Yes, I'm British. A healthy mix of English, Scottish and Welsh - with just a touch of the Viking invader about me. (I have the blue eyes.) I'm fascinated by why 'we' do what 'we' do and I love the sense of being part of a long and colourful history. Check this space for fun snippets of British life (some of which make it into my writing). Enjoy! ~ Natasha

British Summer Time – and with optimism flying in the face of experience we risk outdoor theatre performances. I love them! I have very fond memories of acting in ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ in the open-air. The possibility of rain added a real sense of danger because while the audience was kept dry, we actors got wet.

One of the loveliest things to do in London between May and September is visit Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (at right). Although, if I’m honest, try and aim for high summer as it can get very chilly. Oh, and take a cushion.

I very nearly sent Hugh and Amy from The Business Arrangement there, but changed my mind in favour of a walk near the Millenium Bridge because I thought they had a lot to talk over!

If you stand with your back to the Millenium Bridge and face the Tate Modern you will see Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on the left. It’s a faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse where Shakespeare worked. Audiences sit in a gallery or stand – the groundlings – in the yard, exactly as they would have done 400 years ago.

6,000 bundles of Norfolk Water Reed were used on the Globe’s roof.

36,000 handmade bricks were used in the construction.

90 tons of lime putty were used for the Tudor brickwork

168,000 metres of oak laths were used for both sides of the walls.

This year you can see ‘The Tempest’, ‘Pericles, Prince of Tyre’ and ‘The Winter’s Tale’.  Not my personal favourites, I confess. Hermione’s ‘statue’ coming to life doesn’t quite do it for me – all I can think of is the wasted time. I really do like very happy endings ….

Between April 2005 and February 2006 the Globe is also staging a major
exhibition called 'Shakespeare and the Gunpowder Plot' to mark the 400th
anniversary of the attempt to blow up King and Parliament.

So, in keeping with the theme of Elizabethan London, here is GOSEBERIE TARTE -- a Tudor recipe for you. 

Best of Luck!

Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot ....

As soon as summer is over I start to think about Bonfire Night. I've always enjoyed Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night - I even put it in For Our Children's Sake. In primary schools across England, children recite the rhyme above and draw chalk pictures…

Here's the history:

In 1603, after the death of Queen Elizabeth 1, James VI of Scotland was crowned James 1 of England. As Catholic hopes faded that the new king would be their salvation, the five initial conspirators, Guy Fawkes among them, met and swore an oath on the Holy Sacrament to blow up the King and the Houses of Parliament.

They first hired lodgings close to Parliament House and begun by digging a tunnel. Some say it became unstable because of water seeping in from the River Thames, others say they were blocked by the thick walls of Parliament House. Either way the tunnel idea was abandoned.

Next they acquired a cellar within the Parliament buildings and the conspirators hid 36 barrels of gunpowder there. In 1605, at midnight on 4th November, Guy Fawkes was discovered in the cellar and arrested. On 7th November, after severe torture, he confessed to treason. He was executed on 31st January 1606. Actually he was hung, drawn and quartered which has to be the most hideous thing ever devised. The victim is first hung by the neck but is taken down from the scaffold whilst still alive. The entrails and genitals are then removed and the torso hacked into four quarters.

On 5th November each year huge firework displays and, traditionally, the burning of an effigy of Guy Fawkes celebrates the failure of the plot. A 'guy' is made by filling old clothes with newspapers to look like a man. When I was a child it was still common for children to display their 'guys' and ask for 'A penny for the guy'. I never liked seeing my 'guy' burn and I've never made one with my children. I think the practice is gradually falling out of favour.

But, did you know that until 1959 it was illegal not to celebrate the date of Guy Fawkes's arrest?

Can you tell I love history? Is it any wonder I made Dominic Grayling a historian!

No Bonfire Party in our house would be complete without our version of Hot Dogs. Very easy - we have to double the recipe below.

2 tbsp sunflower oil
6 large British pork sausages, preferably organic
1 large onion, sliced
1 tsp yellow mustard seeds
6 big flour tortillas
2 tbsp tomato relish

• Preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/Gas 6. Pour the oil into the tin and put it in the oven for a couple of minutes to heat up. Add the sausages to the hot tin and roast for ten minutes.
• Push the sausages to the outer edges of the tin and scatter the sliced onion in the centre. Sprinkle the onion slices with the mustard seeds and some salt and pepper and turn them to coat in the hot oil at the bottom of the tin. Return to the oven for 10-15 minutes until the sliced onions are golden and the sausages cooked through.
• Briefly heat the tortillas. Place a sausage and some onion on each one, top with a spoonful of relish and roll, folding the bottom over. ≠
• Add in baked potatoes finished off on the bonfire, hot chocolate and toffee apples and it's perfect. We also tie ring doughnuts to string and you have to eat them without licking your lips. And don't forget the apple bobbing - your choice whether you cheat and leave on the stalks!

Have fun.

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