The Housekeeper
When we hear the word “housekeeper”, we normally think of somebody like Mrs Doubtfire or Mrs Hughes from Downton Abbey but definitely an (older) lady doing the work around the house and running the household for a fee. That was…
Who and what gives whisky and wine its flavour?
The quick answer is wood and the tradition of cooperage. One would think, only the most expensive alcohol is stored in huge casks these days and everything else is stored in huge metal tanks, just like in breweries or…
Piccadilly or Piccalilli
It does matter which one you mean. Both exists but are completely different things. Piccadilly You may know Piccadilly from maps, travel books or from films. It is one of London’s widest and straightest streets where such famous buildings stand…
Beautiful English Gas Lamps
Have you noticed that there are beautiful gas lamps in many cities? It does not matter if it is Paris, Copenhagen, Rome or London, street lamps contribute to the ambiance of the cities. There is something romantic about the old…
English Peerages explained in a nutshell aka what Meghan Markle (probably) has to learn
Lord Grantham, Lady Chatterton, Baron Merton, Countess of Grantham, Lord Meldrum, The Honourable Mr. Teddy, Sir Ralph Shawcross… You can hear different titles of the English aristocracy just like Lord, Earl, Baron, Viscount, Lady etc in many films. I must…
My first and (probably) last lunch at the Gay Hussar
It was end of May when several news sites wrote about the closure of the legendary Hungarian restaurant in London, the Gay Hussar. We have wanted to have lunch there for nearly 2 years, but we never managed, however the…
How English is the Fish & Chips?
Let me set the scene (not the table!): At the end of the episode "Yellow Iris", Poirot is hungry as he did not manage to eat whilst solving the case. Now he is complaining to Captain Hastings. ‘With all this…
Have you heard about the Royal Oak Apple Day?
The Royal Oak Apple Day was an English National Holiday celebrated on 29th May in the whole country until it was abolished in 1859. (Let me say what a pity as the UK do not really have National Holidays.) First…
A British £8bn business. What is it?
The sandwich business. Awareness days are very popular these days and you would find there is an awareness day for almost every day of the year and for almost everything including, breast cancer day, chocolate day, cleaning day, doughnut day…
„Are you married… or do you live in Maidenhead?”
Well, I am not married and I do live in Maidenhead, but not in the early 20th century. What does this expression mean? Let me tell you. The Eastern tip of Berkshire is an interesting mix: you have the elegant…