Crumbs magazine interviewed me about my kitchen, my book Cotswolds Memoir and its sequel which I am currently writing. Enlarged text of article (below).
Text of Crumbs Magazine article ‘Setting the Stage’
Cotswolds Memoir: Now available in Paperback, Kindle and Audio Book
Discovering a Beautiful Region of Britain
on a Quest to Buy a 17th Century Cottage
(Larrabee Libraries)
A portion of the proceeds of every copy of this author’s book COTSWOLDS MEMOIR: Discovering a Beautiful Region of Britain on a Quest to Buy a 17th Century Cottage is donated to Cotswold conservation institutions. Available on
INGREDIENTS
(Ingredients listed below are best sourced in the Cotswolds if possible).
2 – 3 cups full of fresh lavender blossoms or more if easily available – grown in the Cotswolds. Remove most of the stalks.
(If fresh lavender is not available culinary lavender may be substituted)
1 jar (or to taste) Cotswolds Honey – must be from honey sold in a glass jar.
3 cups of de-ionized or distilled water.
4 lemons (organic and from the Cotswolds if possible).
5 Cups of cold water – (or more or less to taste).
IMPORTANT
All kitchen items used to prepare this lemonade must be made of glass or stainless steel and the spatula must be wooden.
The method of squeezing the lemons must be done using glass or stainless steel.
The strainer used for the lemons and for the lavender must be plastic or stainless steel (Most strainers are not made of stainless steel).
METHOD
LAVENDER INFUSION
This is what will give the lavender colour to the lemonade.
IMPORTANT Use either a stainless steel saucepan or an ovenproof glass dish to heat the distilled water or de-ionized water.
If distilled or de-ionized water is used it is possible to store any leftover infusion in the fridge for up to two weeks and use it for more lavender lemonade.
If tap water is used this ruins the infusion if it is to be stored in the fridge.
Tap water may be used if all of the infusion is used immediately.
Heat distilled water and just before it boils remove it from the stove top.
Save 2 or 3 Table Spoons of the heated water and set aside.
Place the lavender blossoms in the heated water.
Prod and stir with wooden spoon occasionally as lavender steeps for five minutes or so.
Pour the 2 or 3 Table spoons of de-ionized water that was set aside onto the Cotswolds honey.
Stir to soften enough for it to be poured.Strain the lavender infused water through a plastic sieve into a glass container. Pour into glass bowl to check for any remaining plant material. If found strain again or remove.
Squeeze the lemons and strain (through plastic strainer) Set aside.
Put the lemon juice into a large pretty glass or ceramic jug.
Add cold water in stages.
Add honey in stages until desired sweetness.
Add lavender infusion to the lemonade until whole jug of lemonade turns a lavender hue. Store any remaining infusion in a glass jar in the fridge (for up to two weeks) for more lemonade.
Add ice cubes and garnish with slices of lemon, lemon wedges, paper parasols or other decorations. Enter competition (below)
Cotswolds Lavender Gin Fizz
INGREDIENTS
25 ml Gin
1/4 Lemon (organic if possible)
20 ml Lavender Syrup
Elderflower cordial
6 Plain ice cubes
GARNISH
2 or 3 small frozen black grapes
6 Lavender infused ice cubes (optional).
(See Recipe for Lavender Infusion in Lavender Lemonade Recipe above).
3 or 4 Sprigs of fresh lavender (optional).
METHOD
Add Gin, Lavender Syrup and plain ice cubes to a cocktail shaker.
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Add lavender infused ice cubes.
Fill cocktail glass with Elderflower cordial.
Garnish Enter competition (below)
ENTER THE LAVENDER LEMONADE- GIN FIZZ COMPETITION:
Send me a copy of your Cotswolds LAVENDER LEMONADE AND/OR GIN FIZZ PHOTO with your own decorations.
The WINNER of the most inventive decorations submitted will receive as their PRIZE a Kindle copy of my book: COTSWOLDS MEMOIR: Discovering a Beautiful Region of Britain on a Quest to Buy a 17th Century Cottage (Available on Amazon)
This can be gifted to anyone of your choice
The winner’s photo will appear on my website www.DizWhite.com
and be Tweeted on my Twitter site @DizWhite
Send your entry to publicitypromo@aol.com
Competition is ongoing – prizes given periodically.
Photographs by Randall Montgomery
Cotswolds Memoir:
Now available in Paperback, Kindle and Audio Book
Discovering a Beautiful Region of Britain
on a Quest to Buy a 17th Century Cottage
(Larrabee Libraries)
Available on:
A portion of the proceeds of every copy of this author’s book COTSWOLDS MEMOIR: Discovering a Beautiful Region of Britain on a Quest to Buy a 17th Century Cottage is donated to Cotswold conservation institutions.
Many of Downton Abbey’s scenes are filmed in the medieval Cotswolds village of Bampton and as I was writing about this lovely place in the sequel to my book Cotswolds Memoir: Discoveringa Beautiful Region of Britain on a Quest to Buy a 17th Century Cottage I came across this appeal (below) by Hugh Bonneville for a donation to help restore Bampton’s Old Grammar School (Downton Cottage Hospital in the series).
After I made a donation I was thrilled to receive this reply (below)
Here is a revisit to my blog giving the history of ancient buildings used in scenes in Downton Abbey and lots more about the lovely Cotswolds village of Bampton.
A Downton Day Out
A Tour of Bampton’s Downton Abbey Locations
The charming village of Bampton in the Cotswolds is used as a background to a number of outdoor scenes in the immensely successful television series Downton Abbey and this lovely spot is well worth a visit. Not only is it interesting to see where scenes of Downton Abbey are shot but there are many other attractions in Bampton that would make a leisurely sojourn there very memorable.
Bampton, or as it was once known Bampton-in-the-Bush, is situated in the county of Oxfordshire in the Thames Valley and is about four and a half miles southwest of Witney.
Visitors strolling around Bampton will recognize a number of buildings and streets that were used in scenes in Downton Abbey.
St. Mary’s Church
One of the locations frequently filmed in the series is Bampton’s church, St Mary of the Virgin which dates from the 12th Century. This church, like many ancient buildings in Britain was built on the foundations of an earlier structure and incorporates parts of the older building in the new edifice. In this case, St. Mary’s church was erected on the site of an Anglo-Saxon Minster. The tower was the only feature of the Minster that was spared and it is now part of the Church. St. Mary’s is also distinguished by its magnificent 13th Century spire.
William the Conqueror gave this church to the Bishop of Exeter and it has been rebuilt and added to many times through the centuries.
Cottage Hospital
Another location used in filming is Bampton Library which was used as the entrance to the cottage hospital that was portrayed in the second series of Downton Abbey.
According to Pevsner and Sherwood’s book The Buildings of England this library was once the Grammar school of St. Mary’s church and was built in 1653.
Isobel Crawley’s house
The Old Rectory which is close by St. Mary’s Church is used for the exterior shots of Isobel Crawley’s house in Downton Abbey. The south side of this building is late 17th Century and features five bays. The back of the house is older with a 16th century arched stone doorway and in the garden wall there is a stone inscribed with the date 1546. Next to the Rectory are 17th Century stables with a gabled dovecote built over them.
The interior scenes of Isobel Crawley’s house, however, are filmed at Hall Place near Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire.
Downton Abbey’s conception
The series is set in the fictional Downton Abbey, a Yorkshire country house, the grand home of the Earl and Countess of Grantham, and follows the lives and fortunes of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants through the reign of King George V.
Gareth Neame of Carnival Films originally conceived the idea of an Edwardian-era TV drama set in a country house and suggested this concept to Julian Fellowes, who had won an Academy Award for Best Writing in the category of Original Screenplay for Gosford Park.
Shortly, thereafter, Julian Fellowes gave Gareth Neame an outline of the first series. Julian Fellowes writes the series, and his wife Emma acts as his story editor.
Bampton Annual Events
In addition to Bampton being used for locations of Downton Abbey this beautiful town features plenty of Cotswolds character and is well known for several quaint traditions that take place every year and have been doing so for the past several centuries. Visitors would do well to time a visit to take in one or more of these fun-filled events after viewing the Downton locations.
Bampton Shirt Race
Once a year, on the Saturday of the Spring Bank Holiday there is a bizarre pub crawl organized by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Junketing known as The Bampton Shirt Race. In past times the runners in this race were dressed in night-gowns and would compete in pairs with one runner pushing the other in a trolley. There was a time when there were fourteen pubs in Bampton and the race stops at every location for the competitors to down a large quaff of beer. Many of those public houses have now been converted to private residences but a stop at these former pubs is still included in the race. Nowadays, the race consists of larger teams using many different kinds of cobbled-together wheeled vehicles, such as prams, wheelbarrows and even wheelybins. These are used to transport the competitors who are costumed in outlandish fancy dress. There are prizes for the best outfits.
Morris Dancing
Bampton is well known for its Morris dancing which has been practiced in the village since the late eighteenth century. The town supports three world-renowned Morris Dance teams and the dancing is performed throughout the Monday of the Spring Bank Holiday in the latter part of May, beginning at 8.30 a.m. In the evening, visiting teams join in the dancing. Much is made of the traditional fertility cake which everyone samples as it is carried around the streets with the dancers.
May Garlands
The charming tradition of May Garland making by the children of Bampton began several centuries ago. It takes place at 11a.m. in the market square on the Monday of the Spring Bank Holiday.
Donkey Derby
A Donkey Derby is run on the Monday of the August Bank Holiday, and organized by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Junketing. This begins at 2 p.m. at Sandford’s Field. In addition to the donkey races (all the jockeys are children) there are bric-a-brac stalls, skittles, Aunt Sally, crockery smashing and much more.
The Mummers
The Mummers perform plays on Christmas Eve every year. These plays have been performed since the nineteenth century in Bampton but are most likely much older. These dramas have been handed down through family tradition by word of mouth as no scripts exist. In the Bampton version there are ten characters including Robin Hood, Father Christmas, a Prussian King, St. George etc. The plays are uniquely performed in two acts instead of the customary one. Pagan rituals may have figured in the original plays as the plot involves many scenes of characters being finished off and then magically being brought back to life. This could perhaps symbolize the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Watching the Mummers perform is a wonderful highlight of the Christmas season.
Ladies of Downton Abbey
Bampton Pubs and Restaurants
After all this fun a little refreshment might be in order.
The Romany Inn On Bridge Street in Bampton is an unassuming pub serving typical but good pub food. Accomodation available. www.TripAdvisor.com
The Horse Shoes On the High Street in Bampton. No food or accommodation http://www.bamptonoxon- parishcouncil.gov.uk
The Trout at Tadpole Bridge Is well known for its fine dining and serves the best food for miles around. It is just five minutes’ drive down the road from Bampton in Buckland Marsh Diners come as far away as London to eat at this excellent riverside gastro-pub. In summer there are tables in the garden which leads down to the Thames. Stroll by the river with a pre-dinner drink. Accommodation available. www.trout-inn.co.uk
Cotswolds Memoir:
Now available in Paperback, Kindle and Audio Book
Discovering a Beautiful Region of Britain
on a Quest to Buy a 17th Century Cottage
(Larrabee Libraries)
A portion of the proceeds of every copy of this author’s book COTSWOLDS MEMOIR: Discovering a Beautiful Region of Britain on a Quest to Buy a 17th Century Cottage is donated to Cotswold conservation institutions. Available on
The shimmering, cool rivers, ponds and streams of the Cotswolds provide a wonderful mirror-image of the beauty of this forgotten-by-time region. Here are some reflections of the Cotswolds, captured in several of its most treasured landmarks.
Visit these lovely places and enjoy a few calming moments of contemplation by the soothing sounds of trickling water.
Kiftsgate Garden
Kiftsgate Garden, near Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire
This garden, created by three generations of women, is a must-see. A series of interconnected garden rooms and descending terraces offer spectacular views, some of which are reflected in a pond overlooking an endless vista of the Cotswolds.
Cornwell Manor in the Cotswolds is a Grade II listed Manor House in West Oxfordshire
This lovely garden evokes images of Downton Abbey in Edwardian times with beautifully gowned women and suave men in tuxedos, chatting, as they drink a pre-dinner sherry. Perhaps these dinner guests stroll, on a warm summer’s evening by the reflecting waters of the fountain, before pairing up to take their places in the elegant dining room of this matchless 17th Century manor.
Prior Park Garden
This National Trust Grade I listed garden, Prior Park, just south of Bath, Somerset, is built high on a hillside with spectacular views of Bath as just one of its many attractions. It was created by local entrepreneur Ralph Allen and begun in 1734. There are few flowers and no formal beds in this garden; it is all about breathtaking views, restful green lawns, reflecting water from the lakes and a sculptural Palladian bridge, creating a mellow mood that is immensely pleasing.
Shilton Open Gardens
Shilton, tucked away in the Shill Brook Valley, near Burford, Oxfordshire is a charming village with much to boast about. There is a traditional pub, The Rose and Crown, which serves delicious food, and camera-ready ducks that occasionally cause cars to swerve out of their way as they cross a nearby ford. The flower-bedecked gardens are so beautiful that they are opened to the public once a year for the National Garden Scheme. It was at an open garden that this wrought iron bridge was glimpsed, its delicate pattern making a mesmerizing reflection in the stream below.
Westbury Court Garden
Westbury Court Garden near Gloucester and the Severn River on the edges of the Cotswolds is a revelation. It is the only 17th Century restored Dutch water garden in Great Britain. The National Trust rescued it in 1967 using an engraving of the garden from 1707 as a guide for its restoration. The calming trickle of the lily-covered canals, and the endless reflections from the gently rippling water make this garden a wonderful place for peaceful relaxation.
Little Faringdon Mill Near Lechlade
There has been a Mill on this site for over a thousand years which is evident from its Domesday Book listing. The two photographs of the mill, above and below, give an indication of its idyllic setting with a charming barn and weeping willow trees reflected in the streams that lazily weave around this lovely property.
This is what will give the lavender colour to the lemonade.
Heat distilled water and just before it boils remove it from the stove top.
Place the lavender blossoms in the heated water.
Strain the lavender infused water through a plastic sieve into a glass container.
Pour into glass bowl to check for any remaining plant material. If found strain again or remove.
Diz White 
