Last week I visited Bishop's Waltham, firstly to go to the weekly country market where I bought some lovely fresh, local produce, followed by lunch in Josie's café which was delicious. I then spent a couple of leisurely hours pottering around the village. (Bishop's Waltham is actually a small country town but for a Londoner like myself it certainly has a village feel.)
Bishop's Waltham has a long and distinguished history, it is a mixture of old world charm together with a dynamic business and social environment. Amongst the 17th and 18th century buildings you can find many small local businesses, amongst them a butcher, bakery, fishmonger, award winning restaurants and charity shops.
Small country towns and villages are seen as the last bastion of Englishness, according to a survey conducted by Country Life magazine, 80 per cent of Britain's population dream of living in the countryside, whilst only 20 per cent live there.
Meanwhile we have a housing crisis that is threatening our green belts, people living in cities are packed together like sardines and the decline of the washing line is due to the growing lack of gardens. For every house that is demolished in my local area, ten or twenty houses are squeezed into the space.
The love of country life is about stillness and lastingness, communities value the old and are more about essences and continuity rather than novelty. In this modern age of noise and other over stimulus, a walk in the countryside is to appreciate stillness and beauty.
Unfortunately the local charms of the English character are growing increasingly unpopular, village life is cited as being too white and middle class, traditional values and patriotism are deemed old fashioned. One of Britain's biggest hotel chains Travelodge has removed bibles from its rooms because, (despite ours being a Christian country) they don't want to discriminate against non Christians. We seem to have become fearful of embracing our own culture or celebrating our heritage which is a shame and is seen as a weakness by the majority of my multicultural friends who don't want us to be made to feel like strangers in our own country.
On a happier note I found some lovely nick - nacks in the charity shop
Back home with all my purchases I decided to cook my marrow and freshly dug potatoes to accompany a free range chicken
Baked marrow
Recipe
1 large marrow
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Preheat oven 180c/gas 4
Slice marrow in half lengthways and scoop out seeds
Slice marrow, place slices in a colander and sprinkle with a little salt, leave to drain for 30 minutes
Place marrow on a baking tray, season and drizzle with oil
Bake for 20 minutes
I par boiled and roasted my potatoes
A very delicious organic free range dinner!
'If we could eliminate the concept of town and return to live in small villages, all the world problems would be solved.'
- Rossana Condoleo
Love Donna xxxxxxx
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