Thursday, November 09, 2006

Romance of the English countryside

For the first few days of my stay in the UK, I am staying at the Anchor Hotel, which claims to have been “a regular haunt for Dick Turpin, which might explain a pistol found hidden in the rafters, bearing the chilling inscription, 'Dick's Friend'”, the hotel also claims to have “witnessed the blossoming romance of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor”, whilst they were filming at nearby Shepperton Studios. whilst they were filming “Cleopatra”.
Unfortunately, she became ill, and the English weather hindered her recovery and the whole production had to move to Rome.
This interesting little anecdote is about the only redeeming feature of this picturesque, but mediocre, boarding house that masquerades as a hotel.
There are hordes of these places around England, that market themselves as wonderful places to stay, but whose features include:- tatty carpets (often tattoed with cigarette burns), cheap doors that are not hung properly, worn towels and sheets, bathrooms slightly smaller than an aircraft’s toilet, a television that is small, poorly tuned and attached to the wall on a poorly fitted bracket, a selection of toiletries and coffee making ingredients that were obviously on special offer from the local cash and carry.
These establishments usually have one redeeming feature, however; and, that is their breakfast. The full English breakfast I had today was matchless:- scrambled eggs with a perfect consistency, great bacon, a proper English sausage, a grilled tomato and some fresh mushrooms along with some black pudding. For those of you who don’t know about black pudding, it’s a pigs blood that has been boiled, and is mixed with cereals, and enclosed in intestine – it may sound disgusting, but I love it. I wonder whether Richard and Liz had black pudding with their breakfasts together?

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