Discovering Alice's Kensington Wonderland

There really is no better way to discover the most picturesque spots of Kensington and Chelsea than by bike. This weekend I let Alice, and the Exquisite Folly Theatre Company, take me by the hand on a cycling tour through a West London Wonderland in their interactive interpretation of Lewis Carroll's classic tale.

The fun started in the grassy riverside location of Cremorne Gardens, before we followed Alice and her slightly dotty new acquaintances through a selection of Chelsea's most beautiful green spaces, Brompton Cemetery, quirky mews locations before eventually finishing up in Holland Park. In such idyllic scenery, it's easy to get drawn into the story, and the cast members were fun, dynamic and playful - each playing several different, and charmingly barmy roles, and encouraging the audience to get involved in the action (watch out you don't lose your head!).

The interpretation was set in the 1930s, and the company took advantage of the quaint locations and added authentic costumes, chintzy tea sets and lured us in with plenty of tea cakes, fudge, juice and tarts (of course). We met a wonderfully uptight colonel, a totally sozzled sailor, the butler with the world's largest grin, and a marvellously impetuous Queen and her deluded and self-important King, amongst others. Alice and Woger Rabbit were our constant companions and guides, and the cycle volunteers played their part excellently shepherding a large group of novices around the borough on what was a busy Saturday afternoon.

The whole production was fantastic, and felt delightfully raw and improvised at times, with lots of amusing ad lib interactions with pedestrians and a wonderful commitment to recreating a different world, even when the action was taking place in public parks to the stares, and confused questions, of passers by not in on the show! It was such an innovative way of getting the whole family on their bikes, and exploring the best of the borough. Full marks to Exquisite Folly and Bikeminded RBKC. I can't wait to see what they put on next.

For more details on Bikeminded initiative, and to find out about upcoming events, check out their website here.

Dining in Babylon

When most people arrive at the Kensington Roof Gardens they are whipped straight up to the top floor for an opulent night of champagne and cocktails under the starry (potentially rainy) skies amongst beautifully styled gardens and pagodas. However, hidden on the 7th floor of the very same building is yet another gem.

Babylon is a sleek, sophisticated yet fairly compact little restaurant surrounded by an elegant balcony overlooking Kensington. As you enter there is a teeny little bar area, packed with modern style, where we enjoyed a glass of wine and  the view before being whisked through to the restaurant area. Considering the wow factor of the gardens upstairs, the restaurant is surprisingly sedate in design terms, plumping for contemporary and elegant white table cloths, and olive green leather chairs.

Having found an excellent deal through bookatable.com, we were treated to three sumptuous courses, each one as delicious as the last. Between us, we sampled almost the entire promotional menu (except the sea bream), ranging from juicy scallops, wonderfully fresh courgette soup topped with crispy courgette fritters, and a creamy goats cheese and beetroot salad for starters. Mains consisted of a 5 onion risotto (this was very onion-y) and a succulent chicken breast with two kinds of potato and creamy puree which for me was the best dish of the evening. I rounded off with a delightfully fresh and nutty pistachio and raspberry cake, whilst the creme caramel and the almond cake with banana cake also won themselves some fans that night.

Our waiter was incredibly attentive, and very patient with what was a very loud and shrieky party of 5! It was great to go for a girly dinner somewhere a bit more sophisticated than the local pub and the understated elegance and fine dining at Babylon certainly didn't disappoint our expectations. The a la carte prices were a little steep but the venue and quality of food makes it worthwhile for a special dinner or when you're keen to impress (date-organisers, take note)!

Babylon
7th Floor
99 Kensington High Street
London W8 5SA

We booked the promotional menu via bookatable.com, which came out at £30 per head for three courses and a glass of wine.

PHOTO DIARY: 35,000 Stories at Brompton Cemetery

Some might find the idea of spending your Sunday afternoon at a graveyard a little morbid, but not me. For anyone with even a whiff of interest in local history, a visit is an absolute must. A Grade 1 listed site laid over 40 acres, opened in 1840 and designed to represent an open air basilica Brompton Cemetery not only has an interesting story of it's own, but plays host to over 35,000 monuments, representing the stories of 35,000 human beings who lived, worked, loved and died in the borough. Some of the names you might recognise, if only by association. John Gunter, for example: the man who gave Gunter Grove its name, and after whose daughter Edith Grove was so called. Gunter was one of the orginal shareholders in the company (yes, company) who opened this municipal cemetery. He also ran the famous tea shop Gunter's at Berkeley Square, which gets a mention in Brideshead Revisited.

Brompton's most famous "resident" is probably the leader of the British Suffragette Movement, Emmeline Pankhurst. The cemetery also provides the final resting place for several sporting greats of the last 170 years. "Gentleman" John Jackson, a famous boxer who later opened a self-defence school for the aristocracy, and credited for teaching Lord Byron how to brawl, has a Grade 2 listed monument here. As does Robert Coombes, a famous skiff rower, and Percy Lambert, an early 20th century racing driver who was the first man to drive at 100mph and sustain that speed for one hour. Percy's story is a tragic one: on attaining his land speed record he proposed to his girlfriend, who accepted him on the condition that he give up racing. Two days later, a Frenchman broke his record and she granted him one final chance behind the wheel to try and regain it. He died in the attempt.

The headstone of Robert Coombes

The memorial for Percy Lambert, replete with car steering wheel. A truncated column signifies a life cut short.

Nonetheless, not all 35,000 monuments can represent heroes of the time. There are plenty of ordinary folk here too. The first person ever to be laid to rest at Brompton Cemetery, in the Summer of 1840, was a young woman of Fulham, Emma Shaw, who died in childbirth at the age of 20. Brompton has a long history with the Army too, counting 13 Victoria Cross holders and 2,600 Chelsea Pensioners amongst its numbers. More exotically, until 1992 a Sioux native American Indian, "Longwolf", who died whilst performing at Bill Oddie's Wild West Show was buried here too. He was repatriated to North Dakota 10 years ago, and his grave has now be filled by a young British gentleman. The headstone still bears an engraving of a wolf however.

The site formerly occupied by Sioux tribesman, Long Wolf

For those with an interest in architecture too, Brompton contains many treasures. From the neoclassical central chapel, to the beautiful and symmetrical Collonades that run above the catacombs in the centre of the graveyard. Over 20 of the monuments have listed status too. If you are interested in visiting, you can join a guided tour several Sundays a month, for the bargain price of £5. Organised by the Friends of the Brompton Cemetery, the guides are incredibly knowledgeable: our guide, Nick, could have told us the story behind practically every grave stone had we had more time. So wrap warmly, the advertised tour time of 2 hours often ends up being extended.

You can find the timetable of tours here. You can tour the catacombs by visiting on their Summer Open Day, which usually takes place in July.

The memorial to "Gentleman" John Jackson, and his adopted daughter. Jackson was the man who taught Lord Byron how to box.

Here lies Emmeline Pankhurst

The "gem" of Brompton Cemetery. This is the cemetery's most valuable monument and it carries a Grade 2* Listing.

Photo Diary: Portobello Market

If you're looking for something to do this weekend, why not play at being a tourist and have a wander down Portobello Road. You'll find everything from fine antique books to boutique fashion, handmade jewellery and loads of vintage finds. It's great for people watching and there are tons of yummy eats too. Just make sure to get there early - it's not exactly a hidden gem and by midday the hordes of tourists have decended.

Last weekend I reacquainted myself with Portobello, one of my favourite London markets, and took the opportunity to play with my new DSLR.

Welcome to La Cave

Nestled amongst the smart boutiques and elegant cafes of South Kensington lies a very smart cheese and wine shop. A very smart cheese and wine shop indeed. La Cave a Fromage is an Aladdin's cave of charcuterie, specialist oils, breads and, of course, more cheese than you can possibly imagine. Laid out beautifully in large refrigerated cabinets, with vintage cheese wheel covers adorning the walls, there are cheeses from all four corners of the globe. Ewe's cheese, goats cheese, blue cheese, red cheese, pasteurised, unpasteurised and everything in between.

Whilst wine tasting might be a tried and tested concept, recently my lovely sister treated my father and I to wine tasting with a twist - expert cheese pairings from La Cave a Fromage's 'exotic' selection.

We took our seats with around 15 other eager foodies on a long table at the shop's centre. Laid out in front of us was a "balanced cheeseboard" beautifully arranged on a simple slate, several wine glasses, and enough varieties bread to make even the most committed Atkins follower turn. As our delightful hosts explained, a balanced cheeseboard is one that comprises the full range of textures, milks, strengths and countries.And that evening we were set to cover the breadth of Europe at least.

That evening we chowed down on everything from a creamy Taupinieres goats cheese from Acquitaine, through to Spanish Manchego, a wine-washed Appenzeller Swiss cheese, an extra mature Italian Taleggio and an unusual Irish Crozier Blue. However, the stand out cheese was a rich and velvety Gratte Paille, which hails from the same region as Brie in France but is infinitely more delicious and complex than its often-dull cousin. Served with a sweet kick in the form of white truffle honey, this cheese packs a shocking 90% fat but is oh-so-good. Perhaps one to eat in moderation and save for the special occasions? But don't forget the truffle honey, that really made it.

Luckily for me, my favourite cheese came paired with my favourite wine: a fabulous Syrah/Mourvedre/Grenache blend (and no, I hadn't heard of the latter two grapes either!) called Le Desire (2006, Cotes de Rousillon). It was smooth and clean, and lacked the bitter after taste that in my opinion makes a lot of reds hard work. We tried three other wines that evening, a white Bergerac Sec (also fantastic) a richer red Syrah/Mourvedre and a very sweet dessert-like win Maury Dore (Grenache/Banylus blend) and all complimented the cheese perfectly. I really couldn't fault our hosts on that. I only wish I hadn't eaten a sandwich before arriving because I ate at least my own body weight in artisan bread!

Tastings at La Cave a Fromage definitely get the thumbs up from me. You can order your tickets and find out their dates at La Cave's website (below) or by calling 0207 581 1804

La Cave a Fromage
24-5 Cromwell Place,
South Kensington, London
SW7 2LD
www.la-cave.co.uk

Coffee, Cake and... Cycling!

For those of you who haven't already heard about Bikeminded, it's a three year scheme launched by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to encourage residents to give cycling a go, thereby clearing some traffic from the borough's roads and hopefully reducing the inches on the borough's waistline!

So whilst my cycling ability can at best be described as 'novice', I do rather pride myself on my ability to gorge on patisserie. Given that another (obvious) hobby of mine is to explore the local area, after hearing about Bikeminded's latest programme of events, I confess I did rather think I'd died and cycled to heaven!

This weekend, Bikeminded are following up on their successful Blue Plaque tours with a Coffee and Cake Cruise from Notting Hill to Chelsea. Taking in the borough's most prestigious and delicious cafes and cake shops, including the famous macaroons at Pierre Herme in Knightsbridge, the group will be guided through the borough's roads by a group of trained marshalls, with bike-minders on hand to look after their 'wheels' whilst they re-ingest some of the calories they've worked off! If there was ever a way to ease yourself into the rigours of cycling gently, this is eat, and I know where I'm concerned a sure fire way to embed cycling into my heart is via my stomach.

And if you can't make this weekend, Bikeminded have also come up with an eerily fun way to celebrate Halloween locally - with a Ghost Cycling Tour around the borough! Nothing like a few ghoulish sightings to get you pedalling faster!

For more details, check out the Bikeminded website and blog at www.bikeminded.org