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About
Literary Lunches
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History
- The Pittleworth Murals
The Blog
- Home Life Blog
- My Bookshelf Blog
Gallery
Contact
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@TheCountryReader

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Autumnal coziness on a plate. Thank you @thymeandtides of Stockbridge for letting me test one of your delicious new ready meals. This was Hampshire beef stew topped with Colston Bassett mash and it was wonderful. Much as I love Colston Bassett Stilton (they know this well at the cheese counter at Thyme and Tides), I wasn’t sure about the flavoured mash — and I was wrong: it was mellow, rich and comforting.
As a cook, I have sometimes been on the wrong side of the saying, ‘a stew boiled is a stew spoiled’ and I am sure we’ve all eaten stews that end up with a nasty little pile of gristly bits on the side of the plate: this was not that stew. The beef was beautifully cooked and flavoured. Basically it was the perfect autumnal supper and, as a farmer, I have to approve the fact that it is Hampshire beef.
#cosyautumn #cosyautumnnights #autumnalfood #autumnfoodparty #autumnfood🍁 #agasaga #shoplocal #hampshireliving #hampshirelife #stockbridgehighstreet #hampshirefood #hampshirefoodie #countrylivingforever #countryliving #inmykitchentoday #autumnkitchen #agasaga #countrylifestyle1 #countryhousestyle #countryhousekitchen #bestbeefstew #comfortfood😋 #comfortfoodsunday #comfortfoodatitsbest #englishcountrykitchen #countrykitchens #realfoodie #properfood #oldfashionedcomfortfood #autumn🍂

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As one guest at the last literary lunch remarked, “those roses! They’re all over the house!”. For about 36 hours she was right (relating again to my previous post and the children’s glorious trip to @therealflowercotrade HQ). We are back to normal now: the kitchen table, as I type, contains the fruit bowl — full of dyspeptic-looking oranges and wizened limes — and two days collection of post, oh and the Stockbridge Forum magazine, as it happens. (That’s called placement, you know). The air which, for some alluring hours smelt evocatively of polish and roses, now reeks of Dettol, on account of the unfortunate things that an anaesthetic (☹️) has done to the Newfie’s stomach.
But that’s the beauty of instagram, isn’t it? For a few minutes, you get to shape the world the way that you wish it always was. I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with celebrating the perfect second, providing we acknowledge (and perhaps laugh at) the other 59 in every minute. Hope you are having a great weekend.
#englishcountryhouse #englishcountryhousestyle #countryhousestyle #hampshirehouse #testvalley #vaseofflowers #drawingroomdecor #drawingroom #graciousliving #graciouslivingoasis #countryhouses #oldhousecharm #oldhouselife #oldhousestyle #oldhousedreams #janeaustenstyle #flowersinthehouse #wishitwaslikethiseveryday #theperfectmoment #drawingrooms #myhomethismonth #pinkroses🌹 #pinkrosestyle #pinkroses🌷 #housefullofflowers #oldfashionedhouse #oldfashionedhome #oldfashionedflowers #oldfashionedway #hampshireliving

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Brightening up November. I think I am a non-pink person being gradually converted to pink. Much helped by these roses from @therealflowercotrade
#rosesrock #pinkroses🌷 #flowersinwinter #englishcountryhousestyle #englishcountryhouses #englishcountryhouse #rosesinwinter #hampshirehouse #hampshireliving #hampshirelife #lightinthewindow #flowersinthewindow #autumnevenings #autumnevening #cozyautumnevenings #testvalley #oldhouselife #oldhousecharme #oldhousecharme #throughthewindows #november🍁 #inmywindow #oldhouseliving #oldhouseenthusiast #oldhouseliving #flowerloversofinstagram #flowerscheermeup #autumnalvibes #countryhouses #countryhousestyle

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Remembrance Day
At Romsey War Horse Memorial. Nearly 120’000 horses passed through the great military depot outside Romsey and most of their stories are piteous. I love this sculpture: the sense of a tired horse reaching round to but his head near the wounded man. For mutual comfort.
I feel very strongly that it is so important to pass on the tragic story of World War One to the next generation. Incidentally, if Hampshire history is your bag (and quite probably if it isn’t, because this is fascinating) have a look at @hampshirerecordoffice and the ‘Working in the Shadows’ film project about Spitfire production (much of it done my women of course), incredible archive footage. This year Eldest seems to be starting to understand about Remembrance Day and asked tonight that we pray for the poor soldiers: stories, video, poems, poppies, all part of trying to explain the appalling reality, although I admit on this occasion my son seemed more interested in trying to feed the horse an apple ...
#fortheirtomorrow
#lestweforget🌹 #remembranceday2019 #romseywarhorsememorial #romseywarhorse #warhorse #oldfashionedchildhood #passingitontothenextgeneration #childrenandanimals #englishcountrylife #countryliving #storiesforchildren #passingonknowledge #passingontheknowledge #hampshirelife #hampshireliving #testvalley #localhistorymatters #localhistory #childrengrowingup #growningup #growingupbritish #poppiesofinstagram #animalsinwar #wewillremember #storyofthepast #horses🐴

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And another Pittleworth literary lunch. The theme today was ‘Children of the Country House’. We discussed Little Lord Fauntleroy, Mansfield Park (Mrs Norris really is a first class ..... isn’t she?), Jane Eyre, The Rising Tide and the Go-Between. I confess that, even more than usual, I struggled to cut my selection down to manageable proportions and my guests went away with a selection of extracts to peruse at their leisure. (Not that I couldn’t bring myself to make a final selection last night and decided to give myself the freedom to make a last-minute choice, not at all). The rationale for my choices was:
Fauntleroy, to look at the fairytale ideal of a child coming into wealth and the closed world of the country house.
Mansfield, to look at the reality of the a child’s experience of being sent to a country house from a poorer family.
Jane Eyre, to see what happens when such a child is not ‘tractable’.
Rising Tide, to look at women trapped into extended childhood by the life and attitudes within a country house.
Go-Between, to look at the concept of innocence.
I am rather sorry that we didn’t get round to The Pursuit of Love and Uncle Matthew hunting the children for fun with bloodhounds but the discussion was as, as always wide-ranging and fascinating. Thank you ladies! I hope you had as much fun as I did and thank you to @lorkyr from The Bourne Kitchen for another delicious lunch.
What other books do you think might be interesting to think about in this context? Hope you have a lovely weekend x
#literarylunch #countryhouselife #hampshireliving #hampshirelife #literarylifestyle #literarylife #literaryliving #booklifeisagoodlife #bookslife #booklifestyle #oldhouselife #downtonabbeystyle #oldhousefun #oldhousestyle #oldhouselife #oldhouseliving #englishcountryhousestyle #englishcountryhouses #englishcountryhouse #mansfieldpark #janeeyre #franceshodgsonburnett #thegobetween #nancymitford #bookstagramuk #literaryfun #literarydayout #booktalk #hampshiredaysout #hampshirebookstagrammers

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