Dales Life Spring 2011

www.daleslife.com | £1.95

Spring 2011

DalesLife A TASTE OF YORKSHIRE

SOW GOOD PLANT NOW FOR SUMMER SUCCESS

POTTED PERFECTION AMAZING AURICULAS

ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK THE OTTERS ARE BACK!

Ja m Session GREAT RECIPES FROM BONNE MAMAN

COUNTY KITCHENS (Leyburn) Ltd Exquisite new range of handmade kitchens now in stock.

PLEASE ASK FOR OUR COMPLIMENTARY BROCHURE, TELEPHONE: 01969 624274 Showroom: Belle Vue Offices, Market Place, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5AW Visit our website: www.yorkshire-kitchens.co.uk Open: Monday to Friday 9am-5.30pm and Saturday 10am-1pm

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The Editor’s Letter

Spring 2011

Welcome to the spring issue of Dales Life.

Spring is a time of new beginnings, and we’ve been busy giving the magazine a fresh new look and introducing some exciting new features.

Our Emporium and Inside Story sections are designed to keep you up to date with what’s going on in the Dales, with a special focus on local businesses. Right from the outset Dales Life has actively promoted independent businesses in our area, and we refuse to take advertising from supermarkets, chain stores or retailers further afield.

Nowadays it’s more important than ever to buy locally — I’ve said it before, but I can’t emphasise it enough!

We also take great pride in our region’s artists and craftspeople, and this issue features the work of talented up-and-coming photographer Dennis Bromage. You can see a selection of his marvellous photographs on p.74. Equally fascinating, but very different, are Laurie Campbell’s amazing images of otters, which illustrate Professor Chris Baines’ wildlife column on p.84.

You’ll find lots more to grab your attention, including Rebecca Pow’s inspiring article on auriculas (p.18), Adam Appleyard’s tips on growing chillies and tomatoes (p.26) and Christine Austin’s wine recommendations (p.68). Altogether an issue not to be missed!

Which reminds me: most of you will continue getting Dales Life regularly through your letterbox, but we are adjusting our distribution this year to give our advertisers extra support. This will mean that in a few areas you may no longer receive the magazine. Don’t worry, though, because you can ensure you never miss a copy by taking out an inexpensive subscription. See p.128 for details. And do tell friends and family who may not be receiving Dales Life.

I hope you enjoy this issue. Let us know your views on the new-look magazine — we love to hear from you!

Editor: Sue Gillman Deputy Editor: Brian Pike Production: Claudia Blake Advertising: Sue Gillman Art Editor: Stef Suchomski Art Director: James Price Fashion Editor: Chloe Smith Proofreader: Tom Fox Proprietor: Sue Gillman T: 01904 629295 M: 07970 739119 E: sue@daleslife.demon.co.uk Dales Life Holgate Villas, Suite N, 22 Holgate Road, York, North Yorkshire YO24 4AB

Contributors: Adam Appleyard Brian Pike Chloe Smith Chris Baines Christine Austin Claudia Blake Henry King Ian Henry Laurie Campbell Rebecca Pow Sally Scott-Richards

To advertise in Dales Life contact Sue on 01904 629295 or 07970 739119

Sue Gillman

is month’s contributors Prof. Chris Baines

Laurie Campbell

Rebecca Pow

Chris is one of the UK’s leading environmentalists and regularly advises government ministers, local councils and senior executives on environmental practice. He is also a wildlife gardener, author and TV presenter.

One of the UK’s leading natural history and landscape photographers, Laurie has won 23 awards in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. He is the author of two books and has illustrated several others.

A professional journalist and broadcaster who specialises in rural affairs, horticulture, farming and food, Rebecca has produced, directed and presented numerous radio and TV programmes, including Radio 4’s Farming Today.

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Beautiful handmade kitchens designed and made to order in Yorkshire

Bespoke doors • Cast iron radiators Victorian & Georgian fireplaces • Period door furniture Stoves • Lighting • Oak Flooring Visit our extensive showroom in Richmond View our on-line brochure at www.periodhousestore.co.uk Tel: 01748 821500 Unit 3-7, Simpson Building, Borough Road, Gallowfields Trading Estate, Richmond, North Yorkshire DL10 4SX 4

Contents

Spring 2011

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84

41 26

On the cover 18 Potted Perfection

41 Jam Session

Discover the unearthly beauty of auriculas. Rebecca Pow enthuses about these fascinating flowers.

Impress your guests with these clever recipes from the new Bonne Maman cookbook.

26 Sow Good

84 Back From The Brink

Tomatoes and chillies are surprisingly easy to grow. Now is the time to get started, says Adam Appleyard.

Otters are returning to our rivers at long last, says Professor Chris Baines.

Cover photo reproduced by kind permission of Simon & Schuster Ltd

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Contents

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62

Features 9 Emporium

74 Shooting Star

Inspiring ideas for your home and garden.

Dennis Bromage's stunning images will soon be on show at Lightwater Valley.

13 Inside Story The latest interiors news, compiled by Chloe Smith.

34 Rome And Garden Some of Susan Worner’s favourite gardens are in the lush countryside around Rome.

54 Back To Your Roots For healthy and delicious vegetables try fresh leeks.

56 An Appetite For Spring Three delicious recipes by Diana Henry.

62 The Discerning Diner Claudia Blake visits The Oak Tree Inn, Hutton Magna.

68 On The Grapevine Setting up your own wine cellar,

by Christine Austin.

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90 Collecting Antiques Timworth figures are highly collectable, says Ian Henry.

96 Dales Diary A guide to local events.

104 Bookmark Brian Pike takes a critical look at what's hot off the press.

110 Beauty File Chloe Smith's selection of spring's best beauty products.

117 To Dine For Great places to stay and eat in the Yorkshire Dales.

130 For The Record The Wensleydale Heifer is getting ready to cook up the world’s biggest fish and chips.

74 To advertise in Dales Life contact Sue on 01904 629295 or 07970 739119 All rights reserved. Permission for reproduction must be sought from the publisher. Freelance contributions welcomed. The views and opinions expressed in Dales Life are not necessarily those of the publishers or their employees.

Inspired designs…

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Unit 1 The Craft Yard, The Station, Bedale DL8 1AW Tel: 01677 424669

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PATCHWORK ROSE Be au t i f u l h o m e a c c e s s o ri e s a n d s ty lis h gif ts

Find the perfect gift, chic addition to your home, or simply treat yourself!

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23 North End, Bedale, DL8 1AF | 01677 427627 or shop online at www.patchworkrose.co.uk

We are a new web based company who are passionate about our environment and whose ethos is to offer bespoke and individual pieces that have been recycled and revamped.

We offer an eclectic mix of furniture and accessories, so why not do your bit for the environment and go for the ultimate ‘green’ option for your home with a piece that has had minimal impact on our environment!

Bespoke service available.

Beautiful re-upholstered pieces coming soon! www.peppercornhouse.com email: enquiries@peppercornhouse.com Tel: 01325 401778 Mob: 07961967070 8

EMPORIUM

Inspiring ideas for your home and garden 1. Eating Out Relax in the spring sunshine with this traditional wicker picnic basket lined with pretty floral fabric, ideal for two. £46, Patchwork Rose, Bedale, T: 01677 427627.

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2. Gardener’s Delight A stylish, built-to-last bench from the Canterbury Collection turns any sunny corner into a peaceful haven. £355, County Kitchens, Leyburn, T: 01969 624274.

3. In The Bag Even non-gardeners will appreciate the charming retro seed-catalogue image on this sturdy PVC bag. £14.99, Askrigg Village Kitchen, T: 01969 650076.

4. Instant Messaging

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Pretty and practical, this funky cupcake chalkboard —handmade in England — is the perfect choice to brighten up your kitchen. £30, Patchwork Rose, Bedale, T: 01677 427627.

5. Sitting Comfortably These beautiful hand-painted antique bergère armchairs with toile cushions are both stylish and sophisticated. £395 (pair), Peppercorn House, www.peppercornhouse.com, T: 01325 401778.

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The Warehouse, North Lane,Huntington, York YO32 9SUÂ Tel. 01904Â Â 400561 On the junction of North Lane, Huntington and the A64 Malton road

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EMPORIUM

Inspiring ideas for your home and garden

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1. Fabulous Fabrics Sanderson’s ‘Caverley’ collection is a range of gorgeous fabrics that reflect the latest trend towards classic elegance. You can find them at Milners of Leyburn, T: 01969 622208.

2. You Can Handle It A fantastic double oven glove with a charming chicken design, created with Agas in mind and incredibly heatresistant. £12.50, Patchwork Rose, Bedale, T: 01677 427627.

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3. Let Them Eat Cake Store your baked goodies in style with this attractive set of three nesting and stacking cake tins. £19.99, Askrigg Village Kitchen, T: 01969 650076.

4. Light Up Create a soothing, relaxed evening ambience with these luxurious Yankee jar candles. They burn for absolutely ages and release a delightful natural fragrance. £17.99, Nickery Nook, Bedale, T: 01677 425848.

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5. Take Your Seat Painted in ‘Bone’ and ‘Parma Grey’ with a wax finish these simple, elegant chairs suit any decor. £45 each, Peppercorn House www.peppercornhouse.com, T: 01325 401778.

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LUXURY LINEN HIRE AND LAUNDRY SERVICE FOR THE YORKSHIRE DALES We are the premier rental service for luxury bed and bath linen in the Yorkshire Dales specialising in holiday cottages, guest houses, and hotels. Our laundry is based in Wensleydale from where we provide a spot on service 7 days a week. We can take responsibility for your stock levels and therefore there are no stock turnover penalties.

As we approach our second birthday come and meet the team at Swinithwaite or Julie will be more than happy to come to you.

Coach House, Swinithwaite Hall, Swinithwaite, Leyburn, North Yorkshire DL8 4UH T: 01969 662624 F: 07092 008049 julie@thewhitebeddingco.com www.thewhitebeddingco.com

Sanderson & Co Interior decorating suppliers A wide range of wallpapers, traditional and modern, including: Crowson Shand Kidd Linda Barker Graham & Brown Over 100 wallpaper books in stock with next day delivery Paints by Crown and Dulux Farrow & Ball also available Paint colours mixed while you wait High Street, Leyburn Tel: 01969 623143 12

The

Inside Story

compiled by chloe smith

Forging Ahead Due to open at the end of March, The Forge is a brand new interiors showroom tucked away in a historic building — a former smithy, as the name suggests — at the back of Bedale Hall. Here you’ll be able to browse the full range of Farrow & Ball paints and wall-coverings, along with stylish furniture, elegant contemporary fabrics, lighting, homeware and gifts. The emphasis is

firmly on individual products, handmade in Britain, with a special focus on local makers.

Bespoke sofas, mirrors, lampshades, curtains... virtually anything you want can be made to order. Room settings will include a children’s corner laid out with charming bedroom furniture and plenty of fun bedroom accessories.

Above the showroom, a design studio offers a comprehensive design service to help you give your living space that new look you’ve been dreaming of.

The Forge, Amen House, Bedale, 01677 427383, www.forgeinteriors.co.uk.

Country Chic Specialising in the period and contemporary country look, Bear Cottage Interiors offer a comprehensive interior design service tailored to your individual needs — everything from advice on colours, fabrics and accessories to full project design and management. In their big new showroom in Hawes marketplace — it opened last year — you can explore a splendid selection of fabrics and wallpapers, including Vanessa Arbuthnott, William Morris, Linwood,

GP & J Baker and Mulberry. If you’re looking for curtains, blinds, furniture, upholstery, lamps, mirrors or flooring in pursuit of your rural idyll then you’ll find no shortage of inspiration. On the same premises, their bespoke joinery workshop can build you pretty much anything to your own design, from chairs, tables and dressers to doors, windows and beautiful, practical fully-fitted kitchens.

Bear Cottage Interiors, The Cattle Market, Market Place, Hawes, 01969 666077, www.bearcottageinteriors.co.uk.

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STAIRWAYS FROM HEAVEN Based in Topcliffe, not far from Thirsk, Stairs & More supply stunning made-to-measure staircases for both domestic and commercial spaces. For top quality and up-to-the-minute design, Italian staircase-makers are acknowledged as the world’s best, and Stairs & More have recently become authorised dealers for super-stylish Alfa Scale and Cast Scale. Of course, the sleek, chic, minimal, ultracontemporary look isn’t suitable for every setting, especially for older properties here in the Dales, but Stairs & More are equally at home providing staircase solutions for more traditional buildings. Also new to their list of suppliers is McQuillan Staircases, one of Ireland’s top manufacturers, whose gorgeous, elegantly curved natural wood staircases need to be seen to believed. Take a look at the Stairs & More website for lots of inspirational images.

Stairs & More, www.stairsandmore.co.uk, 01845 577200.

Into Continental

Since 1995 The French House has been the place to find stylish 19th and early 20th century antique beds, cabinets, tables, chairs, sofas, mirrors, light fittings, fireplaces, tiles and more. It’s a Gallic treasure trove of everything from lustrous walnut king-size beds to perky Art Deco pendant lights, and from marble-topped console tables to monogrammed cotton sheets. Recently The French House moved out of Micklegate in central York to a more easily accessible premises in Huntington, with plenty of parking right outside and a showroom that’s less cluttered and easier to browse. The French House is open from 10am to 4pm Mondays to Saturdays, but they’re very happy to receive visitors by appointment at other times, including Sundays — just give them a call.

The French House, The Warehouse, North Lane, Huntington, York, YO32 9SU, 01904 400561, www.thefrenchhouse.co.uk.

The Secret is Out! The team of talented furniture-makers at Skipton-based The Secret Drawer pride themselves on their ingenuity and technical skill — so much so that their signature speciality is hiding a cleverly concealed secret drawer in their unique bespoke cabinetry. Some customers have taken up to three years to find the drawers, but there’s no missing the clean lines, contemporary curves and traditional wood craftsmanship that have won The Secret Drawer a loyal following. So loyal, in fact, that 90% of their business comes from recommendations. Whether you’re looking for a single piece of furniture, a tailor-made kitchen or a wholehouse refurbishment, their team of perfectionists will ensure that the project meets exacting standards from start to finish, with no nasty surprises — just nice ones!

The Secret Drawer, www.secret-drawer.co.uk, 01535 630072.

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The beauty of glass is not always clear

Glass for kitchens, bathrooms and mirrors any size and colour

Est. 1988. Bathrooms from most major manufacturers Bathrooms Direct, The Industrial Estate, Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire DL7 9UL T 01677 425788/424035 • F 01677 425581 E sales@bathrooms-direct.net • W www.bathrooms-direct.net

Can you tell the difference?

Is it wood or PVCu?

LIFETIME Home Improvements

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From Harrogate to Hartlepool, Hawes to Helmsley, our many thousands of happy customers are looking out on the brighter side of life, improving their homes and enjoying the superb quality of our products and workmanship.

Talk to the experts – designed and fitted by specialists we can bring your ideas to life… We offer a no obligation design and quotation service, so contact us today and tell us about your plans – we’ll be delighted to hear from you.

Take advantage of greater energy savings, security and style. From contemporary to traditional, we offer a bespoke range of top quality window andconservatory designs and bespoke solutions in a colour and style to suit you.

Visit our showrooms at: Lifetime Home Improvements Plews Way, Leeming Bar Ind. Estate Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL7 9UL T: 01677 424381 W: www.lifetimeltd.com

Lillian range from Ditton Hill Cosy cottage look

ADVERTISING PROMOTION

Spring

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Elegance Bedroom Couture Range - Silver, Taupe or Champagne, a sense of quality and sophistication.

A SEASON OF COLOUR CONTRASTS

pring is a great time to freshen up and brighten the look in your bedroom and lounge with new soft furnishings. And this season in particular is one of contrast. When it comes to choosing the hot colour schemes of the moment, two are proving to be very popular; neutral colours and floral patterns are in demand, particularly for the bedroom.

Oswaldtwistle Mills, a soft furnishings store at Lightwater Country Shopping Village, near Ripon, has a great range of neutral colours and floral print designs, as well as a choice of other colour schemes for the bedroom and home.

Christine Exley, proprietor explains “This season everyone wants floral prints or neutral colours! We’ve a great range of high quality neutrals from the Elegance Bedroom Couture Range, in Silver, Taupe and Champagne, including a selection of cushions, throws, curtains, bed runners and bedspreads which will add a sense of sophistication and sensuality to any bedroom. On the other hand, for the country cottage look, the Lillian range from Ditton Hill offers a cosy and traditional feel, with a selection of patchwork quilts, pillow cases, bedspreads and throws as well as cushions in different sizes”

An assortment of top quality cushions warm and sensual for any bedroom

The shop stocks a fantastic assortment of cushions, in a range of contemporary colours, which adds chic to any lounge or bedroom, as well as an array of patterned and neutral colour lamps and lamp shades, which creates the right mood and tone for any occasion.

She continues “We believe in giving our customers the best possible service and advice when it comes to choosing soft furnishings or changing a colour scheme. As well as a wide selection of soft furnishings, we stock extra deep fitted sheets, which are very difficult to source these days, duvet covers and a selection of quality curtains.”

Oswaldtwistle Mills at Lightwater Country Shopping Village, North Stainley, Ripon. Tel 01765 634519. Open daily from 10am. Ample free car parking.

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Potted

PERFECTION

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Discover the unearthly beauty of auriculas and join a four-century-old tradition. Recent convert Rebecca Pow enthuses about these fascinating flowers.

When I saw my first auricula, my initial reaction was one shared by many newcomers to these plants: is it real? With its bright colours and exquisite symmetry it was hard to believe it could be natural.

Auriculas are indeed real, and they have an ardent following. Devoted members of the National Auricula and Primula Society meet up and down the country to exhibit their treasures at special Auricula Shows in April and early May when these charming plants are in flower.

Cheadle Lincoln Chestnut H Wood

In the North these include shows at Cheadle, near Manchester, and Newbottle in County Durham, along with an extensive display at Harrogate Spring Flower Show — all ideal opportunities to meet auricula enthusiasts and pick their brains. You can also see auriculas at a number of specialist nurseries, some of which, including Dainton Nurseries near Ripon, have auricula open days.

Don’t get the impression, though, that auriculas are just for the specialists.

They’re straightforward to cultivate and as hardy as can be, especially the Border and Alpine varieties, so you don’t need a heated greenhouse to over-winter them.

Primula Auricula Roberto

AuRICuLA HISTORY If you get the auricula bug you will be part of a story that began four centuries ago when auriculas were introduced into European gardens from the mountainous areas where they grew wild.

They were brought to Britain by Flemish weavers who came to work in our Northern mills. The weavers didn’t have gardens, so they grew the plants in pots,

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a tradition that remains to this day. The thousands of varieties now available originate from just a few plants, and are the result of endless crossbreeding.

These cultivated forms were traditionally known as ‘florist’s flowers’, a ‘florist’ in past times being a gardener who grew a limited range of flowers to strict standards rather than a flower seller.

Piccadilly The auricula is in a stronger position today than ever before, largely thanks to the dedication of the National Auricula and Primula Society, whose members are the inheritors of the florists’ traditions. Without the efforts of this band of perfectionist amateur breeders the auricula might well have disappeared as a result of a decline in the flower’s popularity in the 19th century, followed by the loss of many auricula collections during the two World Wars.

TYPES Of AuRICuLA Florist’s auriculas are descended from a hybrid between Primula auricula and Primula hirsuta, two species that grow in the European Alps. The recognised types of auricula are Show, Alpine, Double and Border, each with its own special characteristics.

The centre, or eye, of the Show auricula, for example, is called the ‘paste’ because it resembles unglazed

porcelain. It is formed from a waxy substance, ‘farina’, which can also cover the leaves on some plants. This floury appearance of Show auriculas earned them the name ‘Dusty Millers’ in bygone days.

Alpine auriculas are the easiest to grow. They have very beautiful flowers with many bicolored combinations.

The darkest colour is always closest to the centre of the petal, fading to the palest tones at the petal’s edge. They are divided into two groups, the Gold Centres, which have yellow flower centres, and the Light Centres, which have a cream centre.

Doubles are frilly in appearance thanks to additional petals in the central part of the flower, and many of the purpleshaded ones are highly scented.

Doubles were once almost lost from cultivation, but they have made a dramatic comeback. The amount of doubling varies from a few extra rows of neatly laid petals (the Classic

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Double), to a riotous mass with a pompom look (the Standard Double).

The Border auriculas are a group that includes any auricula that does not fall into the other categories. They develop into large plants that produce free-flowering displays in a wide range of colours, and many of them have the added bonus of being sweetly scented.

SuCCESS WITH AuRICuLAS The most important rule with auriculas is to keep them in free-draining soil and never over-water.

If you’re planting auriculas in borders, choose an airy spot under the shade of other plants where they won’t get waterlogged or sun-baked. If you don’t have enough space in your beds, or you intend to show your plants, grow them in pots and give them protection from the elements — the rain will spoil them.

Pot auriculas in a mix of four parts compost to one part grit or vermiculite. In winter, when the plants are dormant, keep the soil in the pots lightly moist. Once growth starts, gradually increase the watering up to and during flowering. Once spring growth stops, cut back the water again and keep plants on the dry side over the summer, increasing your watering slightly for the autumn growth spurt.

The main pest to look out for is the vine weevil. Treat according to instructions with a recommended product.

In the early days, flowering auriculas in pots were often placed in ‘auricula theatres.’ These consisted of a series of shelves set at eye-level, on which the specimens could be shown off to their best advantage. Whilst few

Cheadle Ian Greville people go to the extent of building a ‘theatre’ these days, raising the plants by putting them on a wall or in a garden alcove does mean that you can see into their captivating flower faces much more easily.

FinD out more The national Auricula and Primula Society www.auriculas.org.uk northern Section President: Keith Leeming, keith@leeming448.fsnet.co.uk SPeciALiSt AuricuLA nurSerieS Drointon nurseries, ripon, Yorkshire, www.auricula-plants.co.uk Field House nursery, Leake road, Gotham, nottinghamshire, nG11 0Jn t. 0115 983 0278 2011 AuricuLA SHowS April 14th to 17th: Harrogate Spring Flower Show. www.flowershow.org.uk. may 7th: Kingsway School, cheadle, manchester. may 14th: newbottle working men’s club, Houghton-le-Spring, Durham.

Both of the above are open from 2pm to 4pm.

Photos © Keith Leeming

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DEANSBURY KITCHENS LTD Makers of Bespoke Kitchens & Bedrooms

We w i l l d e s i g n , c r e a t e & i n s t a l l y o u r p e r f e c t k i t c h e n o r b e d r o o m .

Combining modern working kitchens with traditional design and craftmanship.

Unit 1A, Standard Court, Standard Way Industrial Estate, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL6 2XA Tel: 01609 775383 W: www.deansburykitchens.co.uk E: info@deansburykitchens.co.uk

Rhododendrons Azaleas Eucryphia Magnolias Cornus Trees Shrubs Bamboo Primulas Camellias Perennials

The Himalayan Garden & Sculpture Park

Come and visit our inspiring garden in 2011 20 acres of beautiful walks & plant nursery Sculpture exhibition in the garden by

renowned artists Open from Fri 22nd April - Sun 12th June

inclusive, everyday 10am - 4pm (closed Mondays except Bank holidays) Admission £6. Children under 12 FREE A^\]i gZ[gZh]bZcih VkV^aVWaZ [gdb djg iZVgddb BV^a dgYZg [dg eaVcih VkV^aVWaZ Vaa nZVg K^h^i djg lZWh^iZ Vi www.himalayangarden.com 9d\h bjhi WZ `Zei dc V aZVY Vi Vaa i^bZh KZgn a^b^iZY l]ZZaX]V^g VXXZhh The Hutts | Grewelthorpe | Ripon | HG4 3DA Phone: 01765 658009 | E-mail: info@himalayangarden.com

Newby Hall & Gardens RIPON, NORTH YORKSHIRE

Newby offers you one of the best days out inYorkshire!

GRACEFUL COUNTRY HOUSE ❘ AWARD WINNING GARDEN MINIATURE RAILWAY ❘ CHILDREN’S ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND SPECIAL EVENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR OPEN: 1st April - 25th Sept 2011 Tuesdays to Sundays, plus bank holidays. Open seven days in July and August.

Gardens open: 11am - 5.30pm House open for tours only: 12noon - 4pm

Newby Hall & Gardens, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 5AE Information Hotline: 0845 4504068

www.newbyhall.com

Spring Plant Fair 8th May 24

SUSAN WORNER TOURS

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Two for One Tuesdays at Swinton Park Spa Throughout 2011 enjoy two selected treatments for the price of ONE every Tuesday.

Wellness Days at Swinton Park Spa - 8th March and 5th April Lifestyle and diet consultation, a cookery demonstration lunch, detox massage and manicure or pedicure with spa relaxation time. £90pp Mother's Day Lunch – Sunday 3rd April Enjoy a delicious lunch in Samuel’s restaurant (gift included) and a walk in the grounds £28 per person

days out at Swinton Park

Treat Mum to a Spa Day Experience – 1 hour treatment, 1 hour in the spa and lunch £80 per person.

2011 Spring Garden Lunches – 19th April, 16th, 17th, 23rd & 24th May. Visit Swinton Park for a specially themed two course garden lunch with celebrated gardener Susan Cunliffe-Lister, followed by coffee and guided tour of grounds. £35 per person All ideas are available as a gift vouchers.

Swinton Park Masham, Ripon, North Yorkshire, HG4 4JH T: (01765) 680900 www.swintonpark.com

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Dig it!

Tomatoes and chillies are surprisingly easy to grow, even without a greenhouse. And now’s the time to get started, says Adam Appleyard.

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ou’re not a proper gardener until you get yourself a greenhouse — or that’s what many novices are led to believe.

But whilst a greenhouse is certainly a mighty handy facility, there’s no need to despair if you don’t happen to have one. Even tomatoes, the greenhouse crop par excellence, will happily grow outdoors here in the North. I’ve been growing them in pots in my yard for years.

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Chilli peppers belong to the same plant family as tomatoes and, if anything, are even easier to cultivate. Surprising though it may seem, a crop that we associate so strongly with hot countries like India and Thailand can flourish in the Dales. As with tomatoes, all you need is a sheltered spot — ideally up against a sunny southfacing wall — and, most importantly, good timing.

Sowing Success Here’s why timing is so vital. Both tomatoes and chillies need to be started off indoors because they hate frosts.

They also need a long growing season.

Sow your seeds too late and they won’t get enough sunshine to produce ripe fruit. Sow them too early, on the other hand, and your seedlings will grow too

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long and leggy indoors while you wait impatiently for the last frost.

Exactly when that last frost will be is something of a gamble, but here in the Dales — assuming you’re not way up in the hills — sowing your chillies in mid March and your tomatoes from late March to early April should be about right.

Tomato and chilli seeds need to be warm to germinate. Sow them in pots or trays of moist seed compost. Wrap the containers loosely in plastic bags and put them in your airing cupboard or on a sunny windowsill in a wellheated room. If you’re short of suitable spots consider investing in an electric heated propagator. A small one will cost £15 to £20 and should last for years.

Get the temperature right and tomatoes and chillies will germinate readily. So readily, in fact, that it’s easy to sow too many and have more seedlings than you can cope with.

Chillies in particular are usually very reliable germinators, but it’s always helpful to have a few extras as an insurance.

As soon the seeds have germinated, a hot environment is less critical — normal livingroom temperature is fine. So inspect your pots daily, making sure the compost stays damp. As soon as you see a hint of tiny leaves, take your new seedlings out of the bags or propagator and give them as much light as possible.

Choosing Chillies A good choice for growing outside is ‘Nigel’s Outdoors Chilli’ (www.realseeds.co.uk). It will thrive in a sunny, sheltered spot and produces short, fairly pungent pods. The more widely available ‘Hungarian Hot Wax’ (www.victoriananursery.co.uk and others) is

an altogether bigger plant with correspondingly larger fruit, and also does well outdoors in these parts. ‘Rocoto’ (www.southdevonchillifarm.co.uk and others) bears very fiery chilllies and tolerates cool weather well, although its seeds are a little more reluctant to germinate than most.

Tried and Tested Tomatoes ‘Gardener’s Delight’ is a popular, widely available variety of cherry tomato that carries the RHS Award of Garden Merit and can be grown either outdoors or in. ‘Latah’ (www.realseeds.co.uk) is another smallfruited red tomato that doesn’t object to British summers. ‘Yellow Centiflor’ (www.realseeds.co.uk) bears massive trusses of tiny yellow tomatoes that taste just as good as their red cousins and add a hint of the exotic to the salad bowl.

Caring for Your Crop Once your seedlings are large enough to handle, pot them individually into 8cm pots, and again into larger pots once the roots start peeping through the drainage holes.

When the danger of frost has passed you can put your plants outside.

You can cultivate tomatoes in growbags, but I usually plant them individually into large pots with a tripod of bamboo canes — tied together at the top — to provide a structure to tie the plants to when they become large enough to flop.

29

m

Sarah Hunt - www.worldofchillies.co

Chillies tend to be compacter, more self-reliant plants, needing less by way of support. I often plant them in a group in a large planting trough, but planting them individually in pots is equally satisfactory, and has the advantage that you can shift them around to follow the sun.

Tomatoes need regular watering — daily once the flowers have appeared — and regular nutrition, so buy a proprietary tomato feed and follow the instructions on the bottle or packet. Chillies won’t be quite as thirsty, but while you have the tomato feed out, give them a dose too; they appreciate plenty of potassium.

Chilli plants and bush-type tomatoes can be left to their own devices, but vine tomatoes need to have their side-shoots snapped off so they can put all their energy into the fruits on the main stem. Less is more, so lop off surplus trusses of fruit and pinch off growing tips as summer starts drawing to an end. If cool nights are forecast, your chillis and tomatoes will appreciate being draped in horticultural fleece until morning.

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Chillies can be used green or red, and whether they will turn red when grown outdoors depends on how sunny a summer they get. If you have a surplus of green ones at the end of the season, uproot the whole plant, hang it upside down somewhere warm and the fruit should carry on maturing.

As for tomatoes, pick them promptly as they ripen or they will split.

You will almost certainly still have unripened fruit on the plants when the first frosts of autumn arrive, at which time cut whole trusses of fruit and put them on a sunny windowsill, where a good proportion of them will ripen off naturally.

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The Dales hard landscape specialists.

High quality workmanship by an experienced and friendly team From patios and driveways to rockeries, stone walling and ornamental ponds.

Mini digger and excavation work Experts in the creation of high quality durable and aesthetic projects For free friendly advice call Frank Johnston B.Sc.

Tel: 01969 640457 Mobile: 07803 735000 E-mail: frank@stonescapes.com www.stonescapes.com

Superb gardens & landscapes from Neil Wilmore Est 1988 HDN Hort.

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01969 624555

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CONSTABLE BURTON HALL GARDENS TULIP FESTIVAL 30th April - 2nd May 2011 Sponsored by "BLOMS BULBS" CHELSEA AWARD WINNING NURSERY Explore a festival of tulips amongst the romantic gardens.

6,500 tulips planted annually to give a dazzling display of colours and forms.

Refreshments Admission charges Adults £4.00 Senior Citizens £3.00 Children free Opening Time 10am-5pm General Opening Times 9am-6pm 12th March - 25th September 2011 For further details telephone

01677 450428

NORTH OF ENGLAND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY CENTENARY

2011 APRIL 14-17

GREAT YORKSHIRE SHOWGROUND

Centenary Year

Drointon nurseries A GREAT DAY OUT!

SAVE £2 PER TICKET

•Show gardens •Leading horticultural nurseries •Kitchen Garden Live •The Garden Roadshow •Gardening with Nature •Floral art •Foods and cookery theatre •Crafts and gifts

01423 546157

book before noon Tuesday 5 April or online at

www.flowershow.org.uk Tickets available every day on the gate: Thurs, Fri & Sat £15; Sun £13 Opening times: 9.30am - 5.30pm

All proceeds donated to the North of England Horticultural Society...supporting horticulture in the North. Charity No: 702017 Harrogate Flower Shows, Regional Agricultural Centre, Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate HG2 8NZ e-mail: info@flowershow.org.uk In purchasing pre-booked tickets for the Harrogate Flower Shows, you agree that you receive information relating to future NEHS Shows Photograph by Nigel Harrison www.nigelsflowerpower.com

The premier Auricula nursery in the North of England, we supply worldwide and offer an extensive range of plants via mail order, at shows and on open days.

For details of these please visit our website or give us a ring.

Drointon Nurseries, Plaster Pitts, Ripon HG4 5EF Tel: 01765 641849 www.auricula-plants.co.uk 33

Rome and GARDEN

34

Susan Worner has a passion for Mediterranean gardens.

Some of her favourites are nestled in the lush countryside around Rome.

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Tucked away in the rolling hills surrounding the Eternal City are several exceptionally interesting and beautiful gardens, some modern, others many centuries old. Without your own transport, though, they can be difficult to get to, and public access to them is often strictly limited.

Thanks to Susan Worner, however, garden enthusiasts can visit a carefully chosen selection of the very best of them in a week-long guided tour whose highlight is a private visit to the extraordinary Giardino di Ninfa — in May, when it is at its very best. As an added bonus, the trip also includes plenty of opportunities to enjoy the region’s excellent food and drink.

Susan has had a lifelong interest in botany, and she spent many happy childhood hours exploring the rich flora of the Dales. In 1997 she set up her own business, Susan Worner Tours, to share her love of Mediterranean gardens with others. With her passion for the subject and her impressive language skills — she speaks Italian, French and German — she makes an ideal guide.

The first trip that Susan organised was a visit to the outstanding gardens of Menton on the French Riviera, but since then her tours have gathered a loyal and enthusiastic following and she has expanded the list of destinations on offer.

These now include, as well as several other garden-centred tours, trips to study the Alpine flora of Eastern Switzerland, walking tours of the Ligurian mountains, and wine tours of France that give clients the opportunity to choose and personally import wines direct from individual producers.

36

Susan’s garden tours attract everyone from keen amateur gardeners to professional garden designers and landscape photographers. All of them will undoubtedly be especially excited by the prospect of visiting the Giardino di Ninfa, dubbed ‘the most romantic garden in the world’ by a recent book on the subject. To preserve its unique character, the foundation that runs the gardens in conjunction with the WWF imposes strict limits on visitors. To enjoy a private visit is a rare treat.

Ninfa was a substantial town from Roman times until the Middle Ages when, as the result a dispute between the town’s owner and the Pope, it was ransacked and abandoned. The ruins and the surrounding land were left untouched until the early 1900s when the Caetani family decided to create a garden there.

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“It’s a garden the like of which I have never seen before or since,” says Susan. “It’s very cleverly planted, with a keen eye for proportions and colours. But it’s not at all clipped and formal, and there are masses of huge rambling roses growing up the ruined buildings — they bloom in May, when we visit, and they look absolutely spectacular.

Add to that sound of the many crystal-clear streams running through the gardens and the overall experience is nothing short of magical.”

Susan has deliberately picked as wide a variety of gardens as possible, and other visits on the tour include the rigorously formal gardens of Villa Lante, the Castello di Vignanello with its beautiful parterre garden, and the exuberant hillside gardens of Villa d'Este in Tivoli.

The first three nights are spent in the charming town of Frascati, with the chance to enjoy some of the delicious local specialities such as Chianina beef. A visit to a nearby Frascati winegrower to learn how he grows his vines — and, of course, sample his products — is also on the schedule. Frascati is just a short train journey from Rome, so there is also a welcome chance to spend a day exploring the city’s many treasures.

The tour’s second hotel, set in the countryside near Lake Bracciano, north of Rome is the charactersome and beautifully renovated Hotel di Stigliano, which has sulphur-rich natural hot water springs and Etruscan remains in the surrounding gardens.

The Susan Worner Tours ‘Rome Gardens from Latium to Tuscia’ is from 2nd to 8th May 2011.

For details about this and other tours visit www.susanwornertours.com or call 01904 651651.

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Leading a trip like this may seem like a dream job, but behind the scenes Susan and her team of three staff do a huge amount of administrative work at their office near York to ensure that everything runs smoothly. Once the trip begins, though, Susan can start to relax just a little. “What I love about leading a tour like this is that I meet so many interesting people — and, of course, we have a common enthusiasm. It’s a very sociable event. Our clients often say it’s like going away with friends for a week. It’s just a shame I have to go back to the office at the end of it!”

Your local, independent Travel Agent. Well travelled staff with over 30 years experience in the travel industry, working in partnership with Page & Moy, the Italy experts

EXPERIENCE

T H E RE A L ITA LY H O L I D AY S F R O M ÂŁ 5 2 9 A FANTA ST IC R ANGE OF CU LT U R AL HOLI DAYS CRE AT ED

BY E XPERTS WIT H 50 YE ARS E XPERI ENCE Italy is a country bursting with a rich culture and heritage; beautiful countryside and cities steeped in history; mouth-watering food and outstanding wines; a stunning coastline and magnificent lakes...plus so much more. Page & Moy are Italy specialists offering over 20 holidays to this splendid country all of which offer authentic cultural experiences combined with the freedom and flexibility to make your own discoveries.

ITALY INSPIRATION EVENING Join us on Thursday 7th April to meet a member of the Page & Moy team who will inspire you for your 2011 holiday.

A fine selection of Italian wines will be available to sample on the evening.

7pm, Thursday 7th April 2011, Bedale Hall, North End, Bedale DL8 1AA Places are limited. To book your place, contact the Travel Lounge on 01677 427358 or email sales@thetravellounge.co.uk TO FI N D O U T M O R E A B O U T PAG E & M OY ’ S H O L I DAYS , CO N TAC T T H E T R AV E L LO U N G E

11B Market Place, Bedale, Nor th York shire DL 8 1EB or call 0167 7 427 358

Dales Life Spring 2011_p000_DL_0211 21/02/2011 09:59 Page 40

Yorkshire’s finest As well as our huge selection of the world’s best food and wines and a fantastic range of delicious deli goods, we have a great gifts floor packed with unusual finds.

You’ll also love relaxing in our haven of a tearoom, enjoying local food at its very best.

Come soon and discover the county’s number one gastronomic destination.

92 High Street, Northallerton, DL7 8PT. 01609 772880 and 109 High Street, Yarm, TS15 9BB. 01642 784158 lewisandcooper.co.uk

Need a hamper? Think inside the box!

From ready-made beauties to our unrivalled create-your-own service.

Choose online, in-store or call our hamper team on 01609 777700.

THE WHITE BEAR COUNTRY INN MASHAM • NORTH YORKSHIRE The White Bear is a five star inn situated in the pretty market town of Masham in the foothills of the Yorkshire Dales.

Relax in our beautiful rooms and dine on fine local Yorkshire produce. Or join some of the locals in the bar for a drink.

Experience a real taste of the Dales.

P U B • R E S TA U R A N T • R O O M S 40

01765 689 319 thewhitebearhotel.co.uk

Jam Session Fruit conserves and compotes aren’t just delicious treats in their own right, they can give a tasty twist to dinner – party dishes — savoury as well as sweet.

Why not impress your guests with these clever contemporary recipes from the new Bonne Maman cookbook?

Recipes and photographs are taken from Bonne Maman: The Seasonal Cookbook, published in hardback by Simon & Schuster Ltd and available from all good retailers, RRP £16.99.

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Creamed Tomato and Orange Soup with Fresh Crab Croûtes This soup has such a simple but delicious blend of flavours – and it can be made in advance, which is always useful.

The marmalade adds a touch of sweet orange and tempers the acidity of the tomatoes perfectly.

Serves 6-8

method

ingredients

In a large saucepan melt the butter and 1 tablespoon of the oil and fry the onion, celery, squash and 2 of the garlic cloves for 7- 10 minutes, or until the onion is very soft and golden.

50 g (2 oz) butter 2 tbsp olive oil 4 small red onions, roughly chopped 2 celery sticks, finely chopped 450 g (1 Ib) butternut squash, peeled and chopped 3 fat garlic cloves 2-3 tbsp Bonne Maman Bitter Orange Marmalade 2 x 400 g tins chopped tomatoes with chilli 600 ml (1 pint) chicken or vegetable stock 1 x 150 ml carton single cream Salt and freshly ground black pepper

to finish 1 small ciabatta loaf, thinly sliced and toasted 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley A few strips of red chilli or pepper 75 g (3 oz) fresh white crab meat

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Stir in the marmalade, tomatoes and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30-35 minutes until all the vegetables are tender.

Cool and then liquidise the soup in a food processor or blender or with a hand-held blender. Stir in the cream, adjust the seasoning and return to the saucepan to reheat gently.

Brush the ciabatta toasts with the remaining olive oil and garlic clove.

Stir the parsley and chilli or pepper into the crab meat and fork a little onto each ciabatta toast. Top each bowl of soup with some crab croûtes before serving.

COOK'S TIPS ✽ This soup can be made up to 3 days ahead. It also freezes well. ✽ Spread the toasts lightly with a creamy garlic mayonnaise for an extra garlic 'kick'. ✽ As an alternative to fresh crab, spread the toasts with soft goats' cheese or coarsely grated Gruyère.

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Grilled Mackerel with Rhubarb Sauce These fresh mackerels would also be great grilled on the barbecue to make the most of any super-hot spring evenings.

Serves 6

method

ingredients

Put all the sauce ingredients in a stainless steel saucepan and heat gently over a low heat for 3-5 minutes, until combined and reduced to a coating consistency. Remove from the heat, discard the ginger and allow to cool.

6 fresh mackerel, weighing about 225 g (8 oz) each, gutted and cleaned 1 lemon, cut into 12 half-slices 15 g (1⁄2 oz) butter, melted Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

for the sauce 9 tbsp Bonne Maman Rhubarb Compote Zest and juice of 11⁄2 unwaxed lemons 3 tbsp white wine vinegar 1 cm (1⁄2 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced Salt and ground white pepper

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Preheat the grill to a high heat.

Pat the mackerel dry with kitchen paper. Make 2 or 3 deep slashes in the side of each fish and lightly season the cavities; add 2 half-slices of lemon to each fish.

Place the mackerel in a shallow roasting tin or on an edged baking sheet. Brush both sides with melted butter and season lightly.

Reduce the grill to a medium heat and cook the fish placed 5-7.5 cm (2-3 inches) from the heat source for 6-8 minutes, then turn over and grill the other side. Serve sprinkled with the chopped parsley and with the warm rhubarb sauce.

COOK'S TIPS ✽ If cooking the mackerel on a barbecue, use a fish rack to make turning the fish easier. ✽ Omit the lemon and use slices of fresh orange.

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Confit of Duck Salad with New Season Asparagus Confit is the French word for preserve and is a wonderful way of serving duck if you like it with a crisp and crunchy skin.

Serves 6 as a starter or 3 for lunch

ingredients 225 g (8 oz) asparagus, trimmed 2 confit of duck legs 75 g (3 oz) pea shoots or soft baby salad leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the dressing 1 sprig of fresh rosemary 9 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 pink shallots, finely diced 2 garlic cloves, sliced 5 tbsp Bonne Maman Strawberry Conserve 3-4 tbsp sherry vinegar

method First, make the dressing. Remove the leaves from the sprig of rosemary and finely chop them (reserving the stalk). Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the shallots and garlic with the rosemary leaves for 2-3 minutes until it begins to sizzle and turn golden brown.

Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining oil, the conserve and the vinegar. Season the dressing and pour into an empty jar. Push in the reserved rosemary stalk, seal and leave to marinate in a cool place for at least 24 hours or up to 1 week (the longer the better).

Cook the asparagus in plenty of boiling, salted water until just tender. Drain and immediately plunge into ice-cold water to cool.

Drain and keep chilled until needed.

About 2 hours before serving, preheat the oven to 220°C (fan oven 200°C), gas mark 7.

Cook the confit of duck legs in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven, set aside to cool, then shred the meat from the bones. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of dressing over the warm duck meat.

When ready to serve, divide the asparagus between 6 serving plates.

Top with the shredded duck and some pea shoots or salad leaves.

Spoon over a little extra dressing before serving.

COOK'S TIPS ✽ The dressing is also wonderful served with smoked meats and salty, soft goats' cheese. ✽ If you cannot find confit of duck, poach 2 duck legs gently in stock for 1 hour until very tender. Drain well, rub the skin with a little salt and olive oil and roast as above.

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Venison Steaks with Blackcurrant Sauce Venison steaks are perfect for a chilly spring evening when you are after a hearty meal – they are rich and delicious when accompanied by a deep, fruity sauce.

Serves 4

method

ingredients

To make the sauce, place the blackcurrant conserve and port into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the vinegar and bubble to reduce for 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly. Add the lemon juice and pepper to taste. Keep the sauce warm until needed.

4 venison steaks (or small medallions of fillet of beef), weighing about 125-150 g (4-5 oz) each Olive oil, for brushing Salt and freshly ground black pepper Parsleyed sautéed potatoes, to finish

for the sauce 150 g (5 oz) Bonne Maman Blackcurrant Conserve 150 ml (1⁄4 pint) port 1 tbsp red wine vinegar Juice of 1⁄2 lemon

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Wipe the venison steaks with kitchen paper and brush lightly with olive oil. Season both sides and place into a hot griddle pan. Grill on both sides for 2-3 minutes, about 4-6 minutes in total, depending upon the thickness of the steaks and how you like them cooked.

Serve on hot plates with the sauce poured over, accompanied by some parsleyed sautéed potatoes.

COOK'S TIPS ✽ The sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead and kept in a cool place.

Reheat gently to serve. ✽ The same sauce is delicious with grilled lamb cutlets, venison sausages or roast duck.

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Chocolate and Strawberry Roulade You will never have a more appreciative audience than when you produce a homemade chocolate roulade – this one has the added temptation of a strawberry cream filling.

Serves 6

method

ingredients

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan oven 160°C), gas mark 4. Line a 28 x 38 cm (11 x 15 inch) Swiss roll tin with non-stick baking parchment, making sure the top edge is about 2.5 cm (1 inch) above the level of the tin.

175 g (6 oz) plain chocolate, roughly chopped, plus extra for chocolate curls to decorate 6 large eggs, separated 175 g (6 oz) golden caster sugar Cocoa powder, to dust Single cream, to finish

for the filling 1 x 300 ml carton double cream Finely grated zest and juice of 1 small orange 6 tbsp Bonne Maman Strawberry Conserve

Put the chocolate in a small heatproof bowl with 150 ml (1⁄4 pint) water and melt slowly over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir until smooth, then leave to cool slightly.

Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together using an electric whisk (mixer or hand-held) until very thick and pale. Add the cooled chocolate and stir until evenly blended. Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.

Fold in the remaining egg whites. Pour into the prepared tin and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until just firm. Put a wire rack over the tin and cover with a damp tea towel. Leave overnight.

To make the filling, whip the cream until it just holds its shape.

In a separate bowl, stir the orange zest and 1 tablespoon of juice into the conserve.

Dust a large piece of non-stick baking parchment with icing sugar.

Flip the roulade, cooked side down, onto the parchment and peel off the lining paper.

Spread the roulade with the whipped cream and then dot evenly with the conserve. Roll up the roulade, keeping it as tight as possible, and pull away the paper. Cover lightly with cling film and keep chilled until needed.

Decorate with chocolate curls and serve in slices with chilled single cream.

COOK'S TIP ✽ The roulade also has an optional chocolate coating that looks impressive but is very simple to do. Cut out a sheet of baking parchment the same diameter and length as the rolled roulade. Put the roulade in the freezer for 30 minutes. Brush the parchment all over with a thin layer of melted chocolate, about 100 g (31⁄2 oz).

Remove the roulade from the freezer and drape the paper over the roulade, melted chocolate side down. Press down evenly all over.

Return to the freezer for 20 minutes, then gently peel away the paper and you will be left with a crisp chocolate covering. Keep in the fridge and dust lightly with cocoa powder before serving.

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Rebecca Squires Celebration Cakes, Patisserie & Confectionery becca@theresalwayscake.co.uk mob: 07823 338939

foodfor thought VISIT A REAL CHOCOLATE FACTORY The little chocolate shop in Leyburn, North Yorkshire is busy making scrumptious hand-made chocolates for Easter!

Come and visit us at our working factory, where you can see how the chocolates are made.

Our Shop has a superb range of delicious chocolates, with over 200 types on sale.

Our chocolates make great gifts for Mothering Sunday and Easter.

THE LITTLE CHOCOLATE SHOP LTD Leyburn Business Park, Harmby Road, Leyburn DL8 5QA Tel: 01969 625288 Open 9am - 5pm Monday to Friday and 10am - 4pm Saturday

www.thelittlechocolateshop.co.uk 52

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Welcome to

ASKRIGG VILLAGE KITCHEN Deli and Bakery Good, honest fresh food, prepared in our village kitchen for you to enjoy at home.

From the deli - we bake our own bread daily from farmhouse white, malted seed to fresh croissants.

Bistro style meals to take home - Fresh meals cooked daily, comforting casseroles, lasagne, and authentic curries.

Homemade puddings, homemade pies, sausage rolls and sandwiches to take away.

We also have a fantastic range of locally produced jams and chutneys, dressings, cheeses, gift packs and hampers.

Please call or telephone and we can have your meal ready for you to collect.

Unusual range of gifts, pop in for a browse.

Market Place, Askrigg • Please contact Thelma or Jo 01969 650076 Open daily 7.30 am - 5pm Sunday 9am - 12pm

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backto your roots For healthy and delicious food you can’t beat fresh, seasonal vegetables — and leeks provide a welcome touch of greenery in early spring.

Closely related to onions and garlic, leeks are quick to cook and provide a milder, sweeter, subtler alternative to onions in savoury dishes. The white of raw leek can even be thinly sliced and added to salads.

Leeks are a good source of fibre, folic acid, vitamins C and B6, magnesium and iron.

Studies suggest that — like onions and garlic 54

— they can improve the immune system and lower levels of harmful cholesterol.

For a tasty lunch or simple supper try this quick and easy recipe from local suppliers of organic fruit and vegetables, Riverford Organic Vegetables Ltd. You can find more leek recipes and cooking tips on the Riverford website, www.riverford.co.uk/homefarm.

Bacon, leek & potato gratin

By Jane Baxter, Riverford Field Kitchen

Serves 6 Ingredients 2 leeks, sliced 1 knob of butter 100g bacon, cooked & chopped 300ml double cream 100ml milk 2 garlic cloves, crushed 800g potatoes, peeled & cut into 2-3mm thick slices 1-2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan sea salt & black pepper Sweat the leeks in butter for 10 mins, then add the bacon and garlic. Add the cream and milk and bring to the boil. Season and mix in the potatoes. Transfer to a gratin dish. Cover with foil and bake at 180째C for about 50 mins, until potatoes are tender. Remove the foil, sprinkle with Parmesan and bake for another 10 mins, until golden brown.

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An Appetite for SPRING Try these three sumptuous recipes from award-winning food writer Diana Henry.

Roast lamb with sherry, thyme & red onions Time accompanying dishes to be ready when you carve, not when the lamb comes from the oven.

Serves 8 FOR THE LAMB

FOR THE ONIONS

6 garlic cloves salt and pepper leaves from 8 thyme sprigs olive oil 3kg (6lb 8oz) leg of lamb 300ml (1⁄2 pint) medium sherry

8 red onions, halved 3 tbsp olive oil 6 tbsp sherry vinegar 250ml (9fl oz) sweet sherry about a dozen thyme sprigs

1 Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Crush the garlic with the salt, pepper and thyme leaves in a mortar and pestle. Add enough oil to make a loose paste. Rub over the lamb, place in a roasting tin and roast for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 for a further 70 minutes. Halfway through cooking, add half the medium sherry. Now baste the lamb at intervals, adding the remaining medium sherry and 150ml (5fl oz) water, watching that the dish does not dry out or the juices will burn.

2 Meanwhile, put the onions in a heatproof gratin dish, or small roasting tin, where they fit snugly in a single layer. Drizzle with the oil, season, then add the vinegar and sweet sherry. Scatter the thyme sprigs on top. When the lamb has 30 minutes cooking time left, put the onions in the oven for 50 minutes, basting occasionally. The sweet sherry should be absorbed by the onions. If they become too dry, add another good slug.

3 Take the lamb out of the oven, insulate with foil and towels and rest for 20–25 minutes. Put on a heated platter, surrounded by the onions. Serve immediately with the juices.

4 If you want gravy, pour the cooking juices into a jug and spoon off the fat. Set the roasting tin over a medium heat and add 250ml (9fl oz) water or white wine. Bring to the boil, scraping up the bits stuck to the pan, and taste. Adjust with more wine, sherry, even a splash of balsamic vinegar, if you like.

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57

Purple-sprouting broccoli with mozzarella, chilli and anchovies Purple--sprouting broccoli tastes sweet and is so good for you. It arrives when we really need it – at the brighter end of winter when we’re dying for new ingredients.

I steam it as you would asparagus, standing with the heads out of the water. You may need to trim the stalks (they dry out quickly) but don’t remove the leaves.

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main course 500g (1lb 2oz) purple--sprouting broccoli 300g (10 ½ oz) mozzarella cheese 2 x 50g cans anchovies in oil 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle

4 garlic cloves, finely sliced 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced juice of 1 lemon freshly ground black pepper 1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley or torn basil

1 Trim the broccoli and steam until just tender (4–5 minutes). Slice the mozzarella into rounds, or tear into chunks.

2 Drain the anchovies. Gently heat the oil in a small frying pan. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for a few minutes until the garlic is very pale gold. Add the anchovies and press with the back of a wooden spoon to break them up (they melt into a sauce).

3 Put the hot broccoli on plates and top with the mozzarella. Add the lemon juice, pepper and parsley to the anchovy oil and spoon over. Drizzle with more oil, grind on more pepper and serve.

4 To serve, stir, then throw the lime leaves, coriander and chilli on top.

ALSO TRY… As a side dish Omit the mozzarella and halve the amount of anchovies. Very good with roast lamb.

With cumin, chilli, mint and yogurt Heat 6 tbsp groundnut oil in a wok. Add 700g (1lb 9oz) trimmed broccoli. Stir-fry for a few minutes. Add 3 tsp cumin seeds, 2 red chillies, deseeded and very finely sliced, and 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced. Cook for 2 minutes, tossing. Splash in some water, season, cover and cook on low heat for a minute, until just tender. Drizzle with plain yogurt and chopped mint.

With ginger, chilli and soy Stir-fry as above, but add fresh root ginger, peeled and grated, to the chillies and garlic and omit the cumin. Replace the water with sherry. Splash on soy sauce at the end and let it bubble away to glaze.

With ricotta, lemon, olive oil and Parmesan Steam 450g (1lb) broccoli until just tender.

Divide between plates and quickly top with 125g (41⁄2oz) and pepper, a really generous slug of extra virgin olive oil and 50–75g (13⁄4–21⁄2oz) Parmesan cheese, shaved.

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Brown bread and whisky ice cream I just love this brown bread ice cream (laced with a bit of whisky) with raspberries.

A coarse-textured brown bread with seeds and grains is particularly good.

Serves 4-6 20g (¾oz) unsalted butter 75g (2½oz) brown breadcrumbs 50g (1½oz) dark soft brown sugar 400ml (14 fl oz) double cream 75g (2¾oz) soft light brown sugar 1½ tsp vanilla extract 5 tbsp whisky

1 Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the breadcrumbs.

Sauté until golden, stirring often, then add the dark brown sugar, pressing with the back of a wooden spoon to break up any lumps. Continue to sauté, stirring, until the sugar has caramelized the breadcrumbs. Be very careful not to burn the breadcrumbs or sugar. Pour on to a plate and leave to cool.

2 Whip the cream until loose peaks form, adding the soft light brown sugar as you go. Add the vanilla and whisky and stir in the caramelized breadcrumbs.

3 Put into a broad, shallow container and freeze, beating the mixture about 3 times during the freezing process to break down the small crystals and make the ice cream smooth (some people bung it into the food processor to blend it up, but that would ruin the breadcrumbs in this recipe). If you have an ice cream machine, churn it in that.

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Recipes and photographs are from Food from Plenty by Diana Henry, published in hardback by Mitchell Beazley and available from all good booksellers priced at £25.

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eDiscerning DINER

Claudia Blake visits The Oak Tree Inn, Hutton Magna 62

Hutton Magna is a modest little village just north of the A66, a mile or two short of Barnard Castle. In line with the small scale of its surroundings, The Oak Tree Inn is a pocket-sized hostelry, a single-storey stone building — scarcely more than a cottage — with a neat whitewashed frontage.

The bar-cum-dining space is long and narrow, not spacious but undeniably charming. There’s plenty of wood panelling, including a panelled ceiling, and some quirky wooden settles. Two sofas either side of a real fire offer a comfortable spot to pore over the menu. The huge numbers of cookery books stacked around the place add to the general cosiness — and suggest that the proprietors take their culinary research very seriously.

The menu, as befits a small establishment, was compact and refreshingly unpretentious. There was a decent little wine list too, with plenty of sensibly priced wines, several available by the glass. Unfortunately only a handful of them had tasting notes. I dare say we could have sought advice, but it’s always helpful to have a few clues to kick-start the decision-making process.

The Oak Tree scored highly on pre-meal distractions, with complimentary Parmesan biscuits, spiced cashews and some excellent homemade bread and hummus keeping us busily nibbling until the arrival of our first courses.

Piers had ordered rabbit and chorizo risotto. Honestly and elegantly presented, it came in a wide-rimmed bowl, lightly dusted with tiny cressy greens. It was packed with meat, and certainly made a hearty, filling starter, but I couldn’t help wondering how well it fitted the brief of being a risotto. Perhaps I’m a purist, but for me risotto is a dish in which the creamy rice takes centre stage, with additional flavourings playing a subordinate — or, at most, an equal — role. In this case, the rabbit and the chorizo seemed to be running the show, with the rice very much in the background. Tasty enough, but not quite what I expected.

Chef and I may disagree about risottos, but we’re at one on the issue of salads.

My starter — a warm salad of Middle White pork sausage with black pudding, pancetta and a soft poached egg — was judiciously balanced. The ratio of welldressed salad leaves to succulent nuggets of sausage and black pudding was exactly right, and the crisped pancetta and melting egg extended the range of textures still further. Delicious.

For my main I chose saddle of venison with ‘sticky red cabbage’, fondant potatoes and blackberries. The venison was perfect: softly melting, gamey meat, masterfully cooked and attractively sliced. The red cabbage — and there was lots of it — provided contrast in the form of a massive whack of fruity sharpness.

So much so, in fact, that the blackberries seemed slightly redundant. Possibly less would have been more here, because the marvellous flavours of the venison

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were in real danger of being swamped. Fortunately the swarm of merry little marble-sized fondant potatoes mediated the proceedings with a pleasant dose of savoury starchiness.

Piers’ main course proved, once again, that Chef is meticulous about his meat.

It was a luscious, precisely cooked beef fillet perched on a tasty melange of shredded Savoy cabbage and finely chopped pancetta. It came with a good red wine sauce, a quenelle of earthy, aromatic swede purée and a charming little haggis pasty. A splendid plateful, simply and stylishly presented.

‘Frankly I could have eaten a bucketful.’

For dessert I chose a toasted almond pannacotta with cherry compote and a vanilla and crème fraiche sorbet. The thing that really wowed me about this was the way the creamy, white pannacotta was infused with such an intense toasted almond flavour. Frankly I could have eaten a bucketful.

Piers’ hot gingerbread pudding with vanilla ice cream was equally impressive. Imagine a dreamily light sticky toffee pudding infused with shredded ginger, cinnamon and other musky spices and you’ll be getting somewhere near the truth of the matter. Another of those puds that make you wish you could carry on eating forever.

We wound up proceedings with a couple of teas from The Oak Tree’s commendably wide-ranging selection. These came with a pair of melting truffles and a pair of tiny tonka bean ice creams. In case you didn’t know, tonka beans are the fruit of a South American tree, and their unique taste is somewhere between vanilla, almond and cloves. I don’t believe I’ve seen them being used in any North Eastern eateries before, and to find them in unassuming Hutton Magna was indeed a surprise.

Our bill came to a total of £87. The cost of the food — three courses each for two people, excluding drinks — accounted for £65 of this, that’s to say just shy of £33 each. As far as we were concerned that was splendid value for money.

The food was consistently excellent, and there were plenty of nice touches as regards complimentary bits and bobs. We received a genuinely warm welcome and attentive, helpful, unobtrusive service in a comfortable and relaxing environment. Small it may be, but The Oak Tree Inn clearly stands head and shoulders above most of its competitors on the regional dining scene.

For further information about The Oak Tree Inn call 01833 627371.

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enjoy roux Scholar Jonathan Harrison’s unique cuisine in the traditional surroundings of the Sandpiper inn modern British food using only the finest local ingredients, beautifully prepared and presented.

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Contemporary dining in the Yorkshire Dales

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Our Head Chef Andy Brooks uses only locally sourced ingredients for our range of menus. Our stunning restaurant set deep in the rolling countryside offers you the perfect place to relax and enjoy some of the finest food in the Yorkshire Dales.

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Open 7 days a week, lunch time and evening. We can offer private dining for parties and have facilities for corporate events and meetings.

Please visit our new web site to see our latest events Chef has just launched our new menu offering a new range of exciting dishes for spring.

For bookings and enquiries please telephone (01969) 663268 Hendersons Bar and Restaurant, Westholme Estate, Aysgarth, North Yorkshire DL8 3SP www.westholme-estate.co.uk 66

The Country House Hotel overlooking magnificent Wensleydale Open daily for: Freshly Brewed Morning Coffee Light Lunches Home Baked Afternoon Teas Delicious Table D’Hôte Dinner Menu Ginger Tree – Health & Beauty

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A traditional ambience, excellent food and an extensive wine list, make The Queen's Head a perfect place to relax and unwind.

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On the

Grapevine

Setting up your own wine cellar isn’t difficult — in fact you don’t even need a cellar!

Christine Austin on wines for keeping.

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Have you ever thought of building a wine cellar? Not an actual, underground cellar — just a collection of wine, bought for no particular event, kept so that you have wine available at short notice without having to dash to the shops.

It could start with an assortment of random inexpensive bottles — wines that probably won’t actually improve while you keep them, but which give you a choice of wine when you need it.

Over time you could add a few bottles of champagne, some crisp aperitif whites, some more weighty whites and a selection of reds ranging from light fruity gluggers to full-bodied winter wines.

If you intend to drink them within a few weeks you can stack them in a corner or even lodge them in a wine rack in the kitchen. But once you start keeping wines for longer periods you need to plan a little more carefully.

If you are lucky enough to live in an old house with a genuine underground cellar then cherish it.

Don’t put the boiler in there because the fluctuation in temperature will do your wine no good. Instead keep your cellar dry, cool and well aired.

The rest of us, myself included, must make do with other places. The garage is quite good as long as the summer temperature is not too high and the winter chill is not too cold. An outhouse, a north-facing room, under the stairs, or even the space where the fireplace used to be, could also make good places to store your wine.

Bad places include in the kitchen next to the cooker, the loft and anywhere in

sunshine. Bottles sealed with corks need to be kept lying down so the corks stay wet. Screw-capped bottles can stand upright, but if you find it easier to lay them in a rack then do so.

Next, decide what to buy. You could simply keep acquiring bottles unsystematically, but it is better to choose wines that will develop with age and provide quality drinking over the next few years. The best place to shop is a traditional wine merchant, who will be delighted to help you assemble a collection of wine that suits your tastes and will improve over time.

Yorkshire Vintners (01765 601701, www.yorkshirevintners.co.uk) is one of the newer companies in our region, but the people behind it have years of experience and can steer you towards wines that will age well. A few bottles of a simple but delicious Côtes du Rhône 2008 from La Combe d’Art (£6.25) will provide good weekday drinking, and the addition of a few bottles of Châteauneuf du Pape 2006 from Domaine la Boutinière (£16.50) will add quality and complement special Sunday lunches.

You could also include several bottles of the concentrated Torres Celeste 2007 from Ribera del Duero (£9.95), the rich, powerful Raptor Post from Tulbach Mountain Vineyards in South Africa (£9.25), and the elegant Pinot Noir 2009 from Erath in Oregon (£13.50). All prices at Yorkshire Vintners are quoted excluding VAT. Jamie Goodhart at Bon Coeur (www.bcfw.co.uk) operates out of a farmhouse near Masham and specialises in selling wines by the case that are perfect as the building

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blocks of a cellar or for investment.

Buying ‘en primeur’, when the wines are first released, can be a way to make serious money, especially if you concentrate on the top wines of Bordeaux. But if you want to pull the corks on your bottles, focus on wines for short to mid-term keeping.

Look for the ripe, juicy flavours of early-maturing reds such as Beaujolais Villages from Henry Fessy (£95) or the terrific red berry fruit of Domaine de Sours Rosé (£71.88, on offer) which is a great spring-into-summer wine. A few wines from Bordeaux will add regular, reliable drinking. Try Château Gigault 2001 from the 1er Côtes de Blaye, which at £83 per case (excluding VAT) gives quality drinking and the opportunity to get to know a distinctive style of wine.

Corks and Cases in Masham (01765 688810, www.corksandcases.com) regularly advise customers looking to create a wine cellar. “We suggest an Australian wine, Dead Arm Shiraz, which should be good for 20 years, but

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open a bottle in five years to check on progress,” says Angela, who can be found behind the counter in Silver Street.

Dead Arm costs £29.99 a bottle, with larger quantities earning a discount.

Lewis & Cooper in Northallerton have a terrific range of wines in their Tardis-like shop, including a great range of fizz such as the refreshing Blanquette de Limoux Princess Aimery (£10.99), which has freshtasting complexity without the high price tag of champagne.

In Leyburn, Campbells (01969 622169 www.campbellsofleyburn.co.uk) have expanded their wine selection, and their Bordeaux range offers some wines that don’t regularly crop up on other shelves.

Try Reflects du Château Cissac 2004 at £10.99. This is approaching its drinking window, but could happily reside in a newly-established wine cellar for a year or so. Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2006 from South Africa (£24.99) is another wine that is perfectly good to drink now, but which will gain complexity and depth with age.

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Stairs & More www.stairsandmore.co.uk 73

Shooting Star Dennis Bromage is one of the North’s most talented photographers, and his stunning images will soon be on show in a brand new arts space at Lightwater Valley. Brian Pike reports.

It’s barely a year since Dennis Bromage left a safe, secure job to set up in business as a fulltime professional photographer, but already he is widely acknowledged as one of the most exciting young landscape and nature photographers in the North.

His luscious images now regularly appear in travel books and prestigious magazines. And from the end of March you can enjoy an exhibition of his landscape studies of Yorkshire and Cumbria in a new arts space at the Country Shopping Village at Lightwater Valley.

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It is immediately clear from Dennis’ gorgeous images that he is passionate about what he does, and meticulous about how he goes about it. He has always been a keen walker, climber and traveller, and his initial interest in photography was fuelled by the desire to share his experiences. It soon became, as he readily admits, an obsession.

Although firmly committed to the latest technology — all his images are taken on digital SLR cameras — he refuses to use it to take the easy way out. While some other photographers hunch over their computers trying to enhance their pictures by cropping, recomposing and tinkering with colours, Dennis sets himself higher standards. “I don’t believe in computer manipulation,” he explains. “To capture the essence of what’s in front of me, I try to create the image right there and then instead of relying on post-processing.”

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Dennis’ first major photographic expedition was to the Arctic. “It was for that trip that I bought my first digital SLR,” he says. “It marked the beginning of my journey as a photographer, and helped me take my work to the next level.”

As it happens, it was one of Dennis’ studies of polar bears, taken on this trip, that caught the eye of Andrew Mcloughlin, Public Relations Manager at Lightwater Country Shopping Village. “It’s a fantastic image,” says Andrew, “and I just had to buy a copy. I thought Dennis was extremely talented and deserved our support, so we asked him to open our series of exhibitions at the Shopping Village. We are creating a multifunctional arts and cultural space to promote up-and-coming artists and add an extra dimension to our visitors’ experience.

This first show, organised in association with Dales Life, will showcase Dennis’ images of the landscape of Yorkshire and the North of England — celebrating his work, and also the outstandingly beautiful region we live in.”

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The striking image of Staithes at nightfall is a prime example of Dennis’ ability to create something special from a classic Yorkshire scene. Dennis took it on New Year’s Day 2011. “It was a miserably cold, wet and windy day, but I deliberately chose a stormy evening because I love moody, dramatic skies.

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The picture is a good example of what I call ‘crossover lighting’. There’s a period of just a few minutes when, in a scene like this, you get an exact balance between the intensity of the streetlights and the intensity of the sky. In this case the effect was well worth the uncomfortable wait.”

The same combination of patience, technical skill and an intuitive feeling for a dramatic image are evident in Dennis’ extraordinary study of a heron in the Maldives. “It was shot with a wide-angle lens to capture that big tropical sky. Rain was on the way, and the sea was choppy, but I used a long exposure to give the water a blurred, milky look.

Fortunately the heron stood absolutely still during the whole eight seconds that the shutter was open!”

“It’s unusual to use long exposures for wildlife shots, but when I take pictures of birds and animals my interest is not so much in the 82

documentary aspect as in creating a beautiful image. Rather than taking a ‘Nature red in tooth and claw’ picture of a polar bear devouring a seal, I would prefer to create a beautiful, evocative image that you could hang on the wall.”

“So in many respects my wildlife pictures and my landscape pictures are very similar. In each case I aim for simple shots with an atmospheric, romantic quality. My aim isn’t just to record a scene but to capture the essence of the moment as I experience it.”

You can see more of Dennis’ work at www.dennisbromage.co.uk. The ‘Yorkshire’s Great Landscapes and Beyond’ exhibition is at the Lightwater Country Shopping Village from 30th March until the end of July, open daily, free, 10am to 5pm. For details about Lightwater Country Shopping Village visit www.lightwatervalley.co.uk

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BACKfrom the brink Otters are returning to our rivers at long last.

Professor Chris Baines on a conservation success story.

Photographs by Laurie Campbell

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I have only seen otters in the wild twice. Once was when a noisy hotel central-heating boiler drove me out of bed before dawn, and I watched a big dog otter hunting in the still pools and riffles of the River Usk in South Wales. The other occasion was in the gloaming on a kelp-covered rocky shore in the far west of Scotland.

Otters are secretive and shy, mainly nocturnal, and still very rare. In the past I have even met research scientists with otter-monitoring projects who had never actually seen the subject of their studies.

There was a time when otters were common enough to hunt with packs of special otter hounds, and to be targeted by gamekeepers as a threat to fish stocks and ground-nesting game birds. Otter populations, however, were devastated by the agrochemical revolution of the 1950s and 1960s. As poisonous chemicals such as DDT, Aldrin and Dieldrin accumulated in the food chain, most wild predators suffered badly. Once the chemicals were banned, birds of prey recovered surprisingly quickly.

By contrast, the recovery of otters and other mustelids such as stoats and weasels took much longer.

Wild otters are most definitely back now, though, and the 2010 survey confirmed their presence in all but one of England’s counties. For me, the turnaround seemed undeniable when security cameras picked up otters on the River Aire beneath Leeds railway station. Otters are known to be present on a good many other urban rivers and canals as well as in the wider countryside.

Otters are superbly adapted to life in and around water. They occur worldwide, and ours are the Eurasian species. They are brilliant swimmers, with streamlined bodies, webbed feet and powerful tails. They can turn on a sixpence and chase down the fastest quarry, and they seem to move effortlessly both in and out of water.

They feed almost exclusively on live prey, and although their diet reflects the seasons and species that are locally abundant, otters feed predominantly on fish.

Otters are very territorial. Indeed a major cause of early deaths is fatal injuries from fighting. They have no natural enemies in this country, so these days aggressive neighbours are probably the biggest threat. The

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quality of the habitat and the availability of food determine the size of their territories, but dog otters are known to range over as much as 40km of watercourses, and their patch may include streams and rivers, lakes, ponds and canals. The animals themselves may be very difficult to spot, but they do leave telltale signs, and population counts depend on finding paw prints in wet sand, the remains of half-eaten fish and, most important of all, the black and oily droppings — known as ‘spraints’ — that otters leave on prominent rocks and under bridges.

Wild otters will generally live for three to five years, and they breed at any time of year. The females mature in their second year, and although there will be many different shelters in an otter’s territory — above ground, in pipes and in holes amongst tree roots and in the river banks — the expectant female will choose a secluded holt with a convenient supply of food close by. There are generally two or three ‘kits’ in a litter.

They are born blind and toothless, and the mother will spend a year raising them, teaching them to hunt and supporting them until they are able to fend for themselves. The male plays little or no part in raising the young, and his territory may include three or four different breeding females.

The recent recovery of the UK otter population has been remarkable. As little as twenty years ago otters were virtually extinct in England, and wild populations were just managing to cling on in remote corners of Scotland, Wales and the South West.

Conservationists were so concerned

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that the otter might die out altogether that there was a programme to introduce captive-bred otters into the wild in East Anglia and in Yorkshire.

Although active reintroduction has undoubtedly had a local impact, the nationwide recovery has been mainly due to the wild survivors managing to extend their reach. The chemical ban and the more sensitive management of our riverbanks have made this possible. The old engineering practice of streamlining the banks and removing all obstacles to flowing water left the otters with nowhere to hide. Since the early 1980s, river management has become much more imaginative. These days engineers will leave tree roots and overhanging

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banks intact, create artificial holts and manage the whole river ecosystem with an eye to nature conservation.

Otters are still far from common, and their lifestyle will always make them difficult to spot, but we have a better chance now than at any time for almost half a century. On a still summer’s evening it is well worth taking the time to sit quietly by one of the rivers that flow through the Dales, and to listen out for that unmistakable whistle that tells you there is an otter nearby. For almost all of us, seeing one of these magnificent wild creatures is likely to be a once or twice in a lifetime experience, but I promise you it is a wildlife spectacle that you will never forget.

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COLLECTING

Antiques Tinworth figurines are rare and highly sought-after. Tennants valuer Diane Sinnott introduces Ian Henry to the whimsical side of Doulton’s star designer.

Late Victorian ceramics don’t come much quirkier or more charming than George Tinworth’s cheerful little mouse figurines, so it comes as something of a surprise to discover that the man who created them spent most of his working life on far loftier projects.

Until his death in 1913, Tinworth was the most important designer at Doulton’s Lambeth pottery — in fact he was arguably Doulton’s most important designer ever. His serious-minded work for the company included hundreds of plaques depicting Biblical scenes, as well as complex terracotta altarpieces, fonts and pulpits. It reached a climax in his massive and austere ‘History of England’ vase crafted for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

To modern eyes these pieces, whilst undoubtedly beautifully modeled, can seem stiff and dull. Tinworth’s humorous figurines, on the other hand, are nowadays highly regarded, with devotees prepared to part with substantial sums to augment their collections.

Diane Sinnott, Decorative Arts Specialist at Tennants auctioneers in Leyburn, fell in love with Tinworth’s mice at the age of seven when her great uncle gave her a pawn from one of Tinworth’s mouse chess sets. Only two complete Tinworth chess sets are known to survive, and should one ever come up for sale its value would be likely to be tens of thousands of pounds.

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As a Tinworth enthusiast, Diane was delighted to be asked to catalogue a collection of Tinworth figurines for Tennants’ Spring Catalogue Sale (24th to 26th March). Tinworth mice rarely come up at auction, and this splendid group of twenty pieces includes some real gems. Given the opportunity to handle some of them, I can understand why they have such a keen following.

Their whimsical and sometimes slightly grotesque imagery — evident, not least, in a piece entitled ‘Steeple Chase’ depicting frogs riding mice over a water jump — immediately reminds me of those other masters of Victorian ceramic surrealism, the Martin brothers. This, Diane tells me, is no coincidence. Robert Wallace Martin, like Tinworth, studied at Lambeth School of Art, and his brothers Walter and Edwin Martin also worked at the Doulton Pottery for a time. But whereas the Martin brothers struck out on their own, Tinworth remained a company man. He seems to have been a somewhat solitary and introverted character, and perhaps his ‘humoresques’ (as he called them) represent rare moments during which he let down his guard.

Just how many of these lighthearted figurines were made is not known.

Their production was not documented by Doulton, possibly because of their frivolous nature. Some were produced in editions of several dozens, but others may well be one-offs. Most of them, though, bear Tinworth’s distinctive ‘GT’ monogram. Tinworth was at the time the only Doulton artist allowed to sign his pieces on the outside, a clear indication of the esteem in which he was held.

One of my favourite pieces from the set coming up for sale at Tennants is a little tableau entitled ‘Play Goers’. It may be just 13cm high, but it is full of fun.

A group of three mice stand entranced by a Punch and Judy show. To one side of the curtained booth a drumming mouse is providing musical entertainment. On the other side, another mouse is collecting money. Look inside the

91

booth behind the puppets and you can even see the mouse who is operating them. Turn the piece around and there’s another delightful surprise: a little mouse ‘back stage’, cheekily peering through a gap in the curtain.

Like all Doulton pieces of the period it is made of heavy, salt-glazed stoneware and coloured using the slightly sombre glazes that go with the technique. Underneath is the mark of the studio assistant who helped Tinworth produce the piece.

“My auction estimate for this piece is £1,000 to £1,500,” says Diane, “but since such figurines so rarely come up for sale it’s very difficult to put a value on them, and it wouldn’t surprise me if it fetched twice the amount. Not only were these items produced in relatively small numbers, but by their nature they are a magnet for children, which means that over the years they often got damaged or broken.”

Also for sale are ten menu holders, each of a different design. Carrying estimates of £500 to £700 each, these include two mice at a school desk learning their alphabet, a mouse stealing an apple from a sleeping stallholder, a mouse organ grinder and his triangle-playing assistant, and a mouse having his portrait painted. There is also a little tableau of a mouse and his apprentice mending a wheel — a subject particularly personal to Tinworth, whose father was a wheelwright.

Amongst the other highlights are a tobacco jar topped with a pipe-smoking mouse (estimate £300 to £400), a paperweight depicting a mouse perched on a currant bun (£200 to £300), and a spill jar showing a group of three busking mouse musicians about to have water thrown on them from an upstairs window by ‘J.Mouse, Candle Consumer’ (£600 to £900).

We can only guess what the enigmatic Tinworth would have made of the fact that his ‘humoresques’ excite as much — if not more — interest than his sober and serious Biblical bas-reliefs.

For details of forthcoming auctions at Tennants visit www.tennants.co.uk.

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Style for you and your home

Your local department store for style and personal service FOR YOU Jackpot Seasalt NYDJ Jeans

Jack Murphy Kipling Fossil

FOR YOUR HOME Carpets Rugs Curtains

Blinds Lighting Bedding

6 Market Place, Leyburn DL8 5BJ T: 01969 622208 e: sales@milnersofleyburn.co.uk

w: www.milnersofleyburn.co.uk

DalesLife A TASTE OF YORKSHIRE

We are looking for distribution agents

Positions available throughout Yorkshire. Excellent rates paid

Telephone: 01904 629295 Mobile: 07970 739119 email: sue@daleslife.demon.co.uk www.daleslife.com

From York to London for £3,240

DalesLife A TASTE OF YORKSHIRE

At Bonhams we place items where they will attract the best prices and with salerooms across the UK, Europe and around the world we have quite a few to choose from.

Our Specialists are out and about around the County this month and could be available to call and provide a free verbal valuation.

For further information or to make an appointment for a free verbal auction valuation please contact Alison Hayes on 0113 234 5755 or email alison.hayes@bonhams.com Illustrated: This fine Royal Worcester ‘painted fruit’ pot pourri vase by John Freeman circa 1975 was consigned locally and sold in our recent Fine British Pottery and Porcelain Sale for £3,240 Bonhams 30 Park Square West Leeds LS1 2PF www.bonhams.com

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To book space in the May/June issue contact Sue Gillman Telephone: 01904 629295 Mobile: 07970 739119 email: sue@daleslife.demon.co.uk www.daleslife.com

dales

diary

Compiled by Henry King

Antiques

The Harrogate Antique and Fine Art Fair Harrogate International Centre Telephone 01823 323363 www.harrogateantiquefair.com 28 April to 2 May Ample parking facilities and excellent food provide a wonderful base for a day exploring the fantastic range of antiques, furniture, porcelain, silver and paintings on offer at the fair.

Showing fine art will be Walker Galleries of Harrogate, Haynes Fine Art of Broadway, Willow Gallery and Rowles Fine Art. Fine Jewellery will be represented by Howards of Stratford, St James Antiques of Manchester, Sheldon Shapiro and Licht & Morrison of Mayfair.

Silver by Jack Shaw & Co from Ilkley and Northern Clocks are back with their fascinating range of clocks and barometers.

There will also be a unique selection of furniture from Millington Adams, S & S Timms, and Church Street Antiques.

A Gala Reception on Thursday 28th April will take place to raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

For further information please email info@prioryfield-house.co.uk

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Above: Emerald cut diamond ring with a central 3.27 carat diamond flanked by two baguette cut diamonds on either side, set in a platinum mount.

From Howards Jewellers of Stratford.

Above: “Cerf a la Branche” by Jules Mene.

A bronze study of a ‘Browsing Stag’ raised on a rectangular naturalistic base and signed. Pristine condition, 1850. From Hickmet Fine Arts Left: Workings of Philippe Patek watch from Steven Hale Watch Restorers.

Below: “La Lecture, trois elegantes sur la Terrasse” by Delphin Enjolras, 1857 -1945, oil on canvas, 24 x 29”. From Haynes Fine Art.

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Events

Navigation Skills

Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal near Ripon

Want to get out into the countryside more and plan your own walks? Join this one day course and learn how to understand an OS map, use a compass, discover new outdoor skills and stay safe on the hills. Booking essential, tel: 01423 871750.

Telephone 01765 608888 www.fountainsabbey.org.uk

Wednesday 27 April 9am-5pm

Kiplin Hall near Richmond Telephone: 01748 818178 www.kiplinhall.co.uk

The Gardens in Springtime – Discovering the gardens with Head Gardener, Chris Baker Monday 4 April, 10 am–1 pm

Bird Watching for Beginners Saturday 26 March 10.30am-12.30pm Enjoy an introduction to twitching! Join our wildlife guide for a birding walk through the estate. Meet at the Visitor Centre.

Kiplin Hall stands in one hundred acres of woodland, gardens, parkland and lake. These ‘lost’ gardens are being restored, recreating the glorious period of the Carpenter family’s residence. This three hour walk and talk, looks at the history and restoration of the Hall’s gardens and grounds. £10, includes coffee/tea and cake.

Maximum 25. Booking advisable

Easter School Holiday Fun Saturday 9 – Monday 25 April 11am-3pm Free trail and drop in self-led activities in Swanley Grange.

Deer Walk Wednesday 13 April 2pm-4pm Come and spot the 500 Red, Fallow and Sika deer that live in the Medieval Park. Meet at the Visitor Centre.

Good Friday Service Friday 22 April 3pm An ecumenical service in the Abbey.

Everyone welcome.

Easter Egg Eggsploits Monday 25 April 2pm Bring your decorated hard boiled eggs for our annual best decorated egg and egg rolling competitions. Meet on the Abbey west green.

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‘Titanic, Costumes of the Gilded Age’ Thursday 14 April, 7.30 pm To commemorate Titanic's only voyage, the History Wardrobe take you back to April 1912 on an evocative journey into Edwardian society. This unique presentation of historical costumes, documents and survivor testimonies offers a fascinating glimpse into life on board the fated liner. £13 adults £11conc. including refreshments.

Booking advisable

Easter Explorers Family Event

Garden Lunch

Friday to Monday 22 - 25 April, 2–5pm

Tuesday 19 April

Hunt for eggs around the hall and gardens.

Follow the trails. Make and create. Lots of fun! Easter Sunday only - North Yorkshire Vintage Machinery Society.

Normal admission to hall and grounds: £7/£6/£3, Family £18 Children must bring at least one adult.

Join the celebrated gardener Susan CunliffeLister for a two course lunch, garden talk over coffee and then a guided tour of the grounds.

The lunch is themed on the parkland and lakes, and focuses on the restoration of the landscape and the planting programme in the grounds. Susan will give an insight into her gardening style, and guests will be given a tour up to the parkland to view the daffodils. £35 per person

Swinton Park near Masham Telephone: 01765 680900 www.swintonpark.com

Newby Hall near Ripon Telephone: 0845 450 4068 www.newbyhallandgardens.com

Easter Fun Days Sunday 24 - Monday 25 April Local performance group Animundi make their preparations for the Easter weekend woodland adventure. The family weekend will involve a variety of activities and there will also be a chance to ride the miniature train with the Easter Bunny!

Spring Plant Fair Sunday 8 May The Spring Plant Fair promises to be our most colourful yet. This highly popular event is attended by over 20 specialist nurseries from all over the north of England, selling unusual plants that are not available in most local garden centres. The nurserymen are also on hand to offer advice. Special guest Sarah Raven. Gates open at 10am and close at 4pm

Easter Egg Hunting Days Saturday 16 April - Sunday 1 May Enjoy a day out in the parkland with an Easter Treasure Trail in the grounds. On Easter Sunday you can also meet the Easter Bunny, with extra activities that include egg rolling and egg and spoon races.

Entry £3 per person, £5 on Easter Sunday, includes Easter gift for children, children 3 yrs and under half price.

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Events continued

Harrogate Flower Show

Constable Burton Hall

Great Yorkshire Showground

near Bedale Telephone 01677 450428 www.constableburton.com

Easter Daffodil Display Gardens open from Saturday 12 March,

Telephone 01423 546157 www.flowershow.org.uk

Harrogate Spring Flower Show 14 - 17 April

9am - 6pm Enjoy our garden walks through a stunning Springtime display of narcissi.

Standard admission charges

Tulip Festival 30 April – 2 May Each year, on the first May Bank Holiday weekend, Constable Burton Hall plays host to a magnificent Tulip Festival. Sponsored by Chelsea award winning nursery “Bloms Bulbs”, large collections of traditional and new variant tulips are planted in the informal areas of the garden. With over 6,500 bulbs planted annually, vast expanses of flowers grace the gardens in a glorious display of colour.

Join us at the Harrogate Flower Show to help celebrate the 100th anniversary of the North of England Horticultural Society. The show will host some exciting new show gardens, live demonstrations, stunning flower halls, cookery theatre, flower arranging and children's discovery zone.

There is something for everyone and the show is a great place to learn how to make the most of your garden. Taste some local produce, enjoy some great shopping and enjoy the entertainment.

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Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes

Dales Millennium Trust, will be giving an illustrated talk about bumblebees of the Yorkshire Dales and the wildflower habitats that support them. With tips on what you can do to encourage bumblebees to your garden or farmland. Admission free, adults and children over 14 if accompanied by an adult.

Booking essential

Telephone 01969 666210 www.yorkshiredales.org.uk

Hay Time in the Yorkshire Dales Tuesday 8 March 7pm - 8pm

The Himalayan Garden Grewelthorpe Telephone 01765 658009 www.himalayangarden.com

The Himalayan Garden Open daily April 22 to June 12 10am - 4pm Closed Mondays except Bank Holidays The award winning Himalayan Garden at Grewelthorpe, near Ripon opens for the season on April 22. The gardens have more than 1,000 different varieties of species and hybrid rhododendrons, and 170 different magnolias.

There will be some special activities for the whole family, and some stunning contemporary sculptures will be on display.

Part of the Flowers of the Dales Festival. An illustrated talk on the species-rich meadows of the Yorkshire Dales by the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust's Hay Time Project Officer, Christa Perry. This talk will cover the different wildflowers and grasses that occur in speciesrich hay meadows and will explain how the Hay Time Project is working with farmers to restore and enhance this valuable habitat within the Yorkshire Dales. Admission free, adults and children over 14 if accompanied by an adult. Booking essential

A Buzz in the Meadows Tuesday 26 April 7pm - 8pm Part of the Flowers of the Dales Festival. In conjunction with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Tanya St. Pierre, Flowers of the Dales Project Officer at the Yorkshire 101

Events continued

Lewis & Cooper

Black Sheep Visitor Centre

Northallerton Town Hall

Masham

Telephone 01609 772880 www.www.lewisandcooper.co.uk

Telephone 01765 680101 www.blacksheepbrewery.com

The History of Wine in One Evening!

Black Sheep Beer and Food Evening

Lewis & Cooper have teamed up with North Yorkshire Wine Society to help host an evening of entertainment about wine. The Entire History of Wine (abridged) is a one-man show presented by noted Shakesperian actor Julian Curry – best known for his portrayal of Claude Erskine-Brown in Rumpole of the Bailey. Julian is a lively, witty entertainer who also happens to hold a Diploma in Wine.

HIC! is a light-hearted history of wine and winemaking. After Mr Curry's performance, Lewis & Cooper's very own Danny Cameron will lead a tutored tasting of wines that have been in continual production since Shakesperian times. Admission £15

Friday 18th March at 7.30pm Join the Black Sheep brewing team for an evening with a difference.

Celebrate the taste of six delicious handpicked beers perfectly matched to a carefully chosen locallysourced five course meal, designed to compliment the flavours.

To book your place please contact Sue on 01765 680100 or email sue.dempsey@blacksheep.co.uk £19.95 per ticket

Mon 7 March at 7.30

Dales Festival of Food and Drink Leyburn Telephone 01748 828747 www.dalesfestivaloffood.org 30 April, 1 - 2 May Open 10am - 5pm daily A feast of gastronomic delights with a distinctly local flavour; with the theme on food, farming and fun, there’s something for everyone at this year’s event. There will be over 80 food stalls, a beer festival featuring 30 small breweries, crafts, children’s rides and entertainment. As well as live cookery demonstrations from some of the region’s top chefs, you can learn about beekeeping and 102

farming skills like sheep shearing. Enjoy music from local brass and jazz bands and entertainment including sword and Morris dancing. Adults £8 (3-day ticket £12), accompanied under 16s free. Free parking at the festival site.

Now stocking

handbags Commercial Square Leyburn DL8 5BP 01969 624948 Also in Sedbergh Visit our friendly boutiques for style & fashion

robert.sturdy@speartravels.net www.speartravels.net/leyburn

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Bookmark

HUMAN PLANET

by Dale Templar and Brian Leith BBC Books, hardback, £25

Brian Pike takes a critical look at what’s hot off the presses.

“Packed with marvellous photographs by Timothy Allen, this fascinating book is a worthy record of a brilliant programme-making initiative.”

When politicians lay into the BBC — as they do with monotonous regularity — it’s worth reminding ourselves that we have the best TV and radio in the world, bar none. Proof of this includes the Human Planet series, the latest jaw-dropping BBC documentary series to decorate our screens. If you missed it, hurry; you might just catch it on iPlayer. It’s a globe-spanning survey of the extraordinary skills that human communities have developed in order to survive in harsh, unpromising environments. And it’s extraordinary stuff. While we fume in a

traffic jam on our way to work, jungle tribes are hunting massive bird-eating tarantulas for food, building homes perched precariously high in the forest canopy, and training fig trees to grow into complex, elegant natural bridges. Equally amazing things are happening in scorching deserts, in tropical seas and atop rugged mountains.

Packed with marvellous photographs by Timothy Allen, this fascinating book is a worthy record of a brilliant programmemaking initiative. Armchair travel doesn’t get better than this.

PERIODIC TALES: THE CURIOUS LIVES OF THE ELEMENTS by Hugh Aldersey-Williams Medieval alchemists spent a lot of time trying to change everyday substances — urine in particular — into gold. To no avail, of course.

But Hugh Aldersey-Williams has achieved a far more miraculous transmutation by turning chemistry, a subject I loathed at school, into compelling bedtime reading. In this chatty, enjoyably disorganised book he examines the building blocks of matter, focusing more on each element’s significance to us than on the science behind it.

Viking hardback, £18.99 How did platinum, formerly held less valuable than silver, come to seem so much classier than gold? Why do we associate sulphur so strongly with the devil?

Why was radium, nowadays a byword for the hazards of radioactivity, once added so enthusiastically to everything from hair tonic to chicken feed? This is a book crammed with fascinating snippets and amusing anecdotes. In pursuit of their pee-into-gold project the alchemists accidentally discovered phosphorous, and the author’s account of his attempts to replicate the process with his own bodily wastes is one of this charming book’s highlights.

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MASTERCHEF AT HOME With MasterChef back on our screens again, here’s a welcome opportunity to mine the culinary gold from last year’s series. The book gets off to a surprisingly bad start with a fatuous full-page photo of frontmen Torode and Wallace plastered in jam and cream. Apart from that, it’s a valuable addition to any foodie’s bookshelf, with a generous 200 mouthwatering recipes — most of them beautifully illustrated — garnished with a scattering of technical tips and a page or two of contestant biographies. As you would expect, some of the D. Kindersley, hardback, £20 dishes are fairly demanding, requiring high-end ingredients and confident technique. Mixed in with them, though, are plenty of unstuffy and very achievable recipes, including goat’s cheese and red onion tart, salad Niçoise, sea trout with beetroot purée, spiced plum crumble and sticky toffee pudding. So whatever your level of ability — assuming you don’t subsist exclusively on ready meals and takeaways — you’re likely to find something to interest you here.

ATLAS OF REMOTE ISLANDS

by Judith Schalansky

One of the most intriguing books published in the last six months, this could strike you as being anything between poetic and pretentious, depending on your tolerance for eccentricity. Subtitled ‘Fifty Islands I have not visited and never will’, each double page spread consists of a map of an island and a block of text exploring a specific aspect of that island or its history. The islands in question are mostly tiny, usually uninhabited or very sparsely populated. The text is written Particular Books, hardback, £25 entirely in the present tense, even when it reports incidents long past.

Schalansky certainly evokes the magic of isolated, faraway places, and underlines the point that islands, so often regarded as unspoiled paradises, can drive their inhabitants — or unfortunate castaways — into extremes of violence, depravity and madness. After a while, though, you start wondering how much poetic licence was involved. And whether it matters.

Definitely a ‘love it or hate it’ book, so try before you buy.

ARCTIC

by Bruce Parry

TV adventurer Bruce Parry reports back from a tour of the territories extending north of the Arctic Circle: Greenland, Canada, Alaska, Siberia and Norway. The text is a set of diary entries cataloguing the filming of his BBC series. In most TV tie-in books this modus operandi is an excuse for lazy writing. In Parry’s case, though, it’s the opportunity for something altogether more reflective. He clearly feels a strong sense of sympathy with the people scratching a living in Conway, hardback, £20 these chilly regions, and is passionately concerned about the rapidly accelerating loss of culture, wildlife and natural beauty. He even questions his own role as an intrusive outsider with a film crew. All of which makes this generously illustrated book far more engaging, relevant and down-to-earth than most ‘Arctic adventures’. Parry asks one Siberian herder whether they pitch their tents in a particular direction “because of the spirits of the land”. “No,” his informant tells him, “it’s because the wind blows from over there.”

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Kiplin Hall

Jacobean House Country Seat of Founder of Maryland, U.S.A.

Open Now! Sunday, Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, 10am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4pm

Gardens and Pleasure Grounds including lakeside and woodland walks

Tea Room delicious homemade cakes, scones and light lunches, served with a smile

Re-opening Sunday 3 April

Hall Now furnished as a charming Victorian home packed with family memorabilia plus new exhibition â&#x20AC;&#x201C; One Womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fight Sunday, Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5pm, until end of September

Easter Explorers Family Event Friday â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Monday, 22 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 25 April, 2 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 5pm

Kiplin Hall nr. Scorton, Richmond, DL10 6AT (off the B6271)

Full list of events and more details phone 01748 818178

www.kiplinhall.co.uk 106

For ÂŁ15 the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust will plant a native broadleaf tree in a new natural wood in the Yorkshire Dales. A unique gift that will keep growing for years to come.

And one that will make a lasting difference to our countryside.

A unique labyrinth of tunnels, chambers, follies and surprises created in a four-acre walled garden in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.

Opening times for 2011 Open everyday from 1st April - 31st October then Sundays until Christmas Monday - Saturday 12 noon until 6pm Sundays and bank holidays 10am - 6pm Holiday accommodation now available.

Please telephone 01969 640638 for further details. www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk

Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust work to support the environment, people and economy in the Yorkshire Dales Charity No. 1061687

Admission is by pre-booked tickets only To reserve your ticket please telephone 01969 640638 / 01969 640687 We look forward to seeing you 107

A Vita Medi-Spa is an advanced Laser clinic that specialises in Laser and Aesthetic Treatments. Our doctors and nurses have vast experience in the non-surgical and laser fields, and we have the benefit of medical staff that are permanently on site.

All consultations are free.

Prices starting from: • • • • •

Treatment for Lines and Wrinkles Dermal Fillers/Lip Enhancement Medical Laser Hair Removal Laser Thread Vein Removal Cellulite Reduction

£170 • £210 • £25 • £40 • £150

Rosacea/Pigmentation Acne Scarring/Skin Tightening Mole/Skin Tag Removal Medically Managed Weight Loss Programme

£40 £99 £25 £199

RELAX • REFRESH REJUVENATE A Vita Medi-Spa is offering 20% off all Laser Hair Removal packages during February 2011.

FILLER AND BOTOX

22 High Street, Yarm TS15 9AE

• • • • •

1 area of Botox: £130.00 - usually £170.00 2 areas of Botox: £190.00 - usually £230.00 3 areas of Botox: £240.00 - usually £280.00 Juvéderm 4: £250.00 - usually £299.00 Juvéderm 3: £200.00 - usually £240.00

Tel. 01642 782221 www.avitayarm.co.uk

INTEREST FREE CREDIT AVAILABLE An affordable way to pay for the treatment you want

Please call for further information or to book an appointment.

Please book early to save disappointment.

edaleBeauty B £40 Spring Boost offer Spring is on the way with our fantastic Dales Life £40 offer!

Exclusive to Dales Life we have packaged together a Spring Boost for you. Includes a Micro-dermabrasion/Decleor Facial & to finish off a Back Massage – guaranteed to blow away all your cobwebs for a fresh spring start!

Book now with Janine or Nikki Quoting DALES LIFE. Spring offer available until 30th April 2011.

BEDALE BEAUTY SALON First Floor, 19 North End, Bedale, North Yorkshire DL8 1AF t: 01677 426557 e: salon@bedalebeauty.co.uk www.bedalebeauty.co.uk 108

An exquisite collection of lingerie, swimwear & nightwear now available Buy online from www.victoriaslingerie.co.uk Free postage and packing

11 High Street, Leyburn Tel: 01969 622102

Head over Heels Stunning new spring collections now in stock Ladies Shoes Handbags Costume Jewellery

MARCO T OZZI 造

2 Railway Street, Leyburn North Yorkshire DL8 5AY Tel: 01969 625234 Open 10-5pm Monday to Saturday 109

THE

Beauty FILE Chloe Smith’s selection of this spring’s best beauty products THE WHITE STUFF After a harsh winter everyone’s skin needs a bit of extra help. Decléor’s new Aroma Duo White is a pair of matched products that harness the power of Decléor’s unique ‘White Focus’ plant complex.

Rich in essential oils, chamomile and lemon, Decléor’s Aromessence White Brightening Serum, £49, and Aroma White C+ Protective Brightening Day Emulsion, £43.91, will get straight to work smoothing your skin and restoring lightness and radiance to your complexion. You can pick them up from Bedale Beauty, www.bedalebeauty.co.uk, 01677 426557.

BATHTIME BLISS

CITRUS SENSATION

If you’re in need of some ‘me’ time, Cleopatra’s Milk Bath offers some seriously sensuous spa-style indulgence. With ingredients that include rose petals, rose geranium and ylang ylang, it smells divine and gently softens your skin while you soak. Get a 150ml jar for £26.50 from The Organic Pharmacy, www.theorganicpharmacy.com 110

Creating great fragrances is hard, and creating great organic ones is harder still. Organic Glam have pulled it off, though, with their new Orange Blossom fragrance, an intoxicating blend of tangerine, mandarin and sweet orange. Sophisticated, feminine and timeless, it’s the latest in a set of luxurious and beautifully packaged fragrances from Organic Glam — which, as you would expect, are all 100% natural products, entirely free from artificial and animal ingredients. £110 for 100ml from www.organicglam.com

SPRING CLEANING Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare is a company that offers simple, no-fuss beauty products that really do work. Their Cleanse and Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser — £13.25 for 100ml, including two pure muslin cloths — is rich in natural ingredients that include purifying eucalyptus and softening cocoa butter. With its gentle but powerful cleansing action it leaves your skin clean, soft and radiant.

Liz Earle’s Instant Boost Skin Tonic, £11.75 for 200ml, is a gentle, alcohol-free moisturising toner containing organic aloe vera, calendula, chamomile, cucumber and natural source vitamin E. It smells gorgeous, and it leaves my skin feeling calm, soothed and refreshed — a terrific product at a very affordable price. You can buy both items online from uk.lizearle.com

LUSCIOUS LIPS This is my very favourite range of lipsticks: the Tom Ford Private Blend Lip Colour Collection. Tom Ford lipstick is luxuriously smooth but not too shiny. It doesn’t bleed, and it stays on forever.

There are twelve classic colours to choose from, but you won't go wrong with the Blush Nude or the Pink Dusk. At £35 it may not be cheap, but then you don't have to reapply it ten times a day. Available from Harvey Nichols Leeds and Tom Ford Beauty Counters in other major department stores.

NAIL IT! Tired of chipped nail varnish and ragged nails? Then say hello to Gelish nails, a new manicure treatment that’s taking the beauty world by storm. Gelish is a revolutionary soak-off product that combines the colour and shine of a polish with the strength and protection of a gel, meaning that nails can stay chip-free for up to three weeks. Available for £23.00 from Fringes and Freckles, Hawes, 01969 667449.

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SUPERCHARGE YOUR SMILE Shouldn’t you be greeting spring with a bright new smile?

Tooth whitening can dramatically improve your confidence, so it’s no surprise that it is now the most popular form of cosmetic dentistry. Hampsteads’ dental practice in Northallerton offers the very latest and best non-invasive treatments, including deep bleaching, plasma-light power whitening and the revolutionary new invisible ‘smile strips’. All of them are safe, gentle and guaranteed to produce speedy, dramatic results. To find out more call Hampsteads on 01609 761377 or visit www.hampsteadsdental.com

IT’S A GIFT!

Here’s a great gift idea, but you’ll have to hurry, because it’s an exclusive offer that ends on 31st March. Packed in a luxury gunmetal faux leather vanity case are three fabulous Elemis Anti-Ageing products. For a start there’s ProCollagen Marine Cream, Elemis’ number one best-selling moisturiser, clinically proven to reduce the appearance of wrinkles by up to 78%. You’ll also find luxurious ProCollagen Oxygenating Night Cream and — to perk up that problem area around the eyes — Pro-Collagen Eye Renewal. Get this great set for £75 from Avita Medi-Spa in Yarm, www.avitayarm.co.uk 01642 782221.

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PURE POLISH How do they do it? At Organic Glam they’ve managed to devise a range of top-quality high-gloss nail polishes that are free from all the usual nasties. That’s right: durable and chip-resistant polishes but without the dibutyl phthalate, toluene and formaldehyde. There are 29 vibrant shades in all, £9.99 each from www.organicglam.com

EYES WITH ATTITUDE Turn heads with the super-bold colours of these customdesigned JK Jemma Kidd Hi-Design Eye Colour eye shadows.

Available in five ultra-pigmented shades whose names say it all: Urban, Modernist, Artiste, Theatre and Dramatic. On sale for £9.25 each, exclusively from www.asos.com

Fringez ‘n Freckles Hair & Beauty Salon

Gatsby ’s

and nail bar

hairdressing

Introducing Dermalogica Skincare the professionals choice We offer a wide range of treatments including: Waxing • Manicures • Pedicures Weddings - Hair and Makeup California Spray Tan

Just arrived - The Gelish Experience A polish that does not smudge, chip or peel, gives a flawless finish, and dries in seconds.

Lasts up to 2 to 3 weeks.

Amazing range of colours to choose from.

Telephone 01969 667449 Market Place, Hawes DL8 3QX

01677 426943 DISCOUNT WEDNESDAY • LOYALTY CARDS AVAILABLE Everyone welcome!

9a Market Place, Bedale

How does your smile make you feel?

Private Dental Health Care clinic The practice of choice for a discerning clientele

Comfortable and welcoming environment Teeth Whitening Experts in the Deep Bleaching technique for dazzling white teeth

Invisalign specialists - Invisible braces Cosmetic Dental Enhancements Veneers, crowns, bridges, mercury-free fillings, orthodontics

Cutting edge treatment options Including ‘The Wand’ for painless anaesthetic

HAMPSTEADS 279 High Street, Northallerton North Yorks, DL7 8DW T: 01609 761377 E: smile@hampsteadsdental.co.uk www.hampsteadsdental.co.uk 113

Kitchings Furniture ONE OF NORTH YORKSHIRE'S FINEST FURNITURE SHOPS

We offer a wide selection of divans, bedframes, mattresses and headboards.

We also have a fabulous range of upholstery including suites, recliner chairs, electric lift and rise chairs, high seat chairs and sofa beds, and a good range of dining and occasional furniture.

Why not visit our large showrooms or telephone 01677 423127 or 422581 for more information

5 Bridge Street, Bedale 114

The Region’s Largest

Lighting Store • • • • • •

One of the largest lighting ranges in the UK Massive 4500 sq ft showroom on two floors Extensive range of indoor and outdoor lighting Bespoke lighting service Professional advice and excellent service Huge range of replacement bulbs

Call:

01642 704 104

Web:

www.portracklighting.co.uk

Address: Portrack Lighting Centre, Southside Retail Park, Portrack Lane, Stockton, TS18 2TA

S

LYNDON HAW Specialists in traditional and contemporary wrought ironwork and woodwork

Terete Hot Tubs

Wood gates • Traditional hardwood and softwood doors Quality fencing • Specialists in remote control gate systems • All types of fabrication work undertaken • Repair/refurbishment service to existing gates Specialists in fitting gates in rising driveways

Distance and delivery no object.

Call for a free estimate or on site quotation

Tel: 01677 450450/450374 The Forge, Finghall, nr Leyburn

Terete Hot Tubs, Osmotherley, North Yorkshire

Tel: 01609 883 103 international: +44 (0) 1609 883 103

www.TereteHotTubs.co.uk 115

Open Weekend 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 25th April. 10am to 4pm.

Open Weekend Special Pathfinder Thorveton Lodges available from

£89,995.00

Come and find out just what our secret is!

Stunning brand new Pathfinder and Homeseeker Show Lodges available to view.

It’s all here…

Discover our secret, it’s possibly right on your doorstep or just a short journey away. Uncover what lifestyle means to you – safety, security, friendliness or just good old-fashioned peace & quiet. Then you’ll start to unlock the secret that could be yours, here at Westholme Estate.

And just to say thanks for coming we’ll have a BBQ. For more information call Lodge Sales on 01969 663 268 or Lodge holidays on 0844 858 4800.

Westholme Estate, Aysgarth, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 3SP. info@westholme-estate.co.uk. www.westholme-estate.co.uk

SALES 01969 663268

HOLIDAYS 0844 8584800

www.westholme-estate.co.uk Westholme Estate, Aysgarth, North Yorkshire DL8 3SP

DineFor

To

Great places to eat and stay in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

THE GEORGE AT WATH

SWINTON PARK HOTEL

Located at the centre of the charming village of Wath, just over three miles from the city of Ripon, you will find The George at Wath, a traditional country inn serving a mouth-watering menu using locally sourced, fresh, seasonal produce. We also offer an excellent choice of fine wines, many by the glass and a selection of local cask ales. Luxury en suite accommodation, private dining, beer garden and function room available.

The George at Wath, Main Street, Wath. HG4 5EN tel: 01765 641324 www.thegeorgeatwath.co.uk

An elegant, 30 bedroom luxury castle hotel. With four Red Stars (Inspectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Choice) and three Rosettes awarded by the AA for excellent facilities, this is one of the most highly rated hotels in Yorkshire. Award-winning cuisine is served in the sumptuously furnished dining room, using seasonal produce sourced from the hotelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s four acre walled garden and surrounding estate.

Swinton Park Hotel, Masham, Ripon. tel: 01765 680900 www.swintonpark.com 117

VENNELL’S RESTAURANT

THE QUEEN'S HEAD

Now in its fifth year, Jon Vennell's cooking continues to impress with many major accolades and awards under his belt. Jon's wife, Laura, is front of house and has a relaxed, friendly approach which is probably why customers keep coming back to sample the seasonally changing menu. Even Claudia Blake gave a flawless review.

Vennell's holds many events throughout the year.

See the website for further details.

Vennell’s Restaurant, 7 Silver Street, Masham. tel: 01765 689000 www.vennellsrestaurant.co.uk

The Queen's Head is a charming, characteristic country inn dating from the 1700s, set in picturesque surroundings in the attractive village of Finghall. near Leyburn. It offers comfortable modern accommodation and a traditional, cosy bar. Manager and head chef Ian Vipond has devised a fresh, new menu for the restaurant, based around tasty local and seasonal produce.

Traditional bar snacks are also available. With original oak beams and a dining room that looks out over the woods said to have inspired ’The Wind in the Willows’ the Queen’s Head combines a real sense of history with great food and a genuinely warm welcome.

The Queen's Head, Finghall (between Leyburn and Bedale). tel: 01677 450259 www.queensfinghall.co.uk.

THE WHITE BEAR The White Bear is situated in its own courtyard in the beautiful market town of Masham. A team of talented chefs use locally-sourced ingredients to create delicious, seasonal dishes. Enjoy your meal in the charming dining room or the traditional bar; open fires create a cosy atmosphere throughout.

An extensive wine list complements the menu.

Awarded the ‘Cask Marque’ for the quality of its cask ales, the hotel often features in the Good Beer Guide. Accommodation is available in fourteen individually designed rooms all en suite.

The White Bear, Wellgarth, Masham. tel: 01765 689319 www.thewhitebearhotel.co.uk

HENDERSONS BAR & RESTAURANT Set in the idyllic riverside surroundings of Westholme Estate in Bishopdale near Aysgarth, (which is currently being turned into a luxury holiday resort as part of an ongoing £8m redevelopment programme), Hendersons is a bright, stylish, relaxed bar and bistro-style restaurant with a contemporary feel. Using local and home grown produce, talented head chef Andy Brooks creates modern British cuisine, drawing on his wealth of experience from restaurants throughout London and the Midlands.

Hendersons Bar & Restaurant, Westholme Estate, Aysgarth. tel: 01969 663268

THE SANDPIPER INN Enjoy Jonathan Harrison’s unique cuisine in the traditional surroundings of the Sandpiper Inn, Leyburn. Modern British food prepared using only the finest ingredients. Fine wines, real ales and friendly service. Accommodation is available.

The Sandpiper Inn, Market Place, Leyburn. tel: 01969 622206 www.sandpiperinn.co.uk 118

THE BLACK SHEEP BREWERY The Black Sheep Brewery Visitor Centre - situated in Masham, the gateway to Wensleydale - is the ideal place for a great day or evening out. You can take a tour of the Brewery, have a meal in the Bistro, and taste their award-winning beers at the ‘Baa…r’. You can also buy lots of goodies from the well-stocked Sheepy Shop. It offers a ‘ewe-nique’ venue for corporate entertaining, product launches, parties and weddings. Many events take place throughout the year. Check the website for details.

The Black Sheep Brewery, Wellgarth, Masham. tel: 01765 680101 www.blacksheepbrewery.com

STONE HOUSE HOTEL Enjoying stunning views across Upper Wensleydale, and ideally placed as a base for hill-walkers, Stone House Hotel is an elegant, country residence dating from 1908. It is set in an acre of fine gardens just a short drive from the bustling market town of Hawes. With its cosy bar, library-cum-billiard room and panelled Oak Room, Stone House makes a great place to relax.

There’s a comfortable restaurant where you can enjoy delicious, locally sourced traditional food from breakfast through to dinner, and choose from an extensive list of fine wines. There are three spacious and romantic four-poster suites, and five ground floor conservatory bedrooms that open directly onto the lawns, popular with dog owners and guests who aren’t keen on stairs.

Stone House Hotel, near Hawes, Wensleydale. tel: 01969 667571, www.stonehousehotel.co.uk

Dales Festival of Food and Drink The North’s Premier food and drink event at Leyburn in Wensleydale - a great family day out. 70+ food stalls; cookery demonstrations; “Farming for Food” with farm livestock; 6 hours of live brass band and trad jazz music each day; fairground attractions and a choice of caterers. INCORPORATING THE YORKSHIRE DALES REAL ALE FESTIVAL. 10:00am to 5:00pm each day. Adults £8, 3 day ticket £12, accompanied under 16s free, parking free.

Tel 01748 828747

30 th Apr, 1st,2nd May

www.dalesfestivaloffood.org

119

s Rated aENT L L E C EX CQC by

Residential & Day Care Home for Elderly People

A famil y bu siness t hat cares The Millings, 5 North End, Bedale, North Yorks DL8 1AF.

Tel: 01677 423635 www.residential-homes.net WINNER OF THE ICG 2008 GREAT NORTH CARE AWARDS BEST CARE EMPLOYER

Paul Rutter BSc(Hons) MC Optom

Optometrist and contact lens practitioner

We offer quality eyecare for all the family Relaxed and friendly atmosphere NHS and private patients welcome Full range of contact lenses available Extensive range of frames Home visits available Personal service Digital retinal photography now available

7 Southend, Bedale Telephone 01677 424142 120

Ian Lancaster

meat sales

Suppliers to the Catering Trade Quality Local Meat, Beef, Pork, Lamb, Poultry, Game, Sausages, BBQ Packs Freezer Packs of your choice Free delivery to your door for orders over ÂŁ40.00 Rose Dene, Carthorpe, Bedale, N. Yorkshire DL8 2LH

Tel: 01845 567257 Mob: 07770 748320 Fax: 01845 567749

Hillcrest Care Home

Dedicated to quality care • Handpicked staff • New management • New experienced owners • Totally refurbished • Value for money • Home cooked quality meals

At Hillcrest we believe in giving all our residents the quality, care and respect that they deserve. We deliver this with our team of dedicated staff that all have empathy and passion for the care they give.

Hillcrest has undergone a major refurbishment by the new owners, giving the home a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The only way to really appreciate the high level of care offered at Hillcrest is to arrange a visit for yourself.

Call Hillcrest’s manager Nicola Cooper to arrange a visit at a time to suit you on 01748 834444 or email hillcrest@sirtin.com

Hillcrest, Byng Road, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, DL9 4DW

S

LYNDON HAW Specialists in traditional and contemporary wrought ironwork and woodwork

Wrought iron gates • Weather vanes, handrails and balustrades • Quality metal fencing • Specialists in remote control gate systems • All types of fabrication work undertaken • Repair/refurbishment service Specialists in fitting gates in rising driveways

Distance and delivery no object.

Call for a free estimate or on site quotation

Tel: 01677 450450/450374 The Forge, Finghall, nr Leyburn

The timeless classical beauty of solid hardwood floors Direct from our sawmill Every floor produced individually to a consistent profile and assured quality h Extensive range – from rustic oak to exotic walnut h Matching skirtings & mouldings h h

Duffield Timber, Melmerby, Ripon HG4 5JB Tel: 01765 640564 Flooring Sales www.duffieldtimber.com

FLOOR TILES STEAM CLEANED AND SEALED Kitchens • Conservatories • Halls Sandstone • Terracotta Travertine • Slate • Marble Limestone • Flag Stone • Ceramic

JOHN LORD 01748 811452 07961 460020 www.steamcleanseal.co.uk john@steamcleanseal.co.uk 122

- 5 +233(5

& Co. E67 1886

“For Sales In The Dales”

6$/(6 /(77,1*6 &200(5&,$/ L$1' & P523(57< S3(&,$/,676 3(5621$/ & P52)(66,21$/ S(59,&( Residential Buying, Selling & Letting. Commercial Sales & Leases.

Holiday Property. Overseas Property. Business Transfers. Acquisitions.

Valuations. Surveys. Mortgage Advice. Inheritance Planning.

Property & Antique Auctions. Removals, Collections & Deliveries.

01729 825311 Bentham 015242 63739 Settle +DZHV London 02072 980305 Leyburn 01969 622936 )D[ 0845 2802213

ZZZ MUKRSSHU FRP

Selling this Spring?

LD

SO

Then come and talk to us. We are actively looking for property thoughout the dales.

We offer a full estate agency service including country houses, cottages, farms and land. We also offer a full property management service, including letting of cottages, houses and land, rent reviews, repairs and improvements.

LD

SO

LD

Valuations for probate, tax planning and borrowing purposes.

Estate Office, Leyburn, North Yorkshire. DL8 5EW. T: 01969 623109 F: 01969 624185 E: jghills@easynet.co.uk W: www.jghills.com

SO

123

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For two decades we’ve been helping local businesses grow.

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Contact Sue Gillman on 01904 629295 or 07970 739119 to find out more.

DDR Electrical Ltd Telephone 01969 625529 Mobile 07708 023716 www.ddrelectricalltd.co.uk 124

DalesLife A TASTE OF YORKSHIRE

125

DalesLife A TASTE OF YORKSHIRE

To book space in the May/June issue contact Sue Gillman Telephone: 01904 629295 Mobile: 07970 739119 email: sue@daleslife.demon.co.uk www.daleslife.com

PREMIERE CARE (NE) LTD Awarded a 3 star rating = excellent by the Care Quality Commission in 2009

Premiere Care will enable you to live at home with the help of an experienced carer.

We provide a flexible service to suit your individual needs.

For detailed information please contact Ursula Bussey.

Thornborough Hall, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 5AB Telephone: 01969 622499 Mobile: 07802 712366 126

Rosedale Nursing Home & Lodge

Services available: Throughout their lives our families have strived to provide us with the best, now it’s your turn. We would like to give you the opportunity to discuss and plan the bespoke care they deserve with our dedicated team at Rosedale.

Rosedale Nursing Home and Lodge are situated near the historic North Yorkshire town of Richmond. Rosedale Lodge is a brand new luxury dementia unit, which opened in December 2010. All our rooms are en-suite and beautifully furnished.

• DEMENTIA CARE • NURSING CARE • RESPITE CARE • SHORT BREAKS • DAY CARE

• RESIDENTIAL/ PERSONAL CARE • PALLIATIVE CARE • CARE FOR THE PHYSICALLY DISABLED

INTRODUCTORY OFFER

FIRST WEEK’S STAY FREE Subject to a minimum stay of four weeks & on production of this advert.

Quote ROS/DALES01 to qualify for our introductory offer The Old Vicarage, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire DL9 4DD. Call Steve Kay, Care Manager to discuss your care requirements 01748 834948 rosedale@mmcg.co.uk www.mmcgcarehomes.co.uk

Subscribe today for just £12 DalesLife www.daleslife .com

SOW GOOD

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A TASTE OF

Spring 2011

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Send a cheque for £12 to Dales Life, Holgate Villas, Suite N, 22 Holgate Road, York YO24 4AB

DalesLife A TASTE OF YORKSHIRE

128

Tel: 01677 426616 Email: admin@theplanshop.net The Assembly Rooms, 29 Market Place, Bedale DL8 1ED

LES SWEEP A D 2 ne 0800 028 66

2

F

re efo

• CITY & GUILDS QUALIFIED • FULLY INSURED • CERTIFICATES ISSUED • BIRD GUARDS & COWLS FITTED • PROMPT PROFESSIONAL SERVICE • NO MESS - NO FUSS! Martin Tradewell QUALIFIED CHIMNEY SWEEP Glenside, Horsehouse, Leyburn DL8 4TS 01969 640099

City & Guilds Qualified No: 7641

A.J.Hicks Domestic Plumbing Services For all your domestic plumbing needs Fast, friendly, reliable service.

24hr service NO CALL OUT CHARGE Are you having difficulty finding a plumber?

Are they always too busy to deal with the little jobs?

Bathrooms fitted Tiling work Call Andy Hicks Tel: 01677 450309 Mob: 07845 936064 Email: andrew.hicks93@virgin.net

No job too small!!!

Est 1970

BEDALE PLUMBING & HEATING LTD PLUMBING & HEATING ENGINEERS GAS • OIL • LPG • INSTALLATION SERVICE • REPAIR • OIL TANK INSTALLATION Full plumbing service from a dripping tap to a new bathroom suite.

TEL: 01748 810786 / 01748 811614 MOBILE: 07814 036057 / 07710 741874 ELM GARTH, BEDALE, N.YORKS, DL8 1PA bedaleplumbingandheatingltd@hotmail.co.uk

The Wensleydale House Doctor Home Improvement Specialist • Interior & Exterior Painting • Interior Decorating • Tiling • Plumbing • Plastering • Flooring (including laminate) • Kitchens and bathrooms fitted

No job too small BOOKINGS NOW BEING TAKEN FOR SPRING EXTERIOR PAINTING

Tel: 01677 450810 Hunton, Bedale, North Yorkshire 129

For the

Record

The Wensleydale Heifer is getting ready to cook up the world’s biggest serving of fish and chips. prime line-caught Norwegian halibut in our famous Black Sheep batter, along with an equally generous serving of hand-cut chips. We’ll be selling portions of the fish and chips on the day to raise money — a substantial amount, we hope — for a range of local charities.”

The Wensleydale Heifer in West Witton already enjoys an enviable reputation for its fish cuisine, but Chef David Moss isn’t content to rest on his laurels. Instead he’s planning to secure a place in The Guinness Book of Records — or Guiness World Records as it is known nowadays — by attempting the record for ‘The World’s Largest Fish and Chips Serving’.

130

“To be honest, when we came up with the idea we didn’t quite realise what a challenge it would be. Cooking such a huge fillet raises a number of technical problems. It goes without saying that the fish has to be properly cooked, but with high temperatures involved safety is a crucial issue. We’ve ended up commissioning our own special stainless steel pan to get the job done — it’s being made right now. We’ve got a similarly sized halibut fillet to practice on, and we’re determined to get it right!”

“The current record holder is The Black Rose, a pub in Boston, Massachusetts,” says David, “but fish and chips is our national dish, and I thought it was high time we tried to bring the world record back from the USA to England — and, in particular, to Yorkshire.”

“The record-breaking attempt will be taking place one Saturday in May. The exact date is yet to be confirmed, but we’ll be announcing it soon, so keep an eye on The Wensleydale Heifer website, or follow us on Facebook.”

“The Black Rose won the record by cooking a cod fillet weighing 34lb. We aim to beat that by frying a 40lb fillet of

The Wensleydale Heifer, www.wensleydaleheifer.co.uk Tel: 01969 622322.

The Harrogate Antique & Fine Art Fair 28th April â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2nd May 2011 Hall M - bottom of Parliament Street Harrogate International Centre Open: Thursday 28th April 11am - 9pm Friday 29th April 11am - 6pm Saturday 30th & Sunday 1st May 11am - 6pm Monday 2nd May 11am - 5pm Raising money for

www.harrogateantiquefair.com Enquiries to 01823 323363