When I called Lords of the Manor to book the table, the French voice on the phone tactfully suggested that jeans and trainers would be inappropriate for the dining room. I couldn't agree more I'm so over jeans and trainers. A dress code that might have come across as incredibly square a year ago, suddenly sounded quite hip.
Lords of the Manor is the restaurant in the hotel of the same name in the village of Upper Slaughter, near Stow-on-the-Wold. It's the quintessence of Cotswold..........
PAINSWICK, England -- The main road through this picturesque village says a great deal about the timeless quality of the Cotswolds, a region of low, rolling hills in England's West Country.
A vision of tranquil English village life, the street is lined with charming, centuries-old stone houses and a half-timbered post office that dates from the Middle Ages........
But, as food preferences evolve, Britains great puddings, even the sweet variety, were being overlooked in favor of Black Forest cake and strawberry cheesecake. In 1985, to preserve this important piece of culinary heritage, Three Ways House Hotel, a historic hotel in the low hills called the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, 90 miles from London in southwest England, established the Pudding Club. The goal: to preserve the pudding from drifting into obscurity.......
What turned out to be one of our 'funnest' trip in years, unfortunately started out in a very stressful manner. But that's life. So let me tell you how it all began:
My partner Dianne Marie and I arrived at Heathrow Airport outside London, some 13 hours after leaving San Francisco. We immediately rented a car and attempted to drive to The Cotswolds. Yes, I said "attempted," because it took us forever to get there.
ED JONES is editor of The Free Lance-Star. He can be reached at 540/374-5401 or at edjones@freelancestar.com.
GLANCE AT THE stone walls inside the little old church in Sherborne, England, and you'll notice a roster of vicars who have graced the pulpit there. The list goes back 900 years.
But it was a reference of more recent vintage that caught my eye last week as I strolled around the sanctuary. A needlepoint pad for kneeling worshippers offered a simple but touching message: "God bless America. Stand beside her, and guide her. September 11, 2001."
That evening, as my wife, Peggy, and I were watching the BBC news in our rented cottage in the Cotswolds, 75 miles west of London, we heard about a survey that found that most Britons think it's time to put distance between their country and the United States in the war on terrorism.
Those sentiments surfaced as newspapers and TV reporters swarmed around the Labor Party infighting that forced Prime Minister Tony Blair, George W. Bush's most loyal and articulate ally in the post-9/11 period, to promise to step down from office within the next year. Blair, the fresh, boyish leader of the Brits a decade ago, has become stale..........
ED JONES is editor of The Free Lance-Star. He can be reached at 540/374-5401 or at edjones@freelancestar.com
I'M NOT PROUD of it, but I might as well confess. I recently purchased my very own copy of "British History for Dummies."
Now granted, there are many areas of expertise in which I would quickly qualify as a dummy. Plumbing and cooking are two that come to mind.
But being a dummy on British history hurts.
After all, I took a course on the Tudors in college. I subscribe to The Spectator, a weekly opinion journal from Britain that keeps me on top of politics across the pond.
I once had an electronic subscription to The Times of London. I still read an array of newspapers and magazines about the Church of England.
But as my wife, Peggy, and I prepare for a short trip to the Cotswolds, that rolling slice of England three hours west of London, I still feel like a dummy............
The Royal Shakespeare Company will prove that's true.
The troupe is sponsoring a yearlong festival at Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare's hometown, at which all of the Bard's 37 plays plus his sonnets and long poems will be performed.
It will be the first time that all of the works will be presented in a single event.
The festival will open on Shakespeare's birthday, April 23, and continue into April 2007..............
After spending the better part of last month in England, walking along the River Thames, a few random observations (mostly ecologically inspired) seem in order this week. So, with a tip of the hat to author Bill Bryson, who was encountered out there in a Cotswold field, here are some of my own "notes from a long, long river.".......
The honest answer is 'not much'. Broadway is a quiet little Cotswold village of about 2,500 souls with an old church and about forty shops all designed to relieve the tourist of his or her money. So why bother? If you are into retail therapy you will do better in Dallas, New York, Hong Kong, Sidney, or my favourite, Singapore. In the better stores in those cities they will even pour you a free drink. Here you will only get a bill.
So why bother when you can enjoy the delights of so many other places? Well, first is the people.
They are wonderful. Second is the architecture, especially on upper high street, a five minute walk from the centre of town. Take special notice of Priors Manse which is on the upper-left hand corner of High Street and Leamington Road as you head up hill. The Manse is in the Doomsday Book, which is the first census of England, a fact I mentioned earlier.
The third incentive for hanging hat a few days in Broadway is its location.
You are within a short driving distance, or in some cases a short hike, of a number of nifty places. An example is Buckland Manor, a mile down the road toward Cheltenham. The gardens and the old manor house will knock your socks off (quaint old American expression). The staff at Buckland are most friendly, the meals are terrific, and the prices - well, if you have to ask the prices you can't afford it. However, don't panic. A cream tea isn't THAT costly and you will find it one of the most elegant and fattening experiences you will ever have. When you get home, Buckland is one of the places you will brag about to your friends.
As to teas in England, Canada, and New Zealand, here is how they work...
Tea You get tea, with or without milk in it. [Ask for ice tea and you will be politely asked to leave.]
Cream Tea You get the above, plus scones with cream and jam.
High Tea You get the above with finger sandwiches. Thirty will satisfy the appetite of a small man.
Twenty-five minutes up Leamington Road is Stratford-upon-Avon, home of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Theatre there is as good as it gets in the English-speaking world. It may be as good as it gets in any world.
If you are not into serious drama, go to one of the lighter productions, such as Midsummer's Night's Dream or Much Ado about Nothing. Do not take on King Lear or Hamlet, especially Lear. I sat through Lear the other night--over three hours watching some guy go mad. Sorry, but that is not my idea of fun. Cultural enrichment yes, fun no.
Well, we have taken care of your stomach and your brain. Next time we will go for the heart.
W. B. Wentz, aided by Charlie
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What is there to do in Broadway
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Monday, 09-Jun-2008 11:49:22 BST
people. 
have to ask the prices you can't afford it. However, don't panic. A cream tea isn't THAT costly and you will find it one of the most elegant and fattening experiences you will ever have. When you get home, Buckland is one of the places you will brag about to your friends.