Snowy Wednesday Morning Walks

A few little flurries will not stop the intrepid Wednesday morning walkers - and here are the photos to prove it.

If you can get to Hyde Park or Regent's Park for an early morning walk on Wednesdays, please check your latest e-newsletter and let Lois Darley know that you would like to join us! We promise it won't snow every week...

Februry Hospitality: Lily Harriss

Our Hospitality morning last Tuesday, February 9th was an extra special affair – joining coffee, art, and humanitarianism.

Our first speaker, Lily Harriss, presented highlights of the Dulwich Picture Gallery. We were impressed to learn the Gallery’s history which began with only a few paintings from the private collection of friends Noël Desenfans and Sir Francis Bourgeois.

Lily Harriss with Patty Bell

The two men acquired more paintings after they were commissioned by the King of Poland to create a Royal Collection. But with the partitioning of Poland, the collection lacked a home. It was bequeathed by Bourgeois to Dulwich College, Sir John Soane was commissioned as architect of a new building, and the Gallery opened to the public in 1817. It is distinguished as being the first public art gallery in England and now displays a variety of art including Old Masters such as Rembrandt, Van Dyck, and Poussin.

Lily talked about her role as Director of Development, where she plays a leading role in managing relationships with donors and raising funds to support the Gallery. As a Canadian, Lily is particularly excited about a Tom Thomson and Group of Seven exhibition that will be opening at the Dulwich Picture Gallery in 2011. Without a doubt, the CWC will be there!

We were very pleased that one of the Canadian Centennial Scholarship Fund students was able to attend Tuesday's presentation by Lily. Eleanor von Aderkas, pictured below, is currently studying Easel Painting Conservation at the Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge. A short article about Eleanor will be published on the blog soon!

Deborah Bowsher, Eleanor Von Aderkas, Arlene Greenhouse

The day was concluded by our second speaker, Isabelle Mignault, who spoke about her friends and experiences in Haiti and who gave a moving plea in both English and French for aide to the Haitians, especially the children, whose lives were devastated by the earthquake.

Isabelle Mignault

Renee Marie Vanasse and Isabelle Mignault

The CWC held a fundraiser on Tuesday– a Quake Bake – to support the Haitians. Along with donations made by Quebec House staff, we raised more than £300 by bringing and purchasing delicious treats. An additional £100 was donated by Canadian High Commission staff, with the full amount given to the Haitian branch of the Fondation contre l'indifférence pour l'aide à l'enfance, (Foundation again the indifference to child welfare), supported by Isabelle.

Thank you to all who participated.

Written by Laurel Steuernagel and submitted by the IT with Te@ group

Morning with Marcia Kilgore

Last Friday at Canada House, CWC members and our guests were treated to a very special event featuring Canadian Marcia Kilgore. As the founder of Bliss Spas and the creative force behind the popular Soap & Glory beauty line, Marcia's most recent venture has been the launch of Fitflop footwear. We wanted to find out how someone with such humble Canadian beginnings became a worldwide success, what inspired her to set up these businesses, and what continues to inspire her today.

We invited a fellow Canadian, author and fashionista Bronwyn Cosgrave to pose some questions to Marcia. We were instantly captivated by Marcia's energy, sense of humour and positive attitude. We learned that after having worked as a personal trainer and bodybuilder in Saskatchewan, Marcia moved to New York City to join her sister, a fashion model. With only $300 dollars left, and knowing she wanted to stay, Marcia's entrepreneurial spirit kicked in. Working as a personal trainer, her network of contacts grew. After taking a summer off to study skincare, Marcia added facials to her range of services. Realising that her talent in working with people was in helping them to feel good as well as look good, Marcia created a small spa - and then a much larger spa. Marcia told us it wasn't difficult coming up with the name of her new spa: she wanted to create an environment where clients could escape from their daily routine - a soothing and relaxed atmosphere...Bliss Spa, New York was launched!

After creating some products for sale through her spa, and a mention in Vogue magazine, she attracted thousands of new customers (including Oprah!). Even with this attention, however, Marcia stayed grounded. A Bliss Spa was launched in London, bringing Marcia here to train her staff. With her next venture, Marcia launched the Soap & Glory product line - making cosmetics more affordable and showcasing her wit and humour with lipgloss names like Sexy Motherpucker.

Determined to find a way to help busy women tone their legs, Marcia's next successful product involved collaborating with biomechanic scientists and shoe designers to produce the Fitflop. With thousands of happy customers (including several CWC members!) and the science to back up its claims, the Fitflop is taking the footwear market by storm and making exercise quite literally a walk in the park!

Marcia truly has an inspirational story to tell, and her talk was a breath of fresh air for us all. Bronwyn's insightful questions helped to make it a truly memorable morning for all in attendance.

To make the event extra special, some of our guests were thrilled to win one of our fabulous door or raffle prizes! With proceeds going to the CWC's charitable arm, the Maple Leaf Trust, we were very thankful to Leblas for donating some gorgeous earrings and vouchers, to Marcia for providing a Soap & Glory gift box and Fitflop sandals, to Bronwyn for an autographed copy of her book Made for Each Other: Fashion and the Academy Awards, to Running Bare Ltd for a voucher for Fitflops, and to Van Twisk for the flowers.

Late addition: This was the CWC's first fundraiser in 2010 for the Maple Leaf Trust and more than £1,000 was raised. Thank you again for your support!

Submitted by Laurel Steuernagel Steuernagel with photography by Flora Tan and Barbara Richards. Click on the picture at the top to enlarge the photos or play the slideshow!

Culinary Corner: Entertaining with Appetizers

Anne Van Gieson, our Culinary Corner hostess, showed us how to create some delicious appetizers on Wednesday, January 27th. Split into small teams, we each learned to make one or two small dishes that we then presented to the rest of the group and enjoyed along with a glass of delicious wine. Anne's next Culinary Corner is in March, featuring Easter Traditions.

Here are just a few of the useful tips passed on by Anne - along with a recipe for you to try.

Entertaining with appetizers is a new and less traditional way to entertain guests and family. It is particularly suitable for those of us who live in smaller spaces without a large, formal dining room. In taking the plunge to do so there are a few simple guidelines to remember:

1. How much to prepare? Allow 6 pieces per person for the first hour, and another 4 pieces per person for every additional hour.
2. It is important to have some appetizers that can be prepared several hours ahead.
3. Have a mix of both hot and cold appetizers.
4. Try to have back up platters in the kitchen, ready to replenish the ones on your serving table as they become depleted.
5. If serving appetizers before a dinner, don't overdo it! A mere 3 or 4 items person willbe enough.
6. When placing items on platters, allow enough space between them so that your guests can easily pick them up without their fingers touching the neighbouring appetizer.
7. A good indication that a party is coming to an end is to bring out small chocolates, cookies, etc.

Pistachio Chicken

This recipe makes about 30 pieces. They can be eaten warm, room temperature or from the refrigerator.

2 lbs chicken pieces (off the bone)

Marinade:

2 cups buttermilk

1 tbsp mustard

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tbsp basil

1 tbsp oregano

Coating:

1 lb pistachios, finely chopped to make about 4 cups (other nuts - hazelnuts or smoked almonds - can be used in combination with, or as a replacement to pistachios)

3/4 cups breadcrumbs (try using whole wheat or sourdough)

3 eggwhites, beaten well

3/4 cup flour

sea salt and pepper

Rapeseed or canola oil for frying

Method

Combine buttermilk, mustard, and spices in a bowl. Cut chicken filets if required into 1.5" inch pieces. Pound lightly if necessary to reduce thickness so that they cook evenly when fried. Add to marinade being sure all pieces are covered. Marinade for a min. of 6 hours or overnight if possible.

Grind or chop nuts to a point where most are well ground but with some little chunks left for texture. Combine with breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Place on a flat plate when you're ready to coat.

After marinating, coat chicken pieces first with flour, then the eggwhites and finally the nuts. Put coated pieces in the fridge to set for 30 minutes. When ready to fry, heat a few tablespoons of oil. Fry slowly, at a medium to low heat for 5 - 7 minutes, turning a couple of times to be sure chicken is cooked through and has turned a golden brown. Serve right away or place on a tray to cool. You may wish to season with a bit of extra salt and pepper - to your own taste! Although delicious on their own, you may wish to serve with a small bowl of a light yoghurt for dipping.

Submitted by Anne Van Gieson

Visit to Dennis Severs' House

The CWC journeyed back in time 300 years on our exciting trip to Dennis Severs' House on Friday, January 29th.

Visiting this historic gem, located in London's Spitalfields, feels like entering into a still-life painting of a time long since past, but with the smell of food being cooked and the distant ringing of church bells to stimulate the senses.

A truly authentic experience, we were invited to silently tour the candlelit house and peer into the lives of an imagined 18th century Huguenot family. With each room frozen in time, decorated as former owner Dennis Severs envisioned it would have looked those many years ago, we were reminded of the House motto: "You either see it or you don't."

In the parlour, a feast was in full swing with meat pies, pomegranates, bread, oysters, and fruit covering the table. Wood-burning fireplaces in every room, quill and ink on the tables, and a clothes line draped in white linens were all reminders of a distant, less convenient age. The vast collection of china and oriental rugs along with the maps and globes reveal a lifestyle of elegance and worldliness that helped usher in our current global age.

This house speaks volumes about London’s history and although we had to stick to the rules of maintaining silence (and no photos) throughout the visit we enjoyed learning more about the creative artist Dennis Severs and the Spitalfields area from our host and curator, David Milne - pictured with us.

A fun time was had by all! Thank you to Art and Design Leader Unni Claridge for finding this gem and to Flora Tan for admin on the day.

Tours of the house can be booked strictly by appointment only! Visit the Dennis Servers' House website for more information.

Submitted by Laurel Steurnagel.

Let's Do Lunch: Royal Automobile Club

The Emancipation Run from London to Brighton celebrated the passing into law of the 'Locomotives on the Highway Act', which raised the speed limit for 'Light Locomotives' from 4 miles per hour to 14 - and also abolished the requirement to be preceded by a man on foot.

This was just one of the many interesting facts about automobiles we learned on January 21st on our Let's Do Lunch escapade to the Royal Automobile Club on London's prestigious Pall Mall. Our group of 15 was given a delightfully informative tour of the Club's premises.

We had a glimpse of men swimming in the wonderful indoor pool (the jewel in the crown of the RAC), were swept past the Turkish baths and squash courts, and admired the many elegant rooms available for hire for special events and meetings, including the yellow Drawing Room, which was formerly known as the Ladies Salon. We ended the tour posing beside a lovely vintage car.

After our tour, we enjoyed a looooong and leisurely lunch in the beautiful Brooklands Bar and Restaurant. The majority of us chose the fish and chips dish - absolutely delicious!

We would like to thank our member, Svetlana, for hosting us at the RAC and allowing us non-members of glimpse into the glamour and history of the Club.

Submitted by CWC Vice-President, Patty Bell

Meet Fitflop entrepreneur Marcia Kilgore

***News just in*** We have some fabulous door and raffle prizes to give away at this event - including a voucher for a pair of Fitflop sandals from the new 2010 range!!

Click here for details

Please help us to spread the word about this event as ticket and raffle proceeds go to support our charity, the Maple Leaf Trust.