Words worth using
Nick Clegg is a quockerwodger as he behaves like a puppet and is controlled by David Cameron’s strings. (more…)
Tag: political
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A Fyne accord
A review of Covent Garden’s Loch Fyne Restaurant
In May 2004, the car park of the Loch Fyne Oyster Bar at Clachan in Argyll, Scotland became famous after Gordon Brown and John Prescott met there to discuss and agree who would be Tony Blair’s successor. (more…)
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Return of a King
William Dalrymple suggests the past should guide anyone considering invading Afghanistan
Last night I attended a reception hosted by Sir Tom Stoppard and the Founders’ Circle of the London Library at the East India Club with my great friend Barbara Minto. At it, the writer and historian William Dalrymple gave a brief but fascinating talk about the discoveries he’d made researching his latest work, Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan 1839 – 42.
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Des sends in the clowns
Des Lynam shows his support for UKIP
On the 5th May, The Independent suggested that the former Conservative MP Neil Hamilton will stand for the United Kingdom Independence Party at the June 2014 European elections. This has neither been confirmed nor denied but today UKIP gained another well-known supporter when former sports television presenter Des Lynam endorsed the party.
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Martha Kearney
This “avid bee-keeper” is the main presenter of BBC Radio 4’s World At One. When interviewed by The Guardian in 2011, Oxford educated Kearney stated: “I wouldn’t think of myself as a Loose Woman”. We’re glad to hear it. This voice of reason is indeed far from that. -
Giulio Andreotti (1919 – 2013)
“He condensed good and evil. An extraordinary personality” was Pier Ferdinando Casini, head of the Italian centrist Democratic Center Union party’s description of this seven times Prime Minister of Italy. Andreotti was given many nicknames by his detractors. Amongst them were the monikers of Beelzebub, The Hunchbank, The Black Pope and Divo Giulio (after Julius Caesar). Andreotti, famed for ambushing Margaret Thatcher at a 1990 summit on the single European currency, once stated: “Power wears out those who don’t have it” and he certainly was accused of using his to maximum effect in support of the Mafia. -
Linked in more ways than one
The links between Owen Oyston, William Roache and Stuart Hall
Board meetings of Ridings Publishing Company Limited and its subsidiaries and Oystons Limited must have featured some interesting conversations as at them three well-known men were eligible to attend. Those three men, as of today, variously have served a jail sentence for rape, been convicted and await sentencing for 14 charges of indecent assault and await trial for two counts of raping a 15 year old.
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Margaret Thatcher: Strong lady, weak men
Author Sarah Tucker shares her thoughts on the reaction to the death of Margaret Thatcher
I can’t really remember much about when Maggie Thatcher was in power. I know my parents were full of praise for her because our country was almost third world when she became PM, strikes crippling industries, rubbish being left on the streets and she broke the unions – something that was thought impossible. She stood up to them and it took a lot of courage to do so.
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Boars and politicos
A review of Westminster’s Blue Boar Smokehouse
Westminster is one of the most intriguing parts of London but it can also be one of the most soulless. It’s an area that is inhabited by politicians and civil servants and it is the haunt of tourists. It’s a place of regal pageantry and ceremony but equally, it’s not a place that true Londoners flock to for food or drinks. Yes, of course, the tourists head to see the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and 10 Downing Street, but locals don’t venture to these historical landmarks all that readily apart from if summoned by Her Majesty, the Archbishop of Westminster or David Cameron.
With the opening of the Intercontinental London Westminster next to Scotland Yard, city centre residents truly have good reason to reconsider their reluctance to consider the culinary offerings of this area. The restaurant and bar at this new hotel, the Blue Boar Smokehouse, is, I would suggest, a great addition to the London restaurant scene and head chef Jon Ingram’s “testosterone-fuelled menu” of meaty delights is most definitely innovative, unusual and spectacular.
The dining room at the Blue Bar Smokehouse & Bar 
The bar area is typical of those found in most hotels other than it boasts an amazing collection of gins I dined at the Blue Boar on a quiet Monday lunchtime with their vivacious PR Jennifer-Anne Sutcliffe. I had sadly missed the launch party Sutcliffe had organised earlier in the month and it was fascinating to learn from her that The Steeple Times roll call and party loving stalwart David Pun had turned up with Mick Jagger’s ex, Jerry Hall. We did laugh about how such an odd union could have come to being. Perhaps one of our readers will be able to conjure up a suitable explanation.
The restaurant itself is named after the 14th century Blue Boar’s Head Inn that stood on the site until it was demolished in 1899 but apart from its name, it bares little resemblance to a public house. The decoration is simple yet elegant and one could just imagine Francis Urquhart of House of Cards legend plotting the downfall of his contemporaries here. No doubt budding future Cameronites and Millibands will indeed be spotted whispering over pulled lamb shoulders and perhaps, even, a Blair-Brown style Granita pact could even happen at a table at the Blue Boar.
Artwork depicts many political subjects including the eras of Blair and Major 
Mayor of London Boris Johnson even makes an appearance
The art collection of the Intercontinental London Westminster has been sourced by a specialist curator named Peter Millard. It is described as capturing “the essence of British political life” and is themed around being “knowing about the way the world works”. Alongside Gerald Scarfe and Martin Rowson cartoons are two works by Agamaria Pasternak. These contain the faces of every current Member of Parliament and in addition montages of the eras of Tony Blair and John Major before him illustrate memories of recent political history. Much thought has plainly gone into this collection and it is indeed appropriate given the setting.
The restaurant’s menu cleverly combines the use of the best quality British produce with the American pit style cooking of Tennessee and the Deep South. Slow cooked meats and wood-grilled steaks are the order of the day and Ingrams’ 12 spice rub is certainly his signature.
To start, we began with sautéed wild mushrooms served with a crispy duck egg on toast (£8). This simple dish was well executed but the true highlight were the Blue Boar ribs that followed (£8/£15). Spicy and not too sweet, these were as far away from what you’d traditionally expect of ribs as Ken Livingstone is from ever owning a Rolls-Royce. The tender, fleshy meat, which is smoked for some 24 hours, was exceptional and I can genuinely state that I’ve never had ribs as good before.
Though the option of a “carpetbag” Hereford fillet steak stuffed with oysters sounded tempting (£27), I opted for a Yorkshire rose T-bone veal steak. I very much enjoyed it and other dishes such as glazed pork belly served with Coleman’s English mustard and honey (£14.50) sounded equally tempting. To accompany the steak, I tried a portion of the smoky bacon baked beans recommended by Miss Sutcliffe and the restaurant manager. The flavor was perfectly balanced and these are well worth trying.
To conclude, the offering includes options very much suited to the political classes. With dishes similar to what might be found in the dining rooms of the Houses of Parliament, diners can try Cambridge cream (£7), vanilla baked pineapple (£7) or sticky toffee pudding (£5). I plumped for a bread and butter pudding served with marmalade ice cream (£5) and found it most satisfactory. All in all, I’d conclude that this was a meal deserving of a mention in anyone’s edition of political dispatches. Jon Ingram is a chef worthy of great accolade and a plot will no doubt ensue to ensure that this restaurant receives the accolades that it truly deserves.
An old bottle of Booth’s Gin is on display in the bar along with a number of other more unusual examples of this spirit The wine list at the Blue Boar offers a mix suitable for both wealthy lobbyists and those suffering as a result of George Osborne’s latest budget. Wines start at around £26 a bottle but what truly impressed me – and what I shall certainly return for – is the collection of vintage gins. This is a paradise for any gin lover and with Booth’s Gin topping the list, it is plain that much research has gone into this element of the bar’s conception.
Additionally, for those looking for a new place to brunch on a Sunday, the Blue Boar has a “feasting table” each week. Available from 12.30pm to 3pm each week and priced at £45 per adult and £15 per child, the deal includes unlimited Bloody Mary’s and Buck’s Fizz. In addition to what the Blue Boar call a “butcher’s board” featuring ham hocks, venison and smoked chicken, the offering also includes a seafood bar with oysters, prawns and herrings and a whole selection of salads.
A scary looking boar’s head looks over the political plotting at the Blue Boar
If you are passionate about fine meats, make a beeline for the Blue Boar. Just be sure also to keep an eye out for Bo-Jo under a hog’s head in a hidden corner. It’s probably not as surreal as it sounds.
Blue Boar Smokehouse & Bar, 37 – 45 Tothill Street, London, SW1H 9LQ. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 3301 1400. Website: http://www.blueboarlondon.com
Follow the Blue Boar Smokehouse on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/blueboarlondon
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Spying bees
A review of the St. Ermin’s Hotel
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 0QW 
The 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 bedroom 
A 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 Grill 
The 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 bees 
The 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.
St. Ermin’s Hotel, 2 Caxton Street, London, SW1H 0QW. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7222 7888. Website: http://www.sterminshotel.co.ukFollow the St. Ermin’s Hotel on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/sterminshotel
Read our report on the first Intelligence Book of the Year Awards at: http://thesteepletimes.com/da-steeps-speaks/long-live-the-spies