Arriving in London a few days ahead of our ACE Camp was brilliant for any number of reasons — but, perhaps most importantly figuring out how long it takes each of us to get up and going in the morning whilst sharing a bathroom.
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Gypsy was first up and in the bathroom this morning, followed by Petunia and then me. Mornings are early as we must be at the Park Road house by 8 AM for breakfast. However, coming from drought-stricken California a luxury well worth getting up extra early for are morning baths. To make it a perfect morning would have then been a traditional English breakfast of eggs, bacon, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and toast. Unfortunately, instead there was home-made granola, yogurt and fresh fruit with toast. Damn! |
Promptly at 9:15 we were off to the Baker Street tube station, a short walk around the corner, past Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson's old house (always a line of tourists waiting to get in), and across the street. It is a large, bustling place with corridors and stairways going off in all directions. Thankfully, Leigh knows the way and moves us through with confidence. Our directions are simple should we get separated — get off at the Liverpool station.
Coming from a rural environment where everything is accessed by vehicle, one of my curiosities in London is to "feel" what living an urban and more pedestrian life-style might be like. So, for this part of the trip my "thinking" mind is consciously being turned down so my "feeling" sense is dominant.
Leaving the station, my eyes delight of the mix of old and new architecture — the ornate and the stark — and the contrast of building mass between human- and mega-scale. The Gherkin is a particularly favorite of mine rising out of the concrete, and serves today as a landmark to maintain orientation. I also love the pub names like The Horse & Groom and Dirty Dicks!
Coming from a rural environment where everything is accessed by vehicle, one of my curiosities in London is to "feel" what living an urban and more pedestrian life-style might be like. So, for this part of the trip my "thinking" mind is consciously being turned down so my "feeling" sense is dominant.
Leaving the station, my eyes delight of the mix of old and new architecture — the ornate and the stark — and the contrast of building mass between human- and mega-scale. The Gherkin is a particularly favorite of mine rising out of the concrete, and serves today as a landmark to maintain orientation. I also love the pub names like The Horse & Groom and Dirty Dicks!
Our first destination is the home/studio/kitchen of Alastair Hendy, who for two consecutive years as named the "World best food journalist" and "World best food photographer" at the World Food Media Awards. Additionally, Alastair is a chef, style guru, radio and TV presenter, teacher, creative director and designer.
Upon arrival at his open, modernly-styled converted warehouse space, we are served Moroccan mint tea and lovely fruit tart. Known as a passionate traveler who has a keen eye for capturing the visual and culinary nuances of a country in detail, Alastair launches off on a presentation about what he does and how he does it. Personable and entertaining, he shares with us his thoughts about food and recipe writing, key ingredients and tricks to styling and photographing food, as well as anecdotal tales from his travels and culinary experiences.
Then the fun part . . . we descend to the floor below, which is the soul of his home — his kitchen where he sautés shrimp that will be used along with roasted pork, broth, vegetables and herbs for our luncheon. This is a hands-on affaire, where taking all that we learned from Alastair, we are challenged to style and photograph our own lunch using his vast prop collection and guidance. Then, heading back upstairs, we tuck into a most delicious Asian-inspired lunch! See for yourself . . .
Upon arrival at his open, modernly-styled converted warehouse space, we are served Moroccan mint tea and lovely fruit tart. Known as a passionate traveler who has a keen eye for capturing the visual and culinary nuances of a country in detail, Alastair launches off on a presentation about what he does and how he does it. Personable and entertaining, he shares with us his thoughts about food and recipe writing, key ingredients and tricks to styling and photographing food, as well as anecdotal tales from his travels and culinary experiences.
Then the fun part . . . we descend to the floor below, which is the soul of his home — his kitchen where he sautés shrimp that will be used along with roasted pork, broth, vegetables and herbs for our luncheon. This is a hands-on affaire, where taking all that we learned from Alastair, we are challenged to style and photograph our own lunch using his vast prop collection and guidance. Then, heading back upstairs, we tuck into a most delicious Asian-inspired lunch! See for yourself . . .