This is the final segment on my visit to England. I know my third segment was about a month ago but I wanted a lavender recipe to accompany this post. For a while I was undecided on what to make. While preparing to bake a loaf of bread yesterday, it finally dawned on me that I could use some of the culinary lavender I purchased during my visit to flavor the loaf.
Before we move on to the recipe, I would like to share some pictures with you. On my return from Liverpool, my friend DongXing and I spent an entire day in London followed by an excursion out to the city of Bath in the south west of England. The city was first established as a spa during Roman times and today, it has been designated as a World Heritage Site. I don’t think anyone takes a bath there anymore.
Next to the Roman Baths is the Bath Abbey. Founded in the 7th century, it is particularly noted for its fan vaulting ceiling. As I had a lot of ground to cover, I did not go inside the abbey but you can enjoy a 360° tour of the abbey here.
Our next stop was The Jane Austen Centre with its award winning Regency Tea room. We took the tour which lasted about one and a half hours by which time, the tea room was full. We had tea at a different venue instead.
Not far from the Jane Austen Centre is The Circus and Royal Crescent, examples of Georgian architecture by architect John Wood the Elder and his son, John Wood the Younger in the 18th century. The town houses at The Circus are divided into three curved segments of equal length forming a circle. The townhouses at the Royal Crescent forms a semi-circle facing the Royal Victoria Park.
By the time we were done with The Circus and Royal Crescent, it was getting late and we headed back towards the train station. We had to stop by Sally Lunn’s House, the oldest house in Bath. This is the home of the original Bath Bun.
Those Sally Lunn buns were huge!
Bath is a charming city to visit, full of history, things to do, and places to see. I really enjoyed meandering through the city and taking in the awesome sights and sounds.
On the final day of my stay, we visited Lavender Fields. I have always wanted to visit a lavender farm and thanks to DongXing, I finally got to do that. Love that field of purple haze!
A visit to Lavender Fields would not be complete without visiting The Lavender Shop. Everything in there was so fragrant! Of course we bought several bags of culinary lavender among other things…
Big HUGS to my dear friend, DongXing, and her lovely family for hosting my stay! I had a wonderful time and cannot thank them enough for their most gracious hospitality. ♥♥♥
Now, let us get back to the the Lavender Walnut Bread. This recipe was adapted from Food & Wine. I used the bread machine this time but you can certainly use the stand mixer or knead by hand.
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:66]
This bread has a subtle lavender fragrance and is delicious with lemon curd and a cup of Lavender tea or Earl Grey tea.
Here are the links to the first 3 parts of my travel…
Coddled Eggs and Merry Olde England
The White Cake Album, Liverpool
English Fish Pie and London
Enjoy…..and have a wonderful day! 8)
torviewtoronto says
September 29, 2011 at 11:44 amlovely post Biren
anncoo says
September 29, 2011 at 11:47 amThis is a lovely post Biren. I can’t stop admiring at those beautiful pictures taken in UK. Wish I can be there soon.
I love your walnut bread too with a hint of lavender flavour in it. Definitely good to come with a cup of lavender tea 🙂
Lyn says
September 29, 2011 at 12:54 pmBeautiful pics! I’ve never tried any Lavender flavored food before and guessed must be very nice with the aroma. 😉
Belinda @zomppa says
September 29, 2011 at 3:50 pmWhat a grand adventure! How much fun. The bread is beautiful – love the hint of lavender.
Jamie @ the unseasoned wok says
September 29, 2011 at 8:19 pmCulinary lavender! Ooh I could have some fun with that! I love seeing pictures of your trip since it doesn’t look like I’ll be traveling any time soon. Thanks biren for this beautiful post!
tns says
September 29, 2011 at 8:54 pmLoved the pix of the trip…recently had a friend visit bath and am looking fwd to visiting someday…loved lookin at the pix of the lavenderfield……so aromatic !!
the bread looks exotic…..!!! wld give anything to taste it 🙂
Nasi Lemak Lover says
September 30, 2011 at 12:37 amThanks for sharing the lovely pictures. and the bread sound healthy and good.
Chris says
September 30, 2011 at 2:57 amLovely pictures of UK – thanks for sharing.
Joanne says
September 30, 2011 at 7:09 amThis is such a lovely bread! I always adore the idea of baking with lavender but am kind of scared to do it. In bread form it sounds perfect, though!
Katherine Martinelli says
September 30, 2011 at 10:58 amYour trip to Bath sounds so nice (I’ve never been – only to London!) and this bread looks absolutely delightful! Walnut and lavender seem like a lovely combination, not one that I’ve had in bread before!
Katherine Martinelli says
October 2, 2011 at 3:20 amAlso, I have an award for you 🙂 It’s waiting here: http://www.katherinemartinelli.com/blog/2011/tofu-satay-with-peanut-dipping-sauce/
Biren says
October 4, 2011 at 7:40 amThanks Katherine! That’s very sweet of you to think of me. 🙂
Hyosun Ro says
September 30, 2011 at 11:22 amNice photos of the trip to Bath! The bread with lavender flavor sounds awesome too. This post also reminds of my bread machine that has not seen daylight for a long time. LoL!
tigerfish says
September 30, 2011 at 2:55 pmBath is one unique city, isnt’ it? I was there such a long time ago and goodness, Sally Lunn buns are still there! Wow! Thanks for sharing.
Shu han says
September 30, 2011 at 4:39 pmlooks delicious! i thought that was kaya on the bread at first haha! but the tangy lemon will sure go well with the fragant lavender!
Biren says
October 4, 2011 at 7:43 amActually the lemon curd does remind me of kaya. Sadly, I have not tasted kaya in a while.
Blackswan says
October 1, 2011 at 12:42 amBiren, I love how your combine your post with recipe & your trip. Totally adore the pix of your lavender top & the surroundings 🙂
Biren says
October 4, 2011 at 7:44 amAww…thanks Shirley! It was nice to have an outfit that matches the surroundings. 😉
Cheah says
October 1, 2011 at 9:29 pmGreat post. I’ve been to Bath too but it was quite dark when we arrived. Love those old ancient stone buildings.
elisabeth@foodandthrift says
October 1, 2011 at 10:38 pmBiren-your England photos are absolutely beautiful. They look like a series of postcards. Love the lavender field, and such a nice and happy photo of you:DDD
The lavender walnut bread is truly a delight…unusual and delicate flavor added from the lavender. Turned out amazing!
Julie M. says
October 2, 2011 at 8:23 pmIt sounds like you had a wonderful trip over the pond. That lavender looks beautiful – I can almost smell it! Such a beautiful loaf you created to honor the experience.
Biren says
October 4, 2011 at 7:48 amThanks Julie! I did have a wonderful time. 🙂 I still have lots of lavender and hope to make more goodies with it.
Jeannie says
October 4, 2011 at 12:26 amI love looking at your beautiful photos of your visit to UK and that lavender bread of yours is so fluffy! I can imagine how wonderful it smelt. I still have some lavendar that I could use:D Thanks for sharing, Biren:)
Nami | Just One Cookbook says
October 6, 2011 at 11:44 pmI’ve been dreaming about going to UK for a long time. You keep reminding how wonderful place to visit. Oh this bread looks so nice! I actually have a bread machine… maybe it’s time to take it out from the pantry. The lemon curd makes my mouth water… my fav!!!
Magic of Spice says
October 8, 2011 at 12:05 pmOh, a lavender shop…I could be lost for days in there 🙂 I adore this bread, the aroma must be unbelievably amazing!
Casey says
October 12, 2011 at 4:15 pmThese are beautiful and interesting photos. Your bread is even more beautiful.