COOKERY SCHOOL AND THE COTSWOLDS

On Wednesday evening of the first week in England we took a cooking class at The Vegetarian Cookery School in Bath. We wanted to do something fun and unusual and "untouristy." We also wanted to meet some folks from the area and interact in an informal and natural setting. The class succeeded on all fronts.

Taught by Rachel Demuth and Jo Ingleby, the "Fast and Delicious" menu included Mexican Sweetcorn Soup; Braised Greens with Griddled Polenta; Summer Vegetable Paella; and for "pudding" (English for "dessert") Roasted Figs with Mint, Rosewater, and Pistachios. From 6:30 until 9:00 that evening we met, learned, cooked, talked  and dined. Here's a photo of Rachel and Jo (the two on the right) and another member of the class listening as Jo teaches us how to make traditional Spanish paella.

And here's a picture of Deb with new friend Julia preparing the braised greens.  

We took a full day to take a "Mad Max" tour of the area around Bath. A mini-van load of folks were led on a jaunty ride through the countryside, courtesy of our entertaining guide, John. There were people along from Australia, California, Oregon, New Zealand and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!

Our first stop was Stonehenge, the famous stone circle out on a barren, windswept plain in Southern England. It is one of the most well known prehistoric sites in the world and is a place of wonder and mystery.

The larger question is "why?" Why is this here? Who constructed it? For what  purpose? Is it for astronomy or religion or some other purpose entirely? Lots of conjecture but very little known for sure. Lots of whys. Just like life. :-)

Our next stop was Avebury, a Neolithic monument which contains the largest stone circle in Europe. It is both a tourist attraction and a place of religious importance to contemporary Pagans. We walked around, saw the beautiful village nearby, gazed at the monuments, walked through the fields and hastily exited when we noticed the multitudinous sheep droppings.

We stopped for lunch at The George Inn, a traditional English Pub. Then we toured the small towns of Lacock and Castle Combe, gorgeous Medieval villages used in the shooting of "War Horse" and "Harry Potter." Here are a number of pictures that give you a sense of these wonderful places.

It was a magical day. Tomorrow we'll tell about our fabulous London digs and how Lee almost got arrested and thrown into the slammer. Stay tuned.