Saturday, July 4, 2009
Isle of Sheppey, Kent
We had decided to take it easy on Saturday as Cherry had gone through a grueling week and wanted a more relaxed weekend. As if there was any chance that would happen! David volunteered to make me a full English breakfast and I enjoyed it with scrambled eggs and sausages and toast with butter and coffee and apple juice. Yes, it was one of the largest breakfasts I have had in recent times and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
One of the joys of being in Kent with my cousin and her husband was the ability to get close to their cats, Morgy and Button--another first for me. Not being a cat lover myself (unlike Chriselle), I have a hard time even if they are in my vicinity. But these cats are the most unique specimens you will ever see. I always say that in a former life, they must have been dogs! They are friendly, very friendly, love to be cuddled and hugged and petted. They are non-agressive and silent (you will rarely hear them miaow though they purr unendingly). It is not just unusual, it is unheard of to let me have cats anywhere on my body, yet I was more than content to have these, especially Morgy, huddle close by, climb on my lap, settle down and lie against my arm like a baby! When I opened the door of my room, she ran right inside, parked herself on my bed and fell fast asleep--something she is not usually allowed to do!
Then, it was time for us to get dressed and leave for the outing they had planned for me: A Visit to Mount Ephraim Gardens in Fernhill near Faversham. I was excited to get to another garden again—though I have to say that I would have been pleased to drive anywhere through the Kentish countryside as the benign green landscape is particularly soothing and serene this time of the year.
In less than an hour, we were driving through Faversham. We arrived there through narrow country lanes past fields and orchards that were full of ripening fruit. It was truly delightful. Kent is called The Garden of England and it is easy to see why—there are oast houses used to dry the famous hops, and loads of stoned fruit—cherries, peaches, plums, nectarines.
Cherry Day at Mount Ephraim Gardens:
And then we were turning into the driveway of Mount Ephraim Gardens where the Dawes family of Kent have lived for over 300 years. On their vast landholding (over a thousand acres of it, much of which is farmed so that the land is fully fruitful), they have created beautiful gardens, a tearoom (which was used by a bridal party while we were there) and abundant orchards. It happened to be Cherry Day at Mount Ephraim which meant that cherries were being sold by the punnet together with strawberries, apple juice and free range pork sausages that were barbecued and served in rolls with onions and onion relish and mustard.
Well, we set off immediately to explore the gardens. They are nowhere as stunning as the ones I have spent the past few weeks seeing, but they are significant. Entry fee was 5. 50 pounds, which David paid for me. We strolled through the lovely Japanese Gardens with its lovely extensive water feature that seemed to follow us all around the rolling meadowland. The Rose Terrace was not nearly as nice as the ones I have been seeing in other spots, but the perennial border right by the tea room was certainly worth photographing.
After we had spent more than an hour in the garden, Cherry suggested a stop at the Café to get a bite to eat and we settled out of the sun on garden chairs with a pretty table. Alas, because it was Cherry Day, there was a special menu and since none of it appealed to Cheryl or David, we decided to get a drink (I had a very welcome lemonade) before we set out to buy our pork sausage hot dogs. These, at 2. 50 pounds each, were a treat and I stood us all lunch. It was very enjoyable indeed to sit in the shade and eat our al fresco lunches and it was then that we were informed that a visit to the cherry orchard would be starting very quickly. Now none of us had ever been in a cherry orchard before (reminiscent of the title of Chekov’s famous play!) and we decided to wait for the van that would be leaving at 3 pm to take visitors to the trees.
The Enormous Joy of Stripping Fruit off Cherry Trees:
It was easily one of the most interesting things I have done this year and I have to say will count as one of the highlights of my stay in the UK. The cherry orchard was a ten minute ride from the main entrance. We passed by folds of Kentish countryside in which all manner of stoned fruit were planted. We even saw a pack of alpaca lambs in a field—I think the guide said that they were reared to keep away foxes, as foxes are afraid of alpacas!
And then we were in the ‘tunnels’ in the orchard under which the fruit is grown to keep off the rain (which causes the cherry fruit to split) and under light green netting which keeps off the birds. The microclimate created under the tunnels (which is warm and humid) aids in the growth of the fruit which swell up to an enormous size, increase their volume (I swear, gigantic cherries were hanging like bunches of grapes from the trees), pumps up the sugar content and enhances flavor. We received a short introductory lecture on the farming techniques used on this particular farm—he called it the fruitillation technique—and then it was time for us to sample the wares.
The cherries were at their summer best, just ripe for the picking. In fact, tomorrow, a group of Eastern European pickers will arrive to strip the tree of its precious output and we will see this God-given bounty in our farmer’s markets. We chose the darkest and largest specimens from the trees to sample (as instructed by the guide) and had ourselves a feast as we tried cherries with names like Cordia, Sunset Sweet, etc. They just burst upon our tongues, each a dynamo of sweet and juicy flavor that left us craving more. Indeed, they were so addictive that I simply did not want to stop and as we moved from one tunnel to the next, I had my fill of cherries for the season, I do believe.
Then, we were back on the mini-bus and arrived at the main entrance where Cherry and David purchased some fresh strawberries and cherries and two bottles of freshly pressed apple juice—which was absolutely yummy! But, we did not have the chance to linger too long as Cherry had to get home to put together her evening meal. Though she had done a great deal of it earlier, she was busy from the time we entered the house till the time we left. Just an hour and a half later, we left the house again, as they had more interesting plans for us for the evening: a musical performance at their local community theater.
Another Memorable Dinner at Home:
After another glass of wine, we sat down to Cherry’s delicious meal—she had made a giant Cornish pasty, which was filled with minced meat and encased in a potato and flour casing. It was cut into slices and served with a coleslaw that she made with red cabbage, white cabbage and two kinds of onions: red and white. With a mayonnaise dressing, spiced with English mustard and a few poppy seeds, it made a very tasty salad accompaniment. There wasn’t much time to enjoy dessert but Cherry had made an apple pie from scratch. Its crust had a rather interesting texture—more like a crisp biscuit than traditional American short crust pastry but it was very tasty indeed and we did enjoy it very much. I had a very thin sliver just to taste it as I was rather full after dinner and then we were off in the car again headed to the Sheerness town center to the community theater.
Broncos and Beehives at the Sheppey Community Theater:
There in the old-fashioned interior of a place that was once a church, we found our seats and settled down to enjoy a show entitled Broncos and Beehives featuring the Meyrick Minstrels (I presume that Meyrick is a place close by). This motley lot of singers that ranged in ages from pre-teen to mid-70 were a true delight in every respect and I found myself enjoying a really marvelous show. OK, so it wasn’t Broadway or West End quality, but it was charming from the Get Go. The first half featured Country and Western hits such as Johnny Cash’s I Walk the Line and ended with a staggering rendition of The Tennessee Waltz by probably the oldest member of the group—a wispy lady with a totally amazing voice.
During the intermission, we stepped into the café for a soft drink and I was introduced to Mary, a Maltese friend of Cherry, who was a real hoot. She was full of vigor and enthusiasm and we decided between the two of us to step up the applause, which was really lukewarm—not surprising, I suppose, when the audience was so thin. Still, we resolved to show more appreciation and make it vocal this time round.
The second half was just as good as the first and we came away from the show feeling superbly entertained during what had been a tremendously fun evening that included such hits as Sad Movies Always Make me Cry (rendered as a solo by a girl with another staggering voice) and Bye Bye Love, Bye Bye Happiness, not to mention that old Cliff Richard favorite Living Doll. Back in the car, we reached home in about twenty minutes and had a slice of apple pie before we called it a day.
I have to say that much as I enjoyed the day, I really did feel so sorry for Cherry who didn’t seem to have a moment’s rest and worked herself to the bone to give me a memorable weekend.
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