After our walk along the Thames (photos in yesterday’s blog post), we stopped for lunch at The Devereux. Our interest in the location was much older than the pub. That afternoon we were going to visit the Benjamin Franklin House. When he lived in London, this building housed the Grecian Coffee House, a favorite gathering spot for members of The Royal Society, including Benjamin Franklin. Before his time, the Grecian Coffee House also entertained Isaac Newton and Edmond Halley (of Halley’s comet fame).
Looking out the window, through wavy glass
We liked the Victorian pub decor
The food was good, too. I had a grilled sandwich. Rick and I split the colorful salad in the middle. He had fish & chips (of course).
After lunch, we made our way over to the Strand to visit Twinings of London, the tea shop.
On the way, I had to pause for a moment to listen to the carillon at St. Clement Danes playing “Oranges and Lemons.”
Benjamin Franklin might have drank tea from here — it’s been open at this location since 1706.
We’ve been fans of Twinings since our Ireland trip when we discovered Irish Breakfast Tea. The 1706 Strong Breakfast Tea is our new favorite, since we tried it in London. Sometimes, the nearby global grocery carries it. Other times, we’ve ordered it from the UK. Fortunately, tea is light-weight so it’s not a terribly expensive thing to ship across the Atlantic.
I’m sure there will be other Valentine’s Day posts for Weekend Cooking at Beth Fish Reads. Personally, I’m hoping for a post or two that features chocolate.
