London Holiday
Ben and I hopped across the pond this Thanksgiving, where we spent 2 days in London, and 2 days in a countryside village so utterly charming, it's where they filmed The Holiday!
Nothing says Thanksgiving quite like…fish and chips? Last week, Ben and I continued our tradition of traveling internationally over Thanksgiving, this time to London, also with some time in the British countryside, in the charming village of Odiham.
Arrival in London
London marked our seventh year of eating Thankgiving dinner in another country.
Initially, we started leaving the U.S. over Thanksgiving weekend when Ben was an attorney, because that Thursday/Friday were the only two consecutive vacation days he had without taking further time off.
Some years, we’d just travel for a long weekend and visit one city (Mexico City and Barcelona being recent favorites).
Others, we’d take the entire following week off to extend the two free vacation days into a 10-day trip (Thailand, Vietnam, Istanbul + greater Turkey, Japan).
Since Ben left the law firm to work with me on Well Plated full-time, we do have the flexibility to travel at other times of year, but we’ve stuck with our international Thanksgiving tradition for a few reasons.
Our team takes time off (which makes work quieter than usual), and as soon as Thanksgiving day (the equivalent of the food blogging Super Bowl) has passed, greater America takes a break from cooking.
London was an easy choice for this year’s Thanksgiving. I’ve always wanted to see the city at Christmas time (it’s magic!). One of our very first friends in Park City, Jess, is from an hour outside of London and is home taking care of her mom. I have family in London myself, AND we can fly direct. Destiny!
A note on jetlag: Despite my God-given ability to fall asleep literally anywhere, including airplanes, our first order of business when we travel overseas is a nap.
You’ll read a variety of theories as to the best way to overcome jet lag your first day. One is to power through to reset your internal clock—it’s never worked for us.
Ever since Ben almost faceplanted into his tempura while nodding off during our first dinner in Tokyo, we’ve implemented a 60-to 90-minute arrival nap.
One of my favorite things about Europe is the ease of train travel.
After our initial afternoon and evening in London (complete with a trip around the London Eye, an amazing meal at Elystan Street, and the aforementioned nap), we hopped a train from Waterloo, and one hour later were jumping into Jess’ arms.
As an extra fun twist, Jess’ husband Sam extended his stay and surprised us by still being in town. It made for a cozy ride in the Mini Cooper with four bags, four adults, and one very enthusiastic golden doodle.
English Countryside: A Weekend Straight Out of The Holiday
Jess’ village felt like a page torn from a romantic holiday movie, and that’s because…it is.
The movie The Holiday was filmed in the surrounding area. I channeled my inner Cameron Diaz cashmere vibes and kept an eye out for Jude Law.
Ben and I stayed in a room above Bel and the Dragon, one of the town’s two pubs, which sit side-by-side on the town’s main street, referred to as the “High Street.” It was beyond charming.
Pub culture is one of the things about England that I treasure most, and I don’t think we really have an equivalent in the U.S.
Morning, noon, or night, you can come to the pub, have a cup of tea or coffee, grab a meal, or sip a beer for as long as you like. Your neighbors will probably pop in at some point, and you’ll chat. You’re encouraged to linger.
Whether you’re in Odiham (population 900?) or London (population 9 million), a pub is a place to socialize, to feel safe, to simply be.
Which is how we wound up taking breakfast, lunch, happy hour, AND dinner at the same pub. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Pub food is HEARTY—steak and kidney pot pie; fish and chips; sausages and mashed potatoes, you get the idea. On a cold, drizzly England day (which from my sample size is most of them), it sure hits the spot.
Two of my favorite meals on the trip were the “full English breakfast” and a Sunday roast.
A traditional full English breakfast contains eggs, beans, hashbrowns, sausages, one or two types of bacon (in England if you say “bacon,” your server will think you mean Canadian bacon; American bacon is referred to as “streaky bacon”), black pudding (the friendlier name for blood sausage), toast, and—almost as an afterthought—a roasted mushroom.
At home, I’m more of a protein overnight oats sort of breakfast girlie, but W-O-W. The “full English” really slaps, especially after a night drinking at the pub.
Sunday roast is a tradition I was less familiar with, and it quickly became one of my favorite aspects of English life.
A “roast” is an ample plate of roasted meat (usually beef, though pork and even turkey are popular too) served alongside potatoes, carrots, gravy, and Yorkshire pudding, which is similar to a popover but made with beef fat.
Further accompaniments can include pigs in a blanket (sausages wrapped in bacon) and sausage stuffing.
This is all before you get to dessert, which, puzzlingly, is referred to as “pudding,” though it is not to be confused with Yorkshire pudding.
A Sunday roast can be served at any hour, though it’s traditionally enjoyed sometime between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. You can find it at pubs uniquely on Sundays, and families will cook it at home, hanging in the kitchen to chat as the meat slowly cooks away.
I’m making it a bucket list item to cook a Sunday roast this winter (I even have my Grammy’s popover pans), even if I never live up to The Mill House’s exquisite spread.
As good fortune would have it, our visit to Odiham coincided with the annual Christmas Extravaganza.
The High Street shut down from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and filled with food stalls, carnival games (including a “human slot machine” in which volunteers sat side-by-side in homemade cardboard slot windows and simultaneously held up actual pieces of fruit), and three different options for mulled wine, all of which we sampled.
A few other favorite Odiham area stops: Caviste wine shop (where we sipped English sparkling with the owner Charles), Newlyn’s farm shop (home of the tallest English muffins I’ve ever seen, pictured above), and The Folly (for many a cappuccino to shake the remaining jet lag).
There’s also oddly a Four Seasons right down the road, so if you fancy a bit of posh, you can nip in and have your fill (<—did I sound British there?).
But mostly the time was special because we spent it with great friends in Jess’ hometown, laughing and swapping stories.
As you make friends in adulthood, the opportunity to see where they grew up isn’t built-in. I’m grateful for this window, because the privilege brought me closer to a dear friend.
Back to London
After a jam-packed, yet relaxing two days in Odiham, we were back to London and in full sightseeing mode.
I’ve added our favorite restaurants and activities to my London Guide. We found some great ones, so if you’re heading over anytime soon, be sure to check it out.
My London Guide – Best Restaurants, Activities, and More
A good friend who studied abroad in London once described it as “the world in a city.” After having visited London a third time, I must say that sums it up perfectly.
Being in London at Christmastime was pure magic and really set me in the spirit. In fact, it’s part of what inspired me to write this list of 35 Ways to Make Your Own Holiday Magic.
35 Ways to Make Your Own Holiday Magic
Since Ben and I don’t have children, Christmas requires a bit more intentional effort. No one’s begging to bake cookies, demanding we drive around to see Christmas lights, or insisting we watch Elf for the 18th time.
From elaborate storefront displays, to lights crosscrossing the boulevards, to the fact that cozy pub culture feels tailor-made for the holidays, if you have the opportunity to visit around the holidays at any point, I highly recommend it!
If you need me, I’ll be off watching The Holiday for the second time this year! I have some flirting with Jude Law to do…
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I am so jealous that you can sleep easily and anywhere. This is 180 degrees not me and I spend the first 2-4 days in Europe strugglingggg. I wish I could just, you know, nap! Christian and I were up in London for the day in late September (took train from Paris) and your weather looks perfect. Ours was classic London and it rained. We were up in the London Eye too that was cool!
Another fun-filled post, Erin!! You always describe the ‘feeling’ of visited places so magically!! While you were embracing English culture at the pubs, I was experiencing British culture watching SIX in Chicago. Not quite the same magical ‘feeling’ hearing their stories, but very fun-filled!!