Seaside Hotels/Jacques Tati/Nigella
High summer
I couldn’t let summer slip past without a note about some of my favourite warm weather things.
David and I really enjoyed the Danish TV series Seaside Hotel. The story line revolves around a group of well heeled tourists who return to the same wonderful hotel year after year. It spans 1928 through to WW2. Set on the north coast of Denmark, (Jutland I believe) on a stunning beach in an area of outstanding beauty. I loved the style of the hotel. So full of charm. Simple yet refined, without the stuffiness. I began to wonder whether this kind of hotel still existed. So, off I went down that rabbit hole on the hunt for something small(ish), charming, simple and that would instantly take me on a holiday by the sea. Somewhere you would want to go back to summer after summer.
In my mind’s eye it has a summer house informality; simple furniture, sisal rugs, wooden floors, pure cotton linens, simple eating, locally sourced menus, subtle hues of greys, blues, greens, soft whites offset by pops of summery yellows. And of course, the requisite sea view.
My top picks: bearing in mind some are more equal than others :-)
Fogo Island Inn, Nfld, Canada the ultimate seaside hotel when money is no object :-)
Hotel Tresanton, Saint Mawes, Cornwall, UK a very elegant seaside town.
Svinklov Badehotel, Denmark, Classic, wild setting.
Seaside Boarding House, Dorset, UK West Country chic
Grandes Hotel de Bains, Brittany FR We’re going to Brittany next year so I’m trying to book a couple of days here.
Hotel Flaubert, Normandy ,FR Fun and casual. Also hoping to book.
The Blakeney Hotel, Norfolk, UK quietly chic in Norfolk
Hotel de la Tour, Sanary sur Mer, Provence, FR French seaside town with the sounds of sailboats clinking and bobbing in the pretty harbour.
Jacques Tati
Of course, the quintessential summer film for me……
I continue to encourage you to support your local library and watch on Kanopy . If you have a library card and your library is linked, it’s free ! David and I watched this recently and it’s still good fun and a laugh. And let’s face it, when was the last time you watched a film and no one swears ?
Nigella
Tune in for the ricotta hot cakes recipe. Stay for the classic beach cottage vibes :-)
Now THIS is summertime living ! Laidback, imperfect, nothing at all like home, just a moment in time. It’s certainly what I remember of some friend’s cottages as a kid. Opened up for the summer. Closed down in the autumn. But stretches of long hot summer days (with the odd raucous thunderstorm) and doing very little, will remain with me forever. It was heaven.
BTW, my favourite way to serve Ricotta hotcakes comes from Bill Granger’s Australia cookbook.
Do not. I repeat. Do not do what I did which was buy a bee’s honeycomb to make the honeycomb butter. What a disaster that was (LOL). I finally figured out that the butter can simply be made with a crushed up Crunchie bar. So skip the whole section on making the honeycomb, buy a Crunchie and go right to the butter and hotcakes bit. Delicious.
Hope you’re having a beautiful summer !
As always, thanks for reading. I’m absolutely thrilled you’re here.
Margaret