pumpkinstrokemarrow

Having finished the current crop of Fred Vargas, moved back to Churchill on Marlborough, volume 2. Came across a pleasant story about life at the source of democracy as we know it. Back in 1701 there was a chap called Henry St John. His father had been fined £16,000 for killing someone in a brawl and he was the right honourable member of parliament for Wootton Bassett (pronunciation Barset). He took after his father and was known for keeping the most expensive lady in town, one Miss Gumley. Miss Gumley was what was then called a demirep (a contraction of demi-reputation), the English not caring to use the French term demimondain. Mr John, when not entertaining Miss Gumley, used to go in for stunts liking streaking in the park while drunk. He was also well educated and a formidable public speaker. Plus he was ambitious. So he needed to pick an issue with which to make his name. So he picked on something called occasional conformity and waxed eloquent upon the iniquity of people in high places who only attended service occasionally. Possibly, even, attended chapel in between times. The issue being a big deal at the time, with the boozing Tories being all for ecclesiastical conformity and the sober, hard working Whigs being more relaxed. All of which makes me think that we have not moved on that much in the 300 years which have elapsed since then.

And then there was the story of Marlborough being captured by someone working in the French interest - as it happens, an Irish deserter from the Dutch service. It seems than when the campaigning season had been declared over, a bit like at the end of the football season, the generals liked to go home. This might well involve passing through land fairly much in the hands of the enemy. So the custom was that generals of one side would apply to generals of the other side for passes for safe passage home. But some generals, like Marlborough, did not like to be beholden to the opposing generals in this way and took their chances with an escort. In this case, Marlborough's escort came adrift and he fell into the hands of the Irishman. But his genius surfaced and Marlborough managed to talk&bribe his way out of captivity. It seems that this lucky escape was the subject of great manifestations of joy in the streets of The Hague.

The day before yesterday another go at the neck of lamb stew. This time with Royal Norfolk Potatoes from the rustic car boot sale in the field opposite our hotel in Old Hunstanton. These potatoes were the easiest to scrape that I remember scraping since I left the parental home: I have never managed to grow or buy potatoes that scrape easy, however new they might be or claim to be. Popped them into the stew, more or less entire, for just the last half hour of the two hour cooking process. Perfecto. An easy and reliable recipe.