Turner's tales from Sri Lanka: The English Hour

After two months of rice and curry I have to admit to having cravings for food from home. Don't get me wrong, I still get great satisfaction from the sensation of burning lips, and a sweat breaking out on my forehead from yet another plate full of rice and curry, or vegetable roti, but the odd cheese and ham sandwich (with actual cheese and real ham!) is something doesn't go down so badly.

Recently we discovered 'The English Hour'. It's right next to a supermarket in Negombo, called Arpeco, which is a huge air conditioned treasure trove of western style as well as Sri Lankan foods, and plays loads of truly awful 80's soft rock ballads. We like going there just to hang around in the nice cool (air con) air, and use that as an excuse to buy stuff which we don't really need, and can get half the price elsewhere. Now we have two reasons to go to Arpeco; cool air/over priced western products AND The English Hour.

I noticed it when we first arrived and thought we ought to go there, but didn't really think it would be an actual proper English Tea house. In one sense it's not, as it's run by a French lady (the lovely Catherine), who is married to a Scottsman (Alistair) so not much English about it when you think about it like that. But who cares?! They sell a really great range of (Ceylon) Teas, and have real cakes and buns (suspiciously French though I think...no bad thing of course, not half as stodgy as English cakes!) and also lots of savoury delights such as burritos and Croque Monsieur (which in English is called a cheese and ham sandwich), as well as a very fine looking 'high tea', with one of those three tiered plate things with lots of sandwiches on.

Perhaps it's more English in sentiment than anything else, and that alone would be enough for me...pop into Arpeco to cool down for a bit, and then go for afternoon tea at the English hour. Luvlyjubbly.

The other thing about The English Hour is it seems to be an ex-pat hub. When we arrived here I wasn't at all interested in hanging out with a load of ex-pats, just not my cup of tea (please pardon that really awful pun) but I have to admit we have met some really nice people there, and made some friends too. It's not that we don't get on with Sri Lankan's...Sri Lankan people are such warm, happy people, I just love them (mostly). It's just that it's nice to meet other people who are experiencing a similar thing...being a foreigner, in a foreign country.

It also has a shop in one room off to the side, full of sarongs, and fabrics and stuff, which is not as interesting to me as the cakes, but looks nice, and seems to go down well with the ladies who visit.

Here's some pics;