This afternoon I was checking out “You Tube” and the clips for “Ladette to Lady” a popular British reality show where ladettes are turned into ladies
Ladette: Usage: UK
- (informal) a young woman that behaves like a lad.
The show reopened a finishing school, called Eggleston Hall. Once a manor, it is situated in northern England on the north bank of the River Tees near Barnard Castle. It once resided Charles Neville, the 6th Earl of Westmorland. He was implicated in the Rising of the North against Elizabeth I in 1569. When I was 17 years old, the Hall was still a school and I was a student.
True to many English private schools, you pay top coin to have minimal supplies and amenities; faculty and parents call this character building. The school prided themselves for teaching the culinary classes without any electrical appliances other than a stove top and an oven. They call this “finishing school”, at the time however, I thought it was where the head mistress designed a year long curriculum to dick around with flowers and torture young women with cookware.
One exasperating experience came when choux pastry was being prepared. Since food processors was not available, this dense bowel of fattening goo must be beaten with a wooden spoon over a period of a couple of days. All girls went to bed with pain in our entire upper appendages. We finally made dessert with this mess and that was the last eclair that ever passed my lips.
I have some fond memories of my stay, particularly my runs in the breathtaking countryside. Two hour runs were not unusual for me, really these are some of the best moments of my life. A dilapidated church and cementary from the 11th Century was on the property. The students were forbidden to enter the premises, but I frequently toured. I tried my only cigarette when I gallivated with a group of classmates to the local corner store, but at three pounds ($6) a pack, even if I didn’t think it was horrid habit, I could not afford it. Memories are vast, perhaps inclusion at a later date.
Currently, Donald Trump is looking to cast Eliot Spitzer’s, former Governer of New York, hooker Ashley Alexander Dupré to join the cast of an American version of the show. At least she is going from Ladette to Lady and not the other way around, as in my case.
LADETTE TO LADY: Episode 1 (Clip)
Thanks very much for your quite interesting and informative blog entry, Jessie. I always find it worthwhile to learn more about your “earlier days.”
The latter part of your entry reminded me that about a dozen years ago I made choux pastry/pâte à choux dough in order to prepare profiteroles/mini cream puffs filled with a delicious bittersweet chocolate mousse. However, the recipe I used must have been much easier than the recipe which Eggleston Hall’s teachers told you and your fellow students to use (either that, or I had “beginner’s luck”). I say that because, even though I only used a wooden spoon and “arm power” to mix and beat the dough, it only took me about 30 minutes of relatively easy beating for the dough to reach the appropriately smooth, satiny stage, and about another 30 minutes to bake the profiteroles. In case you or any of your blog’s other readers might like to try (in the future) a recipe similar to the one I used, it’s contained in citation #1. Also, more excellent information re choux pastry is contained in citation #2.
Citation #1:
http://www.baking911.com/recipes/pastry/pateachoux.htm
Citation #2: http://www.baking911.com/pastry/pateachoux.htm
Thank you for your recipes, Wheatgerm. Beatening the pastry is easier for a full grown man, as in yourself, than it is for 17 year old girls. Now I remember, the pastry was made during an evening class. With time restraits, we stored it in the refridgerator for final preparations of the delicacies for the next class the following day. In order to use the dough, we had to beat it again which was taxing since it was cold.
Another note: There is something to be said when you make/do something because you want to. Thus, even if it is challenging you do it joyfully thus did not mind or may not notice the difficulties. However, when you are forced to do something when you already exhausted from a grooling schedule we always kept, it is a grind and you are going to bitch…at least a ladette would
“There is something to be said when you make/do something because you want to.”
Agreed. People used to comment to me that it takes a lot of work to make your own bread, but I find the ‘work’ involved to be a real stress reliever. I doubt I would find as much joy in it if I were doing it as a daily job.
Eggleston Hall looks rather primitive, even now.I wonder what is would be like to live there through a cold English Winter. Drink lot’s of hot tea ?
This is so interesting. Are they filming the entire show at the school and if so, do you recognize the rooms and grounds? The show must bring back a lot of memories. I wish they would just show the English shows on American TV instead of remaking them. I think the English versions are always better. Your old school sounds like a very idyllic setting and I can picture you running forever over the rolling hills.
Sorry, but I can’t agree with the last sentence on going from lady to ladette, you are still a lady and always will be.
Victor: The winter was brutal. Girls were divided up betweeen the 4 massive rooms (enrollment was small perhaps 30 girls total). In my room, there were 6 girls (the girl to my right would put on deodorant before going to bed..strange). I wore a one piece flannel pajama WITH FEET during the winter. It was that bloody cold.
JohnC: I keep watching the clip cause it does bring back memories. When they show the sign “Eggleston Hall” to the left of it is another kitchen, of which are many. It was used by the servants in the day. It was where I prepared the choux pastry. The big hall with the chandalar with the dinner party. I remember. Where they are having dance lessons actually looks like the dining room. I chuckled over the clip about preparing the game bird. I have a story about that one.
My mind is unable to conjure an image of you in footed, flannel PJs, can… not… focus