Home from Home
Home from Home
Some time ago now, after my son had passed one set of school exams, I thought it would be a treat to take him to lunch at the Ritz Hotel by Green Park in central London. His great-grandfather, the 6th Earl, often used to stay there although over the decades he opted for smaller rooms as his life, and life at Highclere, became harder to sustain in the old grand style. It was his home from home.
Nevertheless, wherever and whenever he stayed, the 6th Earl was renowned throughout his life for his joie de vivre and hilarious company and no one ever forgot him.
Walking into the hotel, it is another world - a little time apart. The dining room is such a beautiful room. Decorated in the prettiest of colours, it is both elegant and opulent, recalling the glamour of a bygone age but the impeccable service and delicious, beautifully presented food is very much of the moment. The focus is on all that is seasonal and, at heart, the best of British.
It was a very special lunch and one to remember. We were given the particular table from where the 6th Earl always used to hold court near the view to the gardens. Afterwards John Williams – the executive head chef - asked us if we would like a tour of the kitchens. It was a great honour and a glimpse into another completely fascinating world: huge, busy, exciting, very organised and revealing an enormous team effort.
Chatting as ever to everyone I met and asking questions of John, I learned how important the Valentines celebrations were to the hotel: a chance to shine and a chance to create an experience for all their guests whether staying in the hotel or simply coming to enjoy the dinner and music. Taking those “morsels” of information away with me, we began to create and curate our own Highclere Valentine’s experience and, as the pandemic recedes, we can once again welcome guests to it.
One essential part of any business is knowing what you can and cannot do. We are not the Ritz Hotel - we are a Stately Home which, by necessity, is constantly adapting. We do however have our own wonderful team of four talented chefs led by Paul Brooke Taylor who take huge pride in all they produce. This can vary from cakes and scones and other offerings for thousands of visitors in the summer to an intricate dinner or imaginative patisseries for a special afternoon tea. Unlike the many kitchens at the Ritz, they work in just the one kitchen This ancient space was originally built some 1000 years ago although it has now been adapted for the modern world as best we can. Originally a separate building from the main house to reduce the risk of fire, it is now connected through long corridors and fitted out with latest equipment.
This Valentines weekend which has just passed once more allowed our chefs to showcase their skill and to surprise, creating swans from Choux pastry and tiny delicious irresistible chocolate pots for the afternoon teas and a choice of canapes in the evening which reflected both the season and the romance of the occasion.
Tomorrow, on the 14th February, I am looking forward to welcoming guests into the Saloon with a warm fire lighting up the hearth and the rose garlands winding down the stairs. It is a chance to be romantic, to surprise and to step out of the practicality of everyday life together which tends instead to be marked more by the inevitable mismatched socks emerging from the washing machine or complaints about the empty fridge.
Anything from reality to fiction such as Downton Abbey can inspire romantic scenes and proposals but whilst quite a few have been set at Highclere, one of the happiest from DA was back in the Ritz Hotel in London when Bertie finally asked Edith to marry him.
Winnie the Pooh is an excellent place to begin to think about love:
“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.” A. A. Milne.
Winston Churchill wrote to his wife Clementine:
“I always feel so overwhelmingly in your debt, if there can be accounts in love.... What it has been to me to live all these years in your heart and companionship no phrases can convey."
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83 Comments
WOW...such a lovely story...thank you for sharing
Wonderful text. It makes us travel through time and places we never know.
What a wonderful story. Thank you
fondly Jenny
How do you spell love? (Piglet)
You don't spell love. You feel it. (Pooh)
Nice way to begin the week, with a love letter from Highclere. Who knew Winston Churchill was such a romantic?
I love the rose garland down the stairs. Tea at the Ritz is so special! You are lucky to have had a behind-the-scene tour. Enjoy your Valentine's Day celebration with loved ones everyone!
Thank you
Lovely words!
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
A beautiful piece about Valentines Day. I hope your celebration of the Day is a great success and filled with love and happiness.
Susan
How beautiful! Thank you for always bringing something fascinating whether from reality or fiction.
I have been to Highclere and it is my happy place.
What beautiful writing! Thanks for giving this American of British descent a taste of my heritage. I look forward to your posts every Monday.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
lovely story, thank you. It's nice to know when you're loved, although I do think that every day should be valentines day.
Jane Bentley
Upon one of our visits with family in London we were taken by my sister in law’s family for tea at the Ritz…
Our daughter Chloe was only 8 months old at the time and sat in a high chair delighting in the delicious scones… We had a beautiful afternoon it truly is a step back in time as you have described….
We also had tea upon our visit to Highclere the summer before Covid and we once again were with my sister in law’s family - it was also a beautiful experience- everyone and everything was delightful as well and equally delicious!
Happy Valentine’s
Ah…. Winnie and Winston. Perfect. ♥️
Thank you
Yes, tea at the Ritz was very special, enjoyed with the loved one now
departed but the memories are for ever. Diana
How lovely - thank you
Happy Valentine's Day
Lovely memory
Lovely Monday Blog again Lady Carnarvon,
I agree with your feelings of the London Ritz near Green Park as I enjoyed it too there when we lived nearby years ago but sadly never saw a photo of the 5th Earl posted there as one of their historic guests.
Your weekend event sounds and looks like it was lovely and delicious! Good luck with tomorrows event and hope you and Lord Carnarvon have a Happy Valentines Day evening!
So beautiful hotel. Would like to visit
sometime.
A personal question, how old is your son? Do you have other children?
I hope you dont mind me asking.
Regards
Elisabet
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
What a wonderful story! I've had the distinct pleasure to experience Highclere Castle in all its glory when a Canadian friend of ours rented your home for his wife's birthday party in 2016! It is magnificent and the hospitality team you assembled did a marvellous job! You spoke very eloquently about the Castle's connection to Canada and were a very gracious hostess to the ebullient Canadians who were thrilled to take over the Castle for a night. The property is very special and we were all so very appreciative of you, your family and staff's gracious hospitality.
I would love to return and see the "back of the house" and where all the magic happens - a modern day version of "Upstairs Downstairs" for the present era!
Best Regards from Canada,
Kathleen Hardy
From the most romantic hotel in the world to the most romantic stately home in the world, you leave the imprint of love on all our hearts, wherever you are. Thank you, Lady Carnarvon, for the gifts you give freely from your heart and your mind. Like Winston and Pooh Bear, you continue to be an inspiration for a life well-lived.
Valentines day is one of my favorite days. Thank you for your charming story. Well said Winston and Pooh.
Lunch at the Ritz to ease the pain of a great disappointment. I recall most the large windows and splendid view.
the Memories of Diana at the ritz and did you and lord Carnarvon have a nice weekend and lovely to visit highcelere castle and happy Valentine’s Day for tomorrow
How very lovely!
I will never forget high tea at the Ritz. It was a special day one doesn’t forget. Your memories are beautiful. Thank you
So lovely...thank you ❤
Those swans are so cute! What a wonderful story and a wonderful way to start the week. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Wonderful read, I love the Highclere swans, made my mouth water. Lovely quote's from A.A. Milne and Winston Churchill.
Happy Valentine to everyone tomorrow.
Love Lorraine xxxx
Lady Carnarvon,
Thank you for spiriting me away to the Valentine beauty of Highclere and the sweet episode where Edith finally found happiness. I am so glad we had a chance to be at Highclere in 2013. Wonderful memories!
Martha G
Thank you for that story. It was beautiful. I’m coming to London the end of March. I now will be having tea at the Ritz. I’m coming to Highclear as well. I’m so excited.
What a beautiful story!!! Thank you to share it with us.
Thank you
Thank you
I agree!
Happy Valentine's day
I look forward to greeting you in March
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Thank you very much for sharing such a beautiful history of both the Ritz and your family! Enjoy a beautiful celebration of love in your gorgeous home and Happy Valentine's Day to you and the Earl!
The note of Winston Churchill to his wife is very touching. I seemed to be more of a rude man to me. But this was may due to the time and circumstances he had to live in.
Lady Carnarvon.
Thank you for another post. You are so creative and a Valentine's Day event at Highclere would be a not-to-be-missed event! What will your pups be getting for the special day?
What a beautiful story and fabulous quotes from A A. Milne and Sir Winston Churchill. Thank you. Happy Valentine’s Day to you all.
Happy Valentines Day
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Happy Valentines Day. Thank you so much for connecting us to a place we all love.
Joan
I want to wish you and Lord Carnarvon a wonderful Valentine's day. I'll be preparing a strawberry cake with a strawberry buttercream frosting to share with my husband after sharing a special meal.
I also hope you and Lord Carnarvon have a very special day next Saturday.
We all should try to be more romantic every day of the year and prolong the sweet Valentine's atmosphere . To me, Highclere/Downton inspires this enchanting idea of happy and romantic place
Wishing you a very happy, though one day early, Valentine’s Day! I’ve only just found your blog, and how wonderful it is to peruse; thank you for doing it. I hope to be able to visit Highclere one day with my husband, it would be our first trip outside of North America.
Thank you so much!
Winston Churchill's great love for his wife Clemi, as he called her, has always moved me. It goes to that saying that behind every great man is a great woman and a great love. This is precisely how I feel about my husband of 48 years. How lucky am I ! Happy Valentine's Day.
You have reminded me that next time I am in London (I live in Vancouver!!) I am going to treat myself to Afternoon Tea at the Ritz!!! I used to work just down the road in Berkeley Square back in the 60's. Thank you for a wonderful memory.
Thank you for the lovely sentiment and Happy St. Valentines Day to you from America :)
Our flower girl read that particular Winnie the Pooh quote at our wedding. It says it all…
We share a similar feeling of “home away from home” at the Hotel Windsor here in Melbourne. My husband and I had our first date there, we held our wedding reception there, as did his parents and grandparents before him. Now we take our young children there. For an Australian family that’s quite a tradition!
Happy Valentine’s Day. We look forward to visiting Highclere for the Magic of the Movies in September and sampling your chefs delights then!
Good afternoon! I enjoyed seeing the pastry swans. I sometimes make them as well, lightly dusted with powdered sugar and served on small mirrors to imitate a lake. Or sometimes floating on “creme anglaise”. They get lots of oohs and ash! I am sure your do too!
Carolyn Dear, Montreal
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
As usual, your prose is supreme! and nothing better to describe what love days are than you own words: "It is a chance to be romantic, to surprise and to step out of the practicality of everyday life together which tends instead to be marked more by the inevitable mismatched socks emerging from the washing machine or complaints about the empty fridge."...hehehe...love your sense of humour!
What a beautiful story, thank you. And Happy Valentines Day to all
Thank you so very much for sharing your life experiences and insights from Downton Abbey. You make me feel like I am there and enjoying your blog along with you. You are a gifted writer and I look forward to your next blog.
Thank you for weaving together the background of your Chefs', the Ritz and the romance of Downton. Next year I am travelling 12,000 miles to a special reunion in Liverpool and intend to take time-out to visit Highclere - a long-held plan! Your words are much appreciated, from afar.
Dear Lady Carnarvon,
Firstly, Happy Valentine's Day to you, Lord Carnarvon, and the Highclere staff. They have done a fine job making Highclere so very special for the Valentine's Day weekend. Those swans look beautiful and absolutely delicious.
Thank you for sharing your stories about the Ritz. It's always so much fun to have lunch or high tea in a place such as that.
Enjoy your evening,
Pam
Lady Carnarvon
Enjoyed your recent "POST" immensely.
Look forward to them every week.
Constance Navratil
Happy Valentines Day
I’m a primary grades teacher, and I must say… Valentine’s Day may be a lovely holiday of affection and romance for grownups, but it’s also a delightful occasion to celebrate with little children. Their uncomplicated joy and their pleasure in giving is deeply heartwarming. Thank you, Lady Carnarvon, for your beautiful story, and for my chance to let others know how much I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s classroom valentine party!
I celebrate valentines with my birthday as a child my mum Made the most beautiful heart shaped cake I felt exra special. I had the pleasure visiting last year and the food was outstanding, I hope to return in the summer months. Hope your visitors have a fab day wish I was thier.
The fridge is empty this morning however many times Geordie opens the door to have another look .. oh dear
The mirror idea is brilliant|!
Your are very kind!
Oh my goodness - I am looking forward to the Magic weekend -
Thank you
I am not sure I thought life would get so complicated. I thought tragedy was Shakespearian, but is is a mirror if with far more graceful language
What a lovely setting at Highclere Castle with roses and fine food for the weekend, and for today: Happy Valentine's Day!
Happy Valentine's Day dear Lady Carnarvon & all your wonderful Team at Highclere, much love,
Caroline
Happy Valentine!
One of the stories passed down to me was that my mother was once at the Ritz hotel where the 5th Earl was staying and chased a thief through the building. I can imagine my mother doing just that and the tumult it would have caused in such a fine establishment.
Always wonderful reading your delightful stories. Thank you for sharing these details with us.
As always, such lovely thoughts and sentiments!
Katie Johnson
You have a such a beautiful gift to express the everyday, the moment.
P.S.
I too, adore the Winnie the Pooh quote!
In Glenview, Illinois, we have a National Historic Landmark, The Grove. House built in 1856... nothing like castles in England but we do have lovely teas and dinners. Fun to give and nice to attend. What a delight to enjoy tea at Highclere!! Thanks for the photos and story!
Having enjoyed afternoon tea at the Ritz, having had the thrill of visiting Highclere and my birthday being on Valentine's Day, I so enjoyed your story. Hope your Valentine's Day was filled with love.
I had a chance to visit the Ritz's photo gallery on their website. What an immaculate dining room! Christmas lunch at the Walnut Room in Chicago can't even begin to compete. I did find that dining there is surprising inexpensive, given its glitz and the Micheline-status. I believe we spent more on lunch at a Disney resort pre-Covid, sadly.
Thank you, Lady Carnarvon, for a must-visit idea next time I visit London.
Happy Belated Valentine's Day.
Dear Lady Carnarvon:
Thank you for your Monday blog and for sharing such a sweet story and lovely poetry.
Our family had the pleasure of attending Easter Sunday brunch at the Ritz Carlton-Dearborn (Michigan) just before it became known as "The Henry". What a delectable, culinary and elegant dining experience.
From the postings to Facebook and Instagram, it appeared that everyone at Highclere enjoyed their (St.) Valentine's Day at the Castle.
So, until next week, may days be filled with wine and roses.
Perpetua Crawford
Just out of curiosity, when will you post the new podcast. I truly enjoy these immensely.
Regards,
Petra Verburg
I am recording my next podcast on Tuesday to publish this week
The wonderful Ritz ,and beautiful prose from Winnie and Winston .Thank you