It’s a privilege to be appointed His Majesty’s Consul General in Ekaterinburg, and at such an important time. I’m looking forward to joining
@ukinrussia
and getting started.
One day she’s going to make the most wonderful Queen.
Best wishes to The Princess of Wales from everyone at the British Consulate in Ekaterinburg at this very difficult time. The country is so fortunate to have her
A huge thank you to The Duke of Edinburgh for hosting yesterday’s reception for
@queenscomtrust
supporters, on behalf of myself & the other Trustees. Having just returned from an epic tour of the Asia Pacific, HRH was nonetheless full of energy & interest. A testament to the man
A very happy 75th birthday to The King. A man of deep culture & wide interests: music, painting, history, craftsmanship, food, nature. That interest extends to people — their talents & opinions which he gives his attention. I know he did with me👇🏽 A pleasure to serve Your Majesty
It was celebratory of course but also contained insight as to The King’s passions & priorities, incl. climate & Commonwealth. And full of reminders of The King’s many interests in the arts: painting, classical music, the cello, even magic! (Who knew?) A Renaissance man indeed
The late Queen was famous for her bold-coloured dresses, hats, silk headscarves & black Launer handbags. Our new King is no less a style icon:
@AandSTailors
double-breasted suits,
@Turnbull_Asser
shirts,
@LockandCo
hats. And above all, the pocket square:
Tomorrow marks 50 days until the Coronation 🎉 Food will no doubt be a central part of all of our celebrations, whether through
#BigLunch
street parties or smaller gatherings. To help with inspiration, from tomorrow I’ll be sharing iconic 🇬🇧 products, recipes & tips to get ready!
Met with a French visitor in the office and they were most excited to see all the Tea Point signs! I walk past them every day and have never thought twice but now it’s been pointed out I guess they are rather British 😆 🫖
First week in the new role. I’m heading up the British Consulate-General in Ekaterinburg. It is, alongside the British Embassy in Moscow, one of our two diplomatic missions in Russia. I’ll be representing the UK & our interests in the Urals & surrounding regions bordering Siberia
Wonderful to be at Buckingham Palace this evening. Honoured to speak with The King. Thanks to
@theprincesfund
for inviting me - a charity established by His Majesty that does so much good both here in the UK and around the Commonwealth that I’m so pleased to be able to support
The King is the world’s most high-profile flagbearer for this quintessential piece of men’s tailoring. And interestingly he’s in a tradition established by a direct predecessor, for the pocket handkerchief is believed to have been invented by Richard II!
Something a little festive for the 1st of December. This corridor on the ground floor of the
@FCDOGovUK
HQ on King Charles Street, somehow looks a little Christmassy all year round. Always feel very lucky to work in this beautiful building
On the eve of the 1 year anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death, I have been revisiting what I wrote a year ago and feel as strongly as ever today: that we were so very lucky to have her; and that she showed us at our best, for she was the best of us.
Given the wonderful
#RoyalVisitGermany
I had to share this Battenberg Cake. Invented to celebrate Prince Louis of Battenberg marrying Princess Victoria, Queen Victoria’s granddaughter & the current King’s great grandmother, it’s a perfect example of 🇬🇧 🇩🇪 friendship through food
One of my favourite things about the Office is the clocks. When working late, I admit to sometimes going into the Locarno Suite at five minutes to the hour so I can stand in the empty silence and wait for them to chime. Here is one by John Moore & Sons of Clerkenwell.
@FCDOGovUK
Royal occasions have throughout history prompted new culinary creations. From the Battenberg cake (pictured is
@Fortnums
’ one which is 👌🏾) to, of course, last year’s
#PlatinumPudding
. Wouldn’t it be lovely to see new creations devised for the Coronation? Watch this space! 🤩🎉
Following his remarks at dinner yesterday when The King referred to happy memories sampling Bavarian sausages at a farmers’ market in Munich, lovely to see Their Majesties indulging their mutual love of food and food culture at the Wittenbergplatz farmers’ market!
@UKinGermany
Berlin’s weekly farmers’ market first opened over 150 years ago, as a place of trade and a meeting point where news and goods could be exchanged.
The market at Wittenbergplatz was opened in 1996 to reestablish this tradition.
#RoyalVisitGermany
Brits know that jam first or cream first is controversial stuff. For friends abroad who may not, just be careful not to go to Cornwall & put cream first; and don’t go to Devon and put jam first. And let’s not got started on whether it’s pronounced scone or scone.
#CoronationFood
This evening I signed the book of condolence which has been opened in Durbar Court for
@FCDOGovUK
staff to pay their respects. She was our greatest diplomat.
Past 7pm here, sun still shining. Trying to enjoy it as the winter won’t be easy! It’s been another good week - getting up to speed with the team & doing introductory meetings with contacts. Here’s the view outside the Consulate window, flag fluttering nicely in a gentle breeze
Around the world, 🇬🇧 diplomatic missions are - for the first time in 7 decades - preparing for their first King’s Birthday Party. An important event in the embassy calendar,
to network & put on a best of 🇬🇧 celebration. We’ve become so used to calling them QBPs - but now, KBPs 👑
Lovely photo from a friend in the crowds at Trooping the Colour as we mark HM The King’s first official birthday today. Here in Russia I’ll be toasting His Majesty this afternoon with a glass of Chapel Down bought at duty-free on my way out 🎉 Long live the King! 🇬🇧
A Christmas Tree at the
@FCDOGovUK
at the base of the Grand Staircase.
Never much fun to be in the office on a Sunday but I can think of worse places to sit and work. The 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, thrice Prime Minister (and simultaneously Foreign Secretary!) looks on
One of my favourite things in the Locarno rooms are the stencilled decorations. The light dances off them. Rediscovered in the 1980s refurbishment, for a long time they were hidden under plasterboard: shortage of office space during & after WW2 saw the rooms split into cubicles
Delighted to find the
#PlatinumJubileeCookbook
(with of course the joint foreword from our new King & Queen) on sale in Paris again for
#Coronation
cooking inspiration. In the middle of a GREAT selection of British food & drink brands & obviously right next to the baked beans 😂
The Grand Staircase is one of the most photographed bits of the Foreign Office HQ. But you still sometimes discover new & unexpected angles. Here is the final flight of stairs leading to the Ambassador’s Waiting Room, where guests often wait before meeting the Foreign Secretary
The headquarters on King Charles Street often feels a bit like Hogwarts. Seasoned diplomats with several Ambassadorships under their belts can sometimes become unstuck navigating their way to a meeting room. Here is a typically beautiful spiral staircase in the FCDO’s east wing.
I detect a huge amount of pride amongst staff in our diplomatic real estate. Some bits like the mighty HQ on King Charles Street we’re in every day. Others bits like Chevening (👇🏽) are more seldom visited. But all are worked hard in the service of diplomacy to earn their keep.
Last week guests of the Foreign Secretary’s Xmas reception received cards with this illustration by the extremely talented
@ArchiDame
which I commissioned to celebrate the renovation of the
@FCDOGovUK
Quad. Thank you Sherin & to printers
@BarnardWestwood
. Happy Christmas all 🎄
Victoria Sponge, Victoria Sandwich - call it what you like . The teatime favourite was of course named after one of our greatest monarchs. It’s a classic choice for a
#Coronation
party. Paired with a cuppa preferably ☕️ 🍰
The Muses Stair in
@FCDOGovUK
leads to an octagonal glass lantern decorated by goddesses of plenty & pairs of cherubs representing the
Roman virtues. The stair itself is constructed of Portland Stone, with pillars of red Devonshire marble & grey Hopton Wood stone from Derbyshire
As we get a new Prime Minister and his team,
@FCDOGovUK
& civil service colleagues will spring into action, briefing and advising new ministers, keeping the Government machine whirring. Even when there’s changeover at the top there’s continuity and stability built into our system
Very pleased to have become a Liveryman of the The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors. One of the ‘Great Twelve’ City Livery Companies, it ranks in sixth or seventh place, alternating with the Skinners' Company — the source of the phrase “at sixes and sevens”!
Good to be briefly back home for the Heads of Mission course which kicks off tomorrow. Looking forward to connecting with and learning from other
@FCDOGovUK
colleagues all of us off to be Ambassadors, High Commissioners or Consuls-General in different parts of the world
A huge shout out to all the
@FCDOGovUK
colleagues who’ll be hard at work this weekend looking after 100s of heads of state & all manner of other things. All across our overseas diplomatic network too, colleagues organising fitting events to share the
#Coronation
with the world 👏🏾
Amidst the
#Coronation
build-up it’s interesting to recall venues from occasions past. The
@FCDOGovUK
’s ‘Durbar Court’ was first used in 1867 for a reception for the Sultan of Turkey but it gets its name from 1902 when some of Edward VII’s coronation celebrations were held here
🇬🇧 strawberry season will have started in time for the Coronation. They’re less a fruit than an icon. Redolent of royalty & as patriotically red as the tunics of The King’s Guard. A bowl of strawberries & cream is as quintessentially British as tea and queuing 💂♂️
#CoronationFood
Wonderful celebration at Merchant Taylors’ Hall tonight, full of excitement & gratitude for the role that Merchant Taylors’ & the other City Livery Companies have been able to play in the
#Coronation
preparations: from gifting the Anointing Screen to sewing on uniform buttons! 🪡
For a Coronation Cocktail, take inspiration from The late Queen’s rendezvous with Paddington Bear & their mutual love of a marmalade sandwich😍 The Breakfast Martini was invented at The Library Bar
@TheLanesborough
and uses a dollop of Frank Cooper’s Oxford Marmalade. Recipe 👇🏽
Great to show the Foreign Secretary around the British food & drink stalls at the Christmas Reception earlier this week. Every single
@FCDOGovUK
event aims to support British business, boost exports & project UK soft power through what’s served on the plate and in the glass 🇬🇧
The transformation of the
@FCDOGovUK
Quad has created not only an area staff can now enjoy but a new space right at the heart of Whitehall that will be an asset for ceremonial events, inward government/State visits & generally has lots of potential for Govt events/hospitality 👌🏾
Classy diplomatic entertainment showing off the best of British needn’t be hugely expensive. Posts are rightly conscious to provide the taxpayer with value for money. Luckily it’s often the humblest things that foreigners get most excited by. Like iconic biscuits!
#CoronationFood
As with the honey produced on the Royal residences, Chevening’s honey is not only used for cooking but as a sweet gift that helps deliver important messages around biodiversity & the importance of these pollinators on which we all rely to survive. Not bad for a jar of honey! 🐝
On the theme of 2022 round-ups I’m delighted to report that I have passed the first royalty payment (for sales to end of June) from the
#PlatinumJubileeCookbook
to the two recipient Royal charities: £24,561.83 split equally between
@queenscomtrust
(QCT) &
@theprincesfund
(PWCF)
Nothing better to mark India’s Independence Day today than a curry. The
@UKinIndia
contribution to the
#PlatinumJubileeCookbook
is Cardamom Lamb. A fitting reminder that food is a central plank of the
#LivingBridge
uniting us. Paired with an English wine from
@BalfourWinery
🇮🇳 🇬🇧
The
#Coronation
countdown continues and now it’s time for sweet. Last year we had the
#PlatinumPudding
. Scones are never a bad idea. But it doesn’t get more classic -or royal- than a Victoria Sponge. The Queen Consort has previously shared her own recipe:
In celebration of Azerbaijan’s Independence Day today, here is the
@ukinazerbaijan
contribution to the
#PlatinumJubileeCookbook
: a lovely Aubergine, Tomato and Pepper Dolma. The recipe is introduced by our former Ambassador
@JamesSharpFCDO
👇🏽
The Coronation will of course be celebrated across the UK’s overseas territories. In St Helena, coconut fingers, pumpkin pudding and traditional fudge often appear on cake stands for tea parties at Plantation House, the Governor’s Residence,
#CoronationFood
Made it back from Russia for Christmas and dashed straight from the airport to St Paul’s Cathedral for Britten’s ceremony of carols. Hard to imagine a more special start to Christmas - and free & unticketed too.
@brendadorgroot
wonderful on the harp. Thank you
@StPaulsLondon
Happy 75th birthday to The Duchess of Cornwall. Amongst all her many patronages and projects, the Duchess is a champion of British food, supporting organisations like
@LoveBritishFood
and I am incredibly grateful that she jointly wrote the foreword to the
#PlatinumJubileeCookbook
Let’s continue our tour of the Locarno rooms. Here is the Conference Room with its lovely coffered ceiling. The pilasters are crowned with Corinthian capitals & ceiling brackets are embellished with circular majolica plaques bearing the national arms or emblems of 20 countries
Late night bagel run yesterday. Only three dozen this year given we’re a smaller group. Breakfast sustenance over the Christmas period. Some traditions don’t change
Happy St George’s Day! 🏴 Excited to be on with Trisha this afternoon making / discussing the
#CoronationQuiche
- 1540 on
@TalkTV
if you want to tune in! Here’s my practice run👇🏽 Top-notch breakfast 😄
When you think of venues for diplomacy this is unlikely to be the image in your mind’s eye. But it is. A tranquil corner of a busy place, it is the Orangery of
@WiltonPark
, a part of the
@FCDOGovUK
family & which does important work facilitating dialogue on key 🌎 challenges
People sometimes think diplomatic dining always involves grand dinners. But so much of diplomacy actually happens over a simple cup of tea or coffee. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done with elegance & style - helped by a treat delivered alongside like a famous Bendicks Bittermint
What a wonderful, uplifting weekend that was. And to have over half the world’s leaders gathered in London to witness something historic, & to celebrate our shared partnerships & friendships. Thanks to all military personnel, police, officials & volunteers who made it possible
Around the 🌎 our diplomatic posts are gearing up for
#Coronation
screenings & receptions. Lots of thinking about how best to showcase the 🇬🇧 food & drink sector in the process. Sometimes it’ll be elaborate & sometimes very simple: like a cup of tea & a well-chosen shortbread
Today is
#InternationalTeaDay
🫖 A powerful diplomatic tool. For understanding a nation’s tea preferences & customs is a way to the heart. And because a soothing cup of tea - for pennies - demonstrates a hospitality & achieves a relaxation that just a glass of water often can’t
Such wonderful photos from Horse Guards today, including this one from a lucky friend with prime seats. Seeing the new royal cypher on the shoulder badge still takes some getting used to. I’m glad the weather enabled such a splendid flypast too. What a good day, watched from afar
The barrel vaulted roof of the Locarno Suite’s Reception Room. It is one of the best-known of the
@FCDOGovUK
’s spaces. The architect, George Gilbert Scott, wanted to create a “drawing-room for the nation”
End of a really good week. I was joined by our Ambassador in Moscow
@DeborahBronnert
for a couple of days full of productive engagements, plus continued to build mine & the Consulate’s network here. And of course followed the progress of the Ukraine Recovery Conference from afar