge roast beef dinner and chocolate
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
Pubs open at 11am.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
Tea: white peony.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
I’m normally cooking for them, so anyones’.
Who is the most positive person you know?
My wife.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
A croissant stuffed with a Cumberland sausage.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
My motto: K.I.S.S.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
A Morgan: a small fish in a big pond.
Cilla Black presented Surprise, Surprise. Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I’ve got a 100-metre swimming badge.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
If I had one, I would put my 100-metre swimming badge on it along with a picture of my wife and kids. I would most definitely not put a carriage clock on it though.
Jon Ingram is the chef of the Blue Boar Smokehouse & Bar in Westminster.
I first visited the St. Ermin’s Hotel close to Scotland Yard in St James’s in June 2012 for the first Intelligence Book of the Year Awards. Today, I will return there to attend a reception to announce the second winner of this annual prize by judges Andrew Lownie, Dan Mulvenna, Glenmore Trenear-Harvey, Michael Smith and Nigel West.
The courtyard entrance to the St. Ermin’s Hotel, 2 Caxton St, London, SW1H 0QWThe grand entrance lobby of the hotel
As I reported in my last article on this Victorian property, the St. Ermin’s Hotel’s links with the worlds of politics and espionage are indeed strong. Built in the Queen Anne revival style to the designs of Edwin T. Hall (1851 – 1923) in 1887 and completed in 1889, the horse-shoe shaped building was originally a mansion block prior to being converted to a hotel that opened in 1899 after a major refurbishment by the theatre architect J. P. Briggs (1869 – 1944). Briggs remodeled the public areas and created a spectacular neo-Baroque entrance with balconies, ornate plasterwork and a double staircase.
Due to the building’s proximity to the powerhouses of government, the St. Ermin’s Hotel became a meeting point for officers of the Secret Intelligence Service and, as a result, various traitors and spies. Some worked from offices in the building and amongst them were Kim Philby, Guy Burgess, Laurence Grand and Eric Maschwitz. Others came there to be interviewed and the hotel’s bar, The Caxton Bar, is renowned as having been a noted meeting place for secret intelligence officers.
Intelligence officer turned Cambridge Five spy ring member Guy Francis de Moncy Burgess (1911 – 1963)
One of the most notable meetings at the St. Ermin’s Hotel was held in 1940 when Winston Churchill brought together a group to join him in “Setting Europe Ablaze”. These founding members of what was to become the Special Operations Executive (SOE) took over an entire floor of the hotel and carried out covert operations from there throughout the Second World War. MI6 were stationed two floors above and then in the 1950s, the hotel’s bar was the meeting point of Guy Burgess and his Soviet counterpoint when he passed intelligence to the USSR.
A typical bedroomA luxuriously appointed shower room
Following on from a £30 million refurbishment to designs by Dayna Lee of Los Angeles-based Powerstrip Studio, the 331 rooms and suites at the St. Ermin’s Hotel are now comfortable, well appointed and decorated in a contemporary style. The two that I inspected, whilst perhaps lacking the charm of a boutique hotel such as Blakes, are absolutely ideal for a business traveller or tourist given the location close to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. They are well worthy of their four star rating and I slept well given how centrally located the hotel is.
The Caxton GrillThe Caxton Bar
The Caxton Grill, the hotel’s restaurant, continues the traditions of the St. Ermin’s in that it plainly is the haunt of politicians and policeman. Whilst dining there, I met an officer from Scotland Yard who was involved with Operation Yewtree. I can report that, though I had a most fascinating conversation with him about Savile, Davidson and Clifford, I did not leave with any state secrets that I could share here. The restaurant also featured on a recent episode of the BBC One’s MasterChef with Gregg Wallace and John Torode and frankly one could also imagine Hercule Poirot having taken rather a liking to it also. It is modern in style and features wooden flooring, bright décor and snazzy seating.
The restaurant features a menu that focuses on a Josper grill. This £17,000 hybrid barbeque–oven, which I saw so cleverly used by Chris Golding at Beauchamp Place’s Galoupet, allows a chef to cook, barbeque and roast at the same time over charcoal embers at temperatures of upto 600 degrees. Filled with Kentish hardwood every morning, the Josper recirculates smoke via adjustable draughts and, for example, as a result, it takes only about a minute to char infuse lamb and thick-cut beef sirloins. The real thrill of it, though, is that the Josper process ensures that none of the flavor or natural moistness of whatever is cooked in it is lost.
I began with a salad of soured plums, gorgonzola and blackberries (£8) that was colourful and most welcome on a grim winter’s day. My companion tried a roast celeriac and truffle veloute (£7) that though perfectly adequate, did not truly excite.
I continued with a half Temple Farm chicken (£20) that was cooked on the Josper Grill. Well presented and served with a green peppercorn sauce and some garlic and parsley French fries (£4), the cooking process was clearly illustrated. The meat was tender and I must say it was one of the best pieces of chicken I have eaten in years. My companion, an Icelandic financial titan, maxed out on a 300g vintage dry aged sirloin steak (£30) served with béarnaise sauce. Again, cooked to perfection, he was impressed.
Though more than amply fed, we finished by sharing a chocolate fondant (£7). This simple dish melted in the mouth and the accompanying ice cream was just superb.
Wines in the restaurant start at a very reasonable £19.95 for the house white and rise upwards to the £300 a bottle range. A Chablis is priced at £41 and a Gavi di Gavi at £33. The restaurant’s bar, the Caxton Bar, offers a huge array of cocktails but I must say I was rather sad that none of them were spy themed.
The hotel’s rooftop is home to 200,000 Buckfast beesThe honey they produce is truly delicious
The most quirky thing about the St. Ermin’s Hotel is that it has its own colony of bees. “Bees… In Wesminster?”, I hear you cry. Yes, indeed, 200,000 of them prosper on the roof of the hotel and produce the most delicious honey that is available to guests. From three hives, the Buckfast bees, described as being “good tempered”, have fantastic access to London’s parks and travel within a three mile radius collecting pollen and nectar. “London”, states the hotel’s website, is “a perfect environment for bees as… cities actually trap heat, which means they can start foraging earlier in the year than rural bees and continue later into the autumn”. Who’d have thought it? Where once lived spies, now prospers a colony of bees.
The rise and fall of the “wealthiest divorcee in history” has been extraordinary. A former nude model for her first husband’s Knave magazine and star of adult films such as “The Nine Acres of Nakedness,” Patricia Kluge is the daughter of an Englishman and a Scots-Iraqi. She married her second husband, the late John Kluge, chairman of Metromedia and once the richest man in America, in 1981 after belly dancing for him at a dinner party in New York. As part of her plan to dovetail herself into the top drawer of American society, the couple built a 24,000 square foot mock 18th century English-style mansion, Albermarle, in Virginia and stuffed it full of Chippendale furniture. She got this as part of her $100 million divorce settlement in 1990 and wisely invested part of the payoff in a highly successful business trading football cards but then vanity struck. The Kluge Estate Winery project that she started with her third husband, William Moses, bankrupted the pair in June 2011 and the Bank of America foreclosed on her properties. A lifeline came from “longtime friend” Donald Trump who purchased the vineyard and employed her, but even he’s now uttered the words: “You’re fired!” and sent her packing. Of her newfound predicament Kluge commented: “What did we lose? Material things, nothing too important. When something like this happens you really see who your friends are, those you can rely on, and we have many friends.” Here is a lady with fortitude that can only be described as admirable. It’s probably best, however, to keep her away from the cash register.
The Steeple Times asks the chef, author and television personality Sophie Michell: “What’s on your mantelpiece?”
The Steeple Times shares “wit and wisdom.” What’s your guiding force?
“Independence and the life choices that come with it.”
“Never regret, never explain, never apologise” is, in our humble opinion, a great motto. What’s yours?
As Virginia Woolf once said: “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
Kerry Katona was unacceptable in 2007. Who is unacceptable in 2012?
Samantha Brick: She gave women a bad name by writing so many self-serving articles implying that all women are as shallow and as vacuous as she, and that we as a gender make judgements solely on looks.
Tony Blair misses being Prime Minister. What do you miss most in your life?
Friends and family who I have loved and lost.
What might you swap all your wealth for?
A simple life living by the sea and working in a job that involved the ocean and it’s stunning environment and creatures.
What phrase or word do you most loathe?
I hate the abbreviated text language that people use, it makes people sound very moronic
In the UK, some people consider charity to “begin at home.” What’s your view and what causes do you personally support?
I try and support charities as much as possible within my means and I think we should all do the same. Time is also as worth as much as money in many cases. I generally support Breakthrough Breast Cancer, but I am very keen to get involved in a charity that works for abused women and children. It’s a bigger issue than people think, routinely ignored and sadly it’s on our doorstep.
Have you ever been arrested and if so, for what?
Hahaha, nope! But that could just mean that I’ve never been caught… Only joking.
If you could fill a carriage on The Orient Express, who would be your fellow passengers?
Definitely Marie Antoinette as she knew how to party and I love the clothes of that era. Cleopatra was a glamorous and formidable woman so she must come too. I’d also like Gregory Peck as he seemed like a real gentleman and my great grandfather Admiral Godfrey, who was head of Naval Intelligence in World War II. Ian Fleming was his PA and apparently the James Bond books were based on Ian Fleming’s time working with him. In fact, the character ‘M’ was based on my great grandfather and I would just love to hear the stories in person. There are many more people too, but those four would make an interesting start.
Sophie Michell
If you were unfortunate enough to end up on death row, what would be your last meal and where would you eat it?
It would be a classic seafood platter by the sea somewhere possibly on the French Riviera. I suggest this mainly because with all the shells you have to crack open to extract the tasty morsels taking such a long time to get through, it would give me time to plan my escape.
What time is it acceptable to consume the first drink of the day?
Any time after noon if on holiday. Any time after 6pm if at home. Failing those terms, you can always bend the rules by proclaiming loudly that it is always cocktail hour somewhere in the world at any given time. This works for me.
A Negroni, a martini or a cup of tea?
A dirty martini every time.
Whose parties do you enjoy the most and why?
I love private house parties as they are personal and always great fun. I entertain a lot when I can for both work and pleasure. I think it enables one to be quite creative and I love seeing an event come off well. I also love really chilled out beach parties, when everyone is glowing from a day in the sunshine and you can hear the sea.
Who is the most positive person you know?
My darling friend Miss Emma Nettleton. Nothing seems so serious after some dancing and giggles with her.
What’s your most guilty pleasure?
Ha ha ha: Guilt is a pointless emotion, so a pleasure should be left at that and basically if you feel guilt creeping in, then just don’t do it.
What was the first bone that you broke?
An ankle bone due to my first foray into ridiculously large platform shoes, aged 14. I haven’t stopped wearing large heels, but I have since mastered the art.
If a tattoo were to sum you up, what would it be of?
Probably a dolphin. I am happier in the sea than anywhere else. Although for the record I think tattoos are vile.
If you were a car, what marque would you be?
God knows. I don’t drive and have never tried. I am not adverse to beautiful cars, but also not attached to them either.
Cilla Black presented “Surprise, Surprise.” Tell us the most surprising thing about you.
I am actually quite shy and have faint OCD according to my friends. I think it’s otherwise known as being tidy.
What’s currently sitting on your mantelpiece?
A French antique mirror, a beautiful fluorite crystal, a Dyptique blackberry leaf candle and a couple of out of date invites that will soon be removed.
Sophie Michell is a chef with a true passion for nutrition and healthy eating. She was the private chef for Claudia Schiffer for two years and has cooked for various other famous names including Leonardo DiCaprio and David Cameron. She has presented and appeared on a number of television shows including Cook Yourself Thin, Market Kitchen and Ready Steady Cook.
Matthew Steeples discovers the truth about the origins of the Gressingham duck
I grew up in North Lancashire and spent much time in the Lune Valley. Here, I was regularly told, in the 12th century village of Gressingham, a staple of the menus many English restaurants and the most common farmed duck had originated: the Gressingham duck.
Recently, whilst chatting to a restaurateur, the subject of Gressingham duck came up for some bizarre reason. When I told him of the bird’s Lancastrian origins, he firmly disputed this and told me that they were actually of East Anglian extraction.
Gressingham ducksThe Loyn Bridge crosses the River Lune close to Gressingham, near LancasterGressingham duck features on many restaurant menus
Having chatted with several other foodies, they, equally, were of his opinion. After then having spotted it on yet another restaurant menu last week, I decided I simply had to establish the true origin of this bird before I went, excuse the pun, quackers.
A Google search didn’t come up with a great deal but it did produce the required evidence. As I believed, he Gressingham duck was first bred in Gressingham, Lancashire in 1980 by crossing a Pekin duck with a wild mallard.
The result was a succulent, tender bird with a high breast meat yield and a gamey flavour. Of it Delia Smith comments: “It’s the very best type of duck available… Because of it’s smaller frame, [it gives] more meat.”
A Suffolk based couple named Maurice and Miriam Buchanan began rearing and processing Gressingham ducks in 1989 and then bought the exclusive rights to breed them in 1996. Their company, Green Label Foods, now Gressingham Foods, are now the only firm licensed to produce the “Gressingham Duck®” and now employ over 500 people on their farms in East Anglia.
Gressingham Hall, Gressingham, Lancaster, LA2 8LPA view of Gressingham Hall from the road
Separately in my Google search I also discovered that the main house in the village of Gressingham has recently come to the market through agents Fine & Country. 7-bedroomed Gressingham Hall, a Grade II* listed 17th century former farmhouse comes complete with 3 reception rooms, a Jacobean staircase and 10 acres of grounds.
A price of £1,350,000 is sought for Gressingham Hall whilst a separate cottage across the drive, Garden Cottage, has a guide price of £350,000. Whoever purchases it had better had get a Gressingham Duck® in the oven for their first night in residence.
