May 19, 2025
Gardens & Landscape•Uncategorized

Constance Spry

There is nothing I love more than giving a plant as a gift. Accordingly, I arrived at my number two sister Sarah’s house with three roses – all “Constance Spry.” This is a fragrant rose with cupped mid pink blooms, large leaves and it climbs with enthusiasm. It is very pretty and quite hard to fail with.

When I mentioned the name of the roses to Geordie, he thought that Constance Spry had been a leading light in cooking and the art of being a hostess. Surprised, I felt rather lacking as I had not read her books but I did vaguely remember that, in the dim and distant past, some of her illustrated books were on my mother’s book shelves in faded hardback. I also seem to recall some rather wide and slightly flat, boat shaped vases made famous by her which were very much in vogue at the time.

In fact, Constance Spry was quite a remarkable woman. Born in 1886 during the reign of Queen Victoria, by the end of her long life she had gained the right to vote, have her own bank account, watched four coronations and endured two world wars.

However, it was not until 1929 that she opened her first flower shop, creating sensational arrangements using hedgerow flowers and old pots and china found by rummaging in cupboards, rather than the rather stiff, structured approach to flower arranging that had been used to date. The turning point in her career was when designer Norman Wilkinson asked her to arrange the flowers for a new branch of Atkinson’s perfumery in Old Bond Street. So many people gathered to see the groundbreaking arrangement that the police had to be called in.

Her story was not new – escaping a violent husband, raising a son on her own and coping with the death of her beloved brothers in the First World War. Her mother, beyond grief, did not speak a word for two years. Remarrying, her surname became “Spry” and her career moved from nurse to teacher to in-demand flower arranger, business woman and writer.

During the 1930’s she acquired many American clients in London who frequently praised the flower decorator’s skills to their visiting friends. She was the florist for high society events such as Nancy Beaton and Sir Hugh Smiley’s wedding in January 1933, using unusual plant materials to offset the flowers like pussy willow, tall grasses and ornamental kale. She was asked to do the flowers for all the royal weddings and at one point employed 70 members of staff. Her shop was located at 64 South Audley Street in the heart of Mayfair for over 25 years.

When World War II began in 1939, Spry resumed her teaching career, lecturing women and encouraging cooking and gardening.  She turned much of her garden over to growing vegetables and keeping chickens and began to write a cookery book. The Constance Spry Cookery book became one of the bestselling cookery books of all time and remained in print for the next 50 years.

After the War, Constance Spry provided the flowers for the weddings of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. She then not only did the flowers for Elizabeth II’s coronation but volunteered, with her co-writer Rosemary Hume, to provide lunch for 300 guests which was when they devised their famous dish, Coronation Chicken.

We still use a version of their recipe in our sandwiches here at the Castle and I also think it is perfect for a picnic summer lunch

  • cooked chicken breasts (skinless) – thinly sliced or shredded – enough to make a layer in the base of the dish
  • 150g (5 oz) mayonnaise (I use Helman’s)
  • 2 tbsp mild curry powder
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp mango chutney
  • 2 tbsp sultanas
  • Generous ground black peppe
  • A touch of ground sea salt
  • Fresh coriander for garnish and colour plus toasted almonds for crunch

Mix the mayonnaise, curry powder, cinnamon, chutney and sultanas together and season with black pepper. Add the shredded chicken and mix it all together.

If it is a little stiff you could add a little water or yoghurt.

Back in the Castle, I have found some of those old wide vases and use them for guest bedrooms, filling them in my own way with nature of all sorts from the gardens here.