Posts from the ‘Passiv’ Category

Historical Royal Palaces

A curious charity runs five Royal Palaces as strictly business. And does a very good job…

On behalf of the British Nation, the Queen owns amongst other assets the Tower of London, The Banqueting House plus Hampton Court, Kensington and Kew Palaces. However, the daily business of catering to these iconic sites is left to a private registered charity on behalf of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.

On a yearly basis this charity – Historic Royal Palaces – manages the set-up behind the more than 3,5 mill people, who visit these palaces, which are among some of the greatest ever built.

The charity does this with the help of the income from visitors, members, donors, volunteers and sponsors. It is important for the foundation to let it be known that it does not receive any funding from neither the British Government nor the Crown.

According to the latest Financial Statement (2012) this generated £69 mill, an increase of nearly 11% on 2011. During the same fiscal year the numbers of visitors grew with 4%, numbers of volunteer-hours grew with 12%, while income from the retail shop garnered an additional 8%. Quite astounding figures in a year, when the financial crisis has put a general damper on the UK economy overall generating no more than 0.8% growth.

Panache
How is it done? According to the mission statement this achievement is a reflection on the “panache” – that is the flamboyant manners and reckless courage – which should characterise the work of the “Historical Royal Palaces”. And indeed, visitors at the different locations are met with volunteers playing their roles to perfection working to both enlighten and entertain in surroundings coloured by any and all stimulants, which might tickle the senses.

The replica crown of Henry VIII

The Crown of Henry VIII
One such element is the exhibition of the faithful replica of the crown of Henry the VIII, which will go on show at Hampton Court Palace at the end of October 2012. No doubt it has been the topic of endless discussions whether to use the money or not for making a faithful reproduction, where even the gems – apart from the large diamonds – are true rubies, emeralds and pearls. Nevertheless the decision was made to go through with a nearly authentic replica; probably the leaders of the project knew that any tacky reproduction would garner exactly the kind of disappointment, when such “crowns” are on show (as e.g. in Prague); probably the point was also made, that many visitors to the Tower become really irritated of paying more than £20, while being quietly told to “move along”. Hopefully this will not be the case at Hampton Court Palace, where the replica crown will be on show in the newly restored Pew in the Royal Chapel.

Puritans might feel that it is all too overwhelming. And yes, it might seem as if the inspiration from the Tudor TV-series have gotten the better of the creative managers of the Royal Palaces. On the other hand, there is no doubt that the infamous Tudor Series has a part to play in the present growth. From 2007/08 – 2011/12, while the show was aired, the number of visitors at Hampton Court Palace grew with 18%. But then, we are told that not only showmanship is a governing principle; to this should be added Guardianship, Discovery and Independence. It is a difficult balance to achieve.

The future
This last year has seen the conclusion to a number of projects: The reopening of Kensington Palace and the royal kitchens at Kew Palace plus the new exhibition of the Crown Jewels at the Tower. However it does not end there. 2014 will be the tercentenary of the accession of the first Hanoverian monarch, George I. Plans are to redecorate and refurbish the Baroque Palace at Hampton Court as well as re-present the King’s State Apartments at Kensington in order to tell the story of the very early Georgian Court. Finally the Orange Garden at Hampton will be re-laid. At the same time the charity is seeking status as a research foundation, thus forging better links between showmanship and guardianship.  (As  is the case with the reconstruction of the crown of Henry VIII, which built upon detailed research by Dr. Kent Rawlinson, one of the curators).

All in all the Historical Royal Palaces is a remarkable business venture. It tells the story of how it is possible to make history fun and entertaining, while at the same time keeping a healthy respect for the guardianship of pieces of precious heritage. Indeed it demands the ability to balance on a tightrope!

Read more about the Crown of Henry VIII

Potatoes for Everyman

Potatoes are first mentioned in a cookbook from the 16^th century. During the next 150 years the vegetable was an exotic speciality reserved for the nobility. During the 18^th century it became more widespread but it was still not generally considered worth eating.

Generally it was served boiled with butter or cream on it. One recipe from 1766 writes that the “earth-apples” should be washed and peeled, boiled in some salted water for a short time. Afterwards they should be stewed in a deep pan with butter, sweet cream, breadcrumbs, salt and some nutmeg. A favourite side dish for salted herrings, it was a staple in any European household until French-fries were introduced in the late 20^th century.

A slightly tastier (French) variation is to chop a couple of onions finely and stir them in hot butter without browning them. Add flour and stew with milk. Taste the white béchamel sauce with salt and nutmeg and pour it in a deep (buttered and crumbled) pan over layers of 8 – 10 sliced, boiled potatoes, 3 hardboiled, sliced eggs and some chopped ham or salted herring, top with grated cheese and bake in oven at a low temperature (160 celcius) for 30 – 40 minutes.

Another French variation from the 18^th century is “Flan de pommes de terre Soufflé” or potato soufflé. Cook eight potatoes and mash them with a pestle and mortar. Pound a generous knob of butter with lemon peel or orange flower to flavour. Blend eight egg yolks with a fork and mix well with the mashed potatoes. Beat the egg whites until stiff as if making a sponge cake, then blend into the remainder of the ingredients and cook in an oven (160 celcius for hour). The Soufflé should be sprinkled with sugar. Such a souffle or pie (in German: Cartoffel Torte) was served for Goethe at his 64th birthday party in Ilmenau. At the serving, the hot pie was decorated with a wreath of fresh flowers. Whether Frederick the Great partook of such delicacies is not known.

Dulcazia

Dulcazia is a traditional Romanian syrup made of green walnuts

Dulcazia is made all over South Eastern Europe. It is time consuming but well worth the effort. But beware: Green walnuts stain so use rubber gloves and plastic covering for clothes and work surfaces.

2 pounds of green walnuts are picked in June or July, when still fresh. Remove outer layer with a potato-peeler or scrape the nuts free with a knife. Add walnuts to a pot, cover with water and bring to boil for 15 minutes. Then repeat the procedure with fresh cold water three or four times until nuts are softened. Then drain the walnuts and place them in a clean pot covered with cold water. Let them soak for two days, changing the water every 8 hours. This procedure removes the bitter taste of the nuts.

In a pot stir 2 pounds of sugar into 2½ cup of water and slowly boil for 10 minutes. Then drain the walnuts and add to the syrup boiling them for app. 5 min. Remove from heat and let the mixture sit for 24 hours. Other recipes recommend to boil the nuts for 15 min. and repeat this 3 more times with 4 – 6 hours in between.  Return the pot to the stove and boil it over high heat letting the syrup thicken. Finally add a stick of cinnamon, cloves and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

The syrup may be drenched from the walnuts and preserved in bottles. Or the walnuts may be preserved in the syrup. Good with youghurt, fresh cheese, panne cotta or ice cream.

Read more about the success of the Romanian coop for the production and marketing of traditional preserves