FEATURE
STORIES
Oh, Those Quirky Brits
When it comes to wacky contests, nobody does it
better than the very
proper Brits, sans their famous stiff upper lip.
By Jim Prueter
With twilight creeping well past the normal dinner
hour, spring and summer is the best time to see
Britain at its quirky best.
Just two hours from the heart of London, the Cotswolds,
England’s equivalent to The Hamptons on New
York’s Long Island, is an area of wonderfully picturesque
villages and market towns with names like Chipping
Campden, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Stow-on-the-Wold,
and Malmesbury. Replete with historic buildings
that stretch back to medieval times when the continental
wool trade brought fabulous wealth to the region,
the area is best seen by getting off the beaten
track and discovering as you drive.
We used the Cotswold Water Park Four Pillars Hotel
as our base for exploring the area and experiencing
some of the lesser-known “quirky” treasures and
Monty Python-esque events that are more suited
to ample rounds of pints than tea and biscuits.
Cheese-Rolling at Cooper’s Hill
We began our pursuit of the bizarre in Brockworth
on Spring Bank Holiday Monday, climbing Cooper’s
Hill in the cold wind and driving rain.
At precisely noon, dairy farmer and master of ceremonies
Rob Seex released the first-place prize — an eight
pound wheel of double Gloucester cheese — from
the top of the 200-meter, rain-slicked, mud-laden
cliff where dozens of wacky contestants risk life
and limb as they descend literally head over heels
to be the first to reach the finish line — and
the awaiting paramedics from St. John’s Ambulance
Brigade.
Among the thousands of cheering spectators, we
watched as participants clad in soccer jerseys
and rain slickers, a Brazilian wearing white suit
and a guy in a pink pig costume tumbled and slid
toward the finish line.
As he flew across the finish line, first place
winner 20-year-old Chris Anderson, a glassmaker
from nearby Brockton, lay unconscious. Paramedics
hoisted him on a spinal board and trekked to an
awaiting ambulance as thousands cheered their champion.
Later we found the four-time winner, along with
his first-place wheel of cheese (second prize is
10 pounds, about $20 U.S.), celebrating with hundreds
of well-wishers at a local pub where pints of bitter
were flowing faster than participants down the
storied escarpment.
“I had a few cuts and bruises but didn’t need to
visit the hospital, I was only knocked out for
about ten minutes. Three years ago I broke the
bones in my shoulder but still won the race,” the
winner recounted.
Stinking Bishop Cheese
When it comes to cheese, none is more famous than
that made by local truck-driver-turned-cheese-maker,
62-year-old Charles Martell.
Back in 1972, he came to Dymock, Gloucestershire,
with the intent to save the Gloucestershire cow,
whose numbers had dwindled to just 68 in the world.
The purpose for the cow, whose numbers have now
risen to over 500, was to use its 48-percent-fat-content
milk to make cheese.
Martell’s small farm and cheese garnered international
attention when his now famous Stinking Bishop cheese
was made famous with a mention in the 2005 Academy
Award® winning animated film Wallace & Gromit:
The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Soon thereafter,
media from around the world began showing up at
the farm and, in Martell’s words, “Demand rose
by 500 percent.”
Stinking Bishop itself is said to be derived from
a cheese once made by Cistercian monks in the village
of Dymock. While the cheese itself is mild in flavor,
the curing process produces a pungent aroma reminiscent
of smelly socks. This is caused by the rind washing
with the juice from the Gloucestershire native
Perry pear.
But the name itself isn’t derived from the cheese,
rather from a local bishop who, according to Martell,
had a horrible disposition and a mean streak. His
wife dubbed him “a stinker,” to put it mildly.
Martell’s very small cheese making operation is
comprised of just three workers: two cheese makers
and one individual who milks the cows. Martell
has no desire to grow his business and wants to
remain small. Stinking Bishop can be found at better
cheese delis here in the U.S.
Tetbury Wool Sack Race
If you’re quick and not drawn to the celebratory
events at the local pubs following the cheese-rolling
contest, you can head on over to Tetbury to witness
the grueling Tetbury Wool Sack race that starts
mid-afternoon. Exact times aren’t announced.
The village of Tetbury, famous for bordering Prince
Charles’ Highgate estate, honors the
village’s
once-lucrative wool trade each Bank Holiday Monday.
Participants race up and then down steep Gumstool
Hill with a 60-pound sack of wool on their backs.
Women need only lug a 35-pound sack.
The race, which runs conveniently between two pubs,
The Crown Inn and The Royal Oak, is said to have
begun when local drovers — egged on by drink and
a desire to impress the ladies — raced each other
uphill with heavy woolsacks. It’s highly recommended
to avoid the pubs before you race.
Proceeds from the race and accompanying street
fair, entertainment, craft show and auction support
local charities.
Robert Dover’s Cotswold Olimpicks (Shin Kicking)
Every year, on the first Friday in June on Dover’s
Hill near Chipping Campden, the celebrated Cotswold
Olimpick Games are celebrated, and include the
shin-kicking competition. (For some reason the
games were held on May 30 this year, only adding
to the wackiness.)
Annually since 1612, thousands of spectators and
participants are drawn to the countryside for games
including tug-of-war, wrestling and other bizarre
feats.
The highlight of the event is shin kicking. Competitors
first fill their trouser legs with straw to help
protect their shins and hopefully reduce the pain.
Wearing the traditional white smocks associated
with shepherds, participants hold each other by
the arms and attempt to kick each other using steel-toe-capped
boots until one of the contestants is so bruised
and battered that he surrenders from pain. The
winner in the best of three challenges is named
the champion.
A stickler, the ancient name for the judge, makes
certain that the shins are hit before a fall can
count. Of course, victory is fleeting and the worst
possible outcome since you have to keep getting
kicked until somebody finally beats you. The winner,
in the end, is the real “sore loser.”
The Pudding Club
The word “pudding” in Britain means something different
than it does here in the States. If you’re not
familiar with English literature from Charles Dickens,
C.S. Lewis or E. Nesbit, you may not know that
pudding is synonymous with dessert.
Some 30 or 40 years ago it seems Brits began to
lose interest in their traditional steamed puddings
in favor of meal-ending sweets like cheesecake,
black forest gateau and tiramisu.
In 1985, to help prevent the demise of great British
pudding delights like jam roly-poly, syrup sponge,
sticky toffee pudding and Sussex pond pudding,
The Pudding Club was founded at Three Ways House
Hotel near the town of Mickleton.
“There are strict rules to be observed here at
the Pudding Club,” says Peter Henderson, one of
the owners, and organizer and eating coach of the
Club’s regular meetings. The club boasts thousands
of members from around the world who don’t all
show up at the meetings, usually held on the first
and third Friday of each month.
Membership requires only that you show up to one
of the weekly meetings, which are limited to 70
people with reservations made as much as a year
in advance, and pay the 28-pound fee (about $56
U.S.).
What happens at the meetings? Members taste seven
different classic British puddings and vote on
the Pudding of the Night. As Simon tells the crowd,
“It’s a tough job but someone has to do it.”
“We have very strict rules,” announces Peter, “so
pay close attention. Tables will be called upon
one at a time to come up and get their pudding.
You can come up as many times as you want but only
when invited.
“When you come up, remember that you are getting
good exercise so come up often,” he chides. “You
can have only one pudding in your bowl at a time,
and you must finish what you take before you come
up again.”
We started the evening with a modest main course
of roasted chicken and potatoes. Delicious to be
sure, but one doesn’t want to waste valuable room
on chicken when seven traditional puddings await.
Among our puddings for the evening were very chocolate
pudding, tutti frutti, rhubarb crumble, and Lord
Randall’s pudding. Each pudding was accompanied
by lashings of custard. No coffee or tea is served
until you say, “I’m full!”
“We never run out of anything,” says Henderson.
The record is 20 portions. I managed to make it
through 5 before surrendering.
Potter Mary Rose Young
The Forest of Dean has inspired some of England’s
greatest writers and artisans like J.R.R. Tolkien,
J.K. Rowling and Dennis Potter. It’s also home
of quirky and charismatic potter Mary Rose Young.
With her vivid pink hair, bright multi-colored
attire and ever-present smile, Mary Rose is as
colorful and flamboyant as her pottery. She is
known for the signature three-dimensional roses
that adorn her work.
All of her work is handmade: hearts, crowns and
jewels on brightly colored chandeliers; vases,
mugs, dishes and candlesticks decorated with whimsy
and humor. Her work can be found from Rodeo Drive
to Fifth Avenue and everywhere around the world.
“Life should be fun and colorful and filled with
roses,” says Mary Rose as we chat over lunch at
The Butchers Arms in Clearwell, Coleford, Gloucestershire.
The popularity of her work skyrocketed when rock
star Ozzie Osbourne was seen drinking from one
of her brightly colored coffee mugs on his hit
TV show The Osbournes. Her work is now snapped
up by the stars. Even the Queen of England owns
a tea set created by Mary Rose. She fashioned crowns
on the lid and cup handles especially for the queen.
Photos from top to bottom: Jim Prueter; Robert Little; Jim Prueter; Mary Rose Young Pottery
If You Go
American, Delta, Continental, Northwest, US Airways
and United all service London’s Heathrow and
Gatwick airports.
Getting to the Cotswolds from London takes about
an hour and a half by train from Paddington Station,
and about two hours by car. There is no train service
from village to village in the Cotswolds, so it
is best seen by rental car.
For more information:
visitbritain.com/us
puddingclub.com
cotswolds.com
tetburywoolsack.co.uk
cheeserolling.com
four-pillars.co.uk
maryroseyoung.com
