It was while we were watching a television programme called The Overlap on Tour when Mother Mash was featured that we decided that the next time we were in London we were going to go there.
So, true to our word, we visited Mother Mash in Carnaby to taste their pie and mash and, of course, their gravy!
Mother Mash – Carnaby (taken from their website)
We were shown to our table, (we had pre-booked as we had heard it got very busy) and presented with their menu. There were three steps to ordering your meal:
There were eight different types of mash…
CLASSIC – natural mash with milk and butter
CHEESY – natural mash with mature chedder
CHEESY MUSTARD – natural mash with mature cheddar and wholegrain mustard
CHAMP – traditional Irish mash with milk, butter, cheddar cheese and spring onions
HORSERADISH – natural mash with creamy horseradish
COLCANNON – traditional Irish mash with milk, butter, cabbage and onions
SWEET POTATO – natural sweet potato with carrot and a sprinkling of chilli
BUBBLE AND SQUEAK – traditional old English recipe, fried mash potatoes, cabbage, peas and onions
You had the choice of either sausages or a pie…
Sausages
CUMBERLAND – classic British pork with pepper
LINCOLNSHIRE – classic British pork with sage
LONDON SMOKEY – hickory wood smoked port
PORK AND CHILLI (Gluten Free) – Pork, chilli, cumin and smoked paprika
MOTHER PLUCKER – chicken with sundried tomato and pepper
VEGETABLE AND HERB (Vegan) – vegan sausage
Pies
STEAK AND BLACKHEART STOUR
CHICKEN, MUSHROOM AND BACON
TRADITIONAL MINCE BEEF
SPICED VEGETABLE AND CAMEMBERT
BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SWEET POTATO (Vegetarian)
And the last decision you have to make…
TRADITIONAL – simple gravy using the juice from sausages and vegetables
ONION – caramelised red and white Spanish onions with vegetarian stock (vegetarian/gluten free)
FARMER’S – red wine, onion, smoked bacon and mushrooms
LIQUOR – traditional parsley sauce (vegetarian)
VEGGIE – seasonable vegetables, tomato puree and horseradish (vegan/vegetarian/gluten free).
So, I chose the cheesy mash, I had the special for the day which was steak and stilton and onion gravy and hubby had the bubble and squeak mash, traditional mince beef with the farmer’s gravy.
My pie and mash!
The steak and stilton pie was delicious, the cheese really came through and mixed with the steak was wonderful. The pastry was flaky, buttery and tasty. The gravy was on another level, it was flavourful and just the right amount of thickness. I love mashed potato and the cheesy mash was smooth and very moreish.
Hubby enjoyed his and washed down with a bottle of lager, he was a happy man.
Always a good sign – my clean plate!
There are also sides you can have – mushy peas, baked beans, buttered savoy cabbage to name a few. We decided to just have the pie and mash.
Their pudding menu had some sweet pies – apple pie, apple crumble and apple and blackberry pie together with sticky toffee pudding, chocolate brownie and ginger bread. But we were too full and with all of our willpower declined a pudding.
Thoughts…
We thought this was very good value for money, considering we were in the heart of London – we paid a total of £41 (with tip) and came out of the restaurant feeling full.
The waiting staff were very good, the food was served quickly and hot, but we didn’t feel rushed.
I would definitely recommend a visit to Mother Mash, they have two restaurants in London, one in Carnaby and one in Covent Garden and we will be visiting them again when we’re in London.
This restaurant has been on my husband’s bucket list for a very long time and so when we found ourselves in London for a day, we decided that it was time to visit The Cinnamon Club.
The Cinnamon Club
Set in the historic Grade II listed former Westminster Library, The Cinnamon Club is an institution in the world of Indian fine dining. The original modern Indian restaurant in London, The Cinnamon Club has a long history of serving innovative and creative Indian cuisine in a magnificently majestic setting.
Chef Vivek Singh and his team of chefs have developed a stunning new menu that combines The Cinnamon Club’s signatures with new dishes and celebratory platters.
The Cinnamon Club website
Cinnamon Club
On arrival we were both impressed by the décor and the attentiveness of the staff. We chose to have the set menu which was £38 and it offered a good range of different ingredients.
We decided to have distilled water as we had to drive back home afterwards and didn’t want to have any alcohol.
I chose the Tandoori free range chicken chops with peri-peri- spices and passion fruit raita and hubby chose smoked venison and prune kebab, date chutney with chana masala hummus.
Before we were served the Starters, we were presented with an appetizer which was very tasty. (Sorry, I can’t remember the exact ingredients!)
Appetizer
Tandoori ChickenSmoked Venison
For our mains, I had Keema Methi Gosht – lamb and mince curry with fresh fenugreek and pilau rice. Hubby had Red spiced roast haddock, dried shrimp chutney, Bengali lentil and coconut dal.
We also ordered an extra side of stir-fried greens with garlic and chilli, for an extra charge of £7.00. My curry was very spicy, but I reasoned that you wouldn’t want to go to a high class restaurant and eat bland food. The meat was tender and just fell apart and the pilau rice was light and tasted flavourful and as you can see, I cleared my plate. Hubby cleared his too, even though his nose ran a little bit due to the spiciness, once he got used to it, he thoroughly enjoyed it.
Dessert was an experience to remember: our local Indian isn’t known for its desserts, but at The Cinnamon Club, it was another story….
Tasting plate of assorted desserts
We paid a supplement of £5 per person and boy, was it worth it. My hubby loves his desserts, I’m not such a big fan, but the chocolate mousse with the bird nest on top was amazing! There wasn’t one that we didn’t like and we polished them off between us.
An Americano coffee to finish and we received the bill which was £101, very reasonable for a restaurant in the heart of London which included an appetizer, starters, main course and dessert!
Thoughts
We had a wonderful time and even when the restaurant was busy, the waiting staff still came and filled up our glasses with water, they were all very friendly and polite.
The food was deliciously spiced with layers of texture and flavouring.
The experience met with hubby’s expectations and it is definitely somewhere we will be visiting again.
The tables for two are pretty close together and a couple sat on the table next to us while we were waiting for our dessert, we instantly started talking to each other and it was great to have a chat and find out about each other. We discovered that both myself and the lady both had had bowel cancer, so it was nice to share that experience with her.
From the moment we walked into the restaurant, to when we left, we were made to feel very special – nothing was too much trouble for any of the staff (not that we made any demands, but there was a particularly testing table that arrived as we were about to leave.) I loved the décor, it was just to my taste and we were sat at the window!
We did wonder who St. Petroc was, so we went to good old Google and found this: “St. Petroc, also known as Petrock, was a British prince and Christian saint. He was renowned for his goodness to both men and animals and he founded monasteries at Padstow and Bodmin. Although he had been brought up as a prince and trained to rule over people, he had a call to lead a holy life.”
We chose to have the Set Lunch at a cost of £26 each, with additional sides of Savoy Cabbage with bacon and chives and Tenderstem Broccoli with salsa verde.
We both decided on the same courses, Tomato Soup with Basil for starters, 4oz Steak Frites with thin cut chips and rocket salad for Mains and Sticky Toffee Pudding with Cornish clotted cream for dessert. I forgot to take a picture of the starter, but it was just soup!
The whole meal was absolutely delicious, hubby particularly loved the Tenderstem Broccoli and we ate everything, nothing was left to waste. The soup was very tasty, the steak just melted in your mouth, the chips were crispy with a light potato filling and the dessert was heavenly, not too rich, not too heavy and topped off perfectly with the clotted cream.
And just when we thought it couldn’t get any better, a special Happy Birthday plate was presented to the table!
The whole meal, including drinks, cost us £90 . I always say that I don’t mind paying that extra if the meal is worth it and boy was this meal worth it!
I am off work at the moment as I am recovering from bowel cancer and my husband booked two weeks off as our son was getting married and he wanted some time off around that. I received an email from Parkdean Resorts saying we could book a four day holiday for £89. I was a bit sceptical but it was true, so we booked to go from Monday to Thursday at St. Minver Holiday Park, Wadebridge, Cornwall, PL27 6RR.
Day One
The journey from Southampton to Wadebridge is roughly four hours, so we booked to stop off at The Jamaica Inn for lunch. This was a bit of a bucket list item for both of us, as every time we drove to Cornwall we threatened to go there, but never actually got there, but because it was my birthday, we decided to go for it.
Picture from Jamaica Inn website
We stopped off at The Jamaican Inn, luckily we had booked as it was very busy.
Our onward journey took us another 45 minutes where we found St. Minver Holiday Park quite easily and after booking in at Reception we found our caravan.
We booked a four berth caravan and when we entered we were pleasantly surprised by it. Sure, it wasn’t the biggest caravan we’d stayed in but it was only for the two of us and we wouldn’t be spending that much time in there, we were more concerned with the facilities the park had to offer and the location of it.
Living roomKitchen area
On looking at the map of the site and the entertainment programme it looked like there was a lot going on. We saw that there was an entertainment hub which housed the pub, showbar, restaurant, arcade and soft play area and the list of activities for the children was quite extensive, including an indoor heated swimming pool, plus bingo, karaoke and even a tribute band for the adults. I was quite impressed that you could order food from your table via their App and even have food delivered to your accommodation.
After unpacking, we decided to visit a beach called Polzeath Beach which is popular with surfers and we could see why when we arrived, the waves were awesome! We took a walk around the town centre, purchased an ice cream and took a wander down on the beach. There were lots of surfing classes and we spent a while watching the surfers ride the waves and some quite spectacular wipe-outs.
As it had been a long day, we drove back to the caravan and as we were both still full from the lunch at Jamaica Inn, we had a cup of tea and went to sleep….
Day Two
Today we had decided to go and visit Padstow which is one of my favourite places in Cornwall, my very favourite being St. Ives. But, instead of driving to Padstow we were going to park at Rock, which was only a couple of miles away and then catch the ferry across the bay to Padstow. This was a good decision as the car park in Padstow is way up on a hill and whilst this is fine in the morning walking down, it’s very tiring after a long day and having to walk up this steep hill, plus after chemotherapy and bowel surgery, I’m still not up to full strength so I’m not sure I would have even made it!
We arrived and parked up and went for a walk along the sea front to take a little look at the place where the celebrities live, people like Gordon Ramsay and Dawn French. We spotted Paul Ainsworth’s restaurant, The Mariners on the sea front and it did look fabulous, somewhere we’d love to go for a special occasion.
We walked back as we could see the ferry was approaching Rock Beach. The ferry only took card payments and it cost £3.00 – Adult Single, £1.50 – Child Single and £3.00 – Bike.
The ferry dropped us off at the harbour and after checking what time the last ferry back to Rock was, we went off to explore.
Padstow is a fishing port and is situated on the west bank of the River Camel. There is a lot of shops to visit, we particularly like the glass art that you can get from Cornwall, plenty of tea rooms, restaurants and of course, pasties. After a cup of coffee and a piece of cake, we took a stroll round and sat on a bench on the harbour just people watching and enjoying the view.
After a delicious meal at Rick Stein’s, we had another wander and stumbled across a craft fayre and never one to walk past one of this, we went in. There were lots of stalls to have a look around and I bought a ceramic heart necklace which was very pretty.
We then caught the ferry back to Rock, thankful that we didn’t have to go up that steep hill back to the carpark and drove back to the caravan site.
We were going to go to the Entertainment Hub but we were very tired and so we just chilled in front of the television watching The Great British Bake Off, munched on a few pork pies that we had brought with us and then departed to the bedroom and I haven’t slept that well for a very long time…
Day Three
On our journey down to St. Minver Caravan Park, we saw a sign for Pencarrow House, it wasn’t a National Trust house but privately owned, so we made a mental note to visit it if we had time over the next couple of days. Well, day three afforded us this chance and so we headed over to it early morning to book a house tour.
Pencarrow HouseLanhydrock House
It’s a standing joke between us that wherever we go somebody always knows hubby and today was no exception. As we walked into the shop a voice said, “Hello Phil, what are you doing here?” The lady who worked behind the counter used to work in one of the buildings he runs as the Catering Manager!
A walk around the gardens and a guided tour of the house and we were on our way to Lanhydrock house, but not before have a bite to eat at a pub we passed along the way.
We had downloaded a free National Trust pass so we used this to gain entry to Lanhydrock House, which was just as well as it was quite expensive at £20 each.
After a look around the House, we would have loved to had spent more time there but we had a meal booked at Bodmin Jail before we went on our ghost walk, we had to move on.
The rain was coming down which added to the eerie feeling about the jail. We arrived fully expecting a meal but was told that even though we booked it online for a time of 16:45, they weren’t open at that time for meals but did open at 17:00 for a set menu. On looking at this menu it was £50 per head, so we decided against it and found a lovely little pub down the road and had a bowl of tomato soup each!
Back to the jail for 18:30 and we booked in for our ghost walk.
The walk around the jail was very interesting, we were told about the different ghosts that haunted the jail, facts about some of the inmates and we got to look inside the jails, which was a bit creepy.
The person who led the tour was very knowledgeable and we were surprised to find out it was his first tour he had ever done, so well done to that man!
It was at Bodmin Jail where the episode of Most Haunted was filmed and Derek Ocorah (a medium) was set up by Ciaran O’Keefe (sceptic) to expose him as a fraud….
After the tour we headed back to the caravan site where we went to the entertainment centre and feasted on a £12.49 pizza and a couple of drinks.
We took a picture of the different menus:
After feeling full after eating the pizza we did a quick tour of the amusement arcade where we won a couple of small teddies and then we headed back to the caravan for our final night before we packed to go home.
Amusement Arcade
Day Four
Phil got up early to go to a bakery we had seen at Rock the day before to buy some pasties and scones for when we got home. Phil is very partial to a cream tea and we hadn’t had time to fit one in this trip, so we bought one to take home with us.
We didn’t stop on the journey home, mainly because we sailed past the services we were going to stop at, so it was nice to have a ready-made tea when we did get back.
My view
We thoroughly enjoyed our time at St. Minver Holiday Park, so much so that we’ve booked five days next year this time staying in a lodge so that our families can come and stay if they want to.
Our lodge for next year
We found the park to be central for where we wanted to visit and there was plenty to do, from playing bingo, karaoke, swimming to walking through the woods.
The first thing we noticed was that it was decorated with Halloween decorations, they had a backdrop of a haunted house where you could have a picture taken.
We sat down at our reserved table (I would recommend booking ahead as it was very busy) and I ordered the Chef’s Steak & Jamaica Inn Pie which was served with creamy mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables and gravy: Price £16.95
Hubby ordered the Jamaican Inn Burger with 6oz beef burger topped with Monterey Jack cheese, bacon, tomato, gherkin and salad in a toasted brioche bun served with skin-on fries: Price £15.95
Both meals tasted delicious, just what we needed, a hearty meal after three hours of sitting in a car in traffic! As I said before, it was busy, but the meals didn’t take very long to reach our table and we were far too full to order dessert.
We then headed towards the museum which focused on the author, Daphne Du Maurier and of course, pirates, smuggling and ghosts.
The cost to enter the museum was £3.95 for adults and £2.95 for children and OAPs.
Daphne Du Maurier
Well known for her novel, The Jamaica Inn which was a tale about Mary, an orphan, who lives with her Aunt Patience and Uncle Joss Merlyn, who was the Landlord of the Jamaica Inn and her uncle’s involvement in smuggling along the Cornish coast. One of her other well known novels is Rebecca which was a very successful film. There is a room created at Jamaica Inn which is full of memorabilia including her writing desk on top of which is a packed of the Du Maurier cigarettes named after her father.
Smuggling Museum
The Museum purports to house one of the finest collections of smuggling artefacts in the country. Custom taxes were first introduced in the 13th century but there was little enforcement of this until the 18th century when taxes were raised to fund foreign wars. Goods could be purchased much cheaper abroad and so smuggling became rife. Tea was six times more expensive in England than Europe. Other goods such as silks, tobacco and branding were also smuggled into Cornwall.
Paranormal Activity
The presence of paranormal activity here is one of the reasons we wanted to visit, we do like a good ghost story and if there’s any chance of an investigation we’re there. But unfortunately we didn’t have time to attend an investigation this trip, but it’s something we would like to do in the future! You can book a stay in one of their haunted rooms which includes a two course dinner and is £85 per person.
Most Haunted did an investigation here and said it was one of the spookiest they have ever recorded. Below is the programme they recorded….
After a look around the gift shop, I wanted to buy a Jamaican Inn t-shirt but unfortunately they had run out of stock, we then went to the farm shop and then we left the Jamaica Inn.
My husband and I arrived at The Mayflower Theatre with different expectations: I was looking forward to seeing the presenters of Most Haunted in person after many years of watching them on the TV – my husband, who is something of a sceptic was interested to see if they could change his mind.
Most Haunted Stage Show
Never to miss an opportunity, Yvette Fielding’s books were on sale in the foyer, a great marketing strategy, but I resisted the temptation to buy. We found our seats and wondered at the array of people who came to watch, a very mixed bag.
The show opened with Yvette coming on stage, she laid out the format the show was going to follow and then introduced Karl, Stuart and Glen to the audience.
Stuart Torevell and Karl BeattieGlen Hunt
Now, I’ve never been a huge fan of Karl, the rumours of him throwing stones and coins and claiming it’s spirits and the famous ‘rope-gate’ at 30 East Drive haven’t done much to endear him to me, but I was willing to give him a chance tonight.
But when he started swearing as soon as he opened his mouth I didn’t think I would be changing my mind about him anytime soon.
Stuart and Glen didn’t really have much to say, only speaking when Yvette asked them a direct question. Stuart looked especially uncomfortable with being on the stage.
The show mainly centred around them showing their favourite clips and then talking about them. They showed the infamous Stuart ‘ghost’ and explained it was Stone Tape theory and they also showed the doll catching fire which they strenuously denied any misdoings.
In the second half there was audience participation: a séance and a mini investigation backstage of the theatre.
The theatre opened on 22 December, 1928 originally called The Empire Theatre. It’s the largest theatre in the South of England. It has held concerts by famous artists such as Bill Hayley & His Comets, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Queen.
Yvette said that an old man has been spotted sitting in a chair backstage and tapping has been heard and so they picked four people out of the audience to go backstage with Karl and Stuart with a night vision camera. They also picked out four people to participate in a Ouija board session.
The people who went backstage heard lots of knocking and a lady said that when she went into the toilets she felt the presence of a little child who tried to hold her hand. The remaining three concentrated on knocking and asking for it to be repeated. When they came back they recounted their experience when one of the men revealed he was a sceptic and he wondered if the tapping was because they were directly under the stage.
The séance started off quite calmly, but they received a spirit who spelled out C3 and Glen suggested that could be a seat number. The lady who was sat there got up on stage and it was revealed the spirit was called Peter and was her deceased husband. She told him she was “doing fine,” without him, that touched the heartstrings of the audience.
They then had a question and answer session with the audience, where Karl for no reason that I’m aware off, decided to speak in an extremely effeminate way, which again didn’t endear him to me at all. His swearing was even worse than in the first half, to the point where Yvette told him to stop.
The show then came to an end, after plugging their Most Haunted Experiences in different locations and I left feeling a bit dissatisfied with what I had seen and it had done nothing to persuade my husband that ghosts do exist!
I found reviews online and most seemed to agree with me regarding Karl’s behaviour, here’s just a few, there are a lot more, I can assure you!
This blog contains spoilers, ie., who went out and who won Star Baker, so if you don’t want to know this, please stop reading now!
So now begins a brand new series of GBBO, where things have changed a little since the last season ending with the departure of Matt Lucas and Alison Hammond taking up the reins. This provoked a mixed reaction from the public to the news, but let’s not judge her until we’ve seen her in action!
The new line-up
Meanwhile let’s take a look at when she was a contestant and couldn’t find the oven door!
I did laugh at this photo posted on Twitter (X) by @alexr_241 which showed Noel and Alison as depicted by houses:
There was also another addition to the tent, Daryl, a BSL interpreter for one of the contestants. Refreshing to see him front and centre and not out of sight.
The bakers were asked to make a vertical layer cake with a perfectly baked sponge rolled with a filling so when sliced it will reveal neat vertical layers.
Rowan
Judge’s Remarks:
Prue: “Perfect example of a vertical cake. The buttercream is terrific. Well done Rowan.” Paul: “I like it. It’s delicate, but the flavours are there. Just be aware of the strength of flavours that you’re putting in.”
Josh
Judge’s Remarks:
Prue: “The flavour is sensational.” Paul: “The colours work, I think the cake looks amazing but I actually think you’ve over-baked your sponges.”
Amos
Judge’s Remarks:
Prue: “The chocolate dominates and not a lot of orange.” Paul: “Obviously there’s been some issues with the drip effect. The layers just aren’t even enough.”
Cristy
Judge’s Remarks:
Prue: “I think it looks lovely. Beautiful lines. I mean, it’s delicious.” Paul: “Good height to it, wow. I think the flavour, you are 60% there, don’t be afraid to punch us in the teeth with citrus flavours.”
Nicky
Judge’s Remarks:
Prue: “Yes, the layers are good. The flavour is very subtle and it is delicious.” Paul: “It looks like a barrel, a bit like me actually, but I don’t think it’s terrible. I quite like the layers, they’re pretty even. It’s just not punchy enough.” Nicky: “Perhaps the flavours will grow on you?” Paul: “Yes, like a fungus!”
Abbi
Judge’s Remarks:
Prue: “I like that informal cornucopia look. Very nice vertical stripes. It’s delicious. The balance of the texture of the cake and the buttercream is beautiful.” Paul: “This is the wild poppy, isn’t it? (Yeah) I think the flavours come through, they’re nice and punchy.”
Dana
Judge’s Remarks:
Prue: “Well those are pretty good stripes. I must say, the flavour is lovely, not too salty.” Paul: “It’s a bit messy, the piping is not particularly good.”
Saku
Judge’s Remarks:
Prue: “Don’t make a face like that. It is a bit wobbly. The stripes are there. What I think the real achievement is to get the flavour out of the blueberries which they are not the easiest fruit to make taste great.” Paul: “I like the colours, let’s have a look at this wobbly tower. Oh, I got the sharpness from the outside which brings that sour and the sweet together. I love the flavours.”
Matty
Judge’s Remarks:
Prue: “It certainly is strong. That’s a muscular cake. It’s very nice.” Paul: “That would wake you up in the morning. That coffee level is perfect.“
Dan
Judge’s Remarks:
Prue: “That is the cutest little cake. Beautiful stripes Dan, well done. That is rhubarb and custard. It’s a beautiful cake, it’s very light.” Paul: “It looks like a circus tent. With the crème pat and the rhubarb, it’s quite moreish, good job.”
Keith
Judge’s Remarks:
Prue: “It looks so dramatic and the colours are so strong contrast and it looks so wonderful. It’s delicious, absolutely delicious. I could happily eat all of that.” Paul: “Oh my god. The cream is so light against the density of the chocolate and then that orange liqueur, it is absolutely delicious.”
Tasha
Judge’s Remarks:
Prue: “But you know what, its flavour might save it. Well, you’ve certainly got the stripes. I think you’ve got too much filling to cake though. That is very unusual and rather delicious.” Paul: “Did you sit on it? If you had used less of the filling and more of the sponge, that would have been absolutely brilliant. I think it looks terrible, but I love the flavours and the texture of it.”
There were ups and downs in the tent – I think Saku’s ‘up’ was definitely the hug she received from Paul and Matty’s ‘down’ was not getting his buttercream to behave!
Technical Challenge
To make the Great British Bake Off chocolate cake, the one with the missing raspberry which appears in the opening titles with two layers of moist chocolate sponge covered and filled with a silky smooth chocolate ganache topped with fresh raspberries. Time: 2 hours.
The mystery of the raspberry was solved: Noel has it in a box, ready to sell on eBay when he reitres!
This challenge should be bread and butter to the bakers, but there is pressure to get it perfect as it will be tasted by Paul and Prue.
The big debate in the tent was raspberry on or off the cake?
The ganache seemed to be the main focus of attention, whether it had a shiny or matt finish.
The bakers were ranked from 12th to first position:
12th – Dana 11th – Tasha 10th – Nicky 9th – Rowan 8th – Josh 7th – Matty 6th – Cristy 5th – Saku 4th – Keith 3rd – Abbi 2nd – Amos 1st – Dan
Showstopper Challenge
Make a cake shaped and decorated in the form of an animal of your choosing. Time: 4 hours.
Cristy
The judges loved the colours, loved the isomalt lake. Gorgeous and raspberries taste tart which cut through the flavour of it.
Keith
Judges commented there was the right amount of flavour running through the layers – not oversweet, full of flavour.
Matty
Paul said it looked like it had been run over. Nice flavour. Never seen a spaniel that colour.
Rowan
Very impressive. Delicious flavours.
Saku
Astonishing to look at. Beautiful. Tasted quite stodgy, overbaked, style over substance.
Dan
Adorable. Very moreish. Done Bruno proud.
Josh
Charming. A lot of buttercream.
Dana
A bit flat on the back. Strong peanut flavour.
Abbi
Look great. Great character to his face. Rhubarb jam excellent. Really good job.
Amos
Everything slipped slightly. Cake a bit doughy, tough as old boots. Bone dry. Stodgy and oversweet.
Nicky
Sorry – couldn’t resist – Bake Off innuendo at its best.
Beautiful. Heavy on the fondant. Overbaked sponge.
Tasha
Incredible, sensational. Robin with personality. Delicious. Paul didn’t like it …. he loved it.
It’s always sad to see someone go home, but especially on the first week – perhaps the powers that be should take a leaf out of Strictly’s book and everyone stays the first week and the competition begins for real on the second week!
When you have so many different TV channels and different streaming platforms to watch, it is sometimes difficult to settle on a choice, but when I have a half an hour to fill, I find myself gravitating towards Are You Being Served?
From the catchy signature tune…
Ground floor: perfumery
Stationery and leather goods
Wigs and haberdashery
Kitchenware and foods
Going up
First floor: telephones
Gents' ready-made suits
Shirts, socks, ties, hats
Underwear and shoes
Going up
Second floor: carpets
Travel goods and beddings
Materials and soft furnishing
Restaurant and teas
Going up
…to the ever plentiful innuendos, farce and slapstick, to the weird and wonderful shop floor displays and the relationships between all the shop staff, this programme was a gem amongst sitcoms in the 70s and 80s.
History
The pilot episode was originally filmed as part of the Comedy Playhouse series for the BBC, but it was not broadcast. It was broadcast though when the 1972 Summer Olympics was interrupted by the Munich massacre and the BBC used it as a filler while the games were off air and this led to a full series being produced.
Unfortunately, the first series was scheduled opposite Coronation Street which was being shown on ITV, so the viewing figures weren’t very high, but the series was repeated later on in the year and this time the ratings were much higher.
The series lasted for ten seasons and 69 episodes between 8 September 1972 and 1 April 1985 and they also recorded five Christmas specials. There was a 1977 film and a spin-off series called Grace & Favour in 1991/1992.
Original Cast:
Mr Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries:
John Inman – Sales Assistant in the Gentleman’s Department, he often used double entendre in respect of his gay lifestyle. His reply to, “Are you free?” with a high pitched, “I’m free,” and an exaggerated walk was a highlight of the programme.
Quotes:
“I’m free!”
(In a deep voice: “Menswear.”
“Mr Grainger, are you free?”
“It’s unusual for me.”
“Before you say anything…”
Mrs Betty Slocombe
Mollie Sugden – With her brightly coloured hair, Mrs Slocombe was the Senior Sales Assistant of the Ladies Department and was always telling double entendre stories about her pet cat Tiddles, who she referred to as “my pussy.”
Quotes:
“…and I am unaminous in that.”
“Ooh, you’re as weak as water. Weak as water!”
“Oh, that does suit madam.”
Mr Dick Lucas
Trevor Bannister – The Junior Salesman in Menswear, always had a put down to Mrs Slocombe and was a bit of a womaniser, always making suggestions to Miss Brahms. He was, in fact, one year older than John Inman.
Quotes:
“I can see it all now…”
Miss Shirley Brahms
Wendy Richard – the cockney-speaking middle class Junior Sales Assistant to Mrs Slocombe, who went on to play Pauline Fowler in the long running tv soap opera, Eastenders.
Quotes:
“Ooh, they’s dead common.”
Captain Stephen Peacock
Frank Thornton – Grace Brother’s floorwalker who reminds everyone when he can that he fought in the North Africa Campaign of World War II but rumours were that he served in the Service Corp and never saw combat.
Quotes:
“Are you being served, sir?”
“Mr Humphries, are you free?”
Mr Ernest Grainger
Arthur Bough – One of the oldest serving members of Grace Brothers having worked for them for 40 years. Senior Sales Assistant in the Gentlemen’s department and prone to falling asleep whilst at work. He was in series 1-5 as he unfortunately passed away before filming series six.
Quotes:
“And don’t worry about the sleeves, they’ll ride up with wear.”
Mr Cuthbert Rumbold
Nicholas Smith – Floor manager of Ladies and Gents Department, bumbling and incompetent and prone to taking the praise for other members of staff’s ideas.
Quotes:
“It was a boardroom level decision.”
“Young” Mr Grace
Harold Bennett – Always surrounded by attractive secretaries and nurses, he was very rich, but also very stingy which led to some entertaining episodes.
Quotes:
“You’ve all done very well.”
Mr Mash
Larry Martyn – The maintenance man who installed the mechanised displays and was always in trouble with Captain Peacock for being on the shop floor during opening times.
Quotes:
Blows raspberry at Captain Peacock.
“It must be awful for you, to keep telling me off.”
Other cast members:
After Mr Grainger leaving the shop, his position was taken over by Mr Percival Tebbs (James Hayter) who retired after only a year in the men’s department, to be replaced by Mr Goldberg (Alfie Bass).
After Mr Mash’s departure, his position is filled by Mr Beverley Harman, (Arthur English).
Mr Bert Spooner (Mike Berry) replaced Mr Lucas as Junior Sales Assistant and “Young” Mr Grace was replaced by his older brother, “Old” Mr Grace (Kenneth Waller).
There were lots of secretaries during the show’s run, both for Mr Grace and also for Mr Rumbold, the longest serving was Miss Belfridge (Candy Davis) who was in series 9 and 10.
I hope you enjoyed this brief look at this long running comedy, set in a fictitious department store, with over the top characters and lots of innuendoes, I’ll leave the final word with Mrs Slocombe….
As my husband spends a lot of time in his car with his job, he listens to a lot of radio and sometimes he comes home saying that there’s a new TV show that people on the radio have been raving about and we should definitely watch it. This was the case with Marriage, a BBC bittersweet programme about a couple who are in a long-term marriage.
We have been married for 37 years, so I had a mix of emotions whilst settling down to watch it. Would it reflect our marriage? Would there be scenes which are uncomfortable to watch? Or would we celebrate the parallels in our marriage reflected in this programme?
Well, the answer is yes, to all our questions.
Sean Bean plays Ian, who we find out has been made redundant and is by himself during the day left to his own devices and Nicola Walker is Emma, working in a law firm with a boss who has dubious ways to run his office. By day, Ian goes to the gym or the supermarket, trying to spark conversations with people and Emma is trying to bring the law firm into the 21st century by going online.
Just as a thought… maybe Ian would enjoy an episode or two of Game of Thrones?
Ian and Emma
We see them hug each other, give little kisses and hold each other’s hands, they have niggling arguments like the one about the jacket potato at the airport and we also see that they have experienced the heartache of a child dying, which obviously had a tremendous effect on their lives.
There are long silences whilst they clear up after a meal, each getting on with the duties they have performed repeatedly during their marriage, like a well oiled machine.
Even though there’s no fast-paced action, the couple are constantly at the beck and call of their family, whether it be Emma’s dad calling to see if she can fix the oven or Jess, their adopted daughter, moving out of her boyfriend’s flat, they are at the stage of life where people depend on them.
There was a lot of things we could relate to: the long silences, the household chores, the jokes which we have between ourselves, looking after older relatives and the younger ones and most importantly, just the every day emotional support we give each other.
You can look on Instagram and see the ‘perfect’ marriages, the fast-paced lives that people purport to be having, the tropical holidays, the wonderful children, but if you want to see what married life is really like, then watch this programme.
Sunday, 29th May, 2022, 15:00 hours – The Abba Arena: Voyage Show
The day had finally arrived, we were going to see the new Abba Voyage show and was I excited? Yes, of course I was!!
The journey out to the Abba Arena was a bit more complicated than we first thought, having to travel on the Dockland Light Railway (DLR) which was a new experience for us, but it was made easier by being able to tap our debit card in and out of the stations. (The whole day cost us £11 each by doing this!)
On arriving at the Arena, there was already a throng of people, some dressed in costumes, others wearing Abba t-shirts and one person in particular wearing a leather chest protector?
We decided to give the shop a miss as there was a queue of about 50 people and so we waited for the doors to open to the concert hall. We knew immediately when it opened as a big cheer went up from everybody.
We found our seats, on the left hand side, about halfway up and after witnessing some confusion with seats with a man sitting in the wrong seat and nearly causing World War Three, we expectantly waited for the show to start.
And when it did, boy it did not disappoint. From the first haunting notes of The Visitors and seeing the Abba-tars, I have to admit I cried, it was just so overwhelming.
The whole show was just amazing, from the actual Abba-tars themselves to the light show.
The thing that I missed was the actual interaction between them and the audience.
Even though Abba talked, you knew it was the same for everyone and not personal for that audience. I was a disappointed when Bjorn started to sing Does Your Mother Know and then the backing singers took over, I felt like we should have heard Bjorn sing it all the way through.
You do get swept up in the excitement of it and it made me wish even more that I had seen them in concert in London, but I suppose this is the next best thing and it was lovely to hear The Winner Takes It All sung by Agnetha and not a tribute act.
At the end of the show, when we were on our way home on the Underground, my husband said, “That was the best show I have ever seen,” and from a non-Abba fan, I’d say that’s a win!
Tuesday, 31st May, 2022, 1930 hours – The Mayflower Theatre, Southampton: Thank You For The Music, Abba Tribute Band
We went to this show with some friends and after seeing Abba Voyage a few days earlier, I wasn’t really expecting that much from this show.
They did seem to have a few microphone issues at the beginning of the set and I thought it strange that they would sing Dancing Queen as the second song, but as the show progressed it got better and better.
They involved the audience and kept in character all the time, they encouraged us to get up and dance and we didn’t disappoint them. The atmosphere was great and they even sang some songs not usually given the light of day, for example, Angel Eyes and I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, etc.
What Abba Voyage was lacking in audience participation, this tribute act certainly made up for in spades.
We all had a wonderful time and everyone came out of the theatre buzzing.
Thank You For The Music – Abba Tribute Band
It was a fantastic five days filled with Abba and once again, I thank my husband for coming with me, but don’t worry about him, we’re going to see ABC at The Royal Albert Hall this month, as his treat!
A journey through the meaning of life and anything else that grabs my attention!
Making My Home A Haven is important to me. Sharing homemaking skills. Recipes and food. Bible Studies. This is a treasure chest of goodies. So take a seat. Have a glass of tea and enjoy. You will learn all about who I am and Our Neck Of The Woods.
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