Spring in the Orangery
let's be whimsical together
I’ll state at the outset that apparently THIS beauty you see above is NOT an orangery, but instead, a conservatory. The difference is in the roof - an orangery is joined fully to the main part of the home, but still very much a garden room, or indoor-outdoor room, while conservatories have more in common with greenhouses in their roofing styles and are more commonly detached from the home. One of my very favorite websites, House and Garden UK, has a very helpful primer on orangeries that is far more articulate than anything I’m saying here.
This is a picture I took at Sezincote Manor in the Cotswolds area, during an Oxford U.K. trip that we took summer of 2023. See that white part of the building in the back? That’s a VERY LARGE orangery!
Fun(ny) story - we were the very last tour of the day; the tour guide basically took pity on us and let us take a very fast spin through the grounds and the house. At the end of it, we were trying to take a peek into the orangery, and lo and behold the owners were sitting in there! GLARING at the ghastly Americans who were disturbing them. Poor things, they most likely figured it was late enough in the day that it was safe for them to emerge. (It was me. I was the problem. My husband and daughter were frantically waving at me that it was time to GO.) I would have glared too, and also said, “THE TOUR IS OVER, GO HOME.” Here (it’s the second photo in the article) is a much better photo of the Sezincote Orangery, showing how it connects to the main body of the house.
So friends, what will we do in our imaginary orangery? (If you actually have a real one, please tell me in breathtaking and exacting detail how it improves your life. Because EVERY YEAR, my husband and I try to figure out if we can possibly manage to add such a thing to our house, or if it would be worth the time/hassle/expense - we keep coming up with a NO answer, because of very boring but necessary expenditures on things like broken furnaces, and roof replacement, and leaking pipes, etc. And I worry that ANY SECOND our water heater is going to expire.)
Obviously we will be reading something enchanting - and Emilia Hart’s newest, ‘Sirens’, just released this April, seems like a good read for my imaginary orangery. I’m going to ask for this book as a Mother’s Day gift (along with 10 other books). THIS exact special edition with the ocean scenes on the sides of the pages. A tale of a family of sisters, based in Australia, who all have enigmatic and maybe otherworldly connections to the sea seems right up my alley.
Also, I’m aghast that I still haven’t yet read Hart’s ‘Weyward’ - this would also be a fantastic read for the orangery because the book’s vibes are comprised of a SPRING witchy aesthetic, rather than the more common autumnal witchy aesthetic.
If you’re going to have a special day in your pretend orangery (or your real one, what do I know), you might want a special treat. This Lemon Meringue Cake from Nigella Lawson is very lovely and very good. I know for a fact, because I’ve made it. It’s not as fiddly to create as it looks, I PROMISE. It’s actually fun to make! You make a thin sponge cake and a baked meringue layer and then sandwich it with purchased lemon curd and some whipped cream blobbed in the middle.
And then you’ll need special tea to go with your treat:
TWG Tea came across my radar last year (their website is incredible) and I sent some to my daughter Julia last fall as part of a care package. I sent her their rose tea variety, which she ADORED. Just recently, I tried out their London Breakfast Tea, which has the most subtle aroma and a hint of cocoa from a cocoa pod, along with a bright, zingy flavor. It’s FABULOUS and the box is incredible for gift giving. I’ve heard that this line is served at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, and once you taste, you will see why. (if you poke around the website, they have some specialty tea varieties that will astonish you with their prices - I have linked only non-astonishingly priced teas)
I think egg salad tea sandwiches would be nice with the tea and cake and to go along with the lemon color theme I seem to have stumbled upon. (i don’t choose the themes, they choose me…..I’m but a WEE PETAL buffeted by the winds of fate’s caprice)
May I suggest following this Japanese egg salad technique as much as you can.
If you worry about dropping a real plate outside or on a stone floor, and/or want some spring plates that can take a beating, please take a look at these melamine Liberty-print plates:
To finish off today’s springy whimsy….a fresh new candle. The packaging on these scented candles, made to look like vintage jam jars, are the CUTEST - I think I’d prefer the Jus D’Orange candle, but I’m VERY intrigued by the Focaccia fragrance, which is coming soon. What a delightful gift these would make.
On that note, I think I’ll go spend a few minutes imagining all the ways I’d decorate my fantasy orangery or sun room. I live in the Pacific Northwest and I do wonder how many people here bother with them….we live under grey skies 8-9 months of the year. But they used to be very prevalent in the U.K., which also is very grey? I wonder why they never caught on here. This is a mystery I must go ponder…..
(And if you enjoyed today’s posting, please click the heart button, as it boosts my exposure in the endless Sea O’ Substacks.)
chat soon!
Melissa
I have a dream of sitting in a cozy conservatory with a hot cup of tea while it rains...on a squashy couch with blankets and books. Heaven!!
great. now I want an orangery. thanks for nothing. ;-)