Curious Diamond Jubilee Spamwich

As the Queen celebrates the 60th year of her reign, the Caravan Club is celebrating its 105th birthday. The organisation reckons that as this year is going to have so many street parties, summer picnics and caravanning holidays, it’s the perfect opportunity to introduce a Caravan Club Sandwich.

One of their members, Samantha Haas, has created a recipe that she feels is perfect for 2012 (see right). I’m not so sure myself, as it includes margarine, Danish salami, cheese, onion and mint sauce… eek!




Now I don’t want to get on the wrong side of the internet regulatory authorities by mentioning Spam, but I’ve been wondering which dishes to make for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations myself, and anything involving this curiously retro ingredient seems rather appropriate – and certainly (even though it's an American import), more associated with our British heritage than salami..

So I’ve come up with an important new recipe for 2012 - The Curious Diamond Jubilee Spamwich. The ingredients are as follows:


 
Two slices of Hovis bread
A dollop of Heinz salad cream
Two Epicure pickled gherkins - sliced
One generous slice of Spam
One leaf of Webb’s Wonder lettuce


You can make this easily yourself at home, using these or any quantities of the ingredients required. You can even add your own personal twist – like toasted with a slathering of Marmite – a version that is especially tasty after an evening at the local pub. 

To get into the Jubilee spirit, why not serve this on a vintage commemorative plate celebrating Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897. They're quite a rarity, but one is available at ShopCurious… Order by Friday morning and we’ll make sure it reaches you in time for your Bank Holiday weekend Spamfest.

Will you?

Local icons with universal identity?

Happy St David’s Day! My grandmother, who sadly died years ago, was born in Wales, so I decided to explore my Welsh heritage. Welsh icons include leeks and a delightfully archaic national costume. But it’s not all coal, rugby, sheep and dragons in this curiously Celtic corner of our little island... There are also daffodils and lovespoons too - the latter being rather pertinent in view of Prince William’s impending nuptials - what with him being based at RAF Valley in Anglesey and next in line to inherit the heir apparent's title, Prince of Wales.

Possibly dating from the 14th century, and based on the ‘cawl’ or soup spoon, lovespoons were carved by young Welshmen to demonstrate their practicality and craftsmanship (much needed in rural Wales) to the father of their intended brides. The suitor carved one or more of a selection of traditional symbols to convey his special message:



Single Heart – My Heart is yours
Double Heart – Love is returned, we feel the same way
Celtic Knot – Everlasting
A Flower – Courtship
A Daffodil – Flower of Wales
The Dragon – Symbol of Wales / Protection
A House – My Home is Yours
A key / Keyhole – My Home is Yours
A Chain – Captured Love
Balls in a cage – Captured Love / Number of Children Desired
Heart Shaped Bowl – Fulfilled Love
Double Bowl – The Couple
Triple Bowl – The Couple and family
Vines – Growing Together
Horse Shoe – Good Luck
Bells – The Wedding
A Cross – Faith
A Ship – Safe Journey through Life
An Anchor – I Want to Settle Down
(List courtesy of Lovespoons Wales).



However, accepting this token of love was by no means an indication that a Welsh girl would marry her suitor - and some popular women amassed huge collections of lovespoons…









Anyway, I blame the Royal Wedding for my digression onto the subject of lovespoons, when what I really wanted to talk about is identity. These days it’s rare for us to identify ourselves with one particular place and culture. Most of us are a conglomeration of influences, ranging from birthplace and hometown to cities we’ve travelled to and people we’ve met. Our unique psychogeography and the individual stories that make up our lives have become more significant than our local origins.



Unlike lovespoons, today’s gifts and tokens of affection are more likely to reflect globally procured character – like the curiosity charm necklaces by Cartography40N74W at ShopCurious.

But might this curious trend lead to the wholesale globalization of culture, and what will the implications be for future generations? Or has the nostalgia-led backlash already begun? Your comments are most welcome, especially if you’re proudly Welsh.

Are you?

Exhibition in right royal fashion

Not only is the House of Hardy Amies the pinnacle of stylish decoration, but it also has a wonderful energy and a lovely staff - with the potential to be the source of inspiration to aspiring Amies’ of the future. Moreover, to celebrate the first visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the house in July 1950 (when she was still a Princess), a new exhibition in the Archive Room at No.14 Savile Row features previously unseen sketches, documents, original pictures, letters and garments belonging to members of the House of Windsor. When I took a sneak preview, I found myself signing the visitors’ book directly after members of the Windsor family...





‘The House of Windsor in the House of Hardy Amies’ was officially opened by HRH Princess Alexandra at the end of June 2010 and can be visited until the end of the year, by appointment only. The exhibition features rare sketches of creations produced over 40 years of collaboration with HM The Queen as well as original and duplicate items made for The Queen and other members of the Royal Family – including HRH Princess Michael of Kent (a muse to Sir Hardy Amies), Lady Diana and the Duchess of York. A photograph of the house’s latest muse, Lord Frederick Windsor, is also on prominent display.

One of the main highlights is an incredible giant-sized album, in which Amies collected images and swatches of the various outfits worn by The Queen over a period spanning several decades. This provides a curiously fascinating history of royal dress though the years, as well as an insight into the media coverage of fashion and social reporting during the period.






Amies’ interest in maintaining the photo journal appeared to wane in the latter years, as evidenced by the increasing dearth of photographs in the oversized album...









and the replacement of carefully handwritten pen and ink italics beneath old fashioned cuttings from the daily press by haphazardly placed Post-it notes, atop picture stories from the likes of Hello Magazine.



What I really love about the Amies house is that’s it’s a place of real character. It also seems to reflect the essential character of its clientele – even HM The Queen: The warmth of her personality, along with genuine sincerity and kindness, positively shine out from the letters exchanged between Her Majesty and Sir Hardy Amies.

The house is full of quirky curiosities, like the collection of royal biscuit tins, similar to the ones available at ShopCurious, celebrating HM The Queen’s Coronation in 1953, royal weddings and other regal occasions. Apparently, the heirloom tins were used by Hardy Amies’ couture seamstresses to store their buttons and sewing threads – and now they take pride of place amongst the exhibits.









If you’re able to a secure a place on one of the exclusive private viewings, I’d highly recommend a visit to this extraordinary showcase of our national heritage. What’s more, this retro royal fashion extravaganza is bang on trend.

Are you?

The beautiful flag

Britain’s once again under the spotlight in the sporting fixtures, which, translated into fashion terms, equates to the Great British flag (and all parts thereof). Our little island’s colours are appearing everywhere, as flags are waved for the vehemently revered football and tennis stars of this quirkily sportsmanlike state.












Just a week ago, at Royal Ascot, flags and patriotic colours were very much in evidence on hats, dresses, accessories - and even picnic floral displays, as England played their rather disappointing game against Algeria.




Now, of course, the mood is altogether different – and even Andy Murray’s won at Wimbledon. Let’s see how England fares today...











And, if our need to sport the Union Jack should sadly wane, there’s always the chance that a royal wedding is in the offing, to keep the demand for flags buoyant...



I rather fancy that bits of memorabilia and mementos of our glittering past, like this 1981 vintage royal commemorative tin from ShopCurious, could become extremely popular and desirable in future, as curiously collectable heirloom pieces - and to remind us of our peculiarly unique heritage:














being such good old sports...

Are you?

British tea time treasures

Here in the UK, we’re currently suffering from stresses and strains on all fronts:

Firstly, if you’re an England supporter, you’re understandably going to be feeling a little depressed at the moment.

There’s also the added worry that our economy is headed down the tubes – and the potential implications of the Chancellor’s emergency Budget on our finances is rather vexing (I’m still curious to know exactly what it means for me.. are you?)



Plus, now it’s Wimbledon fortnight too - so we’re going to be agonizing over Andy and fretting about the weather forecast for a while.

Thankfully, us Brits have a universal panacea to all our woes in the form of the great British cuppa.





However, just in case our manifold troubles are causing you to feel a little less patriotic than usual, I’d like to suggest a little teatime jollification. Why not celebrate British heritage by investing in one of these curiously collectable vintage royal commemorative tins from ShopCurious?







They make perfect tea caddies and are great as biscuit tins too… What’s more, these sorts of heirloom collectibles can often turn out to be quite a wise investment.







Best of all, the beaming monarchical faces adorning these splendid tins will have you gloriously grinning with pride as you sip a cup of strong tea and dunk a few biccies –









unless, perhaps, you prefer to toast Her Majesty with a glass of cider…


Do you?

Castaway couture, or wot?

Entrepreneurs, senior executives and trade bodies representing the luxury goods industry will meet in Barcelona tomorrow for the 12th Annual Prestige Brands Meeting.

Europe has always been considered the main producer and market for premium products, with European brands accounting for around 75% (approx. $229 billion) of the global luxury market, according to figures from the Boston Consulting Group.

However, the Financial Times reports serious concern regarding the erosion of specialist skills such as dressmaking, watchmaking and perfume creation in the European luxury goods sector, combined with a shift in production to emerging markets in Asia and eastern Europe.




Guy Salter, deputy chairman of Walpole, the British Luxury alliance claims that “All young people want to be designers and very few, makers." He says, "We want to try and change that by promoting craftsmanship in the luxury sector" adding, by way of example, "only a handful of small manufacturers in the UK are now making bags and leather accessories, compared to over a hundred factories only fifty years ago."



Some brave souls are already taking their own action to help preserve traditional skills and crafts for posterity, amidst a rapidly changing global marketplace. StyleCurious featured Mark H, a personal victim of UK manufacturing's demise, has made it his mission to turn adversity to advantage in a bid to save British craftsmanship from extinction.

Mark says, “There are still people alive, but only just, who remember England as the Workshop of the World, making everything from corsets to a silver condiment train for the Maharaja of Jaipur.” He adds, “We were busy making things: inventing, tweaking, fumbling, making fools of ourselves – the world’s eccentrics – in garages and small workshops all over this green and pleasant land. To achieve a Royal Warrant to supply members of the British royal family was a licence to export products to every part of the globe.”





In order to help prevent the UK’s industrial heritage from being totally “squandered”, Mark decided to establish his own curiously eccentric new luxury brand called OR WOT! to capitalize on ‘the finest components, skills and crafts that England can muster.”







The story behind OR WOT's ‘Castaway Couture’ collection is highly symbolic. Mark imagined the only survivor from a luxury British cruise ship, marooned on a desert island. Key pieces in the collection are inspired by the survivor's luggage, together with flotsam and jetsam from the shipwreck and the animal and reptile life on the island.












An eclectic range of handcrafted luxuries for him and her, plus a selection of beautifully handmade curious gifts and things for the home by OR WOT! is now available exclusively at ShopCurious.







Each product is made in England, has its own tale to tell and is intended to be a family heirloom that will last for generations to come. What’s more, the skill and craft involved in the making of every single item will be passed on to future generations too.

Curiously crazy, curiously clever, OR WOT?

I'm curious to know what you think.


Do you?

Holy Romans, ruins, romance... and rain

Regardless of your religion, or desire to hear the Pope’s Easter message, there’s no place quite like Rome for a weekend break. I doubt that anyone can fail to be filled with awe and wonder on visiting a city so stunningly laden with artistic and architectural treasures: the legacy of ancient history and a rich cultural heritage.





Top of your list of places to see will be the Vatican Museums, encompassing the Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica and so much more… If you’re a lover of art and sculpture, you’ll probably want to spend a few weeks camping out here (if only that were permissible). Other amazing monuments include the Colosseum, the Forum and surrounding Roman remains, the Pantheon and lots more besides.




If you like shopping for antiques, Rome’s quaint patchwork of narrow streets, alleyways and courtyards is home to plenty of high end emporia, where you’ll find fine quality pieces, mixed in with quirky curiosities – though all at a price. There are also vintage flea markets, especially on Sunday morning, where you’re more likely to find a bargain – though best to dress down and leave your fancy handbag at home.



Keep your eyes peeled for hidden gems too, as tucked away in side streets, on corners, or atop buildings, you’ll find secret places - including theatres, pizzerias, shrines, sculptures and curiously enticing ice cream parlours.

Rome is also the perfect place for a romantic retreat, as featured in Raymond Peynet’s curiously charming book, The Lovers’ Travelogue (see right) – an original 1955 copy of which is currently available at ShopCurious.

One thing you’re also almost always guaranteed when you travel to Rome is sunshine.



















Typically, when I last visited, the heavens opened and it poured down.

The fact that it rained for just one day had taxi drivers constantly moaning about how miserable this made them feel – thank goodness they don’t live in London!







Anyway, in my opinion, the best thing about Rome is that the city actually seems to reflect all the celestial inspiration that’s gone into creating its glorious buildings and artworks, making everything just as beautiful come rain or shine.







Rome will be eternally loved, whatever the weather...

And I’m already looking forward to my next visit.

Are you?



Wishing you a happy and holy Easter!