I remembered, from my many trips to Swanwick in Derbyshire, passing a National Trust place which I had always meant to visit but never actually done so. I decided to have a look online and reckoned that the place I was thinking of was Calke Abbey.
Owned by the National Trust, this 'unstately home' as they call it has an interesting history. Its last owner was a single man - who only used three rooms. The rest were just locked up.
Now, I don't know if the NT took a conscious decision to leave things as they were as a statement or whether there just wasn't the money to do all the necessary work to restore the house to its former glory but the National Trust says it was the former so who am I to argue?
This means that the house is, well, a bit sad and sorry looking. Rooms that were clearly used as just a dumping ground for stuff that wasn't being used have been left exactly as they were found. Most of the rooms look tired and unkempt - which is the point, I suppose.
A few rooms have been maintained/restored (and structural work has been carried out to make the place safe) but there is an undeniable feeling of gloom and faded glory pervading the whole structure.
We entered through the courtyard and were a bit surprised to look in a stable and see a picture of, well, the same stable! Couldn't see the point of that to be honest...
It was only on moving away to look in the next unkempt outhouse that the reason for the picture, quite literally, revealed itself.
One up to the National Trust there. So much of what we see depends on our perspective!
Thankfully, one of the buildings which has had money lavished upon it is another stable block which now houses the cafe and obligatory shop. And, joy of joys, they sold Coffee and Walnut cake. Otherwise this post wouldn't exist.
It was a decent sized slice. There were plenty, and I mean, PLENTY of walnuts in the sponge and some flakes on the top icing.
So, you can see the picture - but what did it taste like?
Well, the sponge was delicious, the walnuts were plentiful but the icing? The icing was fluffy, insipid and, as you can see, rather thinly applied. It was tasty, but I can't help feeling that they missed a trick by not having a stronger coffee flavour to the icing (actually ANY coffee flavour in the icing) and more of it. Mind you, it was only £2.75 which I reckon is reasonable.
Oh, and I don't reckon this was the place I used to pass on the way to Swanwick after all... Oh well.
So, the not-at-all important rating:
Price: £2.75
Walnut Garnish: yes - flakes
Walnut in sponge: yes - lots
Sponge: 9/10
Icing: 3/10
Filling: yes - but only just.
