Innehållsförteckning för September 2014 från Victoria

We love producing every issue of Victoria, but the one designated for our coverage of England holds special significance for me. Long before Downton Abbey became a popular PBS television series in the States, I was a confirmed devotee of all things British. Traveling with my family to London, Cambridge, and Windsor a few years ago simply whetted my appetite for more adventures in this land of my ancestors. The custom of English-style afternoon tea has become a favorite way for me to entertain friends and showcase my collection of blue-and-white china. After having tea at Harrods in Kensington, I spent a delightful Saturday morning wandering among the booths on Portobello Road, looking for a hotel-silver teapot to add to my growing assortment of serving accoutrements. Whenever I polish the…

“Keep Calm and Carry On.” These simple words, printed in white against a red background and topped with a crown, have become ubiquitous seventy-five years after the British government put them on a motivational poster during the Second World War. It seems that everywhere you look these days, a T-shirt or a tea towel is bearing the now-famous graphic. (Its copyright expired, and the design entered the public domain long ago.) Of course, there have been countless spoofs of the slogan, too, such as “Keep Calm and Eat a Cookie” and “Keep Calm and Go Shopping.” I prefer the original, which has quite a fascinating backstory. “Keep Calm” was the third in a series of three propaganda posters the British Ministry of Information commissioned in 1939. The first two—“Your Courage…

St Fagans National History Museum was created on the grounds of St Fagans Castle, built in 1580 and donated by the Earl of Plymouth in 1946 to the National Museum of Wales. The Elizabethan manor and open-air museum are set amidst stunning verdant landscapes. It would be difficult to envision a more idyllic setting than a timeless scene in rural Wales, with sheep grazing serenely in lush green pastures beneath a pale-blue sky dotted with clouds. Nearby, a whitewashed masonry building of an indeterminate era seems almost a part of nature, with unfettered shrubs enveloping its edifice. Although time travel exists only in works of science fiction, St Fagans Natural History Museum seems to defy the space-time continuum, transporting guests to days of yore. The experience engages each sense of…

See Recipe Index, page 85, for recipe information.…

An Enduring Stronghold Built to withstand insurrections and the tests of time, Powis Castle and Garden is one of Wales’s famed historic treasures. The estate, below, was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1952 by George Herbert, the fourth Earl of Powis, and is open for visitors to explore its magnificent grounds and admire the priceless artifacts displayed within the residence. The fortress is known for its baroque landscapes, designed in tiers beneath its perch atop a solid-rock promontory that affords spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. A Nod to Nobility Horse racing has long been known as “the sport of kings,” and Lexington, Kentucky, is a kingdom of blueblood equines whose lineage can be traced back to the foundation of the Thoroughbred breed in the eighteenth century. This hub…

September is dressing herself in showy dahlias and splendid marigolds and starry zinnias.” —Oliver Wendell Holmes…

As golden sunlight streams through the windows of her circa-1900 row house in Washington, D.C., Sidra Forman works contentedly. On this blissful September morn, the woman of many talents is baking a breakfast specialty, tending her small yet luxuriant lawn, and fashioning bouquets for a client’s upcoming nuptials. Accents from Sidra’s property will enhance swags of greenery already twisted into bountiful garlands. The urban plot flourishes throughout the year with an ever-changing kaleidoscope of blooms, including daffodils, peonies, hydrangeas, and lilacs. Locally grown dinner-plate dahlias—these spectacular stems the last of the harvest from a nearby farm— await her experienced touch. Bidding pause from the day’s wedding preparations, tantalizing aromas beckon the household to the kitchen for hearty servings of toasty homemade granola. For Sidra, this characteristic loveliness is inseparable from…

“A HIDDEN FIRE BURNS PERPETUALLY UPON THE HEARTH OF THE WORLD ... . IN AUTUMN THIS GREAT CONFLAGRATION BECOMES ESPECIALLY MANIFEST. THEN THE FLAME THAT IS SLOWLY AND MYSTERIOUSLY CONSUMING EVERY GREEN THING BURSTS INTO VIVID RADIANCE.” —Hugh Macmillan as summer fades and fall announces itself, the change of seasons refreshes. With the first surprising tinges of yellow amidst the greenery presaging autumn’s extravagant finale, it is natural to consider the gifts of the previous months and what might lie ahead. There is time to bask in the last stretches of clear, warm weather and contrasting cool nights, all a prelude to the coming tranquility as winter approaches. It is a period that inspires both contemplation and bursts of energy. The last pickings come from the garden, and the flower…

A TASTE OF TRADITION Begins on page 29 Lady Grey Whiskey Ale p.29 Makes 1 drink Ice cubes 1½ ounces Vanilla-Honey-Infused Whiskey (recipe follows) 1 ounce Lady Grey Simple Syrup (recipe follows) 6 ounces ginger ale Garnish: vanilla bean In a drink shaker, combine ice cubes, Vanilla-Honey-Infused Whiskey, Lady Grey Simple Syrup, and ginger ale. Shake vigorously. Strain mixture into a chilled glass filled with ice cubes. Garnish with vanilla bean, if desired. Vanilla-Honey-Infused Whiskey Makes approximately 5 cups ½ cup honey ½ cup water 4 vanilla beans, split lengthwise 1 liter whiskey* In a small saucepan, combine honey, water, and vanilla beans. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and let cool completely. In a large canning jar, pour whiskey and…

Every autumn, I become immersed in the ritual of closing up our summer cottage. I reflect upon how much the seasons dictate my life. It’s all about time, I muse. The seasons are a fact of nature; they simply happen. Then, is what we do throughout the year the result of some recessive, atavistic gene or subconscious urge? I look out at the sundial, our garden’s timekeeper, and am reminded of something else. Regarding these eternal transitions, we are not that far removed from the Middle Ages. Back then, much of life and work revolved around the land. Time moved not in a straight line from day to day, month to month, but in a circle—a cycle of events. Activities such as plowing, planting, and harvesting, as well as religious…

“It is my dream to visit the Lake District, where Romantic poets once transferred the natural beauty of the world around them onto the written page.” —RONDA PARSONS The England I seek is the England of words and literature—dear companions I have carried in my heart since I discovered them tucked in my parents’ bookshelves. I have thrown rice at the wedding of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett. I have raced on the moors with Heathcliff and Cathy. I have wept beside Jane and Mr. Rochester as Thornfield Hall became ash. In these stories, I was the unseen presence between the lines on the pages, an audience witnessing a world painted with the broad brush of words. But somehow, poetry is different. For although they tell stories, poems create impressions…

"The feeling of friendship is like that of being comfortably filled with roast beef … ”. —SAMUEL JOHNSON” See Recipe Index, page 85, for recipe information.…

Set against the backdrop of Wales’s Black Mountains and rising from the pastoral slopes of the Wye Valley, magnificent Llangoed Hall breathes élan into the daydreams of a legendary fabric designer, the late Laura Ashley. The renowned arbiter of romantic taste, revered for Victorian-inspired frocks and English Country manor–style décor, first captivated the world decades ago with her nostalgic, feminine aesthetic. Laura once said her work was not really a question of inspiration but an expression of her affinity for life in the country. Her career trajectory from the 1950s to the 1980s was extraordinary—growing a modest cottage industry that produced silk-screened scarves and kitchen textiles into an international brand with more than two hundred boutiques. Yet, the entrepreneur revealed that the simple joys of motherhood, cooking, and sewing suited…

COVER Antique handled copper vase, and gold tray, call for availability; from Tricia’s Treasures, 205-871-9779. Small green transferware bowls, call for availability; from Mulberry Heights Antiques, 205-870-1300. Johnson Brothers Old Britain Castles in Lavender square salad plate, $33.99; from Replacements, Ltd., 800-737-5223, replacements.com. Bella Notte crocheted-edge napkin, $60; from Bromberg’s, 205-871-3276. Pottery Barn Rustic Luxe Linen Napkins in Smoke Gray, $38; 888-779-5176, potterybarn.com. ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE Pages 7 and 81: To view and purchase Carrie Di Constanzo’s prints and original artwork, visit carriedicostanzo.com, or call 732-627-9801. WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE Pages 13–14: To learn more about Rebecca Rego Barry and her work, visit rebeccaregobarry.com. RADIANT FRUITS OF THE SEASON Page 15: Royal Crown Derby Carlton Gold Dinner Plate, $105, and Derby Panel Red Accent Plate, $140; 732-751-0500, devinecorp.net for retailers. Vietri Optical Amber Wine Glass…