No, really.
Upper crust… to pie crust.
Let’s go down the Strand.
And not the Strand you think you know.
Not the traffic.
Not the buses.
Not the endless stream of people heading somewhere else.
No.
This is the Strand… 140 years ago.
And it’s lunchtime.
On one side of the street…
the lower orders.
Buying ham sandwiches.
In the street.
Standing up.
Eating quickly.
Getting on with it.
And just a few yards away…
something altogether different.
The Savoy Hotel.
New.
Dazzling.
Modern.
And in its kitchens…
a man who would change the way the world eats.
Auguste Escoffier.
The king of chefs.
The chef of kings.
The man who gave us Peach Melba.
Which, by the way, you’ve almost certainly eaten.
Even if you didn’t know you were doing so.
And that’s the Strand for you.
Two worlds.
Side by side.
A sandwich… and a sensation.
Now here’s the thing.
Most people walk along the Strand and see…
well…
a road.
But if you know where to look…
if you know where to turn…
if you know which alley to slip down…
it opens up.
Suddenly you’re in another London.
Markets.
Voices.
Smells.
Stories.
Because this was, for centuries, one of the great food centres of the city.
Covent Garden.
Fruit.
Vegetables.
Barrows.
Porters.
The great daily business of feeding London.
And tucked into this story…
some extraordinary characters.
The first television chef.
The best-selling cookery writer of all time.
The muffin man of Drury Lane.
Yes.
That one.
And, of course…
roast beef.
Because you can’t tell London’s food story without it.
Now, I know what you’re thinking.
This all sounds rather good.
And it is.
But here’s the crucial bit.
You’re not just hearing about it.
You’re walking it.
Down the back streets.
Through the alleyways.
Away from the crowds.
Seeing the layers.
Joining the dots.
And doing it in the company of someone who really knows how to tell a story.
Ann.
Former BBC reporter.
Sharp eye.
Dry wit.
A bit of mischief.
The sort of guide who doesn’t just give you information…
but gives you a way of seeing.
And that makes all the difference.
Because suddenly the Strand isn’t just somewhere you pass through.
It’s somewhere you understand.
And if we’re lucky…
we finish with a proper cup of tea.
At Twinings.
Just across from the Royal Courts of Justice.
Which feels about right.
Because after two hours of food, stories, and London…
you’ve earned it.
Now.
Full disclosure.
At the moment…
this one’s a bit of a secret.
Just a couple of people booked on.
Which, if you’re one of them, is rather wonderful.
It’s almost a private tour.
But it does mean…
there’s room.
So if the idea of walking the Strand…
peeling back the centuries…
meeting Escoffier…
nodding to the muffin man…
and ending up with a cup of tea…
appeals…
well…
you know what to do.
RSVP.
And join us.
Because London…
tastes better when you know what you’re looking at.
London Calling. This is London. This is London Walks. Streets ahead. Story time, history time.
See you tomorrow.