Royal Brighton Pavilion was put on our list of  ‘things to see’ after we had watched a ‘Royal Upstairs Downstairs’ program. What I particularly liked in this program was the description of the kitchens and the unbelievably lavish banquets. The intricacy of the recipes was amazing.

So we headed south to check out Brighton and the Pavilion. 
 
Down through the Kent countryside most of the trees were still bare. Daffodils are out everywhere, and there are green fields, but the buds on the trees are just starting to swell. It is a late spring here. But as we headed to the coast the day was beautiful. The sun was shining and the sky was blue - a lovely day to be out.  
 
And Brighton itself did not disappoint. For some reason I had expected tacky, but instead Brighton has street after street of beautiful white Georgian housing that still looks great today. The waterfront is well maintained, there are fancy old style lifts to take one down to the beach and wide paths at various levels. No greenery, but there is not much of this in this coastal region. 


 
We had lunch in the Bath Arms, a pub quite near to the Pavilion. We are choosing food we haven’t eaten before when we can, so we had Parma Wrapped Loin of Rabbit with Rabbit Nugget, Purple Mashed Potato and Roast baby Roots. It was flavoured with thyme and very tasty.
 
So to the Pavilion. It was built for King George IV in stages between 1787 and 1823 and has been described as his ‘Pleasure Palace’. It is certainly decorated in a most extravagant style, but interestingly the interiors are Chinese or Asian influenced. Fittings, wallpapers, furniture, vases, crockery etc - most were designed and made in Britain but in Chinese style. The outside of the building has an Indian appearance. Certainly the Pavilion stands out in Brighton.

  

   
 
Seeing the interior was not a disappointment. All is in very good condition and the kitchen was amazing. A very high ceiling, a steam cooking process, a whole wall of stoves, a special kitchen for pastry, copper dishes of every shape and size. Considering one banquet had 40 courses it was lucky for the chefs that they had such wonderful facilities.
 
It was apt that on the way home we listened to Nigella Lawson on radio 2.
 
Oh, and I nearly forgot - this morning we called into  Maidstone to get a dongle for my netbook. It took 10 minutes! Such a relief,  as doing the same thing in France last year was quite a drama. So now that is sorted for while we are here.