Decided to get the most from our National Trust membership and so off we went to Chastleton House, near Moreton –in-the-Marsh., billed as “one of England’s finest and most complete Jacobean houses”.   It turned out not to be an exaggeration; a lovely house.  The embroidery had Rosemary drooling (and returning to re-commence some of her many UFOs/USOs) – table covers, fabulous bed hangings and the most amazing flamboyant but tiny almost priest-hole room, LINED with bargello (falme-stitch) hangings.  The guide said she’d also heard bargello termed “Irish” stitch, not a term with which R was familiar.    Some extremely old wall paintings, fabulous uneven floors and wood everywhere, which made the odd woodworm hole at home seem a total non-event.  Had it not been raining, we would have enjoyed the topiary outside. 

No tea place on site, so followed guide’s directions to “a farm shop which did tea”.  This turned out to be Daylesford Organic Farmshop  which must be the most upmarket farm shop, we’ve ever seen.  Fantastically expensive china/pottery (£56 for a single soup bowl?), cheese etc in very trendy, but satisfyingly plain surroundings, even if the brownie R ate wasn’t her best ever.