meandering in middleburg | Jama's Alphabet Soup

Tally Ho!

Recently, Len and I "escaped" to Middleburg, Virginia. It was a lovely drive to the land of rolling green pastures, low stone walls, picturesque farms and sprawling vineyards. A place steeped in history and bathed in pastoral dreaminess — where you might wish to live if you had several million dollars to spare.

The village contains 160+ historic buildings, now housing a nice mix of eateries, inns, and interesting shops. Established in 1787 by Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel and Virginia statesman Leven Powell, Middleburg served as a traveler’s rest stop, and was frequented by Civil War officers and soldiers, statesmen, and government officials. Because of its beautiful landscape, unending charm, long association with equestrian events, and reputation for top-notch amenities, Middleburg has long been a favorite destination for celebrities and international visitors.

Red Fox Inn and Tavern, Middleburg, VA

Why, it was at the Middleburg Safeway that Elizabeth Taylor bought her fried chicken and potato salad when she was married to Senator John Warner. She was unhappy because he was never home, so she ATE. At the Red Fox Inn and Tavern (billed as the "oldest original inn in America"), President Kennedy’s press secretary, Pierre Salinger, held press conferences in the Jeb Stuart Room. Yes, Middleburg is known as, "The Nation’s Horse and Hunt Capital" — a splendid pip pip sip and dip whether you’re chasing foxes or rich husbands.

Personally, I prefer a quaint village with a main street over a huge mall with chain stores any day. I like a place that caters to animals, too.

Who can resist an indie bookstore called Books & Crannies? I scored a copy of The Shivers in the Fridge written by Fran Manushkin, signed by illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky. There is something very cute about that man, and I like him. ☺

Books & Crannies entrance.

This book contains alphabet refrigerator magnets (squee)!

Perfect for my current Frenchie kick is Crème de la Crème, which sells all manner of French country furnishings:

A nice day for browsing.

The eyeball dish is my favorite. Can you SEE it?

Love these little trays featuring delectables:

Yummy pastries.

They also had a slew of them with different sayings:

Nice card section, too:

Of course I loved the toy table:

Though I had been to Middleburg many times, this was the first time I ventured into the Home Farm Store.

It’s a country butcher housed in an old bank building. With its high ceilings, checkered floors and neo-Edwardian decor, it was like stepping back in time, when you could chat with your butcher or salesperson, and he/she would actually be glad to help you. A novel idea in this day and age of self-scanning, self-bagging, combative supermarket shopping!

Oh, the beautiful display cases! I helped myself to one of those big, round coconut macaroons on the top shelf (for Len, of course)!

Everything here is USDA Certified Organic, locally grown, humanely raised and handled meat and poultry. They sell heritage breed meats:

Close your eyes, Tanita, Jules and Julia!

and heirloom produce.

Though I don’t do dairy anymore, I love the thought of milk in bottles. These reminded me of having our milk delivered in Wimbledon. You’d peel off the foil cap and there’d be a layer of cream at the top. Yum. And our milkman used to leave us the best mild cheddar. Once we forgot to pay him for 6 months, but he didn’t seem to mind. Kept delivering the goods!

Supposedly the chocolate milk is to die for.

Upstairs, they have an old fashioned ice cream parlour!

I resisted all temptation (impressive, I know), because we hadn’t had lunch yet. Next time I’d like to try some of their English bangers. Maybe Middleburg appeals to me because it’s like a little English village.

I’m mad for polka dots!

We’ll probably go to the Red Fox Tavern for our anniversary next month. You may remember my mentioning that it was there I ate the best wild Maine blueberry pie ever. Even if they don’t have blueberry pie, I’m sure we’ll enjoy soaking up the laid back atmosphere, scanning the room for luminaries, and dining with three prong forks.

BTW, Lt. Col. Powell purchased the land for Middleburg for $2.50 an acre from Joseph Chinn, first cousin to George Washington. Talk about getting a good return on his investment!