Luscious chocolate recipes to enjoy this Easter
PERFECT PRIMULAS CHEERFUL SPRING COLOUR FOR YOUR GARDEN
A Taste of Spring DELICIOUS DISHES SHOWCASING SEASONAL PRODUCE
SLEEPING BEAUTY
The secrets of the dozy dormouse
9 LIFESTYLE
52
Inspiring ideas for your home and garden.
12 INSIDE STORY
Simple ways to refresh your home this spring.
20 IN BUSINESS
We talk to Dustin Mevis, founder of Sceptred Isle Design, Leyburn.
26 SLEEPING BEAUTY
Brian Pike on the delightful, but elusive, hazel dormouse.
32 PRIMULA PERFECTION
The humble primrose has some truly stunning cousins, says Brian Pike.
38 SQUASH TEAM
Courgettes, squashes, pumpkins and melons are remarkably easy to grow, says Adam Appleyard.
45 GARDEN NOTES
Garden news, products and advice for the new season ahead.
58
49 FOOD NOTES
Food news, events and fabulous seasonal, local produce.
52 THE DISCERNING DINER
Claudia Blake visits The Green Tree Inn at Patrick Brompton.
58 A TASTE OF SPRING
Chef and food writer Blanche Vaughan’s dishes showcase seasonal produce.
66 ON THE TABLE
Award-winning chef Josh Barnes shares two of his favourite recipes.
72 SWEET TREATS
A collection of delicious, decadent chocolate recipes to enjoy this Easter.
9 38
106
32
EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR Sue Gillman
DEPUTY EDITOR Brian Pike
ART EDITOR Stefan Suchomski
PROOF READER Steph Morgan
ILLUSTRATION EDITOR’S PAGE Hannah Green
CONTRIBUTORS Jonathon Anderson, Adam Appleyard, Claudia Blake, Kathryn Cuthbertson, Fibre Flooring, Liz Hanson, Kyle Books, Dustin Mevis, Andrew Parker, Brian Pike, Ryland Peters & Small, Blanche Vaughan.
Dales Life m. 07970 739119
e. sue@daleslife.com www.daleslife.com
Kathryn Cuthbertson MVO shares some recipes from her kitchen in the Dales.
These great recipes showcase the outstanding local produce available in the Yorkshire Dales.
We talk to Jonathon Anderson, Headmaster at Aysgarth School, Bedale.
The demand for Asian Jade has been soaring over the years, says Andrew Parker of Tennants, Leyburn.
Canada is a vast and varied country and has something for everyone.
A guide to local events compiled by Liz Hanson.
Contact with children or grand children, your rights explained.
Great places to eat and stay in the Dales.
Wherever your day takes you, make sure you stand out in a bespoke suit, or separates from Norton and Townsend.
From our showrooms in Ilkley & London we aim to cover as much as the UK as possible. Instore appointments or home/office visits to suit you.
Bespoke Suits for Business, Pleasure, Weddings, Shooting & Racing
114 Bolling Road, Ilkley
West Yorkshire LS29 8PN
Tel: 0345 066 2030
Email: bespoke@nortonandtownsend.co.uk
www.nortonandtownsend.co.uk
Spring is a glorious time in the Dales. Animals and birds are making the most of the lengthening days. The trees are coming into leaf and the hedgerows are bristling with wild flowers.
The primrose is one of the plants most associated with spring, and it has some wonderfully varied and colourful relatives that definitely deserve a place in your garden. You can read more about them on page 32.
One of the last mammals to wake from its winter slumbers is the dormouse. This charming little creature is now nationally rare, but conservationists have reintroduced it to some of its former haunts in the Dales. Find out more on page 26.
With Easter on the way we’ve gathered together some exciting recipes to inspire you to make the most of local seasonal produce. Yorkshire rhubarb and Yorkshire asparagus are showcased in our food feature A Taste of Spring on page 58. Meanwhile on page 66 Josh Barnes of the Swinton Estate shares a fantastic recipe using their home-reared venison.
The Dales is renowned for its meat, from grass-fed beef and tender pork to succulent lamb – and the recipes on page 86 will taste even more delicious if you source your meat locally from the fine farm shops and independent supermarkets to be found in the magazine. One last thing: we have introduced lots of extra collection points for readers who have been struggling to find a copy of Dales Life. Our publication dates and a list of pick-up points are listed online at daleslife.com, but please phone ahead before making a special trip –copies can disappear very quickly!
1. A pair of Herend porcelain green twin candle holders, Boomerang Furnishings, Ripon, ebay.co.uk/str/boomerangfurnishings
2. Wallpaper and paints by Little Greene, see the range at Milners of Leyburn, milnersofleyburn.co.uk
3. The Country Set bread bin by Wrendale from a selection at Dovetail Interiors, Bedale, dovetailinteriors.co.uk
4. Blue and white mugs from the new Mug Meirion collection by Portmeirion, Dovetail Interiors, Bedale, dovetailinteriors.co.uk
5. Monty round footstool upholstered in Easton Fern, Mainsgill Farm Shop, mainsgillfarm.co.uk
6. Striped ceramic jugs by Gisela Graham, Mainsgill Farm Shop, mainsgillfarm.co.uk
Spring is the perfect time to freshen up your interior spaces –or be bolder still and give them a brand new look! Fortunately, there are plenty of local independent businesses who can provide you with all the materials and ideas you need.
Mainsgill Farm Shop has an entire floor packed with delectable homewares, including ceramics, original paintings, framed prints, soft furnishings and kitchenware. With flagship brands like Wrendale Designs, Sophie Allport and Emma Bridgewater, it’s the perfect place to browse. mainsgillfarm.co.uk
At their workshop in Thirsk, Grove House Interiors create beautiful bespoke kitchens that perfectly combine style and functionality. They prioritise quality and attention to detail at every stage of the process from initial concept to final installation. grovehouseinteriors.co.uk
The Ayton collection from Treske in Thirsk is a range of gorgeous hand-crafted furniture that includes dining, coffee, side, and console tables along with a matching sideboard. Available in European ash and oak or American walnut, in a range of different finishes. treske.co.uk
Emma Brown has 27 years’ experience making bespoke luxury soft furnishings and a passion for interior design. She and her team will help you refine your vision and make beautiful curtains, Roman blinds, cushions and upholstery to order for your home. emmabrowninteriors.com
Searching for a luxurious bespoke sofa? You can explore a range of styles and an enormous library of fabrics at the Sofas & Stuff Harrogate showroom. Their expert design consultants will help you create the perfect piece for your home. sofasandstuff.com
Whether it’s carpet or Karndean, natural fibre or vinyl, Hudspeth Flooring will help you find the perfect flooring solution. They have showrooms in Leyburn and Bromptonon-Swale and offer free consultations and measuring along with a flexible out-of-hours service. hudspethflooring.co.uk
If you’re looking for made-to-measure curtains, Roman blinds, cushions or throws, you’ll find plenty of fabulous fabrics to fire your imagination at Dovetail Interiors in Bedale, along with a constantly changing selection of home accessories and quirky gifts. dovetailinteriors.co.uk
Holme Design have 30 years’ experience designing kitchens, bedrooms and bathrooms, and are happy to provide clients with as much or as little support as they need. Visit their showrooms in Bedale and Northallerton to start planning your dream project. holmedesign.com
Boomerang Furnishings at Copt Hewick near Ripon carries a carefully curated selection of splendid contemporary, vintage, retro and antique furniture, glass, ceramics and soft furnishings. For current highlights and opening times see their Facebook page, @BoomerangFurnishings, or call 07934 508596.
For rustic style with a contemporary twist, Bear Cottage Interiors is hard to beat. Whether you’re looking for sumptuous soft furnishings, preloved and reclaimed furniture, home accessories or gifts, this cosy shop in Hawes is an Aladdin’s cave of inspiration. bearcottageinteriors.com
They may have been founded 140 years ago but Milners of Leyburn is bang up to date when it comes to their wide-ranging selection of luscious fabrics, wallpapers and flooring from top-quality British brands like Sanderson, Little Greene and Brintons. milnersofleyburn.co.uk
Southgate & James provide top-quality interior decorating services to both private clients and interior designers, and they pride themselves on their meticulous attention to detail. Their services include all types of paint finishes, paper hanging and colour consultancy. southgateandjames.co.uk
As well as wood, laminate, carpet and vinyl, Richmond-based NH Flooring offer a fantastic selection of beautiful natural fibre floor coverings such as sisal and coir – perfect for making a statement in both traditional and contemporary room settings. nhflooring.co.uk
Sanderson & Co of Leyburn carry an enormous range of decorating supplies from top brands including Dulux, Crown and Leyland. Using their Dulux colour-match scanner and paintmixing machine, they can help you match pretty much any fabric, wallpaper or coloured surface you choose. Telephone 01969 623143.
Ryedale Plasterers in Northallerton are renowned for crafting the finest traditional and contemporary plasterwork. Whether it’s a ceiling rose for your home or the restoration of a historic property, they can help with all aspects of lime plasterwork and decorative moulding. ryedaleplasterers.co.uk
We meet Dustin Mevis of Sceptred Isle Design Studio
nterior designer Dustin Mevis has traded the hustle and bustle of New York City for the rural charm of North Yorkshire, bringing with him a unique design sensibility that seamlessly blends classic American and English styles.
Dustin’s studio, Sceptred Isle, offers a full design service from concept to completion. This includes sourcing materials and furnishings, co-ordinating with tradespeople, overseeing installation, and styling with art, fabrics, lighting and accessories.
Born into a creative family in Nashville, Tennessee, Dustin has always had a passion for interiors. “My dad worked in advertising and was an artist on the side. As a child I used to help my parents rearrange their furniture, and I have always loved historic homes. It was while travelling through Europe as a kid that I discovered my love of the decorative arts.”
Dustin set up his first studio in Boston, Massachusetts, and went on to work with some of the world’s most prestigious furniture designers in New York City, including a stint managing the New York arm of Lulu Lytle’s Soane Britain.
Tiring of the rat race, Dustin – a staunch Anglophile – and husband Adrian Norbury decided to opt for a quieter life. In 2017 they bought Grove House in Leyburn, which was built in 1757 and converted into a seven-bedroom bed-and-breakfast in the 1980s. Capitalising on Dustin’s talents, the couple have thoroughly refurbished the Grade-2-listed property, putting a stylish, contemporary spin on its Georgian charm. The immaculately kitted-out B&B (grovehouseleyburn.com) now earns rave reviews from guests.
Renovations complete, Dustin launched his UK design studio, Sceptred Isle, in 2021, bringing his signature style to private residences and commercial properties here in the North. His style is powered in large part by an enthusiastic appreciation of British taste. “I love the way English style is so deeply rooted in historical references, far more so than American style. I’m particularly fond of Georgian architecture and Georgian antiques –that’s where my heart lies.”
Dustin staunchly ignores fads and fashions, instead aiming for something more timeless. He also rejects the idea that interior design should be constrained by pre-set ideas. “A lot of people think there are rules you have to follow: that a sofa has to be against a wall, for example, or that it needs a coffee table. I take a different approach. I start by looking at the space and how the client is going to live in it, entertain in it, and so on.
“Interior design in real life isn’t like the instant makeover shows you see on TV. You don’t necessarily have to decide on every detail immediately, especially if you’re on a budget. You may feel that you need a piece of artwork on the wall right away, but actually it’s perfectly OK to live in the space for a while and maybe find something that fits the bill two years down the line.”
Dustin stresses that whilst creativity is crucial, there’s a lot more to his job than simply making aesthetic decisions, vital though they may be. “Realistically, the creative stuff is only about 10% of the job. The psychology of communication – most importantly being able to understand the client’s needs and mediate between the client and various tradespeople and suppliers – accounts for around 50% of it. The remaining 40% is practicalities.”
And if you’re questioning the expense of paying an interior designer, it’s worth remembering that failing to attend to all those practical details – details that the interior designer will be on top of – could cost you dear. “Yes, this particular sofa will fit the space, but can you actually get it up the stairs and into the room?”
“And yes, you might want the WC in that corner of the bathroom, but how much is it going to cost to re-route the waste pipe?”
So what does Dustin enjoy most about his job?
“I love working with people and helping them discover their own style. I believe most people have taste – they just need a guiding hand. It’s lovely when clients trust you, move out of their comfort zone and find that they love something you suggested to them, something they wouldn’t otherwise have considered.”
And the downsides of the job?
“One thing I find difficult is dealing with nondecision-makers. It can be frustrating when clients who are super-excited about a project share ideas with friends and relations, who then start to question all the decisions that have already been taken!
“Then there are unexpected production delays, which can sometimes happen when you’re dealing with bespoke pieces, and which can mean you don’t meet the promised installation date. And of course it’s hugely disappointing if something you and your client have been eagerly looking forward to has been damaged in transit and arrives with a huge scratch on it.
“On the positive side, being creative and sourcing things for clients is great fun – it’s almost like giftgiving. In the crazy world we live in, your house is your refuge, so it’s very rewarding to know that you’re helping people create an environment in which they can relax and be themselves.”
For more information about Sceptred Isle Design Studio visit sceptredisledesign.com
Artisan orist in
Flowers for the discerning.
Flowers, houseplants, gifts and homewares
Eco orist, cellophane-free, proud to support local British ower growers.
Newstead’s, High Street, Leyburn, DL8 5AQ. Telephone 01969 368006
info@rosemaryandtwine owers.co.uk www.rosemaryandtwine.co.uk
At Southgate and James we provide high quality interior decorating services to private clients and interior designers. Our services include all types of paint finishes, specialist mural and paper hanging, colour consultancy and advice.
07956 170313 • 07584 414668 southgate.james_ southgateandjames.co.uk
New inspirational spring colours to brighten up your home.
We stock the full Dulux range and we can match and mix more colours too.
High Street, Leyburn • Tel: 01969 623143
Viewings welcome at our showroom in Copt Hewick, Ripon. Open every Saturday from 11am to 4pm.
Hand picked, beautiful, practical furnishings for your home.
We source new, vintage and antique furniture and one-o pieces.
Telephone 07934 508596 Unit 7A, Sycamore Business Park, Copt. Hewick, Ripon, HG4 5DF www.ebay.co.uk/str/boomerangfurnishings www.vinterior.co/sellers/boomerang-furnishings
Offering bespoke curtains, blinds, soft furnishings and upholstery in both contemporary and traditional styles.
Partnering with some of the most prestigious brands in the industry we can really bring the whole scheme together. Whether you are planning a full renovation or just need a couple of cushions to breathe new life into your space, we love to work alongside our clients to bring out their individual style.
New studio opening soon in Northallerton.
emmabrowninteriors.com
M: 07801 145566
E: emma@emmabrowninteriors.com
e all like a good lie-in, but the hazel dormouse, Britain’s doziest animal, has got sleeping down to a fine art.
One of the first mammals to go into hibernation in autumn, it is also one of the last to wake in spring. Even during summer, a spell of cold, wet weather will send it back to bed until conditions have improved.
Add to that the fact that dormice are strictly nocturnal, and spend the long summer days napping in their nests, and it turns out that the dormouse spends a good three-quarters of its life asleep!
The preferred habitat of hazel dormice is deciduous mixed woodland – especially, as the animal’s name suggests, woodland with an understory of hazel bushes.
Dormice are reluctant to travel far from home, and generally won’t venture much more than 50 metres from their nests. In late spring, they emerge from hibernation to graze on flowers, including those of oak, sycamore and willow trees, hawthorn and honeysuckle. As summer wears on, they feed on caterpillars and other insects. In autumn, they fatten themselves up on seeds, berries and hazelnuts.
During summer, dormice weave grapefruit-sized nests from grasses and leaves. You’re unlikely to find one by chance because they are usually concealed in a hollow tree trunk or wedged in thorny scrub; the middle of a dense clump of brambles is a favourite spot.
Here they will raise a litter of four or five young. By the time the young are three weeks old they will be covered with grey fur and their mother will start teaching them to forage. A month or so later they will leave the nest. When they are a year old – and themselves ready to breed – their fur will turn a rich golden brown.
When it comes to hibernating, dormice abandon the trees and shrubs and head down to the ground, where the temperature is more stable, and curl up in smaller, tighter nests amidst the twigs and dry leaves. On warmer nights they may wake briefly to feed and drink, but they will continue to hibernate until late April or early May.
Dormice were once widely distributed across England and Wales, but in recent years have becoming increasingly rare – surveys suggest that their numbers fell by 70% between 2000 and 2022. They are officially extinct in fourteen English counties. In a further six – including North Yorkshire – they exist only thanks to reintroductions of small populations by conservation groups.
So why are they faring so badly? There are several factors at play. Firstly, there is much less woodland than there used to be, and what is left is increasingly fragmented. For an animal that hates to cross open ground, this means that populations dwindle and become isolated.
What’s more, much of the remaining woodland is no longer managed the way it once was. In traditional coppiced woodland, where areas are cut back in rotation, there’s always a balanced mix of established trees and new growth – just what dormice like. By contrast, woodland that has been left to its own devices develops a dense canopy that shades out the understory shrubs, like hazel and bramble, that dormice depend on.
A third factor is climate change. Cold winters pose few problems for the hardy dormouse, but unseasonably warm winters mean dormice wake too early, at a time when there’s insufficient food for them. The recent trend towards cool, wet summers and rainy autumns is equally problematical. Dormice won’t forage on chilly, damp days – days on which they need to be out fattening themselves up to survive the long months of hibernation.
Fortunately, the beleaguered dormouse has its champions, including the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES). They are working hard to discover more about these charming little creatures – whose private lives are surprisingly poorly understood – and to restore their habitat and reintroduce them to some of their former haunts. You can find out more about their work at ptes.org
In spring or summer the average dormouse weighs 15–20g, but by the time they go into hibernation – after gorging on autumn’s bounty – dormice will have doubled their bodyweight.
You can tell whether dormice live in an area by carefully examining discarded hazelnut shells. Like dormice, voles and mice gnaw roundish holes in shells, but they leave toothmarks that radiate away from the centre of the hole. Dormice, however, make holes with toothmarks that run parallel to the edge of the hole.
When hibernating, a dormouse’s body temperature falls to around freezing point or even lower – in some cases down to around -3 0 C.
The dormouse family is an ancient one, but not all their ancestors were tiny. Until humans arrived there some 4,000 years ago, giant dormice the size of small dogs roamed the islands of Mallorca and Minorca.
The hazel dormouse isn’t the only dormouse living in the UK. In 1902, banker Lionel Walter Rothschild introduced the rather larger edible dormouse, a favourite snack of the ancient Romans, to his country estate in Tring. Their descendants now live wild in the Chiltern Hills.
By the 1980s, if not before, dormice were extinct in the Yorkshire Dales. Since then, however, there have been concerted efforts to reintroduce them to a number of locations, including two woods at Aysgarth and a site near West Tanfield. The latest initiative by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species has been the creation of ‘hedgerow highways’ to link these new, and hitherto scattered, populations.
Dormice populations are notoriously difficult to monitor, but ecologists are now using specially trained dogs to help them complete dormouse surveys by sniffing out the presence of these secretive little animals.
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The humble hedgerow primrose has some truly stunning garden cousins, says Brian Pike
Facing top left Primula veris
Top right Primula beesiana
Bottom left Primula denticulata
Bottom right Primula pulverulenta
This page Primula vulgaris
he cheerful pale yellow primrose that pops up in damp woods and hedgerows once the evenings start to draw out is one of the iconic flowers of spring.
The Latin name for the genus of plants it belongs to, Primula, is an acknowledgement of the fact that it appears so early in the year: ‘primula’ is a form of ‘primus’, meaning ‘first’.
However, our beloved hedgerow primrose (Primula vulgaris) is far from being the only species of primula. There are more than 500 of them worldwide, and most of them bloom in spring. They are surprisingly varied, both in colour and form, and many make excellent garden plants. They are popular with pollinators, and make good early-year sources of pollen and nectar for bees, butterflies and moths.
Let’s look at half a dozen of the best, all of which are excellent options if you’re looking to bring extra colour and variety to the garden during spring and early summer.
Primula veris
A primula that’s closely related to our native hedgerow primrose is Primula veris, the cowslip (also known, rather endearingly, as ‘fairy cups’). Rather than having large flowers close to the ground it has clusters of nodding, bell-shaped flowers on 20cm-high stalks.
Both the common primrose and the cowslip grow best in part shade, but the cowslip has two advantages over its cousin. Firstly, it copes better in drier spots, whereas the common primrose requires reliably moist conditions. Secondly, it likes alkaline soils, whereas the common primrose is happiest in acid or neutral soils.
If you want something a little more vibrant than pale yellow, Primula veris and related hybrids are available in a variety of colours, including hot oranges, zingy reds and dark maroons.
Let Primula veris self-seed and it will gradually spread. Alternatively, propagate it by dividing established clumps in April.
Primula denticulata
Primula denticulata, the drumstick primula, offers a very different look and a different range of colours. True to its name, each of its 35cm-high stalks is topped with a tight pompom of flowers, making it look for all the world like a colourful drumstick.
The most commonly seen form of drumstick primrose is a soft purple, but lilac, white, pink and red cultivars are also available. Thanks to their sturdy stems they make good cut flowers, and they have a long vase life.
Primula denticulata hails from the Himalayas so it’s super-hardy, and whilst the foliage will die back in winter it will reappear in early spring, no matter how cold the weather. It likes rich, consistently moist soil and can be grown very successfully in boggy pond-side soil.
Primula pulverulenta
Another primula that works well alongside streams, on pond margins or in bog gardens – one in fact that positively demands saturated soil – is the spectacular candelabra primrose, Primula pulverulenta.
Getting on for a metre high, and bearing tiered whorls of magenta, red or pink flowers, this is a plant that never fails to attract admiring glances from late spring through to mid-summer.
Left page Primula veris
Above Primula denticulata
Primula pulverulenta is a shade lover – ideally it wants part shade, but it will tolerate near full shade at a push. It prefers acid or neutral soil, and won’t flourish on strongly alkaline soil.
Keep the ground clear around your candelabra primroses and they will readily self-seed. Alternatively, divide clumps once they have finished flowering.
Primula beesiana and Primula bulleyana
Primula pulverulenta is one of a group of closely related primulas that are often loosely lumped together as ‘candelabra primroses’. Two of these are Primula beesiana and Primula bulleyana (Bee’s primula and Bulley’s primula).
Like Primula pulverulenta, these two species both love reliably damp soil, and certainly won’t be able to cope with direct summer sunshine if the ground they are growing in dries out.
Primula beesiana has soft pink or mauve flowers, and Primula bulleyana has vibrant yellow or orange ones. Both stand around a metre tall and look especially impressive planted in groups.
Bear in mind, though, that candelabra primroses frequently hybridise with each other. If you grow more than one species and leave them to their own devices your colour-coordinated planting scheme may end up being muddied by numerous intermediate forms. To stop this happening, pull up seedlings and propagate strictly by division only.
Primula capitata
Standing around 35cm high and shaped rather like a flattened drumstick primrose, Primula capitata is an especially striking and sophisticated semi-evergreen plant from northern India and Tibet. It’s easy to grow and will be happy in most soils and situations other than exposed dry areas.
Its flowers are a dark blue-violet, and the whole plant is covered by a white ‘meal’ that gives it a gorgeous silvery sheen. It has a long flowering season, often lasting from late spring to early autumn, and the handsome blooms make excellent cut flowers.
The one downside to this garden stunner is that individual plants tend to be short-lived. Fortunately, it will self-seed freely. Alternatively, reinvigorate it by dividing clumps in autumn once flowering has finished.
Top left Primula capitata
Top right Primula beesiana
Bottom right Primula bulleyana
Courgettes, squashes, pumpkins and melons are all closely related –and remarkably easy to grow, says Adam Appleyard
s gardeners, it can be helpful to know a bit about the family history of the plants we grow. Courgettes, squashes, pumpkins and melons all belong to the same group of plants: the cucurbit family. Despite their often very different appearances, all these garden crops have similar requirements, so once you’re comfortable growing one of them the rest will be a doddle.
Most people start with courgettes, but if you have the time and space it’s well worth broadening your range. Cucurbits are fast-growing, heavycropping plants – and whilst courgettes and melons need to be eaten fairly promptly, winter squashes and pumpkins can be stored for up to six months, potentially keeping you provisioned through winter and into next spring.
The cucurbit family originated in the tropics, so it’s hardly surprising that the plants we’re discussing won’t be happy outside in the garden or allotment until all danger of frost has passed.
What’s more, because they’re used to soaking up the sunshine in warmer climes, it’s best to start sowing seed indoors from late April onwards. That way you’ll have young plants ready to transfer outdoors just as soon as the weather warms up, giving them the maximum time to make the most of our short, sometimes disappointing, northern British summer.
Cucurbit seeds are large and usually germinate very reliably. Soaking them in a bowl of water for 12–24 hours before planting can help speed up the process. Sow two seeds per small pot of multipurpose compost, setting them on edge (they are flat) 1–2cm deep. Water well and place the pots in a heated propagator or wrapped in a polythene bag on a sunny windowsill. Your seeds will need a temperature of 18–21°C to germinate.
Once seedlings appear, which should be in 7–10 days, take the pots out of your propagator or remove the polythene bags. If more than one seed germinates, remove the weakest seedling. Grow the seedlings in your greenhouse or on your windowsill, moving them to larger pots as necessary, until conditions are right for planting them outside.
once you’re comfortable growing one of them the rest will be a doddle
When choosing a planting spot, bear in mind that cucurbits do best in a sunny spot. As quick-growing plants they need plenty of nutrition, so prepare the soil beforehand by digging in compost or wellrotted manure.
Also bear in mind that cucurbits are vines that climb through other plants in their native habitat. If you leave them without support they will happily snake across the ground but they are big plants and if you want to save space (and you’re not growing heavy pumpkins) you can train them up ‘wigwams’ made of bamboo canes, poles or branches trimmed from garden trees. This has the added advantage of allowing your plants to get more sun by raising them up out of morning and evening shadows. It will also lift the fruit off the ground, reducing the chance of it rotting or being damaged by slugs and snails.
Having evolved in environments characterised by heavy rainfall, cucurbits don’t fare well in dry soil, so water them regularly if nature doesn’t do the job for you. They will also appreciate a fortnightly feed with liquid tomato feed.
Cucurbits depend on insect pollinators, and if these are few and far between – as can happen if we have a cool, wet and windy summer – you may get a better crop if you hand-pollinate the flowers with an artist’s paintbrush. On cucurbits, male and female flowers are separate; the male flowers are, of course, the ones bristling with pollen, and the female ones are the ones with miniature immature fruits at their bases.
Courgettes, squashes, pumpkins and melons come in a bewildering range of varieties, so let’s narrow the field by picking out some of the best.
As regards courgettes, ‘Defender’ has an RHS Award of Garden Merit and is a popular, heavycropping choice. It’s a solid, mid-green courgette much like the ones you see in the shops. Courgettes aren’t necessarily green, though. Yellow courgettes, such as ‘Orelia’ and ‘Soleil’, tend to taste a little sweeter and they look great on the plate.
Courgettes also come in a variety of shapes. ‘Tondo di Nizza’ (which is pale green) and ‘One Ball’ (which is yellow) are spherical and ideal for baking whole or stuffing. My favourite, though, is ‘Tromboncino’, which is long, narrow and curved into a ‘C’ shape. It tastes great and has a refined, buttery texture.
Squashes come in two varieties: summer squashes, which, like courgettes, are thin-skinned and won’t keep for long, and winter squashes which have thick skins and will store for several months.
Patty-pan squashes, which include ‘Sunburst’, ‘Greendisc’ and ‘Custard White’, are small summer squashes whose flattened, disc-like shapes and scalloped edges make them look like tiny flying saucers. As for winter squashes, ‘Harrier’ and ‘Hunter’ are large, pear-shaped, golden-fleshed butternut squashes, and ‘Harlequin’ is a pretty yellow and green squash with sweet flesh that’s perfect for roasting. Equally welcome in the roasting tin is the vivid orange ‘Uchiki Kuri’, also known as ‘Red Kuri’ or ‘Red Onion Squash’.
As for pumpkins, the deep-orange ‘Charmant’ and ‘Cargo’ are ideal for carving at Halloween. And if you fancy growing a real monster to amaze the neighbours then opt for ‘Atlantic Giant’ or ‘Hundredweight’.
Finally, melons. Ideally these should be grown in a greenhouse or polytunnel but the pale yellow ‘Alvaro’, a cantaloupe melon, is one variety that will reliably ripen outdoors, even here in the North, providing you plant it in a sunny, sheltered spot. Good greenhouse or polytunnel options include ‘Emir’, ‘Ogen’ and ‘Blenheim Orange’.
As the weather warms up we will have a huge range of home grown, colourful summer bedding. All of your traditional garden favourites will be available and also lots of new and exciting varieties to try out! We have a beautiful selection of trees, shrubs, alpines, herbaceous plants, fruit trees and much more.
We have been growing the plants for North Yorkshire’s gardens for over 125 years - call in and see what we have for you.
Our florist can provide hand-tied designs, bouquets and arrangements for any occasion.
Visit us: we’re in Leeming Bar just beside the A1 W Braithwaite & Sons, Floral Nurseries, Leeming Bar, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL7 9BG
01677 422861 www.braithwaites.co.uk enquiries@braithwaites.co.uk
At Castle Timber Buildings we make an incredible range of buildings including sheds, stable blocks, garages, garden rooms and summerhouses.
All our designs are fully bespoke and made in the highest quality timber by our talented cra smen here in Yorkshire.
From gates and railings to stairs, furniture and sculpture – we can create beautiful bespoke metalwork to enhance your home or business. We combine traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge techniques and innovative design to bring your ideas to life.
Take a look at our website for examples of our work, or call us to discuss your requirements.
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News, products and advice for the new season
With their dark, glossy, evergreen leaves and showy red, pink or white blooms, camellias are ideal shrubs for part-shaded spots on neutral to acid soils. They also do well in containers. To reduce the chance of frost damage to the flowers, choose a sheltered site where your plants won’t receive direct early morning sun. Keep them moist during summer, preferably using rainwater if you live in a hard water area.
A little simple topiary will add structure and interest to your garden. Box, yew, privet, pittosporum and Japanese holly all make ideal subjects for the beginner to clip into balls or cones. All you need to get started is a good pair of one-handed topiary shears. These razorsharp Sophie Conran snips from Burgon & Ball (burgonandball.com) fit the bill perfectly.
Shallots are usually grown from sets (small bulbs). March and April are the months to plant them. Your sets will grow best in fertile soil in full sun. Plant them with the tips just showing, 15cm apart in rows spaced 40cm apart. Cover with fleece or netting until they have rooted to stop the birds pulling them up.
Most peonies have big, heavy blooms and a tendency to droop, especially when the flower heads get soaked in a sudden downpour. The best way to keep your peonies pert is to use sturdy plant supports, like this trumpet-shaped example from Harrod Horticultural (harrodhorticultural.com). Install supports as early in spring as possible, well before your plants start to sprawl.
A raised planter like this one from Garden Trading (gardentrading.co.uk) is an excellent way to make full use of yards, patios and other small outdoor spaces. Use raised planters to lift sun-loving herbs out of the shadows or to create fulsome displays of trailing ornamentals such as variegated ivies, Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ or Lysimachia nummularia.
Early flowering varieties of ceanothus – also known as California lilac – are vigorous, easy-togrow shrubs that will reward you each spring with a stunning display of countless clusters of tiny blue flowers that are super-popular with insect pollinators. Ceanothus aren’t fussy about soil, but do appreciate being planted in a sheltered spot. Once established they are drought-tolerant and don’t require feeding. Prune regularly to maintain a neat, compact shape. Ceanothus is now in stock at Braithwaites, Leeming Bar (braithwaitesnursery.co.uk).
Spring is a great time to plant an alpine trough. Pretty much any container with a generous drainage hole will do. Fill it with a mix of equal parts of horticultural sand, gravel and potting compost. Plant your trough with a selection of alpines such as Phlox subulata, sempervivums, small sedums and alpine saxifrages and finish with a top-dressing of pea gravel.
Runner beans can’t be planted out until the frosts are over, but you can sow them indoors from April onwards so that they’re ready to go as soon as the warm weather arrives. Prepare now by digging plenty of homemade compost or well-rotted manure into your chosen spot and constructing a sturdy wigwam of bamboo canes for your beans to climb.
Left to their own devices, day lilies will eventually form large clumps with plenty of foliage but few flowers. The solution to this problem is to divide them. And now’s the perfect time to do it. Simply lever up a clump and use a sharp spade to slice it into sections consisting of two or three shoots each. Replant the divisions and water-in well.
Early spring is a good time to prune mophead and lacecap hydrangeas. Remove the dead flower heads, cutting back just above a healthy pair of buds. On established plants, cut off two or three of the older stems at the base to encourage a flush of new stems in future years.
All over Yorkshire, our thousands of happy customers have improved their homes with the superb quality of our products and workmanship and are taking advantage of great energy savings, security and style. From contemporary to traditional, we can design and fit a bespoke range of top quality window and conservatory solutions in a colour and style to suit you. The power of colour. The right choice of colour can greatly enhance the look of your new windows and doors.
At Lifetime we offer a bespoke colour service to all of our products. Choose from a Farrow & Ball or Fired Earth colour chart. Or bring us a colour and we will match it. All the benefits of maintenance free uPVC or aluminium windows and doors while retaining the charm and character of your home.
Talk to the experts – 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.
The nest quality fruit, vegetables and salad
Wide range of dairy and ambient groceries
Quality selection of garden and house plants
Home delivery service
Trade welcome
Online shop
The Greengrocer Bedale, 2 Market Court, Bedale DL8 1YA Tel: 01677 425548
www.thegreengrocer.co.uk
Monday-Friday 7.30am-5pm, Saturday 7.30am-4pm
Home of the Yorkshire Dales Meat Company
We offer a fantastic selection of artisan foods including jams and preserves, pasta, puddings, free-range eggs, cakes and pies.
Our expert butchery counter is bursting with a vast range of delicious Aberdeen Angus beef, local lamb, pork, sausages, burgers and much more.
Locally sourced gifts include Yorkshire Candles, Richmond Soaps and a selection of colourful art.
We are proud to support local businesses throughout Yorkshire.
www.yorkshiredalesmeat.co.uk
Tel: 01748 810042
Yorkshire Dales House, North Road, Hackforth, DL8 1FN
Open Tuesday to Friday 10am-3pm
Food news, events and fabulous local produce
It’s that time of year when diners’ thoughts turn to spring lamb. And if you want top-quality Yorkshire lamb then look no further than the Yorkshire Dales Meat Company at Mill Close Farm Shop. Whether it’s a boneless leg joint, a tender lamb shoulder, an expertly trimmed lamb rump or a perfectly prepared rack of lamb, they’ll supply you with mouthwatering meat for that special meal. Buy online at yorkshiredalesmeatonline.co.uk (with free delivery on orders over £50) or shop in person at Mill Close Farm Shop in Hackforth, near Bedale.
The round white flower heads of wild garlic will soon be popping up in damp spots up and down the Dales. As well as being a welcome sign of spring, wild garlic is an excellent natural ingredient, and The Slow Vinegar Company have used it to brew a rich, flavoursome, double-fermented wine vinegar that will taste great with roast lamb, roast chicken and pretty much any other savoury dish. You can find The Slow Vinegar Company’s wine vinegars at Lewis & Cooper, Northallerton (lewisandcooper.co.uk).
The British asparagus season runs from late April to midJune. Enjoy it while you can, because there’s a world of difference between fresh asparagus and stalks that have spent days or weeks in transit. Naturally, local is best of all. Yorkshire asparagus is the best in the country, and it’s easy to find: just head to The Greengrocer in Market Court, Bedale (thegreengrocer.co.uk). Steamed, grilled or roasted, all it needs is a dab of butter or splash of olive oil to create the perfect springtime starter.
A top-rate gravy can make the difference between a good meal and a terrific one. But not all of us have the time and inclination to make our own. Luckily you don’t have to. If you’re eating lamb this Easter, a sachet of TRUEfoods lamb gravy will provide the ideal accompaniment. Made near Ripon using natural ingredients and traditional techniques, TRUEfoods gravies and stocks are so highly respected that even Michelin-starred chefs use them. You can buy them at Booths in Ripon (booths.co.uk).
Marmalade lovers who delight in the special combination of sweetness, sharpness and bitterness that this piquant preserve offers should make a point of trying out the National Trust’s own brand blood orange marmalade. Made by hand in small batches, using oranges grown on the slopes of Mount Etna, it’s a dark, richly flavoured, mediumcut crimson marmalade that will bring a special zing to your morning toast or teatime scone. Available at the National Trust Shop at Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal.
It’s Seafood Week on the Swinton Estate from 7 to 11 May this year. The estate has invited Stephane Delourme, who spent 25 years as Head Chef at Rick Stein’s seafood restaurant in Padstow, to host a series of culinary events. These include a Gala Dinner, Chef’s Table experiences, a ‘Fish and Fire’ lunch and a variety of hands-on cookery masterclasses, all of which will give guests the chance to enjoy the best in marine cuisine. Early booking is recommended; for more details visit swintonestate.com/events
Yorkshire has an amazing number of delicacies to offer the food-lover, and Yorkshire forced rhubarb – eagerly sought by professional chefs across the country – is one of the most famous. It’s sweet, it’s tender and it’s an eye-catchingly vivid pink. You can use it in any number of sweet dishes and several savoury ones too: mackerel with rhubarb is a springtime classic. Yorkshire rhubarb’s short season will soon be over, so grab some from the grocery department at Campbell’s of Leyburn (campbellsofleyburn.co.uk) while stocks last.
Easter wouldn’t be Easter without a chocolate egg or two, and nowadays there is a huge range of different options to choose from. You’ll find a splendid selection of seasonal chocolatey treats at Mainsgill Farm Shop (mainsgillfarm.co.uk) on the A66 just west of Scotch Corner. These include some very grown-up riffs on the theme such as Cocoba’s luxurious Strawberries & Cream egg and the punningly named – and deliciously self-indulgent – Baileys ‘Easter Sundae’ Belgian milk chocolate egg with its fudge topping and salted caramel crispies.
Jersey Royals are indeed the royalty of the potato world, renowned for their sweet, nutty flavour, unique waxy texture and the fact that they appear on the shelves well in advance of more run-of-the-mill early season spuds. The Greengrocer in Market Court, Bedale (thegreengrocer.co.uk) works with farmers who prefer to focus on the quality of their products rather than being at the mercy of a supermarket contract – so if you want the very best Jersey Royals that’s the place to find them.
Lean, juicy and sweet, a rolled saddle of spring lamb is widely considered to be one of the prime cuts for roasting – no wonder it’s an Easter favourite! It will serve between 8 and 10 people, making it perfect for that special family gathering. You can buy saddle of lamb – along with plenty of other fine cuts of meat – at Campbell’s of Leyburn (campbellsofleyburn.co.uk), whose friendly butchery team will be happy to give you their expert advice on the best way to cook it.
Claudia Blake visits
The Green Tree Inn at Patrick Brompton
he last few years haven’t been kind to the hospitality industry, and public houses have been particularly hard hit. Over 3,000 have closed for good in the last six years. That’s bad news for local communities and local jobs.
Here and there, though, there are glimmers of hope. Bucking the trend, The Green Tree Inn at Patrick Brompton has just reopened after standing derelict for goodness knows how many years. It’s a welcome change of fortune for the village, some four miles west of Bedale on the A684.
The three-centuries-old hostelry – a long, low, whitewashed stone building – stands next to Patrick Brompton’s imposing parish church, and was once its vicarage. Two years of thorough renovation have not only jollied up the formerly peeling facade but created a classy interior that combines the warmth of a traditional Dales pub with a smart, contemporary look.
We ate in the bar, whose wood stove, wooden floor, dark green walls and comfy sea-green upholstered banquettes established a relaxed, cosy vibe. Lit candles and potted plants on the tables, shelves stacked with tempting wines, a ceiling draped with bunches of hops studded with fairy lights… this is a country pub redesigned for the wine-bar generation.
The Green Tree sets itself apart from other local eateries with a firm emphasis on flame-grilling. The menu was concise – always a good sign –and consisted of five starters and five mains, with gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan diners all catered for.
To kick off with, we chose beetroot salad with whipped goat’s cheese (not flame-grilled, we presumed) and carpaccio of beef.
Even before picking up our knives and forks we were heartened by the sight of food elegantly laid out on simple but stylish crocks.
Gastropub beetroot nowadays means a dazzling array of different colours – ‘heritage’ varieties are very much the in thing – and The Green Tree’s beets came in the form of chunks and wafer-thin roundels of white, yellow, pink and deepest maroon. These were strewn with micro-greens and dotted with teardrops of light, pungent goat’s cheese. The result was a tasty mélange of crunch, earthiness, sharpness and indulgent creaminess. I’m not sure I picked up much tarragon in the tarragon dressing, but the plate as a whole was fresh and flavoursome.
The thin slices of beef that made up the carpaccio had been nicely seared and seasoned, then liberally sprinkled with tiny slivers of radicchio, diminutive leaves and finely chopped pickled walnuts to add extra taste and texture. If you’re going to eat raw meat, this is the way to do it.
The same high standard of presentation was evident in our mains. A handsome rack of lamb came perched on a piped ring of mash studded with individual florets of purple sprouting broccoli. The lamb fat was nicely crisped and the meat was on the pink side of just right. The mash might have been a touch salty for some folks’ taste, but this was a hearty, satisfying dish that I would happily eat again.
Meanwhile, a generous fillet of stone bass stood like an anvil on a cylinder of crushed new potatoes set in a lake of lemony sauce dotted with sprigs of dill. The flame-grilling had worked wonders on the fish, and the crisp, charred skin contrasted beautifully with the flaky white meat beneath. Similarly charred shards of confit shallots added a hint of sweetness to balance the lemon in the sauce.
The dessert menu was as concise as the savoury menu, offering the choice of four puds or an artisan cheeseboard. Cheese be damned, it’s the sweet option for me every time!
I’m obsessed with vanilla, so the vanilla cheesecake with honey and bourbon ice cream was a no brainer. The top of the cheesecake had been dusted with sugar and lightly flamed, like a wafer-thin crème brûlée topping, and the whole thing certainly packed a vanilla punch.
The ice cream was delightfully honied, although I struggled to discern the bourbon.
Our other dessert, Yorkshire parkin with granola, salted caramel, beer syrup and a crème anglaise, was a stroke of genius on Chef’s part – a dessert with the same kind of appeal as sticky toffee pudding but with a dark, smouldering gingery warmth in place of the gumminess of dates. The granola added extra texture, the beer syrup and salted caramel opened up an extra dimension of taste, and the nicely made custard contributed a silken softness.
An adult take on a nostalgic classic, and a triumphant conclusion to the meal.
So, great news all round: a splendid new dining venue that will hopefully boost the local economy and give North Yorkshire food-lovers, disheartened by the recent closure of several highprofile local eateries, a brand new dining destination.
Picture-perfect plates of food from a menu full of flamegrilled goodies.
Updated rural hostelry with a smart, bright modern vibe.
Friendly and laid-back.
Three courses from the à la carte menu cost a total of £97, drinks not included.
A 175ml glass of Taringi Sauvignon Blanc cost £8.40.
It’s well worth taking a look round St Patrick’s church, which dates back to the 12th century.
For more information about The Green Tree Inn visit thegreentreeinn.uk or call 01677 450111.
Tupgill Estate, situated in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales with 513 acres of glorious Yorkshire countryside, is home to
e Saddle Room restaurant.
At e Saddle Room we believe passionately about sourcing our ingredients from really local suppliers and wherever possible within a 10-mile radius of the restaurant.
e Saddle Room also has 5★ rated Accommodation with Cottages and Bed and Breakfast rooms creating the perfect place to relax and unwind.
Winner
The 18th century Green Tree Inn provides an escape from the bustle of everyday life. Our talented chefs have created a modern British menu serving seasonal dishes that celebrate produce from local suppliers. The Bar and Restaurant have been restored with considerable attention to detail, drawing on the skills of local artisans and artists. From crackling log fires to an outdoor area for families to drink in the sunshine. THEGREENTREEINN.UK
Taking inspiration from the seasons, chef and food writer Blanche Vaughan's dishes showcase simple food, cooked to perfection
This is a springtime combination of sweet, juicy asparagus and salty crumbled feta with the soft fronds of aniseed-flavoured dill. Cooking asparagus without water really intensifies the flavour. The fresher the asparagus, the quicker it cooks.
1. Preheat the oven to 2000C/1800C fan/gas 6. Snap the woody ends from the asparagus –bend them and allow to break naturally. Lay in a single layer, not touching, in a roasting tray and roll in the oil. Sprinkle with salt and roast for 10–15 minutes until the spears start to brown and feel soft.
2. Arrange on a plate and crumble the feta over them. Chop the dill and sprinkle over, then sprinkle over most of the lemon zest (avoiding the pith, which is bitter).
3. Season with pepper and add the lemon juice if the feta is particularly salty. Serve warm or at room temperature.
1kg asparagus
2 tablespoons olive oil
150g feta cheese
20g dill, fronds picked zest of 1 lemon, plus 1 tablespoon juice (optional) sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
At the River Cafe, we used to prepare a wonderful Italian antipasti called zucchini scapece – crisp courgette coins marinated in vinegar, chilli and mint. I’ve added aubergines that taste so good with the sweet courgettes. Serve with burrata or mozzarella as a starter, or with tomato bruschetta for a light lunch.
2 medium courgettes (about 300g)
1 aubergine (about 300g)
olive oil, for frying and drizzling small bunch of mint
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1–2 tablespoons best-quality red wine vinegar
6 balls of burrata cheese (or mozzarella)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Cut the courgettes into 2mm discs and the aubergine into 4mm slices. Lay these on kitchen paper with another sheet on top to dry them slightly.
2. Heat a large frying pan and add oil to generously cover the base. Add as many aubergine slices as you can without overlapping them, and fry over a medium–high heat for a minute or so before turning the pieces over so that they become golden brown on both sides. Remove to a piece of kitchen paper while you cook the rest. Use the same pan, with slightly less oil, to cook the courgettes in the same way.
3. Put the vegetables in a bowl, tear over the mint and scatter with the chilli, vinegar (start with half and add more later if necessary) and some salt. Gently turn everything with your hands and leave to marinate for 10 minutes, or all day if preferred.
4. Taste and add more vinegar and salt if necessary before arranging on 6 plates with a ball of burrata on each. Finish with a grinding of black pepper and a drizzle of oil.
Chermoula is a North African marinade made using coriander, smoked sweet paprika and cumin. The chicken and potatoes are cooked together in one pot, allowing the flavours to seep into each other. It will taste lighter and fresher with fresh tomatoes.
SERVES 6
40g coriander
20g flat-leaf parsley
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
juice of ½ lemon
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 chicken legs
1kg large waxy potatoes, peeled
500g large tomatoes
100g Kalamata olives
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
TO SERVE
herb salad of rocket, Little Gem lettuce and coriander, mint and parsley leaves, seasoned and dressed with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice
1. Preheat the oven to 1800C/1600C fan/gas 4. Put the herbs, garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the oil into a blender with 1 teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Blend to a paste. Cut 4 slits in each chicken leg and put them in a bowl. Add all the paste and rub it into the chicken.
2. Cut the potatoes and the tomatoes into 5mm thick discs. Choose an ovenproof dish large enough to fit all the chicken pieces in a single layer, with room underneath for 2–3 layers of potatoes and tomatoes. Pour a little of the remaining oil in the bottom of the dish and spread the potatoes and tomatoes into layers, seasoning with salt and pepper, and scattering with the olives.
3. Lay the chicken pieces, and any remaining paste, over the potatoes. Drizzle with the rest of the oil and bake on the lower shelf of the oven for 1 ¼–1 ½ hours. The chicken skin should be crisp and brown and the potatoes tender to the point of a knife. Serve with the herb salad.
the key ingredient here is the cardamom
I no longer buy pudding rice especially to make this. Instead, I use either risotto or sushi rice I have in the cupboard; their short grains produce the creamy, sticky texture that makes this so good.
700ml full-fat milk
500ml double cream
100g caster sugar
6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed 1 vanilla pod, split in half
120g risotto or sushi rice
500g rhubarb (about 5–6 stalks)
50g caster or light soft brown sugar
1 orange
4cm piece of fresh root ginger, peeled
Recipes taken from A Year in the Kitchen by Blanche Vaughan, published by Mitchell Beazley, £35.
Photography by Emma Lee, Andrew Montgomery, Toby Scott Alexander and Nassima Rothacker.
1. Preheat the oven to 1600C/1400C fan/gas 3. To make the rice pudding, put the milk, cream, sugar and cardamom in a large saucepan. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla pod and add to the milk, along with the pod. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat.
2. Choose a baking dish that is large enough to fit all the milk and cream with a bit of extra room so that it doesn’t slosh over the sides when you put it in the oven. Scatter the rice over the bottom of the dish and carefully ladle the milk mixture in so that the rice remains evenly distributed.
3. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes, then check that the skin is not getting too brown. If it is, reduce the temperature to 1400C/1200C fan/gas 1 for the final 30 minutes of cooking.
4. Top and tail the rhubarb stalks, then cut into finger length batons. Lay them in a single layer in a baking tray and sprinkle with the caster or brown sugar.
5. Peel 4 lengths of zest from the orange. Add this to the rhubarb along with the orange juice. Grate the ginger over and toss the rhubarb so that it is well coated.
6. Bake for 20 minutes in the same oven as the rice pudding, preferably on the shelf below, until the rhubarb is tender but not mushy.
7. Remove the rhubarb from the oven and then allow it to cool a little before serving with the rice – it makes a good temperature contrast to the hot rice pudding.
Chef Josh Barnes has spent over ten years working in top Michelin-starred kitchens. This month he launches a Chef’s Table dining experience at Swinton Cookery School, featuring produce grown, reared and foraged on the estate. Here he shares two of his recipes with Dales Life readers
I
love the subtle, sweet taste of leeks – something that we grow every year in the Swinton Estate Walled Garden. I like to serve mine alongside a vibrant green oil like nasturtium or chive – but feel free to use a soft herb of your choice to make the oil for this dish.
For the Garden Leek Velouté
1kg garden leeks
2 white onions
500g unsalted butter
2 litres vegetable stock
500g double cream
For the Chive Oil
300g chives, roughly chopped
300g vegetable oil
1. To begin, evenly slice the garden leeks (about 1cm thickness will do) and then wash the leeks, using a colander, under cold running water. Set aside.
2. Add the unsalted butter to a saucepan and place over a low heat.
3. Meanwhile, evenly dice the onions and add to the pan. Allow the onions to sweat until cooked, ensuring that the onions don’t colour.
4. Add the vegetable stock to the pan, with the onions and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. At the end of the 10 minutes, add the double cream to the pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat.
6. Use a stick blender to combine the ingredients into a soup-like texture. Season with sea salt and pepper to your taste.
1. Combine the chives and vegetable oil in a food blender and blend until smooth.
2. Using a sieve and cheese cloth positioned over a bowl, pour the contents of the blender over the cloth and allow the oil to pass through.
3. Enjoy the Chive Oil as the garnish for the soup.
One of my favourite ingredients to cook. We have our own herd of fallow deer within the grounds of Swinton Park Hotel, and we’re incredibly lucky to be able to serve our own Estate-to-Plate venison on our menu at Chef’s Table. Your local butcher is your best port of call for venison, but you can find it in many farm shops too.
For the Red Cabbage Purée
1kg sliced red cabbage
1 litre red wine
375g red wine vinegar
250g demerara sugar
For the Venison
800g venison loin
For the Venison Jus
100g venison trim
3 carrots, peeled and finely sliced
2 white onions, finely sliced
2.5 litres good quality beef stock
250g red wine
1. Preheat the oven to 140°C (120°C fan).
2. Add all ingredients together in an ovenproof dish.
3. Cover with greaseproof and place in the oven for two hours, or until cooked and soft.
4. Remove from the oven and add to a food processor.
5. Blend until smooth and serve immediately.
1. Place a frying pan and a splash of oil over high heat and preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan).
2. Season the venison loin with sea salt and, once hot, add to the pan.
3. Allow the venison to evenly colour on all sides. Remove the pan from the heat.
4. Transfer the pan into the pre-heated oven and allow to cook for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the venison onto a chopping board. Allow to rest for eight minutes.
6. At the end of the resting time, slice the venison into equal slices and season with sea salt before serving.
1. Add a splash of oil to a stock pot or large saucepan and position over medium-high heat.
2. Add the venison trim, carrots and onions to the pan and allow to roast.
3. Once roasted, reduce the heat, add the red wine to the carrots and onions to deglaze the pan. Allow the red wine to reduce to a glaze.
4. Add the beef stock, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for two hours, using a spoon to skim any fat off the top.
5. Once reduced, pass through a fine sieve and season with sea salt and pepper.
1. Begin by placing a spoonful of red cabbage purée to the right of your plate.
2. Position the sliced venison to the left of your plate.
3. Serve alongside seasonal greens, such as Tenderstem broccoli or kale.
4. Finish the dish with a generous serving of venison jus.
Who can resist a custard tart?
Especially one that includes an extra helping of chocolate.
Few things are more pleasurable than a creamy baked cheesecake.
A collection of delicious decadent chocolate recipes to enjoy this Easter
Fresh and fruity, these dainty tarts are simple to prepare and make a wonderful end to any meal.
I’ve given this classic a makeover with the addition of silky white chocolate.
SERVES 8
80g icing sugar
180g plain flour
100g cold butter, cut into cubes
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cold milk
a pinch of salt
seeds of 1 vanilla pod
1 egg white, beaten, for glazing cocoa powder, for dusting (optional)
CUSTARD FILLING
200g milk chocolate, chopped
9 egg yolks
100g golden caster sugar
225ml double cream
225ml milk
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out
WHITE CHOCOLATE AND TONKA BEAN CUSTARD TART VARIATION
100g white chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons finely grated tonka beans, plus extra for dusting
a 23cm loose-bottomed tart pan
To make the pastry, blitz the icing sugar and flour in a food processor until well mixed. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk, milk, salt and vanilla and pulse again until just combined. Tip the soft dough onto a sheet of clingfilm, wrap it up and pop it in the fridge to rest for an hour.
Place the pastry between two sheets of clingfilm before rolling to about 5mm thick. Remove the top layer of clingfilm and transfer the pastry to the prepared tart pan. Gently push into place with your thumbs. Slice off any overhanging pastry and carefully peel off the clingfilm. Prick the base with a fork and chill in the fridge until firm.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.
Line the pastry with baking parchment – I find the easiest way to do this is to crumple the parchment roughly before sitting it snugly inside the tart case – and cover with baking beans. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, carefully remove the baking beans and baking parchment, and brush the pastry with the beaten egg white. Return the pastry case to the oven for 5 minutes, then remove and leave to cool on a wire rack. Reduce the heat to 140°C/gas 1.
To make the custard, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of barely simmering water. In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy in a heatproof bowl and place a fine mesh sieve over the top. Put the cream, milk and vanilla in a saucepan and slowly bring to the boil. Pour the hot liquid into the eggs, discarding the vanilla caught by the sieve. Whisk together, before whisking in the melted chocolate. Pour the chocolate custard into a jug and leave to settle for a few minutes before skimming off any froth from the top.
Carefully pour the custard into the pastry case and bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes, or until just set with a slight wobble. Leave to cool completely in the pan on top of a wire rack, then dust with cocoa if you wish.
For a white chocolate alternative of this tart, simply replace the milk chocolate with white chocolate and add the tonka beans at the same time. Dust the tart with ground tonka beans instead of cocoa powder to serve.
150g digestive biscuits
75g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
300g fresh raspberries
725g full-fat cream cheese (such as Kraft Philadelphia)
300g caster/granulated sugar a pinch of salt
25g cornflour
seeds of 2 vanilla pods (or 2 teaspoons vanilla paste)
250g white chocolate, melted and cooled
3 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
160ml sour cream
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
a 23cm deep loose-bottomed springform cake pan
For best results, make sure all of the filling ingredients are at room temperature before you begin.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.
Blitz the digestives in a food processor and add the melted butter and blitz again. Press the biscuit rubble firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Once cool, paint the inside of the pan liberally with melted butter and set on a baking sheet. Increase the oven to 220°C/gas 7.
Put half of the raspberries on the cold biscuit base. Beat the cream cheese until creamy, before gradually adding 200g of the sugar, the cornflour and salt. Add the vanilla and chocolate, before whisking in the eggs and yolk, one at a time. Whisk in the sour cream and pour the mixture over the biscuit base. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven to 110°C/gas 1/4. Bake for a further 30–35 minutes. If you gently shake the pan, there should be a slight wobble in the middle. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 2 hours with the oven door slightly ajar. Cover loosely with foil (without touching the top) and set in the fridge until ready to serve.
Put the remaining raspberries in a small pan with the lemon juice and remaining 100g of sugar and set over a gentle heat. Stir until the berries break down, then bring to the boil. Pass the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds and leave to cool. Carefully remove the cheesecake from the pan and slide it onto a serving plate.
Swirl the raspberry coulis over the top of the cheesecake.
Leave out the raspberries and caramelise the white chocolate for a simpler version of this cheesecake. Preheat the oven to 120°C/gas 1/2. Put the chocolate on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes–1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes, until pale golden brown. If the chocolate looks chalky or seized, simply continue to stir until it is smooth again. Cover and set aside until needed.
MAKES 8
CHOCOLATE PASTRY
80g icing sugar
160g plain flour
20g cocoa powder
100g cold butter, cut into cubes
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cold milk
a pinch of salt
1 egg white, beaten, for glazing
MASCARPONE FILLING
250g full-fat mascarpone
300ml double cream
3 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
TO DECORATE
750g fresh raspberries
75g dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa solids), chopped
8 x 10cm tart pans
To make the pastry, blitz the icing sugar, flour and cocoa in a food processor until well mixed. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk, milk and salt, and pulse again until just combined. Tip the soft dough onto a sheet of clingfilm, wrap it up and pop it in the fridge to rest for an hour.
Cut the pastry into eight equal pieces and roll each out on a lightly floured surface until the pastry is 3mm thick. Line the tart pans, gently pushing the pastry into place with your thumbs. Slice off any overhanging pastry. Prick the bases with a fork and chill in the fridge until firm.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4.
Line the pastry with baking parchment – I find the easiest way to do this is to crumple the parchment roughly before sitting it snugly inside the tart case – and cover with baking beans. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, carefully remove the baking beans and baking parchment, and brush the pastry with the beaten egg white. Return the pastry case to the oven for 5 minutes, then remove and leave to cool on a wire rack.
To make the mascarpone filling, simply whisk all the ingredients together until thick. Divide the filling between the cold pastry cases and level their tops with a palette knife. Lightly place the raspberries on top of the filling.
Melt the chocolate and leave to cool slightly before drizzling over the tops of the tarts. Serve immediately or transfer to the fridge until ready to eat.
1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out 600ml double cream 8 egg yolks
50g caster/granulated sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
100g white chocolate, melted
8 x 200ml ramekins set inside a roasting pan a cook’s blowtorch
Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas 2.
Put the vanilla seeds and pod in a saucepan with the cream set over a gentle heat and warm until it just comes to the boil. In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until pale and set a fine mesh sieve over the bowl. Pour the hot cream through the sieve into the egg mixture and whisk together. Discard the vanilla pod. Whisk the melted white chocolate into the custard and divide the mixture between the ramekins. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until it reaches halfway up the ramekins and carefully put in the preheated oven. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the custards are just set, with a slight wobble in the middle.
Transfer the ramekins onto a wire rack and leave to cool. Once cold, pop the custards in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Sprinkle a fine layer of caster/granulated sugar over the top of each crème brûlée (about 1 teaspoon per custard). Caramelise the sugar using a cook’s blowtorch or under a hot grill. Leave the caramel to harden and serve.
Recipes taken from Deliciously Chocolatey Cakes & Bakes by Victoria Glass, published by Ryland Peters & Small, RRP £20. Photography by Dan Jones.
Kathryn Cuthbertson MVO shares some recipes from her kitchen in the Dales
A traditional simnel cake is the perfect way to celebrate Easter
Yields 1 x 7-inch circular cake tin
3 free range eggs, whisked
175g light muscovado sugar
175g unsalted softened butter
175g sieved self-raising flour
175g golden sultanas
60g mixed peel
90g glacé cherries, halved
45g currants
45g raisins
1 tsp ground mixed spice
zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
zest of 1 orange
To decorate
500g almond paste
2 tbsp apricot jam
This delicious spiced fruit cake is a great addition to any Easter teatime table.
Preheat the oven to 150°C or equivalent temperature.
In a bowl, mix the dried fruit together and fold through some of the sieved flour, this will help the fruit stay suspended throughout the cake mixture as it bakes.
Place the softened butter, sugar and citrus zest into a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Slowly mix in the whisked eggs, if the mixture looks like it is splitting add a little of the sieved flour. Once all the eggs have been incorporated, carefully and gently fold through the remaining sieved flour and ground mixed spice. Finally, fold through the mixed dried fruit.
To prepare your cake tin, grease the tin with a little softened butter then line the base and the sides with baking paper.
Spoon half of your cake mixture into the prepared tin and smooth with a palette knife or the back of a dessert spoon.
Roll out a third of the almond paste into a disc just smaller than the circumference of the cake tin and approximately 1/2cm thick. Place the disc on top of the cake mixture already in the tin before spooning the remaining cake mixture on top of the almond paste disc. Smooth this final layer before placing on the middle shelf of your preheated oven and bake for up to two hours or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Obviously, times will vary depending on your type and age of oven.
Allow to cool completely before removing from the cake tin.
To decorate the simnel cake:
Prepare 11 x 8g perfectly rolled almond paste spheres and leave to one side (if serving this cake over the Easter period they represent the 11 apostles). Warm the apricot jam and brush it over the top of the cake. With the remaining almond paste roll a disc just larger than the size of the cake tin and place the disc on top of the cake, the apricot jam will help it to stick. Stick the marzipan spheres evenly around the edge of the almond paste top. To finalise the presentation, the almond paste can be glazed using a blow torch to add a little colour.
Yields approx. 40 biscuits
100g caster sugar
200g softened unsalted butter ½ fresh vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped
250g sieved plain flour
20g free range egg yolk (approx. 1 egg yolk)
To assemble
300g seedless raspberry jam icing sugar for dusting
These ‘Jammy Dodgers’ are a firm favourite in any household, no matter what you call them. A delicate, delicious biscuit.
Preheat the oven to 160°C or equivalent temperature.
Place the softened butter, sugar and vanilla seeds into a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Slowly mix in the egg yolk before carefully folding through the sieved flour. Bring the biscuit paste together to form a flattened ball. Wrap and allow to rest in the fridge. The paste will feel quite sticky and will require a cool working area and a bit of patience.
Once the paste has rested and is sufficiently firm, remove from the fridge and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll the paste to a thickness of approx. 3–4mm and return the sheet of sablé paste to the fridge on a tray lined with baking parchment paper.
For each biscuit you will require a top and a base. Using a 5cm cutter, cut as many biscuits out as possible and carefully place them on a lined baking tray, ensure that the biscuits aren’t touching. Return the tray to the fridge to firm before cutting out the centre of half of the biscuits with a 3cm cutter. These will form the top half of your biscuits – ensure that the holes are nicely centred.
Place the tray on the middle shelf of your preheated oven. Bake for approx. 12 minutes or until the biscuits turn a light sandy colour, too much colour and the biscuits will be brittle and extremely fragile. Allow to cool on a wire rack.
To assemble:
Once cool, dust the tops of the Jammy Dodgers with icing sugar using a fine sieve.
Spoon the raspberry seedless jam into a piping bag and pipe a circle of jam onto each biscuit base, ensuring that you leave an edge of approx. 0.5cm, continue to flood the centre of the circle with more jam. Finally, carefully place the dusted tops on to the jam covered bases.
INGREDIENTS
Yields approx. 4–6 servings
2–3 sticks of Yorkshire rhubarb (caster sugar to taste)
juice of 1 orange
250ml double cream
250ml buttermilk
75g caster sugar
1 bronze leaf gelatine
1 split vanilla pod
This buttermilk panna cotta is delicious served with various seasonal fruit but especially with forced Yorkshire rhubarb; the season is short so keep your eye out in your grocers. Delicate, slow cooking will ensure that you don’t lose the beautiful pink colour.
To prepare the rhubarb:
Gently wash the rhubarb in chilled water to remove any soil. Top and tail each stick before cutting into 3cm batons. Place these in a shallow saucepan with the juice of the orange and sugar to taste, gently heat until the rhubarb is tender. Remove from the heat and completely cover the saucepan to allow the residual heat to ensure the rhubarb is cooked throughout. This will ensure the beautiful pink colour of the rhubarb is maintained.
To prepare the panna cotta:
Soak the leaf of gelatine in a bowl of ice-cold water, making sure it is completely submerged.
Place the double cream, sugar and split vanilla pod into a saucepan and bring to the boil over a gentle heat. Remove from the heat and add the soaked gelatine, once completely dissolved, strain into a bowl and add the buttermilk. The vanilla seeds will automatically suspend throughout the mixture once the buttermilk is added so there is no need to cool over ice as with other recipes. If you prefer to demould your panna cotta then you will need to add extra gelatine.
Place a spoonful of poached rhubarb into the bottom of each serving glass or dish before slowly pouring the panna cotta over the rhubarb. Place in the fridge to set before placing some rhubarb with the poaching liquor on top to garnish.
We
stress free access to a vast range of different products and mouth-watering surprises such as:
• A range of own-label and every day groceries
• Innovative products from start-ups and artisans
• Succulent local meat from ‘Dales’ farmers
• National and international delicacies on a rst-class delicatessen counter
• An extensive choice of artisan and mainstream cheeses from around the world
•A range of ready meals created by our butchers
• An unrivalled selection of worldwide wines and spirits
• Beer and spirits from craft breweries and distillers
……….and there is so much more in store.
These great recipes showcase the outstanding local produce available in the Yorkshire Dales
Early forced rhubarb is grown in the dark, in warm sheds from the end of winter and into the beginning of spring. The season is relatively short and so it is vital to make the most of these versatile pink spears while they are in season. This lovely light dish provides us with hope that warmer spring days are just around the corner.
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1 tablespoon water
4 small sticks of rhubarb, sliced into 1cm pieces
1 head of chicory olive oil
2 thick slices of good-quality black pudding
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon caster sugar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small bunch of dill, finely chopped pure sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Put the cider vinegar, sugar and water in a small pan and bring to the boil. Add the sliced rhubarb and gently cook for 2–3 minutes in the cider vinegar mixture, so the rhubarb softens but doesn’t fall apart. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the vinaigrette for the chicory. Whisk together the mustard, cider vinegar and sugar. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly to form a thick, glossy dressing. Stir through the chopped dill.
Divide the chicory leaves and dress thoroughly. Heat a small, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat, add a drizzle of oil and fry the pieces of black pudding for 5 minutes until dark and crispy. Serve the three elements alongside one another on small plates.
This is a really wonderful way to cook a chicken and potatoes, particularly when you’re dealing with a properly free-range whole chicken with so much flavour. As it roasts, the potatoes soak up all the garlic- and herb-spiked juices, which often get left in the base of the tin. You end up with the most delicious chicken, which is perfectly suited to the wood oven but also works superbly in a conventional oven too.
1.75kg free-range chicken
75g grass-fed butter
4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked and freshly chopped
2 sprigs of marjoram, leaves picked and freshly chopped a large handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, freshly chopped
2 small garlic cloves, grated
1kg white potatoes, peeled and cut into 4–5mm slices
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 very fresh free-range and/or organic egg yolks
2 garlic cloves, grated and crushed to a paste
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
200ml olive oil
200ml sunflower oil
pure sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To make the aioli, whisk the egg yolks, garlic, mustard and vinegar and some salt and pepper together in a bowl. Combine the oils in a jug and start to add them in a thin trickle, whisking constantly. When the oils start to emulsify, you can add them a little faster. You should have a thick, glossy, garlicky mayonnaise. If it’s too thick, add 1 tablespoon of warm water to loosen it slightly. Set aside until needed. Pre-fire your wood oven. It should be 200–220°C when you come to cook. If you are using a conventional oven, preheat it to 180°C/gas 4.
An hour before you are ready to cook, remove the chicken from the fridge to let it come up to room temperature. Place the butter in a bowl and add the thyme, marjoram, parsley, garlic and some salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Loosen the chicken breast skin a little, easing it away from the flesh with your fingers. Spread the herby butter under the breast skin and all over the chicken.
Place the potatoes in a large bowl with the olive oil and some salt and pepper and tumble together to coat. Scatter in a large roasting tray, in an even layer, and sit the chicken on top. Roast in the oven, turning the tray periodically, for about 30 minutes. Now carefully lift the chicken off the potatoes and give them a quick turn. Replace the bird and return the tray to the oven for a further hour or until the chicken and potatoes are cooked. If you’re cooking in the wood oven, check the oven temperature from time to time; if it falls below 120°C, build up the fire with fresh wood to keep it hot.
To check whether the chicken is cooked, slide the tray to the front of the oven and pull at a leg – it should come away easily. Or use a digital probe thermometer in the thickest part (inside of the thigh, next to the body) to check the core temperature has reached 72°C. Remove from the oven once cooked. Leave the chicken to rest somewhere warm for 15–20 minutes before carving and serving with the potatoes, aioli and a crisp green salad.
As the saying goes ‘Cooking is like love: It should be entered into with abandon or not at all’. What’s better than showing someone you love them by cooking a thoughtful, delicious meal?
1 côte de boeuf
olive oil
50g salted grass-fed butter
2 garlic cloves, bashed
1 small bunch of thyme
200ml double cream
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tablespoon finely chopped thyme
1/4 bulb of nutmeg, grated
375g waxy potatoes, peeled and finely sliced grass-fed butter, for greasing pure sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas 4. Remove the côte de boeuf from the fridge an hour before you plan on cooking it to bring it up to room temperature. Season well with salt and pepper. To make the dauphinoise, warm the cream in a small saucepan with the garlic, thyme and nutmeg. Season this cream really well with salt and pepper. It’s important to get it almost over seasoned, as it will have the job of seasoning the potatoes as well. Place the potatoes in a bowl, pour over the cream and mix thoroughly.
Grease a small baking dish with butter. Layer up the potatoes in the dish until it’s full. Place a sheet of baking parchment over the surface of the potatoes and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the baking parchment and return the dish to the oven for a further 15 minutes until the top of the dauphinoise takes on some colour.
Heat a wide, heavy-based frying pan until hot. Add a drizzle of oil to the outside of the côte de boeuf and place in the pan, fat-side down. Use a pair of tongs to hold the piece of beef in place and carefully render down the fat, creating a lovely golden crust on the beef fat.
Remove the beef from the pan and pour away any excess fat. Increase the heat of the pan until very hot, then add the beef, cutside down, and fiercely sear the meat for 2 minutes on each side.
Recipes taken from Pipers Farm: The Sustainable Meat Cookbook by Abby Allen and Rachel Lovell.
Published by Kyle Books, £30. Photography by Matt Austin.
Once again remove the beef from the pan and leave the pan to cool a little. Now add the butter, bashed garlic and sprigs of thyme to create an aromatic butter. Return the beef to the pan and continue to cook on each side. It is useful at this stage to have a digital temperature probe to keep track of how the beef is cooking. For rare, aim for a core temperature of 48–52°C; for medium aim for 55–58°C and 60°C+ for well done. If you don’t have a temperature probe, cooking the beef in butter for a further 4 minutes on each side should work well.
Transfer the beef to a tray, pour over the butter and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Carve into thick slices and serve with the rich dauphinoise potatoes and a sharp watercress salad.
We meet Jonathon Anderson, Headmaster of Aysgarth School
ysgarth School, set in 50 acres of grounds in Newton-le-Willows near Bedale, is one of the country’s leading independent preparatory schools for boys aged 3 to 13 and girls from 3 to 8. From September 2024 it will become fully coeducational.
Headmaster Jonathon Anderson and his wife Hester joined Aysgarth last summer, after having worked together in four coeducational boarding prep schools. Aysgarth, which currently has just over 200 pupils and a teaching team of 40 staff, is Jonathon’s second headship.
“I get up early, at 5 o’clock, and spend the next hour on my exercise bike listening to Radio 4. It’s the one part of the day that I can guarantee I won’t have any meetings!
“I wake the boys up at 7 o’clock and make sure that by half past they are in breakfast, where we’ll be joined by our matrons and other members of staff. Gradually the noise level increases as breakfast goes on and the tea kicks in!
“After a quick staff briefing we go into our beautiful chapel, by which time the day pupils will have joined us. There will be a hymn, a few prayers and one of the senior boys will do a reading – it’s a great way for them to develop their confidence.
“After that the boys go to lessons. From then until lunchtime I’ll be doing whatever is in my diary, which might include things like meetings with staff, talking with the governors, or having a chat with a boy who is going to an interview at a senior school.”
“On most days there will be prospective new parents visiting; Hester and I always meet them as a pair. And there are lighter moments too. Today we had pupils from our nursery visit me in my study, and they had great fun bouncing up and down on the sofa and stroking our dog.”
“I only teach a couple of lessons a week. I’m a maths teacher by trade and a keen sports coach. Like most heads I would love to do more teaching, but there’s always a huge amount of admin that needs to be done.
“Every lunchtime I’ll sit in the same place in the dining room and be joined by a different group of pupils, so I can catch up with them and hear how their day has been going.
“Afternoons are very varied, but often involve sport, which is a big part of life at Aysgarth. When we’ve got matches on, Hester and I will be out and about talking to parents who have come to watch, and we’ll host tea in my study.
“At half past five the day pupils go home and the staff change into something a bit more informal to mark the fact that the working day has finished and that we’re into boarding time. There will be supper, prep, and a huge variety of different activities for the boys to join in with, including cooking, Airfix model making, fencing, golf, shooting, board games and a million and one other things. Once that’s all over we put our bit of the boarding house to bed.”
“For our pupils, life at Aysgarth is incredibly busy but also incredibly supportive. Although we’re proud to aim high it’s not necessarily about everyone achieving straight ‘A’s – all I ask of pupils is that they work hard and embrace all the opportunities that are open to them within a community that is genuinely safe, caring and supportive. And Aysgarth is very special in that respect. I can honestly say that I think our pupils are kinder to each other than in any other school I’ve worked at.
“During term time, weekends are incredibly busy, but Heather and I will usually take a chunk of Tuesday off work, hop in the car and explore the Dales with our dog. When you take up a position like mine you know that you can only properly put your feet up during the holidays.
“Yes, it’s a demanding job, but it’s also a very rewarding one.”
“As all teachers will tell you, it’s about the joy of seeing children flourish, seeing our pupils develop and go on to their senior schools, many with awards and scholarships of some kind. Another high for me is parents’ delight at the progress their children have made – when I see, for example, the look on parents’ faces when their child’s name gets read out at prize-giving.
“And of course as head it’s also tremendously exciting to be at Aysgarth at a time of change, an exciting new chapter in the school’s history, as we look forward to going fully coeducational this autumn. Our pre-prep school has been coeducational for thirty years and there will be great opportunities for the girls who come to join us in years 4 to 8. We’ve already had a huge amount of interest from parents of prospective pupils.”
For more information about Aysgarth School visit aysgarthschool.com or call 01677 451022.
Unit 1 Concept Park, Thirsk Ind. Estate, Thirsk, North Yorkshire YO7 3NH 01845 523562 grovehouseinteriors.co.uk
ade has been highly prized in Asian cultures since the Stone Age. In China, jade acquired near-mythical status. It was closely associated with successive imperial dynasties and hailed for its supposed ability to attract good health and good fortune. And it was painstakingly worked by expert craftsmen to create some of the nation’s most beguiling decorative objects.
Confusingly, ‘jade’ is an umbrella term for two different minerals, nephrite and jadeite, explains Andrew Parker, Asian art consultant at Tennants.
A superb private collection of Asian art that is due to go under the hammer in Tennants’ Leyburn auction room in March includes several lots of splendid 18th- and 19th-century jade, including one piece so rare and refined that it has attracted an auction estimate of £70,000 to £100,000.
And despite the fact that ‘jade’ is invariably used on paint charts to label a vivid shade of green, jade actually occurs in a huge range of other colours. These range from translucent white, yellow and orange through a variety of different greens – both pale and dark – to purplish-blues, browns and blacks.
“Many Western collectors are attracted to deep green jade, but from a Chinese perspective the paler the better. So-called ‘mutton-fat’ jade is the most sought-after and expensive of all,” says Andrew.
Bottom left A Chinese celadon jade ‘Luohan’ boulder,
estimate: £70,000 to £100,000
£8,000 to £12,000
Jade is one of the hardest naturally occurring minerals, explains Andrew, hence can’t be carved by chiselling or chipping away at it. Instead it needs to be gradually abraded by laboriously grinding away at it with a harder material such as quartz or diamond.
“Jade has always been a popular area for collectors, and the market today is really strong,” says Andrew. “As a consequence, antique pieces are being faked. The fact that jade is so hard, and therefore not prone to wear, means that it can be difficult to date. Weeding out the fakes can pose a serious challenge.
“One giveaway sign of a piece made with modern machine tools is that it lacks the irregularities and imperfections of handworked jade. If a hole in a piece of jade jewellery is perfectly circular, for example, it is unlikely to have been made by hand.
“One of the beauties of the collection that’s coming up for sale is that it was acquired in the 1950s, before the era of widespread fakery, and that the pieces were bought from leading London Asian art dealers. In fact many of them come with their original purchase receipts.”
Opening page A Chinese pale celadon jade figure of Buddha, Qing Dynasty. Auction estimate: £4,000 to £6,000
Above A Chinese pale celadon and russet jade group, Qing Dynasty. Auction estimate: £3,000 to £4,000
This is indeed the case with the star item in the group, which was bought in Belgravia in 1955. It’s a depiction of a ‘Luohan’ or Buddhist sage, sitting cross-legged in a rocky grotto holding sacred writings, a bamboo staff and a string of prayer beads. The rocks are inscribed with the Imperial seal marks and a eulogy that concludes by summing up the subject’s mystically enlightened state with the words: “What he has remembered is not nothing, although there are no words for it.”
The piece, which comes complete with its original hardwood stand, dates from the era of the Qianlong Emperor (1711–1799). The emperor was a devout Buddhist and collected several thousand jade items as part of the massive trove of paintings and decorative arts that he amassed during his reign.
Other jade items from the collection include a Buddha figurine, a set of four delicate bowls, and a gorgeous vase modelled as a trumpetshaped flowerhead ornamented with tiny bats and sinuous branches.
“This collection is an educated collection that was bought over a relatively short period of time from top-level dealers,” says Andrew. “It’s certainly one of the best I’ve ever seen.”
For more information about Tennants Auctioneers, or to arrange a valuation, visit tennants.co.uk or call 01969 623780.
This vast and varied country has something for everyone
ne of the hottest post-Covid travel trends, says Linda Maughan of The Travel Lounge in Bedale, is soft-adventure tourism. Simply lying on the beach is no longer enough for many holidaymakers. They’re looking for exciting, immersive experiences that take them just that little bit out of their comfort zone. If that sounds like you, Canada should probably be on your bucket list.
“Canada is an enormous country with a huge amount to offer – every province is different,” says Linda. “Whether you’re looking for epic landscapes, encounters with iconic wildlife, fantastic skiing, cosmopolitan cities or the chance to explore unspoiled colonial towns and engage with the rich cultural heritage of First Nations peoples, Canada has it all. The possibilities are endless.”
And if you want expert advice on those possibilities you could hardly ask for a better guide than Linda. She used to live in Canada, and regularly returns.
Linda’s favourite Canadian province is Alberta, and she highly recommends getting to grips with the Rocky Mountains by making the trip from Calgary, Alberta’s largest city, to Banff and thence to Jasper. “The mountain passes are spectacularly beautiful, with viewpoint after stunning viewpoint,” she says, “and every town offers a picture-perfect moment.”
Highway 93, which runs northwest through two national parks from the resort town of Banff, is popularly known as the Icefields Parkway. Along its length you can enjoy some of the most beautiful panoramas imaginable, including Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and Peyto Lake, all of which are notable for their vibrant blue waters and backdrops of sharp and snowy peaks. Beyond Peyto Lake is the Athabasca Glacier. Here you can take a tour on an allterrain vehicle to walk on this 10,000-year-old ice sheet, said to be thicker than the Eiffel Tower is high.
A different but equally engaging way to experience the rugged beauty of the Rockies is by rail. The multipleaward-winning Rocky Mountaineer luxury train service gives you the chance to spend two full days on the train between Jasper or Banff and Vancouver, taking in the amazing scenery through the enormous glass panels and outdoor viewing platforms of the Rocky Mountaineer’s specially designed carriages.
Canada is also a great choice if you’re looking for a short city break, with Toronto just seven hours’ flight from the UK. Renowned for its diverse dining scene, world-class museums and colourful nightlife, Toronto’s futuristic skyline and beautiful waterfront are dominated by the amazing CN Tower, the tallest freestanding structure in the Western Hemisphere. Its observation deck and rotating restaurant offer breathtaking perspectives on the city, by day and by night.
From Toronto, Niagara Falls is an easy day-trip. Niagara is actually a group of three mighty waterfalls, the largest of which, the Horseshoe Falls, bestrides the boundary between Canada and the United States. To experience the raw power of this natural wonder – and get the best possible close-up view – book a Hornblower boat cruise. You won’t regret it!
And of course there’s so much more to Canada. Wildlife enthusiasts can opt for trips that will give them the chance of sighting grizzly bears, polar bears, lynx, timber wolves, whales and dolphins. History buffs can explore quaint old gold-rush towns, and there are dozens of diverse First Nations cultures to learn about and engage with.
If your head is spinning with all the different options, why not go and have a word with Linda at The Travel Lounge? Whatever your preferred holiday style – escorted touring or pre-planned fly-drive, organised or relaxed – she’ll be able to point you in the right direction.
The Travel Lounge is at 11 Market Place, Bedale. Call them on 01677 427358 or email sales@thetravellounge.co.uk
Masham, Ripon, HG4 4JH 01765 680900 swintonestate.com
Throughout March, April and May
For mini chefs and grown ups alike! Brush up on your cooking skills with either a half or full day’s cookery masterclass, led by our talented Swinton Estate chefs. Choose between a myriad of fabulous courses, from French Brasserie and Middle Eastern Cuisine to Artisan Breadmaking and Desserts.
Sunday 31 March
Gather the family this Easter Sunday in Samuel’s Restaurant and enjoy a three-course lunch while admiring the picturesque views of the Deer Park. Afterwards, take a postlunch stroll around the 200-acre parkland and gardens, with complimentary access included for our Sunday Lunch guests.
Friday 12–Sunday 14 April
A fabulously unique pop-up experience at the Deer House on the Swinton Estate, with our talented chefs, once again, firing up the pizza ovens! Bring family and friends together for delectable antipasto sharing boards, woodfired pizzas and classic desserts for just £23.50 per person, with our Swinton Spritzer Bar open for drinks alongside lawn games and live music throughout the weekend. Bookings essential.
Thursday 25 April
A half-day session lead by local wreath-making expert Sue Orrey-Godden. Create your own living wreath using moss, bedding plants and foraged foliage within the spectacular setting of the Deer House, followed by a two-course lunch in the Terrace Restaurant and Bar. Enjoy an optional add-on of two hours’ access to the Swinton Country Club to complete your afternoon.
Monday 13 May
Jess Wilkinson will guide you through this intensive day of willow weaving to create a beautiful bird sculpture for your home or garden. You’ll learn techniques and tips to help you work with willow, including how to source the right kind of willow for sculpture, what tools you will need and how to approach the work bit by bit and weave a solid structure. The workshop also includes a twocourse meal in the Terrace Restaurant and Bar, along with arrival tea/coffee/biscuits. Booking essential.
Tuesdays 14 and 21 May
Join celebrated gardener Dame Susan Cunliffe-Lister for a two-course garden lunch and garden talk over coffee, and a guided tour of the grounds. Each lunch is themed on a different topic, whether it be on the parkland and lakes, or the walled garden. The menus for garden lunches will include ingredients from the walled garden, and recipes from our chef.
Near Scorton, Richmond, DL10 6AT
01748 818178 kiplinhall.co.uk
Open 6 days a week (closed on Thursdays)
Until Sunday 31 March
Step into spring! Take a stroll through the grounds of Kiplin surrounded by swaths of snowdrops and aconites. Indulge in our delicious locally blended Kiplin coffee, home-baked cakes, scones, and light lunches in our atmospheric Tea Room.
Included with admission.
Until Wednesday 6 November
Music holds a special place in Kiplin’s past. From the trumpet of a 17th-century hunting horn to the steps of a Georgian dance, music vibrates back through the years. Join us as we reveal how music was enjoyed at Kiplin. Included with admission.
Friday 22 March–Sunday 14 April
Discover buckets of fun activities hiding in the grounds of Kiplin this spring. Play games, explore trails, learn, and laugh as a family in the fresh air. Included with admission.
Thursday 2 May, 11am–4pm
Forage and feast at Kiplin! A 5-hour guided session with a foraging expert, which includes ID guidance and finding wild ingredients, followed by a wildinspired feast at the end of the event. Ticketed event, £70.
Trinity Church Square, Richmond, DL10 4QN 01748 826561 greenhowards.org.uk
Monday to Saturday 10am to 4.30pm
Until Saturday 20 April
Exploring a rich history of daring feats, escape and evasion, the kindness of strangers, personal sacrifice, split-second decision making, fighting retreats and real-life survival by the skin of your teeth.
Monday to Saturday until Friday 20 December
Showcasing the enduring links between this famous regiment and their long-term home, Richmond. Featuring the stories of local people and their military connections through time, the exhibition encourages visitors to consider the ties that bind local, national and international communities, both serving and civilian.
Monday 6 May–Friday 20 December
The only Victoria Cross awarded on D Day: 6 June 1944, was awarded to a Green Howards soldier, Company Sergeant Major Stan Hollis. We tell the story of that momentous event through the experiences of some of the 2000 Green Howards soldiers who were part of the Normandy campaign. See the Hollis VC in the museum’s medal room.
Letting your holiday home has never been easier
At Yorkshire Hideaways our local team is well placed to make the process of letting your holiday home easy and enjoyable
Benefits include: A Marketing or Marketing and Managed service
Professional photography | No joining or annual fee | Peace-of-mind damage cover
Competitive commission rate | No restrictions on the use of your property
We’re always looking to expand our portfolio, so why not get in touch and ask for your FREE Property Letting Guide?
The Hutts, Grewelthorpe, Ripon, HG4 3DA himalayangarden.com
Open 18 April–3 November
Set in the beautiful countryside between Masham and Ripon in North Yorkshire, the award-winning Himalayan Garden and Sculpture Park is home to over 90 striking contemporary sculptures, situated within 45 acres of stunning woodland and gardens. Inspired by the Himalayas, the park is home to one of the North’s largest collection of rhododendrons, azaleas and magnolias, holding a national collection of rhododendrons. The terrain undulates with steep paths in some areas, meandering through 45 acres of woodlands, gardens, an arboretum, and alongside tranquil lakes with a multitude of wildlife. The unusual microclimate of the valley makes it fertile ground for Himalayan plants such as the rare meconopsis blue poppy.
The extensive sculpture collection is dotted all around the grounds, carefully placed to enhance the surrounding environment, made from all sorts of materials inspired by nature and the landscape. Marble to bronzes, Welsh slate to Zimbabwean stone, pinecones and coconut shells, ceramics, glass and wood, float on water, hang in trees, sparkle in the sunlight, reflect the sky, move in the wind, and surprise and enchant visitors at every turn. During 2024 the garden will be hosting an exciting new exhibition of sculpture from artists from all over the UK, available to view during normal opening.
Thursday 18 April–Sunday 3 November
New for 2024, the Himalayan Garden is hosting an exhibition of new sculptors called ‘Sculpture in the Landscape’. Set alongside our permanent collection of 90 sculptures, the pieces are designed to enhance the landscape and challenge audiences of all ages when visiting the 45-acre garden and parkland.
Tuesday 30 April–Thursday 2 May
Botanical illustration is the art of depicting plant forms accurately, to capture their individual characteristics and to aid identification. This 3-day workshop involves step-by-step guidance, demonstration and individual tuition from awardwinning artist Bridget Gillespie, covering drawing, composition and watercolour techniques. Suitable for complete beginners to intermediate painters. Booking essential: info@himalayangarden.com
Wednesday 26 June
Learn how to write beautifully using ink. Suitable for complete beginners, this class will teach you everything you need to know, starting right at the basics, to create your own unique style of lettering. All attendees will get a Calligraphy Starter Kit, including handouts, paper, pen and ink to use and take home, providing everything you need to start your calligraphy journey! Booking essential: email info@himalayangarden.com
Want to know more? Join one of our famous brewery tours! Our passionate tour guides know Black Sheep inside and out, and will talk you through the history and art of brewing whilst shepherding you through our unique brewhouse.
Naturally, the tour ends at the bar for a tasting of our range!
There’s no better place to drink our beer than direct from the source! Naturally we serve the full range of Black Sheep cask, keg and bottled beers, ciders and spirits.
Choose from our diverse menu of locally-sourced Yorkshire pub classics. Our menu features something for everyone!
While you’re here, you might as well stock up! Our shop features: ALL OUR BEERS
Church Bank, Aysgarth, DL8 3SR 01969 662829
yoremillcraftshopandgallery.co.uk
Saturday 13 April
Use a variety of mixed media techniques to create an experimental sketchbook. Mixed media mark making collage, collecting found materials to work into a journal of the day. A very free explorative experience of mindfulness and calm in the countryside. The full day with lunch is £70 per person.
Saturday 11 May
Explore the wonderful local environment around Aysgarth Falls using a variety of media to draw and paint from nature. Working from collected images, own sourced images using cameras or phones in the local area, you will develop responses to the local landscape in a sketchbook using dry media to record shape and colour composition then come into the studio to work the designs up using acrylic paint. You will learn to use a limited palette to build up a range of colours that harmonise and develop painting confidence and colour mixing. The full day with lunch is £70 per person.
Saturday 8 June
Explore the beautiful local environment around Aysgarth Falls using a variety of media to draw and paint from nature, building up an exciting sketchbook. The full day with lunch is £70 per person.
High Street, Leyburn, DL8 5AQ 01969 368006
From Tuesday 18 June, every week for five weeks
Leyburn
Learn new skills including how to cut and condition flowers. Sessions include flower crowns, vase arrangements, living wreaths and dried flower arrangements. Booking essential. Email info@ rosemaryandtwine.co.uk for further information.
Each lodge is fully equipped and has its own private hot tub set down into the balcony. Peaceful setting so guests can have a relaxing and enjoyable time.
www. owerydell-lodges.co.uk/dales-life
Tel: 01748 822406 E-mail: info@ owerydell-lodges.com
yoremillcraftshopandgallery.co.uk
Church Bank, Aysgarth
3SR
❖ VISIT Come and see us for works by the finest local and regional artists and makers.
❖ STAY We have fabulous accommodation overlooking Aysgarth Falls.
❖ CREATE We have a range of exciting art classes.
❖ GAZE We are a dark-sky friendly business involved in astronomical events.
When parents part company there can be significant disagreements about what happens to the children. Janice McKenna of McGarry & Co Solicitors talks us through some of the issues.
hen a relationship breaks down, regardless of whether or not the parents are married, one of the most important – and often emotionally charged – issues that need to be resolved is what arrangements are put in place for the children.
Janice McKenna, family law specialist at McGarry & Co Solicitors, has a wealth of experience in helping newly separated parents – and sometimes other family members, such as grandparents – navigate the difficulties that ensue when a couple become estranged.
“A whole new routine for living separately has to be worked out,” says Janice. “In an ideal world parents would be able to agree on the basics, such as who will be the primary caregiver. And they would sort out all the fine details between themselves: what the school routine will be, where the children will spend holidays, Christmases and birthdays, and so on.
“Unfortunately, though, all sorts of problems can arise. For example one parent may move away, raising logistical issues such as who will do the travelling and how often. The absent parent may want to see their children more often than the other parent would like, or feel that their time with the children is being restricted. And some parents may have a very poor relationship following a separation, finding it difficult to cooperate and come to any sort of agreement.”
“More seriously still, one parent may feel that the children are at risk from the other, who may be unstable or suffering from an addiction, or is behaving erratically in some way. At the extreme end of the spectrum there is the concern that the child is being exposed to emotional or physical abuse.
“And there’s a more general problem that I routinely see, and which is nobody’s fault. As they grow up children have an increasing number of obligations: school homework, sporting activities, hobbies and friendships. They end up running out of time for absent parents – and especially for grandparents, who will complain that they haven’t seen their grandchildren for months.”
So what can a parent do if they and their former partner disagree about what arrangements should be made for their children?
“In the first instance,” says Janice, “I would encourage parents to try and find an agreement themselves by talking the issues through. However, that’s easier said than done, especially if there’s an element of anxiety or fear involved.
“If the parents cannot agree, the next step would be to take legal advice or go to an independent family mediation service.”
“Mediation can take place by conference call, or on neutral ground face-to-face in the offices of a mediator. Some mediators offer ‘shuttle mediation’ where the two parties stay in different rooms and the mediator shuttles between them to try and help them reach an agreement.
“Of course mediation doesn’t always work. Maybe a couple has tried it, but can’t agree. Or maybe one of the parents refuses to attend. In either case one party can apply for a court order. The court is a place of last resort, and except in certain cases – domestic abuse for example – won’t accept an application for an order unless mediation has already been tried.
“A Child Arrangement Order specifies where a child is to live, when and how much time it is to spend with each parent, and what other kinds of contact can take place.
“A Prohibited Steps Order can be made to stop a parent taking a decision about a child’s upbringing without the express permission of the court. In my experience the most frequent reason a Prohibited Steps Order is issued is when one parent wants to stop the other parent taking a child out of the country.
“A court can also issue a Specific Issue Order if parents cannot agree particular decisions such as which school a child is to attend, or what medical treatments they should receive, or whether a child can be taken abroad by one of the parents.”
“As for grandparents – who, as we discussed, can feel very much at the back of the queue as children get older – they don’t have an automatic legal right to see their grandchildren. They can try to secure access via a court order, and, as with parents, they need to attempt mediation before doing so.
“There is also an extra step involved: they have to ask the court for permission to apply for a Child Arrangements Order, setting out the reasons for making the application. Only when permission to apply has been granted can they go ahead.”
“the process is very child-centric”
“In all of the court’s decisions the paramount consideration will be the welfare of the child. The Welfare Checklist can be found in the Children Act 1989. Factors the court will consider include the wishes and feelings of the child, taking into account its age and understanding, its emotional and physical needs, and any harm it has suffered in the past. The process is very child-centric, the aim being that the child can remain as settled and secure as possible, hopefully maintaining a relationship with both parents.
“I really enjoy being a family lawyer. It’s a very satisfying job, especially when things work out well – and I’ve seen some very, very happy conclusions! Being a good listener is a crucial skill when you’re dealing with people at such a difficult stage in their lives. It’s important to give clients time to work through their feelings and open up about what are, after all, very private issues.”
For branch details, contact numbers and more information about McGarry & Co Solicitors visit mbmcgarry.co.uk
An attractive residential smallholding with a 4 bedroom house, range of outbuildings with potential, woodland and 13 acres.
Guide Price £1.25m
A traditional 4 bedroom country property with large gardens, small paddock, riverside frontage and feature foot bridge.
Guide Price Range £800,000 - £850,000
A substantial barn conversion with 5 double bedrooms, large garden, garaging and parking in a traditional courtyard setting.
Guide Price £635,000
A substantial and modern 5/6 bedroom house with double garage, studio, large gardens and 1 acre paddock.
Guide Price £875,000
An attractive detached house with 4 ensuite bedrooms, large gardens and small paddock in a quiet rural village.
Guide Price £650,000
An immaculate double-fronted character property to exacting standards with 3 double bedrooms and off road parking.
Guide Price £550,000
SURVEYORS • ESTATE AGENTS • PROPERTY AUCTIONEERS • VALUERS • LAND AGENTS
A Grade II listed country residence in need of full refurbishment throughout with a large garden in a popular Dales village.
Guide Price £495,000
An immaculate 3 bedroom character cottage with low maintenance garden and parking in a popular location.
Guide Price £350,000
A beautifully appointed 3 bedroom cottage with a private garden in an accessible village location.
Guide Price £325,000
A spacious 4 bedroom barn conversion with private garden in a traditional courtyard setting.
Guide Price £475,000
A well-presented 2 bedroom link detached house with enclosed garden adjacent open countryside.
Guide Price £350,000
36.08 acres of rough grazing in a stunning rural location with fantastic sporting potential.
Guide Price £100,000
Britannia Devereux are experts in domestic and commercial removals and storage; we can handle the complexities of packing, removal, storage and reinstallation of home contents, furniture and most other items or equipment. For more information please contact the office.
With over 75 years in the industry Devereux has grown from modest roots to become one of the UK's leading haulage firms. Based in Teesside, the UK’s largest industrial zone and freeport, Devereux are ideally located to provide transport and logistics to all of the UK, with easy access to the main road links in the area.
Devereux Developments Ltd.
Daimler Drive, Cowpen Lane Ind. Est.
Billingham TS23 4JD
T:
The Bay Horse, Ravensworth
Bear Cottage, Hawes
Boomerang Furnishings, Copt Hewick
Booths, Ripon
Campbell’s of Leyburn
The Cheese Press, Richmond
The Co-op, Masham
Dovetail Interiors, Bedale
Fairhursts, Swinithwaite
The Greengrocer, Bedale
The Green Howards Museum, Richmond
The Green Tree Inn, Patrick Brompton
The Himalayan Garden, Grewelthorpe
Holme Design, Bedale
Kiplin Hall, Richmond
Kiss the Moon, Richmond
Lewis and Cooper, Northallerton
Mainsgill Farm Shop, Richmond
Mill Close Farm Shop, Hackforth
Milners of Leyburn
Northallerton Tourist
Information Centre
Ripon Walled Garden
Rosemary & Twine, Leyburn
Sanderson & Co, Leyburn
The Station, Richmond
Stoneygate Farm Shop, Richmond
Tennants of Leyburn
The Travel Lounge, Bedale
Wonky Tree Bookshop, Leyburn
Yorkshire Hideaways, Leyburn
The White Bear’s talented chefs use locally sourced ingredients to create delicious seasonal dishes, and there’s an extensive wine list to complement the menu. You can enjoy your meal in the charming dining room or the traditional bar, with open fires creating a cosy atmosphere throughout.
whitebearmasham.co.uk 01765 689319
The Green Tree is a historic listed pub in the heart of Patrick Brompton. Our mission is to create a fiery Gastropub serving dishes crafted from local Yorkshire produce. Our kitchen serves flame grilled dishes and is complemented by an extensive wine list.
thegreentreeinn.uk 01677 450111
Nowt fresher than a pint brewed 20 metres from the bar! Sample our award-winning range alongside our delicious menu of home-cooked pub classics. You can also see where the magic happens on a brewery tour and pick up takeaway beers and gifts from our ‘Sheepy’ shop.
blacksheepbrewery.com 01765 680101
This beautiful country house hotel near Hawes serves delicious classic dishes using locally sourced ingredients. Visitors are welcomed daily for a sumptuous evening meal in its intimate restaurant or for a light lunch, afternoon tea, or coffee and cake in its comfortable Oak Room. stonehousehotel.co.uk 01969 667571
The Garden Rooms Bistro offers exceptional food in a unique setting. The passionate kitchen brigade pride themselves on delivering beautifully crafted dishes using the best Yorkshire produce; each highly seasonal menu offers an affordable choice of classic and modern British food delivered with outstanding service in a comfortable and relaxed environment.
tennantsgardenrooms.com 01969 621146
From the award-winning, fine-dining experience in the grandeur of Samuel’s Restaurant to the more relaxed AA Rosette Terrace Restaurant and Bar, serving morning coffee, lunch, dinner and fabulous cocktails. Both restaurants showcase local and seasonal produce with much from the estate and four-acre walled garden. swintonestate.com 01765 680900
Grand honest food cooked to perfection, all locally sourced and freshly prepared. Situated on the Tupgill Park Estate near Middleham in the heart of the Dales.
The Saddle Room also has nine bed and breakfast units, seven cottages and a wedding venue that will seat 120 people.
thesaddleroom.co.uk 01969 640596
Sample award-winning chef Jonathan Harrison’s unique take on modern British cooking in The Sandpiper’s 40-seater restaurant or the cosy traditional bar serving local ales, fine wines and an extensive range of whiskies. There are two tasteful boutique-style en-suite doubles for overnight guests. sandpiperinn.co.uk 01969 622206
