The
By ROCHELLE
LASH, Freelance
The
The inn, in
The core of the English Rose was built in 1829,
and the venerable old house speaks of its many historical eras. It has evolved
into a mini-museum filled with hundreds of ornaments ranging from cute curios
to authentic antiques.
No space is left unadorned. The bookshelves,
piano and door frames hold colourful collections of
porcelain figurines, ornate perfume bottles, fancy
dolls dressed in lace, gold-trimmed decorative plates and fringed lamps.
"I put $50 in my pocket every Wednesday for
five years and headed out to the flea markets and antique auctions," said
Mary Jane Bouchard-Pike, who runs the English Rose with her husband, Gary.
"I found some treasures that would sell for
hundreds in
If you only have seen a vintage parlour in movies like Pride and Prejudice or The Young
Victoria, the English Rose is your chance to experience the turn of the 20th
century. A grandfather clock ticks patiently, as it has for more than 180
years. The crystal chandeliers shimmer.
You can kick back on a pink velvet settee for
afternoon tea. Bouchard-Pike pours loose-leaf Earl Grey from one of her 40 rare
teapots and serves her own divine shortbread or macadamia nut cookies.
The Bouchard-Pikes are professional chefs,
trained mostly in
"I'm filled up with antiques, so I
concentrate on my other passion - baking - which I love, especially when people
enjoy what I create," said Mary Jane Bouchard-Pike.
Breakfast starts with homemade granola and breads
- real whole wheat or sourdough - sweetened with apple butter or plum jelly. If
you're lucky, you'll be there on a morning when Bouchard-Pike makes apricot
scones with heavy cream. And that's just the beginning. The English Rose's
signature main courses are frittatas and pancakes filled with blueberries and
walnuts or apples and cinnamon.
Dinner is both delectable and healthy, using lots
of fruits and vegetables to enhance the flavours of
meat and fish. The menu can feature duck with oranges and blueberries, rack of
lamb with walnuts and mint, filet mignon with wild mushrooms, and veal with
apples and pine nuts.
Lady Chatterley's Chicken is an indulgent treat
sautéed in butter and baked with toasted almonds. It was featured in the book
Best Recipes from American Country Inns and Bed & Breakfasts. Save room for
dessert: the bread pudding is "don't miss."
Upstairs, the 14 guest rooms are named after
varieties of roses. They're also frilled, fancy and filled with Victoriana.
The York and Lancaster Suite is the winner for
romance - a heart-red vision with a king-size bed, a fireplace and a two-person
tub. The Cottage Rose is pretty and feminine, done in pastel colours with lace. The Sun Goddess is a steal at $105,
featuring delicate Champagne-coloured fabrics shot
with gold. Its beautiful high-back antique walnut bed has a memory foam
mattress.
Those are dainty trappings for guests who come
for the great outdoors. Most winter-time visitors come here to downhill ski or
ride at
Jay has terrain for all skiers and riders, and is
known for its glades and wicked off-trail chutes. The area accepts Canadian
dollars at par for lift tickets, and offers discounts for kids and holders of
season passes for any ski area in
The English Rose lends its guests snowshoes for
use at Hazen's Notch, a picturesque land preserve and wildlife habitat with 60 kilometres of Nordic skiing and snowshoe trails and 24 kilometres of summer hiking trails. Hazen's Notch organizes
frequent nature-oriented events. Coming up are a mountain snowshoe trek (March
14), a full-moon snowshoe tour (March 30) and butterfly observation and
photography (April 3).
rochelleink@aol.com
IF YOU GO:
Hazen's Notch, Nordic ski and snowshoe centre:
1423 Hazen's
Local tourism information: www.montgomeryvt.us
or www.jaypeakvermont.org.
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