Pompidoos French Fancy Filly
England, 1879
The Natural Twistory
Lady Pompidoo, one of the most
respected French aristocrats and a direct descendant of Empress Eugénie who fled
the Tuileries, held a passion for French
pastries and sweets. The arrival of a new chef at her estate Pompidoo Hall was
greeted with delight, finally she had managed to secure one of the most revered
chefs and master of the new ‘fondant’ method first pioneered in 1877, Chef
Charles Ranhofer.
Charles set to work in the
extensive kitchens and produced some of the most magical creations of his
career, from the huge Crème de la Mountain Fountain to the fabulous Choux
Pistache aux Fruits Rouges with Rum Baa-baa et Flambé (I need to try that, don't you?). His crowning glory though
was a delicate little cake filled with a fondant cream and decorated with four
delightful colours each one to represent memorable characters in Shakespears
plays. Othello was represented by chocolate, Desdemona by white, Lago was coffee
and the fourth pink after Rosalind from ‘As You Like It’. A drizzle of a second
colour set off the whole thing and they quickly became Lady Pompidoo’s
favourite.
Lady Pompidoo amassed vast stocks of French Fancies which were kept
securely in a special room called the Cakeararium, an exquisitely decorated room
reminiscent of a pre Revolution French boudoir filled with rare and expensive
furniture. Only Lady Pompidoo was allowed entry and she would sit for hours
looking out over her vast estate delicately eating her beloved French
Fancies.
Then one day she noticed that a gap had appeared in her precious stocks! Immediately she summoned
her servants. It was impossible, not only did all the servants deny taking any
but they also pointed out that Lady Pompidoo had the only key to the room.
After much discussion Lady Pompidoo
allowed one of her most trusted maids to hide in the forbidden room whilst a
tray of French fancies was placed temptingly on the table in full view.
Shortly
before midnight the maid heard a noise sounding like footsteps and leaped out to
surprise the thief. Instead she was surprised to find herself standing face to
face with an ornate tallboy in the centre of the room and promptly fainted for the item was in fact a
piece of furniture that Lady Pompidoo had recently acquired from a sale of
items from Hamilton Palace.
The next day the maid told her
curious tale to Lady Pompidoo who, whilst full of doubt decided to investigate.
Holding a French fancy up to the tallboy elicited no response, neither did a
full plate of fancies so she popped the plate on the table and made as though to leave... Only then did she hear the slightest noise of a drawer being opened... Turning around quickly she saw the drawer
pulled shut!
Very slowly she took over the plate of fancies and softly spoke to the tallboy.
After a few minutes Lady Pompidoos soft and reassuring voice elicited a
response.
From out of the top draw came the most beautiful, furry pink-nosed head with amber eyes and the tallboy tentatively shuffled forward and took a French fancy in its mouth... Slowly the bottom draw
opened to reveal two more woolly faces, this time with lemon and purple noses.
Gently the French fancy was passed down to the drawers occupants who purred with
delight.
Lady Pompidoo and her French Fancy
Filly, as she called it, could regularly be seen at Pompidoo Hall sharing plates
of French Fancies. It was a friendship that lasted many years and was commemorated in
this painting. A painting which Charles Burroughs our renowned explorer was
commissioned to paint and eventually formed part of a brief touring exhibition
of his works. The painting inspired furniture makers of the time to adopt the French Fancy
Filly’s delicate curves and detailing into their work.
Records show that the French Fancy
Filly is still out there, so should you come across a tall white set of French
drawers don’t forget to check all the drawers and of course always have plenty
of French fancies available!
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