Once Upon a Time

Tis definitely the season for stories, and here's another one of a visit this fall.

In October, we enjoyed a lunch at grandmother's house, but it wasn't at the house of my grandmother or anyone else's. 

Instead, this lunch was at the cottage of the grandmother featured in the children's story, Little Red Riding Hood.

You might be thinking, but isn't that a fictional tale?

And, you would be right. 

But, if you happen to take a trip along winding back country lanes in the small southwestern NH town of Mason, you'll arrive at Pickity Place on Nutting Hill Rd. It's affectionately known as Grandmother’s House, but you won't find ever find her at home.

That's because, unlike grandmother's house, Pickity Place, isn't fictional. Not only can you visit, but you can enjoy a delicious five-course prix-fixe herbal menu which changes monthly and attracts folks from New England and beyond. 

Courses feature herbs and edible flowers (which were very good) from the surrounding gardens chosen to enhance the five courses, appetizer to dessert. (There's always a vegetarian entree too.) The 10-acre location includes a greenhouse, herb gardens, drying shop and gift shop. Lunch is served three times daily, 7 days a week, except on New Year's Day, Easter Sunday, July 4, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Diners gather until a bell rings for lunch time in one of three dining rooms, which may seem crowded at first; however, part of the charm is that it feels more like dining in a home than at a restaurant.

If you're curious why the restaurant is referred to as Grandmother's House, here's the rest of the story. The little red cottage, which has been around since 1786, was the stand-in used to depict grandmother's house in a 1948 illustrated version of the children's tale, Little Red Riding Hood. 

Little Red Riding Hood is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales; however, the two most popular versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm. The story has been changed in various versions and is subject to numerous adaptations. Other names for the story are Little Red Cap or simply Red Riding Hood. 

In 1945, Elizabeth Orton Jones, an illustrator and writer of children's books took a business trip to NH. An Illinois native, Jones was an accomplished artist, who studied in Paris after earning a PhD from the University of Chicago. She became fond of NH, relocated to Mason and bought a cottage there with the proceeds from the sale of her first book Twig. She called her home Misty Meadows. 

Jones worked constantly and when Misty Meadows overflowed with artwork, she bought another house in Mason. She named it Rock-A-Bye and it was where she entertained visitors. 

Her artwork for the a 1944 children's picture book, Prayer for a Child, by Rachel Field, won the 1945 children’s Caldecott Medal. That's when, Lucille Olge, her editor at Golden Books asked her to illustrate another book of her own choosing.

Jones enjoyed the wooded paths and seeing the very large white ash tree behind a small red summer cottage close to her new home. Soon, both became an inspiration as she and Olge collaborated on retelling the centuries-old fairy tale with the cottage as the book's setting. Little Red Riding Hood, A Little Golden Book Simon & Schuster, NY, was published in 1948. The small hard cover book had 20 pages and was priced at 25 cents and now sells from $15 to $30 on auction sites.

The opening page of Little Red Riding Hood has a sign that reads, To Mason, NH. Jones was known by the nickname of Twig and remained a Mason resident until her death at the age of 94 in 2005. She penned a history of the town. The public library renamed its Junior Room the Twig Room in her honor. Her life was dedicated to writing for children. Jones never married and was childless.

The current Pickity Place opened for business in 1974 and the seemingly nonsensical name came from its owners, Judith and David Walter, referred to as The Picks (for whatever reason). The term pickity eventually evolved into the naming of the business they started. The Walters lived in the red house and used the outbuildings for an herb business before starting the restaurant. (The Walters sold the business to head chef Keith Grimes in 2000 and he and his wife retained the name and charm.)

In the early 1980s, The Walters converted rooms into the Little Red Riding Hood Museum, a room called Grandmother’s Room was decorated like a page from the storybook. 

A facsimile wolf with grandma's laced cap was tucked under the covers of a four-poster bed (the wolf would be removed at the Walters bedtime). This room located near the check-in reception desk had framed reproductions of the book and assorted souvenirs. There was also a table where a guest could dine in a room set up to capture the mood of the story.

During her lifetime, Jones frequently gave interviews at the restaurant as people came to dine and also see the large tree popularized in the 1948 Golden Book illustrations. 

It was considered the largest of its kind in NH and the second largest white ash in New England. Jones had featured the large tree by grandmother’s front door where Little Red Riding Hood was headed with a treat. 

But now, the tree lives on in photos and memories. During a severe 2020 winter storm, the top right of the aged tree crashed down. It also caused heavy damage to Grandmother's Room which has not been replaced. 

While most of the remaining tree parts had to be cut down for safety reasons, the trunk was left and has been turned into a seating area for photo opps.

In addition to the restaurant, Pickity Place includes a gift shop housed in a rustic barn with a well-worn creaky floor. There's no computers used for checkout here. Instead, an antique cash register maintains an old-fashioned vibe. The gift shop comprises about half the business with offerings of herbs and spices, dip and soup mixes, herbal blends, teas, kitchen goods, books and regional gifts.

In season, the gardens and greenhouse include plants and herbs available for purchase as well as garden items such as birdhouses, seed packets, and potted herbs. 

The drying shed features wild herbs and flowers hung from the rafters and old wagon wheels (not visible here) suspended from the ceiling. 

A word of advice, if you're want to dine at Pickity Place, be sure to book in advance. Although it's off the beaten path, advance reservations are recommended, but only by a phone call. There's no online or email reservations available. The out-of-the way eatery attracts not only new, but repeat diners, some of whom return monthly we learned. 

If not that we're leaving this week on a pre-Christmas road trip to visit family, we might well have been tempted for a return visit after read the December 2021 menu: French onion dip, creamy broccoli soup with smoked gouda, pear, apple and walnut salad with cape cod cranberry dressing, French baguette rolls, Cabernet braised beef over savory bread pudding or winter vegetable risotto entree, and a silk pie dessert with candy cane crush.

Thanks to everyone who commented on the previous blog about Dickens and A Christmas Carol. It was a remarkable and entertaining performance by his great-great grandson.

My blog reading and commenting will be sporadic for a while. We're leaving this week for family Christmas visits in 3 states, returning home after Christmas. This year, we're traveling in style (and safety) in Grenville's new(er) sleigh Jeep SUV featured in a previous post.