The Queen, for a day
A Pudding Pot is not such an odd gift for Dame Helen Mirren. After all, Brits do love their pudding. The acclaimed actress, who won an Oscar in 2007 for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in “The Queen” and who received damehood in 2003, breezed into Harvard Square this morning for an itinerary of Harvard-themed activities — all requisite duties as the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year. Dressed for the bitter chill in a down white coat with furred wrists, Mirren took in the warmth of this year’s Hasty Pudding troupe inside its new digs at 96 Winthrop St., until recently the home of Tommy Doyle’s Irish pub. There, sophomores Bobby Fitzpatrick and Chaffee Duckers, both wielding mugs made from crocodile feet, waited to guide Mirren through the historic Hyde-Taylor House, which was built in 1635 and over the years has been home to the original House of Blues, a barbecue joint,...